12-14 I watched as the Lamb 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.

15-16 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. 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! 17 For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can withstand it?’ Revelation 6:12-17 New International Version

You read the title for this study correctly - “Beware of the lamb!” If you saw that on a farm gate would it alarm you? Probably not. Lambs aren't known for being ferocious. But what John saw in this vision was a very different lamb. It was Jesus Christ who is called 'the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world' (John 1:29) The apostle Peter explained it even more when he said to Christians: “You know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors - and it was not with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.” (1 Peter 1 :18-20) This is who John now saw opening the seven seals of the scroll that was in God's hands.

What did John see when the 6th scroll was opened? (vs 12-14)

He saw an apocalyptic catastrophe and he describes it in the same way that prophets like Isaiah and Joel had done in the Old Testament when they spoke of God's judgement. What was the response of those on the earth? (vs 15-16)

People fled in terror and begged even the mountains to hide them! Jesus said a similar thing when He was being led to the cross and women in the crowd were weeping for Him: “Daughters of Jerusalem, don’t weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. The days are coming when they will say, ‘fortunate indeed are the women who are childless, the wombs that have not borne a child and the breasts that have never nursed.’ People will beg the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and plead with the hills, ‘Bury us.’” (Luke 23:28-29) While that probably referred to when Jerusalem would be destroyed around 30 years later, it will be just as true of the end of this world as we now know it.

Vs 16 shows that people knew what was taking place, for they cried out: ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!' Notice too that no-one who has fought against God and the Lamb will be exempted from this day of reckoning. Kings of the earth, princes, generals, rich, mighty, and everyone else (slave and free) will be answerable to God and the Lamb.

Some people say this is just a scare tactic to frighten people so they will 'accept Jesus'. But remember, John wasn't writing to unsaved people, he was writing to Christians. He was given this vision to encourage the Church in the midst of all its persecution. I mentioned in the last study that those who'd already been martyred were around God's throne and they asked God how long the persecution of Christians was to continue. This part of the vision now shows that God has set a day when He is going to avenge the blood of His dear saints.

The important question for anyone then is 'where do I stand with regard to the Lamb'? Have I embraced Him as Saviour and Lord? If not, then he is a lamb to beware of – for the day of His wrath is certainly coming.