The book of Revelation is the pulling back of the curtain so that we can see what the future of God's people will be. This revelation is our glorious hope as we look to Jesus in these days of tribulation and know for sure he is coming back to take us home.

Moving into chapter 6 of Revelation we see the Lamb holding the scroll and opening its seals. There are seven in total, but this chapter only shows us six of them as they are opened. There are images here that our time and distance from John receiving this revelation don't help us see at first their meaning.

The first four seals shows us four horses and horsemen coming out, telling us what the world will endure in the last days. The last days are the period between Christ's ascension and his return. The fifth seal is the cry of the martyrs, assuring us that this period of suffering won't last for ever. As the sixth seal is opened we see that judgement is coming on the earth and those who do not know salvation in Jesus will fear this moment.

As we look at this passage today we must ask ourselves if we will have confidence on the day of judgement to stand before the risen Lord Jesus. This confidence isn't of our own making but comes only through salvation in Christ. Revelation 6 is a reality check for us of the times in which we live and it is a challenge that we know for sure we are saved in Christ and in him alone.

Glorious Hope is a podcast teaching series from Annalong Presbyterian Church. You can find out more at http://www.annalongpc.org/sermons.

Get your copy of the ESV Scripture Journal (Revelation) wherever you get your Christian books to help your own study in this series.

A video of this podcast is available at https://youtu.be/8nX8l0PbKRw.