Read Revelation 6:12–17
Questions from the Scripture text: What does John do in v12? What does the Lamb do? What six things happen in v12–14? What seven categories of men are named in v15? What do they do? Where do they hide? What do they ask the mountains and rocks to do (v16)? In order to hide them from Whose face? And Whose wrath? What day do they think has come (v17)? What rhetorical question do they ask? What is its implied answer?
How should we live, under the sovereign authority of the Lamb over history? Revelation 6:12–17 looks forward to the hearing of God’s Word, publicly read, in the holy assembly on the coming Lord’s Day. In these six verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that we should live as we will wish we had on the day of the wrath of the Lamb.
The Lamb exercises His sovereign authority of history not only in the triumphal progress of the church (v1–3), the sorts of things that Jesus calls merely the beginning of sorrows in Mt 24:7–8 (v3–8), and even the persecution of Christians (v9–11). But there is a time coming when the Lord will sovereignly shake all the powers of this world until they fall.
Sun, moon, and stars signify authority. They are created to “rule” (cf. Gen 1:16), and their falling down signifies a shakeup in rule (cf. Gen 37:8–10). In Mt 24:29–31, Jesus teaches that the coming of the Son of Man will come at the end of the age of tribulation (which age spans the entire time between His two comings). It is the same event as we see here, complete with the mourning of all of the tribes of the earth, and it immediately precedes the sounding of the last trumpet.
If the people in v15 had acknowledged or believed that the Lamb was upon the throne, they would not be in the position that they find themselves in the sixth seal. Alas, this age is full of those whose eyes are opened too late. The wrath of the Lamb is worse than the wrath of a Lion. For, they will look upon Him Whom they pierced. They will look upon the One Who died for sinners, the Lamb Who was slain, but Whom they rejected. And the wickedness of their rejecting Him will be compounded by the greatness of what He has done for those whom He redeemed.
The face of Him Who sits on the throne is a terrible prospect for them, in all His beauty and glory. They would rather be crushed by the whole of creation than bear the gaze of the Creator Whom they have denied. They would rather suffer anything else than endure the brilliance of the glory of the Lamb expressed upon them as fury, which glory had previously been offered to them as favor.
The point of the seal seems clear: we must live under the sovereign authority of Jesus, throughout the time between His two comings, as we will wish that we had when the great day of His second-coming arrives. Most of all, we must have Him Himself. We must have the white robes from the fifth seal, and be resting in Him, or else we will not be able to bear having His face look upon us.
There are all sorts of frightful men, and movements, and powers in this world. But they will all be shaken quite easily, like ripe figs falling in a storm, when the true Power shows Himself upon His return.
Are you dressed in the white robe of the righteousness of the Lamb? What might you change in order to live in the manner that you hope to be found upon His return?
Sample prayer: Lord, forgive us for how easily we fear the powers and movements of this world and this age, when they shall be suddenly shaken and fall to the ground at the coming of our Lord Jesus. And forgive us for how often we do not live as we would wish to be found living upon His return. And forgive us for how much we have taken for granted the salvation that enables us to stand even in the great day of His wrath. Forgive us, and cleanse us, we ask in the Name of the Lamb, even Jesus, AMEN!
Suggested songs: ARP98 “O Sing a New Song” or TPH389 “Great God, What Do I See and Hear”
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