Revelation Week 4

Survey of Revelation

Part IV (6:1 – 8:5)

December 23, 2007

Revelation in Art

Revelation in Architecture

Assumptions about Revelation

The Seven Churches in Revelation 1 understood John’s message

We must interpret the book within the context of Scripture Symbols in Revelation are to be interpreted by

reference to Scripture The WCF limits our understanding of

eschatology God has related to us by the covenants that He

established with the saints in the Bible

Goals for studying Revelation Gain an understanding of the overall structure of

Revelation Understand the purpose of Revelation within the

canon Learn to work with the the symbols of the book Become comfortable with the Book of Revelation

as devotional literature Gain a basic understanding of the different

eschatological schools of thought

Review – Structure of the Book

Vision 1 The Church in Asia Minor (ch. 1-3) Vision 2 Seven Seals (ch. 4-7 ) Vision 3 Seven Trumpets (ch. 8-11) Vision 4 The Battle against Satan (ch. 12-14) Vision 5 Seven Bowls (ch. 15-16) Vision 6 The Downfall of Babylon (ch. 17-19) Vision 7 The New Heavens and New Earth (20-

22)

Review – Lesson 3

In Rev. 4-5 we saw God’s Throne Room We get a glimpse into Heaven 24 elders surround Him – Represent the 12 tribes of

Israel and 12 Apostles Four creatures also surround Him (ox, man, eagle,

lion) – represent God’s creation All of the elders give their crowns to God

In Chapter 5 we are shown a scroll and seal which bind the scroll

Review – Lesson 3 (Cont.)

We are then introduced to the Lion of the Tribe of Judah

The elders give the Lamb worship indicating that He is God

The golden bowls of incense represent the prayers of the saints

We then see the whole host of Heaven joins in the worship of the Lamb

Rev. 6: The First Six Seals

In Rev. 4-5 we have seen the throne room of God, and gotten a taste for God’s majesty and holiness

Now the scene changes to the world where we see executing judgment on the world

The four horsemen represent conquest, war, famine, and death

What can we say about the significance of four horses?

The Four Horses of 6:1-8

White horse (6:1-2): Sent out to conquer those who oppose the Lamb

Red horse (6:3-4) The color probably represents God’s fire and the blood those on whom judgment fell

Black horse (6:5-6): This judgment shows the scarcity on the earth but a situation that is not permanent

Pale horse (6:7-8): Maybe represents fear as one-fourth of the people on the earth are slaughtered

The Martyr’s Cry in 6:9-11 The righteous ones who followed the Lamb ask

for judgment They are given white robes showing that they are

pure and have conquered as faithful servants They are told they must wait

We are reminded of the many times that David cries out for judgment against the wicked and God comforts Him reminding David that He is in control Ps. 13:1,2; 35:17; 74:10

The Great Judgment of 6:12-17

The judgments are visited on all of the created order (earth, sun, moon, stars, sky, land, man)

The creation responding to God’s wrath is a theme in the OT (Ex. 19:18, Is. 29:6)

The judgment is complete in v.15 since every class of man is mentioned

All men realize that they have sinned against God and just like Adam and Eve they flee and try to hide from God

God Protects Israel: 7:1-8

Before the judgments of the previous passage are visited on the world God seals and protects His church144,000 (12 X 12,000) are sealedAll believers are sealed, not just Jewish ones

List is interesting since Dan is excluded and Manasseh is included

The Great Multitude (7:9-17) This multitude came from every “nation, tribe, people,

and language” fulfilling the prophesy to Abraham that all nations would be blessed through him (Gen 12:3) The 144,000 are the remnant of Israel but the

bringing of the Gentiles into the Church was always in Gods plan (Gal. 3:26-29)

The people are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation (v.14) which can comfort Christians of all ages

The picture here anticipates the final reward given to God’s people but there is still much more of the story left to tell

We have a model here for what our worship ought to look like

The Seventh Seal (8:1-5)

We expect the opening of the seventh seal to be dramatic but instead there is silence Perhaps this emphasizes the kind of silence that often

occurs when people are in God’s presence (Hab. 2:20, Zeph 1:7)

It is the prayers of the saints symbolized in the incense that breaks the silence and begins again the cycle of judgments on the enemies of the Lamb God pours out judgment in response to the worship of

His people before His throne

Summary – What We Know So Far Revelation written to the churches of Asia which

are representative of God’s people throughout the world

Christ judges these churches praising them for faithfulness and reprimanding them for disobedience

In Rev. 4,5 we are given a glimpse into the throne room of God where the Lamb is given the power to proclaim judgment and God’s people praise Him for His great works All in Heaven: 24 elders All on Earth: 4 creatures

Summary (Cont.)

In Rev. 6 the Lamb visits the earth with judgment The martyrs cry out for justice In Rev. 7 God’s people are “sealed” and

protected against the judgment which is being visited on the earth

The righteous again praise the Lamb for his salvation

In Rev. 8 the final seal is broken and God’s people stand in silence This sets the stage for the next round of judgments on

the earth