08-19-12 THE FIRST FIVE SEALS

The last time we were in our study

of the Book of Revelation

I promised you that we were going to

accelerate our pace through the book.

Today I am going to begin

to keep that promise.

If you've been with us during the past few months

you'll remember that there is

a major dividing line in the book of Revelation

at the first verse of Revelation chapter 4.

Revelation 2 and 3 present seven short letters

sent to seven local churches

by Christ through John.

Through those letters

Christ offered His final direct warnings,

encouragements,

and instructions to Christians

during this current church age

which began with the resurrection of Christ

and will continue until

God supernaturally, instantly removes the church from the earth

once it has served its purpose.

Then, at the beginning of Revelation 4:1

there is a major change in the book.

In the first 3 chapters of Revelation

we see John here on the Earth

and we see Christ coming to him

and communicating to him in familiar surroundings

about issues concerning us here and now.

If it helps,

you can think of it as if

in Revelation 1-3 the Lord comes to John's house

and sits down in John's living room

and talks with him about

things going on in his neighborhood right now.

But then, in Revelation 4:1

the Lord stands up,

grabs His coat,

and says to John,

"My friend, why don't we

go on over to My place now...

there are some things there I want to show you."

And that's exactly what they do.

Rev. 4:1 After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things."

And we saw two important things in the 1^st verse of chapter 4.

First, from this point on the action is taking place in heaven,

in the throne room of God.

And 2^nd, these are all clearly identified as being future events.

These are things that take place “after these things”.

We then spent several weeks

setting the stage

for what John would see.

Chapter 4 of Revelation presented

the majesty and awesomeness

of the throne room of God.

Then Chapter 5 presented

the beginning of the great drama

surrounding the events

that will culminate with the return of Christ.

That drama began

with a book sealed with seven seals

and with a search in heaven

for Someone worthy to break those seals

and to set in motion

the final wrath and judgement of God

on those who have rejected His offer of

forgiveness through Christ.

In that 5^th chapter we saw Christ come forward.

"the Lamb that was slain...who is worthy to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing."

That's where we left off,

and that's where the drama picks up

in Revelation chapter 6.

And just so you can better hang on

to what is happening throughout

the rest of the book,

the remainder of the book

is the presentation of the breaking of those 7 seals,

and the description of what happens

with the breaking of each of them.

I offered you a little outline

the last time we were in this study

that will help.

1. The Seven seals are broken,

with each seal bringing

certain results on the earth.

2. When the seventh seal is broken

that seal triggers 7 trumpet blasts,

with each trumpet blast

bringing specific consequences

on the earth.

3. The 7^th trumpet blast

then begins the release

of the 7 final bowls of the wrath of God poured out on the earth.

So: 7 seals

followed by 7 trumpets

followed by 7 bowls of wrath.

There are some other events

interspersed throughout

those 3 groups of 7 events,

but that is the basic outline for the book.

And today we are going to move right in

to the breaking of the first 6 seals

and the events those seals trigger on the earth.

And let me tell you

what we’re going to find here,

and what’s going on

with these first 6 seals.

Do you remember early in this study on prophecy

when we were in the 24^th chapter

of the book of Matthew

and we saw Christ’s comments

about what He called the “birth pangs”

that would precede the events

we have described for us here

in the book of Revelation?

Do you remember what any of those birth pangs were?

False Christs...

dramatic increase in wars...

increased tension between people groups...

famines...

increased earthquakes.

If we think of the return of Christ

as if it were the Lord

coming to our house for a visit,

those birth pangs

would be like the sound of His footsteps

on the path leading to our front door.

If we are listening for Him

we will hear those footsteps.

OK, if those birth pangs

are His footsteps on the path,

then these first 6 seals

are His finger on the doorbell.

When Christ came the first time

He came in obscurity,

recognized by only a few,

in order to present His death

as payment for our sins.

But when He comes the second time

He will announce His arrival

clearly and repeatedly

to the entire world.

What we have here in these 1^st six seals

are the six major world changes

that together ring the door bell

and tell the world HE'S BACK!

Now let me show them to you

as we have them revealed in chapter 6.

#1. Rev. 6:1 Then I saw when the Lamb broke one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, "Come." Rev. 6:2 I looked, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.

Now, this ridder is not specifically identified in the passage,

and there are two common possible identities

given to him by students of the Bible.

One possibility is that this is Christ

ridding forth to victory.

He is on a white horse,

and he wears a crown,

so it seems possible.

I personally strongly favor

another possibility, though.

This first seal

is the first great kick-off event

of the final seven years preceding the return of Christ.

Chronologically

the return of Christ is not the 1^st event of those 7 years,

it is the final event.

This guy on the horse

is Christ-like in his external appearance.

That is, he presents himself

as a savior or messiah to the world.

But his arrival does not bring peace,

it brings turmoil to the world.

I believe this fellow on the horse

is the Anti-Christ,

the great satanic world ruler

who will gain power during the tribulation.

From other passages in Scripture

we know that his appearance on the scene

is the great first event

for these final 7 years.

So - the first gong on the doorbell

announcing Christ at the door

will be when the Anti-Christ steps to the front of the stage.

But how in the world

is the anti-Christ able to take power?

What motivates the people of the world

to set aside their ethnic hatreds

and their national identities that go back hundreds

or even thousands of years?

Why would ego-driven world rulers suddenly,

willingly hand over their power

and their control

to one man

and be supported and encouraged to do so

by the people they rule?

The next 3 seals, then,

reveal to us how such a thing

will be able to take place,

preparing the way for a one-world government.

Seal #2.

Rev. 6:3-4 When He broke the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, "Come." And another, a red horse, went out; and to him who sat on it, it was granted to take peace from the earth, and that men would slay one another; and a great sword was given to him.

The breaking of the 2^nd seal

throws the world into tremendous

international conflict,

with wars raging

and the threat of global nuclear war imminent.

If ever a wise, benevolent one-world ruler was needed it is now!

Seal #3.

Rev. 6:5-6 When He broke the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, "Come." I looked, and behold, a black horse; and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard something like a voice in the center of the four living creatures saying, "A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not damage the oil and the wine."

The breaking of the 3^rd seal

brings world-wide economic chaos.

A quart of wheat was considered

the food for one man for one day.

A denarius was the wage paid

for one day’s work.

It takes an entire day's wages

just to buy food for one person

for that one day.

There’s no money for gas,

or mortgage payments,

or utilities,

or even food for the children.

If ever a wise, benevolent world ruler was needed, it is now.

Then 4^th seal broken.

Rev. 6:7-8 When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, "Come." I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name Death; and Hades was following with him. Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth.

1. The Anti-Christ presents himself to the world as a messiah.

2. Nations prepare for war with each other on a global scale.

3. World economies collapse in mass inflation.

4. And then famine, disease, and the animal kingdom run amuck,

resulting in the death of 1/4 of the world’s population,

demanding that the barriers between nations be dissolved

and the resources of the world

be pooled and used to combat

the forces that assault mankind.

If ever a wise, benevolent world ruler was needed, it is now.

I believe the events that accompany

the breaking of those first 4 seals

are designed to create

a world in such chaos and fear

that it sets the stage

for the Anti-Christ to be catapulted into world control.

And I see that being confirmed

by what takes place

at the breaking of the 5^th seal.

Rev. 6:9-11 When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, "How long, 0 Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also.

At the breaking of this 5^th seal

there is a unified outcry in heaven

from all the Christians who have been martyred throughout the ages.

They see the Anti-Christ moving into power,

and the forces of evil controlling the earth

as never before in history,

and the injustice of what they see

causes them to cry out to God,

‟THIS IS NOT RIGHT! The wrong guy is winning.

God, why don’t You DO SOMETHING!”

And the Lord’s response to their outcry

I consider to be

one of the most remarkable

and revealing statements in all of Scripture.

He tells them to rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also.

Do you see what that's saying?

He is telling us

that God measures time

not by minutes

but by martyrs.

He says evil must continue to have its way

for a little while longer

because there are still a few lacking

in the number of those

who are to be killed

because of their faith in Christ.

And if you have read the book of Revelation on your own,

you may remember that very shortly

two men come on the scene,

two supernaturally empowered prophets of God

who confront the people of the world

with their sin

and their rebellion against God.

The world hates them

and tries to destroy them, and when the anti-Christ

finally succeeds in killing those two

their deaths complete the number of Christian martyrs

and prompts the return of Christ

and the final 7 bowls of the wrath of God

being poured out on the earth.

And the thing that I find most fascinating

about this martyr system

of timing human history

is what it says to us about

the true nature of Christianity on the earth.

It is certainly true

that personal righteousness

through the life of Christ within us

always dramatically increases

our quality of life.

It is true that

the principles for relationships

and for life revealed in Scripture are the only principles that really work.

But it is also true

that we live in a human society

that is deeply hostile

to the Person of Christ

and to His people.

John said simply,

John 3:19 "This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.

We have grown all too comfortable as a nation

with the sudden revelation of dishonest or immoral behavior

in the lives of our national leaders.

In fact, we've almost come to expect it.

And even though there is at one level a sense of disgust,

at another level with many in our nation

there is a strange sense of relief

because their blatant lack of basic personal moral integrity

enables the people of our nation

to then feel better about their own personal immorality.

At the same time

the life of every true growing Christian

who, under the guidance of their Lord,

is in the process of fighting to rebuild their own moral integrity,

staying faithful to their marriage partner

not because it's always easy

or because it always feels good,

but because it's right,

and remaining honest

in their business dealings

and handling their personal relationships

with respect and integrity, choosing the right way

even when it’s the hard way,

people like that

make those around them very uncomfortable

because it turns a light onto their own immoral choices.

But do you know something?

Contrary to popular belief

when we are most honest with ourselves

we know that we don't really want the easy life

we want the one that makes sense,

the one that fulfills,

the one that satisfies.

That's the life our Lord offers us.

Most Christians will not be martyred.

But all Christians

who remain faithful to their Lord

will suffer loss in this world

because of their faith in Christ and their submission to Him.

There faithfulness to their Lord

will at certain points

cause them greater pain.

When Christ tells us

that His pocket watch

does not tick off minutes,

it ticks off martyrs,

He is reminding us of that truth.

But that is by no means

the end of the story

or the end of the book.

For you see, so often the pain that we feel

becomes the doorway through which

we gain the high honor of becoming an active part

of the redemptive work of God on this earth.

If we dare to open ourselves up to the pain in the lives of those around us

we will find that when we enter into that pain

it becomes a powerful motivation for us to reach out in love,

in friendship,

in support and encouragement.

And it changes the course of their life and of ours when we do.

It truly does make a difference. ..a huge difference in their lives and in ours.

And in the process

we will see the Spirit of God

recreating evil into good in the lives of those involved.

And it goes far beyond that.

One of the most powerful overarching messages of the book of Revelation

is God's absolute assurance

that His scales are always ultimately balanced

and balanced strongly in the favor of His people.

Maybe Paul said it best in his comments to the Corinthians when he said:

2 Cor. 4:17-18 For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.