Revelation 6:9-11

Today we come to the fifth seal judgment which reveals the souls of the saved who were martyred in the tribulation. As they plead for God’s justice to cover the earth from under the altar in heaven, God clothes them in white raiments and tells them to rest for a short season. We will see in the coming verses and chapters that God makes good on His promise to these saints.

Revelation 6:1-8

The tribulation starts out with the promise of peace and security, but things quickly take a turn for the worse. This terrifying time involves widespread disease, ravaging war, economic turmoil, and violent death. But Christ offers true peace that never fades away. He is contrasted with the antichrist’s fake peace in Daniel 8:25-26 and John 10:10 (see also Isaiah 9:6-7, Colossians 3:15, Isaiah 26:3-4, Philippians 4:6-7, John 14:27, and John 16:33). He is the one we should be resting in every single day. As Isaiah 55:6 says, let us seek Him while He may be found and call upon Him while He is near.

Revelation 6:1

It is important to rightly divide doctrine so in this episode we get an overview of the definitions, denominations, and defining times in history when various interpretations of end-times events occur. The real comfort for believers is that we are promised to be kept from the hour of temptation—the tribulation—which will come upon the whole earth. This is not “escapism” or “abandonment,” it is a desire for God to take back full ownership rights to the world, promises to be fulfilled to Israel, and for the world to be made right again so we can serve God and be with Him in a way we can’t now.

Revelation 6:1

As Christ opens the scroll, we start into the tribulation. Today, we are reminded of the living and inviting aspects of God’s Word and we start to look topically at the time of the Tribulation. We will pick up with a defense of a literal 7-year tribulation next week. Looking forward to it!

Revelation 5:9-14

In heaven, as in our passage today, it’s all about Jesus. How central of a place does He have in your life today? I hope this episode both encourages you and challenges you to make Him more preeminent this week.

Revelation 5:5-10

John describes Jesus as the Lamb, humble in His rejection and exalted in His worship. And heaven erupts with praise at Who Jesus is and what He has done. Take some time to reflect on what Jesus has done for you today.

Revelation 5:1-8

The Word of God—representing God’s last will and testament, His title deed to the earth, and His plan for humanity—is in the hand of God, but it is sealed, and there is no man in heaven or on earth with the authority to open it. This leads John to despair and weep until he sees the Lamb of God, who alone is worthy to open the book. We can rejoice that Christ has the power to carry out the plan of God, and He already has by purchasing our redemption.

Revelation 4:6-11

We’ve been introduced to two main groups in the heavenly crowd around the throne of God—the elders and the four beasts. These two parties have distinct roles in the praise of God, but both are important and beautiful. We begin this episode by examining the beasts more closely, and then we will turn our attention to the twenty-four elders as we close out Revelation chapter 4 today.