The Revelation of Jesus Christ
“Beginning of the End”
I. PROLOGUE 1:1-20 (Things you have seen)
II. Messages to the Seven churches 2-3 (Things with are)
III. Last Days 4-22 (Things which are about to take place)
Commentators vary widely in their approach to interpreting Revelation. Some that the approach that it describes historical events already past. Others view it as event s contemporary to John’s writing. Still others deny any historical connection but view it as symbolic as spiritual truths to ponder.
I approach the book as literal future events (other than the first three chapters). Wherever possible we need to interpret the plain meaning of the language used. We talked at length in the introductory sermon regarding interpretation. Up to this point things have been pretty straightforward. From here on out it gets pretty rocky. Any attempt to get specific in who is who and what is what does so at the risk of missing the main point. The point is, there are certain events foreseen and revealed by God leading up to Christ’s return to the earth for the final showdown between Satan and his followers and the remaining governments.
The prelude to the beginning of the end is a worship gathering in the throne room.
A. Heavenly worship around the throne 4-5
These two chapters lay the groundwork for all that will take place throughout the rest of the book where the Almighty and the Lamb and the Holy Spirit bring to completion the plan conceived before the foundation of the world.
Two were directed to the Creator on the throne.
Two were directed to the Lamb before the throne.
A fifth was directed to God the Creator and Christ the Lamb.
Each successive hymn increases participants and intensity.
1. Worship the Creator sitting on the Throne 4
2. Worship the Redeemer before the Throne 5
We left Jesus standing in the midst of the multitude having received the scroll from the Father.
He stands to break the seals signaling the time for ushering in the end times. John’s attention now shifts from the praise gathering around the throne to the earth. I think that each time Jesus breaks one of the seven seals signals a new event on the earth. Upon the breaking of the seventh seal the scroll is opened revealing the final events about to transpire on the earth.
There will be seven trumpets followed by seven bowl judgments interspersed with additional details and a run up of history to the current event. The seven seals are divided into
B. The first six of Seven seals 6:1-17
Before we dive into this chapter there are a few things to discuss. Historical placement of the events – basic timeline. Timing of the rapture of the church. The wrath of God.
The events mentioned in this chapter closely follow the teaching of Jesus in Matt 24.
Jesus calls them birth pangs. Just as a labor pains begin far apart and slightly painful, so the events begin small and then accelerate and intensify up to the final showdown. This could be called, “the beginning of the end.” This is not the tribulation but the lead up to the tribulation period. Daniel provided a timeframe for prophetic events called the 70 weeks of Daniel.
They actually refer to 70 seven year periods from the time of the decree of the Persian ruler Cyrus authorizing the Hebrew captives to return to Jerusalem. At the end of the 69th group of seven years, Messiah would be cut off refereeing to the crucifixion of Jesus. The prophetic clock in regard to Israel then stopped momentarily when they formally rejected their Messiah.
Paul talks about Israel being cut off and Gentiles begin grafted in. He also reassured the Jews that God was not finished with the Jews yet. There would be a future dealing with the Jews.
There is yet one 7 year period remaining in which Israel is the focus of Biblical prophecy.
It is a period where God not only deals with the Jews but the unbelieving world. This has been called the period of Tribulation divided into two 3.5 year periods; the second half is also referred to as the Great Tribulation. This is a time when God pours out the full measure of His wrath on the unbelieving inhabitants of the earth along with Satan and his fallen cronies. Some feel that the seal events are the prelude to the tribulation and the trumpets initiate the final outpouring of God’s wrath.
What about the church? Where are we going to be? What are we going to do during this period?
There are some basically undisputed major end time events. The differences regard not the fact but the timing of these events and their nature.
• A catching up (rapture) of Christ’ followers to meet Him in the air in resurrected bodies
• A seven year period of tribulation
• The judgment seat of Christ
• The marriage supper of the Lamb
• The glorious and triumphant return of Christ to the earth (Armageddon) with His followers
• A 1000 year period of earthly rule by Christ and His followers over surviving tribulation “believers”
• A final release of demonic forces and human rebellion against Christ’s rule
• A final defeat of Satan and all the wicked (Battle of Gog and Magog)
• A resurrection of the wicked to stand judgment (Great White Throne Judgment)
• A complete renovation of Heaven and earth (New Heaven and Earth)
• Eternal glorious existence
The first disputed timing regards the timing of the rapture of the church.
Revelation does not place or even describe the rapture of the church. It is described in other New Testament book.
We will spend more detail on the rapture question at another time and the arguments put forth by proponents of each view at another time.
• Pre-tribulational rapture
This view expects the church to be removed just prior to the seven year tribulation.
• Mid-tribulational or pre-wrath rapture
This view expects the church to be removed just prior to the God pouring out His judgments on the earth some time after the seven seals.
• Post-tribulational rapture
This view expects the rapture of the church to take place just prior to the glorious return.
Believers are “caught up” and then come back down for the “big show”.
The second dispute involves the timing and nature of the millennium.
• Pre-millennial Return of Christ just prior to the 1000 year reign
The glorious return of Christ to the earth begins a literal 1000 year reign.
• A-Millenialists believe that Christ rules through His church which is the New Israel. They do not believe it will be a literal 1000 years but indeterminate time when things get worse and eventual Jesus returns to resurrect and judge everyone and establish the eternal kingdom.
• Post-millennialists hold that Jesus came to teach foundation kingdom principles that if followed will improve life on earth to the point where Jesus will return to take care of resurrection, final judgment and the eternal kingdom.
As I mentioned, this series of events appears to be on a prelude to the tribulation period.
1. Seal #1 – White horse with a crowned arched sent out to conquer
1 Then I saw when the Lamb broke one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, "Come." 2 I looked, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer. Revelation 6:1-2
It appears that the four horsemen are directed by the angelic being before the throne. The powerful angel shouts with a commanding voice that rocks the heavens. The command to “Come” appears to be a command to execute their orders. There are many attempts to try to identify these riders. There are three main interpretations.
One – it is Jesus on a white horse
Two – it is the anti-Christ peacefully conquering the world with a bow but no arrow.
Three – the Gospel
I think it a better course to settle on what they do rather than who they are.
The facts are, they are dispatched from the throne room to carry out some devastating events on the inhabitants of the earth prior to the final outpouring of wrath. Because he is specially dispatched from heaven and anti-Christ is directed by Satan, I don’t think it is anti-Christ but the conquering power of the word of God as weapon against the evil one and that will be preached all through the earth before the end comes. This actually was the interpretation of the early church. Many connect the first horse to Matt 24:4-5
4 And Jesus answered and said to them, "See to it that no one misleads you. 5 "For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will mislead many. Matthew 24:4-5
Don’t be misled by false teachers, but listen to the word. People will not have an excuse for being deceived. The Word of the Lord has gone forth throughout the earth.
2. Seal #2 – Red horse with a swordsman sent out to eliminate peace and stir up murder.
3 When He broke the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, "Come." 4 And another, a red horse, went out; and to him who sat on it, it was granted to take peace from the earth, and that men would slay one another; and a great sword was given to him. Revelation 6:3-4
One of the other angelic beings directs the second horseman who wields a large sword. The Gospel has a tendency to incite fury and hate from unbelievers. When the truth is reject it leaves a vacuum and violence results.
6 "You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. 7 "For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom,
3. Seal #3 – Black horse sent out to bring famine
5 When He broke the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, "Come." I looked, and behold, a black horse; and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. 6 And I heard something like a voice in the center of the four living creatures saying, "A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not damage the oil and the wine." Revelation 6:5-6
It is clear that the result of this seal has to do with a lack of food or runaway inflation.
Many times such a problem come about after waging war. One meal’s worth of wheat will cost a day’s wages. You can get three quarts for the same price. It appears that the famine is not yet in full scale as the olive trees and grape vines are not affected. These too were daily staples and so limits were placed on the famine.
and in various places there will be famines Matt 24:7a
4. Seal #4 – The pale horse ridden by death followed by Hades sent out to kill ¼ of the population
7 When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, "Come." 8 I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name Death; and Hades was following with him. Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth. Revelation 6:7-8
The color of this horse is the color of death a pale green color of a dead body. Death comes about from war, famine, pestilence and wild beasts. It appears the famine spreads to the point of starvation. The present population is close to 7 billion. Even if a Pre-tribulation rapture takes out 2-3 billion it still leave you with at the least 4 Billion people. One fourth of those die – at least 1 billion people perish. WE have seen mass destruction in history.
The bubonic plague entered Europe in the fourteenth century and killed twenty-six million people between 1346 and 1352. During World War II, some twenty million people in Europe lost their lives, as did an equal number in Asia.
This is 1 billion people dead. Death is accompanied by Hades. What a contrast for the Christian death is accompanied by heaven. Death in this case brings about permanent separation from God. One day both death and Hades will be cast into the lake of fire. (Rev 20:14)
The world is now in absolute chaos.
5. Seal #5 – Cry of the martyrs
We jump for a moment back to heaven and hear a response from a new group of people.
9 When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; 10 and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" 11 And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also. Revelation 6:9-11
Since we are not yet in the tribulation these are probably martyrs from throughout earth’s history. They were killed for their commitment to Christ. These are those who maintained their testimony to their death. They are anxious for the avenging of their deaths. They are urged to wait until history plays itself out. Their response? Avenge us!
6. Seal #6 – Multiple natural catastrophes
12 I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; 13 and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. 14 The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
Now things get even more devastating. Earthquake, darkened sun, devastating world-wide meteor showers. The original readers were familiar with the devastation of an earthquake.
Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea were decimated by earthquakes. Is this a reflection of the groaning of creation itself that Paul mentioned in Romans 8? John describes prolonged darkness, cataclysmic upheavals over the whole earth. John described a great earthquake but an even greater one is slated for chapter 16. It seems that the sky itself splits apart.
This may refer to a world-wide glimpse of the throne room with the Father on the throne and the Lamb breaking the seals of wrath.
The response of every unbeliever on earth from every walk of life? Hide us!
15 Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; 16 and they said* to the mountains and to the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; 17 for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?" Revelation 6:12-17
They recognize the source of all these events but rather than repent, they want to hide.
This will not be the first time they react rather than repent.
Chapter 7 is an interlude that focuses on those who turn to God during this time.
Jesus calls all these events only birth pangs. This is only the beginning of the end. The labor pains are about to become more frequent and more intense.
The first six seals are broken and the seventh allows the scroll of judgments to be carried out in the final days, the Day of the Lord.
The 7 trumpet judgments and the 7 Bowl judgments are about to be unleashed.
Our Response
Hide from God or repent?
End time labor could start at any time. Are you ready?
36 "He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him." Joh3:36
4 Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? 5 But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, Romans 2:4-5
For those of us that are believers, we have the assurance of God’s care. We have been spared from wrath.
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. Romans 5:8-9
9 For they themselves report about us what kind of a reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God, 10 and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come. 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10
We should be even more fervent in our walk.
We should take every opportunity to warn unbelievers of the wrath to come.
