- Everything from chapter 6 through chapter 18 describes the Tribulation, almost two-thirds of the book of Revelation. The tribulation period will be worse than anything before. Worse than:
- Destruction of Jerusalem 70 A.D. (1 million casualties)
- Antonine Plague of Rome 165-180 A.D. (5 million dead)
- Justinian Plague 541-542 A.D. (25 million worldwide)
- Muslim conquest of the Indian subcontinent 1000-1525 A.D. (60-80 million killed)
- Black Death 1340-1771 (75 million dead)
- Napoleonic Wars 1803-1815 (7 million dead)
- World War I (20 million dead)
- Armenian Genocide 1915-1923 (1.5 million dead)
- Spanish Flu 1918-1919 (50 to 100 million dead)
- World War II (85 million killed including deaths from war-related disease and famine, including between 5 to 6 million Jews)
- The Great Chinese Famine of 1958-1961 (15 million-43 million dead)
- Smallpox in the 20th century (more than 300-500 million dead worldwide)
- Aids 1981 - today (25 million dead).
- Bullinger: "The first six seals are a "Summary of the judgments distributed over the whole book; a brief summary of what will occur in 'the day of the Lord,' up the time of His actual Apocalypse or Unveiling in chapter 19." That span begins with the revelation of the Antichrist (the first seal) and it concludes with the revealing of the face of Him who sits on the throne (the seventh seal).
- Parallels in Zechariah, Daniel and Matthew to chapter 6 of Revelation:
- Zechariah 6:1-6: Then I looked up again and saw four chariots coming from between two bronze mountains. The first chariot was pulled by red horses, the second by black horses, the third by white horses, and the fourth by dappled-gray horses. "And what are these, my lord?" I asked the angel who was talking with me. He replied, "These are the four spirits of heaven who stand before the Lord of all the earth. They are going out to do his work. The chariot with black horses is going north, the chariot with white horses is going west, and the chariot with dappled-gray horses is going south."
- Daniel 7:9-10: I watched as thrones were put in place and the Ancient One sat down to judge. His clothing was as white as snow, his hair like whitest wool. He sat on a fiery throne with wheels of blazing fire, and a river of fire flowed from his presence. Millions of angels ministered to him, and a hundred million stood to attend him. Then the court began its session, and the books were opened.
- Matthew 24: Most expositors see Revelation as a parallel to the Olivet Discourse. There is a remarkable similarity between the progress of chapter 6 as a whole and the description given by Jesus in Matthew 24:4-31. In both passages, the order is:
- (1) War (Matthew 24:6-7; Revelation 6:3-4)
- (2) Famine (Matthew 24:7; Revelation 6:5-6)
- (3) Death (Matthew 24:7-9; Revelation 6:7-8)
- (4) Martyrdom (Matthew 24:9-10, 16-22; Revelation 6:9-11)
- (5) The sun darkened, the moon darkened, and the stars falling (Matthew 24:29; Revelation 6:12-14)
- (6) A time of divine judgment (Matthew 24:32-25:26; Revelation 6:15-17).
Above image from http://trackingbibleprophecy.com/revelation6B.php#seals_intro
(1) As I watched, the Lamb broke the first of the seven seals on the scroll. Then one of the four living beings called out with a voice that sounded like thunder, "Come!"
- I watched:
- John wants us to know that he was an eyewitness to what he is writing about. John both heard and saw these things.
- Broke the first:
- The opening of the first seal begins the tribulation period, Daniel’s 70th Week, the time of Jacob’s trouble.
- Jeremiah 30:7 (KJV): Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.
- A document could not be opened until it was ready for the seals to be broken, such as in a will, the death of the testator or the decedent (person who wrote or leaves the will). When all the seals are broken in chapter eight, then the contents are read. At this point, in chapters five to six, symbols and themes are used, pronouncing its power, scope and coming judgment (Revelation 8:1: When the Lamb broke the seventh seal, there was silence throughout heaven for about half an hour.).
- Seven:
- Seven is the number of perfection or fullness.
- We have already seen the seven churches, and now there are the seven seals, followed by seven trumpets and then seven vials or bowls of the wrath of God.
- White horse:
- White was not only a color symbol for righteousness, but also a Roman symbol of military victory. Roman generals who had been victorious in battle rode in a chariot through the streets of Rome pulled by four white horses.
- Horse:
- Zechariah 1:8: In a vision during the night, I saw a man sitting on a red horse that was standing among some myrtle trees in a small valley. Behind him were red, brown, and white horses, each with its own rider.
- Zechariah 6:1-8: Then I looked up again and saw four chariots coming from between two bronze mountains. The first chariot was pulled by red horses, the second by black horses, the third by white horses, and the fourth by dappled-gray horses. "And what are these, my lord?" I asked the angel who was talking with me. He replied, "These are the four spirits of heaven who stand before the Lord of all the earth. They are going out to do his work. The chariot with black horses is going north, the chariot with white horses is going west, and the chariot with dappled-gray horses is going south." The powerful horses were eager to be off, to patrol back and forth across the earth. And the LORD said, "Go and patrol the earth!" So they left at once on their patrol. Then the LORD summoned me and said, "Those who went north have vented the anger of my Spirit there."
- Rider:
- Unlike what some expositors believe, this verse does not say Jesus is the rider of the white horse. Jesus Christ, at the end of the tribulation period, returns in glory in Revelation 19:11 on a white horse with armies of heaven to set up the Messianic Kingdom.
- Revelation 19:11: Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. And the one sitting on the horse was named Faithful and True. For he judges fairly and then goes to war.
- The rider here may be the Antichrist, the coming counterfeit leader of the revived Roman empire, the little horn which Daniel saw coming out of the ten-horned beast (Daniel 7:1-28), who comes as a deceiver fooling many that he is the Messiah or the Mahdi, bringing in the pseudo peace at the start of the tribulation period. This false peace is removed by the very next horse, the red horse.
- Have you ever wondered why so many world leaders have tried and failed to broker a peace deal in the Middle East? Whoever does that will be hailed as a man of peace, having done the impossible - making peace between the Arabs and the Jews. The Great Tribulation is going to begin when the Antichrist makes or confirms a "firm covenant" - a 7-year peace treaty - in the middle east. The Jews will hail him as their Messiah, who has finally come. Even today, if you ask many Jews in Israel how they will recognize their Messiah, they will tell you, "He will bring us peace." This covenant brokered by the Antichrist will find a peaceful solution where none that came before him could. He will truly be riding in on a white horse.
- Daniel 9:27: He will make a treaty with the people for a period of one set of seven, but after half this time, he will put an end to the sacrifices and offerings. Then as a climax to all his terrible deeds, he will set up a sacrilegious object that causes desecration, until the end that has been decreed is poured out on this defiler."
- This initial emergence of the Antichrist, connected with what we know about this leader from Daniel 9:1-27, shows that these four horsemen are connected with Daniel’s seventieth week and the great tribulation.
- There is an excellent article on the Anti-Christ at http://lamblion.com/articles/articles_tribulation7.php titled The Rise and Fall of the Antichrist - Is he alive today? — And other questions by Dr. David R. Reagan.
- The Bible has much to say about this person. Identified as the "Seed of the Serpent" in Genesis 3:15, there are over 33 allusions in the Old Testament and at least 13 in the New Testament. There is even a physical description of him in Zechariah 11:17 (His arm will become useless, and his right eye completely blind). He will be
- An intellectual genius (Daniel 7:20; 8:23; Ezekiel 28:3)
- A persuasive orator (Daniel 7:20; Revelation 13:2)
- A shrewd political manipulator (Daniel 11:21)
- A successful commercial genius (Daniel 8:25; Revelation 13:17; Psalm 52:7; Daniel 11:38, 43; Ezekiel 28:4-5)
- A forceful military leader (Daniel 8:24; Revelation 6:2; 13:4; Isaiah 4:16)
- A master of deception (Daniel 8:25)
- A powerful organizer (Revelation 13:1-2; 17:17)
- A unifying religious guru (2 Thessalonians 2:4; Revelation 13:3, 14-15).
- Most expositors believe he will be a Gentile, as he is described as a Roman Prince (Daniel 9:26-27).
- Paul declares that he will ultimately set himself to be worshiped in the Temple to be rebuilt in Jerusalem:
- 2 Thessalonians 2:4: He will exalt himself and defy every god there is and tear down every object of adoration and worship. He will position himself in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God.
- Paul's second letter to the Thessalonians indicates that the removal of "the Restrainer" is a prerequisite condition to his public appearing. If the Restrainer is the Holy Spirit and the Church has been removed, all this will be a post-rapture event.
- From Daniel 9:26, we know he will be a descendant of the armies of Rome. The armies of Rome destroyed the Temple and Jerusalem. Daniel tells us, “The prince that shall come” will be a descendant of these armies. While many believe the Antichrist will be a descendant of Rome or Europe, bear in mind that the Eastern Roman Empire outlasted the Western by 1,000 years!
- Daniel 9:26-27 (KJV): And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off , but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
- John 5:43 (KJV): 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.
- 2 Thessalonians 2:3-8: Don't be fooled by what they say. For that day will not come until there is a great rebellion against God and the man of lawlessness is revealed -- the one who brings destruction. He will exalt himself and defy every god there is and tear down every object of adoration and worship. He will position himself in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God. Don't you remember that I told you this when I was with you? And you know what is holding him back, for he can be revealed only when his time comes. For this lawlessness is already at work secretly, and it will remain secret until the one who is holding it back steps out of the way. Then the man of lawlessness will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will consume with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming.
- The little horn described in Daniel 8 was fulfilled in ancient history by Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who is a type of the Antichrist as revealed in Revelation. This rider on the white horse has no arrows with his bow, which is indicative of his initial power being gained through political means. The Antichrist’s ascension to power will be similar to how Antiochus IV Epiphanes achieved his reign, through subtleties and deceit.
- Some believe that the rider on the white horse in the first seal is a picture of the prince (Daniel 9:26) at that stage in his career where he assumes control over the entire world (Daniel 7:23; Revelation 13:7), which seems to coincide with the beginning of the great tribulation. Though he comes as a pseudo prince of peace who will bring order to a troubled world, the peace is short-lived and is followed by war, famine, and death, as well as the devastating judgments of God recorded later in the book of Revelation.
- Some Notes on this Antichrist:
- The moment of his appearance: After the rapture of the church.
- 2 Thessalonians 2:6-8: And you know what is holding him back, for he can be revealed only when his time comes. For this lawlessness is already at work secretly, and it will remain secret until the one who is holding it back steps out of the way. Then the man of lawlessness will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will consume with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming.
- The manner of his appearance: Satanic signs and lying wonders will back up the Antichrist’s claim to authority in this world.
- Daniel 11:21-24: "The next to come to power will be a despicable man who is not directly in line for royal succession. But he will slip in when least expected and take over the kingdom by flattery and intrigue. Before him great armies will be swept away, including a covenant prince. By making deceitful promises, he will make various alliances. With a mere handful of followers, he will become strong. Without warning he will enter the richest areas of the land and do something that none of his predecessors ever did -- distribute among his followers the plunder and wealth of the rich. He will plot the overthrow of strongholds, but this will last for only a short while.
- 2 Thessalonians 2:9-11: This evil man will come to do the work of Satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles. He will use every kind of wicked deception to fool those who are on their way to destruction because they refuse to believe the truth that would save them. So God will send great deception upon them, and they will believe all these lies.
- The message of his appearance: The Antichrist comes to set himself up as God! Those who do not like the message of the Bible will readily accept the message of the Antichrist!
- 2 Thessalonians 2:4: He will exalt himself and defy every god there is and tear down every object of adoration and worship. He will position himself in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God.
- Bow - Greek toxon τόξον:
- The rider carried a bow symbolizing warfare, but with no arrows, denoting bloodless victory, probably because he accomplishes victory through peaceful means - a treaty. The lack of arrows demonstrates what Daniel 9:27 already tells us, the Antichrist will enforce peace. He will not need to attack, because his force will be so overwhelming nations will not risk war, knowing they will lose.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3: I really don't need to write to you about how and when all this will happen, dear brothers and sisters. For you know quite well that the day of the Lord will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night. When people are saying, "All is well; everything is peaceful and secure," then disaster will fall upon them as suddenly as a woman's birth pains begin when her child is about to be born. And there will be no escape.
- 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10: This evil man will come to do the work of Satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles. He will use every kind of wicked deception to fool those who are on their way to destruction because they refuse to believe the truth that would save them.
- Revelation 13:4: They worshiped the dragon for giving the beast such power, and they worshiped the beast. "Is there anyone as great as the beast?" they exclaimed. "Who is able to fight against him?"
- There is a striking similarity between descriptions of al Mahdi, a Messianic Islamic figure and Anti-Christ. Both come on the scene during a time of great turmoil on Earth, both come claiming a desire to restore peace, both have a seven year reign, both head a one world religion and one world government, both claim supernatural origins and both reigns end in a battle between good and evil that brings about Earth’s final judgment. Much of the Muslim aggression we have witnessed since 9/11 can be traced back to those who are trying to 'prepare the way,' for this Islamic savior. Muslims see the Mahdi as fulfilling the description of the rider on the white horse in Revelation 6. The Mahdi makes Islam's fourth and final treaty with "the Romans" (Christians or the West) but it is made with a descendant of Aaron, i.e. a Cohanim or priest. This treaty is also for seven years. Some also believe this is a reference to Daniel 9:27.
- Crown (stephanos):
- The world and Satan give him a victor's crown. This crown represents his world dictatorship. He is the head of the Revived Roman Empire to which Daniel refers. He accepts the offer that Jesus refused - Matthew 4:8-10: Next the Devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him the nations of the world and all their glory. "I will give it all to you," he said, "if you will only kneel down and worship me. "Get out of here, Satan," Jesus told him. "For the Scriptures say, 'You must worship the Lord your God; serve only him.' "
- Victory:
- His reign will be marked with victory on every hand, and of course he will be the idol of the nations who had rejected the Lord Jesus Christ. Naturally, he will be worshiped as the one who had finally brought world peace. Any person who reads the Word of God and keeps up with current events, knows that the world is looking for a super-human to lead the nations into world peace.
- Heard:
- In all seven seals the statement is made, “I saw”, except the second seal. Here, John says, “I heard.”
- Red horse:
- Zechariah 1:8: In a vision during the night, I saw a man sitting on a red horse that was standing among some myrtle trees in a small valley. Behind him were red, brown, and white horses, each with its own rider.
- The rider on the second horse, a fiery red horse, leads with military power. He carries a "mighty sword."
- This is the same color as the dragon described in Revelation 12:3. The color red in Scripture signifies sin and bloodshed.
- Was given:
- Notice that the sword and the authority possessed by the red horseman were given to him by another. Who has the authority? - Jesus! Therefore, the devil, nor anyone of his cohorts could have any authority or power except it were permitted by God. When Jesus was on trial, Pilate asked Him a question, and then reminded Him that he (Pilate) had the power to either crucify or release Him. Jesus answered, “Then Jesus said, "You would have no power over me at all unless it were given to you from above. So the one who brought me to you has the greater sin." (John 19:11).
- Matthew 28:18: Jesus came and told his disciples, "I have been given complete authority in heaven and on earth.
- Mighty sword:
- This was the small Roman sword called "machaira." It was worn on the belt of Roman soldiers and was used for for thrusting.
- This is a mighty sword, a powerful weapon of destruction, perhaps a nuclear bomb or other WMD. If you read the 38th and 39th chapters of Ezekiel you will find a vivid description of such warfare, where armies come down out of the north into the Holy Land and are decimated by what appears to be radiation sickness. It is powerfully portrayed for us in those accounts.
- Remove peace:
- There will be a period of peace and progress here on earth immediately following the Rapture. But, rider of the red horse will be a bloody conqueror. Power will be granted to him - and also “a mighty sword.” His conflict against mankind will be unchecked, and blood will run like rivers! This rider of the red horse is commanded to remove peace from the earth.
- War and slaughter:
- Jesus warned us that as we approach the end times there would be "wars and rumors of wars..." and that "nation would rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom..." But, that seems to be the history of mankind since the beginning.
- Walvoord: "The wars and famines predicted in the second and third seals are not unfamiliar events in the history of the world, but never before since the time of Noah has a judgment so devastating been consummated as to destroy one-fourth of the earth's population at one stroke."
- It is during this period that Russia and her allies will invade Israel in fulfillment of Ezekiel 38-39. Their army will be defeated by divine intervention, and Israel will burn the weapons of warfare for seven years, Ezekiel 39:9-10. The conflicts will not end here, however, the wars spawned by Antichrist will rage, one after the other, until Jesus, the Prince of Peace returns in power and glory!
- War on the earth will follow the manifestation of Antichrist. Read Ezekiel 38-39, Psalm 83, Joel 10 and Matthew 24:7.
- Everywhere:
- No place or country will be safe from the slaughter!
- Black horse:
- We are seeing a condition which could fulfill that prophecy: global monetary inflation.
- Here, as in the book of Zechariah, the black horse follows the red:
- Zechariah 6:2: The first chariot was pulled by red horses, the second by black horses,
- The weeping prophet laments, “our skin has been blackened as though baked in an oven” (Lamentations 5:10).
- Antichrist, the cause of this famine and hyper-inflation, again seems to be the rider:
- Matthew 24:7: The nations and kingdoms will proclaim war against each other, and there will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world
- Scales:
- Scales symbolize food being weighed out carefully. It is in such short supply that it must be rationed. I remember my mother talking about the rationing during WWII.
- He controls commodity prices because of hyper-inflation. I still remember Richard Nixon in 1971 ending dollar convertibility to gold and implementing wage/price controls to combat inflation. As economist Milton Friedman correctly predicted, however, Nixon’s gambit ended “in utter failure and the emergence into the open of the suppressed inflation.” By the time Nixon reimposed a temporary freeze in June 1973, Daniel Yergin and Joseph Stanislaw explain in The Commanding Heights: The Battle for the World Economy, it was obvious that price controls didn’t work: “Ranchers stopped shipping their cattle to the market, farmers drowned their chickens, and consumers emptied the shelves of supermarkets.” “I remember the day very clearly,” Representative Ron Paul, R-Texas, recalled in 2001, saying the events of August 15, 1971, drove the reluctant young obstetrician into politics.
- Loaf of bread:
- Food is sold by weight, with enough wheat for one man for one day selling for a day's wages. He could buy three times as much barley for the same price and thus be able to feed his family.
- Barley produces black bread, and in Bible days was eaten only by slaves and the very poor. It was much cheaper than white bread, and slaves and poor people could buy more of it for their meager earnings.
- Day's pay:
- An inescapable outcome of war is starvation. Worldwide inflation destroys the world economy. The world economy will come apart in the Tribulation.
- In Revelation 13, the Antichrist will place enormous economic controls on the world. No one will be able to do business without his permission.
- Olive oil and wine:
- The fact that oil and wine are not to be hurt may suggest that the rich and powerful were not affected by the famine. The oil and wine would represent luxuries.
- The rich, governing classes will be exempt from this suffering, but under the sixth seal (Revelation 6:12-17) judgment is meted out to all alike - from the king down to the slave.
- The earliest example of this comes from the Book of Genesis, when Joseph, who gained control of the world’s wheat supply on Pharaoh’s behalf, eventually acquired the entire wealth of Egypt in exchange for it. That’s what John meant by not harming the oil and wine, commodities that in his day were symbols of wealth. The vision he saw was famine amidst plenty. Both the Book of Daniel and the Moslem prophecies speak of the anti-Christ/al Mahdi showering lavish gifts on his followers while forcing his enemies into submission. (Daniel 11:39)
(8) And I looked up and saw a horse whose color was pale green like a corpse. And Death was the name of its rider, who was followed around by the Grave. They were given authority over one-fourth of the earth, to kill with the sword and famine and disease and wild animals.
- Pale green horse:
- The judgments are increasing in severity!
- The actual word for "pale" is clwros (chloros) and this horseman is traditionally viewed as pestilence).
- Death:
- 1 Corinthians 15:55-57: O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. How we thank God, who gives us victory over sin and death through Jesus Christ our Lord!
- Hebrews 2:14: Because God's children are human beings -- made of flesh and blood -- Jesus also became flesh and blood by being born in human form. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the Devil, who had the power of death.
- Grave:
- The next rider under the fourth seal is named death. Sword, hunger, death, pestilences and the beasts of the earth, claim an awful harvest.
- They:
- Notice the pronoun "they" refers to all four horses and their riders.
- One-fourth:
- This evidently is the total number that will die as a result of all the catastrophes predicted so far. These catastrophes are war, the resulting famine and disease. Presently, the world's population is over seven billion people. 1/4 would be 1.75 billion dead in a short period of time! Plague, starvation, nuclear war!
- These judgments start out affecting 1/4 of the world, then 1/3 and finally in the bowls the entire unbelieving world.
- Sword:
- The term for "sword" here is different from verse 4. This refers to the large battle sword, hromphaia.
- Famine and disease:
- Modern scholars believe that the Justinian plague (541–542 A.D.) killed up to 5,000 people per day in Constantinople at the peak of the pandemic. The initial plague ultimately killed perhaps 40% of the city's inhabitants and caused the deaths of up to half of Europe's population. As a result of the plague in the countryside, farmers could not take care of crops and the price of grain rose at Constantinople. Frequent subsequent waves of the plague continued to strike throughout the 6th, 7th and 8th centuries. After the last recurrence in 750 A.D., pandemics on the scale of Plague of Justinian did not appear again in Europe until the Black Death of the 14th century. The Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, estimated to have killed 30–60% of Europe's total population. The aftermath of the plague created a series of religious, social and economic upheavals. It took 150 years for Europe's population to recover. Food shortages and rapidly inflating prices were becoming a fact of life in some parts of France and Italy by the early 14th century, and over the next hundred years these would spread and worsen. Wheat, oats, hay and consequently livestock were all in short supply. In the autumn of 1314, heavy rains began to fall, followed by several years of cold and wet winters. The already weak harvests of the north suffered and a seven-year famine ensued. In the years 1315 to 1317, a catastrophic famine, known as the Great Famine, struck much of northwest Europe. The modern bubonic plague has a mortality rate of 30–75%. Left untreated, of those that contract the bubonic plague, 80 percent die within eight days.
- A little later in Revelation we will study the mark of the beast. No man will be allowed to buy or sell without that mark.
- During the Spanish Influenza outbreak during World War I, 25 million people died with the flu in a world without overnight, intercontinental air travel. Three times more people died of the Spanish Influenza during Word War I than actually died in battle!
- Wild animals:
- Don't assume that these "wild animals" are necessarily large enough to be visible to the naked eye. Consider plague and biological weapons.
- Fifth seal:
- The scene changes completely. Each of the first four seals is characterized by a living creature and a horse, neither of which appears under the last three seals. Thus the first four seals are set apart from the last three.
- Under the altar:
- In this context, the word "under" does not literally mean "physically underneath". It means "at the base of" in the same way that someone would stand "under" a skyscraper.
- This is where the sacrificial blood would pool:
- Leviticus 4:7: The priest will put some of the blood on the horns of the incense altar that stands in the LORD's presence in the Tabernacle. The rest of the bull's blood must be poured out at the base of the altar of burnt offerings at the entrance of the Tabernacle.
- Exodus 29:12: Set boundary lines that the people may not pass. Warn them, 'Be careful! Do not go up on the mountain or even touch its boundaries. Those who do will certainly die! Smear some of its blood on the horns of the altar with your finger, and pour out the rest at the base of the altar.
- Souls...martyred:
- Revelation 7:13-16: Then one of the twenty-four elders asked me, "Who are these who are clothed in white? Where do they come from?" And I said to him, "Sir, you are the one who knows."Then he said to me, "These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb and made them white. That is why they are standing in front of the throne of God, serving him day and night in his Temple. And he who sits on the throne will live among them and shelter them. They will never again be hungry or thirsty, and they will be fully protected from the scorching noontime heat.
- Revelation 20:4: Then I saw thrones, and the people sitting on them had been given the authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony about Jesus, for proclaiming the word of God. And I saw the souls of those who had not worshiped the beast or his statue, nor accepted his mark on their forehead or their hands. They came to life again, and they reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
- Matthew 24:9,14: "Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because of your allegiance to me. ... And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then, finally, the end will come.
- These people must be those who died after the Rapture since all Christians living at the time of the Rapture will experience bodily resurrection and go directly into Jesus Christ's presence.
- Called loudly:
- They're alive!
- People who belong to this world ... these people:
- Revelation 13:8: And all the people who belong to this world worshiped the beast. They are the ones whose names were not written in the Book of Life, which belongs to the Lamb who was killed before the world was made.
- This is a very common phrase in Revelation; it always refers to unbelievers (cf. 3:10; 8:13; 11:10; 13:8,12,14; 17:2,8).
- How long? - a common lament of the Jewish people (even today):
- Psalm 74:9-10: We see no miraculous signs as evidence that you will save us. All the prophets are gone; no one can tell us when it will end. How long, O God, will you allow our enemies to mock you? Will you let them dishonor your name forever?
- Psalm 79:5: O LORD, how long will you be angry with us? Forever? How long will your jealousy burn like fire?
- Psalm 89:46: O LORD, how long will this go on? Will you hide yourself forever? How long will your anger burn like fire?
- Psalm 94:1-3: “O LORD, the God to whom vengeance belongs, O God of vengeance, let your glorious justice be seen! Arise, O judge of the earth. Sentence the proud to the penalties they deserve. How long, O LORD? How long will the wicked be allowed to gloat?”
- Avenge our blood:
- Notice the prayer these martyrs pray. It is a call for vengeance. That is quite different from the prayer Christians are expected to pray for their enemies! These martyrs who had sealed their testimony with their life’s blood, did not pray as Jesus prayed, “Father, forgive these people, because they don't know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). They did not pray as Stephen prayed, “"Lord, don't charge them with this sin!” (Acts 7:60). The change of dispensation changes the character of the Lord’s dealings with ungodly men. Law was the principle on which God dealt with wicked men in the Old Testament era. Grace is the principle on which God deals in this present dispensation. These martyrs are crying out in another dispensation. Grace is past. They are crying in keeping with Psalm 94:1-3 quoted above.
- Deuteronomy 32:39-43: Look now; I myself am he! There is no god other than me! I am the one who kills and gives life; I am the one who wounds and heals; no one delivers from my power!" Now I raise my hand to heaven and declare, "As surely as I live, when I sharpen my flashing sword and begin to carry out justice, I will bring vengeance on my enemies and repay those who hate me. I will make my arrows drunk with blood, and my sword will devour flesh -- the blood of the slaughtered and the captives, and the heads of the enemy leaders."' "Rejoice with him, O heavens, and let all the angels of God worship him, for he will avenge the blood of his servants. He will take vengeance on his enemies and cleanse his land and his people."
- Hebrews 10:28-31: Anyone who refused to obey the law of Moses was put to death without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Think how much more terrible the punishment will be for those who have trampled on the Son of God and have treated the blood of the covenant as if it were common and unholy. Such people have insulted and enraged the Holy Spirit who brings God's mercy to his people. For we know the one who said, "I will take vengeance. I will repay those who deserve it." He also said, "The Lord will judge his own people." It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
- White robe (Greek stole):
- God gives the martyrs white robes. The white robe indicates their victory as martyrs and share in eternal life. "White" indicates that they possess imputed righteousness. This is not a righteousness of their own but the righteousness that God gives them.
- Revelation 3:4-5: "Yet even in Sardis there are some who have not soiled their garments with evil deeds. They will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. All who are victorious will be clothed in white. I will never erase their names from the Book of Life, but I will announce before my Father and his angels that they are mine.
- Revelation 7:9: After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white and held palm branches in their hands.
- Revelation 7:14: And I said to him, "Sir, you are the one who knows."Then he said to me, "These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb and made them white.
- Little longer:
- They must wait for a "little longer" until those who served with them and others who would be martyred should join them.
- Sixth seal:
- No rider with the sixth seal! It is time for God to act!
- Great earthquake - Greek seismos which means "a shaking":
- As we've studied about the seven churches, earthquakes were, and still are, very common and severe in that part of the world (western Turkey - the Roman province of Asia).
- Matthew 27:51-54: At that moment the curtain in the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, rocks split apart, and tombs opened. The bodies of many godly men and women who had died were raised from the dead after Jesus' resurrection. They left the cemetery, went into the holy city of Jerusalem, and appeared to many people. The Roman officer and the other soldiers at the crucifixion were terrified by the earthquake and all that had happened. They said, "Truly, this was the Son of God!"
- Luke 21:11: There will be great earthquakes, and there will be famines and epidemics in many lands, and there will be terrifying things and great miraculous signs in the heavens.
- Haggai 2:6-7, 21-22: "For this is what the LORD Almighty says: In just a little while I will again shake the heavens and the earth. I will shake the oceans and the dry land, too. I will shake all the nations, and the treasures of all the nations will come to this Temple. I will fill this place with glory, says the LORD Almighty. ... "Tell Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, that I am about to shake the heavens and the earth. I will overthrow royal thrones, destroying the power of foreign kingdoms. I will overturn their chariots and charioteers. The horses will fall, and their riders will kill each other.
- Joel 2:1,10-11: Blow the trumpet in Jerusalem ! Sound the alarm on my holy mountain! Let everyone tremble in fear because the day of the LORD is upon us. ... The earth quakes as they advance, and the heavens tremble. The sun and moon grow dark, and the stars no longer shine. The LORD leads them with a shout! This is his mighty army, and they follow his orders. The day of the LORD is an awesome, terrible thing. Who can endure it?
- Revelation 8:5: Then the angel filled the incense burner with fire from the altar and threw it down upon the earth; and thunder crashed, lightning flashed, and there was a terrible earthquake.
- Revelation 11:13: And in the same hour there was a terrible earthquake that destroyed a tenth of the city. Seven thousand people died in that earthquake. And everyone who did not die was terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.
- Revelation 11:19: Then, in heaven, the Temple of God was opened and the Ark of his covenant could be seen inside the Temple. Lightning flashed, thunder crashed and roared; there was a great hailstorm, and the world was shaken by a mighty earthquake.
- Revelation 16:17-18: Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air. And a mighty shout came from the throne of the Temple in heaven, saying, "It is finished!" Then the thunder crashed and rolled, and lightning flashed. And there was an earthquake greater than ever before in human history.
- Sun ... dark:
- Isaiah 13:9-13: For see, the day of the LORD is coming -- the terrible day of his fury and fierce anger. The land will be destroyed and all the sinners with it. The heavens will be black above them. No light will shine from stars or sun or moon. "I, the LORD, will punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their sin. I will crush the arrogance of the proud and the haughtiness of the mighty. Few will be left alive when I have finished my work. People will be as scarce as gold -- more rare than the gold of Ophir. For I will shake the heavens, and the earth will move from its place. I, the LORD Almighty, will show my fury and fierce anger."
- Matthew 24:29: "Immediately after those horrible days end, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of heaven will be shaken.
- Mark 13:24-26: "At that time, after those horrible days end, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of heaven will be shaken. Then everyone will see the Son of Man arrive on the clouds with great power and glory.
- Revelation 8:12: Then the fourth angel blew his trumpet, and one-third of the sun was struck, and one-third of the moon, and one-third of the stars, and they became dark. And one-third of the day was dark and one-third of the night also.
- Moon ... red as blood:
- Joel 2:31: The sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon will turn bloodred before that great and terrible day of the LORD arrives.
- Acts 2:20: The sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon will turn bloodred, before that great and glorious day of the Lord arrives.
- Stars of the sky:
- That the stars do not literally fall but appear to do so seems clear from the fact that they are still in place in Revelation 8:12. Therefore, these must be comets and asteroids and even satellites.
- Literally in the Greek, ajsthvr Aster from which the word asteroid comes. If the earthquakes and volcanoes were not enough, the earth is now struck by meteors from space.
- Isaiah 34:4: The heavens above will melt away and disappear like a rolled-up scroll. The stars will fall from the sky, just as withered leaves and fruit fall from a tree.
- Matthew 24:29: "Immediately after those horrible days end, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of heaven will be shaken.
- Revelation 8:12: Then the fourth angel blew his trumpet, and one-third of the sun was struck, and one-third of the moon, and one-third of the stars, and they became dark. And one-third of the day was dark and one-third of the night also.
- Green (late) figs refers to the green figs that grow in the winter after the leaves have fallen, ones that easily fall off the tree in winds
- Sky was rolled up like a scroll:
- This is how a reader would open a scroll with the right hand and then roll it up with the left. This meant the End of Days is at hand. Some see this as Armageddon.
- Isaiah 34:4: The heavens above will melt away and disappear like a rolled-up scroll. The stars will fall from the sky, just as withered leaves and fruit fall from a tree.
- Mountains:
- Jeremiah 4:24: I looked at the mountains and hills, and they trembled and shook.
- Nahum 1:5: In his presence the mountains quake, and the hills melt away; the earth trembles, and its people are destroyed.
- Revelation 16:18-20: Then the thunder crashed and rolled, and lightning flashed. And there was an earthquake greater than ever before in human history. The great city of Babylon split into three pieces, and cities around the world fell into heaps of rubble. And so God remembered all of Babylon's sins, and he made her drink the cup that was filled with the wine of his fierce wrath. And every island disappeared, and all the mountains were leveled.
- Kings ... rulers ... generals ... wealthy ... slave:
- Revelation 19:17-18: Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, shouting to the vultures flying high in the sky: "Come! Gather together for the great banquet God has prepared. Come and eat the flesh of kings, captains, and strong warriors; of horses and their riders; and of all humanity, both free and slave, small and great."
- Hid ... caves:
- Turkey: Cappadocia Turkey is famous for its underground cities - most notably the underground city of Derinkuyu. It consisted of seven underground levels and is said to have housed residents in the thousands. The underground cities are believed to have been hiding places for Christians avoiding persecution from the Roman Empire.
- Japan: The Matsushiro Underground Imperial Headquarters was a large underground bunker complex built during the Second World War, constructed so that the central organs of government of Imperial Japan could be transferred there in case of invasion by the US forces. Construction began on November 11, 1944 and was 75% completed at the end of the war, with 63,040 sq ft of floor-space. The complex was an interlinked series of tunnels underneath several mountains.
- China: Beginning in 1969 and continuing through the next decade, Mao Zedong ordered the construction of an emergency shelter for the Chinese government, located beneath Beijing—stretching 19 miles!
- England: Code named Burlington, a facility was built in the 1950s to house the British government in the event of nuclear war. Burlington covered 240 acres and could accommodate up to 4,000 government officials. Burlington had 60 miles of roads, a railway station, hospitals, an underground lake, a water treatment facility and a pub. It also had a BBC studio from which the Prime Minister would be able to address whatever was left of the population. Burlington was kept in working order until 1991 when the Cold War came to a close.
- United States: The Bunker was a huge, top secret, Cold War Fall-Out Shelter for the entire United States Congress. This Legislative Branch retreat, in case of nuclear war, was literally right under one of the most upscale, exclusive, five star-resorts in the world . . . The Greenbrier, in the Allegheny mountains of West Virginia. In case of war, every Congressman, Senator, along with their staffs (but not their families) would be moved there to "continue government." The Legislative Branch could live here without any outside air for 72 hours; 60 days if ventilation were provided. This structure was built just in time for the Cuban Missile Crisis but never used. But it was there – ready, prepared, manned and secret – for more than 30 years. Additionally, the Cheyenne Mountain nuclear bunker is a Cold War hardened installation that once was the command center for NORAD.
- Russia is building a mammoth underground military complex in the Ural Mountains. Hidden inside Yamantau mountain in the southern Urals, the project involves the construction of a huge complex served by a railroad, a highway and thousands of workers. The project, some Russian officials say, was begun during the era of Leonid I. Brezhnev. "The complex is as big as the Washington area inside the Beltway," said an American official familiar with intelligence reports.
- Fall on us:
- The leaders of the earth call for death. They would rather die by natural disturbances than yield to the Lamb.
- Hosea 10:8: And the pagan shrines of Aven, the place of Israel's sin, will crumble. Thorns and thistles will grow up around them. They will beg the mountains to bury them and the hills to fall on them.
- Isaiah 2:19-21: When the LORD rises to shake the earth, his enemies will crawl with fear into holes in the ground. They will hide in caves in the rocks from the terror of the LORD and the glory of his majesty. They will abandon their gold and silver idols to the moles and bats. They will crawl into caverns and hide among the jagged rocks at the tops of cliffs. In this way, they will try to escape the terror of the LORD and the glory of his majesty as he rises to shake the earth.
- Luke 23:30: People will beg the mountains to fall on them and the hills to bury them.
- Wrath of the Lamb:
- That does not sound like the lovely, grandfatherly God who will give all men a second chance, does it? That does not sound like the God the liberals and the modernists talk about.
- Great day .... wrath:
- This "great day of their wrath" is the Tribulation, Daniel's seventieth week.
- Torrance: "It is the wrath of love, the wrath of sacrificial love which, having done the absolute utmost for us and our salvation, tells us as nothing else could the certainty with which evil awaits its doom at the hand of God."
- Isaiah 2:12: In that day the LORD Almighty will punish the proud, bringing them down to the dust.
- Isaiah 13:6,9: Scream in terror, for the LORD's time has arrived -- the time for the Almighty to destroy. ... For see, the day of the LORD is coming -- the terrible day of his fury and fierce anger. The land will be destroyed and all the sinners with it.
- Isaiah 24:18-23: Those who flee in terror will fall into a trap, and those who escape the trap will step into a snare. Destruction falls on you from the heavens. The world is shaken beneath you. The earth has broken down and has utterly collapsed. Everything is lost, abandoned, and confused. The earth staggers like a drunkard. It trembles like a tent in a storm. It falls and will not rise again, for its sins are very great. In that day the LORD will punish the fallen angels in the heavens and the proud rulers of the nations on earth. They will be rounded up and put in prison until they are tried and condemned. Then the LORD Almighty will mount his throne on Mount Zion. He will rule gloriously in Jerusalem, in the sight of all the leaders of his people. There will be such glory that the brightness of the sun and moon will seem to fade away.
- Joel 1:15: The day of the LORD is on the way, the day when destruction comes from the Almighty. How terrible that day will be!
- Joel 2:1,10-11,31: Blow the trumpet in
Jerusalem ! Sound the alarm on my holy mountain! Let everyone tremble
in fear because the day of the LORD is upon
us. ... The earth quakes as they advance, and the heavens tremble. The
sun and moon grow dark, and the stars no longer shine. The LORD leads
them with a shout! This is his mighty army, and they follow his orders.
The day of the LORD is an awesome, terrible thing. Who
can endure it? ... The sun will be turned into darkness, and
the *moon will turn blood red before that
great and terrible day of the LORD arrives.
- *Mark Blitz of El Shaddai Ministries has done a study on the blood red moon that may be linked to the timing of the second coming of Christ: www.elshaddaiministries.us/topics/eclipses.html
- Jeremiah 30:7: In all history there has never been such a time of terror. It will be a time of trouble for my people Israel. Yet in the end, they will be saved!"
- Zephaniah 1:14-16: "That terrible day of the LORD is near. Swiftly it comes -- a day when strong men will cry bitterly. It is a day when the LORD's anger will be poured out. It is a day of terrible distress and anguish, a day of ruin and desolation, a day of darkness and gloom, of clouds, blackness, trumpet calls, and battle cries. Down go the walled cities and strongest battlements!
- Zechariah 14:1-5: Watch, for the day of the LORD is coming when your possessions will be plundered right in front of you! On that day I will gather all the nations to fight against Jerusalem. The city will be taken, the houses plundered, and the women raped. Half the population will be taken away into captivity, and half will be left among the ruins of the city. Then the LORD will go out to fight against those nations, as he has fought in times past. On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives will split apart, making a wide valley running from east to west, for half the mountain will move toward the north and half toward the south. You will flee through this valley, for it will reach across to Azal. Yes, you will flee as you did from the earthquake in the days of King Uzziah of Judah. Then the LORD my God will come, and all his holy ones with him.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3: I really don't need to write to you about how and when all this will happen, dear brothers and sisters. For you know quite well that the day of the Lord will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night. When people are saying, "All is well; everything is peaceful and secure," then disaster will fall upon them as suddenly as a woman's birth pains begin when her child is about to be born. And there will be no escape.
- 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4: And now, brothers and sisters, let us tell you about the coming again of our Lord Jesus Christ and how we will be gathered together to meet him. Please don't be so easily shaken and troubled by those who say that the day of the Lord has already begun. Even if they claim to have had a vision, a revelation, or a letter supposedly from us, don't believe them. Don't be fooled by what they say. For that day will not come until there is a great rebellion against God and the man of lawlessness is revealed -- the one who brings destruction. He will exalt himself and defy every god there is and tear down every object of adoration and worship. He will position himself in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God.
- Survive:
- Malachi 3:2: "But who will be able to endure it when he comes? Who will be able to stand and face him when he appears? For he will be like a blazing fire that refines metal or like a strong soap that whitens clothes.
- Unless otherwise noted, the scripture version used is the New Living Translation, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois.
- Disclaimer: Source material for this study has been gleaned from many different sources. If you want further study, I have attempted to acknowledge these sources at http://revelationofjesustojohn.blogspot.com/2014/03/book-of-revelation-references.html
- Index to all our studies are at http://oakview-bible-fellowship.blogspot.com/
