The Vengeance of God – Part 1
Revelation 6:9-17 (9-11)
September 11, 2016
As you know we are now working through the book of the Revelation
And we are watching the Lord Jesus Christ
As He begins to break the seals and unleash judgment upon this world.
At this point we are already several years into the tribulation.
• The first seal represented the first 3 ½ years and was the white horse of
deception.
• Following that came the red horse of world war
• Then the black horse of famine
• And finally the ashen (green) horse of death and destruction
All of those we said were the Antichrist and his work on the earth
Which the Lord has now allowed to happen.
We are well into what is called The Great Tribulation at this point.
THIS MORNING WE SEE THE 5TH SEAL OPENED.
And this seal creates for a unique conversation.
At first look it doesn’t appear to be that difficult to the earth.
However, once you understand the effect this seal has,
You realize that the opening of this seal literally makes all the difference.
The opening of the fifth seal is for one purpose.
THE FIFTH SEAL INCITES THE VENGEANCE OF GOD
The vengeance of God is not an often discussed topic,
And yet it is a reality that saturates Scripture.
In fact, apart from an accurate view of the vengeance of God
You can’t even live the Christian life the way you’re commanded to live it.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN?
Romans 12:19-20 “Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY,” says the Lord. “BUT IF YOUR ENEMY IS HUNGRY, FEED HIM, AND IF HE IS THIRSTY, GIVE HIM A DRINK; FOR IN SO DOING YOU WILL HEAP BURNING COALS ON HIS HEAD.”
Have you ever run into that verse in your Christian life?
(I’ll bet you have)
Someone wrongs you and the “self” in you wants to instantly rise up and make it right. And yet God unequivocally tells you to “Never” do that.
“Never take your own revenge”
That’s a hard reality.
Or when Jesus said:
Matthew 5:38-41 “You have heard that it was said, ‘AN EYE FOR AN EYE, AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH.’ “But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. “If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also. “Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two.”
I still remember when Hannah was in kindergarten and we were doing her hair before school one morning and she told me that she didn’t like school because one of the kids was calling her a name. She said, “They called me Fathead”
So I explained how we are to turn the other cheek and respond to curses with blessings and then I said just look at that person and say, “Jesus loves you and I love you too.” Hannah said, “I’m not sure that’s gonna help.”
We’ve all had that thought.
• “Never take your own revenge”
• “turn the other cheek”
• “go the extra mile”
Those are hard commands to obey.
However, obedience to those commands is made possible
Because of a promise from the Lord.
Namely that those who wrong you and sin against you
Will not get away with it.
Just because you are not allowed to take your own revenge
Does not mean they will not be punished.
Paul said, “Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY,” says the Lord.”
IT IS GOD’S VENGEANCE THAT ALLOWS US TO HANDLE ADVERSITY.
We believe that we never repay evil for evil
Because God will one day deal with it in His perfect timing.
Throughout the Bible this reality has led to more than one prayer
That God would finally bring about His vengeance.
Have you ever heard of the Imprecatory Psalms?
To IMPRECATE means “to invoke or call down evil” specifically on someone else.
And throughout the Psalms the psalmists did this very thing
Because they understood that vengeance was solely the Lord’s.
Psalms 13:1-2 “How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? How long shall I take counsel in my soul, Having sorrow in my heart all the day? How long will my enemy be exalted over me?”
Psalms 35:17-19 “Lord, how long will You look on? Rescue my soul from their ravages, My only life from the lions. I will give You thanks in the great congregation; I will praise You among a mighty throng. Do not let those who are wrongfully my enemies rejoice over me; Nor let those who hate me without cause wink maliciously.”
Psalms 74:10 “How long, O God, will the adversary revile, And the enemy spurn Your name forever?”
Psalms 94:1-7 “O LORD, God of vengeance, God of vengeance, shine forth! Rise up, O Judge of the earth, Render recompense to the proud. How long shall the wicked, O LORD, How long shall the wicked exult? They pour forth words, they speak arrogantly; All who do wickedness vaunt themselves. They crush Your people, O LORD, And afflict Your heritage. They slay the widow and the stranger And murder the orphans. They have said, “The LORD does not see, Nor does the God of Jacob pay heed.”
Many of the Psalms reveal man’s almost impatience
Regarding the judgment of the wicked.
And let me assure you when they prayed for judgement, they wanted judgment!
Psalms 69:22-28 “May their table before them become a snare; And when they are in peace, may it become a trap. May their eyes grow dim so that they cannot see, And make their loins shake continually. Pour out Your indignation on them, And may Your burning anger overtake them. May their camp be desolate; May none dwell in their tents. For they have persecuted him whom You Yourself have smitten, And they tell of the pain of those whom You have wounded. Add iniquity to their iniquity, And may they not come into Your righteousness. May they be blotted out of the book of life And may they not be recorded with the righteous.”
Psalms 139:19-22 “O that You would slay the wicked, O God; Depart from me, therefore, men of bloodshed. For they speak against You wickedly, And Your enemies take Your name in vain. Do I not hate those who hate You, O LORD? And do I not loathe those who rise up against You? I hate them with the utmost hatred; They have become my enemies.”
Admit it, if we closed our service in prayer right now and you heard someone pray like that you’d be a little shocked wouldn’t you?
These were prayers of people who had been wronged
And who knew they were not allowed to take their own revenge,
But in the midst of their pain they cried out
To the One who could punish the wicked.
And those are by no means the only ones.
(You could read Psalm 7, 35, 40, 55, 58, 59, 69, 109, 137, 139, 144)
The immediate POINT I want you to see is that
THEY UNDERSTOOD GOD TO BE A GOD OF VENGEANCE.
Why would they assume that about God?
Because God declares Himself to be a God of vengeance.
Deuteronomy 32:35 “Vengeance is Mine, and retribution, In due time their foot will slip; For the day of their calamity is near, And the impending things are hastening upon them.”
Isaiah 34:1-3, 8 “Draw near, O nations, to hear; and listen, O peoples! Let the earth and all it contains hear, and the world and all that springs from it. For the LORD’S indignation is against all the nations, And His wrath against all their armies; He has utterly destroyed them, He has given them over to slaughter. So their slain will be thrown out, And their corpses will give off their stench, And the mountains will be drenched with their blood…For the LORD has a day of vengeance, A year of recompense for the cause of Zion.”
Isaiah 35:4 “Say to those with anxious heart, “Take courage, fear not. Behold, your God will come with vengeance; The recompense of God will come, But He will save you.”
Isaiah 59:17-18 “He put on righteousness like a breastplate, And a helmet of salvation on His head; And He put on garments of vengeance for clothing And wrapped Himself with zeal as a mantle. According to their deeds, so He will repay, Wrath to His adversaries, recompense to His enemies; To the coastlands He will make recompense.”
Isaiah 63:4 “For the day of vengeance was in My heart, And My year of redemption has come.”
Jeremiah 46:10 “For that day belongs to the Lord GOD of hosts, A day of vengeance, so as to avenge Himself on His foes; And the sword will devour and be satiated And drink its fill of their blood; For there will be a slaughter for the Lord GOD of hosts, In the land of the north by the river Euphrates.”
Micah 5:15 “And I will execute vengeance in anger and wrath On the nations which have not obeyed.”
Nahum 1:2 “A jealous and avenging God is the LORD; The LORD is avenging and wrathful. The LORD takes vengeance on His adversaries, And He reserves wrath for His enemies.”
I think you are getting the point.
Vengeance is not some second hand attribute of God.
Scripture speaks of it repeatedly.
NOW DON’T MISUNDERSTAND THIS REALITY.
God is not some sort of selfish vigilante out for retribution due to selfish motives.
God’s vengeance is born out of His holiness and justice.
He is true and just and right and holy and therefore
He cannot and will not leave the guilty unpunished.
The truly remarkable fact is not that God strikes the wicked with vengeance but rather that He so patiently waits to do it while giving them time to repent.
His holy vengeance is expected; His patient mercy is what is surprising.
And yet we read verses like:
2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”
Romans 2:4-6 “Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who WILL RENDER TO EACH PERSON ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS:”
God is incredibly patient with sinners,
But do not let that cause you to think
That He intends to just let sinners get away with it forever.
Their sin will be paid for in full,
Either by Christ on the cross, or by them in hell for all eternity.
He is a God of vengeance.
THE DAY OF VENGEANCE IS COMING.
And I’m about to show you the catalyst that sets it off.
• I’m about to show you the event that brings God’s patience with sinners to an end.
• I’m about to show you the moment in the future where Christ answers the call for vengeance.
Let me spell it out clearly here to make sure we all see it.
The wrath of Jesus Christ is about to make a remarkable transition.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN?
Up until now His wrath and judgment could all be categorized as PASSIVE JUDGMENT.
• Yes we do see Him opening the seals and so we know it is from Him, but beyond that, these judgments have not been His direct doing.
• The wrath of the first 4 seals has been of the passive nature. It’s been like we discussed in Romans 1 where “God gave them over…”
• Jesus merely backed off and let Satan do to this world what Satan does.
• Jesus stopped restraining the evil one and gave him free reign to deceive the world, and destroy the world.
It has been His wrath, but it’s been passive
As He has really just sort of sat back and let things fall apart.
But after the 5th seal His wrath will move FROM PASSIVE TO ACTIVE.
No longer will you see Him sitting back just letting things happen,
You are about to see Him as the direct cause of the things that happen.
It almost gives the appearance that His wrath is stepped up a notch.
THE QUESTION IS; What caused Him to all of a sudden take an active approach in afflicting the world?
And the answer is: The Fifth Seal
• The opening of this seal is the catalyst.
• The opening of this seal is the motivation.
• What happens here moves Jesus from passive watcher to active punisher.
We can break these events down into two main points.
#1 THE FIFTH SEAL: THE CRY OF THE AFFLICTED
Revelation 6:9-11
• The first seal was Deception
• The second was World War
• The third was Famine
• The fourth was Death
Those first four seals have carried us well into the second half of the tribulation.
I can’t give you a specific time frame except to say
That we know the first seal lasted for 3 ½ years.
So by now we are well into the final 3 ½ years of the tribulation
And we see something remarkable at the breaking of this 5th seal.
(9) “When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained.”
It is worth pointing out here the obvious reality that
We have here a group of souls
Who have paid the ultimate price for their faith in Christ.
They have “been slain”
Certainly we don’t have to go through all of those passages throughout the New Testament that promise the persecution of believers.
But I would say this to make sure we all have a proper perspective.
The peace and freedom we have enjoyed in America in regard to our faith
IS THE EXCEPTION, NOT THE RULE.
If you see the persecution in other countries as a strange thing,
You are not looking at it through Biblical eyes.
The strange thing IS NOT that believers in other countries are dying for their faith; the strange thing IS that believers here in America are not.
1 Peter 4:12-13 “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.”
Persecution (not peace) is the norm.
These in the tribulation have learned that first hand.
They have “been slain”
And their cause of death is made crystal clear. It is “because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained.”
When these bodies are transported to the coroner’s office for autopsy it doesn’t take long for the designation to be made.
Cause of death? – STUBBORNNESS
They refused to quit preaching “the word of God”
They insisted upon maintaining their “testimony”
About Christ and His power to save.
They wouldn’t stop proclaiming the gospel.
And that is why they were killed.
Revelation 12 speaks of these very martyrs later and says:
Revelation 12:10-11 “Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night. “And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.”
In short, they loved Christ more than they loved their own lives.
They would not let go of Jesus.
And just in case you are considering labeling them radicals
You should know that everyone who does give in and quits proclaiming Christ…they end up hell.
The only ones who are ever saved are the ones
Who love Christ more than they love their own lives.
Luke 14:25-26 “Now large crowds were going along with Him; and He turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.”
These people were killed because they loved Jesus.
• They weren’t criminals
• They weren’t traitors
• They weren’t dangerous
• They were Christians and that caused their death.
They were slain, but they were faithful.
Here we are now given a glimpse of their souls below the altar of God.
(10) “and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”
That is what you call an imprecatory prayer.
It is a prayer for vengeance and wrath upon those who persecuted them.
Now let’s be honest, to us that sounds a little strange.
In fact based on our study of Scripture we would ALMOST SAY THAT SOUNDS UNCHRISTIAN.
Don’t we remember:
Luke 9:51-56 “When the days were approaching for His ascension, He was determined to go to Jerusalem; and He sent messengers on ahead of Him, and they went and entered a village of the Samaritans to make arrangements for Him. But they did not receive Him, because He was traveling toward Jerusalem. When His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” But He turned and rebuked them, [and said, “You do not know what kind of spirit you are of; for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.”] And they went on to another village.”
Or how about Stephen while being stoned to death?
Acts 7:60 “Then falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” Having said this, he fell asleep.”
Even Jesus prayed the same as He was being crucified.
We see a necessary compassion for sinners
And a prayer for their forgiveness and ultimate salvation.
It almost seems strange to us that here these martyred souls
Would be praying for their death and judgment.
If that is strange to you wait until we get to chapter 19.
• You’re familiar with the “Hallelujah Chorus” that is sung at Christmas.
• Have you ever paid attention to why heaven is singing hallelujah?
• (It isn’t because the baby Jesus was born)
Revelation 19:1-4 “After these things I heard something like a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God; BECAUSE HIS JUDGMENTS ARE TRUE AND RIGHTEOUS; for He has judged the great harlot who was corrupting the earth with her immorality, and HE HAS AVENGED THE BLOOD OF HIS BOND-SERVANTS ON HER.” And a second time they said, “Hallelujah! HER SMOKE RISES UP FOREVER AND EVER.” And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sits on the throne saying, “Amen. Hallelujah!”
What are we to make of this?
Are we to pray in this way?
And the answer is no.
We are currently in the age of grace,
The age in which the door of salvation swings wide open.
But if you will recall John is seeing “the things which must take place after these things” (remember Revelation 4:1?)
John is looking at the time of God’s wrath.
John is looking at the day of the Lord which is the Day of Judgment.
And heaven is praying in perfect harmony with God’s will at that time.
Well how do I know I shouldn’t be praying like that right now?
• Well for one, it’s because of some of those verses we just read regarding James and John or Stephen.
But beyond that, I can prove it to you.
• In Revelation 10 there is a chapter devoted simply for the well-being of John to make sure he responds properly to all that he is seeing.
It would be easy (and especially since John has done it before)
For John to see all these judgments and actually get excited about them
And to begin to pray imprecatory type prayers regarding humanity.
So in Revelation 10 God sends and angel to John
Who makes John eat God’s scroll which contains the judgments of God.
And here is what John said:
Revelation 10:10-11 “I took the little book out of the angel’s hand and ate it, and in my mouth it was sweet as honey; and when I had eaten it, my stomach was made bitter. And they said to me, “You must prophesy again concerning many peoples and nations and tongues and kings.”
When John got his first taste of the vengeance of God, he honestly had to admit that he liked it. However, as the reality of what God’s vengeance meant for an unbelieving world it turned John’s stomach.
And he was motivated to “prophesy again”
See John, at the time he received this revelation,
Was still living in this current age, the age of grace,
Where we preach to men and we appeal to men
That they turn from their sin and be saved.
That is the proper mentality for this day and age.
But “after these things” it is no longer the day of salvation,
It will be the day of the Lord and of His vengeance
And in that day the prayer of these saints is absolutely fitting.
Luke 21:20-22 “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is near. “Then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains, and those who are in the midst of the city must leave, and those who are in the country must not enter the city; because these are days of vengeance, so that all things which are written will be fulfilled.”
So while we do not yet pray this way,
The cry of these martyrs at this time is totally warranted.
They are crying out for vengeance not because they have been wronged
But because the Lord is “holy and true”
• This prayer comes from the basis of an understanding of God’s righteousness.
• They understand that for those who reject Christ, their sin must be
punished.
Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world and all those who call upon His name will find that He has born the Father’s wrath for their sin.
However for those who have rejected Christ
There is still a matter of sin which has not yet been atoned for
And heaven will not abide such an injustice.
Sin must be dealt with and eradicated!
And so because they know God to be “holy and true”
They know He will deal with sinners.
They want to know when is Jesus going to stand up and do something about it?
And it is a perfectly just prayer.
2 Thessalonians 1:6-9 “For after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,”
Furthermore I can assure that Christ will answer their prayer.
Luke 18:7-8 “now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? “I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”
They are dwelling in the time of vengeance
And their prayer is for vengeance.
They want the Lord Jesus Christ to rise up and defend His name and to punish the arrogant sinners who reject Him and kill His children.
THAT IS THE CRY OF THE AFFLICTED.
Now the Lord has an immediate answer for them.
(11) “And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also.”
The Lord hears their cry and immediately comforts them.
• He gives them “a white robe” which is a picture of imputed righteousness
• He tells them “that they should rest for a little while longer”
And then He gives a time indicator.
They should rest “until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also.”
HERE IS WHAT THAT MEANS.
He cannot fully unleash all His wrath and fury yet,
Because not all of the elect have come in yet.
Do you remember the parable of the wheat and the tares?
• After the enemy sowed tares among the wheat the servants wanted to know if
they should go and root up the tares.
• The Lord said, “No, for you might uproot some of the wheat too.”
He wanted the tares gone.
He planned on burning the tares in the fire.
But He was not willing to risk even one stalk of wheat in order to do so.
Jesus Christ has every intention of fully judging every unrepentant sinner who has ever lived, but He will not unleash His final wrath until every one of His elect has been brought safely home.
And the reality is that some of His elect
Will only be revealed through the crucible of persecution.
If you remember our study of Daniel.
In Daniel 12, God revealed to Daniel that it would be the horrific events of the tribulation that would actually draw out and reveal and purify God’s elect.
That is what Jesus is doing and He won’t cut this thing short
Until He has every single one of His elect safely home.
John 6:38-40 “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. “This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. “For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”
(Incidentally, that’s why we pray for salvation and not judgment,
Because we don’t know who the elect are and who they aren’t.)
Jesus will lose none of the elect.
These martyrs are simply to rest and wait for all of the elect to come in.
For now they are comforted.
Revelation 7:13-17 “Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “These who are clothed in the white robes, who are they, and where have they come from?” I said to him, “My lord, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. “For this reason, they are before the throne of God; and they serve Him day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne will spread His tabernacle over them. “They will hunger no longer, nor thirst anymore; nor will the sun beat down on them, nor any heat; for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the water of life; and God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”
Revelation 14:13 “And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, “Write, ‘ Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!'” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them.”
And so when this fifth seal is opened
• We see the martyrs who cry out for God’s vengeance
• They are told to wait and rest just a little while longer until all of their brothers have come in.
NOW you could look at that and say, “Well, that doesn’t seem so bad.”
It doesn’t appear that the fifth seal caused any pain for the world.
WANNA BET?
This prayer request completely shifts the entire scope of the tribulation.
After these saints pray to the Lord
He instantly shifts into active and terrible judgment.
Look at the 6th seal real quick which we’ll have to get into next time.
(READ VS. 12-17)
HE WENT FROM OBSERVER TO AFFLICTER.
Jesus heard the prayer of the afflicted and literally attacked the earth.
The prayers of the saints are a tremendous motivating factor
To the judgment of God.
You’ll see it again later.
Revelation 8:1-5 “When the Lamb broke the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. Another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a golden censer; and much incense was given to him, so that he might add it to the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up before God out of the angel’s hand. Then the angel took the censer and filled it with the fire of the altar, and threw it to the earth; and there followed peals of thunder and sounds and flashes of lightning and an earthquake.”
Make no mistake the prayers of Christ’s elect have a tremendous impact They literally turn the entire direction of the great tribulation.
(DON’T UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF PRAYER)
We’ll have to talk more about that next time.
Luke 18:7-8 “now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? “I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”
