Chapter 4
The Book of Revelation
As we examine the prophecies in this last book of the Bible, we will come to realize how awesome God is and that He is in full control of the situations in the world today.
First we examine the prophecies on the 7 churches.
The Book of Revelation was "the Revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave Him to show to His servants. It was sent and signified by His angel to His servant John the Disciple." What is, and was, and will be, that is revealed in this revelation is for us to read and be blessed.
"The Book of Revelation is not only a "Prophetic" book, it is a "Symbolic" book, that is written largely in symbolic language.
(Rev 1:1- And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John")
The word "signified" means given in "signs" and "symbols" and should be pronounced "sign-ified."
We have to understand the Book of Daniel (refer Part 1), before we can understand this
complex prophecy of the end-times in the Book of Revelations.
It
being the last prophecy, we naturally would expect it to sum up all
previous prophecies, and as all previous prophecy had to do with the
the CHURCH, ISRAEL, and the NATIONS.
We find (in this Book),
the CHURCH in the beginning,
ISRAEL in the middle,
and the saved NATIONS at the end."
Rev
1:1
"The
Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants —
things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by
His angel to His servant John,..."
John
was one of Christ's disciples who wrote the Gospel
of John, and 3 Epistles.
After
witnessing the ascension
of Jesus he resided initially in Ephesus and was involved with the
seven churches in Asia Minor.
"Tradition
tells us that he was shipwrecked off Ephesus and arrived there in
time to check the progress of the heresies that sprang up after
Paul's departure; that in the persecution under Domitian he was taken
to Rome and that the boiling oil into which he was thrown had no
power to hurt him; that, returning to Ephesus, he attested to the
truth of the first three gospels, writing the fourth to supply what
was wanting; that he introduced the Jewish mode of celebrating the
Easter feast; and that, when all capacity to work and teaching was
gone-when there was no strength even to stand- he directed himself to
be carried to the assemblage of believers, and simply said, with a
feeble voice, "Little
children, love one another." (from The New Unger's Bible
Dictionary)
"He
suffered under persecution, and was banished to Patmos (1:9); whence
he again returned to Ephesus, where he died, probably about A.D. 98
A.D., having outlived all or nearly all the friends and
companions (disciples of Jesus
Christ) even of his mature years."
(from Easton's Bible Dictionary).
The
Bible is full of "sevens" and the book of Revelation is no
exception. 'Seven' symbolizes, perfection, fullness, abundance, rest,
and completion.(Nelson's Bible Dictionary)
Its God's number for
perfection.
The whole Book of Revelation can be therefore summarized such:
SEVEN SEVENS in Revelation
The Seven Churches.
The Seven Seals - Judgment
The Seven Trumpets - Judgment
The Seven Personages.
The Seven Vials or Bowls - Judgment
The Seven Dooms.
The Seven New Things
The Seven Churches
The
first prophesy which God reveals in the Book
of Revelations is about the
Seven Churches.
This is represented by Jesus standing in the
midst of 7 Candlesticks/Lamp stands, which represented the 7
Churches.
Rev
1:11
"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the
Last," and, "What you see, write in a book and send it to
the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to
Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to
Laodicea."
Rev 1:20
20 The mystery of the seven stars
which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: The
seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven
lampstands which you saw are the seven churches.
"Most
scholars believe that these seven lamp stands represent divisions of
the Church age" progressing from AD 96 to the
present. Prophesies to the last two ( ie. Philadelphia and
Laodicea) apply to our generation!
Chart by Dr Walter Huyck
The above chart my differ slightly in dates from the text below but is in line with the concept of the 7 churches being representation of the various ages of the Church
The following is the historic view of them:
Church of Ephesus represents the church of the apostolic age, AD 96 ( around the time of John the apostle). Referred to as the "Loveless Church".
God's revelation to this church:
Rev 2:4-5
Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.
5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lamp stand from its place - unless you repent.The church of Smyrna represents the church of persecution, beginning about AD 97 - persecution by the Rome. Referred to as "The persecuted church"
Rev 2:9-10
9 "I know your works, tribulation, and poverty (but you are rich); and I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.
10 Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life"
The church of Pergamos represents the "Compromising church", beginning about AD 312.
Rev 2:13-16
"I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan's throne is. And you hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith"
14 But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, .......and to commit sexual immorality
16.Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth. (PS. Balaam suggested that the Moabite girls should seduce the men of Israel by inviting them to participate in their idolatrous and immoral feasts. He succeeded in bringing Israel down by this unholy alliance. This was Balaamism, and it was this evil principle that was allowed in the Pergamos Church.)The church of Thyatira (the Corrupt Church) represents "The church of papacy", beginning about, AD 450.
Rev 2:20-25
"But I have this complaint against you. You are permitting that woman- that Jezebel who calls herself a prophet- to lead my servants astray. She teaches them to commit sexual sin and to eat food offered to idols.
23 And I will give to each of you whatever you deserve.
24 "But I also have a message for the rest of you in Thyatira who have not followed this false teaching ('deeper truths,' as they call them- depths of Satan, actually). I will ask nothing more of you
25 except that you hold tightly to what you have until I come." NLTThe church of Sardis represents "The church of Reformation" (Martin Luther's), beginning about, AD 1517
"Rev 3:1-5
1 I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.
2 Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God.
3 Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you.
4 You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy.
5 He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.""The church of Philadelphia ("Faithful Church"), represents the church of the latter day outpouring, from the 20th century through to the end of the age."
Rev 3:10-11
Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, ("it is implied here that Jesus will 'rapture' the church of Philadelphia out of the earth before the "hour of trial" known as the tribulation period") to test those who dwell on the earth.
11 Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.
Just
before the turn of the 20th century "there began a great
outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the church. This is represented by
the church of Philadelphia to whom the gifts of the Spirit were
restored. Knowledge of the end-time doctrine was also
restored."
(Quotes from "He's coming soon!" by
James Horvath)
The church of Laodicea represents "The lukewarm church", from the present to the end of the age.
Rev 3:15-16
15 "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot.
16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Rev 3:19
19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. Both Philadelphia & Laodecia are prophesies to our generation and appropriate to what we see today!"One would be radical and full of the power of God and doing great exploits; the other would be lukewarm and lethargic, and would compromise with the world". There are many churches like this existing today? Lukewarm! Neither hot nor cold! Compromising?As mentioned earlier, Jesus will rapture the church of Philadelphia. At the same time He warns the church of Laodicea that they must come out of their lukewarm state or go through the Tribulation- and no one wants to go through the impending Tribulation (7years) or the later half of it.
The 7 Seal Judgments
Now, John is witness, to God the Father, giving to Jesus (The Lamb), a book sealed with 7 seals.
"As each seal is opened , the following events take place on earth (Rev 6:1-17)
The 1st seal opens to reveal a white horse, Antichrist is released from restraint (up to this time the Holy Spirit is present on earth to restrain the devil. The Holy Spirit is also known as the 'restrainer') to go and conquer. This rider on a white horse Rev 6:2 “He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him,” is not Christ returning. Although he has a crown his bow is without an arrow. Note what Jesus says in Matthew 24:3-5 ”And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?" 4 And Jesus answered and said to them: "Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive man”
The 2nd seal opens to reveal a red horse, as a bloody war ensures. Rev 6:4
"Then another horse appeared, a red one. Its rider was given a mighty sword and the authority to take peace from the earth. And there was war and slaughter everywhere."The 3rd seal opens to reveal a black horse which represents the famine which followed the end of the war. Rev 6:5-6
"the third seal, I heard the third living being say, "Come!" I looked up and saw a black horse, and its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand.
6 And I heard a voice from among the four living beings say, "A loaf of wheat bread or three loaves of barley will cost a day's pay. And don't waste the olive oil and wine."The 4th seal reveals the pale horse of death which follows the famine. Rev 6:7-8
7 When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the fourth living being say, "Come!"
8 I looked up and saw a horse whose colour was pale green. Its rider was named Death, and his companion was the Grave. These two were given authority over one-fourth of the earth, to kill with the sword and famine and disease and wild animals.
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(A movie was made sometime back on the "The 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse". It refers partially to the first four seals above)
Consider Readers, whether we are facing the commencement of the opening of the first four Seals. With this Covid-19 pandemic in full force for over two years; Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the Nuclear threat looming; trouble brewing in Asia involving China and Taiwan, North and South Korea with the USA involved; men's heart failing, deaths mounting and economies shattered.
As of November 07, 2022, 08:31 GMT there have been 637,791,727 confirmed cases of COVID-19, which includes 6,605,853 deaths, reported to WHO.
One Fourth of the earth's population referred to above with the 4th Seal today equates to approx 1.9 billion deaths.
It has to be pointed out that many, including me, are of the view that the first four Seals judgements itself will be so unbearable that God in His mercy will catch away those who believe in His Son before it happens. This gives credence to those who believe in a Pre-Tribulation Rapture. The rapture event has been covered earlier in Chapter 3.
Here below is a rough diagram of my summary of events for the first half of the Tribulation.
As the 5th seal is broken, Rev 6:9-11: 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.
10 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?"
11 Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was 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.”
Note: They will cry out to the Lord, asking how long it will be before He will avenge them. In reply each is given a white robe and informed that the Tribulation is not over and that others must be martyred before God's judgment on the wicked and deliverance of the righteous occurs at the Second Coming. This passage shows that the time period is the Great Tribulation, but not its end.
Spirits without any substance could not wear robes. The fact that they will be given robes supports the concept that when believers die they are given temporary bodies in heaven which are later replaced by resurrection bodies at the time of resurrection (cf. 20:4).
6th Seal: A great earthquake follows the breaking of this seal.
Rev 6:15-17
15 And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains,16 and 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!17 For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?"
The practical effect of the judgment was fear in unbelievers from all walks of life. They called on the mountains and the rocks to fall on them and to hide them from God's wrath. Their fear was so great they would rather be killed by a falling mountain than to face the wrath of the Lamb and their wrath, referring to the anger of the Triune God. Again this is not a picture of ordinary trouble but the period of greatest distress in world history.
Taken as a whole, chapter 6 is one of the most important and pivotal chapters in the entire book. It describes the first six seals and also introduces the seventh seal which consists of and introduces the seven trumpets and the seven bowls of the wrath of God in chapters 8-9; 16.The contents of chapter 6 should put to rest the false teachings that God, being a God of love, could not judge a wicked world. It also raises the important question contained in the closing words of verse 17: “…...who is able to stand?” Only those who have availed themselves of the grace of God before the time of judgment will be able to stand when God deals with the earth in this final period of great distress. Those who will be saved in the Great Tribulation are described in the next chapter. The Seal Judgments in Revelation Chapter 6 ends with these verses:
The 7th seal reveals the Seven Trumpets which announce the impending judgments (more to come) of God. Rev 8:1-2 When He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. 2 And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets. Notice here that the 7th Seal didn't reveal anything except silence for about half an hour. Could this be tied up to the 7-Thunders in Rev 10 where John was told NOT Rev 10:4
"Now when the seven thunders uttered their voices, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, "Seal up the things which the seven thunders uttered, and do not write them." ...... v7. but in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, the mystery of God would be finished,"
Further down we compare these Seal judgments with that of Matthew 24 and what Jesus said about the the “sign” of His coming and “of the end of the age?”
By the opening of the sixth seal, the earth is well into experiencing the beginning of the wrath of God."
Daniel's 70th Week
Now that we have explained what Daniel's 70th Week is we now move back to the Book of Revelation which actually details what happens during the "week" or that Seven Year period of the 70th "week" - in other words from the 483rd to 490th year.
The Book of Revelation can be summarized by this chart from Clarence Larkin. It follows the sequence of events list that happen in the order written. It need not however depict the logical sequence of the Seal, Trumpet and Bowl Judgements.
Seal Judgments and Olivet Discourse: Matthew 24
At this point it will be interesting to compare, what Jesus told His disciples in Mathew Chapter 24. The discourse was on the Mount of Olives, prior to His crucifixion.
When
Jesus was asked by His disciples, "Tell
us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your
coming, and of the end of the age?" in
Mathew Chapter 24, his reply to the chain of 'end time' events
matches exactly with Revelation 6
written about 70 years later.
The
similarity between them is most
striking, and proves that the author
foreknew, in their exact order. This is indisputable evidence of the
Deity of Jesus.
It must be emphasized here that this is the start of 'Daniel's 70th week'. The Antichrist has brought Peace and Security vide a Peace Treaty to the Middle East and the world will hail him for his achievement(s).
1st
Seal.
Matt
24:4-5
4
And Jesus answered and said to them: "Take heed that no one
deceives you.
5
For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will
deceive many.
Rev
6:2
a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was
given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.
2nd
Seal
Matt
24:6-7
6
And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not
troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not
yet.
7
For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
Rev
6:4
Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to
the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people
should kill one another; and there was given to him a great
sword.
3rd
Seal
Matt
24:7
And
there will be famines,
Rev
6:5-6
a black horse, and its rider was holding a pair of scales
in his hand.
6 And I heard a voice from among the four living
beings say, "A loaf of wheat bread or three loaves of barley
will cost a day's pay. And don't waste the olive oil and
wine."(NLT)
4th
Seal- The Pale Horse
Matt
24:7-8
(...and
there shall be famines), and pestilences, and earthquakes, in
divers places.
8
All these are the beginning of sorrows. KJV
Rev
6:8
So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him
who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was
given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with
hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth.
5th
Seal - Martyrdoms
Matt
24:9-13
9
"Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be
hated all over the world because you are my followers.
10
And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other.
11
And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people.
12
Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow
cold.
13
But the one who endures to the end will be saved. NLT
Rev
6:9-12
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.
10 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?"
11 Then
a white robe was given to each of them; and it was 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.
6th
Seal - Physical Changes on
Earth
Matt
24:29-30
29
"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, and the powers of the heavens will
be shaken.
Rev
6:12-14
"He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a
great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of
hair, and the moon became like blood.
13 And the stars
of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs
when it is shaken by a mighty wind.
14 Then the sky receded
as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was
moved out of its place.
17 For the great day of His wrath has
come, and who is able to stand?"
7th
Seal:
Includes
all that happens during the sounding of the 7 Trumpets and the
pouring out of the 7 Vials or Bowls on the earth.
To illustrate,
fireworks when fired into the air bursts into 7 stars, and one of
these stars into 7 other stars, and one of the second group of stars
into a third group of 7 stars.
So the Seventh Seal includes
the Seven Trumpets to come, and the Seventh Trumpet includes the
Seven Bowls to come.
The
opening of the Seventh Seal is the Prelude to the Seven Trumpets and
other judgments to come.
Rev
8:1-2
8
When He opened the seventh seal, there
was silence in heaven for about half an hour.
2
And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were
given seven trumpets.
"[Silence
in heaven] This must be a mere metaphor, silence being put here for
the deep and solemn expectation of the stupendous things about to
take place, which the opening of this seal had produced. When
anything prodigious or surprising is expected, all is silence, and
even the breath is scarcely heard to be drawn.
(Could
it also be in reference to the 7-Thunders in Rev 10?)
[Half
an hour.] As heaven may signify the place in which all these
representations were made to John, the half hour may be considered as
the time during which no representation was made to him; the time in
which God was preparing the aghast exhibition which follows.
There
is here, and in the following verses, a strong allusion to different
parts of the temple worship; a presumption that the temple was still
standing, and the regular service of God carried on. The silence here
refers
to
this fact-while the priest went in to burn incense in the holy place,
all the people continued in silent mental prayer without until the
priest returned."
(from Adam Clarke's Commentary)
The 144,000- Chapter 7
"Revelation 7 opens with the conversion of 144,000 Jews. (12,000 from each of the 12 tribes of Israel. Note the tribe of Dan is left out because of their idolatry)
Rev 7:1-4
“After these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree.2 Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, 3 saying, "Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads." 4 And I heard the number of those who were sealed. One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed:”
The
Jewish people are sealed with protection from Antichrist, and they
become evangelists during the first period of the Tribulation
period. Notice that there is a lot of activity before the Great Tribulation (second-half of the 7 year period) to evangelize those who have yet to believe in Jesus.
The 144,000 will bring in a great harvest of Jew and
Gentile believers during the initial tribulation period. These will also team up with the “two witnesses” which will be covered next.
"This rapture (for those left behind on earth after the first rapture of the church), is an act of mercy (by God) on the Jews and Gentiles who accept Christ during this great torture, despair and trouble." Marilyn Hickey calls this the "Great Harvest Rapture." Extracted from James Horvath's book. This harvest is expected to be after the 6th Trumpet when the earth will be harvested.
Rev 7:9-11
9
"After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude
which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and
tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with
white robes, with palm branches in their hands,
10 and crying
out with a loud voice, saying, "Salvation belongs to our God who
sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!"
13 "Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?"
14 So he said to me, "These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them.
