Allen Jackson - Angels and Revelation - Part 2
Hello, church, we’re going to finish our study on angels in the book of Revelation today. It’s an amazing book. So often Christians are afraid of it, but it’s the story of the end of the age, of our King returning, and his angels busily preparing his purposes in the earth. It’s a triumphant story. It’s not a story of defeat. You don’t need to be frightened. The angels are an important part of what God is doing in the earth today, and I think we’ve had such a focus on Jesus and what he accomplished for us on the cross, appropriately, that we have overlooked what he’s busily doing today. He’s at work in the earth today. I promise you, you’re not alone, he hasn’t forgotten you. If he’s watching over the sparrows when they fall to the earth, you can be certain he knows your circumstances. Grab your Bible, get a notepad, God’s got some things for you today, I’m convinced of it. Enjoy the lesson.
And I just want to take chapter five tonight. We’re gonna look at angels and their involvement, and the messages that are rolling out. I believe it’ll bring some strength to us. Chapter 5 and verse 1, we won’t read every verse but, «Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne, a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals». This was before books. So, long messages, long letters are written on a scroll. It’s something that’s rolled up. And you seal the scroll, so you know it hasn’t been tampered with or altered. And there’s a scroll, a book, written on both sides, and it’s been sealed with seven seals. «And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, 'Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll? '»
At the beginning of verse 2, there’s a specific description. It’s used two other times in the book of Revelation. It says, «I saw a mighty angel». The New American Standard says, «I saw a strong angel». So, one of the things I want to draw your attention to as you go through Revelation is that all angels aren’t the same. They have a different realms of authority. Some are presented as mighty angels, uniquely strong angels. Some have specific assignments. You know, one of the things that I have observed, when you have little knowledge of something, you assume that whatever it is, they’re all the same.
When I’m in Israel, many of my Jewish friends have had very little experience with Christians, and they think a Christian is a Christian is a Christian. Here a Christian, there a Christian, everywhere a Christian, Christian. And they’re quite perplexed when you try to explain to them there’s an enormous diversity in how Christians approach the practice of their faith. They know that Hitler was a baptized Catholic, so from their vantage point, the Christians created the Holocaust. And we’re very critical, we say, «Oh, no, no, no, that was not us».
Well, on the other side of the equation, the general population here thinks the Jewish people practice their faith in a homogenous, they’re just, they’re Jewish. And there’s as much diversity in how the Jewish people practice their faith as there is amongst the Christians and how they practice their faith. Some wear black hats and long sideburns and long black coats, and some are far more lax in the way they give adherence to Scripture. There’s a great deal of diversity. It’s not just about religions or faith. If you’ve ever been around a horse a horse is a horse is a horse. Four legs, a tail, and they snort. If you’re a horse person, you think there’s tremendous differences.
So, whatever you know about, you understand the uniqueness and the differentiation. What you know little about, you’re just kinda lump in and go, «They’re all the same». Well, we’ve thought, you know, an angel is an angel, but that’s not what the Scripture tells us. And so, John makes the point, and he’s gonna see lots of Angels, thousands and thousands and thousands of angels as a part of this revelation. In verse 2, he said, «I saw a mighty angel,» strong angel, «And he proclaimed in a loud voice, 'Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll? '»
The theme of chapter 5 is worthiness. Who is worthy? It is the dominant question in this chapter. We just talked a moment ago about walking worthy of the Lord, it’s what really drew me into this chapter. I wanna understand that better. «No one in heaven». «No one in heaven, or on earth, or under the earth,» could open the scroll or even look inside it because they weren’t worthy. We’re pretty presumptive and arrogant. «Oh, I’m worthy, it’s a gift». Righteousness is a gift, but there’s a difference in receiving the gift of righteousness, the redemptive work of Jesus, and the provision that makes for our entrance into the kingdom of God, and choosing to lead a life worthy of the Lord. Because the Scripture very clearly says that on heaven, earth, and under the earth, there was no one found worthy to open this scroll.
So, again, our interest has been so small. Our concern has been so little. Our awareness has been so minute that we just kinda dumped it all in the bucket, and go, «You know, we’re worthy». And John begins to weep. «I wept and wept. No one was found worthy to open the scroll». I wasn’t gonna get to find out what was in it. There was no one worthy. «Then one of the elders said to me, 'Don’t weep, see the lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David? He has triumphed, and he is able to open the scroll.'»
Folks, if you don’t take anything else away, and this needs to be personal, Jesus is worthy. He’s worthy of your service. He’s worthy of your allegiance. He’s worthy of your trust. He’s worthy of your worship. He is worthy. He’s more worthy than any other being in heaven, on earth, or under the earth. Isn’t that what Philippians 2 told us? That because of what Jesus did, God gave him a name that’s above every name, on heaven, in the earth, and under the earth. Again, the book of Revelation is not new, it’s reiterating what we’ve been told throughout Scripture.
And then John turns to see the Lion of the tribe of Judah in verse 6. He said, «I saw a lamb,» he’s looking to see a lion, and he sees a lamb, «Looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. It had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the Earth. And he came and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. And when he had taken it, all the creatures and persons surrounding him fell down before him. They had a harp and they had golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints». What a beautiful picture. «And they sang a new song». Listen to what the song is. «You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain. And with your blood, you purchased men for God from every tribe, and language, and people, and nation».
I asked a question in one of the earlier sessions. What if Jesus had gotten into Gethsemane, he’s the sinless, perfect, obedient, incarnate Son of God, and he had said, «No, I’m just tired. That’s too much. It’s a bridge too far». He had to struggle with it, we know that from the information we have in Gethsemane. Where he said if there’s any other way, I’d rather go that way, but he submitted himself to God’s will. Now, I wanna ask you the question. If you’re willing to follow the Lord beyond the acknowledgement of your birthing into the kingdom, I’m grateful you’re saved, you’re born again, I believe that, I’m not suggesting you earn your way into heaven.
But we’ve got to move away from the idea that we have no purpose for our lives other than self-fulfillment. And even here, as he’s being identified as worthy to take the scroll, it says, «Because you were slain. And with your blood, you purchased for God from every tribe, and language, and people, and nation, leading a life worthy of the Lord». Verse 10 talks about our assignment. «You’ve made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God,» and they will reign where? On the Earth. Some of you think you’re getting ready to go to heaven and be important. Jesus is coming back to earth, folks. We’re gonna rule and reign with him here.
«Then I looked and I heard the voice of many angels numbering thousands upon thousands and ten thousands times ten thousand». That’s a lot of angels. «And they encircled the throne, and the living creatures, and the elders. And in a loud voice they sang, 'Worthy is the lamb who was slain to receive power, and wealth, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and praise.' Then I heard every creature in heaven, on earth, and under the earth, and on the sea, and all that’s in them singing to him who sits on the throne to the Lamb, 'Be praise, and glory, and honor.'» It’s the description of what we’re told in Philippians 2. Again, it’s not news, it’s just a graphic presentation of what we had been told already. That Jesus is worthy. He’s worthy of worship.
We get to chapter 6, the scene changes, and the Lamb is gonna open the first of the seven seals on that scroll. And it’s worth noting that it’s the Lamb who’s gonna open every one of those seals. So what’s gonna happen in the earth at the end of the age is the direct result of Jesus’s involvement. I’m telling you, Jesus is more involved in what’s happening in the earth than we have imagined. We fit him into this little notion between Bethlehem and Golgotha, and we’ve written him out of the rest of the story, he’s engaged. Jesus and his angels are engaged in what’s happening in the earth today, he is. He knows what we’re doing in the earth. He knows what we’re engaged in. It’s so exciting to me. We’ve got this notion, «Well, you know, he left and he’s gonna come back, and in the meantime».
He told some of those parables, so I understand how we can weave those stories. But when you start to unpack the larger context, it’s very different. «He opened the first of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say in a loud voice, 'Come, ' and I looked, and before me was a white horse». And these first seals are going to be the four horsemen of the apocalypse. Do you know that story? The white horse and the red horse and the black horse and the pale horse? Let’s look at the first one, the white horse. «Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest».
I think in the Roman Empire, because that was the historical context in which this was written, the emperor would ride a white horse and wear a laurel wreath. The laurel wreath was the symbol of a victor, like a gold medal in the Olympics. So, the Roman Emperor rode the white horse. It’s a symbol of honor and his position of power, and he wore the decoration of the victor. The way I understand the passage, this is my opinion, you can disagree with me, because it’s not explained in perfect detail. The white horse is the gospel of Jesus Christ. It’s gonna ride into the earth. And I think at the end of the age, we will see the gospel go around the world in an unprecedented way. There will be people gathered from every nation, language, and tribe, hallelujah, hallelujah.
And I think the assignment is the white horse has to stay ahead of the other three. The other three are a bit more threatening. In verse 3, the Lamb opens the second seal. «I heard the second living creature say, 'Come, ' and another horse came, a fiery red one. And it was given the power to take peace from the earth and to make men slay each other. He was given a large sword». Again, Jesus is unleashing these things. Jesus is unleashing these things. As I understand, the red horse is conflict. Specifically, if we go back to Matthew 24, ethnic conflict, when it says that nation will rise against nation. The Greek word in Matthew 24 is ethnos, from which we get ethnic.
I think it is not an overstatement to say that ethnic conflict is increasing in the world. That hatred and war will proliferate. It’s deception to say that human beings working together without regeneration from the Spirit of God bring peace and harmony. There is not evidence to support that from human history. The current dialogue around socialism and we should all receive equal things is one of the most blatant distortions of human history that is available to us today. Marxism is responsible for 100 million deaths in the last century, and we’re only 21 years into this century, so I’m not talking ancient history, 100 million deaths. It’s a very deceptive ideology.
Verse 5, «When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, 'Come, ' and I looked, and there before me was a black horse, and its rider was holding scales in his hand. And I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, 'A quart of wheat for a day’s wages, three quarts of barley for a day’s wages, and don’t damage the oil and the wine.'»
The black horse is the portrayal of shortage and lack, insufficiency. Just a fundamental lack of what is needed for people. There’s not gonna be enough to feed a family. It’ll bring desperation. We’ve had some just brief tremors of that. We know how we behave. If it snows in Kentucky, and we see a picture, we buy all the bread and milk available to us. Some of you have tremendous hordes of toilet paper right now at home, as if the lack of toilet paper would usher in the apocalypse. Imagine what there would be if there were true shortages, the panic it would bring. Oil and wine typically in Scripture portray the wealthy, so there seems to be a suggestion that the wealthy are going to be less impacted, seems right.
And the fourth seal, verse 7, «I heard the voice of the fourth living creature, I looked, and before me was a pale horse, and its rider was named death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth,» a fourth of the earth, «To kill by sword and famine and plague and by the wild beasts of the earth». Pale horse, a death for a fourth of the world’s population. That is a pandemic. Death claims the bodies of men, Hades claims the souls. It’s an intimidating passage.
Verse 12, the sixth seal is opened. Skip down to verse 16, «The kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, every slave, every free man hid in caves and among the rocks and the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, 'Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne.'» Have you ever heard somebody say that Jesus is all about love? Jesus is only about love? It’s true, God is love, but it’s not the whole truth. This is the chapter about the Lamb unleashing his wrath in the earth, look at it. «From the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand»?
We don’t very often think about an angry Lamb. What’s he going to be angry about? The condition of the hearts of human beings. Second Timothy 3 describes 15 attributes of human character, and he’s right. He’s describing the character of people who have a facade of religious activity. Lovers of money, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God, lovers of self. They will draw the wrath of the Lamb. Isn’t that what he said to the church in Sardis? I have a problem with you, he said. You’re asleep, you appear to be alive and vital, and in reality you’re dead. We’ve lived a bit presumptively. Revelation 7, we’re back to the angels. «I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on the land».
So, chapter seven starts with four powerful angels. They have the power to impact the weather on the planet. Angels are significant. Same chapter, verse 11, «All the angels are standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, 'Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God forever and ever, amen.'» Angels have access to the throne of God. Angels are involved in worship. We’re given those same permissions. In Hebrews, it says that we can come boldly before the throne of grace to find mercy to help us in our time of need. And what do we say? «Well, you know, I don’t pray much. I’m not much of a prayer. Don’t really know about reading my Bible all that much».
Again, this is a Wednesday night Church service, so I know that I’ve got people with a unique commitment to the Lord, and I’m not casting stones, nor do I want you to feel guilty. I want you to understand the amazing privilege that has been given to us. Worshiping the Lord is a privilege. Approaching the throne of grace is a tremendous honor. It’s not a burden. I’m not inviting you to a fanatical response. It’s the place that will secure our futures. It’s the place that will secure our health and our strength and our peace and the resources that we needed when shortage ravages the earth.
Revelation chapter 9, «The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the horns of the golden altar that’s before God. And it said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, 'Release the four angels who are bound at the great river, Euphrates.' And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind».
Powerful spiritual beings. We’ve made enormous adjustments to our lives for a virus that apparently came from a lab in Wuhan, China. And it’s had an impact on the earth, but not of a magnitude even in the discussion with what we’re talking about. We believe in that virus, appropriately so. We’ve changed behaviors and habits and patterns. Almost every aspect of our lives has been affected by it. But we’ll have debates about whether or not we believe in spiritual beings and their influence upon us. It’s an important season in the earth, and you are so important to the purposes of God. You have no idea how valuable you are. God knows the worst parts about us, he’s made provision for that, hallelujah. He will use us anyway. I want you to stand with me, I’m done. We gotta go get the kids. It’s the first week, the teachers need relief. Hurry to get your kids, okay?
Father, thank you for your word and its truth. I thank you for the angels that you have sent to serve and minister around us. Lord, forgive us, we’ve been indifferent or could’ve cared less, or we’ve been unaware or asleep. Lord, awaken us. Stir our hearts. Let the fear of the Lord grow within us. Let the fear of the Lord come upon us. Give us a desire to know you and to worship you and to seek you beyond anything we’ve ever had before. I thank you for it. Thank you for your church. Thank you for every person that is able to be a part of this service. Lord, they’re precious in your sight. There’s a purpose for their lives and a call and anointing upon them. And I pray that you’ll fulfill it. I thank you for it. Lord, show us the things we need to lay down. Show us the places where our pride or our arrogance or our carnality or our selfishness is diminishing what you’ve called us to be. Lord, strengthen us. Send the angels to help us. Release the angels, Father, to help deconstruct the barriers and the resistance, to help us overcome every attack of the enemy. We thank you for it, for the victory that is ours because the Lamb was slain, and his blood was shed that we might be delivered and justified and sanctified. The power of the enemy broken over our lives. That you’ve written a new name for us. We praise you for it tonight, in Jesus’s name, amen.