Commentary on Revelation 6:1-8; 7:9-17
Week 3 (Aug. 22, 2021)
Preaching text: Revelation 6:1-8 and 7:9-17; accompanying text: John 14:1-4
Threatening visions
The scenes of praise and celebration in the previous chapters give way to threatening visions. The four horsemen present threats of conquest, violence, economic insecurity, and death. The horsemen portray threats that are real. They were real for people in the first century and remain real for people now. The idea is that the visions strip away the pretensions of security. They point to the deep uncertainties that affect us all. In the chapter itself, the threats intensify until in 6:17 (not in the reading) they ask, who is able to stand?
We might expect the final threatening vision to occur at that point, but it does not. Instead, the threats are halted so that a promise can be given in Revelation 7. John sees who can stand: those who have been redeemed by the Lamb. Being redeemed by the blood of the Lamb does not make the threats go away, but it gives people the promise of life that allows them to stand in the face of the threats, confident that God’s purposes are ultimately for life.
August 22, 2021