November 2, 2020

Judgment Day . . . Come and See! 

Revelation 6

Hunter Stevens
Monday's Devo

November 2, 2020

Monday's Devo

November 2, 2020

Central Truth

When God's wrath is on full display, we can stand confident and firm, knowing our eternal life is in Christ Jesus. "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life." (1 John 5:13)

Key Verse | Revelation 6:17

"[F]or the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?"

 

Revelation 6

The Seven Seals

Now I watched when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say with a voice like thunder, “Come!” And I looked, and behold, a white horse! And its rider had a bow, and a crown was given to him, and he came out conquering, and to conquer.

When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” And out came another horse, bright red. Its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that people should slay one another, and he was given a great sword.

When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” And I looked, and behold, a black horse! And its rider had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures, saying, “A quart 1 6:6 Greek choinix, a dry measure equal to about a quart of wheat for a denarius, 2 6:6 A denarius was a day's wage for a laborer and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not harm the oil and wine!”

When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” And I looked, and behold, a pale horse! And its rider's name was Death, and Hades followed him. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth.

When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. 10 They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” 11 Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers 3 6:11 Or brothers and sisters. In New Testament usage, depending on the context, the plural Greek word adelphoi (translated brothers) may refer either to brothers or to brothers and sisters should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.

12 When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, 13 and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. 14 The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. 15 Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave 4 6:15 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, 16 calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, 17 for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”

Footnotes

[1] 6:6 Greek choinix, a dry measure equal to about a quart
[2] 6:6 A denarius was a day's wage for a laborer
[3] 6:11 Or brothers and sisters. In New Testament usage, depending on the context, the plural Greek word adelphoi (translated “brothers”) may refer either to brothers or to brothers and sisters
[4] 6:15 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface

Dive Deeper | Revelation 6

"Judgment Day"—the title of end-times movies, book series, and TV shows. The end of the world is an idea so thoroughly explored, it could have its own Netflix category.

But as believers, we know Judgment Day is more than a box office hit or Hollywood billboard. It's real, and it's mentioned all throughout Scripture (e.g., Revelation 6-16, 19:11-21, 20:11-15; Matthew 24; Daniel 9; Zephaniah 1; Joel 2; Isaiah 11).

Revelation 6 ushers in the start of three series of  judgments of humanity, where John describes a terrifying picture of the end times to come. All of the judgments build with intensity: thunder, conquest, fire, famine, death, and massive destruction. No wonder Hollywood execs see Revelation as a perfect script for a box office hit.

But it's not all doom and gloom; there is the ever-present light of Jesus and His sacrifice to cling to. When we give our lives to Christ and accept His offering of grace, we are spared God's wrath. We have become heirs to His kingdom in heaven. (Romans 8:17; Ephesians 1:11-18) Hallelujah! We no longer have to fear the end of this world, when we're promised eternity in His.

God, in His mercy, does withhold His wrath to give us time and opportunity to repent and trust in Him. However, God's patience with us should not be misinterpreted as permission to continue living in sin or active defiance of His will. (2 Peter 3:9; 1 John 3:6) As William Barclay said, "God's love and forgiveness can never be divorced from God's justice or judgment on evil." And the prophet Amos writes in Amos 5:24, "But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream."

So, why wait? Put your faith in Christ . . . because only those who are justified by grace through faith in Jesus Christ will not have to stand before His wrath of judgment. "Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God." (Romans 5:1-2, emphasis added)

Discussion Questions

1. Does the thought of God's judgment scare or disturb you? Why or why not?

2. For those who stand on quicksand:

  • Free yourself from the shackles of sin and death. Judgment Day could be tomorrow, or it could be 100 years from now. What is holding you back?
  • Read Matthew 24:42-44 and respond with urgency. 

3. For those who stand on solid ground:

  • Take some time to reflect and thank God for the life change you have experienced because of the work Jesus did on the cross.
  • Consider ways that you can be an extension of God's grace to others. Who do you know that is not covered by the grace of Christ but is subject to God's wrath?