Seven Seals | Revelation 6-7
Sermon Discussion | Revelation 6-7
We ended last week in the throne room with a chorus of worship and a sealed scroll. Who is worthy to open the scroll? The lamb of God is! Then John sees the slain lamb, and he opens the first seal.
Seal 1: A white horse with a rider who held a bow and was given a crown is coming and the scripture says he is a "Conqueror and bent on conquest." Rome is an empire that will someday fall to another empire's conquest, just as all earthly empires do. I think what John is asking is, "Have you put all your hope in an empire that will fall one day?" Juxtaposing this to the Kingdom of God that lasts forever. Can you think of earthy empires that we today put our hope in? What things (government, education, money etc) do we foolishly think will last forever? How can you/we reorient our trust to God and his kingdom?
Seal 2: Next we meet the rider bringing violence and bloodshed (verses 7:3-4). Domitian and the Roman empire promise peace, but bring death. These churches are seeing death in the arena's, the siege of Jerusalem brings over a million killed and one hundred thousand people enslaved. John again is asking, are you sure this is the king you want to live with? Who or what today is promising peace? Where are people searching for peace?
Seal 3: In verses 5-6 we read of the black horse with scales in his hands - representing famine and economic security. We don't have to go far to feel economic pressure. Jeremy mentioned their inflation rate was about 1200% - can you imagine that? When financial security is threatened, how do you react? How can we find hope in the God that provides over the systems that we live in?
Seal 4: The 4th seal is broken and the pale horse is coming with death as its rider and hades following behind (v7-8). Who is able to overcome death and punishment? This perhaps one of the most sobering of seals. Jeremy quoted Isaiah 5:14, "Therefore Death expands its jaws, opening wide its mouth; into it will descend their nobles and masses with all their brawlers and revelers." How do you think the churches would have felt reading this?...how do you? Yet, our Lord, Jesus HAS overcome death!
Seal 5: Verses 9-11, John sees the souls of those who had been slain, the martyred. How long, Lord, until you bring judgement? They were in the midst of terrible persecution, it was real and it was close. How would you define persecution in our day? Is this something you view as already happened or to come...or both?
Seal 6: Earthquakes make an appearance again, quite common where they lived. I can imagine while it might be normal, an earthquake of any size would bring disruption. Jeremy was drawing on the point that God has the true power, not Rome. V15-17 speaks of his (God's) judgement. What do you think of that?...natural disasters as judgement?
Revelation 7 opens with a dramatic pause; the four angels are holding back the next seal. Read and discuss Rev. 7:9-17 and Isaiah 49:8-10, 23-24 and Isaiah 25:8