REFORMED CHURCH BELLVILLE: SUNDAY 10 MAY 2009: MORNING SERVICE Sing before: Psalm 46:5 Let us commence this meeting with God by declaring openly to one another and to God: Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth. Beloved grace and peace be to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, through the mighty working of God the Holy Spirit. Amen Psalm of praise: Psalm 150:1 Confession of faith: Nicene We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all ages; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made. Who, or us men and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was Incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven and sits on the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again, with glory, to judge the living and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end. And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of life; who proceeds from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets. And we believe one holy catholic* and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; and we look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen. After the reading of the Law we confess our guilt and pray for forgiveness and a new life before God with Psalm 49:6 Law Psalm: 49:6 Prayer: Doxology Worship Confession of sins Forgiveness
2 Gratitude Prayer for the need of the congregation for the church, the authorities and the sinful world and appeal to God's promises. General prayer Enlightenment from the Holy Spirit for the sake of the ministry of the Word. Amen Scripture versification 15-6:4,5 (Revelation 3 : 1-6) Scripture reading: Revelation 6 Scripture text: Revelation 6:9-11 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 testimony which they held. (Revelation 6:9) And they cried with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" (Revelation 6:10) Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed. (Revelation 6:11) The opening of the fifth seal still deals with the preaching and progress of the gospel. This seal reveals how the believers, should they participate in the gospel s triumphal procession, are treated on earth! Some of those coming to true faith and confessing thereof are cruelly killed. Nevertheless, because they come home facing the throne of the Lord and rendering service at the altar of the Lord, they are victorious. The Lord reveals with this that the gospel of the Lord Jesus is thus victorious! The sixth seal (to follow!) reveals what the Lord will be doing to those who tortured and killed the believers for believing in the Lord! The Lord then stands in for those tortured to death, condemning the rejecters and persecutors of His gospel. The previous seals revealed what is to happen amongst all the nations and countries of the world. This fifth seal reveals that there were all sorts of resistance to the gospel. It is not true that everybody willingly accepted the miseries brought about by the unbelief. There were believers resisting it. Without mercy they were tortured to death. I saw under the altar The décor seen in heaven by John is now described in greater detail. There is an altar. Up to now this was not mentioned. There are two things about the altar that we must remember: 1. In chapter 4 it was already clear that John described his visions in heaven by means of depictions similar to the tabernacle in the wilderness amongst Israel. In chapter 7:15 we again find this depiction thereof:
3 "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 dwell among them. (Revelation 7:15) 2. In the tabernacle and the temple on earth were two altars! The book of Revelation only mentions one altar! For the two altars of the Old Testament, compare the following references: He put the gold altar in the tabernacle of meeting in front of the veil; and he burned sweet incense on it, as the Lord had commanded Moses. He hung up the screen at the door of the tabernacle. And he put the altar of burnt offering before the door of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, and offered upon it the burnt offering and the grain offering, as the Lord had commanded Moses. (Exodus 40:26-29) Moreover he made a bronze altar: twenty cubits was its length, twenty cubits its width, and ten cubits its height. (2 Chronicles 4:1) In contrast with the two altars we find in the worship of the Old Testament, the book of Revelation clearly reveals only one altar. It is specifically referred to as the altar! The altar plays a central role in the revelation John received from the Lord as quite a few references are made in the book of Revelation to this altar: Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple. And there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail. (Revelation 11:19) Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. (Revelation 8:3) Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth. And there were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake. (Revelation 8:5) Then the sixth angel sounded: And I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, (Revelation 9:13) And another angel came out from the altar, who had power over fire, and he cried with a loud cry to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, "Thrust in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for her grapes are fully ripe." (Revelation 14:18) And I heard another from the altar saying, "Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments." (Revelation 16:7) Scripture commentators point out that the one altar of Revelations in a certain sense has a dual function: Sometimes it serves the same purpose which the altar of burnt offering had in the history of Israel for example in the revelation of the contents of the fifth seal. In chapter 8:3 and 5 it now serves the same purpose which the golden incense altar had. John uses the words under the altar This is just an idiomatic expression. In plain language it means: at the foot of the altar.
4 What are they doing there? Israel had to pour the blood of the sacrificial animals at the foot of the altar. 'And the priest shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of sweet incense before the Lord, which is in the tabernacle of meeting; and he shall pour the remaining blood of the bull at the base of the altar of the burnt offering, which is at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. (Leviticus 4:7) This image depicts these people, tortured to death because of their faith, having their blood, like the sacrificial animals in the Old Testament, poured against the foot of the altar! The blood, in fact, represents the complete human! Consider the following three passages from the Bible expressing this very strongly: "Only be sure that you do not eat the blood, for the blood is the life; you may not eat the life with the meat. (Deuteronomy 12:23) 'For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.' (Leviticus 17:11) "for it is the life of all flesh. Its blood sustains its life. Therefore I said to the children of Israel, 'You shall not eat the blood of any flesh, for the life of all flesh is its blood. Whoever eats it shall be cut off.' (Leviticus 17:14) What does the Lord think about these people tortured to death because of their faith? He says that these people lost their lives in service to Him and His Word Therefore He regards them as witnesses of blood they were slaughtered for Him whilst witnessing Him. For this compare: "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. (Revelation 12:11) Because these people, even to the extent of losing their lives, were not willing to renounce their faith but till the end remained witnessing, the Lord joins them to the altar. This symbolises the relation between their death and service to the Lord. Those people shouted out loud! They called out with a great voice! Why? Surely the Lord is not deaf? It signifies the shock by which their lives were ended on earth! It also signifies the (spiritual) pain they endure because of the unjustness caused to them by being killed because of the truth. This loud calling thus carries their disgust as unjustness on earth can offend and hurt the truth! They also asked the Lord: "How long, O Lord? With God the omnipotent everything is timeless. The how long thus does not refer to the Lord s time. How long means that this carnage has already been taking place for a long time. According to verse 11 this persecution of the believers will continue until the Second Coming.
5 The people (souls) at the altar call the Lord: O Lord, holy and true. The literal meaning of holy is dedicated. Firstly the Lord is in absolute contrast to sin. In this revelation it means that He is in sharp contrast to the murderers of the true believers. The words true Lord reveal: (Rev. 6:10: O Lord holy and true = o heilige en waaragtige Heerser OAV, wahrhaftiger Herrscher- German Bible, O Ruler, holy and true- Bible in Basic English 1965, waarachtige Heerser-Dutch Bible) That those who are already with the Lord (the souls at the foot of the altar) confess (and by that pass the message to us!) that the Lord is the Supreme Ruler. As an absolute fact He is exactly this (Supreme Ruler) it cannot be denied. The word Ruler reveals His infinite Supreme Rulership. The exact Greek word for Ruler is Despot! In some languages this word has a very negative connotation; In Greek it simply means somebody with limitless power and authority. The people at the altar are impatient. The words of their prayer are: "How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" This call from the people at the altar is not only for the recalling of the taint and shame of their death. Their call is also especially for the Lord to have the glory of His omnipotence shine because their murders actually denied and renounced it! These people, already in heaven, are thus fully conversant with the judgement of the Lord! Their call is only to hasten it. We do not always realise that people in heaven are praying for the hastening of the judgement on earth and thus bringing the history to an end! The Lord answers the people at the foot of the altar, calling for revenge, by doing two things: Firstly, white clothing was given to them (a white robe was given to each of them) Secondly they were instructed to rest. They must enjoy the heavenly bliss and wait until the Lord, in His own time, executes His counsel. Prior in this revelation by the Lord to John we have come across white clothing: "I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. (Revelation 3:18) White clothing is the mark of: Victory Purity Dignity The white clothing received by the people at the foot of the altar are garments of glory, earned for them by the Lord Jesus Christ. It is the token of the redemption of their sin, and that they are shareholders of eternal life. In Isaiah 61:10 we read about this:
6 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, My soul shall be joyful in my God; For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. (Isaiah 61:10) The symbolism of this is outstanding: On earth they were murdered as the rejected. God adopted and honoured them as the just! The white clothing does not mean that they have already received their perfected bodies! Only with the Second Coming will we receive our perfected bodies! and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer The answer given to the people at the foot of the altar points out that the preaching of the gospel still has to continue for a while on earth. They must for a little while longer enjoy the bliss of heaven whilst more people on earth have to be killed. What is the time-span of this little while longer? But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. (2 Peter 3:8) For a thousand years in Your sight Are like yesterday when it is past, And like a watch in the night. (Psalm 90:4) This little while longer of the Lord cannot be calculated in our time. Both quotes clearly show that the Lord exists and works in timelessness. But the end of time will arrive. The Lord does not tell when it will be, but He tells what the condition will be: until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed This is not a matter of variable numbers of people still to be victims of the unbelievers. The Lord never changes His counsel. The Lord knows exactly how many more, because they believe, are to be murdered. He also knows exactly who they are. The judgement of the Lord thus goes into action on the day the numbers of the chosen are reached. On that day the full action of the Lord s judgement over the unbelievers and their deeds will commence. To them it will be a terrifying moment. For the believers it would of course be a moment of unimaginable glory, because then they will not only receive white clothing they also receive back their bodies in perfection and the full bliss attained for them by the Lord Jesus Christ.
7 We are the people who will experience all these wonderful things! Therefore prepare yourselves to join the table of the same Lord who appeared to John so that He may assure you that you will share in exactly the same victory and glory as the souls at the foot of the altar were given part of! Amen. Closing prayer. Closing Song: Scripture versification 15-2:3 (Revelation 2 : 1-7) The Lord bless and keep you, the Lord make his face shine on you, the Lord turn His countenance to you and give you peace. Amen Dr MJ Du Plessis Reformed Church Bellville 10 May 2009 Scripture Modern King James Version