The Tribulation can be challenging to understand for believers and non-believers alike. But we must remember that though God is a God of mercy and grace, He is also the Righteous Judge and must one day judge evil. While no one knows the day or the time, He will, possibly soon, begin opening the seven seals of Revelation 6 and unleashing final judgment on all who refuse to repent and turn to Him for forgiveness. What will that look like?

Welcome to “God’s Word Day by Day.” Why not make the coming year the best ever when it comes to your understanding and enjoyment of Scripture by signing up for these daily devotionals or subscribing to the YouTube version? (If you are already signed up, you will automatically continue receiving them.)

And now on to the Word …

Today’s Readings:

Amos 8 & 9
Psalm 143.1-6
Proverbs 30.1-4
Revelation 6.1-17

The Tribulation, Opening the 7 Seals & God’s Judgment

Revelation 6.1-17:

The First Six Seals

Well, we’re getting into the heart of the book of Revelation—today chapter 6.

In this chapter, John will see a vision of the beginning of God’s wrath represented by the seven seals on the scroll. Chapter 6 briefly describes the opening of the first six.

The First Seal

The first of the seven seals reveals a white horse, on it a rider with a bow who goes out “conquering and to conquer.” Although there is a bow, there are no arrows, so this conquering will be done through peaceful means—lies and deception. So, at first, there will appear to be a time of peace, but it will be short-lived.

The Second Seal

The second seal reveals another horse and rider. This time the horse is red representing bloodshed—war and wholesale killing. The killing will not only involve warfare, but murder will become commonplace.

The Third Seal

The third seal reveals a black horse and rider. The black horse speaks of famine and shortages. This will lead to rationing, food lines, and price gouging.

The Fourth Seal

When the fourth seal is opened we see a pale horse and his rider—Death, followed by Hades. This pale or ashen color is the color of a corpse when it is decaying. This horseman will be given the power to kill one-fourth of the world’s population.

The Fifth Seal

The fifth seal reveals the Saints in heaven praying for God’s judgment on evil and evil men. They are told to wait a little longer until their number is complete.

Heaven Rolled Back like a Scroll

While God will use men and their evil nature to bring about the first four seal judgments, when the sixth of the seven seals is opened He will reveal Himself as the force behind it all. John MacArthur says, “The force described in this seal is overpowering fear.”

Heaven will be rolled back like a scroll and men will see God on His throne, but instead of praising Him, they will recoil in terror.

¹⁴ Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. ¹⁵ And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, ¹⁶ and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! ¹⁷ For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”

This seal unleashes a worldwide earthquake involving all the earth’s faults. These earthquakes will lead to volcanic eruptions. The smoke and ash will cause the moon to appear blood-red. Verse 13 says, the “stars of heaven” will fall to the earth which may describe a huge meteor shower.

In all of this, as horrible as it will be, I see God’s mercy, His final attempt to say, “Repent or perish.” His desire is that all would repent, but sadly, we know many will not, even when faced with the reality of God’s judgment and wrath.

Tomorrow chapter 7 …

Today’s Other Readings:

Amos 8 & 9:

The One Who Judges Righteously

Amos continues to speak to and warn the people of the Northern Kingdom. In chapter 8 he rebukes them for their focus on the things of this world instead of worshiping the God who created it all.

Instead of resting and worshiping on the Sabbath and other holy days, they were anxious for them to be over so they could get on with buying and selling and even cheating in the process.

Chapter 8:

4 Hear this, you who swallow up the needy,
And make the poor of the land fail,
5 Saying.
“When will the New Moon be past,
That we may sell grain?
And the Sabbath,
That we may trade wheat?
Making the ephah small and the shekel large,
Falsifying the scales by deceit,
6 That we may buy the poor for silver,
And the needy for a pair of sandals—
Even sell the bad wheat?”
7 The LORD has sworn by the pride of Jacob.
“ Surely I will never forget any of their works.

Just as the Tribulation will show, the God of mercy is also a God of justice. Those who have sinned in this life and never repented and accepted His gift of forgiveness and new birth will give an accounting, either in this life or the next.

Psalm 143.1-6:

The One Who Will Dry Every Tear

Yesterday I recommended reading the Psalms when you are struggling with discouragement, grief, or other negative emotions. This psalm is a great example of how the Patriarchs poured out their hearts to God during their times of struggle and despair.

David begins this Psalm by calling on God, not on the basis of his own righteousness, but on the righteousness and faithfulness of God—the only way any of us can come to Him. Then he goes on to tell God how he feels—persecuted in the deepest part of his soul, crushed, in darkness, overwhelmed, distressed. But once he has poured out his heart, he turns his attention to God:

I remember the days of old; I meditate on all Your works; I muse on the work of Your hands. I spread out my hands to You; my soul longs for You like a thirsty land (vv. 5-6).

When you are discouraged and distressed to what or to whom do you turn for comfort and encouragement? Let it be the One who will, eventually, right every wrong and dry every tear!

Proverbs 30.1-4:

The One with Whom Wisdom Begins & Ends

The writer of this portion of Proverbs began by recognizing that his own wisdom was worth nothing:

Surely I am more stupid than any man, and do not have the understanding of a man. I neither learned wisdom nor have knowledge of the Holy One  (vv. 2-3).

He went on:

Who has ascended into heaven, or descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has bound the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is His Son’s name, if you know?

He realized, as we all should, that all wisdom begins and ends with the Sovereign God of the universe. And while we can never fully understand God in His power and wisdom, we can grow in our ability to know and understand Him as we spend time with Him in prayer and in His Word.

Coming Up:

In the next few days, we’ll talk about grace, the responsibility involved in being a true friend, and the opening of the last of the seven seals and the seven trumpet judgments in Revelation. We will, also, pose questions like, “Should we say ‘what goes around comes around?’” and “Are we placing our hope in truth or lies?” I hope you’ll join us.

Get Ready for the Coming Year with a Plan for Your Bible Reading

The holidays are just around the corner and the new year will be on us before we know it. What will you do to make Bible reading an ongoing habit in the coming year? I want to encourage you to set a goal to read through the Bible again or for the first time.

Sign up here for my daily email or subscribe on YouTube for the video version. Following along with me can help you stay on track. And I believe you’ll benefit from the additional information I share and grow as you learn to apply God’s Word to your own life.

Here’s a short video about what we’re doing on YouTube. 

If this post spoke to you, I hope you’ll share it on your favorite social media platform.

Blessings as you grow in Christ,
Donna ♥

Here’s today’s YouTube video:

Note about this post:

I began blogging through the Bible in 2012 and have done so every year since then. These posts are the product of many edits and additions throughout those years. Some days I make major changes, other days fewer. 

A while ago, I read Jen Wilkin’s book None Like Him about the attributes of God. One is His incomprehensibility. In it, she says, “God is incomprehensible. This does not mean that he is unknowable, but that he is unable to be fully known.”

I have found that to be true each year as I’ve gone back through the Bible. Sometimes I find myself feeling as if a passage just appeared there for the first time. I’m reminded that no matter how many times we read through the Bible, we have only scratched the surface. I hope you feel the same.

Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26.14)

I sometimes LINKUP with these blogs.