Revelation – Just Keith Harris

“The Lamb Who is Our Shepherd” from Revelation 7 — a Refresh & Restore Bible Study

"The Lamb Who is Our Shepherd" from Revelation 7 (The KING is Coming) – Refresh & Restore | A JustKeithHarris.com Podcast

📖 Revelation 7After the terrifying events of Revelation 6, John is given a breathtaking glimpse of hope. Before judgment continues, God reveals that His people are known, sealed, and secure in Christ. The chapter culminates with one of Revelation's most beautiful pictures: the Lamb who was slain is also the Shepherd who leads His people forever.In this episode, Keith Harris and Jamie Harrison discuss:✔️ Why Revelation 7 is an interlude between the sixth and seventh seals✔️ What it means for God's servants to be sealed✔️ The two primary views of the 144,000—and why faithful Christians differ✔️ How John's pattern of hearing one thing and seeing another helps interpret the chapter✔️ The innumerable multitude worshiping before the throne✔️ Why Jesus, the Lamb, is also our Shepherd who leads us to living waterThis chapter reminds us that our greatest hope isn't solving every prophetic question—it's belonging to Christ. Those who trust Him are safe in Him, and one day He will wipe away every tear from their eyes.📖 "For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." (Revelation 7:17, ESV)🔗 If you'd like to see a written version of this podcast, complete with footnotes and cross-references, you can find it here.

We’re back in our study of Revelation called The KING is Coming, where we’re taking a verse-by-verse approach to see what the book truly reveals—Jesus Christ Himself. As always, I’m joined by Jamie Harrison, and I’m thankful for the opportunity to walk through this study together. Today, we’ll be in Revelation 7, where John sees what comes after the opening of the sixth seal. After the wrath and judgment of Revelation 6, this chapter gives us a picture of God’s people being sealed, saved, and gathered before the throne, where the Lamb who was slain is also the Shepherd who leads His people to living water. This week’s passage is Revelation 7:

After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, that no wind might blow on earth or sea or against any tree. ²Then I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea, ³saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.” ⁴And I heard the number of the sealed, 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:
⁵12,000 from the tribe of Judah were sealed,
12,000 from the tribe of Reuben,
12,000 from the tribe of Gad,
⁶12,000 from the tribe of Asher,
12,000 from the tribe of Naphtali,
12,000 from the tribe of Manasseh,
⁷12,000 from the tribe of Simeon,
12,000 from the tribe of Levi,
12,000 from the tribe of Issachar,
⁸12,000 from the tribe of Zebulun,
12,000 from the tribe of Joseph,
12,000 from the tribe of Benjamin were sealed.
⁹After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, ¹⁰and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” ¹¹And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, ¹²saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”
¹³Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” ¹⁴I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
¹⁵“Therefore they are before the throne of God,
and serve him day and night in his temple;
and he who sits on the throne will shelter them
with his presence.
¹⁶They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore;
the sun shall not strike them,nor any scorching heat.
¹⁷For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd,
and he will guide them to springs of living water,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”^[1]

Keith Harris:
Greetings, sojourners.

Here we are, back in our The KING Is Coming study, and today we’re in Revelation 7. Jamie, you got anything preliminary you want to say, or you just want to dive right in?

Jamie Harrison:
Let’s just dive right in.

Keith:
Let’s do it. So Revelation 7 is following—because, again, it’s been a minute since we recorded—Revelation 6. We see some wrath being poured out.

Jamie:
Well, I was sure wondering if Revelation 7 followed Revelation 6. I appreciate you really clarifying that for me.

Keith:
You may be joking, but part of what we’re—

Jamie:
That is a new development.

Keith:
But in looking at this, one of the things that we’re doing—and I said it that way as a sort of reminder—

Jamie:
Yes.

Keith:
Our point in this study isn’t to answer every question, because every one of our questions is not meant to be answered. The text wasn’t designed that way. We’re seeing what God showed John. And so, when we look at this, we’re looking at what John saw next. And I’ll let you take it from there.

Jamie:
Yeah, that’s really important. And I’m glad you went back to chapter 6 just to kind of point out that the last thing we saw was that sixth seal being opened, and this huge earthquake. The sun turns black. The moon becomes like blood. You know, all these different things happen. Stars are falling to the earth. All these things. And every single mountain and island is moved from its place.

So you’re talking about worldwide destruction going on when this sixth seal is busted open. And then the next thing he sees—now, again, it’s very important, just like Keith said—that’s not necessarily the next thing that happens. That’s the next thing he sees.

The next thing he sees are four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, restraining the four winds of the earth so that no wind can blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree. So, in other words, right after this extremely destructive storm, the next thing he sees is calm. There’s no wind.

Keith:
And sees the supernatural reason for why the calm has come. Like, he can see these angels.

Jamie:
That’s right. And so what you get here is—you know, we always talk about the calm before the storm—and judgment is coming. And it’s about to come hot and heavy right after this.

And so you kind of get the idea here that everything is calm for a minute because the Lord is about to seal some people who are going to make it through the tribulation. And we can go back to Ezekiel chapter 9. We get the idea of that sealing, what it looks like. Ezekiel has a vision of a slaughter in Jerusalem. That’s going to be chapter 9, verses 4 through 7. I mean, you can read the whole chapter, but kind of where the seal starts is verse 4 there.

And they’re being sealed from judgment. They’re being sealed on their forehead by a mark. So you get the same kind of idea here. Same idea as the Passover, Exodus chapter 12, you know, where they’re sealed by the blood of a lamb from their firstborn being killed there.

And so, in Revelation 14:1, we find out this is the same group of people in Revelation 14. And it says:

Then I looked, and there was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him were 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads.^[2]

And so it looks like that seal is something to do with Jesus’s name and the Father’s name on their foreheads—some type of, what we’re going to learn, spiritual protection from the coming judgment.

Keith:
Yeah, and that symbol would have looked like what the Hebrew letter tav looked like at the time of Ezekiel, which some interpret as kind of a cross at an angle or an X. Either which way, it’s obviously pointing forward to Christ and the fact that He—I think it’s John 10, and I think it fits with the end of Revelation 7, not getting ahead—but Jesus being the Good Shepherd, and that He holds His people in His hand, and no one can pluck them from His hand.

The symbolic seal represents the spiritual reality that Jesus has them.

Jamie:
Yes and amen. And this group of people that we’re looking at here, they’re being sealed until the number would be completed. Look at chapter 6, verse 11 of Revelation. It says:

So they were each given a white robe, and they were told to rest a little while longer until the number would be completed of their fellow servants and their brothers and sisters, who were going to be killed just as they had been.

Now, you ask, why do we connect those together? Great question. Because in chapter 7, where Keith just read, in verse 14—well, right above, in verse 13—he says, “Hey, who are these people in white robes, and where did they come from?” And he says, “Sir, you know.”

Then he told me these were the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

So each of those connect together to show us that these are the people that are going to be sealed, that are going to be saved, that are going to be persecuted for their faith during the great tribulation, that are going to reach other people for Christ. And when that number is completed, then the Lord’s judgment will be completed directly after.

I hope all that makes sense.

I do want to point out that this is the exact opposite of the mark that we’re going to learn about in Revelation 13, verses 16 through 17, where it says:

¹⁶And it makes everyone—small and great, rich and poor, free and slave—to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, ¹⁷so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark: the beast’s name or the number of its name.

And, of course, it’s commonly referred to as the mark of the beast. And so this is the exact opposite. That mark is going to bring judgment.

Keith:
Well, and I mean, when you look in the context of Ezekiel 9 to get the understanding there, it’s those who are faithful to God. And the faithfulness to God—in Ezekiel chapters 4 through 7 preceding that—the faithfulness to God is very important in the context of Revelation.

Your mark shows to whom you’re faithful. And so nobody who is faithful to Christ is at risk of being hoodwinked into getting this other one. Your mark shows your allegiance. I think that’s a very important thing there.

Jamie:
Absolutely. No doubt about it.

So now we get into the real controversial part, right? What is this 144,000 number? Is there only 144,000 people going to heaven?

And let’s just go ahead and hit that one right off the bat: no. That’s dumb. I don’t know any other way to say it. And I don’t joke anymore. That’s a very serious statement. That’s dumb. There’s way more than 144,000 people going to heaven, and the Bible is going to tell us that here in just a minute.

Keith:
And the danger—and really where the idea of only 144,000 people are going to heaven comes from—the fact that different cults, like the Jehovah’s Witnesses, have gained ground, and people are believing what they’ve heard or what they’ve seen on social media, or some random jake-leg—I’m using my quotey fingers—preacher says.

What the Bible says matters. And so when anybody says anything—us, your pastor, especially Jehovah’s Witnesses and jake-leg internet TV preachers—check it with the Bible. That doesn’t pass the test.

Jamie:
Yeah, just a lot of people believe whatever’s on social media is true. If it made it on social media, it’s got to be true, right? And that’s also very dumb. I can attest to that personally.

Keith:
I mean, last week I saw a picture of a cloud that was shaped like a soldier, including kneeling at his gun. And no cloud ever was that clear. And people are like, “Oh my gosh, look at this sign from God!” And under it was the city of Jackson that did not resemble the city of Jackson, and nobody noticed because they were looking at the soldier in the sky.

Jamie:
Wow.

Keith:
Don’t get your theology from social media.

Jamie:
Correct.

Keith:
Or look for truth there at all.

Jamie:
Yeah. Just that. Period. The end.

So with the 144,000, there’s two main approaches to that number. One is that it’s a literal number. One is that it’s a figurative number. And so I think the best way to go about it is, let’s look at both. Let’s talk about the—I don’t want to use the word justification—but I’ll use the verses that people use for each. Okay?

And then read the Bible on your own, and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you, and He will guide you into truth.

So the literal number—we’ll start there—and it comes from, you go all the way back to Numbers, where there was a military census performed at different times. And what they would do, Israel would do, is they would count the military-aged males to see how many people they had that were of age and eligible to fight in a war. Okay?

And in Revelation 14:4—remember, Revelation 14 is also talking about this same group of people—it says:

These are the ones who have not defiled themselves with women, since they remained virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were redeemed from humanity as the firstfruits for God and the Lamb.

So this is talking about males from the tribes of Israel, and they have been counted as a military census would have been counted.

Keith:
Yeah, and I think Numbers 31 is the reference there. In that case, just to clarify, it wasn’t 144,000 in the book of Numbers, right? But the book of Numbers obviously contains a lot of numbers and censuses, and they weren’t always clear, round numbers.

Numbers 31:4-5:

⁴You shall send a thousand from each of the tribes of Israel to the war.” ⁵So there were provided, out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand from each tribe, twelve thousand armed for war.

It’s not always so clear-cut a number.

Jamie:
That’s right. And so, again, same thing. Numbers chapter 2, you know, it talks about—it goes through how they camped in the military formation. And this tribe camps here on the east side. This tribe camps on the north side. This tribe on that—the Levites in the middle, where the Ark of the Covenant would have been, the temple would have been—the tabernacle would have been.

And so this, you kind of can go back again to Revelation chapter 14, verse 4, where it says they follow the Lamb wherever He goes. Because as the Spirit—as the glory of God moved, the cloud moved, so the Israelites followed.

And I do think it’s very interesting that Judah is the first tribe listed, and that in Numbers chapter 2, Judah is the first tribe listed. And so there is a connection to who is the Lion of the tribe of Judah, and that would be Jesus. So that is a pretty cool correlation there, where you look at it and go, “Hey, regardless of whether this is an exact number or a figurative number, they’re following the Lion of the tribe of Judah.”

And we’re going to come back to that thought in just a minute. A lot of people also look at Ezekiel chapter 37, where the dry bones become an army. The Lord puts His Spirit in them. That would be the thought of salvation. And so the idea is that this 144,000 number gets saved.

Keith:
Well, and I think we need to pause there, because so much conversation—again, a lot of it from these random social media snippets that people put pictures up there and stuff—there is nobody, no matter what their ethnicity, who is going to heaven unless they’ve been saved.

Jamie:
Correct.

Keith:
In the Old Testament, it was still by grace through faith. Jesus, God in flesh, had not yet become incarnate. But think about Abraham. Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.

Everyone who trusted and called upon the name of the Lord showed faith in Him. And every Israelite who’s ever walked the earth hadn’t got saved.

Jamie:
Right.

Keith:
Every son of Adam, daughter of Eve, as C. S. Lewis says it—they’re not in heaven. Those who have faith—You look in the book of Numbers. The ground opened up and swallowed thousands. It didn’t catapult them up to heaven. They were in open rebellion.

I think the reading we’re currently looking at, Seeing Jesus in the Old Testament, in our Bible reading plans—yesterday, they were—it was where Phinehas, the Priest came up and literally skewered people who were taking their cult prostitutes and trying to go into the tabernacle with them. And Phinehas is like, “That’s enough.”

And then when people are like, “Dude, why are you acting like this?” God audibly spoke from heaven. He’s like, “Hey, y’all need to be glad he killed those two, because he’s jealous with My jealousy.”

You have God’s people, generically talking about Israel, but you have God’s people—those who, by grace through faith, are saved and, I guess in the context, we say sealed to Him. They belong to Him by grace through faith. No other way.

And so, in any understanding of the 144,000, there’s nobody getting in because they descended from Abraham.

Jamie:
Correct.

Keith:
Not a one. Zero.

Jamie:
Only by the blood of the Lamb.

Keith:
Amen.

Jamie:
So, just to really briefly, I guess, quickly finish the Ezekiel thought: you know, God puts His Spirit in them to salvation. And then, in Ezekiel 36:24 through 28, Ezekiel 37:24 through 28, you have the Jewish people coming under the new covenant, which would be salvation. But it very distinctly says they will be under one King, and that’s a reference directly to Jesus.

And so, the idea of witnesses—how do we, what makes us think that they’re witnesses? Because this just looks like a list of 144,000 people.

Well, in Revelation chapter 14, again, what we get is that—let’s start in verse 4:

⁴These are the ones who have not defiled themselves with women, since they remained virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were redeemed from humanity as the firstfruits for God and the Lamb. ⁵No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless.

⁶Then I saw another angel flying high overhead, with the eternal gospel to announce to the inhabitants of the earth—to every nation, tribe, language, and people. ⁷He spoke with a loud voice: “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship the one who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.”

So you have this proclamation of the gospel, and right before it, we’re told that these 144,000—this number—are the ones redeemed from humanity as the firstfruits. Okay? Firstfruits infers that there’s more fruit.

Keith:
Or at least last fruits.

Jamie:
That’s right. And so that’s where the idea that they’re witnesses comes from, is that they will be sent forth as a quote-unquote army of witnesses to reach people for the name of Christ.

Keith:
And that makes sense because you were talking about—I just found the verse I was looking for—you were talking about until the number has been completed. Matthew 24:14:

And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

And that’s red letters. That’s Jesus.

Jamie:
Yes. So then, let’s talk for a second about, all right, is this a symbolic number? Is it just a number? We know that 12 is the number of completion in the Bible: 12 tribes of Israel, 12 disciples, on and on and on.

Revelation 21:12 through 14, you have that same number 12 come back around with the foundations and things. And so you get the idea that number 12 is just the perfect unity of God’s kingdom.

And I think that Revelation 21 is really important there, because in verses 12 through 14, this is talking about the New Jerusalem:

¹²The city had a massive high wall, with twelve gates. Twelve angels were at the gates; the names of the twelve tribes of Israel’s sons were inscribed on the gates. ¹³There were three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west. ¹⁴The city wall had twelve foundations, and the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb were on the foundations.

And so the idea there being is that the church is unified. It is one in heaven. There is no distinction of male or Greek, Jew or male or female. Do you agree?

Keith:
Yeah.

Jamie:
Wow. Okay. There’s that. And so, again, is this a symbolic number? Is it a literal number? You know, you walk through it and you look and you go, “All right, 12 is the number of completion. That makes sense to me. I get that.”

We know that the Lion of the tribe of Judah will be leading this group of people. And I want to point out something very important here. And, and, and hopefully this makes sense. If it doesn’t, you can leave Keith a comment and let him know, because I will not be looking at the comments, but Keith will.

Revelation chapter 5—chapter 6. Excuse me. I don’t know what I’m talking about. It is chapter 5. I’m just—wow. Maybe we need to hit the pause button and take a break.

Keith:
No, you got it.

Jamie:
Okay. So Revelation 5:5, same place it’s always been. This is one of mine and Keith’s favorite Scriptures. It says:

Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Look, the Lion from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered so that he is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”

Now, who leads the 144,000?

Keith:
Jesus.

Jamie:
Jesus, the Lion from the tribe of Judah.

Look, the Lion from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered so that he is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”

Okay, so this is what John hears the elder say. He hears him say, “Look, the Lion of the tribe of Judah.” And we know that the 144,000 is led by the Lion of the tribe of Judah.

And then he looks, and in verse 6 it says:

Then I saw one like a slaughtered lamb standing in the midst of the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent into all the earth.

And it goes on. He takes the scroll, and He unseals the scroll, and then they have this awesome praise moment there together.

And so the “he hears, and then he looks and sees” connects right together with chapter 7, because watch this: in verse 4 he says, “I heard the number of the sealed.” But watch this in verse 9: “After this, I looked.” So he hears the number, just like he heard, “Look, the Lion from the tribe of Judah,” but he saw one like a slaughtered Lamb. So he looks—or, excuse me, he hears—144,000, 12,000 from each tribe. But he looks, and there’s a vast multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language—which no one could number—standing before the throne and before the Lamb.

So first off, there goes your 144,000 people are going to be saved, and that’s all.

Keith:
Well, and also, this numberless multitude—if it’s all tribes and peoples and languages—there are obviously Jews in there.

Jamie:
That is correct. And so the last part of this is, we look and we go, okay, he sees this number. He sees—or sees this group of people that nobody can number standing before the throne. They’re clothed in white robes with palm branches in their hands.

And in verse 14—again, back to the same verse we talked about earlier—he asks, you know, “Who are these people?” And he says they’re the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They’ve washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

So this innumerable number of people are people that come out of the great tribulation, who are persecuted for their faith, most likely killed for their faith—not necessarily all of them, but most likely killed for their faith—persecuted for their faith. They came out of the great tribulation.

In other words, there’s a seal placed on their forehead, and once that number is completed, the Lord’s judgment will come. And so I think we, when you put all these things together—

Keith:
Well, I think there’s one more Scripture that goes with that before you put it all together. Romans 11, which talks about the remnant of Israel coming to Christ. Romans 11:25. And I think—and I think the wording of this is particularly helpful for when we put this all together:

Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.

So we’re seeing all these places—Old Testament, New Testament, with future vision for John—talking about till the number has become complete. Now we see the number, and then we see the numberless. Like, it does seem that when we put all this together—again, this isn’t like, there are way more popular theories—

Jamie:
Right.

Keith:
But sticking with what the Bible says, it seems to reason, “lest you be wise in your own sight,” that where there is a lot of clear evidence in Scripture—a good rule of Bible interpretation is the clear things are important, and the important things are clear. Or, as Alistair Begg says, “The main things are the plain things.” So when Jamie puts all this together, this is coming out of a volume of Scripture.

Jamie:
For sure. And again, I go back—I guess the word is, I guess, to say, to put all this together—we have this group of people. And again, it says these are the ones coming out of the great tribulation.

And in verses 15 through 17, you get all these things that they’re going to be protected from. But in verse 15, it says, “For this reason, they are before the throne of God.” For what reason? For the reason they were persecuted for their faith, and they came out of the great tribulation.

So we know this is an innumerable group of people that was persecuted for their faith, and for that reason, they’re before the throne of God and serve Him day and night in His temple.

Which, first off, that’s just—that’s an incredible thought. You know, I was listening to a song—maybe it was yesterday—a song came on, and one of the lyrics were—I can’t remember the exact wording now that I brought it up—but it’s basically that we get to join a song they’re already singing when we get to heaven.

Like, just think about that for a minute. There’s these awesome worship sessions going on in heaven right now as we speak, and one day we’ll be part of the choir.

Keith:
And I think we lose sight of that sometimes. And again, the reason for us doing this—we’re not trying to be relevant, not trying to be cool, not trying to be any such thing.

It’s so easy to try to have religion outside of relationship with Jesus. And none of these people who are standing around the throne are there for some religious experience. Religion does not withstand persecution. Right now, around the world—and I was looking at something else Jesus said in Matthew 24:21:

For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be.

Y’all, persecution has been increasing and been going on since Jesus ascended into heaven. You’ve got Stephen, the first martyr, all the way up through—you go through the Roman Empire where they were killing Christians.

Finally get to the point where they realize, “We’ve got to burn this book that they’re preaching from, because killing the folks ain’t stopping it.” And then God puts an end to that persecution.

They meet together. You get the canon of Scripture going. And then every so often, all over the world—like even right now—there are countries in the world where you will be imprisoned for the rest of your life for the preaching of the gospel, be shunned and never be a part of your family again because of the preaching of the gospel.

There are places right now on the continent of Africa where they are killing Christians by the hundreds and thousands. And none of these people are sitting there begging for their life. They’re being witnesses.

Literally, the word that we see for witness in the New Testament—that Greek word is martyrion, where we get our word for martyr. They gave their life to point to the eternal life that comes from the life of Jesus Christ.

They’re not resentful that when they see Him in glory, after they lose their life for Him on earth, they see fulfillment. They see not personal achievement, but their personal Savior.

And y’all, I think we lose that when we spend too much time trying to figure out what exactly is the 144,000. I’m fine if it’s literal. I’m fine if it’s figurative, because I’m going to be standing before Jesus. And I might have a lot of questions when I get up there, but I don’t think they’re going to come to mind as readily.

Jamie:
Nope.

Keith:
Like, yeah, I don’t—you know, it’s going to be eternity, but I think I’m going to have better things to do.

Jamie:
Yeah, I think verse 11 there says:

All the angels stood around the throne, and along with the elders and the four living creatures they fell facedown before the throne and worshiped God….

I think that’s—I think that’s going to be what we’re doing.

Keith:
It does say, “forever and ever, amen.” That’s good enough for Randy Travis. That’s good enough for me.

Jamie:
Amen. I was going to go into some other things here, but I think, instead, just to close this out, I think to look at—it says back in verse 15:

¹⁵For this reason they are before the throne of God,
and they serve him day and night in his temple.
The one seated on the throne will shelter them:
¹⁶They will no longer hunger;
they will no longer thirst;
the sun will no longer strike them,
nor will any scorching heat.
¹⁷For the Lamb who is at the center of the throne
will shepherd them;
he will guide them to springs of the waters of life,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.

Now, there’s all kinds of correlations to the Old Testament and Israelites and Greeks being brought together. But I think here’s what I want to point out, is that all of these things that it just listed are judgments that are going to happen. And some of them will affect these people to an extent.

I mean, they’ll no longer hunger—they’re going to be hungry, right? They’re going to be thirsty. The sun’s still going to be hot while they’re here on earth. But all of these protections, all of these things that will no longer happen, happen after they have died for their faith.

Keith:
Yeah, the division between the sixth seal and the seventh—that, I mean, you think about—and just as reference for the fact there were those sealed who didn’t go into exile, but that doesn’t mean that no one who went into exile had faith in God.

Look at Daniel, Hananiah, Azariah, Mishael. Like, but when God’s ultimate wrath is poured out, God’s not unjust. If Jesus has borne the wrath, there’s no need for His people to bear the wrath. It’s been borne.

And so I think it’s important, as we close out, to kind of just look at the paradox here. Because the beauty of this—more beautiful than a symmetry of numbers. I know, to some people, numbers and understanding and clarity, it just resonates with their soul. “For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd. He will guide them to springs of living water. God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” When you look at all this language, it’s Revelation 21. The beauty of eternity being outside of time—you skip, you skip things.

And I think that paradox right there, that thing that doesn’t make sense from an earthly perspective: lambs aren’t shepherds; shepherds are. But Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, will be their Shepherd. He’ll be the Shepherd of all who, by grace through faith in Him, are saved by Him from the wrath of God.

And I think the beautiful thing here is what you need to be asking yourself, more so than anything about a number, more so than anything about anything else, is: Who is your shepherd? Who is your Savior? Is your hope in the Lamb?

If thinking about heaven being forever and ever, amen—standing around the throne, around the Lamb, waving palm branches, singing hosanna—if that bores you, you’ve got eternal problems. In fact, as we record this today, the next day is Sunday, the Lord’s Day, when we’re supposed to gather. If the thought of gathering in worship of Jesus tomorrow bores you, you might want to look at the eternal forecast. If you are bored gathering around the Lamb now, maybe you need to analyze, more than you need to theorize, whether you are covered by the blood of the Lamb. And I don’t mean a momentary lapse, or you’ve got something else to do. I mean, you really need to look and see if practicing for heaven here on earth is something that you just can’t stand.

You’re either with Him or you’re not—sealed and saved, or you ain’t.

Thank you. God bless, and we’ll see you next time with Revelation 8.

^[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), Re 7:1–17.

^[2] When Jamie quotes from Scripture, he uses the Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Re 14:1.

“Who Can Stand Under the Wrath of the Lamb?” from Revelation 6 — a Refresh & Restore Bible Study

Click below to listen:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/6BJKifmhcryQPo0R7oMcjD?si=-cRmPr16RTOzc0433ogqcQ

We’re back in our study of Revelation called The KING is Coming, where we’re taking a verse-by-verse approach to see what the book truly reveals—Jesus Christ Himself. As always, I’m joined by Jamie Harrison, and I’m thankful for the opportunity to walk through this study together. Today, we’ll be turning to Revelation 6, a heavy chapter where the Lamb who was worshiped as worthy in Revelation 5 begins to open the seals of the scroll. As judgment unfolds, this passage presses us to see both the holiness of God’s wrath and the urgency of standing in the grace and mercy of the Lamb. This week’s passage is Revelation 6:

¹Now I watched when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say with a voice like thunder, “Come!” ²And I looked, and behold, a white horse! And its rider had a bow, and a crown was given to him, and he came out conquering, and to conquer.
³When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” ⁴And out came another horse, bright red. Its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that people should slay one another, and he was given a great sword.
⁵When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” And I looked, and behold, a black horse! And its rider had a pair of scales in his hand. ⁶And I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures, saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not harm the oil and wine!”
⁷When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” ⁸And I looked, and behold, a 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 with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth.
⁹When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. ¹⁰They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” ¹¹Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.
¹²When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, ¹³and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. ¹⁴The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. ¹⁵Then 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, ¹⁶calling 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, ¹⁷for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”^[1]

Keith Harris:
Greetings, sojourners.

This is a heavy chapter, and so I think that’s about all the segue I’ve got there. Jamie, dive in.

Jamie Harrison:
All right. So we pick up with the Lamb, who we talked about in the last episode, being the One who was worthy to take the scroll and open it. And He does take the scroll here, and one of the four living creatures says with a voice like thunder. Now, if you remember back from chapter 4, thunder is a sign of judgment to come, and it’s going to be said several times again throughout Revelation every time a judgment is coming. And so the first thing you see here is a white horse. And a lot of people get interested — excuse me — get confused about this rider on a white horse, because in Revelation 19 there’s a rider on a white horse who is Jesus. But this rider on the white horse is given a bow. It doesn’t say a bow and arrows. It just says bow, which is interesting. But he’s got a crown. It’s given to him. Notice the crown is given to him. And he goes out as a conqueror in order to conquer. So remember, the Jews are looking for somebody who will come and conquer and take over. And so this rider comes in as a conqueror to conquer. And so this is most likely a depiction of the Antichrist who is going to come.

And so the entire world is going to follow him. They’re going to be obsessed with him. He is going to go for a peace in the world. That’s going to be his—we’ll just say—the way he kind of takes power is, “I’ll bring peace to the world, and I can do this and that.” And it’s not going to be through war. We’re going to do it in a peaceful manner through treaties and stuff. And so if you go to Daniel chapter 9, in Daniel 9:27^[2], he says:

He will make a firm covenant with many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and offering. And the abomination of desolation will be on a wing of the temple^, until the decreed destruction is poured out on the desolator.”

So he’s going to make a covenant of peace. He’s going to do it in a peaceful manner, not by war. But it’s going to be a false peace, which I think is key to point out and talk about. Then you go back to Matthew 24, which is where Jesus is talking about the end times and what that will look like. And in Matthew 24, verse 4, it says:

⁴Jesus replied to them, “Watch out that no one deceives you. ⁵For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and they will deceive many.

And so that’s who we have here—somebody who’s going to deceive.

Keith:
Well, and just in case you’re wondering where we get some of this stuff too, this isn’t just commentary or interpretation that we’re spouting out back to you. You look at the language there—I think it’s in verse 2—where it describes this rider on the white horse. The Spirit of God has told us twice here, like in quick succession, that he is coming to conquer because people aren’t going to realize it. It says, “He came out conquering and to conquer.” That’s what he was doing when people thought he was bringing peace. And I’m speaking of it in past tense, but many believe this is a future thing here. “…conquering and to conquer”—that’s his purpose. And the Spirit of God has to tell us. This is another reason why many look at this to be the Antichrist, because he’s coming imitating Christ. Like Jamie said, he’s also riding a white horse. He’s imitation. This is Great Value imitation here. And he had a crown, and that was given to him because he doesn’t have dominion. Just like the song in Revelation 5: dominion belongs to the Lamb, to Him who sits on the throne. He allows him this opportunity, but He also allows us a glimpse at what he’s really doing—coming out conquering with the purpose to conquer.

Jamie:
And I think there we talk about the rider holds a bow. Again, it doesn’t say bow and arrow. It just says bow, meaning there’s no fight that’s going to take place. He’s going to give this false peace, again by a covenant, like it says in Daniel.

Keith:
Symbolic.

Jamie:
That’s right. And we know it’s false. We know in Daniel it also says there will be a war. Matthew says there will be wars and rumors of wars, and we’ll get into that a little bit more. So we know three-and-a-half years in, that false peace is going to go away, and he’s going to show his true self.

Keith:
You say three-and-a-half years in—that’s referencing the seven-year period known as the Great Tribulation, correct?

Jamie:
Correct. Okay, so the crown that he’s wearing here—I found it interesting that the word here in Greek for crown, and Keith, you’ll have to tell me if I’m pronouncing this correctly, stephanos. Is that accurate?

Keith:
Yes. Reminds me of Stefano from Days of Our Lives that my mom and grandmother used to watch. You know, he was dead and alive and dead and alive and dead and alive.

Jamie:
Yeah, that’s the guy. It’s my cousin. So that is the victor’s crown, okay? That’s like a laurel wreath that they would give you if you were an athlete and you won the race or whatever. So it’s given to you for your victory. It’s a laurel wreath. Again, in Revelation 19:12, the word that’s used for crown is diadēma—the kingly crown. And this crown only belongs to the King. And so that’s how we know that this rider is not Jesus. Not only the fact that he’s coming in order to conquer and to conquer, and he’s bringing about evil—that’s obvious in and of itself—but the fact that the crown is going to be given to him. Which means, most likely, the world is going to elect him as their leader, whether it’s through maybe the United Nations or something and he becomes a leader of that—however you want to look at that. He’s going to become the leader, elected by the people despite the cost—despite what it’s’s going to cost them. They’re going to elect him as leader. So again, I just want to point out: this is not Jesus. Jesus is not given His crown.

Keith:
And to clarify, when you say “elect” there, you’re not trying to make some political prophecy. They’re going to back this guy. He’s coming with his own agenda, in his own way. God’s allowing him to do this to bring about these things that have been prophesied. But folks are just in his corner. They’re going to get what they want.

Jamie:
And I think—I don’t want to spend much time talking about this—but there’s something people forget. Every leader who has ever existed has been placed in leadership, or allowed to be placed in leadership, by God for His purposes. And in Romans, He said, “Pray for your leaders”—all your leaders—because God placed them there. So, you know, we say, “Oh, we need to get back to being a praying nation.” Here in America, I agree with that. We do need to pray more. All of us do. All believers do. And non-believers—first get saved, and then pray. Obviously it doesn’t work in reverse order. But praying is important. God’s going to put in charge who He wants in charge.

Keith:
And in this case right here, He is coming as the Lion, bringing judgment. And part of doing this is giving people what they wanted in the first place. That’s right. I mean, it’s no different than the book of Judges, when there was no king in Israel and people did what was right in their own eyes. Or 1 Samuel, when they wanted a king like everybody else. He’s giving them what they wanted in judgment. And that’s a big part of this.

Jamie:
And what’s really — I’m jumping way ahead of myself here — but what’s really interesting is you would say, “Well, the people didn’t even know that’s what they were doing.” They didn’t know. But it says right at the end of the chapter that they actually cry out to the rocks, asking the rocks to fall on them. And they say, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the One seated on the throne, from the wrath of the Lamb, because the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” So the people are going to recognize this is the wrath of God and are going to continue to support the Antichrist. They’re going to continue to worship the Antichrist. They’re going to take the mark of the beast willingly.

Keith:
Willingly being tricked.

Jamie:
Correct. And will most likely say some kind of vow that says there is no other god but him — the Antichrist.

Keith:
Which is not a new thing. People have been doing that — going along to get along, getting what they want out of it — for centuries. Roman Empire, Persian Empire, Greek Empire — I know I’m out of order historically — Babylonian Empire. They’re getting what they want, getting what they asked for here.

Jamie:
Which is why people say, “Be careful what you ask for. You might just get it.” So that’s the first seal. The first seal most likely is going to set the course of events in motion. First seal — sorry, I said scroll. There’s only one scroll. The first seal is going to set in motion the Antichrist coming to power. And then we get to the second seal. This is the second seal. He hears the second living creature say, “Come,” and another horse goes out. So these are — a lot of people call these the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, right? This horse is a fiery red horse, and its rider is allowed to take peace from the earth so that people will slaughter one another, and a large sword was given to him. And so obviously this one’s very simple. This rider represents war. I mean, this red—blood, right? People are going to die. They’re going to be killed. And again, back in Matthew 24, they’re going to be killed and kill each other. Verses 6 and 7:

⁶You are going to hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, because these things must take place, but the end is not yet. ⁷For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines^, and earthquakes in various places. ⁸All these events are the beginning of labor pains.

So understand that Jesus is telling us this. And right after that He’s going to talk about persecution happening. So I need people to understand that, as we’re looking at these seals, if this happens in our lifetime, we will be here for this. This will happen with Christians present on the earth. According to Jesus, Christians will be here.

Keith:
And this is going to be the point where some of y’all are like, “Hold on. We are pre-trib rapturists.” Now here’s the deal. There is nobody who wants a pre-trib rapture—yes, Lord—more than us two. When we look at this, we’re not trying to fit any of this into a camp. We’re trying to take this verse by verse. Do I want a pre-trib rapture? Yes. But let’s look at a little bit of reality here. And I’m not trying to take a rabbit trail. You need to look at passages like Matthew 24, which is Jesus talking. Jesus trumps your favorite Bible preacher. He does. Jesus trumps your favorite prophecy preacher. Jesus trumps all of that. But I want you to think about some other folks here in the Bible. Look at 1 Peter chapter 5, where he describes tribulation being experienced by the brothers throughout the world. I want you to understand Peter died in the midst of an act of tribulation and persecution in Rome. Paul—the whole idea of a peaceful, prosperous life—it didn’t seem like the apostle Paul, through his service to the Lord, earned health, wealth, and prosperity. You need to understand, as long as there’s been a church, they have experienced persecution. And again, who trumps your favorite Bible preacher? Jesus. He said in John chapter 16, “In this world you will have tribulation, but take heart. I have overcome the world.” So when we look at this, we’re not trying to make a prophetic stance here. We’re just following the text. And it does seem like—

Jamie:
John 16

Keith:
Jamie’s checking my reference here, which is always a good thing.

Jamie:
John 15—that’s what I was looking at. Jesus says:

Remember the word I spoke to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.

And so, you know, it’s this whole section here. Persecution is predicted.

Keith:
And John 16—the one I was talking about—double-checking the reference there—the end of the chapter, verse… Excuse me. Thirty-three. I knew it was a double number there.

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

So the idea here is we follow the text. Jesus talks about persecution that is going to come. Now, when it comes to the Great Tribulation here—that’s what Jesus was referencing in Matthew 24. What we’re looking at here with these seals in Revelation 6, like Jamie said, it does seem like the church is still going to be present in this time.

Jamie:
That’s right. So we move to the third seal. When He opens the third seal, the third living creature says, “Come.” And he looks, and this time there’s a black horse, and its rider holds a set of scales in his hand. And he heard someone say, “A quart of wheat for a denarius and three quarts of barley for a denarius, but do not harm the oil and the wine.” And so the idea you get here is that there’s going to be worldwide famine and worldwide war from the second seal. And so you think a natural outcome of a worldwide war is going to be famine. I was just talking yesterday or two days ago — on Thanksgiving Day — asking about my grandmother, who recently passed, had a ration book left over from World War II.

Keith:
Oh, wow.

Jamie:
And I was asking if they knew what happened to it, because it was real cool, you know, just a cool thing to look at, talk about, whatever. But because the world was at war, the people at home were given ration booklets. You know, you could get so much sugar, so much bread, so much butter — whatever it was — and that’s all you could get. And so what’s going to happen here in this third seal is that you’re going to have worldwide famine. The war is going to obviously destroy the food supply, because when you have war — think about in modern times — we’re blowing crap up. And so when you’re blowing stuff up, it is going to harm the food supply, the water supply, all of those things. And it’s going to cause, I’m going to say, rationing by governments, which is going to drive prices up. We’ve experienced that here for sure. Inflation, I think, was up 24%. It’s risen another 2% now. I don’t think it’s rising at the moment we’re talking right now. But still, you go to Walmart — somebody say amen — and you buy one bag of nothing, and it’s $127,423.62. And then you get home and you’re like, “Wow, I didn’t even buy enough to eat a snack.” So — but we’re talking about, like, there’s a country — and I can’t remember the exact name of the country. I want to say it’s Zimbabwe — that they would walk around literally with wheelbarrows full of their currency to buy a loaf of bread.

Keith:
It was like that in lots of places in Europe. I remember reading The Hiding Place, talking about how their currency became worthless. But man, what it reminds me of—and this might be the only economic term I can remember from my high school economics class, Mr. Nez Watson. He told all of us, “Scarcity exists.” And that’s in normal times, right? This is abnormal. So economic scarcity leading to actual scarcity of provisions—that’s a byproduct, like you say, of war. And so extreme measures would have to take place to survive. And I think that’s part of the implication here. Many will not survive.

Jamie:
That’s correct. And so to kind of get, I guess, a little bit more specific, in case you’re wondering where we’re coming up with this, where it says, “A quart of wheat for a denarius.” Remember that a denarius is a day’s wages during this time. So you’re talking about somebody working an entire day to be able to buy one quart of wheat, which would maybe feed one person—definitely not enough for a family. So if you’re a dad, you work an entire day—you know, twelve hours, however long that is. War is going on, so it might be longer. And it’s only enough to buy just enough to feed one person. During this time you would have gotten anywhere from eight to twelve quarts of wheat for a denarius, to kind of put that in perspective. The three quarts of barley—we know that barley is normally fed to animals because it’s low in nutrients. It’s cheaper than wheat, and they’ll eat it. And so here it says that a denarius will get you three quarts of barley. Now that would be enough to feed a small family, but it’s very low in nutrients, so it’s not going to keep you alive very long. So again, back to what Keith said, people are going to start dying. And now, “Don’t harm the oil and the wine.” There’s a lot of possible interpretations here. Maybe the rich people will have plenty of it, or it’ll be some type of luxury that has to be protected because people are going to be killing for it. Oil does a lot. Oil, obviously, you’d use it to make bread. Wine—for cooking, to purify water—all these things. But it’s the idea that “don’t harm the oil and wine.” I lean toward, you’re going to have to protect it because there ain’t going to be much of it out there.

Keith:
Well, it also might be because some folks are going to think, “No, this isn’t really happening.” They’re going to be the people who are more insulated from it. I was reading about a time—this was toward the end of the first century—when the emperor Domitian, because there was a shortage of grain, was going to have the vineyards cut down and use that fertile farmland for planting grain. And the rich gave such a backlash that he said, “Never mind.” Pour it up. Drink up, guys. So this might have some kind of social aspect to it as well. Because it always happens like that. The ones who are most affected in these times are the weaker, the poor, the less affluent. There are some people who are going to think they’re insulated from this. But as we continue, the insulation gets thinner.

Jamie:
So the fourth seal is opened, and this time we get this pale green horse, and its rider is named Death, and Hades is following after him. They’re given authority over a fourth of the earth to kill by the sword, by famine, by plague, and by the wild animals of the earth. So here’s where we get confirmation that death is going to occur. Now notice it says they’re given authority over a fourth of the earth. It doesn’t say that they’re going to kill a fourth of the people on the earth, but they can. It is being allowed at this time.

Keith:
And we’ll see that percentage change, and it’s based on what they’re allowed—what authority is given.

Jamie:
That’s correct. And back in Matthew 24, in verse 7, which we read just a second ago, He says again:

For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines^, and earthquakes in various places.

Some manuscripts and some translations also add in “epidemics” or “pestilences” in various places. Again, Jesus confirms before Revelation is even written that these things are going to happen. He tells us these things are going to happen.

Keith:
And when you say “some manuscripts,” to clarify there, it’s not different versions of the Bible. Some fragments that we have of some manuscripts would have included footnotes or notes in the margin where, more than likely, through pastoral oversight, someone was looking and going, “Okay, Matthew 24, Revelation 6—these go together.” And they probably just kind of jotted down “pestilence” over in the margin, so to speak. And when we get a little piece of a fragment, it’s like, “Oh look, there’s a word there.”

Jamie:
Yep, that is correct. So the word here for “pale green horse” is chlōros, which is where the word chlorophyll comes from. And it basically describes a pale, ashen green characteristic of a decomposing corpse.

Keith:
Yeah, and just to clarify, that word is used four times in the New Testament. Three of those times it’s just translated “green.” This isn’t stuff we’re making up. But yeah, hopefully you haven’t seen a bunch of decomposing corpses. They don’t look good.

Jamie:
Correct.

Keith:
And this passage right here always makes me think of the movie Tombstone, with Johnny Ringo describing the situation: “Death’s coming, and hell’s coming with it.” I mean, people use this like they’re bringing some sort of vengeance. People are victims of these. Ain’t nobody steering the pale rider, so to speak. This is the judgment being poured out—the wrath of the Lamb, as they’re going to recognize later on. This is no joke. Nothing to play with.

Jamie:
Not at all. And so, like Keith has already said, the rider’s name is Death, so death is coming, and Hades is following after him. Hades is seen as the place of the dead. So the idea there being death claims the body, and Hades is going to collect the soul. Not a good thing at all. And then he mentions four means of extermination: The sword—which is obviously war. Hunger—famine. Death by plagues, infections, diseases. And unrestrained beasts of the earth. So there is a lot going on here. And “unrestrained beasts of the earth”—what does that mean? Who knows? I guess the animals start going crazy because of all the war that’s going on. If their habitats are being blown up and destroyed, they start coming into the cities. Who knows what it’ll look like? I just know you don’t want to run up on one of them.

Keith:
A hungry, starving, domesticated animal will go back to its nature.

Jamie:
Correct. And then we get to the fifth seal. Here in the fifth seal you see a group of people under the altar that have been slaughtered because of the Word of God and the testimony they’ve given. So you go to Revelation 5:8, and you see where the saints’ prayers are ascending to God. It’s the same idea. These are the saints who have been slaughtered, most likely during the Tribulation. And they cry out with a loud voice and ask God, “How long until You judge those who live on the earth and avenge our blood?” It’s like, “God, what are You waiting for? Why are You holding off on this?” But here’s the response. It says they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little while longer until the number would be completed of their fellow servants and their brothers and sisters who were going to be killed just as they had been. So there are going to be more believers who are going to be killed for their faith. That number is not completed yet. But also there are going to be more people who are going to be saved. And that number is not completed. Once the number of people who are going to be saved are saved—that’s the end.

Keith:
And so the idea there is God, in His sovereignty, is in charge of this. But you need to look—God, in His grace and mercy, is still in the business of saving people. We could cry out and be like, “You know, we do…” Like I say, “Man, do I want a pre-trib rapture?” But if I had my way, then, “Well, God, You’ve saved enough folks. You’ve saved me. Go on and rescue me.” But in this right here, you look—obviously they’re still going to be here. It says, “Until that number should be complete who were to be killed”—future—”as those who were crying out had been”—past. And so we know this could have happened in John’s day. People had already been martyred in the thousands. We’ve got tens of thousands who have been martyred within the last year. We talked about Nigeria in some news here recently. We know in a lot of Middle Eastern countries, a lot of Asian countries, there are a lot of things going on. That goes back to the 1 Peter passage—that these things have been experienced by the brotherhood around the world. People are being persecuted. People are being killed for their faith. And that’s the thing here. It’s not just Christians who have died. These are people who were slain for the Word of God, for the witness they had borne. Just a reminder there—that word witness. If you go back to the first chapter of the book of Acts, that Greek word is where we get the English word martyr. This is not a passive thing. These people are actively involved in evil, actively persecuting the Lamb, taking it out on those who belong to the Lamb, and killing them. This is not just a passive evil-on-evil sort of crime here. It’s like, “You know what? We don’t want this.” And I think that’s also—and I’m not trying to get ahead again—but we’ve mentioned it several times: The wrath of the Lamb. That’s a weird way of saying it. Because we’ve already talked about that. What they’re getting right now ain’t the Lamb. They’re getting the Lion. But still, man, people have such a hatred for Jesus being who the Bible says He is. They’re all right with Him being a good person. They’re all right with Him being a good teacher. But they’re not all right with somebody being willing to die for their sins. I mean, you take guys like—what’s his name from the American Revolution? Thomas Paine. Man did such great things for the founding of this republic. But you get that dude talking about Jesus, like in his book The Age of Reason. That dude had a hatred for the Lamb of God. He had a hatred for the idea of Him being crucified for sin. He had a hatred for the idea that a holy God could call him a sinner. And he was tame compared to the evil that’s going to be poured out on these martyrs—and soon-to-be martyred.

Jamie:
No doubt. And then we get to the sixth seal. And a violent earthquake occurs to the point that the sun turns black like sackcloth made of hair, the entire moon becomes like blood, the stars of heaven fall to the earth as a fig tree drops its unripe figs when shaken by a high wind, the sky is split apart like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island are moved from their places. Catastrophic. I mean, we could get into the technicalities of all this, but in order for every island and mountain to be moved from its place, all the earth’s fault lines would have to begin to—

Keith:
Yes. Yes.

Jamie:
—all over the world. You’re talking about a global earthquake. And this is just the first of three. There’s three of these that’s going to happen. Now remember, the timeline of Revelation is just what John saw next. So the three that are mentioned—maybe it’s the same one mentioned three times. Maybe it’s three different ones. We don’t know. It doesn’t say. It doesn’t say, “This happens, then this happens, then this happens.” It’s what John saw next. But worst-case scenario, it’s three different earthquakes of this magnitude. The sun becoming black like sackcloth made of hair. The moon turning to blood. I read in several places that this could obviously—an earthquake of this magnitude would cause volcanic eruptions all over the place, which would cause ash and debris to blow into the atmosphere, which could possibly make the sun look like that.

Keith:
And I mean, you think it’s definitely sackcloth made of hair. It’s talking about the sun being occluded. Something in between.

Jamie:
That’s right. And then you’ve got some kind of asteroid or meteor shower that happens with the stars falling to the earth. The sky recedes like a scroll. Who knows what that means? We just know it ain’t gonna look like it looks right now by any stretch of the imagination. And when those earth’s plates begin to shift, the whole earth is going to be realigned in that moment. No island, no mountain—nothing—is going to be in the same place. To the point that the kings of the earth—we’re talking about the rulers of the earth—all the way down to every slave and every free person and everybody in between are going to hide in caves. They’re going to hide among the rocks of the mountains. They’re going to say to the mountains and the rocks, “Please fall on us and hide us from the face of the One who is seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb, because the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” So I just want to go back to the point that the people recognize this is the wrath of God. They recognize, “Okay, Jesus told us this was going to happen.”

Keith:
Well, and recognize the wrath of God—but what specific God it is. They ain’t talking generic.

Jamie:
They know the Lamb. The wrath of the Lamb. And, you know, I’ll just say this. God’s judgment is going to come. You know you can’t withstand His wrath. But that’s not why you get saved. And I hope, if you’re not saved, you’re listening to this. I heard a pastor the other day on a little clip say they had listened to something about what hell was going to look like, and a person came down and said, “I don’t know anything about heaven, but I know I don’t want to go to hell.” And that’s a good first step. Hear me—that’s a good first step. We don’t get saved because we don’t want to go to hell. We don’t get saved because we don’t want to experience God’s judgment. We get saved because we have a genuine love for the Lamb. Right?

Keith:
We talked a little bit ago about how these people are willingly following the leader here in the first seal. People must willingly follow the Lamb. This Jesus isn’t a byproduct of heaven. If you listened last week when we looked at Revelation 5, there’s a reason why we don’t know about the scenery, about anything more than Him who’s seated on the throne. He occludes everything. More so than sackcloth made of hair will occlude the sun in those seals. I think of Paul’s language in Philippians chapter 3, when he talks about the surpassing worth of knowing Christ.

Jamie:
And to jump in there, when we’re talking through Revelation, if you get more excited about what these horses represent, or these locusts represent, or whatever represents, than you do the fact that Jesus is the King of kings and the Lord of lords, then we have to step back and look at our relationship with Christ and ask, number one, “Do I even have one?” Because the joy of heaven is being with Him.

Keith:
And I think, I guess if we’re looking at this in that context… Jamie, if you were living in this time—we don’t want this to happen in our lifetime. Church folks will sing, “Come, Jesus, come,” in a heartbeat. But “Come, Jesus, come”—this comes too.

Jamie:
I’d say all hell is going to break loose. Which actually…

Keith:
It is. But I mean, heaven. Right? And that’s the thing here. When you look at this, if you were living through Revelation 6, which seal would you be found in? Would you be found in the fifth seal, where you have all of these people who have been saved by the blood of the Lamb, who are crying out to their Sovereign Lord, holy and true, knowing that ushering in the judgment He’s bringing about? Or are you in those who are talking about the wrath of the Lamb and you’re not affiliated with Him? Essentially, like Jamie said, it’s not for fire insurance. It’s not to scare hell out of you or heaven into you. Do you look at this Lamb of God and see Him for who He is—the King of kings, the Lord of lords? If you don’t have a relationship with Him, that lordship isn’t to be found when you’re under His boot, so to speak. It’s to be found now. It says in Romans chapter 10, verse 9:

…because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Revelation is clear. He is the Sovereign Lord. He’s in charge. He gave authority over a fourth of the earth to experience His judgment. Thus far in the book of Revelation, He’s got authority over one hundred percent of everything that’s ever been. The scroll—that’s the deed to everything that is—is His. He can open the seals. Where do you stand in light of the Lord? I think that’s a good place to end. Where do you stand? Because there’s going to come a day where the question is asked here at the end of Revelation 6: “For the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” It’s better to stand in His grace and mercy now than under His judgment ever. I think that’s it for us. We’ll pick up with Revelation 7 next week.

^[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), Re 6:1–17.

^[2] When Jamie quotes Scripture, he uses the Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020).

“Worthy Is the Lion, the Slain Lamb Who Lives” from Revelation 5 — a Refresh & Restore Bible Study

We’re back in our study of Revelation called The KING is Coming, where we’re taking a verse-by-verse approach to see what the book truly reveals—Jesus Christ Himself. As always, I’m joined by Jamie Harrison, and I’m thankful for the opportunity to walk through this study together. Today, we’ll be in a passage that is probably quite familiar if you’re a member or regular-attender of Christ Community Church as we read it in worship fairly often – Revelation 5:

5 Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. ²And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” ³And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, ⁴and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. ⁵And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”
⁶And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. ⁷And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. ⁸And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. ⁹And they sang a new song, saying,

“Worthy are you to take the scroll
     and to open its seals,for you were slain,
and by your blood you ransomed people for God
   from every tribe and language and people and nation,
¹⁰and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
     and they shall reign on the earth.”
¹¹Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, ¹²saying with a loud voice,
“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,
      to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might
      and honor and glory and blessing!”
¹³And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying,
      “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
      be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”
¹⁴And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.^[1]

Keith Harris:
Greetings, sojourners. We have a lot to dive into today, so, Jamie, let’s go ahead and dive in.

Jamie Harrison:
All right, so for real, let’s dive in, man, because this really is like — this is it. This is the big climactic scene in heaven. We mentioned in chapter 4 that the throne room is going to be the setting for the remainder of Revelation, and it’s mentioned over and over and over — the throne room, the throne room. And we know that the One seated on the throne is God the Father. And we know that Jesus is going to come and He’s going to sit at His right hand, and the Holy Spirit is there — we’ll see in just a second. And so it starts with this scroll that’s got writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals there in verse 1. And back in Roman times we know that a will or a title deed would be sealed with seven seals. And basically what they would do is they would roll it, seal it, roll it, seal it, roll it, seal it — and again there would be seven seals. And nobody was able to open that scroll except the appointed heir.

Keith:
Is there a significance to the seven in Roman Empire days, or is that just — you think — significant biblically here?

Jamie:
I would say biblically significant. I know people try to read a lot into a lot of different things, but there’s — obviously there’s seven churches, so people say one seal for each church, right? Those kinds of things. You know what I think is that it’s just biblically significant — the number seven in and of itself. And so no necessary hidden meaning per se, but it’s completely sealed — it’s locked down.

Keith:
Correct. Gotcha. As the number seven being the number of completion..

Jamie:
Amen. So this thing is sealed up. And in verse 2 we see the angel ask, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” And this angel is a mighty angel. And you would think if anybody could, you know, it’d be this really mighty angel — but he’s not worthy to open it. And then in verse 3 it says no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or even to look in it. Now understand, when it says no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth, that’s everybody that has ever been.

Keith:
All the places to be.

Jamie:
Correct, right? So that is covering everybody, and nobody is able to open the scroll.

Keith:
And I think that’s an interesting wording there. The question is “who is worthy,” not “who is able.” So we’re covering strength here, but worthiness is the question. Excuse you.

Jamie:
Thank you.

Keith:
So talk to me — take a sip — the difference with worthiness and ability here is not about strength. You mentioned the mighty angel. You mentioned everybody who is. What’s the deal here?

Jamie:
It kind of goes back to — who was it? Was it King Arthur that pulled Excalibur out of the stone?

Keith:
Allegedly.

Jamie:
Right — yeah, that’s a myth. And so the idea of that story being all these strong guys came up and tried to get it out and couldn’t — only the one who was worthy. And so I want to limit — let’s get to that in a second.

Keith:
All right.

Jamie:
Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

Keith:
We’ll put a pin in it.

Jamie:
Yes, put a pin in it — but not too hard, that will hurt. All right, so I’m going to jump over to Hebrews chapter 1, verses 1 through 3 real quick, because this is going to help us as we move forward. I’m going to jump over to Hebrews chapter 1, verses 1 through 3 real quick, because this is going to help us as we move forward.

1 Long ago God spoke to the fathers by the prophets at different times and in different ways. ²In these last days, He has spoken to us by His Son. God has appointed Him heir of all things and made the universe ^g through Him. ³The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of His nature, sustaining all things by His powerful word. After making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.^[2]

And that’s a really cool Scripture there because it tells us who is the heir — Jesus. Jesus is the heir. And the Son is the radiance of God’s glory, the exact expression of His nature, sustaining all things by His powerful word. After He makes purification for sins — not His sins, for sins — He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. And that’s going to answer your question about who’s worthy, but we’re still not going to jump ahead.

Keith:
Well, and also — who’s able to atone for sins? Not us. Not those on earth or under the earth, for sure.

Jamie:
It’s kind of like Big John says all the time — that if Jesus did 99% of the forgiving and we did the one, all we would brag about is the one.

Keith:
But clearly here we got the none.

Jamie:
That’s correct — definitely the none. Not to be confused with nuns — this is N-O-N-E, none. Okay, so now we can move forward, because nobody is able to open the scroll. And then John begins to weep. It says, “I wept and wept because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or even to look at it.” Can you imagine — like you see this scroll in the right hand of the Father, and I don’t know at that point if John necessarily knew what it was or not. I mean, he doesn’t say he knows what it is. But obviously he was alive during that time, so if it’s sealed with seven seals his mind probably went straight to some type of title deed or a will or something like that as well. And so can you imagine this climactic moment where you see this scroll and then nobody is worthy to open it?

Keith:
I wonder too — just thinking about the vision that he’s seeing there — it kind of puts me… it reminds me of Isaiah 6, the vision that Isaiah got in the year that King Uzziah died. Like thinking about worthiness — you’re sitting there, you can see the throne. And we talked about this back in Revelation 1 — like in my mind, seeing the throne, you’re not looking at it alone. When we say “high and lifted up,” He literally was high and lifted up. I mean, think Ezekiel — the visions he had of the throne. Like he’s looking at the soles of His feet from way down. And when you ask who is worthy — I know when I am confronted with the holiness and worthiness of God, my first thoughts turn to my unworthiness and why I’m unworthy. Like — gotta be feeling some guilt, gotta be feeling overwhelmed in the first place. This disciple whom Jesus loved, outliving all the rest of the apostles — more than likely in his late 80s, early 90s at this point — like he’s feeling some stuff. He’s well acquainted with his unworthiness, and his friend, the worthy One — the Lamb of God — that’s how his gospel describes Him — died. He knows He rose, but still at the same time, that’s a lot to process.

Jamie:
And so he weeps and weeps because nobody is worthy to open the scroll or even to look in it. And then in verse 5 — here we go — one of the elders says to me… which we talked about in chapter 4, you know, what the elders might represent. And it says, “Do not weep. Look.” Now the word’s important — he says, “Look.” “The Lion from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that He can open the scroll and its seven seals.” So the Lion from the tribe of Judah — let’s talk about that for a second. Way back in Genesis chapter 49, verses 8 through 10, these are Jacob’s last words. He gives the scepter over to the tribe of Judah, meaning the kings will come from that tribe, obviously starting with David there. But we know that he also references that Shiloh will come — and that’s an idea that someday the King is going to come and He’s going to take over and He’s going to reign for eternity. That’s talking about Jesus again. And so the Lion from the tribe of Judah is like the King of kings.

Keith:
In the wording of the prophecy all the way back pre-king — hence that — what does it say? The Root of David, correct? And it’s a big deal.

Jamie:
And the Root of David goes back to Isaiah 11. Hey — I’m turning to Isaiah 11… maybe I should have used the digital Bible instead, because these pages—

Keith:
Well, this is where the preacher wants to say, “I still hear pages turning — we’ll wait.”

Jamie:
That’s going to be Isaiah 11 — the eleventh chapter of Isaiah. That’s what preachers do, in case you were wondering — it’s because they’re trying to find it themselves. Isaiah 11, verses 1 through 10:

11 Then a shoot will grow from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch from his roots will bear fruit.
²The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him —
a Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
a Spirit of counsel and strength,
a Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.
³His delight will be in the fear of the Lord.
He will not judge
by what He sees with His eyes,
He will not execute justice
by what He hears with His ears,
⁴but He will judge the poor righteously
and execute justice for the oppressed of the land.
He will strike the land
with discipline from His mouth,
and He will kill the wicked
with a command from His lips.
⁵Righteousness will be a belt around His loins;
faithfulness will be a belt around His waist.
⁶The wolf will live with the lamb,
and the leopard will lie down with the goat.
The calf, the young lion, and the fatling will be together,
and a child will lead them.
⁷The cow and the bear will graze,
their young ones will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
⁸An infant will play beside the cobra’s pit,
and a toddler will put his hand into a snake’s den.
⁹None will harm or destroy another
on My entire holy mountain,
for the land will be as full
of the knowledge of the Lord
as the sea is filled with water.
¹⁰On that day the root of Jesse
will stand as a banner for the peoples.
The nations will seek Him,
and His resting place will be glorious.

I understand, again — this is a prophecy of Jesus that is going — He’s going to come. At this point this is obviously before He has come. And so this is who the Jews were looking for — this conquering king, okay? Now that’s very important, because they were looking for a conquering king. But when Jesus came, He did not conquer, so to speak, the way they thought He was going to in that moment — thinking He was going to free them from Roman oppression, right? And so here’s where it gets really exciting, because this conquering king — remember, “the Root of David has conquered,” is what it says in Revelation 5. And so when you read this, you’re like, “Okay, I see the Lion from the tribe of Judah. I hear you saying the Root of David, and it says that He’s conquered.” Well, how has He conquered? Because He came and He died, and then He rose again — and the Romans are still in control. They’re still in control. Still in control at this point. Now remember, they told him to turn and look. And when you turn and look, it says “the Lion from the tribe of Judah.” But when he turns and looks — in verse 6 — he sees One like a slaughtered Lamb standing in the midst of the throne. He does not see the Lion from the tribe of Judah, so to speak, like you would think you would turn and literally see some type of very strong, mighty force standing there.

Keith:
Like Aslan in The Chronicles of Narnia, right? Kind of a Mufasa — that’s right — big old lion.

Jamie:
Lion, lion — right. And instead he turns and he sees One like a slaughtered Lamb standing in the midst of the throne. Now just picture this for a minute — you’re John. You’ve lived with Jesus, you’ve walked with Jesus, you’ve seen Jesus. And then you turn expecting to see this lion, and instead you see One like a slaughtered Lamb. You see the scars in His hands. You see the scars in His feet. You see the scars in His side. And the idea you get kind of takes us back to the Passover lamb — you know, put the blood on your doorpost and it will cover you, and we’ll spare you from death.

Keith:
So — and I think too — it’s got to draw him back to what the Holy Spirit led him to write down by his own hands. “Behold the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world.” That’s what he wrote down in John 1:29 — the words of John the Baptist. Like, I think this is a huge perspective change, because if anybody should have known the answer to “who is worthy” and not been so bereft that he’s crying, it’d be the disciple whom Jesus loved, right? But here he turns around and — I don’t know — it’s almost liberating. If John can forget, maybe it’s a little more understandable — sometimes not excusable, but at least understandable. If John, standing there in heaven, doesn’t immediately think, “Jesus is worthy,” — remember Him? — yeah, we need that reminder too. But I mean, he’s looking for this archetypal Lion of the tribe of Judah, this conquering leader. Maybe you think some kind of warrior angel is fit to come out and put a whooping on—I mean, he’s having this vision from a prison island in his 90s. He’s needing a little liberation, no doubt. But liberation theology doesn’t match up to the beauty of the Lamb standing as though slain.

Jamie:
And that’s key — what you just said — is that He’s standing. How many slaughtered lambs do you know that are standing?

Keith:
None.

Jamie:
None. That is the whole idea of slaughtering. But Jesus is standing. He isn’t timid, He isn’t laying down, He isn’t dead — He’s alive.

Keith:
And I think, going back to your — and I guess this is probably what you’re getting into — like things that are showing that He’s standing, He’s not propped up. He has seven horns — that fullness of strength. Seven eyes — that fullness of clarity and sight and knowledge and all of that representing the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth. That the second person of the Godhead — still fully God, still fully man — fully alive and fully eternal. Because full death did nothing to stop Him.

Jamie:
Correct.

Keith:
That’ll preach — that’s what they say.

Jamie:
I can tell you want to do it, man.

Keith:
I’m trying to hold him back. It’s okay — saving a little bit for Sunday.

Jamie:
He turns — he sees Jesus standing in the midst of the throne, One like a slaughtered Lamb, but He’s standing to receive the scroll. The scroll that nobody has been found worthy to open at this point. But Jesus comes over, and at that moment when He takes that scroll, He identifies Himself as our kinsman-redeemer — the One that is worthy to open the scroll. The Root of David. The Lion of the tribe of Judah. The all-conquering King. The all-prevailing Lord. The King of kings. The Lord of lords. I know you want to go, man. I know you want to go. Take it away.

Keith:
I mean — He’s the answer to the question. And you look at this, and I’m not trying to get ahead, but what’s so beautiful to me in the response of the elders and the myriads standing around the throne and all of the creatures there is their worship. Just like in the Old Testament, going all the way back to that praise song written by Moses — “the horse and the rider were thrown into the sea.” It’s in response to what they see there. Like they literally, spontaneously — Holy Spirit-led — sing a song about Him being worthy to take and open the scroll. And not just take it — to open it. He’s not worthy to hold it — it’s not a baton being passed on in some marathon race of faithfulness. He’s worthy to take it, to open it, because He was slain. And His blood ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. And did what God said all the way back when He’s talking to Abraham, when He’s talking to Moses, when He’s talking to His people throughout the millennia — to make them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth. This is the fulfillment of all these earthly things — and even it points to the ways that evil has tried to fight against the kingdom of God, but it can’t. It literally killed Jesus — God in flesh — and He didn’t stay dead. It didn’t take. Was it Peter who says in Acts chapter 3 that the pangs of death were unable to keep Him? You’ve got the beautiful resurrection chapter in 1 Corinthians 15 where Paul talks about the hope and glory that is in the resurrection. That we are saved by His finished work on the cross, but we’re kept and we get this eternal life through His resurrection. This is a huge deal right here, because nobody else can do that — which is why He alone is worthy. He’s singular. He’s holy. He’s unique. He’s God. And it’s just beautiful — beautiful.

Jamie:
Some of the commentaries I read through say that this is the greatest act in all of human history. And I think it’s fitting to look at it that way — that this is the culmination, this is the completion. And I know — I hate to even have to clarify this almost — but I do know there will be people listening to this that don’t know Christ. And in the next episode, Jesus is going to open the scroll — and when He opens the scroll, bad stuff is going to start happening, right? And so the idea would be, “You’re really excited about this scroll that’s bringing bad stuff about?” You know — what it’s bringing about is our inheritance, because we’re heirs with God and co-heirs with Christ, according to Paul in Romans chapter 8. And so I get where the idea could come from — “Well, you’re excited bad things are going to happen.” No, no, no, no, no. Understand this — throughout all of this, salvation is available. Salvation is available when these seals start breaking. Salvation is available later on in chapter 9, where it’s going to say, in essence, that this huge demonic army kills all these people, and then the people continue to worship the demons that were just killing them. So it’s still a choice. There’s still the opportunity to come to know Christ and repent here. So is it bringing about bad stuff? No. It’s bringing about what we deserve, which is God’s judgment.

Keith:
Kind of along the lines that you’re talking here — it’s not for us to be excited or terrified for what He’s going to bring about. We’re excited that it’s in His hands. That none of this stuff that happens is out of His control, outside the realm of His sovereignty. And it’s kind of like — and we’ve quoted Big John several times today — but his answer when people want to ask about the problem of evil: “Where is this good God in the midst of all this evil?” How can God still be good in the midst of the things we’re going to read about in the next chapter? If it wasn’t for this good God, there would be no goodness at all. It would just be the evil and wickedness that honestly we ourselves are no less capable of than the ones we would deem more wicked or more evil. The difference is what our good God does with it. And that’s the thing — it’s all in His hands now. He’s not playing with sin. He’s not playing with feelings. This is — I mean, when He came the first time, we got the Lamb. This time, we get the Lion. And that’s no light thing. It’s kind of like — y’all know I’m a nerd — in The Chronicles of Narnia, where Aslan is meant to be a picture of Jesus. One of the kids — I think it’s Lucy — asks, “Is he a safe lion?” And I think it’s the beaver who responds, “A safe lion? He’s a lion.” Like — ain’t nothing safe about a lion. Safety came when He came as the Lamb, taking away the sins of the world. Sins of the world have been taken away. He has conquered. Now you get the teeth.

Jamie:
Yep — that’s a good word.

Keith:
Sound effect — onomatopoeia.

Jamie:
Yep, that. So I don’t want to just keep harping on the same point over and over, because we could — I mean definitely this is very exciting. It’s very exciting to know how — not that one day I’ll get to go to heaven and have a big mansion and see streets of gold — but one day I’ll get to see the King of kings and Lord of lords who is worthy to open the scroll. Face to face.

Keith:
There’s no scenery even described in a lot of these places. When you’re in the presence of Jesus, in the presence of the throne, they’re not talking about all the things that sometimes we would sing about. All the rest of it pales in comparison to Him. When the Lamb stands as though slain, the eyes are on Him — not the floor.

Jamie:
And when we get to Revelation 21 we’ll talk a lot more about that. But we know there will be no sun or moon in the New Jerusalem, because the Trinity will be the light. There will be no shadows. There will be no dark corners. There will be no dark anything. They will be the light. We know there’s no temple because they’re there — there’s no need of a temple. And so yeah — it’s like all eyes on Him.

Keith:
Well, and Hebrews says all these things are shadows pointing to Christ — like that’s figurative shadows. But there will be no figurative nor literal shadows, right? Because all is light.

Jamie:
And I think — I almost feel like that’s a good place to stop. You know, we could continue on and talk about some little things here and there. But when you look at the song — that song — and then the second one, what they say — not a song again, it’s a recitation. Is that the right word?

Keith:
Yeah — well, I mean it says, “And they sang a new song, saying…” So it’s not about the musical aspect of it as much as it kind of reminds me of church traditions that’ll get to talking about shouting. Sometimes they’re singing — there’s a melodic thing to it — but it’s more about the substance than the song.

Jamie:
And that’s it. And the substance here is Jesus. You died for us. You were slaughtered. You purchased people by Your blood — not just a certain group of people, but people from every tribe and language and people and nation. And now because of that we can be saved. We can have a relationship with Christ. We can one day spend eternity with Him.

And in the second one — it’s every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea and everything in them — this is like everybody, everything that he’s seeing here. They say, “Blessing and honor and glory and power be to the One seated on the throne and to the Lamb forever and ever.” And then they fall down and worship. And I think when we begin to really dive into the book of Revelation and the rest of the Bible, that should be our response — to fall down in worship. And this is something I’m guilty of a lot of times — I’ll read just for the sake of reading, to do my reading for the day. But is there ever a moment during that reading where I stop and I just begin to worship the Lord because of what I read, because of who He is, because of what He did for me — because He’s worthy?

Keith:
And I mean, like Jamie said, this is a good time to segue into a close. That’s why we’re studying the book of Revelation like this. We’re not trying to answer every unanswerable question. We’re not trying to sweep out the nooks and crannies of prophecy. We’re not trying to convince anyone of our own wisdom or knowledge. We’re trying to point people to the Lamb. And so that’s what we close with today.

As we get ready next week to move into Revelation 6 and see what’s in the scroll, right now we leave you in the hands of Him holding the scroll — who’s worthy not only to hold it but able to open it. The Lion of the tribe of Judah. The Lamb of God who has taken away the sins of the world. He is mighty. He’s high and lifted up. But He’s approachable.

I think Hebrews 4:15-16 is a good passage to end on — and again, if you’re listening and you’re part of Christ Community Church or The Foundry, we’ve been in the book of Hebrews for most of this year. I think it’s a good time to look at the approachable nature of our great God and King.

¹⁵For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. ¹⁶Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

When you look at this, we see John moved by the presence of the Lamb in literally the shadow of the throne. He’s approachable. He is available for us.

Jamie talked about how we look at this — that while all this is going on, there’s still opportunity to be saved. It says multiple times in the Bible — I know in Isaiah — “Seek the Lord while He may be found.”

Well, sojourner, we have presented you the Lion, the Lamb, the King — our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

What are you going to do with Him today?

He’s approachable.

He can be found.

Why don’t you seek Him?

^[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), Re 5:1–14.

^[2] When Jamie reads from his Bible, it’s from the CSB (The Holy Bible: Holman Christian Standard Version. (Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers, 2009)).

Revelation 22 on 4/17 | The Finale to the NT260 Reading Plan

Click here for Revelation 22 audio:

Read it. Pray it. Share it. Live it.

Today’s post represents more than the finish of a Bible reading plan — it helps us see that the Bible ends on the Person of Christ, the same place it starts and is consistently centered upon.

If you read to check a box off a to-do list or out of some sense of religious obligation, you’re missing out. Look at the beauty of Revelation 22. There is audio above, but look at it in a paper Bible and see the red letters. Jesus is alive. He has promised that He is coming again. And He who promised is faithful (Hebrews 10:23).

Look upon Him. Look for His coming. Come, Lord Jesus!

Chapter Overview:
Revelation 22 completes the vision of the new creation, showing a restored Eden where the river of life flows from God’s throne and the tree of life brings continual blessing and healing (vv. 1–2). The curse is gone, and God’s people dwell with Him, seeing His face and reigning forever in His light (vv. 3–5). The chapter then closes with a final call to respond: the message is trustworthy, Jesus is coming soon, and blessing is promised to those who keep His Word (vv. 6–7). There is both invitation and warning – an open call for all who are thirsty to come and receive life, and a serious warning not to reject or distort God’s Word (vv. 17–19). The book ends with the promise of Christ’s return and the prayer of His people: “Come, Lord Jesus!” (v. 20).

Seeing Jesus in This Chapter:
Revelation 22 reveals Jesus as the living source of eternal life and the returning King who brings all things to completion. From His throne flows the water of life, satisfying His people forever (vv. 1, 17). He is the One who has removed the curse, restoring what was lost and bringing His people into perfect fellowship with God (vv. 3–4). He is both the Root and the Descendant of David, fully God and fully man, the promised King who fulfills all of Scripture (v. 16). And He is the One who is coming soon – bringing reward, justice, and the fullness of His kingdom (vv. 12, 20). Jesus stands at both the beginning and the end – the Alpha and the Omega – and He invites all who are thirsty to come to Him and live. The story of Scripture ends not just with a promise, but with a Person – Jesus Himself.

🌀 Reflection:
Jesus promises that He is coming soon. Are you living with that expectation – longing for His return and remaining faithful until He comes?

💬 Mission Challenge:
Live today in light of Jesus’ return, and invite someone to come to Him and receive the gift of life.

Thanks for joining us in the NT260 readings! It is our prayer that the time in God’s Word has led your heart to worship Jesus and grow close to Him.

Join us for our next reading plan from the Old Testament where we see Jesus revealed from the very beginning!

Revelation 21 on 4/16 | NT260 — Reading & Growing in Christ

Click here for Revelation 21 audio:

Read it. Pray it. Share it. Live it.

Today’s post includes a brief overview of the chapter and a focused look at what it reveals about Jesus (Rev. 1:1) — so our eyes stay fixed on Him.

Chapter Overview:
Revelation 21 reveals the final renewal of all things as John sees a new heaven and a new earth, where sin, death, and suffering are gone forever (vv. 1–4). God declares that He is making all things new and invites those who are thirsty to receive life freely (vv. 5–6). The new Jerusalem descends as a beautiful bride, representing God’s redeemed people, where He dwells fully with them in perfect relationship (vv. 2–3). The city is described in breathtaking detail – secure, radiant, and filled with God’s glory – where there is no temple because God Himself is present, and no darkness because His glory is its light (vv. 22–23). Only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life enter this eternal city (v. 27).

Seeing Jesus in This Chapter:
Revelation 21 reveals Jesus as the Lamb who makes all things new and brings His people into eternal life with God. He is the One through whom redemption is complete, bringing an end to sin, death, and sorrow forever (vv. 4–5). As the Bridegroom, He welcomes His people – the bride – into perfect, unbroken relationship, fulfilling God’s promise to dwell with His people (vv. 2–3). He is the source of living water, freely giving eternal life to those who come to Him (v. 6). And in the new creation, His presence replaces every need – the Lamb is the light of the city, the center of all joy, and the reason His people will dwell in glory forever (v. 23). Jesus is not only the One who saves us from judgment – He is the One who brings us home.

🌀 Reflection:
Jesus doesn’t just rescue us from sin – He restores everything. How does the promise of a new creation shape the way you live and hope today?

💬 Mission Challenge:
Live today with eternity in mind, and share with someone the hope that Jesus makes all things new.

Continue reading in our NT260 plan in the rest of Phase 4 — That You May Believe.

Revelation 20 on 4/15 | NT260 — Reading & Growing in Christ

Click here for Revelation 20 audio:

Read it. Pray it. Share it. Live it.

Today’s post includes a brief overview of the chapter and a focused look at what it reveals about Jesus (Rev. 1:1) — so our eyes stay fixed on Him.

Chapter Overview:
Revelation 20 describes the binding of Satan, the reign of Christ, and the final judgment (vv. 1–15). Satan is bound and prevented from deceiving the nations for a thousand years, while believers reign with Christ and share in the first resurrection (vv. 1–6). After this period, Satan is released for a final rebellion, but it is quickly defeated, and he is thrown into the lake of fire forever (vv. 7–10). The chapter ends with the great white throne judgment, where all the dead are raised and judged according to their deeds, and those not found in the book of life are cast into the lake of fire (vv. 11–15).

Seeing Jesus in This Chapter:
Revelation 20 reveals Jesus as the sovereign King and final Judge who defeats evil completely and reigns forever. He has authority over Satan, who is bound and ultimately destroyed under His rule (vv. 1–3, 10). He shares His reign with His people, giving them life, victory, and the privilege of ruling with Him (vv. 4–6). And He is the One seated on the throne of judgment, before whom all people must stand – perfectly just, seeing every deed, and rendering a final, righteous verdict (vv. 11–13). Yet for those whose names are written in the book of life, there is no fear of the second death (v. 15). Jesus is both the King who reigns with His people and the Judge who brings all things to their final and just end.

🌀 Reflection:
Every person will stand before Jesus as Judge. Are you trusting in Him as your Savior now, knowing that your only hope is to have your name written in the book of life?

💬 Mission Challenge:
Take time today to thank Jesus for saving you, and share the urgency of that truth with someone who needs to hear it.

Continue reading in our NT260 plan in the rest of Phase 4 — That You May Believe.

Revelation 19 on 4/14 | NT260 — Reading & Growing in Christ

Click here for Revelation 19 audio:

Read it. Pray it. Share it. Live it.

Today’s post includes a brief overview of the chapter and a focused look at what it reveals about Jesus (Rev. 1:1) — so our eyes stay fixed on Him.

Chapter Overview:
Revelation 19 celebrates God’s victory over Babylon and prepares for the return of Christ (vv. 1–21). Heaven erupts in praise, declaring that God’s judgments are true and just and that He has avenged His people (vv. 1–5). The scene then shifts to the marriage supper of the Lamb, where God’s people are united with Him in joy and purity (vv. 6–10). Finally, heaven opens, and Jesus returns as the conquering King – riding on a white horse, defeating the beast and the false prophet, and establishing His authority over all (vv. 11–21).

Seeing Jesus in This Chapter:
Revelation 19 reveals Jesus as the glorious Bridegroom and victorious King who comes to judge and reign. He is the Lamb whose people are made ready for Him, clothed in righteousness and welcomed into eternal joy at the marriage supper (vv. 7–9). At the same time, He is the rider on the white horse – called Faithful and True – who comes in righteousness to judge and make war against evil (vv. 11). His eyes see all, His word carries absolute authority, and His rule is unmatched as “King of kings and Lord of lords” (vv. 12–16). He defeats His enemies completely (and by Himself), showing that no power can stand against Him (vv. 19–21). Jesus is both the One who saves His people into joy and the One who brings final justice – His victory is total, and His reign is forever.

🌀 Reflection:
Jesus is not only the Savior who invites us into joy, but the King who will return in power. Are you living in a way that reflects both your hope in Him and your readiness for His return?

💬 Mission Challenge:
Live today in light of Jesus’ return, and share with someone the hope of the King who is coming again.

Continue reading in our NT260 plan in the rest of Phase 4 — That You May Believe.

Revelation 18 on 4/13 | NT260 — Reading & Growing in Christ

Click here for Revelation 18 audio:

Read it. Pray it. Share it. Live it.

Today’s post includes a brief overview of the chapter and a focused look at what it reveals about Jesus (Rev. 1:1) — so our eyes stay fixed on Him.

Chapter Overview:
Revelation 18 announces and describes the complete fall of Babylon, the corrupt system that seduced the nations through wealth, power, and immorality (vv. 1–3). God calls His people to separate from her so they do not share in her sins or judgment (vv. 4–5). Her destruction comes swiftly and decisively, repaying her for her arrogance and evil (vv. 6–8). The kings, merchants, and sailors who profited from her mourn her sudden collapse, grieving the loss of their wealth and influence (vv. 9–19). In contrast, heaven rejoices because God has judged her and vindicated His people (v. 20). The chapter ends with a powerful image of Babylon’s final and irreversible destruction – never to rise again (vv. 21–24).

Seeing Jesus in This Chapter:
Revelation 18 reveals Jesus as the righteous Judge who brings down every system built on sin and self-glory. Babylon appeared strong, wealthy, and untouchable, but her fall comes suddenly because God’s justice cannot be delayed forever (vv. 8, 10). Jesus sees the pride, greed, and injustice that the world often celebrates, and He will bring it all to account (vv. 5–7). His judgment is not unjust – it is a fitting response to the harm done to His people and the rebellion against His rule (vv. 6, 24). At the same time, He calls His people to come out and live differently, refusing to be shaped by the values of a fallen world (v. 4). Jesus is both the One who judges and the One who rescues, calling His people to faithfulness now and promising that all evil will one day be brought to an end.

🌀 Reflection:
The world’s systems can look powerful and appealing, but they will not last. Are you living shaped more by the values of this world or by the kingdom of Christ?

💬 Mission Challenge:
Identify one area where the world’s values are influencing you and choose today to live differently in obedience to Jesus.

Continue reading in our NT260 plan in the rest of Phase 4 — That You May Believe.

Revelation 17 on 4/12 | NT260 — Reading & Growing in Christ

Click here for Revelation 17 audio:

Read it. Pray it. Share it. Live it.

Today’s post includes a brief overview of the chapter and a focused look at what it reveals about Jesus (Rev. 1:1) — so our eyes stay fixed on Him.

Chapter Overview:
Revelation 17 gives a detailed vision of Babylon, pictured as a great prostitute sitting on a beast, representing a powerful, corrupt system that influences the nations through wealth, immorality, and false worship (vv. 1–6). She is adorned in luxury but is filled with evil and is responsible for the persecution of God’s people (vv. 4–6). The angel then explains the symbolism of the woman and the beast, showing the temporary nature of their power and their ultimate destruction (vv. 7–13). Though they unite in opposition to God, their rebellion is short-lived, as they will make war against the Lamb – and be defeated (v. 14). In the end, even the forces that support Babylon will turn against her, fulfilling God’s sovereign purposes (vv. 16–17).

Seeing Jesus in This Chapter:
Revelation 17 reveals Jesus as the victorious King over every corrupt and counterfeit system of the world. Though Babylon appears powerful – seducing nations, influencing kings, and opposing God’s people – her power is temporary and ultimately under God’s control (vv. 1–2, 17). The beast and its allies gather to make war against Jesus, but the outcome is never in doubt: “the Lamb will conquer them” because He is “Lord of lords and King of kings” (v. 14). His authority surpasses every earthly ruler, and His kingdom will outlast every system built on rebellion, greed, and idolatry. Those who belong to Him are described as “called and chosen and faithful,” reminding us that our security is not in the world’s systems, but in Christ alone. No matter how strong evil appears, Jesus reigns, and His victory is certain.

🌀 Reflection:
The world often looks powerful and appealing, but it will not last. Are you placing your hope in what is temporary, or in the King who reigns forever?

💬 Mission Challenge:
Reject the pull of worldly compromise today and live as someone who belongs fully to Jesus, the true King.

Continue reading in our NT260 plan in the rest of Phase 4 — That You May Believe.

Revelation 16 on 4/11 | NT260 — Reading & Growing in Christ

Click here for Revelation 16 audio:

Read it. Pray it. Share it. Live it.

Today’s post includes a brief overview of the chapter and a focused look at what it reveals about Jesus (Rev. 1:1) — so our eyes stay fixed on Him.

Chapter Overview:
Revelation 16 describes the pouring out of the seven bowls of God’s wrath, completing His judgment on a rebellious world (vv. 1–21). These judgments affect the earth, sea, rivers, sun, and the beast’s kingdom, bringing sores, blood, scorching heat, darkness, and devastation (vv. 2–11). Despite the severity, many still refuse to repent and instead curse God (vv. 9, 11). The sixth bowl prepares the nations for the final battle at Armageddon (vv. 12–16). With the seventh bowl, a voice from heaven declares, “It is done!” as a great earthquake and catastrophic destruction bring the collapse of human systems opposed to God (vv. 17–21).

Seeing Jesus in This Chapter:
Revelation 16 reveals Jesus as the righteous Judge whose justice is complete and undeniable. Every bowl poured out shows that His judgment is not random but deserved – He gives people what their rebellion has earned, and heaven declares that His judgments are “true and just” (vv. 5–7). He is fully sovereign over creation, using even the natural world to carry out His purposes (vv. 8–9). Yet even in judgment, His call to repentance remains clear, though many continue to harden their hearts (vv. 9, 11). Jesus also warns His people to stay ready – “Behold, I am coming like a thief” – calling them to live with watchfulness and faithfulness (v. 15). When the final declaration comes – “It is done!” – it marks the completion of God’s plan and the certainty that evil will be fully judged and removed. Jesus is both the One who warns and the One who will bring history to its appointed end.

🌀 Reflection:
God’s judgment is just, even when it is severe. Do you trust His justice, and are you living ready for His return?

💬 Mission Challenge:
Live with urgency today – turn fully to Jesus and encourage someone else to be ready for His return.

Continue reading in our NT260 plan in the rest of Phase 4 — That You May Believe.