WHO WITHSTANDS THIS DAY?
Opening Prayer
Lord, who can stand before You unaffected?
Read REVELATION 6
The Seals
6 I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, “Come!” 2 I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.
3 When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” 4 Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make people kill each other. To him was given a large sword.
5 When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. 6 Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, “Two pounds[a] of wheat for a day’s wages,[b] and six pounds[c] of barley for a day’s wages,[d] and do not damage the oil and the wine!”
7 When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” 8 I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.
9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. 10 They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” 11 Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters,[e] were killed just as they had been.
12 I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, 13 and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. 14 The heavens receded like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.
15 Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and everyone else, both slave and free, hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. 16 They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us[f] from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17 For the great day of their[g] wrath has come, and who can withstand it?”
Footnotes:
a Revelation 6:6 Or about 1 kilogram
b Revelation 6:6 Greek a denarius
c Revelation 6:6 Or about 3 kilograms
d Revelation 6:6 Greek a denarius
e Revelation 6:11 The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God’s family; also in 12:10; 19:10.
f Revelation 6:16 See Hosea 10:8.
g Revelation 6:17 Some manuscripts his
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Meditate
Lord, enable me to love as You did all those whom the world would discard as untouchable; and to be prepared to suffer as You did because of it.
Think Further
We seem to live in an era of fear and anxiety. The rest of the world seems nearer in this global age, making it feel impossible to respond adequately to devastating news. Today’s passage contains complex imagery beyond our imaginations, but we can see God’s redemptive plan as six of the seals are opened. Wars, bloodshed, famine, and pestilence are the effects of life without the fear of God—destructive habits the world keeps repeating. I lived on the streets and often during talks I would ask, “How far away are you from being homeless?” None of us is secure. Families get separated waiting on housing lists. Record numbers of people need food banks.
This is not God’s desire, as we see peace taken away and men killing each other—the curse of sin which affects us all. Death and Hades are let loose, but only in so far as they are agents of God’s salvation plan: their role is subservient to the highest authority, Christ. The sixth seal involves creation’s response, showing the so-called principalities and powers who claimed so much authority now cowering before God’s power as Creator. God’s people have suffered and died. They, like Jesus, are true witnesses and worshippers. Sadly, more suffering is coming—are we prepared to face suffering for the one who died for us? However bad it may get, we must remember that the one who sits on the throne holds all authority. We see much evil in our world, but Revelation reminds us that only one person is authorized to open those seals (Rev. 5:2–5). In his time and his way, he will restore all things, banishing Death and Hades.
Jesus is ever faithful to his covenant people. We must consider our priorities, remembering the one who fed the hungry and loved the outcasts and the lost (cf. John 14:12: “All who have faith in me will do the works I have been doing”)?
Apply
Lord, forgive me for the times I have shrunk from sharing Your redeeming love with others. Give me the courage today to be a true witness.
Closing prayer
Lord, Your church awaits Your return with joyful anticipation rather than a morbid dread.
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