Revelation 21

Revelation 21:1

The Scroll

Revelation 5:1. In this new chapter your eye is focused on “a book” which is “in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne”. In the previous verses you’ve seen that all power is in the hands of the Lord Jesus. In the scene you see now, the way in which the Lord Jesus will take control is presented. He already has the power since His work on the cross (Matthew 28:18), but here we have the moment that He openly accepts His power. Therefore it is an impressive moment.

The book is a scroll. Normally in a scroll there is writing only “inside”, but this one there is also writing “on the back”, or on the outside. It is fully written, with no room to add anything. Nor is there anything to add, for the book contains the property rights of Christ (cf. Jeremiah 32:6-16; Leviticus 25:23-25). From this book it appears that He is authorized to execute judgments needed to purify the earth and then to fulfill the counsels of God with regard to creation.

The judgments are described in Revelation 6-19. In the chapters that follow the consummation of all God’s plans follows with blessing for both the old and the new creation. That all this has been documented in a book means that it is immutably fixed and verifiably executed as described. The book contains the history of the future. Only God is able to write history beforehand.

The book is “sealed up with seven seals”. This means, in order to open the book, the seals must first be broken. So the first acts of judgment are seen when in Revelation 6the seals are broken one by one.

Revelation 5:2. But first the question arises who is worthy to open the book and break its seals. This question comes from the mouth of “a strong angel” and it sounds through the universe, through heaven and over the earth. The question is who the owner is of the inheritance described in it, which is creation. Also, the question is who has the right to redeem the inheritance. That question must be answered, because the inheritance has fallen into the hands of an unlawful owner, the devil, caused by the guilt of man.

A strong angel is asking the question, but he himself is not the answer to the question, however powerful he may be. It must be someone who is worthy to do it and who is able to do it, who has the power. The right on the inheritance is therefore about the personal dignity of the heir and about the personal strength to execute the content of it. He Who meets both conditions, dignity and strength, is the Son of Man (John 5:27).

Revelation 5:3. The voice of the angel is heard everywhere, but no answer comes from anywhere: 1. not from “heaven”, the dwelling place of the chosen angels, 2. not from “the earth”, the dwelling place of men and 3. not from “under the earth”, the residence of other intelligent creatures.

The universe, in all its components (cf. Philippians 2:10), does not contain one single creature that can deal with the book. No one is able to do that, no one has the suitable ability (Psalms 49:7).

Revelation 5:4. When John sees that there is no response to the question of the angel, he bursts into tears and weeps intensely. He weeps, not because he had been looking forward to the judgments, but which now do not pass, as once Jonah was displeased with that (Jona 4:1). No, he weeps, because he cannot bear the thought that evil will reign forever and will not be punished.

Countless people have sought to open the book and bring about the time of blessing. That is still the effort of man. But man himself is part of evil and therefore completely unfit and also incapable to deal with evil in a way that is pleasing to God. Is there really no one who is able to do it? Yes, there is a Man Who meets all God’s holy requirements regarding evil.

Revelation 5:5. John is weeping greatly, but not for long. An elder – a glorified believer who has insight in the ways and the counsels of God – says to him not to weep. For there is Someone Who is able to open the book and its seven seals. It is “the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah” about Whom Jacob has prophesied (Genesis 49:9-11). As the Lion He is the Ruler. He is also “the Root of David”. He belongs to the royal descendants, He is the true Son of David and has the legal right to reign. He is none other than the Lord Jesus.

He gained His dignity and right by His victory on the cross. There He regained the ownership of creation. There He crushed the head of satan, who by wiles and craftiness has illegally taken possession of creation. He has paid the full ransom and repurchased the whole creation for God. He has the right to open the seals, which is the right of redeeming the earth, in order to purify it from all injustice. He has overcome on the cross and will give shape to that victory in all that He does.

Now read Revelation 5:1-5 again.

Reflection: Have you ever felt that evil is in control and that it seems as if it will never change? When is that? How do you do then?

Revelation 21:2

The Scroll

Revelation 5:1. In this new chapter your eye is focused on “a book” which is “in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne”. In the previous verses you’ve seen that all power is in the hands of the Lord Jesus. In the scene you see now, the way in which the Lord Jesus will take control is presented. He already has the power since His work on the cross (Matthew 28:18), but here we have the moment that He openly accepts His power. Therefore it is an impressive moment.

The book is a scroll. Normally in a scroll there is writing only “inside”, but this one there is also writing “on the back”, or on the outside. It is fully written, with no room to add anything. Nor is there anything to add, for the book contains the property rights of Christ (cf. Jeremiah 32:6-16; Leviticus 25:23-25). From this book it appears that He is authorized to execute judgments needed to purify the earth and then to fulfill the counsels of God with regard to creation.

The judgments are described in Revelation 6-19. In the chapters that follow the consummation of all God’s plans follows with blessing for both the old and the new creation. That all this has been documented in a book means that it is immutably fixed and verifiably executed as described. The book contains the history of the future. Only God is able to write history beforehand.

The book is “sealed up with seven seals”. This means, in order to open the book, the seals must first be broken. So the first acts of judgment are seen when in Revelation 6the seals are broken one by one.

Revelation 5:2. But first the question arises who is worthy to open the book and break its seals. This question comes from the mouth of “a strong angel” and it sounds through the universe, through heaven and over the earth. The question is who the owner is of the inheritance described in it, which is creation. Also, the question is who has the right to redeem the inheritance. That question must be answered, because the inheritance has fallen into the hands of an unlawful owner, the devil, caused by the guilt of man.

A strong angel is asking the question, but he himself is not the answer to the question, however powerful he may be. It must be someone who is worthy to do it and who is able to do it, who has the power. The right on the inheritance is therefore about the personal dignity of the heir and about the personal strength to execute the content of it. He Who meets both conditions, dignity and strength, is the Son of Man (John 5:27).

Revelation 5:3. The voice of the angel is heard everywhere, but no answer comes from anywhere: 1. not from “heaven”, the dwelling place of the chosen angels, 2. not from “the earth”, the dwelling place of men and 3. not from “under the earth”, the residence of other intelligent creatures.

The universe, in all its components (cf. Philippians 2:10), does not contain one single creature that can deal with the book. No one is able to do that, no one has the suitable ability (Psalms 49:7).

Revelation 5:4. When John sees that there is no response to the question of the angel, he bursts into tears and weeps intensely. He weeps, not because he had been looking forward to the judgments, but which now do not pass, as once Jonah was displeased with that (Jona 4:1). No, he weeps, because he cannot bear the thought that evil will reign forever and will not be punished.

Countless people have sought to open the book and bring about the time of blessing. That is still the effort of man. But man himself is part of evil and therefore completely unfit and also incapable to deal with evil in a way that is pleasing to God. Is there really no one who is able to do it? Yes, there is a Man Who meets all God’s holy requirements regarding evil.

Revelation 5:5. John is weeping greatly, but not for long. An elder – a glorified believer who has insight in the ways and the counsels of God – says to him not to weep. For there is Someone Who is able to open the book and its seven seals. It is “the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah” about Whom Jacob has prophesied (Genesis 49:9-11). As the Lion He is the Ruler. He is also “the Root of David”. He belongs to the royal descendants, He is the true Son of David and has the legal right to reign. He is none other than the Lord Jesus.

He gained His dignity and right by His victory on the cross. There He regained the ownership of creation. There He crushed the head of satan, who by wiles and craftiness has illegally taken possession of creation. He has paid the full ransom and repurchased the whole creation for God. He has the right to open the seals, which is the right of redeeming the earth, in order to purify it from all injustice. He has overcome on the cross and will give shape to that victory in all that He does.

Now read Revelation 5:1-5 again.

Reflection: Have you ever felt that evil is in control and that it seems as if it will never change? When is that? How do you do then?

Revelation 21:3

The Scroll

Revelation 5:1. In this new chapter your eye is focused on “a book” which is “in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne”. In the previous verses you’ve seen that all power is in the hands of the Lord Jesus. In the scene you see now, the way in which the Lord Jesus will take control is presented. He already has the power since His work on the cross (Matthew 28:18), but here we have the moment that He openly accepts His power. Therefore it is an impressive moment.

The book is a scroll. Normally in a scroll there is writing only “inside”, but this one there is also writing “on the back”, or on the outside. It is fully written, with no room to add anything. Nor is there anything to add, for the book contains the property rights of Christ (cf. Jeremiah 32:6-16; Leviticus 25:23-25). From this book it appears that He is authorized to execute judgments needed to purify the earth and then to fulfill the counsels of God with regard to creation.

The judgments are described in Revelation 6-19. In the chapters that follow the consummation of all God’s plans follows with blessing for both the old and the new creation. That all this has been documented in a book means that it is immutably fixed and verifiably executed as described. The book contains the history of the future. Only God is able to write history beforehand.

The book is “sealed up with seven seals”. This means, in order to open the book, the seals must first be broken. So the first acts of judgment are seen when in Revelation 6the seals are broken one by one.

Revelation 5:2. But first the question arises who is worthy to open the book and break its seals. This question comes from the mouth of “a strong angel” and it sounds through the universe, through heaven and over the earth. The question is who the owner is of the inheritance described in it, which is creation. Also, the question is who has the right to redeem the inheritance. That question must be answered, because the inheritance has fallen into the hands of an unlawful owner, the devil, caused by the guilt of man.

A strong angel is asking the question, but he himself is not the answer to the question, however powerful he may be. It must be someone who is worthy to do it and who is able to do it, who has the power. The right on the inheritance is therefore about the personal dignity of the heir and about the personal strength to execute the content of it. He Who meets both conditions, dignity and strength, is the Son of Man (John 5:27).

Revelation 5:3. The voice of the angel is heard everywhere, but no answer comes from anywhere: 1. not from “heaven”, the dwelling place of the chosen angels, 2. not from “the earth”, the dwelling place of men and 3. not from “under the earth”, the residence of other intelligent creatures.

The universe, in all its components (cf. Philippians 2:10), does not contain one single creature that can deal with the book. No one is able to do that, no one has the suitable ability (Psalms 49:7).

Revelation 5:4. When John sees that there is no response to the question of the angel, he bursts into tears and weeps intensely. He weeps, not because he had been looking forward to the judgments, but which now do not pass, as once Jonah was displeased with that (Jona 4:1). No, he weeps, because he cannot bear the thought that evil will reign forever and will not be punished.

Countless people have sought to open the book and bring about the time of blessing. That is still the effort of man. But man himself is part of evil and therefore completely unfit and also incapable to deal with evil in a way that is pleasing to God. Is there really no one who is able to do it? Yes, there is a Man Who meets all God’s holy requirements regarding evil.

Revelation 5:5. John is weeping greatly, but not for long. An elder – a glorified believer who has insight in the ways and the counsels of God – says to him not to weep. For there is Someone Who is able to open the book and its seven seals. It is “the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah” about Whom Jacob has prophesied (Genesis 49:9-11). As the Lion He is the Ruler. He is also “the Root of David”. He belongs to the royal descendants, He is the true Son of David and has the legal right to reign. He is none other than the Lord Jesus.

He gained His dignity and right by His victory on the cross. There He regained the ownership of creation. There He crushed the head of satan, who by wiles and craftiness has illegally taken possession of creation. He has paid the full ransom and repurchased the whole creation for God. He has the right to open the seals, which is the right of redeeming the earth, in order to purify it from all injustice. He has overcome on the cross and will give shape to that victory in all that He does.

Now read Revelation 5:1-5 again.

Reflection: Have you ever felt that evil is in control and that it seems as if it will never change? When is that? How do you do then?

Revelation 21:4

The Lamb

Revelation 5:6. John has heard that the Lion of the tribe of Judah has prevailed and is entitled to creation. You can imagine that he is now expecting to see the impressive stature of the king of beasts. But what does he see? A Lamb, or, as it originally says, a little Lamb, a word that appears almost thirty times in this book. The diminutive makes the nullity feel all the stronger. A lamb is completely defenseless, it doesn’t reflect any power; on the contrary, there is hardly anything weaker than that. And that picture of weakness is even more amplified when you see the Lamb there “standing, as if slain”.

Here you see in which way the Lord Jesus has overcome, namely by being slain. The Lamb stands there as an animal of which the throat has just been cut through. That is, the remembrance of Golgotha is preserved in heaven. But the Lord Jesus is not on the cross nor in the grave anymore; He is “between the throne” or “in the midst of the throne” (Darby Translation) of God, that is, in glory. The work is accomplished! At the same time you read that the Lamb is ‘standing’. That indicates that He is ready to come into action. The time of sitting is over (Revelation 3:21; Psalms 110:1).

The Lamb stands in the “midst”. He is the center “of the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders”. Everything that has to do with government and insight, has its center in Him. He rules and acts. He does that as Lamb, but not as a defenseless Lamb. He has “seven horns”. ‘Horns’ symbolize strength (1 Samuel 2:10; Luke 1:69), here especially royal strength. ‘Seven’ horns means perfect and absolute strength.

However, the Lord is not only omnipotent, but He is also omniscient. He has perfect insight into all things that happen on earth. That’s what the “seven eyes” indicates as a representation of “the seven Spirits of God”. Here the number ‘seven’ symbolizes again the perfection of the Spirit through Whom He works (Isaiah 11:2). These seven Spirits are “sent out into all the earth”. That symbolizes that He is omnipresent. He takes perfect notice of everything that happens. Nothing escapes His all-seeing eyes (2 Chronicles 16:9; Zechariah 3:9; Zechariah 4:10).

Revelation 5:7. Then the Lamb walks to the throne. It must have been an awesome moment for John and all who at that moment are in heaven. What is happening now in heaven is a unique event. Everyone must be breathlessly watching this scene. The Lamb comes and takes the book out of the right hand of Him Who sits on the throne. Now He has the book in His hands. Without saying a word to each other, the Lamb, once slain, is given the full entitlement by the One Who sits on the throne, the triune God, to take back the stolen property.

The action is as calm as it is grant and lofty, full of majesty. The description is without any human addition in language or action, that would only impair this unparalleled moment. You should just take a moment to allow what is happening here to sink in.

Revelation 5:8. The time of waiting is over, the time of acting has come. The tension has been broken. After the Lamb took the book, heaven comes into action to worship the Lamb. Heaven is aware of the enormous importance of taking the book. It means that the judgment on the world is near and the age to come is about to start.

Both the representatives of God’s kingdom – the four living creatures – and the representatives of all believers who are in heaven, express their admiration for the Lamb. He is worthy and He has all power to do whatever is needed to perfectly carry out God’s plan to the end. They all have “a harp” for expressing their admiration. The harp is an instrument of praise and worship and is sometime mentioned in reference to the millennial kingdom of peace (Psalms 33:2; Psalms 150:3).

Beside a harp they also all have “golden bowls full of incense”. The meaning of the incense is written right behind it: it represents “the prayers of the saints” (cf. Psalms 141:2). Beside worshipers there are also intercessors on behalf of the believers who are on earth at that time. Those who are in heaven are aware of their relation to those who are in need on earth. Possibly these bowls also contain the prayers of all saints that were prayed through the ages. In those days many were not saved and died as martyrs; but now those prayers will be answered. No prayer that has ever been sincerely prayed to God by a believer will remain unanswered.

Revelation 5:9. These worshipers and intercessors themselves are not in need and are free from sufferings. For them, the time to sing has come. “They sang a new song.” It is a song that the earth has not known yet, neither Moses (cf. Revelation 15:3), nor David, though he also speaks of a ‘new song’ (Psalms 33:3; Psalms 96:1). Only those who were bought by the blood of the Lamb are able to sing it.

When the redeemed people were on earth, they sang songs of deliverance, songs that were looking forward to the time of victory and the kingdom of glory. Those were songs of hope. But when the book is taken and opened, the songs will change into songs of victory and celebration of the peace that dawns. Above all, they will sing to Him Who has worked all things.

In this new song they answer the question that was asked in Revelation 5:2 by the strong angel. They sing to the Lamb: “Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals.” He is the content of the song and not the believer or what he has received. They also sing why He is worthy of it: the great work of redemption and atonement which He has accomplished in the offering of Himself. He was slain. In that way His blood was shed as the purchase price. In that way He has purchased, and He did it “for God”.

The purchased ones come from all parts of the world population. It is not only the church (Matthew 13:44), but they are all believers from all ages. He is the true Redeemer of the Old Testament, the true Boaz. He not only bought the believers. He has acquired the believers as a special property (1 Corinthians 6:20). But He bought the whole earth including the unbelievers (2 Peter 2:1; cf. John 17:2; Matthew 13:38; 44).

Revelation 5:10. The elders praise God not for what they themselves are, but for what He has made of the believers, the redeemed on earth. Therefore they speak about “them” in their song. It indeed refers to themselves, but they do not want to put themselves forward as the subject of the new song. It is all about the Lord Jesus to them. All light must fall on Him.

He made them to be “a kingdom and priests”. What an awesome transformation for men who once were in bondage of sin and worshipers of satan. They are now ‘kings’ of a kingdom where the Lord Jesus has all authority. They are allowed to serve Him there. As subjects of that kingdom they now find themselves already under His blessed reign, a reign that will soon be established on earth.

They are also as priests of God in His presence to worship Him. In that way man has come at the highest level of God’s purpose with him (Matthew 4:10).

As an added favor, they are also allowed to “reign upon the earth” together with the Lord Jesus. They are given a position of government on the earth where they were once persecuted and despised. Now they are given a position of dominion to spread blessing there (1 Corinthians 6:2-3).

Revelation 5:11. John sees and hears others joining in the praise. It is the voice of an enormous number of angels. The numbers that are mentioned indicate that it is about innumerable millions of angels. They form a circle around the throne and the living creatures and the elders, in the midst of which the Lamb is standing (Revelation 5:6). The angels have no personal part in the redemption. Therefore they are standing at a greater distance of the Lamb. But they certainly have great admiration for Him Who has accomplished the work of redemption.

Revelation 5:12. The angels also worship Him as the Lamb That was slain. They see the effect of it and know that the cause of it lies in Him and His work. Everything they mention has always been used through the ages by man to magnify himself. Now the time has come that all these things will be used by the true Man to magnify God. He is the Owner of it all, but it will become visible by His acts. And everything that becomes visible of Him prompts everyone who sees it to exclamations of admiration.

1. It begins with “power”. The power man has used to corrupt his way on earth, is used by Him in judgment and then in blessing. 2. All “riches” of the universe is His and will no more be misused, but will expose Him in His multifaceted brilliance. 3. He is the “wisdom” and will make that visible in all His ways and works. 4. He has the “might” that enables Him to carry out what He has decided to do. 5. He is worthy of all “honor” and that will openly be given to Him. 6. Everything that becomes visible of Him, is pure “glory”, splendor and magnificence. 7. “Blessing” is ascribed to Him, Who was once so reviled.

Revelation 5:13. The circle of worshipers expands even further. The whole creation, everything that has been created, rejoices in God and the Lamb. Then the curse is taken away from creation. This praise will never come to an end.

Revelation 5:14. The executors of God’s judgment agree with the praise. All that remains for the elders is to fall down without words and worship.

Now read Revelation 5:6-14 again.

Reflection: Tell the Lamb what is in your heart for Him.

Revelation 21:5

The Lamb

Revelation 5:6. John has heard that the Lion of the tribe of Judah has prevailed and is entitled to creation. You can imagine that he is now expecting to see the impressive stature of the king of beasts. But what does he see? A Lamb, or, as it originally says, a little Lamb, a word that appears almost thirty times in this book. The diminutive makes the nullity feel all the stronger. A lamb is completely defenseless, it doesn’t reflect any power; on the contrary, there is hardly anything weaker than that. And that picture of weakness is even more amplified when you see the Lamb there “standing, as if slain”.

Here you see in which way the Lord Jesus has overcome, namely by being slain. The Lamb stands there as an animal of which the throat has just been cut through. That is, the remembrance of Golgotha is preserved in heaven. But the Lord Jesus is not on the cross nor in the grave anymore; He is “between the throne” or “in the midst of the throne” (Darby Translation) of God, that is, in glory. The work is accomplished! At the same time you read that the Lamb is ‘standing’. That indicates that He is ready to come into action. The time of sitting is over (Revelation 3:21; Psalms 110:1).

The Lamb stands in the “midst”. He is the center “of the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders”. Everything that has to do with government and insight, has its center in Him. He rules and acts. He does that as Lamb, but not as a defenseless Lamb. He has “seven horns”. ‘Horns’ symbolize strength (1 Samuel 2:10; Luke 1:69), here especially royal strength. ‘Seven’ horns means perfect and absolute strength.

However, the Lord is not only omnipotent, but He is also omniscient. He has perfect insight into all things that happen on earth. That’s what the “seven eyes” indicates as a representation of “the seven Spirits of God”. Here the number ‘seven’ symbolizes again the perfection of the Spirit through Whom He works (Isaiah 11:2). These seven Spirits are “sent out into all the earth”. That symbolizes that He is omnipresent. He takes perfect notice of everything that happens. Nothing escapes His all-seeing eyes (2 Chronicles 16:9; Zechariah 3:9; Zechariah 4:10).

Revelation 5:7. Then the Lamb walks to the throne. It must have been an awesome moment for John and all who at that moment are in heaven. What is happening now in heaven is a unique event. Everyone must be breathlessly watching this scene. The Lamb comes and takes the book out of the right hand of Him Who sits on the throne. Now He has the book in His hands. Without saying a word to each other, the Lamb, once slain, is given the full entitlement by the One Who sits on the throne, the triune God, to take back the stolen property.

The action is as calm as it is grant and lofty, full of majesty. The description is without any human addition in language or action, that would only impair this unparalleled moment. You should just take a moment to allow what is happening here to sink in.

Revelation 5:8. The time of waiting is over, the time of acting has come. The tension has been broken. After the Lamb took the book, heaven comes into action to worship the Lamb. Heaven is aware of the enormous importance of taking the book. It means that the judgment on the world is near and the age to come is about to start.

Both the representatives of God’s kingdom – the four living creatures – and the representatives of all believers who are in heaven, express their admiration for the Lamb. He is worthy and He has all power to do whatever is needed to perfectly carry out God’s plan to the end. They all have “a harp” for expressing their admiration. The harp is an instrument of praise and worship and is sometime mentioned in reference to the millennial kingdom of peace (Psalms 33:2; Psalms 150:3).

Beside a harp they also all have “golden bowls full of incense”. The meaning of the incense is written right behind it: it represents “the prayers of the saints” (cf. Psalms 141:2). Beside worshipers there are also intercessors on behalf of the believers who are on earth at that time. Those who are in heaven are aware of their relation to those who are in need on earth. Possibly these bowls also contain the prayers of all saints that were prayed through the ages. In those days many were not saved and died as martyrs; but now those prayers will be answered. No prayer that has ever been sincerely prayed to God by a believer will remain unanswered.

Revelation 5:9. These worshipers and intercessors themselves are not in need and are free from sufferings. For them, the time to sing has come. “They sang a new song.” It is a song that the earth has not known yet, neither Moses (cf. Revelation 15:3), nor David, though he also speaks of a ‘new song’ (Psalms 33:3; Psalms 96:1). Only those who were bought by the blood of the Lamb are able to sing it.

When the redeemed people were on earth, they sang songs of deliverance, songs that were looking forward to the time of victory and the kingdom of glory. Those were songs of hope. But when the book is taken and opened, the songs will change into songs of victory and celebration of the peace that dawns. Above all, they will sing to Him Who has worked all things.

In this new song they answer the question that was asked in Revelation 5:2 by the strong angel. They sing to the Lamb: “Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals.” He is the content of the song and not the believer or what he has received. They also sing why He is worthy of it: the great work of redemption and atonement which He has accomplished in the offering of Himself. He was slain. In that way His blood was shed as the purchase price. In that way He has purchased, and He did it “for God”.

The purchased ones come from all parts of the world population. It is not only the church (Matthew 13:44), but they are all believers from all ages. He is the true Redeemer of the Old Testament, the true Boaz. He not only bought the believers. He has acquired the believers as a special property (1 Corinthians 6:20). But He bought the whole earth including the unbelievers (2 Peter 2:1; cf. John 17:2; Matthew 13:38; 44).

Revelation 5:10. The elders praise God not for what they themselves are, but for what He has made of the believers, the redeemed on earth. Therefore they speak about “them” in their song. It indeed refers to themselves, but they do not want to put themselves forward as the subject of the new song. It is all about the Lord Jesus to them. All light must fall on Him.

He made them to be “a kingdom and priests”. What an awesome transformation for men who once were in bondage of sin and worshipers of satan. They are now ‘kings’ of a kingdom where the Lord Jesus has all authority. They are allowed to serve Him there. As subjects of that kingdom they now find themselves already under His blessed reign, a reign that will soon be established on earth.

They are also as priests of God in His presence to worship Him. In that way man has come at the highest level of God’s purpose with him (Matthew 4:10).

As an added favor, they are also allowed to “reign upon the earth” together with the Lord Jesus. They are given a position of government on the earth where they were once persecuted and despised. Now they are given a position of dominion to spread blessing there (1 Corinthians 6:2-3).

Revelation 5:11. John sees and hears others joining in the praise. It is the voice of an enormous number of angels. The numbers that are mentioned indicate that it is about innumerable millions of angels. They form a circle around the throne and the living creatures and the elders, in the midst of which the Lamb is standing (Revelation 5:6). The angels have no personal part in the redemption. Therefore they are standing at a greater distance of the Lamb. But they certainly have great admiration for Him Who has accomplished the work of redemption.

Revelation 5:12. The angels also worship Him as the Lamb That was slain. They see the effect of it and know that the cause of it lies in Him and His work. Everything they mention has always been used through the ages by man to magnify himself. Now the time has come that all these things will be used by the true Man to magnify God. He is the Owner of it all, but it will become visible by His acts. And everything that becomes visible of Him prompts everyone who sees it to exclamations of admiration.

1. It begins with “power”. The power man has used to corrupt his way on earth, is used by Him in judgment and then in blessing. 2. All “riches” of the universe is His and will no more be misused, but will expose Him in His multifaceted brilliance. 3. He is the “wisdom” and will make that visible in all His ways and works. 4. He has the “might” that enables Him to carry out what He has decided to do. 5. He is worthy of all “honor” and that will openly be given to Him. 6. Everything that becomes visible of Him, is pure “glory”, splendor and magnificence. 7. “Blessing” is ascribed to Him, Who was once so reviled.

Revelation 5:13. The circle of worshipers expands even further. The whole creation, everything that has been created, rejoices in God and the Lamb. Then the curse is taken away from creation. This praise will never come to an end.

Revelation 5:14. The executors of God’s judgment agree with the praise. All that remains for the elders is to fall down without words and worship.

Now read Revelation 5:6-14 again.

Reflection: Tell the Lamb what is in your heart for Him.

Revelation 21:6

The Lamb

Revelation 5:6. John has heard that the Lion of the tribe of Judah has prevailed and is entitled to creation. You can imagine that he is now expecting to see the impressive stature of the king of beasts. But what does he see? A Lamb, or, as it originally says, a little Lamb, a word that appears almost thirty times in this book. The diminutive makes the nullity feel all the stronger. A lamb is completely defenseless, it doesn’t reflect any power; on the contrary, there is hardly anything weaker than that. And that picture of weakness is even more amplified when you see the Lamb there “standing, as if slain”.

Here you see in which way the Lord Jesus has overcome, namely by being slain. The Lamb stands there as an animal of which the throat has just been cut through. That is, the remembrance of Golgotha is preserved in heaven. But the Lord Jesus is not on the cross nor in the grave anymore; He is “between the throne” or “in the midst of the throne” (Darby Translation) of God, that is, in glory. The work is accomplished! At the same time you read that the Lamb is ‘standing’. That indicates that He is ready to come into action. The time of sitting is over (Revelation 3:21; Psalms 110:1).

The Lamb stands in the “midst”. He is the center “of the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders”. Everything that has to do with government and insight, has its center in Him. He rules and acts. He does that as Lamb, but not as a defenseless Lamb. He has “seven horns”. ‘Horns’ symbolize strength (1 Samuel 2:10; Luke 1:69), here especially royal strength. ‘Seven’ horns means perfect and absolute strength.

However, the Lord is not only omnipotent, but He is also omniscient. He has perfect insight into all things that happen on earth. That’s what the “seven eyes” indicates as a representation of “the seven Spirits of God”. Here the number ‘seven’ symbolizes again the perfection of the Spirit through Whom He works (Isaiah 11:2). These seven Spirits are “sent out into all the earth”. That symbolizes that He is omnipresent. He takes perfect notice of everything that happens. Nothing escapes His all-seeing eyes (2 Chronicles 16:9; Zechariah 3:9; Zechariah 4:10).

Revelation 5:7. Then the Lamb walks to the throne. It must have been an awesome moment for John and all who at that moment are in heaven. What is happening now in heaven is a unique event. Everyone must be breathlessly watching this scene. The Lamb comes and takes the book out of the right hand of Him Who sits on the throne. Now He has the book in His hands. Without saying a word to each other, the Lamb, once slain, is given the full entitlement by the One Who sits on the throne, the triune God, to take back the stolen property.

The action is as calm as it is grant and lofty, full of majesty. The description is without any human addition in language or action, that would only impair this unparalleled moment. You should just take a moment to allow what is happening here to sink in.

Revelation 5:8. The time of waiting is over, the time of acting has come. The tension has been broken. After the Lamb took the book, heaven comes into action to worship the Lamb. Heaven is aware of the enormous importance of taking the book. It means that the judgment on the world is near and the age to come is about to start.

Both the representatives of God’s kingdom – the four living creatures – and the representatives of all believers who are in heaven, express their admiration for the Lamb. He is worthy and He has all power to do whatever is needed to perfectly carry out God’s plan to the end. They all have “a harp” for expressing their admiration. The harp is an instrument of praise and worship and is sometime mentioned in reference to the millennial kingdom of peace (Psalms 33:2; Psalms 150:3).

Beside a harp they also all have “golden bowls full of incense”. The meaning of the incense is written right behind it: it represents “the prayers of the saints” (cf. Psalms 141:2). Beside worshipers there are also intercessors on behalf of the believers who are on earth at that time. Those who are in heaven are aware of their relation to those who are in need on earth. Possibly these bowls also contain the prayers of all saints that were prayed through the ages. In those days many were not saved and died as martyrs; but now those prayers will be answered. No prayer that has ever been sincerely prayed to God by a believer will remain unanswered.

Revelation 5:9. These worshipers and intercessors themselves are not in need and are free from sufferings. For them, the time to sing has come. “They sang a new song.” It is a song that the earth has not known yet, neither Moses (cf. Revelation 15:3), nor David, though he also speaks of a ‘new song’ (Psalms 33:3; Psalms 96:1). Only those who were bought by the blood of the Lamb are able to sing it.

When the redeemed people were on earth, they sang songs of deliverance, songs that were looking forward to the time of victory and the kingdom of glory. Those were songs of hope. But when the book is taken and opened, the songs will change into songs of victory and celebration of the peace that dawns. Above all, they will sing to Him Who has worked all things.

In this new song they answer the question that was asked in Revelation 5:2 by the strong angel. They sing to the Lamb: “Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals.” He is the content of the song and not the believer or what he has received. They also sing why He is worthy of it: the great work of redemption and atonement which He has accomplished in the offering of Himself. He was slain. In that way His blood was shed as the purchase price. In that way He has purchased, and He did it “for God”.

The purchased ones come from all parts of the world population. It is not only the church (Matthew 13:44), but they are all believers from all ages. He is the true Redeemer of the Old Testament, the true Boaz. He not only bought the believers. He has acquired the believers as a special property (1 Corinthians 6:20). But He bought the whole earth including the unbelievers (2 Peter 2:1; cf. John 17:2; Matthew 13:38; 44).

Revelation 5:10. The elders praise God not for what they themselves are, but for what He has made of the believers, the redeemed on earth. Therefore they speak about “them” in their song. It indeed refers to themselves, but they do not want to put themselves forward as the subject of the new song. It is all about the Lord Jesus to them. All light must fall on Him.

He made them to be “a kingdom and priests”. What an awesome transformation for men who once were in bondage of sin and worshipers of satan. They are now ‘kings’ of a kingdom where the Lord Jesus has all authority. They are allowed to serve Him there. As subjects of that kingdom they now find themselves already under His blessed reign, a reign that will soon be established on earth.

They are also as priests of God in His presence to worship Him. In that way man has come at the highest level of God’s purpose with him (Matthew 4:10).

As an added favor, they are also allowed to “reign upon the earth” together with the Lord Jesus. They are given a position of government on the earth where they were once persecuted and despised. Now they are given a position of dominion to spread blessing there (1 Corinthians 6:2-3).

Revelation 5:11. John sees and hears others joining in the praise. It is the voice of an enormous number of angels. The numbers that are mentioned indicate that it is about innumerable millions of angels. They form a circle around the throne and the living creatures and the elders, in the midst of which the Lamb is standing (Revelation 5:6). The angels have no personal part in the redemption. Therefore they are standing at a greater distance of the Lamb. But they certainly have great admiration for Him Who has accomplished the work of redemption.

Revelation 5:12. The angels also worship Him as the Lamb That was slain. They see the effect of it and know that the cause of it lies in Him and His work. Everything they mention has always been used through the ages by man to magnify himself. Now the time has come that all these things will be used by the true Man to magnify God. He is the Owner of it all, but it will become visible by His acts. And everything that becomes visible of Him prompts everyone who sees it to exclamations of admiration.

1. It begins with “power”. The power man has used to corrupt his way on earth, is used by Him in judgment and then in blessing. 2. All “riches” of the universe is His and will no more be misused, but will expose Him in His multifaceted brilliance. 3. He is the “wisdom” and will make that visible in all His ways and works. 4. He has the “might” that enables Him to carry out what He has decided to do. 5. He is worthy of all “honor” and that will openly be given to Him. 6. Everything that becomes visible of Him, is pure “glory”, splendor and magnificence. 7. “Blessing” is ascribed to Him, Who was once so reviled.

Revelation 5:13. The circle of worshipers expands even further. The whole creation, everything that has been created, rejoices in God and the Lamb. Then the curse is taken away from creation. This praise will never come to an end.

Revelation 5:14. The executors of God’s judgment agree with the praise. All that remains for the elders is to fall down without words and worship.

Now read Revelation 5:6-14 again.

Reflection: Tell the Lamb what is in your heart for Him.

Revelation 21:7

The Lamb

Revelation 5:6. John has heard that the Lion of the tribe of Judah has prevailed and is entitled to creation. You can imagine that he is now expecting to see the impressive stature of the king of beasts. But what does he see? A Lamb, or, as it originally says, a little Lamb, a word that appears almost thirty times in this book. The diminutive makes the nullity feel all the stronger. A lamb is completely defenseless, it doesn’t reflect any power; on the contrary, there is hardly anything weaker than that. And that picture of weakness is even more amplified when you see the Lamb there “standing, as if slain”.

Here you see in which way the Lord Jesus has overcome, namely by being slain. The Lamb stands there as an animal of which the throat has just been cut through. That is, the remembrance of Golgotha is preserved in heaven. But the Lord Jesus is not on the cross nor in the grave anymore; He is “between the throne” or “in the midst of the throne” (Darby Translation) of God, that is, in glory. The work is accomplished! At the same time you read that the Lamb is ‘standing’. That indicates that He is ready to come into action. The time of sitting is over (Revelation 3:21; Psalms 110:1).

The Lamb stands in the “midst”. He is the center “of the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders”. Everything that has to do with government and insight, has its center in Him. He rules and acts. He does that as Lamb, but not as a defenseless Lamb. He has “seven horns”. ‘Horns’ symbolize strength (1 Samuel 2:10; Luke 1:69), here especially royal strength. ‘Seven’ horns means perfect and absolute strength.

However, the Lord is not only omnipotent, but He is also omniscient. He has perfect insight into all things that happen on earth. That’s what the “seven eyes” indicates as a representation of “the seven Spirits of God”. Here the number ‘seven’ symbolizes again the perfection of the Spirit through Whom He works (Isaiah 11:2). These seven Spirits are “sent out into all the earth”. That symbolizes that He is omnipresent. He takes perfect notice of everything that happens. Nothing escapes His all-seeing eyes (2 Chronicles 16:9; Zechariah 3:9; Zechariah 4:10).

Revelation 5:7. Then the Lamb walks to the throne. It must have been an awesome moment for John and all who at that moment are in heaven. What is happening now in heaven is a unique event. Everyone must be breathlessly watching this scene. The Lamb comes and takes the book out of the right hand of Him Who sits on the throne. Now He has the book in His hands. Without saying a word to each other, the Lamb, once slain, is given the full entitlement by the One Who sits on the throne, the triune God, to take back the stolen property.

The action is as calm as it is grant and lofty, full of majesty. The description is without any human addition in language or action, that would only impair this unparalleled moment. You should just take a moment to allow what is happening here to sink in.

Revelation 5:8. The time of waiting is over, the time of acting has come. The tension has been broken. After the Lamb took the book, heaven comes into action to worship the Lamb. Heaven is aware of the enormous importance of taking the book. It means that the judgment on the world is near and the age to come is about to start.

Both the representatives of God’s kingdom – the four living creatures – and the representatives of all believers who are in heaven, express their admiration for the Lamb. He is worthy and He has all power to do whatever is needed to perfectly carry out God’s plan to the end. They all have “a harp” for expressing their admiration. The harp is an instrument of praise and worship and is sometime mentioned in reference to the millennial kingdom of peace (Psalms 33:2; Psalms 150:3).

Beside a harp they also all have “golden bowls full of incense”. The meaning of the incense is written right behind it: it represents “the prayers of the saints” (cf. Psalms 141:2). Beside worshipers there are also intercessors on behalf of the believers who are on earth at that time. Those who are in heaven are aware of their relation to those who are in need on earth. Possibly these bowls also contain the prayers of all saints that were prayed through the ages. In those days many were not saved and died as martyrs; but now those prayers will be answered. No prayer that has ever been sincerely prayed to God by a believer will remain unanswered.

Revelation 5:9. These worshipers and intercessors themselves are not in need and are free from sufferings. For them, the time to sing has come. “They sang a new song.” It is a song that the earth has not known yet, neither Moses (cf. Revelation 15:3), nor David, though he also speaks of a ‘new song’ (Psalms 33:3; Psalms 96:1). Only those who were bought by the blood of the Lamb are able to sing it.

When the redeemed people were on earth, they sang songs of deliverance, songs that were looking forward to the time of victory and the kingdom of glory. Those were songs of hope. But when the book is taken and opened, the songs will change into songs of victory and celebration of the peace that dawns. Above all, they will sing to Him Who has worked all things.

In this new song they answer the question that was asked in Revelation 5:2 by the strong angel. They sing to the Lamb: “Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals.” He is the content of the song and not the believer or what he has received. They also sing why He is worthy of it: the great work of redemption and atonement which He has accomplished in the offering of Himself. He was slain. In that way His blood was shed as the purchase price. In that way He has purchased, and He did it “for God”.

The purchased ones come from all parts of the world population. It is not only the church (Matthew 13:44), but they are all believers from all ages. He is the true Redeemer of the Old Testament, the true Boaz. He not only bought the believers. He has acquired the believers as a special property (1 Corinthians 6:20). But He bought the whole earth including the unbelievers (2 Peter 2:1; cf. John 17:2; Matthew 13:38; 44).

Revelation 5:10. The elders praise God not for what they themselves are, but for what He has made of the believers, the redeemed on earth. Therefore they speak about “them” in their song. It indeed refers to themselves, but they do not want to put themselves forward as the subject of the new song. It is all about the Lord Jesus to them. All light must fall on Him.

He made them to be “a kingdom and priests”. What an awesome transformation for men who once were in bondage of sin and worshipers of satan. They are now ‘kings’ of a kingdom where the Lord Jesus has all authority. They are allowed to serve Him there. As subjects of that kingdom they now find themselves already under His blessed reign, a reign that will soon be established on earth.

They are also as priests of God in His presence to worship Him. In that way man has come at the highest level of God’s purpose with him (Matthew 4:10).

As an added favor, they are also allowed to “reign upon the earth” together with the Lord Jesus. They are given a position of government on the earth where they were once persecuted and despised. Now they are given a position of dominion to spread blessing there (1 Corinthians 6:2-3).

Revelation 5:11. John sees and hears others joining in the praise. It is the voice of an enormous number of angels. The numbers that are mentioned indicate that it is about innumerable millions of angels. They form a circle around the throne and the living creatures and the elders, in the midst of which the Lamb is standing (Revelation 5:6). The angels have no personal part in the redemption. Therefore they are standing at a greater distance of the Lamb. But they certainly have great admiration for Him Who has accomplished the work of redemption.

Revelation 5:12. The angels also worship Him as the Lamb That was slain. They see the effect of it and know that the cause of it lies in Him and His work. Everything they mention has always been used through the ages by man to magnify himself. Now the time has come that all these things will be used by the true Man to magnify God. He is the Owner of it all, but it will become visible by His acts. And everything that becomes visible of Him prompts everyone who sees it to exclamations of admiration.

1. It begins with “power”. The power man has used to corrupt his way on earth, is used by Him in judgment and then in blessing. 2. All “riches” of the universe is His and will no more be misused, but will expose Him in His multifaceted brilliance. 3. He is the “wisdom” and will make that visible in all His ways and works. 4. He has the “might” that enables Him to carry out what He has decided to do. 5. He is worthy of all “honor” and that will openly be given to Him. 6. Everything that becomes visible of Him, is pure “glory”, splendor and magnificence. 7. “Blessing” is ascribed to Him, Who was once so reviled.

Revelation 5:13. The circle of worshipers expands even further. The whole creation, everything that has been created, rejoices in God and the Lamb. Then the curse is taken away from creation. This praise will never come to an end.

Revelation 5:14. The executors of God’s judgment agree with the praise. All that remains for the elders is to fall down without words and worship.

Now read Revelation 5:6-14 again.

Reflection: Tell the Lamb what is in your heart for Him.

Revelation 21:8

The Lamb

Revelation 5:6. John has heard that the Lion of the tribe of Judah has prevailed and is entitled to creation. You can imagine that he is now expecting to see the impressive stature of the king of beasts. But what does he see? A Lamb, or, as it originally says, a little Lamb, a word that appears almost thirty times in this book. The diminutive makes the nullity feel all the stronger. A lamb is completely defenseless, it doesn’t reflect any power; on the contrary, there is hardly anything weaker than that. And that picture of weakness is even more amplified when you see the Lamb there “standing, as if slain”.

Here you see in which way the Lord Jesus has overcome, namely by being slain. The Lamb stands there as an animal of which the throat has just been cut through. That is, the remembrance of Golgotha is preserved in heaven. But the Lord Jesus is not on the cross nor in the grave anymore; He is “between the throne” or “in the midst of the throne” (Darby Translation) of God, that is, in glory. The work is accomplished! At the same time you read that the Lamb is ‘standing’. That indicates that He is ready to come into action. The time of sitting is over (Revelation 3:21; Psalms 110:1).

The Lamb stands in the “midst”. He is the center “of the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders”. Everything that has to do with government and insight, has its center in Him. He rules and acts. He does that as Lamb, but not as a defenseless Lamb. He has “seven horns”. ‘Horns’ symbolize strength (1 Samuel 2:10; Luke 1:69), here especially royal strength. ‘Seven’ horns means perfect and absolute strength.

However, the Lord is not only omnipotent, but He is also omniscient. He has perfect insight into all things that happen on earth. That’s what the “seven eyes” indicates as a representation of “the seven Spirits of God”. Here the number ‘seven’ symbolizes again the perfection of the Spirit through Whom He works (Isaiah 11:2). These seven Spirits are “sent out into all the earth”. That symbolizes that He is omnipresent. He takes perfect notice of everything that happens. Nothing escapes His all-seeing eyes (2 Chronicles 16:9; Zechariah 3:9; Zechariah 4:10).

Revelation 5:7. Then the Lamb walks to the throne. It must have been an awesome moment for John and all who at that moment are in heaven. What is happening now in heaven is a unique event. Everyone must be breathlessly watching this scene. The Lamb comes and takes the book out of the right hand of Him Who sits on the throne. Now He has the book in His hands. Without saying a word to each other, the Lamb, once slain, is given the full entitlement by the One Who sits on the throne, the triune God, to take back the stolen property.

The action is as calm as it is grant and lofty, full of majesty. The description is without any human addition in language or action, that would only impair this unparalleled moment. You should just take a moment to allow what is happening here to sink in.

Revelation 5:8. The time of waiting is over, the time of acting has come. The tension has been broken. After the Lamb took the book, heaven comes into action to worship the Lamb. Heaven is aware of the enormous importance of taking the book. It means that the judgment on the world is near and the age to come is about to start.

Both the representatives of God’s kingdom – the four living creatures – and the representatives of all believers who are in heaven, express their admiration for the Lamb. He is worthy and He has all power to do whatever is needed to perfectly carry out God’s plan to the end. They all have “a harp” for expressing their admiration. The harp is an instrument of praise and worship and is sometime mentioned in reference to the millennial kingdom of peace (Psalms 33:2; Psalms 150:3).

Beside a harp they also all have “golden bowls full of incense”. The meaning of the incense is written right behind it: it represents “the prayers of the saints” (cf. Psalms 141:2). Beside worshipers there are also intercessors on behalf of the believers who are on earth at that time. Those who are in heaven are aware of their relation to those who are in need on earth. Possibly these bowls also contain the prayers of all saints that were prayed through the ages. In those days many were not saved and died as martyrs; but now those prayers will be answered. No prayer that has ever been sincerely prayed to God by a believer will remain unanswered.

Revelation 5:9. These worshipers and intercessors themselves are not in need and are free from sufferings. For them, the time to sing has come. “They sang a new song.” It is a song that the earth has not known yet, neither Moses (cf. Revelation 15:3), nor David, though he also speaks of a ‘new song’ (Psalms 33:3; Psalms 96:1). Only those who were bought by the blood of the Lamb are able to sing it.

When the redeemed people were on earth, they sang songs of deliverance, songs that were looking forward to the time of victory and the kingdom of glory. Those were songs of hope. But when the book is taken and opened, the songs will change into songs of victory and celebration of the peace that dawns. Above all, they will sing to Him Who has worked all things.

In this new song they answer the question that was asked in Revelation 5:2 by the strong angel. They sing to the Lamb: “Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals.” He is the content of the song and not the believer or what he has received. They also sing why He is worthy of it: the great work of redemption and atonement which He has accomplished in the offering of Himself. He was slain. In that way His blood was shed as the purchase price. In that way He has purchased, and He did it “for God”.

The purchased ones come from all parts of the world population. It is not only the church (Matthew 13:44), but they are all believers from all ages. He is the true Redeemer of the Old Testament, the true Boaz. He not only bought the believers. He has acquired the believers as a special property (1 Corinthians 6:20). But He bought the whole earth including the unbelievers (2 Peter 2:1; cf. John 17:2; Matthew 13:38; 44).

Revelation 5:10. The elders praise God not for what they themselves are, but for what He has made of the believers, the redeemed on earth. Therefore they speak about “them” in their song. It indeed refers to themselves, but they do not want to put themselves forward as the subject of the new song. It is all about the Lord Jesus to them. All light must fall on Him.

He made them to be “a kingdom and priests”. What an awesome transformation for men who once were in bondage of sin and worshipers of satan. They are now ‘kings’ of a kingdom where the Lord Jesus has all authority. They are allowed to serve Him there. As subjects of that kingdom they now find themselves already under His blessed reign, a reign that will soon be established on earth.

They are also as priests of God in His presence to worship Him. In that way man has come at the highest level of God’s purpose with him (Matthew 4:10).

As an added favor, they are also allowed to “reign upon the earth” together with the Lord Jesus. They are given a position of government on the earth where they were once persecuted and despised. Now they are given a position of dominion to spread blessing there (1 Corinthians 6:2-3).

Revelation 5:11. John sees and hears others joining in the praise. It is the voice of an enormous number of angels. The numbers that are mentioned indicate that it is about innumerable millions of angels. They form a circle around the throne and the living creatures and the elders, in the midst of which the Lamb is standing (Revelation 5:6). The angels have no personal part in the redemption. Therefore they are standing at a greater distance of the Lamb. But they certainly have great admiration for Him Who has accomplished the work of redemption.

Revelation 5:12. The angels also worship Him as the Lamb That was slain. They see the effect of it and know that the cause of it lies in Him and His work. Everything they mention has always been used through the ages by man to magnify himself. Now the time has come that all these things will be used by the true Man to magnify God. He is the Owner of it all, but it will become visible by His acts. And everything that becomes visible of Him prompts everyone who sees it to exclamations of admiration.

1. It begins with “power”. The power man has used to corrupt his way on earth, is used by Him in judgment and then in blessing. 2. All “riches” of the universe is His and will no more be misused, but will expose Him in His multifaceted brilliance. 3. He is the “wisdom” and will make that visible in all His ways and works. 4. He has the “might” that enables Him to carry out what He has decided to do. 5. He is worthy of all “honor” and that will openly be given to Him. 6. Everything that becomes visible of Him, is pure “glory”, splendor and magnificence. 7. “Blessing” is ascribed to Him, Who was once so reviled.

Revelation 5:13. The circle of worshipers expands even further. The whole creation, everything that has been created, rejoices in God and the Lamb. Then the curse is taken away from creation. This praise will never come to an end.

Revelation 5:14. The executors of God’s judgment agree with the praise. All that remains for the elders is to fall down without words and worship.

Now read Revelation 5:6-14 again.

Reflection: Tell the Lamb what is in your heart for Him.

Revelation 21:9

The Lamb

Revelation 5:6. John has heard that the Lion of the tribe of Judah has prevailed and is entitled to creation. You can imagine that he is now expecting to see the impressive stature of the king of beasts. But what does he see? A Lamb, or, as it originally says, a little Lamb, a word that appears almost thirty times in this book. The diminutive makes the nullity feel all the stronger. A lamb is completely defenseless, it doesn’t reflect any power; on the contrary, there is hardly anything weaker than that. And that picture of weakness is even more amplified when you see the Lamb there “standing, as if slain”.

Here you see in which way the Lord Jesus has overcome, namely by being slain. The Lamb stands there as an animal of which the throat has just been cut through. That is, the remembrance of Golgotha is preserved in heaven. But the Lord Jesus is not on the cross nor in the grave anymore; He is “between the throne” or “in the midst of the throne” (Darby Translation) of God, that is, in glory. The work is accomplished! At the same time you read that the Lamb is ‘standing’. That indicates that He is ready to come into action. The time of sitting is over (Revelation 3:21; Psalms 110:1).

The Lamb stands in the “midst”. He is the center “of the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders”. Everything that has to do with government and insight, has its center in Him. He rules and acts. He does that as Lamb, but not as a defenseless Lamb. He has “seven horns”. ‘Horns’ symbolize strength (1 Samuel 2:10; Luke 1:69), here especially royal strength. ‘Seven’ horns means perfect and absolute strength.

However, the Lord is not only omnipotent, but He is also omniscient. He has perfect insight into all things that happen on earth. That’s what the “seven eyes” indicates as a representation of “the seven Spirits of God”. Here the number ‘seven’ symbolizes again the perfection of the Spirit through Whom He works (Isaiah 11:2). These seven Spirits are “sent out into all the earth”. That symbolizes that He is omnipresent. He takes perfect notice of everything that happens. Nothing escapes His all-seeing eyes (2 Chronicles 16:9; Zechariah 3:9; Zechariah 4:10).

Revelation 5:7. Then the Lamb walks to the throne. It must have been an awesome moment for John and all who at that moment are in heaven. What is happening now in heaven is a unique event. Everyone must be breathlessly watching this scene. The Lamb comes and takes the book out of the right hand of Him Who sits on the throne. Now He has the book in His hands. Without saying a word to each other, the Lamb, once slain, is given the full entitlement by the One Who sits on the throne, the triune God, to take back the stolen property.

The action is as calm as it is grant and lofty, full of majesty. The description is without any human addition in language or action, that would only impair this unparalleled moment. You should just take a moment to allow what is happening here to sink in.

Revelation 5:8. The time of waiting is over, the time of acting has come. The tension has been broken. After the Lamb took the book, heaven comes into action to worship the Lamb. Heaven is aware of the enormous importance of taking the book. It means that the judgment on the world is near and the age to come is about to start.

Both the representatives of God’s kingdom – the four living creatures – and the representatives of all believers who are in heaven, express their admiration for the Lamb. He is worthy and He has all power to do whatever is needed to perfectly carry out God’s plan to the end. They all have “a harp” for expressing their admiration. The harp is an instrument of praise and worship and is sometime mentioned in reference to the millennial kingdom of peace (Psalms 33:2; Psalms 150:3).

Beside a harp they also all have “golden bowls full of incense”. The meaning of the incense is written right behind it: it represents “the prayers of the saints” (cf. Psalms 141:2). Beside worshipers there are also intercessors on behalf of the believers who are on earth at that time. Those who are in heaven are aware of their relation to those who are in need on earth. Possibly these bowls also contain the prayers of all saints that were prayed through the ages. In those days many were not saved and died as martyrs; but now those prayers will be answered. No prayer that has ever been sincerely prayed to God by a believer will remain unanswered.

Revelation 5:9. These worshipers and intercessors themselves are not in need and are free from sufferings. For them, the time to sing has come. “They sang a new song.” It is a song that the earth has not known yet, neither Moses (cf. Revelation 15:3), nor David, though he also speaks of a ‘new song’ (Psalms 33:3; Psalms 96:1). Only those who were bought by the blood of the Lamb are able to sing it.

When the redeemed people were on earth, they sang songs of deliverance, songs that were looking forward to the time of victory and the kingdom of glory. Those were songs of hope. But when the book is taken and opened, the songs will change into songs of victory and celebration of the peace that dawns. Above all, they will sing to Him Who has worked all things.

In this new song they answer the question that was asked in Revelation 5:2 by the strong angel. They sing to the Lamb: “Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals.” He is the content of the song and not the believer or what he has received. They also sing why He is worthy of it: the great work of redemption and atonement which He has accomplished in the offering of Himself. He was slain. In that way His blood was shed as the purchase price. In that way He has purchased, and He did it “for God”.

The purchased ones come from all parts of the world population. It is not only the church (Matthew 13:44), but they are all believers from all ages. He is the true Redeemer of the Old Testament, the true Boaz. He not only bought the believers. He has acquired the believers as a special property (1 Corinthians 6:20). But He bought the whole earth including the unbelievers (2 Peter 2:1; cf. John 17:2; Matthew 13:38; 44).

Revelation 5:10. The elders praise God not for what they themselves are, but for what He has made of the believers, the redeemed on earth. Therefore they speak about “them” in their song. It indeed refers to themselves, but they do not want to put themselves forward as the subject of the new song. It is all about the Lord Jesus to them. All light must fall on Him.

He made them to be “a kingdom and priests”. What an awesome transformation for men who once were in bondage of sin and worshipers of satan. They are now ‘kings’ of a kingdom where the Lord Jesus has all authority. They are allowed to serve Him there. As subjects of that kingdom they now find themselves already under His blessed reign, a reign that will soon be established on earth.

They are also as priests of God in His presence to worship Him. In that way man has come at the highest level of God’s purpose with him (Matthew 4:10).

As an added favor, they are also allowed to “reign upon the earth” together with the Lord Jesus. They are given a position of government on the earth where they were once persecuted and despised. Now they are given a position of dominion to spread blessing there (1 Corinthians 6:2-3).

Revelation 5:11. John sees and hears others joining in the praise. It is the voice of an enormous number of angels. The numbers that are mentioned indicate that it is about innumerable millions of angels. They form a circle around the throne and the living creatures and the elders, in the midst of which the Lamb is standing (Revelation 5:6). The angels have no personal part in the redemption. Therefore they are standing at a greater distance of the Lamb. But they certainly have great admiration for Him Who has accomplished the work of redemption.

Revelation 5:12. The angels also worship Him as the Lamb That was slain. They see the effect of it and know that the cause of it lies in Him and His work. Everything they mention has always been used through the ages by man to magnify himself. Now the time has come that all these things will be used by the true Man to magnify God. He is the Owner of it all, but it will become visible by His acts. And everything that becomes visible of Him prompts everyone who sees it to exclamations of admiration.

1. It begins with “power”. The power man has used to corrupt his way on earth, is used by Him in judgment and then in blessing. 2. All “riches” of the universe is His and will no more be misused, but will expose Him in His multifaceted brilliance. 3. He is the “wisdom” and will make that visible in all His ways and works. 4. He has the “might” that enables Him to carry out what He has decided to do. 5. He is worthy of all “honor” and that will openly be given to Him. 6. Everything that becomes visible of Him, is pure “glory”, splendor and magnificence. 7. “Blessing” is ascribed to Him, Who was once so reviled.

Revelation 5:13. The circle of worshipers expands even further. The whole creation, everything that has been created, rejoices in God and the Lamb. Then the curse is taken away from creation. This praise will never come to an end.

Revelation 5:14. The executors of God’s judgment agree with the praise. All that remains for the elders is to fall down without words and worship.

Now read Revelation 5:6-14 again.

Reflection: Tell the Lamb what is in your heart for Him.

Revelation 21:10

The Lamb

Revelation 5:6. John has heard that the Lion of the tribe of Judah has prevailed and is entitled to creation. You can imagine that he is now expecting to see the impressive stature of the king of beasts. But what does he see? A Lamb, or, as it originally says, a little Lamb, a word that appears almost thirty times in this book. The diminutive makes the nullity feel all the stronger. A lamb is completely defenseless, it doesn’t reflect any power; on the contrary, there is hardly anything weaker than that. And that picture of weakness is even more amplified when you see the Lamb there “standing, as if slain”.

Here you see in which way the Lord Jesus has overcome, namely by being slain. The Lamb stands there as an animal of which the throat has just been cut through. That is, the remembrance of Golgotha is preserved in heaven. But the Lord Jesus is not on the cross nor in the grave anymore; He is “between the throne” or “in the midst of the throne” (Darby Translation) of God, that is, in glory. The work is accomplished! At the same time you read that the Lamb is ‘standing’. That indicates that He is ready to come into action. The time of sitting is over (Revelation 3:21; Psalms 110:1).

The Lamb stands in the “midst”. He is the center “of the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders”. Everything that has to do with government and insight, has its center in Him. He rules and acts. He does that as Lamb, but not as a defenseless Lamb. He has “seven horns”. ‘Horns’ symbolize strength (1 Samuel 2:10; Luke 1:69), here especially royal strength. ‘Seven’ horns means perfect and absolute strength.

However, the Lord is not only omnipotent, but He is also omniscient. He has perfect insight into all things that happen on earth. That’s what the “seven eyes” indicates as a representation of “the seven Spirits of God”. Here the number ‘seven’ symbolizes again the perfection of the Spirit through Whom He works (Isaiah 11:2). These seven Spirits are “sent out into all the earth”. That symbolizes that He is omnipresent. He takes perfect notice of everything that happens. Nothing escapes His all-seeing eyes (2 Chronicles 16:9; Zechariah 3:9; Zechariah 4:10).

Revelation 5:7. Then the Lamb walks to the throne. It must have been an awesome moment for John and all who at that moment are in heaven. What is happening now in heaven is a unique event. Everyone must be breathlessly watching this scene. The Lamb comes and takes the book out of the right hand of Him Who sits on the throne. Now He has the book in His hands. Without saying a word to each other, the Lamb, once slain, is given the full entitlement by the One Who sits on the throne, the triune God, to take back the stolen property.

The action is as calm as it is grant and lofty, full of majesty. The description is without any human addition in language or action, that would only impair this unparalleled moment. You should just take a moment to allow what is happening here to sink in.

Revelation 5:8. The time of waiting is over, the time of acting has come. The tension has been broken. After the Lamb took the book, heaven comes into action to worship the Lamb. Heaven is aware of the enormous importance of taking the book. It means that the judgment on the world is near and the age to come is about to start.

Both the representatives of God’s kingdom – the four living creatures – and the representatives of all believers who are in heaven, express their admiration for the Lamb. He is worthy and He has all power to do whatever is needed to perfectly carry out God’s plan to the end. They all have “a harp” for expressing their admiration. The harp is an instrument of praise and worship and is sometime mentioned in reference to the millennial kingdom of peace (Psalms 33:2; Psalms 150:3).

Beside a harp they also all have “golden bowls full of incense”. The meaning of the incense is written right behind it: it represents “the prayers of the saints” (cf. Psalms 141:2). Beside worshipers there are also intercessors on behalf of the believers who are on earth at that time. Those who are in heaven are aware of their relation to those who are in need on earth. Possibly these bowls also contain the prayers of all saints that were prayed through the ages. In those days many were not saved and died as martyrs; but now those prayers will be answered. No prayer that has ever been sincerely prayed to God by a believer will remain unanswered.

Revelation 5:9. These worshipers and intercessors themselves are not in need and are free from sufferings. For them, the time to sing has come. “They sang a new song.” It is a song that the earth has not known yet, neither Moses (cf. Revelation 15:3), nor David, though he also speaks of a ‘new song’ (Psalms 33:3; Psalms 96:1). Only those who were bought by the blood of the Lamb are able to sing it.

When the redeemed people were on earth, they sang songs of deliverance, songs that were looking forward to the time of victory and the kingdom of glory. Those were songs of hope. But when the book is taken and opened, the songs will change into songs of victory and celebration of the peace that dawns. Above all, they will sing to Him Who has worked all things.

In this new song they answer the question that was asked in Revelation 5:2 by the strong angel. They sing to the Lamb: “Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals.” He is the content of the song and not the believer or what he has received. They also sing why He is worthy of it: the great work of redemption and atonement which He has accomplished in the offering of Himself. He was slain. In that way His blood was shed as the purchase price. In that way He has purchased, and He did it “for God”.

The purchased ones come from all parts of the world population. It is not only the church (Matthew 13:44), but they are all believers from all ages. He is the true Redeemer of the Old Testament, the true Boaz. He not only bought the believers. He has acquired the believers as a special property (1 Corinthians 6:20). But He bought the whole earth including the unbelievers (2 Peter 2:1; cf. John 17:2; Matthew 13:38; 44).

Revelation 5:10. The elders praise God not for what they themselves are, but for what He has made of the believers, the redeemed on earth. Therefore they speak about “them” in their song. It indeed refers to themselves, but they do not want to put themselves forward as the subject of the new song. It is all about the Lord Jesus to them. All light must fall on Him.

He made them to be “a kingdom and priests”. What an awesome transformation for men who once were in bondage of sin and worshipers of satan. They are now ‘kings’ of a kingdom where the Lord Jesus has all authority. They are allowed to serve Him there. As subjects of that kingdom they now find themselves already under His blessed reign, a reign that will soon be established on earth.

They are also as priests of God in His presence to worship Him. In that way man has come at the highest level of God’s purpose with him (Matthew 4:10).

As an added favor, they are also allowed to “reign upon the earth” together with the Lord Jesus. They are given a position of government on the earth where they were once persecuted and despised. Now they are given a position of dominion to spread blessing there (1 Corinthians 6:2-3).

Revelation 5:11. John sees and hears others joining in the praise. It is the voice of an enormous number of angels. The numbers that are mentioned indicate that it is about innumerable millions of angels. They form a circle around the throne and the living creatures and the elders, in the midst of which the Lamb is standing (Revelation 5:6). The angels have no personal part in the redemption. Therefore they are standing at a greater distance of the Lamb. But they certainly have great admiration for Him Who has accomplished the work of redemption.

Revelation 5:12. The angels also worship Him as the Lamb That was slain. They see the effect of it and know that the cause of it lies in Him and His work. Everything they mention has always been used through the ages by man to magnify himself. Now the time has come that all these things will be used by the true Man to magnify God. He is the Owner of it all, but it will become visible by His acts. And everything that becomes visible of Him prompts everyone who sees it to exclamations of admiration.

1. It begins with “power”. The power man has used to corrupt his way on earth, is used by Him in judgment and then in blessing. 2. All “riches” of the universe is His and will no more be misused, but will expose Him in His multifaceted brilliance. 3. He is the “wisdom” and will make that visible in all His ways and works. 4. He has the “might” that enables Him to carry out what He has decided to do. 5. He is worthy of all “honor” and that will openly be given to Him. 6. Everything that becomes visible of Him, is pure “glory”, splendor and magnificence. 7. “Blessing” is ascribed to Him, Who was once so reviled.

Revelation 5:13. The circle of worshipers expands even further. The whole creation, everything that has been created, rejoices in God and the Lamb. Then the curse is taken away from creation. This praise will never come to an end.

Revelation 5:14. The executors of God’s judgment agree with the praise. All that remains for the elders is to fall down without words and worship.

Now read Revelation 5:6-14 again.

Reflection: Tell the Lamb what is in your heart for Him.

Revelation 21:11

The Lamb

Revelation 5:6. John has heard that the Lion of the tribe of Judah has prevailed and is entitled to creation. You can imagine that he is now expecting to see the impressive stature of the king of beasts. But what does he see? A Lamb, or, as it originally says, a little Lamb, a word that appears almost thirty times in this book. The diminutive makes the nullity feel all the stronger. A lamb is completely defenseless, it doesn’t reflect any power; on the contrary, there is hardly anything weaker than that. And that picture of weakness is even more amplified when you see the Lamb there “standing, as if slain”.

Here you see in which way the Lord Jesus has overcome, namely by being slain. The Lamb stands there as an animal of which the throat has just been cut through. That is, the remembrance of Golgotha is preserved in heaven. But the Lord Jesus is not on the cross nor in the grave anymore; He is “between the throne” or “in the midst of the throne” (Darby Translation) of God, that is, in glory. The work is accomplished! At the same time you read that the Lamb is ‘standing’. That indicates that He is ready to come into action. The time of sitting is over (Revelation 3:21; Psalms 110:1).

The Lamb stands in the “midst”. He is the center “of the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders”. Everything that has to do with government and insight, has its center in Him. He rules and acts. He does that as Lamb, but not as a defenseless Lamb. He has “seven horns”. ‘Horns’ symbolize strength (1 Samuel 2:10; Luke 1:69), here especially royal strength. ‘Seven’ horns means perfect and absolute strength.

However, the Lord is not only omnipotent, but He is also omniscient. He has perfect insight into all things that happen on earth. That’s what the “seven eyes” indicates as a representation of “the seven Spirits of God”. Here the number ‘seven’ symbolizes again the perfection of the Spirit through Whom He works (Isaiah 11:2). These seven Spirits are “sent out into all the earth”. That symbolizes that He is omnipresent. He takes perfect notice of everything that happens. Nothing escapes His all-seeing eyes (2 Chronicles 16:9; Zechariah 3:9; Zechariah 4:10).

Revelation 5:7. Then the Lamb walks to the throne. It must have been an awesome moment for John and all who at that moment are in heaven. What is happening now in heaven is a unique event. Everyone must be breathlessly watching this scene. The Lamb comes and takes the book out of the right hand of Him Who sits on the throne. Now He has the book in His hands. Without saying a word to each other, the Lamb, once slain, is given the full entitlement by the One Who sits on the throne, the triune God, to take back the stolen property.

The action is as calm as it is grant and lofty, full of majesty. The description is without any human addition in language or action, that would only impair this unparalleled moment. You should just take a moment to allow what is happening here to sink in.

Revelation 5:8. The time of waiting is over, the time of acting has come. The tension has been broken. After the Lamb took the book, heaven comes into action to worship the Lamb. Heaven is aware of the enormous importance of taking the book. It means that the judgment on the world is near and the age to come is about to start.

Both the representatives of God’s kingdom – the four living creatures – and the representatives of all believers who are in heaven, express their admiration for the Lamb. He is worthy and He has all power to do whatever is needed to perfectly carry out God’s plan to the end. They all have “a harp” for expressing their admiration. The harp is an instrument of praise and worship and is sometime mentioned in reference to the millennial kingdom of peace (Psalms 33:2; Psalms 150:3).

Beside a harp they also all have “golden bowls full of incense”. The meaning of the incense is written right behind it: it represents “the prayers of the saints” (cf. Psalms 141:2). Beside worshipers there are also intercessors on behalf of the believers who are on earth at that time. Those who are in heaven are aware of their relation to those who are in need on earth. Possibly these bowls also contain the prayers of all saints that were prayed through the ages. In those days many were not saved and died as martyrs; but now those prayers will be answered. No prayer that has ever been sincerely prayed to God by a believer will remain unanswered.

Revelation 5:9. These worshipers and intercessors themselves are not in need and are free from sufferings. For them, the time to sing has come. “They sang a new song.” It is a song that the earth has not known yet, neither Moses (cf. Revelation 15:3), nor David, though he also speaks of a ‘new song’ (Psalms 33:3; Psalms 96:1). Only those who were bought by the blood of the Lamb are able to sing it.

When the redeemed people were on earth, they sang songs of deliverance, songs that were looking forward to the time of victory and the kingdom of glory. Those were songs of hope. But when the book is taken and opened, the songs will change into songs of victory and celebration of the peace that dawns. Above all, they will sing to Him Who has worked all things.

In this new song they answer the question that was asked in Revelation 5:2 by the strong angel. They sing to the Lamb: “Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals.” He is the content of the song and not the believer or what he has received. They also sing why He is worthy of it: the great work of redemption and atonement which He has accomplished in the offering of Himself. He was slain. In that way His blood was shed as the purchase price. In that way He has purchased, and He did it “for God”.

The purchased ones come from all parts of the world population. It is not only the church (Matthew 13:44), but they are all believers from all ages. He is the true Redeemer of the Old Testament, the true Boaz. He not only bought the believers. He has acquired the believers as a special property (1 Corinthians 6:20). But He bought the whole earth including the unbelievers (2 Peter 2:1; cf. John 17:2; Matthew 13:38; 44).

Revelation 5:10. The elders praise God not for what they themselves are, but for what He has made of the believers, the redeemed on earth. Therefore they speak about “them” in their song. It indeed refers to themselves, but they do not want to put themselves forward as the subject of the new song. It is all about the Lord Jesus to them. All light must fall on Him.

He made them to be “a kingdom and priests”. What an awesome transformation for men who once were in bondage of sin and worshipers of satan. They are now ‘kings’ of a kingdom where the Lord Jesus has all authority. They are allowed to serve Him there. As subjects of that kingdom they now find themselves already under His blessed reign, a reign that will soon be established on earth.

They are also as priests of God in His presence to worship Him. In that way man has come at the highest level of God’s purpose with him (Matthew 4:10).

As an added favor, they are also allowed to “reign upon the earth” together with the Lord Jesus. They are given a position of government on the earth where they were once persecuted and despised. Now they are given a position of dominion to spread blessing there (1 Corinthians 6:2-3).

Revelation 5:11. John sees and hears others joining in the praise. It is the voice of an enormous number of angels. The numbers that are mentioned indicate that it is about innumerable millions of angels. They form a circle around the throne and the living creatures and the elders, in the midst of which the Lamb is standing (Revelation 5:6). The angels have no personal part in the redemption. Therefore they are standing at a greater distance of the Lamb. But they certainly have great admiration for Him Who has accomplished the work of redemption.

Revelation 5:12. The angels also worship Him as the Lamb That was slain. They see the effect of it and know that the cause of it lies in Him and His work. Everything they mention has always been used through the ages by man to magnify himself. Now the time has come that all these things will be used by the true Man to magnify God. He is the Owner of it all, but it will become visible by His acts. And everything that becomes visible of Him prompts everyone who sees it to exclamations of admiration.

1. It begins with “power”. The power man has used to corrupt his way on earth, is used by Him in judgment and then in blessing. 2. All “riches” of the universe is His and will no more be misused, but will expose Him in His multifaceted brilliance. 3. He is the “wisdom” and will make that visible in all His ways and works. 4. He has the “might” that enables Him to carry out what He has decided to do. 5. He is worthy of all “honor” and that will openly be given to Him. 6. Everything that becomes visible of Him, is pure “glory”, splendor and magnificence. 7. “Blessing” is ascribed to Him, Who was once so reviled.

Revelation 5:13. The circle of worshipers expands even further. The whole creation, everything that has been created, rejoices in God and the Lamb. Then the curse is taken away from creation. This praise will never come to an end.

Revelation 5:14. The executors of God’s judgment agree with the praise. All that remains for the elders is to fall down without words and worship.

Now read Revelation 5:6-14 again.

Reflection: Tell the Lamb what is in your heart for Him.

Revelation 21:12

The Lamb

Revelation 5:6. John has heard that the Lion of the tribe of Judah has prevailed and is entitled to creation. You can imagine that he is now expecting to see the impressive stature of the king of beasts. But what does he see? A Lamb, or, as it originally says, a little Lamb, a word that appears almost thirty times in this book. The diminutive makes the nullity feel all the stronger. A lamb is completely defenseless, it doesn’t reflect any power; on the contrary, there is hardly anything weaker than that. And that picture of weakness is even more amplified when you see the Lamb there “standing, as if slain”.

Here you see in which way the Lord Jesus has overcome, namely by being slain. The Lamb stands there as an animal of which the throat has just been cut through. That is, the remembrance of Golgotha is preserved in heaven. But the Lord Jesus is not on the cross nor in the grave anymore; He is “between the throne” or “in the midst of the throne” (Darby Translation) of God, that is, in glory. The work is accomplished! At the same time you read that the Lamb is ‘standing’. That indicates that He is ready to come into action. The time of sitting is over (Revelation 3:21; Psalms 110:1).

The Lamb stands in the “midst”. He is the center “of the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders”. Everything that has to do with government and insight, has its center in Him. He rules and acts. He does that as Lamb, but not as a defenseless Lamb. He has “seven horns”. ‘Horns’ symbolize strength (1 Samuel 2:10; Luke 1:69), here especially royal strength. ‘Seven’ horns means perfect and absolute strength.

However, the Lord is not only omnipotent, but He is also omniscient. He has perfect insight into all things that happen on earth. That’s what the “seven eyes” indicates as a representation of “the seven Spirits of God”. Here the number ‘seven’ symbolizes again the perfection of the Spirit through Whom He works (Isaiah 11:2). These seven Spirits are “sent out into all the earth”. That symbolizes that He is omnipresent. He takes perfect notice of everything that happens. Nothing escapes His all-seeing eyes (2 Chronicles 16:9; Zechariah 3:9; Zechariah 4:10).

Revelation 5:7. Then the Lamb walks to the throne. It must have been an awesome moment for John and all who at that moment are in heaven. What is happening now in heaven is a unique event. Everyone must be breathlessly watching this scene. The Lamb comes and takes the book out of the right hand of Him Who sits on the throne. Now He has the book in His hands. Without saying a word to each other, the Lamb, once slain, is given the full entitlement by the One Who sits on the throne, the triune God, to take back the stolen property.

The action is as calm as it is grant and lofty, full of majesty. The description is without any human addition in language or action, that would only impair this unparalleled moment. You should just take a moment to allow what is happening here to sink in.

Revelation 5:8. The time of waiting is over, the time of acting has come. The tension has been broken. After the Lamb took the book, heaven comes into action to worship the Lamb. Heaven is aware of the enormous importance of taking the book. It means that the judgment on the world is near and the age to come is about to start.

Both the representatives of God’s kingdom – the four living creatures – and the representatives of all believers who are in heaven, express their admiration for the Lamb. He is worthy and He has all power to do whatever is needed to perfectly carry out God’s plan to the end. They all have “a harp” for expressing their admiration. The harp is an instrument of praise and worship and is sometime mentioned in reference to the millennial kingdom of peace (Psalms 33:2; Psalms 150:3).

Beside a harp they also all have “golden bowls full of incense”. The meaning of the incense is written right behind it: it represents “the prayers of the saints” (cf. Psalms 141:2). Beside worshipers there are also intercessors on behalf of the believers who are on earth at that time. Those who are in heaven are aware of their relation to those who are in need on earth. Possibly these bowls also contain the prayers of all saints that were prayed through the ages. In those days many were not saved and died as martyrs; but now those prayers will be answered. No prayer that has ever been sincerely prayed to God by a believer will remain unanswered.

Revelation 5:9. These worshipers and intercessors themselves are not in need and are free from sufferings. For them, the time to sing has come. “They sang a new song.” It is a song that the earth has not known yet, neither Moses (cf. Revelation 15:3), nor David, though he also speaks of a ‘new song’ (Psalms 33:3; Psalms 96:1). Only those who were bought by the blood of the Lamb are able to sing it.

When the redeemed people were on earth, they sang songs of deliverance, songs that were looking forward to the time of victory and the kingdom of glory. Those were songs of hope. But when the book is taken and opened, the songs will change into songs of victory and celebration of the peace that dawns. Above all, they will sing to Him Who has worked all things.

In this new song they answer the question that was asked in Revelation 5:2 by the strong angel. They sing to the Lamb: “Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals.” He is the content of the song and not the believer or what he has received. They also sing why He is worthy of it: the great work of redemption and atonement which He has accomplished in the offering of Himself. He was slain. In that way His blood was shed as the purchase price. In that way He has purchased, and He did it “for God”.

The purchased ones come from all parts of the world population. It is not only the church (Matthew 13:44), but they are all believers from all ages. He is the true Redeemer of the Old Testament, the true Boaz. He not only bought the believers. He has acquired the believers as a special property (1 Corinthians 6:20). But He bought the whole earth including the unbelievers (2 Peter 2:1; cf. John 17:2; Matthew 13:38; 44).

Revelation 5:10. The elders praise God not for what they themselves are, but for what He has made of the believers, the redeemed on earth. Therefore they speak about “them” in their song. It indeed refers to themselves, but they do not want to put themselves forward as the subject of the new song. It is all about the Lord Jesus to them. All light must fall on Him.

He made them to be “a kingdom and priests”. What an awesome transformation for men who once were in bondage of sin and worshipers of satan. They are now ‘kings’ of a kingdom where the Lord Jesus has all authority. They are allowed to serve Him there. As subjects of that kingdom they now find themselves already under His blessed reign, a reign that will soon be established on earth.

They are also as priests of God in His presence to worship Him. In that way man has come at the highest level of God’s purpose with him (Matthew 4:10).

As an added favor, they are also allowed to “reign upon the earth” together with the Lord Jesus. They are given a position of government on the earth where they were once persecuted and despised. Now they are given a position of dominion to spread blessing there (1 Corinthians 6:2-3).

Revelation 5:11. John sees and hears others joining in the praise. It is the voice of an enormous number of angels. The numbers that are mentioned indicate that it is about innumerable millions of angels. They form a circle around the throne and the living creatures and the elders, in the midst of which the Lamb is standing (Revelation 5:6). The angels have no personal part in the redemption. Therefore they are standing at a greater distance of the Lamb. But they certainly have great admiration for Him Who has accomplished the work of redemption.

Revelation 5:12. The angels also worship Him as the Lamb That was slain. They see the effect of it and know that the cause of it lies in Him and His work. Everything they mention has always been used through the ages by man to magnify himself. Now the time has come that all these things will be used by the true Man to magnify God. He is the Owner of it all, but it will become visible by His acts. And everything that becomes visible of Him prompts everyone who sees it to exclamations of admiration.

1. It begins with “power”. The power man has used to corrupt his way on earth, is used by Him in judgment and then in blessing. 2. All “riches” of the universe is His and will no more be misused, but will expose Him in His multifaceted brilliance. 3. He is the “wisdom” and will make that visible in all His ways and works. 4. He has the “might” that enables Him to carry out what He has decided to do. 5. He is worthy of all “honor” and that will openly be given to Him. 6. Everything that becomes visible of Him, is pure “glory”, splendor and magnificence. 7. “Blessing” is ascribed to Him, Who was once so reviled.

Revelation 5:13. The circle of worshipers expands even further. The whole creation, everything that has been created, rejoices in God and the Lamb. Then the curse is taken away from creation. This praise will never come to an end.

Revelation 5:14. The executors of God’s judgment agree with the praise. All that remains for the elders is to fall down without words and worship.

Now read Revelation 5:6-14 again.

Reflection: Tell the Lamb what is in your heart for Him.

Revelation 21:14

The First Four Seals

Before we start with Revelation 6 I will give you a brief summary of the upcoming chapters. Then you will have a rough idea of what is going to happen.

1. In Revelation 6 the first six seals are broken. Those six seals describe the first six trials that will come over the earth after the rapture of the church.

2. Revelation 7 is a parenthesis between the sixth and the seventh seal, in which God shows that a great number of believers are preserved through the judgments until the coming of the Lord Jesus to earth. They enter the kingdom of peace as the living.

3. In Revelation 8:1-5 the seventh seal is opened. That causes a silence of half an hour in heaven, after which seven trumpets, blown by angels, give the sign for new judgments.

4. In Revelation 8:6-9:21 six trumpet judgments are described.

5. The section of Revelation 10:1-11:13 forms a new parenthesis.

6. Then in Revelation 11:14-18 the seventh trumpet is blown.

7. In Revelation 12-14 some events of the forgoing period are more precisely described.

8. In Revelation 15-16 you read about the seven angels with seven bowl judgments. These are the concluding and also most severe judgments.

9. The Revelation 17-18 are specially dedicated to the judgment over the great Babylon, the false church.

10. Then in Revelation 19 the wedding of the Lamb with the true church takes place.

11. Up till Revelation 21:8 it is described in chronological order what still more is to happen until eternity begins.

12. From Revelation 21:9 you have a description of the new Jerusalem in the kingdom of peace.

13. The book ends with information on the coming of Christ and His promise that He will come soon.

Revelation 6:1. Here you see, with John, the Lord Jesus as the Lamb, opening the first seal. As it is said, it is one of the seals of the book in which God has written His counsels and judgments regarding the earth. You can call the judgments that come on the earth with the opening of each of the seals, the preliminary judgments. They are not yet the actual, ultimate judgments with the effect of the purification of the earth and the redemption of it, but they prepare the way to it. The seal judgments announce the beginning of the end, that is, that God will fulfill His will by preparing the earth for the reign of Christ.

The command “come” is not addressed to John and still less to Christ. It comes from one of the living creatures that are connected to the execution of judgment and is addressed to the horse as a symbol of the judgment. Here it is still about judgments in providence. That means that those are judgments which by unbelievers are ascribed to natural elements or to political or other circumstances, while in reality they are directed by God. They still do not recognize God’s hand in these plagues.

Revelation 6:2. Here horses represent authorities that God in His providence uses for judgment (cf. Zechariah 1:8-10; Revelation 19:11; 14). The colors of the horses associated with the first four seals represent successively: white for victory, fiery red for blood, black for mourning and ashen as the corpse color of death (cf. Zechariah 1:8; Zechariah 6:2-8).

The white horse with its rider who goes out conquering is not a representation of the coming of Christ. Christ will come down from heaven only in Revelation 19. It has been suggested that this is a prince who works and maintains the cohesion of the Roman empire. I remind you that we have here the first events on earth that will take place right after the rapture of the church.

When the church has been caught up it will for a moment seem that all human efforts have been successful in order to achieve a sustainable peace. It is a short period of apparent peace and prosperity with a sense of security. God will allow it, while man in his arrogance will see it as his own success (1 Thessalonians 5:3). About peace with God and about what He considers righteous, he does not think about that.

The “bow”, without an arrow, may probably indicate that there is no arms race at that very moment, but that the disarmament regarding the mass destruction which could be effected at a great distance, has been realized for a great deal. It is also possible that there is such an amount of long distance weapons that the threat is enough to win people over without direct bloodshed. That this process will probably be taking place peacefully can be derived from the white color.

“A crown was given” to the conqueror. That indicates that he conquers under the approval of God because it fits into His plans. It does not mean that God approves of all his acts and motives, but that He allows the performance.

Revelation 6:3-4. When “the second seal” is opened by the Lamb, John hears the second living creature saying: “Come!” Because in Revelation 6:1 it is not said ‘the first living creature’, but “one of the four living creatures”, the order of speaking of the living creatures cannot be determined on the basis of Revelation 4 (Revelation 4:7). The horse that goes out has a red color. Shortly after the rider of the white horse had established a peaceful period, the rider of the red horse brutally makes an end to it.

After a period of peace during the first seal, a spirit of discontentment is now working which instigates war, possibly a civil war. Here you do not see a bow, like with the first seal, but “a great sword” for the fight of man against man. It is a ‘great sword’, which indicates that the slaughter is great. Here it becomes apparent that the disarmament is not complete. People remain deceitful. Peace wrought by men does not last. Only God can give lasting peace (Psalms 147:14). Peace is a result of the subjection of man to the government of God.

Revelation 6:5. When the Lamb opens “the third seal” the “the third living creature” says: “Come!” John sees “a black horse” and ”he who sits on it”. He also sees that the rider has “a pair of scales in his hand”. We don’t need to guess what the black color represents. Black doesn’t evoke pleasant thoughts, but has to do with mourning and lamenting (Psalms 38:7; Psalms 42:10; Psalms 43:2; Jeremiah 8:21; Lamentations 4:8; Malachi 3:14). The pair of scales indicates an accurate measurement of what is available. The general prosperity is over and done with.

Revelation 6:6. You can imagine that because of the war under the second seal, an economic chaos arises. The most necessary provisions will be enormously scarce and therefore expensive. This situation is emphatically associated with a judgment that comes from God. It says for a reason that something “like a voice in the center of the four living creatures” announces this scarcity.

Especially the common population will suffer under this crisis. “A quart of wheat” will cost “a denarius”, which is equal to a day’s pay (Matthew 20:2). Common man can only have one meal a day. The word ‘quart’ doesn’t evoke the thought that there is much choice. It is scarce, just enough to stay alive. All the money that has been earned will be used for that. There is no more money to spend on anything else.

“The oil and the wine” must be spared. These products are presented as affluent goods, for which we are warned not to put our heart on them (Proverbs 21:17). If these things must be spared it may indicate that the rich people are still prospering. They can always maintain themselves for a longer period of time. But they will surely have to face the shortage. Maybe not in material sense, but surely in spiritual sense (Revelation 6:15). It is also possible when considering oil and wine to think of medicines (Luke 10:34). Then we see in the sparing of oil and wine God’s compassion, which despite the severe trials which come over the earth, will not be completely taken away.

Revelation 6:7-8. When the Lamb breaks “the fourth seal” John hears “the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come.”” Now all four living creatures have spoken. The horse you see now is “ashen”. The rider of this horse has a name called “Death” and his follower is called “Hades”. Here you can find no trace of compassion. It is all darkness. That cannot be otherwise, for wherever God is denied as the source of life, death enters.

The territory where this judgment takes place is “a fourth of the earth”. That is a smaller part than ‘a third’, which embraces the Roman empire (Revelation 12:4). The judgment is therefore still of a relatively small size.

The famine under the previous seal will be followed by death which makes its victims in various ways. Hades follows death because hades is the place where the victims of death end up. Death deals with the living and hades with the dead. Together they make victims with “sword” (wars), “famine” (hunger), “pestilence” and “the wild beasts of the earth” (Jeremiah 14:12; Jeremiah 15:2; Ezekiel 5:12; 17; Ezekiel 14:21; Ezekiel 33:27). Wild beasts probably represent unscrupulous people who terrorize their fellow men.

Now read Revelation 6:1-8 again.

Reflection: Try to summarize in few words the characteristic of each of the first four seals.

Revelation 21:15

The First Four Seals

Before we start with Revelation 6 I will give you a brief summary of the upcoming chapters. Then you will have a rough idea of what is going to happen.

1. In Revelation 6 the first six seals are broken. Those six seals describe the first six trials that will come over the earth after the rapture of the church.

2. Revelation 7 is a parenthesis between the sixth and the seventh seal, in which God shows that a great number of believers are preserved through the judgments until the coming of the Lord Jesus to earth. They enter the kingdom of peace as the living.

3. In Revelation 8:1-5 the seventh seal is opened. That causes a silence of half an hour in heaven, after which seven trumpets, blown by angels, give the sign for new judgments.

4. In Revelation 8:6-9:21 six trumpet judgments are described.

5. The section of Revelation 10:1-11:13 forms a new parenthesis.

6. Then in Revelation 11:14-18 the seventh trumpet is blown.

7. In Revelation 12-14 some events of the forgoing period are more precisely described.

8. In Revelation 15-16 you read about the seven angels with seven bowl judgments. These are the concluding and also most severe judgments.

9. The Revelation 17-18 are specially dedicated to the judgment over the great Babylon, the false church.

10. Then in Revelation 19 the wedding of the Lamb with the true church takes place.

11. Up till Revelation 21:8 it is described in chronological order what still more is to happen until eternity begins.

12. From Revelation 21:9 you have a description of the new Jerusalem in the kingdom of peace.

13. The book ends with information on the coming of Christ and His promise that He will come soon.

Revelation 6:1. Here you see, with John, the Lord Jesus as the Lamb, opening the first seal. As it is said, it is one of the seals of the book in which God has written His counsels and judgments regarding the earth. You can call the judgments that come on the earth with the opening of each of the seals, the preliminary judgments. They are not yet the actual, ultimate judgments with the effect of the purification of the earth and the redemption of it, but they prepare the way to it. The seal judgments announce the beginning of the end, that is, that God will fulfill His will by preparing the earth for the reign of Christ.

The command “come” is not addressed to John and still less to Christ. It comes from one of the living creatures that are connected to the execution of judgment and is addressed to the horse as a symbol of the judgment. Here it is still about judgments in providence. That means that those are judgments which by unbelievers are ascribed to natural elements or to political or other circumstances, while in reality they are directed by God. They still do not recognize God’s hand in these plagues.

Revelation 6:2. Here horses represent authorities that God in His providence uses for judgment (cf. Zechariah 1:8-10; Revelation 19:11; 14). The colors of the horses associated with the first four seals represent successively: white for victory, fiery red for blood, black for mourning and ashen as the corpse color of death (cf. Zechariah 1:8; Zechariah 6:2-8).

The white horse with its rider who goes out conquering is not a representation of the coming of Christ. Christ will come down from heaven only in Revelation 19. It has been suggested that this is a prince who works and maintains the cohesion of the Roman empire. I remind you that we have here the first events on earth that will take place right after the rapture of the church.

When the church has been caught up it will for a moment seem that all human efforts have been successful in order to achieve a sustainable peace. It is a short period of apparent peace and prosperity with a sense of security. God will allow it, while man in his arrogance will see it as his own success (1 Thessalonians 5:3). About peace with God and about what He considers righteous, he does not think about that.

The “bow”, without an arrow, may probably indicate that there is no arms race at that very moment, but that the disarmament regarding the mass destruction which could be effected at a great distance, has been realized for a great deal. It is also possible that there is such an amount of long distance weapons that the threat is enough to win people over without direct bloodshed. That this process will probably be taking place peacefully can be derived from the white color.

“A crown was given” to the conqueror. That indicates that he conquers under the approval of God because it fits into His plans. It does not mean that God approves of all his acts and motives, but that He allows the performance.

Revelation 6:3-4. When “the second seal” is opened by the Lamb, John hears the second living creature saying: “Come!” Because in Revelation 6:1 it is not said ‘the first living creature’, but “one of the four living creatures”, the order of speaking of the living creatures cannot be determined on the basis of Revelation 4 (Revelation 4:7). The horse that goes out has a red color. Shortly after the rider of the white horse had established a peaceful period, the rider of the red horse brutally makes an end to it.

After a period of peace during the first seal, a spirit of discontentment is now working which instigates war, possibly a civil war. Here you do not see a bow, like with the first seal, but “a great sword” for the fight of man against man. It is a ‘great sword’, which indicates that the slaughter is great. Here it becomes apparent that the disarmament is not complete. People remain deceitful. Peace wrought by men does not last. Only God can give lasting peace (Psalms 147:14). Peace is a result of the subjection of man to the government of God.

Revelation 6:5. When the Lamb opens “the third seal” the “the third living creature” says: “Come!” John sees “a black horse” and ”he who sits on it”. He also sees that the rider has “a pair of scales in his hand”. We don’t need to guess what the black color represents. Black doesn’t evoke pleasant thoughts, but has to do with mourning and lamenting (Psalms 38:7; Psalms 42:10; Psalms 43:2; Jeremiah 8:21; Lamentations 4:8; Malachi 3:14). The pair of scales indicates an accurate measurement of what is available. The general prosperity is over and done with.

Revelation 6:6. You can imagine that because of the war under the second seal, an economic chaos arises. The most necessary provisions will be enormously scarce and therefore expensive. This situation is emphatically associated with a judgment that comes from God. It says for a reason that something “like a voice in the center of the four living creatures” announces this scarcity.

Especially the common population will suffer under this crisis. “A quart of wheat” will cost “a denarius”, which is equal to a day’s pay (Matthew 20:2). Common man can only have one meal a day. The word ‘quart’ doesn’t evoke the thought that there is much choice. It is scarce, just enough to stay alive. All the money that has been earned will be used for that. There is no more money to spend on anything else.

“The oil and the wine” must be spared. These products are presented as affluent goods, for which we are warned not to put our heart on them (Proverbs 21:17). If these things must be spared it may indicate that the rich people are still prospering. They can always maintain themselves for a longer period of time. But they will surely have to face the shortage. Maybe not in material sense, but surely in spiritual sense (Revelation 6:15). It is also possible when considering oil and wine to think of medicines (Luke 10:34). Then we see in the sparing of oil and wine God’s compassion, which despite the severe trials which come over the earth, will not be completely taken away.

Revelation 6:7-8. When the Lamb breaks “the fourth seal” John hears “the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come.”” Now all four living creatures have spoken. The horse you see now is “ashen”. The rider of this horse has a name called “Death” and his follower is called “Hades”. Here you can find no trace of compassion. It is all darkness. That cannot be otherwise, for wherever God is denied as the source of life, death enters.

The territory where this judgment takes place is “a fourth of the earth”. That is a smaller part than ‘a third’, which embraces the Roman empire (Revelation 12:4). The judgment is therefore still of a relatively small size.

The famine under the previous seal will be followed by death which makes its victims in various ways. Hades follows death because hades is the place where the victims of death end up. Death deals with the living and hades with the dead. Together they make victims with “sword” (wars), “famine” (hunger), “pestilence” and “the wild beasts of the earth” (Jeremiah 14:12; Jeremiah 15:2; Ezekiel 5:12; 17; Ezekiel 14:21; Ezekiel 33:27). Wild beasts probably represent unscrupulous people who terrorize their fellow men.

Now read Revelation 6:1-8 again.

Reflection: Try to summarize in few words the characteristic of each of the first four seals.

Revelation 21:16

The First Four Seals

Before we start with Revelation 6 I will give you a brief summary of the upcoming chapters. Then you will have a rough idea of what is going to happen.

1. In Revelation 6 the first six seals are broken. Those six seals describe the first six trials that will come over the earth after the rapture of the church.

2. Revelation 7 is a parenthesis between the sixth and the seventh seal, in which God shows that a great number of believers are preserved through the judgments until the coming of the Lord Jesus to earth. They enter the kingdom of peace as the living.

3. In Revelation 8:1-5 the seventh seal is opened. That causes a silence of half an hour in heaven, after which seven trumpets, blown by angels, give the sign for new judgments.

4. In Revelation 8:6-9:21 six trumpet judgments are described.

5. The section of Revelation 10:1-11:13 forms a new parenthesis.

6. Then in Revelation 11:14-18 the seventh trumpet is blown.

7. In Revelation 12-14 some events of the forgoing period are more precisely described.

8. In Revelation 15-16 you read about the seven angels with seven bowl judgments. These are the concluding and also most severe judgments.

9. The Revelation 17-18 are specially dedicated to the judgment over the great Babylon, the false church.

10. Then in Revelation 19 the wedding of the Lamb with the true church takes place.

11. Up till Revelation 21:8 it is described in chronological order what still more is to happen until eternity begins.

12. From Revelation 21:9 you have a description of the new Jerusalem in the kingdom of peace.

13. The book ends with information on the coming of Christ and His promise that He will come soon.

Revelation 6:1. Here you see, with John, the Lord Jesus as the Lamb, opening the first seal. As it is said, it is one of the seals of the book in which God has written His counsels and judgments regarding the earth. You can call the judgments that come on the earth with the opening of each of the seals, the preliminary judgments. They are not yet the actual, ultimate judgments with the effect of the purification of the earth and the redemption of it, but they prepare the way to it. The seal judgments announce the beginning of the end, that is, that God will fulfill His will by preparing the earth for the reign of Christ.

The command “come” is not addressed to John and still less to Christ. It comes from one of the living creatures that are connected to the execution of judgment and is addressed to the horse as a symbol of the judgment. Here it is still about judgments in providence. That means that those are judgments which by unbelievers are ascribed to natural elements or to political or other circumstances, while in reality they are directed by God. They still do not recognize God’s hand in these plagues.

Revelation 6:2. Here horses represent authorities that God in His providence uses for judgment (cf. Zechariah 1:8-10; Revelation 19:11; 14). The colors of the horses associated with the first four seals represent successively: white for victory, fiery red for blood, black for mourning and ashen as the corpse color of death (cf. Zechariah 1:8; Zechariah 6:2-8).

The white horse with its rider who goes out conquering is not a representation of the coming of Christ. Christ will come down from heaven only in Revelation 19. It has been suggested that this is a prince who works and maintains the cohesion of the Roman empire. I remind you that we have here the first events on earth that will take place right after the rapture of the church.

When the church has been caught up it will for a moment seem that all human efforts have been successful in order to achieve a sustainable peace. It is a short period of apparent peace and prosperity with a sense of security. God will allow it, while man in his arrogance will see it as his own success (1 Thessalonians 5:3). About peace with God and about what He considers righteous, he does not think about that.

The “bow”, without an arrow, may probably indicate that there is no arms race at that very moment, but that the disarmament regarding the mass destruction which could be effected at a great distance, has been realized for a great deal. It is also possible that there is such an amount of long distance weapons that the threat is enough to win people over without direct bloodshed. That this process will probably be taking place peacefully can be derived from the white color.

“A crown was given” to the conqueror. That indicates that he conquers under the approval of God because it fits into His plans. It does not mean that God approves of all his acts and motives, but that He allows the performance.

Revelation 6:3-4. When “the second seal” is opened by the Lamb, John hears the second living creature saying: “Come!” Because in Revelation 6:1 it is not said ‘the first living creature’, but “one of the four living creatures”, the order of speaking of the living creatures cannot be determined on the basis of Revelation 4 (Revelation 4:7). The horse that goes out has a red color. Shortly after the rider of the white horse had established a peaceful period, the rider of the red horse brutally makes an end to it.

After a period of peace during the first seal, a spirit of discontentment is now working which instigates war, possibly a civil war. Here you do not see a bow, like with the first seal, but “a great sword” for the fight of man against man. It is a ‘great sword’, which indicates that the slaughter is great. Here it becomes apparent that the disarmament is not complete. People remain deceitful. Peace wrought by men does not last. Only God can give lasting peace (Psalms 147:14). Peace is a result of the subjection of man to the government of God.

Revelation 6:5. When the Lamb opens “the third seal” the “the third living creature” says: “Come!” John sees “a black horse” and ”he who sits on it”. He also sees that the rider has “a pair of scales in his hand”. We don’t need to guess what the black color represents. Black doesn’t evoke pleasant thoughts, but has to do with mourning and lamenting (Psalms 38:7; Psalms 42:10; Psalms 43:2; Jeremiah 8:21; Lamentations 4:8; Malachi 3:14). The pair of scales indicates an accurate measurement of what is available. The general prosperity is over and done with.

Revelation 6:6. You can imagine that because of the war under the second seal, an economic chaos arises. The most necessary provisions will be enormously scarce and therefore expensive. This situation is emphatically associated with a judgment that comes from God. It says for a reason that something “like a voice in the center of the four living creatures” announces this scarcity.

Especially the common population will suffer under this crisis. “A quart of wheat” will cost “a denarius”, which is equal to a day’s pay (Matthew 20:2). Common man can only have one meal a day. The word ‘quart’ doesn’t evoke the thought that there is much choice. It is scarce, just enough to stay alive. All the money that has been earned will be used for that. There is no more money to spend on anything else.

“The oil and the wine” must be spared. These products are presented as affluent goods, for which we are warned not to put our heart on them (Proverbs 21:17). If these things must be spared it may indicate that the rich people are still prospering. They can always maintain themselves for a longer period of time. But they will surely have to face the shortage. Maybe not in material sense, but surely in spiritual sense (Revelation 6:15). It is also possible when considering oil and wine to think of medicines (Luke 10:34). Then we see in the sparing of oil and wine God’s compassion, which despite the severe trials which come over the earth, will not be completely taken away.

Revelation 6:7-8. When the Lamb breaks “the fourth seal” John hears “the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come.”” Now all four living creatures have spoken. The horse you see now is “ashen”. The rider of this horse has a name called “Death” and his follower is called “Hades”. Here you can find no trace of compassion. It is all darkness. That cannot be otherwise, for wherever God is denied as the source of life, death enters.

The territory where this judgment takes place is “a fourth of the earth”. That is a smaller part than ‘a third’, which embraces the Roman empire (Revelation 12:4). The judgment is therefore still of a relatively small size.

The famine under the previous seal will be followed by death which makes its victims in various ways. Hades follows death because hades is the place where the victims of death end up. Death deals with the living and hades with the dead. Together they make victims with “sword” (wars), “famine” (hunger), “pestilence” and “the wild beasts of the earth” (Jeremiah 14:12; Jeremiah 15:2; Ezekiel 5:12; 17; Ezekiel 14:21; Ezekiel 33:27). Wild beasts probably represent unscrupulous people who terrorize their fellow men.

Now read Revelation 6:1-8 again.

Reflection: Try to summarize in few words the characteristic of each of the first four seals.

Revelation 21:17

The First Four Seals

Before we start with Revelation 6 I will give you a brief summary of the upcoming chapters. Then you will have a rough idea of what is going to happen.

1. In Revelation 6 the first six seals are broken. Those six seals describe the first six trials that will come over the earth after the rapture of the church.

2. Revelation 7 is a parenthesis between the sixth and the seventh seal, in which God shows that a great number of believers are preserved through the judgments until the coming of the Lord Jesus to earth. They enter the kingdom of peace as the living.

3. In Revelation 8:1-5 the seventh seal is opened. That causes a silence of half an hour in heaven, after which seven trumpets, blown by angels, give the sign for new judgments.

4. In Revelation 8:6-9:21 six trumpet judgments are described.

5. The section of Revelation 10:1-11:13 forms a new parenthesis.

6. Then in Revelation 11:14-18 the seventh trumpet is blown.

7. In Revelation 12-14 some events of the forgoing period are more precisely described.

8. In Revelation 15-16 you read about the seven angels with seven bowl judgments. These are the concluding and also most severe judgments.

9. The Revelation 17-18 are specially dedicated to the judgment over the great Babylon, the false church.

10. Then in Revelation 19 the wedding of the Lamb with the true church takes place.

11. Up till Revelation 21:8 it is described in chronological order what still more is to happen until eternity begins.

12. From Revelation 21:9 you have a description of the new Jerusalem in the kingdom of peace.

13. The book ends with information on the coming of Christ and His promise that He will come soon.

Revelation 6:1. Here you see, with John, the Lord Jesus as the Lamb, opening the first seal. As it is said, it is one of the seals of the book in which God has written His counsels and judgments regarding the earth. You can call the judgments that come on the earth with the opening of each of the seals, the preliminary judgments. They are not yet the actual, ultimate judgments with the effect of the purification of the earth and the redemption of it, but they prepare the way to it. The seal judgments announce the beginning of the end, that is, that God will fulfill His will by preparing the earth for the reign of Christ.

The command “come” is not addressed to John and still less to Christ. It comes from one of the living creatures that are connected to the execution of judgment and is addressed to the horse as a symbol of the judgment. Here it is still about judgments in providence. That means that those are judgments which by unbelievers are ascribed to natural elements or to political or other circumstances, while in reality they are directed by God. They still do not recognize God’s hand in these plagues.

Revelation 6:2. Here horses represent authorities that God in His providence uses for judgment (cf. Zechariah 1:8-10; Revelation 19:11; 14). The colors of the horses associated with the first four seals represent successively: white for victory, fiery red for blood, black for mourning and ashen as the corpse color of death (cf. Zechariah 1:8; Zechariah 6:2-8).

The white horse with its rider who goes out conquering is not a representation of the coming of Christ. Christ will come down from heaven only in Revelation 19. It has been suggested that this is a prince who works and maintains the cohesion of the Roman empire. I remind you that we have here the first events on earth that will take place right after the rapture of the church.

When the church has been caught up it will for a moment seem that all human efforts have been successful in order to achieve a sustainable peace. It is a short period of apparent peace and prosperity with a sense of security. God will allow it, while man in his arrogance will see it as his own success (1 Thessalonians 5:3). About peace with God and about what He considers righteous, he does not think about that.

The “bow”, without an arrow, may probably indicate that there is no arms race at that very moment, but that the disarmament regarding the mass destruction which could be effected at a great distance, has been realized for a great deal. It is also possible that there is such an amount of long distance weapons that the threat is enough to win people over without direct bloodshed. That this process will probably be taking place peacefully can be derived from the white color.

“A crown was given” to the conqueror. That indicates that he conquers under the approval of God because it fits into His plans. It does not mean that God approves of all his acts and motives, but that He allows the performance.

Revelation 6:3-4. When “the second seal” is opened by the Lamb, John hears the second living creature saying: “Come!” Because in Revelation 6:1 it is not said ‘the first living creature’, but “one of the four living creatures”, the order of speaking of the living creatures cannot be determined on the basis of Revelation 4 (Revelation 4:7). The horse that goes out has a red color. Shortly after the rider of the white horse had established a peaceful period, the rider of the red horse brutally makes an end to it.

After a period of peace during the first seal, a spirit of discontentment is now working which instigates war, possibly a civil war. Here you do not see a bow, like with the first seal, but “a great sword” for the fight of man against man. It is a ‘great sword’, which indicates that the slaughter is great. Here it becomes apparent that the disarmament is not complete. People remain deceitful. Peace wrought by men does not last. Only God can give lasting peace (Psalms 147:14). Peace is a result of the subjection of man to the government of God.

Revelation 6:5. When the Lamb opens “the third seal” the “the third living creature” says: “Come!” John sees “a black horse” and ”he who sits on it”. He also sees that the rider has “a pair of scales in his hand”. We don’t need to guess what the black color represents. Black doesn’t evoke pleasant thoughts, but has to do with mourning and lamenting (Psalms 38:7; Psalms 42:10; Psalms 43:2; Jeremiah 8:21; Lamentations 4:8; Malachi 3:14). The pair of scales indicates an accurate measurement of what is available. The general prosperity is over and done with.

Revelation 6:6. You can imagine that because of the war under the second seal, an economic chaos arises. The most necessary provisions will be enormously scarce and therefore expensive. This situation is emphatically associated with a judgment that comes from God. It says for a reason that something “like a voice in the center of the four living creatures” announces this scarcity.

Especially the common population will suffer under this crisis. “A quart of wheat” will cost “a denarius”, which is equal to a day’s pay (Matthew 20:2). Common man can only have one meal a day. The word ‘quart’ doesn’t evoke the thought that there is much choice. It is scarce, just enough to stay alive. All the money that has been earned will be used for that. There is no more money to spend on anything else.

“The oil and the wine” must be spared. These products are presented as affluent goods, for which we are warned not to put our heart on them (Proverbs 21:17). If these things must be spared it may indicate that the rich people are still prospering. They can always maintain themselves for a longer period of time. But they will surely have to face the shortage. Maybe not in material sense, but surely in spiritual sense (Revelation 6:15). It is also possible when considering oil and wine to think of medicines (Luke 10:34). Then we see in the sparing of oil and wine God’s compassion, which despite the severe trials which come over the earth, will not be completely taken away.

Revelation 6:7-8. When the Lamb breaks “the fourth seal” John hears “the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come.”” Now all four living creatures have spoken. The horse you see now is “ashen”. The rider of this horse has a name called “Death” and his follower is called “Hades”. Here you can find no trace of compassion. It is all darkness. That cannot be otherwise, for wherever God is denied as the source of life, death enters.

The territory where this judgment takes place is “a fourth of the earth”. That is a smaller part than ‘a third’, which embraces the Roman empire (Revelation 12:4). The judgment is therefore still of a relatively small size.

The famine under the previous seal will be followed by death which makes its victims in various ways. Hades follows death because hades is the place where the victims of death end up. Death deals with the living and hades with the dead. Together they make victims with “sword” (wars), “famine” (hunger), “pestilence” and “the wild beasts of the earth” (Jeremiah 14:12; Jeremiah 15:2; Ezekiel 5:12; 17; Ezekiel 14:21; Ezekiel 33:27). Wild beasts probably represent unscrupulous people who terrorize their fellow men.

Now read Revelation 6:1-8 again.

Reflection: Try to summarize in few words the characteristic of each of the first four seals.

Revelation 21:18

The First Four Seals

Before we start with Revelation 6 I will give you a brief summary of the upcoming chapters. Then you will have a rough idea of what is going to happen.

1. In Revelation 6 the first six seals are broken. Those six seals describe the first six trials that will come over the earth after the rapture of the church.

2. Revelation 7 is a parenthesis between the sixth and the seventh seal, in which God shows that a great number of believers are preserved through the judgments until the coming of the Lord Jesus to earth. They enter the kingdom of peace as the living.

3. In Revelation 8:1-5 the seventh seal is opened. That causes a silence of half an hour in heaven, after which seven trumpets, blown by angels, give the sign for new judgments.

4. In Revelation 8:6-9:21 six trumpet judgments are described.

5. The section of Revelation 10:1-11:13 forms a new parenthesis.

6. Then in Revelation 11:14-18 the seventh trumpet is blown.

7. In Revelation 12-14 some events of the forgoing period are more precisely described.

8. In Revelation 15-16 you read about the seven angels with seven bowl judgments. These are the concluding and also most severe judgments.

9. The Revelation 17-18 are specially dedicated to the judgment over the great Babylon, the false church.

10. Then in Revelation 19 the wedding of the Lamb with the true church takes place.

11. Up till Revelation 21:8 it is described in chronological order what still more is to happen until eternity begins.

12. From Revelation 21:9 you have a description of the new Jerusalem in the kingdom of peace.

13. The book ends with information on the coming of Christ and His promise that He will come soon.

Revelation 6:1. Here you see, with John, the Lord Jesus as the Lamb, opening the first seal. As it is said, it is one of the seals of the book in which God has written His counsels and judgments regarding the earth. You can call the judgments that come on the earth with the opening of each of the seals, the preliminary judgments. They are not yet the actual, ultimate judgments with the effect of the purification of the earth and the redemption of it, but they prepare the way to it. The seal judgments announce the beginning of the end, that is, that God will fulfill His will by preparing the earth for the reign of Christ.

The command “come” is not addressed to John and still less to Christ. It comes from one of the living creatures that are connected to the execution of judgment and is addressed to the horse as a symbol of the judgment. Here it is still about judgments in providence. That means that those are judgments which by unbelievers are ascribed to natural elements or to political or other circumstances, while in reality they are directed by God. They still do not recognize God’s hand in these plagues.

Revelation 6:2. Here horses represent authorities that God in His providence uses for judgment (cf. Zechariah 1:8-10; Revelation 19:11; 14). The colors of the horses associated with the first four seals represent successively: white for victory, fiery red for blood, black for mourning and ashen as the corpse color of death (cf. Zechariah 1:8; Zechariah 6:2-8).

The white horse with its rider who goes out conquering is not a representation of the coming of Christ. Christ will come down from heaven only in Revelation 19. It has been suggested that this is a prince who works and maintains the cohesion of the Roman empire. I remind you that we have here the first events on earth that will take place right after the rapture of the church.

When the church has been caught up it will for a moment seem that all human efforts have been successful in order to achieve a sustainable peace. It is a short period of apparent peace and prosperity with a sense of security. God will allow it, while man in his arrogance will see it as his own success (1 Thessalonians 5:3). About peace with God and about what He considers righteous, he does not think about that.

The “bow”, without an arrow, may probably indicate that there is no arms race at that very moment, but that the disarmament regarding the mass destruction which could be effected at a great distance, has been realized for a great deal. It is also possible that there is such an amount of long distance weapons that the threat is enough to win people over without direct bloodshed. That this process will probably be taking place peacefully can be derived from the white color.

“A crown was given” to the conqueror. That indicates that he conquers under the approval of God because it fits into His plans. It does not mean that God approves of all his acts and motives, but that He allows the performance.

Revelation 6:3-4. When “the second seal” is opened by the Lamb, John hears the second living creature saying: “Come!” Because in Revelation 6:1 it is not said ‘the first living creature’, but “one of the four living creatures”, the order of speaking of the living creatures cannot be determined on the basis of Revelation 4 (Revelation 4:7). The horse that goes out has a red color. Shortly after the rider of the white horse had established a peaceful period, the rider of the red horse brutally makes an end to it.

After a period of peace during the first seal, a spirit of discontentment is now working which instigates war, possibly a civil war. Here you do not see a bow, like with the first seal, but “a great sword” for the fight of man against man. It is a ‘great sword’, which indicates that the slaughter is great. Here it becomes apparent that the disarmament is not complete. People remain deceitful. Peace wrought by men does not last. Only God can give lasting peace (Psalms 147:14). Peace is a result of the subjection of man to the government of God.

Revelation 6:5. When the Lamb opens “the third seal” the “the third living creature” says: “Come!” John sees “a black horse” and ”he who sits on it”. He also sees that the rider has “a pair of scales in his hand”. We don’t need to guess what the black color represents. Black doesn’t evoke pleasant thoughts, but has to do with mourning and lamenting (Psalms 38:7; Psalms 42:10; Psalms 43:2; Jeremiah 8:21; Lamentations 4:8; Malachi 3:14). The pair of scales indicates an accurate measurement of what is available. The general prosperity is over and done with.

Revelation 6:6. You can imagine that because of the war under the second seal, an economic chaos arises. The most necessary provisions will be enormously scarce and therefore expensive. This situation is emphatically associated with a judgment that comes from God. It says for a reason that something “like a voice in the center of the four living creatures” announces this scarcity.

Especially the common population will suffer under this crisis. “A quart of wheat” will cost “a denarius”, which is equal to a day’s pay (Matthew 20:2). Common man can only have one meal a day. The word ‘quart’ doesn’t evoke the thought that there is much choice. It is scarce, just enough to stay alive. All the money that has been earned will be used for that. There is no more money to spend on anything else.

“The oil and the wine” must be spared. These products are presented as affluent goods, for which we are warned not to put our heart on them (Proverbs 21:17). If these things must be spared it may indicate that the rich people are still prospering. They can always maintain themselves for a longer period of time. But they will surely have to face the shortage. Maybe not in material sense, but surely in spiritual sense (Revelation 6:15). It is also possible when considering oil and wine to think of medicines (Luke 10:34). Then we see in the sparing of oil and wine God’s compassion, which despite the severe trials which come over the earth, will not be completely taken away.

Revelation 6:7-8. When the Lamb breaks “the fourth seal” John hears “the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come.”” Now all four living creatures have spoken. The horse you see now is “ashen”. The rider of this horse has a name called “Death” and his follower is called “Hades”. Here you can find no trace of compassion. It is all darkness. That cannot be otherwise, for wherever God is denied as the source of life, death enters.

The territory where this judgment takes place is “a fourth of the earth”. That is a smaller part than ‘a third’, which embraces the Roman empire (Revelation 12:4). The judgment is therefore still of a relatively small size.

The famine under the previous seal will be followed by death which makes its victims in various ways. Hades follows death because hades is the place where the victims of death end up. Death deals with the living and hades with the dead. Together they make victims with “sword” (wars), “famine” (hunger), “pestilence” and “the wild beasts of the earth” (Jeremiah 14:12; Jeremiah 15:2; Ezekiel 5:12; 17; Ezekiel 14:21; Ezekiel 33:27). Wild beasts probably represent unscrupulous people who terrorize their fellow men.

Now read Revelation 6:1-8 again.

Reflection: Try to summarize in few words the characteristic of each of the first four seals.

Revelation 21:19

The First Four Seals

Before we start with Revelation 6 I will give you a brief summary of the upcoming chapters. Then you will have a rough idea of what is going to happen.

1. In Revelation 6 the first six seals are broken. Those six seals describe the first six trials that will come over the earth after the rapture of the church.

2. Revelation 7 is a parenthesis between the sixth and the seventh seal, in which God shows that a great number of believers are preserved through the judgments until the coming of the Lord Jesus to earth. They enter the kingdom of peace as the living.

3. In Revelation 8:1-5 the seventh seal is opened. That causes a silence of half an hour in heaven, after which seven trumpets, blown by angels, give the sign for new judgments.

4. In Revelation 8:6-9:21 six trumpet judgments are described.

5. The section of Revelation 10:1-11:13 forms a new parenthesis.

6. Then in Revelation 11:14-18 the seventh trumpet is blown.

7. In Revelation 12-14 some events of the forgoing period are more precisely described.

8. In Revelation 15-16 you read about the seven angels with seven bowl judgments. These are the concluding and also most severe judgments.

9. The Revelation 17-18 are specially dedicated to the judgment over the great Babylon, the false church.

10. Then in Revelation 19 the wedding of the Lamb with the true church takes place.

11. Up till Revelation 21:8 it is described in chronological order what still more is to happen until eternity begins.

12. From Revelation 21:9 you have a description of the new Jerusalem in the kingdom of peace.

13. The book ends with information on the coming of Christ and His promise that He will come soon.

Revelation 6:1. Here you see, with John, the Lord Jesus as the Lamb, opening the first seal. As it is said, it is one of the seals of the book in which God has written His counsels and judgments regarding the earth. You can call the judgments that come on the earth with the opening of each of the seals, the preliminary judgments. They are not yet the actual, ultimate judgments with the effect of the purification of the earth and the redemption of it, but they prepare the way to it. The seal judgments announce the beginning of the end, that is, that God will fulfill His will by preparing the earth for the reign of Christ.

The command “come” is not addressed to John and still less to Christ. It comes from one of the living creatures that are connected to the execution of judgment and is addressed to the horse as a symbol of the judgment. Here it is still about judgments in providence. That means that those are judgments which by unbelievers are ascribed to natural elements or to political or other circumstances, while in reality they are directed by God. They still do not recognize God’s hand in these plagues.

Revelation 6:2. Here horses represent authorities that God in His providence uses for judgment (cf. Zechariah 1:8-10; Revelation 19:11; 14). The colors of the horses associated with the first four seals represent successively: white for victory, fiery red for blood, black for mourning and ashen as the corpse color of death (cf. Zechariah 1:8; Zechariah 6:2-8).

The white horse with its rider who goes out conquering is not a representation of the coming of Christ. Christ will come down from heaven only in Revelation 19. It has been suggested that this is a prince who works and maintains the cohesion of the Roman empire. I remind you that we have here the first events on earth that will take place right after the rapture of the church.

When the church has been caught up it will for a moment seem that all human efforts have been successful in order to achieve a sustainable peace. It is a short period of apparent peace and prosperity with a sense of security. God will allow it, while man in his arrogance will see it as his own success (1 Thessalonians 5:3). About peace with God and about what He considers righteous, he does not think about that.

The “bow”, without an arrow, may probably indicate that there is no arms race at that very moment, but that the disarmament regarding the mass destruction which could be effected at a great distance, has been realized for a great deal. It is also possible that there is such an amount of long distance weapons that the threat is enough to win people over without direct bloodshed. That this process will probably be taking place peacefully can be derived from the white color.

“A crown was given” to the conqueror. That indicates that he conquers under the approval of God because it fits into His plans. It does not mean that God approves of all his acts and motives, but that He allows the performance.

Revelation 6:3-4. When “the second seal” is opened by the Lamb, John hears the second living creature saying: “Come!” Because in Revelation 6:1 it is not said ‘the first living creature’, but “one of the four living creatures”, the order of speaking of the living creatures cannot be determined on the basis of Revelation 4 (Revelation 4:7). The horse that goes out has a red color. Shortly after the rider of the white horse had established a peaceful period, the rider of the red horse brutally makes an end to it.

After a period of peace during the first seal, a spirit of discontentment is now working which instigates war, possibly a civil war. Here you do not see a bow, like with the first seal, but “a great sword” for the fight of man against man. It is a ‘great sword’, which indicates that the slaughter is great. Here it becomes apparent that the disarmament is not complete. People remain deceitful. Peace wrought by men does not last. Only God can give lasting peace (Psalms 147:14). Peace is a result of the subjection of man to the government of God.

Revelation 6:5. When the Lamb opens “the third seal” the “the third living creature” says: “Come!” John sees “a black horse” and ”he who sits on it”. He also sees that the rider has “a pair of scales in his hand”. We don’t need to guess what the black color represents. Black doesn’t evoke pleasant thoughts, but has to do with mourning and lamenting (Psalms 38:7; Psalms 42:10; Psalms 43:2; Jeremiah 8:21; Lamentations 4:8; Malachi 3:14). The pair of scales indicates an accurate measurement of what is available. The general prosperity is over and done with.

Revelation 6:6. You can imagine that because of the war under the second seal, an economic chaos arises. The most necessary provisions will be enormously scarce and therefore expensive. This situation is emphatically associated with a judgment that comes from God. It says for a reason that something “like a voice in the center of the four living creatures” announces this scarcity.

Especially the common population will suffer under this crisis. “A quart of wheat” will cost “a denarius”, which is equal to a day’s pay (Matthew 20:2). Common man can only have one meal a day. The word ‘quart’ doesn’t evoke the thought that there is much choice. It is scarce, just enough to stay alive. All the money that has been earned will be used for that. There is no more money to spend on anything else.

“The oil and the wine” must be spared. These products are presented as affluent goods, for which we are warned not to put our heart on them (Proverbs 21:17). If these things must be spared it may indicate that the rich people are still prospering. They can always maintain themselves for a longer period of time. But they will surely have to face the shortage. Maybe not in material sense, but surely in spiritual sense (Revelation 6:15). It is also possible when considering oil and wine to think of medicines (Luke 10:34). Then we see in the sparing of oil and wine God’s compassion, which despite the severe trials which come over the earth, will not be completely taken away.

Revelation 6:7-8. When the Lamb breaks “the fourth seal” John hears “the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come.”” Now all four living creatures have spoken. The horse you see now is “ashen”. The rider of this horse has a name called “Death” and his follower is called “Hades”. Here you can find no trace of compassion. It is all darkness. That cannot be otherwise, for wherever God is denied as the source of life, death enters.

The territory where this judgment takes place is “a fourth of the earth”. That is a smaller part than ‘a third’, which embraces the Roman empire (Revelation 12:4). The judgment is therefore still of a relatively small size.

The famine under the previous seal will be followed by death which makes its victims in various ways. Hades follows death because hades is the place where the victims of death end up. Death deals with the living and hades with the dead. Together they make victims with “sword” (wars), “famine” (hunger), “pestilence” and “the wild beasts of the earth” (Jeremiah 14:12; Jeremiah 15:2; Ezekiel 5:12; 17; Ezekiel 14:21; Ezekiel 33:27). Wild beasts probably represent unscrupulous people who terrorize their fellow men.

Now read Revelation 6:1-8 again.

Reflection: Try to summarize in few words the characteristic of each of the first four seals.

Revelation 21:20

The First Four Seals

Before we start with Revelation 6 I will give you a brief summary of the upcoming chapters. Then you will have a rough idea of what is going to happen.

1. In Revelation 6 the first six seals are broken. Those six seals describe the first six trials that will come over the earth after the rapture of the church.

2. Revelation 7 is a parenthesis between the sixth and the seventh seal, in which God shows that a great number of believers are preserved through the judgments until the coming of the Lord Jesus to earth. They enter the kingdom of peace as the living.

3. In Revelation 8:1-5 the seventh seal is opened. That causes a silence of half an hour in heaven, after which seven trumpets, blown by angels, give the sign for new judgments.

4. In Revelation 8:6-9:21 six trumpet judgments are described.

5. The section of Revelation 10:1-11:13 forms a new parenthesis.

6. Then in Revelation 11:14-18 the seventh trumpet is blown.

7. In Revelation 12-14 some events of the forgoing period are more precisely described.

8. In Revelation 15-16 you read about the seven angels with seven bowl judgments. These are the concluding and also most severe judgments.

9. The Revelation 17-18 are specially dedicated to the judgment over the great Babylon, the false church.

10. Then in Revelation 19 the wedding of the Lamb with the true church takes place.

11. Up till Revelation 21:8 it is described in chronological order what still more is to happen until eternity begins.

12. From Revelation 21:9 you have a description of the new Jerusalem in the kingdom of peace.

13. The book ends with information on the coming of Christ and His promise that He will come soon.

Revelation 6:1. Here you see, with John, the Lord Jesus as the Lamb, opening the first seal. As it is said, it is one of the seals of the book in which God has written His counsels and judgments regarding the earth. You can call the judgments that come on the earth with the opening of each of the seals, the preliminary judgments. They are not yet the actual, ultimate judgments with the effect of the purification of the earth and the redemption of it, but they prepare the way to it. The seal judgments announce the beginning of the end, that is, that God will fulfill His will by preparing the earth for the reign of Christ.

The command “come” is not addressed to John and still less to Christ. It comes from one of the living creatures that are connected to the execution of judgment and is addressed to the horse as a symbol of the judgment. Here it is still about judgments in providence. That means that those are judgments which by unbelievers are ascribed to natural elements or to political or other circumstances, while in reality they are directed by God. They still do not recognize God’s hand in these plagues.

Revelation 6:2. Here horses represent authorities that God in His providence uses for judgment (cf. Zechariah 1:8-10; Revelation 19:11; 14). The colors of the horses associated with the first four seals represent successively: white for victory, fiery red for blood, black for mourning and ashen as the corpse color of death (cf. Zechariah 1:8; Zechariah 6:2-8).

The white horse with its rider who goes out conquering is not a representation of the coming of Christ. Christ will come down from heaven only in Revelation 19. It has been suggested that this is a prince who works and maintains the cohesion of the Roman empire. I remind you that we have here the first events on earth that will take place right after the rapture of the church.

When the church has been caught up it will for a moment seem that all human efforts have been successful in order to achieve a sustainable peace. It is a short period of apparent peace and prosperity with a sense of security. God will allow it, while man in his arrogance will see it as his own success (1 Thessalonians 5:3). About peace with God and about what He considers righteous, he does not think about that.

The “bow”, without an arrow, may probably indicate that there is no arms race at that very moment, but that the disarmament regarding the mass destruction which could be effected at a great distance, has been realized for a great deal. It is also possible that there is such an amount of long distance weapons that the threat is enough to win people over without direct bloodshed. That this process will probably be taking place peacefully can be derived from the white color.

“A crown was given” to the conqueror. That indicates that he conquers under the approval of God because it fits into His plans. It does not mean that God approves of all his acts and motives, but that He allows the performance.

Revelation 6:3-4. When “the second seal” is opened by the Lamb, John hears the second living creature saying: “Come!” Because in Revelation 6:1 it is not said ‘the first living creature’, but “one of the four living creatures”, the order of speaking of the living creatures cannot be determined on the basis of Revelation 4 (Revelation 4:7). The horse that goes out has a red color. Shortly after the rider of the white horse had established a peaceful period, the rider of the red horse brutally makes an end to it.

After a period of peace during the first seal, a spirit of discontentment is now working which instigates war, possibly a civil war. Here you do not see a bow, like with the first seal, but “a great sword” for the fight of man against man. It is a ‘great sword’, which indicates that the slaughter is great. Here it becomes apparent that the disarmament is not complete. People remain deceitful. Peace wrought by men does not last. Only God can give lasting peace (Psalms 147:14). Peace is a result of the subjection of man to the government of God.

Revelation 6:5. When the Lamb opens “the third seal” the “the third living creature” says: “Come!” John sees “a black horse” and ”he who sits on it”. He also sees that the rider has “a pair of scales in his hand”. We don’t need to guess what the black color represents. Black doesn’t evoke pleasant thoughts, but has to do with mourning and lamenting (Psalms 38:7; Psalms 42:10; Psalms 43:2; Jeremiah 8:21; Lamentations 4:8; Malachi 3:14). The pair of scales indicates an accurate measurement of what is available. The general prosperity is over and done with.

Revelation 6:6. You can imagine that because of the war under the second seal, an economic chaos arises. The most necessary provisions will be enormously scarce and therefore expensive. This situation is emphatically associated with a judgment that comes from God. It says for a reason that something “like a voice in the center of the four living creatures” announces this scarcity.

Especially the common population will suffer under this crisis. “A quart of wheat” will cost “a denarius”, which is equal to a day’s pay (Matthew 20:2). Common man can only have one meal a day. The word ‘quart’ doesn’t evoke the thought that there is much choice. It is scarce, just enough to stay alive. All the money that has been earned will be used for that. There is no more money to spend on anything else.

“The oil and the wine” must be spared. These products are presented as affluent goods, for which we are warned not to put our heart on them (Proverbs 21:17). If these things must be spared it may indicate that the rich people are still prospering. They can always maintain themselves for a longer period of time. But they will surely have to face the shortage. Maybe not in material sense, but surely in spiritual sense (Revelation 6:15). It is also possible when considering oil and wine to think of medicines (Luke 10:34). Then we see in the sparing of oil and wine God’s compassion, which despite the severe trials which come over the earth, will not be completely taken away.

Revelation 6:7-8. When the Lamb breaks “the fourth seal” John hears “the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come.”” Now all four living creatures have spoken. The horse you see now is “ashen”. The rider of this horse has a name called “Death” and his follower is called “Hades”. Here you can find no trace of compassion. It is all darkness. That cannot be otherwise, for wherever God is denied as the source of life, death enters.

The territory where this judgment takes place is “a fourth of the earth”. That is a smaller part than ‘a third’, which embraces the Roman empire (Revelation 12:4). The judgment is therefore still of a relatively small size.

The famine under the previous seal will be followed by death which makes its victims in various ways. Hades follows death because hades is the place where the victims of death end up. Death deals with the living and hades with the dead. Together they make victims with “sword” (wars), “famine” (hunger), “pestilence” and “the wild beasts of the earth” (Jeremiah 14:12; Jeremiah 15:2; Ezekiel 5:12; 17; Ezekiel 14:21; Ezekiel 33:27). Wild beasts probably represent unscrupulous people who terrorize their fellow men.

Now read Revelation 6:1-8 again.

Reflection: Try to summarize in few words the characteristic of each of the first four seals.

Revelation 21:21

The First Four Seals

Before we start with Revelation 6 I will give you a brief summary of the upcoming chapters. Then you will have a rough idea of what is going to happen.

1. In Revelation 6 the first six seals are broken. Those six seals describe the first six trials that will come over the earth after the rapture of the church.

2. Revelation 7 is a parenthesis between the sixth and the seventh seal, in which God shows that a great number of believers are preserved through the judgments until the coming of the Lord Jesus to earth. They enter the kingdom of peace as the living.

3. In Revelation 8:1-5 the seventh seal is opened. That causes a silence of half an hour in heaven, after which seven trumpets, blown by angels, give the sign for new judgments.

4. In Revelation 8:6-9:21 six trumpet judgments are described.

5. The section of Revelation 10:1-11:13 forms a new parenthesis.

6. Then in Revelation 11:14-18 the seventh trumpet is blown.

7. In Revelation 12-14 some events of the forgoing period are more precisely described.

8. In Revelation 15-16 you read about the seven angels with seven bowl judgments. These are the concluding and also most severe judgments.

9. The Revelation 17-18 are specially dedicated to the judgment over the great Babylon, the false church.

10. Then in Revelation 19 the wedding of the Lamb with the true church takes place.

11. Up till Revelation 21:8 it is described in chronological order what still more is to happen until eternity begins.

12. From Revelation 21:9 you have a description of the new Jerusalem in the kingdom of peace.

13. The book ends with information on the coming of Christ and His promise that He will come soon.

Revelation 6:1. Here you see, with John, the Lord Jesus as the Lamb, opening the first seal. As it is said, it is one of the seals of the book in which God has written His counsels and judgments regarding the earth. You can call the judgments that come on the earth with the opening of each of the seals, the preliminary judgments. They are not yet the actual, ultimate judgments with the effect of the purification of the earth and the redemption of it, but they prepare the way to it. The seal judgments announce the beginning of the end, that is, that God will fulfill His will by preparing the earth for the reign of Christ.

The command “come” is not addressed to John and still less to Christ. It comes from one of the living creatures that are connected to the execution of judgment and is addressed to the horse as a symbol of the judgment. Here it is still about judgments in providence. That means that those are judgments which by unbelievers are ascribed to natural elements or to political or other circumstances, while in reality they are directed by God. They still do not recognize God’s hand in these plagues.

Revelation 6:2. Here horses represent authorities that God in His providence uses for judgment (cf. Zechariah 1:8-10; Revelation 19:11; 14). The colors of the horses associated with the first four seals represent successively: white for victory, fiery red for blood, black for mourning and ashen as the corpse color of death (cf. Zechariah 1:8; Zechariah 6:2-8).

The white horse with its rider who goes out conquering is not a representation of the coming of Christ. Christ will come down from heaven only in Revelation 19. It has been suggested that this is a prince who works and maintains the cohesion of the Roman empire. I remind you that we have here the first events on earth that will take place right after the rapture of the church.

When the church has been caught up it will for a moment seem that all human efforts have been successful in order to achieve a sustainable peace. It is a short period of apparent peace and prosperity with a sense of security. God will allow it, while man in his arrogance will see it as his own success (1 Thessalonians 5:3). About peace with God and about what He considers righteous, he does not think about that.

The “bow”, without an arrow, may probably indicate that there is no arms race at that very moment, but that the disarmament regarding the mass destruction which could be effected at a great distance, has been realized for a great deal. It is also possible that there is such an amount of long distance weapons that the threat is enough to win people over without direct bloodshed. That this process will probably be taking place peacefully can be derived from the white color.

“A crown was given” to the conqueror. That indicates that he conquers under the approval of God because it fits into His plans. It does not mean that God approves of all his acts and motives, but that He allows the performance.

Revelation 6:3-4. When “the second seal” is opened by the Lamb, John hears the second living creature saying: “Come!” Because in Revelation 6:1 it is not said ‘the first living creature’, but “one of the four living creatures”, the order of speaking of the living creatures cannot be determined on the basis of Revelation 4 (Revelation 4:7). The horse that goes out has a red color. Shortly after the rider of the white horse had established a peaceful period, the rider of the red horse brutally makes an end to it.

After a period of peace during the first seal, a spirit of discontentment is now working which instigates war, possibly a civil war. Here you do not see a bow, like with the first seal, but “a great sword” for the fight of man against man. It is a ‘great sword’, which indicates that the slaughter is great. Here it becomes apparent that the disarmament is not complete. People remain deceitful. Peace wrought by men does not last. Only God can give lasting peace (Psalms 147:14). Peace is a result of the subjection of man to the government of God.

Revelation 6:5. When the Lamb opens “the third seal” the “the third living creature” says: “Come!” John sees “a black horse” and ”he who sits on it”. He also sees that the rider has “a pair of scales in his hand”. We don’t need to guess what the black color represents. Black doesn’t evoke pleasant thoughts, but has to do with mourning and lamenting (Psalms 38:7; Psalms 42:10; Psalms 43:2; Jeremiah 8:21; Lamentations 4:8; Malachi 3:14). The pair of scales indicates an accurate measurement of what is available. The general prosperity is over and done with.

Revelation 6:6. You can imagine that because of the war under the second seal, an economic chaos arises. The most necessary provisions will be enormously scarce and therefore expensive. This situation is emphatically associated with a judgment that comes from God. It says for a reason that something “like a voice in the center of the four living creatures” announces this scarcity.

Especially the common population will suffer under this crisis. “A quart of wheat” will cost “a denarius”, which is equal to a day’s pay (Matthew 20:2). Common man can only have one meal a day. The word ‘quart’ doesn’t evoke the thought that there is much choice. It is scarce, just enough to stay alive. All the money that has been earned will be used for that. There is no more money to spend on anything else.

“The oil and the wine” must be spared. These products are presented as affluent goods, for which we are warned not to put our heart on them (Proverbs 21:17). If these things must be spared it may indicate that the rich people are still prospering. They can always maintain themselves for a longer period of time. But they will surely have to face the shortage. Maybe not in material sense, but surely in spiritual sense (Revelation 6:15). It is also possible when considering oil and wine to think of medicines (Luke 10:34). Then we see in the sparing of oil and wine God’s compassion, which despite the severe trials which come over the earth, will not be completely taken away.

Revelation 6:7-8. When the Lamb breaks “the fourth seal” John hears “the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come.”” Now all four living creatures have spoken. The horse you see now is “ashen”. The rider of this horse has a name called “Death” and his follower is called “Hades”. Here you can find no trace of compassion. It is all darkness. That cannot be otherwise, for wherever God is denied as the source of life, death enters.

The territory where this judgment takes place is “a fourth of the earth”. That is a smaller part than ‘a third’, which embraces the Roman empire (Revelation 12:4). The judgment is therefore still of a relatively small size.

The famine under the previous seal will be followed by death which makes its victims in various ways. Hades follows death because hades is the place where the victims of death end up. Death deals with the living and hades with the dead. Together they make victims with “sword” (wars), “famine” (hunger), “pestilence” and “the wild beasts of the earth” (Jeremiah 14:12; Jeremiah 15:2; Ezekiel 5:12; 17; Ezekiel 14:21; Ezekiel 33:27). Wild beasts probably represent unscrupulous people who terrorize their fellow men.

Now read Revelation 6:1-8 again.

Reflection: Try to summarize in few words the characteristic of each of the first four seals.

Revelation 21:22

The Fifth and Sixth Seal

Revelation 6:9. When the Lamb opens “the fifth seal” the consequence is different from the previous seals. There several horses with riders appeared and did certain things. After the establishment of a false peace, several actions followed that result in death and misery. With this fifth seal you see nothing happen, but you get a behind-the-scenes look of death. You see and hear individuals who cry for revenge.

This seal is not a direct judgment, but it is actually the preparation for the judgments that will follow hereafter under the remaining seals. Those are not the same kind of judgments as those of the previous seals. There things happened on earth that are a plague for men. They are things that seem to stem from their own wrong actions, although God directs them. The judgments yet to come are judgments in which men are forced to recognize more directly the hand of God.

Those who cry for revenge are “underneath the altar”. The altar is a place of offering. That appears from the description that follows. “The souls” are “of those who had been slain”. They were slain by the enemies of God. They are ‘underneath the altar’ because they offered their lives as an offering for the sake of “the word of God”, like the blood of a sacrificial animal – in the blood is the soul – was poured out at the foot of the altar (Exodus 29:12; Leviticus 4:7; 18; 30; 34). God considers their death as an offering pleasing to Him.

Here you read about ‘souls’, because these believers have not yet been raised. Their bodies are still in the grave. At the same time this makes clear that they do not belong to the church, for the bodies of those who belong to the church, will be raised at the coming of the Lord Jesus. The believers that we are talking about here, died during the time when the seals are opened, when the gospel was also proclaimed, that is, the gospel of the kingdom (Matthew 24:14). They will remain in that condition till the return of Christ (Revelation 20:4).

They did not die a natural death or because of an illness. No, they were killed “because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained”. They remained faithful to the truth of God’s Word and also testified to it. They had to pay with their lives for it and they were willing to pay that price. That’s why they were “slain”, which is the same word that is used for the Lord Jesus as “a Lamb standing, as if slain” (Revelation 5:6). What men did to the Lord Jesus, they also do to those who are faithful to Him (John 15:18-20). These souls are the first martyrs. Many of their brothers will follow in even more terrible times (Revelation 12:17; Revelation 13:7).

Revelation 6:10. The words they cry out are words of revenge. That also makes clear that we do not find ourselves on Christian ground. It is the language of the Old Testament (cf. Psalms 79:10-13; Psalms 137:7-9). The believers of the church do not pray for revenge on their persecutors, but for grace (Acts 7:60). After the rapture of the church this will be a prayer that is fitting to be prayed. What matters then is that God will assert His right on earth, and that can only be done through judgment. When the believers then will be persecuted they will not be delivered by taking them out of the persecution, as with the church, but by judging the enemies. Those enemies are the people “who dwell on the earth”. They do not want to have anything to do with God and do not want to be confronted with Him.

The souls underneath the altar cry out to God as “Lord, holy and true”. They long for justice for the injustice that was done to them. Thereby they appeal to God, Who understands this. After all He is holy and hates unholiness. He is also true and hates injustice. They have no doubt that He will act against evil and will thereby show His absolute sovereignty as Ruler. They only wonder how long they have to wait for that (Psalms 94:3; Habakkuk 1:2). At the same time this question indicates that they know that the persecution of the faithful will come to an end.

Revelation 6:11. As an answer to their call the martyrs receive “a white robe”. It is about a symbolic robe, for souls cannot be clothed. In the same sentence it is said of God Who is Spirit, that He is clothed (Psalms 104:2; Isaiah 6:1). In that way they receive, as it were, a high award for being righteous and overcomers. It underscores their dignity.

It is also said to them that they will have to rest a little while longer. It is about “a little while”, which is the time of the great tribulation. The group that is talking here is the first group of martyrs after the rapture of the church. There will be more martyrs joining them, namely, those who will be killed during the great tribulation (Revelation 20:4b). Those are “their fellow servants”, for they serve the same Lord, and “their brethren”, for they belong to the same family of those who did the will of God (Matthew 12:49-50). When they are killed the number of the martyrs will be complete and then the Lord will come to meet their request for revenge.

Revelation 6:12. After this brief conversation, the Lamb opens “the sixth seal”. What then happens is, as it were, an ‘advance’ of the answer to the prayer under the previous seal. An enormous earthquake will occur which turns the earth into a chaos. This demonstration of power makes of man a completely insignificant, void creature. Above the earth it becomes black and red. All of creation turns into a terrifying backdrop. It is possible that what is described here will literally happen. It is also possible, which seems to me to be the first meaning, that it is a symbolic representation.

Symbolically the “great earthquake” represents an enormous revolution through which everything that has given man firmness and support falls away from him. It concerns social, political and religious order, things that give support in life. Normally the ground under the feet is the most secure thing in life. Sun, moon and stars can be seen as symbols for rulers (cf. Genesis 1:16). When these celestial objects lose their shine and become black and red, it means that these rulers, given by God to protect order and life, are now causing darkness and death.

Revelation 6:13. These stars seem surely to be a symbolic presentation of rulers. If it would be literally true that the stars fall on the earth, then nothing will be left of the earth. That they “fell to the earth”, means that they lose their original function. What they were meant for, as an orientation for man, has disappeared. They now show their true nature. They used to be kept somewhat in check by certain Christian values and norms. Their own righteousness comes under the control of powers which they are not able to resist. Evil power will take over the control.

Revelation 6:14. God, as it were, takes His hands off His creation. The thoughts of heaven, that is of God, are obscured, without possibility of being informed about them anymore. After all, you cannot read a ‘scroll that is rolled up’. There is no more light from above, only moral darkness, making one blind to any Divine guidance. The result is that “every mountain and island were moved out of their places”. In connection with the previous verses it seems that this also has to be considered symbolically. Mountains represent immense, immoveable powers and islands are images of commercial powers. They also lose their usual functions and become disoriented.

Revelation 6:15. You may take the description in this verse literally. In the sevenfold description you can see all of humanity, from king to slave. They are all so astonished and helpless by the elimination of any human government, that they want to hide themselves. Every difference in prosperity, wealth, riches and social positions disappears. None of the economic, social or political benefits gives any protection against these judgments. They will all hide themselves “in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains” (cf. Isaiah 2:19).

Revelation 6:16. While they are there, they will still not feel safe from “the wrath of the Lamb”. They have come to realize through the disasters under the previous seal that they are dealing with God and the Lamb. They begin to think of God and even the Lamb (Proverbs 10:24a). It is the proof that also the unbelieving man is inwardly aware that he is dealing with God as Judge. He also knows of the Lamb and His wrath. This indicates that we are in what has been a Christian part of the world.

But how fearful they may be, they refuse to repent! They do not want to accept what they always have denied and what they are now forced to acknowledge. They do not want to bow down before the Lamb. They prefer that the mountains and rocks fall on them. They probably think that if only they die, they will be able to escape from God and the wrath of the Lamb. That also will appear to be a tragic and fatal mistake when they will be called to come before the great white throne (Revelation 20:12-13).

Revelation 6:17. People who refuse to repent are always mistaken. These people claim that “the great day” of the wrath of God and of the Lamb has come. But that is not true. It is yet the beginning of birth pangs (Matthew 24:8). That great day will have come only when Christ appears.

Now read Revelation 6:9-17 again.

Reflection: Mention some differences between what the souls underneath the altar ask of God and what you as a Christian ask of God.

Revelation 21:23

The Fifth and Sixth Seal

Revelation 6:9. When the Lamb opens “the fifth seal” the consequence is different from the previous seals. There several horses with riders appeared and did certain things. After the establishment of a false peace, several actions followed that result in death and misery. With this fifth seal you see nothing happen, but you get a behind-the-scenes look of death. You see and hear individuals who cry for revenge.

This seal is not a direct judgment, but it is actually the preparation for the judgments that will follow hereafter under the remaining seals. Those are not the same kind of judgments as those of the previous seals. There things happened on earth that are a plague for men. They are things that seem to stem from their own wrong actions, although God directs them. The judgments yet to come are judgments in which men are forced to recognize more directly the hand of God.

Those who cry for revenge are “underneath the altar”. The altar is a place of offering. That appears from the description that follows. “The souls” are “of those who had been slain”. They were slain by the enemies of God. They are ‘underneath the altar’ because they offered their lives as an offering for the sake of “the word of God”, like the blood of a sacrificial animal – in the blood is the soul – was poured out at the foot of the altar (Exodus 29:12; Leviticus 4:7; 18; 30; 34). God considers their death as an offering pleasing to Him.

Here you read about ‘souls’, because these believers have not yet been raised. Their bodies are still in the grave. At the same time this makes clear that they do not belong to the church, for the bodies of those who belong to the church, will be raised at the coming of the Lord Jesus. The believers that we are talking about here, died during the time when the seals are opened, when the gospel was also proclaimed, that is, the gospel of the kingdom (Matthew 24:14). They will remain in that condition till the return of Christ (Revelation 20:4).

They did not die a natural death or because of an illness. No, they were killed “because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained”. They remained faithful to the truth of God’s Word and also testified to it. They had to pay with their lives for it and they were willing to pay that price. That’s why they were “slain”, which is the same word that is used for the Lord Jesus as “a Lamb standing, as if slain” (Revelation 5:6). What men did to the Lord Jesus, they also do to those who are faithful to Him (John 15:18-20). These souls are the first martyrs. Many of their brothers will follow in even more terrible times (Revelation 12:17; Revelation 13:7).

Revelation 6:10. The words they cry out are words of revenge. That also makes clear that we do not find ourselves on Christian ground. It is the language of the Old Testament (cf. Psalms 79:10-13; Psalms 137:7-9). The believers of the church do not pray for revenge on their persecutors, but for grace (Acts 7:60). After the rapture of the church this will be a prayer that is fitting to be prayed. What matters then is that God will assert His right on earth, and that can only be done through judgment. When the believers then will be persecuted they will not be delivered by taking them out of the persecution, as with the church, but by judging the enemies. Those enemies are the people “who dwell on the earth”. They do not want to have anything to do with God and do not want to be confronted with Him.

The souls underneath the altar cry out to God as “Lord, holy and true”. They long for justice for the injustice that was done to them. Thereby they appeal to God, Who understands this. After all He is holy and hates unholiness. He is also true and hates injustice. They have no doubt that He will act against evil and will thereby show His absolute sovereignty as Ruler. They only wonder how long they have to wait for that (Psalms 94:3; Habakkuk 1:2). At the same time this question indicates that they know that the persecution of the faithful will come to an end.

Revelation 6:11. As an answer to their call the martyrs receive “a white robe”. It is about a symbolic robe, for souls cannot be clothed. In the same sentence it is said of God Who is Spirit, that He is clothed (Psalms 104:2; Isaiah 6:1). In that way they receive, as it were, a high award for being righteous and overcomers. It underscores their dignity.

It is also said to them that they will have to rest a little while longer. It is about “a little while”, which is the time of the great tribulation. The group that is talking here is the first group of martyrs after the rapture of the church. There will be more martyrs joining them, namely, those who will be killed during the great tribulation (Revelation 20:4b). Those are “their fellow servants”, for they serve the same Lord, and “their brethren”, for they belong to the same family of those who did the will of God (Matthew 12:49-50). When they are killed the number of the martyrs will be complete and then the Lord will come to meet their request for revenge.

Revelation 6:12. After this brief conversation, the Lamb opens “the sixth seal”. What then happens is, as it were, an ‘advance’ of the answer to the prayer under the previous seal. An enormous earthquake will occur which turns the earth into a chaos. This demonstration of power makes of man a completely insignificant, void creature. Above the earth it becomes black and red. All of creation turns into a terrifying backdrop. It is possible that what is described here will literally happen. It is also possible, which seems to me to be the first meaning, that it is a symbolic representation.

Symbolically the “great earthquake” represents an enormous revolution through which everything that has given man firmness and support falls away from him. It concerns social, political and religious order, things that give support in life. Normally the ground under the feet is the most secure thing in life. Sun, moon and stars can be seen as symbols for rulers (cf. Genesis 1:16). When these celestial objects lose their shine and become black and red, it means that these rulers, given by God to protect order and life, are now causing darkness and death.

Revelation 6:13. These stars seem surely to be a symbolic presentation of rulers. If it would be literally true that the stars fall on the earth, then nothing will be left of the earth. That they “fell to the earth”, means that they lose their original function. What they were meant for, as an orientation for man, has disappeared. They now show their true nature. They used to be kept somewhat in check by certain Christian values and norms. Their own righteousness comes under the control of powers which they are not able to resist. Evil power will take over the control.

Revelation 6:14. God, as it were, takes His hands off His creation. The thoughts of heaven, that is of God, are obscured, without possibility of being informed about them anymore. After all, you cannot read a ‘scroll that is rolled up’. There is no more light from above, only moral darkness, making one blind to any Divine guidance. The result is that “every mountain and island were moved out of their places”. In connection with the previous verses it seems that this also has to be considered symbolically. Mountains represent immense, immoveable powers and islands are images of commercial powers. They also lose their usual functions and become disoriented.

Revelation 6:15. You may take the description in this verse literally. In the sevenfold description you can see all of humanity, from king to slave. They are all so astonished and helpless by the elimination of any human government, that they want to hide themselves. Every difference in prosperity, wealth, riches and social positions disappears. None of the economic, social or political benefits gives any protection against these judgments. They will all hide themselves “in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains” (cf. Isaiah 2:19).

Revelation 6:16. While they are there, they will still not feel safe from “the wrath of the Lamb”. They have come to realize through the disasters under the previous seal that they are dealing with God and the Lamb. They begin to think of God and even the Lamb (Proverbs 10:24a). It is the proof that also the unbelieving man is inwardly aware that he is dealing with God as Judge. He also knows of the Lamb and His wrath. This indicates that we are in what has been a Christian part of the world.

But how fearful they may be, they refuse to repent! They do not want to accept what they always have denied and what they are now forced to acknowledge. They do not want to bow down before the Lamb. They prefer that the mountains and rocks fall on them. They probably think that if only they die, they will be able to escape from God and the wrath of the Lamb. That also will appear to be a tragic and fatal mistake when they will be called to come before the great white throne (Revelation 20:12-13).

Revelation 6:17. People who refuse to repent are always mistaken. These people claim that “the great day” of the wrath of God and of the Lamb has come. But that is not true. It is yet the beginning of birth pangs (Matthew 24:8). That great day will have come only when Christ appears.

Now read Revelation 6:9-17 again.

Reflection: Mention some differences between what the souls underneath the altar ask of God and what you as a Christian ask of God.

Revelation 21:24

The Fifth and Sixth Seal

Revelation 6:9. When the Lamb opens “the fifth seal” the consequence is different from the previous seals. There several horses with riders appeared and did certain things. After the establishment of a false peace, several actions followed that result in death and misery. With this fifth seal you see nothing happen, but you get a behind-the-scenes look of death. You see and hear individuals who cry for revenge.

This seal is not a direct judgment, but it is actually the preparation for the judgments that will follow hereafter under the remaining seals. Those are not the same kind of judgments as those of the previous seals. There things happened on earth that are a plague for men. They are things that seem to stem from their own wrong actions, although God directs them. The judgments yet to come are judgments in which men are forced to recognize more directly the hand of God.

Those who cry for revenge are “underneath the altar”. The altar is a place of offering. That appears from the description that follows. “The souls” are “of those who had been slain”. They were slain by the enemies of God. They are ‘underneath the altar’ because they offered their lives as an offering for the sake of “the word of God”, like the blood of a sacrificial animal – in the blood is the soul – was poured out at the foot of the altar (Exodus 29:12; Leviticus 4:7; 18; 30; 34). God considers their death as an offering pleasing to Him.

Here you read about ‘souls’, because these believers have not yet been raised. Their bodies are still in the grave. At the same time this makes clear that they do not belong to the church, for the bodies of those who belong to the church, will be raised at the coming of the Lord Jesus. The believers that we are talking about here, died during the time when the seals are opened, when the gospel was also proclaimed, that is, the gospel of the kingdom (Matthew 24:14). They will remain in that condition till the return of Christ (Revelation 20:4).

They did not die a natural death or because of an illness. No, they were killed “because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained”. They remained faithful to the truth of God’s Word and also testified to it. They had to pay with their lives for it and they were willing to pay that price. That’s why they were “slain”, which is the same word that is used for the Lord Jesus as “a Lamb standing, as if slain” (Revelation 5:6). What men did to the Lord Jesus, they also do to those who are faithful to Him (John 15:18-20). These souls are the first martyrs. Many of their brothers will follow in even more terrible times (Revelation 12:17; Revelation 13:7).

Revelation 6:10. The words they cry out are words of revenge. That also makes clear that we do not find ourselves on Christian ground. It is the language of the Old Testament (cf. Psalms 79:10-13; Psalms 137:7-9). The believers of the church do not pray for revenge on their persecutors, but for grace (Acts 7:60). After the rapture of the church this will be a prayer that is fitting to be prayed. What matters then is that God will assert His right on earth, and that can only be done through judgment. When the believers then will be persecuted they will not be delivered by taking them out of the persecution, as with the church, but by judging the enemies. Those enemies are the people “who dwell on the earth”. They do not want to have anything to do with God and do not want to be confronted with Him.

The souls underneath the altar cry out to God as “Lord, holy and true”. They long for justice for the injustice that was done to them. Thereby they appeal to God, Who understands this. After all He is holy and hates unholiness. He is also true and hates injustice. They have no doubt that He will act against evil and will thereby show His absolute sovereignty as Ruler. They only wonder how long they have to wait for that (Psalms 94:3; Habakkuk 1:2). At the same time this question indicates that they know that the persecution of the faithful will come to an end.

Revelation 6:11. As an answer to their call the martyrs receive “a white robe”. It is about a symbolic robe, for souls cannot be clothed. In the same sentence it is said of God Who is Spirit, that He is clothed (Psalms 104:2; Isaiah 6:1). In that way they receive, as it were, a high award for being righteous and overcomers. It underscores their dignity.

It is also said to them that they will have to rest a little while longer. It is about “a little while”, which is the time of the great tribulation. The group that is talking here is the first group of martyrs after the rapture of the church. There will be more martyrs joining them, namely, those who will be killed during the great tribulation (Revelation 20:4b). Those are “their fellow servants”, for they serve the same Lord, and “their brethren”, for they belong to the same family of those who did the will of God (Matthew 12:49-50). When they are killed the number of the martyrs will be complete and then the Lord will come to meet their request for revenge.

Revelation 6:12. After this brief conversation, the Lamb opens “the sixth seal”. What then happens is, as it were, an ‘advance’ of the answer to the prayer under the previous seal. An enormous earthquake will occur which turns the earth into a chaos. This demonstration of power makes of man a completely insignificant, void creature. Above the earth it becomes black and red. All of creation turns into a terrifying backdrop. It is possible that what is described here will literally happen. It is also possible, which seems to me to be the first meaning, that it is a symbolic representation.

Symbolically the “great earthquake” represents an enormous revolution through which everything that has given man firmness and support falls away from him. It concerns social, political and religious order, things that give support in life. Normally the ground under the feet is the most secure thing in life. Sun, moon and stars can be seen as symbols for rulers (cf. Genesis 1:16). When these celestial objects lose their shine and become black and red, it means that these rulers, given by God to protect order and life, are now causing darkness and death.

Revelation 6:13. These stars seem surely to be a symbolic presentation of rulers. If it would be literally true that the stars fall on the earth, then nothing will be left of the earth. That they “fell to the earth”, means that they lose their original function. What they were meant for, as an orientation for man, has disappeared. They now show their true nature. They used to be kept somewhat in check by certain Christian values and norms. Their own righteousness comes under the control of powers which they are not able to resist. Evil power will take over the control.

Revelation 6:14. God, as it were, takes His hands off His creation. The thoughts of heaven, that is of God, are obscured, without possibility of being informed about them anymore. After all, you cannot read a ‘scroll that is rolled up’. There is no more light from above, only moral darkness, making one blind to any Divine guidance. The result is that “every mountain and island were moved out of their places”. In connection with the previous verses it seems that this also has to be considered symbolically. Mountains represent immense, immoveable powers and islands are images of commercial powers. They also lose their usual functions and become disoriented.

Revelation 6:15. You may take the description in this verse literally. In the sevenfold description you can see all of humanity, from king to slave. They are all so astonished and helpless by the elimination of any human government, that they want to hide themselves. Every difference in prosperity, wealth, riches and social positions disappears. None of the economic, social or political benefits gives any protection against these judgments. They will all hide themselves “in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains” (cf. Isaiah 2:19).

Revelation 6:16. While they are there, they will still not feel safe from “the wrath of the Lamb”. They have come to realize through the disasters under the previous seal that they are dealing with God and the Lamb. They begin to think of God and even the Lamb (Proverbs 10:24a). It is the proof that also the unbelieving man is inwardly aware that he is dealing with God as Judge. He also knows of the Lamb and His wrath. This indicates that we are in what has been a Christian part of the world.

But how fearful they may be, they refuse to repent! They do not want to accept what they always have denied and what they are now forced to acknowledge. They do not want to bow down before the Lamb. They prefer that the mountains and rocks fall on them. They probably think that if only they die, they will be able to escape from God and the wrath of the Lamb. That also will appear to be a tragic and fatal mistake when they will be called to come before the great white throne (Revelation 20:12-13).

Revelation 6:17. People who refuse to repent are always mistaken. These people claim that “the great day” of the wrath of God and of the Lamb has come. But that is not true. It is yet the beginning of birth pangs (Matthew 24:8). That great day will have come only when Christ appears.

Now read Revelation 6:9-17 again.

Reflection: Mention some differences between what the souls underneath the altar ask of God and what you as a Christian ask of God.

Revelation 21:25

The Fifth and Sixth Seal

Revelation 6:9. When the Lamb opens “the fifth seal” the consequence is different from the previous seals. There several horses with riders appeared and did certain things. After the establishment of a false peace, several actions followed that result in death and misery. With this fifth seal you see nothing happen, but you get a behind-the-scenes look of death. You see and hear individuals who cry for revenge.

This seal is not a direct judgment, but it is actually the preparation for the judgments that will follow hereafter under the remaining seals. Those are not the same kind of judgments as those of the previous seals. There things happened on earth that are a plague for men. They are things that seem to stem from their own wrong actions, although God directs them. The judgments yet to come are judgments in which men are forced to recognize more directly the hand of God.

Those who cry for revenge are “underneath the altar”. The altar is a place of offering. That appears from the description that follows. “The souls” are “of those who had been slain”. They were slain by the enemies of God. They are ‘underneath the altar’ because they offered their lives as an offering for the sake of “the word of God”, like the blood of a sacrificial animal – in the blood is the soul – was poured out at the foot of the altar (Exodus 29:12; Leviticus 4:7; 18; 30; 34). God considers their death as an offering pleasing to Him.

Here you read about ‘souls’, because these believers have not yet been raised. Their bodies are still in the grave. At the same time this makes clear that they do not belong to the church, for the bodies of those who belong to the church, will be raised at the coming of the Lord Jesus. The believers that we are talking about here, died during the time when the seals are opened, when the gospel was also proclaimed, that is, the gospel of the kingdom (Matthew 24:14). They will remain in that condition till the return of Christ (Revelation 20:4).

They did not die a natural death or because of an illness. No, they were killed “because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained”. They remained faithful to the truth of God’s Word and also testified to it. They had to pay with their lives for it and they were willing to pay that price. That’s why they were “slain”, which is the same word that is used for the Lord Jesus as “a Lamb standing, as if slain” (Revelation 5:6). What men did to the Lord Jesus, they also do to those who are faithful to Him (John 15:18-20). These souls are the first martyrs. Many of their brothers will follow in even more terrible times (Revelation 12:17; Revelation 13:7).

Revelation 6:10. The words they cry out are words of revenge. That also makes clear that we do not find ourselves on Christian ground. It is the language of the Old Testament (cf. Psalms 79:10-13; Psalms 137:7-9). The believers of the church do not pray for revenge on their persecutors, but for grace (Acts 7:60). After the rapture of the church this will be a prayer that is fitting to be prayed. What matters then is that God will assert His right on earth, and that can only be done through judgment. When the believers then will be persecuted they will not be delivered by taking them out of the persecution, as with the church, but by judging the enemies. Those enemies are the people “who dwell on the earth”. They do not want to have anything to do with God and do not want to be confronted with Him.

The souls underneath the altar cry out to God as “Lord, holy and true”. They long for justice for the injustice that was done to them. Thereby they appeal to God, Who understands this. After all He is holy and hates unholiness. He is also true and hates injustice. They have no doubt that He will act against evil and will thereby show His absolute sovereignty as Ruler. They only wonder how long they have to wait for that (Psalms 94:3; Habakkuk 1:2). At the same time this question indicates that they know that the persecution of the faithful will come to an end.

Revelation 6:11. As an answer to their call the martyrs receive “a white robe”. It is about a symbolic robe, for souls cannot be clothed. In the same sentence it is said of God Who is Spirit, that He is clothed (Psalms 104:2; Isaiah 6:1). In that way they receive, as it were, a high award for being righteous and overcomers. It underscores their dignity.

It is also said to them that they will have to rest a little while longer. It is about “a little while”, which is the time of the great tribulation. The group that is talking here is the first group of martyrs after the rapture of the church. There will be more martyrs joining them, namely, those who will be killed during the great tribulation (Revelation 20:4b). Those are “their fellow servants”, for they serve the same Lord, and “their brethren”, for they belong to the same family of those who did the will of God (Matthew 12:49-50). When they are killed the number of the martyrs will be complete and then the Lord will come to meet their request for revenge.

Revelation 6:12. After this brief conversation, the Lamb opens “the sixth seal”. What then happens is, as it were, an ‘advance’ of the answer to the prayer under the previous seal. An enormous earthquake will occur which turns the earth into a chaos. This demonstration of power makes of man a completely insignificant, void creature. Above the earth it becomes black and red. All of creation turns into a terrifying backdrop. It is possible that what is described here will literally happen. It is also possible, which seems to me to be the first meaning, that it is a symbolic representation.

Symbolically the “great earthquake” represents an enormous revolution through which everything that has given man firmness and support falls away from him. It concerns social, political and religious order, things that give support in life. Normally the ground under the feet is the most secure thing in life. Sun, moon and stars can be seen as symbols for rulers (cf. Genesis 1:16). When these celestial objects lose their shine and become black and red, it means that these rulers, given by God to protect order and life, are now causing darkness and death.

Revelation 6:13. These stars seem surely to be a symbolic presentation of rulers. If it would be literally true that the stars fall on the earth, then nothing will be left of the earth. That they “fell to the earth”, means that they lose their original function. What they were meant for, as an orientation for man, has disappeared. They now show their true nature. They used to be kept somewhat in check by certain Christian values and norms. Their own righteousness comes under the control of powers which they are not able to resist. Evil power will take over the control.

Revelation 6:14. God, as it were, takes His hands off His creation. The thoughts of heaven, that is of God, are obscured, without possibility of being informed about them anymore. After all, you cannot read a ‘scroll that is rolled up’. There is no more light from above, only moral darkness, making one blind to any Divine guidance. The result is that “every mountain and island were moved out of their places”. In connection with the previous verses it seems that this also has to be considered symbolically. Mountains represent immense, immoveable powers and islands are images of commercial powers. They also lose their usual functions and become disoriented.

Revelation 6:15. You may take the description in this verse literally. In the sevenfold description you can see all of humanity, from king to slave. They are all so astonished and helpless by the elimination of any human government, that they want to hide themselves. Every difference in prosperity, wealth, riches and social positions disappears. None of the economic, social or political benefits gives any protection against these judgments. They will all hide themselves “in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains” (cf. Isaiah 2:19).

Revelation 6:16. While they are there, they will still not feel safe from “the wrath of the Lamb”. They have come to realize through the disasters under the previous seal that they are dealing with God and the Lamb. They begin to think of God and even the Lamb (Proverbs 10:24a). It is the proof that also the unbelieving man is inwardly aware that he is dealing with God as Judge. He also knows of the Lamb and His wrath. This indicates that we are in what has been a Christian part of the world.

But how fearful they may be, they refuse to repent! They do not want to accept what they always have denied and what they are now forced to acknowledge. They do not want to bow down before the Lamb. They prefer that the mountains and rocks fall on them. They probably think that if only they die, they will be able to escape from God and the wrath of the Lamb. That also will appear to be a tragic and fatal mistake when they will be called to come before the great white throne (Revelation 20:12-13).

Revelation 6:17. People who refuse to repent are always mistaken. These people claim that “the great day” of the wrath of God and of the Lamb has come. But that is not true. It is yet the beginning of birth pangs (Matthew 24:8). That great day will have come only when Christ appears.

Now read Revelation 6:9-17 again.

Reflection: Mention some differences between what the souls underneath the altar ask of God and what you as a Christian ask of God.

Revelation 21:26

The Fifth and Sixth Seal

Revelation 6:9. When the Lamb opens “the fifth seal” the consequence is different from the previous seals. There several horses with riders appeared and did certain things. After the establishment of a false peace, several actions followed that result in death and misery. With this fifth seal you see nothing happen, but you get a behind-the-scenes look of death. You see and hear individuals who cry for revenge.

This seal is not a direct judgment, but it is actually the preparation for the judgments that will follow hereafter under the remaining seals. Those are not the same kind of judgments as those of the previous seals. There things happened on earth that are a plague for men. They are things that seem to stem from their own wrong actions, although God directs them. The judgments yet to come are judgments in which men are forced to recognize more directly the hand of God.

Those who cry for revenge are “underneath the altar”. The altar is a place of offering. That appears from the description that follows. “The souls” are “of those who had been slain”. They were slain by the enemies of God. They are ‘underneath the altar’ because they offered their lives as an offering for the sake of “the word of God”, like the blood of a sacrificial animal – in the blood is the soul – was poured out at the foot of the altar (Exodus 29:12; Leviticus 4:7; 18; 30; 34). God considers their death as an offering pleasing to Him.

Here you read about ‘souls’, because these believers have not yet been raised. Their bodies are still in the grave. At the same time this makes clear that they do not belong to the church, for the bodies of those who belong to the church, will be raised at the coming of the Lord Jesus. The believers that we are talking about here, died during the time when the seals are opened, when the gospel was also proclaimed, that is, the gospel of the kingdom (Matthew 24:14). They will remain in that condition till the return of Christ (Revelation 20:4).

They did not die a natural death or because of an illness. No, they were killed “because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained”. They remained faithful to the truth of God’s Word and also testified to it. They had to pay with their lives for it and they were willing to pay that price. That’s why they were “slain”, which is the same word that is used for the Lord Jesus as “a Lamb standing, as if slain” (Revelation 5:6). What men did to the Lord Jesus, they also do to those who are faithful to Him (John 15:18-20). These souls are the first martyrs. Many of their brothers will follow in even more terrible times (Revelation 12:17; Revelation 13:7).

Revelation 6:10. The words they cry out are words of revenge. That also makes clear that we do not find ourselves on Christian ground. It is the language of the Old Testament (cf. Psalms 79:10-13; Psalms 137:7-9). The believers of the church do not pray for revenge on their persecutors, but for grace (Acts 7:60). After the rapture of the church this will be a prayer that is fitting to be prayed. What matters then is that God will assert His right on earth, and that can only be done through judgment. When the believers then will be persecuted they will not be delivered by taking them out of the persecution, as with the church, but by judging the enemies. Those enemies are the people “who dwell on the earth”. They do not want to have anything to do with God and do not want to be confronted with Him.

The souls underneath the altar cry out to God as “Lord, holy and true”. They long for justice for the injustice that was done to them. Thereby they appeal to God, Who understands this. After all He is holy and hates unholiness. He is also true and hates injustice. They have no doubt that He will act against evil and will thereby show His absolute sovereignty as Ruler. They only wonder how long they have to wait for that (Psalms 94:3; Habakkuk 1:2). At the same time this question indicates that they know that the persecution of the faithful will come to an end.

Revelation 6:11. As an answer to their call the martyrs receive “a white robe”. It is about a symbolic robe, for souls cannot be clothed. In the same sentence it is said of God Who is Spirit, that He is clothed (Psalms 104:2; Isaiah 6:1). In that way they receive, as it were, a high award for being righteous and overcomers. It underscores their dignity.

It is also said to them that they will have to rest a little while longer. It is about “a little while”, which is the time of the great tribulation. The group that is talking here is the first group of martyrs after the rapture of the church. There will be more martyrs joining them, namely, those who will be killed during the great tribulation (Revelation 20:4b). Those are “their fellow servants”, for they serve the same Lord, and “their brethren”, for they belong to the same family of those who did the will of God (Matthew 12:49-50). When they are killed the number of the martyrs will be complete and then the Lord will come to meet their request for revenge.

Revelation 6:12. After this brief conversation, the Lamb opens “the sixth seal”. What then happens is, as it were, an ‘advance’ of the answer to the prayer under the previous seal. An enormous earthquake will occur which turns the earth into a chaos. This demonstration of power makes of man a completely insignificant, void creature. Above the earth it becomes black and red. All of creation turns into a terrifying backdrop. It is possible that what is described here will literally happen. It is also possible, which seems to me to be the first meaning, that it is a symbolic representation.

Symbolically the “great earthquake” represents an enormous revolution through which everything that has given man firmness and support falls away from him. It concerns social, political and religious order, things that give support in life. Normally the ground under the feet is the most secure thing in life. Sun, moon and stars can be seen as symbols for rulers (cf. Genesis 1:16). When these celestial objects lose their shine and become black and red, it means that these rulers, given by God to protect order and life, are now causing darkness and death.

Revelation 6:13. These stars seem surely to be a symbolic presentation of rulers. If it would be literally true that the stars fall on the earth, then nothing will be left of the earth. That they “fell to the earth”, means that they lose their original function. What they were meant for, as an orientation for man, has disappeared. They now show their true nature. They used to be kept somewhat in check by certain Christian values and norms. Their own righteousness comes under the control of powers which they are not able to resist. Evil power will take over the control.

Revelation 6:14. God, as it were, takes His hands off His creation. The thoughts of heaven, that is of God, are obscured, without possibility of being informed about them anymore. After all, you cannot read a ‘scroll that is rolled up’. There is no more light from above, only moral darkness, making one blind to any Divine guidance. The result is that “every mountain and island were moved out of their places”. In connection with the previous verses it seems that this also has to be considered symbolically. Mountains represent immense, immoveable powers and islands are images of commercial powers. They also lose their usual functions and become disoriented.

Revelation 6:15. You may take the description in this verse literally. In the sevenfold description you can see all of humanity, from king to slave. They are all so astonished and helpless by the elimination of any human government, that they want to hide themselves. Every difference in prosperity, wealth, riches and social positions disappears. None of the economic, social or political benefits gives any protection against these judgments. They will all hide themselves “in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains” (cf. Isaiah 2:19).

Revelation 6:16. While they are there, they will still not feel safe from “the wrath of the Lamb”. They have come to realize through the disasters under the previous seal that they are dealing with God and the Lamb. They begin to think of God and even the Lamb (Proverbs 10:24a). It is the proof that also the unbelieving man is inwardly aware that he is dealing with God as Judge. He also knows of the Lamb and His wrath. This indicates that we are in what has been a Christian part of the world.

But how fearful they may be, they refuse to repent! They do not want to accept what they always have denied and what they are now forced to acknowledge. They do not want to bow down before the Lamb. They prefer that the mountains and rocks fall on them. They probably think that if only they die, they will be able to escape from God and the wrath of the Lamb. That also will appear to be a tragic and fatal mistake when they will be called to come before the great white throne (Revelation 20:12-13).

Revelation 6:17. People who refuse to repent are always mistaken. These people claim that “the great day” of the wrath of God and of the Lamb has come. But that is not true. It is yet the beginning of birth pangs (Matthew 24:8). That great day will have come only when Christ appears.

Now read Revelation 6:9-17 again.

Reflection: Mention some differences between what the souls underneath the altar ask of God and what you as a Christian ask of God.

Revelation 21:27

The Fifth and Sixth Seal

Revelation 6:9. When the Lamb opens “the fifth seal” the consequence is different from the previous seals. There several horses with riders appeared and did certain things. After the establishment of a false peace, several actions followed that result in death and misery. With this fifth seal you see nothing happen, but you get a behind-the-scenes look of death. You see and hear individuals who cry for revenge.

This seal is not a direct judgment, but it is actually the preparation for the judgments that will follow hereafter under the remaining seals. Those are not the same kind of judgments as those of the previous seals. There things happened on earth that are a plague for men. They are things that seem to stem from their own wrong actions, although God directs them. The judgments yet to come are judgments in which men are forced to recognize more directly the hand of God.

Those who cry for revenge are “underneath the altar”. The altar is a place of offering. That appears from the description that follows. “The souls” are “of those who had been slain”. They were slain by the enemies of God. They are ‘underneath the altar’ because they offered their lives as an offering for the sake of “the word of God”, like the blood of a sacrificial animal – in the blood is the soul – was poured out at the foot of the altar (Exodus 29:12; Leviticus 4:7; 18; 30; 34). God considers their death as an offering pleasing to Him.

Here you read about ‘souls’, because these believers have not yet been raised. Their bodies are still in the grave. At the same time this makes clear that they do not belong to the church, for the bodies of those who belong to the church, will be raised at the coming of the Lord Jesus. The believers that we are talking about here, died during the time when the seals are opened, when the gospel was also proclaimed, that is, the gospel of the kingdom (Matthew 24:14). They will remain in that condition till the return of Christ (Revelation 20:4).

They did not die a natural death or because of an illness. No, they were killed “because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained”. They remained faithful to the truth of God’s Word and also testified to it. They had to pay with their lives for it and they were willing to pay that price. That’s why they were “slain”, which is the same word that is used for the Lord Jesus as “a Lamb standing, as if slain” (Revelation 5:6). What men did to the Lord Jesus, they also do to those who are faithful to Him (John 15:18-20). These souls are the first martyrs. Many of their brothers will follow in even more terrible times (Revelation 12:17; Revelation 13:7).

Revelation 6:10. The words they cry out are words of revenge. That also makes clear that we do not find ourselves on Christian ground. It is the language of the Old Testament (cf. Psalms 79:10-13; Psalms 137:7-9). The believers of the church do not pray for revenge on their persecutors, but for grace (Acts 7:60). After the rapture of the church this will be a prayer that is fitting to be prayed. What matters then is that God will assert His right on earth, and that can only be done through judgment. When the believers then will be persecuted they will not be delivered by taking them out of the persecution, as with the church, but by judging the enemies. Those enemies are the people “who dwell on the earth”. They do not want to have anything to do with God and do not want to be confronted with Him.

The souls underneath the altar cry out to God as “Lord, holy and true”. They long for justice for the injustice that was done to them. Thereby they appeal to God, Who understands this. After all He is holy and hates unholiness. He is also true and hates injustice. They have no doubt that He will act against evil and will thereby show His absolute sovereignty as Ruler. They only wonder how long they have to wait for that (Psalms 94:3; Habakkuk 1:2). At the same time this question indicates that they know that the persecution of the faithful will come to an end.

Revelation 6:11. As an answer to their call the martyrs receive “a white robe”. It is about a symbolic robe, for souls cannot be clothed. In the same sentence it is said of God Who is Spirit, that He is clothed (Psalms 104:2; Isaiah 6:1). In that way they receive, as it were, a high award for being righteous and overcomers. It underscores their dignity.

It is also said to them that they will have to rest a little while longer. It is about “a little while”, which is the time of the great tribulation. The group that is talking here is the first group of martyrs after the rapture of the church. There will be more martyrs joining them, namely, those who will be killed during the great tribulation (Revelation 20:4b). Those are “their fellow servants”, for they serve the same Lord, and “their brethren”, for they belong to the same family of those who did the will of God (Matthew 12:49-50). When they are killed the number of the martyrs will be complete and then the Lord will come to meet their request for revenge.

Revelation 6:12. After this brief conversation, the Lamb opens “the sixth seal”. What then happens is, as it were, an ‘advance’ of the answer to the prayer under the previous seal. An enormous earthquake will occur which turns the earth into a chaos. This demonstration of power makes of man a completely insignificant, void creature. Above the earth it becomes black and red. All of creation turns into a terrifying backdrop. It is possible that what is described here will literally happen. It is also possible, which seems to me to be the first meaning, that it is a symbolic representation.

Symbolically the “great earthquake” represents an enormous revolution through which everything that has given man firmness and support falls away from him. It concerns social, political and religious order, things that give support in life. Normally the ground under the feet is the most secure thing in life. Sun, moon and stars can be seen as symbols for rulers (cf. Genesis 1:16). When these celestial objects lose their shine and become black and red, it means that these rulers, given by God to protect order and life, are now causing darkness and death.

Revelation 6:13. These stars seem surely to be a symbolic presentation of rulers. If it would be literally true that the stars fall on the earth, then nothing will be left of the earth. That they “fell to the earth”, means that they lose their original function. What they were meant for, as an orientation for man, has disappeared. They now show their true nature. They used to be kept somewhat in check by certain Christian values and norms. Their own righteousness comes under the control of powers which they are not able to resist. Evil power will take over the control.

Revelation 6:14. God, as it were, takes His hands off His creation. The thoughts of heaven, that is of God, are obscured, without possibility of being informed about them anymore. After all, you cannot read a ‘scroll that is rolled up’. There is no more light from above, only moral darkness, making one blind to any Divine guidance. The result is that “every mountain and island were moved out of their places”. In connection with the previous verses it seems that this also has to be considered symbolically. Mountains represent immense, immoveable powers and islands are images of commercial powers. They also lose their usual functions and become disoriented.

Revelation 6:15. You may take the description in this verse literally. In the sevenfold description you can see all of humanity, from king to slave. They are all so astonished and helpless by the elimination of any human government, that they want to hide themselves. Every difference in prosperity, wealth, riches and social positions disappears. None of the economic, social or political benefits gives any protection against these judgments. They will all hide themselves “in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains” (cf. Isaiah 2:19).

Revelation 6:16. While they are there, they will still not feel safe from “the wrath of the Lamb”. They have come to realize through the disasters under the previous seal that they are dealing with God and the Lamb. They begin to think of God and even the Lamb (Proverbs 10:24a). It is the proof that also the unbelieving man is inwardly aware that he is dealing with God as Judge. He also knows of the Lamb and His wrath. This indicates that we are in what has been a Christian part of the world.

But how fearful they may be, they refuse to repent! They do not want to accept what they always have denied and what they are now forced to acknowledge. They do not want to bow down before the Lamb. They prefer that the mountains and rocks fall on them. They probably think that if only they die, they will be able to escape from God and the wrath of the Lamb. That also will appear to be a tragic and fatal mistake when they will be called to come before the great white throne (Revelation 20:12-13).

Revelation 6:17. People who refuse to repent are always mistaken. These people claim that “the great day” of the wrath of God and of the Lamb has come. But that is not true. It is yet the beginning of birth pangs (Matthew 24:8). That great day will have come only when Christ appears.

Now read Revelation 6:9-17 again.

Reflection: Mention some differences between what the souls underneath the altar ask of God and what you as a Christian ask of God.