Tag Archives: Revelation

Revelation 5.9-14 – May 29, 2020

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Revelation 5:9–14

And they sang a new song, saying: 

“You are worthy to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
because you were slain,
and with your blood you purchased for God
persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.
10 You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God,
and they will reign on the earth.” 

11 Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. 12 In a loud voice they were saying: 

“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and praise!” 

13 Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying: 

“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise and honor and glory and power,
for ever and ever!” 

14 The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

(Revelation 5:9–14, NIV)

The ultimate time of praise and worship!

Thought Questions:

If you had an opportunity today to sit before God and tell him what you thought of him, what would you say?

What do the words of those speaking here tell us about God? Is this consistent with how you have thought about him?

How can you live today in such a way so as to give praise, honor, glory, and power to the Lamb?

Vacation – June 30

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Text: Revelation 6.1-8.1 (Read it here)20160630

All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying:

“Amen!
Praise and glory
and wisdom and thanks and honor
and power and strength
be to our God for ever and ever.
Amen!”

(Revelation 7.11-12, NIV)

Silence
Author: Rob Anderson

It doesn’t end quite like you would expect it to, does it?

In Revelation 6, the Lamb begins to open the seven seals of the scroll found in heaven.

After the first seal is opened, there is a voice like thunder and a white horse rides out, bent on conquest.

After the second seal, a red, fiery horse, with a rider who has a large sword, having the power to make people on earth kill each other.

After the third seal, a rider is on a black horse with a pair of scales.

After the fourth seal is broken, a rider on a pale horse named “Death” comes, one which had the power to “kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.”

After the fifth seal, the souls of those who had been slain call out in a loud voice: “How long?”

After the sixth seal is broken, there is a great earthquake. The sun turns black and the moon blood read.

So what would one expect as a climax after the seventh and final seal is opened?

My assumption would be that complete chaos would break loose after this last seal is broken. There has been a buildup of events, leading up to the culmination of … thirty minutes of silence.

Why?

I believe that once that final seal is broken, the deed is done. God’s punishment on the wicked and salvation for the righteous is complete and the only natural response to the sovereignty of God is silence.

In Habakkuk 2, we are reminded that false gods need to have their voices provided for them, but when the One in power is acknowledged, silence is the best option. There is no need to clamor or try to say just right thing. God has already done what needs to be done and now, we simply rest in his goodness.

Let all the earth be silent, indeed.

Questions:

Revelation 5 tells us that the lamb that was worthy to open the seals of the scroll that told of the final battle between God and Satan was a lamb that looked like it had been slain. Does a lamb, much less a slain lamb, evoke a sense of power and awe in your mind? Why or why not? In what ways does the death of this lamb actually indicate a power far beyond what it appears on the surface?

Stop and think for a moment about the 7 attributes applied to God in Revelation 7.12. What does it mean for God to be worthy of these seven things? How do these attributes help cement in your mind God’s sovereignty, that is, his worth as the creator and sustainer of the world, and in the book of Revelation, the victor over evil?

When the final seal of the scroll was opened, there was silence for half an hour. What did you expect to happen when this seal was opened, based on what you have read about the other 6? In what ways does silence actually show power, more power than a commotion would have indicated? What examples can you give that shows this to be the case?