Overview of the Seven Seals of Revelation

So, as we heard in the sermonette, we're seeing bad things happen all over the world. Oh, I hate watching the news. I just do. I used to love it. I used to be intrigued by it. You know, prophecies unfolding before our eyes. And then we'd see it unfolding before our eyes. Now I don't want to watch it anymore. We've had Britain exiting from the European Union, which is definitely something significant. I don't know how significant, but it definitely seems to be moving us towards ten nations north of Jerusalem that could be called the King of the North.

How long that will take? I have no idea. Then we have terrorist attacks in Dallas, and then terrorist attacks in France, and then a coup taking place in Turkey. And, you know, the world marches on towards immorality and violence. We're becoming like Sodom and Gomorrah and the society prior to the flood, which was extremely violent. And we're becoming both! So, how can a Christian find comfort? Well, what I'd like to do today is give an overview.

In the book of Revelation, there are seven seals. And I want to give an overview of the seven seals of Revelation today. A little bit later, when we get closer to the Feast of Trumpets, I will follow up on this sermon with the seven trumpets and the seven bowls.

Right now, we're going to skim across the top. We're going to look at the overview of prophecy and the seven seals. And we're going to look at prophecy, unlike a lot of people look at prophecy today when you scan the Internet, looking for that secret knowledge, that secret information that's going to give them... I don't know what they think it's going to give them. You know, you can prepare for certain things. You can prepare for bad times to come. In fact, you should prepare for bad times to come.

I think it's wise to have a fully stocked pantry. It's wise to have survival supplies, because you never know what natural disaster or terrorist attack or what might happen near you. You should be prepared. The things we're about to talk about, however, there is no preparing for what we're about to talk about.

I don't care how big your bunker is and how much food you have in it. You will not survive this unless God intervenes, which He promises to do. So why would we take comfort in prophecy? That's what I want to talk about today, the overview that gives the Christian comfort when we watch the news and really bad things happen in front of us. Really, bad things are going to happen, brethren. Bad things are going to happen to the United States, and that will not be the beginning of the Tribulation.

Just FYI. And we're going to go through that. And I gave that in a sermon already. I explained that. But we're going to go through it again today. The destruction of the United States of America is not the beginning of the Great Tribulation, which is kind of bad news for us, which means Tribulation begins before the Tribulation begins. Let's go through it. How can we have hope? There are seven major events of the end times.

And the way that we can get a framework to interpret the book of Revelation is through a prophecy that Jesus gave in Matthew chapter 24, the Olivet prophecy. Jesus Christ, who is the chief prophet, gives us the framework to interpret Revelation. If you do not combine Matthew 24 with the book of Revelation, you get all kinds of mixed up stories, scenarios, sequences of events that contradict each other. And people can agree on what happens in the end, because they do not allow the Bible to interpret the Bible. They do not let Jesus Christ set the sequence of events that happen.

And he actually interprets the book of Revelation before he revealed it to John, because he gave it all the way back in his original ministry on the Mount of Olives. So today we're going to compare the seven major events of the end times with Matthew 24 just to get an overview of what is going to happen in the future so that we're comforted. So that we're comforted. I want to start in an odd place.

The book of Micah. The book of Micah. Micah was a prophet around the time of Isaiah, and he prophesied alongside Isaiah. He was in the southern kingdom, the kingdom of Judah, and he witnessed the ten northern ten tribes of Israel being wiped out by the Assyrians and taken off as slaves. They were marched out in single file with hooks in their mouths. And Micah witnessed this. And then Micah writes his prophecy. So let's start in Micah at the end of it in chapter 7 in verse 1. Micah describes what's going on around him, and this is very similar to what is going on around us today.

Micah chapter 7 in verse 1. Woe is me, for I am like those who gather summer fruits, like those who glean vintage grapes, like a poor person who has to go into the field and glean, because he doesn't have enough of his own. And he says, there is no cluster to eat of the first ripe fruit, which my soul desires.

So the world around Micah was in disarray. The faithful man had perished from the earth.

Now what was going on? What was he describing? This was very likely written in the time of the Assyrian king Sargon. And Sargon, not only did he wipe out the northern tribes of Israel, but he also was the one who passed through Judea to fight Egypt, and that wreaked havoc as well.

So Micah is watching his own land be destroyed. There is no cluster to eat that my soul desires. The faithful man has perished from the earth. He's looking around, looking for fellow church members, so to speak, to put it in modern vernacular, and he can't find any. There's nobody around him that believes like he believes.

They all lie and wait for blood. Every man hunts his brother with a net that they may be successful to do evil with both hands. The princes ask for gifts.

So politics is all about bribes. Money talks. The judge seeks a bribe. The great man utters his evil desire. Even the businessmen are in on it.

Everybody's in on it. And everybody's out to get something from everybody else. Nobody is taking care of each other anymore. So they scheme together. The best of them is like a brier.

The most upright is sharper than a thorn hedge.

The day of your watchman and your punishment comes. Now shall be their perplexity. And he goes through and describes how bad it is and how you should not trust anybody in this time of trouble, not even family. Skip down to verse 14, which is the main point of the sermon today.

God is merciful. He's allowing this to happen, and He's doing this for a good reason, for the ultimate good of mankind. Not even just the ultimate good of you and I, those who follow God today, but for the good of all of mankind. He's doing this. Verse 14, shepherd your people with your staff, the flock of your heritage, who dwelled solidarity in woodland in the midst of Carmel, let them feed on Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old. As in the days when you came out of the land of Egypt, I will show them wonders. The nations shall see and be ashamed of all their might, and they shall put their hand over their mouth, and their ears shall be deaf.

They shall lift the dust like a serpent. They shall crawl from their holes like the snakes of the earth, and they shall be afraid of the Lord our God, and they shall fear because of you.

Nations will destroy the house of Israel, but then there will come a day when they will be sorry that they did that. They will hide in caves and holes and watch what God does with His people. Verse 18, Who is God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgressions of the remnant of His heritage? This God forgives. The whole purpose of the end time is to put a stamp of disapproval on mankind's rebellion from the time of the Garden of Eden all the way until everybody who's going to be born is born. And then God says, that's enough. And He hits it with an exclamation point, and we look at it and we say, wow, in times it's horrible! And God looks at it and says, the birth of my children is almost here. It's right around the corner. Verse 19, He will again have compassion on us and will subdue our enemies? No! Our iniquities, our lawlessness, our rebellion will be gone. You will cast our sins into the depths of the sea.

You will give the truth to Jacob and mercy to Abraham, and you will have sworn to our fathers, I'm sorry, which you have sworn to our fathers, from the days of old. God wants people who will follow Him, and God is moving mankind so that He can have mercy on them. So with that context in mind, with Micah chapter 7 in mind, let's go through an overview of the seven seals of Revelation. What are the seven seals? It's not a sea world thing.

Before we had books, they had scrolls. You would write a book on a scroll of paper.

All right? And sometimes, if you wanted to separate chapters, they would take some wax, like candle wax, and they would roll out the scroll, and they would pour a little wax in between the chapters. And when the scroll rolled over the wax, the wax would seal the two pieces of the scroll together. So in order to open it, you would have to break that wax seal.

And this was a lot of times the way they would send a secret message with a courier. They would write the message out, and then they would roll it up, and before they got the scroll completely rolled up, they would pour a little wax on it and seal it. And the messenger would know that if that seal was broken, the message was likely tampered with, and he couldn't trust it. But if he got to break the seal himself, if he could tear that wax open, and then open the scroll, he knows he got the original message. Okay, with that imagery in mind, let's go to Revelation chapter 5. Let's start in verse 1.

And I saw the right hand of him who sat on the throne, a scroll written inside and on the back, and was sealed with seven seals. So it was opened all the way up, partially closed and then sealed, and then closed a little bit more and sealed again. And that happened seven times. There were seven different sections, and each one of these sections represents a major event to take place at the end of mankind's reign on the earth before God takes over.

So God himself, the Father, is holding this scroll. Verse 2, and then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, who is worthy to open the scroll and loosen the seals?

And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or look at it.

And I wept much, this is John in a vision, at the throne of God. And now John is distraught, because he really wanted to see what was in the scroll. He really wanted to see the end time, but not he nor even the angels were worthy to open the scroll. So he was upset.

Verse 5, But one of the elders said to me, Do not weep, behold, the lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals. Only Jesus Christ himself was worthy to be given this prophecy. So in context, and if you go back to Revelation chapter 1, you realize the entire book of Revelation was given or spoken or breathed by the Father. That is an important distinction that a lot of Christianity, modern day Christianity, completely ignores. This is called the revelation of Jesus Christ, which it is, because only Jesus Christ was worthy to open the scroll. The scroll is from the Father himself. We need to accurately represent what this is. Verse 6, And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne, and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a lamb, as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, representing the church that Jesus Christ rules, which are the seven spirits of God sent out to all the earth. And then he came and took the scroll out of the right hand of him who sat on the throne. And now, when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the lamb, each having a harp and golden bowls full of incense, and with prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, You are worthy to take the scroll and open the seals. For you were slain, and you have redeemed us to God by your blood. So this is actually the prayers that the angels are giving, because we are the ones who are redeemed. These are our prayers. This is us saying to Jesus Christ, only you are worthy to teach us. Only you are worthy to guide us in the end times. You know, that's an important point to note that we don't get caught up on, I don't know how to say, internet prophecy gurus.

We need to be very careful who we listen to and who we allow to teach us about end-time prophecies, because only Jesus Christ is worthy to teach the saints. And we need to be very careful of speculation. And when I talk about prophecy, I tend to speculate quite a bit. But I will tell you, now this is just my opinion, and I do not expect any of you to rest on that opinion.

That opinion is only to further discussion between you and me, but is not to set any kind of doctrine at all. Only Jesus Christ interprets Scripture, which is why we're going to go back to Matthew 24 in just a moment. So then we get to the very first seal in Matthew 6 and verse 1.

So, for those of you who are taking notes, what I'm going to do at each seal is I'm going to give you where the seal is found in Revelation and where it's described in Matthew 24, because the parallel is exact between Matthew 24 and Revelation chapter 5, 6, and 7, and actually 8. So the parallels are exact, so I'm going to give you it. However, I have a handout for you today, and I left it with the information table. So this entire outline is actually in a little handout, a little one-page handout that you can go pick up after the services if you're interested in it. And it'll have all of these references listed in it. So, first seal will be Revelation chapter 6, verses 1 and 2.

It's parallel. The way we interpret Revelation chapter 6, 1, and 2 is in Matthew chapter 24, verses 4 and 5. Again, letting Jesus Christ interpret prophecy for us. Let's start in Revelation chapter 6 and verse 1. Now when I saw the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a loud voice, Come and see, and I looked. So John was invited to look over their shoulder, which is really cool. And he said, 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 to conquer. He went out conquering and to conquer. Now a lot of people, and it's really popular right now, think that this is actually Islam. That Islam is now the white horse of Revelation, and that it's just not true. And how do we know that's not true? Well, let's go to Matthew chapter 24, and we'll start up in verses 4 and 5. So there's a white horse. Jesus Christ comes on a white horse. But Jesus Christ doesn't come conquering and to conquer. He just comes and conquers.

He doesn't make this big, long world war, slaughtering bunches of people. He just comes down and wipes out an army with one fell swoop, and takes over the entire world. This guy is a counterfeit. And we see in Matthew chapter 24 in verse 4, and Jesus answered and said to him, Take heed that no one deceives you, that at the end time, the context of Matthew 24 is the end time. Things are going to get very tricky. How is that possible? How is it possible when we and other people in Christianity have the Bible, have the Word of God, can they be full? Because times are going to become stressful. And when times become stressful, you tend to forget everything but your survival. So, he said, You be careful! You are responsible to not let anyone trick you. You're supposed to have this overview in your head and never forget it, even to your death. Okay, so, take heed that no one deceive you. So, the very first thing that happens to start the end times is massive religious deceit. For many, verse 5, will come in my name. In the name of Jesus Christ, the man on the white horse represents false Christianity. It will look like Christianity, although it will be the opposite. It is not Islam. We must not stray from what Jesus Christ said just because we see problems in the news. We have to stick to what the Bible says. This white horse, this first seal of Revelation, is false Christianity, period and end of story. Many will come in my name, saying, I am the Christ, not I am the Dalai Lama, not I am Muhammad, the prophet of the Messiah, but the Messiah himself, and will deceive many. So, the very first seal is religious deception. Many people will be tricked from a false Christianity. How do we get that interpretation? By letting the Bible interpret itself. We read something in Revelation, we go back and check it with what Jesus Christ said in Matthew, and we put the two together, and we're stable. We're safe. Let's go on to the next seal. Back to Revelation 6. You might want to mark these two chapters, because we're going to do this quite a bit. The second seal is found in Revelation 6, verses 3 and 4, and it's described in Matthew 24, verses 6 and 7.

This second seal is about wars that happen. False Christianity leads to war. We have seen this in history over and over again. A Christian empire will rise in the world. What do they do? They go out and conquer other people with the sword. False Christianity uses the sword. True Christianity uses the word, the spiritual sword of God. One does harm, the other saves. Revelation 6, verse 3.

When he opened the second seal, I heard a second living creature say, Come and see. And another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who set to take the peace from the earth. And the people should kill one another, and there was given to him a great sword. And this war brings on the great tribulation. But believe it or not, the tribulation, the last three and a half years of mankind's rebellion, isn't yet. So all of this deceit and war happens, and you and I are not supposed to be deceived. You are not supposed to, and a lot of people will, it's almost guaranteed that people will say, this is the end, this is the end.

You know, America has to fall before this is the end. The world power has to change to the king of the north. And right now, the world power rests with two great nations that descend from ancient Israel because of the promises that God made to Abraham, not because of their greatness. But the United States and the British Commonwealth dominate the world like a bull, like two horns on a great bull. I don't know if you've ever seen a bull in a field. You do not walk in the middle of a field when there's a bull out there. I mean, unless you're nuts, because that bull will run you off. And that's the way the world is dominated right now. But that's changing, and that will change in order for these prophecies to take place. So that has to happen. Our lives will get turned upside down, and we will feel like we're in tribulation, and yet the tribulation hasn't started yet. The second field, then, is war.

Let's go to Matthew 24, verses 6 and 7, where Jesus Christ describes how we're supposed to feel about these wars. I mean, we're supposed to hate war, but we're not supposed to think that the end has come just because our society gets turned upside down. Matthew 24, verses 6 and 7, and we'll only read the first part of 7, because 7 actually covers three of the seals.

Matthew 24, verse 6, and you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled.

Don't go blowing the horn and saying, this is the end, because it isn't. It's the beginning. For all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. We have to believe that.

You know, you and I are going to go through some really tough times, and it makes a lot of sense to make sure that you are prepared for tough times. But that's not the end of the world. Like I said before, you don't prepare for that. Verse 7, for nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be local squabbles, and there will be global war.

Both of those things do not signify the end of the world. So, a group of nations can rise up and overthrow the United States, and we're not supposed to raise the flag that says, Jesus Christ is coming in three and a half years. Not yet. Wow!

Had you considered that before? Or did you think all of this would just happen in a flash? We've got to sit in a bunker for three and a half years, and we're good.

Nope. Doesn't work that way.

The third seal gets opened. We're still in this vision from John, where at the throne of God, only the Lamb is worthy to open these seals. And in Revelation 6, verses 5 and 6, and its companion, Matthew 24 and part of verse 7, explains the next seal. So, food shortages and famine increases. And that's what happens when you have war.

When you have war, people are out fighting. They're not farming. Things are blowing up, farmlands are getting, you know, the soil is getting destroyed, and so famine just comes on.

Revelation 6 and verse 5, when he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, common seed. So I looked, and behold, a black horse.

And he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. Scales is what you use to measure food.

And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures say, a quart of wheat for a denarius, three quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not harm the oil and the wine. There will be a massive shortage of food.

In Revelation chapter, I'm sorry, in Matthew chapter 24 and verse 7, Jesus simply says, and there will be famines. That is the third seal. Enough said, there will be famines.

People have gone through famine before, and God's faithful were provided for. And it's not that they didn't go hungry, and it's not that they didn't miss a meal.

But remember Elijah. Elijah had to flee from old Jezebel, and he fled. And there was a big famine in the land, and nobody had food except Elijah, who went by, you know, and found a God setting by a brook where he could drink. And he had birds. Birds bring little morsels of food. The bird would go pick up a piece of food from this plate and that plate and fly it over and feed Elijah. How many of you would eat from a bird's beak? I'll tell you, every single one of us would.

Every single one of us would, if we were hungry. And then we get to the fourth seal.

I'm not going into too much detail today. This is just an overview.

The fourth seal in the book of Revelation is Revelation 6, verses 7 and 8.

And its companion is Matthew 24 again, still in verse 7. What happens after or during a famine? What does a famine cause? Massive disease.

Massive spread of disease. When there's a famine and there's a lack of food, your vitamins inside your body go down. Your susceptibility to bacteria and viruses go up. Combine that with a massive lack of water, which means a lack of hygiene, and disease spreads like wildfire. So not only are people dying from war and they're dying from starvation, now they're dying from disease. Fourth seal, Revelation 6, verses 7. And he opened the fourth seal, and I heard the voice of the four living creatures saying, Come and see. So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was death.

And Hades, or the pit, the grave, followed him. And the power was given to him over a fourth of the earth to kill with sword, with hunger, and with death, and by beast of the earth.

One quarter of the earth's population dies. And the tribulation hasn't started yet. And in Matthew 24, verse 7, it ends with simply pestilences and earthquakes in various places. And that is the fourth seal. One quarter of the earth dies. The United States and Britain overthrown, and in shambles, possibly in slavery, because of other prophecies that we don't have time to go into right now. And yet, we still have a ways to go before we can call this the end time.

Wow! Verse 8 of Matthew 24, if you're still there, Jesus Christ says, These are the beginnings of sorrows. And what that means is, we've got a long way to go still, people. A long way to go. Now, we could step back right here and now and say, Wait a minute, hold everything.

I thought you said this was supposed to be comforting.

And it is. It is.

Why does God punish? He's not vindictive. Why does a good, gentle father...

I'm not talking about those abusive men. I'm talking about a good dad. Why does he spank his child?

His child lets a ball roll into the street. He goes running into the street.

He grabs him and gives him a swat. Don't you ever do that. Why would a father spank his child? Because he's vindictive? Because he hates him? No! Because he absolutely cherishes that child's life.

So he gives him a little swat to say, Don't you run in the street? You let that ball go.

Your life is more important than that ball. You look this way and then you look that way. And if no cars are coming, you may carefully go get your ball. But you never just run into the street. And he's crying and he's upset and his whole world is turned upside down. But it's not because daddy was mean. It was because daddy cherished him. And that's the end-time prophecy. It's a spanking. And we don't like spankings. There are some people who refuse to spank their children because it just seems so angry and mean. Yeah, well look at the end times.

I mean, we've gone through four horsemen. A quarter of the earth is dead.

Horribly. It wasn't like they just went to sleep. It was terrible. And the end hasn't even begun yet. Verse 8 of Matthew 24 says, all these things are the beginnings of sorrow. What kind of God is this?

One who cherishes our life. It's why he's doing it. To God, it's just a swat.

That's all it is. Because he'll resurrect everybody, and fix all of it. And will he have our attention? You betcha. We'll be going, okay, daddy. And he'll say, now we can talk.

The fifth seal.

Revelation, if you're taking notes, chapter 6, verses 9 through 11. In Matthew, chapter 24 and verse 9.

This one is about the true believers of God.

All across the earth, there are people who follow God. Truly follow God.

This seal is about you and me. And this is where the end begins.

Revelation, chapter 6, verse 9.

Revelation, chapter 6, verse 9. And when he opened the fifth seal. Before we read this, brethren, don't worry. God's got this. He's got you and me. He will always take care of us. Even if we're one to be persecuted and die for the truth. Just remember Stephen. Right? Stephen preached the sermon and the Pharisees were going to kill him. And God put him to sleep before a single stone hit him. He was fine. He'll be in the kingdom. He's a hero in Christianity. God's got this. So don't let this shake your nerves one bit.

Revelation, chapter 6, verse 9. And he opened the fifth seal and I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God, for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice. Now, this is an allegory. We know from other scriptures that you don't actually sit under the throne of God crying. But God can hear his children nonetheless. He's the one who holds them when they die.

Like when a child is taking a nap and daddy's holding the child in his arms. The child may not even be aware that daddy's holding him. When we're dead, we're not aware of anything.

God is. And that's the point of this passage. God is aware of them.

And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, until you judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth. And then a white robe was given to each one of them. And it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer.

Why? Why are they waiting? Because this is the fifth seal. This is the great persecution on the church. And it starts the tribulation.

With the setting up of an abomination of desolations and other things, we don't have time to go into today. But this is where it begins.

And they said to them that they should rest a little while longer until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who would be killed as they were was completed.

So, Christians, true followers of God, are not done being killed yet.

So they have to wait. And the fifth seal is opened. Jesus Christ warns us of this in Matthew 24 and verse 9.

It goes an exact sequence. And Jesus Christ interprets the five seals for us.

Verse 9 of Matthew 24, And they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you.

And you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. And you know what? You and I are going to be okay. God's got this.

But that is what's going to happen. And this is where the tribulation begins. A Gentile nation will invade Jerusalem, will stop sacrifices in the temple, will set up some kind of an idol. This has happened in the past more than once. So we actually have duality and prophecy that shows us we can look to the past to look how bad it will be in the future. And in the past, it was really bad for those people that truly worshiped God. And some places it says 42 months, some places it says times, times, and half a time, some places it says 1260 days. It's all talking about the same period of time. This is the last hurrah, the last three and a half years of mankind's rebellion.

What rebellion am I talking about? The rebellion that started in the Garden of Eden, when mankind said to God, we're not going to follow you anymore, we're going to determine for ourselves what is good and what is evil. And the rest of man's history is an example of how mankind cannot govern himself. That mankind needs God. This last three and a half years is the exclamation point that says you can't do it. So far, God hasn't even punished the earth yet. That comes at the seventh seal. Right now, this is just man punishing man.

And it could have happened a long time ago. Speculation alert, warning, just my opinion. I think God has held back mankind's destruction since the early times. He has literally held back us from killing each other. And in these last three and a half years, he simply takes his hands off.

That's all he does. Because you look back in the earth's history and we have tried to destroy ourselves over and over and over again. You'll remember at the Tower of Babel, God separated the languages because they would have destroyed themselves then. And I think God has held us back ever since from destroying ourselves until now when God lets his children go all the way to prove once and for all that you all can't do it without God. So the fifth seal is persecution of the church, the setting up of the abomination of desolation, which we don't have time to go into, and the beginning of the last three and a half years of mankind's rebellion against God since the Garden of Eden. And then we get to this sixth seal, which to me is a very interesting seal.

It's a great earthquake and terrifying heavenly signs. This sixth seal is simply massive natural disasters that announce very clearly and without any confusion whatsoever, God's punishment is about to begin. Buckle up! You ain't seen nothing yet! The sixth seal can be found in Revelation 6, verses 12 and 16, and Matthew 24 and verse 29.

A great earthquake, terrifying heavenly signs, and they announce that God is about to begin His wrath.

Revelation 6, verse 12, And I looked, and he opened the sixth seal. Behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as fat cloths of hair, and the moon became like blood, and the stars of heaven fell on the earth. As a fig tree drops its late figs, and is shaken by a mighty wind. And then the sky receded, and as the scroll rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. Global earthquake, and I can't imagine the tsunamis that happen on the coastlines when this global earthquake happens. You know, it's predicted that if there was this island off the coast of Africa that has a little volcanic mountain that's very unstable, is actually cracking and might break off and fall into the sea. And if that one mountain falls into the sea, it could wipe out the eastern seaboard of the United States. One mountain with tsunami would just put a tidal wave that would come over by the time it hit our coastline. If you lived on the beach, you no longer live on the beach. That's simple. One mountain. This is every single mountain and island on the planet starts shaking. I would not want to be a fish. Or a man, for that matter. Okay, reading on.

And the kings of the earth, and great men and rich men, and commanders and mighty men, and every slave and every free man hid themselves in caves and in rocks of mountains. And they said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. How can they be that confused? They have read this just like we have. How are they confused at this point and want to hide from God?

This time will be incredibly stressful, and people do terrible, horrible things under stressful times. We have seen it in the past. If you're a student of history, you're sickened by mankind's history.

And people lose their mind, their memory, everything when they go through tribulation.

Which is why the very first thing we were warned about is, don't you be deceived.

These people are actually running away from God when they should simply repent.

What you need to do is kneel down and repent. And if a boulder is going to come take you out, you're good!

Verse, Matthew chapter 24, again, goes parallel right along with this. We drop down to verse 29.

Matthew chapter 24, Jesus said, immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light. The stars will fall from heaven. I mean, there's going to be all kinds of natural disasters going on. Meteors falling, the earth is shaking. And God is saying, I am about to do something.

The powers of heaven will be shaken. And then the seventh seal. The seventh seal can be found starting in Revelation chapter 16. And then there's an interlude. And the entire chapter, chapter 7, is about what the church will be doing and what the two witnesses will be doing during the tribulation, during that last three and a half years. So we skip then to chapter 8. The seventh seal starts in chapter 6, verse 17, but skips then to verse chapter 8, verses 1 and 2, and verse 6. So let me say that again.

Seventh seal, Revelation chapter 6, verse 17, and then you skip to chapter 8, verses 1 and 2, and verse 6. And again, this is on the handout back there. And the parallel to that is Matthew chapter 24 and verse 30. Actually, I believe verse 31. I would say 30 and 31. This is the day of the Lord.

The great day of God's wrath. And in this, there are seven trumpets.

And the seventh trumpet has seven last plagues, the resurrection of the church, and the return of Jesus Christ. Let's just do a brief overview. We're not going to go through the entire thing. Chapter 7 describes a great work that will be done by God's followers, led by two witnesses. 144,000 people will be converted from the 12 tribes of Israel, and an innumerable multitude from the Gentile nations. A massive conversion will take place during the tribulation. And then comes the seventh seal. So the book of Isaiah describes the day of the Lord as the year of God's wrath. So this day of the Lord is longer than a day, quite possibly a year in length, the last year of that three and a half years.

Let's pick it up, then, in chapter 6, verse 17. For the great day of wrath has come, and who is able to stand? And this is the scripture that I use to tell us, don't bother preparing for the tribulation. You will not be able to stand. You will not stay in a bunker. You will not survive without God protecting you. That is your preparation for the end time. Follow God. Now, your preparation for things that come before that should be in your pantry. Follow God, but be in your pantry and maybe have a survival backpack. I think that would be wise, but not for this. This is way too overwhelming. Let's skip now to chapter 8, verse 1.

And he opened the seventh seal, and there was silence in heaven for about a half an hour.

Like, oh, here it comes. Then, verse 2, I saw seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets. You know, God just doesn't do things in a small way.

If you were going to welcome somebody home and you hadn't seen them in years, you would throw a huge party. I remember that song, Taiya Yellow Ribbon. You remember that song?

Where he said, I don't know if you want me. I'm coming home from prison.

If you do, Taiya Yellow Ribbon around the tree. And when he got home, there were a hundred yellow ribbons around the tree. Welcome home! That's what God's doing here with the great day of the Lord.

He's making a huge statement. It says, number one, your sins are not tolerable. No matter what kind of empire rule morality guidelines that you've tried to live by, they don't work. Stamp.

And at the end of it, he says, welcome home! Not just to the church. This is for all of mankind.

It's why he's doing it. To God, it's just a little swat. To us, the whole earth is shaking. This is what we live on. Kind of a big deal.

Verse 6, still in Revelation chapter 8. So the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound. And I'm not going to go through any more of that, not in this sermon. When we get closer to the Feast of Trumpets, we'll go through those trumpets of the seventh seal. And we'll go through the vials and all of that. But there is a parallel in Matthew chapter 24 verses 30 and 31. And Matthew 24 really helps us interpret the end times.

So we're not confused and we're not deceived. And we need to know this and keep it in mind. And in verse 30 of Matthew 24 it says, then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven.

Then all the tribes of the earth will mourn. That's the point. Repentance is the point.

And they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. There is no secret rapture. He comes and everybody sees him. And he will send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet. And they will gather together his elect from the four winds from one end of heaven to the other. The end result, brethren, of all of this is that the end time will be so stressful that if you're not close to God you will not actually expect his return.

In Revelation chapter 16 and verse 15 he said, Jesus Christ said, Behold, I am coming as a thief, blessed is he who watches and keeps his garments. In other words, your moral character. Lest he walk naked and see his shame. You can actually get caught unaware.

Even though you've heard this sermon and many more because Mr. Petty's given sermons like this many, many years, for two decades, you have heard this. This is just a reminder to most of you. And still you can get caught unaware. How? Just forget God's law.

Just walk away from God. And like a rubber band snaps when you let go, you will forget all of this. And be caught unaware.

Who will be left on the earth? A people who absolutely trust God. And I don't just mean the church. I mean anybody who's left alive on the earth will see God and go, you're God. And I'm not.

And I will follow you. And I will no longer take of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which is symbolic of me saying, you're not going to tell me what to do. I'll figure it out on my own.

There will be no question whether or not mankind can figure it out on his own. He won't. He can't. And he'll know it. In Micah 7, where we started, in verse 18, we see a world who can be taught, a world ready to learn. Who, Micah 7, 18, who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of his heritage?

He does not retain anger forever because he delights in mercy. What of this remnant? What of the people who are left on the earth? What will they be like? Minor prophets fill in a lot of gaps and a lot of details. You know, if you don't read the minor prophets, which most of us don't, you really miss a lot. Zephaniah chapter 3, verse 13, the remnant of Israel shall do no unrighteousness and speak no lies. You'll actually be able to walk up and buy a car and know exactly what you're getting. Yeah, it's a good car, but the transmission doesn't work.

You're going to have to pay a few repairs, so that's why I've lowered the price. No lies.

Wow, thanks. I think I will buy it because I know a guy who can fix a transmission. Nor deceitful tongue be found in their mouth. When they say, I love you, they actually do.

They won't say, I love you, and then turn around and gossip about you when you're gone.

No deceit. This will be a people ready to follow God.

Yeah, it's hard to get a spanking. Yeah, you know, you don't catch your breath for a while. But what's the end result? Oh, you're so teachable. You're so pliable. We look around in the news and we see all of these bad things happening.

And I look at them and I think, wow, my pantry is not stocked as much as it needs to be. And I think you should think that way too. But then I think, wow, the spanking is almost here.

And then the yellow ribbons.

Everybody will worship God. Everybody will keep the Sabbath. No idols.

Nowhere on the earth. There will be peace in the entire earth. A thousand years, what we call the millennium, it's not actually a term in the Bible, but a thousand year reign of Jesus Christ.

And then for a short time, Satan is loosened and there will be a last rebellion of mankind, a final test for mankind. And then the white throne judgment comes when God himself will come to the earth and move his throne here. We're not going to heaven. Heaven is coming here.

All these things will happen, but we can find peace and we can be comforted in them.

Because God is saving his children. Yeah, you know, things are bad, like childbirth.

childbirth is really painful, but it's pain with purpose. And at the end of it, you don't see a mother going, oh, that wasn't worth it. Then that baby away. No, she coddles that little baby as if she hadn't gone through anything. You look at her, she's exhausted.

She's just spent and as happy as she can be. And that's the end result of what God is doing with mankind. John 16 and verse 20 will end it here. John 16 and 20. Most assuredly I say to you, you will weep and lament that the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy. A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come. But as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish for joy that a human being has been born into the world. Therefore, you now have sorrow, but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice. For your joy, no one will take from you. What an awesome day! So, you know, actually brethren, we can be comforted in prophecy. The end times are horrible, but when you step back and you look at it and go, God's just spanking the world and we'll get over it. And when we do, we're all going to be happy and play together. And it doesn't quite seem as bad after that.