Revelation chapter six, if you're using a Bible provided for you there in your seat, you will find this on page one thousand and thirty one. This is the last book of God's word to us. And we find ourselves in chapter six here now, the word. Of our God. Now I watched when the lamb opened one of the seven seals and I heard one of the four living creatures say with a loud voice like thunder, come. And I looked and behold a white horse and its rider in a bow and a crown was given to him and he came out conquering and to conquer. When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, come. And out came another horse, bright red. Its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that men should slay one another, and he was given a great sword. When he opened the third steel, I heard the third living creature say, come. And I looked, and behold, a black horse. And its rider had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, a quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius. And do not harm the oil and wine. When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, Come and I looked and behold a pale horse and its rider's name was death and Hades followed him and they were given authority over a fourth of the earth to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and my wild beasts of the earth. 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 for the witness they had borne. They cried out with a loud voice, Oh, sovereign Lord, holy and true, our blood on those who dwell on the earth. Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been. When he opened the sixth seal, I look and behold, there was a great earthquake. And the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth, and the great ones, and the generals, and the rich, and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks. fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who is seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. For the great day of their wrath has come. And who can stand? This is the Word of the Lord. And together we say, thanks be to God. Please be seated. And now, O Lord, we pray that You would give us eyes to see and ears to hear truths from Your Word. O Lord, use this text that has been often shrouded in mystery for many to be a beaming light of hope for those whom You have sealed. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, we've encountered symbols and pictures and colors and jewels and animals and creatures already in the book of the Revelation. But many of you might have been journeying this fall as we went through this book and ask yourself, when is it? Are we going to get to the really difficult stuff to understand? And Revelation six is one of those passages. It's a passage. That people wonder about, we've got horses, different colors, people crying out to rocks, martyrs asking God, when is it, God, that you are going to avenge the blood of your people who've been martyred? It all appears in chapter six. So a little review is in order. And quite simply and succinctly, it goes like this. The Book of the Revelation is a series of visions, and we're not meant to interpret those series of visions as we would a newspaper. looking around the world, trying to align specific events with each symbol in the book. Nor are we to read this like we would a novel that progresses from chapter to chapter. This happens and then this happens. Rather, like many of the dreams that you and I have when we fall asleep, this spirit brought vision or series of visions of our brother John, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, is meant to be a series of visions which point to the same reality Christ is coming. His people are secure. And yet part of their being secure is the call of our God not to compromise, but to overcome, to avoid the path to Babylon and embrace the path to the New Jerusalem. And all along the way, we're getting a series of visions. The first series was the seven churches. We saw Christ standing among the candlesticks. Seven churches getting various messages. second set of visions is really Revelation four through seven. And we'll get to other sets of things. But here in this second set of visions, Revelation four through seven begins this way in chapter four. The center of the universe is the throne of God. This whole series of visions will be thrown completely off if we don't get that revelation for if you weren't here two weeks ago is probably oversimplified by me saying it this way, but I'm going to try the center of the universe, the center of reality, the center out of which everything flows and is controlled is the throne of God. And then in chapter five, we see that it is Christ. The lamb who was slain, who is worthy, he is the one who stands as the mediator, as prophet, priest and king among his people. He is the one who is worthy to open the seals of the scroll. The scroll stands for God's plan throughout the ages, particularly of redemption and just and judgment. And Christ is the one who, like an old book or a scroll stamped with a wax seal, he is the one that not only is able to open it, but who has authority to open it. We've already seen symbols. Last week, we saw that Jesus was the one that was worthy. Now he begins to open symbolically these seven seals. The number seven in the book of Revelation is the number for completion. He begins to open these seals and the plan of God unfolds. Many would argue, and I'm inclined to agree with them, that Revelation 4-7 is going to be repeated in similar fashion in certain ways again in Revelation 8-11. We'll get there. But for now, Christian God is at the center of the universe. The lamb is ruling and reigning now as the mediator between God and his elect. And this Christ opens the seals of the scroll. Boys and girls, as we go through Revelation chapter six, we're going to see three different things. First of all, there are going to be some seals, like something that closes an envelope that you get in the mail. And Jesus is essentially going to open them. And the first few are going to be horses. Boys and girls, these are not real horses. They are symbols. They stand for something. Even their colors stand for something. And guess what, boys and girls, these horses are not one time horses. These horses show what God specifically ruling over his creation through Christ is doing over and over and over from the time that Jesus ascended to be with God until the time that he comes back. This is history, boys and girls. And the story is colorful. Four horses. Then we're going to see when the fifth seal is opened. that there are going to be people who died, boys and girls, because they believed in Jesus and said that he's the only way of salvation and other people have killed them. And they're pictured here, they're drawn like perhaps a drawing in one of your books, they're drawn here saying to God, God, when are you going to get glory and take justice on people who committed murder and killed us? And Jesus is essentially going to say, boys and girls, just a little longer. There are a few more who will die for me. And then then I will get justice for every one of you, but specifically and more importantly, for my glory. And then, boys and girls, we're going to see finally at the end of this chapter, a picture, the sixth seal, really. See, it could be argued that the last seal, the seventh is when Jesus comes back. and crushes all evil. Before that happens in the sixth seal, we're going to get a picture of all of the wicked, all of those who do not believe in Jesus. And it's almost as if they're going to be prepared right before he comes. We're going to get a picture of what's that, what that's like for everyone all of a sudden to now believe that Jesus really is who we've been saying that he is fully God, the Savior. And they're going to realize that they've rejected the only hope that they have. And do you know what they're going to do, boys and girls? And this is actually sad. They are going to cry out, please, rocks and mountains fall on us. It would be better if you would fall on us and we would face you than facing him. And chapter six ends. Three things. So let's very quickly see them. First of all, don't forget the words of our Lord Jesus when he was on the earth from Matthew chapter 24. I'll read them to us. This is often called the Olivet discourse. Jesus said these words as he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately saying, tell us, when will these things be and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age? Jesus answered them, see that no one leads you astray, for many will come in my name saying, I am the Christ and they will lead many astray and you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet for a nation will rise up against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains. Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death. You will be martyrs and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because of lawlessness will be increased. The love of many will grow cold. The one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed. throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations. And then and then the end will come. This is what Jesus said to his disciples and really to all who will follow him down through the ages. His disciples were Jewish, but Jesus is teaching to the disciples need not be limited to Jews only. We confuse scripture if we do that. Jesus is telling them these things are going to happen. You're going to hear of these rumors. And guess what? They heard of rumors and wars and pestilence and earthquake and famine. And the people who came after them heard of wars and rumors of wars and pestilence and earthquakes. And you and I, to this day, as followers of Christ, still hear the drumbeat, the hoofbeats, the galloping of destruction that temporarily rears its head against the true one who sits on the throne. So keep those words in the back of your mind, because in John's apocalyptic disclosure here in chapter six, Jesus, the one who's in control, the one who is over all things, opens the first seal. Let's go quickly through this for horses. We've asked this over and over and over again. It seems like all of a sudden we're getting strange things. Where do these horses come from? Have we ever seen horses and chariots before? And once again, with the symbols found in the book of the Revelation, we have. You were to turn to Zechariah chapter one or Zechariah chapter six. You will see that similarly, horses with colors are represented prophetically, revelation sort of brings to completion all of the prophetic kinds of things of the Old Testament. And notice the lamb opens one of the seven seals. I would encourage you as you go through this, particularly if you are here and you are a new follower of Christ. This chapter isn't meant to paint a literal picture as if God is sitting on a throne. Jesus is sitting next to him, and there is a book with seven seals. Rather, using the language that would have been known to the first century recipients of this letter, pictures are given to paint a very important truth. So four horses, very quickly, I watched when the lamb, verse one, opened one of the seven seals and heard one of the four living creatures. We met those four living creatures a few chapters back saying with a voice like thunder come. And I looked and behold, a white horse and its rider had a bow and a crown was given to him and he came out conquering and to conquer. One of the most debated passages of the book of the Revelation is Revelation chapter six verses one and two. Who is the rider on the white horse? That's a question. Many would say the horse is white, it comes first. Jesus is the rider on the white horse in Revelation 19 verse 11. Jesus is the one who wears the crown. This white horse in verse two is said to be written by a writer who will conquer all throughout the book of the Revelation, just about every time the word conquer is used, it's either Christ or his people. Psalm 45, verses three and four speak to Christ, girding himself with a sword on his thigh, riding in splendor. Yes, many say the writer on the white horse must be Jesus and the horses who follow him are are those kinds of things that are under his sovereignty that will temporarily happen. Others will say, however, No, the rider on the white horse is not Jesus because of what happens. He leads the other horses and the other horses bring evil and destruction. So some would say it's a satanic force under Jesus's control, pretending like Lucifer, Satan does to be the God of light when he is really the prince of darkness. Others say this is the Antichrist. As if there were only one. Others say, no, this is a Christ summary representative. OK, Pastor, thank you for telling us all the views from your study, what do you hold to? Friends, it really matters not what I hold to, I will say, I think we need be less dogmatic about this. Because at the very beginning, the fact that the Lamb is the one who opens the scroll and controls all things tells us that what is going to happen is the will of the Lamb of God and is directed by the Lamb of God. I have no problem figuratively saying that the rider on the white horse is Christ leading temporarily what will come upon the earth in between his two comings. I also have no problem if Christ, the one who has authority to open the seals, open them and commissions, if you will, the use of suffering and evil for time, because either way it is his voice that rules and reigns over what happens. However, I must say there are many symbols which seem to appear again when we speak of Jesus in Revelation 19. And yet there are others that seem to say this is like counterfeit, even if it's counterfeit. Christ rules over it all. So then what is the white horse? Well, the white horse is the leader of the band that gallops through history. Christ died for sin. He was raised, proving that he was exactly who he said that he was. His sacrifice was sweetly received by the father on our behalf. He ascends to the majesty that is on high. He's coronated as king of kings and lord of lords. And in between his two comings, what follows the gospel message where he said the gospel is going to go throughout the nations, what follows that message? If you survey the books of the Bible, if you survey the history of the church, when the gospel goes forward, there is suffering temporarily in its wake. So the white horse is the leader of this band. Then the second seal. When you open the second seal, I heard the second living creature say come and out came another horse bright red, its rider was permitted. Please do not lose sight of that phrase. It is crucial. Its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth so that men would slay one another. And he was given a great sword. You see, many see this as Christ, the rider of the white horse, if that's the view they take being followed with these other horses of suffering and persecution that follow in the wake of the gospel. Friends, we sit here today in comfortable pews in a heated facility. But that is not Christianity around the world. In fact, far too many of our lives are heated and insulated from the world and we blend it in. Down through the ages and in most of the majority of the Christian world today, persecution comes when you say Jesus is Lord. So the red horse is persecution that comes upon the earth. It affects unbelievers and believers alike, but it is specifically a symbol of the world's persecution of the people of God. See, all of these fields end up in what martyrs saying, well, this is history. This is what's happened. When when, oh, Lord. Jesus says himself in Matthew 10, do not think that I've come to bring peace on the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set man against his father, and daughter against her mother, and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, and on he goes. The message of the gospel is not a message that everyone agrees with. And in many parts of the world, perhaps even in your own workplace, it will not make you friends. As the Lamb goes forward through the ages, and the leader of this band that Christ has allowed to exist temporarily. Rise on a white horse. The red horse of persecution will follow us from the beginning. It's always been that way. The seed of the woman is going to be persecuted by whom? The seed of the serpent. Follow the line of scripture. Persecution follows and follows and follows. The godly seed of the woman has been persecuted by the godless seed of the serpent. But take heart. The worst of persecutions is not in the hands of the rider of the red horse, but in the decree and loving care of the lamb. For its rider was permitted. The third horse. Verse five. When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say come and I looked and behold, a black horse and its rider had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four creatures, a quarter of wheat for a denarius and three quarts of barley for a denarius. And do not harm the oil and the wine put in the world scales and prices of food. You see, whereas the Red Horse was allowing the people of the world, often symbolized in this book by the four corners of the earth, to persecute the church by slaughter. It's the black horse. It allows for a time the church to be persecuted through hardship. You see, if you were to equate this kind of measuring a quart of wheat for denarius and three quarts of barley for denarius. It's enough food for about one person for a day's wages. Simply what you have here is a symbol of people not being able to make ends meet for their families. And we've just walked through other chapters of this book where people lost jobs. Because they could not. Could not pay homage to the gods. Four season, four time, the black horse comes, the gospel goes forward, there's slaughter in parts of the world, and then there's hardship. Verse six paints a picture of one day's wages equaling one day's food allotment. How can someone feed their family? The scales and prices of this horse picture the persecution of hardship that Christians will face if they live faithfully in the world. What about oil and wine? Many commentators believe that this is a picture of perhaps those who are arrayed against God. Some who live faithfully barely have enough food, they have hardship, they have turmoil, and yet there are others. Leave our oil and wine alone. They live on the the fatted calf for a time, because they're willing to compromise. They're willing to reject the Christ. So what do we have? The Lamb opening the seals, the throne room of heaven. The Lamb is worthy. And then all of a sudden we see the gospel in this beautiful picture, followed by horses that bring destruction, particularly on the people of God. And then we come to the fourth seal, and a final horse. Boys and girls, our fourth horse is a pale horse. And here, it's just worldwide suffering and death. That's what it says. When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, come. And I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And its rider's name was Death, and Hades followed him. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth. to kill the sword and with famine, with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth. This is a reference to what Jesus was saying in Matthew 24. There's going to be destruction and death and rumors of war. It's going to cover nation is going to rise against nation, people against people. But don't lose sight of the fact. The writer, specifically death and Hades, were given authority. See, evil doesn't exist as something that can array itself against God, and perhaps God will lose some. Now, the worst that happens still in the hands of our God, a fourth of the earth, what does that mean? It's simply a way of saying that there are limits and not all experience it alike. Some of us will live through war. Some of you have lived through wars. Some of you have fought in wars. Others of us will live relatively unscathed from the the carnage of this horse, which is temporary. And yet, have we seen this before? We have Ezekiel 14, 21. For thus says the Lord God, how much more when I send upon Jerusalem my four disastrous acts of judgment? And guess what those four woes are. They're the same ones we see here in Revelation. Seven and eight chapter six sword famine, wild beasts and pestilence. So how do we summarize this creature? I mean, I was excited about the throne. I was excited about the lamb. And now we have horses that are just. Bringing bad stuff. Well, here's my take on how to summarize yours might be better, but under Christ's complete control throughout the ages, There is the galloping sound of Christ's message going forward and of the world rejecting his message, persecuting his people. And all the while, even through this persecution, incomplete judgment coming to the earth as true believers hold up until he comes. What are these horses, boys and girls? They're not real horses sitting in heaven waiting to fly somewhere with wings. Other pictures that tell us between the time of Jesus's ascension and when he comes, history is going to be filled with these kinds of things. And if you claim the name of Christ, sometimes the gallop of hoofbeats mean you will suffer. Dennis Johnson, scholar and pastor, says this about this text, as Christians see societies crumble and collapse, our response should not be terrified alarm. Oh, how we need that in our day. As though our security were bound up with a fragile human network of law and order, but anticipation and confidence, the lamb is now on the throne with God's plan for history firmly in his hands. It's just you and I may not like every bit of the small, brief periods in that story because they may hurt. Well, if we have interpreted this right, This is largely a picture of the Olivet discourse unfolded and the believers down through the ages suffering than verses nine through eleven make all the more sense, because what do we see there in our second part? The fifth seal under the altar, the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they bore. It's interesting underneath the altar, that's akin to Leviticus four, seven, where at the base of the altar of sacrifice, there would be a a basin where blood would pool. You know what happens when the gospel is preached? Lives are changed as the Spirit regenerates people. You know what happens as the gospel is preached? Many reject the message, and some who preach the gospel bleed. They bleed. Now, is there a real, literal basin of blood that God is kind of holding in His hands? No, of course not. Here's another picture. These people aren't sacrificing to earn their salvation. They now themselves, following their Lord, have become a sacrifice. just as if he were killed for being that great and true prophet of God for our redemption. Now they, following in his example, die for the word of God, and they are pictured here in heaven crying out, O sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth? Thankfully, I didn't write this book. Because I'd be tempted right here to say now. But is that what our Lord responds with? Verse 11. Then they were each given a white robe. Righteous robes. We love white in the book of the Bible. Revelation and told to rest a little longer. See, this is another picture for us. This is history unfolding. This isn't a one time event. If you try to make Revelation 6 a one time event, you're going to misplace multiple things. They're told to rest a little longer. They're safe, but Christ hasn't fully avenged their blood. Rest a little longer until the number of their fellow servants. You mean there's more? You're a first century Christian. You know, John is on the island of Patmos. This apocalyptic book is now being circulated in the churches. And you hear within the first hundred years of John's writing, you hear it when emperors are slaughtering Christians. And this is read out loud in the assembly on the Lord's Day, and you hear there's more. Am I in this number? You see, we read that and we don't think, oh, that's us. We think that's others. Not for a scare tactic, but just in sheer honesty. Some of us in this room, maybe in this band. How long? How long? Are you willing, Christian, to accept that Jesus completely controls the martyrs number? When you pray the prayer of repentance and faith in Christ and wholeheartedly rested in him, were you willing then? More importantly, are you willing now to follow him when the grass is temporarily brown? Martyrs. Well, as we end our sermon today in this text, verses 12 through 17, Jesus opens the sixth seal. And in the sixth seal, we see, if you will, six different kinds, depending on how you count them, of earth-like events, as well as six different kinds of people that are affected. Some people put this together because you have three sixes. Sixth seal, six kinds of earthly events, six kinds of earthly people, We'll see the phrase or the number 666 later. I don't think it's as important that we try to interpret now what 666 may mean, but I'm a sixth seal. It's as if we're led right up to the moment when Christ returns. You say, but we're in chapter six. I thought Jesus came back 1920, 21 kind of thing. Well, he does, if you read this as just one linear story. But if you read this as visions, we're going to keep getting to this moment over and over and over in this book, where he's about to burst through the clouds. And those of us, particularly those of us that are suffering for his name, are going to say, yes, come, come, come. And then we get to 21. And what happens? He comes. So here we're taken up right to that moment. And what happened? There's utter calamity on the earth. Notice all the kinds of things. And again, these aren't meant to be literal. As if fig trees shed its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. We're not meant to read these and think this is the only thing that happens. But they're pictures of the fact that the whole universe, the whole earth, is rocked. It sounds big and enormous. But keep in mind, the universe is just one little speck in the hand of the land. Well, verse 15, all the peoples are standing there and look at the different types. Kings, great ones, generals, rich, powerful, slave and free. This is meant for us to see that poor and rich. Every ethnicity. Those that are free, those that are slave, no one is immune. The sixth seal gives us a picture of the earth. Without the mediation of Christ. You see what happens. I have to stop here and say this really briefly. This text is not a text that you want to preach in the 21st century American culture to grow your church. Because we like happy, positive thinking. Even those of us in this church, we like that. Don't be a Debbie Downer or Don Downer today preacher. Just make it Christmas. Let's talk about how Jesus is coming. Here's December 11th and we got people wanting rocks to fall on their heads. And the reason is we don't have a view of Christ that we ought. Baby in a manger. Cuddly. Jesus dying for my sins. Those are good and right truths. But this is light from light. God from God. Eternally begotten of the Father. He is not less. This is God in full, complete, unhinged strength. This is the Infinite One. The One who is all of His attributes. This is the One. And it's not as if the world is just sitting there going, will you be kind to us? God is love. God is love. But outside of a mediator, you only experience God's wrath because God is so pristine and so pure. He's not sitting up there going, you've offended me one too many times. He is so just that he punishes every infraction. There is not one thing that you and I have done or that has been done unto us by a cold and hostile world that God will not mete out justice for. This is the true Lamb of God. We need to dispense with the puny, small abuse of Christ. This Christ is the one that when you face him, you can't wait to fall on your face and say, you are glorious. You saved me. The same Christ. is the one that others will hide from and say anything but his wrath. Cry out, fall on us. Hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. And then we end with this verse, which could be said to be kind of the point where the great day of their wrath has come. And who can stand? Not me. Not you. No one can stand. The Bible is saying that every human being will stand before God and recognize the Lamb. And when they recognize him, they will be blown away by his utter immensity. And if they know him not as their covenant Lord, they will want any kind of wrath. But he is. All believers, at the end of chapter 6, is this what is to become of us? We who have put our hope in the Lamb, will we be crushed? For who can stand? We preach, we baptize, we hand out tracts, we gather around the table, and this is our end. Then, shortly before the seventh seal is opened and all is completed in God's plan, we read these words in chapter seven. After this, I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth that no wind might blow on earth or sea or against any tree. Then I saw another angel ascending from the rising sun with the seal of the living God. He called out with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea. Saying. Do not harm the earth. Or the sea. Or the trees. Until. Until. We have sealed the servants of our God. So that should bring to mind, believer, the reminder that the Holy Spirit of God is a seal, sealing you unto the day of redemption. That for us, we have in the face of the one who most of the world will shudder from, we have the saving face of our Christ who has sealed us. The Lamb has complete control over history, over temporary suffering, over brief wickedness. and over the ceiling. Christ took the crushing rocks of God's wrath in our place, Christian. So we need not hide. We need not call out to the rocks and to the mountains for our own destruction and fear. Our arms are open. Our eyes are open. We await, for Christ has lived a perfect life in our place. We need not fear. The righteousness that stands before the throne room of God is not our own. It is His. And person, if you are here today, embrace the Lamb of God who was slain from the foundation of the world for all that God would save. Don't place yourself in the group who will scream out, please crush me. Embrace the crushing work of the gospel which Christ has wrought in your place and see therein a complete and sure atonement. Well, six seals open. One more is left. We'll get to that in Chapter eight. But next week we get a period of an interlude where this group that is sealed is just shown to be who they are. All the tribes of the earth sealed, saying worthy because he did it. Let's pray. Lord, in this great book, you have given your people pictures. And we must humbly say there are many godly men and women who can interpret these in several ways. And yet today, amid all of the symbols, we pray that the singular focus that the Lamb of God rules and reigns. And he's coming in judgment, and yet he is protecting his own. Let that be our singular focus. And with the picture of the Lord's Supper. Would you comfort us? How can we cry out to the rocks and the mountains and fear that we may not be redeemed when you've already seated us at your table here as we wait? We are the ones who put bread and juice or wine in our mouths, trusting again and again in the gospel. We are the ones who repent and in faith trust wholeheartedly in Christ because of your gift of faith. So how could we cry out with anything other than he is worthy? and praise the Lamb. So we pray now that as we gather around your table, as bread and wine pass by our lips, that you would preach through the Spirit a sermon to our hearts. We would see Christ crushed in our place. We need not fear. We would see his blood shed. We need no more atonement. We would see him raised as our perfect righteousness before the throne of God. And that our vision of the Lamb would be one who seats us at his table to nurture and strengthen our faith.