The Beginning of the End
Notes
Transcript
Contrary to what many believe, the Bible teaches us that as we draw closer to the end of time, things are going to get much, much worse. In the end, the world will be in an all out war against God, which will culminate in the Battle of Armageddon (Rev. 16:14-16). Jesus taught that as we draw nearer to this end, there will be signs, or events, that let us know we are near (Mat. 24:6-8).
6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
In Chapter 5, we see that God has a scroll that sealed with seven seals. Not one being in heaven, or upon earth, or under the earth, was found worthy to open scroll… except for Lamb who slain for the sin of the world. Jesus takes the scroll and here in Chapter 6, He begins to break those seals.
Most believe that the first four seals cover most of the first half of the tribulation period. The fifth seal stretches from the end of the first half into the beginning of the second half of the tribulation period. The sixth and seventh seals cover the rest of the last half of the tribulation period, which is known as The Great Tribulation.
It seems as if the final seal contains the seven trumpet judgments (Rev. 8:1-11:19), and the final trumpet contains the seven bowl judgments (Rev. 16:1-21). This would mean that the seven seals contain the entirety of the Tribulation Period and is the fullness of God’s wrath poured out onto the world.
The seven seals and their corresponding judgments can be correlated with Jesus’s condensed forthtelling of tribulation in Matthew 24.
Revelation 1–11: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary Chapter 13: The Beginning of the End: The First Four Seals (Revelation 6:1–8)
Just as a mother’s birth pains increase in frequency and intensity as the time to give birth approaches, so the judgments depicted by the seals will intensify throughout the Tribulation until they culminate in the arrival of the Lord Jesus Christ in blazing judgment glory. The first four seals cover the period Jesus described as “the beginning of birth pangs” (
The First Four Seals (The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse)
The First Four Seals (The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse)
As Jesus begins to open the seals, the scene shifts from heaven to earth, and instead of the contents of the scroll being read, they are rather acted out (J.M.)
Each of these first four seals are heralded by one of the four living creatures that are flying around the throne (the cherubim, an exalted order of angelic being).
The First Seal (The White Horse)
The First Seal (The White Horse)
1 Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, “Come and see.”
2 And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.
As Jesus breaks this first seal, one of the living creatures says, “Come and see.”
At this moment, a white horse appears with its rider.
Who is this rider?
Some say that it is Jesus since He comes riding on a white horse in Rev 19.11
11 Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.
Since Jesus is the One opening the seal on the scroll, it is unlikely that He is the rider. Furthermore, Revelation tells us that Jesus comes back at the end of the tribulation period, not the beginning.
Most believe that the rider of the white horse is that of peace. This would mean that at the beginning of the end, the first thing that will take place is worldwide peace. This will not be true peace, but a false peace. It will be a presumed peace. Some leader will rise up (very possibly the Antichrist), claiming to have all the answers to the worlds problems and temporarily cause peace treaties to be signed worldwide.
This will seem as a good thing, since Jesus outlined in Mat. 24 that there will be many wars and rumors or wars during this time. The world will be eager to find peace during this time and even a glimmer of hope will be all that it takes to plunge the entirety of the world into this coalition.
This correlates with what Jesus said in Matthew 24:4-5
4 And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you.
5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.
This rider has a bow, which symbolizes the far reaches of his impact. It will be worldwide.
This rider is on a white horse but it is not blood-stained, which tells us he will conquer through crafty words and peace treaties, not with military force. Most believe that it will be some kind of “cold war” that he gains the victory through.
The Second Seal (The Red Horse)
The Second Seal (The Red Horse)
3 When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come and see.”
4 Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword.
As Jesus opens the second seal, the second living creature sounds “Come and see.”
The second horse appears but it is fiery red in color. It’s rider is granted the power to take peace from the earth, so that people should kill one another.
The rider of this red horse is most commonly referred to as “War”.
During this time, murders, assassinations, and death will become commonplace. No doubt, many wars will break out during this time. There will be worldwide devastation as a result. Armies will once again draft young men and women into their forces and send them out to fight. Many lives will be lost. Civil wars will break out as disagreements rise concerning the events of this day. There will be no “staying out of it”. People will be so bent on war, that you will be forced to pick a side. Everyone will be at odds with everyone.
The fact that he is given a “great sword” means that war will be widespread. Most, if not all of the nations in the world will be involved in some type of war, whether it be a World War, or a Civil War.
The Third Seal (The Black Horse)
The Third Seal (The Black Horse)
5 When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come and see.” So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand.
6 And I heard 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 the wine.”
Jesus now opens the third seal. When He does, the third living creature speaks, “Come and see.”
The third horse and its rider appears and this time it is a black horse. Because of the nature of what he brings, this rider is commonly referred to as “Famine”.
In his hand, he carried a pair of scales. These scales represent just how bad the economy is going to be during this time.
Then a voice in heaven speaks up and says, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine.”
A denarius was considered to be a days’ wage. This means a quart of wheat in today’s wages would cost somewhere between $150 - $200. That is how bad the economy is going to get. It will be worldwide famine.
Knowing the devastation caused by Covid, it should not be unthinkable to see how bad things can get in such a short amount of time.
The Fourth Seal (The Pale Horse)
The Fourth Seal (The Pale Horse)
7 When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come and see.”
8 So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth.
Now Jesus opens the fourth seal, which triggers the last of the four living creatures to herald, “Come and see.”
This time, we see a pale horse. The word used here for pale is “chloros”, which is where we get the word chlorophyll from. That means this horse is not a pale white or grey horse, but rather a pale green horse.
It actually tells us who the rider of this horse is: Death.
It also tells us that Hades followed with him. Power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death (plagues), and by the beasts of the earth.”
Based on the current world population, this means that during this fourth seal, over 2 Billion people will die.
That is catastrophic. This is one fourth of the world’s population. They will be killed by sword (war), hunger (famine), death (plagues), and by beasts of the earth (bears, wolves, lions, spiders, snakes, etc.).
The Fifth Seal (The Cry of the Martyrs)
The Fifth Seal (The Cry of the Martyrs)
9 When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held.
10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”
11 Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.
When Jesus opens the fifth seal, the scene shifts back to heaven. We see “under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held.”
These are those who have been martyred for the sake of Christ. Some say it is those who have been killed during the tribulation period thus far, and some say it is those who have been killed throughout all the ages. Exactly who this represents is unclear, but we know they are martyrs based upon the text.
Either way, they are crying out to God for vengeance: “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”
This is not an unlikely request. God tells us in Scripture:
30 For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. And again, “The Lord will judge His people.”
God promised He would avenge His people, and now His people are calling for that vengeance. They want to know how much longer the evil people and forces of the world will be allowed to continue taking lives.
It tells us that each of them was given a white robe; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.”
God tells them that the time is not yet. There are others who must suffer the same fate still yet. There will be more martyrs for the faith, but vengeance will come.
The Sixth Seal (Cosmic Disturbances)
The Sixth Seal (Cosmic Disturbances)
12 I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood.
13 And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind.
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?”
When the sixth seal is broken, cosmic chaos ensues upon the earth:
the was a great earthquake
the sun became black as sackcloth of hair
the moon became like blood
the stars of heaven fell to the earth
the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up
every mountain and island was moved out of its place
The earthquakes are so bad that everyone (great men, rich men, commanders, mighty men, every slave and free man) hid themselves in caves. Regardless of power or prestige, all men are reduced to hiding out in the earth. It is so bad, that they even cry out to the rocks, hoping they would cover them and shield them, “For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”
