Sermon Tone Analysis

Praise & Prayer

Last week we looked at how Jesus was the only one worthy to open the seals of the scroll, and how the scroll was in a sense a deed to the earth, the deed that Adam lost when he sinned in the Garden of Eden, turning dominion or control of the earth over to Satan.

Tonight we will look at Chapter 6 of Revelation and the first six seals of the scroll and what happens when those seals are opened.

Revelation 6 involves the third phase of the prophecy of God in the book of Revelation.

In Revelation 1-3, John had a vision of the Lord Jesus Christ and delivered a message to seven churches, which was the period called the church age.

In Revelation 4-5, God prophesied about the return of His Son, the rapture of His church, and tells us about the great scroll with seven seals that the Lamb of God has been deemed worthy to open.

At the close of Revelation 5, the elders have dropped down to worship the Lamb as He takes the scroll to open it and reveal its contents.

The Wrath of the Lamb and the Coming Tribulation

As we come to the opening of these seven seals, there is a feeling of great humility and a spirit of anticipation and awe.

Come and see.

some people think they already know what the future holds.

But no one knows.

I do not know what tomorrow holds.

Neither do you.

Nor does Satan.

Only God knows the future.

All we know is what God has revealed in His Word.

Tonight we want to look at the things God has revealed about the world being on a collision course with judgment.

I know that is not a popular subject, but it is certainly true.

Many people think judgment only involves the active stance a judge takes when he delivers a sentence to the guilty party.

But the judge can just as easily take a passive stance, letting the chips fall where they may and allowing the consequences of one’s behavior to serve as the judgment.

The latter is how God will judge the world.

He will simply let the world have its own way.

And ironically, when the world gets what it wants, it will not want what it gets.

Most people probably do not think of a lamb as having wrath.

But this isn’t just any lamb; this is the Lamb of God.

When Jesus was on earth, He warned about a time known as the great tribulation.

What will happen to the world when the church is removed?

first, we need to describe the church.

Jesus described it like this in Matthew 5:13-16

Salt preserves, and light gives warmth and illumination.

What happens when you take away the salt?

putrefaction sets in.

What happens when you remove the light?

Darkness ensues.

this is the time of the great tribulation.

Are you ready to open the scroll?

Let’s begin with what is behind the first seal.

The Four Beast

A Storm is brewing as John’s vision continues:

Who are these living creatures?

we seen them around the throne in Revelation 4:7

Notice that God’s Word prefaces each description of the creatures with the word like.

This is comparative symbolism to describe four living creatures around the throne of God.

I believe these living creatures are the highest class of angels that praise the grace, glory of God.

What does this comparative symbolism mean?

The first one has a face like a lion.

What do you think of when you envision a lion?

I think of authority and power.

I call this the majesty of the Lord Jesus.

The second has a face like a ox/calf, which reminds me of servitude and sacrifice.

This speaks of the ministry of the Lord Jesus.

The third one had a face like a man, which speaks of the humanity of the Lord Jesus.

The fourth and final one had a face like an eagle.

What comes to mind when you think of an eagle at the throne of God?

I think of the deity of the Lord Jesus.

These living creatures reflect the majesty, ministry, humanity, and deity of the Lord Jesus.

Furthermore, the four living creatures are symbolized in the four Gospels.

Matthew deals with the majesty of the lion - depicting Jesus Christ as the King of the Jews.

Mark deals with the ministry of the Suffering Servant who was crucified for our sins.

The Gospel of Luke shares much about the humanity of Jesus Christ - for one reason.

Luke goes into the greatest detail about the virgin birth of our Lord.

John shares much about the deity of the Lord Jesus.

Militant Conquest

We have heard of the four horseman of the Apocalypse.

Here they are, riding forth after the rapture.

We can almost here their distant hoofbeats.

As these seals are broken, the first vision that appears is of someone who comes in power to rule.

Look at the symbolism here.

The white horse symbolizes a conqueror, the bow symbolizes power, and the crown symbolizes dominion.

Could this be the Lord Jesus?

No.

Although Jesus Christ is shown in Revelation 19 as coming on a white horse to rule and to reign, this is the Antichrist - the one who imitates the Lord Jesus Christ.

The prefix anti means against and instead of.

The Antichrist will be the devil’s false messiah.

He was prophesied in the Old and New Testaments.

In the Old Testament, the book of Daniel spoke of the man of sin, the Antichrist:

The Antichrist is described here as a man with cunning policies who is a consummate egotist.

In the New Testament, Jesus prophesied about this false messiah when He said,

When the Antichrist begins to go forth, everyone will proclaim that a savior has come to bring world peace.

Indeed, at that moment in time, the world will be ripe for the devil’s messiah.

And he will take full advantage of his hero status.

The world will worship at his feet.

Little children will speak his name with reverence.

Men will lay down their lives for this man, which we are told will be Satan’s superman.

He will personify all of the Caesars, Napoleons, Hitlers, and Stalin's rolled into one, and he will have sinister plans for military conquest.

Murderous Conflicts

The second seal is opened, and it reveals that there will be murderous conflicts.

When Satan’s superman appears on the world stage with ideas of world conquest infesting his evil brain, war will follow as night follows day.

That is the reason John has seen a horse that is red.

It is a symbol of the bloodthirsty plans of this evil man.

Indeed there will be worldwide havoc and destruction as Jesus prophesied:

The Bible never prophesied that the world will get better but to the contrary - the world will become worse and worse.

One evidence of this is the frightening escalation of weaponry technology.

There are enough nuclear weapons in the world today to annihilate every human being on earth hundreds of times over, but we continue to build and stockpile more and more.

Why do I bring this up?

Because when the Antichrist comes, a spirit of hatred will inflame the depraved hearts of men.

According to God’s Word, Jesus prophesied that there would be wars between nations and also wars between classes of people, races, and religions.

Brothers will kill brother, and parents will gladly slay their children.

In addition God spoke this prophecy to the prophet Ezekiel: