The Truth Marches On

David Peterson / General

Revelation 2023 / Revelation 6:1–11

Introduction

1. The whole world seemingly gripped by the Titan story

2. Every good story is a retelling of the human story/condition

I. The Will to Dominion and Its Distortion (Revelation 6:2)

1. The true calling is dominion (Genesis 1:28)

2. The distortion, self-agrandizement

Revelation 6:1–2 (TNTC Re): The first four seals form a unity. They show us the self-defeating character of sin. When the spirit of self-aggrandizement and conquest is abroad, all God needs to do is to let events take their course and sinners will inevitably be punished. In the wake of conquest come war and famine and pestilence. This is not the whole story and other aspects are brought out later (as in the first four trumpets, which show that God is not inactive: he sends his judgments on sinful people). But this is the aspect with which John is concerned here.

II. The Inevitable Result Conflict, Lack, and Death (Revelation 6:3-8)

1. The judgments follow naturally. As Romans says God gives us over.

2. American civil war

750,000

Total number of deaths from the Civil War

504

Deaths per day during the Civil War

2.5

Approximate percentage of the American population that died during the Civil War

7,000,000

Number of Americans lost if 2.5% of the American population died in a war today

Nearly 500,000 military personnel died during the U.S. Civil War. That’s almost half of all Americans who have ever died during wartime, and more than a hundred times more than died during the American Revolution (PBS)

Lincoln

“(T)he blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword”: Lincoln’s view of the war as the “Lord’s judgement” for slavery at his 2nd inauguration

III. The True Conquerors

Some have seen in the white robe a reference to justification (as in 19:8). The robes are given, for people do not justify themselves. God justifies them. Perhaps more probable is the view that (as with the white horse in v. 2) white is to be seen as the colour of victory. The martyrs appeared to have been defeated by their enemies. Actually they had been given the victory by God. As in verse 6, there is a speech without the speaker being named. But clearly the words are authoritative. The martyrs are to wait a little longer. The verb wait (anapauomai) may mean ‘be quiet a little while longer’ (Goodspeed), or ‘rest in blessedness’ (cf. 14:13). Both may be in mind, but there is surely more of an emphasis on the latter.

Morris, L. (1987). Revelation: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 20, p. 109). InterVarsity Press.

Conclusion

Mine eyes hath seen the glory of the coming of the Lord

He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored

He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword

His truth is marching on

Glory, glory, hallelujah

Battle Hymn of The Republic