Read Revelation 6:1–17
Today, we begin reading the part most people think of when they think about Revelation: God’s judgment of all creation. But how does this fit with what we have been reading up to this point? So far, we have seen the blessing for those who read this book, Jesus’ encouragement to local churches, and the glory and worthiness of God the Father and God the Son. Now we make a hard turn from “the good stuff” to “the bad stuff.” But is it really that different? Is there some fundamental shift in worldview from Chapters 1–5? There doesn’t seem to be. It seems like this is exactly where we have been headed. The beautiful descriptions of God’s throne room prepare us for God’s total kingship and His complete control of the universe, including the things we read about here. The worshipful revelation of Jesus as worthy to open the scroll has precisely this purpose: to prepare the way for Jesus to break the seals and unfold these events. John is not taking us anywhere new in this passage. This is where he has been taking us this whole time. As we continue through Revelation, keep that in mind. God is King, Jesus is our Savior, and everything that follows is a result of those two things.
Those facts alone could give us application takeaways for the rest of our lives, but for a specific example, let’s
look at the fifth seal more closely. The martyrs in Heaven are crying out to God for justice. They desire for the wicked to be punished and God’s holiness to be shown. Notice first that God does not condemn their desire.
When we are grounded in God’s holiness rather than prideful self-vindication, we can make similar prayers. But when we do not see them answered right away, we are also in the company of the martyrs. God’s response to them is that the unrighteousness, which they rightly condemn, must continue for a little while longer. Justice will be done—but on God’s time, not ours. So when you look at the fallen world around you and weep at the sin, suffering, and death which characterize it, remember that God is King, Jesus is our Savior, and His plan of
redemption, restoration, and justice is being worked out, even if we have to wait a little while longer.
