Sunday Service
Notes
Transcript
What John now sees are visions/revelation concerning the judgments that would take place on the earth after the Lamb opens each of the seals on the scroll that He had received from His Father. This is meant to help us who read it to understand what will take place in the future.
These seven seals are the initial judgments of the Tribulation, the seven year period described in Dan. 9:24-27. The breaking of the seventh seal introduces the seven trumpets judgments and the seventh trumpet introduces the seven bowl judgments. The trumpet and bowl judgments occur in the last 3 1/2 years of the Tribulation, the period called the Great Tribulation.
All of these judgments are yet future, following the church being raptured from the earth.
This order of events spoken of in Revelation 6 is very similar to what Jesus predicted in the Olivet Discourse, Matthew 24:4-13; Mark 13:6-13; Luke 21:8-19. These seal judgments are seen as occuring in the first half of the Tribulation, before the “Abomination of Desolation” (Matthew 24:15; Mark 13:14).
1. The First Seal: Conqueror Released, 6:1-2.
1. The First Seal: Conqueror Released, 6:1-2.
verse 1 - “then I saw” - marks the continuation of what John had seen as recorded in chapters 4 and 5. It also serves as the commencement of revelation regarding the future events on earth.
The Lamb breaks one of the seven seals on the scroll that he had taken from God the Father, one of the four living creatures cries out with a loud voice, “Come!” This is an invitation for the first horseman, not for John or for Christ.
verse 2 - describes this horse, a common description of a war machine of John’s day, and its rider. The horse was white, probably symbolizing victory, righteousness, and holiness, with this color having these connotations in other places in Scripture. Robertson points out that a Roman conqueror typically rode a white horse in a triumphant procession as a cultural example. But just because the horse gave an appearance of purity does not necessarily mean that the rider was righteous. Niles states, “When men wage war they always pretend to be fighting for righteousness.”
The imagery of the horses of various colors and their riders recalls Zechariah 1:8 “I saw at night, and behold, a man was riding on a red horse, and he was standing among the myrtle trees which were in the ravine, with red, sorrel and white horses behind him.” also Zechariah 6:1–8 (chariots and various colored horses). Comparing these texts suggests that the horses and horsemen of Revelation 6 represent something different than those of Zechariah’s visions.
The rider carried a bow, symbolizing the threat of war, cf. Psalm 46:9
He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariots with fire.
The rider threatens war, but it does not occur, probably by outwardly peaceful means. Someone, evidently God, gave him an imperial crown (Gr. stephanos), anticipating an authoritative career. The sovereign God is the only One who can give human rulers authority to rule, cf. Romans 13:1
Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.
This rider rode out conquering his enemies and to conquer, being bent on future conquests. So who or what does this rider represent? Based on the Olivet Discourse, where Jesus predicted that a number of individuals will mislead many people, Matthew 24:5, 24
“For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many.
“For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect.
I believe that the most probable view is that the horseman is either Antichrist, or a trend/movement of which he is the chief example. The crown that he wears is a victor’s crown, a temporary victory allowed by God to bring His judgment to bear. The crowns that Christ will wear when He comes back to earth are royal crowns (Gr. diadema), Rev. 19:12
His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself.
2. Second Seal: War Unleashed, 6:3-4.
2. Second Seal: War Unleashed, 6:3-4.
verse 3 - the second seal broke by the Lamb, the second living creature calls forth the second horseman.
verse 4 - The color of the red horse most likely symbolizes bloodshed through war. The rider was granted authority to take peace from the earth and men to war against each other. Based on the Olivet Discourse, the time when peace ends is probably before the middle of the Tribulation and not the breaking of the peace with Israel that Antichrist had made, which signals the middle of the Tribulation and the beginning of the Great Tribulation, the last 3 1/2 years of the Tribulation.
The large sword most likely represents the authority to kill people. War on the earth will follow the manifestation of Antichrist.
3. Third Seal: Famine Foretold, 6:5-6.
3. Third Seal: Famine Foretold, 6:5-6.
Verse 5 - the third living creature calls forth a black horse (and its rider), symbolizing the destructive effect of war, specifically famine. Antichrist, the cause of this famine, seems to be the rider (cf. Matt.24:7
“For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes.
This rider is seen carrying a pair of balance scales, a symbol of commerce, indicating his control of commodity prices.
Verse 6 -The voice probably belonged to the Lamb as the executor of all these judgments. Wheat is good food, Barley is cheap cattle food and the prices are very high. a quart of wheat will provide one day’s ration for one person, but cost a whole day’s wages (talk about inflation!). In comparison, a denarius in John’s day would purchase eight to sixteen times as much food as what he said it will purchase in the future.
For the poor, little would be left to buy oil, for fuel and health needs, and for wine to drink.
“do not damage” means :Do not tamper with. Whatever the causes of the famine, it killed only the wheat and barley, not the vines and olive trees. Here, early in the Tribulation, the poor are suffering more than the rich; as it grows worse, the rich as well as the poor will suffer. There looks to be a strict control over prices that the ungodly representatives start, under Antichrist’s leadership.
4. Fourth Seal: Death Descends, 6:7-8.
Verse 7 - the fourth seal broken, the fourth living creature calls forth the fourth horseman,
Verse 8 - John sees an ashen (lit. pale green) horse, the color of a human corpse. It may be that the rider pictures Antichrist, the cause of the widespread death that follows. The rider’s name is Death. Hades (the place of departed spirits, which claims unbelieving people’s immaterial part at death) followed on Death’s heels. John probably personified Antichrist as Death with his domain following in his train.
God gives them authority to take one-fourth of the world’s population, evidently the total number that will die as a result of all the catastrophes predicted so far: war (“sword”), with resulting “famine” and “plague”; traditional disasters that follow divine judgment. Added to this are attacks by wild animals that will also contribute to the death rate, cf. Jer. 15:2-3
“And it shall be that when they say to you, ‘Where should we go?’ then you are to tell them, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Those destined for death, to death; And those destined for the sword, to the sword; And those destined for famine, to famine; And those destined for captivity, to captivity.” ’
“I will appoint over them four kinds of doom,” declares the Lord: “the sword to slay, the dogs to drag off, and the birds of the sky and the beasts of the earth to devour and destroy.
How many will die in these judgments? One-fourth of the earth’s population, currently estimated at 8.32 billion. That is over 2 million dead before the fifth seal is opened. These judgments appear to be, according to W. B. Smith, “a preliminary phase of the more terrible judgments to follow.”
5. Fifth Seal: Martyr’s Cry, 6:9-11.
5. Fifth Seal: Martyr’s Cry, 6:9-11.
verse 9 - John now views a temple, evidently in heaven, where an altar stood. This altar was evidently an altar of sacrifice, not an altar of incense. Underneath it John sees the souls of those who had died for their faith in God, and their faithfulness to Him during the Tribulation so far.
These must be people who died after the Rapture, since all Christians, living or dead, at the time of the Rapture will experience bodily resurrection and go directly into Jesus Christ’s presence at that time, 1 Thess 4:16-17
For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.
These then must be people who come to faith in Christ after the Rapture, cf. Matt. 24:9; Luke 21:12
“Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.
“But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and will persecute you, delivering you to the synagogues and prisons, bringing you before kings and governors for My name’s sake.
They had become believers during the first half of the Tribulation, and then suffering martyrdom for their faith.
John does not see the resurrected bodies of these martyrs, because God has not resurrected them yet; their resurrection will not occur until the end of that seven-year period, cf. Rev. 20:4
Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
Verse 10 - These martyrs call out to their heavenly Lord to punish the ones who had murdered them. Ct. the prayers of Jesus and Stephen; now the time of God’s longsuffering had now ended, and He had begun to pour out His wrath on sinners.
They cried out to the “Lord,” the word here the title of one who holds complete power or authority over another. They ask “How long ...?” do they have to wait for Him to avenge them, cf. Psalm 79:10
Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?” Let there be known among the nations in our sight, Vengeance for the blood of Your servants which has been shed.
How long, O Lord, will I call for help, And You will not hear? I cry out to You, “Violence!” Yet You do not save.
“Those who live on the earth” is like a technical expression in Revelation, describing unbelievers who are hostile to God.
The imprecatory prayers for revenge by these tribulation martyrs upon their enemies “are viewed as the fifth judgment against the earth-dwellers” (R. Thomas).
Verse 11 - Each martyr received a long white robe, probably symbolizing salvation and immortality. They had been faithful and suffered martyrdom for their fidelity to Christ. God tells them to be patient; there were more who would experience martyrdom before the God-ordained time for Jesus Christ to return to earth and judge their living adversaries. Regarding these robes, John Walvoord writes:
“Spirits without any substance could not wear robes. The fact that they will be given robes supports the concept that when believers die they are given temporary bodies in heaven which are later replaced by resurrected bodies at the time of resurrection (Revelation, Pg. 948).
However another possibility: since this was a vision, things do not always appear as they really are, so we should be careful to draw such a conclusion.
6. Sixth Seal: Cosmic Shaking, 6:12-14.
6. Sixth Seal: Cosmic Shaking, 6:12-14.
Verse 12 - The sixth seal is broken and John observes events on the earth: a great earthquake that will shake the entire world, cf. Luke 21:11
and there will be great earthquakes, and in various places plagues and famines; and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven.
The darkening of the sun, cf. Isa. 13:10
For the stars of heaven and their constellations Will not flash forth their light; The sun will be dark when it rises And the moon will not shed its light.
The reddening of the moon, cf. Joel 2:31; quoted by Peter in Acts 2:20
“The sun will be turned into darkness And the moon into blood Before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.
The falling of the stars to earth (meteor shower?) appear from the context to be consequences of this sixth seal judgment.
All of these phenomena, with the exception of the earthquake, most likely describe these as only appearing to happen. An example: the stars are still in place in Revelation 8:12 “The fourth angel sounded, and a third of the sun and a third of the moon and a third of the stars were struck, so that a third of them would be darkened and the day would not shine for a third of it, and the night in the same way.”
Some commentators have taken this as picturing a metaphorical convulsion among the nations, not a literal shaking of the earth and the heavens. There are at least two reasons why we should take them literally: 1) Jesus used the same language in the Olivet Discourse, giving no indication that it was symbolic, and 2) a shaking of the nations follows in verses 15-17.
Verse 14 - the sky will appear to split and roll back as a scroll—in two opposite directions, cf. Isa 34:4
And all the host of heaven will wear away, And the sky will be rolled up like a scroll; All their hosts will also wither away As a leaf withers from the vine, Or as one withers from the fig tree.
The universe will appear to be coming apart, giving the earth-dwellers a glimpse into the throne-room of heaven, perhaps in visions? Probably the earthquake of verse 12 will cause mountains and islands to rise and fall, cf. Nah 1:6
Who can stand before His indignation? Who can endure the burning of His anger? His wrath is poured out like fire And the rocks are broken up by Him.
7. The Response to God’s Wrath, 6:15-17.
7. The Response to God’s Wrath, 6:15-17.
Verses 15-16 - Look at the reaction of humanity all over the world. They try to hide themselves, indicating that the unbelieving people’s perception of God and the wrath of the Lamb, in heaven, will be far more terrifying to them than the physical consequences of this judgment on the earth. The martyrs cry: Avenge us, ct. the unbelievers cry: Hide us.
Verse 17 - These people will not turn to God in repentance, but will turn away from Him in terror. By the end of the sixth seal they will know that they are experiencing the outpouring of God’s wrath. Isn’t it strange that people who see the direct hand of God upon the earth still refuse to believe. They think death is better than belief; that they can escape God by death, by entering oblivion. God says, “it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment” (Heb. 9:27). Pride will keep them from humbly submitting themselves to God. They must stay in charge of their life. They cannot yield themselves to God. To yield self to the death of Christ as the only payment for our sins is a hard pill to swallow from arrogant humans. We can only come to God by grace. If grace does not humble us, God’s judgment in eternity will.
The tribulation is a part of the day of the Lord, which includes also Christ’s return to earth and His thousand-year reign on the earth. The tribulation is a distinct period of the judgment of God, unique from all other times of distress that the earth has ever experienced, cf. Jer 30:7
‘Alas! for that day is great, There is none like it; And it is the time of Jacob’s distress, But he will be saved from it.
The tribulation will be worldwide and extremely severe. Everyone on earth will know not only that it is a divine judgment, but they will act like it by seeking death in order to hide from God, not just to escape from these calamities. The judgments of the sixth seal appear to foreshadow a similar even greater series of judgments that will come at the end of the tribulation, just before Jesus Christ’s visible return to the earth, Rev 16:17-21
Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl upon the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple from the throne, saying, “It is done.”
And there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder; and there was a great earthquake, such as there had not been since man came to be upon the earth, so great an earthquake was it, and so mighty.
The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. Babylon the great was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of His fierce wrath.
And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.
And huge hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, came down from heaven upon men; and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, because its plague was extremely severe.
“For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will.
Who is able to stand? Those who avail themselves of the Lamb slain for our sins can stand. Today, do not refuse the offer of God’s grace through Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God. To refuse this offer, this free gift, means that for you there is nothing on which to stand in the presence of God.
