WHEN THE LAMB BREAKS THE WORLD

ANCHOR MOVEMENT

The Deception of False Peace The Escalation of God’s Judgment The Revelation of God’s Wrath

BIG IDEA

If you are not in Christ when He judges, nothing will stand, but because He is the Lamb who was slain, you can.

INTRODUCTION

Chapters 4 and 5 described the praise offered in heaven to God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Chapter 4 extols God as creator (cf. 4:11) while chapter 5 extols Jesus Christ as redeemer (cf. 5:9–10).

Revelation 5 ends with the Lamb taking the scroll.

Everything is ready.

God’s plan is not waiting to be written, it’s waiting to be executed.

Suddenly, as the seals begin to be opened in chapter 6,

Revelation 6 answers the question:

What happens when He opens it?

The praise ceases in anticipation of the coming judgment, because when the Lamb breaks the seals

The world does not stabilize.

It unravels.

The scene now shifts from heaven to earth, which will be the focus of events through the return of Christ in chapter 19 and the establishment of His earthly kingdom in chapter 20.

And what gets exposed is not just history…

it’s the human heart under divine pressure.

These seals are not random disasters.

They are the beginning of God’s final judgments, unfolding in a deliberate, escalating sequence.

And they are meant to warn.

To expose.

To call people to repentance.

But instead of turning, the world hardens.

The Deception of False Peace The Escalation of God’s Judgment The Revelation of God’s Wrath

1. THE DECEPTION OF FALSE PEACE Revelation 6:1–2

The Lamb Opens (v. 1)

Revelation 6:1 NIV

I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, “Come!”

“The Lamb opened one of the seals…”

Everything begins with Christ.

MacArthur is clear:

The judgments of Revelation are not accidental; they are initiated by the Lamb Himself.

This is critical theologically:

The same Christ who redeems also judges.

This is not chaos.

This is controlled, sovereign judgment.

The White Horse (v. 2)

Revelation 6:2 NIV

I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.

“A white horse… a bow… a crown… conquering…”

At first glance, this resembles Christ in Revelation 19.

Some, seeing a parallel with 19:11, identify the one who sat on the white horse as Christ. But since Christ opens the sealed scroll, He cannot be the rider. Further, this rider wears a stephanos, a crown won as a prize; in 19:12 Christ wears many diadēmas, royal crowns. Unlike this rider, who carries a bow, Christ carries a sword (19:15). Finally, Christ returns at the end of the Tribulation, not at its beginning.

But MacArthur argues strongly:

This is not Christ; it is a false messiah figure, representing the rise of a global deceptive leader.

The Crown (Stephanos)

A victor’s wreath.

Not a king’s crown (diadēma).

MacArthur:

This indicates temporary, permitted authority, not rightful kingship.

His crown (stephanos) is a winner’s crown. He is no real king and has no real monarch’s crown (diadēma), but has won a crown from the world for his triumphant achievements leading to world peace.

The Bow (Without Arrows)

MacArthur notes:

The absence of arrows suggests bloodless conquest.

Not war.

Influence.

Diplomacy.

Manipulation.

The Conquest

“Bent on conquest…”

MacArthur connects this to:

A false peace movement, where the world unifies under deceptive leadership.

That the rider had a bow but no arrows, and that he was honored with a crown that was freely given to him, reveals that his conquering will involve bloodless victories.

He will not conquer by military force, but by cunning and deceit (cf. 2 Thess. 2:9–11). His conquest will be a “cold war” victory, a peace won by agreement, not conflict (Dan. 9:24–27).

Even as the final doom of the world approaches, Antichrist will promise a golden age of peace and prosperity. In gratitude, the world will honor him and elevate him to the position of supreme leadership. But both the accolades and the peace will be short-lived.

Theological Meaning

This is the first stage of judgment:

God gives the world what it wants: peace without Christ.

It may seem incredible that the world, hovering on the brink of final disaster, could be so totally deceived. Yet that is precisely what happened on a smaller scale before the outbreak of the most devastating war to date, World War II. Adolf Hitler spelled out in detail his plans for conquest in his book Mein Kampf, published more than a decade before World War II began. Yet, incredibly, the Western allies (particularly Britain and France) persisted in believing Hitler’s false claim to be a man of peace. They stood idly by as he reoccupied the Rhineland (demilitarized after World War I), thus abrogating the Versailles Treaty, then annexed Austria, the Sudetenland, and Czechoslovakia. Desperate to appease Hitler and avoid war, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain met with the Nazi dictator at Munich in 1938. Upon his return to England, Chamberlain triumphantly waved a piece of paper (containing a worthless pledge of peace from Hitler) which he claimed guaranteed “peace with honor … peace for our time.” When Winston Churchill (one of the few never taken in by Hitler) rose in the House of Commons to declare that England had suffered a total, unmitigated defeat he was shouted down by angry members of Parliament. The deception was nearly universal; almost everyone misread Hitler’s intentions. Only after he invaded Poland in September 1939 did the allies finally acknowledge the truth. By then it was too late to avoid the catastrophe of the Second World War.

The world embraces what looks like salvation, but it is the setup for judgment.

Peace without Christ is never stable.

It is always temporary.

And once that false peace is established, it collapses immediately.

2. THE ESCALATION OF GOD’S JUDGMENT Revelation 6:3–11

The Pattern

MacArthur emphasizes:

These seals mirror Jesus’ Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24)

False peace → war → famine → death

This is not random.

This is divinely ordered escalation.

The Second Seal: War (v.3–4)

The world’s euphoric mood of peace and harmony will be rudely shattered as the second horse and rider appear on the scene.

Just as World War II followed the deceptive peace promoted by Hitler, so devastating wars will spread throughout the world following the collapse of Antichrist’s false peace.

Here the story turns ugly and remains that way until the true King returns to establish His kingdom.

Revelation 6:3–4 NIV

When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make people kill each other. To him was given a large sword.

“A red horse… to take peace from the earth…”

“To take peace...”

MacArthur:

The false peace of the first seal is short-lived.

It collapses into global conflict.

“Its rider was given power...”

This matters.

God permits this.

MacArthur insight:

God is not causing evil, He is removing restraint, allowing human sin to run its course.

“To make people kill each other...”

This is not a localized war.

It is global bloodshed.

Peace doesn’t break. It gets exposed.

The Third Seal: Famine (vv. 5–6 ESV)

Revelation 6:5–6 ESV

When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” And I looked, and behold, a black horse! And its rider had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures, saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not harm the oil and wine!”

“A black horse… scales…”

John’s use of the word behold reveals how startled and shocked he was by the rider’s ominous appearance.

The color black is associated with famine in Lamentations 5:10

Lamentations 5:10 KJV

Our skin was black like an oven because of the terrible famine.

Famine is a logical consequence of worldwide war as food supplies are destroyed and those involved in food production are killed.

Jesus also predicted this future famine in Matthew 24:7

Matthew 24:7 NIV

Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.

The Scales

MacArthur:

This represents rationing and controlled distribution of food.

The Prices

“A denarius for wheat…”

One day’s wage → one meal.

MacArthur explains:

A man can feed himself or his family, but not both.

“Do not harm the oil and wine”

MacArthur insight:

Luxury goods remain available.

The wealthy survive.

The poor starve.

Theological Meaning

Judgment exposes inequality and greed.

When systems collapse, the human heart is revealed.

The Fourth Seal: Death (v.7–8)

Revelation 6:7–8 NIV

When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.

“A pale horse… Death… Hades…”

The Color: Chlōros

John described the final horse as an ashen horse. Chlōros (ashen), from which the English words “chlorophyll” and “chlorine” derive, refers to a sickly, pale, yellow-green color.

It describes green vegetation in its only other New Testament uses (8:7; 9:4; Mark 6:39).

The horse’s color vividly portrays the pale-green pallor of death characteristic of the decomposition of a corpse.

A vivid picture of death itself.

Fittingly, the rider who sat on it had the ominous name Death. Death on a massive scale is the inevitable consequence of widespread war and famine.

In this macabre and terrifying scene, John saw Hades … following with Death.

Hades (here representing the grave) becomes, as it were, the grave digger, burying the remains of Death’s victims. Death and Hades are also paired in 1:18 and 20:13, 14.

Authority Over a Fourth

This is unprecedented global death

About 8 billion people (8.3 billion to be exact). This would mean about 2 billion (2.075 billion to be exact would perish)

The Means

Sword. Famine. Pestilence. Beasts.

MacArthur connects this directly to:

Ezekiel’s fourfold judgment pattern

Theological Meaning

This is a cumulative judgment.

Everything is collapsing at once.

What began subtly is now undeniable.

Pause

False peace. War. Famine. Death.

The sword (war) and famine have already been discussed in connection with the second and third seals; the fourth seal exacerbates these conditions.

Pestilence translates thanatos, the same word translated “Death” earlier in verse 8.

Here it may primarily refer to disease as the cause of death (cf. 2:23; 18:8) but is broad enough to encompass natural disasters such as the earthquakes predicted by Jesus (Matt. 24:7), floods, and volcanic eruptions.

It could also refer to the effects of biological and chemical weapons.

MacArthur:

This is the “beginning of birth pains”, it intensifies.

The Fifth Seal: The Martyrs (v.9–11)

As with the first four seals, when the Lamb (the Lord Jesus Christ, who alone has authority to take back the universe; cf. 5:4–5) broke the fifth seal another sequence in the unfolding of divine judgment was revealed, in which John saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain.

These are martyrs, killed during the time of all the judgments. In addition to divine judgment through the false peace, war, famine, and disease dominating the unbelieving world, there will be widespread persecution of believers led by Satan, his demons, and the final Antichrist.

Revelation 6:9–11 NIV

When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters, were killed just as they had been.

Jesus taught that identical sequence of events in His Olivet Discourse in Matthew 24. As noted in chapter 13 of this volume, the first seven verses of Matthew 24 describe the events of the first four seals. Just as the fifth seal describes martyrs, so also does Jesus in Matthew 24:9

Matthew 24:9 NIV

“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me.

The event that marks the midpoint of the Tribulation, the setting up of the “abomination of desolation,” does not occur until verse 15 of Matthew 24.

Matthew 24:15 NIV

“So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand—

Therefore, the persecution Jesus spoke of (that associated with the fifth seal) will begin in the first half of the Tribulation and escalate in the second half, after the abomination of desolation.

The Position

“Under the altar…”

John described the martyrs he saw underneath the altar as souls because their bodily resurrection had not yet taken place (cf. 20:4).

They are the firstfruits of those who will be saved throughout the Tribulation.

Some of them will be Jewish, foreshadowing the salvation of Israel as a whole at the end of the Tribulation (Zech. 12:10; 14:1; Rom. 11:26–29).

The text does not define which altar is in view, nor does the scene in heaven parallel the earthly temple (or tabernacle), which had no throne (cf. 4:2).

The altar John saw is most likely emblematic of the altar of incense in the Old Testament (Ex. 40:5), because of the association of incense with prayer (cf. 5:8; 8:3–4; Ps. 141:2; Luke 1:10).

MacArthur:

This reflects sacrificial imagery, lives poured out for God.

The Reason

Killed for:

the Word

their testimony

MacArthur:

These are tribulation believers, faithful under persecution.

Inevitably, the persecution will sift those who outwardly identify with Jesus Christ. As has been true throughout the history of the church, there will be tares mingled with the wheat (Matt. 13:24–43). But the persecution, as it always does, will reveal who is truly redeemed and who is not. Jesus described this sifting process in Matthew 24:10–12

Matthew 24:10–12 NIV

At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold,

False believers will reveal their lack of genuine saving faith by defecting. First John 2:19 describes such people:

“They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us.”

Genuine believers, on the other hand, will, as always, remain loyal to Jesus Christ, since “the one who endures to the end, he will be saved” (Matt. 24:13).

The redeemed persevere through any trial, including persecution and martyrdom.

The world’s hostility toward Jesus Christ and His followers will not be able to prevent the “gospel of the kingdom” from being “preached in the whole world for a witness to all the nations” (Matt. 24:14).

The preachers will include 144,000 Jewish evangelists (7:1–8; 14:1–5), two powerful preachers known as the two witnesses (11:3ff.), and an angel flying through the sky (14:6–7).

So effective will their preaching be that those who will respond to it and are saved are described in Revelation 7:9 as “a great multitude which no one could count.”

They weren’t killed because they were wrong; they were killed because they were right.

The Cry: “How long?”

MacArthur:

This is not revenge, but a cry for divine justice consistent with God’s holiness.

The fifth seal is not martyrdom, as some suggest, because martyrdom could not be judgment from God. The seals depict God’s wrath and judgment on the evil and ungodly—not His children. The force, then, that is involved in the fifth seal is the prayers of the Tribulation martyrs for God to enact vengeance on their Christ-rejecting murderers.

Prayer will play a vital role in the outpouring of God’s judgments on the earth. This prayer is very different from the one by the martyr Stephen (Acts 7:60) in which he prayed for his killers to not be held guilty by God. This prayer of the martyrs is more like the imprecatory Psalms. A prayer for pardon is appropriate in a time of grace. But when grace is finished and judgment comes, prayers for divine, holy retribution are fitting. Such prayers are not from a desire for revenge, but are a protest against all that is sinful, unholy, dishonoring to God, and destructive to His creation.

Many Christians act as if prayer were a mere formality that has little effect. Yet, amazingly, the prayers of the Tribulation martyrs will move God’s hand of judgment. Jesus illustrated that same principle in the parable of the persistent widow and the unrighteous judge: “Will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly” (Luke 18:7–8). The prayers of the Tribulation martyrs will participate in activating the torments of the sixth and seventh seals along with the trumpet and bowl judgments which follow.

God’s hand of judgment will move in response to the martyrs because their prayers will be urgent, fervent, impassioned, and consistent with His purpose and will. Krazō (cried out) is a strong word that emphasizes the urgent need and denotes strong emotions (cf. Matt. 9:27; 14:26, 30; 15:22; 20:30–31; Mark 9:24). The twenty-four elders and the angels loudly praised God (5:12), and the Tribulation martyrs will petition Him with a loud voice. In keeping with their call for vengeance and justice, they address Him as the Lord, holy and true. Lord does not translate kurios, the common New Testament word for Lord, but the stronger term despotēs (“master,” “ruler”). It speaks of God the Father’s might, power, majesty, and authority.

The martyrs base their appeal for vengeance on two of God’s attributes. Because God is holy, He must judge sin (cf. Ps. 5:4–5; Hab. 1:13; Acts 10:42; 17:31; Rom. 2:16; 3:6; 2 Tim. 4:1); because He is true, He must be faithful to His word and keep His promises (Num. 23:19; 1 Sam. 15:29; Luke 21:33). Revelation 3:7 applies this phrase holy and true to Jesus Christ, thus affirming His deity and full equality with His Father.

The martyrs’ question “How long … will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” does not reflect a personal vendetta on their part. They are not trying to tell God what to do or when to do it; they are asking Him the question because they have a holy desire to see Satan and Antichrist destroyed, iniquity defeated, the wicked judged, and Jesus Christ reigning in glory on the earth. How long is a well-known cry of suffering Israel, reflecting the perplexing question of the righteous as to when their pain will end (cf. Pss. 13:1; 35:17). The phrase those who dwell on the earth is a technical one which refers throughout Revelation to the ungodly (cf. 3:10; 8:13; 11:10; 13:8, 12; 17:2, 8). As was the case with murdered Abel, the very ground cries out for their blood to be required at the hands of their killers.

The time of grace is nearing its end. No longer do God’s people ask God to forgive their enemies. The time is fast approaching when God will judge His enemies, and the Lord Jesus Christ will take His rightful place as earth’s ruler. But since these martyrs are from the first half of the Tribulation, the “beginning of birth pangs,” that time is still a little way off.

The Delay

“Told to rest…”

Two elements make up God’s response to His martyred saints: a symbolic gift, and a spoken word.

The gift that was given to each of them by God as they arrived in heaven was a white robe (stolē; a long robe flowing to the feet). These long, brilliant white robes were a reward of grace (cf. 7:9, 14), symbolizing God’s gift of eternal righteousness, blessedness, dignity, and honor (cf. 3:5). They symbolize all the glory that redeemed saints will enjoy in heaven. These were not actual robes, since what is depicted in this vision is before the resurrection of the bodies of the redeemed, which occurs for Tribulation saints at Christ’s return (20:4–5).

Along with this gift came God’s spoken word, namely that they should rest for a little while longer.

That is not a rebuke for impatience, since impatience is a sin and perfected people in heaven do not sin. Rather, it is an invitation to stop the cry for vengeance and to continue to enjoy the bliss of heavenly rest until God’s time for wrath arrives. The phrase for a little while longer (cf. John 7:33; 12:35) indicates that that time will not be long delayed. As indicated earlier, this seal is best seen as describing a period in the middle of the seven years of tribulation

MacArthur:

God has a fixed number of martyrs.

His plan is exact.

Nothing is random.

God’s silence is not neglect; it is precision.

And when that plan reaches its fullness, judgment shifts.

3. THE REVELATION OF GOD’S WRATH Revelation 6:12–17

The Shift:

The first seals involve human agency.

The sixth seal is direct divine intervention.

The Sixth Seal: Cosmic Collapse (v.12–14)

Revelation 6:12–14 NIV

I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. The heavens receded like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.

The Earthquake: Seismos

MacArthur: A global, catastrophic shaking.

The Sun, Moon, Stars

Sun

Sackcloth was rough cloth worn by mourners, usually made from the hair of black goats. Following the violent earthquake that devastates the earth, the sun will turn as black as a mourner’s robe. Scientist Dr. Henry M. Morris explains what could cause that phenomenon:

The great earthquake described here … for the first time in history is worldwide in scope. Seismologists and geophysicists in recent years have learned a great deal about the structure of the earth and about the cause and nature of earthquakes. The earth’s solid crust is traversed with a complex network of faults, with all resting upon a plastic mantle whose structure is still largely unknown. Whether the crust consists of great moving plates is a current matter of controversy among geophysicists, so the ultimate cause of earthquakes is still not known. In all likelihood, the entire complex of crustal instabilities is a remnant of the phenomena of the great Flood, especially the breakup of the fountains of the great deep. In any case, the vast worldwide network of unstable earthquake belts around the world suddenly will begin to slip and fracture on a global basis and a gigantic earthquake will ensue. This is evidently, and naturally, accompanied by tremendous volcanic eruptions, spewing vast quantities of dust and steam and gases into the upper atmosphere. It is probably these that will cause the sun to be darkened and the moon to appear blood-red. (The Revelation Record [Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale, 1983], 121)

The prophet Joel spoke of these same phenomena in connection with the Day of the Lord: “The sun will be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes” (Joel 2:31; cf. Isa. 13:9–10; Matt. 24:29; Mark 13:24–25; Luke 21:25). Darkness is associated with judgment elsewhere in Scripture (e.g., Ex. 10:21–22; Matt. 27:45).

Moon:

The third disaster is closely connected with the darkening of the sun, as the whole moon became like blood. There will be vast clouds of ash and smoke spewed out by the volcanic activity associated with the great worldwide earthquake. That ash and smoke will eclipse the moon, coloring it bloodred as it attempts to pierce the smoke-darkened sky. Isaiah also described this strange and terrifying phenomenon, writing in Isaiah 13:10, “The sun will be dark when it rises and the moon will not shed its light.” Joel adds, “the sun and the moon grow dark” (Joel 2:10). And, in the passage quoted above, Joel spoke of the sun being darkened and the moon being turned into blood (Joel 2:31; cf. Acts 2:20). These phenomena will affect every aspect of life as the normal cycle of daylight and darkness is disrupted. The total eclipse of the sun and moon will add more reason for the world to be in panic.

Stars

Then, out of the darkened sky came the fourth disaster; John records that the stars of the sky fell to the earth. Asteres (stars) can refer to actual stars, but can also describe any heavenly body other than the sun and the moon. Obviously, in this context it does not refer to actual stars, since they are far too large to fall to the earth and would incinerate it long before striking it. Also, the stars are still in place later when the fourth trumpet sounds (8:12). This is most likely a reference to asteroid or meteor showers bombarding the earth. There has been much speculation among scientists recently about the effects of a large asteroid striking the earth. Modern experts believe that the impacts of asteroids, comets, and meteors striking the earth would be devastating and cause unprecedented destruction. There will be so many such bodies hitting the earth that John, in a vivid analogy, likens the scene to a fig tree that casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. With the whole earth being pummeled by fiery balls plunging out of the blackness there will be nowhere for people to flee, nowhere for them to hide.

MacArthur: This is Day of the Lord imagery, signaling God’s direct judgment.

The Sky Split

MacArthur: The universe itself appears to be unraveling.

Theological Meaning

This is de-creation.

God is undoing order.

The God who created the world now begins to dismantle it.

The Human Response (v.15)

Revelation 6:15 NIV

Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and everyone else, both slave and free, hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains.

All humanity:

Kings Powerful Rich Slave Free

MacArthur:

No class, no status, no power can shield from divine wrath.

Everything you trusted fails you here.

The Tragedy (v.16–17)

Revelation 6:16–17 NIV

They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can withstand it?”

“They called to the mountains…”

The terrifying events prompt a worldwide prayer meeting, but the prayers are to Mother Nature, not to God.

As the unbelievers frantically burrow into the earth in their futile attempt to hide themselves, they will say to the mountains and to the rocks,

“Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”

Too late, the people alive at that time will finally realize that all the disasters that have come upon them and their world are the result of God’s wrath. Unwilling and unable to repent, they will scream for the mountains and rocks to fall on them and crush them.

Two similar cries can be seen in Scripture (Hos. 10:8; Luke 23:30), both in a time of national calamity for Israel. They are, to some degree, prophetic of the time referred to in the sixth seal. People will be so terrified that they would rather die than face wrath of a holy God—foolishly ignoring the fact that death will provide absolutely no escape from divine judgment, rather a casting into the eternal lake of fire (cf. 20:11–15).

They KNOW:

God is judging.

The Lamb is wrathful.

MacArthur: This is full awareness without repentance.

They see Him… They fear Him… They know it’s Him…

And they still don’t turn.

They don’t cry for mercy. They cry for mountains.

Who can stand?

CONCLUSION

Revelation 6 reveals more than judgment.

It reveals the human heart.

Warned, we resist Shaken, we harden Exposed, we run

But the question remains:

Who can stand?

Only those covered by the Lamb. (Rev 5:9)

Revelation 5:9 NIV

And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.

The Lamb who opens the seals is the Lamb who was slain.

Run to Him now.

You will stand before Him, or you will stand in Him, but you will stand.