Daily Bread 2011 - Revelation 6

The Seals
1 I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, “Come!” 2 I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.3 When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” 4 Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make people kill each other. To him was given a large sword.5 When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. 6 Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, “Two pounds[a] of wheat for a day’s wages,[b] and six pounds[c] of barley for a day’s wages,[d] and do not damage the oil and the wine!”7 When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” 8 I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.

What Does This Mean?
Today, in chapter 6, we begin to see the judgment of the Lord. This is often called “judgment day”, or “the day of the Lord”. The opening of the seven seals by the Lamb (Jesus) is the beginning of the end. In the gospels you hear sayings from Jesus like, “You will see wars, famines and desolation that causes men and women to flee to the mountains” (see Mark 13, Luke 21), and these first four seals are consistent with some of the calamities that will happen in the end times.

Many think the white horse is Jesus, but most conclude that it is someone who appears to be working for God as typified by “white”, and yet since it is the beginning of the judgments most like it is what Jesus referred to when he said, “False prophets are the first sign of the beginning of the end”. Mark 13 The fifth seal refers to those who were slain because of the Word of God (aka “martyrs” which means witnesses), and their longing for the end to come and receive their vindication. Finally, the sixth seal represents some of the cosmic upheaval and turbulence that all the earth and heaven and stars will undergo in the last days. As we can see these events affect every possible aspect of God’s Creation.

What Does This Mean For Us?
“Some years ago, a young man named Vernon Howell, a.k.a. David Koresh, together with over a hundred followers, held police and federal agents at bay outside a heavily armed compound near Waco, Texas. The story had a tragic ending. Koresh believed he was Christ, the Lamb of God and the only one able to open the seven seals and bring about the end of the world. Clearly, the ancient images of Revelation command people's attention today. Yet they are disturbingly subject to the uses and abuses of the human imagination. To the would-be interpreter, whether scholarly, pastoral or prophetic, these images should carry a warning label: Danger. Handle with care.” (IVP Commentary)

So as we can see there are two ways to handle these precious revelations about the end. We can either think we are Christ or God and use them to control others, or use them to get ready and be in focus with God’s purposes in our lives, so we will be ready at any time for these events to take place. Many could argue that some of these things are happening already. Obviously we have wars, earthquakes and famines in many areas of the world. We see false apostles masquerading as the truth all the time. So sure we could be in the last days, but the main thing is are we about the things God has called us to be about.
There is no time like today to take stock of your life and ask the question, “Am I ready for Jesus to return….today????”

Jesus we know we are ready because of what you have done for us on the cross and as we receive your great gift and respond to it by living according to Your Word, we can bear fruit that lasts. Jesus bring our lives into focus in terms of who we are as Your sons and daughters, and how we can represent you to a world that needs to get ready for your second coming. In Jesus’ name and in His power, Amen.