Here’s where Revelation switches into high gear. No more visions and letters and talk - now its action time. One thing we’ve got to keep straight is what’s happening here. We saw in chapter 6 the Lamb take the scroll - the only one among those in heaven and earth that have ever lived - that has earned the ownership of the scroll - man’s destiny. It’s sealed with 7 seals - we’re going to see those seven seals opened and terrible things happen with each seal. Under the seventh seal, there are seven trumpets and under the seventh trumpet there are seven bowls - so really - everything that happens up until chapter 19 happens as a result of the opening of this scroll.
Chapter 6 really begins the period of time known as the Tribulation - broken up into two periods - the last half - 3 ½ years is the Great Tribulation. Jesus said in Matthew 24 that if those days were not cut short, no one would survive. As it is - more than ½ of all humanity will be destroyed if you add up all the deaths from plagues, natural disasters, and war. In fact, turn to Matthew 24:3-28. We won’t look at all of this - but it is a great primer to our discussion. Notice "wars and rumors of wars," "famines and pestilences and earthquakes (KJV)." The time of the Tribulation has these features - which we’ll see in a minute - but it also fits into a timeframe.
To understand the context of chapter 6 we really have to check in with our key - the book of Daniel. Turn to chapter 9. Daniel was a prophet and a statesman who was in Babylon during the captivity of Israel hundreds of years before the birth of Christ. Daniel wonders aloud to the angel Gabriel what is going to happen to his people Israel.
In verses 24-26 Gabriel lays out the foundations for the rest of time until Messiah comes and restores His kingdom on earth. We studied this in greater detail during our look at 1 Thessalonians and our overview of Revelation - but here is the thumbnail sketch:
In four short verses the angel lays out world history - 70 weeks - broken up into 69 weeks and 1 week. It had to represent weeks of years because nothing happened 490 days or months after Artaxerxes ordered the Temple rebuilt. But exactly 490 years later (69 weeks of years) Jesus of Nazareth walked through the gates of Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and was hailed as Messiah the Prince. But He was cut off - or crucified (the seven weeks probably refers to how long it took to rebuild the Temple).
So we are left with one week of years - one 7 year period. The time between Jesus and us today is like the stop watch has been paused - this is the age of the church. When the church is taken out of the way, the countdown begins again, God deals with Israel again, and the final period of world history begins. By the way - there is some cool numerology going on here - 7 is God’s number (it’s God’s plan overall) - 10 is the number of what is possible with man (10 horns, 10 nations, etc). So 70 weeks is God allowing man rule (or so he thinks) over earth - but then it is multiplied again by 7 - showing that God is really in control after all.
Verse 26 - 28 tell us more about this final 7 year period - a "prince who is to come" is mentioned - this is the Anti-Christ (who is fulfilled several times - but has it’s last fulfillment during the Tribulation). This Anti-Christ ("replacement") makes a covenant with Israel allowing them to rebuild the Temple and finally have peace in the Middle East. But after 3 ½ years he breaks the covenant, goes to the Temple and declares himself to be God - unleashing God’s wrath on the earth in what is called the Great Tribulation.
At the end of that time - the armies of the east and west will draw together for a great battle in Israel and Jesus will come back with the church, land on the Mount of Olives, and begin a period of wonderful peace and joy on the earth. But first the bad must come before the good - and that brings us back to Revelation 6.
In this chapter we see the opening of six of the 7 seals. We also get heavy duty into symbolism here. But it is symbolism of something very real and very terrible. The first symbols that we see are very well known - the four horseman of the apocalypse. Notice too that these four horsemen represent four major areas of focus: political, military, economic, and health. Not surprisingly, these are the four major areas of focus today.
1 Now I watched when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say with a voice like thunder, "Come!" 2 And I looked, and behold, a white horse! And its rider had a bow, and a crown was given to him, and he came out conquering, and to conquer.
Political: Some suggest that this is Jesus - but it doesn’t fit with the description we see in chapter 19, so most likely it is the Anti-Christ. The Anti-Christ comes in peace (white horse) but his real purpose is not peace but war and death. He will have military might and political authority for 7 years - but his aim is not to bring peace but to conquer and rule. So the beginning of the seals is the unveiling of man’s ultimate challenge to God - "we don’t need a god - we are god."
At first it will be time of unprecedented unity in the world - there will be one government and one religion. Once those pesky Christians are gone then there will nothing to stop a man centered universe from emerging. Great peace will break out - but it will be a false peace.
As you may be aware, we are fast moving towards this in both religious and secular realms - but the peace and unity will be godless - and it will not last.
3 When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, "Come!" 4 And out came another horse, bright red. Its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that men should slay one another, and he was given a great sword.
Military: This represents war. During the Tribulation (especially in the last three and a half years) there will be a series of wars and battles leading up to the Battle or Armageddon where the armies of the east and the west meet in Israel and where Jesus returns on the Mount of Olives and destroys the armies (Revelation 16 and following).
5 When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, "Come!" And I looked, and behold, a black horse! And its rider had a pair of scales in his hand. 6 And I heard what seemed to be 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 wine!"
Economic: This horse represents famine and the inequalities that will emerge during the Tribulation. Remember from Matthew 24 Jesus said there would be famines. Recently we have seen a reemergence of famine, especially in Africa. As the natural disasters and judgment from God comes upon the earth, these famines will become much worse.
However - the rich will continue to have what they want. A denarius was a days wage - so one quart of wheat would take you a day to earn - food will be expensive and scarce. But "do not harm the oil and wine" means that for those who are connected or have resources - they will still live in luxury. This is typified by Babylon the Great - which we’ll see in Chapter 17.
7 When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, "Come!" 8 And I looked, and behold, a pale horse! And its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed him. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth.
Health: The fourth seal signifies the horrible loss of life that occurs during the Tribulation - from disease, war, famine, and natural disaster. Current population estimates (early 2006) place the world’s population at 6.5 billion. Here ¼ of the earth’s population dies - that’s 1.6 billion people. If we add up all the deaths it comes to half of the world’s population - or 3.2 billion people. This is one of the reasons we conclude that the events in this part of the book have not happened yet.
9 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 witness they had borne. 10 They cried out with a loud voice, "O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" 11 Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.
The time of the Tribulation will also be a time of great martyrdom. Once the church leaves - many will still come to Christ. And under the gospel preaching of the re-invigorated Israel (the 144,000 - chapter 7) and the two witnesses (ch 11) many more will get saved. But the Anti-Christ will go on a terrible rampage to kill them (Revelation 13).
Here they are asking God for justice and vengeance. These are good things - but it is God who should bring them, not us. In a way what we see here are the themes and events of the rest of the book in outline form - the actual events are catalogued in later chapters.
12 When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, 13 and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. 14 The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.
There will be great natural disasters during this period - earth itself will rebel and as the curse is reversed, shake and rattle and roll. The sky becoming black could be from volcanic ash or an actual dimming of the sun’s output. The moon becoming blood - could be a reference to the way the moon will look. Have you ever looked at the moon as it rises through our polluted air? There will also be huge meteor or hail showers. We will also see huge geographic changes (chapter 16). For people living on earth during that time it will seem as if the whole universe is coming apart. But look at the reaction:
15 Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, 16 calling to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, 17 for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?"
ESV
All the great systems of the earth: political (kings), military (generals), and economic (rich and powerful) are affected but they don’t get what is happening and respond. It will be obvious to everyone living on earth during the Tribulation that the events transpiring are 1) from God, and 2) wrath from God and "the Lamb." You would think that after all these things happening people would fall on their knees and repent, not hide in the rocks and revile.
Conclusions
God will go to any length to see people saved
1 Timothy 2:3-6 … God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth . 5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. ESV
God will use any means at His disposal - the "hands off" approach of witnesses (now), the "hands on" approach of showing His power in judgment and wrath, even the "personal" approach during the millennium - coming and ruling personally on earth.
Despite that - men will reject Him. Even when angels fly around the earth proclaiming the gospel - men will still choose not to be related to Him. God will give everyone every chance - but if they will not bow, He will in the end reject them.
Because - there is "one God and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus."
Apocalypse Overkill
About this time your mind might be spinning - how do I keep all this straight? Should I worry? The answer is - "no." You don’t have to be a prophecy expert to go to heaven or even explain Revelation to someone.
The short version of Revelation is that God has a plan for the salvation of everyone and it is only found through a relationship with Jesus Christ. As God prepares for His return (or second coming) there is one last gasp of humanity trying to play god, and God judging them.
Yes, many will die - but God is just (Rev 19:2 "for his judgments are true and just."). Everyone gets what they deserve - except those that allowed Jesus to receive what they deserve for them on the cross. ("All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" Romans 3:23) "The wages of sin are death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23
Next time - God’s super saints from Israel.
For more Bible studies, visit our website at: www.CalvaryChapelNewberg.org
