The Redemption Of The Earth — Keith Malcomson

The Sermon’s Theme: The Redemption of the Earth

Here tonight. Please turn with me to Revelation chapter 5, not Revelation 6 but to Revelation chapter 5 and I want to read this entire chapter here tonight. But just before I read this I just want to tell you about the coming meetings, more so for those that are online.

The 13th of November, just over two weeks away, I'll be preaching a convention on the 13th of November in London. There'll be two sessions on the Saturday morning, then on the Sunday the 14th of November I'll be preaching in London that morning, then driving north straight after that for an afternoon meeting in Cranfield just outside of Bedford.

So if you're listening, you're near those meetings, please come join us. We'd love to meet you, see you. Please pray for those meetings that God will really touch lives in a very real and a special way.

But here tonight I want to bring you to the sixth part of our short series on the four horsemen of the apocalypse. I'm not going on to the fifth seal, the sixth seal or the seventh seal. I only wanted to bring this short series and the message that I'm going to bring you tonight.

You will think it should have been the first message in this short series, but I didn't want to give it because it wouldn't have meant anything. You know what, this message is going to mean something because we have dealt with the four horsemen.

We have looked at what is soon going to spread right across our world. We're looking at tragic events that are going to come to this generation. Now I can take you back and for a moment give you the context because if all I do is give you the four horsemen and you don't know why, why is this happening, you could get very scared in this hour.

You could get really disturbed by world events around us that are happening right now. But I want to show you the context of the four horsemen, the seals being broken and those horses riding out to impact our world globally.

Last week I dealt with the four horsemen and showed how one quarter of the entire world's population would die in under one year through the judgments that were going to come on the earth. What a tragic hour that is ahead for this generation.

There's only one place of refuge and that's in the Lord Jesus Christ. Read in tonight and this is my message title in part six, the redemption of the earth. If you want to know why the four horsemen, this is it tonight that I'm going to give you, the redemption of the earth, Revelation chapter five.

And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne, a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, who is worthy to open the book and to loose the seals thereof.

And no man in heaven nor on earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. And I wept much because no man in heaven was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.

And one of the elders saith unto me, weep not. Behold the lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, hath prevailed to open the book and to loose the seven seals thereof. And I beheld and lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts and in the midst of the elders stood a lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.

And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne. And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the lamb, having every one of them harps and golden vials full of odors, which are the prayers of saints.

And they sung a new song saying, thou art worthy to take the book and to open the seals thereof, for thou was slain and has redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation and has made us unto our God, kings and priests, and we shall reign on the earth.

And I beheld and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, worthy is the lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessings.

And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea and all that are in them heard I saying, blessing and honor and glory and power be unto him that sitteth on the throne and unto the lamb forever and ever.

And the four beasts said amen and the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth forever and ever. Will you pray with me here tonight? Father, we thank you God for these messages in season at this time in such an hour in our world when everything that can be shook is being shaken again.

You promised in your world that once more you shall shake both the heavens and the earth. Lord God, to bring forth your kingdom that is established by the grace of God. And Father, we're looking for an everlasting kingdom that shall never perish.

We thank you that Jesus Christ will reign forever and ever without end. We thank you he's an everlasting king that's going to reign. Lord God, we bless you. We worship you for the lamb of God, for redemption, for the blood of Jesus, for the death of Jesus, for the lamb, oh God, that is at the center of the throne room of heaven right now.

Lord God, it's not the powers and principalities that have power, but it's the Lord Jesus Christ has all sovereign power and we worship him and bless him even here tonight in Jesus' name. Show us the lamb, bring us to the lamb of God tonight in Jesus' mighty name.

Revelation 4–5 as the Context for the Four Horsemen

My message, the redemption of the earth, we have dealt with the four horsemen of the apocalypse which are judgments to be brought to the earth. You see the prophecy in the book of Revelation begins in Revelation chapter six and verse one.

So if you're going to understand the four seals that we have just dealt with, if you're really going to understand the four horsemen, look at the context, the context of the opening of the seals. It does have a setting and it's found in Revelation five.

Most Christians don't even consider Revelation four or Revelation five. They either deal with the seven churches of Asia and then they jump to the good stuff, the prophecies of Revelation six all the way through to Revelation 22.

We think actually that this book is primarily about prophecy, antichrist, judgments, the wrath of God, of the false prophet and many other things. Most people little realize the importance of Revelation four, the throne room of God, in heaven, in the presence of God.

That's where everything is set. That's the context. If you want to know where the power is, where the influence of heaven comes down to affect the entire world, it starts in Revelation four, which is the throne room, the very presence of Almighty God Himself.

We need to keep the four horsemen in the context of the Bible. You see, you've got to go to Revelation four. If you begin at Revelation six, you will get very worried. You'll look at the economy in this hour.

You'll look at the nations in this hour. You'll look at the institutions in this hour that are stealing our liberties and your heart is going to tremble. That's why Jesus said, do not be terrified. He said it for this hour, because there's going to be so many things that you can get worried about.

But we've got to visit Revelation four. We've got to get back to the throne room of Almighty God again. And more than that, we have got to go to Revelation five. Never look at the horsemen, unless it's through the prism of Revelation five.

In other words, dare not look at the judgment of God, unless you see Revelation five, where we find the Lamb of God and redemption. You see, if you're going to begin to understand the four horsemen, remember what the first one was, the opening of the first seal, released the white horse and its rider.

What did it represent? The peaceful political deception that's going to arise. A world government that's going to come in under the guise of worldwide peace, but it's going to be a deception, a world government.

Remember after the white horse, the second seal is open and the second horse is the red horse of war. It's going to be civil uprising in every nation. We are going to see whenever people realize what this world government has done, what the rich and the powerful have done all over the world, you're going to see this national uprising to say we're against this and there's going to be a great slaughter.

That's the red horse. Then third of all is the black horse of hyperinflation and famine. All over the world, people will hardly be able to feed themselves or their family. Then after that hyperinflation is the fourth horse, the pale horse or the yellow green horse, the horse of death and hell.

The Book of Redemption and the Meaning of Revelation 5

As these four horses ride out, I want you to understand tonight. It's so important what I'm going to say. I'll try to be brief. I'll try to be clear, but I'm going to show you something I wanted to show in message number one.

I wanted to start here, but I went, no, I've got to preach on this, then come back to it. Because what I'm about to reveal to you about this little book is remarkable. The meaning of the book in the hand of the Lamb of God, who actually breaks the seals and begins the process of chapter six all the way through to chapter 22.

I want you to understand this biblically, and I've got three points here from Revelation chapter five. My first point, the book of redemption. Our entire message is the redemption of the earth. When you see all these things beginning to line up, do you know what?

You as a Christian must realize the redemption of the earth is drawn near. You can't be like a sinner, an atheist, an unbeliever, or a person of this world who when they see all these things, they get terrified and go, we're losing everything.

You don't understand what I'm going to share with you tonight. When you see all these things lining up, do you know what? You're beginning to see is the redemption of the earth. I know everything is in chaos, but I see through it, and it's only the Bible reveals this.

When I see all these things coming to pass, I know the redemption of the entire earth. Let me make it bigger. My title is very limited. I've limited it to the earth of the entire cosmos of all of creation, everything under the sea, everything above the sea.

We are going to see the redemption. Do you see how you had martyrs in old time used to go to the martyr fire singing, rejoicing, skipping. They weren't being stupid, but they caught such a side of biblical truth that they went, I'm going to my marriage day.

I'm going to see the lamb. I'm going to see the king of all creation. And they died rejoicing with great expectation. I want to tell you, the church in this hour needs to begin to understand that what we are seeing that makes us fearful is actually the indicators that the Lord Jesus is coming to redeem everything back.

My first point, the book of redemption, look at chapter five, verse one again. And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne, that is the father, a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.

Here we see at the very beginning is the father on the throne with the book in his right hand. In other words, he has got power over future history, prophecy, the events of this world, judgments, all manners of things.

It is the father in heaven who has absolute supreme power. Look at what he's got here. He has a book in his hand, in his right hand, and that book is written within and on the backside, and it's sealed with seven seals.

All that we preach so far is contained in this book, and it's concealed in this book. It is hidden in this book. All that's going to happen is closed. And until it's open, it's going to remain like this.

Listen very carefully to Ezekiel chapter two. Remember last week I said Ezekiel talks about God's four judgments. When he's going to judge Jerusalem, he'll bring famine. He'll bring pestilence. He'll bring the sword.

He'll bring wild beasts. Those are God's four terrible judgments. But where else do we see in the entire Bible a book that's written within and without and is sealed? Do you know where you find it? In Ezekiel chapter two, verse nine and 10.

And it says there,. And when I looked, behold, a hand was sent unto me, Ezekiel. And lo, a roll of a book was therein in his hand. A roll, a scroll, a book was held in this hand that was coming out from God.

And he, that is the person who had the book, spread it before me, and it was written within and without. And there was written therein lamentations, mourning, and woe. Ezekiel has sent a book just like Revelation 6.

And you know what he's told? I want you to eat this book. You know why? That book is God's message through Ezekiel to Jerusalem in an hour when the four sore judgments are going to come. He was chosen as the prophet to preach in a time of coming judgment.

He warned Jerusalem. He warned the apostates. He warned the backslider. He warned the rebels that were fighting against God and not living right. And he said, these four judgments are coming. And God actually gave him this scroll that was written inside and outside, and he had to eat it.

He had to consume it. This wasn't a physical book. It is a spiritual book. It is a spiritual experience. God has given it to him in a vision and saying, you are to eat this, and when you eat it and digest it, you're going to preach this message to Jerusalem in your hour.

That's what Ezekiel had to do, a message of coming judgment. You know why? Because God brings grace and mercy and love, and you reject it, and you go and live your own life, and you continue in your sin, and he keeps reaching out.

Isn't that what God does all the day long? He reaches out in love and mercy. I loved you. I died for you. I suffered for you. I want you. Won't you come and bow the knee? No, no, no, no. Then he's left at a point where he's going to bring judgment.

Notice that this book was in the hand of the father. This little book is mentioned four times in the book of Revelation, but we see here that there's another person called the Lamb of God who approaches the throne of God and takes the book out of the hand of the father.

That is the Lord Jesus Christ. He takes that book, and he is found worthy to break the seals and to initiate Bible prophecy at the very end. What are we seeing in Revelation 5? What is this that's happening where John begins to cry?

You know what? He sees that book in the hand of the father, and it says he began to weep. That word weep is a terrible weeping. You know why? Because he looks at his world. He looks at his generation.

He looks at all that's going on. He's going, what about the redemption of this world? What about that redemption? Is there no one that is worthy to break the seals and open this book? What is it about this sealed book that's so important?

It's so important it's got to be open. What is so important about this book that when John sees that it's sealed and there's no one to open it, he begins to weep uncontrollably. You see, there's something about that book would stop him weeping.

If only someone could open it. If only someone could initiate the breaking of that first seal, which is the white horse, then he's going to stop weeping. But it's a terrible thing to see this sealed book.

It is closed. It's shut, and who is going to open it? If you begin to understand in the next few moments what this book is, what it represents, what the Bible teaches about it, you are going to have your eyes open in a remarkable way of what is just about to happen in our world.

Let me explain about this book. Our redemption is the redemption of the earth. My first point, the book of redemption. What is redemption? The word redemption in the Bible usually speaks about the blood of Jesus being shed to redeem, to buy back, to purchase, to pay a price.

That's what redemption is. Remember last week we were singing, I am redeemed. If anyone asks you who I am, tell them I'm redeemed by the blood of Jesus. I was redeemed. What does redemption mean? Someone pays a price to redeem you from your sin.

Jesus said, I died for you. I paid the price. I suffered on the cross. What is that? It's redemption. I paid the price that you could go free. I paid the price that you don't need to die in your sin. That's what this book of redemption means.

The Old Testament Law of Redemption and Jubilee

What does it mean, the book of redemption? In Leviticus 25 and 25, we read about this whole principle of redemption in the Old Testament. You can only understand the New Testament through insight from the Old Testament.

In Leviticus 25, we read about a man or a family. It's through debt, bad deals, lack of work, through some crisis, famine, pestilence, something else that you lose your house, your family land, your possessions, your inheritance.

You lose it in some tragedy. There is the law of redemption or recovery. So it says about a poor man, someone who's grown very, very poor and has had to sell away some of his possessions. And if any of his kin or his family come to redeem that property, then shall he redeem that which his brother sold.

And so notice this, if one family member gets very poor and he says, I had to sell the family property or house or field and another family member, it's got to be a family member. They've got to have a blood connection.

If that brother comes along, he can step in and say, no one else can buy this. I'm going to buy it. I'm a brother. I'm a cousin. I'm an uncle. I can step in. You've got to be qualified. No one can just buy that ground.

It's got to be a family member who actually steps in. Notice here for a second, the Old Testament shows a certain person under certain conditions could redeem that bit of land or that property in order to keep it in the same family.

A man's inheritance could not get taken away forever. Now just think about this of an individual man or an individual family. If he lost it through debt or poverty, every 50th year, it was going to get returned to him, written into the principle of the entire nation of Israel.

At the end of 50 years, seven times seven, it's that 50th year that it's called the year of Jubilee, where all that you've lost through your own foolishness gets restored back onto you. This is the whole principle of redemption so that a family never loses it.

Everything is going to get restored back. God has made provision that what you lose through sin, through the flesh, through the things of this world, will get restored back to you again. In other words, reverting back to the original owners.

Do you hear? I'm only building here for a second. It's going to get a lot better than what I'm telling you at the minute. You see, there is, in order to do this, in order to get the property back, there has to be a mortgage.

At that time, to get your property back, you had to write two books if you're going to redeem the property. You're the brother who comes along and says, I want to redeem the field or the house back again to the family name.

Well, you had to do it legally. There was laws, there was obligations. You had to write out two books, and these books are the title deeds of ownership for that house or property. It's called a purchase possession.

You need to pay the price for it. You need to redeem it. You need to bring it back into the family again. And these two books that got written, the ownership of the property under the family name, only a family member can do this.

One of them was left open as a witness so that people could know about it. The other one was sealed upon it, and witnesses who were gathered at the gate of a city, they had to write on the outside of that, transcribing their name, saying, we are witnesses to what happened, that this property is going to be redeemed back, that he is worthy to redeem it back.

He is qualified to redeem it back. He is a family member, and it comes back to him again. And that is placed into the hands of the temporary possessor. It is the evidence or the proof of an inheritance that was once mortgaged off or lost to that family.

Christ as the Kinsman Redeemer of Creation

Let me go a little bit further here. I'm talking about the book of redemption. When you see this book of redemption in the Father's hand, and Jesus Christ steps up, and they're saying, who is worthy? John is weeping.

Do you know what? There's only one found worthy, and we're going to look at him in a second. Only one called the Lamb of God. He steps up and says, I'm a family member. I am worthy. I have rights here.

And do you know what? Here is the book. That's why John is weeping, because that book shows the property has been lost. The property has been lost. All of creation, this earth. Do you realize this earth was made for man?

Do you realize it was given to Adam and Eve as a possession, and you were instructed to rule over all things? You're given authority over all the beasts. You're the very center of the creation. All of this was yours.

But when Adam and Eve sinned against God, they lost the inheritance. They'd become poverty struck. I tell you, they lost it all. And now we need a family member who is worthy. We need a family member to come back and to redeem all of creation again.

We need a family member who only can be the Lamb of God. Now just hold this for a second. In Jeremiah chapter 31 to 33, Jeremiah is prophesying about the redemption and restoration of Jerusalem. Those three chapters are remarkable.

In Jeremiah chapter 32, and note this down, very important you read this. Jeremiah 32, verse 6 to verse 12, we read about Jeremiah doing this process, buying a property. The Babylonians are at the gate of Jerusalem.

Jeremiah is in the city. He is prophesying, King, you're going into captivity. Judah, you're going into captivity for 70 years. Jerusalem, you're going to be burnt to the ground. The judgments of God are coming.

Judgment after judgment, famine, pestilence, sword, wild beasts are coming on the city of Jerusalem. Do you see how all of this is fitting together, saints? Jeremiah is in the prison in the city of Jerusalem, prophesying of coming judgment, revealing all of the events that are going to come on the earth.

And as he is in a prison in Jerusalem, the Babylonians are outside the city, besieging the city with all of their armies. They've invaded the land, the villages, the towns. Now they're after Jerusalem.

This is the end of the life of God's people. It's the end of Jerusalem, of the temple, of the worship, of abiding in your homes under your own authority. He's living in an hour where disaster is being spelled out for God's people.

And right at that point, what are you going to do? Someone once asked Luther, said, Luther, if you knew this was the last day you're ever going to live, what would you do? What would you do? Do you know what Luther said?

He said, I'd go and plant a tree. This was the last day and I knew everyone was going to end. I'd go and plant a tree. See, only if you know what I'm talking about, do you even understand that attitude?

Some of you could say, well, if it's all over, why do anything? Why pray? Why fight? Why labor? Why have children? Why raise children? Why start a new job? If you ask that, then you don't know what this is about.

Because when you fully see this, you're living in a different way. Jeremiah, the Babylonians are here. Everything that you love is going to get destroyed in front of your eyes. You're going to see them all carried off in the captivity.

What are you going to do, Jeremiah? You know what God told Jeremiah to do? Jeremiah, now your cousin is going to come knocking on the door and he's going to offer you the family property. I can't buy it.

It's my uncle's property. He's died now. I'm your cousin. I want you. God is speaking to Jeremiah saying this is going to happen and showing him his will for this hour. When the enemy is at the doors, would you be worried about buying, redeeming back your family field and property?

And yet this is what God is saying to him. Jeremiah actually purchased the title deeds of the family property. He had witnesses. He's in the courtyard of the prison and the witnesses are probably either soldiers or prisoners and they're witnesses as the cousin comes and said, hey cuz, I want you to redeem the property, our family property.

I can't do it, but I want you to do it. And so we see that this happens here. Jeremiah tried to get there earlier in chapter 37 to get to the land to redeem it, but he got arrested and accused of you're a spy trying to join the enemy and you're against Jerusalem.

You prophesy against us. You speak about Jerusalem being judged of God. You're an enemy. Really he's not an enemy at all. In trying to get to the field, that field, that property is already occupied by the enemy.

But Jeremiah writes up a document. Then listen to what he does in chapter 32. The document gets written out. It gets sealed. It contains the details, the price about the persons. There's witnesses and one of them gets sealed and one of them gets left open.

It's all there in that context. And in fact, Jeremiah 32 is a remarkable passage. He begins to say there, for the right of inheritance is yours, Jeremiah. Jeremiah, you have a right to inherit this bit of property.

And listen, and the redemption is thine. Buy it for thyself. Then I knew that this was the word of the Lord. And I bought the field of Hamamel, my uncle's son, that was at Anathoth. In verse 11, it says, and I took the evidence of the purchase.

In verse 12, it talks about the book of the purchase. And so when you see this scroll that is rolled up, that is sealed, do you know what that scroll actually represents? It is the redemption. It is the purchase.

It is the title deeds of the property. When you see that seal scroll, it is sealed as evidence. One open, one sealed. And so in Revelation 5, when you see the sealed book with seven seals, you're seeing the book of redemption.

You're seeing the title deeds of the earth. You're actually seeing a book that is a witness. It's sealed, it's closed up, and we've got the other one that's open in our hand. And you know what it's saying?

It's saying there has to come a family member along and he has to buy back, he has to purchase the property. What is the property? The entire creation, the entire earth. There is one who's got to be raised up to purchase it back for himself.

When Jeremiah had done this, this was a prophetic act. Everything is being lost. It's under the enemy for the next 70 years. But it was a prophetic act to say, God's going to restore the fields, the towns, the villages, the city, the land, everything.

70 years time, you'll come back here. You'll plant fields again. You'll build houses again. It was an act of faith. When all around you, it seems it's disaster. I mean, look at the economy. Look what the UN is doing, the World Economic Forum, the politicians.

They want to take all these people to task. It's not going to happen. If we're getting close to the first seal, you know what? This is going to move very, very fast. When you begin to see God's judgments coming on the earth, you could say it's all over.

Really? What about being like Jeremiah? What about looking at the seal book to say, there is the redemption of the entire earth. I know there is a redemption of everything. That's my first point. The book of redemption, the title deeds of the earth.

The book that you see in Revelation 5 is the title deeds of the earth. Who is worthy? That's why John is weeping. He said, can anyone open this? Can anyone claim it? Can anyone stand up and say, I'm the one who's going to purchase?

I am the very one. My second point, the redeeming lamb. First, you have the book of redemption. Second of all, you have the redeeming lamb. You see, connected to this title deed is the person who's going to do it.

There is only one person worthy in heaven and earth. And you know what? There's only one man. It says, is there any man worthy to open the book, to read the book, to break the seals? It can't be an angel.

It can't be God. It's got to be a man. And so the search begins for a man. Who is worthy? You know what? If redemption doesn't come, if someone doesn't intervene in sin, I am redeeming the property back.

I'm getting it back into the family name. I'm going to restore everything that's been lost for 6 ,000 years. I'm stepping in and saying it's mine. It's rightfully mine, legally mine, and I'm going to redeem it back.

I'm going to pay the price. There's only one. You see, a redeemer produces the qualifications. There's got to be a redeemer to redeem the property. Revelation chapter one, verse one, the entire book of Revelation, what's it about?

Judgments? No, it's all actually about the Lord Jesus Christ. Since when you see the four horses ride out, what do you say? Do you say, praise God, all creation is about to be redeemed back? Or do you say, oh no, it's all over.

How am I going to keep my job? What about my children growing up? Will I ever see them walk down the aisle when I look around me? What am I going to eat next week or next year? You know what, saints, you've got to be like Jeremiah.

Everything is being lost around you. Everything is smoking fire around you. The enemy is pressing in all around you. But you know what you go, there is a book of redemption. There is the title deeds of the earth.

And I know it's not Jeremiah redeeming us. It is the Lord Jesus Christ. The book of Revelation in chapter one, verse one, is called the revelation of Jesus Christ. The word revelation there is eucalyptus, where we get our word apocalypse.

The four horses of the apocalypse. I never liked the title anyway. It's the wrong title that I've used all this time. It shouldn't be the four horses of the apocalypse. You think, man, four horses of disaster.

That is not what apocalypse means. The word apocalypse means to disclose, reveal, remove the cover, unveil. What is the book of Revelation? It's revealing the person of Christ. If you do not see Jesus Christ and the four horsemen, you have seen nothing over the several weeks.

If you don't see the redeemer standing up and saying, I'm breaking the seal. As soon as he breaks that first seal, that's it, saints. Do you see what I'm saying here? As soon as this world gets its world government with the first seal, they are all praise and rejoice and saying, we are beginning our work.

What did Jesus say? If he hadn't condensed and limited the time, they would destroy everyone. No flesh would be alive by the time they finish. So do you know what he does? He limits the time to seven years.

You've only got seven years. No, you antichrist have three and a half years. You're utterly restricted. I've set a time limit. You won't get a day longer. You won't get a year longer. You've got a short period of time.

But when that first seal is broken, it is through judgments and the wrath of God, that God is going to redeem all of creation back to himself. Do you know how close we are to that? Of all creation, the cosmos, all these guys, these super billionaires, trillionaires, they want to populate the planets.

You're not going to get there. You're not going to get there. I know someone coming who's going to redeem all of creation back again. Do you know what it says in Revelation 5 and 6? It says, there stood a lamb.

There stood a lamb. Right at the midst of this, who is worthy to do this? Saints, I want you to be gripped by this. It's so simple tonight, but there is a redeemer. Who is worthy? Worthy of what? Qualified to redeem the earth back, qualified to break the first seal, to say, let's get all of this back again.

When you begin to see these things coming to pass, you know it's all over. Jesus is coming again. What a remarkable thing. In verse 6, there stood a lamb. The word lamb there originally means a little lamb or a young sheep.