He Reigns
Bible reading
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.
– Revelation 6:1-17 (NIVUK)
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, ‘A kilogram of wheat for a day’s wages, and three kilograms of barley for a day’s wages, 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 quarter of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.
9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. 10 They called out in a loud voice, ‘How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?’ 11 Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters, were killed just as they had been.
12 I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, 13 and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as figs drop from a fig-tree when shaken by a strong wind. 14 The heavens receded like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.
15 Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and everyone else, both slave and free, hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. 16 They called to the mountains and the rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17 For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can withstand it?’
Devotional
When I was young, I loved to watch movies. My favourite shows were comedies and then as I got older, I started to enjoy action and adventure films. But the one genre of film that my parents never allowed me to watch were scary films. They knew that I would be terrified and wouldn’t be able to sleep at night. I insisted that I would be fine, and they insisted that they knew best! Finally, my Dad gave in and allowed me to watch a scary film. But he warned me that I wouldn’t like it but I would have to live with the consequences of seeing it. I wasn’t allowed to cry, and I wasn’t allowed to sleep in their bedroom afterwards. And so, later that night, I watched my very first scary movie… and it was awful! I was terrified and I couldn’t unsee what I saw! I did cry and I did want to sleep in my parent’s room! I wish I had never asked to see a scary film!
John has been waiting anxiously to have someone open the seals so he could know what was written on the scroll. No one was able to open them until the Lamb came forward. Until now, the things John has seen have been impressive, beautiful and awe-inspiring. But now he’s going to start seeing something different. The lamb opens the seals, and the horror begins. John won’t be able to unsee it and, in fact, he will have to write about it and live with the knowledge that this is real.
Wars, murder, famine, death, martyrs, and an earthquake. 6-ways to feel pain, agony, suffering and sorrow. This is not an easy world we live in. Power, abuse, consumerism, greed, violence, and cruelty are words used to describe what we read about every day in our local newspapers or that come across our newsfeed. Natural disasters are one thing, but most of the other ways we suffer is due to our own selfish nature. James writes: “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight…” Revelation 6 shows us what has always been present and what is always getting worse. Our violent nature is getting more violent, our hunger for power unsatisfied, and our cruelty against nature and other people is out of control.
The martyrs cry out: How long oh Lord, how long? And this is what we need to remember when all the violence and cruelty become overwhelming: v. 11 – …”they were told to wait a little longer…” Jesus is on the move. Wrongs will be made right, not one wrong thing has been overlooked, ignored or forgotten. Even now justice is coming. For those who worship the Lamb, this is a relief and a joy. “Come”, says heaven, “in just a little while”, we’re told. When you feel like you cannot take one more day of suffering, just remember, Jesus is coming, and He will make everything right.
– Connie Main Duarte
This devotional is part of a series that helps us navigate the texts of the book of Revelation with fresh eyes. A new devotional every Saturday.
These devotionals are available in Portuguese and in English.