The Revelation of Christ.
Revelation Six.
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
Revelation 6:1-8. (Part one).
“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.”
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.
When He opened the second seal, I heard
the second living creature saying, “Come and see.”
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.
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.
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.”
When He opened the fourth seal, I heard
the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come and see.”
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.”
The sixth chapter of Revelation is the great divide, of the Book of
Revelation. We are moving from the glories of the Heavens to terrible
judgements on the earth. Since God is the Creator and the Redeemer, He is the
only One worthy to judge this earth. He is the only One who is able to rule
this earth. May I say to you, the Lord Jesus Christ alone is worthy to sit in
judgment.
Any human
judge who does not look to God is not worthy to sit on any bench and judge
anyone. The injustice that is upon this earth today is brought about by sinful man
sitting in judgment upon other sinful men. Jesus Christ knew no sin, so He is
worthy to sit in judgement.
Many
today want to take away the courts of judgement, judges, and lawyers, more so
the criminal minded. And many do not want to stand in judgment before God
either. But all will!
The next event on God’s prophetic
timetable is the rapture of the church. But after the church is taken out of
here, meanwhile, back on earth, there will follow a 7-year period like this
earth has never experienced before. The Bible calls it the “Great
Tribulation.”
What happens on the earth when the church leaves?
The Great Tribulation takes place, and that is the subject of chapters 6–18.
The opening of the seven–sealed book is the subject specifically of chapter
6 through verse 1 of chapter 8. These seven seals open up the Great
Tribulation period.
The Lord Jesus breaks the seals, and the four
horses ride forth. We will see the martyred dead during that period and the
coming of the day of wrath. Chapter’s
6-19 paints for us a graphic picture of this dreadful period, it is so
terrible, frightening, and horrible that you will think I am exaggerating,
overstating the matter, until you see these verses for yourself.
But remember what Jesus said
about the Tribulation back in
Matthew 24:21 “For
then there will be “Great Tribulation,” such as has not been since the beginning
of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.”
The
important thing for us to keep before us is the One who is worthy to open this
book. He is directing everything now. As we were told at the beginning, this is
the Revelation, the unveiling, of Jesus Christ.
He is no
longer walking among the lampstands, for they have all been removed from this
earth. Only those who reject the “grace of God” go into the Great Tribulation
period. Now is the time to turn to Christ dear reader.
Christ is
no longer the High Priest, standing as intercessor, but He is now the executor
of God’s will upon the earth as He opens the seals of the book. All the
judgments of the Great Tribulation come forth from the seals out of which come
the trumpets, the persons, and the bowls.
The Great Tribulation is triggered from heaven.
Jesus Christ directs the entire operation.
That is an amazing statement when
you think of all the wars, famines, diseases, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions.
You think of all the violence
that have taken place all over this earth from the time of Adam and Eve, even
until now, and Jesus said, add it all together, and none of it can compare to
what the world is about to experience in the “Great Tribulation.”
In the Old Testament, Jeremiah
said this about the tribulation: “I see
every man with his hands on his loin as a woman in travail, and all faces are
turned into paleness. Alas, for that day is great, so that none is like
it, it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble.”
These verses
teach us that in the Tribulation, men will wrap their arms around themselves
like women giving birth, and that everyone’s faces will be pale grey at the
terrible, frightening things happening on this earth, and the whole world will
be focused upon what happens in the nation Israel.
Daniel 12:1
“At that time Michael shall stand up,
The great prince who stands watch over the
sons of your people.
And there shall be a time of trouble,
Such as never was since there was a nation,
Even to that time.
And at that time your people shall be
delivered,
Everyone who is found written in the book.”
What God gave to John in Revelation 6-19 is a vision of
unspeakable horror.
Chapter 5 tells of a 7 sealed scroll, the title deed to the
earth. The question was asked.
Who is worthy to open that
scroll, and reclaim ownership of the earth from Satan? We find that Christ
alone is worthy! The Lamb of God is also the Lion!
Now, in chapter 6, the scroll begins to be peeled back, and one at a time
the seals are broken. And as the seals are broken, the horrors of the Tribulation
are turned loose upon the earth, and they unfold before our very eyes.
The Lord Jesus breaks the seals, and the four
horses ride forth, the first four seals involve the “4-horsemen of the apocalypse.” Let
us look at them one at a time:
May
I say very definitely that John has made it clear that we have now come to future things, and anything from here on
through chapter 20 is still future. We are following a chronological
order here, and it is very logical. You simply cannot say that these events are
taking place today, and you cannot fit them into history.
Verses 1-2. The
White Horse.
“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.”
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 we open the first seal and
look at the first horseman on the white horse.
I want you to think of the word Dominion, as this horse rides by. “Thunder” indicates a storm is coming.
It is the sound of heavy hooves galloping this way!
Who is this rider on the white
horse, unleashed on the earth at the beginning of the tribulation? Some might
think it is Jesus Christ, but it is not, that does not come until the end of
the tribulation. It is Jesus that is opening the seals on His throne in the
Heavens, as He opens the seal John sees the rider, so it cannot be Jesus.
Revelation 19:11-12 “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. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head
were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself.”
That is Jesus Christ coming at
the end of the tribulation, but that is not the description given here in chapter 6. Matter of fact, the only
likeness is the white horse. So, if the rider on this white horse in chapter 6 is not Jesus Christ, then who
is he? Many believe him to be the anti-Christ, a phoney!
In the Bible, a white horse is a symbol of
conquest. A bow is a symbol of power and warfare, and a crown is a symbol of dominion. There
is coming one last and final dictator to this earth, he is the antichrist, he
is coming on a white horse as a copycat of Jesus Christ.
We are
moving today in the direction of a world dictator. Increasingly are this true.
All the nations of the world are disturbed. Lawlessness abounds, and
governments are not able to control as they should. This is all preparing the
way for the coming of one who is going to rule.
The
Antichrist does not appear as a villain. Satan’s angels are angels of light. He
is not going to have horns or cloven feet. Rather, he is going to be the most
attractive man the world has ever seen. They will elect him, and the world will
acclaim him because he has come in his own name. But when he takes over, it
sure is going to be bad for the world.
This is Satan’s great deceiver, and
his deception is so convincing, that even the Jews, many of them, will believe
him, and will think that their Messiah has finally arrived. He will come on a
platform of peace, (notice: no arrows, just a bow) but this last world dictator
will bring death and destruction to this earth.
Economically,
and technology has brought humankind to such a degree of distress that we are
ripe for deifying any new Leader who might succeed in giving the world unity
and peace, being it from Heaven or Hell.
That will
be the platform that Antichrist will come in on, world unity and peace.
I think
that if anybody appeared on the scene now and offered the world that, the world
would not ask whether he came from heaven or hell. I do not think they would
care, because they want peace at any price.
How is this going to happen? Note
verse 2 “given unto him.” Yes. His
power and his dominion are given unto him. They are given to him by God. It is
God who will allow it to happen.
Read Revelation 17:17 “For God has put it into their hearts to fulfil His
purpose, to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the
words of God are fulfilled.” According to that verse, God will convince the
rulers of the world to give their power to the anti-Christ.
Satan will think that he is in
charge. During the Great Tribulation, the devil will think he is calling the
shots, running the affairs of earth, but it is God who will control it all. (Just
like at the Cross on Calvary’s hill, Satan rejoiced too early in the death of
Christ, for God was still in control, and Jesus arose again victorious).
Even when disorder seemingly
rules, God is on the throne and in full control, but in essence, what God is
doing is He is giving mankind enough rope to hang himself with! In the Great Tribulation,
although man will still have some freedom to choose, by the end of the game
everything will be according to God’s sovereign plan.
When the
Antichrist comes to power, he is going to talk peace, and the world will think
that it is entering the Millennium when it is actually entering the Great
Tribulation. A promise of peace is the big lie the world is going to believe.
You can read more about the
anti-Christ in chapters 13, 17 and 18. But when you open that first seal, and see the white horse ride
by, think of that word Dominion.
Verses 3-4. The Red Horse.
“When He opened the second
seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come and see.”
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.”
I want you to think of the word Division, as this horse rides by.
Red is the colour of blood and war. The anti-Christ comes on a platform of
peace, and one of the things that will drive him to power is his plan which
seems to be workable for world peace.
He will do something which has
never been done, bring peace to the middle east, but it will not last.
This is a short–lived peace. Immediately after
the white horse went forth, here comes the red horse of war on the earth. The
peace which the rider on the white horse brought to the earth was temporary and
counterfeit.
For at the mid-point of the
7-years of Tribulation, after 3.5 years, the second seal is opened, and the
rider of the red horse will snatch the peace from the earth.
When you consider current events
in the Middle East. The warfront is the northern border. Ezekiel 38 and 39 are all about invaders from the
north. The Biblical land of Magog is Russia, predicted to be peaceful until
suddenly they invade Israel.
That passage in Ezekiel
talks of horsemen, bows, and arrows, the same language John used in his
Revelation.
John is describing 21st
C. events using his 1st C. language. The signs of the times are
everywhere. Thank God if you are saved you will be long gone to heaven at this
point!
It will come, first of all, in
the form of nation against nation, and it will also come in the form of
widespread violence, man against man. Magog is prophesied to bring ‘many
others’ with them, possibly the Arab Israel haters from the entire Middle
East.
That spirit of hatred will be so
cruel that a man will slit his mother’s throat without blinking an eye. Brother
will stab brother in the back, with no hesitation. Parents will turn against
their own children! Can you imagine the confusion, the disorder that will
rule? You think we live in a violent society now, well, it is nothing
compared to the hateful slaughter which will take place during the Great Tribulation.
Dead bodies will lie in the
streets, groaning and suffering will be everywhere, and the stench of death
will wreak in the air. The Red horse speaks of division.
Verses 5-6. The Black Horse.
“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.
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.”
I want you to think of the word Depravation, as this horse rides by. Here is a time of famine.
Here is a time of economic disaster, wholesale starvation.
War spreads across the world from the middle east, and food and fuel become
more and more scarce.
The black
horse represents the worldwide famine that is to come on the earth. Always
after a war there is a shortage of food.
John again says, “I heard” and “I
saw.” He just wants to make sure that we know that. The color of the black
horse indicates mourning (see Jeremiah 4:28; Malachi 3:14, “mournfully in
black”), and it also speaks of famine. During the tribulation, food
will be weighed like gold.
Verse 6
“A quart of wheat for a penny,
and three quarts of barley for a penny.”
This represents one day’s food
supply in that day, and the penny represents one day’s wages at that time. So,
during the Great Tribulation, a man/woman will have to work all day, and it
will be all they can do just to buy enough food for that day.
A denarius was a day’s wage (see Matthew
20:2). Therefore, a worker will be unable to support his family in that
day. It will be all a person can do just to keep body and soul together
and alive.
Again, we already live in a world
of everlasting hunger. We tend to forget, 1/3rd of the world is
starving, 1/3rd is underfed, and if you have got enough to eat, you
are in the upper third! But a world-wide famine is coming in the Great Tribulation
on an unparalleled scale.
Verse 6.
“And do not harm the oil and
the wine.”
These represent the luxury foods of John’s day. The
horseman was told not to tamper with these items. The oil and the wine are luxuries that are
enjoyed by the rich. Oil would correspond to our toiletries, the beauty aids,
and the body conditioners that we use today; that is, the luxuries of life.
The wine
corresponds to the alcohol that will be in abundance. It interesting that there
will not be enough food, not enough barley for food, but there will be enough
barley to make alcohol! They will make it in that day, and the rich are the
ones who will get it. In the tribulation, the
poor will get poorer, and the rich will get richer.
Many modern wars are about “oil”
supplies. Oil rich countries are always at risk of raiders, and with so much
oil supplies in the Middle East, these countries grow rich and powerful, more
so with luxury goods, and armaments.
The leader’s group of the wealthy
will retain their riches through a moral sell out to the antichrist, and they
will be the few who will carry on in normal fashion, as the vast majority are
totally deprived. The black horse represents starvation and deprivation like
the world has never seen.
In 1959 the United Nations said: “Sooner or
later food production will reach its limit. And then, if population is still
increasing, famine will do the execution that was done in the past by famine,
pestilence and war combined.”
Famine always follows after war.
1. White = dominion = antichrist.
2. Red = division = war, violence.
3. Black = deprivation = starvation.
Verses 7-8. The Pale Horse.
“When He opened the fourth
seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come and see.”
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.”
I want you to think of the word Death, as this horse rides by. “Pale”
comes from Greek word cloros (chlorine), and speaks of a ghastly green colour, it
is the idea of a body that has turned green and rotten with decay, and
according to verse 8 during the
tribulation, 1/4th of the world’s population will die.
Think about that and let that
soak in. Right now, that represents well over a billion people that is a
thousand million plus! How will this happen? This is just speculation, but that
could include something like virus, germ, biological warfare, or something
nuclear in nature on a national level.
Here is a pestilence that is going to take out one–fourth of the
population of the earth. There will not be enough antibiotics and penicillin to
go around in that day to stop it.
“Death was his name; and Hades
followed with him.”
In other
words, while death takes the body, hades is the place where the spirit of a
lost man goes. The anti-Christ has it both ways, he takes the bodies of men and
women, and their souls. Death evidently has an all–inclusive, three–fold
meaning that we do not ordinarily attach to it. We think of death as referring
only to the body.
1.
This
is physical death, and it refers only
to the body. It comes to a man because of Adam’s sin.
2.
Then
there is what is known as spiritual
death, which is separation from, and rebellion against, God, we have no
capacity for God and no desire for Him at all.
3.
Finally,
there is eternal death, which is
eternal separation from God. Unless a man is redeemed, this inevitably follows.
This is the second death that we will find later on in Revelation 20:14.
During
the Great Tribulation, death will ride unrestrained. The Lord Jesus put it like
this: “And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be
saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened” Matthew 24:22.
At the
Great White Throne judgment, death will be finally destroyed (see Revelation
20:14). This is confirmed by Paul who writes, “The last enemy that shall
be destroyed is death” 1 Corinthians 15:26. And John reasserts it in Revelation
21:4: “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no
more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain:
for the former things are passed away.”
The sword, famine, pestilence, and
wild beasts will decimate this earth’s population by one–fourth. The pale horse
represents plague and pestilence that will stalk the earth. It also encompasses
the possibility of germ warfare.
What an unbelievable chain
reaction will take place: First, the antichrist will come with dominion, then war will come with
division, famine will
come with deprivation,
then death will come to
over a billion people, it would be impossible to bury them all!
But that is not the end of it, John
saw 2 personalities associated with this pale horse, look again: Verse 8
“And Hades or Hell followed with him.” This means that while death claims
the body, hell claims the soul, after death comes hell and judgment, and no one
will be able to escape.
Conclusion:
You are just trying to scare me,
you may say. If you are not saved, I wish I could! Although fear
motivation is not the very best motivation to get saved, it is not a bad motive,
matter of fact, wise is the man or woman who recognizes the wrath to come and
asks God to save them from it.
The Bible says when Noah built
that ark, he was moved with fear of what was coming.
If you are not saved and this
message scares you, you have good reason to be afraid, for these 4 horsemen are
ready to ride, they are saddled up, and if you will put your ear to the ground,
I think you will hear them coming!
The
stage is set for the rapture of the church, and these seals will begin to be
opened, and these 4 horsemen will ride. Now, it is not just the religious world
that is warning that the world is headed for chaos. Even the nonspiritual world
is feeling a sense of impending doom.
Doctors and scientists are
continuously learning of new strains of bacteria and virus which are resistant
to all known antibiotics, and doctors around the world are becoming alarmed at
the possibilities of the greatest outbreak of disease the world has ever
seen.
As these notes are being typed,
we are in the third year of a worldwide virus. These last few weeks the news is
all about are we on the brink of world war 3. No, my dear readers, we are
living right now in terrible times, and what you are reading as not even
started yet.
Jesus said, in the last days
there will be a great increase in earthquakes, famines, and pestilence
(incurable diseases). And you cannot watch the news today without seeing all 3
regularly. If you will pick up your Bible in one hand, and a newspaper in the
other, it is hard to be blind to the fact that we are in the closing shadows of
this age.
The flames of judgment are on the
horizon, things are nearing the conclusion. The bottom line? If you are not saved, you would better get
saved. Many say “Why do I need to be saved? Saved from what? Read the book
of Revelation! The whole of the world and its many tribes and nations need to
get saved.
Let me tell you something about
salvation and forgiveness of sins: It is so precious, valuable, that God
refuses to allow you to buy it, earn it, work for it, but if you are willing to
receive it as a free gift, God will give it to you!
Fear of these future events is
not a bad reason at all to get saved, but there are so many positive benefits
to salvation that I have to confess, even if there was no hell, I would still
want to be a Christian and trust in God my Creator and Saviour!
Heaven and Earth’s
Response to the four horsemen of the Apocalypse.
Revelation 6:9-17 (Part two).
“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.
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?”
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.
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.
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.
Then
the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island
was moved out of its place.
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,
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!
For
the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”
The Great Tribulation begins in Chapter 6 with frightening images. We have watched FOUR horses
ride by:
1. White = Antichrist
= Dominion.
2. Red = war, violence = Division.
3. Black = starvation, economic collapse = Depravation.
4. Pale green = 1/4 of world’s population dies = Death.
Then there are TWO responses to
the FOUR horsemen.
1. One in heaven, the heavenly viewpoint.
2. One on earth, the earthly viewpoint.
The SEVEN sealed scroll has been
opened to the first FOUR sections, now let us see five and six.
Verses 9-11. Heaven’s
Response.
“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.
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?”
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.”
This altar is in heaven and is evidently where Christ offered His blood for
the sins of the world. The souls mentioned here are the Old Testament saints.
As the Lord Jesus put it: “That the blood of all the prophets, which was
shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation; From
the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar
and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation”
Luke 11:50–51.
Included
with these are those who will be slain in the Great Tribulation period, as we
have already found that one–fourth of the population will be wiped out. the
Tribulation saints are to be included with the Old Testament saints in the
second resurrection.
During the Great
Tribulation, many will die for the
cause of Christ. The antichrist will require worship as God, and to take the
mark of the Beast as a sign of that, many will refuse, and will die, the method
will be beheading it says here.
Will any people
get saved in the tribulation? Yes. Some who had not heard the gospel before the
rapture will choose to believe and will be killed for it. Many died for Christ
before the Tribulation (Smyrna, dark ages, crusades, modern day persecutions.
From the
gateway of glory, they watch the FOUR Horsemen ride, and they see the terrorist
reign of the antichrist, and they cry out to the Lord to avenge them. And
the Lord says, it will not be long, there are just a few more of you to arrive.
Verse 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.”
This is a
picture of a God in heaven still in full control, even during the tribulation.
To these saints, martyred for their faith, it looks like all hell is breaking
loose on the earth, and it is, but they soon see that God is not pacing the
floor, or wringing His hands in despair, wondering what to do.
He turns to
them and says, take it easy, it will not be long! No wonder we have a
problem with patience and worry.
If even
saints in heaven struggle with it, until redemption is complete! But God makes
it clear to them that their death was not an accident, but an appointment!
And no matter
what you are going through, even if you think God has forgotten you or seems
silent, He says, take it easy, I am in control. The storms churn around
us at times, but the peacemaker says, remember, the waves which seem over your
head are under My feet!
Verses 12-14.
Earth’s response.
“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.
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.
Then
the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island
was moved out of its place.”
Worldwide
shakings, disasters, all of nature will be upset. The Bible tells us
elsewhere that all of nature is held together by Jesus Christ, and in the Great
Tribulation, it is as though He removes His hands from it, and it all falls
apart.
“A great earthquake.”
This is evidently the beginning of the last half of the Great Tribulation
period. The great day of His wrath is before us.
The Great
Tribulation opens and closes with these upheavals in the natural universe:
1. The beginning of the Tribulation
(compare Joel 2:30–31 with Acts 2:20).
2. The end of the Tribulation (see Joel
3:9–17; Isaiah 13:9–13; 34:1–4; Matthew 24:29.
The fact
that we are having an increase in earthquakes today is no fulfillment of this
at all. This is to take place in the Great Tribulation period. But the
interesting thing is that in the past earthquakes have really destroyed a great
deal of the population of this earth.
In the
last 4,000 years earthquakes have caused the loss of 13,000,000 lives, and by
far the most awful earthquake is yet to come.
“And
there was a great earthquake, such as there was not since there were men upon
the earth, so great an earthquake, so mighty; and the cities of the nation’s
fell” Revelation 16:18. What a picture we have here! The earthquakes today are not a
fulfillment. They merely show that it could happen as God’s Word says it will.
First of three major earthquakes in this Great Tribulation
period, and this one is so fierce and violent that verse 14 says entire mountains and islands are moved or disappear.
Imagine BBC
News, reporting that the Philippine Islands have disappeared, or Hawaii is
gone!
In the last 4,000 years, an estimated 13 million have died in
earthquakes. The father of them all is yet to come!
Verse 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.”
The reference
to the sun and moon here, some Bible scholars believe this earthquake may be
triggered by a nuclear explosion of such magnitude, that ever a red moon will
be seen through the smog, pollution, and dust.
Verse 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.”
Could this be
referring to meteors, or something else? Some
again, consider a dozen nuclear
tipped missiles, and because they come straight down from the sky.
We can strike
several cities at the same time, with virtually no warning, it might look much
like a meteor shower entering the atmosphere, or “falling stars.” Modern
warfare so common in our times, but so strange to see in John’s time as he
writes down these words.
It is quite
likely in my mind, that what John is describing in these verses is an all-out
nuclear exchange (20th C. events in 1st C. language).
“Then the sky receded as a scroll
when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its
place.”
Do you know
what happens during a nuclear explosion? The atmosphere actually rolls back on
itself. Much of the destruction of a nuclear explosion is caused by massive
amounts of air rushing back into the vacuum that was instantly created at the blast
point.
But whether
we have all the details figured out is not really important. Much of this is
speculation, and it could happen in a number of different ways than we can
even imagine, but clearly it is horrible, clearly, the world will be shaken
apart.
Verses 15-16. The people’s response.
“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,
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!”
And what is the earthly reaction
to all of this, what do the humans remaining do? They pray! Notice what they
pray to! The mountains and rocks, not to God, even though they just acknowledged
His existence!
There are those on the earth who are praying to
the rocks and to the mountains to fall upon them, because they want to be
hidden. Hidden from whom? From the wrath of the Lamb. This is the great day of
the wrath of God.
There is no such thing as an
atheist, more so when faced with death. The problem with atheists is not a
head problem, but a heart problem! They would rather hide from God in
fear, than run to Him in faith.
If the rapture comes and you are
not saved, never been “born again,” then you will become part of this great
prayer meeting on earth, praying for the rocks and mountains to fall on you,
but you will not be able to hide.
My thoughts are turning now to
YOU my readers who are saying: “I am not reading this anymore.” Take care my
reader, the book of Revelation, is a warning of “Danger ahead.” To be avoided
at all costs! Now is not the time to turn away, but to read the signs of the
times.
“The
wrath of the Lamb.”
Here we
have “the wrath of the Lamb.” The lamb is a familiar figure of Christ.
Suppose a little lamb, which is noted for gentleness and meekness. From the
days of Abel to those of John the Baptist, the Lord Jesus is depicted as a
Lamb. The apostle John calls Him “The Lamb slain from the foundation of the
world” Revelation 13:8.
You never see a sign saying, “Beware of the
lamb.” You see “Beware of the dog,” but not of a lamb. But what about “the
wrath of the Lamb”?
Wrath is strange and foreign even to the person
of God, is it not? God loves the good. God hates the evil. He does not hate as
you and I hate. He is not vindictive. God is righteous, God is holy, God has
declared war against sin. He will not compromise with that which has brought
such destruction to mankind.
Verse 17
“For the great day of His wrath
has come, and who is able to stand?”
If you do not avail yourself
today to the grace of God, then you will someday come under the wrath of God.
And rank and wealth will not
deliver you in that terrible day. Kings and captains, rich and poor, slaves and
free, who shall be able to stand?
Conclusion:
Christians, opportunities are all
around us. And the Church is on the edge to become a true soul-saving station.
Signs of the times point to the fact that the end is drawing near.
The end of
chapter 6.
