1 00:00:12,240 --> 00:00:17,760 I've always wanted to be fair whenever we were looking at Revelation, 2 00:00:18,720 --> 00:00:21,920 as I said right at the very beginning, over eight weeks ago, 3 00:00:22,560 --> 00:00:24,880 that Revelation is a book that easily divides. 4 00:00:25,280 --> 00:00:29,770 I'm very aware of that in how we understand it and how we interpret 5 00:00:29,770 --> 00:00:30,090 it. 6 00:00:30,890 --> 00:00:33,850 And in many ways, getting through the first number of chapters 7 00:00:33,930 --> 00:00:36,570 was actually the lighter part of the journey. 8 00:00:37,370 --> 00:00:42,010 But as we get deeper into it, we're gonna come across things that 9 00:00:42,010 --> 00:00:46,130 some people may never have heard of, some people will know very 10 00:00:46,130 --> 00:00:50,850 well and agree with, and others may find a different perspective 11 00:00:50,850 --> 00:00:51,850 and interpretation. 12 00:00:51,850 --> 00:00:57,300 And in understanding, we are going to keep going with Revelation 13 00:00:57,380 --> 00:01:00,740 once we get to January, right through to the end of June. 14 00:01:00,740 --> 00:01:03,140 So there's many months ahead of us yet. 15 00:01:04,820 --> 00:01:08,220 As I've been praying for Revelation and praying of how we 16 00:01:08,220 --> 00:01:13,580 would approach it, I only offer you simply my understanding 17 00:01:13,580 --> 00:01:19,020 of what God's word says as we approach it in what I have done here 18 00:01:19,020 --> 00:01:24,950 since I came seven years ago, chapter by chapter, verse by verse. 19 00:01:26,310 --> 00:01:30,550 My prayer is that as we get to the end of each of these passages, 20 00:01:31,350 --> 00:01:35,310 whether you agree with me or not, I hope that each of us will 21 00:01:35,310 --> 00:01:39,830 look more to Jesus than we did before, because that's what Revelation 22 00:01:39,830 --> 00:01:40,950 is pointing us to. 23 00:01:41,830 --> 00:01:44,710 Revelation is pointing us to the risen Lord Jesus. 24 00:01:45,520 --> 00:01:50,320 That day by day, as we await his return, we will trust more and 25 00:01:50,320 --> 00:01:51,280 more in him. 26 00:01:53,440 --> 00:01:57,920 And so what we're entering into now from the perspective of 27 00:01:57,920 --> 00:02:02,840 how I have read Revelation and understand it, is what we're going 28 00:02:02,840 --> 00:02:05,840 to see repeated a number of times in the book. 29 00:02:07,280 --> 00:02:11,040 And so we're going to pick up themes that are going to tell us 30 00:02:11,040 --> 00:02:16,060 of who we are to be as God's people in these last days. 31 00:02:17,740 --> 00:02:20,740 And to help us get into thinking of that, remember back to 32 00:02:20,740 --> 00:02:25,260 where we were last week, we had a scroll, and that scroll had 33 00:02:25,260 --> 00:02:26,060 seven seals. 34 00:02:26,620 --> 00:02:28,420 Now, tonight we're going to look at six of them. 35 00:02:28,420 --> 00:02:31,700 Then, whenever we get into January, we come to possibly what 36 00:02:31,700 --> 00:02:35,820 is one of my favorite chapters in Revelation, Chapter seven, which 37 00:02:35,820 --> 00:02:38,770 actually takes us a break before we get to open the seventh 38 00:02:38,770 --> 00:02:40,770 seal in chapter eight. 39 00:02:41,650 --> 00:02:44,690 So we're going to look at the six tonight and then pick it up again 40 00:02:45,010 --> 00:02:45,730 in January. 41 00:02:46,770 --> 00:02:47,690 So what is a seal? 42 00:02:47,690 --> 00:02:50,730 Well, the best modern understanding of a seal that I could 43 00:02:50,730 --> 00:02:51,170 think of. 44 00:02:51,330 --> 00:02:54,490 I remember describing to you the wax that splurted everywhere 45 00:02:54,490 --> 00:02:57,930 in the man's carpet because of that old wax seal that we would have 46 00:02:57,930 --> 00:02:58,210 known. 47 00:02:58,370 --> 00:03:00,450 So I thought, well, how can I make it more modern? 48 00:03:01,010 --> 00:03:04,010 And maybe you've seen these lock boxes on various doors. 49 00:03:04,010 --> 00:03:06,290 Indeed, you might have one at your house. 50 00:03:07,300 --> 00:03:10,660 This is the latest in a long history of how to store your spare 51 00:03:10,660 --> 00:03:13,060 key in case you get locked out of your house. 52 00:03:13,780 --> 00:03:16,700 For years, if you wanted to get into somebody's house, what did 53 00:03:16,700 --> 00:03:17,380 you have to do? 54 00:03:17,860 --> 00:03:21,140 Just scurry around the flower pots and see where the key was underneath. 55 00:03:21,140 --> 00:03:23,700 And probably by the time you got to it, it was quite rusted. 56 00:03:24,740 --> 00:03:27,780 Whenever I was growing up, we had a wee magnetic box that went 57 00:03:27,780 --> 00:03:29,300 under the metal oil tank. 58 00:03:29,300 --> 00:03:31,380 Who would ever have thought of looking under an oil tank? 59 00:03:31,380 --> 00:03:32,980 My father was very astute. 60 00:03:33,800 --> 00:03:37,560 But now we have these four digit coded lockboxes that allow 61 00:03:37,560 --> 00:03:41,320 a spare key to be placed securely and held securely inside. 62 00:03:41,800 --> 00:03:45,480 And we share the code with those who need access to our homes. 63 00:03:46,360 --> 00:03:49,080 Now, there was one house in Belfast when I was an assistant that 64 00:03:49,080 --> 00:03:51,400 I visited that had been developed into apartments. 65 00:03:51,400 --> 00:03:54,920 And I was faced with six of these lock boxes. 66 00:03:55,640 --> 00:04:00,080 And I presume that each box was holding a key to a door inside 67 00:04:00,080 --> 00:04:00,440 the house. 68 00:04:00,440 --> 00:04:03,240 And if you needed to get in, you couldn't just go to any one of 69 00:04:03,240 --> 00:04:03,400 them. 70 00:04:03,400 --> 00:04:06,750 You needed to know which box box to go to and you needed to know 71 00:04:06,750 --> 00:04:10,950 the specific code that would allow you into that box. 72 00:04:11,750 --> 00:04:17,990 Because each box, when opened, it let you into a house. 73 00:04:19,190 --> 00:04:21,750 But it was a different perspective or a different house 74 00:04:21,750 --> 00:04:23,270 than what you were in before. 75 00:04:24,870 --> 00:04:28,390 And so last week in chapter five, we saw that when the question 76 00:04:28,550 --> 00:04:31,910 was asked as to who could open this scroll with its seven seals, 77 00:04:31,910 --> 00:04:35,980 the answer came resounding in heaven to no one could. 78 00:04:36,700 --> 00:04:40,980 It wasn't until the Lamb came forward and took the scroll from 79 00:04:40,980 --> 00:04:45,220 the right hand of the Lord Almighty that we were then told that 80 00:04:45,220 --> 00:04:47,620 he was the only one who could open it. 81 00:04:47,620 --> 00:04:51,980 And his credentials for doing this was his sacrificial death for 82 00:04:51,980 --> 00:04:53,260 the punishment of sin. 83 00:04:53,820 --> 00:04:57,300 And so as we now go into chapter six, we see the seals are 84 00:04:57,300 --> 00:05:00,160 open so that the scroll can be read on. 85 00:05:00,230 --> 00:05:03,870 And what the scroll is, it contains the decrees of God concerning 86 00:05:03,870 --> 00:05:08,110 the unfolding of God's plans for judgment and salvation that were 87 00:05:08,110 --> 00:05:12,070 established before the foundations of the world set in motion 88 00:05:12,310 --> 00:05:15,990 by the death and the resurrection of Jesus. 89 00:05:17,190 --> 00:05:22,070 Well, verse one opens as if all of heaven is silent and they're 90 00:05:22,070 --> 00:05:28,020 waiting with bated breath as the Lamb opens one of the seals. 91 00:05:29,060 --> 00:05:33,540 And John hears one of the four living creatures command loudly to 92 00:05:33,540 --> 00:05:35,660 come as the seal is opened. 93 00:05:35,660 --> 00:05:38,620 And this is an invitation for whatever is contained within the 94 00:05:38,620 --> 00:05:39,700 seal to come out. 95 00:05:40,100 --> 00:05:44,380 And this is what John sees in verse two as the invitation is accepted. 96 00:05:44,380 --> 00:05:49,420 And I looked, said John, and behold, a white horse and its rider 97 00:05:49,420 --> 00:05:50,260 had a Bow. 98 00:05:50,660 --> 00:05:56,190 And a crown was given to him, and he came out conquering and to 99 00:05:56,190 --> 00:05:56,830 conquer. 100 00:05:57,470 --> 00:06:00,270 Now, we're going to be given a series of images here. 101 00:06:00,510 --> 00:06:02,910 And rather than wondering, well, where are we going? 102 00:06:02,910 --> 00:06:03,830 Or where have we been? 103 00:06:03,830 --> 00:06:07,270 What I'm going to put on the screen for you now is a table that 104 00:06:07,270 --> 00:06:09,550 helps you understand what the seals are. 105 00:06:09,550 --> 00:06:11,350 So we have the seven seals. 106 00:06:11,350 --> 00:06:15,550 We'll come to the seventh whenever we come to January. 107 00:06:16,110 --> 00:06:19,110 But for now, the first six seals where we have a white horse, 108 00:06:19,110 --> 00:06:21,630 a red horse, a black horse, and a pale horse. 109 00:06:21,630 --> 00:06:24,750 Then we have souls of the martyrs and a final earthquake. 110 00:06:25,310 --> 00:06:28,590 And what we have then on Seal 1 is about war and dominion. 111 00:06:28,990 --> 00:06:31,630 Seal 2 is about strife amongst humanity. 112 00:06:32,110 --> 00:06:34,030 Seal 3 is famine. 113 00:06:34,670 --> 00:06:36,590 Seal 4 is rampant death. 114 00:06:37,230 --> 00:06:41,230 Seal 5 is the cry of the martyrs for justice, but also a call 115 00:06:41,230 --> 00:06:42,110 for patience. 116 00:06:42,830 --> 00:06:45,590 And then tonight, as we look at it, that final earthquake in Seal 117 00:06:45,590 --> 00:06:49,400 6, as the present creation comes to an end, and ultimately, 118 00:06:49,480 --> 00:06:50,120 judgment. 119 00:06:51,080 --> 00:06:54,520 And so what we're seeing in this chapter is already what John 120 00:06:54,520 --> 00:06:55,480 has told us. 121 00:06:55,960 --> 00:06:58,920 And so we have to go back to chapter one and verse one, where 122 00:06:58,920 --> 00:07:02,760 he said, the revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to him 123 00:07:03,320 --> 00:07:09,000 to show us, to show his servants the things that must soon 124 00:07:09,400 --> 00:07:10,200 take place. 125 00:07:11,320 --> 00:07:14,720 And he made it known by sending his angel to his servant 126 00:07:14,720 --> 00:07:15,040 John. 127 00:07:16,080 --> 00:07:20,880 So remember what I said last week as we moved into chapter five. 128 00:07:21,680 --> 00:07:25,360 What has gone before us in Revelation will prepare us for what's 129 00:07:25,360 --> 00:07:25,680 to come. 130 00:07:25,680 --> 00:07:29,320 And right here in verse one, we've been prepared already for the 131 00:07:29,320 --> 00:07:34,320 opening of these seals, because it's God has given us this 132 00:07:34,320 --> 00:07:37,760 revelation to show us his servants the things that must soon 133 00:07:37,760 --> 00:07:38,480 take place. 134 00:07:39,930 --> 00:07:44,170 And so what we're seeing is what God is telling us, what soon 135 00:07:44,570 --> 00:07:45,370 must happen. 136 00:07:46,650 --> 00:07:50,130 Now, these things must take place because God has told us they 137 00:07:50,130 --> 00:07:53,170 will, and he's showing us to them, but not necessarily in any 138 00:07:53,170 --> 00:07:55,210 chronological order or system. 139 00:07:56,090 --> 00:07:59,490 But all of these things will happen in these last days before 140 00:07:59,490 --> 00:08:00,450 Jesus returns. 141 00:08:00,450 --> 00:08:04,170 And so as we read chapter six and the seven seals, although we'll 142 00:08:04,170 --> 00:08:07,000 only get to see six of them, as I said this evening, what we're 143 00:08:07,000 --> 00:08:11,680 saying is we need an ability to accurately interpret what they're 144 00:08:11,680 --> 00:08:12,320 showing us. 145 00:08:12,880 --> 00:08:15,760 And so as we come to seal one on this white horse, our instinct, 146 00:08:15,760 --> 00:08:19,160 because of our human history and because of what we know of great 147 00:08:19,160 --> 00:08:23,440 battles in the past, is to assume that this rider is the champion, 148 00:08:23,440 --> 00:08:26,560 the one who defeats everyone else and therefore represents Christ. 149 00:08:26,960 --> 00:08:29,920 And many respected theologians believe that. 150 00:08:30,240 --> 00:08:33,840 And Indeed, in Revelation 19, Jesus will be represented as a rider 151 00:08:33,840 --> 00:08:36,960 on a white horse leading the armies of heaven to conquer. 152 00:08:38,569 --> 00:08:43,329 But if we read this passage in the context of the other, in this 153 00:08:43,329 --> 00:08:46,249 series of sevens, that we're going to come to the seven trumpets, 154 00:08:46,249 --> 00:08:50,209 the seven bowls of wrath, as well as what Jesus himself said about 155 00:08:50,209 --> 00:08:51,529 what believers should expect. 156 00:08:52,009 --> 00:08:57,809 In passages like Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21, it becomes more 157 00:08:57,809 --> 00:09:02,969 likely that this horse and rider symbolizes the many poor, hungry, 158 00:09:03,390 --> 00:09:08,670 self glorifying warmongers who come out conquering and to conquer 159 00:09:08,910 --> 00:09:09,790 throughout history. 160 00:09:11,070 --> 00:09:14,990 If you want to label them, you could call them Antichrists. 161 00:09:15,790 --> 00:09:20,510 They are against Christ, they are against what he stands for. 162 00:09:20,750 --> 00:09:26,510 They are looking out for themselves, wanting to conquer, and 163 00:09:26,510 --> 00:09:28,430 are conquering throughout history. 164 00:09:29,460 --> 00:09:32,260 And your war and conflict are nothing new to humanity. 165 00:09:32,580 --> 00:09:35,780 Even within living memory, we have those who experienced the Second 166 00:09:35,780 --> 00:09:39,420 World War, the Cold War, the Falklands War, and the wars in the 167 00:09:39,420 --> 00:09:42,580 Balkans, Iraq, Afghanistan, and now Ukraine. 168 00:09:42,900 --> 00:09:48,260 In fact, in this past week alone, There have been 7,585 active 169 00:09:48,260 --> 00:09:49,780 conflicts in the world. 170 00:09:50,980 --> 00:09:57,560 7,585 active conflicts this week. 171 00:09:59,080 --> 00:10:02,640 So when Jesus said in Matthew 26, verse 4 that we would hear of 172 00:10:02,640 --> 00:10:06,560 wars and rumors of wars, he wasn't pointing us to a system of 173 00:10:06,560 --> 00:10:08,040 working out when he would return. 174 00:10:08,840 --> 00:10:12,560 Rather, during these final days, humanity would always be in 175 00:10:12,560 --> 00:10:17,240 conflict with those who think they know better, leading the charge 176 00:10:17,240 --> 00:10:21,800 for dominion over others when they had no right to do so, placing 177 00:10:21,800 --> 00:10:25,200 themselves as God and demonstrating that they are truly 178 00:10:25,200 --> 00:10:26,040 Antichrist. 179 00:10:26,280 --> 00:10:30,230 And these leaders promise to take the side of the people and claim 180 00:10:30,230 --> 00:10:35,950 to know the true way, but are simply misleading for their own gain. 181 00:10:36,750 --> 00:10:39,550 And haven't we seen this throughout history? 182 00:10:41,470 --> 00:10:44,070 Well, as we move from the first seal, we go to the second seal 183 00:10:44,070 --> 00:10:48,830 as it's opened and a second living creature calls out to another 184 00:10:48,830 --> 00:10:49,950 horse to come. 185 00:10:50,430 --> 00:10:54,110 And in verse four we're told, and out came another horse, bright 186 00:10:54,190 --> 00:10:54,910 red, red. 187 00:10:55,390 --> 00:10:59,390 Its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth so that 188 00:10:59,390 --> 00:11:03,070 people should slay one another, and he was given a great 189 00:11:03,070 --> 00:11:03,550 sword. 190 00:11:04,510 --> 00:11:09,390 And so here we see with a red horse, we see the strife of humanity. 191 00:11:10,110 --> 00:11:13,230 This is not the war and conflict of nations against nation, 192 00:11:13,550 --> 00:11:16,670 where there is someone who wants to be dominant over others. 193 00:11:17,070 --> 00:11:19,790 But this is humanity at war with itself. 194 00:11:20,920 --> 00:11:24,160 Families and communities that tear themselves apart because of 195 00:11:24,160 --> 00:11:26,440 selfish ambition or dominance. 196 00:11:26,840 --> 00:11:30,240 Again, this is something we've seen throughout human history, be 197 00:11:30,240 --> 00:11:35,160 it in the Roman Empire tearing itself apart as it expanded, or through 198 00:11:35,160 --> 00:11:39,120 our own troubles in Northern Ireland and the countless civil wars 199 00:11:39,120 --> 00:11:41,480 that have taken place and that are ongoing. 200 00:11:42,360 --> 00:11:45,800 So there's human strife, and again, haven't we felt it locally 201 00:11:46,620 --> 00:11:50,060 and don't we know of that strife amongst all of humanity where 202 00:11:50,460 --> 00:11:55,100 things are twisted so that indeed man will be against man, woman 203 00:11:55,100 --> 00:11:55,980 against woman. 204 00:11:56,700 --> 00:11:57,980 And what is it all for? 205 00:11:58,540 --> 00:12:02,340 Pointless conflict, never looking to the Savior is the one 206 00:12:02,340 --> 00:12:03,340 who can rescue. 207 00:12:04,300 --> 00:12:08,260 The third seal is opened, and again we hear the invitation of the 208 00:12:08,260 --> 00:12:11,580 third living creature for whatever is to be shown to us to 209 00:12:11,580 --> 00:12:12,300 come out. 210 00:12:13,400 --> 00:12:18,880 This time we have a black horse, and its rider has a set of 211 00:12:18,880 --> 00:12:21,080 scales in it, in its hands. 212 00:12:21,240 --> 00:12:25,760 And often when we think of a set of scales in the hands, we think 213 00:12:25,760 --> 00:12:30,120 of lady justice, who stands above the Old Bailey in London. 214 00:12:30,600 --> 00:12:35,040 Lady justice is blindfolded, and in one hand she has a set of 215 00:12:35,040 --> 00:12:38,590 scales, and in the other hand she has the sword of justice. 216 00:12:39,380 --> 00:12:41,900 She's blindfolded so that she is impartial. 217 00:12:41,900 --> 00:12:44,580 All she can do is hear the evidence. 218 00:12:45,620 --> 00:12:50,020 She will weigh up whether there is innocence or guilt, and 219 00:12:50,020 --> 00:12:53,220 her sword of justice will fall on the guilty. 220 00:12:53,300 --> 00:12:55,020 That's the image we're presented here. 221 00:12:55,020 --> 00:12:57,820 And all too often we think of those scales. 222 00:12:57,820 --> 00:13:02,980 But I'm not too old to remember a set of scales where a 223 00:13:02,980 --> 00:13:05,900 weight was put on the back and when you asked for a quarter of cherry 224 00:13:05,900 --> 00:13:09,680 lips, it weighed out with the little dial springing forward. 225 00:13:11,120 --> 00:13:16,000 And I can even admit I remember scales in an old meal barn 226 00:13:16,240 --> 00:13:20,280 where they would be weighed as a balance of putting together what 227 00:13:20,280 --> 00:13:23,760 meal needed to be weighed out for animals or for another farmer. 228 00:13:24,560 --> 00:13:28,800 See, we're so far away from this sense of weighing in the old 229 00:13:28,800 --> 00:13:29,200 way. 230 00:13:29,440 --> 00:13:32,800 We actually don't realize that those scales were not about justice, 231 00:13:33,660 --> 00:13:36,060 but were actually used as part of commerce. 232 00:13:37,580 --> 00:13:42,340 And so these scales, as now told by John and seen by John, would 233 00:13:42,340 --> 00:13:45,500 have been used in the practical day to day life and duties 234 00:13:45,500 --> 00:13:51,020 of the people who were hearing this because they were used to measure 235 00:13:51,100 --> 00:13:54,300 quantities for purchase or for distribution. 236 00:13:55,660 --> 00:13:57,420 So this is what we're told about them. 237 00:13:57,500 --> 00:14:00,100 And I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four 238 00:14:00,100 --> 00:14:04,600 living creatures saying, a quart of wheat for a denarius and 239 00:14:04,600 --> 00:14:06,840 three quarts of barley for a denarius. 240 00:14:06,920 --> 00:14:10,040 And do not harm the oil and wine. 241 00:14:11,400 --> 00:14:15,080 So what's going on here is food is being measured out for man, 242 00:14:15,880 --> 00:14:17,400 but it's woefully lacking. 243 00:14:18,280 --> 00:14:21,560 It seems that there is a famine and the need is great. 244 00:14:22,120 --> 00:14:27,640 A denarius was a day's wages, but there is scarcely enough food 245 00:14:28,120 --> 00:14:33,050 if one can buy only a quart of wheat with a day's wage or three 246 00:14:33,050 --> 00:14:34,690 quarts of barley for the same. 247 00:14:34,690 --> 00:14:40,730 And a quart amounted to about 1.7 pounds or 750 grams. 248 00:14:41,210 --> 00:14:43,690 It's not that much if you have to feed a family. 249 00:14:44,810 --> 00:14:51,890 But look what spared wheat and barley were needed for day to day 250 00:14:51,890 --> 00:14:52,330 living. 251 00:14:52,330 --> 00:14:56,050 But olive oil and wine were the more luxurious products of the 252 00:14:56,050 --> 00:14:56,250 day. 253 00:14:56,250 --> 00:14:57,670 And what are we told about them? 254 00:14:57,670 --> 00:14:58,990 We're told to keep them back. 255 00:14:59,710 --> 00:15:02,630 And so the sparing of the olive oil and wine may mean that 256 00:15:02,630 --> 00:15:06,670 the rich continue to consume luxury items, or that the famine 257 00:15:06,670 --> 00:15:08,990 doesn't touch all the necessities of life. 258 00:15:09,710 --> 00:15:12,070 Well, it's difficult to decide between these two. 259 00:15:12,070 --> 00:15:17,870 But what we're seeing here is something of injustice and unfairness, 260 00:15:18,350 --> 00:15:22,030 with the poor getting poorer and the richer getting richer. 261 00:15:23,160 --> 00:15:27,200 And Jesus predicted, as we know, that famines would take place 262 00:15:27,200 --> 00:15:29,640 before his coming in Matthew 24:7. 263 00:15:30,280 --> 00:15:35,120 And what John is doing here, what he sees, is reinforcing that 264 00:15:35,120 --> 00:15:36,920 message that Jesus gave. 265 00:15:37,880 --> 00:15:41,600 The fourth seal is opened, and we hear the fourth living creature 266 00:15:41,600 --> 00:15:45,200 pronounce the invitation to come that we've been so familiar 267 00:15:45,200 --> 00:15:45,480 with. 268 00:15:46,200 --> 00:15:49,320 And what John sees is completely ghastly. 269 00:15:50,140 --> 00:15:52,620 Verse 8 describes the harrowing image. 270 00:15:53,020 --> 00:15:55,500 And I looked and behold a pale horse. 271 00:15:55,900 --> 00:15:57,420 And its rider's name was Death. 272 00:15:57,420 --> 00:15:59,340 And Hades followed him. 273 00:15:59,820 --> 00:16:03,420 And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth to kill 274 00:16:03,420 --> 00:16:07,020 with sword, and with famine, and with pestilence, and by wild 275 00:16:07,100 --> 00:16:08,460 beasts of the earth. 276 00:16:10,140 --> 00:16:14,860 This fourth horse's peel, it's sickly. 277 00:16:15,860 --> 00:16:18,180 It may be even the color of a corpse. 278 00:16:18,980 --> 00:16:22,500 We're told that the name of the rider of the horse is Death. 279 00:16:23,860 --> 00:16:28,420 Death from warfare, from famine and disease. 280 00:16:28,420 --> 00:16:30,500 And death is followed by Hades. 281 00:16:31,540 --> 00:16:35,140 Hades is the place of the dead, and therefore death is followed 282 00:16:35,140 --> 00:16:36,340 by that very place. 283 00:16:37,700 --> 00:16:42,210 Notice that it isn't all pervasive death, though, it's only 284 00:16:42,210 --> 00:16:43,490 a quarter of the earth. 285 00:16:43,490 --> 00:16:48,090 And this tells us that there is a limit to this death and that 286 00:16:48,090 --> 00:16:50,970 it is not an exact number to be calculated. 287 00:16:51,450 --> 00:16:54,090 And we're going to see that as we move through the seven seals, 288 00:16:54,090 --> 00:16:57,810 bowls and trumpets which are going to show us the same time period 289 00:16:57,810 --> 00:17:01,410 of history from different angles, Death and destruction are 290 00:17:01,410 --> 00:17:02,330 going to increase. 291 00:17:03,610 --> 00:17:06,170 Yes, truly, the days will get worse. 292 00:17:07,020 --> 00:17:10,060 And when we come across this again, we will see that the visions 293 00:17:10,060 --> 00:17:15,380 are going to increase in their intensity so that we will know what 294 00:17:15,380 --> 00:17:16,860 is in these times. 295 00:17:18,140 --> 00:17:22,539 So with these four seals so far, what we have seen in their opening 296 00:17:22,539 --> 00:17:25,700 is the reality of humanity throughout all of time, in these 297 00:17:25,700 --> 00:17:26,460 last days. 298 00:17:27,260 --> 00:17:31,660 There's been no time in history when war and dominion, strife, 299 00:17:31,900 --> 00:17:36,190 famine and rampant death haven't taken their toll across the 300 00:17:36,190 --> 00:17:36,630 globe. 301 00:17:37,670 --> 00:17:40,990 All we have to do is open our history books and see the numbers 302 00:17:40,990 --> 00:17:42,870 of people impacted by these things. 303 00:17:43,510 --> 00:17:47,310 Simply because we can catalog these things happening in this most 304 00:17:47,310 --> 00:17:50,750 technologically advanced time in world history doesn't mean that 305 00:17:50,750 --> 00:17:52,150 they weren't happening before. 306 00:17:52,950 --> 00:17:57,590 What we're seeing here is a symptom of what is the sinful condition 307 00:17:57,590 --> 00:18:02,160 of the fall that has led to humanity's selfishness? 308 00:18:03,200 --> 00:18:06,560 And after all, isn't that what is at the root of all of these things? 309 00:18:07,440 --> 00:18:13,560 The root of war, the root of strife, the root of famine and the 310 00:18:13,560 --> 00:18:17,680 root of death, Man's selfishness. 311 00:18:19,520 --> 00:18:21,440 But there's an image to come. 312 00:18:22,240 --> 00:18:24,560 As the fifth seal is opened. 313 00:18:25,840 --> 00:18:29,230 There are no more horses coming this time. 314 00:18:29,230 --> 00:18:30,950 There's no horsemen riding out. 315 00:18:31,830 --> 00:18:36,150 Rather, as the fifth seal is opened, John's attention is drawn 316 00:18:36,710 --> 00:18:37,670 to the altar. 317 00:18:38,470 --> 00:18:41,190 Look at these powerful words telling us what he sees in verse 318 00:18:41,190 --> 00:18:41,510 nine. 319 00:18:41,990 --> 00:18:43,350 When he opened the fifth seal. 320 00:18:43,350 --> 00:18:47,030 I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain 321 00:18:47,270 --> 00:18:50,710 for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. 322 00:18:51,670 --> 00:18:57,410 John sees the souls of those who had been martyred because their 323 00:18:57,410 --> 00:19:00,530 testimony and their allegiance to the word of God. 324 00:19:01,330 --> 00:19:04,930 The use of the term souls here indicates the day of resurrection 325 00:19:04,930 --> 00:19:05,970 hasn't come yet. 326 00:19:06,530 --> 00:19:08,730 So why are the souls onto the altar? 327 00:19:08,730 --> 00:19:10,610 And which altar here is in view? 328 00:19:11,170 --> 00:19:14,290 Well, the reference could be to the altar of incense that will 329 00:19:14,290 --> 00:19:17,130 be mentioned again in Revelation and comes from the tabernacle 330 00:19:17,130 --> 00:19:18,130 in Exodus 30. 331 00:19:18,450 --> 00:19:21,530 Or it is the altar of burnt offering where burnt offerings were 332 00:19:21,530 --> 00:19:23,570 sacrificed twice a day in the temple. 333 00:19:24,340 --> 00:19:26,940 The blood underneath the altar suggests that it is. 334 00:19:26,940 --> 00:19:28,900 The latter is in view here. 335 00:19:29,300 --> 00:19:32,820 And that the death of Christians was a pleasing sacrifice 336 00:19:32,820 --> 00:19:37,380 to the Lord, not that he was longing for it, but what it meant 337 00:19:37,380 --> 00:19:39,620 that they stood firm because of their faith in him. 338 00:19:40,420 --> 00:19:43,820 And we see a similar reality in Revelation 20 in verse 4, when 339 00:19:43,820 --> 00:19:47,140 we read, I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the 340 00:19:47,140 --> 00:19:50,340 testimony of Jesus and for the word of God. 341 00:19:51,320 --> 00:19:55,760 But here in Revelation, under the altar, we hear their cry, and 342 00:19:55,760 --> 00:19:56,920 their cry is a question. 343 00:19:58,040 --> 00:20:00,200 And they're asking the Lord to answer. 344 00:20:00,440 --> 00:20:01,320 How long? 345 00:20:01,560 --> 00:20:03,880 How much longer must this go on? 346 00:20:04,280 --> 00:20:08,520 How long until it will be judgment time, when those who have 347 00:20:08,520 --> 00:20:11,840 gone about in their arrogance and who have martyred the people 348 00:20:11,840 --> 00:20:13,880 of God will face their punishment. 349 00:20:15,240 --> 00:20:17,720 And the answer comes in verse 11. 350 00:20:19,080 --> 00:20:23,760 And John simply tells us that the judgment will not come until 351 00:20:23,760 --> 00:20:26,760 the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should 352 00:20:26,760 --> 00:20:31,720 be complete who were to be killed as they themselves had been. 353 00:20:32,920 --> 00:20:36,800 Here we're told that there is a determined number of brothers and 354 00:20:36,800 --> 00:20:40,040 sisters in Christ who are going to have to face some of the 355 00:20:40,040 --> 00:20:42,200 same things they have faced. 356 00:20:42,930 --> 00:20:46,450 And this is why those reading the letter are going to need patient 357 00:20:46,530 --> 00:20:47,330 endurance. 358 00:20:47,970 --> 00:20:50,890 The content of this letter that they've received from Jesus 359 00:20:50,890 --> 00:20:54,210 is not a promise that their suffering is going to decrease or 360 00:20:54,210 --> 00:20:54,770 disappear. 361 00:20:55,170 --> 00:20:59,250 Instead, this letter is intended to gird them for the fight 362 00:20:59,570 --> 00:21:03,170 of faith that is going to define the rest of their lives. 363 00:21:04,050 --> 00:21:07,250 And that's what they're going to have to face. 364 00:21:08,460 --> 00:21:11,380 And so, as we come to this last section of this chapter, in 365 00:21:11,380 --> 00:21:17,580 verses 12 to 17, we see from the martyrs the sixth seal opened. 366 00:21:18,700 --> 00:21:21,780 And this one might give us some of the answers that they're 367 00:21:21,780 --> 00:21:22,620 looking for. 368 00:21:23,820 --> 00:21:28,460 John is very descriptive in what he sees and tells us in verses 369 00:21:28,460 --> 00:21:29,260 12 and 13. 370 00:21:30,140 --> 00:21:35,870 When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a 371 00:21:35,870 --> 00:21:36,790 great earthquake. 372 00:21:36,950 --> 00:21:39,390 And the sun became black as sackcloth. 373 00:21:39,390 --> 00:21:43,110 The full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell 374 00:21:43,110 --> 00:21:47,590 to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken 375 00:21:48,310 --> 00:21:49,270 by a gale. 376 00:21:50,550 --> 00:21:55,630 The opening of this sixth seal is a revelation of the final judgment 377 00:21:55,630 --> 00:21:55,990 day. 378 00:21:56,870 --> 00:22:00,430 It is the day that the saints under the altar have been praying 379 00:22:00,430 --> 00:22:00,790 for. 380 00:22:01,560 --> 00:22:04,480 And reading through the Bible, starting in Genesis, we know that 381 00:22:04,480 --> 00:22:08,720 there have been many precursors or foretelling of this 382 00:22:08,720 --> 00:22:10,680 great final day of judgment. 383 00:22:11,400 --> 00:22:15,320 Remember, there were 40 days of rain that destroyed all but Noah 384 00:22:15,320 --> 00:22:16,040 and his family. 385 00:22:16,999 --> 00:22:20,960 There was the day when sulfur and fire rained down on Sodom and 386 00:22:20,960 --> 00:22:24,360 Gomorrah and destroyed all but Lot and his family. 387 00:22:25,240 --> 00:22:28,840 There was the night when the Lord passed through Egypt and killed 388 00:22:28,840 --> 00:22:33,230 all the firstborn except those hidden safely inside homes that were 389 00:22:33,230 --> 00:22:34,990 marked by the blood of the Lamb. 390 00:22:35,950 --> 00:22:40,150 But all of those were just previews for the great and final 391 00:22:40,150 --> 00:22:44,030 day of judgment that the sixth seal reveals to us. 392 00:22:45,630 --> 00:22:49,550 John is showed or is demonstrated here and tells us, using 393 00:22:49,630 --> 00:22:55,630 language and imagery that Isaiah, Ezekiel, Joel, and indeed 394 00:22:55,630 --> 00:22:59,150 Jesus himself used to describe the final day of judgment. 395 00:23:00,160 --> 00:23:04,040 They all speak of the earth shaking, of the sun darkening, of 396 00:23:04,040 --> 00:23:07,520 the moon turning red, and the stars of the sky falling. 397 00:23:07,840 --> 00:23:11,520 It is as if the lights are being turned off in the universe 398 00:23:12,000 --> 00:23:14,080 because its day is done. 399 00:23:14,960 --> 00:23:18,480 And they're all using symbolism to draw a picture for us 400 00:23:18,560 --> 00:23:24,360 of the terror of Judgment Day, the sense of everything of permanence 401 00:23:24,360 --> 00:23:25,120 being shaken. 402 00:23:26,480 --> 00:23:29,520 And we're meant to feel the horror of this scene. 403 00:23:29,680 --> 00:23:33,280 We're meant to be filled with a sense that when this day comes, 404 00:23:34,080 --> 00:23:36,480 nothing ever will be the same again. 405 00:23:37,920 --> 00:23:41,920 And as we read through and continue on into verses 14 and 15, 406 00:23:41,920 --> 00:23:45,760 even those who thought themselves secure, perhaps pictured 407 00:23:45,840 --> 00:23:49,640 for us in the four horses and the horsemen, they will flee and 408 00:23:49,640 --> 00:23:52,960 try to hide, but they won't be able to hide from the Lord. 409 00:23:54,040 --> 00:23:57,800 They will know the day of judgment has come upon them. 410 00:23:58,360 --> 00:24:01,920 And they will know that day of judgment to be one of wrath. 411 00:24:01,920 --> 00:24:07,880 And as we sang this morning in our closing hymn, on that day, on 412 00:24:07,880 --> 00:24:12,080 that day of the final judgment, who will not tremble when 413 00:24:12,080 --> 00:24:15,720 he stands, Christ the victor. 414 00:24:18,770 --> 00:24:21,370 If you've ever wondered why I love it so much and why we're singing 415 00:24:21,370 --> 00:24:22,930 it so much, it's for this very. 416 00:24:24,050 --> 00:24:25,170 These very lines. 417 00:24:26,690 --> 00:24:29,250 Because it's the reality of a day that is ahead of us. 418 00:24:29,890 --> 00:24:33,930 A reality that Jesus is coming and that those who do not know him 419 00:24:33,930 --> 00:24:38,330 as Savior indeed will shudder with fear and try to hide and will 420 00:24:38,330 --> 00:24:42,370 even cry down the rocks around them so they will not face his judgment. 421 00:24:42,370 --> 00:24:46,460 But they are foolish and mistaken because the judgment must 422 00:24:46,540 --> 00:24:47,820 be faced. 423 00:24:48,940 --> 00:24:52,380 And so we have the wicked trying to save themselves not into 424 00:24:52,380 --> 00:24:56,260 eternity, but trying to save themselves away from that very judgment 425 00:24:56,260 --> 00:24:56,780 of God. 426 00:24:57,580 --> 00:24:59,180 And they go to these extremes. 427 00:24:59,180 --> 00:24:59,940 What do they say? 428 00:24:59,940 --> 00:25:03,540 Calling to the mountains and rocks fall on us and hide us from 429 00:25:03,540 --> 00:25:06,900 the face of him who is seated on the throne and from the wrath 430 00:25:06,900 --> 00:25:07,660 of the Lamb. 431 00:25:08,540 --> 00:25:10,620 For the great day of their wrath has come. 432 00:25:10,620 --> 00:25:12,220 And who can stand? 433 00:25:14,670 --> 00:25:16,190 This is the wicked saying this. 434 00:25:17,390 --> 00:25:23,630 These are the words of those who can't stand before him because 435 00:25:24,510 --> 00:25:27,710 of the judgment that is about to be heaped on them. 436 00:25:28,670 --> 00:25:30,910 And so there is a reality for us here. 437 00:25:31,390 --> 00:25:36,270 As these seals are opened, Jesus has come and brought salvation. 438 00:25:36,350 --> 00:25:36,990 So that. 439 00:25:37,230 --> 00:25:40,100 Or so what should we as Christians expect? 440 00:25:41,140 --> 00:25:43,780 But what are to we expect in our life on earth? 441 00:25:44,180 --> 00:25:48,180 Well, life will be radically different now that this Messiah has 442 00:25:48,180 --> 00:25:50,660 come to defeat the devil and to forgive sins. 443 00:25:51,300 --> 00:25:57,020 And John wants to tell us of this, but he doesn't want us to believe 444 00:25:57,020 --> 00:25:59,500 that there's going to be heaven on earth, that somehow we 445 00:25:59,500 --> 00:26:00,260 can avoid this. 446 00:26:00,260 --> 00:26:00,980 We can't. 447 00:26:01,380 --> 00:26:04,420 Yes, the gospel will be proclaimed to the ends of the earth. 448 00:26:04,580 --> 00:26:06,420 Christ will triumph throughout the world. 449 00:26:06,420 --> 00:26:09,780 And every tribe and tongue will be reached with the message 450 00:26:09,780 --> 00:26:12,720 that liberates and that frees us from sin. 451 00:26:13,920 --> 00:26:18,400 And still the gospel will be spread amongst fierce or amidst fierce 452 00:26:18,400 --> 00:26:19,040 opposition. 453 00:26:19,600 --> 00:26:21,360 And believers will be slain. 454 00:26:21,520 --> 00:26:24,320 They'll be persecuted for their allegiance to Jesus. 455 00:26:25,120 --> 00:26:29,200 And our vindication won't come during this present evil age. 456 00:26:29,840 --> 00:26:34,080 War and strife, famine and hunger, disease and pestilence will 457 00:26:34,080 --> 00:26:36,000 characterize life on earth. 458 00:26:37,210 --> 00:26:41,290 Life on earth is significant and what we do matters. 459 00:26:41,610 --> 00:26:43,810 But we won't create heaven on earth. 460 00:26:43,810 --> 00:26:48,010 Yet we should still work for justice and peace during this present 461 00:26:48,090 --> 00:26:50,490 Evil age proclaiming the gospel. 462 00:26:51,450 --> 00:26:54,210 But there is no room for utopian visions. 463 00:26:54,210 --> 00:26:58,810 As anyone who has studied the last 2000 years of history will know, 464 00:26:59,450 --> 00:27:01,530 we'll never get peace on earth. 465 00:27:02,660 --> 00:27:05,380 Believers are not promised health and wealth in the present 466 00:27:05,380 --> 00:27:05,780 age. 467 00:27:06,260 --> 00:27:09,180 In fact, we are promised suffering, persecution, and even 468 00:27:09,180 --> 00:27:09,940 martyrdom. 469 00:27:10,260 --> 00:27:13,860 That's what we're seeing in these seven seals, or these first 470 00:27:13,860 --> 00:27:15,260 six open to us. 471 00:27:15,260 --> 00:27:19,220 And so we could well ask the question, is this Christian life 472 00:27:19,220 --> 00:27:19,860 worth it? 473 00:27:21,140 --> 00:27:21,780 Is it? 474 00:27:22,500 --> 00:27:25,020 If this is what's going to come in this present age, and we 475 00:27:25,020 --> 00:27:28,980 will know no relief until we are taken to be with the Savior, 476 00:27:28,980 --> 00:27:29,780 is it worth it? 477 00:27:31,240 --> 00:27:35,080 Well, I hope the cries of the martyrs have assured you that the 478 00:27:35,080 --> 00:27:36,440 answer is a firm yes. 479 00:27:37,080 --> 00:27:41,400 Because soon the day of judgment will come and the Lord Almighty 480 00:27:41,400 --> 00:27:45,480 and the Lamb will pour out their wrath on the wicked. 481 00:27:45,719 --> 00:27:47,720 Because the question of how long? 482 00:27:48,360 --> 00:27:51,320 The answer is, well, it's not going to last forever. 483 00:27:52,280 --> 00:27:56,960 A day of reckoning is coming, a day when the wicked will be punished 484 00:27:56,960 --> 00:28:00,170 and the righteous will be vindicated and forever. 485 00:28:01,450 --> 00:28:05,290 That is the Christian's hope in Jesus. 486 00:28:06,570 --> 00:28:12,570 When we see Jesus, we won't fear judgment because we will know 487 00:28:12,570 --> 00:28:14,010 him as our Savior. 488 00:28:15,129 --> 00:28:18,450 But this should make each of us stop and think. 489 00:28:18,450 --> 00:28:24,650 If we truly know Christ, there is no doubt that we see the world 490 00:28:24,730 --> 00:28:26,410 around us as it is. 491 00:28:27,810 --> 00:28:32,610 And we are getting a glimpse of how it is and will be and continue 492 00:28:32,610 --> 00:28:33,850 to be until Christ comes. 493 00:28:33,850 --> 00:28:38,170 In chapter six of Revelation, the world is not going to get any 494 00:28:38,170 --> 00:28:43,089 better, and it will go from one crisis to the next, and we will 495 00:28:43,089 --> 00:28:46,290 perceive that as going from worse to worse. 496 00:28:47,650 --> 00:28:52,210 Revelation 6 causes us to look beyond the present age and look to 497 00:28:52,210 --> 00:28:58,470 the risen Lord Jesus as He now is, so that we can trust and rest 498 00:28:58,790 --> 00:28:59,910 in Him. 499 00:29:01,030 --> 00:29:05,670 That's why we've sung those two middle hymns of all I once held 500 00:29:05,670 --> 00:29:06,150 dear. 501 00:29:06,310 --> 00:29:11,790 And I heard the voice of Jesus say, they're both calling us to look 502 00:29:11,790 --> 00:29:14,230 to him and to him alone in this present age. 503 00:29:14,390 --> 00:29:15,910 Because it's not going to change. 504 00:29:16,870 --> 00:29:18,950 This is how it is, and it's not good. 505 00:29:20,150 --> 00:29:21,550 And so we must look to Him. 506 00:29:21,550 --> 00:29:25,920 And again, I want to turn to these beautiful verses that that 507 00:29:25,920 --> 00:29:30,800 hymn 410 come from, because they're the very words of Jesus himself, 508 00:29:30,800 --> 00:29:34,520 who says, come to me all who labor and are heavy laden, and I 509 00:29:34,520 --> 00:29:35,360 will give you rest. 510 00:29:37,120 --> 00:29:41,240 Well, whenever you look at these six seals and they're telling 511 00:29:41,240 --> 00:29:44,600 us the reality of the life, particularly the first four of the 512 00:29:44,600 --> 00:29:50,000 life we're living, doesn't it want to make you look for rest? 513 00:29:51,520 --> 00:29:55,520 A good Word for this world in describing it is relentless. 514 00:29:56,720 --> 00:29:59,840 The world is a relentless place filled with sin. 515 00:30:00,560 --> 00:30:04,120 But Jesus invites us to look to him, saying, take my yoke upon 516 00:30:04,120 --> 00:30:05,360 you and learn from me. 517 00:30:05,600 --> 00:30:09,680 Let me take care of you, Jesus is saying, because he is gentle and 518 00:30:09,680 --> 00:30:13,520 lowly in heart, whenever we trust in him, what will we find? 519 00:30:14,080 --> 00:30:16,680 Well, we will find rest for our souls. 520 00:30:16,680 --> 00:30:21,830 And that rest for our souls is eternal salvation, for his yoke is 521 00:30:21,830 --> 00:30:24,910 easy and his burden is light. 522 00:30:26,350 --> 00:30:32,950 You see, however we interpret these opened seals, whatever idea 523 00:30:32,950 --> 00:30:37,230 we have of what they mean, ultimately they all bring us to Jesus, 524 00:30:37,950 --> 00:30:43,190 saying, we need Jesus more each day so that we can stand as 525 00:30:43,190 --> 00:30:48,190 the days go from worse to worse, as we long for him and cry 526 00:30:48,190 --> 00:30:49,870 with the martyrs, how long? 527 00:30:49,950 --> 00:30:53,830 But it's not going to last forever, because a day of judgment 528 00:30:53,830 --> 00:30:55,870 is coming, a day of reckoning. 529 00:30:56,510 --> 00:31:00,350 And only those found in Jesus Christ will pass through the judgment 530 00:31:01,389 --> 00:31:03,230 and into an eternity in heaven. 531 00:31:03,230 --> 00:31:06,910 So will you accept this invitation that Jesus offers so that 532 00:31:06,910 --> 00:31:11,230 you will be certain of eternity and of rest in him? 533 00:31:11,920 --> 00:31:15,520 Will you respond tonight by doing what our closing praise speaks 534 00:31:15,520 --> 00:31:20,000 of, as it says now on my Savior, I fix my eyes. 535 00:31:20,320 --> 00:31:23,760 My life is his and his hope is mine. 536 00:31:24,240 --> 00:31:28,320 For he has promised I too will rise. 537 00:31:30,160 --> 00:31:35,920 Because tonight will you stand in the Gospel of Jesus Christ? 538 00:31:37,530 --> 00:31:40,890 The Gospel is the message that brings us unto him for salvation. 539 00:31:41,530 --> 00:31:44,970 But the Gospel message is not something for a moment in history. 540 00:31:45,770 --> 00:31:50,170 The Gospel message must influence us each and every day as 541 00:31:50,170 --> 00:31:54,210 we continue to live by it and assured in it that it continues to 542 00:31:54,210 --> 00:31:58,570 bring each of us to Jesus so that we will see him and not these 543 00:31:58,570 --> 00:32:00,330 four riders on horses. 544 00:32:01,130 --> 00:32:05,120 That we will hear the cry of the martyrs and hear, hear the answer. 545 00:32:05,600 --> 00:32:06,320 How long? 546 00:32:06,800 --> 00:32:09,600 Well, just a little bit longer, but not forever. 547 00:32:10,720 --> 00:32:13,760 Because that day of reckoning, that day of judgment is coming. 548 00:32:14,400 --> 00:32:18,960 And only those in Christ who have known the gospel will know that 549 00:32:18,960 --> 00:32:24,240 eternal rest that he offers you and me tonight. 550 00:32:25,520 --> 00:32:28,880 Find it in Christ and in him alone. 551 00:32:29,690 --> 00:32:35,930 For there is no other way that we can have glorious hope both now 552 00:32:36,730 --> 00:32:37,930 and forevermore. 553 00:32:38,250 --> 00:32:39,130 Let's pray. 554 00:32:39,850 --> 00:32:41,890 Father, we do thank you for this, your word. 555 00:32:41,890 --> 00:32:46,370 And we will admit that in our human thinking and understanding 556 00:32:46,370 --> 00:32:48,970 we may have different approaches to what this means. 557 00:32:49,610 --> 00:32:54,130 But Father, whatever approach comes our way, however we are convinced 558 00:32:54,130 --> 00:32:58,690 and convicted, each one will lead us to Jesus because we need 559 00:32:58,690 --> 00:32:59,050 Him. 560 00:32:59,850 --> 00:33:03,010 And so, Father, help us all to open our eyes and our hearts to know 561 00:33:03,010 --> 00:33:03,370 that. 562 00:33:04,010 --> 00:33:07,610 That as we sing these words, we will know the truth that he has 563 00:33:07,610 --> 00:33:11,530 promised that we too will rise as we stand in that beautiful and 564 00:33:11,530 --> 00:33:13,210 wonderful gospel of Jesus. 565 00:33:14,250 --> 00:33:19,290 So may this be all our hope this night as we go into this raging 566 00:33:19,450 --> 00:33:22,100 world, ever sure that. 567 00:33:22,100 --> 00:33:22,820 How long? 568 00:33:23,380 --> 00:33:25,220 Well, just a little bit longer. 569 00:33:25,860 --> 00:33:29,940 Because a day is coming when Christ will come and take us home. 570 00:33:30,980 --> 00:33:35,780 So may we find rest in him this night and indeed forevermore. 571 00:33:36,820 --> 00:33:37,460 Amen. 572 00:33:47,720 --> 00:33:47,960 Sa.