Revelation 6:1-8

February 23, 2020

Lord’s Day Worship

Sean Higgins

The sermon starts around 15:30 in the audio file.

Or, The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

Of the 1189 chapters in the inspired Word, none reveals a more explicit and more exalted scene of worship than Revelation 5. There are other visions of the heavenly throne room, but none that identify both the one sitting on the throne ruling history and the one standing as having been slain, the redeemer of men from every tribe and tongue and nation and language. There are other descriptions of angels in choir formation, but none that extend to the myriad millions in loud voice praising the worthiness of the Lamb. No wonder that the response of the four living creatures was, “Amen!”

But whatever view you take toward the book of Revelation, the amen at the end of chapter 5 is far from the final amen. Chapter 5 would have been a great climax, not just to John’s vision, but of all history. There will be echoes of this worship forever and ever, for sure. But not only are there 17 more chapters in the Bible (as our copies number them), the purpose of chapters 4 and 5 is of transition. The Lion-Lamb is worthy of the praise of every creature, and such is true doctrine. But the presentation of the Lion-Lamb reveals that He is worthy to take the scroll held by the one sitting on the central throne in heaven. We are brought with John to exalt David’s Lord, the slain but standing Lamb, but we are also brought with John to expect the Lamb to open the scroll and break the seven seals.

There were particular pains faced by the seven churches in Revelation chapters 2-3. Those afflictions were not just of sickness and aging, of sweat dripping off the nose dealing with thistles in the soil. Those judgments of God on earth were, and are, trials. But those who listened to what the Spirit said to the churches were also opposed or oppressed by those who denied Jesus’ name (3:8), who were not loved by Jesus (3:9), who were not ransomed for God by Jesus (5:9). What about them? What about all the tribes of earth that will wail on account of Him, anticipated as early as Revelation 1:7?

So the scroll, sealed with seven seals, and so the strong angel’s question: “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” (5:2) As is true for all mankind, either we are swept up into great rejoicing as we worship the Lamb, or we are swept up by great tribulation as rebels against the Lamb.

The ransomed of the Lamb expect the judgment by the Lamb on His enemies. This is part of His glory. The worship in Revelation 5 would not be sufficient apart from the judgments that begin in chapter 6. If Odysseus returned to his house, and was restored to his wife Penelope, but did not deal with the many false suitors, the story would not be complete.

Remember that there are at least four common viewpoints to the book of Revelation. Chapter 6 and forward really require making a choice in order to make sense of the parts of John’s vision; it’s an interpretive crossroads. The Historicist traces the progress through Revelation as the progress of the church in stages of history. The Preterist explains the majority of Revelation as the outworking of judgment against Israel, especially fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem and the fall of the Roman Empire. The Idealist interprets according to symbols ruthlessly, so there are cycles of judgments throughout history. And the Futurist anticipates that most of Revelation is still to be fulfilled in the future, starting with chapter 4, and certainly chapter 6 and forward.

The general application stands no matter from which quadrant you read Revelation: the ransomed anticipate the judgment of the Lamb on all who reject Him. Even if chapter 6 was largely fulfilled leading up to AD 70, it was still future in John’s vision, and an encouragement by faith to his readers.

As I said when we began our stud[...]