The Lamb Breaks the First Six Seals
Revelation 6:1-17
- What did it mean to the original reader or original audience?
Summarize the main story: Describe the events of the scriptural story in your own words.
Review and retell the story.
#People = John the Apostle, The Four Living Creatures, The Four Horsemen, The Souls under the Altar, God
#Time =
#Place = The Throne Room of Heaven, The Earth
#Obedient faith =
#Sin =
#Key Idea =
The Seven Seals
6 Now I watched when the Lamb opened one of ethe seven seals, and I heard fone of the four living creatures say gwith a voice like thunder, h“Come!” 2 And I looked, and behold, ia white horse! And jits rider had a bow, and ka crown was given to him, and he came out lconquering, and to conquer.
3 When he opened the second seal, I heard mthe second living creature say, “Come!” 4 And out came another horse, nbright red. Its rider was permitted oto take peace from the earth, so that people should slay one another, and he was given a great sword.
5 When he opened the third seal, I heard the mthird living creature say, “Come!” And I looked, and behold, pa black horse! And its rider had a pair of scales in his hand. 6 And I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures, saying, q“A quart1 of wheat for a denarius,2 and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and rdo not harm the oil and wine!”
7 When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of mthe fourth living creature say, “Come!” 8 And I looked, and behold, sa 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 twith sword and with famine and with pestilence and uby wild beasts of the earth.
9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under vthe altar wthe souls of those who had been slain xfor the word of God and for ythe witness they had borne. 10 They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, zholy and true, ahow long bbefore you will judge and cavenge our blood on dthose who dwell on the earth?” 11 Then they were each given ea white robe and ftold to rest a little longer, guntil the number of their fellow servants and their brothers4 hshould be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.
12 When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, ithere was a great earthquake, and jthe sun became black as ksackcloth, the full moon became like blood, 13 and lthe stars of the sky fell to the earth mas the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. 14 nThe sky vanished mlike a scroll that is being rolled up, and oevery mountain and island was removed from its place. 15 Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave5 and free, phid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, 16 qcalling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of rhim who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, 17 for sthe great day of their wrath has come, and twho can stand?”
- 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?
- What transformative move needs to be made?
- 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.
Take Away Challenges
What has the Holy Spirit revealed to you in this passage? How will you apply it to your life this week?
Whom do you know who needs to hear this?
What is God bringing to your attention in this discussion? What beliefs, thoughts, or actions need to be addressed or changed?
Other Resources:
- Other YouTube Videos
Living For Jesus in Revelation 6
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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