This is my Father's world. Oh, let me therefore get that though the wrong seems opt so strong. God is the ruler yet. This is my Father's world. The battle is not done. Jesus who died shall be satisfied and earth and heaven be one. As only poets can do, the hymn writer has captured in a single phrase, a sentiment that from the earliest days of human existence has haunted the rational sensibilities of the people of God. The wrong seems opt so strong. The wrong seems opt so strong. It's a sentiment in turn that expresses itself in the asking of that age-old question. The question that you know doubt have asked yourself. Why do the wicked seem to prosper? So much more so than do the righteous. Why do evil people so frequently finish first? Why do the ungodly so often succeed? In a world over which the righteous God is absolutely sovereign, why does it appear as though his faithful followers are virtually mocked by the apparent happiness of those who despise God? Of course the flip sign of the question is this. Why do the righteous seem to suffer so much more so than do the unrighteous? Why do the godly so frequently struggle? Why are the upright so often oppressed? The wrong seems opt so strong, doesn't it? And admittedly beloved, the inequity of it all puzzles us so. The fact is it has always puzzled the people of God and that is why we find it then to be a subject addressed so frequently in what has been referred to as the wisdom literature of the Old Testament. It was this very inequity that so greatly puzzled job. Why do the wicked live on, he asks? Reach old age and grow mighty in power. Their children are established in their presence and their offspring before their eyes. Their houses are safe from fear and no rod of God is upon them. Their bull breeds without fail, their cow calves and never miscarries. They send out their little ones like a flock and their children dance around. They sing to the tambourine in the lyre and rejoice to the sound of the pipe. They spend their days in prosperity and in peace they go down to shiel. They say to God, leave us alone. We do not desire to know your ways. What is the Almighty that we should serve him and what profit do we get if we pray to him? In his words you can hear the torment of Job's soul, can you? As he ponders the disparity between the obvious prosperity of the wicked and his own great tragedy and loss. The wrong seems off so strong he would have sung. Have you ever felt that way? A deceitful coworker is promoted to the next level ahead of you. A dishonest classmate is honored with a scholarship while you work a second job. A neighbor known for his unethical business practices buys the vacation home you can't afford. At times you shake your head in disbelief and say, how can it be? I've lived my life in faithfulness to God. I've carried out my particular calling with integrity. I've sacrificed to advance his kingdom. And what's more, I do the same thing again. But you wonder to what end? Given the fact that the unrighteous, the self-serving, the wickedly ambitious seemed to do so much better than me. Have you ever had such a thought? Have you ever found yourself envying a person who was not a Christian? Jellis of the Apparides and success and prosperity that seemed to accompany his or her life? You're not alone. The inspired Psalmist confessed his very struggle. But as for me, he says Psalm 73, my feet had almost stumbled. My steps had nearly slipped. I nearly lost my faith, he admits. What was the cause? He explains where I was envious of the arrogant. I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For they have no pain. Their bodies are sound and sleek. They are not in trouble as others are. They are not plagued like other people. Such are the wicked. Always at ease, they increase in riches. All in vain, I have kept my heart clean and washed my hands in innocence. For all day long I am plagued and impunished every morning. Are you hearing the song of his heart? The wrong seems off so strong. Are those words with which you find some resonance this morning? It became a crisis of faith for the Psalmist. Perhaps you faced this same crisis. Why do the unrighteous prosper and more secretly? I wish I had what they have. It was the crisis of faith that was being faced by the first century Christians of Asia Minor. Do you remember their daily experience? They were facing poverty. They were social outcasts. They were enduring persecution. They were living with a moment-by-moment anticipation of martyrdom while all around them. It was plainly apparent that success belonged to Rome and all those who nursed at her breast. The new Babylon provided power and wealth and affluence and prosperity and peace and security. The specific temptation in facing these Asia Minor Christians? How can we soften the exclusive demands of the gospel? How can we make our Christianity more acceptable to a culture that is so defiantly anti-Christian? And why is this temptation? Because like the Psalmist, you see, they felt the powerful temptation to envy the apparent ease of unbelievers. The wrong seems oft so strong, but it is the hymn writer you see in the end who answers his own dilemma. This is my father's world. Oh, let me therefore get that though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet. And therefore you see the inspired writer of wisdom says it like this, be assured the wicked will not go unpunished. The preacher of Ecclesiastes adds, because sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily, the human heart is fully set to do evil. Those sinners do evil a hundred times and prolong their lives, yet I know that it will be well with those who fear God because they stand in fear before him. But it will not be well with the wicked. Neither will they prolong their days like a shadow because they do not stand in fear before God. Here now my friends in Revelation chapter nine is a graphic illustration of this very point. Why? Why isn't it that we see these repeated scenes of violent judgment set before us? Don't forget the audience, John, is addressing. He's not addressing us. He's addressing these suffering and persecuted Christians who cannot help but observe the manifest success of wicked Rome. And to them, then, John is saying never, never envy the apparent ease of unbelievers because unless they become the special objects of God's mercy unto salvation, they will most certainly be the specific targets of God's wrath under condemnation. Don't envy the powerful position of those who persecute you, though the wrong seems off so strong, God is the ruler yet. This is our Father's world. And of course, my friends, nothing so graphically illustrates the concept of God's ownership over the world than the detailed descriptions of His divine judgment upon human beings. This has become so clear to us in the sealed judgments of chapter six and seven and now the trumpet judgments of chapters eight and nine. I would remind you that the objects of these divine judgments have been clearly specified. They are inflicted upon the enemies of God. In fact, if you recall, the final of these three trumpet judgments are referred to as woes in chapter eight, verse 13. Why woes? So is to indicate their great severity. But take a look at chapter eight, verse 13. Who are the clearly defined objects of these three remaining woes? John writes, then I looked, and I heard an eagle crying with a loud voice as it flew in mid-Heaven. Whoa, whoa, whoa to the inhabitants of the earth.
Now as we've explained to you in past days, this phrase, the inhabitants of the earth is a technical designation used in the revelation to denote humankind in hostility to God. In other words, these subsequent judgments are not Christians. For example, in chapter 11, the phrase the inhabitants of the earth is used to speak over those who rejoice over the two witnesses of the church. In chapter 13, it is used to speak of those who worship the beasts. In chapter 17, the phrase the inhabitants of the earth is used to speak of those who have become drunk with the wine of fornication with the great harlot. In chapter 17, it is used to speak of those whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world. Back in chapter 3, it is used to describe those who will be subject to God's coming hour of trial. That is the very same thing we see here in chapter 8, verse 13. Whoa, whoa, whoa to the inhabitants of the earth. Now why do I have a labor this? So you will know as I now begin to explain the severity of this sixth trumpet judgment, the second wall that followers of Jesus Christ are not in view. John is not speaking here about the experience of Christians rather the experience of those who reject the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is why beloved you see, you must never envy them. Despite all the expressions of prosperity, they may enjoy in this life. In the first four trumpet judgments, we observed one third destruction of land, sea, rivers and sky. At the sounding of the fifth trumpet, however, the intensity of judgment is ratcheted up in that demonic tormentors from the abyss are commissioned to assault people, to afflict them with an unrelenting torment of both mind and soul. But now you see, now in the sounding of the sixth trumpet, the intensity escalates to an even greater degree. One third of the entire human population is slaughtered.
In other words, the judgment is now lethal. It is a death stroke against the physical bodies of unbelievers so as to guarantee their spiritual death for eternity since those who die in an unbelieving state remain in that condition forever. It is as it were the first installment of eternal condemnation. Never beloved, never should you ever envy the apparent ease of unbelievers. Now with this sixth trumpet judgment, I want to ask three questions. First, from where does this lethal judgment come? Second, what is the primary objective of this lethal judgment? And third, how do the survivors, unbelievers, the inhabitants of the earth, how do the survivors respond? To this lethal judgment. For this morning, we'll just consider the first of these three. From where does this lethal judgment come? Well, look again at verse 13. Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet. And I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, released the four angels who were bound at the great river Euphrates. So the four angels were released who had been held ready for the hour of the day, the month of the year, to kill a third of human con. Their primary objective is obvious, isn't it? It's to kill one third of humanity. It is staggering. We'll talk about it in more detail next Lord's day. What I want us to consider for the moment, however, is from where does this lethal judgment come? You say, well, it's obvious, aren't the text tells us? These killer angels have been bound at the great river Euphrates. And that is true. But friends, I'm thinking beyond that. I'm thinking past that. I'm not so much interested in their geographical location as I am in the originating source of their terrifying commission. As you well know, we have fighter jets strategically stationed in various places throughout the Middle East. But if they fly ultimately and unleash their devastation, it will only be as a consequence of a commission originating out of one room in one house in one city, an order originating from one human being.
Here in verse 14, the word is given. Release the four angels. But you'll notice the voice originates from an unusual source. I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God. Now, it's not that this inanimate altar is speaking or that this voice emerges through the four horns that are on the corners of this golden altar. Rather, the grammar suggests that John hears a voice coming from the midst of the four corners of the altar. That is to say, from the surface of the altar lying between the four corners, each of which is shaped as a horn. Now, friends, what is the significance of this? Well, let me ask you, friends. Let's let Revelation interpret itself. Where have we seen this golden altar before? You remember? Keep your finger here and turn back to chapter six. We step back into the seal judgments. Do you recall? Verse nine, Jesus slits open the fifth seal. And John says, I saw under the altar. There it is. The souls of those who had been slaughtered for the word of God and for the testimony they had given. They cried out with a loud voice, sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long will it be before you judge and avenge our blood? Watch now on the inhabitants of the earth. They're praying for vengeance. Christians who have been martyred for the sake of their allegiance to Jesus Christ. Now, of course, that begs the obvious question. Did God hear their prayers? You remember chapter eight? These same prayers are mingled with incense and offered to God on this same altar, chapter eight, verses three and four. To what end then? Verse five. Then the angel took the censor and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake. In other words, in answer to the prayers of his people. God unfurls his judgment upon the earth. Chapter eight, verse five, functioning as a summary statement of the subsequent trumpet judgments. And here you see in chapter nine, John is then reminding us that God's judicial actions in history proceed from his altar that place as it were where he gladly receives our prayers, the prayers of his people for vindication. Well, but this is an amazing thing. An incredible thing. You see, the scriptures not only revealed to us God's readiness to hear our prayers, generally speaking. They reveal more particularly his readiness to hear our prayers that seek his holy vengeance on those who oppose him by harming us.
Deliver me from my enemies, oh my God. Protect me from those who rise up against me. Deliver me from those who work evil from the blood thirsty, save me for the sin of their mouths, the words of their lips. Let them be trapped in their pride for the cursing and lies that they utter, consume them in wrath, consume them until they are no more. So says David, the man after God's own heart. His fire consumes the forest, his deflame sets the mountains ablaze, so pursue them with your tempest and terrify them with your hurricane. Fill their faces with shame. Let them be put to shame and dismayed forever. Let them perish and disgrace.
Can a person pray like that? O Lord, you God of vengeance. You God of vengeance shine forth. Rise up, O judge of the earth. Give to the proud what they deserve. He will repay them for their iniquity and wipe them out for their wickedness. The Lord God will wipe them out.
Do you know beloved that there are dozens and dozens of prayers like that in the Bible? That there are entire psalms devoted to this very thing? Our problem you see is that we've been inoculated with the serum of political correctness so that our spiritual palates have lost the taste for such praying. John on the other hand wants us to remember that this terrifying judgment we're about to observe is a part of God's ongoing response to the prayers of His people for vindication. The voice inaugurating this judgment originates from the altar upon which the prayers of the saints have been offered. But why the specific mention of the horns? Did you notice that? I heard a voice from the horns. Some of your translations might say from the four horns of the golden altar before God. Why mention these horns? Well, most obviously, friends, to match the imagery of the altar in the Old Testament. In Exodus chapter 30, God was explicit about the fact that the altar was to be constructed in such a way that in one piece with it, there were to be protrusions in the shape of a horn. Why? Horns in the ancient world were a recognized symbol of power and strength. Why four? One for each corner of the altar, of course. But beyond that, friends, I would remind you of something we've already discovered in the revelation that is that the number four is often used to connote completeness. Remember the four corners of the earth? Horns representing power and strength? Four denoting completeness? What does that have to do with this right here? The voice that inaugurates this judgment is said to originate specifically from the midst of the four horns of the golden altar, suggesting what? Watch this now. That the full power of God will be expressed in this judgment of the wicked as a direct answer to the prayerful cries of his people. Of course, God will use secondary causes in the outworking of this judgment as we will soon see. But let us not miss the fact, beloved, that the source of all of these secondary causes finds its origination in him. Did you take note of the other details that so clearly reinforced this? What has been said about the condition of these four angels? Three things. Firstly, you'll note the text says that they are bound. Release the four angels who are bound. The idea is restrained or held back against their wills. The tense of the verb actually suggests that this has been a continual state of existence for these four angels. They're held back restrained. Secondly, did you catch the fact that they are released only at the command that comes from the midst of the four horns of the golden altar? Look at verse 15. It is after the voice sounds that we read, so the four angels were released. Who speaks this word of release? The text doesn't say. It is interesting to note, however, that the two verbs describing the condition of these angels, namely that they are bound, namely that they have been released, are both passive in voice. That is to say these actions happen to them. They perform these actions. These actions are done to them. They have been bound. They have been released. And it is a phenomenon on friends that we have witnessed dozens of times already, almost always in the revelation, when verbs are used in the passive voice, who is assumed to be performing the action? God himself. That's why we call them divine passives. Now, right here, is it God's very voice that is heard in the command of release? We can't know for sure. What we can't know for sure, is that if it isn't God's own voice, it is a voice that speaks with His authority and at His decree. These four angels have been bound by God against their wills. They have been released to perform their nefarious work at the command of God. Thirdly, the text says, verse 15, these four angels had been held ready for the hour, the day, the month, and the year. The tense of that verb held ready indicates that these four angels had been prepared for this precise moment sometime in the past and that since that time, they have been existing in a state of readiness awaiting the word, awaiting the signal, awaiting the indicator. In fact, the way this actually reads in the original friends is, so the four angels released who had been held ready for the hour and day and month and year, not the hour and the day and the month and the year. Why do I draw your attention to this? The use of one article to govern these four designations of time is a grammatical device that stresses the idea of a specific moment that has been ordained by God. The hour, day, month, year, it speaks of predetermination. It exposes God's control over the forces of history that this specific judgment has been ordained by Him. You see, my friends, John will not allow us any confusion at this very point. From where does this lethal judgment come? It originates with God Himself. These four angels have no freedom to act until the very moment God designates. This is the unfolding of His plan, which should bring great comfort to our hearts, beloved. Not only to know that mysterious though it may be, God acts in response to our prayers, but to know that His purpose to bring righteousness to this world is unfolding perfectly in His time. I am so thankful for this confidence. I must tell you by the grace of God this morning I find myself trusting it without the slightest doubt by way of illustration, by way of comparison, how different this is from the situation that we now face on the world scene.
Should we support our president? We wonder. I think we should. Should we support our men and women in the military? By all means. But then it's asked what about the ethics of invading Iraq? Should we? The fact is I don't know that any one of us has enough accurate information to make that decision in a spirit that can be all together confident of its rightness. So what do we do? We pray for our leaders. We support our leaders, but admittedly some measure of hesitation always accompanies our conclusions given the fact that political leaders have misled us in the past, given the fact that the sources of information through which things come to us are often shaped and clouded by those who give it to us. And so the questions linger. Is this the right thing to do? Is this the right time to do it? Given the limitations of our knowledge and our awareness of the inherent weakness of all human beings, regardless of political party, we always feel beloved and measure of ambiguity regarding such matters, don't we? Given our limitations then, a lack of ambiguity does not reflect intelligence, a lack of ambiguity reflects arrogance. But this you see is a situation that is all together different. There is no lack of confidence in the rightness of this judicial action and therefore no corresponding ambiguity. It originates with God. He himself has orchestrated its every detail down to the very moment. What we could never affirm of our best political leaders we can eagerly proclaim about him. This is my father's world. Oh, let me therefore get that though the wrong seems off so strong, God is the ruler yet. We've seen something of the condition of these four angels. Bound, released, held ready, all bespeaking God's sovereign control, consider now friends the location of these four angels. The word is given. Release the four angels who are bound at the Great River Euphrates. Now, why mention that? Because to these readers, this is a letter, don't forget, directed to a particular audience. Because to these readers, the Euphrates bore a significance that was both contemporary and biblical. Contemporary and historic, secular and sacred. The Euphrates River is the longest river in Western Asia nearly 1800 miles long. At the time of the writing of the revelation, it served as the eastern boundary of the Roman Empire. But just across the banks of the Euphrates was the dreaded Parthian kingdom, the arch-rival of Rome. While Rome had managed to subdue the west, subdue the north, subdue the south, it could never, ever control the east. In particular, interesting given this context, the cavalry of Parthia was known as the greatest in the ancient world. Consequently, you see Rome lived in constant fear that the Parthians would cross the Euphrates and invade the Empire. Well, something of that imagery is in view here, that kind of emotion is being generated by John, except this you see is infinitely more terrifying than the Parthians at their worst. In the history of the Old Testament, the Euphrates is marked with some significance. The Euphrates marked the north-eastern border of the Promised Land. And what was beyond that border? The ancient city of Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian Empire, which in the 8th century BC crossed the Euphrates, swept into the northern kingdom of Israel and devastated it. God promised it would happen as an act of judgment on Israel's idolatry. But that's not all. Beyond the Euphrates stood the ancient empire of Babylon, which in the 6th century BC, crossed the Euphrates, swept into the southern kingdom of Judah, destroyed the city of Jerusalem, and took its people into captivity. God had promised it would happen as an act of judgment on Judah's idolatry. Well, by and by then you see the Euphrates became something of a symbol for the judgment of God on idolaters by means of an invading army. Read Ezekiel 38 and 39. Well, you see now using this very language here, John intentionally awakens these images in the minds of his readers. But he now pushes them beyond, far beyond, far beyond anything that had ever been experienced in Israel's past or Rome's present. I would remind you, friends, that in verse 17, do you remember reading it? John is emphatic about the fact that this is a vision, and therefore the symbolic character of this must be recognized. Remember Peter, for example, in Acts chapter 10, he sees a vision of a sheet being dropped down out of heaven. What does he do with that? He doesn't seek to analyze the literalness of what he saw, rather he ponders the meaning of what he saw. That's how you interpret visions. We're not to see the name Euphrates here, beloved, and be misled into a geographical literalism. Chapter 1 verse 1 tells us that the revelation is a message intentionally communicated by signs and symbols. This is a vision. In visions, geographical locations bear deep theological meaning. We'll see that when we read later of Egypt, of Babylon, of New Jerusalem. John tells us that the word is given to release the four angels who have been bound at the river Euphrates. His point, judgment from God, is about to be poured out on the idolaters of this world by the means of a terrifying army. A dreadful and frightening army led as it were by four angels. They are, beloved, demonic beings. We know this because, as we have already seen, they are said to be restrained against their wills. Bound, held back. The idea is very much like the demons in the prior trumpet judgment that were confined to the abyss. Demons are frequently referred to in the New Testament scriptures as being bound. In contrast, that language is never used to speak of the holy angels. What is the objective for which they are released? It's made clear at the end of verse 15 to kill a third of humankind. But what specific role do these four angels play in this judgment? It's not sad. Suddenly, they disappear into the forces they release in verse 16. The number of the troops of cavalry was 200 million. I heard their number. Might it be that each of these four angels leads one of four armies that together comprise 200 million? Literally, it reads, a double myriad of myrians. When giving us that kind of language, John doesn't intend that we pull out a calculator and try and figure out the math. The concern here, beloved, is not the arithmetic. Every Greek lexicon of any significance says that this means an indefinite number of incalculable immensity. This is a host that defies all powers of measurement. It's not an army of 200 million Chinese as Halenzi would have us to believe. These are demons led by demons pictured here as cavalry. Remember the imagery of the Parthians? Notice friends, their breastplates are made up of the elements that constitute hell. Moreover, the writers themselves quickly disappear and their horses actually become the agents of judgment. With faces like lions spewing out of their mouths, the traditional elements of judgment that was hurled down, for example, on Sodom and Gomorrah, fire and brimstone and sulfur, they possess tales like serpents reminding us of that ancient servant about whom we will very soon read. This is a demonic cavalry unleashed to exact not their own autonomous wickedness, but the severe and terrifying judgment of God. From where does this lethal judgment come? It originates with God Himself from the altar in heaven. In response to the prayers of His people, God speaks His word and sets His judgment in motion. Moreover, the condition of the angels He employs reveals this to be the execution of His well. God has bound them, God has made them ready, God releases them. Their location reveals this judgment as the hand of God, they are released at the Euphrates, that ancient place from which the judgment of God descends upon idolaters. Finally, friends, I just pass over it quickly, we'll treat it more significantly next time. The control over these angels reveals God to be the source of this judgment. They are not free to inflict their damage at infinitum. God controls the range, the sphere of their devastation. Did you see it? One third. It was the same idea back in the early part of chapter 9. Remember the locus that come out of the abyss, those demons? Verse 3 were told they were given authority, like the authority of scorpions of the earth. They were told not to damage the grass of the earth, or any green growth or any tree, but only those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. They were allowed to torture them for five months, but not to kill them. God superintending the demonic realm so as to fulfill His purpose. We've got the same thing going on right here, they have been made ready. They are positioned in a proper location. Their marching orders have been made clear. One third. And according to verse 18, they execute their mission perfectly. These demons serve God. Every evil thing in this universe serves God. Do you get it, beloved? Do you see it? This lethal judgment comes from Him. You say, well, Lord, I don't like this vision of God. It's like we step back into the Old Testament again. All the violence and slaughter and bloodshed. I so much prefer the vision of God that we see in the person of Jesus Christ. He's the God I love. Is that so? Then you'll be pleased to discover that Jesus Christ is the one who inflicts the most terrifying judgment of all. Because at the end of the day, this is how it happens. Then I saw Heaven opened, and there was a white horse. It's right or is called fateful and true, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire and on his head are many diadams. And he has a name and scribe that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is called the Word of God. And the armies of Heaven wearing fine linen, white and pure were following Him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. And he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God, the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh, he has a name and scribe king of kings and Lord of lords. Oh, he's the Prince of Peace. Absolutely. But the peace that he affects is a peace that is achieved at a very violent price. For his own people, those who believe in him, he absorbs in his own person the experience of eternal justice. For his enemies, those who refuse him, those who put him off, he punishes them in his wrath for all eternity. Peace made by the Prince of Peace at a most violent price. For all of your present sufferings, beloved, never ever envy. The apparent ease of unbelievers. This is my Father's world. Oh, let me mayer forget that though the wrong seems off so strong, God is the ruler yet. This is my Father's world, the battle is not done. Jesus, who died, shall be satisfied and earthen heaven. Let your vision of God be shaped by His Word.
This is who He is. Our Father, we thank You for the privilege to be together this morning. To open Your Word. And Father, with great delight, we cherish those passages that reveal to us Your mercy. And Your kindness and Your long suffering and Your grace and Your love. We hide ourselves in those passages. We find such comfort from those texts. And so we should. But Father, we are in need of having our vision of You filled out by the totality of Your revelation, which includes seeing You as the holy and righteous judge who will eternally punish His enemies. We who are Christians this morning, we praise You and thank You. That by Your grace, this doesn't speak of us. We thank You for that, we praise You for that. And may we then as Your children never envy these of unbelievers, of people who are not Christians. What could be any more incongruous with being a Christian than envy those who are not? And Father, we pray this morning for those here in our midst who are not Christians. We pray, O Lord, in God that they would see how serious You are about this business of allegiance to Him. That they would recognize that the offer of the gospel will not be extended to them forever. And that for those who refuse Jesus Christ, the great and merciful God will extend no mercy. This is who You are. We bow our knee and submission to this vision. And we thank You with great delight for the knowledge that though the wrong seems off, so strong, you are the ruler yet. We love Your Father. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.