If you have ever been involved in a single camera film shoot, you won't be surprised when the actors repeat one scene over and over again. The first time round, the camera may be picking up just wideshots, the second time it is close ups of the actors' expressions; the 3rd time the director may be taking pickup shots. In short, every detail in the location has to be taped on camera, even if it did not seem significant then. This is to make sure that when the footages are edited, it has all the finesse of a polished piece of filmaking with all the nuances and different angles making up the same story.
Reading Revelation is the same. First we must wade through the text itself. In chapters 6 - 7, the actual drama unfolds. Three times throughout Revelation, visions are carefully structured in sets of seven (chapters 6-7, 8-11, 15-16). Just imagine that the camera is in one position in chapters 6-7, and it has taped one story, ie one cycle has completed. Then imagine that the camera shifts position in chapters 8-11, so that it will get a different angle of the same reality from another perspective. Same goes for chapters 15-16.
Clearer?
No? Do not worry. It is actually very simple. We read chapters 6-11 in cycles.
Cycle 1 - Chapters 4:1 - 8:1
Cycle 2 - Chapters 8:2 - 11:18
Each cycle tells the same story, but from a different perspective or angle. The rest of the structure in Revelation will follow this pattern of cycles. Note that this structure is help observe the text structure, not interpret it!
Good.
Chapter 6
Observations
This passage is famously known as the Four Apocalyptic Horsemen.
Horseman 1: White, rides out to conquer. he seems to be like Jesus. Widely held views think this is the AntiChrist, or a spirit of conquest or delusion (false prophets and doctrine). His bow indicates he is a warrior, his crown indicates he is a ruler.
Horseman 2: Red, rides out with war and violence. Men slaughtering each other, peace taken away from the earth
Horseman 3: Black, rides out with economic adversity. Note that prices of staples (wheat, barley) has become extremely high, famine.
Horseman 4: Pale, riding out with death. Violence, hunger, pestilence and killings by wild animals.
Question: Do you think the horsemen appears chronologically, one after another? Or?
The 4 horsemen were represented by 4 seals. In the 5th seal, we see martyrs crying out to God asking for revenge. God gave them white robes and told them to relax while waiting for their complete number to fill up. There will be more martyrs coming soon.
Food for thought: Martyrs absorb the tension of the colliding worlds between that of Christ and non-Christ's. The church is caught in the crunch of this collision. Her role is to absorb this suffering, so that others may have a shot a redemption too.
When the sixth seal was opened, it describes the Day of the Lord. A cosmic meltdown as God takes His hands off creation. As God holds the universe together in His hands, it is unimaginable when He takes it off! This will not just be climate calamities, tornados, tsunami and earthquakes... this will be nothing creation has ever witnessed... nature melting away. People will run helter skelter to the caves hoping the rocks will fall on them, rather than face the wrath of God. Who is able to stand???
Chapter 7
Observations
Good news! God tells us who will be able to stand on that terrible Day (or time). Four angels holding back the full wrath of God, with instructions not to damage anything until the servants of God had been marked! Note the 12 tribes of marked people here are not the original 12 sons of Israel.
Question: Do you think the 12 tribes mentioned here signify a "physical Israel"?
Food for thought: Those who had put their trust in Christ will / may be required to go through tribulation, but they are never under the wrath of God. Tribulation (suffering and death) is clearly a part of what the church was enduring and yet to endure. God's wrath, on the other hand, is His judgement poured out upon those who had afflicted God's people. It is very clear from Revelation that God's people will not endure God's wrath when it is poured out on their enemies, but equally clear that they will indeed suffer at the hands of their enemies. This distinction is in keeping with the New Testament spirit.
Chapter 8
Observation
If you had watched "Pirates of the Carribean 3" or "Ironman" recently, you will find out there is a scene at the end of the credit roll. This scene sets the stage for the sequel that is coming soon.
Chapter 8 is that extra scene at the end of the story. It sets the stage for the next cycle - the 7 Trumpets. It is like a "table of contents" at the beginning of a book that pre-emps the reader what to expect before he proceeds to read.
More shall be discussed as we enter the cycle of the 7 Trumpets.
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