The Wrath of the Lamb

The prayer of these martyrs is heartfelt, sincere, and biblically grounded. They do not cry out for personal revenge or vengeance but for divine justice. Further, they trust all of this into the hands of our sovereign Master and Lord: “This is how I feel! I will leave the rest up to You, my God.”

God’s care for these martyred saints is made clear in verse 11: “A white robe was given to each of them.” The white robe symbolizes blessedness, dignity, honor, purity, victory, and most of all the imputed righteousness of Christ. They are then “told to rest a little while longer until the number would be completed . . . who were going to be killed just as they had been.” More “fellow slaves” of Christ and “brothers” of Christ are yet to shed their blood for Jesus. Until then, rest, be patient, trust in the Lord of all the earth who will do right (Gen 18:25). Osborne is helpful here: “The emphasis is on divine sovereignty. God knows each one who is to be martyred, and will vindicate them all at the proper time, which will be soon” (Revelation, 289). God’s delay does not mean He does not know. It does not mean He does not care. He knows and He cares. So rest. Justice has been determined and justice will be done. “Those who have died for the faith (and those who will yet die), have not suffered in vain. They are secure because they have the robe of Christ’s righteousness” (Goldsworthy, Lamb and the Lion, 51). Yes, we have His righteousness, and we can trust in His judgment.

REVELATION 6:12-14

In verse 11 the martyrs for Jesus are told to wait, “to rest a little while longer.” They are not told to wait forever. The great day of the wrath of the Lamb is coming. Indeed, it is coming much sooner than most expect. Far too many will not be ready.

“Then I saw Him open the sixth seal.” John sees Jesus break this seal just as He had broken seals one through five. All that has happened and is about to happen is under His sovereign control and direction. This is a divine doing. “He’s got the whole world in His hands.” What follows leaves no one in doubt.

The Lamb opens the sixth seal, and cosmic upheaval is the result. The Bible repeatedly promises such happenings when our Lord draws history to a close (see Isa 13:9-10; Joel 2:10-11; 2:28-32; 3:14-16; Matt 24:29-30; Mark 13:24-37; Luke 21:25-28). Some fine Bible scholars view these judgments as only symbolic, perhaps signifying political and social upheaval. I believe, however, it is better to understand these end-time events as genuine descriptions, in apocalyptic terms, of God’s direct intervention in eschatological judgment. The imminent end of history has come.

“A violent earthquake occurs.” Earthquakes often accompany a divine visitation in Scripture (Exod 19:18; Isa 2:19; Hag 2:6; Matt 24:7; 27:51). Zechariah 14:4 tells us when Messiah comes again, “On that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east. The Mount of Olives will be split in half from east to west, forming a huge valley, so that half the mountain will move to the north and half to the south.” Cosmic upheaval also impairs the light of the sun so that it is darkened like a dark cloth made from goat’s hair and worn in times of mourning. The moon likewise is affected and appears like the deep, red color of blood. Some speculate that worldwide earthquakes will produce catastrophic volcanic activity spewing ash and smoke throughout the atmosphere, and that this causes the darkening of the sun and the reddening of the moon. Whatever the cause, all of this is a sign of God visiting His world in judgment. But there is more.

“The stars of heaven fell.” The word translated “stars” simply refers to any celestial body, large or small, having the appearance of a star. A meteor or asteroid shower is possibly in view and they fall “as a fig tree drops its unripe figs when shaken by a high wind.”

John then writes in verse 14, “The sky separated like a scroll being rolled up; and every mountain and island was moved from its place.” Precisely what this describes we can only guess. What we do know is there is a total cosmic meltdown. The Day of the Lord has arrived in its climactic and eschatological reality. The wrath of the Lamb is here! On that day no one will be in doubt as to what is happening and who is bringing all of this about.

REVELATION 6:15

In Acts 10:34 Peter says, “God doesn’t show favoritism.” James 2:1-9 is even more direct, concluding with, “If you show favoritism, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.” Just as God’s salvation shows no favoritism among the nations, neither will His judgment.

When the day of judgment arrives, no one will be excluded or excused. Those who normally get special treatment will get none. “Kings of the earth, the nobles, the military commanders, the rich, the powerful” will not escape the wrath of the Lamb. Their sense of status and privilege will vanish in an instant when they stand before the Lord Jesus Christ (v. 17). Untouchable in this life, they are totally vulnerable to the One whose piercing gaze is “like a fiery flame” (1:14; 2:18; 19:12). On that day all earthly status and privilege will count for nothing.

“Every slave and free person” will have to do business with the Lamb on that great day. No one gets a pass. All must and will give an account. Divine judgment is the great equalizer. The free person will be held accountable by God. The slave will be held accountable by God. From the Roman emperor to the lowest slave, all social distinctions evaporate before the judgment bar of God. Gordon Fee notes, “Following these various forms of ‘the mighty,’ John finally includes everyone else, both slave and free; and with this he has simply included all of the known human race that made up the Roman Empire” (Revelation, 101). The nature of God’s judgment is comprehensive. We all must give an account.

REVELATION 6:15-17

You would think all of this would drive people to God in brokenness, confession, and repentance. Tragically, that is not what happens. Here, as well as in 9:20-21 and 16:11, there is no repentance or sorrow over sin. Faced with the awesomeness of God’s wrath, people “plead for a violent death (cf. Isa 2:10, 19–21; Hos 10:8; Luke 23:20)” (Duvall, Revelation, 109). Death is more desired, foolishly I might add, than a relationship with the Lamb who was slaughtered on their behalf.

Like their primordial parents, Adam and Eve, human persons become fearful and irrational fugitives. They “hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains.” They even talk to the mountains and rocks asking them to be their executioners: “Fall on us and hide us . . . from the wrath of the Lamb.” This is utterly amazing. “The sacrificial Lamb has now become their Judge. . . . They hide from his face, whereas believers are comforted by the promise that one day they will see God’s face (22:4)” (Duvall, Revelation, 109) However, no one can hide from the omnipresent and omniscient God. No one can escape, as we see repeatedly in Revelation, the fiery gaze of the Lamb (1:14; 2:18; 19:12). Can we hide from Him who sees all things? Sin truly makes us stupid. It turns us into fools.

The time of Jacob’s trouble is here (Jer 30:7). Daniel’s seventieth week is on us (Dan 9:24-27). The great tribulation has come (Rev 7:14). The Day of the Lord has arrived. The great day of the wrath of the Lamb visits planet Earth. Only one question remains: “Who can stand?” The answer, of course, is, “No one!” No one can stand! Rather than turn to Christ in faith, they hide in fear. And according to verse 16, they know from whom they are hiding! They know who has come and what has come. Knowing it is the Lord and His judgment, they run rather than repent. They flee rather than turn to Christ in faith. The great and awesome Day of the Lord is here. The end has finally arrived. What will men do? What can they do? No one can stand before divine judgment. No one. Craig Keener is right:

The impact on the reader is . . . complete: There is no security, no firm ground to stand on, nothing in the universe to depend on except God himself. The rest of creation will collapse. (Revelation, 225)

A great day is coming for every one of us when we will come face-to-face with the Lamb. We will either stand with Him in His salvation or stand before Him at His judgment. We will either rejoice in His glorious grace or be terrified before His righteous wrath. Grace or wrath? Forgiveness or condemnation? Where will you stand? Take your stand for the Lamb, King Jesus, now. A day is coming when it will be too late.