JESUS REVEALS THE COMING TRIBULATION TO THE APOSTLE JOHN, part 2

 

by Pastor Mike Taylor

“And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.

2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?

3 And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.

4 And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon” (Revelation 5:1-4)

Continuing our study of the language found in Revelation, that Jesus reveals to the Apostle John. God uses many elders to teach John what is coming upon the earth...Let us continue in Chapter 5.

The apostle saw in the hand of Him that sat upon the throne, a roll of parchments in the form usual in those times, and sealed with seven seals. This represented the secret purposes of God about to be revealed. The designs and methods of Divine Providence, toward the elect and the rebellious world, are stated, fixed, and made a matter of record. The counsels of God are altogether hidden from the eye and understanding of the creature. The several parts are not unsealed and opened at once, but after each other, till the whole mystery of God's counsel and conduct is finished in the world.

John weeps as he knows that this is the future of the world and the will of God for all mankind, to redeem those out of the earth, and to reclaim creation lost in the Garden of Eden because of sin that entered in due to the act of one man and one woman. But he is comforted when an elder standing close by, which is part of the church of God proclaims who is worthy to unloose and open the scroll.

5 “And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

6 And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth” (Revelation 5:5-6)

Jesus appears as a Lamb, having seven horns and seven eyes; perfect power to execute all the will of God, and perfect wisdom to understand it, and to do it in the most effectual manner, as the number seven is the number of perfection. The Father puts the book of his eternal counsels into the hand of Christ, and Christ readily and gladly took it into His hand; for He delights to make known the will of his Father; and the Holy Spirit is given by Him to reveal the truth and will of God.

8 “And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. (Tribulation saints, my emphasis)

9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;

10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.” (Revelation 5:8-10)

Notice what the elders say in this last verse? God Almighty has made us Kings and Priest, and WE shall reign on the earth. This is a promise to the Kings and Priest that Jesus will set up as rulers with Him in the future Millennial reign of Christ for a 1000 years.

 “Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.” (Revelation 20:6)

Because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and the will of God the Father to redeem the earth, and those who will believe on His Name through the coming Tribulation, starting in the next chapter 6, the whole throne room of God falls down prostrate and worships Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

11 “And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;

12 Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.

13 And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.

14 And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever” (Revelation 5:11-14)

Note that as we progress through these verses and chapters, that Revelation is a chronological book, that is until chapter 12, which we will discuss later, but each chapter speaks of what the will of God and His judgment, His wrath against those who reject the only payment for their sinful nature, that being the sacrifice of Jesus Christ our Lord. So ends the two chapters that speak of the glory of God surrounded by His glorified church and all angels and beast that worship God and show that God has taken for Himself a remnant of mankind, those who have accepted Jesus Christ as the only payment for their sins. They have overcome, and they wait with bated breath for the coming “WRATH OF GOD”, which is the culmination of the rule of mankind on this earth. 

But a side note: It is hypothesized, as we don't exactly know, but a theory that the time between chp 4:1 and chapter 6:1 is called the “Gap Period” by some, who believe, as I do, that there is a period of time, maybe a week, maybe a month, but maybe a few years that will lapse on earth before judgment falls upon the earth. It would give time for wars to result and a covenant to be signed by the man of lawlessness and the earth being in chaos and the world looking for anyone, be he “god or demon” to set things back in order. Most earth dwellers just want to continue in their life of sin and unrighteousness. Mankind has been thoroughly rattled by the disappearance of millions of people, and they don't know how to explain it.

CHAPTER SIX: THE WRATH OF GOD BEGINS

“And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.

2 And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.” (Revelation 6:1-2)

Jesus has just opened the first seal of the scroll of the title deed to His creation, and has loosed and revealed the coming Anti-Christ. Which lines up perfectly with what Paul told us in 2^nd Thessalonians:

6 “And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.

7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.

8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,

10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.” (2^nd Thessalonians 2:6-10)

As Paul told us in this epistle, and here John has told us the same thing, that until the Holy Spirit is pulled back, or withdrawn to Pre-Pentecostal times, the Anti-Christ will NOT be revealed. But since now the church is in the throne room of God, the seals are broken, and the Anti-Christ comes upon the scene. But make no mistake, this man of lawlessness will not come until God allows Him to in His perfect plan. The coming seals are God's Will and He will use each of these actors known as the Anti-Christ and the four horse of the Apocalypse to fulfill His will.

Some make the erroneous assumption that this is the wrath of Satan, but note even in the book of Job, and elsewhere, that Satan could do NOTHING, unless the Lord God willed it. Satan has a “divine bridle” upon him and he is bound by the will of God. Here God will use mortal men who are deceived by Satan to bring judgment upon this earth. It reminds me of when God used Assyria and then Babylon to bring judgment and His wrath upon a rebellious House of Israel for her idolatry, first to the northern kingdom of Israel, then later to the southern kingdom of Judah and sent them into exile and scattered the north kingdom to the wind.....God uses men to do His will and has happened many, many times in the pages of your Bible and is supported by historical and archaeological evidence to prove the Bible to be 100% prophetically correct.

As we progress through this chapter, each seal reveals another portion of the four horse of the apocalypse that lead to war (possibly nuclear war), then to famine, disease and death, which is the result of world wide war that destroys food supplies and crops leading to hunger, famine and ultimate death.

3 “And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see.

4 And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.

5 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.

6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.

7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.

8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.” (Revelation 6:3-8) (fourth part of 7 billion people, my explanation)

Notice in verse 6 the curious command to not hurt the oil and the wine? This comes from the midst of the four beast, so it is God the Father who is giving the command. What does it mean? In famine, those who are on the lower end of the scale of society are the first to suffer and it will take a whole days wages just to buy food for one day, wheat being more nutritious that barley, which you'll need three times that of barley than you do wheat, just to stay alive. The oil and the wine denotes those that are the upper crust of society who never endures hardship as they have riches to buy whatever they want. Kinda like “Kim Jong- Un” in North Korea is a fatty dictator while his people starve..so it will be in the Tribulation. In the ensuing verses beyond this chapter, we read about untold carnage that is just warming up. But note those who are described in verses 9-11.

9 “And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were 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, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?

11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.” (Revelation 6:8-11)

These are the saints who have been slain and have died believing in the coming of our Lord. This seal pertains to martyrs - to a time of prosperity and triumph; to discord and bloodshed; to oppressive taxation; to war, famine, and pestilence. In the series of woes, it was natural and proper that there should be a vision of martyrs, if it was intended that the successive seals should refer to coming and important periods of the world; and accordingly we have here a striking representation of the martyrs crying to God to interpose in their behalf and to avenge their blood. It is a representation of all those who have died for the cause of Christ..., and those who die in the Tribulation. It is more of a symbol of those who have overcome and will be rewarded.

But near the end of this chapter, God has used the likes of mankind in the first 5 seals to do His will. Every man and woman on earth realizes who is doing these judgments upon the earth, and they cry to the mountains and the rocks, because they know this is just the beginning.

12 “And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;

13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.

14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.

15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens 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 that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:

17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?” (Revelation 6:12-17)

Up to this point, God has been causing destruction, war, famine, pestilence with its results of starvation and death to ravage mankind, but here, the environment is starting to grow toxic and earthquakes and celestial calamities that can only be the Divine Wrath of Almighty God and men realize it and ask for the mountains and rocks to fall upon them. Our God will now use the creation of earth, wind and fire to destroy mankind and it will be numbered in the billions in a very short time...Isaiah told of what this will be like and that the saints of God, the Church will be hidden away till God's wrath is finished.

19 “Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.

20 Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast.

21 For, behold, the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.” (Isaiah 26:19-21)

Isaiah speaks of a time, when God's people will be resurrected and changed to be hidden in their chambers and will shut their door behind them, till God's Wrath is expended and the blood will stain His vesture that we will see when He comes with His saints with a “vesture dipped in blood”...the blood of those He has slain in the wine-press of His wrath and righteous fury. As a friend asked me once before...where are these “chambers”?

“Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.

2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.” (John 14:1-4)

Jesus will come to take us to His Father's house, and as Isaiah said, we will enter those chambers till His wrath is finished. Jesus is coming for us, we are going to Him, not Him being received by us on earth, but to where He is, and where the Father God is...somewhere OUT THERE, in the third heaven.

MEN KNOW THAT GOD IS CAUSING THIS DESTRUCTION

Evil men as recorded in chapter 6 (Revelation 6:15-17) that it is God who is causing this destruction and they only wish to escape His wrath, but they will not.

1 “And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.” (Revelation 7:1)

As we progress through these chapters of 6-11, we see an ever increasing crescendo of events that is linked to each seal that Jesus our Lord opens before the Father in heaven. Notice that it is God who is causing the events to happen on earth, and He is using men, at first, to do His will and perform judgment on the earth. If you follow these messages, Satan has no power that God does not allow him to have. Satan is the great deceiver and tempts men to do what is hidden in their evil hearts and makes war on other men.

A QUICK REVIEW FOR UP TO THIS POINT

But as we have seen in the past, for a quick review, Jesus our Lord covers all the church ages from chapters 1-3, and then makes a decided shift in focus and John is in the throne room of God the Father. There we see the glorified church represented as 24 elders sitting on thrones with rewards of gold upon their head, and seated in the government of God Almighty. John witnesses the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ as He comes to the Father and takes a parchment written on both sides and sealed with seven seals. This can only be described as the “Title Deed” to all the earth, and the plan to rid God's creation of rebellion and to bring Israel, His chosen people to the knowledge of their Messiah. For 2000 years, the Jewish people have rejected Jesus Christ as their coming King, but in the following chapters starting in chapter 6 and progressing into chapter 7 and beyond, Israel is refined as silver is refined in the fire to bring a remnant to faith and belief in the same Messiah their fathers, and they have rejected up until this time. (Malachi 3:3)

DIVINE DESTRUCTION BEGINS DIRECTLY

In chapter 6, we see our God using mortal men do His will by using them to create war, famine, pestilence and starvation that results from wars fought over land and conquering other people to submit to their rule. The Son of God opens 6 seals and the destruction grows, as He uses men to destroy those who are in rebellion against Him, and Satan is used to deceive and tempt those who only wish is to continue in their unrighteous behavior to other men and destroy what is before them. As mentioned in earlier, some try to equate this carnage to the wrath of Satan, but it is God who is causing these events to happen. So the wrath of God, much as was written in the Old Testament when Israel was taken into captivity and the majority of their population was destroyed by Assyria and Babylon, so here God is using mankind to enact judgment and begin His righteous wrath. His wrath begins in verse one of the sixth chapter and continues here. So let us look at this chapter..

 “And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.

2 “And 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 given to hurt the earth and the sea,

3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.

4 And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.” (Revelation 7:1-4)

Noted in verse one, God holds back the four angels that are the four corners of the earth from doing what they have been assigned to do. That is to begin the Divine destruction on the earth and the dwellers of men who live upon the earth, but first God seals 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes of Israel. These Jewish evangelist, or more correctly, Israelite men are sealed with the seal of God and ordained to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world.

The question must be raised, if these are being sealed to proclaim the Gospel, where is the church who was commissioned to preach the Gospel to all mankind? It is another clue that the Church is unable to preach the Gospel, as she is not on earth, and the “baton” is given to another in this race to continue to preach the Word of God. These evangelist are supernaturally protected until the harvest of souls that they have been elected to bring the Gospel to, are brought into believing on Jesus Christ as the Son of God, much as the Church believed before them.

So you wonder, why have these men believed suddenly, that Jesus Christ is truly the Messiah? These men have seen the disappearance of millions in the rapture and have believed the witness of the two men who are preaching before the Temple of God in Jerusalem that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior of mankind. (Revelation chp. 11) Many people believe that these men are Elijah and Moses that came to Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration that Peter, James and John saw in their glorified state along with Jesus as they talked to each other. But no matter who these men turn out to be, and I believe that the belief who they are is probably correct, these men will preach the Everlasting Gospel, and do so for 3.5 years, or the first half of the 7 years tribulation, and these 144,000 men believe the Truth of God's Word proclaimed and become a great soul winning powerhouse that brings millions to the belief in our Lord and Savior. This continues until we see in verse 9 of this chapter a vision of those slain standing before God on His throne and before the Lamb of God holding palm fronds in their hands. In ancient times, palms were associated with celebrations like the Feast of Tabernacles or “Booths” (Lev. 23:40; Neh. 8:17; John 12:13)

9 “After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;

10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.

11 And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshiped God,

12 Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.” (Revelation 7:9-12)

I have mentioned in past sermons, that the palms that they hold, gives a clue of who these saints are. Only in Israel has the use of palm fronds been used to signify giving God glory, much as ancient Israel did to when Jesus rode in on a foal of a donkey and proclaimed Jesus King found in Matthew chp. 21. Signs noting Israel in scripture are figs, fig tree, olives and palm branches. When you see any of these, it is referring to Israel. But an angel makes it clear when John sees the men standing before God.

13 “And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?

14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

15 Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.

16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.

17 For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.” Revelation 7:13-17)

These are those who have been martyred in the first half of the Tribulation, and I want you to focus in on verse 15. Note that the church is called “Kings and Priests” unto our God (Revelation 5:10), but here these saints minister in the temple of God, much as the Levitical priesthood did in Ancient Israel. These have a secondary role that is not associated with the Church, but are a different group of believers that serve our God in His Temple. In what capacity do they serve, is not revealed, but God will protect them and care for them and they will never hurt again.

One comforting truth gleaned from Revelation is that although Antichrist will have power over all peoples and languages, (Rev. 13:7) he will not deceive every individual. (Verse 9), makes it clear that the preaching of the gospel by the 144,000 Jewish witnesses will reach a multitude that no one can number, from every language, tribe, and people. Therefore, even Satan's deception will not keep people from receiving Christ individually. But concerning the Anti-Christ having power over all nations, kindreds and tongues, we will discuss how this can only be those left behind after the Rapture of the Church in future messages, as Jesus has overcome the world and His Holy Spirit is dwelling with each “born again” Christian in the Church Age, so Satan cannot overcome them, but here they are overcome. Why? Because the Holy Spirit is not sealed in these Christians as the Church was, save the 144,000 Evangelist from Israel were and they have not the deposit or earnest of future glorification as a seal of salvation. IN the Tribulation, these saints can still loose their salvation, if they take the Mark of the Beast, or deny the blood of Jesus and follow the AC. We will cover this in more detail when we get to chapter 13 of this bible study.

Next time, we will explore the next chapters that ravage this planet in an ever increasing crescendo of events that happen in a few short years. Will you be with the Church in God's Throne room, or will you be enduring the calamity and horror that befalls all who must endure the Tribulation? See you next time.

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (John 3:16-18)

8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;

9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.

13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:8-13)

Don't put off believing in Jesus Christ as Lord, Savior and soon coming King within your heart and repenting of your sins...as what I am describing could come when you least expect it and “like a thief” Jesus will come and rapture His Church away from what is coming upon the earth ,,,,,,

This is Pastor Mike Taylor, praying you seek the Lord while He may be found this side of the rapture of the church...if you need counseling, prayer, or just a listening ear, email me at pastormiketaylor@yahoo.com ,  God bless you all.

TILL WE MEET AT JESUS FEET...............SOON!!