God Listens
Revelation 6:9-10 (NLT)
9 When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of all who had been martyred for the word of God and for being faithful in their testimony. 10They shouted to the Lord and said, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you judge the people who belong to this world and avenge our blood for what they have done to us?”
I was an unabashed fan of wrestling as a kid. And I’m not taking it back. I loved it. The most dreaded heels (bad guys) of the 1980s were the Four Horsemen led by Ric Flair. You can probably hear his trademark “Woooo!” in your mind right now. They brought evil and destruction everywhere they went. As a young fan, I craved nothing more than to see them defeated. I wondered every Saturday if some hero would finally step up and save wrestling.
Sometimes, we wonder the same thing about our world. Will anyone step up to save us from those who bring evil into the world? John’s original readers in Revelation had similar questions.
John begins chapter six of Revelation by describing the first of the seven seals. Seven is a number John uses many times in Revelation. The first four seals are images of horsemen. The first is a picture of a conquering general or emperor. Think of the Roman Caesar of John’s time; that’s probably whom the original readers of Revelation pictured. The second brought conquest and war. Again, think of the Romans. The third brought famine. Roman policies often created widespread famine in an effort to feed the citizens of the city of Rome. The fourth was death. Rome made death a sport.
These four horsemen are a perfect representation of the problems their world, and ours, face. It’s the evil humans do to other humans, and Satan is behind it all. The fifth seal is a prayer from the martyrs, those killed for their faith. How long God will wait is their question. Will God set things right? Can He even do that when the Romans seem so powerful?
The answer to that prayer is found in the sixth seal, and it’s a resounding yes. God listens when we pray. Images like earthquakes, the sun darkening, the moon becoming red, and stars falling were used often in the Old Testament to represent the overturning of the world’s order and leadership. God is reminding John’s readers, and us, that He will set things right. He will, and did, judge the Romans. Anyone who steps into our day to bring the same evil will face the same judgment. It may not happen immediately, but it will happen.
It’s the theme throughout Revelation: God Always Wins!
You may feel like our world is out of control, or just too far gone. But Revelation reminds us that God has the final say. He hears our prayers, and He is watching. God sees us. He has a plan. At just the right time, our God will bring justice. He is a God of love and mercy, but He will never smile and wink at evil. He is just. Revelation truly is a book of hope for all of us. It reminds us that no matter what, God is for us.