Solus Christus

 

[Jesus said] “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.) And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.” After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” (John 6:63-69 ESV).

 

From the Reformers’ commitment to Scripture alone flowed another core teaching: Solus Christos (Christ alone). In an age when the church hindered the people in the pews from reading and understanding the clear teaching of Scripture, Martin Luther wrote that “Jesus is the center and the circumference of the Bible.” Today many of our children announce this truth before they can even read, when they sing, “Jesus loves me! This I know, for the Bible tells me so.” It is essential to understand this truth if we are ever to see the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in revival of our world.

 

Embedded in this teaching are four key ideas: First, we need a savior; second, Jesus was perfectly obedient and sinless; third, He made a sacrifice to pay for our sin and rebellion against God; and, fourth only through Jesus can we be made right with God. And it’s not just our Scripture for today that points to Christ alone. From start to finish —from Genesis 1:1 through Revelation 22:21 — all of the Scriptures point to Jesus. He is the only redemptive message of God’s Word.

 

There are so many who have intentionally or unintentionally altered this message. Sometimes is a subtle instruction of intent or action on our part that is a prerequisite to redemption. It may be claiming membership in a particular denomination or adherence to a specific translation of Scripture that becomes the test of true faith. It may be a message of self-help or empowerment that promises the grace of God. None of these will work. It is ONLY Jesus who has the words of eternal life. He alone is the way to the Father. If you are trusting in what you have done to bring you redemption, you are lost and still in darkness. Your journey of faith begins and ends with Jesus. Anyone who tells you otherwise is simply wrong.

Real Authority

 

The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. (Psalm 19:7-11 ESV).

 

Continuing in an explanation and call to rely only on the Scripture for our direction and behavior, I’ve chosen a portion of Psalm 19 as our reading today. The whole psalm is vital, though these verses seem to be even more applicable today. The meme quotes verse fourteen, which certainly is wonderful; however, read the previous verses I’ve chosen again. The name “Lord” is used six times in just five verses. That ought to tell us something about who is the only real authority in life. The word authority has two common meanings. An authority can be a person who has extensive expertise that can be relied on. Authority can also include the right to make a decision, to direct or control something. In the Protestant Reformation, the teaching about Scripture alone made a claim based on both of these meanings.

 

The Reformers claimed that since the Bible was “God-breathed,” it was speaking God’s message to the world. As such, it has God’s authority for all humankind. Indeed, the Bible informs us that through the power of his word, God made the heavens and the earth, all things visible and invisible. God is the King of his creation, and he has the right to demand our submission. But the Bible’s authority also operates in the sense of expertise. Through his Word of truth to us, God conveys his expertise as our Creator, Sustainer, and Savior. As the Creator, only He can know us best. He knows all that we need, what is best for us, and how we should live in relation to him, to others, and to his creation.

 

There are so many competing voices today. Each of them telling us what is best. Until we measure their “best” against the only best, as revealed by God in the Scripture, we have nothing of substance. The words are empty and without power. God’s words are the only source of “great reward.” They are the only source of truth. Everything else really is fake news! Measure everyone’s words by the words of God found in the Scripture.

 

Sola Scriptura

 

Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:12-17 ESV).

 

The 19th-century English preacher Charles Spurgeon once said that the Reformation began when Martin Luther found a discarded Bible in his monastery. As he began to read it, God’s Word grew like a seed in his heart, and the result was a personal and world-transforming movement. However, this gentle image of a seed is not the way the power of God’s Word is described in Hebrews 4:12, one of the key verses in the foundational idea of sola Scriptura, or “Scripture alone.” Here God’s Word is described as a sharp, powerful, and precise blade, dividing truth from the rebellious lies we harbor in our hearts.

 

Only Scripture has this power. It is not found in the traditions of any church or government, nor the insights of any leader. As Luther said, “A simple layman armed with Scripture is greater than the mightiest pope without it.” Indeed, in speaking about the Reformation that he initiated, Luther said, “I did nothing. The Word did everything.”

 

Today we seem to be so easily convinced that our world and the chaos we are experiencing can be resolved by more (or less) laws, by conservative (or less conservative) leaders. A law is nothing without the foundation of Scripture and the grace of God to understand and apply it in our personal lives. A leader without the foundation of Scripture and the grace of God working in their lives to apply it equally to all in mercy and compassion is nothing. Too many today claim to speak the truth, but behave a lie. Sometimes it is for personal gain, while at other times they simply are tragically misled and misinformed. God’s Word, the Bible, has a precision and power you will find nowhere else. It must be active in our hearts and minds. We must read it with an open heart letting it form the words that come from our mouth. We must let it shape the actions we take. It is only by knowing and living in and through God’s Word can we see our world change. It is not too late for revival.

 

Revive Us Again, O God

 

Restore us again, O God of our salvation, and put away your indignation toward us! Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your anger to all generations? Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you? Show us your steadfast love, O LORD, and grant us your salvation. Let me hear what God the LORD will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his saints; but let them not turn back to folly. (Psalm 85:4-8 ESV).

 

I have procrastinated this series. Perhaps it’s because I have been too timid to write what has been embedded in my heart; or, perhaps it’s that I wasn’t sure that I have reached a place where I can write it with equal parts of truth-telling and grace-giving. In any case I am committed to taking my time, doing the study, praying over each word, and writing what I believe is essential in this time in which we live. My hope is that it will stir each person who reads it to spend time in the Scripture, praying for the mercy of God to once again restore us.

 

We have seen these kinds of times historically. In fact, it was such a time over five hundred years ago in October of 1517 when Martin Luther nailed 95 theses to the church door in Wittenberg, Germany, setting in motion a movement that rocked Europe. I’m unconvinced that he thought it would start such a world-changing movement, and though many other factors joined to launch the Protestant Reformation, God used a revival in Luther’s heart to start a revival of Christianity in his time. Perhaps God will use these feeble briefs to do the same.

 

Our Scripture today from Psalm 85 calls for a revival that begins with the Holy Spirit working in individual hearts, bringing a refreshing return to God with passion and zeal. Revival is not a random burst of energy and emotion but is based on truth found in the Scripture. For Luther and other Reformers of the 16th century, the revival that came to be called the Protestant Reformation was based on five enduring principles. They are called “the sola’s.” True Christian faith is based on Scripture alone, on salvation in Christ alone, by grace alone and through faith alone, and all of this is for glory to God alone. These five points summarize the key principles of the Reformation.

 

As we ponder these teachings that were rediscovered long ago, may their truth work in our hearts to strengthen and revive us, making us agents of revival wherever God has placed us. Join me in praying for such a revival in our day!

 

The End of the Story

 

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 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.” And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and she will be my son.” (Revelation 21:1-7 ESV).

 

There is one more scene we should see in Revelation before we close our reflections in this incredible vision. We need to see how God’s great story in Revelation ends. Our reading today blesses us with the sights and sounds of “a new heaven and a new earth.” I have never been one to skip ahead to the “end of the story” in a book. I know there are many who do feel the need to know how the story will end before they can decide if it’s really worth the time to read it. If you’re one of those folks or not, I can say without reservation, that this story is worth reading. Actually it is more than that. It is worth living! John says, “There shall be no more pain!” (v. 4).

 

I am actually left speechless when I dwell on this truth. And, that is how it ought to be. We ought to be struck with awe and joy in the ending of this life in favor of one without the trials and pain so often experienced. Faith needs to know how the story ends. Faith needs to be assured of the ending, especially when it can be hard to see God. Perhaps you are in such a place today. In a real way, we all are in this place. In fact, the whole creation is crying out as it waits for its full redemption (cf. Romans 8:18-22). We hunger and thirst for justice. We long for the day when God’s holy name will be fully honored. We pray for the day when there will be no more pain, and when people of every nation and language will hold each other up with love and dignity. We look forward to the day when sin is gone for good and the creation is cared for as the beautiful garden of God’s delight. That day is coming! Rejoice!

 

Hallelujah... We Give Thanks!

 

Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and she shall reign forever and ever.” And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying, “We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, who is and who was, for you have taken your great power and begun to reign. The nations raged, but your wrath came, and the time for the dead to be judged, and for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints, and those who fear your name, both small and great, and for destroying the destroyers of the earth.” Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail. (Revelation 11:15-19 ESV).

 

As we come to the end of this chapter with our reading today we see the sounding of the seventh trumpet. This vision of John in Revelation gives us one of the most important announcements that make up the good-news message of our salvation. It tells us not only that Jesus, the Savior of the world, “will reign forever and ever” but also that he is already reigning as the King of kings now! This important message empowers us to be God’s faithful witnesses wherever we are. With this news we can assure others that, in Christ, their lives can be made new and that eternal life isn’t just something in the future — it begins now (cf. John 3:36; 5:24; 10:28).

 

If you are familiar with the music of Handel’s Messiah, you might recognize that some of these words are part of a rousing section known as the “Hallelujah Chorus.” When he composed the “Hallelujah Chorus”—based on the seventh trumpet announcement: “The kingdom of this world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign for ever and ever”—George Handel said he wept in wonder and awe. “It was as though I saw heaven open and I stood before the very throne of God,” he said.

 

This passage invites us to that powerful place of being in the presence of God and knowing that he makes our new life possible right now. The Lord God Almighty has come in his “great power” to begin his reign of hope and healing! Recognize this incredible truth regardless of how difficult your journey has become!

 

It's Not the Size of the Building

 

Then I was given ma measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, “Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there, but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months. And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.” (Revelation 11:1-3 ESV).

 

St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome is the largest church building in the world. The dome itself rises into the sky over ten stories as it dwarfs all of the buildings surrounding it. To walk down and back on the main aisle you will travel nearly ¼ of a mile. The main worship area holds nearly 80,000 people. We have skipped ahead in the Revelation with our reading today. The apostle John is told to measure the temple of God and to count the worshipers. Perhaps the point of this exercise had to do with how many people could come into the temple courts to worship. Would the old temple in Jerusalem be big enough so that the people of God from all nations could worship there?

 

Our reading today got me thinking about the church buildings I have visited and preached in through the years. Some have been small and others large. In fact my first church, Reid’s Prairie Baptist, located just out of College Station, Texas, was the smallest of those I actually preached in. It would seat less than 100 people, though the heart of the people was much larger than that size would indicate. I’ve also preached in other places, some across the globe. One of those was located in Odessa, Ukraine. It seated over a thousand. I’ve preached in stadiums and auditoriums larger than that. All of them were different in architecture and décor. None of these can compare with the size of St. Peter’s.

 

But God’s church is not really about buildings, is it? What counts is not the size of our church buildings or how many worshipers gather there. What matters to God is that we are faithful witnesses where he plants us. A child in one of my former congregations once said some wise words to her neighbor who struggled with life’s hardships. In the simple wisdom of a child, she said, “You need Jesus.” Her small voice was a faithful witness that God used to shine his life-giving light into her neighbor’s darkness. It is not the size of the building that matters… it is the size of the God who is worshipped there! Our God is HUGE… tell that truth!

 

They Refused to Repent

 

The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk, nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts. (Revelation 9:20-21 ESV).

 

God’s great story has a single purpose: to grow faith in the truth that he teaches so that people can have full life with him. It is not enough that we listen to the story or that we even know the story well. We need God to change and shape us through His grace and the redemptive work of Christ. The Bible calls this change repentance. The need for us to repent is so essential that we hear it again in our reading for today. Tragically, the end of this story is the refusal of the people to repent. They loved the status quo more than they did the hope of a change. It is not an unusual story of human nature; however, it is particularly tragic in the fact that it is a last chance for many.

 

Perhaps the most encouraging truth for us today is found in how it helps us to consider how hard it is to repent and how costly it is to refuse the call to repentance. As difficult as it is to listen to the events unfold after each of the trumpet calls in the Revelation story, there is this sad and puzzling recognition that “the rest of mankind … still did not repent.”

 

We cannot escape the truth that sin is addictive and deceiving. We desperately want to hold on to our “idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood.” Today these are all kinds of things that distract us from paying attention to God and that we think will make us great or give us happiness. We hold on to these lifeless things rather than letting go to receive life from God. They may be relatively benign at first, though they always end in our destruction.

 

What will you do as Jesus calls for repentance? He invites each of us to respond in faith to his promise when he says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Are you ready for such a change in your life?

 

Apollyon... the Destroyer

 

In appearance the locusts were like horses prepared for battle: on their heads were what looked like crowns of gold; their faces were like human faces, their hair like women’s hair, and their teeth like lions’ teeth; they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the noise of their wings was like the noise of many chariots with horses rushing into battle. They have tails and stings like scorpions, and their power to hurt people for five months is in their tails. They have as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit. His name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he is called Apollyon. The first woe has passed; behold, two woes are still to come. (Revelation 9:7-12 ESV).

 

It can be tempting to skip over this section in Revelation. Its message is troublesome. The swarm of locusts rising up from the Abyss, grotesque in appearance and ruthlessly determined to torment as many people as they can, are creatures we would rather avoid. I think this fifth-trumpet scene applies the same technique Jesus used in parts of his Sermon on the Mount. This is hyperbole, the use of exaggerated pictures that are not meant to be taken literally. Consider, for example, what Jesus says in Matthew 5:29-30: “If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out… If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off…” I had a student years ago in a college Bible course respond by saying, “Wow! Jesus asks a lot.”

 

She understood. She knew that Jesus was not saying we should literally harm ourselves, but she could see that he does call us to resist sin. The fifth-trumpet story says a lot about evil and the terrible pain it brings into people’s lives, and we need to resist it. With God’s protection and the power of the Holy Spirit we can do that, but we must see evil for what it is. What the Bible calls sin and evil is what we might define as “doing what I want, when I want.”

 

Sin may be perfectly pleasurable for a moment; however, God wants us to understand the real end of sin. James gives us the end of sin: But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. (James 1:14-15 ESV). It should not surprise us that the leader of this great calamity of the end times is Apollyon, or better translated as “Destroyer.” We must not worship at his feet! Only the real King… Jesus will redeem us from the eternal death waiting those who refuse God’s grace and mercy.

 

The Opening of the Abyss

 

And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit. He opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and from the shaft rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft. Then from the smoke came locusts on the earth, and they were given power like the power of scorpions of the earth. They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green plant or any tree, but only those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. They were allowed to torment them for five months, but not to kill them, and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings someone. And in those days people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them. (Revelation 9:1-5 ESV).

 

In the ongoing story of the opening of the seventh seal, we read of trumpets sounding and of great destruction and darkness coming on the earth (Revelation 8:6-13). Today, as we read about the sounding of a fifth trumpet, we see the opening of the Abyss, a great bottomless pit that belches smoke like a gigantic furnace. The Abyss is a detestable place, and perhaps it is best left locked. This is the Bible’s way of describing the hiding place of evil powers and forces that threaten to undo the goodness of God’s creation. Here the Apostle John pictures the Abyss opened and its occupants brought out so that their identity can be exposed.

 

Light has a way of exposing what otherwise would remain hidden. I’m reminded, for example, of what I see many times immediately after a rain when I walk through the woods. As the sun’s rays begin to creep over the eastern horizon, with the raindrops still clinging to the spider webs that have been woven after the rain, suddenly every strand is revealed as if it were magnified. Every fine thread suddenly becomes visible.

 

John says that when the Abyss opens, a thick cloud rises darkening the world like smoke from a vast, raging fire. In our everyday lives, something similar happens when dark secrets of corruption and abuse are exposed. What was hidden comes out in the open, and it can feel like a dark cloud has come over us. There are times when we wish the Abyss had remained closed. We don’t like it when dark sins are exposed, but we need to be prepared. With God’s help, we need to look evil in the eye, name it, and work against its power to destroy. We cannot become tolerant of corruption and evil.

 

Prayers and Incense

 

When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel. Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth, and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake. (Revelation 8:1-5 ESV).

 

Having grown up a Roman Catholic the image of a “golden censer” and “incense” is not foreign to me. I was an altar boy for all of the years of my later childhood and early teens. It was not unusual at all for me to be walking in the processional behind the priests at the beginning of a particularly special mass carrying long candles trailing behind older attendants or priests with their golden brass censers lit and burning with a particularly aromatic scent. The purpose of the practice was to symbolize the very scene we are given in our reading today. It is certainly thought-provoking. John sees an angel offering incense to go with “the prayers of all god’s people” being lifted up to the Lord (v. 3).

 

So often much of the symbolic expressions of worship are lost on our modern culture. The grand hymns, the chants of prayers, the scent of incense and the sight of the steady light from long thick candles are meant to call us to the efficacy of prayer. After all, prayers are a fitting response to the command “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). Our prayers are expressions of faith in God’s promise to be “our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1).

 

The picture here invites us to see that God always hears our prayers. “The prayers of all God’s people” (v. 3) include the prayers of children, of people just learning to pray, and of believers who have prayed for many years. Old and new saints pray for the quick intervention of God in the continuing deterioration of the world situation. However, many times we fail to see the response in the time of our choosing. John’s subtle reminder is that God acts on our prayers, though the timing may not be what we expect. It is a sure reminder that God always answers our prayers!

 

The Silence in Heaven

 

When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel. Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth, and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake. (Revelation 8:1-5 ESV).

 

After the opening of the six seals we come to the last of the seals with an incredible occurrence. It is not what we might have expected given the incredible display of power and authority. We do not meet a cosmic display of God’s almighty forces. Instead, we are surrounded by heaven’s silence for an extended time, so that we can receive an important message.

 

In our fast-paced lives there are very few places where we experience silence. Not only that, but we generally don’t like to have times of prolonged silence. We’ll do anything, listen to a radio, watch TV, send text messages, read or listen to a book, play games or sports, work, do hobbies, and more just to avoid staying in silence for very long.

 

Silence gives us space, however, for God to speak to our hearts. It is God who speaks in Psalm 46, saying, “Be still, and know that I am God.” With the opening of the seventh seal, the story line in Revelation moves toward darkness and devastation, destruction from powers that are allowed to test and challenge people on the earth. As those who live by faith in Jesus, however, we need heaven’s silence, the stillness in which God can make himself known to us, to face any challenges to our faith.

 

You may be facing challenges today. The prolonged silence in today’s Bible reading promises to be God’s way of assuring us that we are not alone. God is with us as “our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” Find a place that you can experience this silence in the presence of God so that you can hear His voice in a way that will give you peace and power for the remainder of your journey.

 

Who Are These?

 

And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.” Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” (Revelation 7:11-14 ESV).

 

Just downhill from the Bennington Battle Monument in Old Bennington, Vermont, the burial ground next to the historic Old First Church (founded in 1762) is the site of poet Robert Frost's grave. Mary and I visited there some years ago. You can see from the picture I’ve attached that it is a beautiful setting. However, the picture we see from John’s vision in our reading today gives us a very different look at death.

 

Perhaps John, the narrator of this story, had a blank and puzzled look on his face when he was asked: “These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?” It is easy to get lost in a crowd, especially “a great multitude that no one could count” (v. 9). No wonder John responded by saying, “Sir, you know.”

 

The Spirit of God, who gave John this revelation, wants us to know who these people are. We do not know them all, but we know some of them very well. They are believers in Christ who have died and have gone before us to be in heaven with God. As Mary and I walked through the Old Bennington Cemetery it was easy to imagine the lives of those buried there. Because of its age there were those who had experienced some of the worst of times during wars, famines, calamities, and great physical trial. I’m sure they were grieved for years following their deaths.

 

We grieve the deaths of our loved ones today, regardless of the circumstances. We miss them. To comfort us, God gives us this picture of a multitude before his throne. And they are not lost in the crowd. God knows and cares for each one, and he continues to be their shepherd. Death is but a door to eternal life in a perfect world!

 

Is there Room for Me?

 

And I heard the number of the sealed, 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel: 12,000 from the tribe of Judah were sealed, 12,000 from the tribe of Reuben, 12,000 from the tribe of Gad, 12,000 from the tribe of Asher, 12,000 from the tribe of Naphtali, 12,000 from the tribe of Manasseh, 12,000 from the tribe of Simeon, 12,000 from the tribe of Levi, 12,000 from the tribe of Issachar, 12,000 from the tribe of Zebulun, 12,000 from the tribe of Joseph, 12,000 from the tribe of Benjamin were sealed. After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” (Revelation 7:4-10 ESV).

Our reading today is full of symbolism; however, it is important that we not think that the symbolism is a reference to fact of redemption. Thus, we should not read the number 144,000 literally. But, we should understand the redemptive work of God as quite literal. So, let’s explore what the meaning of the numbers is. A foundational passage is found in the Gospel written by our author of this reading. The Apostle John says, “God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son” (John 3:16). Obviously it would be too few to recognize the number here as literal. John clarifies when he writes that he also sees “a great multitude that no one could count” (v. 9). That, of course, is far more than 144,000 people.

 

There is poetic beauty in the numbering of 144,000 servants of God here. The use of 12’s and 1,000’s is symbolic of completion and fullness in God’s kingdom. In this scene God builds on three fundamental givens for all who put their faith in him. As believers in Jesus Christ, we are indebted to the story told and lived by the 12 tribes of Israel. Their story in the Old Testament part of the Bible is foundational to our faith in Jesus. We also stand on the story lived and told by the 12 apostles of Christ in the New Testament part of the Bible. We also know that 12 x 12 = 144. Then this is multiplied by the most common unit of numbering large quantities in John’s day, 1,000, to invite readers to imagine the vast impact that God is creating by shaping us as his servants. This is a picture of God’s grace flowing wider and deeper than we can fathom.

 

Since this is who we are and how many we are, there is certainly room for each of us in God’s plan!

 

Sealed and Protected by God

 

After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, that no wind might blow on earth or sea or against any tree. Then I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea, saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.” (Revelation 7:1-3 ESV).

 

In our reading today we see another scene unfolding from the opening of the sixth seal. In the previous scene we saw everyone reeling as the foundations of the earth tore apart and people had nowhere to hide. And now we see God’s mighty angels holding back the four winds so that God’s servants can receive his seal of protection. All who have faith in God and the saving power of the Lamb (Jesus) will be spared from the oncoming destruction.

 

There are only two groups: those that have the mark of the beast, or those who have the seal of God. The big question is which group do you identify with? Are you in the company of God’s servants, people who live by faith? Or do you keep trying to run and hide away from God?

 

The tearing open of creation leaves no uncertainty. When God says the time has come, there will no longer be anywhere to hide. At this point we need to ponder God’s gift of grace. Because of Jesus, we can receive “the seal of the living God,” for he has conquered death and says, “I give them eternal life . . . no one will snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:28). God’s seal on us is God’s way of saying, “I am your God; you are my people. I love and care for you more than you will ever understand. I am not here to let destruction come upon you but to give life to all who put their trust in me.” (cf. John 3:16.)

 

The gift of God’s seal is yours to embrace; it is a call and commitment to stand with all who identify as servants of the living God. You do not need to wait until the world is falling down around you, whether figuratively or literally. You can respond today with your embracing the gift of God in the atoning work of Jesus. Now really is better!

 

Standing on Shaky Ground

 

When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?” (Revelation 6:12-17 ESV).

 

On March 27, 1980, a series of volcanic explosions and pyroclastic flows began at Mount St. Helens in Skamania County, Washington, United States. A series of phreatic blasts occurred from the summit and escalated until a major explosive eruption took place on May 18, 1980, at 8:32 AM. The earthquake that followed on that Sunday, caused the entire weakened north face to slide away, creating the largest landslide ever recorded. This suddenly exposed the partly molten, gas and steam-rich rock in the volcano to lower pressures. The rock responded by exploding a hot mix of lava and pulverized older rock toward Spirit Lake so fast that it overtook the avalanching north face. An eruption column rose 15 miles into the atmosphere and deposited ash in 11 states. At the same time, snow, ice and several entire glaciers on the volcano melted, forming a series of large volcanic mudslides that reached as far as the Columbia River, nearly 50 miles to the southwest. Less severe outbursts continued into the next day, only to be followed by other large, but not as destructive, eruptions later that year.

 

Multiply that across the globe and you have the picture of the opening of the sixth seal as John records it in our reading today. It’s like ground zero in an event of mass destruction. Everyone, of course, is affected. The powerful, the rich, and the poor all share in this common ground of chaos. All the supports that people are used to counting on are removed. However, we must see that God is not removed. We hear the cry of desperation. When people are brought face to face with God, they do what humankind has attempted since the fall into sin (cf. Genesis 3:1-11): they try to hide from God. Fear deepens their desperation—and they call to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us!” Hiding from God keeps God unknown. Thankfully, hills do not respond to people’s cries. But God does. God knows what to do with our fear over coming close to him. He welcomes us with all of our fears and surprises us with an embrace like a parent welcoming a long-lost child back home (cf. Luke 15:11-24). Don’t wait until the world is coming apart. Come to Him today!

 

Come Quickly, Lord Jesus

 

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. (Revelation 6:9-11 ESV).

 

There are life lessons we can learn by listening to prayers. I enjoy listening to the prayers of others. On many occasions I have heard the genuine thanksgiving of people who have found the blessing of God in healing. At other times I have heard the anguished cry of those seeking forgiveness and restoration. I have also heard many who have cried out for the deliverance of God and the coming of Jesus. Often these are the times when people are seeking justice and an end to the foolishness of man. We need to learn prayers of praise, and we need to learn prayers of lament. Jesus’ prayer on the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34) was a soul-piercing cry to God from Psalm 22.

 

In our reading from Revelation today, we listen again to the prayer of the martyrs: “How long, Sovereign Lord . . . until you . . . avenge our blood?” And we can see that this echoes ancient laments in the Psalms (cf. Psalm 74:10; 94:3; 119:84). In our reading today God opens our eyes to a bigger and better picture of faith. We are challenged to long as much as God does for justice and peace on the earth. The martyrs are not content just to be in heaven. They continue to work and pray for God’s justice to be present on earth as it is in heaven. Their prayer also reminds us that God plans to restore not just our souls but also the whole earth, where we will live again one day in our bodies, restored and whole.

 

Can you imagine what that life will look like? It defies our imagination. We have never known a perfect world. We have never seen peace and harmony across every dimension of God’s creation. But that is exactly what is coming with the rule of Jesus. These are powerful words for living by faith today. These are incredible words of hope in our day!

 

The Rider of 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. (Revelation 6:7-8 ESV).

 

The fourth horseman is too familiar to us. More than 350,000 Americans died of COVID-19 in 2020. According to preliminary weekly data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). All causes, as of April 26, 2021, 3,427,321 people died in America. In comparison, 2,854,838 people died in 2019, meaning at least 572,000 more people died in 2020 than 2019 according to preliminary estimates. Using the estimate of the 2020 population from the Census Bureau, the death rate in 2020 was 10.4 deaths per 1,000, the highest death rate since 1943. This picture represents death and grief disrupting our lives. Perhaps you are feeling death’s dreadful presence today. My prayer for you is that our gracious God would give you comfort and peace.

 

Death is always a terrible intruder, regardless of its coming to claim people in large numbers or in the sudden death of a person we love. The Holy Spirit has given us powerful pictures to embrace for a time such as this. We have the good news of Christ’s coming and of his rising on Easter Sunday morning, announcing death’s defeat. We also have comforting pictures of Jesus grieving with those who mourn. Jesus wept with Mary and Martha over their brother Lazarus’s death (cf. John 11:33-35). Jesus weeps with us too when this rider on the pale horse comes.

 

Jesus also knows this horseman as his “last enemy to be destroyed” (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:26). And God’s great story closes with John announcing, “Then I saw ‘a new heaven and a new earth,’” in which God will “wipe every tear from [our] eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain” (Revelation 21:1-4). This is the hope we have in Christ. While John sees these great calamities come, he also understands they are like the pain of childbirth. They will lead to great blessing. Take comfort in the truth that we are closer than ever to that time of restoration and eternal life.

 

The Rider on 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!” (Revelation 6:5-6 ESV).

 

The third horseman who is called with the breaking of the third seal rides a black horse. This rider also holds a pair of scales, which were used for everyday buying and selling. These scales, however, were rigged to inflate the costs of grain. The third horseman represents economic injustice, robbing many people of their daily bread and other basic needs. It is very clear in the calamity of the end times that there will be famine and great need. In this picture the Apostle John helps us sense the deep care and concern of God over unjust practices, because a day’s worth of wages for a small bag of grain or flour would have a big impact on most people for their survival.

 

Jesus knows the importance of having daily bread available for everyone. One of his most famous miracles was his feeding of many thousands of people when they were tired and hungry in a remote place. He refused to send the people away hungry (cf. Matthew 14:16). And when Jesus taught us to ask God our Father, “Give us today our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11), it was our basic needs for food, clothing, and shelter that he had in mind.

 

It might be of interest to all of that while living in the most advanced production center of the world the numbers of food insecure families in America has increased 500% since 2018. While there were just over 11 million families classified as food insecure, the most recent statistics indicate 53 million families in our country do not have enough money to buy food for their families. I know it’s easy to blame this on the poor choices of many of those who are hungry; however, that is not the attitude of God. It is a very complex problem that certainly has no easy answers. But if we are following Jesus’ example, we should live and work so that the scales for economic justice tip on the side of mercy and love. The rider on the black horse shows no care for the poor. But Jesus does! And he commands us to do likewise. Jesus also says to those who follow his example: “Come … [into] the kingdom prepared for you. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat.” (Matthew 25:35-40). These are indeed days like those describe by John as “apocalyptic.” We can do so much more than we do!

 

The Fiery Red Horse

 

When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” 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. (Revelation 6:3-4 ESV).

 

When Jesus opens the second seal, a fiery red horse comes out! It is very common for artists to use red sparingly because it commands attention. However, here we see God, the master painter, using the brightest red possible to paint the mission of this second rider.

This horseman receives power to “take peace from the earth and to make people kill each other.” Death in a manner and scale as never before is the result of this rider’s mission.

 

Peace, in this story, includes much more than just the absence of war. The Bible’s picture of peace is about the harmony in creation revealed in Genesis 1:31: “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.” The clearest example of this peace is found in the life of Jesus, given for our sake. He is described as the “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). And when he was born, a multitude of angels from heaven gave glory to God and announced the coming of peace on earth (cf. Luke 2:14).

 

In the picture of the rider on a fiery red horse, however, this vision opens our eyes to the power of evil in our midst, robbing creation of God’s peace. We are especially warned to be on guard about this rider’s goal to create violence, making people kill each other. This shouldn’t surprise us. It shouldn’t shake our faith. It is merely the harbinger of God’s final redemptive work.

 

I have often been tempted to wander into the politics of violence in our world. However, I have been relatively successful through the decades. The reason for that is simply my understanding of what it means. Of course, I am not advocating that we should participate or commit such violence. We cannot control the timing of God’s work. However, we can recognize it and do our best to call people to the only redemption from such death and destruction. As our world seems to be spiraling out of control, we must see it as a call to spread the Gospel. This is the only real solution. We must not ignore our responsibility in keeping one another safe and secure from harm, but the only permanent solution is the redemptive work of Christ!