Revelation 6:12 – 17 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens 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 that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
Out of all the seals, the sixth seal will be the most dramatic judgment to take place. When the sixth seal is opened, the earth will experience a great earthquake. Some of the known side effects of an earthquake are fires, floods, tsunamis, landslides, volcanic activities, and soil liquefaction which cause structures to tilt, sink, or collapse. The earth becomes dark for the sun and moon are not providing their natural light. Stars and meteors will fall to earth, causing catastrophic damage, destruction, and craters. Stars are big. Can you imagine one falling on your house? Every mountain and island, will shift. I believe for the shifting of every mountain and island; this earthquake will be somehow global and not localized.
All of these occurrences will affect crops, transportation, energy, housing, healthcare, military, emergency services, communication, and the list goes on. My mind has difficulty grasping the magnitude of this event. All I can say, “Thank God, I will not be there.”
Social status will not protect people from the wrath of God. The earth inhabitants will fearfully try to hide in caves. Repentance is not sought, but they requested death with the realization that the day of reckoning is upon them. Unfortunately, this shows us the hardness of man’s heart, that amid turmoil, they are still too stubborn to seek and turn to God.
Revelation 6:9 – 11 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were 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, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.
The opening of the fifth seal reveals under the altar the newly, slain, believer’s soul which were killed for their belief in Christ. Unfortunately, they will not have the religious freedom of speech as we experience today. Remember, these believers will be saying they believe in Jesus Christ who raptured those millions of people and who will be coming back to earth to set up His kingdom. The world will see Jesus as the cause of the calamities happening to the planet. Thusly, expressions of faith toward Jesus will not be welcomed, but seen as treason leading to persecution and death. Some of the slain will be new converts, while others probably heard the gospel message preached before the rapture, but rejected it, and now realized they made a big mistake, repented and accepted Jesus.
Finally, the voices of the slain are heard crying over the inhumane treatment they received while on earth. They were given a white robe which symbolizes their victory and right standing with God, and told to rest until the end of the tribulation for many more would be joining them. For the scripture reveals throughout the tribulation there will be continued persecution and martyrdom; this means, however long the tribulation maybe believer’s lives will not be spared from death.
Revelation 6:3 – 8 “And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword. And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine. And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.”
While praying believers were on earth, their prayers diverted many calamities from happening, but now they are raptured. Yes, some of the people who in the past rejected salvation along with new converts will turn to Christ and start praying, but will it be enough?
The second seal is open, and peace is taken from the earth. The red horse symbolizes the blood and the sword symbolizes war. Besides the usual racial strife, labor feuding, organized crime, murders, civil wars, etc., the world will be engulfed in wars of unbelievable magnitude. The usual military conflict will not only be nation against nation but also involve dissatisfied nations revolting against the Antichrist. There will be no peace anywhere.
The opening of the third seal reveals a black horse and rider with a scale in his hand. The black horse represents famine, and the scale rationing in a failing economy. No doubt, the earth will become polluted by the wars resulting in inflation, driving the cost of produce sky high. What does not suffer is oil and wine. These commodities belong to the wealthy. Due to the exorbitant cost of food, poor people will starve while the rich continue to eat. The human starvation that we see in third world countries will visit our land.
The opening of the fourth seal reveals a pale horse whose rider was called Death with a companion called Hell. This fourth seal is the outcome of the compilation of the events of the previous seals: famine, war, and pestilence. The spread of disease will ravage the land. With so many people dying at the same time, corpses will be rotting in the streets, and the wild beast who roams the earth will have a human feast.
One-fourth of the world population will die within the first few years of the tribulation. Since our world census changes each day, and I do not have an actual date for the beginning of the tribulation, I am not able to give the exact number of deaths. Just know it will be in the millions.
Revelation 6:1 – 2 “And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.”
The first seal is opened, and it reveals a man riding on a white horse with a crown on his head and a bow in his hand. Eventually, in his rise to power, the crown which represents authority is given to him. The bow does not have arrows, meaning he conquers by diplomacy rather than warfare. This man has a plan which is world domination: he is the Antichrist. Many predictions have been made about the Antichrist, such as who is he, what is his nationality, and is he presently alive? What we know about the Antichrist is that he will come on the scene when the world is looking for answers. Environmental disasters, economic problems, the disappearance of millions of people,and the rapture aftermath to name a few things have left the world in a state of chaos and mass confusion. The Antichrist is brilliant, charismatic, diplomatic, and persuasive. He will be able to convince world leaders that he has the answers.
More insight into this man is given by Paul in II Thessalonians 2: 2 – 12
“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”
Paul states in this scripture that there will be a widespread rebellion against God and His Word. At God’s set time, the Antichrist who is referred to as the man of sin or son of destruction will be revealed. He, like Satan, will attempt to exalt himself as God, crave man’s worship, and carry out dastardly deeds until the second coming of Christ to the earth. Also, God will allow the world to accept the lies and deceit of the antichrist because of their rejection of the truth.
As we continue the study of Revelation, more of the diabolical plans of the Antichrist will be exposed. I am glad I will not be here; how about you?
As we begin to share events that will occur during the tribulation, I think a quick review of the seven dispensations is needed to help identify where we are in biblical time. A dispensation is a period of time during which God interacts with a man concerning sin and man’s responsibility.
The Seven Dispensations are:
- Innocence which began with the creation of man and ended with his expulsion from the Garden of Eden. (Genesis 1:16 – 3:24)
- Conscience which began after the expulsion of man from the Garden of Eden and ended with Noah and the flood. (Genesis 4:1- 8:24)
- Human Government which began after the flood and ended with the construction of the tower of Babel and the confusion of man’s language. (Genesis 8:15 – 11:9)
- Promise which began with the call of Abram and ended with the children of Israel exodus out of Egypt. (Genesis 12:1- Exodus 14:31)
- Law which began with the given of the law to Moses ended with the Birth of Jesus Christ. (Exodus 15:22 – Matthew 1:18)
- Grace which began with the birth of Jesus, and will end at the end of the tribulation. (Matthew 1:18 – Revelation 19:21)
- Millennium Kingdom which begins with Jesus setting up His kingdom reign on earth and ends with the new heaven and earth. (Revelation 20:1 – 15)
Israel was the nation of people that God choose under the leadership of Abraham for Himself in the dispensation of Promise. As from the beginning with Adam, men fail to meet the requirements of their dispensation. Finally in the Dispensation of Grace, Jesus was born and with his birth came salvation for mankind.
For years after Jesus’ resurrection, His disciples preached to the Jews alone. Approximately ten years after the resurrection in Acts 10, Peter ministered to Cornelius and his family who were Gentiles. After that, Paul was the chosen vessel selected to minister to the Gentile nations (Acts 18:5 – 6; 9:15; Galatians 1:15 – 16). These men up to our present day ministers, through the preaching of the gospel, helped fulfilled John 1:11 – 12, “He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” So, it is in this present, Grace dispensation that we have been permitted the opportunity to be saved. Hallelujah!
During the tribulation, as revealed in the book of Revelation, most of the ministry emphasis is on the Jews. Many Jews will accept Jesus as their Savior and King. There will also be Gentiles that come to accept Jesus; however, the main focus will be on the salvation of the Jews. Remember, the Jews are God chosen nation of people, and the many prophetic promises given to them has yet to be fulfilled. As we listen to the news and see opposition escalating toward Israel by Arab nations and their alliances the stage is being set for the tribulation in the near future. Despite the hardships, they will experience the grace of God will sustain and help them.
Finally, for those of you who want more information on the seven dispensations, a search on the internet will provide you with helpful insight on this topic.
In Revelation, chapter five, as in chapter four, John is still in the spirit having a vision of events that are happening in heaven. He sees a book with seven seals that no one was able to open. This upsets John, and he weeps until He sees Jesus as the Lamb of God who was slain for our sin, comes forward and is able to open up the book. The Lamb is also seen with seven eyes: that represent the sevenfold spirits of God (Isaiah 11:2) Revelation 5:6 states these spirits are sent out to every part of the earth. From this, I conclude these spirits are present everywhere to assist believers. Even as we continually see them with Jesus in the book of Revelation, know they need to be with us.
Chapter five ends with the twenty-four elders, the four living creatures, and millions of angels singing a new song unto the Lord. Then John heard every creature in heaven, on earth, under the earth, and in the sea speaking praises to the Lamb of God.
In Mark 13:5-27, Jesus told His disciples about occurrences that will take place during the tribulation. I suggest reading this scripture as an overview of what the scriptures will reveal in the following chapters of Revelation. Come along with me as we see the outcome of the twenty-one judgments (7 seals, 7 trumpets and 7 bowls) that is going to happen to the inhabitants of the earth. Get ready; this is not going to be nice!
In Revelation 4:10, the twenty-four elders were able to cast their crowns before the throne, which they had obtained for the works that they had done on earth. There are five attainable crowns of the believer that are found in the scripture. It is believed that believers will receive their crown at the judgment seat of Christ, which will take place in heaven. The crowns are as follows:
- Imperishable Crown is obtained for completing the race and obtaining mastery over the “old man.” It is also known as “Victor’s crown.” I Corinthians 9:25
- Crown of Life is given to those who persevere under afflictions, pressures, problems, etc. It is also known as the “Martyr’s Crown.” James 1:12; Revelation 2:10
- Crown of Rejoicing is given to soul-winners. II Thessalonians 2:19; Philippians 4:1
- Crown of Glory is given to those servants who tend to the flock of God. This is the “Pastor’s or Elder’s Crown.” I Peter 5:2-4
- Crown of Righteousness is given to believers who long for Christ return. II Timothy 4:7
In Revelation 3:11, Jesus exhorts the believer not to allow anyone to take their crown. Let us heed the instruction of Jesus and strive to obtain all the crowns that we can, so we can be one of the crown casters.
Remember the song, “When We All Get To Heaven.” I learned that song in my childhood, and occasionally we sing it now in my adulthood. This song reflects Revelation 4-5. In these chapters, we see some of the inhabitants of heaven. In chapter four Jesus is seen sitting on the throne in all of His majestic glory and seven lamps of fire burning around the throne which were the seven spirits of God (Isaiah 11:2) Around the throne of God were the twenty-four elders and the four beasts. The four beasts remind me of the alien beings seen in the movie “Star Wars” As humans we feel that we are the superior creation of God, but in heaven, I think we are going to be a bit surprised by what we see.
In these chapters and other heavenly scenes, we find the inhabitants praising and worshipping Jesus. As I often say to folks if you have problems praising God on earth, you will probably be very uncomfortable in heaven. So brothers and sisters get your praise on!!!!!!!!
I Thessalonians 3:16-17 “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”
The next significant event of the church is the rapture: the catching away of the children of God. The word “rapture” can not be found in the bible. However, this is the meaning believers have given to the event that takes place in the above verses. When Jesus arose from the grave the scriptures states in Ephesians 4:8, He took the souls that were His but were held captive to the heavenly paradise, where they now rest. Their spirit, soul, and body will be reunited on that day and believers will all meet Jesus in the air. All of our bodies, as stated in I Corinthians 15:51-55 will be changed from mortal to immortality; no more sickness, no more death. Praise the Lord Jesus!!!!!
Are you ready and listening for the trump of God?
As in all things religious, there is controversy about when the rapture will take place. The main schools of thought are as follows:
Pretribulation – the belief that the church will be caught up before the tribulation.
Midtribulation – the belief that the church will be caught up in the middle of the tribulation
Posttribulation – the belief that the church will be caught up after the tribulation.
Pretribulationist believe Revelation 4:1a that states, “After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither” is reflective of the church being rapture just before the tribulation commences in chapter 6:1
No matter when the rapture takes place, be ready! On earth, it will be a day of chaos. People will be disappearing right in front of peoples’ eyes, and accidents will be occurring all over the world at the same time. Can you imagine the aftermath? Wall Street will suffer greatly on that day. Creditors, loan companies, and banks will be unable to collect their monies. How will they know who is gone and who has remained? There will be identity theft, and break-ins to empty houses and stores. Families will be unable to collect insurance death benefits because their loved ones are not dead. The church (intercessors) will no longer be here. The wrath of God is getting ready to be poured out on earth. Whenever it takes place, I don’t plan to be here. How about you?
We started the study of Revelation 2-3 with a blog on hearing and overcoming. Each of the seven churches had something they needed to overcome. Since seven is the number of completion, I believe the information obtained on the churches covers the main problem areas that believers need to address in their Christian walk. In the closing address to the church of Laodicea Jesus said, “…..even as I also overcame” (3:21b), which shows believers that there were areas that the man Jesus had to contend and triumph over. Let us follow His lead and overcome:
- The decline of a relationship with Jesus
- Fear of suffering
- Acceptance of false doctrines
- Compromising godly moral practices
- Spiritual lethargy
- Surrendering to worldly pressures (letting go)
- Lack of commitment
Remember, this is what Jesus desires of believers:
- Relationship
- Faithfulness unto death
- Repentance
- Seekers of truth
- Watchfulness
- Steadfastness
- Commitment
As you do your own personal study, your list may differ from the ones stated. The Holy Spirit may cause you to focus on specific areas of your life that you need to overcome. Go with what He gives you. Our main purpose is to be an overcomer and please God.
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