The Tribulation Begins - Revelation 6
Last week we witnessed the Lord Jesus take possession of the 7-sealed scroll, He was the only one found to be worthy and able to take the scroll & unseal it. Now for the breaking of the seals. I want to mention up front that I had to seriously distill down this information so that we could cover it in a reasonable amount of time, there are many outside references we could have used, but I have tried to stick as close as possible to our immediate text here in Revelation.
The first 4 seals follow a pattern, so in order to keep from repeating this pattern I'm going to provide it up front. When the Lamb, Jesus, opens/breaks the seal:
- one of the Living Creatures, in a voice like thunder, says "Come", the meaning of this particular word may more accurately be "Go forth"
- a horse & its rider come forth & ride out to fulfill a particular task
Each of the 4 living creatures gets a turn in this activity. The 4 riders are known in literature as the 4 horsemen of the Apocalypse.
Seal #1: Revelation 6:1-2 - A white horse, it's rider has a bow and a crown, and his purpose is conquest.
Some believe this is Christ, and would point to Revelation 19:11 where Christ comes on a white horse as a reference, but that doesn't seem to fit the context.
Many think this is the one who has been called the "Antichrist" (though this is a poor specific use of a general term, which was meant to apply to any who opposed Christ). A more accurate name might be the "Ruler Who Will Come" mentioned in Daniel 9.
A quick side trip will help us get an idea of how Revelation tracks with the "70th week of Daniel". There is a coming world leader, who will rule for 7 years (Daniel 9:27). This 7 years mentioned in Daniel is the same period we call the "Tribulation", it starts when this ruler confirms a 7 year covenant. This covenant is believed to be some sort of peace agreement, believed to be a world-wide peace agreement of some sort. For a while Israel will be able to hold sacrifices, but in the middle of this 7 years (3 1/2 years in) the sacrifices will be stopped & an abomination will be put in place in the temple - but we will be getting to this later in Revelation. The last 3 1/2 years is called by some the "Great Tribulation", as opposed to just the "Tribulation" to emphasize how much worst things will get in the 2nd half of this time period.
Why I think this is the "Coming World Leader" (sometimes called Antichrist):
- He takes on the appearance of Christ, tries to imitate Christ. Anything God does the Enemy attempts to counterfeit.
- Unlike Christ (Revelation 19) this rider has a Bow, Christ has a Sword. This Bow could be a couple things, it could be for the purposes of destruction. It might be symbolic, relating this rider to Nimrod the "hunter before the Lord" who went against God at Babel. Or, it could also be a Bow symbolic of a covenant, as God used a rainbow a symbol of a covenant after the Great Flood. The word in Greek & Hebrew is the same word for both meanings. Could this represent the 7 year covenant? Perhaps.
- This rider has a crown, but this is not a royal crown as Christ would wear, this is a victor's crown - like the wreath given to the winner of an athletic contest.
We are told this rider is a conqueror bent on conquest, who or what he is conquering is not clear - we can only guess. But his going forth is ushering in the Tribulation.
Seal #2: Revelation 6:3-4 - A fiery red horse, with a large sword. He is given power to remove peace, to make men slay each other. Most think this horseman represents War, perhaps civil war or ethnic wars since men are turning against each other, but in any case his coming means that there is not peace on the earth.
Seal #3: Revelation 6:5-6 - A black horse, it's rider holds scales, it is pretty much agreed he represents Famine. A voice from among the 4 living creatures, I believe this is God, specifies the extent of the Famine. In modern terms this would be:
- 1 day's wage for 1 day's ration of food (wheat)
- 1 day's wage for 1 day's ration of cattle feed (barley)
However, the Famine has limits, the Oil & Wine are not to be touched, God is limiting the extent of the famine.
Some thoughts on the Oil & Wine, the meaning of which may be either literal or symbolic, or both:
- Oil is symbolic of the Holy Spirt, and is used for anointing
- Wine is symbolic of the Blood of Christ
- Both have medicinal value
- Both may be considered luxuries, so this may point to some having much while most having little - a huge divide between the haves & have-nots.
One commentator pointed out that nearly all Famine is caused by politics, not scarcity. We hear news reports of emergency supplies being held by those in power, sometimes until what was supplied was wasted. There is plenty of food in this world, but the food distribution is horribly skewed.
Seal #4: Revelation 6:7-8 - A pale horse, it's rider is Death & he's followed by Hades. The word "Pale" is a poor translation, it is the Greek word "chloros" & has been described as follows: exceedingly pale green, a ghastly ghoulish color, the appearance of a dead body that has not been embalmed (greenish), or simply "vomit green" - Yuck!
We are told who the rider is, he is Death & is followed by Hades; perhaps this represents the death of both body & soul. We know that humans experience physical death but there is also a second death that is experienced by unbelievers. Hades is the unpleasant place where the unsaved dead go while awaiting their final destination, which we will read about toward the end of Revelation.
There purpose is to kill 1/4 of the inhabitants of the earth by various means: sword, famine, plague, wild beasts.
We are done with the horsemen, but we still have 3 more seals to go.
Seal #5 Revelation 6:9-11 - This seal is called the "Cry of the Martyrs". The martyrs are crying out for their blood to be avenged, and we will see later in Revelation that their blood is avenged. They are told to "wait", or more accurately to "rest" while God allows their number to come to completion. Does God know how many will be martyred? Of course He does, they are precious to Him! John hears their cry, but is not one of them, as he lived to a ripe old age & died of natural causes - the only one of the apostles to do so. That John sees their souls at the base of the altar is highly symbolic (though quite possibly literal as well), it may be symbolic of the altar of sacrifice in the temple - where the blood of the sacrifice would be poured over the base of the altar. Their blood has been poured out, but not as an atonement for sin, rather as a sacrifice to the heart of God - only Christ's blood can be poured out for sin.
We see martyrdom as a terrible tragedy, and it is good for us to value life & see it's loss as tragic; however, a life poured out for God is a beautiful gift, and those who give their lives for the sake of God have a special honor. God is not unmoved by these martyrs (Luke 18:7-8a).
Revelation 6:12-14 - This is the seal of "Cosmic Disturbances", each of these disturbances is also elsewhere in the scriptures speaking of the end times, but we simply don't have the time in this class to look them up. I'd say either trust me on this or look them up for yourselves. We have the disturbances listed for us:
- a Great Earthquake - perhaps a worldwide chain of earthquakes
- the Sun is turned black - whether the Sun itself goes black or appears to go black is cause for debate, either case is bad.
- the Moon turns blood red - similar thought as to the Sun.
- the Stars fall to earth like late figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. In ancient times the word for "Stars" was used for any heavenly luminary that was not the Sun or Moon. "Stars" would also be used for Meteorites or Asteroids, in any case they are falling & possibly pummeling the earth. Perhaps this is even what is causing the whole earth to have spontaneous earthquakes.
- the Sky Receded like a Scroll, the opinions are various. Some think that clouds are rolling and hiding the heavens (though this seems like a stretch), others think that this is God reversing His act of stretching the heavens in creation (there are many references to this in the scriptures). Whatever is happening it is disturbing.
- every Mountain & Island is removed from its place. This again might be the result of a worldwide earthquake.
Revelation 6:15-17 - The result of these first 6 seals? The people of the earth, rich to poor, king to slave, flee for their lives. They take refuge in caves & call out for the rocks to fall on them and save them from the wrath of the Lamb. There is the sense that they are acknowledging God here, but if so it is more like a "foxhole conversion", for most it is a temporary acknowledgment at best. In any case they are not repenting, just trying to avoid God's wrath which they know they cannot withstand.
Today we experience some trials & tribulations, and they can be used by God to see His purposes done in this world. When God brings disaster in scripture we can see a pattern:
- He Warns - allowing some trials during the warning period
- He Removes the Righteous from the situation
- He Drops Judgement on those who remain
We see this in Noah's day, we see this in Sodom & Gomorra, and so forth.
Why does God allow troubles to come on mankind? Hosea 5:15 - God's purpose for affliction is to cause men to seek Him. In truth, God is exercising epic restraint! These punishments are God's response to unrepentant wickedness. Righteousness Matters!! God help us if we pervert the Grace of God to suit our own self-righteousness.
Prayer: Lord again we have studied a passage that we admit we don't completely understand. We are unsure of some of the symbols, we don't have all the answers, but we know you do & for that we are thankful. Help us to apply what we have learned, to take it and use it for your purposes. Amen!
Reflection & Prayer:
- Think about the evil in the world. The porn industry is a multi-billion dollar industry. There are governments oppressing & starving their own people. There are those who lie & cheat & foment war for money or power or both. Genocide, Ethnic Cleansing, Extortion. Public schools & universities teaching things that are in opposition to God. Scientists who foment scorn on fellow scientists in order to undermine their work to show that there is evidence of special creation.
- Think about how God might want to deal with this evil, how the actions described in this book are his actions in response to evil.
- What is your response?
Take some time to pray with one another.
No comments:
Post a Comment