WAR IN HEAVEN

Revelations 12

This book of Revelation is one of the most wonderful in all the Word of God, and the chapter before us is one of the most picturesque in the book. It is the great “sign” chapter. The word “wonder” in versus 1 and 3 is semeion, translated “sign.” There are two “wonders” (or signs) in this chapter, the first being a “great wonders” and the second called “another wonder.”
This is a chapter of “great” things. Note: “a great wonder” (verse1);” a great red dragon” (verse 3); “great wrath” (verse 12; and “two wings of a great eagle” (verse 14). The signs are only a part of the chapter, for in addition to the signs there is the struggle, the salvation, and the safety.
The Signs:
Rev. 12:1-6 First, there is the sign of the woman clothed with the Sun.
This is the second of four representative women mentioned in the Revelations.
1. Jezebel who represents paganism [Ref. Rev. 2:20].
2. Israel [ref. Rev. 12:6].
3. The scarlet woman who represents the apostate church [ref. Rev. 17:1].
4. The Lambs Wife, the true church [ref. Rev. 19:7].
The woman before us as a “sign” is symbolical. But of whom is she a symbol? Clearly this woman represents Israel, and the rest of the chapter is going to reveal to us that there is war in the spiritual realm, for the control of the universe. The war began with the fall of Satan, and will continue until the great and terrible day of the Lord shall bring this war to a close. All of these symbols mentioned in these versus are found in the earlier chapters of the book of Genesis. The woman, the sun, the moon, the stars, the man-child, the seed, the dragon, “the old serpent which is the devil and Satan;” all of these are to be found in the opening paragraphs of the Bible.
God created the woman who represents the “elect” of the race “Israel” in order that she might become the channel of His redemption through the Son Jesus Christ. We must look beyond mere Israel to the greater vision of the whole plan of redemption as Israel rejected the Savior, now the church is the channel by which God uses to bring forth His redemption through the Son [ref. Gal. 3:16]. Here God takes the promises out of the realm of the mere literal progeny of Abraham and back to the third of Genesis, where we see that Jesus Christ was the focus of view. Why were there a chosen people? In order that there might be a line for the Lord Jesus Christ to complete the Father’s will. Why was there a holy land? In order that there might be a place to erect the cross to crucify the Lord Jesus, that He would be resurrected to Heaven to the right hand of the Father.
Between the second and third versus of our chapter we see that the woman who was clothed with all authority is presented as crying with great travail. This entrance of sin into the human race, the fall, has taken place between these two versus; nevertheless, the promises of God are sure and certain in Christ.
Only of Israel can it be said that she brought forth this “child” who is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ [ref. Heb. 2:16]. He is the Seed of the woman [ref. Gen. 3:15].
There are three significant events in Christ’s life, namely, His Incarnation, Ascension, and Second Coming to earth to rule.
The second sign is of the “great red dragon.” There is no problem identifying the dragon. He is: That old serpent called the devil, and Satan, which deceives the whole world [ref. Rev. 12:4].
He is seen by John as having “seven heads.” Seven speaks of completeness, and the head of wisdom. Of him it is written, “Thou sealest up the sun, full of wisdom” [ref. Ezek. 28:12]. The devil is a master strategist and deceiver. His past is recorded in Isaiah 14:12-15. His present activity is seen in part in 2 Corinthians 4:3-4; 11:13-15. His “ten horns and seven crowns upon his heads “speak of his usurped authority whole governments are in his power, and through them he operates.
The dragon is seen here standing before “the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born” [ref. Rev. 12:4]. The devil has been at war with God’s Son ever since the divine pronouncement in Genesis 3:15. The devil is determined to obliterate God’s witness in the world [ref. Gen.6; Mat. 2:13; Luke 4:28-29; Mt. 4:6].

The Struggle:
Rev. 12:7-9 this entire chapter is one of conflict. Here we see events to take place during the last half of the tribulation, the last three-and-one-half years of Daniel’s seventieth week. This period actually begins with the blowing of the seventh trumpet in [ref. Rev. 11:15-19] and concludes at the end of chapter 19. It brings Israel to the forefront in God’s plans.
We can see the prophetic gap of the present Age of Grace, between versus 5 & 6, the Church has been “caught up” “Shall be seized” “harpagesometha” for this reason Satan wages war with the woman, who is Israel.
Let us observe an important verse in Daniels prophecy. “Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days” [ref. Dan. 10:14; 12:1; this will all be fulfilled in the Great Tribulation [ref. Rev. 12].
The war is decisively won by Michael and his angels. Satan and his angels are cast out of heavens to the earth. This marks the end of Satan’s rule in the air. The prince of this world is cast out. He had access to all of the heavens, through limited [ref. Job 1:6]. Now his access to them comes to an end.

The Salvation:
Rev. 12:10-12 All Heaven rejoices over the victory won by Michael and his angel. Never again will Satan cross the threshold of Heaven. Little wonder there is spontaneous outburst of praise. “The salvation” is not that of the soul now, nor even of the body at Christ’s coming, but is a wide and comprehensive thought embracing the overthrow of the enemy and the deliverance of creation from its present pain and agony [ref. Rom. 8:21]. “The Power” refers to the irresistible might which shall crush all opposing authority—whether satanic in the heavens or human on the earth. “The kingdom must be understood here in its largest extent, as embracing the heavens and the earth. This is the final phase of God’s great plan of salvation. While it has not already “come,” the end is in sight. In that day there will be no occasion to pray, only praise.
Michaels’s first weapon was “the blood of the Lamb.” The blood of the Lamb is ever the fortress of saints and of angels.
God’s Word, the Sword of the Spirit, forever settled in Heaven. They, who believe it, identify themselves with it, and testify to it, are assured of victory.
The one who yields all to God cannot possibly lose a battle. Battles are fought and won by blood, by the word of God, and by surrendering our lives to the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Safety:
Rev. 12:13-17 the prophetic scene before us depicts his complete expulsion from the air, after which the full force of his diabolical work will be against those on the earth at the time [ref. Rev. 12:12].
The result of that war is a blessing in Heaven but “WOE” on earth. This woe is the last in the predicted series of three [ref. Rev. 3:13; 9:12; 11:14; 12:12]. The word “woe” is used as a divine denunciation. Whenever God pronounces a woe there is judgment ahead. This third woe jupon the earth, aimed first at Israel, is more severe than any of the former. There reason is obvious. “He (the devil) knoweth that he hath but a short time.” As soon as he is cast down to the earth, he at once proceeds to make war against the woman (Israel).
Those who are protected are the Jews who are loyal to God. The eagles wings suggest the miraculous swiftness by which God will help them escape [ref. Exod. 19:4: Due. 32:11-12]. The period of time that these believing Jews are protected is referred to a as “a time, and times, and half a time.” This period is further described as “a thousand two hundred and threescore days” [ref. Rev. 12:6], or “forty and two months” [ref. Rev. 11:2; 13:5].
The words “as a flood” indicate symbolic language. A flood of evil propaganda issuing out of the antichrist’s mouth which will spread throughout the world about Israel and her people [Ref. Isa. 59:19].
By divine intervention God raises up a standard against the enemy of His people. God has a wilderness, a place of safety and security for His people in the time of their calamity.
Baffled at every turn, Satan turns against a small remnant of faithful Jews in an attempt to exterminate them. There will be, then, an attack upon the large body of Jews and also upon the remnant that are left behind by those who fled.
This remnant is the witnessing ones of the 144,000 mentioned in chapter seven. But they are destined to survive the attacks upon them, having been sealed for this purpose [ref. Rev. 7:2-4].

TIMES OF THE GENTILES TO CONCLUDE IN FOURTY-TWO MONTHS

Revelation Chapter 11


Rev. 11:1-2 John here tells us of the anticipation of the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem during the tribulation. We also see here that John is given a measuring rod like a staff. John is telling us that the temple is to be prepared for those who worship in it. Some history, there have been three previous temples built in Jerusalem: Solomon’s temple described in 1 Kings 8 and destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar in 583 B.C. [Ref. 2 Kings 24-25]; Zerubbabel’s temple, described in Ezra 3 and destroyed by Antiochus Epiphanies’ in 168 B.C. [Ref. Dan. 11:31-35]; Herod’s temple, referred to by the Lord in John 2:20 and destroyed by Titus in 70 A.D. [Ref. Dan. 9:26].

This temple is to be built in the “Holy City.” This takes us to Jerusalem, for there is no other city so designated in the Scriptures [Ref. Dan. 9:24; Mt. 4:5;
Mt. 27:52-53]. A magnificent temple will be erected at Jerusalem and many worshipers will gather. A system of priesthood and sacrifices will be set up in the midst of an ordered service of worship as shown in Ezekiel 40-48.

In that temple the Antichrist will appear and claim the right to be worshiped [Ref. 2 Thess. 2:4]. This is the abomination of desolation spoken by Daniel [Ref. Dan. 9:2] and attested by our Lord [Ref. Mt. 24:15]. The religious system of the man of lawlessness will be connected with the temple at Jerusalem. The mass of the people will accept him who will come in his own name [Ref. Jn. 5:43].

John tells us that the outer court of the temple was not to be included in the measurement but is to be rejected. The outer court is the court of the Gentiles. “The holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months,” the Gentiles are not being favored by God above the Jews, but rather God is using them for the chastisement of Israel [Ref. Zech 14:1-2]. The “rod” which in the book of Revelation is an instrument of chastisement [Ref. Rev. 2:27; 12:5; 19:25], will be laid upon Israel at the hand of the Gentiles for a limited time only—“forty-two months.” This corresponds to the phrase of Daniel as “a time, times and half time” [Ref. Dan. 7:25; 12:7], meaning one year plus two years plus a half year or a total of “forty-two months,” or a “thousand two hundred and threescore days.”

The duration of Israel’s trouble also know as “the time of Jacobs trouble,” the exact time the beast is permitted to thunder forth his blasphemies [Ref. Rev. 13:5]. This is the period of the exile of the woman clothed with the sun [Ref. Rev. 12:6]. This period is the last three and one half years the Great Tribulation which will come to a close with the personal return of Christ to the earth, when He shall subdue all evil and establish His reign. “Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations {Gentiles}, as when He fought in the day of battle. And His feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south” [Ref. Zech.14:3-4]. Our Lord said that “Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled’ [Ref. Lk. 21:24; Rev. 19:17-19].


THE TWO WITNESSES

These two witnesses are not the law and the gospel, or the Old Testament and the New Testament. They speak. They have mouths. They are heard, handled, and hated. They are individuals, for after their martyrdom John sees their “dead bodies” [Ref. Rev. 11:9]. These witnesses wear clothing of “sackcloth”. A word used for a garment worn when one is expressing mourning or declaring the need for repentance [Ref. Mt. 11:21; Lk. 10:13].

These two witnesses are called “the two olive trees and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth” [Ref. Rev. 11:4]. What John saw here is explained in Zechariah’s vision in Zechariah, chapter 4&5, where two olive trees represent two individual persons, Joshua and Zerubbabel, men who were the media whereby the Word of God was transmitted to the people. They are men who have rejoined upon them a position of responsibility in service before the Lord of all the earth. The two together are mentioned by the prophet Haggai as standing together in a united witness for Jehovah [Ref. Hag. 1:1; 2:2, 4]. Thus we see the phrase “two olive trees” is explained in scripture and means two persons.


THEY ARE PROPHETS

We must take note here that the Lord calls them, “My two witnesses” [Ref. Rev. 11:3], meaning that they are foretellers and foretellers of Christ and His message. They preach to men on earth God’s message sent from Heaven. We are not told in scripture that the two witnesses are, but we have scripture to base an opinion on whom they may be. We are told in scripture that, “and it is appointed unto men once to die” [Ref. Heb. 9:27]. For then we have two persons who qualify to be these two prophets. We have Elijah who did not experience physical death [Ref. 2 Kings 2:9-11], we also have Enoch, who lived before the flood, was translated without seeing death [Ref. Gen. 5:24], so they could return and experience death as the two witnesses will [Ref. Rev. 22:7-8]. Like Elijah, Enoch was a prophet of judgment [Ref. Jude 14-15], and this is consistent with the ministry of the two witnesses who prophesy judgment. I believe that these two prophets, Enoch and Elijah, fit the case in Revelations 11 more accurately than any others.

THEY ARE POWERFUL

John tells us the two witnesses are given power, the Lord gives them supernatural power to defend themselves by sending out fire from their mouths to slay any who would come to hurt them [Ref. Rev. 11:5]. Because they are Christ’s witnesses, they are immortal until their work is done. The whole earth is against these two, but they continue to display divine power to hold back rain, turn water into blood, and smite the earth with plagues [Ref. Lk. 4:25]. This is not in the age of grace as we live and abide in grace as did Stephen and Paul and Peter, Christians do not avenge themselves. These two witnesses, however, are sent forth to the earth in judgment times. The Third “woe” and the “seventh trumpet” are ready to send forth their judgments. Because they are judgment prophets they are given judgment power.

THEY ARE PERSECUTED:

These two witnesses, like all true witnesses of Jesus Christ, are immortal until their work is done. We see from John that the two are not killed until after they had “finished their testimony” [Ref. Rev. 11:7]. The beast that comes out of the abyss cannot harm them until they accomplish their divinely-ordered mission. Satan is unable to silence or slay them. God will not allow anything to interfere with their witness bearing as long as they are in His will. So significant will be the testimony of the two witnesses that their death at the hands of the beast shall cause an international stir. Their dead bodies go unburied and lie in the streets of Jerusalem for three and one half days. John goes on to tell that “this great city” where the witnesses die is also known as “spiritually called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified” [Ref. Rev. 11:8]. The bodies of the two witnesses become a spectacle to the entire world. John tells us there will be jubilation and the sending of gifts, every method of communication will be used to spread the news that the two witnesses are dead at last. The world’s superman, the beast, will become the new world’s champion and the hero in the eyes of the morally degenerating mass of humanity. This will be the world’s most ungodly period. It is described in Jude 14-15.

THEY ARE PRESERVED:

The enemies of God are about to witness an example of divine power that the beast cannot equal. The world will see the dead witnesses coming back to life, and will witness Christ’s vindicated witnesses ascending alive to heaven. Here is a re-enactment, of Elijah’s and Enoch’s first departure to Heaven [Ref. 2 Kings 2:11]. God preserves all who come to Him through Jesus Christ.

Rev. 11:13 this earthquake is not symbolic but literal, an actual visitation of judgment from God. An earthquake attended both at the death and the resurrection of our Lord [Ref. Mt. 27:51; 28:2]. A tenth of the city fell and seven thousand people will be killed. The preservation of God’s two witnesses is followed by the prosecution of the devil’s witnesses. Those left in the city were compelled by this force to recognize divine power on the earth from Heaven [Ref. Phil. 2:9-11].

Rev. 11:14 that crowd in the Great Tribulation in John’s vision was terror-stricken; they were not praising and blessing God, else we would not have the following words, “The second” “woe” is past; and, behold, the third “woe” cometh quickly.”

THE THIRD WOE

With the translation (catching up of) of the two witnesses from earth to Heaven, the seventh trumpet sounds. Verse 14 marks the end of the interlude portion of vision between the sixth and the seventh trumpets.

The Anticipation of the Kingdom:

Rev.11:15 the sounding of the seventh trumpet is the official proclamation of the coming coronation of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. He is the King of Psalms 2 and 24, and His kingdom is described in Daniel 2:44; 4:3, 6:26; 7:13-14, as well as by the angel in Luke 1:32-33. His government will be a righteous government, the kind that human laws and religions can never produce. Christ’s coming again to the earth will result in a radical change in the government and religion of the world. Christ as king over all the earth does not occur until the events recorded in Revelation chapter 12-18 have been fulfilled.


The Acclaim of the King:

Rev. 11:16-17 immediately of the voices in Heaven announcing the coming kingdom then the elders fall on their faces to worship God and give thanks that the almighty has at last assumed His sovereign right to the earth. Presently the kingdoms of this world are in Satan’s control [Ref. Jn. 12:31; 14; 30’16:11], and admitted that the world was his kingdom [Ref. Mt. 12; 26]. The world kingdom that has been in Satan’s hands must come to an end.

The Anger of the Creation:

Rev. 11:18 those things which cause rejoicing in Heaven stir up anger on earth. The two places and their inhabitants have nothing in common. The earth dwellers who lived for the things of this earth by life must now relinquish all to the Creator and Owner of All. “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof” [Ref. Psa. 24:1, 1 Cor. 10:26, 28]. In this life “the Church Age” we never see full justice meted out, but when Christ returns to take over, then all will receive their due deserts. The losers will rage in vain, for they will have had their opportunity to join the heavenly family. When Christ comes again there will be winners and losers. Reward will be given to His “servants the prophets,” and also the saints, all those who fear His name. “The small and the great” When our Lord spoke of the reward of the tribulation saints, He emphasized the importance of faithfulness in small things. [Ref. Mt. 25:31-46]. Will our works survive the fire [Ref. 1Cor. 3:5-8]? May God help us to be faithful [Ref. 1Cor. 4:1-2].

The Ark of His Testament:

Rev. 11:19 this verse brings before us an entirely new Prophecy which continues on through chapter 14. It is one which is related chiefly to Israel. The Ark of the Covenant had to do with Israel, not with Gentiles.

It is stated that “the temple of God was opened in Heaven.” There is a heavenly temple after which the tabernacle and temple of the Jews were patterned. When God instructed Moses concerning the building of the tabernacle He said, “And look that thou make them after their pattern, which was shown thee in the mount” [Ref. Ex 25:40]. The writer to the Hebrews refers to the tabernacle and its ministries as “patterns of things in the heavens” [Ref. Heb. 9:23]. The earthly worship was copied after the heavenly. But sin has corrupted the earthly worship so that the two are no longer alike. If all were holy on earth now, there would be no need for a place of worship. Our Lord and Savior said, “God is Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and truth” [Ref. John 4:24].

The fact that John sees the temple in view and the ark indicates that Israel is coming into view and God will once more renew His dealings with Israel nationally must be seen here.

The ark, made of acacia wood and over laid with gold, was the only piece of furniture in the Holy of Holies. It was two-and-one-half cubits long, one-and-one-half cubits in height [Ref. Ex. 25:10-16]. The ark, which God speaks of God’s covenant with Israel, is in the midst of a judgment scene described in terms of “lightenings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.” The Judgment is coming, but the remnant of Israel will be saved.

THE MIGHTY ANGEL FROM HEAVEN

Revelation Chapter 10

Between the breaking of the sixth and seventh seals we met with a sort of interlude. That interlude was explained in Chapter seven. We saw that God was remembering mercy in the midst of wrath and then seals a host of Jews and Gentiles. I also stated in that earlier study to expect another parenthesis that would appear between the sixth and seventh trumpets. We shall see this here in chapter ten and eleven through VS. 14. These interludes, or parenthesis, are parts of the plan of God, they are not unconnected segments.


The Appearance of the Mighty Angel:

Rev. 10:1 John tells us that “His countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength” [Ref. Rev. 1:16]. And “His feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace,” [Ref. Rev. 1:15]. We must see here that these are the feet of majesty set for the judgment of the earth. John saw Him “clothed with a cloud.” The cloud of old was the garment of the divine presence and was associated with divine movements. The Lord directed Israel by day in “a pillar of cloud” [Ref. Ex. 13:21]. When Israel murmured, “the glory of the Lord appeared in a cloud” [Ref. Ex. 16:10]. At Sinai He descended in “a thick cloud” [Ref. Ex. 19:9, 16] as we can see the cloud is associated with deity as well as with direction [Ref. Num. 9:15-22]. Clouds, then, belong to the attire of deity. The cloud-clothing then tells us that the mighty Angel is Christ.

The idea that Christ should be called an angel need not trouble us. “Angel,” like “Son of Man or Angel of the Lord” here is a title, and neither implies that the One who bears the title is a created being.

We were told in chapter four of Revelation that the rainbow was “round about the throne” [Ref. Rev. 4:3]; here we see it is upon His head. We know that the rainbow is the symbol of God’s everlasting covenant with the earth [Ref. Gen 9:12-13], therefore we should understand none other than the divine person (Jesus Christ) could wear it upon His head [Ref. Ezek. 1:28]. Just as the cloud is indicative of the coming storm of wrath in divine judgment, so the rainbow is indicative of divine mercy in the midst of judgment, and evident symbol of security for the believing ones. God protects His own when conditions on earth are at their worst.

The Actions of the Mighty Angel:

Rev. 10:2 His planting of the feet down, one foot on the earth and the other on the sea, is His claiming both the earth and sea as His own possession. “For the earth is the Lords, and the fullness thereof” [Ref. 1Cor. 10:26, 28] when our Lord and Savior sets His feet upon the land and the sea He expresses His intention of taking possession of that which is His, and will subdue all assaults of the enemy.

The Assertion of the Mighty Angel:

Rev. 10:3-4 Our Lord and Savior roared as like the Lion roars. Here is the mighty voice of the Lion of the Tribe of Judah [Ref. Rev. 5:5 cf. Heb. 7:14].
Christ is asserting himself prior to the exercise of judgment. In this loud voice to be heard over all the earth Christ asserts His right to rule and His intention of accomplishing it.

Thunder is recognized as a type of God’s voice in judgment [Ref.1 Sam. 7:10; Psa. 18:13]. We do not have knowledge of these awesome peals of thunder for they are not indicated. The number seven is always directive of the completeness and finality of the Angel’s mighty sayings [Ref. also Psa. 29]. Here in Revelation 10 the seven thunders are the judgment thunders of God.

John heard what the thunders said, and when he was about to record what he heard, a voice out of Heaven said: “Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not.”

The command was clear and absolute, and John obeyed it. This is the only part of this book which has been sealed. We have revelation and knowledge of all the rest of the book of Revelation.

The Affirmation of the Mighty Angel:

Rev. 10: 5-7 The Mighty Angel lifted His right hand toward Heaven and swore, uttered an oath. The vision is most solemn! Keep in mind that the scene before us does not occur during the age of grace. Under the Law of God which we are observing here in the tribulation period God swore, and here Christ swears to attest the authority and finality of His own statements [Ref. Heb 6:13; Gen. 22:1]. The great events yet to happen in the earth, as announce by God, must surely come to pass. These events have to do with judgment.

The affirmation is “there shall be time no longer” we must see it as that our Lord and Savior is stating that there will be no more “delay”. Explanation is in the next verse.

Christ is saying in the middle or midst of the tribulation that there is one more trumpet judgment. Time will continue long after this event as to what time is meant by man, but what He is saying here is that when the seventh trumpet sounds, all evil in the earth will be put down without further delay. Sin has been reigning, and righteousness has suffered through out man’s day on the earth, but now things must change. There must be reversal of this order to things. The Mighty Angel’s affirmation means that the hour has struck.

We see here that what are stated are that all the counsels and covenants of God concerning His governmental dealings over man and the earth, made known through the penman of Holy Scriptures, will be consummated. When Christ comes to reign, there will be no longer mystery, but manifestation. “The earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea” [Ref. Isa. 11:9]. But we now wait patiently until that day when the mystery spoken of in this verse will be made known. That which is now unknown will then be revealed and sin conquered.

The Agency of the Mighty Angel:

Rev. 10: 8-10 what does the little book contain? Contains divine revelation, it is the Word of God. Its message is that portion of divinely-revealed truth which pertains to the final judgments and the second advent of Christ to reign on earth. The mighty agent (Word of God) Christ uses in disclosing His sovereign purposes.

John was commanded to take the little book, and when he did so, the might Angel said to John take it and eat it up: Eating the Word of God is, in its more general application, appropriating and assimilating God’s truth; it is meditating in it [Ref. Psa. 1:2]. While it is also “How sweet are thy words unto my taste? Yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth! [Ref. Psa. 119:103]. But with the digestion of the coming judgments leaves the child of God with great heaviness of heart and bitter anguish of soul [Ref. Rom. 9:1-3]. God’s word is a two-edge sword, it contains the sweet message of deliverance and the bitter message of damnation [Ref. Heb. 4:12]. Never the less God’s Word is His agent in Salvation and in condemnation [Ref. John 3:16-18].

The Assignment of the Mighty Angel:

Rev. 10:11 John tells us here that he was to administer to many more people that of which he himself had received here from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The believer who receives God’s truth is solemnly charged to pass it on to others. The minister who fails to teach the whole counsel of God will be held accountable by God [Ref. Ezek. 33:7-9]. There are “peoples and nations and tongues and kings” who must hear God’s message of salvation. John was faithful as we must be, for in the chapters which follow he prophesies of the final over throw of the Nations, the Great White Throne Judgment and hell.

HELL ON EARTH

Revelation Chapter 9

The chapter that occupies us now contains prophecies of dreadful activity to take place on the earth. The fifth and sixth trumpets sound, and the next in order of judgments are unleashed upon the rebellious and unrepentant race of men. These are referred to respectively as the first and second “woe” judgments [Ref. Rev. 8:13). This added description of the three trumpets yet to sound suggests the seriousness and solemnness of those judgments which are to follow. There will be “woe” on the earth when these trumpets sound.

The Fifth Trumpet:

Rev. 9:1 at the sound of the trumpet, John writes, “I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth.” It is definitely a personage, the use of the masculine pronouns “him” and “he”. But who is the Star? The tense of the verb “fallen” tells us that the star had already fallen from heaven. Jesus said to the seventy disciples, “I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven “[Ref. Luke 10:18]. By this He meant, the fall of Lucifer from heaven, through which he became Satan [Ref. Isa. 14:12-15]. Interpreting Scripture with scripture reference, then there seems to be little doubt that the “star” is Satan, the great enemy of God and man, and that the reference in Revelation 9:1 is to his original fall. The fallen star is given the key to the bottomless pit and permission to open the pit. We may be certain that the pit is a literal place, in as much as beings can go there. Moreover, Christ has authority over the abyss [Ref. Rev.1:18], so it must have been our Lord who gave the key of the “bottomless pit” to Satan. The location of the abyss is said to be in “the lower parts of the earth,” [Ref. Eph. 4:9), the place into which Christ went at death when He paid the full price of redemption from the penalty of sin. We see here that a day is coming when upon the earth the prison house of demons (the bottomless pit) will be opened, and evil spirits who prefer to inhabit human bodies [Ref. Gen. 6:1-7), but who have been imprisoned, will be released to inflict torment upon unrepentant men. In that day men will experience a sample of hell on earth. Ordinarily the abyss is “the place of no return,” but for a brief season Satan will be permitted, by divine authority, to lead forth to the earth some that have been held captive there. A place when “there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” [Ref. Mt. 25:30, a place originally “prepared for the devil and his fallen angels [Ref. Mt. 25:41], will release many strange and wicked things upon the earth.

The Unprecedented Punishment:

Rev. 9:2-10 as the bottomless pit is opened, a cloud of smoke is emitted, and a strange and awesome blackness fills the air and blots out the sun from view. These terrors are more than human; they are demonic. Out, of this darkness comes forth from the pit of the abyss Satan’s demons to do their fearful work of tormenting the souls and bodies of those who have willfully rejected the Son of God. The plague of darkness that God sent to Egypt, “even darkness which may be felt” [Ref. Ex. 10:21-22], and which lasted only three days, was mild compared with the darkness of hell let loose on the earth during the time of the Great Tribulation.

Coming out of the blackness of hell is seen a host of locust shaped like horses. They come to inflict punishment, to torment as a scorpion’s sting would leave its victim in torture. These demons from hell, who have been imprisoned for centuries, are prepared for battle. These demons have combined in them the horse, the man, the woman, the lion, and the scorpion. These are not ordinary locusts such as plagued Egypt [Ref. Ex 10:12-15], for these had no king over them [Ref. Pro. 30:27], but they are intelligent beings who take orders from Satan [Ref. Rev. 9:11]. The duration of the torment is “five months.”

The victims become so weary of the agony that they long to die in order to get released from it, but death eludes them. The day when men shall choose death rather than life is predicted by God through Jeremiah the prophet [Ref. Jer. 8:3]. Oh, the misery of waiting for death when it cometh not! [Ref. Job 3:21]. Such will be the state of men that even death would be a relief. What mercy in our present age of grace that these demons are locked up in the abyss?

The Prince of Destruction

Rev. 9:11 the king over these demons is Satan, who is described in both Hebrew (Abaddon) meaning destruction, and Greek (Apollyon) meaning exterminator. Taking both words to mean “The destroyer” the name being given in both Hebrew and Greek indicate that the judgment will come upon both Jew and Gentile, the only ones escaping being those who have the seal of God in their foreheads [Ref. Rev. 9:4]. Paul states that the gospel of Christ is for both Jew and Gentile [Ref. Rom. 1:16], but that either who reject God’s Son must suffer [Ref. Rom. 2:8-9]. The purpose of Satan, namely to destroy, is the opposite of God’s purpose in Christ, which is to save, this prince of destruction of the demons is called by our Lord “the prince of this world” [Ref. John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11]. After the Church has been caught up to be with her Lord, both apostate Jews and apostate Gentiles will suffer at Satan’s hands.

Rev. 9:12 there has been no exaggeration of the horrors of the coming judgment upon the earth, which judgment is but a foretaste of an eternal hell to follow. Oh, trust in the Lord Jesus Christ at once!


The Sixth Trumpet:

Rv. 9: 13-21 the fifth and sixth trumpet judgments are successive without any overlapping. Now we are not to be surprised at the increased “woe” to be poured out upon unbelievers in the day being described here. We are assured that evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse” [Ref. 2Tim. 3:1], therefore we can expect that God will step up the tempo of divine judgment matching the wickedness in men’s hearts.

The voice John hears as the sixth angel sounds the trumpet comes from the four horns of the golden alter which is before God:

It was from this same alter that the prayers of the saints ascended for vengeance upon those who martyred their brethren [Ref. Rev. 8:3]. The horns of the alter were always available for the sinners sacrifice, but in the days that John saw there is no more room for sacrifice. The “one sacrifice for all sins” was offered by Jesus Christ [Ref. Heb. 10:12, 13]. Now His enemies must be made His footstool. God will speak to men in His wrath and vex them in His sore displeasure [Ref Psa. 2:5]. We see that the alter of divine mercy will one day put forth divine judgment.

The Released Personages:

The voice was heard to say set loose the four angels. These angels are bound, therefore they are fallen angels who followed Lucifer in his rebellion and revolt against God [Ref. Isa. 14:12-14]. These four fallen angels are loosed for the purpose of executing judgment, and their activity commences at the very seat of Satan’s empire. It is all under divine control of the Father. God uses Satan’s own hosts to bring to naught the powers of evil.

God made an unconditional covenant with Abraham, saying, “Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates” [Ref. Gen. 15:18]. This coveted land of inestimable wealth is the desire of nations, but God has promised it to Israel His people, and He will protect it for them [Ref. Ex. 23:31; Deut. 1:7; 11:24; Jos. 1:4].

Greedy and hateful hands will be prepared to siege Palestine about the time of these predicted judgments, but God will intervene in behalf of the Jews.

These four demonic personages go about to slay the third part of the human race. The population will be in the billions, the terrible scourge will reduce it by one third. Just as vegetation and water will be reduced one third [Ref. Rev. 8:7-10], here also the human population will be down by one third. God has set the date for all of this to happen; only He knows when He will bring the events to action. Even now the four angels are being prepared for “the” hour, day, month and year [Ref. Rev. 9:15]. God has a program, and it is being carried out on schedule.

The Unrestrained Power:

A huge army of two hundred million horsemen appears. It is the combined power of the devil and men acting in their own interest, and yet, at the same time, they are ignorantly carrying out God’s judicial will. There is no power on earth able to restrain these hellish horsemen.

The weapons of this mighty army are fire, smoke, and brimstone. While they are weapons of hell, they are the emblems of God’s judgment. Brimstone is the stifling and strangling gas that God sent down from Heaven upon the city of Sodom when he destroyed it [Ref. Luke 17:29]. The coming judgment of Babylon will take on a similar form [Ref. Rev. 14:10], as will the judgment against the beast and the false prophet [Ref. Rev. 19:20], Satan [Ref. Rev. 20: 10], and eventually all unbelievers [Ref. Rev. 21:8]. What a ghastly place this earth will become when hell is let loose! It is but a sample of the torment that unbelievers must endure in hell forever.





The Ones Who Rejected Christ:

We should notice here that there are those who “were not killed.” God will suffer only one third of the race to die under this tremendous “Woe”. He will spare two thirds of mankind, not because they deserve to be spare, but because in wrath, He remembers mercy. God has never delighted in the death of the wicked.

Here God permits us to look into the future and see to what extent wickedness will prevail. More people than ever will be “worshiping devils.”
No such idolatry has been in the world since the fall of man. These invisible, wicked spirit beings, unholy in character, and belonging to Satan’s evil kingdom, seek to control the minds and bodies of living men. When all restraint (Holy Spirit) is taken from the earth after the church is raptured, and man has had an opportunity to repent, we can well imagine the staggering world-wide influence of demons over men.

There will be the revival of idolatry. People will cling to their “idols of gold and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which can neither see, nor hear, nor walk.”

There follows a list of evil practices which correspond to the period of the tribulation. The first of these is “murder,” God’s absolute and eternal law which says, “Thou shalt not kill” [Ref. Ex. 20:13], will be totally ignored.

Then follows “sorceries” impure practice by evil agencies this is by means of drugs, potions, intoxications, and often with magical arts and incantations. “Fornication” mentioned here is the flagrant disregard for the sacred institution of marriage. In the day described in these scriptures restraint (The Holy Spirit) will be withdrawn and human passion for evil will break loose. We shudder to think of our human race in the days ahead. “Thefts,” honor and honesty will be obliterated. There will be no regard for another’s rights. May God grant that these solemn and inspired words from the Holy Scriptures call sinners to repentance and summon Christians to a life of total dedication to Jesus Christ?

Silence in Heaven

Revelation Chapter 8

Chapter Eight records the opening of the seventh and final seal. The period prophesied here is still the tribulation, Daniels seventieth week. With the opening of the seventh seal we are introduced to the sounding of the seven trumpets. The seventh seal includes the seven trumpets. The parenthesis between the sixth and seventh trumpets includes: The sounding of the seventh trumpet appears: This entire period of the tribulation is one of a series of judgments. Not until after the judgments are there voices heard saying, “The kingdom of this world are be come the kingdoms of our Lord, and His Christ; and He shall reign “forever and ever” [Ref. Rev. 11:15].

The Silent Pause:
Rev. 8:1We must notice here that the silence is in Heaven, not on the earth. The silence in Heaven of which our text speaks precedes a time of silence on earth [Ref. Ha. 2:20; Isa. 41:1; Zech. 2:13]. In chapters five and six all of Heaven resounds with the praises of redeemed men and of angels, giving glory to the Lamb. We see here there is stillness and a silence. No voice is heard; no motion is seen. Subsequent to the silence God will speak “Then shall He speak unto them in His wrath, and vex them in His sore displeasure” [Ref. Psa. 2:5). These days it is mans turn to speak. God has spoken. “God spoke in time past unto the fathers by the prophets to Israel,” and He “Hath in these last days spoken to man by His Son” [Ref. Heb.1:1, 2]. The next time God’s voice is heard throughout all the earth, judgment will fall upon the unbelieving world of men.

The solemn Preparation:
Rev. 8:2We have a continued ministry of angels here. These seven before us in this verse will dispense the execution of judgment through the sounding of the trumpets. They are restrained for the space of about half an hour. This interlude is the preparation for that judgment. Not that “half an hour” is not a long period of time when one is engaged in some pleasantry, but thirty minutes intense suspense can be very nerve shattering. These are solemn moments because of the judgment which is to follow. This is the silence; most solemn preparation for the awful judgments ever to come upon the world. These are the judgments prophesied by Enoch [Ref. Jude 14], expected of by the Psalmist [Ref. Psa. 96:13], and verified by the Apostle Paul [Ref. Acts 17:31]. Indeed the wrath of God will be revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men [Ref. Rom. 1:18].
Here we see the executors of God’s will prepared to bring forth judgment. Each of the seven angels holds a trumpet. Trumpets in scripture are used in various ways. Their sounding was a summons of worship [Ref. Num. 10:3, 7; 23:15-24] and warfare [Ref. Num. 10:5-9; Jud. 3:27-30]. The idea of the trumpet originated with God and He controlled its use [Ref. Num. 10:1]. Priests were the only ones qualified to blow them [Ref. Num 10:8]. How important then it was that the summons to warfare be not confused with that which called the people to worship [Ref. 1 Cor. 14:8]! The sound of the trumpet in Israel indicated the intervention of God in the affairs of men on earth concerning Israel. The seven trumpets before us tell of the great final intervention of God in judgment. These trumpets will not be calling men to work or worship. They are warlike in character and they tell us that divine judgment is about to fall upon the wicked ones who dwell on the earth.

The Saints Prayers:
Rev. 8-5 We has here an angel with priestly agendas. We have here an emphasis on the prayers of the saints (tribulation saints- Jews), which are given efficacy through the incense added by the angels. Who are these saints and what are they praying? Under the fifth seal we saw that the souls of the martyred saints cried for just judgment [Ref. Rev. 6:9, 10]. We should see that their petition is being taken up here by the Jewish remnant on earth. Their prayers are introduced to God the Father for divine approval, for they are furthered and benefited by the angel. It should be clear that their prayers have a profound connection with the sounding of the trumpets and the coming judgment. The prayers of the saints in that day will be for vengeance, and God will answer without delay.
Immediately after the prayers ascend before the Father, the judgments descend. These alter from which the angel filled the censer with fire represents the place of judgment. The fire represented the judgment of God upon sin as seen in the Levitical offerings. The alter was the expression of God’s holiness and righteousness in dealing with the sin of the people of old, so the same holies and righteousness will search the earth and judge and punish it accordingly.
The fire from the alter was emptied upon the earth and at once there followed voices, and thundering, and lightning’s, and an earthquake. These disruptions causing disorder in the earth are but the beginning of terrible calamities which follow the sounding of the trumpets. Those on the earth in that day will have rejected the all-sufficient Sacrifice (Jesus Christ), therefore, “there remained no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries” [Ref. Heb 10:26-27].
Our Lord and Savior has become the judge. The casting of the fire into the earth is merely a token judgment indicating that the sound of the trumpets will follow.

The Sinners Punishment:
First Trumpet:
Rev. 8:7 the plagues in Egypt, similar to these, were literal [Ref. Ex. 9:22-25]. There is one major difference, however. Then those plagues were to save Israel; in the tribulation they will trouble Israel and the world. At the sounding of this first trumpet, one-third of all vegetation will be destroyed. This leaves a bleak picture of desolation caused by hail and fire. The wide spread character of God’s judgment under the first trumpet is potent.

Second Trumpet:
Rev. 8:8-9 what ever it is, it looks like a mountain, “as it were a great mountain.” This immense mass resembled the mountain “albaye.” Just as the waters in Egypt were turned to blood and the fish did die, we accept this prediction of forthcoming judgment as literal [Ref. Ex. 7:19-21] [Ref. Psa. 105:29]. Included in the sounding of the second trumpet is the serious effect upon commerce, the third part of the world’s ships being destroyed? This prophecy given to John resembled closely those utterance which the Holy Spirit gave to Old Testament prophets [Ref. Hos. 4:1-3; Zeph. 1:3; Isa. 2:16].

The Third Trumpet:
Rev. 8: 10-11 a beautiful star comes soaring through space, toward earth. In its sweep along the surface it turns one third of the water in the earth into a deadly liquid. It affects rivers, springs, and wells. There is a striking prophecy of this in the Old Testament [Ref. Jer. 9:14-15; 23:15]. We should not think it strange that a great burning star could pour out a poisonous bitterness to the waters upon which it fell. God the Father will use that which He created to affect His ends. He put the stars in their place [Ref. Gen. 1:14-16]; He knows how many there are [Ref. Psa. 147:4]; and He has called each one by name [Ref. Job 9:9-10]. The name of this star is “Wormwood” (bitterness). When our Lord hung upon the cross, his enemies “Gave Him vinegar to drink mingled with gall” [Ref. Mt. 27:34]. But at the sounding of the third trumpet, many wicked men will die from water made bitter by the Divine Judge. How wonderful that in this day of grace God makes available to men the soul-satisfying water of life [Ref. John 4:14; 7:37-39].

The Fourth Trumpet:
Rev. 8:12-13 the events recorded here are similar to those under the sixth seal [Ref. Rev. 6:12-14]. These are predicted clearly by our Lord and Savior [Ref. Luke 21:25-28]. These are the judgments of God going forth in the earth. On the fourth day He brought the sun, moon, and stars into view in order to provide light for man; under the fourth trumpet He shall withdraw the light He Himself created. All of this will affect the health and well being of the people on the earth at that time. This will disturb the seasons and hinder the growth of fruits and vegetables. And yet these are judgments merely preliminary to still greater “woes” to follow. Three more trumpets are yet to be heard. These are called the “woe” trumpets, indicating the severity of the finalization of God’s judgment at the end of the tribulation. Mankind has found false comfort in the lie that “All things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation [Ref. 2Pet. 3:4]. But the day will come when the so-called fixed laws of nature will be changed by our Lord and Savior who is the Source of all things.

WHO WILL BE SAVED IN THE TRIBULATION

Revelation Chapter 7


Chapter seven, though a continuation of the description of the tribulation, is actually a parenthesis. In chapter six we saw the opening of the first six seals and the judgments which are to follow. The Lamb does not open the seventh seal until chapter eight. The parenthesis is here, and it was put here by our Lord for a reason. What was the reason? *Chapter six concluded with the statement, “For the great day of His wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?” The answer is: “No One” So dreadful will His wrath be that all men are seen trying to flee from it, calling on the rocks and the mountains to protect them from it.* God pauses to answer the prayer of His prophet Habakkuk, “O Lord, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember thy mercy “[Hab. 3:2]. In the midst of wrath, God remembers mercy and suspends judgment. We will also see that God pauses also between the sixth and seventh trumpets, and between the sixth and seventh vials. Chapter seven is the mercy chapter of Revelation:

The Suspension of Judgment:

Rev. 7:1-3 - The instruments God uses in suspending judgment are His servants, the angels. Angels are God’s ministers [Ref. Heb. 1:7, 14].

Here we are introduced to four angels standing upon the four corners of the earth. They are commanded to hold back the four winds of the earth, which halts the process of judgment until God has accomplished His definite purpose. The phrase, “the four corners of the earth,” The wind as an instrument of judgment in the temporal affairs of man; so we see here that the four angels are holding back this wind of judgment upon the earth to allow God’s purpose to unfold. We see a fifth angel, ascending from the east (from the rising sun), he (the fifth angel) restrains the four preceding angels from proceeding, and judgment is suspended.

The judgments which issue forth from the first six seals are only “the beginning of sorrows” [Ref. Mt. 24:8; Mk 13:8]. The “Great Tribulation” referred to by the Lord Jesus [Ref. Mt. 24:21], and by Daniel the prophet [Ref. Dan. 9:27; 11:31; 12:11], begins the sounding of the trumpets, which sounding issues forth from the seventh seal.

The angels are told to “hurt not the earth, nor the sea, the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads” [Ref. Rev. 7:3], *(God’s purpose for the pause).

The fifth angel the sealing angel from the sun rising preserves certain ones from the “hurt” during the tribulation. God acts in sovereign grace in a special way for Israel before the Great Tribulation begins (last 3 and one half years of Daniels seventieth week). In her dispersion Israel has gone to the four corners of the earth, a despised and persecuted people, but the Father will restrain all opposition against her for a season.

The Sealing of the Jews:

Rev. 7:4-8 – Judgment is suspended till 144,000 Jews (God’s Old Testament People) are sealed. In this sealed company, Israel, is plainly and literally before us, twelve thousand from each of the twelve tribes. This sealed remnant of Jews, not having had the gospel explained to them before will turn to Christ after the rapture of the Church.
They will inherit the kingdom under the rule of the Son of Man shortly after they have been sealed. The beast and the Antichrist will not be able to destroy them.

The tribe of Dan is not mentioned here in chapter seven. He is omitted because he was guilty of idolatry. God warned His people that idolatry would cause separation from the rest of the tribes. [Ref. Deut. 29:21). In the place of Dan, Manasseh, Joseph’s son, is given standing along with the other tribes. It is possible that the tribe of Dan will be associated with Satan’s work carried out by the Antichrist during the tribulation [Ref. Gen. 49:17]. In Rabbinic symbolism Dan stands for idolatry and that the Antichrist is to spring from Dan, this is based upon Jeremiah 8:16.

The following is a note about the word seal in scripture. We should notice that, the seal belongs to “the living God.” Only in the living God will His followers find strength in their conflicts with their enemies [Ref. Jos. 3:10]. The 144,000 are sealed with “the seal of the living God.” The seal is the mark of divine possession, protection, and preservation. Paul speaks of the Holy Spirit as the seal in the believer priest, marking us out as God’s property [Ref. Eph. 1:13], and assuring us of God’s protection and preservation until the redemption of the whole of man [Ref. Eph. 4:30; Rom. 8:23]. We believers in the Church Age are sealed immediately upon being born again and we are sealed until the day of our resurrection and or translation to Heaven, where we shall evermore be with the Lord.

The 144,000 of this chapter are sealed with the seal of the living God for protection and preservation through the Great Tribulation that is to come upon the entire world, and which will constitute for Israel the time of Jacobs trouble.

The Salvation of Gentiles:

Rev. 7:9-17 we learned from the first eight verses that there will be souls saved during the tribulation, and that the first ones will be Jews. Here we meet another great multitude, but they are Gentiles, “of all nations, and kindred’s, and peoples, and tongues.” This order follows God’s plan, namely, “to the Jew first” [Ref. Rom. 1:16], and then to the Gentile. The number of this multitude is beyond counting, as far as man is concerned. The exact number is known only to God [Ref. 2Tim. 2:19]. They are the Gentile converts won to the Messiah as to the result of Israel’s restoration, and of whom the prophet Isaiah wrote [Ref. Isa. 49:10-12; 60:1-30). This multitude hears the gospel of good news of the kingdom for the first time through the 144,000 redeemed children of Israel [Ref. Mt. 24:14]. This “great multitude” is the “sheep nations” of whom Christ spoke in Matthew 25:31-40. The 144,000 witnessing Israelites will be persecuted for their testimony. They will be hungry, thirsty, lonely, in need of clothing, and cast into prison. The Gentiles that believe their message will stand with them and minister to them, so that it is to them Jesus will say, “In as much as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto me” [Ref. Mt. 25:40]. This multitude will be preserved through the tribulation, not kept out of it as the Church will be [Ref. Rev. 3:10].

Their position, they “stood before the throne, and before the Lamb.” Their purity, they are clothed in “white robes,” made white in the blood of the Lamb” divinely approved. Their protection “palms in their hands” express the complete joy of deliverance. Their Praise, in their praise they attribute to god and the Lamb “salvation.” The praise of the redeemed ones causes the angelic hosts of Heaven to fall on their faces and worship God. Their privilege, they engage in one glorious, unbroken ministry, it is a glad, spontaneous, unceasing survive to God and the Lamb. Their provision, the Lamb continues to feed and lead them for they are His own. The Lamb is the Shepherd graciously providing for every need. The springs of life with their fountains of living water shall not cease to flow. A final word concerning the Gentiles living in the tribulation period upon this earth. Life had been filled with tears as they took their place in that hour of judgment. Loved ones were killed before their very eyes. But now they are comforted as God wipes the tears from every eye. Sorrow shall not always have the upper hand. The day is coming on earth when God will have removed every semblance of the cause of tears.

REVELATION
The Lamb Opens the Seals

The Time of Divine Wrath:

The main action of the book of Revelation begins here at chapter six. From this point on, as the seals of the book of destiny are opened, the judgment period for the earth is depicted. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is the Lion-Lamb, who holds the title deed to the earth by right of creation and redemption, is about to take over the earth. Chapters four and five are scenes in Heaven. Believer Priests have been raptured (our promised hope) and have received their crowns or rewards [Ref. Rev. 4:10]. The giving of the crown belongs to that period after the rapture of the Church [Ref. 2 Tim. 4:8]. After the redeemed have received their rewards, earth’s official representative (Jesus Christ) takes command. In Heaven He has been proclaimed “worthy.” Now the earth must receive Him, but first the righteous judgment of God the Father must be meted out to the inhabitants of the earth who have rejected Him.

The judgment period takes place in Revelations 6:1-19:4, the judgment being executed in three series: the seals [ref. 6:1-8:5]; the trumpets [ref. 8:6-19:21]; the vials [ref. 16:1-19:21].

Actually we see from scripture that the seven seals cover the entire judgment period, with the trumpet judgments issuing forth out of the seals, and the vial judgments issuing forth out of the trumpets.

All judgments are future; they have not been fulfilled yet. “The day of vengeance of our God” [ref. Isa. 61:2] has not yet come upon the earth, but is drawing near. Up to the present hour God the Father’s throne has not been one of judgment but of Grace.

The First Seal:

Revelations 6:1-2~Judgment is about to fall. All acts described under the seven seals are acts of judgment. The scene is a judgment scene. The throne is a judgment throne.

As each seal is opened, God’s judicial action is disclosed, one stage at a time. The seventieth week of Daniel’s prophecy is about to begin [ref. Dan. 9:27]. One of the four beasts is the spokesman. We note from scripture here that when the subject concerns Heaven, the elders speak, and when it concerns the earth, one of the four beasts speaks.

As our Lord and Savior broke open the first seal, the sound John heard was “as it were the noise of thunder.” The thundering voice out of the beast (living creature) speaks of coming judgment. The first mention of thunder in the bible is in connection with God’s judgment upon Egypt [ref. Exd. 9:23]. This voice as a clap of thunder sounds the beginning of the tribulation period, the time of Jacobs trouble [ref. Jer. 30:7]. The thunder of divine judgment upon the earth rolls with increasing magnitude for seven years until the lightening of Christ’s Second Coming to the earth strikes [ref. Mt. 24:27; Rev. 19:11].

John say’s I heard and I looked as the living creature spoke concerning what is about to take place upon the earth. The voice is not speaking to John to come but John is to record what is taking place. The voice is speaking to the rider on the white horse. Literally he is telling the rider, “Be going.” The command is literally obeyed. This rider appears at the beginning of Daniel’s seventieth week, this rider is the Antichrist, the prince of Daniels prophecy. He is the counterfeit Christ, the wicked one to appear after the church is translated [ref. 2Thes. 2:8]. The rider is given a crown, but his is the Stephanas, and not the Diadema crown worn by our Lord and Savior when He rides forth [ref. Rev. 19:12]. This rider is Satan’s man. His weapon is a bow; Christ’s weapon is a sword.

He the rider of chapter 6:2 comes imitating Christ and offering peace, but he is as false as is the peace he offers. When this wicked one appears, “God shall send them (those who have rejected His Son) strong delusion, that they should believe a lie” [ref. 2Thes. 2:11]. When this rider appears he shall deceive many [ref. Mt. 24:5], and have all in subjection to himself [ref. Rev. 13], but it will not be for long. He is but acting under the divine mandate. The authority he displays “was given unto him” [ref. Rev. 6:2, 4]. It is by the permissive will of God that he comes forth “conquering.” “For God hath put in their hearts to fulfill His will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast (Antichrist) until the words of God shall be fulfilled as per Scripture,” [ref. Rev. 17:17].

This rider on the white horse sheds no blood. His is a bloodless conquest for we see from verse chapter 6:2. He has a bow but no arrows. He corresponds to the false Christ of Mathew 24:5. His method is deception; he comes with a promise of peace to offer.

The world that rejected God’s son Jesus Christ is ready to receive the devil’s Christ [ref. John 5:43]. After the church has been translated, this political leader and military strategist will put in his appearance and deceive the entire world. Appearing as a great ruler of men, he will be but a servant of God to carry out the divine purpose in the earth as all previous world leaders have been.

He will be the last man to attempt to bring peace, but his efforts will only prove that there can be no peace without the presence of the Prince of Peace our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

The Second Seal:
Revelations 6:3-4~Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ broke open the second seal, delegates’ authority to the second living creature (beast) to send forth a red horse and its rider. The red horse represents a bloody warfare. The effort to bring universal peace apart from Christ will fail, and this failure will result in strife, violence, and bloodshed.

The devil is called the “great red dragon” [ref. Rev. 12:3], and “He was a murderer from the beginning” [ref. John 8:44]. The rider on the red horse has a sword. He proceeds to take peace from the earth and to kill. At first the Antichrist seems to be a man of peace, but “When they shall say, Peace and Safety; then comes sudden destruction upon them [ref. 1Thess. 5:3]. We must keep in mind that the restrainer, The Holy Spirit, is at the time taken from the earth, so that the slaughter is infused into men by Satanic power [ref. 2 Thess. 2:7].

Our Lord and Savior said, “And ye shall here of wars and rumors of wars-for nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom” [ref. Mt. 24:6-7]. Peace pacts will be meaningless for those last perilous days men will be “trucebreakers” [ref. 2 Tim. 3:3). The phrase, “that should slay one another” inclines war within each nation, class wars, religious wars, race wars. “Every man’s sword shall be against his brothers” [ref. Ezk.38:21].

These scriptures depict scenes prophetic, not yet having been fulfilled. The rider on the red horse, most likely the same person astride the white horse, now reveals him self at the end of vs. 6:4, his true identity. He is not the Prince of Peace, but Satan’s counterfeit, and imposter.

The Third Seal:

Revelations 7:5-6~and when our Lord and Savior broke the third seal the third living creature said to the black horse, “come”. The same rider appears upon a black horse, this time he holds no weapon of warfare in his hands, but a pair of scales. This balance, like the black horse, inclines scarcity to the extent of famine. Scriptures relate that, “They that be slain with the sword are better than they that be slain with hunger” [ref. Lam. 4:9]. Black follows Red; Famine follows war; Famine is symbolized in Scripture by the color black. “Our skin was black like an oven because of the terrible famine” [ref. Lam 5:10]. John tells us of the extent of the famine in vs. 6:6 for the cost of a meal or three meals will be a day’s wages “a denarius.” A man will work a full day’s labor for just enough to feed himself for that day, with needing to divide the same with his family and most will have one. This condition exists while the war lords enjoy plenty for verse 6:6 say’s, “the oil and wine” are not to be harmed. These are the possessions of the few rich who hold the masses in slavery, and therefore they are not to be measured out to the famine-stricken. The rider with the balances speaks of food conservation. That black day is coming.

The day of famine will appear upon the earth. Now we know why this period is called “The Tribulation.”

The Fourth Seal:

Revelation 6:7-8~and when our Lord and Savior broke open the fourth seal, the fourth living creature said, “Come.” John looked and beheld another horse and the same rider was sent forth to the earth. The rider is called Death; and Hades was following him. This horse is pale or ashen, meaning livid and corpselike, being still more terrible in its symbolic meaning.

Under the three previous seals, a false peace was followed by war and then famine on the earth. Now death dealing plagues its fury is depicted in its wide spread effects, killing one fourth of the earths population. This is a result of the foregoing judgments, which God calls, “My four sore judgments” [ref. Ezk.14:21].

Death the final claimant and custodian of the body with Hell (or Hades) followed after him to gather the souls of the victims. Hades, the abode of the unregenerate souls that leave the body at death, is a path to death. Hades is the abode of departed spirits between death and resurrection. It is temporary, in contrast to the lake of fire which is forever [ref. Rev. 20:13-14].

The believer priest can take courage. Because he is in Christ he need not fear. Our Lord said, “I am He that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive forevermore Amen; and have the keys of hell and death” [ref. Rev. 1:18]. After all unredeemed men have heard the final word of judgment, “Death and hell were cast into the lake of fire” [ref. Rev. 20:14].

The Fifth Seal:

Revelation 6:9-11~Our Lord and Savior breaks the fifth seal, and John tells us he saw underneath the alter he was being shown the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God. This reveals to us that there will be many saved during the tribulation period. These will also pay with their lives. Our Lord says, “Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and they shall kill you and you shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake: [ref. Mt. 24:9]. These are the martyrs of the tribulation days. Having heard the gospel of the kingdom, thousands will believe and receive it, but they will be persecuted by the beast (Antichrist). We are not told precisely of what means God effects this work of faith in them. We do know the Holy Spirit is the effectors of conviction to salvation. The Holy Spirit has been removed as the restrainer of evil for the time, but is ever at work for the completion to salvation.

The tribulation martyrs “were slain for the Word of God, and for the testimony which they held.” The Scriptures always exalt Christ. He is their theme throughout. Thus in the tribulation there will be a continuing testimony to Him. This will provoke the Antichrist and his followers to hatred, to the extent that they will kill these who hold to the Scriptures and to the Christ of whom they testify.

We see here in verse 6:10 the martyrs are actually calling for vengeance against their persecutors. The attitude of the tribulation marks the change of Age.

The Tribulation saints will be living in the Age of Judgment, thus they pray according to the ruling principle of that period of time in which they live and died. The cry, “How long?” is the familiar Jewish cry during the time of Jacob’s trouble [ref. Psa. 74:9-10; 79:5; 80:46; 94; 3-4]. The persecuted Jew in that day will seek vengeance upon their murderers without any sense of guilt for doing so. It is the time of judgment. The judgment throne is set.

In response to their prayers, “White robes were given unto every one of them.” The robe is an assurance that they are God’s redeemed ones and that God will care for His own. Then they are told to wait patiently until the rest of the number of their brethren and fellow servants are slain for their faith. There can be no response to their cry until the martyred band is complete.


The Sixth Seal:

Revelations 6:12-17~As John was watching our Lord and Savior brake the sixth seal, the result is catastrophe on a world-wide scale. This is not the final judgment; it is not the end of the world.

There are three great earthquakes mentioned in Revelation (6:12; 11:13; 16:18-19). This is the first of three. The judgments of the first four seals were at the hands of the Antichrist, but with the opening of the sixth seal, the judgments are supernatural and come from Heaven.

The disturbances under this sixth seal judgment were foretold by our Lord when He said, “And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven will be shaken” [ref. Lk.21:25-26].

The words of our blessed Lord mean precisely what they say. The people who will be living on the earth at that time will actually see the fulfillment of the astronomical signs in connecting with the heavenly bodies. Christ then tells the time element of these happenings, “and then shall ye see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory” [ref. Lk. 21:27].

That dreadful day will reveal that God is no respecter of persons. All men:
Kings….great men….rich men….chief captains….mighty men, and every bondsman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains.

All are gripped with one common terror. All are helpless before “the wrath of the Lamb.” The Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. The very earth rulers, rulers that
Frightened the people with persecution and death under the fifth seal are now themselves frightened into helplessness and despair. O, you who still reject Him, turn to Christ at once. Receive Him while there is yet time, for the day of His judgment must surely come.

Already there are signs indicating that the end might be near. Your only hope is a right relation to the Lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ. Accept Him at once, and you can rejoice with the redeemed that ye shall be taken out of the earth before that great and dreadful day of the Lord. May God awaken us all to see the horror of the coming tribulation and thereby quicken us to prayer, giving, and a renewed effort to reach the lost with the gospel?