Revelation: Coming SoonSample

Chapter four painted a picture of Jesus as He is now. We saw the Lord God on His throne: unshakeable, immovable, and eternal. Chapter five tells us that the Lord has a scroll in His right hand that is sealed shut with seven seals (v. 1). This scroll tells of “what must soon take place” (1:1). It is the revelation of the rest of human history. However, John now weeps because no one is “worthy” or qualified to open it and outline our future (v. 4).

Yet John is told not to weep. There is One worthy.

The remainder of chapter five describes Him as the victorious lion (v. 5), the Passover Lamb, the sovereign God, and the worshipped Lord. No wonder angels and every creature are caught up in the worship of Him. Heaven's Lord and history's Lord are on the throne. Everything is under His control.

In chapter six, John is invited to come and look as the seals are opened, the scroll is unfurled, and the future is about to be revealed. We are being allowed backstage to see what is going on in our world now and what will happen to it in the future, all from God's perspective.

The first four seals tell of four horses. They are often called the “four horsemen of the apocalypse.” They describe life in our world now—conflict, famine, and death. In the description of the four horses, there are a few things that the eagle-eyed will have noticed. First, the authority to bring about suffering in this world only comes under the sovereign hand of God. Riders two and four have been given their authority by the Lord (vv. 4, 8). The Lord God allows suffering in this world. It is always under His control. Notice too that the suffering is limited. The fourth horse cannot destroy everything (v.8). Nor will it go on forever.

Our attention next shifts from this world to what is happening in heaven. As the fifth seal is opened, we hear those who have died as a result of “the word of God and the testimony they had maintained” (v. 9). Crying out with a psalm-like call (v. 10), they are told the suffering of this world is only for “a little longer”—until the completion of those who will be martyred.

With the sixth seal (v. 12), we see the world on the last day. It is a terrifying judgment. With almost every word taken from the Old Testament, we read of kings and slaves, the greatest to the lowest, begging mountains to fall upon them. They cannot bear the face of God or the wrath of the Lamb (v. 16).

We would then expect the seventh seal to be opened. But we have to press the pause button. The seventh seal won't be opened until chapter eight. Jesus wants us to know the content of chapter seven first.

Reflect: What’s your reaction to the idea that God is in control of all suffering in this world? What do you think about the promise that it will end one day?