Who can withstand the wrath of the Lamb?
by Tatiana Overduin
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Then the kings of the earth … and everyone else, both slave and free, hid … and called ‘… hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb’ (Revelation 6:15–17).
Read Revelation 6:1-17
Wrath and Lamb; these two words don’t seem to fit together, do they? What a contrast! The meek sacrificial Lamb, who bore our sins upon the cross at Calvary, stands here now, as the all-powerful, victorious judge!
The visual imagery depicted in today’s reading is terrifying: who will be able to withstand the wrath of the Lamb? Powerful horsemen bringing doom and destruction upon the earth, and a Lamb, a triumphant Lamb, who has the power and authority over all the universe, the only one worthy to open the scrolls – he who has the power to unveil a future of annihilation upon humanity as we now know it. ‘Heaven and earth will pass away, but God’s word will remain forever’ (Matthew 24:35). And despite the cry for peace in our world, God discloses this future to us. Why? So that we might prepare our souls for deliverance from the Great Tribulation (Matthew 24:15–41).
At this point, we pause and take a deep breath because, again, we may ponder the question: ‘Who then will be able to withstand the wrath of the Lamb?’ The Bible informs us that those who are called by God (2 Chronicles 7:14); those who believe and are baptised in Christ’s name (Mark 16:16); those who daily repent (Acts 2:38,39); those who remain faithful to God’s teachings (John 8:31); and those who endure to the end will be saved (Matthew 24:13).
‘Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!’ (John 1:29).
The gospel is worth our lives for eternity! We are to love Jesus, with heart, mind and soul. The day of the Lord will come, and then we will meet the Judge. Expert biblical scholars would educate us that the Book of Revelation is not just about symbolic representation. This scriptural book reveals more than myths and legends of long ago, of fairytales and dreams. Here we have God’s word, revealed to us. And God’s word contains a clear warning. In our present time, Christ defers punishment, but sin will run its course. We are reminded, here, of the Parable of the Ten Virgins (Matthew 25): Have you enough oil? Are you prepared? Are you ready?
O Lamb of God, slain for our sin, we come before your throne with grateful hearts. O Lord of all truth, teach us your way, so we may be ready for the great day of the Lord. Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy, Lord have mercy on us. Amen.
Tatiana is married to Jim, and they live in Largs North, a seaside location in Adelaide. They have two adult children and six grandchildren, who are a wonderful blessing to them both. Tatiana teaches full-time as an English, History and Religion teacher; she gained a Bachelor of Arts in Theology from Australian Lutheran College in 1996, and in her spare time, she enjoys knitting, gardening, singing for church, writing and swimming. Her home congregation is Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Adelaide.
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