If you could not
tell already, we are entering the parts of Revelation that may be confusing to
most people. It is paramount that as you read, you don't get stuck on
the details of this passage, but rather, focus on what is clear: God is sovereign,
and all creation will acknowledge Him as such.
Opening Questions:
What are some of
the difficult circumstances in this world that cause us to doubt Jesus’ power?
Why are we tempted to do this?
THE POINT
God is sovereign
and we must respond.
Revelation 6:1-8,
9-11, 7:1-11
Revelation 6:1-8
Now I watched when
the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living
creatures say with a voice like thunder, “Come!” 2 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. 3 When he opened the second seal, I heard the
second living creature say, “Come!” 4 And out came another horse, bright red.
Its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that people should
slay one another, and he was given a great sword. 5 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. 6 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!”
Revelation 6:9-11
9 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. 10 They cried out with a
loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge
and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” 11 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.
Revelation 7:1-11
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. 2 Then I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, with the
seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who
had been given power to harm earth and sea, 3 saying, “Do not harm the earth or
the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their
foreheads.” 4 And I heard the number of the sealed, 144,000, sealed from every
tribe of the sons of Israel: 5 12,000 from the tribe of Judah were sealed,
12,000 from the tribe of Reuben, 12,000 from the tribe of Gad, 6 12,000 from
the tribe of Asher, 12,000 from the tribe of Naphtali, 12,000 from the tribe of
Manasseh, 7 12,000 from the tribe of Simeon, 12,000 from the tribe of Levi,
12,000 from the tribe of Issachar, 8 12,000 from the tribe of Zebulun, 12,000
from the tribe of Joseph, 12,000 from the tribe of Benjamin were sealed. 9 After
this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from
every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the
throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their
hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who
sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 11 And all the angels were standing
around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they
fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God…
The Holy Bible:
English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Revelation
6:1-8, 9-11, 7:1-11.
STUDY NOTES
What are all these
numbers? What are the seals for? Countless ink has been spilled in attempts to
explain the exact nature of such answers. It would be fruitless for us to add
to those discussions, rather it is important to understand the overarching theme
of these passages; namely chapters 6-8. Ultimately Revelation is reminding us
that “Christ rules over such an apparently chaotic world and that suffering
does not occur indiscriminately or by chance.”
While these
chapters depict suffering and the chaotic nature of the events unfolding with
different symbols, they are describing the same chaos and suffering across the
world. The main picture the reader is called to see is not one of suffering,
but rather one of Christ reigning above all. So, while the reader may cry, as
the text says how long, (Revelation 6:10) The reader can take heart in knowing
that:
1.
Christ reigns supreme no matter our circumstances, trials or tribulations.
2.
We are called to respond to Christ in one of two ways (accepting or
rejecting).
3.
Christ is making all things new, even when we can’t see them.
Quotes:
“Would you prefer
to be captured by God’s grace or His judgment?” – Wayne Bray
“You can run to
Jesus now, or you will run from Jesus in the future.” – Dallas Wilson
“Salvation belongs
to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” – Revelation 7:10
“Believers are only
able to stand righteous before God because they first bow down in submission.”
– Dustin Dozier
“Trusting in God
means believing that even His judgment is good.” – Will Bray
“God’s just
response to right every wrong results in salvation for His people.” – Ashley
Moore
“Fear begins to subside, anxiety begins to flee, despair begins to depart, when we realize that God is in control.” - Dallas Wilson
QUESTIONS FOR
DISCUSSION
How does Christ
being supreme help explain the events of these chapters?
Why is it important
to see Christ as above all in these chaotic times? What is the downside to not
viewing Him as such?
How does suffering
tempt us to turn away from Christ?
Why should we find
it encouraging that Christ is redeeming all things even while we face
difficulties?
What is the most
encouraging thing to you about Revelation 6-8?
How should we
respond to such a passage as this?
END
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