Revelation 6-8
Hope after Hope Before Hope / Revelation 6–8
Before The seven seals, a mess of our own making
These are the introduction of judgments on the earth. Judgement for sin and rebellion and wickedness and power.
This is a reply in regard to justice.
– Revelation take the desire and promise of the OT looks back to understand and reveal God’s purposes in the OT as their fulfillment in the NT and forward. That is why some of these items would have been understood by John as happening. Some of them would not. Some we are waiting for.
– But the cycle of human history is to exploit power to overtake other humans for the sake of some. This is Babylon. This is Rome in revelation. And God will break it.
• We are in too deep and we have built structures and things and ways in which we can justify the evil that we expel toward others.
• We have preffered to remain absent from God. and have preferred to play God.
The Seven Seals as judgment and a reminder of redemption.
Revelation 6:1–8 ESV
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!” 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.
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 people should slay one another, and he was given a great sword.
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 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 by wild beasts of the earth.
• there are four horsemen who bring judgement in particular ways. And then the 5-7th seals are the visoin of people who have been killed for their faith, who were injustly killed, who are calling out to God for mercy. We see these martyrs and God’s people play out in Chapter 7 as well, culminating in God’s promise to shepherd His people.
• We may not think that we want justice but we do. The problem is we want justice for others but not for us. We cry out for justice. The problem we have here is that God finally brings complete justice. But it’s not for everyone else, it’s for you.
• We contend with a God who in His mercy brings complete justice.
• Christ has already responded to this. Revelation 5 is the asked and answered for judgment. Christ is not simply the judge He is solution. He states that these things are coming but before that we see the victorious lamb. He has already dealt with this. And the reason He is worthy and the reason we are here and the reason we worship is because He alone has done something about this mess we have found ourselves in.
• That is the crux of His plan. To reveal mercy in Christ. That the first one to die is Christ, for the sake of many. He has already justified those in Christ, made them right with Him, so that we don’t deal with judgment in the same way.
The Trumpets as a Reminder of the Plagues.
Revelation 8:7 ESV
The first angel blew his trumpet, and there followed hail and fire, mixed with blood, and these were thrown upon the earth. And a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.
Exodus 6:6–8 ESV
Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession. I am the Lord.’ ”
Christ the Shepherd always in the Middle.
Revelation 7:9–12 ESV
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, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 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, saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”
Revelation does not leave middle ground. We have to decide what to do with Christ. We have to figure out how we manage difficult situations. We need to be able to assess current political and geopolitical situations for what they are. Mechanisms of evil bent on breaking others for the sake of maintaining their own strength.
What Revelation reminds us is that when the powers and principalities wage war, when there are wars and rumors of wars, we can find Christ working and moving. He has not changed, He has not moved. He is right where He said He would be. He is making all things new. And to do that He has to deal with evil. And He will.
“Aslan is a lion- the Lion, the great Lion.” “Ooh” said Susan. “I’d thought he was a man. Is he-quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion”…”Safe?” said Mr Beaver …”Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”
― C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Christ is Center in present and the judgments, and Christ is Center and present in comfort to those killed for their faith.
Christ present at the worst end of the earth, in the worst ends of the life of those killed for their faith. He is with you your critical decisions question. He is with you and your depression. He is with you and your anxiety. He is with you and your conflict.