The Sovereign Lord of History 2

Everyday people are dying of the virus, and people are afraid. Then because of skin colour and caste and other divides, people in many nations are clashing with each other. Hatred and killing abounds. This sounds depressing, but it is reality. Should we in the church be surprised? No, because the Bible tells us that these things will happen. In Mark 13:3-8. Jesus made it clear that all through history, we will see horrible things. |||||

In Rev 5, we see how the Lord Jesus is the only one who can open the seals. In Rev 6, we see Him opening the seals one by one, revealing history to us. The first five seals reveal to us what is happening simultaneously through the history of the world, up to the point when God’s judgment falls. |||||

Seal 1: Vs 1-2 The white horse: And I looked, and behold, a white horse! And its rider had a bow, and a crown was given to him, and he came out conquering, and to conquer. This rider is Jesus. For 2000 years, He has conquered and is conquering the enemy of men’s souls. He has set free millions of souls, from bondage and sin. We who have been saved can understand this. We were rebels against God, but He came and conquered the enemy of our soul, so that we were made a new creation and our relationship with Him was set right. Instead of hating Him, we now love Him. Instead of making fun of the idea of a risen Christ, we now believe. This Jesus said: I will build My church and the gates of hell will not prevail over it. So the church continues to be built with people who are set free. Nothing in heaven or earth or hell can stop our Champion Jesus. His mission will be complete when He has rescues every son and daughter for whom He died. ||||| At the same time, the other riders also ride. |||||

Seal 2: Vs 4 The red horse: And out came another horse, bright red. Its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that people should slay one another, and he was given a great sword. This is the horseman of war. In the past 3400 years, we have been free of war for only 268 years! Only for 8% of recorded history we have been free of war. Our modern age is marked by war and conflict. 150 wars of one kind or other have been fought since WW II. Nations spend trillions of dollars for military expenses. Even today, dozens of wars are raging around the world. Jesus said: And you will hear of wars and rumours of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. (Matt 27:6) |||||

Seal 3: Vs 5 The black horse: When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” And I looked, and behold, a black horse! And its rider had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures, saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not harm the oil and wine!” This horseman is the horseman of famine. In New Zealand, we sometimes are not aware that this rider is riding today. One billion people live on less than one dollar per day. Nearly half the world lives on less than two dollars per day. 80% live on less than 10 dollars per day. Hunger is the number-one cause of death in our world! A child dies from hunger every 10 seconds. Right now, 25 million face famine as locusts swarm parts of Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. These locusts are eating all the crops. So thousands of people will die. This black horse continues to bring famine and hunger today. |||||

Seal 4: Vs 7-8 The pale horse: When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” And I looked, and behold, a pale horse! And its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed him. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth. This horseman is the horseman of death. Do not the other riders also cause death? Yes, all three riders ride together. This rider of the pale horse continues to rage even to this day. Of man’s fragility and mortality, Job said: Man who is born of a woman is few of days and full of trouble. He comes out like a flower and withers; he flees like a shadow and continues not. (Job 14:1-2) |||||

Seal 5: Vs 9-8 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been. This is the reality of what the church of Jesus faces when living for Him in a hostile world. In a day to come, maybe we in New Zealand to will know more of this. But around the world, the church suffers. This has happened throughout history and many saints have been martyred. See, what the Lord says to the church in Smyrna (Rev 2:9-11): “‘I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.’ In the 21st century, do we have ears? To the church in Pergamum, the Lord says (Rev 2:13): “‘I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not deny my faith[b] even in the days of Antipas my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. In John 16:1-4 we read: “I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away. They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me. But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you. “I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. The Colosseum in Rome is witness to what happened to many of the early Christians who were thrown to the lions. Persecution will increase in our world, even as we come closer to Jesus’ second coming. Already we are seeing this around the world. The martyrdom of the children of God will continue till the very last martyr is taken. We are sure of these things because of Rev 6:11, which reads: Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been. |||||

It is so easy to look at all this and feel depressed. But is it not wonderful to know that when all these terrible riders are going around the world, the first Rider Jesus is also active in our world, conquering the souls of the redeemed. He is still on the throne. He is King Jesus. We can trust Him. He is making everything to work together for the good of every saint and martyr. |||||

Firstly, we need to remember that we are not at the end of the story yet. The end of the story can be seen in Rev 21: 4-5, when He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” |||||

Secondly, we need to remember that one day we will come into such a marvelous future that our sufferings on earth will seem insignificant. Paul said (Rom 8:16-18): The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. In another place, Paul describes this as “light and momentary suffering”. One day, the martyrs under the altar and all the saints will look back at the suffering and realise that all the suffering was nothing compared with the glory of eternity. We should be broken-hearted about the suffering in the world, but we should not be surprised, and we must take the message of Jesus, which alone can save men and women.