REVELATION SIMPLIFIED

 

CHAPTER 6.9

Gleanings from the Book of Revelation:

A Weekly Verse-by-Verse Bible Study Series

 

The

REVELATION TO JOHN

(The Apocalypse)

 

Chapter Six

 

 

Review Summary

Two prophecies describing God's final judgment, known as the Seventy Weeks of Daniel, have been presented by two Old Testament prophets:

1.  To the Jews – The Time of Jacobs Trouble

Jeremiah 30:7 - Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he (spiritual Israel) shall be saved out of it.

 

2.  To the Gentiles – The Slaughter of the World

Isaiah 34:2 - For the indignation of the LORD is upon all nations, and His fury upon all their armies: He hath utterly destroyed them, He hath delivered them to the slaughter.

 

At the end of the Age of Laodicea, God, in a sense says, "Ok, if you want to take Me, My Son's name, and My precepts out of society, do away with the Ten Commandments and have a one-world government without My direction, you have My consent to your immoral agenda, and satanic rule. I will step aside, un-restrain the Holy Spirit, and allow permissive anarchy. But first, the Church will be taken out of this world. Nevertheless, there are going to be consequences to your actions."

 

The first four seals of Tribulation ensue as such:

Stage 1 – Fear

The white horse rider, Antichrist, along with a host of false Christs that Jesus spoke of (cf. Matthew 24:5; Mark 13:6; Luke 21:8) enter the scene and conquer by establishing a deceptive counterfeit system of government --- a new global order --- whereby everyone relinquishes all facets of his or her rights out of fear, and simply allows it to control their lives. A deceptive peace treaty with Israel and its surrounding nations will be ratified. During this period, the Temple will be rebuilt, and the sacrificial system reinstituted.

 

Stage 2 – War

The red horse rider triggers rumors of wars. And these wars do come to pass, the first major one is the battle between Gog and Magog (discussed in a later study). This is the beginning of the birth pains of persecution spoken of by Jesus in Matthew 24.

 

Stage 3 – Famine

The massive war results in famine, thus leashing disease and natural pestilence.

 

Stage 4 – Death

The outcome of pestilence is death.

 

Stage 5 – Prayers

It should be noted that events and martyrdom prevalent today are only a foretaste of what is to take place during the four seals of Tribulation. By God's grace, anyone martyred after the Rapture still has the opportunity to accept Jesus Christ, even at the last minute. The thief on the cross is a perfect example (cf. Luke 23:23-38).

 

Like the four horsemen of the Apocalypse complete God's judgments upon the earth during the first 3 ½ years, the apocalyptist John now sees a fifth seal being opened by another living creature from the altar of Almighty God. This time the living one does not say "go," and no horses are dashing onto the scene. Seal number five is not a judgment per se, but an unaccountable break in distinctly connected scenes climaxing with God's wrath and the adjudication of evil upon the ungodly.

 

Even though this seal is linked with the first four, it is slightly different insofar as it only affects those who do not take the mark of the beast (discussed in a later study) and have pledged allegiance to Christ. These are called Tribulation saints.

Revelation 20:4b - And I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

 

Again, before the Tribulation, evil was restrained by the Holy Spirit. Since millions of Bibles have been left behind, anyone committing to the Lord during this time will risk losing their lives by being persecuted or martyred. The reason is, those who do not support and follow the Abomination of Desolation (who proclaims himself as god) will be hated for not accepting the mark of the beast, and for their refusal to acknowledge him as a god (cf. Revelation 20:4).

 

The antichrist is the progenitor of this hatred. As this hatred grows more and more intense, the stripes of punishment, persecution, and martyrdom escalate increasingly stronger, more prevalent, and more severe. Massive wholesale slaughter will surely ensue.

 

During the first seals, mankind brings about wrath upon himself. However, during the following seals, God acts directly and brings about wrath upon the earth.

 

Vertical Timeline of Tribulation on Earth

1.  The Last Days of the Church (the Laodicean Age)

2.  The Rapture of the Church [the Day of the Lord Jesus (the saints going up to Heaven)]

a.  The Church in Heaven during Daniel's 70th Week

                                        i.    The Judgment Seat of Christ

                                     ii.    The Marriage Supper of the Lamb

3.  The first 3 ½ years – The Beginning of Sorrows, birth pains (cf. Matthew 24:8) – Man's wrath on man

                                        i.    The Rider on the White Horse (the False Christ)

                                     ii.    The Rider on the Red Horse (war)

1.  The first great battle in Revelation – Gog and Magog [Russia and Northern Arab allies (cf. Ezekiel 38 and 39)]

                                   iii.    The Rider on the Black Horse (famine)

                                    iv.    The Rider on the Pale Horse ( death)

4.  The Middle of the 70 Weeks – The Abomination of Desolation (Antichrist) appears (cf. Daniel 9:24-27) - The Fifth Seal (great persecution and martyrdom of Tribulation believers) – The prayers of vengeance

5.  The Last 3 ½ years – The Great Tribulation (the Day of the Lord)

                                        i.    The Sixth Seal – God's wrath on earth

                                     ii.    The Seventh Seal

1.  Includes trumpets and bowl judgments

2.  The movement of the armies in the 70th week, before Armageddon

6.  The Second Great Battle (in the Valley of Megiddo) – Armageddon - The Second Coming of Jesus Christ [the Fifth Horseman (cf. Revelation 19:11-16)] on earth at Mount Olivet [cf. Zechariah 14;4 (the saints coming down from Heaven with Christ)]

a.  The Binding of Satan in the Bottomless Pit for 1,000 years

7.  The Millennium (the Kingdom), A thousand-year reign of peace with Jesus Christ as King of Kings and Lord of Lords on earth

 

The Essence of Man

Based on God's universe there is the material part of man, the body, and the immaterial part of man, i.e., soul, and spirit. There has been disagreement amongst theologians over centuries about whether a person is bipartite, a two-part (dichotomous) being - or tripartite, a three-part (trichotomous) being. While some Scripture passages employ soul and spirit interchangeably, others do not. Presumptively the three parts of man (body, soul, and spirit) seem most logical and align with the Trinitarian nature of God. Recall:

Genesis 1:27 - So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

 

Trichotomy is correspondingly the best position to explain the three levels of man's consciousness:

1.   Body – World consciousness, the material part of man that houses the five senses

 

2.  Soul – Self-consciousness, the immaterial part that enables man to express his emotions freely

 

 

3. Spirit – God-consciousness, the immaterial part that makes man God-conscious, thus having the ability to know and fellowship with Him. Recall, God breathed His Spirit into a man (cf. Genesis 2:7)

 

 

5. Prayers of Vengeance – Seal Number 5

 

(Verse 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.

 

I saw under the altar the souls

Definitions

Altar means high place.

Souls: Greek, psuchē [Strong's G5590] - Immortal beings, by implication, the rational mind from which we derive our word psyche.

 

In the spirit realm, John recognizes souls. They are visible under the altar in Heaven. The souls mentioned are Tribulation martyrs who are waiting until they receive their resurrected bodies at the Second Coming of Christ.

 

Since there is no sacrificial system, the altar in view is antitypical of the altar of incense in the Tabernacle. The cries of the souls pleading for justice, as seen in the following two verses, are reminiscent of intercessory prayers.

For example:

Revelation 8:3b – Then another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, along with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne.

 

[Those] that were slain for the word of God, and for the (that) testimony which they held

It is noted that martyred souls suffer and die for three reasons:

1.   The testimony of Judge Jesus. This is not the testimony that believers give during the Church Age, but in a literal sense, the testimony for which they adhered to during the Tribulation Period – Teaching and preaching the Gospel

 

2.  The Word of God, i.e., their belief in the truth and keeping the precepts of God (cf. Revelation 1:2)

 

 

3. Their faith in Christ

 

Jesus foretold:

Matthew 24:9 - Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for My name's sake.

 

Closing Thought

The first four seal judgments are without parallel in the history of mankind. However, far worse is imminent during the sixth and seventh seals. So then:

Hebrews 2:3 - How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard Him.

 

Unbelievers should reconsider:

Hebrews 10:31 - It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

 

In the final half of Seal Number Five, which activates Seal Number Six, the prayer of vengeance by the martyred souls will be further examined.

 

 

QUESTIONS:

1.   Explain the first seals of God's wrath.

2.   What happens during the middle of Tribulation?

3.   What is God's response to their request?

4.   Where is the altar in Heaven?

5.   Why are souls under the altar?

6.   What is the difference between the Church and the Tribulation martyrs?

7.   For what reason is the fifth seal called a judgment?

 

 

 

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