You may turn in your Bibles to Revelation chapter 4. Revelation chapter 4. I just want to read chapters 4 and 5 and then make some observations on this particular section of Scripture and seek to bring some specific application with reference to the Lord's Supper. Revelation chapter 4.
I'll begin reading in verse 1. After these things, I looked and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this. Immediately I was in the spirit, and behold, a throne sat in heaven, and one sat on the throne.
And he who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance. And there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald. Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes, and they had crowns of gold on their heads. And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices.
Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God. Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal, and in the midst of the throne and around the throne were four living creatures. full of eyes in front and in back. The first living creature was like a lion. The second living creature like a calf.
The third living creature had a face like a man. And the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle. The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night saying, holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty. who was and is and is to come.
Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things And by your will, they exist and were created. I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne, a scroll written inside and on the back sealed with seven seals. Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice who is worthy to open the scroll and the lucid seals. And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look at it.
So I wept much. because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll or to look at it. But one of the elders said to me, Do not weep. Behold, the lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to lose its seven seals. And I looked and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures and in the midst of the elders stood a lamb as though it had been slain. having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God, sent out into all the earth.
Then he came and took the scroll out of the right hand of him who sat on the throne. Now, when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty four elders fell down before the lamb, each having a heart and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying, You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals. For you were slain and have redeemed us to God by your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation and have made us kings and priests to our God.
And we shall reign on the earth. Then I looked and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures and the elders. and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands saying with a loud voice worthy is the lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing and every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea and all that are in them I heard saying Blessing and honor and glory and power be to him who sits on the throne and to the lamb forever and ever. Then the four living creatures said, Amen, and the 24 elders fell down and worshiped him who lives forever and ever. Well, let us pray.
Father, what an awesome scene we have in these two chapters, and we pray tonight that Your Spirit would guide us in our understanding that we would see something, a glimpse of the glory that is here displayed, and that we would have a fresh appreciation for the redemptive work of our Lord Jesus Christ. It's so much the focal point in chapter 5. I pray that we would be encouraged and edified and that, Father, our thoughts would indeed be tied up with the the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, who died and rose again for sinners. And we pray in His most blessed name.
Amen.
Introduction
I thought it would be good for us to continue in chapters four and five tonight by way of our meditation for the Lord's Supper.
Heaven's Response to Earth's Trials
What we have essentially in these two chapters is God's response to what goes on in the world. Revelation chapters two and three, we see the church tried. We see the church suffering. We see the church even persecuted unto death.
We see lots of issues and problems and dilemmas in chapters two and three. This is the church on earth, and we might be tempted to think What is God going to do about all of this? Well, that's why the scene shifts. John moves from chapters two and three back to chapters four and five in order to get us to focus upon the throne room.
This is heaven's response to how God's people suffer or are tried or have difficulties in the world. The scene shifts from the mutiny of man on earth So, what we find here is the calm dignity of God's throne room that is a statement by Walter Chantry in specific application to Psalm 2. I think that if you follow the trajectory of Psalm 2, it's very similar to what we find here. The nation's rage, the people's plot, vain things.
They are against the Lord and against His Christ in Psalm 2. That's how it begins with the mutiny of man. But then the scene shifts dramatically to the calm dignity of God's throne room. He who sits in the heavens shall laugh.
He will hold them in derision. He will set his king on his holy hill of Zion. That is precisely the flow of the passage here. Chapters 2 and 3 give us a glimpse of life on earth for the church of Jesus Christ.
Chapters four and five remind us that God is in control. The Lord God is on his throne and that our responsibility remains the same to worship him and to praise him. In chapters 2 and 3, there are lying apostles in Ephesus. There is tribulation, poverty, imprisonment, death in Smyrna.
They are dwelling near Satan's throne, and there's martyrdom in Pergamos, and there's trial in Philadelphia. It's enough to cause any saint of Christ to have some concern, to ask the question. When there is a tragedy, we want to know what the leadership is going to do about it. If there was an attack upon Ottawa, we want to know how the leadership is going to respond.
Well, chapters four and five display for us how God does respond. Vern Poitras says when God's people are beset by temptation or persecution, a revelation of God's character and glory is the best remedy. Get this, brethren, because this is John's point. When God's people are beset by temptation or persecution, a revelation of God's character and glory is the best remedy.
He goes on to say that his power guarantees the final victory. His justice guarantees vindication of the right, and his goodness and magnificence guarantee blessing and comfort. The blood of the Lamb demonstrates that solid redemption has already been accomplished. Even in the midst of trials and persecution, God is still the ruler.
He controls everything. J. Adams reminds us that widespread persecution was breaking out everywhere. Greater still was yet in the offing.
Lest there be doubt in any Christian's mind, the Savior graciously draws back the curtain of heaven, or to use the exact figure of the text, opens the door and gives John a reassuring glimpse of the divine control and care. That's what's going on in chapters 4 and 5.
The Majestic Throne Described
Notice in verse 1. After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, We compare this to Revelation 1, 10. I believe we're in the immediate presence of Jesus. He is the mediator.
He is the one that brings John into the presence of the very throne room of God Most High. He says, come up here and I will show you things which must take place after this. He then describes the throne. It is majestic.
It is beautiful. It is glorious. I would suggest that you take chapters four and five in your Bible reading. And compare it with the early chapters of the prophet Ezekiel, specifically Ezekiel one to three.
You'll see many similarities, many of the same sorts of things going on. But this is a glorious throne. Verse two. Immediately I was in the spirit and behold, the throne sat in heaven and one sat on the throne.
And he who sat there was like a Jasper and a Sardius stone in appearance. And there was a rainbow around the throne in appearance like an emerald. So he's describing this scene of the majestic God sitting upon his throne. And you'll notice that he, as does Ezekiel, says, likeness and appearance, likeness and appearance.
The closer men get to the glory of God, The more they have to sort of give us an analogy, because it's something that we have not seen before. It's not something that we can connect to. And so he has to describe it in such a way, pulling from the created realm and saying it's like this. Its appearance is like this, but it's not really that.
It is just to highlight and display how majestic this is. The attendants surround his throne. He is enthroned in splendor and majesty. He is surrounded by worshipers, these 24 elders.
These four living creatures, all of this designed to promote in us a reverence and an awe. To see God attended like this ought to cause us to stand amazed. He has created specific beings whose sole purpose is to attend His throne and to sing, holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty. He has a created order of beings to attend to him in that particular way.
So, he is attended in glory. We see the majesty, or the terror and the power, rather, reflected in verse 5. And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices. Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God.
Hopefully, the image of Sinai fills your mind. It was Sinai where God spoke to his people, and there was thunder, and there was lightning. It was majesty, it was glory, it was awful, it was awesome, it was terrifying to behold, and yet the worshipper would have that mingled with a joy and a reverence and a delight to come into the presence of God. So you see what goes on in chapters 2 and 3, what happens in this lower world. does not shake God.
It does not remove him from his throne. It's not as if he's caught unawares. It's not as if he's getting word now that you better fix this situation on earth. This is designed to show us that in the midst of trial, God does not change.
God is in control. God is glorious. And then notice in chapter four, we'll spend a bit more time in chapter five. But in chapter four,
Creation as the Ground of Worship
the focus or the primary reason for their worship of the living and true God is connected to creation. Notice in verse six, I'm sorry, in verse eight, when it says, holy, holy, holy, you might have a note in your margin there that says M has holy nine times. M is another body of manuscripts that has holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy. Probably most of us don't want to read nine holies, so they put the three in there and then put a marginal reading in the notes there.
So that's a lot of holies. When Isaiah 6, the angels don't stop saying, holy, holy, holy. You do that all day long. Some of you kids with too much time on your hands in the summertime, start off early in the morning and just say holy, holy, holy all day and think about God.
You might start to scratch the surface of how the Lord Most High is attended to by his angels. Holy, holy, holy Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever. The twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power. For you, notice, created all things, and by your will they exist and were created.
A recent edition of Christianity Today has sort of an eight-man-looking fellow on the cover, the search for the historical Adam. Was Adam a real person? Was Adam like the Bible says? A growing number of scholars and academicians, or whatever you call them, are denying the historicity of Adam.
When we deny the historicity of Adam, what follows? Well, that's already followed. They deny the historicity of the creation account. Well, if we rip the creation account out of the Bible, at least according to Revelation 4, we don't have a reason to worship God.
That's what they are praising him for. You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things. Yes, to dazzle us. Yes, to amaze us.
Yes, so that we'll wake up on a morning like this and say, God is amazing. Look at this world, as well as a means to draw us back to the Creator, as a means of praise and worship and glory and honor given unto Him. That's the focus of worship in Revelation 4.
Redemption: The Focal Point of Revelation 5
But the text continues in Revelation 5, and redemption seems to be the focal point here. Now, basically, what we have in this chapter, and I want to just give you a brief overview, is this seven sealed scroll. When you get to chapter six, there's a brief interlude in chapter seven and then chapter eight, verse one. You'll see the opening of these seven seals.
This is a scroll of judgment. This is God's response. This is how God will deal with the enemies who persecute his church. He will bring judgment.
He will bring terror. He will bring justice to bear upon those who would molest the church of Jesus Christ. That's what the seven sealed scroll is all about. It's about Christ launching war or battle against the enemies of the church to bring glory to the father and to bring vindication to his people.
That's the seven sealed scroll. But let's look at the announcement here in verse one. I saw on the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals. Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?
Kind of an interesting statement, isn't it? A strong angel. Did you ever think there were weak angels? Is there a gradation among the angels?
This angel can bench press so much, and this angel, he's the really big guy you don't want to mess with. It's a strong angel. I don't think John is teaching us or highlighting here for us a gradation among the angelic beings. He's announcing that there is this strong angel.
There is this one that, by all intents and appearances, is a majestic being. He's amazing in and of himself. He's a strong angel, but he's not fit to open the scroll. He's not strong enough.
He does not participate in Deity. He is not God. He is not the Lord of Glory. This sets the stage to introduce the hero who is worthy to open the scroll and the lucid seals.
There's a bit of attention. He says, and no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look at it so much. I see the church is suffering. I see the church is trying.
I see those two first persecuted unbelieving Jews and the Roman Empire taking out their aggression and hostility and enmity upon the people of God. There is the seven sealed scroll. It contains the judgments of God. It is going to be poured out upon the objects of the targets of his wrath.
And yet there's no one to open the scroll. John says, I wet much. There was no one found worthy to open and read the scroll or to look at it. There was none to open it, to execute its judgment, to carry out that decree.
This was grieving to John. Here he has seen the trials in the church. Now he's in the throne room of heaven. There's an answer waiting to be able to deal with the trial.
And yet there's no one fit. The strong angel can't do it. As big and mighty and as powerful as he is, he just doesn't have the wherewithal. Notice what he's doing.
He is building the sea so that we can stand in awe of God's champion. Notice in verse five, but one of the elders said to me, do not we behold, the lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David has prevailed to open the scroll and to lose its seven seals. The hero of heaven, the champion of the church, the one alone who can protect his body is now introduced and he's on the scene. And notice the descriptors.
Notice how Jesus is described for us. He is the lion from the tribe of Judah. What does that conjure up in your mind? Hopefully it brings you back to Genesis 49 and this promise made to Judah and the scepter that would not depart until Shiloh comes.
It was a kingly promise concerning one that would come from David, who would rule with authority and majesty and honor and power. The champion of Israel is here introduced and he's identified as the lion of the tribe of Judah. He goes on to mention that he is the root of David, not here the branch of David, but the root. This highlights his deity in a unique sort of a way.
It is Jesus who is the root from whom David sprung. Jesus is the root of David. And notice what he goes on. He says, He has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.
Now, I want you to get this, because this is great. I know it's hot. I know you haven't studied Revelation 4 and 5 for a little while, but look at this. John's crying.
John's weeping. There's nobody to open these seals. There's no champion. There's no hero.
There's nobody who can undertake. One of the elders says, don't weep. There is one. He is the Lion of the tribe of Judah.
He is the Root of David. He has prevailed. He is fit. He is able.
He is willing. What happens when John turns? What does he see? Well, he would see the Lion, wouldn't he?
See the Lion of the tribe of Judah. He would see the root of David, see him there in the majestic, blazing glory of all of his kingly power, office, and reign. What happens? John turns and what does he see?
A lamb. A lamb as one, having been slain, having been slaughtered. You see, all of those images, all of that Bible, all of that theology comes to fruition in the person of our Lord Jesus. He is man.
He is God. He is suffering Savior. Look at it. Verse six.
And I looked and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures and in the midst of the elders stood a lamb as though it had been slain. His power is connected to his suffering. His power is connected to Calvary. His power is connected to what he did on the cross.
The lion of the tribe of Judah is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. He's standing there blazing, glorious, majestic. He is in the midst of the throne. He's not an attendant.
He is right there, present with God, in the midst of the throne. It says, having seven horns and seven eyes, symbolic of power and sovereignty, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. Now, notice verse seven. Then he came and took the scroll out of the right hand of him who sat on the throne.
That's amazing. Who but God alone could do that? You don't go take something out of God's hand. unless you're equal in power and glory with the Father, unless you're the second person of the triune God, unless you're the champion of Israel, the hero of the book of Revelation, unless you're the lamb who has prevailed through the blood shedding at Calvary. He takes this scroll, he opens it up, and as I said, in chapter 6 and 8, he reveals or he unleashes his power and judgment upon all offenders. upon all those who molest his church.
That's the flow of the book. But
The Praise of the Lamb
let's see how they praise him. Let's see how they worship him. Let's see how they glorify the Lamb of God who sits upon the throne. Verse 8.
Now, when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. That's a good posture to adopt and assume. How do we know we're in times of revival? Because we all fall down before the Lamb.
I'm not saying necessarily you could fall down in affectation. They're in the presence of the glorified Christ. They don't say, let's sip a latte together, Jesus. You bless me and I'll do for you.
They're not conversational. There's a reverence, there's an awe, there's a spirit of fear in the midst of them. It says, when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. The Lamb is holy.
The Lamb's a conqueror. The Lamb is victorious. The Lamb is God. What is the correct posture that we are to assume?
But reverence before the Lamb. We should speak to corporate worship on earth. We should seek to be on time. We should seek to pay attention.
We should seek to actively engage our minds. We should seek to visit the very presence of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. We ought to treat this as a symbol, or as a down payment rather, of what we will enjoy in the eschaton. It says they each had a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.
Now, notice, and they sang a new song saying this is the focus. This is the point. This is why they are crazy. This is why they are honoring.
This is why they are worshiping Jesus Christ. You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals for you were slain and have redeemed us to God by your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation and have made us kings and priests to our God. And we shall reign on the earth. They praise him for redemption.
They take the identifier of Israel. Remember, in the Old Testament, in Exodus 19, God says, I'm going to make you a kingdom of priests. It took the doing and the dying and the rising of Jesus so that sinners in him, the elect in him, can function as the Israel of God and be a kingdom of priests on this earth to bring glory and honor unto him. They praise Him, they honor Him, they worship Him.
We follow through in chapter 5, verses 11 to 14. What are they doing? Just speaking well of Jesus. You see, this is just filler, right?
You miss the point of the book, or one of the points of the book. Revelation, as I mentioned this morning, is very pro-church. It's very pro-Christ, and it's very pro-worship. What do you do in the presence of God the Creator?
You praise Him. You don't argue over the historicity of Adam and Eve if you accept Bible truth. You don't argue over what God says He did in the space of six days and called it all very good. You don't say, well, Darwin showed us and Darwin taught us, and you don't try to harmonize and modernize what the Scripture says with God-hating, rebellious science.
You don't do that. You take the doctrine and you praise God for it. You worship him. You exult in him.
You glorify him. You honor him. You look at a sunset like today and you say, wow, God is great because he has created all these things. When you've come to the cross, when you've come to Jesus, when you believe the gospel, when these truths are rehearsed or reminded or preached to you, when you consider the fact that Jesus was slain and redeemed us to God by your blood, what should proceed from our mouths is worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing.
You know what the best way to prepare for worship in the morning is? To feed your soul the gospel, so that you'll come into this place rejoicing in the Savior, rejoicing in the King, rejoicing in the One who was slain. And then we see that they say, Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb forever and ever. This passage, these two chapters, teaches something about the God we worship.
He is the Creator. He is the Redeemer. Redemption is uniquely connected to what Jesus did on the cross. Several times in this chapter, we see that emphasis upon the fact that he was slain.
Stood a lamb as though it had been slain, or we might translate as it had been slaughtered. That's what happened to Jesus. He was slaughtered in a sacrifice of atonement at Calvary. It pleased the Lord, the prophet says, to put him to grief.
Or it pleased the Lord, rather, to bruise him or to crush him with sacrifice. We see that here in their hymn, in their praise. You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its heels, for you were slain. You have redeemed us to God by your blood.
The Meaning of Redemption
It's a great word, redemption, isn't it? I know we talk about these words often. We should talk about them. If I were to ask you right now, what does redemption mean?
Well, it means something good, right? Jesus buys us back out of the slave market of sin. Jesus, through His bloodshed, rescues us from the slave market of sin. Redemption presupposes bondage.
Redemption presupposes slavery. God redeemed Israel out of Egypt. Why? Because they were slaves.
They were in bondage. They were in captivity. They had harsh taskmasters. They had to do things that were very difficult and very grieving.
So the Lord God redeems them. He buys them out of Egypt. Well, that's what Christ does. That's one aspect of his atoning work that is on focus or in focus here and have redeemed us to God by your blood.
Paul in Ephesians one says in him we have redemption through his So we praise God for creation. We praise God for redemption. We see Jesus as the hero. The glory and the praise of heaven is given to the Lamb and given to the Father.
Application: Humility and Praise
Well, just a couple of thoughts before we actually take the supper. The first thing we need to remember is that in this section, and in Ezekiel the prophet, and in Isaiah the prophet, When they were confronted with the glory and the majesty of God, it promoted humility and it promoted praise. These are two twin concepts that we ought to capture in our own worship, humility and praise.
Glory Produces Humility
What happens when Isaiah sees the glory of God? He sees the angels with two wings. They covered their face, two wings they flew, two wings they covered their feet. He hears them say, holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of hosts.
The whole earth is full of His glory. Isaiah is confronted with that vision of God, and he says, Woe is me, for I am undone. I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell amongst a people of unclean lips. For my eyes have seen the Lord.
You see, the glory of God promotes humility in the people of God. Proud men don't spend time with Jesus. Proud women don't spend time with God. Proud people are not the recipients of spending time with the Lord.
You cannot be in the presence of God and be proud. Just impossible. When Ezekiel saw his vision, when Ezekiel saw the glory and the majesty of God, what does Ezekiel do? He falls down dead before the Lord.
John does the same thing. Revelation chapter 1 verse 17. And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying to me, Do not be afraid.
I am the first and the last. Here, as these four living creatures and twenty-four elders see the Lamb who takes the scroll out of the hand of the Father, they fall down before the Lamb. They fall down before Him. Humility.
Lowliness. If you're proud, I'm proud. What should we do? We ought to spend time with Jesus.
If you know your Bible and you know yourself, you'll say, I need to spend time with Jesus. Why is that last enemy? Well, the last enemy, according to the Bible, is death. There's actually times, I was talking to a brother about this recently, where the devil isn't affecting or molesting you.
I don't know when those times are. I don't know, you know, all of the dynamics involved. But the devil is not omniscient. He is a created being.
He has limited prowess. He has helpers, to be sure, and he does do dastardly and horrific things. But just suppose for a moment that there's an hour sometime this week that the devil isn't going to mess with you. You're off the hook, right?
You're going to have an hour of holiness. You're going to plan for it. I'm going to be really holy. The devil's not going to mess with me.
I'm just going to sit and be holy. Listen to that song, Take Time to Be Holy. I'm going to slot it out in my daytime. Don't bother me, people.
I'm going to be holy for this hour. You've still got your remaining sin. You can't get rid of that. And of the remaining sin, you know what I suspect is one of the top, one of the mothers of the sins, is pride.
You're swimming across that River Jordan to get into Emmanuel's land, and you know what's still with you? You. The world's behind you. The devil may be messing with somebody else, but you are still with you.
We need to spend time with Jesus. We need to kill pride. We need to take a lesson from the prophets Isaiah and Ezekiel. We need to take a lesson from the Apostle John on the island of Patmos.
We need to take a lesson from these four living creatures and these 24 elders.
Time with Christ Slays Pride
We need to realize that being in the presence of Jesus will help slay the remaining sin of pride. Humility is what is captured here. and as well worship and praise and glory given to Him. We learn something about Jesus. We've already seen this this morning in our study in Revelation 3.
Back in Revelation chapter 1, we read verse 12, Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned, I saw seven golden lampstands. And in the midst of the seven lampstands, one like the Son of Man. Clothed with the garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band.
Jesus is in the midst of the lampstand. We see that when he comes to commend and condemn the churches. We saw it this morning. He's there in Laodicea to condemn them for their sin and to counsel them to buy from him and to zealous or to lovingly exhort them to zealously repent.
Well, the Lord Jesus is present with his churches. The Lord Jesus from his position at the right hand of God Most High. When the enemies are plaguing his people, he acts on their behalf. He opens these seven seals.
He unleashes judgments upon them. If you want my opinion, I think what's in view is the judgment upon apostate Israel in the first century. This was the sign that the Son of Man was, in fact, reigning and ruling at the right hand of heaven. He had foretold this in Matthew 24.
He had announced his purpose. He had described it in vivid detail. And revelation is the unleashing of it, the opening of it, the amplification and the theological explanation of it. That's what Jesus does.
Unbelieving Israel is an enemy to the church. He will take care of them. He will deal with them. He will bring the curses of the covenant, all of Deuteronomy 28, to bear upon that apostate people.
Jesus is mindful of his people. Jesus is the atoning sacrifice for his people. Jesus is victorious for his people as well.
Particular Redemption and John 3:16
I think the chapter five, verse nine helps us with a verse in the scripture that a lot of people stumble over. A lot of people, when they hear the Reformed faith, when they hear things like limited atonement or particular redemption, their minds immediately fly to John 3.16. It says that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John, in Revelation 5.9, defines for us how He means world.
World is not every sinner without exception. That would contradict Jesus' prayer in John 17. I do not pray for the world, but I pray for those whom you've given me out of the world. John's Gospel, John 3.16, the beauty, the glory of that statement is that Jesus is not simply the Jewish Savior, the Jewish Messiah.
This Jesus is the Savior of the world. Men from every tribe, men from every tongue, men from every people, and men from every nation. D. A.
Carson comments, with reference to John 3.16, he says, God's love is to be admired not because the world is so big and included so many people, but because the world is so bad. That is the customary connotation of God's love. When we consider John 3, 16, God's immeasurable love is viewed not in the fact that he saves everybody, without exception, because the Bible doesn't teach that. It's that he has sent his Son as the Savior of the world.
Jew, Gentile. You just follow that trajectory in John's Gospel. It makes perfect sense. What happens?
John chapter 4. Jesus has dealings with a Samaritan woman by the well. Right? What does she do?
She runs back to her village and she says, come and see a man who told me all things that I ever did. They were sinful things. Or wretched things. So what happens?
Those Samaritan men come and they hear Jesus. And they say, now we believe and now we know that you are indeed the Savior, what? Of the world. Not just the tribes of Jacob.
Not just a small geographic region. But men from every tribe, every time, every people, every nation, men from Samaria, men from North America, men from Asia, men from all over the place. Now, we ought not to minimize. It certainly does sound like it's going to be a lot of them.
There's going to be countless multitudes standing before the lamb, praising him for his wondrous work of redemption. Revelation 5-9 fleshes out what John 3-16 specifies. God so loved the world. Men from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation.
And then finally, Christ is praised as Redeemer. He is praised in this section for redemption. Remember, the other side of redemption is damnation.
The Wrath of the Lamb
Notice in chapter 6, after Jesus begins to start opening up these seals, If you notice the sixth seal, verse 12, I looked when he opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. And the stars of heaven fell to the earth as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains.
Please listen to this. If you're not a Christian tonight, please don't take the bread and wine. Not because anyone's against you. It's because the bread and the wine are for believers.
It's a church ordinance. It's given to the people of God. Don't get offended that you can't take bread or wine or grape juice. Be terrified at what John is describing right here.
This is a temporal judgment. Again, I believe it's dealing with Israel, AD 70. I know good men differ, people are going to hear this and say this guy is whacked out. Either way, this is a judgment text.
It's not AD 70 and it's in the future. It doesn't change the application. Look at what John is saying. Look at what the apostle is highlighting.
Calling upon you that, I don't know that I'm a Christian, I don't really want this Jesus. I kind of want my sin, I kind of want to do what I want to do. Look at what is the opposite to salvation. Christ is praised in chapter 5 for having redeemed us by His blood.
The Lamb who had been slaughtered shed His blood for the remission of sins for His people. Now notice, the kings of the earth, verse 15, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains and said to the mountains and the rocks, fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb." Those are terrifying words. The Lion of the tribe of Judah. I turned and I saw a Lamb as having been slaughtered.
That lamb who shed his blood for the salvation of sinners is the lamb who comes to pour out wrath and fury and anger and judgment. These men, these mighty men, all sorts of men, call upon the rocks and the mountains to fall on them and hide them from the throne or from him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the lamb. For the great day of his wrath has come, and who is able to stand?
Gospel Call: Believe on the Lamb
The only way to flee the wrath of the Lamb is to believe the gospel of Jesus Christ. The only safety in this world from suffering the wrath of the Lamb is the cross of the Lamb. Believe on Him to the saving of your soul. Believe on Jesus for that redemption that they celebrate in Revelation chapter 5.
There's always the opposite side, redemption, salvation, as blessed concepts as those are. We cannot, we must not forget that there is a judgment to come on all impenitent, on all unbelieving sinners. So believe the gospel, believe on this lamb who was slain. He has called sinners to himself through the preaching of his gospel.
Closing Prayer
Father, we thank You for Your Word. We thank You so much for what we see in Revelation 4 and 5. We thank You for the glory of God revealed in this section. We pray that it would be used to humble us.
It would be used as a means to praise and worship You even more. We just ask now that You bless our time as we remember Jesus as the Lamb who has been slain for sinners. We ask in His name. Amen.