Title: natural disaster
2012. 10. 14 Sunday morning worship service
Bible: Revelation 6:9-17
Title: The Souls of the Martyrs and Natural Disasters
Revelation 6:9-17 ‘9. 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 the testimony they had.
10. And he called with a loud voice, saying, "Holy and true Sovereign, how long will you not judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?"
11. And he gave each of them a white robe, and said, “Still rest a little while, until their companions, their servants and their brethren, are killed like themselves, until the number is complete.
12. I saw that when he opened the sixth seal, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became as black as mourning robes of black wool, and the whole moon became like blood; 13. The stars in the sky fell to the ground like a fig tree shaken by a great wind and its unripe fruit fall. falling,
16. Saying to the mountains and rocks, Fall upon us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb, 17. The great day of their wrath has come, who can stand?' - Amen.
When the 5th and 6th seals are opened after the four types of horse riders, the souls of the martyrs and the picture of the great tribulation of natural disasters appear. In the end times, it is foretold that many saints will be killed during the tribulation of the Antichrist.
God saves his servants, but also uses them as witnesses through martyrdom.
1. The martyrdom of saints
Believers of reliefism tend to demean martyrdom and regard it as a curse. The fallen Jews knew the death of Jesus as a curse, and the spiritual value of martyrdom was not known to the successful believers on earth, who even the disciples were heartbroken.
Revelation 6:9 “When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar souls that had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had.”
Being put to death for the word and testimony of God will be the most precious reward in the kingdom of eternal life.
Revelation 6:10-11 ‘10. . be slain until the number is fulfilled.”
You can see the spirits of martyrs waiting for the time when the Lord's judgment on the world will be fulfilled. Giving the white robe signifies victory and holiness, and he answers that we must wait until the number of martyrs is still filled.
Matthew 20:23 He said, “Surely you will drink of my cup, but I do not give them to sit at my left or right side, but for whom my Father has prepared for them, they will receive.”
Romans 11:25 “Brothers… until the full number of the Gentiles came in, some of Israel became foolish.”
2. Changes in the Celestial Body
Eschatology includes not only the human race itself, but the entire inhabited global village and the cosmic end. Therefore, the destruction of the heavenly bodies cannot be personified and interpreted as the corruption of people and society. Human destruction includes war, sickness, and self-destruction, and natural disasters and destruction should be interpreted literally.
Revelation 6:12-14 ‘12. I saw that when he opened the sixth seal, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became as black as mourning robes of black wool, and the whole moon became like blood; 14. The heavens departed like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.
As the sun gets dark, the moon doesn't shine, it turns dark red like blood, the stars fall, the sky is curled up and blown away, and geological changes such as the disappearance of mountains and islands or displacement of places are foretold. All of these things are not spiritual, they are literal phenomena.
Matthew 24:29 “In that day, immediately after the tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
2 Peter 3:12 “… In that day the heavens will be dissolved with fire, and the elements will melt with scorching fire.”
Text Revelation 6:15-17 '15. The kings of the earth, and the royal families, and the generals, and the rich and the strong, and all the servants and the free, hid themselves in caves and in the clefts of the rocks of the mountains, 16 ... of the Lamb. They will go away from wrath, 17. The great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?'
This kind of tribulation is not spiritual but realistic, so unbelievers take refuge, regardless of the rich or poor, but they will go into caves and crevices of rocks, but it will not be safe. Fleeing is essentially a flight of conscience as a result of sin.
Genesis 3:8 "...When they heard the voice of the LORD God, Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden."
Ob 1:4 “Though you soar high like an eagle and make your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down, saith the LORD.”
Psalm 139:8 “If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.”
Therefore, the place we should truly escape from should not be in the power and environment of the world, but in the arms of the eternal God.
Psalm 46:1-3 ‘1. God is our refuge and strength, a great help in trouble. 2. So whether the earth changes, or the mountains shake and fall into the midst of the sea, 3. Whether the seas rise up and roar, we will not fear, though the mountains shake with overflow 'Selah'
Psalm 121:1-2 ‘1. I lift up my eyes to the mountains, where does my help come from, 2. My help is from the LORD, who made the heavens and the earth.”
Today, as those living in the end of the last days, we believe in science, but realize that scientific culture and nature cannot take responsibility for our souls.