THE LAMB, OUR SHEPHERD
Revelation 6:1-8:5
Key Verse: 7:17
“For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; ‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’ ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’”
In chapter 4, John saw the vision of the heavenly throne of God. The vision shows that God who sits on his throne is Holy, Almighty and Eternal. God is going to complete his redemptive plan through his righteous judgment. Then, in chapter 5, John saw a vision of a scroll in God’s right hand. His divine judgments were written in the scroll sealed with 7 seals. But, there was no one worthy to open it, until the Lamb who was slain appeared. The Lamb is worthy to break the seals and open the scrolls because he gave his life for the sins of the world and by his blood he redeemed God’s people from sin and made them kingdoms and priests. When Jesus, the Lamb, took the scroll, 24 elders, 4 living creatures, all the angels, and every creature in heaven, on earth, under the earth, and on the sea praised God the creator and the Lamb who was slain.
Now in chapter 6, the Lamb begins to break the seals: the beginning of God’s divine judgment. God’s acts of judgment are presented in three sets of seven: Seals, Trumpets and bowls. Three sets of seven judgments on the world tell us that God’s judgment is perfect, thorough, and just. This period of God’s judgment is known as ‘the great tribulation’ (Mt24:21), or the time of distress (Da12:1). Today’s passage is about the first seven seals of God’s judgment. The Lamb breaks the seven seals, and each time, terrible judgments are called to come upon the earth. Who can withstand it? No one can withstand such times of trouble without God’s grace and mercy. Even in the midst of judgment, we can be victorious because God will seal his servants; the Lamb, our shepherd, will wash away our sins, clothe us with his righteousness, and lead us to the eternal kingdom. This Revelation Bible study leads us to learn Jesus as the Lord of Judgment and our good shepherd, and also how we can be victorious and be witnesses of Jesus in this generation.
I. The Lamb opens the seven seals. (6:1-17)
Here, finally the Lamb opens the seals. Look at verses 1-2. When the Lamb opened the first seal, a living creature said “Come” in a voice like thunder. Then, a white horse appeared; its rider armed with a bow and given a crown, rode forth to conquer. The rider is like Christ in some ways, but is not Christ. Perhaps he represents a false Messiah and a fake leader with power and authority. He attempts to conquer the world through deceptions with false promises. With political, military or economical power, he promises people to give peace and secure future, misleading people not to trust God, but to trust money; not to depend on God but power or authority of the world; not to rely on the word of truth, but wisdoms of the world – all kinds of ideologies as humanism, individualism, Pragmatism, communism, or genderism.
In Matthew 24:4-5, Jesus warned the appearance of false messiah, saying “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many.” Though they look like conquerors with a crown, they are actually God’s instruments to bring his judgments upon this unbelieving world.
When the Lamb opened the second seal, a fiery red horse came forth. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make people kill each other. He was given a large sword (3-4). This ‘large sword’ is clearly a powerful weapon of destruction. It refers to wars with much bloodshed. This corresponds to Jesus foretelling of wars and rumors of wars, and that nation would rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom (Mt24:6-7). It is not merely wars between opposing armies, but also wars that take place when social order breaks down. It is civil anarchy. People will be full of hatred, anger, and anxiety. Jesus also warned about this, saying “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold.” (Mt 24:12) As a result, there will be just like that of the time of Noah: “Every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time” “the earth was corrupt… full of violence.” (Gen6:5-11) What a terrible judgment is coming upon this unrepeated world
When the Lamb opened the third seal, a black horse came forth. Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand (5). The scales symbolize trade. An entire day’s wages is needed to buy two pounds of wheat. The cost of Two pounds of wheat which can produce one or two loaves of bread is around $8. But at that time, the cost will be more than $200 instead. These days Venezuela suffers from 200% inflation. But, in the time of God’s judgment, inflation will be 2500%. Simply it means to impossible to buy any food. So, third horse and its rider refer to famine and poverty caused by wars. In the history of the world, famines have devastated nations. Even today famines account for more deaths that all the wars that we are carrying out throughout the nations. Famine is a terrible thing that degrades humanity, leading people to kill each other for food an even resort to cannibalism.
When the fourth seal was opened, a living creature summoned a pale horse. Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him (7-8a). They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth (8b). All four horses and its riders have power to kill by the sword, famine, and plague and by the wild beasts of the earth. They work together and the judgments get worse and worse. It seems as though they would annihilate all of mankind. However, by God’s mercy, his wrath was restrained so that only a fourth of the earth was being destroyed.
As we see the first four seals being opened, we cannot but be scared by the fierce riders on horses and the judgments. We might fear whether we can overcome and survive through such time of sufferings. However, we don’t need to be afraid. Why? First of all, the Lamb is the sovereign ruler over all judgments. Jesus, the Lamb, is in control so that everything happens under the rule of the Lamb. Nothing is random accidents. The horses and its riders are called by the living creatures, who are agents of the Lamb. Their powers and authorities to enact God’s judgment are “given” from God. They cannot do anything unless God allows it or gives them power or authority to do so. So, we should not be alarmed by these judgments, but trust in Jesus, the Lamb, who is the Sovereign Ruler.
Second, God is still merciful and patient God who limits his judgment upon the earth. His judgment is not yet complete. “His limited punishment on one fourth of the world” demonstrates his merciful love in giving another opportunity to turn to him before he brings final judgment. We may not try God’s patience or take advantage of it. Rather, we need to repent of our sins; not wait till the last moment to surrender our lives to Christ. Thank God for 12 young leaders who came with full surrender to Christ. In their testimonies, each of them had confessed their sins and testified that Jesus is the Lord. Trusting Jesus, the Lamb, they have made decision to offer themselves to be righteous instruments for God’s salvation work in this generation. In the end times, blessed are those who confess their sins believe in Jesus in their hearts.
Look at verses 9-10. This seal is different from the first four. When the Lamb opened the fifth seal, another horse did not come up, but the souls of those who were slain because of the word of God and their testimonies. Who are these people? They are martyrs who had been slain because of their obedience to the word of God. In the OT, they are the prophets. In the NT, they are the believers who died for preaching the gospel and maintaining their testimony for Jesus. It seemed that they were victims of injustice and cruelty with no recourse. As we learned in Ch2-3, Under the Roman Emperors like Nero and Domitian, Christians were persecuted. Especially from AD 270-304, the worst systematic torture and execution of Christians happened in history, known as “the era of martyrs.” As many as 3,000-3,500 Christians were executed under the authority of Imperial edicts.
What about now? Though the world has become much better than the 1st Century, we too feel the hostilities against Christianity and our beliefs. What do we do? Most people shrink back in fear and keep the faith to themselves in order to avoid the sufferings that come from abusive worldly people. Do you remember how Jesus counseled the churches? In his words to the seven churches, Jesus commanded them not to be afraid; not to be offended; but to continue bringing the gospel of life to all men by holding fast the gospel even to the point of death. His words are also for us. In fact, we are all surrounded by unbelieving, sin and adulterous cultures. From everywhere, we feel pressure to follow the pattern of the world. However, we must stand firm on the word of God; stand firm on the gospel we received; stand firm on the testimony of Jesus, testifying to Jesus Our Lord every opportunity we have. We must prepare ourselves for rejection, for suffering, yes even for poverty. We must not let fear overtake us. It is because the days of God’s judgment will surly come. For all evil and unbelieving, it will be the day of eternal destruction, but for all believers, it will be the day eternal redemption. God is holy and true. God does not tolerate injustice indefinitely. God is living. He never abandons his people. Rather, God will clothe them with perfect righteousness of Jesus; God will carry them and bring them to the eternal kingdom. In the end time, those who have faith in Jesus will be victorious; will be over-comers. “Faith is the victory!”
Look at verse 10-11. “The martyrs called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood? Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters, were killed just as they had been.” They are not just asking for vindication, but for the completion of His righteous judgment and also their salvation. God hears their cry and God is surely complete his redemption.
God has a divine plan to complete his righteous judgment and salvation. Jesus told us that the end – the day of God’s judgment will come when the gospel of Jesus is preached to the end of the earth. To do so, God will use and bless the blood of martyrs. Look at verse 11. God told them to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters, were killed just as they had been (11). Many had expected that the gospel will be reach to the end soon through High Speed Internet. But, that is not the way of God. The gospel of Jesus will be preached through the blood of believers. For example, Acts reveals that through the martyrdom of Stephen the gospel spread to Samaria and Antioch, and also led to the conversion of St. Paul, who spread the gospel throughout the world. The gospel of Jesus will be preached through our prayers, devotions, commitments, especially through our blood shedding sacrifices for one lost sheep.
In Korea, there is a foreign missionary cemetery called “Yangwhajin”. Among 414 grave, 143 are missionaries’ to Korea from 16 different countries. Missionary Hulbert and his son who died at the age of one, Underwood and his 8 descendants spanning four generations were buried. They had shed their blood for Korea. They gave their lives, also the lives of their wives, sons, daughters, grandsons and daughters, and even great grandsons. Because of their blood, God had blessed Korea to be a kingdom of priests and holy nation in such short time of period. We are also fruits of their sacrifices. Without sacrifices, there will be no fruits or glory.
God has blessed M. John&Grace Park’s hard work and sacrifices, so that many next generations have received the gospel and grow be wittiness of Jesus. In Turkey, God has blessed M. James point’s prayer and sacrifices to plant the seed of the words of God. God will never forget or look over our sacrifices, devotions, or hard works. God has blessed those to plant and spread the word of life. God never waste even one drop of sweat we sweat! Whatever we do is not waste, but it will be a source blessing for many, even unknown people! We may not expect easy or comfortable way in doing God’s work of salvation. We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God. (Act 14:22)
Look at verses 12-14. When the sixth seal was opened, there was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, and the stars in the sky fell to earth. The heavens receded like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place (12-14). It is none other than the end of the world.
Who will people respond? Look at verses 15-17. The kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and everyone else, both slave and free, will hide in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. At that time, any power, wealth, or authority which people put their trust or depend on will become nothing and useless. Man becomes totally helpless. Nobody can withstand the day of God’s wrath with their own power or ability or their own self-righteousness. Then, who can withstand it? Only those who have faith in God and in Jesus Christ.
II. 144,000 sealed and the Great multitude in white robes. (7:1-8:5)
Chapter 7 answers the question asked at the end of Ch6. Only the redeemed people of God can stand. This chapter tells us what happens with his redeemed people (cf. 10:1-11:14; 20:1-6). In the midst of God’s judgment, John saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth. They were commanded to hold back the four winds of judgment on the earth.
Then look at verse 3. “Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.” The angels had to wait until God put seals on the servants of God. This seal symbolizes God’s protection, God’s special possession. When we believe in the gospel of Jesus, we are marked in a seal, the promised Holy Spirit. (Eph1:13-14)
Who are those? In verse 4, John heard the number of those who are sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel. Whether they refers to believing Jews or the “true Israel,” the church, one thing is clear: they are people redeemed by the blood of the Lamb; they are the people who maintain their faith and witnesses through suffering; who overcome their foe and the devil; who follow Jesus wherever he goes. They are blessed to share Jesus’ victory and sing his praises before the throne of God.(14:1-4)
From verse 9, John saw the vision of a great multitude that no one could count. Look at verse 9. “After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.” They were holding palm branches in their hands and singing his praise, saying “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” (10). Then, all the angels, the elders, and the four living creatures respond, saying “Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!” (11-12)
What a beautiful and glorious worship in heaven! Also what a different picture from the terrible, dreadful tribulation on the earth! Then, who are these great multitude? Look at verse 14b. “he said, ‘These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” They were redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. Though they were dirty and stained with sin, when they simply believed in Jesus, their sins were washed away by the blood of Jesus. The blood of Jesus made their robes white. Only the blood of Jesus can purify us from all our sins and bring us into fellowship with God. They never compromised because of fear or to avoid suffering. Rather, they remained true to Jesus. They were willing to lose their lives for Jesus and the gospel. As Jesus commanded the churches, they hold fast the gospel of Jesus; they had been faithful even to the point of death. Then, they become victorious and come to receive all the privileges Jesus promised to give.
Look at verse 15-17. They will serve the Lord day and night in the presence of God. No one or nothing will snatch them away from God. On the earth, they were rejected, persecuted, and slaughtered like the Lamb of God, Jesus. But in heaven they are comforted, secured, and healed by the Love of God. Never again they will suffer from hunger or poverty. Never again they will suffer because of the name of Jesus. Why? Let’s read verse 17: “For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; ‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’ ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’” Simply, it is because Jesus, the Lamb of God, has become their shepherd. Even in the heaven, Jesus will lead them to springs of living water and he will wipe away every tear from their eyes.
While on the earth, Jesus had been our shepherd. His main work on earth was shepherding the lost people. Jesus had compassion on us; healed our wounds and sin-sicknesses; he taught the words of God; he fed us; he served us; he guided us to God; eventually he gave his life for us by dying on a cross for our sins. After resurrection, he ascended into heaven. Now he is at the center of the throne as the Sovereign Ruler. But he is still a good shepherd for his people. As David did, we can confess, “The LORD is my Shepherd, I lack nothing” (Ps 23:1). Indeed, Jesus is our Good Shepherd forever! We human beings need a shepherd–not only while we are young, but also when we are old, and even in heaven. So we should hold onto Jesus’ hand now and always.
In 8:1-5, the Lamb opened the seventh seal. The final judgment is so awful that all in heaven could not but fall silent for half an hour. John saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them (2). These will unleash the next series of God’s judgments. God hears the prayers of his people and uses them in carrying out his divine judgments (3-5). That is why we should always pray and not give up (Lk 18:1).
Today, we have seen that the Lamb is the Lord of God’s judgment and the Lamb is our good shepherd forever. As Jesus taught in Matthew and Mark 13, we are living in the end times. With own eyes, we have seen God’s judgments have come upon the earth such as false prophets, wars and rumors of wars, famines, and so on. These are not random events, but the beginning of God’s divine judgment. When the final judgment comes, no one can stand. We need not be afraid because the Lamb is our Good Shepherd. He will protect us and guide us and preserve our faith through his Holy Spirit. Now is the time to repent of our sins and come to Jesus by faith; by depending on the blood Jesus only. We should not compromise with sinful culture to avoid suffering. Rather we should hold onto gospel truth even to the point of death. (2:10) Then the Lamb, our Shepherd, will carry us and bring us to the throne of God, where we worship and serve him forever.