READ: Revelations 6
Verses
chosen for meditation: Revelations 6:15-17
15 Then the kings of the
earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and
everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the
rocks of the mountains, 16 calling to the mountains
and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on
the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, 17 for the
great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”
REFLECT
In
this chapter, we see a grim picture of what’s to come, and the imagery becomes more
and more elaborate. It’d be good to note that not all descriptions in Revelations
are meant to be understood literally, and not all are meant to be understood
symbolically too. Sometimes, John describes literal events, while using dramatic
and poetic language. We must then exercise caution when interpreting.
Here,
there are seven seals. Seals 1 – 5 portray different aspects of the whole of
history, while seal 6 describes the day which will end all of history. The 7th
seal is talked about in subsequent chapters. In this opening of the 6th
seal, we see a cataclysm, with descriptions of colossal natural disasters. The
judgements seen terrify mankind, such that no one feels safe.
On
that day, the powerful will be powerless before these cataclysmic judgements. Money
and social standing will not save them. The rich cannot buy their way out of
this situation. The best technology cannot predict nor stop nor escape the
event. The most powerful people cannot order someone else to take these
judgements for them. No one is spared.
RELATE
This calamity is so dire that it compels even those
who suppress the truth of God to admit that they must be accountable to God. Those
who reject God now acknowledge that the events are due to the wrath of God. Although
they knew God, they did not honour Him as God or give thanks to Him (Romans 1:18-25).
Gaining riches and moving up the social ladder can
give us a false sense of security. For the richest and most powerful, it can
give them a false sense of invincibility. As a result, we continue to pursue and
amass these things, becoming more and more independent from God. We start to
become god of our own lives. This does not happen only to those who don’t believe
in God but for those who know His existence, but fail to give Him the reverence
required, as seen in Romans 1.
The day will come though, that even the most hard-hearted
people will come to acknowledge that they had to account for all they had done,
when they experience these grim events that make them finally fear God. We will
find that all the possessions we have amassed could not save us. They become useless
and we end up thinking what might have been if only we invested more into the
kingdom of God. By that time, there will be much regret, no more 2nd
chances, no more time.
It will be wise not to speculate when all these
might happen, as no one will know the day or hour (Matthew 24:36). Instead, may
these passages serve as a warning to us, a reminder that we are called to account.
It is wise then to prepare for such a day, and remain ready and vigilant until
the day of the Lord.
REST
Father, though images of judgement day scare us, but
what comes after gives us Christians hope. Help us in our journey to prepare for this
day, so that we are not fearful when it comes, but joyful instead because the
world is going to be restored. Amen.
Chris Chong
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