Revelation 6:9-17
In Matthew 24:15-21, Jesus warned the disciples, “When ye therefore shall see the abomination
of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso
readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the
mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out
of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his
clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to
them that give suck in those days! But
pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: For
then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the
world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.”
When the antichrist comes to power, halfway through the
tribulation period, those who believe in God, whether Jews or Christians will
be forced to flee for their lives, with many being killed who were caught
unaware. The fifth seal relates to those
who are killed at that time.
“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: 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? 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 6:9-11)
When the fifth seal was opened, John saw the souls of the
those who had been killed for their faith asking how much longer God would
allow things to go on the way they were.
Jesus gave them their white robes and told them that they were to just
relax and wait until the world had killed all they were going to kill before
they would be resurrected.
“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; 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. And
the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain
and island were moved out of their places.” (Revelation 6:12-14)
Jesus described the same events in Matthew 24:29. “Immediately
after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon
shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers
of the heavens shall be shaken.” During
the Antichrist’s reign there will be a series of natural disasters unlike
anything people have ever seen. There
will be a one of the strongest earthquakes the world has ever experienced. Days will be like they are in Alaska, with no
sun except for a short time. The moon
will appear red, similar to the way it sometimes looks when it first rises or
just before it sets. There will be huge
meteor showers, and our charts of the stars will be thrown out of order.
“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; 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: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be
able to stand?” (Revelation 6:15-17)
People will finally realize there are powers man cannot
control or manipulate. People will panic
and even experience heartattacks. They
will acknowledge that God is real and beg to die to escape his judgment and the
things that are happening. The
Antichrist’s reign will not be without problems.
The passage concerning the souls beneath the altar makes me think of John 16:2-3: "They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me."
ReplyDeleteThe Tribulation period is a time beyond human description, and though John paints a vivid portrayal, nothing at all can prepare those who are going to enter into it. Thinking about right now makes me fearful and sad for those I know who are unsaved and confident in their present position. If the rapture were to occur today, I know many friends and co-workers who would be caught in the coming times.
Revelation is a very sober book.
Thank you for the post.
Thanks, Ian.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately there has been such an effort to dramatize it without seeing what the scriptures actually say tha many people have concluded it is just like Hollywood's depictions of other situations and don't think it is real, and especially as they read conflicting descriptions. .
I think that stems from all of the pseudo-biblical garbage Hollywood produces. Revelation has been the source of so many movies and books, sensationalized beyond conception, that the content of the book is stripmined. It's just more mythology, I think, to the average person confronted with it, like Clash of the Titans or the like. I think that's also why so many Christians try to spiritualize the book; they don't want to contend with the questions from others about certain grim realities that it portrays. When I have witnessed to biblically educated people Revelation invariably becomes an object of criticism.
ReplyDeleteI'm enjoying your posts; I pray God may use it to help others.
I agree, but many well known evangelists and writers have also tried to out do each other in an effort to build their followings as well. Many times their speculations have been accepted as fact even when directly contradicted by scripture.
DeleteMy prayer is that God will use it to get people to check out what God said instead of blindly following what they have been told.
Amen, Donald, praying many more will stop being foolish virgins and obtain oil for their lamps before it is too late to “buy oil” (receive anointing of the Holy Spirit). I understand it to be that it will be next to impossible to get a Bible, nor hear the truth to be preached soon, and the Lord will withdraw His light shortly before His return, and those who haven’t prepared ahead of time will wish they had, and will try to receive anointing from those who have it, but it won’t work that way.
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