I have found myself revisiting my sermon notes often throughout this Bookends series… one of my favorite quotes I wrote down from the very first sermon in Revelation was this:

“Revelation’s intent is to comfort us and encourage us, not to freak us out.”

Anyone else feel like we’re only six chapters in and it’s time for a recap and a deep breathing exercise? I’ve got to admit, imagination is not my strong suit, and all of the symbolic imagery in this book often freaks me out. Way back in the first sermon in Revelation, we focused on three things that unite us throughout this book: Tribulation, The Kingdom, and Patient Endurance. How do these three aspects come into play in this stampede of colorful, terrifying horsemen? Even in this chapter, of this overwhelming book, we see how all of scripture is brought together to accomplish the same plan that has been laid out in the Bible all along.

Each seal that is opened by the Lamb depicts an intensely vibrant vision, and each vision introduces an instrument employed by the Lamb to bring his enemies to justice, rationalize his righteous wrath, and execute his necessary judgement. The horses that are called to “come”, only to bring destruction and devastation come only under the Lamb’s authority and direction. The promise throughout the Bible is that the Lamb will establish His Kingdom. White, red, black, pale… greed, war, famine, disease… martyrs crying out for relief...and then the earth falls apart. Is this reality really that hard to imagine?

It’s easy to get distracted by the outlandish images that come to mind while reading through the visions in Revelation… but as we look past these horsemen, we see a struggle that is evident even now. Our world is broken, there is already division and  a lack of peace, already people struggling to meet their most basic needs of food and shelter, already our bodies decay from disease and death that is unstoppable, already we cry “how long?”, already our earth groans and quakes. What do we do with this?

On Sunday  Jeremy suggested, we grieve and we hope. Grief and hope are familiar heart postures for God’s people on a large historical scale and on a small intimate scale. As we take in these visions in Revelation, we must cast our eyes upon God’s promise to establish His Kingdom. God is love, he created us, we failed him, we deserve death, God has mercy, God extends redemption and reconciliation to his beloved and imperfect creatures for his own glory. What struck me from Sunday’s sermon was the crucial aspect of our focus. When we focus on ourselves, on humanity, on our efforts or our plans as the purpose of God’s story...we miss the point, and easily fall into a trap of despair. However, when we behold the goodness of God and look to his sovereign plan, we are empowered for patient endurance through tribulation for the sake of God’s kingdom. Tribulation occurs on both macro and micro levels. Whether I’m experiencing suffering as I consider the pain occurring in all corners of the world, or when examining my own heart after I’ve been defeated by the same, agonizing sin… we are not unfamiliar with anguish, and neither is our King Jesus. God sent us a Savior who could empathize with our every experience, including our deep suffering. Jesus says to us, I am your brother in this difficult reality. So, we can trust and hope that when God does not extend delivering grace from our present painful circumstance, He always extends sustaining grace. God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit lead us in this practice of grief and hope, and it ends with all of the sadness coming undone. His story ends with peace and eternal glory that we have been invited into because of His great love.

~ Emily Leslie