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CHRIST BREAKS THE FIRST SEAL

A WHITE HORSE RIDER BURSTS FORTH

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Rev. 6:1-2

Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the [NU adds: seven seals]; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, ‘Come and see.’ And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.

6:1-2

When the Lamb broke away the first seal from his scroll, the scene immediately shifted down to the earth, but the event was triggered from above. Down below, John saw the first of the famous "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" ride forth. This first Seal Judgment came forth in the form of a man on a white horse. The white horse rider was carrying a bow (as in bow and arrow) in his hand and he was given a crown. The white horse rider immediately proceeded to go out conquering and to conquer. Notice that we are not given any explanation as to this man's identity. That is because we are expected to understand this symbol (along with events related to him) based on our previous study of the Scriptures. Who is he? He is a person that is predicted to one day arise and conquer the earth. The symbol itself is an oriental one, depicting a military conqueror. In chapter 19, we will see Christ also riding a white horse but that is the only similarity between these two.

This rider is not Christ for the following reasons:

.         1.     It is Christ who sends this rider forth.

2.    This rider appears at the beginning of the Tribulation; Christ will appear at its end.

3.    This rider uses conventional weapons, a bow; Christ will fight with the sword of His mouth (Revelation 19:15).

4.    This rider wears a victor's crown, στέφανος (stephanos); when Christ appears, he will be wearing many diadems, διαδήματα (diademata) (Revelation 19:12).

Who then is this white horse rider? The one who best fits the description and his placement here in the book of Revelation, is called Antichrist. At the beginning of the Tribulation, when Christ breaks off the first seal, Antichrist will begin his rise to power with military force and will ultimately conquer the entire world … becoming its undisputed worldwide ruler and dictator. Here are some scriptures that foretell the coming of this powerful, future world-dictator:

          And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors have reached their fullness, a king shall arise, having fierce features, who understands sinister schemes. his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power; he shall destroy fearfully, and shall prosper and thrive; he shall destroy the mighty, and also the holy people. Through his cunning he shall cause deceit to prosper under his rule; and he shall exalt himself in his heart. He shall destroy many in their prosperity. He shall even rise against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without human means. And the vision of the evenings and mornings which was told is true; therefore seal up the vision, for it refers to many days in the future. And I, Daniel, fainted and was sick for days; afterward I arose and went about the king's business. I was astonished by the vision, but no one understood it. Daniel 8:23-27

          Then the king shall do according to his own will: he shall exalt and magnify himself above every god, shall speak blasphemies against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the wrath has been accomplished; for what has been determined shall be done. He shall regard neither the God of his fathers nor the desire of women, nor regard any god; for he shall exalt himself above them all. But in their place he shall honor a god of fortresses; and a god which his fathers did not know he shall honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and pleasant things. Thus he shall act against the strongest fortresses with a foreign god, which he shall acknowledge, and advance its glory; and he shall cause them to rule over many, and divide the land for gain. Daniel 11:36-39

          And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of his mouth and destroy with the brightness of his coming. Second Thessalonians 2:8

          Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour. First John 2:18

          So they worshipped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshipped the beast, saying, ’Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him? Revelation 13:4

These scriptures prophesy the coming of Satan’s man, Antichrist. They predict he will be a warrior who will conquer the world and become its undisputed dictator. His rise to power will be the first terrible indirect judgment of the Lamb on an unbelieving world who has consistently and stubbornly rejected Christ's Person, blood bought salvation and lordship.

Before we move on, I would like to add a word about Daniel's prophecy above ... especially as to this phrase,  He shall regard neither the God of his fathers nor the desire of women. I suspect that the desire of women statement, here, refers to the desire that women, in general, have to have a husband. This may indicate that Antichrist will be homosexual. His dual rejection of the God of his fathers and the desire of women follows the same pattern that is found in Romans 1:21, 24-27. There we read, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God. Then, we read there the following result ... God gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts … the men leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly (KJV). The tremendous explosion of homosexuality in our world today along with the unprecedented pressure to legitimatize it in every realm of society may be laying the foundation for the future acceptance and, indeed, adoration of Antichrist. Take it for what it is worth. I have no problem with those who might disagree.

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THE SECOND SEAL BROKEN … A RED HORSE RIDER GOES FORTH  

Rev. 6:3-4

When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, ‘Come.' [NU omits: 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, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword.

6:3-4

When the Lamb broke off the second seal from his scroll, the second indirect judgment began to unfold down on the earth. John saw another rider come forth, mounted on a fiery red ... horse ,who, the text says, would take peace from the earth. This symbol is pretty straightforward. It is a symbol for war. This is the logical result of the rise of the warrior, Antichrist, who was loosed by the breaking of the first Seal. With the rise of Antichrist, every nation on earth will soon become embroiled in red war. Jesus, commented on this judgment in Matthew 24:6-7, saying,

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. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.

Multiple and devastating wars will break out on the earth because of the Lamb's breaking of the second Seal. Is this World War III? Yes, if you wish to call it that. Whatever its number, however, when the Lamb breaks the second seal from his scroll, the entire world will become embroiled in war.  And ultimately, even our beloved and powerful United States military will fall to Antichrist! We will examine that more closely when we come to Revelation 13.

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THE THIRD SEAL IS BROKEN

A BLACK HORSE RIDER GOES FORTH

Rev. 6:5-6

When he upened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, ’Come and see.’ So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, ’A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine.’

6:5-6

Again, the symbol is a straightforward one. Following on the heals of global wars, Famine will spread around the earth. Jesus, in Matthew 24:6 above, also said famines will follow his prediction of wars and rumors of wars. Famine is typically the result of war. We see its ugly head across the world today wherever wars are raging. Take Gaza and Ukraine (year 2025), for example. When men are engaged in fighting, there is no time for planting and harvesting.

The specter of the black horse rider is a graphic one. He rides forth clutching a set of food scales and, as he rides, the Father speaks out from the midst of the four living creatures ... his words setting the exact conditions the worldwide famine must take. His says, A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine. With this decree, the Throne-Sitter ensures a great scarcity of food on earth. A denarius was a full day’s wages in Jesus’ day. During the days of the black horse rider, a whole day’s wages will only buy enough food for one person. Further, the Father observes do not harm the oil and the wine. His words magnify the thought that such normally abundant things as oil and wine will become so rare that special care will have to be taken to handle with what tiny bits are left!

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THE FOURTH SEAL IS BROKEN

A PALE HORSE RIDER GOES FORTH

Rev. 6:7-8

When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature 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 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.

6:7-8

When the Lamb broke the fourth Seal from his scroll, the personification of Death itself rode forth. He was riding a sickly yellowish-green horse. The Greek word translated pale here is χλωρός (cloros). We get our word "chlorine", a pale-greenish chemical from this Greek word. Take special notice that Death was closely followed by Hades, the Greek word that designates the holding place of all the wicked dead. Someone has said Death never travels alone. Heaven or hell are always on its heels. This was a terrifying apparition indeed. Can you picture it? Hades, loping along behind Death, eagerly gobbling up all those who Death is destroying! This is a vivid reminder that as spiritual beings made in the image of God, we must all live ... somewhere ... for all eternity. The only question is, Where? You most definitely do not want it to be Hades!

Our text says, And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill… One quarter of Earth’s population will perish following the Lamb's breaking of the fourth Seal. We are told that death will come from one of four different quarters: the sword (war); hunger (famine); death (includes all other sources … sickness, heart attacks, old age, accidents, etc.); and wild beasts. Wild beasts are notorious for becoming ferocious when they have fed on human flesh. Man-eating tigers in Asia have well demonstrated that fact. Ezekiel also spoke of these four elements God used for judgment on wicked Jews in Jerusalem in his day.

For thus says the Lord GOD: ’How much more it shall be when I send my four severe judgments on Jerusalem; the sword and famine and wild beasts and pestilence; to cut off man and beast from it?’ Ezekiel 14:21

In summary, after the Lamb has broken the first four Seals from his scroll, the results will be the worst decimation by war and its by-products the world has ever seen. If it were to take place today, over a billion and a quarter people would lose their lives. Hopefully, these judgments will have a sobering and eye-opening effect on many people in that day. The judgment of Christ's fourth seal is not sent to merely carry out the vengeance of God on a wicked and unbelieving humanity ... it is also remedial ... sent to awaken wicked men and women to new life. Disasters can be powerful wake-up calls from God. 

One of the tragic things about this age of grace in which you and I are presently living ... is the fact that multitudes of people are blindly slipping away into a Christless eternity. They live their lives blithely unaware and completely uncaring of the eternal doom that awaits them just around the corner. This alone, for example, is more than ample reason to be against euthanasia in our day. People without Christ who are being assisted to take their own lives think they are being delivered from their pain and suffering. Yet, nothing could be further from the truth. They merely awake on the other side to discover that their real pain and suffering has just begun. How tragic! The Bible says,

…For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion. Ecclesiastes 9:4

During the first half of the Tribulation, Christ Jesus is really going to turn up the heat on mankind with his first four Seal Judgments. And, I believe it will motivate many stubborn , hardheaded sinners to turn to Christ and repent. Jude 23 also speaks of this method of reaching people for Christ...

…but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.

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THE FIFTH SEAL IS BROKEN

THE TRIBULATION MARTYRS ARE REVEALED

Rev. 6:9-11

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. 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? ‘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.

6:9-11

With the breaking of the fifth Seal, the scene shifts from earth back to Heaven. Up there, murdered saints had been steadily arriving throughout the first 3 1/2 years of Antichrist's arising. The Greek participle, translated slain here, is εσφαγμενων (esthagmenown). It's a word that speaks of death by violence. The tense is perfect passive meaning, "having been slain". The indication is that these saints were murdered simply because they were considered nuisances. But up in Heaven, they are found under God's altar ... which proclaims that God views them as his precious sacrifices.

This is our first encounter, here in Revelation, with Tribulation saints. It will be costly to believe in Christ under Antichrist's rule. Those dark days will truly separate the men from the boys. Many people are Christians today because it costs them nothing. In that day, it will cost people everything. Second Thessalonians 2:6-7 tells us that in that day, the restraints on the wickedness of sinful men will have been lifted. Therefore, mankind will be more cruel and pitiless than ever before … as cruel and depraved as their wicked natures can dictate. It will be Satan and his Antichrist's Day. Both Daniel and Jesus prophesied that during those days, the saints will be given into Antichrist's hand.    

I was watching; and the same horn was making war against the saints, and prevailing against them… Daniel 7:21

He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand for a time and times and half a time. Daniel 7:25

Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. Matthew 24:9

The question arises ... In what sense then is the breaking of the fifth Seal a judgment from the Lamb? Is it not God's own saints who are being killed? I believe the answer lies in the fact that those who are doing the murdering down below are storing up for themselves vengeance against the day of vengeance (Romans 2:5). So, as the number of Christ's murdered Saints continues to swell in Heaven ... the wrath of God will be continuing to swell above. Psalm 9:12, says,

When he avenges blood, he remembers them; he does not forget the cry of the humble.

Having suffered the horrors of execution by Antichrist, the Tribulation martyrs were crying out to their Lord for vengeance. Their cries resulted in everyone receiving white robes ... followed by their Lord's word 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. What a mysterious and long-suffering God our Lord is! Even in that awful day, when his own beloved people are being slaughtered by the score, he continues to delay his wrath for his great mercy’s sake.

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THE SIXTH SEAL IS BROKEN

THE HEAVEN OF HEAVENS IS OPENED

Rev. 6:12-17

I looked when he opened the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the [NU adds: whole] moon became like blood. 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. Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. 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, 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!’ For the great day of his wrath has come, and who is able to stand?

6:12-14

We come here to the description of the greatest supernatural turning point in earth's future history.The judgments of the sixth Seal are the FIRST direct judgments we have encountered in the book of Revelation. In addition, these direct judgments usher in the beginning of the Great Tribulation (the second half of the 7 year Tribulation). Today, you and I are living in the Age of Grace. It began at the cross and brought to a close the Jews' Old Testament age of the Law. Direct supernatural judgments in the age of Grace are virtually unheard of. In fact, it has been well over two thousand years since the world has witnessed any direct supernatural judgments from God. In addition, the ONLY sin God is holding mankind accountable for in this age of Grace is unbelief! As we have it in Second Corinthians 5:19,

To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and has committed unto us the ministry of reconciliation.

I repeat ... the ONLY sin God is holding men and women accountable for in this age of Grace is the sin of unbelief in the Son he sent into our world to save us. However, when the Age of Grace comes to close, a terrible accountability will come upon all those who have rejected the great salvation God has provided. As we have it in Second Thessalonians 1:7-9,

And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power…

And again, in John 3:36,

He that believeth on the Son has everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

God has directly intervened in judgment on the earth in ages past. Before the Law was given, he judged mankind in Noah's day ... leaving only eight people alive on the earth. During the age of the Jewish Law, God dramatically intervened in direct judgments during Moses and Joshua's day and during the days of the prophets. However, from those times until today, his judgments have been muted. This will dramatically and suddenly change when Christ breaks the sixth seal from his scroll. Then, the world will experience the first direct interventions by God that has taken place in nearly three thousand years. If you accept the supernatural, you will have little trouble with the descriptions of God's judgments from this point on in the book of Revelation. If not, you will have a good deal of difficulty with what the book of Revelation has to say about what is going to come to pass on planet Earth. Let's look at this judgment of the sixth seal. Jesus was refering to the judgment of the sixth seal when he said in Luke 21:11,

And there will be great earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences; and there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven.

The judgments of the sixth seal will certainly fulfill Jesus' prediction of ... fearful sights and great signs in heaven. When Christ breaks the sixth Seal from his scroll, things will occur around the globe like nothing ever before seen in human history.

Our passage says the Seal Judgments will occur as follows: