Title: The Blessing of Waiting
Revelation (35) The Blessing of Waiting
(Revelation 6:9-11)
< The vision when the fifth seal is broken >
The text depicts the vision that appeared when the fifth seal was broken. When the fifth seal was opened, John saw in a vision the souls of the martyrs who had died while believing in God. What were those martyred souls doing? They cried out to God in a loud voice under the altar. "God! When will you judge those who persecute the saints and release the injustice for our bloodshed?”
At that time, God gave the souls a white robe and said, “Rest for a while until a certain number of martyrs is filled.” The phrase “rest for a while” in this verse means “rest supplication for a while and watch!” This means that the tribulation and suffering that believers experience is temporary, and God does not allow them to face such tribulation due to lack of power, but allows such tribulation under the strict control of God for a special purpose.
God will always release the injustices of the saints when the time is right. God does not prevent the saints from experiencing injustice at all. Sometimes it makes you feel bad. This is because the depth of life becomes deeper and the depth of thought becomes deeper. However, it will surely relieve the saints' injustice.
< Blessing of waiting >
The text especially teaches the importance of waiting and the blessing of waiting. In the text, the question the martyrs ask, “When will you judge the earth and avenge our blood?” is ultimately the question, “When will the Lord return?” At that time, God said, “Till the number is full!” It means, “Wait until the number of martyrs is full!”
Sometimes it seems that the Lord is coming late, but we have to wait patiently for the Lord. When the Lord comes late, there must be a good will. What does it mean? First, it is for more people to be saved. Second, to give the saints more time to do more work. Third, to give more grace to the saints. After all, it is not what we wait for, but what we know that God is waiting for.
Isaiah 30:18 says this. “But the LORD is waiting to be gracious to you, and he will rise up to have mercy on you. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed is everyone who waits for him.” This verse tells us that we are not waiting for God, but God is waiting for us. If you wait like that, when the time comes, you will be blessed with great blessings.
After all, the delay in the Lord's return is actually a blessing. Suppose you are meeting the Lord now. It's nice to meet the Lord, but don't you think that what you've done for the Lord and what you've done for the kingdom of God are too little? Also, are our personality, life, faith, service and devotion really worthy of God's approval? If you are a sincere saint, you always feel your own shortcomings. Knowing this, God is patiently waiting for us.
Saints should be grateful that the Lord's second coming is delayed, so that they have even a little more time to prepare for a blessed future. And as the Lord's bride, if you think that you are participating in the Lamb's wedding banquet in a humble state without doing much, it is always regrettable, so you should pray like this while hoping and expecting the Lord's return. "Lord! Please wait a little longer. I will work harder and live God’s work according to God’s will.”
If you wait, you usually get a seed of blessing called Isaac, but if you don't wait, you usually get a seed of misery called Ishmael. When you see your own car accidents, most of them pay in haste. Most accidents in life happen in haste. So, trust God and wait patiently. If there is something upset in your heart, use that upset energy as a material for realizing God's vision. Faith is waiting. Faith is meeting Jesus in the process of patience and waiting, experiencing the power of Jesus, and ultimately receiving blessings.