Congregational Bible Experience Day #82: Revelation 6-8

Introduction

Congregational Bible Experience Day #82
Bible Reading: Revelation 6-8

It's at this point as we read through Revelation that we need to be prepared to do some thinking. The message of these chapters is truly life-transforming - that's why it was written - but the message doesn't sit lightly on the surface; we need to do a bit of work…
Following the throne-centred vision of heaven in Revelation 4-5, we're in heaven still in chapters 6-7. But our attention is directed to earth, and to the normal expectations of human life - and it's not pleasant reading. We learn that the so-called 'four horsemen of the Apocalypse' are not an horrific prelude (or a 'warmup' act) to Christ's second coming, as is commonly understood. Rather, they represent recurring evils that characterise all of human history: deceit, destruction, devastation, death. And God's faithful people experience these as well. But unlike the rest of humanity, God's Gospel believers, drawn from all over the earth, are preserved through Judgement Day because they now belong to God, having been cleansed under the altar by the blood of the Lamb, sealed by the Spirit for all eternity, and together will rejoice in their God forever.
Now, if that doesn't inspire you towards faithful and risky service for Jesus - as it is meant to - nothing will.

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The notes accompanying today's reading will focus on chapters 6-7 as this forms a unit. Notes on chapter 8 will be included in tomorrow's section as chapters 8-11 also comprise a distinct unit.

For anyone reading from Revelation 6 onward for the first time, what follows will probably seem confusing, perhaps even incomprehensible. For most of us, it will be hard to mentally process and visualise what is being described, never mind properly understand the significance and relevance to life today. Questions will undoubtedly arise in our heads as we read, such as: is what being described to be taken literally or symbolic of something else, and if so what? When does all this take place? - has it already happened, is it happening now, or is still to happen in the future? And if these chapters describe only what has happened in the past or only what will happen in the future, does this book have any relevance to me in the present? Are chapters 6-22 one single storyline, written from beginning to end with the events described happening in the order in which they appear? Or is there some other pattern imposed upon these chapters perhaps involving 'flashbacks' so that the sequence is out of order, or perhaps even a repetition of events so that these chapters tell us the same thing again and again but described from different viewpoints? 

Needless to say, trusted Bible scholars have variously answered both 'Yes' and 'No' to all of these questions - and more - leaving the rest of us unclear as to what Revelation is about and so uncertain as to we are to believe. No wonder so many readers tail off after chapter 5. But to do so will mean missing out on God's promised blessing of 1v3.

Anyway, here's what I think is going on…

In Revelation 4-7 we are allowed in to see what is going on in control centre of all of human history (think: air traffic control watching all the aeroplanes coming and going, only those in the control tower see the big picture). And what we discover is that Jesus is at the centre of heaven's attention and worship for He is on the throne as both the suffering, slain Lamb and the roaring, victorious Lion (5:5-6). Only Jesus is worthy to take 'the scroll' (5:1-5), symbolising the outworking and fulfilment of God's purposes and plans for the salvation of humanity and the judgment and overthrow of His enemies.

And so chapter 6 (which parallels Jesus' direct teaching in Matthew 24) gives us a rolling overview of human history bringing us right up to the brink or climax of its final judgement just before Christ triumphantly returns. This current age - between Christ's first and second comings - is to be characterised by deception, war, famine and death, symbolised by each of the 'four horsemen' (6:1-8). Such is the brutal reality of humanity's existence down through the centuries. These aspects of human life are not restricted to the time just before Jesus returns but are universally present in all cultures and in all time periods and so to be expected as 'normal' - if tragic - aspects of human life. John's readers need to know that this is the context or background in which the Church is called to live and stay faithful to King Jesus as they go into the world as His gospel-spreading ambassadors and missionaries. They need not unduly panic at the bad things they experience in this world, for this is the way it is. But even these evils present in today's world are subject to the One on the throne, in fact, they have been already defeated by His death on the Cross. These evils and disasters will not last forever.

But as the opening of the fifth seal acknowledges (6:9-12), these evils are real, and throughout this time many of God's servants will be martyred for their faith. However, from the viewpoint of heaven's control tower gallery, we see their souls are safe with God, as they are kept under the altar of His temple (v9), eternally protected by the blood of the slain Lamb, Jesus. They ask how long this oppression and martyrdom of God's people will go on, how long will it before God's name will be vindicated and He judges the world (v10)?  

It is at this point that the sixth seal of the scroll of God's plan for human history is opened (v12-17):  John sees the cataclysmic end of the world (v12-14); he sees people from every strata recoiling in horror from the prospect of meeting the all-powerful, righteous and holy God (v15-16; see 4:8).  What John sees is the final Judgement Day, and so rightly the question is asked: 'Who can stand?' (v17). [You might also ask: if we reach Judgement Day, the Last Day, at Revelation 6:17, why does the book go on for another 16 chapters? What else will God show us in this book?]

Now, before the seventh and final seal is opened (8:1), there is an interval, a break, a breather from all this intense and dramatic action - chapter 7.  And here again, we are enabled to see a rerun of human history that unfolds parallel to what is described in chapter 6 (especially 7:1-8). ["After this" (7:1) - means "After what I saw in chapter 6, I saw what I now record in chapter 7". It does not mean that the events described in chapter 7 happened after the events in chapter 6; rather the two series of events ran parallel to each other.] In other words, while the four horsemen are wreaking devastation, disaster, disease and death upon the earth (chapter 6), at the same time the Gospel is spreading across the earth (chapter 7) and as God's people respond to Christ and are converted, they are 'sealed' as God's own protected possession by the Holy Spirit for all eternity (7: 3-4; see also Ephesians 1:13-14). They will be secure even when the 'harm' (v3) of Judgement finally arrives. That's what John's suffering contemporaries need to hear and be reassured by.

Now the number of those thus 'sealed' for salvation is said to be "144,000" (v4-8), and they are all Jewish? Are Gentile converts to Christ not included, not sealed? The short answer (ask me sometime for a fuller explanation!) is that this number symbolises the totality of all of God people (see 21:12-16). He 'hears' about the 144,00 (v3), but he 'sees' an innumerable number of God's servants, from every nation, tribe, people, language-group (7:9,15). They will go through great difficulties common to all humanity, and they will also experience suffering and persecution expressly because of their faith in Jesus (7:14). But by God's grace, unlike the rest of humanity (6:17) they will survive the cataclysm of Judgement Day, they will stand before God's throne (7:9), having been spiritually and eternally sealed by the Gospel (7:14-17) and will be among the throng around the throne worshipping God (7:10).  It is this vision of the security of eternity that keeps God's suffering people faithful and enduring in the present; for the future of all things belongs to Jesus.

Note: comments or questions especially welcome!