Revelation 15:1 Then I saw another great and awe-inspiring sign in the sky: seven agents with the seven last plagues; for with them God’s wrath will be completed. Revelation 15:2 I also saw something like a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who had won the victory over the wild animal, its image, and the number of its name, were standing on the sea of glass with harps from God. Revelation 15:3 They sang the song of God’s slave Moses and the song of the Lamb: Great and awe-inspiring are your works, Lord God, the Almighty; just and true are your ways, King of the nations. Revelation 15:4 Lord, who will not fear and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All the nations will come and worship before you because your righteous acts have been revealed. Revelation 15:5 After this I looked, and the sky temple — the tabernacle of testimony — was opened. Revelation 15:6 Out of the temple came the seven agents with the seven plagues, dressed in pure, bright linen, with golden sashes wrapped around their chests. Revelation 15:7 One of the four animals gave the seven agents seven golden bowls filled with the wrath of God who lives for ages and ages. Revelation 15:8 Then the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven agents were completed.
plagues and the future
First the good news: When God’s wrath is finished – there will have been a harvest of worshippers who praise him for his great deeds and holy ways. This will happen in spite of the bad news. During this time the earth will not be at peace or without pain. Instead, terrible plagues will destroy the lives of millions.
The common denominator for both the good news of redemption and the bad news of wrath is God’s holiness. The same holiness which punishes this planet for its rebellion also rescues believers by the blood of the Lamb.
LORD, may we endure your wrath and celebrate your grace. May the gospel of salvation through faith in Jesus be our constant chorus.
Revelation 14:1 Then I looked, and noticed the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him were 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. Revelation 14:2 I heard a sound from the sky like the sound of cascading waters and like the rumbling of loud thunder. The sound I heard was like harpists playing on their harps. Revelation 14:3 They sang a new song before the throne and before the four animals and the elders, but no one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. Revelation 14:4 These are the ones who have not defiled themselves with women, since they remained virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were redeemed from humanity as the firstfruits for God and the Lamb. Revelation 14:5 No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless. Revelation 14:6 Then I saw another agent flying high overhead, with the permanent gospel to announce to the inhabitants of the land – to every nation, tribe, language, and people. Revelation 14:7 He spoke with a loud voice: “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship the one who made the sky and the land, the sea and the springs of water.” Revelation 14:8 And another, a second agent, followed, saying, “She has fallen, Babylon the Great has fallen. She made all the nations drink the wine of her sexual immorality, which brings wrath.” Revelation 14:9 And another, a third agent, followed them and spoke with a loud voice: “If anyone worships the wild animal and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, Revelation 14:10 he will also drink the wine of God’s wrath, which is poured full strength into the cup of his anger. He will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the sight of the sacred agents and in the sight of the Lamb, Revelation 14:11 and the smoke of their torment will go up for ages and ages. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the wild animal and its image, or anyone who receives the mark of its name. Revelation 14:12 This calls for endurance from the devotees, who keep God’s commands and their faith in Jesus.” Revelation 14:13 Then I heard a voice from the sky saying, “Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Yes,” says the Breath, “so they will rest from their labors, since their works follow them.” Revelation 14:14 Then I looked, and noticed a white cloud, and one like the Human Son was seated on the cloud, with a golden crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. Revelation 14:15 Another agent came out of the temple, crying out in a loud voice to the one who was seated on the cloud, “Use your sickle and reap, for the time to reap has come, since the harvest of the land is ripe.” Revelation 14:16 So the one seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the land, and the land was harvested. Revelation 14:17 Then another agent who also had a sharp sickle came out of the temple in the sky. Revelation 14:18 Yet another agent, who had authority over fire, came from the altar, and he called with a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, “Use your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from the vineyard of the land, because its grapes have ripened.” Revelation 14:19 So the agent swung his sickle at the land and gathered the grapes from the vineyard of the land, and he threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath. Revelation 14:20 Then the press was trampled outside the city, and blood flowed out of the press up to the horses’ bridles for about one thousand six hundred stadia.
martyrs and the future
Here we see the 144,000 again. They are called the firstfruits because they were the first to hear the whole gospel, and be redeemed. Many of those first Jewish believers paid for their allegiance to Christ by giving their lives. John witnessed that. All of his early companions in the ministry were now dead. The question that looms in the air here is “Was it worth it?” The answer:
“Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Yes,” says the Breath, “so they will rest from their labors, since their works follow them” (13).
The wrath of man (even if it leads to death) is nothing compared to the horrible wrath of God that is coming upon this world. God our creator loves us, and because of this love he cannot allow sin and Satan to continue to reign. There will be a day of reckoning for Satan and sinners – a day of vindication for the martyrs.
LORD, may we love the people of this planet enough to warn them of your coming wrath.
Revelation 13:1 And I saw a wild animal coming up out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads. On its horns were ten crowns, and on its heads were blasphemous names. Revelation 13:2 The wild animal I saw was like a leopard, its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. The dragon gave the beast his power, his throne, and great authority. Revelation 13:3 One of its heads appeared to be fatally wounded, but its fatal wound was healed. The whole land was amazed and followed the wild animal. Revelation 13:4 They worshiped the dragon because he gave authority to the wild animal. And they worshiped the wild animal, saying, “Who is like the wild animal? Who is able to wage war against him?” Revelation 13:5 He was given a mouth to utter boasts and blasphemies. He was given authority for forty-two months. Revelation 13:6 He began to speak blasphemies against God: to blaspheme his name and his dwelling — those who dwell in the sky. Revelation 13:7 And he was permitted to wage war against the devotees and to conquer them. He was also given authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation. Revelation 13:8 All those who live on the land will worship him, everyone whose name was not written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slaughtered. Revelation 13:9 If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen. Revelation 13:10 If anyone is to be taken captive, into captivity he goes. If anyone is to be killed with a sword, with a sword he will be killed. This calls for endurance and faithfulness from the devotees. Revelation 13:11 Then I saw another wild animal coming up out of the land; it had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon. Revelation 13:12 It exercises all the authority of the first wild animal on its behalf and compels the land and those who live on it to worship the first wild animal, whose fatal wound was healed. Revelation 13:13 It also performs great signs, even causing fire to come down from the sky to the land in front of the humans. Revelation 13:14 It deceives those who live on the land because of the signs that it is permitted to perform in the presence of the wild animal, telling those who live on the land to make an image of the wild animal who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. Revelation 13:15 It was permitted to give breath to the image of the wild animal, so that the image of the wild animal could both speak and cause whoever would not worship the image of the wild animal to be killed. Revelation 13:16 And it makes everyone — small and great, rich and poor, free and slave — to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, Revelation 13:17 so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark: the wild animal’s name or the number of its name. Revelation 13:18 This calls for wisdom: Let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the wild animal, because it is the number of a human. Its number is 666.
the wild animals and the future
The vision that we started reading yesterday introduced us to Satan, the great dragon/serpent/devil. Today’s text describes the two great tools the devil has used against God’s plan and his people. They are described as wild animals.
The first (the one from the sea) has all the elements of the four wild animals of Daniel 7. This is a way of identifying all the human empires. What Jesus is saying is that human government will conspire to overthrow God’s plan and destroy his people.
The second (the one from the earth) seems to represent human religion. The apostate churches will conspire with the rebellious state to undo God’s plan. They will both fail.
LORD, we pledge our ultimate loyalty not to the church or the state but to Jesus Christ.
Revelation 12:1 A great sign appeared in the sky: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. Revelation 12:2 She was pregnant and cried out in labor and agony as she was about to give birth. Revelation 12:3 Then another sign appeared in the sky: Notice, there was a great fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads were seven crowns. Revelation 12:4 Its tail swept away a third of the stars in the sky and hurled them to the land. And the dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she did give birth it might devour her child. Revelation 12:5 She gave birth to a Son, a male who is going to rule all nations with an iron rod. Her child was caught up to God and to his throne. Revelation 12:6 The woman fled into the wilderness, where she had a place prepared by God, to be nourished there for 1,260 days. Revelation 12:7 Then war broke out in the sky: Michael and his agents fought against the dragon. The dragon and his agents also fought, Revelation 12:8 but he could not prevail, and there was no place for them in the sky any longer. Revelation 12:9 So the great dragon was thrown out — the ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the one who deceives the whole world. He was thrown to land, and his agents with him. Revelation 12:10 Then I heard a loud voice in the sky say, The salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have now come, because the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been thrown down. Revelation 12:11 They conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; for they did not care about their throats to the point of death. Revelation 12:12 Therefore rejoice, you skies, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the land and the sea because the devil has come down to you with great fury, because he knows his time is short. Revelation 12:13 When the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the land, he persecuted the woman who had given birth to the male child. Revelation 12:14 The woman was given two wings of a great eagle, so that she could fly from the serpent’s presence to her place in the wilderness, where she was nourished for a time, times, and half a time. Revelation 12:15 From his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river flowing after the woman, to sweep her away with a flood. Revelation 12:16 But the land helped the woman. The land opened its mouth and swallowed up the river that the dragon had spewed from his mouth. Revelation 12:17 So the dragon was furious with the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring — those who keep the commands of God and hold firmly to the testimony about Jesus. Revelation 12:18 The dragon stood on the sand of the sea.
the dragon and the future
This one gets a bit complicated, but here’s how I see it:
There is an enemy. He is the dragon, the serpent, the devil (9). He opposes God’s plan for the future, and has sought to thwart that plan.
The enemy first sought to thwart God’s plan for redemption and restoration by preventing the birth of the Messiah – the mail child. Before Christ was born, Satan sought to destroy Israel – from whom the Messiah was to descend.
When that didn’t work, Satan set himself and his forces to destroying both Israel (from whom Christ came) and the church (for whom Christ came) (7). Neither of these plans of the devil will be accomplished. While individuals can be killed, God’s plan and his people will survive.
LORD, thank you that the enemy’s plans will not succeed.
Revelation 11:1 Then I was given a measuring reed like a rod, with these words: “Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count those who worship there. Revelation 11:2 But exclude the courtyard outside the temple. Don’t measure it, because it is given to the nations, and they will trample the sacred city for forty-two months. Revelation 11:3 I will grant my two witnesses authority to prophesy for 1,260 days, dressed in sackcloth.” Revelation 11:4 These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the land. Revelation 11:5 If anyone wants to wrong them, fire comes from their mouths and consumes their enemies; if anyone wants to wrong them, he must be killed in this way. Revelation 11:6 They have authority to close up the sky so that it does not rain during the days of their prophecy. They also have power over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the land with every plague whenever they want. Revelation 11:7 When they finish their testimony, the wild animal that comes up out of the depthless place will make war on them, conquer them, and kill them. Revelation 11:8 Their dead bodies will lie in the main street of the great city, which figuratively is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. Revelation 11:9 And some of the peoples, tribes, languages, and nations will view their bodies for three and a half days and not permit their bodies to be put into a tomb. Revelation 11:10 Those who live on the land will gloat over them and celebrate and send gifts to one another because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the land. Revelation 11:11 But after three and a half days, the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet. Great fear fell on those who saw them. Revelation 11:12 Then they heard a loud voice from the sky saying to them, “Come up here.” They went up to the sky in a cloud, while their enemies watched them. Revelation 11:13 At that moment a violent earthquake took place, a tenth of the city fell, and seven thousand humans were killed in the earthquake. The survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of the sky. Revelation 11:14 The second woe has passed. Notice, the third woe is coming quickly! Revelation 11:15 The seventh agent blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in the sky saying, The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ages and ages. Revelation 11:16 The twenty-four elders, who were seated before God on their thrones, fell facedown and worshiped God, Revelation 11:17 saying, We give you thanks, Lord God, the Almighty, who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign. Revelation 11:18 The nations were angry, but your wrath has come. The time has come for the dead to be judged and to give the reward to your slaves the prophets, to the devotees, and to those who fear your name, both small and great, and the time has come to destroy those who destroy the land. Revelation 11:19 Then the temple of God in the sky was opened, and the ark of his covenant appeared in his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder, an earthquake, and severe hail.
victory in the future
The age in which we live is often one where the people of God and the word of God are in conflict with the kingdom of the world. This chapter reveals that – in the future – that will change. When the seventh trumpet blows, the “kingdom of the world (will become) the kingdom of our Lord and his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever” (15).
THere is both persecution from man and protection from God in this chapter, but the most important truth revealed is that the victory will eventually come. The time given for the nations to trample the holy city is limited. The future victory is certain.
LORD, give us strength to endure whatever we might face as we witness to your gospel. We know that the victory you promise is sure.
Revelation 10:1 Then I saw another mighty agent coming down from the sky, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head. His face was like the sun, his legs were like pillars of fire, Revelation 10:2 and he held a little scroll opened in his hand. He put his right foot on the sea, his left on the land, Revelation 10:3 and he called out with a loud voice like a roaring lion. When he cried out, the seven thunders raised their voices. Revelation 10:4 And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from the sky, saying, “Seal up what the seven thunders said, and do not write it down!” Revelation 10:5 Then the agent that I had seen standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to the sky. Revelation 10:6 He swore by the one who lives for ages and ages, who created the sky and what is in it, the land and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it: “There will no longer be a delay, Revelation 10:7 but in the days when the seventh agent will blow his trumpet, then the mystery of God will be completed, as he announced to his slaves the prophets.” Revelation 10:8 Then the voice that I heard from the sky spoke to me again and said, “Go, take the scroll that lies open in the hand of the agent who is standing on the sea and on the land.” Revelation 10:9 So I went to the agent and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, “Take and eat it; it will be bitter in your stomach, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth.” Revelation 10:10 Then I took the little scroll from the agent’s hand and ate it. It was as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I ate it, my stomach became bitter. Revelation 10:11 And they said to me, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages, and kings.”
a sealed future
John sees the future as a “mystery” that is revealed to him, but he is told to seal it up and not to write it down. It should be enough to know that God has a plan, and that when the time is right, there will be no more delay. Our tendency is to be impatient with God. We have a glimpse in the sweet word of God of the precious inheritance that awaits us, but after eating the little scroll, it turns bitter in our stomach. The troubles of today make us forget about the blessed hope.
One of the big ideas revealed in Revelation is that God has a plan that he has set in motion. It involves “many peoples and nations and languages and kings.” They have a destiny. Because of the gospel we preach – some will come to Christ and join us in eternity. Others will experience his judgment. We do not know the future – at least not all of it. But we can trust the one who does.
LORD, give us the wisdom to proclaim your gospel to the lost, and trust you with the future.
Revelation 8:6 And the seven agents who had the seven trumpets prepared to blow them. Revelation 8:7 The first agent blew his trumpet, and hail and fire, mixed with blood, were hurled to the land. So, a third of the land was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up. Revelation 8:8 The second agent blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain ablaze with fire was hurled into the sea. So, a third of the sea became blood, Revelation 8:9 a third of the creatures having throats in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed. Revelation 8:10 The third agent blew his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky. It fell on a third of the rivers and springs of water. Revelation 8:11 The name of the star is Wormwood, and a third of the waters became wormwood. So, many of the humans died from the waters, because they had been made bitter. Revelation 8:12 The fourth agent blew his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them were darkened. A third of the day was without light and also a third of the night. Revelation 8:13 I looked and heard an eagle flying high overhead, crying out in a loud voice, “Woe! Woe! Woe to those who live on the land, because of the remaining trumpet blasts that the three agents are about to sound!” Revelation 9:1 The fifth agent blew his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the land. The key for the shaft to the depthless place was given to him. Revelation 9:2 He opened the shaft to the depthless place, and smoke came up out of the shaft like smoke from a great furnace so that the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke from the shaft. Revelation 9:3 Then locusts came out of the smoke on to the land, and power was given to them like the power that scorpions have on the land. Revelation 9:4 They were told not to wrong the grass of the land, or any green plant, or any tree, but only those humans who do not have God’s seal on their foreheads. Revelation 9:5 They were not permitted to kill them but were to torment them for five months; their torment is like the torment caused by a scorpion when it stings a human. Revelation 9:6 In those days humans will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, but death will flee from them. Revelation 9:7 The appearance of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle. Something like golden crowns was on their heads; their faces were like human faces; Revelation 9:8 they had hair like women’s hair; their teeth were like lions’ teeth; Revelation 9:9 they had chests like iron breastplates; the sound of their wings was like the sound of many chariots with horses rushing into battle; Revelation 9:10 and they had tails with stingers like scorpions, so that with their tails they had the power to wrong humans for five months. Revelation 9:11 They had as their king the agent of the depthless place; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he has the name Apollyon. Revelation 9:12 The first woe has passed. Notice, there are still two more woes to come after this. Revelation 9:13 The sixth agent blew his trumpet. From the four horns of the golden altar that is before God, I heard a voice Revelation 9:14 say to the sixth agent who had the trumpet, “Release the four agents bound at the great river Euphrates.” Revelation 9:15 So the four agents who were prepared for the hour, day, month, and year were released to kill a third of the human race. Revelation 9:16 The number of mounted troops was two hundred million; I heard their number. Revelation 9:17 This is how I saw the horses and their riders in the vision: They had breastplates that were fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow. The heads of the horses were like the heads of lions, and from their mouths came fire, smoke, and sulfur. Revelation 9:18 A third of the human race was killed by these three plagues — by the fire, the smoke, and the sulfur that came from their mouths. Revelation 9:19 For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails, because their tails, which resemble snakes, have heads that do wrong. Revelation 9:20 The rest of the humans, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands to stop worshiping demons and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood, which cannot see, hear, or walk. Revelation 9:21 And they did not repent of their murders, their sorceries, their sexual immorality, or their thefts.
pain in the future
I have not been entirely convinced by the various interpretations of this passage that I have read. This seems like a prophecy requiring a number of clues to get at its interpretation. What I do get is that the events it describes take place in John’s future, but before the return of Christ. The wars and plagues are felt by the population of the whole earth. The most unbelievable words here are “the rest…did not repent.” But we have to admit that it accurately describes the stance this world has taken to the sufferings it has faced.
LORD, help us to listen to our pain. May it drive us to you and not from you.
Revelation 7:1 After this I saw four agents standing at the four corners of the land, restraining the four winds of the land so that no wind could blow on the land or on the sea or on any tree. Revelation 7:2 Then I saw another agent rising up from the east, who had the seal of the living God. He cried out in a loud voice to the four agents who were allowed to wrong the land and the sea: Revelation 7:3 “Don’t wrong the land or the sea or the trees until we seal the slaves of our God on their foreheads.” Revelation 7:4 And I heard the number of the sealed: 144,000 sealed from every tribe of the Israelites: Revelation 7:5 12,000 sealed from the tribe of Judah, 12,000 from the tribe of Reuben, 12,000 from the tribe of Gad, Revelation 7:6 12,000 from the tribe of Asher, 12,000 from the tribe of Naphtali, 12,000 from the tribe of Manasseh, Revelation 7:7 12,000 from the tribe of Simeon, 12,000 from the tribe of Levi, 12,000 from the tribe of Issachar, Revelation 7:8 12,000 from the tribe of Zebulun, 12,000 from the tribe of Joseph, 12,000 sealed from the tribe of Benjamin. Revelation 7:9 After this I looked, and noticed a vast crowd from every nation, tribe, people, and language, which no one could number, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes with palm branches in their hands. Revelation 7:10 And they cried out in a loud voice: Salvation belongs to our God, who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb! Revelation 7:11 All the agents stood around the throne, and along with the elders and the four animals they fell facedown before the throne and worshiped God, Revelation 7:12 saying, Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and strength be to our God for ages and ages. Amen. Revelation 7:13 Then one of the elders asked me, “Who are these people in white robes, and where did they come from?” Revelation 7:14 I said to him, “Sir, you know.” Then he told me: These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Revelation 7:15 For this reason they are before the throne of God, and they serve him day and night in his temple. The one seated on the throne will shelter them: Revelation 7:16 They will no longer hunger; they will no longer thirst; the sun will no longer strike them, nor will any scorching heat. Revelation 8:1 When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in the sky for about half an hour. Revelation 8:2 Then I saw the seven agents who stand in the presence of God; seven trumpets were given to them. Revelation 8:3 Another agent, with a golden incense burner, came and stood at the altar. He was given a large amount of incense to offer with the prayers of all the devotees on the golden altar in front of the throne. Revelation 8:4 The smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the devotees, went up in the presence of God from the agent’s hand. Revelation 8:5 The agent took the incense burner, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it to the land; there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.
citizens of the future
Revelation 7:1-8:5. The future will be populated by those redeemed “of the sons of Israel” (the 144,000 representing Jews saved during the first century) and also “from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages.” Their eternal destiny is sure in spite of the fact that harm will come to the earth and the sea. God’s promise to them (us) is that they we will no longer hunger; they will no longer thirst; the sun will no longer strike them, nor will any scorching heat.
He also promises that he will hear their prayers. The prayers go up to him like incense at the altar.
LORD, we trust you to make our dreams of the future a reality, and to shepherd us during this dark and trying age.
Revelation 6:1 Then I saw the Lamb open one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four animals say with a voice like thunder, “Come!” Revelation 6:2 I looked and noticed a white horse. Its rider held a bow; a crown was given to him, and he went out as a conqueror in order to conquer. Revelation 6:3 When he opened the second seal, I heard the second animal say, “Come!” Revelation 6:4 Then another horse went out, a fiery red one, and its rider was allowed to take peace from the land, so that people would slaughter one another. And a large sword was given to him. Revelation 6:5 When he opened the third seal, I heard the third animal say, “Come!” And I looked and noticed a black horse. Its rider held a set of scales in his hand. Revelation 6:6 Then I heard something like a voice among the four animals say, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius, but do not wrong the oil and the wine.” Revelation 6:7 When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth animal say, “Come!” Revelation 6:8 And I looked and noticed a pale green horse. Its rider was named death, and Hades was following after him. They were given authority over a fourth of the land, to kill by the sword, by famine, by plague, and by the wild animals of the land. Revelation 6:9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the throats of those who had been slaughtered because of the word of God and the testimony they had given. Revelation 6:10 They cried out with a loud voice: “Lord, the one who is sacred and true, how long until you judge those who live on the land and avenge our blood?” Revelation 6:11 So they were each given a white robe, and they were told to rest a little while longer until the number would be completed of their fellow slaves and their brothers and sisters, who were going to be killed just as they had been. Revelation 6:12 Then I saw him open the sixth seal. A violent earthquake occurred; the sun turned black like sackcloth made of hair; the entire moon became like blood; Revelation 6:13 the stars of the sky fell to the land as a fig tree drops its unripe figs when shaken by a high wind; Revelation 6:14 the sky was split apart like a scroll being rolled up; and every mountain and island was moved from its place. Revelation 6:15 Then the kings of the land, the nobles, the generals, the rich, the powerful, and every slave and free person hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. Revelation 6:16 And they said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb, Revelation 6:17 because the great day of their wrath has come! And who is able to stand?”
the age before the future
The four chariots of Zechariah 6 represent spying out the land, but the four horses of Revelation 6 are war horses. They represent attacks against the whole earth. This chapter parallels Jesus’ descriptions of this age of tribulation that will continue until his second coming. The saints are not delivered from this tribulation, but endure it. Those who pay the ultimate price for their faith (martyrdom) are told to continue resting (in their graves) until the whole number of martyrs should be complete (11). This age ends with the population hiding in fear from the wrath of the Lamb. The future will be a time of blessing for those ransomed by the Lamb, but a time of wrath and destruction for all others.
LORD, give us the wisdom and courage to reach out to the enemies of the Lamb, so that they do not have to face his terrible wrath.
Revelation 5:1 Then I saw in the right hand of the one seated on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides, sealed with seven seals. Revelation 5:2 I also saw a mighty agent proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” Revelation 5:3 But no one in the sky or on land or under the land was able to open the scroll or even to look in it. Revelation 5:4 I wept and wept because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or even to look in it. Revelation 5:5 Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Notice, the Lion from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered so that he is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.” Revelation 5:6 Then I saw one like a slaughtered lamb standing in the midst of the throne and the four animals and among the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven breaths of God sent into all the land. Revelation 5:7 He went and took the scroll out of the right hand of the one seated on the throne. Revelation 5:8 When he took the scroll, the four animals and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and golden bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of the devotees. Revelation 5:9 And they sang a new song: You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slaughtered, and you purchased people for God by your blood from every tribe and language and people and nation. Revelation 5:10 You made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they will reign on the land. Revelation 5:11 Then I looked and heard the voice of many agents around the throne, and also of the animals and of the elders. Their number was countless thousands, plus thousands of thousands. Revelation 5:12 They said with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing! Revelation 5:13 I heard every creature in the sky, on land, under the land, on the sea, and everything in them say, Blessing and honor and glory and power be to the one seated on the throne, and to the Lamb, for ages and ages! Revelation 5:14 The four animals said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.
a certain future
John sees a scroll – a picture depicting all the events that must take place for all creation to be reconciled to God. The only one worthy of opening the scroll – thus revealing the future – is the Lamb. He was slain, and by his blood has ransomed people for God. That is why we have a certain future. It is certain, and we can know it because it is written on the scroll. The Lamb is revealing it to us. What is certain about our future?
We will be ransomed because of Christ’s death on the cross. We will be a kingdom of priests. We will reign on the earth.
LORD, thank you for giving us a destiny, and revealing it to us in your word.
Devotions 