Rev 6, The Seals Opened
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Headlines - Earthquake - Izmir Turkey
Prayer-
All right, so tonight, we move from the throne room of heaven, Chapters 4 & 5, back down to earth to see what is happening there.
Now based on what we have learned from the outline given in 1:19. where we are told;
19 Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this.
We have learned that the things you have seen are, Chapter 1, the vision of the risen Christ, and then, the things which are, Chapters 2 & 3, the 7 letters to the churches, which is the Church Age. And finally we learned the things which will take place after this, or in Greek - Meta tauta , which are Chapters 6-19, things taking place after the Church Age. The things on earth after the church is taken to heaven, called the Great Tribulation.
Remember this is our view of the these end time events however keep in mind that not every one sees them exactly this way. As most of you know we believe in a Pre-Tribulation Rapture, others see the Rapture as Mid - Trib, at the time of the abomination of desolation, the AC calling himself god; and still others see the rapture as post-trib, with the Rapture and second coming as simultaneous events.
The point that we must be clear on is that Jesus is going to take home and for that we do not know the day or the hour but it is critical that we are ready and looking for Him expectantly.
We must remember the purpose of the Book, is the unveiling of Jesus and to let a suffering church know He is in control. There is a plan for the first century church and we are part of that same plan. Therefore be overcomers!!
Let’s read Ch 6.
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.
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.
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.”
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.
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.
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?”
To set the scene for ch 6, we have seen the Lamb in Heaven being found to be the only one in all of History to be worthy to take the seven sealed scroll and open it’s seals.
The true church, born again believers are in heaven and the earth dwellers are left to work out there problems apart from God
Now, let’s dig in to see what the Spirit is saying to us tonight;
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.
V1-2, So the First Seal
I wonder what John was thinking, he had no idea what was about to happen. All of heaven is watching in anticipation as the Lamb opens the first seal.
· One of the Living Creatures says in voice like thunder. Thunder always indicates a storm is at hand. FYI - the Greek word for thunder is brontē. Where brontosaurus gets its name, thunder lizard.
The living creature says, “Come” which can be translated “go forward” as a command to the First horseman.
Now here in chapter 6 we get the 4 horseman of the apocalypse, A similar vision is also referred to in Zechariah;
7 On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet: 8 I saw by night, and behold, a man riding on a red horse, and it stood among the myrtle trees in the hollow; and behind him were horses: red, sorrel, and white. 9 Then I said, “My lord, what are these?” So the angel who talked with me said to me, “I will show you what they are.”
10 And the man who stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, “These are the ones whom the Lord has sent to walk to and fro throughout the earth.”
11 So they answered the Angel of the Lord, who stood among the myrtle trees, and said, “We have walked to and fro throughout the earth, and behold, all the earth is resting quietly.”
The horseman seem to indicate angelic authorities over different areas of man and his affairs.
Now here in the first seal we have the Conqueror on the white horse. Who is he? Is this Jesus? He is riding on a white horse and has a crown. No, this is none other than the Antichrist. Anti Christ means another or in stead of Christ. Note he wears a stephanos, victors crown, Jesus wears a diadem, Ruling crown.This is the one the globalists have been looking for. The big government answer to ruling this world.
If you remember back in Genesis and the tower of Babel a mighty hunter is mentioned, Nimrod. The first historical type of antichrist.
8 Cush begot Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one on the earth. 9 He was a mighty hunter before the Lord; therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord.” 10 And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.
Like Nimrod the rider on the white horse has a bow, not a sword, and is bent on conquering. The Bow speaks of ruling or conquering from a distance. Very much like the globalists hope to do today. The bow here may not be speaking of a weapon as in a bow and arrow. The word bow biblically also speaks of an agreement or covenant. If you know anything about the AC , he is known for his ability to speak and make alliances.
The are a number of key passages regarding this final Anti-christ that we need to look at.
· See Daniel 8:23 – 25, 9:26 – 27, & 7:19 – 25, 2 Thes 2:3 – 12
23 “And in the latter time of their kingdom,
When the transgressors have reached their fullness,
A king shall arise,
Having fierce features,
Who understands sinister schemes.
24 His power shall be mighty, but not by his own power;
He shall destroy fearfully,
And shall prosper and thrive;
He shall destroy the mighty, and also the holy people.
25 “Through his cunning
He shall cause deceit to prosper under his rule;
And he shall exalt himself in his heart.
He shall destroy many in their prosperity.
He shall even rise against the Prince of princes;
But he shall be broken without human means.
26 “And after the sixty-two weeks
Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself;
And the people of the prince who is to come
Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary.
The end of it shall be with a flood,
And till the end of the war desolations are determined.
27 Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week;
But in the middle of the week
He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering.
And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate,
Even until the consummation, which is determined,
Is poured out on the desolate.”
3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? 6 And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
This one, the Lawless One could be alive today.
V3 – 4 We continue to the second seal,
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.
The fiery red horse
Power to take peace from the earth. Peace is a gift of God.
Makes men slay each other.
A large sword is given - here the word for sword is machira. The smaller sword or dagger for close up combat. War and internal strife ravage the world.
We see the beginnings of this today. A deeply divided nation just an inch from exploding into civil war. It’s not just like this here in the US. all over the world people are on edge.
So when the second seal is opened you can multiply this feeling many times over.
V5 – 6 The third Seal,
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.”
The black horse brings Famine
Notice he has a pair of scales in his hands.
· A days wages for a quart of wheat, or their quarts of barley. One meal of wheat or 3 meals of barley for a denarius. A denarius was a working mans wage for a day. The cost of food at that time will be roughly 12 times the normal rate.
This will very much be a controlled economy by the AC. There is talk now that at some point food will be sold by the calorie. That should scare you.
The Revelation of John, Volume 2 The Black Horse of Famine (Revelation 6:5–6)
What John is foretelling is a situation in which a man’s whole working wage would be needed to buy enough corn for himself for a day, leaving absolutely nothing to buy any of the other necessities of life and absolutely nothing for his wife and family. If instead of corn he bought the much inferior barley, he might manage to give some to his wife and family, but again he would have nothing left to buy anything else.
· Don’t harm the oil and the wine. In one sense the grape vine and the olive tree are more draught resistant than corn and wheat and would remain. The reality is that you can’t live on oil and wine. Oil and wine are Symbolic of luxury items and those with money and power will not be hurt and still have plenty.
V7 – 8, the fourth Seal,
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.
You should be getting the sense that this will be an awful time to be on the earth. Now, the pale horse; what’s a pale horse? Well it’s the color of a corpse, greenish, the Greek word here is chloros. As in chlorophyll or chlorox.
Its rider was death, the result of war and famine. Notice he is followed by hades, the holding place of the dead equivalent to the Hebrew “sheol”. We as believers now go directly into the presence Jesus in heaven at death.
Beasts of the earth, beasts in the Greek is therion, generally wild beasts. They could be large but also could be microscopic virus, or bacteria, plague. This should be very interesting in light of Covid-19. By the way there is already a plan or forecast for a CV21 and CV23.
V9 – 11, the fifth seal
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.
Souls of the martyrs under the altar. Killed for their testimony. I believe those who are martyred during the tribulation. Christian’s saved after the rapture are blamed for the earth’s problems. “Under the altar” a picture of the blood of the sacrifice being poured out under the altar in OT times,
7 And the priest shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of sweet incense before the Lord, which is in the tabernacle of meeting; and he shall pour the remaining blood of the bull at the base of the altar of the burnt offering, which is at the door of the tabernacle of meeting.
They cry, how long until you take vengeance? This is the eternal call of the righteous, how long until you bring justice oh God! How long before you repay, actually meet out vengeance as our “goel”, avenger of blood. Notice the cry is against the “earth dwellers.” These are the enemies of God as opposed to believers whose citizenship is in heaven.
V12 – 17, the sixth seal
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?”
Several signs are listed;
· great earthquake
· sun turn black
· stars fall
· the sky rolls up like a scroll
· Nuclear winter? More probably God begins to intervene actively.
· A passage from Zephaniah is an example:
14 The great day of the Lord is near;
It is near and hastens quickly.
The noise of the day of the Lord is bitter;
There the mighty men shall cry out.
15 That day is a day of wrath,
A day of trouble and distress,
A day of devastation and desolation,
A day of darkness and gloominess,
A day of clouds and thick darkness,
16 A day of trumpet and alarm
Against the fortified cities
And against the high towers.
10 The earth quakes before them,
The heavens tremble;
The sun and moon grow dark,
And the stars diminish their brightness.
11 The Lord gives voice before His army,
For His camp is very great;
For strong is the One who executes His word.
For the day of the Lord is great and very terrible;
Who can endure it?
Everyone rich and poor runs for cover but not to God. The only one who can help.
The chapter ends here, so what about the 7th seal. We will get to that in chapter 8. The next chapter is parenthetical and we will see God dealing with Israel directly.
Prayer.