Sometimes people say something like, “If God is all-powerful and all-loving, then he would not allow suffering. Suffering exists, therefore there cannot be an all-powerful, all-loving God.” I spent about 8 years in this sort of position after my mum died at age 46. But our reading from Revelation 6 gives us another answer. It is not talking about every single time we suffer, but we are assured that Jesus is still totally in control even when awful things like war, famine and plagues happen.
You may struggle with this idea as you look around the world and see so much suffering, but Revelation 6 assures us that the Lord Jesus is patiently at work, and this is good news. Suffering is harder to bear when it seems totally meaningless and out of control. But if we can see that there is a purpose, it helps, why else would you let a dentist come near you with a drill, or a surgeon with a scalpel?!
Remember what we have just seen about Jesus in Revelation 5? He’s the Lion and the Lamb. This means He is totally powerful, but that He uses His power not to exploit His people, but to serve. Whenever you’re suffering and questioning God’s love, remember Jesus is the Lamb of God who laid down His life for you.
And it’s this powerful and servant-hearted king who is the one opening the seals in Revelation 6. Remember the sealed scroll we saw in Revelation 5? How John had wept that no one was worthy to open the scroll and put God’s plan for history into effect. But then He sees Jesus coming forward as one who is worthy to open the scroll. It’s good news that Jesus is worthy to do this, it means that He will address and end all the evil and suffering for God’s people. As He opens the seals we discover that much of the suffering we see in the world is actually part of God’s judgment on a rebellious world.
The four horsemen (Rev 6:1-7) show us that part of God’s judgment on a rebellious world is cruel dictators riding out to conquer, after them comes war, then rising food prices, and death. So when we see these things happening, we should not be surprised.
This is a normal part of living in a world under God’s judgment. This is what God said would happen. And it will get worse. The wars, conflicts, famines, and diseases are not God’s final judgment, they are serious, but they are not the end – have a look at v8– a quarter of the earth died this way, but not all. There is another judgment still to come that will be far worse.
What is God waiting for? That’s the question on the lips of martyrs in v10, these are people who have been put to death for doing the right thing. These are people who loved others enough to warn them of God’s coming judgment and to speak of the rescue available in Jesus, and they have been killed for doing this. And they are crying out to God for justice – “how long O Sovereign Lord?” (V10). They long for God’s final judgment, they long for him to punish evil forever.
Before they get an answer, God gives each of them (each known by God), a white robe. White symbolises victory, so God is saying, these are the victorious ones, they looked so weak, but they have conquered. They lost everything, rejected by the world, but they are precious to Christ. They were not ashamed of belonging to Jesus, and Jesus is not ashamed of them! They are conquerors, and they just need to wait a little longer and then it will be seen. What’s the wait for? The delay shows us the patience of God. He is willing to even allow His people to be martyred so that others can be saved. The church historian Tertullian wrote “the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” Throughout church history, the church has grown as Christians have been killed for their faith. It looked like wasted lives, but as people see what Jesus means to these people, they start to ask questions. How amazingly patient of God, He doesn’t want anyone to perish, He is willing to delay His judgment so that more will be safe.
But He will not delay forever, the 6th seal will be opened, and for those who have not taken refuge in Jesus it will be terrifying. The judgment that is coming is universal—it will be the end of the world as we now know it. It will affect everyone—(v15) from the rich to the poor. You can’t use your money or influence to avoid it. Those conquerors who brought such devastation to the earth, will now face the wrath of the Lamb. And yet even as they see the coming judgment they refuse to repent, they try to hide, but there is nowhere to hide. These once powerful men, are now calling to creation to cover them. They are terrified of the wrath of the Lamb (v16).
Imagine you have been hurt by someone, and have tried to reconcile and forgive the person but they just threw it back at you. How would you feel? Probably more hurt, more angry. Jesus is rightly angry at the way we have treated Him, the way we’ve treated His world, and His people. And He’s offered forgiveness at great cost to Himself—giving his life. He is rightly angry when people go on rejecting His offer of forgiveness.
As we look around the world and see plagues, wars, increases in prices, we should not say, “if God is all-powerful and all loving, he’d not let this happen.” But rather we ought to see we’ve angered God by rejecting Him and His ways. These things are part of His judgment and also a gracious wake up call to turn to Jesus before it is too late. We should weep and pray for those who continue to reject Jesus, and be assured that the suffering doesn’t mean Jesus isn’t in control.
Light and Momentary Troubles 
Leave a comment