Revelation 6:1 Then I saw when the Lamb broke one of the seven seals,
and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, Come!

Many believe in a RAPTURE before the Tribulation. I do not.
People are SO OFFENDED when I say we will NOT escape persecution!
The Bible tells us many will be offended.

Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and
you will be hated by all nations because of My name.  At that time
many will fall away (be offended) and will hate and betray one another.
Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many.  Matthew 24:9-11 

In Revelation 6 we still have the heavenly scene of chapter 5.
Jesus is at the throne and He now begins to break the seals.

The first 4 seals introduce the "Four horsemen of Apocalypse."
They represent a series of partly overlapping and increasing 
judgments. There are different theories as to when these happen.

1. Some believe that the breaking of each seal the Lamb releases
a judgment act that continues through out the seven year period.

2. Some believe that the seven seals lead into the 7 trumpets
and the seven trumpets lead into the seven vials or bowls.

Others put them all in the last 3-1/2 years of the tribulation,
believing that the wrath of God is chiefly in that period.

Lets look at this scripture closely. The Lamb does not open the scroll at this time.
He only breaks the seals. The events of the seals are not the end of history itself.
They are events which immediately precede the end. The seals are a preliminary to opening
the book. The apostles asked Christ 2 questions. When would the temple be destroyed,
and what would be the sign of His coming and of the end of the world.

Christ gave them 9 signs and he called this period the beginning of sorrows.

Perhaps help us see what our Lord predicted and what is now
beginning to happen in the Book of Revelation.


THE END TIME

The Words of Christ 

The beginning of sorrows, evil in society and nature, yet world evangelism continues.
Matthew 24:5-14 Corresponds to The 7 Seals Revelation 6:1-17
"The Great Tribulation": unparalleled trials 
Matthew 24:15-28 Corresponds to The Seven Trumpets, the bowls, and the beast.

Revelation 8:1-18:24
"The Son of Man coming" Corresponds to The Final Triumph of Christ Revelation 19:1-22:21

There is a similarity between "the beginning of sorrows 
(Matt. 24:5-14) and the seals of Revelation. (Rev. 6:1-17)

The future will be filled with wars, natural disasters, persecutions, and the claims of false
messiahs. And at the very end there will be an increase and intensification of the signs.
There is to be the appearance of the Antichrist.
This person will afflict the people of God beyond imagination.

This commentator made the statement that we should be wise and not strike out on our
own and end up adding something to His Word that displeases him. Revelation 22:18-19


The WHITE HORSE

Revelation 6:2 I looked, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow.
And a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.

In this scripture verse the Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus Christ breaks the first 4 seals.
One of the four living creatures who surrounds the throne of God thunders forth the command
"Come Forth' and the appearance of a white horse and its rider appear. Who is this rider? 

Well, when this rider appears on the scene, he already has a bow in his hand which is a
symbol of battle. In ancient times conquerors usually rode white horses. This rider is given
a victor's crown.The Bible does not identify the rider of the white horse, but some have suggested
it might be Christ himself.  But that would make it confusing for Christ to be breaking the seals
and riding the horse at the same time. Plus the fact that the last 3 horsemen are evil and it
would be highly unlikely that Christ would be present in such company as the horsemen.

The strongest argument seems to point toward the white rider being the antichrist.
How is the Antichrist going to conquer the world? Through deception. Because of the sins
and evil of people, because people have chosen to go the way of sin and evil, the Antichrist
is going to be able to deceive them.  2 Thess. 2:8-10

The beginning of His judgment is going to be his allowing Antichrist to come on the world scene.

Men long for a strong world ruler, who seemingly can solve the world's problems and bring
utopia to earth. And men are going to sign treaties and agreements that will allow him to
rule over their nations and lives. 2 Thess. 2:11

What would cause men to turn the government of the world over to one man? Look at some things

1. A world that is full of false messiahs claiming that they have the answers to life will prepare
the way for the antichrist   Matthew 24:5

2. A world that is full of violence, wars, and rumors of war will prepare the way for the antichrist.
Million of lives, homes, families and all else will be destroyed. A devastated people will turn to
any leader who can bring peace and restoration.  Matthew 24:6-7

3. A world that is rocked with natural disaster after natural disaster will prepare the way for the
antichrist. Disaster after disaster will cause people to fear. Fear will drive people to a world leader
who can promise and provided economic and medical help and aid.  Matthew 24:7b

4. A world that is torn apart religiously will prepare the way for the antichrist. Severe religious
persecution land terrible apostasy and betrayal will sweep the earth. There will be division
within the ranks of religion and families and between neighbors sweeping the earth in the end time.
This will cause people to turn for help in bringing peace between religions. Matthew 24:9-10

5. A world that is full of false religion and false preachers will prepare the way for the antichrist.
They will be ripe for the promise of the antichrist. Matthew 24:11

6. A world that falls more and more away from God, that experiences increasing sin,
a love that grows cold will prepare the way for the antichrist. People will be begging for
help in dealing with lawlessness, drunkenness, drugs, occults, crime, and on and on.
The will look toward anyone who can bring true care and affection and love back into society.
Matthew 24:12




RED HORSEMAN, SEAL #2 = WAR
People kill each other, Divisions

Revelation 6:3-4
When He broke the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, Come.
And another, a red horse, went out, and to him who sat on it, 
it was granted to take peace from the earth, and that men would slay one another.
And a great sword was given to him.

When the Lamb breaks the second seal, the second living being says
"Come and see" referring to John. Some seem to think that the rider on the red horse is
the false prophet. The antichrist is the world dictator the false prophet does all his biding
or his dirty work for him. This rider represents war (or the lust for it) and the "great Sword"
as a symbol of war's destruction.  Notice one thing though, the rider does not do any killing.

This rider has the power to take peace from the earth so that men will kill each other.
He will divide race against race, class against class, neighbor against neighbor, employee
against employer, husband against wife, religion against religion, & nation against nation.
Causes every kind of division that he can, and destroys any human relationship that he can.
So who is this rider? It could be both the antichrist or the false prophet.

Jesus told his disciples that wars and rumors of war would characterize the present age.
But that doesn't mean that every time there is a war it is a sign of the end. Even in the midst
of wars and rumors of wars, even in increasing famines and earthquakes, we are to spread the
gospel. We can not wait for ideal conditions. This second seal shows us that though the
antichrist may promise peace, he will not be able to deliver.  Conquest and war will bring part
of the judgment of God on earth. With peace taken from the earth, it will not be given back until
Christ returns and brings an end to the antichrist's rule and God's millennial kingdom is established.




BLACK HORSEMAN, SEAL #3
Destroy ECONOMY and FOOD

Revelation 6:5-6
When He broke the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, Come.
I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand.
And I heard something like a voice in the center of the four living creatures saying,
A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius
and do not damage the oil and the wine.

In this third seal comes the appearance of a black horse and its rider. This rider also
seems to be the antichrist and his power to control the economy and distribution of food.
There will be more wars and conflicts and violence going on over all the world during this time
than there has ever been. There has always been famine during a war, but this famine will be
far more severe and involve far more people. This rider has a pair of scales for weighing.

The basic necessities of life will be scarce and prices extremely high, Hunger will spread
throughout the world. There will be a careful weighing out of food and possibly general rationing
because of the scarcity and hunger. A measure (a quart) was considered one day's ration for an
adult. A penny was a day's wage for a soldier or laborer of that time.

Imagine working and earning only enough money to buy what food was needed for that day!
What would a person do abut feeding his family and providing the other necessities of life such as
housing, heat, clothing, and transportation. This will be the situation in the end time, right before
THE GREAT TRIBULATION is to take place.  The last 31/2 years.

So this rider controls food distribution, a way for him to gain and hold control over the world,
at least for a while. But take note of this: there will be plenty of oil and wine. Why? How can
oil and wine which come from tree's and vines be available when wheat and barley are scarce
and shriveled up from drought?

From stock piles and from the fact that trees and vines have roots more deeply in the ground
than crops. Also, trees will produce for years without being cared for.  Oil and wine were
luxury items in the ancient world. As true in most famines, the wealthy will have food,
the poor will not. It is gonna take all a man can do just to survive.  Matthew 24:6-7

Starvation is already spreading throughout the world today, just as Jesus said it would, and
governments are not able to handle it. The antichrist will not be able to deal with it
either. It will be worse than the depression ever was.




PALE HORSEMAN, SEAL #4
Chloros - Bioterror - Pestilence  - Death
Revelation 6:7-8
When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, Come.
I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name Death; and 
Hades was following with him. Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth,
to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth.

With the opening of the fourth seal the fourth living being says "Come and see."
Some commentators differ on what the pale horse looks like. One said "Ashy pale
(black & blue as if made so by bruising), another said pale yellowish-green speaking of
pestilence and death.  Regardless of what color the horse, but what happens under his
attack causes such devastation it will boggle the mind.  Once again this rider is the
antichrist and his government. There are two things about his rider:

1. The rider had a name, that of death, and sitting right behind him is hell and hades,
the realm of the dead. His very name  indicated that some terrible devastation is about
to be set loose upon the earth.

2. This rider is given power to cause unbelievable pain and suffering. He will be personally
responsible for killing 1/4 of the people on the earth. There are four ways that he can do this.

1. The sword, which is war and genocide, deliberately set to destroy certain races and groups
of people. We are told that a certain nation has a Neutron Bomb that uses Microwaves and that
it can kill all human life without the use of Radiation. Now that is scary. If that is
true then millions of people could be killed very quickly.

2. Hunger and starvation can help kill that many people. 

3. Pestilence can help kill that many people. Germ warfare and the diseases that result
from unsanitary conditions of refugee and concentration camps. What about new epidemics
of small pox, polio, measles, aids, diphtheria etc. and very little if any medical supplies.

4. Wild beasts will help kill many people. Many people and especially children will be homeless.
People will be exposed to the beasts of the forests and jungles who will be just as hungry
and insane from the lack of food as people are.  Matthew 24:6-7

The picture of the four horseman is not a pretty picture, nevertheless it is a real possibility
with the weapons of war we have today. As bad as these are it is not the worst judgments
that are to take place on the earth. These judgments are just the seal judgments.
The end time judgments are called the trumpet judgments and the bowl judgments.

Verse 9
Here we see the Lord Jesus Christ breaking the fifth seal.  When he does, the souls of all
the martyrs of the world are seen under the altar of God. Those "slain for the word of God"
are those who are martyred for their faith in Christ and the truth of His Word. Perhaps all the
martyrs of past ages are included among those underneath the altar. They are considered
martyrs because they shed their blood for the Word of God and as a witness to the gospel.

In the last days of time the world will react against the Word of God and kill believers.
Why will the world react so? Because a believer must give his first loyalty to Jesus Christ.
Under the antichrist, the people of the world will be required to give their first loyalty to
the state, or the antichrist. There will be some type of religion such as exists today in 
some countries such as China or Russia. But true believers can only give their first loyalty
to Christ, therefore they will be killed, because they cannot deny the Word of God.  Acts 5:27-29

People will be as they always have been, unwilling to give up their lives to God.

They will continue to rebel against God, to do what they want, their own thing, instead of living
like God says they should. There will be an intensified rebellion as people reject, curse, deny,
ignore, neglect, disobey, and disbelieve God more than they ever have. But believers will be
martyred because they refuse to deny Christ.


The Martyrs Cry
Verse 10
These slain martyrs cry out for justice, to the Sovereign Lord, holy and true. Their cry is
not for personal revenge. Their cry is for God to avenge their blood. They want to know when
He is going to appear in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, 
and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Read 2 Thess.1:8

There are times when God leads His people to pray for justice to prevail, for evil to be destroyed,
for righteousness to be established on earth, and for Christ to be exalted above all those
who oppose Him. Who are these 

Verse 11
To encourage and give assurance of justice these martyrs are given white robes symbolizing
righteousness. They are told to rest, or remain quiet for "a little season." the appointed time for
Christ's return in judgment has not yet come. "Fellow servants also and their brethren"
must be martyred and join their number. Then justice will fulfilled. 

Some people will be given the opportunity to be saved during the tribulation, namely those on
earth who had never adequately heard or understood the gospel. Some have said that those
who harden their hearts against the Lord now (in the church age) will have another chance
during the Tribulation, for they do know the truth.

But those who heard the gospel before the rapture of the church and yet continued to live in sin
will be given no further opportunity for salvation after the church is taken out of the world.
If people do not repent now when it is easy, it seems unlikely that they will do so when it is hard.
Revelation indicates that the judgments of the tribulation will not cause anyone to repent. In fact,
God  Himself will send them a strong delusion, that they should believe a lie. 2 Thess. 2:11

Verses 12 - 13
In these verses the sixth seal is opened. Now these are the effects of God's judgment upon
the universe. There is a great earthquake. This is no ordinary earthquake. It will be beyond
anything ever known to man. There will be insurmountable destruction of property, loss of life,
fear gripping the hearts of people, and even further damage caused by the aftershocks.

Jesus himself predicted there would be more earthquakes in the latter days than ever before.

There are 3 earthquakes mentioned here in the Book of Revelation.
Revelation 6:12 - 11:13 & 16:17-19

There is scientific evidence that under the supposedly solid crust of the earth is plastic basalt,
which is like volcanic rock. It could be that various part of the crust will break loose and bring
about this "great earthquake," causing volcanoes to erupt, sending dust, gas and ash to block
out the sun and the moon, also wind storms, and smoke from fires. The whole earth is embraced
by a literal catastrophe. Is this what is meant by these passages or is there to be
"unbelievable disorder" inflicted upon some of the stars above, disorder causing massive
explosions and fireworks and hurling meteorites throughout space - a volcanic eruption in the
heavens that affects all the universe?  There is no way to know!

With these events happening it's possible that the aftermath could last up to the very end of
the tribulation period. It's not pleasant to anticipate the wrath and judgment soon to come
upon the world. But as Christians we can comfort one another with the hope of being caught
up together to meet the Lord in the air. We are to be on the alert, awake, on guard, and serve
and worship Him faithfully.  For this blessed hope that we have to be meaningful
it must be accompanied by a denying worldly lust and desires.

We must live soberly, righteously and in a godly manner in this present world. 




6th SEAL 

Revelation 6:12-17
I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake
and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood
and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when
shaken by a great wind.

14 The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up,
and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.

15 Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the
rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves
and among the rocks of the mountains and they said 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?

The heavens departing, the sky splitting and separating and curling to each side like a scroll
may refer to atmospheric disturbances among the clouds. The heavens will disappear and
the mountains and the hills will be moved out of their place. Men will be so  frightened that
they cry out for the mountains and rocks to fall upon them. This is once again describing the
happenings of the  earthquake and meteorites falling to earth. Today no place is safe from
earthquake. The largest earthquake to hit anywhere in the  United States happened in New Madrid,
Missouri, near the bootheel.  It caused the Mississippi river to run backwards and caused a
lake by the name of Reelfoot lake to be formed In Tennessee not far from the Mississippi river.

They said 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!

The people mentioned in verse 15 include all the leaders and all common people of the world.
Kings. "Great men" would include presidents, dictators and other leaders.  Chief captains
a term for military officers. But all this power will be no good in the presence of God's
judgments. There is the mighty and the strong, the slave and the insignificant, the free
and the independent. Even these ordinary people who would not live for the Lord,
it will not make any difference for them either. 

Every unbeliever on the earth will be stricken with terror.  Panic will sweep the earth.
No one will escape the judgment of God, and now they know it. There is no partiality with God,
He shows no favorites. All these unbelievers will cry out for death. People will be madly
rushing to hide in the secret dens and rocks of the earth, begging to die in order to keep
from having to face God's eternal judgment. The thing they don't realize is that they
will still have to face God at the Great White Throne judgment. 

Verse 17
The great day of his wrath is come; is the reason for the 
catastrophes throughout the universe and for the panic of men. 

What is the great day of God's wrath?

1. It is the day when all unbelievers must stand before the face of
God who sits on the throne of the universe.

2. It is the day when all unbelievers must face the wrath of the Lamb, (Jesus Christ) 
the day when they must face the Son of God whom they have rejected, denied, 
cursed disobeyed, disbelieved, ignored, and neglected.

3. It is the day of His wrath, and every unbeliever will have to face Him.

4. It is the day when no unbeliever shall stand, but crumble and 
subjected eternal guilt, condemnation, and punishment.

John Walvoord put it this way:
The Day of the Lord is a period of time in which God will deal with wicked men directly and
dramatically in fearful judgment. Today a man may be a blasphemer of God, an atheist,
can denounce God and teach bad doctrine. Seemingly God does nothing about it.
But the day designated in scripture as "the day of the Lord" is coming when God will punish
human sin, and He will deal in wrath and in judgment with a Christ-rejecting world. One thing
we are sure of, that God in His own way will bring every soul into judgment.
(Quoted from The Thessalonian Epistle. Grand Rapids, Mi. Zondervan Pub. 1967, P. 67)

There is a message to all people everywhere here!

1. God's wrath is coming upon the rich and the powerful who thought
they were self-sufficient.

2. God's wrath is coming upon the religious who thought they could
be good enough and do enough good to be acceptable to God.

3. God's wrath is coming upon the poor who thought they were to insignificant or else
thought their oppression would cause God to look upon them with mercy.

4. God's wrath is coming upon the intelligent who thought they were
too knowledgeable to believe in Christ.

5. God's wrath is coming upon the scientist and technician because
they thought they had progressed so far they could disprove God.

If this chapter 6 of Revelation teaches us anything it instructs us that the Tribulation is a period
no man should enter. We must trust Jesus Christ and escape the great day of God's wrath.

Our salvation is the inheritance we as believers, winners, victors, shall receive when we are caught
away, changed, and given new bodies that cannot be touched by death or decay.




BEHOLD!!!  HE is COMING!!!!!!

REVELATION

THIS IS THE JUDGMENT
that the Light has come into the world, 
and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, 
for their deeds were evil.  

GOD so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,
that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have
Eternal LIFE. For God did not send his Son into the world
to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

He who believes in Him is not judged;
he who does not believe has been judged already, 
because he has not believed in the name of the only 
begotten Son of God.  John 3:16-19




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Page updated Nov 2007