January 11, 2001
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Nishida on Rev. 6-10
Chapter 6
Revelation 6 (2007/2/4, 2007/2/11) Tama Newtown Christ Church
Before going into Revelation 6, Pastor Nishida felt that as Gentiles unfamiliar with Jewish tradition, we needed to go back to the Old Testament to pick up some information, so we spent some time looking at Israel's return from Babylon and the construction of the new temple. I will try to post those lessons later.
The horses mentioned have appeared before in Zechariah 1. They are seen as God's agents who work together to perform God's will. They are given duties and are at work in the world today, as agents of both life and death. In Revelation 19:11- we see a rider on a white horse, and it is the glorified Christ. Is it possible that this is the same conquering rider that we see in Revelation 6? If so, then a life giving agent has been dispatched before the agents of death. Christ is victorious and will continue to be so.
In Luke 23:26-31, Jesus is on his way to be crucified and quotes Hosea 10:8. The events to come that are again mentioned after the opening of the sixth seal. He also mentions the same events in Matthew 24:29-35 that will take place before the Second Coming.
1 I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, "Come!" 2 I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.
3 When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, "Come!" 4 Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make men slay each other. To him was given a large sword.
5 When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, "Come!" I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. 6 Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, "A quart of wheat for a day's wages, and three quarts of barley for a day's wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!"
The times are going to be tough, and one will have to work all day just to get by. Oil and wine will be excluded from spoilage, so the situation will not be totally hopeless.
7 When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, "Come!" 8 I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.
9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. 10 They called out in a loud voice, "How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?" 11 Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed.
The readers are not to be surprised by martyrdom. We saw it in the previously mentioned churches in Smyrna and Pergamum. Matthew 10:24-33 urges us not to fear those who can destroy only the body, and that we are to acknowledge Christ before men. Not even a hair can fall from our head without God's permission, and if we are martyred it is because God allowed it for His own good and perfect reasons. A collapse of faith is far more frightening and dangerous than martyrdom.
We also see a cry for revenge arise from the martyrs. Is this indeed proper? Isn't God a God of love? Let us examine why Christ's death on the cross was necessary. God is holy and must reject sinners. He is righteous and must judge sinners. But He is also love and wants to forgive sinners. He solved this dilemma by using his triune nature, and turned the rejection and judgment on Himself in the person of Christ. Now all that is left for us is the love. But, we must choose to accept it by admitting that we are sinners and claiming the righteousness and the holiness that is available to us through Christ's death on the cross.
This process does not eliminate judgment, but rather shows us what judgment is like. Christ's death graphically portrays that the wages of sin are indeed judgment and death. We can see what will happen to those who have not claimed the forgiveness that was offered to them. God will divide those who chose to receive His gift of life and righteousness from those who did not. We are now in an age of grace where only God's love is turned upon us, but there will be a time of judgement when the wrath will fall and justice will be done.
The wages of sin is death, and those who proudly choose to reject God's forgiveness will be given what they earned. Those who chose to believe will be given as they believed and not as they deserve.
12 I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, 13and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as late figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. 14 The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. (compare Matthew 24:29-30)
15 Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. 16 They called to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17 For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?" (compare Hosea 8:10 and Luke 23:26-31)
The wrath is coming, but it is God's desire that we call upon Him so that we may escape it. Isaiah 55 tell us God's heart in the matter. "Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near."
Chapter 7
Revelation 7 (2007/2/25) Tama Newtown Christ Church
1 After this 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 or on the sea or on any tree. 2 Then I saw another angel coming up from the east, having the seal of the living God. He called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea: 3 "Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God." 4 Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.
We see four angels at the four corners of the earth stationed to prevent damage, because another angel has work to do. That angel is to put a seal on all of those who have chosen to belong to God. What is the purpose of the seal? We could remember the Passover story of Egypt in Exodus 12 where those wanting to escape judgment could be "sealed" with the blood of the Passover lamp on their doorposts. A Jewish reader would also recall the culling of idolaters in Ezekiel 8-9. A seal was placed on those who sorrowed over the idolatry, and they were not touched when the idolaters were slain. (I am prone to feel sorry for them, but in actuality idolaters are already spiritually dead.)
God always sends a prophet to give ample warning and a chance for repentance before executing judgment, and he always seals those who are truly His that they may escape it.
5From the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed, from the tribe of Reuben 12,000, from the tribe of Gad 12,000, 6from the tribe of Asher 12,000, from the tribe of Naphtali 12,000, from the tribe of Manasseh 12,000, 7from the tribe of Simeon 12,000, from the tribe of Levi 12,000, from the tribe of Issachar 12,000, 8from the tribe of Zebulun 12,000, from the tribe of Joseph 12,000, from the tribe of Benjamin 12,000.
The important point here is that there is a sealed population. There are many "holy numbers" used symbolically in the Bible, and it would seem best to leave them as symbolic. If we take these numbers literally, we may run into problems. 1 is considered a holy number, as is 3 for the triune nature of God. 3+1=4, also a holy number, and 3+1+4=7, ultimate perfection. We could also multiply: 3x4=12
9 After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10 And they cried out in a loud voice: "Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb." 11 All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying: "Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!"
How do the martyrs spend their time? In service and praise to God. They dwell in the presence of God himself. Their martyrdom involved tears, but they would all be wiped away.
13 Then one of the elders asked me, "These in white robes - who are they, and where did they come from?"
14 I answered, "Sir, you know."
And he said, "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 Therefore, "they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. 16 Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. 17 For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."
This must have been a vision that was comforting to those who were actually facing martyrdom under the Roman Empire. There was a huge multitude that had chosen to receive the white robes of Christ's righteousness, and they had their reward for choosing to enter Heaven and to have God wipe away their tears.
Perhaps John even saw some of us there in the crowd. The crowd was and is not limited to only Jews, but open to all who chose to be there. Those suffering under Rome chose to be there by believing, and we will join them in the same way, by believing and engraving the promises of God on our hearts. We are to walk in this life as if we believe that we are indeed one of that crowd.
Chapter 8
Revelation 8 (2007/3/4) Tama Newtown Christ Church
After the praise in Revelation 7, Heaven falls silent. In Revelation 5:7 we read of incense being the prayers of the saints, but this incense seems to be different, perhaps the intercession of the Holy Spirit or of Christ. We are not clearly told.
1 When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. 2 And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets.
3 Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne. 4 The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel's hand. 5 Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.
These may not be actual harbingers of destruction, but rather signs of God's presence that we have read of before in Exodus 19-20 when God descended on Mount Sinai.
6 Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to sound them.
7 The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down upon the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.
8 The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood, 9 a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.
10 The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water・11 the name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter.
12 The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them turned dark. A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night.
1/3 could also be a symbolic number. The amazing thing about the events that occur when the trumpets are sounded is that we have read about similar events before! Are not the things that happen extremely similar to the plagues that occurred in Egypt prior to the Exodus? More amazing yet is the totality involved: light, land, sea, plants, creatures... Doesn't one get the feeling that the Creator is going in a reverse direction of de-creation? This is truly chilling. This is creation undone, and a countdown to judgement.
13 As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in midair call out in a loud voice: "Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!"
Man was created last, and now the woes of judgement fall upon him.
But, let us remember the purpose of the plagues of Egypt. They were in preparation for the Exodus. The plagues were meant not to destroy Israel, but to save it. There was not only the execution of judgment. There was also God's hand moving to save those who had chosen to accept His seal. The trumpets of Revelation may seem like destruction, but they are actually being sounded to announce our Exodus. It is preparation for restoration, recreation and salvation.
Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Chapter 9
Revelation 9 (2007/3/11)
1 The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss.
A possible interpretation of the fallen star is that of a fallen angel, one who could not remain in Heaven because of his rebellion against God. He is appropriately given a key to the abyss.
2 When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace. The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss. 3 And out of the smoke locusts came down upon the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth.
There are two possible interpretations here, that the smoke and locusts came from the same gaping hole or that the locusts were so great in number that they appeared as smoke. Locusts are traditionally bringers of disaster. They are mentioned in Joel 2:25 and in Exodus 10. The locusts of Revelation do not touch or destroy plant life. Their target is those who do not bear the seal of God on their foreheads.
4 They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5 They were not given power to kill them, but only to torture them for five months. And the agony they suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpion when it strikes a man. 6 During those days men will seek death, but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them.
7 The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle. On their heads they wore something like crowns of gold, and their faces resembled human faces. 8 Their hair was like women's hair, and their teeth were like lions' teeth. 9 They had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into battle. 10 They had tails and stings like scorpions, and in their tails they had power to torment people for five months. 11 They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon.
We are given a description of the locusts. They are like no locusts that we have known, and there is not much that we can add to their description except that those affected will not be able to stand against them. Insecticide will not do much here.
Abaddon or Apollyon means "place of destruction" or "destroyer." The king of the locusts is only allowed work for only five months and is allowed to touch only the unsealed.
12 The first woe is past; two other woes are yet to come.
The four angels who had been restrained in Revelation 7 are now released. In Revelation 6:9-10 we saw the martyrs gathered under the altar asking how long it would be until they were avenged. The time for judgment has now come.
13 The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the horns of the golden altar that is before God. 14 It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates." 15 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. 16 The number of the mounted troops was two hundred million. I heard their number.
17The horses and riders I saw in my vision looked like this: Their breastplates were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulfur. The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke and sulfur. 18 A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur that came out of their mouths. 19 The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails were like snakes, having heads with which they inflict injury.
As the four horses mentioned in previous chapters, these troops are agents of God sent out to inflict judgement. Even after this, there are still some who will not repent and turn away from their idols.
20 The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood - idols that cannot see or hear or walk. 21 Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.
What is the message in this for us? John wants the unrepentant to repent. Judgement is coming and there will be no more time to repent. The unrepentant are urged to turn from their idols, and they are given five months of suffering to consider it.
But, the entire Bible calls us to repentance, so perhaps there is another message here, a portrayal of the nature of God's judgment. What is destruction? Matthew 7:13-14 says, "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." "To destroy" here does not equal "to kill." After the death of our physical bodies, there are two possibilities: eternal life or eternal destruction. We cannot experience either of these without the death of our physical bodies.
The unrepentant are not killed by the locusts. They suffer and wish that they could die, but are unable to do so. Perhaps this is a gracious foretaste of what Hell will be like, suffering without being able to die. If "destruction" after physical death means only a cessation of existence, then there is not much to worry about, and Pastor Nishida said that if this is the case, then he could pack up his Bible and to do something else. But unfortunately this is not the case. The unrepentant who did not want to be in the presence of God in life are given the result of the choice they made, which is to be totally out of God's presence forever. The second death is to wish that you could die to escape the suffering of being totally out of God's presence. But as much as one could wish to cease to exist, the choice to reject the conditions for eternal life with God has been made, and one must continue to exist in a Godless state forever.
In our present life repentant and unrepentant alike enjoy God's common grace. We are all given a life and all of the enjoyment that comes with it. The sun comes up on us all, and we can all enjoy the beauty of nature. That will end. The repentant and unrepentant will be separated to eternal life or eternal destruction. Just as we cannot imagine what wonders life in heaven holds for us, we can also not imagine what horrors that non-life holds for us in Hell. Shindara oshimai dewanai. Physical death is not the end. It is clear that we need to do all that we can to stop people from experiencing death after death.
Revelation 10 (2007/3/9) Tama Newtown Christ Church
1Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars. 2He was holding a little scroll, which lay open in his hand. He planted his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, 3and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion. When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders spoke. 4And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven say, "Seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down."
This angel stands in a clear place of authority over all created things on the earth and the sea. He is holding a scroll, but John is instructed not to record the contents.
5Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven. 6And he swore by him who lives for ever and ever, who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it, and said, "There will be no more delay! 7But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets."
There will be no more delay. God's play and purposes will be accomplished. He has made them clear from the beginning and communicated them through His Word given through the voices and writings of the prophets. We have had the chances to both know the truth and respond to it.
8Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me once more: "Go, take the scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land."
This same scroll is mentioned in Ezekiel 2:1-10.
1 He said to me, "Son of man, stand up on your feet and I will speak to you." 2 As he spoke, the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet, and I heard him speaking to me.
3 He said: "Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me; they and their fathers have been in revolt against me to this very day. 4 The people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and stubborn. Say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says.' 5 And whether they listen or fail to listen - for they are a rebellious house - they will know that a prophet has been among them. 6 And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words. Do not be afraid, though briers and thorns are all around you and you live among scorpions. Do not be afraid of what they say or terrified by them, though they are a rebellious house. 7 You must speak my words to them, whether they listen or fail to listen, for they are rebellious. 8 But you, son of man, listen to what I say to you. Do not rebel like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you."
9 Then I looked, and I saw a hand stretched out to me. In it was a scroll, 10 which he unrolled before me. On both sides of it were written words of lament and mourning and woe.
Ezekiel 3:1-11
1 And he said to me, "Son of man, eat what is before you, eat this scroll; then go and speak to the house of Israel." 2 So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat.
3 Then he said to me, "Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it." So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth.
4 He then said to me: "Son of man, go now to the house of Israel and speak my words to them. 5 You are not being sent to a people of obscure speech and difficult language, but to the house of Israel- 6 not to many peoples of obscure speech and difficult language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely if I had sent you to them, they would have listened to you. 7 But the house of Israel is not willing to listen to you because they are not willing to listen to me, for the whole house of Israel is hardened and obstinate. 8 But I will make you as unyielding and hardened as they are. 9 I will make your forehead like the hardest stone, harder than flint. Do not be afraid of them or terrified by them, though they are a rebellious house."
10 And he said to me, "Son of man, listen carefully and take to heart all the words I speak to you. 11 Go now to your countrymen in exile and speak to them. Say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says,' whether they listen or fail to listen."
Ezekiel has been given the same scroll as John, and the same message is contained. Ezekiel's scroll contained woes of judgement that were to come upon Israel for their unbelief, and although John was commanded not to write the contents of the scroll that he received, if it is the same scroll that Ezekiel received, the woes are also the same. Both men are given the scroll and instated as prophets to the nations.
9So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, "Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey." 10I took the little scroll from the angel's hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour. 11Then I was told, "You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings."
We remember that John is a prisoner on the island of Patmos when he received the vision. How is it possible for him to be a prophet to the nations? The revelation that he recorded in writing was circulated among the churches of that day and is still circulating and being read today. The result of John's preaching can be seen in Revelation 7 - the great multitude in white robes surrounding the altar of God in Heaven.
The readers of that day must have been encouraged to speak the truth in the face of Roman persecution. We are also God's prophets to the nations. We do not know when the seventh trumpet will sound, and must continue to speak the words of the Gospel without fear because they will surely come true.
