BibleProject | One Story That Leads to JesusSample

As the bloody lamb starts breaking all seven seals from the scroll in God’s hand (Rev. 6:1-8), a nightmarish pop-up book unfolds, revealing the four horsemen of the apocalypse, demon locusts, a burning cauldron of prayers, and more. Read slowly, and keep an eye out for Hebrew Bible hyperlinks along the way. You’ll find many.

Chapters six through 16 of Revelation form a literary movement, which records seven divine judgments, then seven more, and then seven after that—three sets of seven. In Scripture, the number seven signals completion. So this part of John’s revelation suggests a time of completion happening between Jesus’ resurrection and eventual return.

Throughout this section, John hyperlinks to past divine judgments, times of de-creation, plague, and exile to show that the patterns he’s describing are not new. The same cycles have been repeating throughout all of history. Humanity descends into self-destructive violence and chaos, which brings God’s de-creating judgment upon the perpetrators.

Each set of seals, trumpets, and bowls repeats a tragic and unsettling pattern. Darkness upon darkness. Cycles of violence upon violence. Then, suddenly, light breaks forth. John sees a multitude of people from all the nations shouting praises to the lamb. A harmony of voices—imagine Mandarin, Spanish, Hindi, Swahili, German, English, Hebrew, Greek, and more—all integrating beautifully to fill the Earth with celebration.

No more tears. No more hunger. No more thirst. Only joyous shouts of jubilation. God shows John where history is headed. These images remind John’s first readers that Roman oppression and all evil will come to an end. His encouragement to them is also for us, as Christians in every generation cling to the hope of total freedom from all evil.

Reflection Questions

• Compare the judgment imagery in today’s reading to Mark 13:7-8. How does Jesus’ teaching about the present age inform your understanding of John’s apocalypse?
• Compare the sixth seal to Isaiah’s description of the Day of the Lord. How does the multitude protected by the lamb help you understand both the judgment and deliverance the day brings?