Understanding Revelation (6:10-11) Devotion

"They cried out with a loud voice, "O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth? Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been."

(Revelation 6:10-11)

The metaphor of white robes connotes the idea of a purity which has resulted from persevering faith tested by the refining fire of tribulation. Robes are given not only as a reward for purity of faith but as a heavenly declaration of the saints' purity or righteousness and an annulling of the guilty verdict rendered on them by the world. In this picture is an assurance to the saints still on earth that their vindication before God without doubt awaits them. But for the "earth-dwellers" (the standard expression in Revelation for unbelievers: 8:13; 11:10; 13:12. etc.), there remains the terrifying prospect of judgment.

The Saints are told to rest a little longer until the suffering of their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, should be completed also.

The phrase a little longer presents a theological problem, since it appears to allude to an imminent end of history. But from God's viewpoint what may be but a few moments could be a long period from the human perspective, as is evident from comparing the parallels of Rev. 12:12 ("short time") with 20:3 ("thousand years"..also 2 Pet. 3:8-13). 

As we have repeatedly observed, the "latter days" span the entire period from Christ's resurrection to His final return. The exhortation to rest means that the saints in heaven are to be patient in their desire for God to answer their request. The assurance that God will unquestionably punish the evil world becomes a motivation for Christians to persevere in their witness through suffering on earth. 

(G.K. Beale)

Understanding Revelation (6:9) Devotion

"When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne."

(Revelation 6:9)

Underneath this altar John sees the blood of the slaughtered saints. He saw their souls, for 'the soul is in the blood' (Lev. 17:11). They had offered their lives as a sacrifice, having clung tenaciously to the testimony which they had received concerning the Christ and salvation in Him. These are the souls which under the second seal were being slaughtered. These souls are crying for vengeance on those who have slaughtered them.

The question arises, how can we harmonize this cry for judgment and vengeance with Christ's prayer for His enemies (Luke 23:34) and with Stephen's prayer of 'Lord, lay not this sin to their charge'? We answer, these martyrs do not invoke retribution for their own sake but for God's sake. These saints have been slaughtered because they placed their trust and confidence in God. In slaughtering them, the world has scorned Him! Does not God Himself affirm that the blood of His saints cries for wrath? (Gen. 4:10; Heb. 11:4) Insignificant individuals, mere earth-dwellers, have defied the holy, true, and sovereign Lord of the universe. They have challenged His attributes. Unless full retribution be rendered, God's righteousness and sovereignty will not shine forth in its full and perfect luster. No, the saint in glory does not desire personal vengeance any more than Stephen, but he yearns for the coming of that Great Day when the majesty and holiness, the sovereignty and righteousness of God in Christ shall be publicly revealed.

(William Hendriksen)

Understanding Revelation (6:7-8) Devotion

"When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, "Come!" And I looked, and behold, a pale horse! And its rider's name was Death, and Hades followed him. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth.

(Revelation 6:7-8)

The fourth horse is pale, as a symbol of terror. He is named Death, and Hades, the abode of the dead follows him. The fourth calamity is the most terrible yet, and indeed includes many of the features of the preceding three. The four categories, death, famine, pestilence, and wild beasts, echo (Ezekiel 14:21)~{For thus says the Lord GOD: How much more when I send upon Jerusalem my four disastrous acts of judgment, sword, famine, wild beasts, and pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast!}

The calamities grow in intensity, warming up to the final judgment of the Second Coming. But as yet there is still a limit: only a fourth of the earth.

(Vern Poythress)

Understanding Revelation (6:5-6) Devotion

When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, "Come!" And I looked, and behold, a black horse! And its rider had a pair of scales in His hand. And I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures, saying, "A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not harm the oil and wine!"

(Revelation 6:5-6)

Some historical background is necessary to understand the meaning of this particular judgment. In John’s day and age, a quart of wheat was an average day’s supply for a soldier, and that amount of wheat usually cost the typical worker one-eighth of a denarius. But after the black horse goes forth, the price of grain is inflated 800%. Barley was much cheaper but was eaten by the poor since it did not have the food value of wheat. Three quarts of barley for a day’s wage was an outlandish price. But notice that the supplies of oil and wine are not effected.

Therefore, what is symbolized by the rider of the black horse is famine and the resulting economic turmoil. Although famine and the related hardships result from God’s judgment, the famine brought about by the third rider on the black horse is not total. God is holy and will punish all human sin. But God is also gracious and longsuffering. This tells us is that God’s judgments are restrained in some sense, and are limited in their scope until the time of the end. This is what is known as common grace. Indeed, things could be much worse if God was not restraining his wrath and his judgment upon the earth. But one day he will no longer restrain his righteous anger and these cycles of wrath will reach their climax when Christ returns in judgment.

(Kim Riddlebarger)

Understanding Revelation Devotion (6:3-4)

"When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, "Come!" And out came another horse, bright red. Its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that people should slay one another, and he was given a great sword."

(Revelation 6:3-4)

Whereas the first horseman introduces the attempt of Satan to gain dominion over the world, the second horseman seeks to take peace from the earth by stirring up strife and warfare among the world's nations. This includes persecution of believers, as the allusion is to Jesus' warning to His disciples that His coming would bring not peace but a sword to the world (Matt. 10:34). The point of the Mathew text is that Jesus' followers should not be discouraged from confessing His name to the world when persecution comes, since such persecution is part of God's sovereign will. Their faithfulness amidst oppression may result in loss of their physical lives, but it will also result in the salvation of their spiritual lives (so Matt. 10:28-39). The gospel itself produces peace, but the attack of Satan upon its progress leads to war. The phrase that men should slay one another points to the persecution of believers, for the word slay is used otherwise in Revelation only to refer to the deaths of Christ and His followers. 

(G.K. Beale)

Understanding Revelation (6:1-2) Devotion

"Now I watched when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say with a voice like thunder, "Come!" And I looked, and behold, a white horse! And its rider had a bow, and a crown was given to him, and he came out conquering, and to conquer."

(Revelation 6:1-2)

The first rider represents a satanic force attempting to defeat and oppress believers spiritually either through deception (the color white alluding to the attempt to deceive  by imitating Christ and to appear as righteous, as in (2 Cor. 11:14) "And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.", or persecution, or both. This first destructive rider, however, is sent out by Christ, for he is commanded forth by the angelic living creature, and a crown was given to him. Since the first set of four judgments of the trumpets and bowls are divinely commissioned, so must be all four of the horsemen's woes. This is confirmed from Zech. 6:7, where an angel of the Lord commands the four groups of horses to "go" and to execute divine judgment. Thus believers can have confidence that, in spite of their present sufferings, God is in ultimate control, working out His purposes in all that is happening. Satan, of course, is intent on destroying the church (and the world), but God's plan includes Satan pursuing his wicked purposes, because only through them can God work out His higher strategy of refining the saints and punishing the wicked. 

(G.K. Beale)

Understanding Revelation (5:9) Devotion

"And they sang a new song, saying, "Worthy are You to take the scroll and to open its seals, for You were slain, and by Your blood You ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation"

(Revelation 5:9)

 Throughout the Old Testament, a new song is sung as an expression of praise to God for granting His people victory over their enemies. Given the worthiness of the Lamb who was slain, the new song commemorates Christ’s victory over sin and death and the inauguration of the new creation. The words of the hymn clearly express this. Jesus has died for His chosen ones and in doing so purchased a people from every tribe, language, people and nation. The King is vested with an everlasting Kingdom which extends to the ends of the earth and encompasses His elect from every nation. Because Jesus has conquered death and the grave, all of His people participate in His Kingdom rule by virtue of the new creation, specifically the new birth in Christ, which John will later call “the first resurrection.” All those who are Christ’s are said to reign with Him because death has no hold upon them. The Beast may kill them, but they will reign with Christ nevertheless. And then when Christ comes back at the end of the age, God’s people will rule indeed with Him upon the renewed heaven and earth in the age to come.

(Dr. Kim Riddlebarger)