Revelation 6:1-17
Intro Questions
- God is ... What do we learn about God in this passage?
- We are ... What do we learn about people in this passage?
- I will ... What has the Holy Spirit revealed to us in this passage? How can I apply it to my life this week?
- You can ... Who do you know who needs to hear this? Feel free to share with others by social media links at the bottom of this.
Series Theme:
The Last Word Insights from
Revelation Title: Plagued by
Pride
Opening
Thoughts:
●
1 Peter
4:13 But rejoice in as much as you participate in the sufferings of Christ,
so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.
○ Do
you ever feel guilty about lack of suffering? Should Christians feel guilty
when they face virtually no persecution or opposition because of their faith?
How should Christians feel about it?
○ Romans 8:17
○ When
have you faced some type of rejection or opposition as a direct result of your
faith?
●
Maybe the lack of persecution and hardship has
produced a sense of entitlement and
expectation in Christians.
Text: Revelation 6:12-17; 9:20-21
9 When he opened
the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the
souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony
they had maintained. 10 They 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?” 11 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.
12 I watched as
he opened the sixth seal. There was a great
earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole
moon turned blood red, 13 and the
stars in the sky fell to earth, as figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a
strong wind. 14 The heavens receded
like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from
its place.
15 Then the
kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and
everyone else, both slave and free, hid in caves and among the rocks of the
mountains. 16 They called to the
mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits
on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17 For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can withstand
it?”
Revelation
9:20-21
20 The rest of
mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work
of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver,
bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk. 21 Nor did they repent of their
murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.
Summarize main story:
Describe the events of the story in your own words.
Reflections:
●
Read Revelation 6:1-8. Describe
the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. In a general way, what do these symbols
mean? What is their impact on the world?
●
“How long, Lord?” Revelation 6:9-11 Who is represented by the
fifth seal? What has happened to them? What is their question to God?
○
Psalm 13:
1 How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face
from me? 2 How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have
sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?
○ What is God's answer to them? “Wait
a little longer…” Revelation 6:11
○ When
do you find it difficult to wait on God? What exactly do you find yourself
waiting for?
Digging
Questions:
●
What are the Three Perspectives:
○ Faithful believers = WAIT (patient perseverance)
○ Faithless non-believers = WAKE UP! Revelation 6:15-17 Describe the scene. What is everyone trying to hide from? What is the Day of the Lord?
○ Point of intersection = WITNESS Revelation 9:1-6
■ What came out of the Abyss? What do you think is the purpose of the locusts and other plagues (also consider the plagues on Pharaoh and Egypt in Exodus)?
■ The purpose of the plagues is to bring
people to repentance. Read Revelation 9:20-21. Why
don't unbelievers repent when they experience ”plagues" of judgment? Like
Pharaoh in Exodus, why do their hearts seem to be hardened to God?
■ 2
Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand
slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but
everyone to come to repentance.
● Knowing the Day of the Lord is approaching and that God will judge humankind, how should we respond?
● What responsibility, if any, do we have to warn others about impending Judgement? Why aren't we more active in warning others or helping save others?
● What do these biblical texts tell you about God and His nature?
Take Away Challenges
● To the faithless, WAKE UP.
● For the faithful to reach to the faithless, WITNESS.
● What is God bringing to your attention in this discussion? What beliefs, thoughts or actions need to be addressed or changed?
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