The Opening of the Seals on the Scroll

Hard act follow. Both of those are wonderful songs. It has a lot. Really glad that God has given us Jack Scruggs for a few more weeks. I'm certainly thankful for every time he's able to attend service and all of the good singing that will be his legacy for as long as we have these young men and women singing here for us in Portland and beyond.

I first began the series on Revelation I thought would take three sermons. This is sermon number five and we're already at chapter six. So it may be a little longer than what we planned, but that's okay because I think it's important as the times in which we live march on that we have a good basis in this book that often raises more questions than it provides answers. One that is certainly the subject of endless private interpretation. Might add misinterpretation. But we must understand the panorama of the book, the parts that are chronological, the three parts that we mentioned to begin with, the things that John saw, the things which are, and the things which are going to be hereafter.

To correctly understand all the details of chapter six, which is the six seals and what has been written about so many times and has taken up, I think, an appropriate amount of footage or lineage in the inches, I guess it would be in church literature. We have to understand that we're looking at an earth that is being in transition in this book from being under the dominion of Satan the devil unto the dominion of Jesus Christ.

It's called the day or the era of the Lord, which means the era when Jesus Christ sets his hand to recover the dominion of the earth and remove it from Satan the devil. I want to begin over in Luke chapter four and verse five, because Satan said that the dominion of this earth had been given to him. And we know that occurred back in Genesis chapter one and Genesis chapter two, because the dominion of the earth had been given to Adam.

God made Adam out of the dust of the earth and breathed into his life air. He became a living soul or living nephesh. And then Adam was given dominion over the earth to dress and keep the garden of Eden and to have dominion over the fish and fowls and the birds and animals of the earth. But he was kicked out of the garden, ejected from it, when he rejected God, chose to follow Satan's temptation. And so Satan became the God of this society in this earth. John chapter four and verse five, a very famous account of the devil tempting Jesus, he says, the devil taking him on a high mountain showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.

Must have been more than just the Roman Empire. It could be the Roman Empire, of course, the main kingdom of the earth at that time. Perhaps he saw others, maybe the Aztecs or the Mayan empires over in the New World, or perhaps some of the Ming dynasties over in the Far East. But Satan the devil showed him all the kingdoms of the earth. And the devil said to him in verse six, this authority I will give you and their glory, for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. So very clear, Satan the devil said, these kingdoms have been delivered to me, and I give them to whomever I wish.

So he is the God of this society, the God of this earth. Jesus Christ concurred with that over in John 12. If you turn to John 12 and verse 30, Christ admitted, or at least concurred, that Satan the devil temporarily has rule over the earth. And the book of Revelation tells us how that rule is going to be overthrown and returned not only to Jesus Christ, but to all of those who are with him as eternal beings, as having made it into the kingdom of God.

In John 12 and verse 30, Jesus answered and said, this voice did not come because of me, but for your sake, this is after they had heard a voice from heaven that said, I have both glorified it and will glorify it, glorifying his name. It was a response from what Jesus Christ was praying. Now is the judgment of this world. Now the ruler of this world will be cast out. Jesus Christ acknowledged that Satan the devil was the ruler of this society and that he was going to be cast out.

Let's go back over now just for a little more background to Matthew chapter 24. We know this is a parallel chapter with the six seals of Revelation. Some of the events that are given here, we tend to just automatically say, well, that's the first seal, that's the second seal, that's the third, and that's the fourth. And there is truth in that. We never want to take that away because it is truth. But the seals of Revelation are trends that have occurred all down through history ever since Satan became the God of this earth.

And they are also four things that are going to happen in rapid succession in a much more intense way right before the fifth seal actually occurs in the beginning of Jesus Christ setting his hand to remove Satan the devil from being the God of this world. In Matthew chapter 24, in verse 3, it says, As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of your coming and the end of the age?

So three questions. When are these things going to be? What will be the sign of your coming and the sign of the end of the age? Jesus answered and said to them, Take heed that no one deceives you. And that's always been identified with the white horse, because Jesus Christ returns in chapter 19 and riding on a horse, and this implies an impostor.

Many will come in my name, saying I am the Christ, and will deceive many. And that certainly has happened down through time. He will hear of wars and rumors of wars. The next horse has been picturing war and peace taken from the earth. But that's also been going on down through time. There have been almost no years in history when peace has ruled the earth. There's always a war going on somewhere, it seems. See that you are not troubled, for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines, there will be pestilences and earthquakes in various places. And all these are the beginning of sorrows. So they are not the end, they are the beginning of sorrows. These conditions are the beginning, and they've been extant for the full duration of mankind's history. However, these statements can be linked to the events at the very end also. The activity of the four horsemen picture the condition of what the world has become under Satan's dominion.

But they will happen, of course, again at the end of the age. Now with that background, let's go to Revelation. And we want to begin where we left off in chapter 5, although we finished chapter 5. But the important, I think the pivotal event here in chapter 5 is when the lamb takes the scroll, and the lamb then is qualified to take the scroll and to open it, because no others had been. Verse 8 of Revelation chapter 5, after there had been a certain amount of drama before understanding that only the lamb was qualified to open the scroll, it says, We 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, which are the prayers of the saints.

These prayers of the saints are mentioned several times in Revelation, and they're mentioned in context with praying that God would answer their prayers for deliverance, and also remember their prayers that they gave while they were suffering and being martyred, and it would be a time then of God's vengeance upon the earth. So the lamb takes the scroll, and he is the one who is qualified. The rest of chapter 5 simply is the new song that is being sung by these creatures, these beings around the throne, saying that worthy is the lamb, not only to receive power and riches, but also to open the scroll.

So we have one scroll, and it has on it seven seals. Ancient books were not bound like the books we had today. They were rolled up on a scroll, and at the end of the scroll there could be either a ribbon or a rope tied around it, or it could be sealed with seals. And so this seal is being opened. There were seven seals on this scroll, and each one of these seals reveals a different message.

So chapter 6 in verse 1, he says, Now I saw, just as a tidbit, that phrase, Now I saw occurs 33 times in the book of Revelation. So a very important phrase, because remember John was to write down the things that he saw.

And so, that, or Now I saw, occurs 33 times in the book. I saw when the lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a loud voice, Like thunder, come and see. So John is being invited to come and see by one of these four living creatures what was revealed by this seal. He says, now the voice like thunder, so by the way, the term thunder occurs in Revelation 10 times. So very, very loud depiction of the words that were being said. So come and see very loud. I looked and behold a white horse, and he who sat on it was given a bow.

Now he who sat on it was an imitation. He's sitting on a white horse, just like Jesus Christ would return later in Revelation 19 on a white horse. But here he has a bow, not a sword. Jesus Christ is always pictured as carrying a sword. He's not pictured as carrying a bow. But the bow actually does mean a few things.

Let's go back to Psalm 11 in verse 2. In Psalm 11, in verse 2, a bow is pictured as being a weapon that the wicked use. Now good people also carry bows, but not for the purpose of deceiving people.

In Psalm 11, in verse 2, it says, Look, the wicked bend their bow. They make ready their arrow on the string, that they may shoot secretly at the upright in heart. So perhaps this was somehow connected with this creature, this being, this horseman that has this bow that is trying to shoot secretly at the upright in heart. And it is certainly a wicked bow, a bow that is meant to deceive.

In 2 Corinthians 11, it shows here how that works. We're going through quite a few verses here pretty fast. I hope you'll forgive me for that, but I do want to get some background here.

In 2 Corinthians 11, it does say that Satan's workers masquerade as an angel of light, an apt description of this rider on this white horse that has a bow. 2 Corinthians 11, beginning in verse 13, says, Such are deceitful apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder for Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves in the ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works. So this horseman on this white horse carrying a bow typifies the false religion and the deceit that has been so dominant ever since the world began, ever since we have the world under Satan beginning.

So we have this bow that is given. In Revelation 12, 9, we'll get to that later, it says, The great serpent was cast out, who deceives the whole earth. And indeed, false religion does deceive the entire earth. It isn't just false messages about Jesus Christ.

It also be all the major religions that are so dominant in so many places. Satan has deceived the whole world, and he certainly has his minions out there continuing to do that. And we see religion as being a major part of what has caused wars down through history. So back in Revelation 6 now, let's continue on here. What happens next is this guy that has a bow, this rider on the right horse, is given a crown. Now why is he given a crown? Well, the crown signifies rulership.

Satan has taken the crown that God allowed Adam to have, and now, of course, is allowed for Satan the devil to have. And he has dominion over the earth, and it says, he went out conquering and to conquer, meaning that it is ongoing. So this white horse of deception has been deceiving mankind ever since he was given this crown, ever since he was given this crown of the earth.

1 Peter 5, 8 tells us that we should be sober and be vigilant because our adversary, the devil, walks around like a roaring lion seeking whom he can devour. Lions are interesting. They are one of the major big five predators of the continent of Africa.

I don't know if you ever read Peter Capstick's books, Death in the Long Grass or Death in the Silent Place. How many have read Capstick's books? Okay, at least one or two. They're fantastic books. Peter Capstick was the greatest big game hunter in the history of Africa. And if you want to have... Well, I wouldn't read him before you go to bed necessarily because they are talking about all the great predators.

But if you haven't read Death in the Long Grass, it does tell you so much about Africa and about all the animals there. It's hard to find his books. You can get them online and use. Capstick died about three years ago and was a great loss.

But in his book on Death in the Long Grass, he goes through each one of the African predators and how they operate, how they work, and why they are dangerous and the conditions. And he gives some very, very riveting blood-curdling accounts of his close encounters with them. But he says the lion just basically plods along, continually trailing his adversary or his prey, until the prey kind of gets used to him. It's not like the cheetah that springs real fast and grabs him or the alligator or the crocodiles that jump out of nowhere hiding under the water.

But the lion likes to get his prey used to him being around. And then once he's close enough and the prey is kind of comfortable grazing on the grass, whatever, then the lion springs and takes his prey. Satan does that with us. He wants us to get used to him being around. He wants us to get used to the society that he is the king of. And he just keeps on following, keeps on hovering in the background, keeps on having him be close to eventually, if we lose our awareness, we lose our sensitivity, and before long, just like those little gazelles and impalas on the plains of Africa, we are within his reach.

So the, I think the analogy of the lion is very good, and it certainly is one that ought to warn each one of us to stay away from it as much as possible. But Jesus Christ returns. He has a sword in Revelation chapter 19. But in this seal, that pictures deception and pictures a being with a crown carrying a bow, which in the Bible can be used as a as a weapon that attacks God's people, we need to understand that we can't make the mistake of thinking this rider is anything but a false religion, a false teaching about Jesus Christ's false religions that control the world.

And that has been going on since the beginning of time. Probably Nimrod was the first one to really organize people in a big city or a big group together and begin to do work based on false religion. So we went out conquering and to conquer, and that conquering is still going on. But there will be another massive move of false religion right before the last events of the end. So in a sense, these four riders are dual. And we are, I think, watching for a rise of a false religion and a beast power depicted in Revelation 13 that will start again. These four horsemen riding only in a much quicker, much more intense way right before the end. Okay, verse 3 then, when he opened the second seal.

So here we have the second seal. I heard a second living creature saying, Come and see. So once again, John is invited. He doesn't say the voice is like thunder. It may have been. He simply says, Come and see. Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth that people should kill one another. And it was given to him a great sword. And so this second horse is fiery red. It's the same as the color of fresh blood. It is also color often used to describe anger. People talk about their anger being red hot.

This sword, or this, you might say, attitude of division, the second seal, has also been going on since the beginning. The first murder was when Cain killed Abel. It was granted to Satan very quickly to take peace from the first family that lived on the earth. And then through all the history of society ever since, with the massive numbers of wars and huge numbers of people that have died at the hand of their fellow men, we see that this seal of division or of wars has been ongoing. Even Jesus Christ said, You shall hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see that you be not worried or upset because these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

You might say this rider represents division or the sword represents people being divided one from among each other. If you've been watching any of the, I guess you'd say, political riders that are often on the internet, people like Pat Buchanan and others that sometimes I read their columns, there's a lot being read now or a lot being written about division and the divisions that have come up so obvious in Western society, not just here but also in Europe where they have a lot of division politically, not only about the refugee problem but also about the meaning of their culture and their time. It's amazing the number of just divisive things that have come up, you know, who would have thought that Civil War statues would be a thing causing great division in places back east or pictures of George Washington hanging in a church that somehow has come to cause people to be divided over. There are so many things that are causing division now that we see that this, at least wise this attitude, is on the march. It will be even more, more wars, more contention, more division after that great religious leader comes on the scene and begins to form that beast power that we know is coming. So this has been going on all down through history. The red rider or the rider of the red horse has been allowed to cause people to hate and kill each other ever since the time of Adam and Eve, but it is going to be much more intense as we head towards the end of time. I want you to know over just one verse, Ephesians chapter 2 and verse 2, this rider of division, this cause of divisions of people, this influence that warps the minds of people and turns them against each other, is called the prince of the power of the air, Ephesians chapter 2.

He says, "...in which you walked according to the course of this world," this is verse 2 of Ephesians 2, "...according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the suns of disobedience." So the power of the air is also called a spirit that works among the minds, the sons of disobedience. So we have this Satan the devil influence that has been causing division ever since the beginning of time. And of course, part of it is jealousy and envy. In Genesis chapter 4, we have the account of Cain giving his offering, Abel giving an offering that God accepted, Cain giving one that God did not. And then, of course, what happened was Cain got jealous with envy and ended up killing his brother Abel. So we have this evil that happens around the earth.

I think there's one more aspect that we need to make sure we understand. Let's go to Job chapter 1.

Job chapter 1. Satan does not just run rampant. He is somewhat like a dog on a leash, and apparently the leash is adjustable. It's kind of like one of these real-type leashes that people with little French poodles have that you can punch the button and the dog can run out 10 or 15 feet right before he bites your neighbor. Then you punch the button again and you stop him.

But they have these little poodles on these leashes. Probably other dogs, too. I just noticed it with poodles. And remember, Glennawanda had a poodle that was brain damaged and had to be on a leash continually. But anyway, Satan is kind of like on an adjustable leash. God allows him to do certain things and then also reigns him in when it is not in his will to do that. So this tells us quite a bit about how the events at the end time that God is going to allow to happen, to bring the world to repentance, are going to come to pass. In the book of Job chapter 1 and verse 6, there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. There are some thought this was likely on the day of atonement, but I don't have a lot of proof for that other than just some tradition. The Lord said to Satan, for where do you come from? Of course, the Lord knew the answer, but he wanted to have a conversation with Satan. So Satan answered the Lord and said, from going to and fro on the earth and from walking back and forth on it. That describes the state of restraint, or tardaru, as is mentioned in Peter, that Satan and the demons were cast down to. They were cast down to the earth, and their sentence, until the time when they are completely punished, their place of restraint is the earth. They walk back and forth. They go to and fro. The Lord said to Satan, have you considered by servant Job that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man who fears God and shuns evil? So Satan answered the Lord and said, does Job fear God for nothing? Do you think he's doing that because he is not getting a reward? Have you not made a hedge round about him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? And you have blessed the works of his hands and his possessions and have increased him in the land. So Job has great rewards from you. No wonder he fears you. And of course, God knew that Job's heart was to fear him, but he needed to learn some lessons. But God says, stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely, I'm sorry, Satan said this, stretch out your hand, touch all that he has, and he will surely curse you to your face. The Lord said, behold, all that he has is in your power. So God is here allowing Satan to do something he had not been allowed to do before. Only do not lay hand on his person, so Satan went out from the presence of the Lord. So we have an account then of what happened, that there was a day when Job's sons and daughters were drinking in her house.

And of course, the Beans raided them and killed them, so Satan could influence other people to cause damage and harm, murder. And also, there was a storm that came, so Satan can also have permission to use a storm. Verse 19, suddenly a great wind came from across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house. So God allowed Satan to use people to do evil things and to use the weather. These are things that apparently he had been restrained from, for the most part, before. And of course, later then, he's allowed to cause boils and suffering to come upon Job. So we have this allowing of Satan that is going to happen again in the end time. As these seals are revealed, Satan is going to be given more room to operate. The leash on his or the distance of his leash is going to be let out so that he can do all these things that are great and destructive, all part of God's plan to eventually unseat Satan the devil and replace him with his son, Jesus Christ. So we have this fiery red horse, and we can look to the past and see all the terrible wars, but then know there is a great war coming that will make all of them look very small. The great tribulation that is coming, Jesus Christ said, it will be greater than anything that ever was or ever shall be afterwards. And so that is going to happen and not something we want to be a part of, but we know is a necessary event before the kingdom of God is established. Okay, verse 5. This is after peace has been taken from the earth and people are killing one another, and it was given him a great sword, meaning a great battle, or a larger sword than he had before. So we have now the third seal. When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, Come and see. Again, John is being invited to come and see this next horse. I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. So this black horse pictures not only destruction. We have death following him.

We have famine. We have a lack of food. But all of these things have been going on somewhat down through history. But again, as Jesus Christ is going to be coming back and returning, we find it accelerating. So it will be happening in the past in a general way and happening in a very, you might say, accelerated way coming in the future. So he had a pair of scales on his hand. I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, A quart of wheat for a denarius.

Denarius was a Roman soldier's pay for one day. So he would work all day long, and his wages would be one quart of wheat, barely enough for one person to subsist on, and three quarts of barley for denarius. Barley being a lesser desired grain, lesser in protein, and so the price was lower. And do not harm the oil and the wine, showing that it was going to be very precious and in short supply.

And so we have this black horse symbolizing not only famine and lack of food, but also death.

So as referring to natural disasters, the devil now controls, with this dominion of the earth, because many of the things that happened, we saw in Job that he was able to bring this great whirlwind. I don't think we ought to subscribe every hurricane or every storm to an act of God. There are those who do that. The earth just has its own, you know, created ways of dealing with heat and maintaining an equilibrium. And sometimes storms are just the way that happens. But there are, of course, many prophecies that talk about Christ coming as a whirlwind and using whirlwind or weather as a source of punishment. But in this case, just to get back to the black horse, he is symbolizing that there is going to be a famine, that there is going to be food that people simply can't get to.

You've seen the major events that, like the hurricane that covered so much and flooded so much down in Puerto Rico. The first reaction of people is to make sure they have enough food and, of course, after that, they begin to look at power and places to stay and being able to try to rebuild their lives. But not harming the oil and the wine, God's not going to allow all food to be destroyed. He's going to simply allow much of it to be in short supply. So we have famine coming hard on the heels of war, which often is the case. Now we have the fourth seal.

Verse 7, he opened the fourth seal, and I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, Come and see. So another living creature saying, Come and see. It says, I looked and I saw a pale horse. Now the word pale there, actual color, according to the Lew and Nida commentary, means pale greenish gray. Some other commentaries simply say it is a kind of a putrid green color.

But it represents basically the color of a corpse of a dead person, which is, of course, very easy to see that this rider's name is death. So I looked and I behold a pale horse or a horse that looked the color of death. And the name of him who sat on it was death, and Hades followed him. So the rider of this horse spreads untimely death throughout the earth, and the grave follows him because the grave is necessary for all of those corpses to be put into. So we have this last seal that describes a large percentage of the earth being put to death. It says, power was given to them over a fourth of the earth to kill with sword or by war, with hunger, by famine, with death, which just simply means death of all causes, and by the beasts of the earth. So perhaps wild dogs, wild predators could also mean maybe infections, you know, beasts of the earth that are bacteria or perhaps virus is something much smaller. So God placed restraints on the rider of the third horse. He also does on the rider of the fourth. Satan would like to destroy all life on the earth.

That's his goal. But God limits him, in this case, this rider to only 25 percent of the earth that would die because of the events of this horseman. Given the current population of somewhere around 8 billion, if this were to happen today, there would be 2 billion people dead, a huge number of deaths. And who knows exactly where those would be, but certainly the carnage and the destruction would be something that the world has never seen before.

So these four horsemen are the weapons that Satan has always used against mankind, but they'll be used in a more intense way right before Jesus Christ returns.

So we have these horses. Just for a reference, let's just hold our place there. Go back to Zechariah chapter 1 and verse 8. God has used colored horses in the past. These are not the first time. These horses go out to all the earth. So these four riders in Revelation chapter 6 kind of follow the same riding pattern, so to speak, as the horses of Zechariah chapter 1.

In Zechariah chapter 1, we have Zechariah seeing some horses that are riding. In verse 8, he mentions, I saw by night, behold, a man riding on a red horse, and I stood among the myrtle trees in the hollow, and behind him were horses, red, sorrel, and white. But I said, my lord, what are these? These are not the same horses or the same message, but it does show us what these horsemen can do or what their purpose is. The angel who talked with me said to me, I will show you who they are. And the man who stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, These are the ones whom the Lord has sent to walk to and fro throughout the earth. So they answered the angel of the Lord who stood among the myrtle trees and said, We have walked to and fro throughout the earth, and behold, all the earth is resting quietly. Now, that obviously is not happening right now.

But at the time of Zachariah and before his vision is seen, there is a time of quiet and peace on the earth before those events occur. But the important thing is to understand these horses can go throughout all the earth as messengers from God or messengers coming back to God. And these horsemen are granted, as the seals open or show, that they're going to be riding throughout all the earth. So these four seals are open. Each one of them pictures a tool Satan the devil has been using since the beginning of time and a tool that will be intensified and used in a very quick and sharp way before Christ returns.

Verse 9 says, He opened the fifth seal. Now, this is a tremendous change. The first four are closely tied together, depicting Satan's methods. But now we have these seals being replaced by another one. Once they are set in motion, they will lead irreversibly to the return of Jesus Christ at the end of the age three and a half years later. We understand these events correctly. Then we have this fifth seal. It's unlike the first four. When they were opened, ongoing events were depicted.

When this fifth seal is opened, it's a reference essentially to the past and a little bit to the future. It says in verse 9, When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. Now, let's hold our place there because this is the reason why John was imprisoned on the Isle of Patmos.

Let's turn back over to chapter one just a few pages back. Chapter one in verse nine, I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. Same words. We have now in verse nine of Revelation 6, people who have been slain for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ which they held.

So John was imprisoned. Some during his time in the Roman Empire time were also martyred. They were put to death because of the word of God, believing that the Bible is the word of God, and believing the testimony or the words of Jesus Christ about His kingdom coming and the need for mankind to obey Him.

So the fist-sealed pictures, the memory of those who had been slain. Notice they had been slain in the past, and of course they were praying as they were dying or before they died, just like they had been mentioned earlier over in chapter five, when we have just the thoughts of those, the memory of those who were martyred also came up to God. So twice we have in this, in this, these two chapters here, the memory of those who have died, who have been martyred, and who have died in the faith, because the indication is it's going to happen again before Jesus Christ returns in perhaps a fairly intense way.

So they were slain for the testimony they held and for the word of God, 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. Now they don't really cry, it's their memory. Remember what God told Cain? He said, The blood of your brother Abel cries to me from the ground. Well, the blood really didn't cry from the ground, but the memory of that murder was very sharp in the mind of God.

And just like the memory of these people and how much God loved them and they loved him, as they died in pain, in duress, gave up their lives. We have James, the first one that was stoned, was killed, first martyred, John the Baptist. Later, of course, Stephen was stoned. So there are many who had been praying as they died and were put to death because of their belief.

And they cry with a loud voice. Their memory is how long, O God, before justice takes place. In fact, this fifth seal sort of begins with this question about justice, and it does establish a progression of time.

We know that the saints that are dead are in a state of unconsciousness, Ecclesiastes 9 and verse 5 and Psalm 146.4, just two of the many places that mention that. But we have God sometimes saying, as he did with Cain and Abel, that the memory is like it is speaking to them.

Let's hold your place there and go back to Luke chapter 18. It's amazing how many times when you begin to study it, how many times we are reminded or God is reminded that vengeance has not yet taken place, that the presence of justice is not yet here, that God's people have suffered down through time. Christ did tell the generation that he lived in that the blood from the time of the killing of Abel until the blood of Zacharias, whom their ancestors had killed between the altars, would fall on that generation. And according to the historian Josephus, about one million Jews were killed, put to death during the time of that great conflagration, the Roman takeover of Jerusalem, conquering of Jerusalem under Titus in 70 AD. But that's only the blood from Cain down to the time of Zacharias in about 750 BC. So all the rest of the blood has yet to be requited, yet to be atoned for. Luke chapter 18 and verse 7, God shall not avenge, or shall God not avenge, his own elect who cry out day and night to him, though he bears long with them. So it's going to be in Jesus Christ on words, a long wait before those who had been martyred, those who had suffered, those who had been killed, lost their lives, for their faith in Jesus Christ would be paid for, the atoned for, or vengeance taken.

However, verse 8 says, I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. When the avengeance begins to come, it will happen very quickly. Then he says, nevertheless, or in addition to this, consider something else. When the Son of Man comes, the implication is when he comes to take vengeance, will he find faith on the earth? Will there still be faithful people on the earth, willing to give their lives during the time when he comes back to take vengeance?

So Jesus Christ himself said that God would avenge his people, who cry out to him day and night, even though we'd have to bear with it for a long time. And then he says, we go down to continue in chapter 6, he answers the question, how long, O Lord, holy and true, until you judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth? The question, or the answer, is this. They're given a white robe saying, you're going to be in the resurrection. You are going to be ruling with Christ. Your righteousness shall be standing with him on the Mount of Olives. Remember the ones in Mount of Olives standing with him? Revelation 7 and 14 are clothed in white. And it was said to them, so the answer was, you should rest a little while longer. The answer is not quite yet, but vengeance, justice, will occur in a little while until what happens both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who would be killed as they were, was completed. So we have a particular number that has to be completed. Now this verse is intriguing because it dovetails into the parable in Luke 14 where Jesus Christ said that the rich man gave a great banquet, and he set all of the chairs and all the all the banquet in order, and he called those who were invited, and then many who had been invited refused to come, and they gave a list of excuses.

And so he said, well, open it up to others to come. And they filled as many seats as they could with others who were not invited, but there were still seats. The implication is that when it's time for the wedding supper about to occur, there will be a finite number of seats. Only God knows the number, but there will still be some open as the final days approach. So he says, go out into the streets and compel them to come, which means you basically threaten them with their life. They either come or they die. And so we have in this verse the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who would be killed as they were, was completed. Now the parallel might be the message to the church in Laodicea, that they would have to have their garments made white in the fire, which means a time of tribulation. So we have another indication here that really ties in with Luke 14 and other places about there needing to be a number, a particular number of seats in the wedding supper, and that as the events of the end time come closer, that there's going to be a way to force people to make a decision. Either obey God, lose their life, and be in the wedding supper, or become part of the beast power. That seems to be the indication of Revelation 13, where the mark of the beast is enforced, and people either take the mark of the beast or they die. So those who would be killed as they were, was completed. So we must wait until the time of the resurrection when all of these people or all this retribution that needs to take place will. So that's the fifth seal. It's an interesting topic, interesting subjects, because it does have to do not with a march of events, except as an introduction to the time when the final seats in the wedding supper are filled due to a tribulation, due to a time of martyrdom and of suffering of those who would who would try to obey God. It may also be the remnant that still had the testimony of Jesus Christ in Revelation chapter 12, because some are protected and others are left and Satan the devil goes after them. This may be the same group of people mentioned here. So we have a little while longer that they must wait until these things were to occur. Then we have the great earthquake. Now this is a challenging subject because there are apparently four different earthquakes mentioned in the book of Revelation. This one is the one that begins Jesus Christ's, you might say, effort or march of events to take control of the earth. This is right after the martyrdom is completed, and we have here Jerusalem surrounded by armies in Luke chapter 21 and Daniel 11 and verse 40, the beast power swooping down into the Middle East. But first let's go over to Luke 21. I think it's important to read that. This is a parallel account with Matthew 24. But in Luke 21 and verse 20 we find here one of the tripwire events that is this sixth seal that we have this time of armies surrounding Jerusalem and great punishment beginning to come on the earth.

So, Luke 21 and verse 20, when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, the novenous desolation is near. Let those who were in Judea flee to the mountains, and those who are in the midst of her depart. Let not those who were in the country enter her. So it's a time to be fleeing from Jerusalem.

These are the days of vengeance. Okay, what are the days of vengeance? The days when God is going to take vengeance on the society, on the Babylonian system, that has punished, that has martyred, that has killed, persecuted his servants all down through time. So these are the days of vengeance. When Jesus Christ sets his hand to recover the earth and to fulfill that question, how much longer do we have to wait before our blood is avenged? That was asked in Revelation chapter 6 in the fifth seal. So these are the days of vengeance. The days of vengeance are different than the events that preceded. But all things which are written may be fulfilled. Woe to those who are pregnant and those who are nursing babies in those days. There will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. They will fall by the edge of the sword, be led away captive into all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. So we have the times of the Gentiles being mentioned here that Jerusalem is going to be surrounded by the times of the Gent—or by the Gentiles and taken over. And it's the times of vengeance, because people are going to be dying. And during this time of wrath, against not only the descendants of Judah, but also the system of Babylon, we have here God finally setting his hand to recover, and the wrath of God then begins. We might also go to Revelation chapter 18, beginning in verse 20. Revelation and verse 18, beginning in verse 20. Revelation 18 is one of those inset chapters we'll talk about later, but it does announce here a time that is parallel with what we're just reading. Revelation chapter 18 and verse 20, rejoice over her, O heaven, and you holy apostles and prophets, for God has avenged you on her. So, in Luke 21, we talked about the days of vengeance at the beginning. This is an announcement about these days of vengeance that God will carry out towards their end. It says, then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, Thus with great violence the great city of Babylon shall be thrown down and shall not be found any more. And there's a long list of the various types of men and merchants and singers and musicians who will be in there. Verse 24, in her, that's in Babylon, was found the blood of prophets and saints and of all who were slain on the earth.

So, the blood of all those who were prophets and saints and were slain is going to be exacted for modern-day Babylon. And these are the days of vengeance that we read about in Luke chapter 21.

So, we have this sixth seal. There's a great earthquake that begins it, and it says, The sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. So, we have this sixth seal, which is the time when the wrath of God begins. There's a great earthquake, and in fact, this earthquake is mentioned a number of times in the Bible. Let's hold our place and go back to Isaiah chapter 24, where it's prophesied, that this earthquake that begins kind of like the tripwire vent or the, you might say, the one thing that signals the wrath of God beginning is going to be known all over the earth. And apparently, there's going to be a message given to people who live on the earth that this is what is going on, because they later hide themselves and they admit it's from God. Sometimes people look for a tripwire event that may or may not take place, something like, you know, some sort of makeshift temple built in Jerusalem and some sacrifices being given, even though the word sacrifice in Daniel all six times occurred. It's in italics because it isn't really there, but that's another subject to study about. But the real tripwire event is here. It's the earthquake. That's the announcement of the sixth seal that God is now going to begin His wrath and begin taking the domination of the earth away from Satan the devil and giving it to Jesus Christ. Isaiah chapter 24 and verse 18, And it shall be that he who flees from the noise of fear shall fall into the pit, and he who comes up from the midst of the pit shall be caught in the snare, for the windows from high on high are open, and the foundations of the earth is shaken.

The earth is violently broken, the earth is split open, the earth is shaken exceedingly, the earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall totter like a hut. Its transgression shall be heavy upon it, so the sin of the earth will be heavy upon it, and it will fall and not rise again. Notice the purpose and the time setting of this earthquake. In that day it shall come to pass that the Lord will punish on high the host of exalted ones, the days of the vengeance of the Lord, and on the earth the kings of the earth. So we will have a time here. The time setting of Isaiah is pretty obvious. The foundations of the earth are shaken as the beginning of this sixth seal is open. Let's go back now to Revelation 6, because the next thing that happens are some heavenly signs. And the heavenly signs, of course, are mentioned a number of times. There are several times on the earth the sky is just basically blocked out, becomes black. One case here is described as being like what a scroll is rolled up. I mean, you can't see anything. But in Revelation chapter 6, then, verse 12 says, or tells us about the great earthquake, the sun becomes black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon becomes like blood. It could be because of all the convulsion of the earthquake, volcanoes going off. It knows exactly how that's going to occur. But it says, the stars of heaven then fell to the earth as a fig tea drops its late figs when it's shaken by mighty wind.

So they will see, you know, things like lightning and all sorts of things in the sky.

When the sky receded as a scroll when it's rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. So this announcement, this sixth seal, this earthquake, as depicted here, is going to be a worldwide event. It's not going to be a small earthquake that takes place in some remote part of the earth. As we read before in Matthew 24, immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light. So this occurs after the tribulation, the tribulation being, of course, part of the fifth seal. And we have here this tripwire event of the earthquake first, followed right on right behind it by the heavenly signs. And we have these signs then, or this event, that announces that God is now going to take control of the earth, and the quote, day or era of the Lord begins. Now let's go back over to, now let's just, actually we can say where we are, I think, because just for the sake of time.

Mentioned as the sky receded, verse 15.

The kings of the earth. Now in this section here, there are seven classes of men, seven classes of people that are given in this next two verses. So we have the heavenly signs, we have the earthquake preceding that. And then we have, verse 15, the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave, and every free man. So we have seven classes, which essentially, you know, John makes sure, or the angel makes sure, that everybody is included. Everybody is in one of these categories. They're either kings of the earth, we'll not mean that not many of them here, great men, not many of them here either, except perhaps spiritually, rich men, same comment, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave or servant, and every free man. Those simply who were not servants or free men or were slaves, but had freedom in the Roman Empire.

Notice they hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains. So we have these seven classes of men that hide themselves when right after the earthquake everything becomes dark.

And they said to the mountains and the rocks, Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. So they understand that it is the one who sits on the throne who is causing this and it is the wrath of the Lamb that is coming on the earth.

And then they all say, the great day of his wrath has come and who is able to stand. And of course, the question is, how do they know? Well, someone would have had to have been telling them. During the time of the tribulation and this preceding time, someone will have to tell them. And of course, that would either be the two witnesses or perhaps some others of God's servants that are mentioned. Let's go back over to Isaiah chapter 2. Isaiah also talks about this time.

He mentions about people hiding themselves in the rocks and hiding themselves from the terror or the punishment of the Lord. And Isaiah chapter 2, which is a great chapter kind of summarizing all of the attitudes of this world's governments, all the haughtiness of tyrants and those who have done so much to mankind under Satan's influence. But he also is very beautiful about how it's going to be replaced. But he mentions here, verse 17 of Isaiah 2, the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, the haughtiness of men shall be brought low, the Lord alone will be exalted in that day, but the idols he shall utterly abolish. Verse 19, they shall go into the holes of the rocks and into the caves of the earth. It's the exact same words, perhaps, as Revelation chapter 6, verse 15 and 16.

And it says, they shall go into the holes of the rocks and into the caves of the earth from the terror of the Lord and the glory of his majesty when he arises to shake the earth mightily. So Isaiah also foresaw what John foresaw, the vision he was given, and what he wrote down for us. In they a man will cast away his idols of silver and idols of gold, which they made, each for himself to worship. And they'll cast it to the moles and the bats, and they'll go into the clefts of the rocks and the crags of the rugged rocks from the terror of the Lord and the glory of his majesty when he arises to shake the earth mightily. So it is a great day of wrath, a great day of punishment that is coming on the earth. Now let's go over to Isaiah chapter 13.

This time of God's vengeance is indicated in several places in the Bible to last one year, twelve months. So the three and a half years that begin with the tribulation, the tribulation, the martyrdom of God's people would last the first two and a half, and then the final year would be the time of the plague, the time of God's wrath upon the earth. Isaiah chapter 13, verse 1 says, the burden against Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amos saw, looked up a banner on the high mountain, raised your voice to them. So he's mentioning here about something that's going to happen, a banner, an announcement. I have committed my sanctified ones. I've also called my mighty ones for my anger, who rejoice in my exaltation. The noise of a multitude in the mountains like that of many people, a tumultuous noise of kingdoms of nations gathered together. So during this last time, many will be afraid, hiding themselves in rocks, but as the year progresses, they will have kingdoms gathering themselves together as a stopping force, trying to stop Jesus Christ from returning. The Lord of hosts musters the army for battle. They come from a far country, from the end of heaven. The Lord and his weapons vindination to destroy the whole land. Wail for the day of the Lord is at hand. He will come as destruction from the Almighty. Therefore all hands will be limp, every man's heart will melt, and they will be afraid. So we have this day of the Lord coming. Turn in verse 9, behold the day of the Lord comes, cruel both wrath and fierce, to lay the land desolate. He will destroy its sinners from it. Notice this is, again, God's wrath on the earth, on those who have been persecuting and killing his people. For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not give their light. The sun will be darkened and it's going forth, and the moon will not cause its light to shine. Obviously, the heavenly signs. I will punish the world for its evil. So during that time, during this day, God will punish the world for its evil.

Now let's go over to Isaiah 34 and verse 18.

Amazing how many of the verses in Revelation are almost word-for-word quotes from the Old Testament, especially from the Old Testament prophets. Very rarely hear them quoted, though are tied together, it seems. Isaiah chapter 34 and verse 8 says, it is the day of the Lord's vengeance, the year of recompense, for the cause of Zion. Zion referring to the true church. So it's called a day of the Lord, and then it's given as a year of recompense. It's the best indication we have that this time period, which will be the time period encompassed by the next three chapters that we read, will last for one year. But chapter 7, 8, and 9 of Revelation then will take this time period of one year. So we have this time that's coming on the earth, and when that sixth seal is open, we have the great day of the Lord beginning and his vengeance on the earth because of all that mankind has done. But it's a wonderful thing in the sense that it begins the end of Satan the Devil's rule. I want to end the day on Zephaniah chapter 1 and verse 14. Zephaniah chapter 1 beginning in verse 14. Another scripture about this exact same time or moment you might say, this slice of time between when the tribulation is over and then we have this great earthquake and we have the heavenly signs and we have Jesus Christ beginning. Then this march of events, these punishments on the earth, this wrath of God that will eventually cause the removal of Satan the Devil, the establishment of Jesus Christ as King of all the earth, and those who are left on the earth in a very different attitude, an attitude of repentance and of wanting to obey God. Zephaniah chapter 1 and verse 14.

The great day of the Lord is near. It is near and hastens quickly. The noise of the day is the Lord is bitter. There the mighty men shall cry out. That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of devastation and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, again the heavenly signs, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of the trumpet and alarm against the fortified cities and against the high towers. I'll bring distress upon men and they shall walk like blind men because they have sinned against the Lord. Their blood shall be poured out like dust in their flesh like refuge, but neither are silver nor their gold. Remember modern-day Babylon is full of silver and gold and all sorts of merchants buying and selling 18 different kinds of materials are mentioned.

But their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord's wrath.

But the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy, meaning the fire of his vengeance. He's going to take vengeance upon the earth because the prayers of the saints have not been forgotten and they go up continually before God. And certainly the prayers of the saints, I'm sure, would have included many people that we would have known, not because they'd been martyred per se, but because they have died desiring to see God's kingdom.

The last verse of Revelation 6 simply says, The great day of his wrath has come, and who is able to stand?

And beginning in chapter 7 we'll discuss the seals, not the seals, but the trumpet plagues and the vials and the other things that make up the great day of his wrath.