In The Word
Read: Revelation 6
6 Then I saw when the Lamb broke one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, “Come!” 2 I looked, and behold, a white horse, and the one who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.
The Second Seal: War
3 When He broke the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come!” 4 And another, a red horse, went out; and to him who sat on it, it was granted to take peace from the earth, and that people would kill one another; and a large sword was given to him.
The Third Seal: Famine
5 When He broke the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, “Come!” I looked, and behold, a black horse, and the one who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. 6 And I heard something like a voice in the center of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not damage the oil and the wine.”
The Fourth Seal: Death
7 When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come!” 8 I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and the one who sat on it had the name Death, and Hades was following with him. Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, and famine, and plague, and by the wild animals of the earth.
The Fifth Seal: Martyrs
9 When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been killed because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained;10 and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who live on the earth?” 11 And a white robe was given to each of them; and they were told that they were to rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers and sisters who were to be killed even as they had been, was completed also.
The Sixth Seal: Terror
12 And I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became as black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; 13 and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. 14 The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. 15 Then the kings of the earth and the eminent people, and the commanders and the wealthy and the strong, and every slave and free person hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; 16 and they *said to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the sight of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; 17 for the great day of Their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”
New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Walking In The Word
In this chapter, we see something about Christ our Lord that’s not talked about much in churches today. We see our King Jesus unleashing judgment upon the earth. He is doing so out of wrath and anger. I think many times we forget about the fact that Christ is coming back to judge the living and the dead. Here we see a mighty and awful judgment being unleashed on the living: wars, murder, economic collapse, death, and a disruption in the heavens coming down on the earth. We see Christians still being persecuted and killed and nations trying to hide themselves from the presence of the Lord. A time is coming where the patience of God will give way to the justice of God. Those who have rejected so great a sacrifice and King will get what we all deserved to begin with, judgment. Judgment is coming! How long will our Lord refrain? I’m not sure, but I believe that it won’t be long. We, as Christians, must have an urgency about us to share the Gospel of Christ with a lost world bent on destruction. This earth is wearing out and so is the time of kindness from our Lord. When He rises from His throne to settle matters on earth, it’s not going to be pretty. People shouldn’t just know about the grace and forgiveness of God, but also about the justice and punishment from God. It’s part of what causes people to turn to Christ for salvation. Remember, it’s His wrath we believers have been saved from.