Revelation 6

Revelation 6 …the wrath of the Lamb… ὀργῆς τοῦ ἀρνίου Chapter Outline: I. THE FIRST SEAL, vv. 1-2 II. THE SECOND SEAL, vv. 3-4 III. THE THIRD SEAL, vv. 5-6 IV. THE FOURTH SEAL, vv. 7-8 V. THE FIFTH SEAL, vv. 9-11 VI. THE SIXTH SEAL, vv. 12-17 ∞≻≺∞ I. THE FIRST SEAL, vv. 1-2 A. The White horse 1. This is either Jesus, a Roman emperor causing trouble on the church in itʼs earlier years, or this is the anti christ. a) Mostly, those who hold to a futuristic view of the book of Revelation and believe that the things that we read within itʼs pages are yet to happen, believe that this is the anti christ. There are some that are within the futurist school of thought that think this rider of the white horse is Christ. b) The anti christ is a false or a counterfeit christ. He is not only against Jesus Christ, though he obviously and most definitely is, but more than that he is an impostor–a substitute christ. He is mans messiah perhaps but not Godʼs. He presents himself as messiah to mankind but is no true 1 christ at all. He will come one day and present himself as a man that will bring in new world order and a utopia for all humanity to enjoy. (1) Jesus said “I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.” (John 5:43) There is a man who is coming and he will present himself to the jews and the rest of the world as the messiah. He will come with the age old promise of bringing peace and all will fall for his deception. (2) The Jews are looking for one like Moses. They are looking for a man as messiah. One of the reasons that they do not believe in Jesus is for His claims of deity. But that anti christ, at first anyway, will not make any such claims and the Jews will have their man. (3) The anti christ will rise up out of the revived Roman empire (based out of Europe) winning the allegiance of many and one of the things he will do is make a convenient with the people of Israel and many for seven years: perhaps promising Israel that they would be able to rebuild their temple. But in the middle of the seven year covenant he will break his word and this will bring in the last three and on half years of the tribulation time period known as the great tribulation. c) This canʼt be Jesus on the white horse because He is the one opening the seal. And Jesus certainly doesnʼt come at the beginning of the tribulation but at the end: we have a record of His coming again in the 19th chapter of Revelation. 2. Daniel 9:24-27 deals with the 70 weeks of years that are determined upon the people of Israel. We need to understand that one of the biggest reasons of the tribulation period is to deal with Godʼs people Israel and the anti christ is in the midst of the story. a) Back in Daniel 9:24 we read that seventy weeks have been determined upon the people of Israel. These are not weeks of days but weeks of years. For each day within these prophetic weeks we have one day being represented. The purpose of these seventy weeks: (1) to finish the transgression, (2) to make an end of sins, (3) to make reconciliation for iniquity, (4) and to bring in everlasting righteousness, 2 (5) and to seal up the vision and prophecy, (6) and to anoint the most Holy. b) The prophecy continues to explain in verse 25 that “from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks:.” So sixty nine weeks of years, or 173,880 days, are to be fulfilled before the first advent of Messiah the Prince. (1) “The edict in question was the decree issued by Artaxerxes Longimanus in the twentieth year of his reign, authorizing Nehemiah to rebuild the fortifications of Jerusalem… “The statement of St. Luke is explicit and unequivocal, that our Lordʼs public ministry began in the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar (Luke 3:1,22). It is equally clear that it began shortly before Passover. The date of it can thus be fixed as between August A.D. 28 and April A.D. 29. The Passover of the crucifixion therefore was in A.D. 32, when Christ was betrayed on the night of the Paschal Supper, and put to death on the night of the Pascal Feast… “…If then the foregoing conclusions be founded, we should expect to find that the period intervening between the edict of Artaxerxes and the Passion was 483 prophetic years (of 360 day years)… “…The persian edict which restored the autonomy of Judah was issued in the Jewish month of Nisan…The seventy weeks are therefor to be computed from the 1st of Nisan B.C. 445… “…there is neither doubt nor difficulty in fixing within narrow limits the Julian date of the 1st of Nisan in any year whatever. In B.C. 445 the new moon by which the Passover was regulated was on the 13th of March at 7h. 9m. A.M. And accordingly the 1st Nisan may be assigned to the 14th of March (B.C. 445)… “But the language of the prophecy is clear: ʻFrom the going forth of the commandment unto Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks and threescore and two weeks.ʼ An era therefore of sixty-nine ʻweeks,ʻ or 483 prophetic years reckoned from the 14th March B.C. 445, should close with some event to satisfy the words, ʻunto the Messiah the Prince.ʼ… “ …The Julian date of the 10th Nisan was Sunday the 6th April, A.D. 32. What then was the length of the period intervening between the issuing of the decree to rebuild Jerusalem and the public advent of 3 the ʻMessiah the Prince,ʼ–between the 14th March B.C. 445, and the 6th April, A.D. 32? THE INTERVAL CONTAINED EXACTLY AND TO THE VERY DAY 173,880 DAYS, or seven times sixty-nine weeks of Gabrielʼs prophecy.” 1 (2) Probably the most stunning fulfillment of prophecy found in the Bible! (3) The prophecy tells us that in the first advent of “Messiah the prince” he will be “cut off, but not for himself” (verse 26). Thus Jesus was crucified and “cut off.” This event paused Godʼs divine timeline and ever since it has remained paused for a yet future event which will start it back up again. (4) This event will be the covenant made by the second prince that is mentioned in the prophecy: the anti christ or the coming world leader. Once a covenant is made by him “with many” it will begin the last seven years of the seventy and thus the seventy weeks of years that have been determined upon the people of Israel will be accomplished: this remaining seven years is what is known as the tribulation period or the time of Jacobʼs trouble. It is this particular piece of time that will be discussed at length and in depth between the 6th and 19th chapters of Revelation. (5) “This seven-year period is clearly also the same as Danielʼs famous ʻseventieth weekʼ (Daniel 9:24-27). With respect to the unbelieving nation of Israel, it is to be ʻthe time of Jacobʼs troubleʼ (Jeremiah 30:7). For the unbelieving gentiles, it is the time of ʻthe indignation of the Lord upon all nationsʼ (Isaiah 34:2).” 2 3. The first seal possibly represents the first three and one half years of the tribulation period. If this rider is indeed the anti christ and he goes forth conquering, and to conquer, it is very likely that what is meant by that is that he will gather the allegiance of the world under his demonic sway. After this comes the other seals. 4. A few hundred years ago a world ruler ruling over the entire world was unthinkable. But in our time it doesnʼt any more seem that impossible. II. The Second Seal, vv. 3-4 A. The Red horse 1 Sir Robert Anderson, The coming Prince, pp. 121-128 2 Henry Morris, The Revelation Record, p. 107 4 1. This horse brings on a world wide war. The peace that the anti christ brought was short-lived: the peace he gave was a pseudo peace which only made people happy for a while. 2. He has a sword and with it he makes war on the earth. The possibilities for warfare today are unequalled to any other time in history. We as humans can singlehandedly destroy ourselves: wether itʼs nuclear or biological we certainly have the ability to destroy peace worldwide and with it tall human life as we know it. 3. The prophecy is very clear that it will be people who will be destroying people. The red horse will be the cause and the source but the people on earth will be the ones to carry out the dirty work of war. III. THE THIRD SEAL, vv. 5-6 A. The Black horse 1. “The balances depict trade and commerce, the determination of price equivalents for goods. The power of commerce, to generate prosperity or calamity, inflation or depression, opulence, or starvation, has been understood and manipulated by politicians and merchants and bankers for thousands of years…” 3 2. Famine and impossible pricing for the bare necessities of Life. 3. We have seen the anti christ arise bringing a false peace which was shortlived and overran by war from the red horse and it naturally follows that when war happens so does a shortage of supply with famine soon arising and more deaths as a result of starvation. IV. THE FOURTH SEAL, vv. 7-8 A. The Pale horse 1. “The fourth horse was green (Greek chloros), the same word used to describe the color of grass in Mark 6:39, Revelation 8:7, and Revelation 9:4. Green is the color universally associated with life, yet the rider on the horse is called Death. The symbolism probably is intended as prophetic irony.” 4 2. There are a number of different methods of death that this death rider brings. 3 Henry Morris, The revelation Record, p.114 4 Henry Morris, The Revelation Record, p. 117 5 a) sword–the red horse has already put this into motion: the pale horse adds to the death count by way of the sword. This could be referring also only to cold blooded murder between individuals rather than the war-sword that we saw in the red horse. b) hunger–famine and starvation will kill many c) death–This could be pestilence but the word here used is thanatos and means death not loimos which means pestilence. It still could refer to pestilence but it may refer simply to any and all means of causing death. If itʼs disease, a horrifying murder or a car accident these all can cause death. d) the beasts of the earth–This is most interesting of them all. In a day and age when the western and modern civilization is turning back to eastern worship by worshiping and serving the creature rather than the creator. This was most blasphemous in the past and still is today. It is interesting that upon this creature worshiping world God will send them beasts, whom they thought worthy of worship, to come and destroy them. These beasts we are not for sure what exactly they are. But they are definitely wild, dangerous and even venomous. The word here used is theerion which is the same word used in Acts 28:5 speaking of a venomous snake that had bitten Paul. V. THE FIFTH SEAL, vv. 9-11 A. The tribulation saints 1. Underneath the altar– this is a figure taken out of Leviticus 4:17, 18. a) “…and shall pour out all the blood at the bottom of the altar of the burnt offering, which is at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.” 2. There will be thousands upon thousands that will suffer for there faith in Christ during the tribulation period. But these are not christians that were converted to Christ before the rapture but those that came to christ as a result of it: those that were left behind! 1 Thessalonians 4:16,17 a) The tribulation period will be a time of unprecedented persecution. The anti christ will not have “the word of God” nor “the testimony” which these held. He, instead of tolerating them, will do away with them! b) We have witnessed many millions over the centuries die for their faith but there will never be a time like this. There will not only be martyrs in this time as we have today, but the killing of these martyrs will be encouraged 6 and condoned by all who have rejected their witness to Jesus Christ. Even now the vast majority of people that reject believing in Jesus donʼt condone, support, or encourage killing believers, but during the tribulation period there will be the darkest part of mans heart revealed. c) It was for the word of God that these will suffer and it has always been about the word of God that christians have suffered in the past. No recanting on the behalf of the faithful! d) Their testimony of the Gospel and of Jesus Christ was as bright and bold as their confession of loyalty to the Holy Scriptures. For this also will they be killed. 3. vv.10-11. Wait for vengeance these are told. God will eventually judge those that have killed his people. VI. THE SIXTH SEAL, vv. 12-17 A. Here we see a transition of God judging indirectly to God judging directly. 1. Up till now now we have seen God judging through the anti christ, through war, through famine, through death and the beasts of the earth. But in the remaining portions of this chapter god directly judges the earth. a) God has different methods of judging. At present e does so by allowing man to choose to live according to the desires of his heart and then reap the consequences. This is an indirect form of judgment, He lets the natural course of sowing and reaping. But there will come a day, and we have come to that day in our text, when the Lord will refrain no longer from his direct judgment upon earth. b) This day of judgment was known by all to be “from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb.” c) We need to warn people of the wrath that is to come! 7 l1 l2 l3 l5 Parenthesis Tr um pe t7 15 Parenthesis B ow l7 l6 ow B ow B l4 ow 8,9 B ow B ow B ow Parenthesis Se al 7 The 7-Sealed Scroll B Tr u pe t m 1 p Tr et um 2 Tr pet um 3 p Tr et um 4 p Tr et um 5 pe t6 m Tr u Se al Se 1 al 2 Se al 3 Se al 4 Se al 5 Se al 6 6 7 10-14 16 8 Comparing Matthew 24-25 with Revelation 6 Matthew 24 and 25 Revelation 6 Event 24:6-7 6:7-8 War 24:7 6:5-6 Famine 24:7-9 6:7-8 Death 24:9-10, 16-22 6:9-11 Martyrdom 24:29 6:12-14 Sun darkened, stars falling 24:32-25:26 6:15-17 Divine Judgment 9