Corona Chronicles - Crown of Gold

Well, thanks for joining us again on the Corona Chronicles. We are looking at the book of Revelation and today we've got to chapter 6 verse 9, and that's where I'm gonna read from. When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, how long sovereign lord, wholly and true until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood. Then each 1 of them was given a white robe and they were told to wait a little longer until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters were killed just as they had been.

This kind of feels like a natural progression from where we were last last time -- Mhmm. -- looking at the the first of the seals being opened and the sort of judgments coming in. And sort of chaos raining on the earth. And here suddenly we have Christian saints calling out to to God how long until you come in and sort all this out in the sense until this is all over. Yeah.

It's a really haunting cry, isn't it in verse 10? How long sovereign lord and just seeing these seals together because that's where we are, isn't it? We're in the middle of the opening of these seals. And the revelation of this scroll, the will of God. And that that in last in last in the last session as you say, there's this chaos.

There's these judgments coming upon the earth. And you know, there's a sense in which all Christians are going to experience something of that. We don't we're not immune from famines and wars and plagues. I mean, certainly not at the moment. But there is a specific kind of suffering, isn't there?

That that Christians go through. And these are those who have been killed because of the word of the God of God and the testimony they maintain. So What we're dealing with in this seal is is the persecution of believers. Isn't it? I I both past present and future.

Yeah. You know, those who have not only suffered for the faith but have died for the faith. And this seal is trying to say, look, what what is the law doing about that? You know, what's gonna happen to them. Mhmm.

And, yes, really interesting. Mhmm. And and I don't think it's it's strictly only applicable to Christians who have become martyrs in the sense that they sort of physically killed. Mhmm. Because you you get these saints who are under the altar -- Mhmm.

-- who the altar is the place where you bring a sacrifice to god. Of course, we as Christians are told to offer our bodies as living sacrifices. Mhmm. And so, you know, you can read this and go, well, this is just Christians who were. But actually, no.

This is really the cool of all Christians who have faced persecution because in a way, we all do, really. Mhmm. We stand out and proclaim our testimony and the gospel -- Mhmm. -- then we are joining in with these saints. Yeah.

We are. And the and the ultimate thing is you say is amazing, isn't it? Because It's both them bringing the sacrifice of their life. Mhmm. But also coming to the place of sacrifice, isn't it?

And seeing the lamb who was slain for them. Yeah. And so they're both shedding their blood for Christ and being washed by the blood of Christ, all at all at this this altar, which is which is awesome. And, you know, they're calling out for for something which which, you know, looks uncomfortable, doesn't it here? You know, how long until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?

You know, when lord, you know, are you gonna bring justice? When are you gonna avenge our blood? And I think there that that I mean, it's hard for us because we in this country, you know, we don't really see the sort of persecution that our brothers and sisters us go through around the world. But I reckon if we had just a small taste to that -- Yeah. -- we would find ourselves praying in this way a lot more.

That's right. The other thing is I think that, you know, this is not the cry of those wanting revenge. No. What they're wanting is for the gospel to a triumph. Really?

You know, how long will your enemies Jesus be allowed to do this? How long before we all see who you are? Yeah. It's that kind of thing, isn't it? Yeah.

Yes. And and the cross is really magnified here as well because we were enemies once of the gospel -- Yeah. -- and of and of Christ. But you know so we we long for the enemies of of God to be defeated, but we're also grateful that we have been brought into the family. God is now a friend instead of our enemy.

Yeah. Absolutely. Yeah. And that's the thing. That judgement should have been ours, shouldn't it?

Yeah. And then you've got this in towards the end. Just an amazing part of this seal, then each of them was given a white robe and they were told wait a little longer until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters killed just as they had been, which is a really interesting insight into the sovereignty of God, isn't it? That that he knows the end from the beginning, we've been seeing that. But what he tells us here is that there is this number that he has in mind of his children who are gonna be persecuted and lose their life for the faith.

And that tells us what to expect, doesn't it? Mhmm. That for as long as it takes, until Jesus comes back, suffering is gonna be a feature of the Christian life. Yep. You know, we're not working our way towards suffering for life, and then Jesus comes back.

It's gonna be it's gonna be there until the end. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And it's a comfort, isn't it?

Because You could look at the world and the persecution and think this is out of control where is God in this. But he knows -- Mhmm. -- he knows he was going to be killed for their faith. And they're numbered in a sense. He he's put a full stop on the end and said no more and no less will suffer.

Then I have ordained. So there's a great comfort to that. That's really helpful. And I think, you know, again, 1 of the things we're doing is trying What could we do for families here? It wouldn't be a bad idea, would it to either get on the computer and look up a world map or to get a globe on your table.

Mhmm. And to look up areas of the world where Christians are being persecuted and or to just spin the globe and put a finger there and find out about that country and what it's like for those Christians. And to pray along these lines, you know, thank you lord that you're sovereign. Please bring just for our brothers and sisters. Please glorify your name.

Yep. That would be a way of of teaching them to to pray and to understand, you know, what it's like for Christians, isn't it? So Maybe that would be something helpful to do. Join us tomorrow. We're going to be looking at this this last crime.

We've had the cry of the living creatures We've had the cry of the martyrs. We've got 1 more cry to look at tomorrow.