Seal Judgments & the Olivet Discourse
The Book of Revelation describes three waves of God’s judgment of earth’s inhabitants, each wave progressively worsening. The judgments begin with the seven seal judgments, continue to the trumpet judgments, and end with the bowl judgments. Here we will discuss the first six seal judgments: First seal (Rev 6:1-2) white horse, antichrist comes to conquer Second Seal (Rev 6:3-4) red horse, open warfare breaks out Third Seal (Rev 6:5-6) black horse, world famine Fourth Seal (Rev 6:7-8) death to ¼ of earth Fifth Seal (Rev 6:9-11) martyrdom, believer call for vengeance Sixth Seal (Rev 6:12-17) physical disturbances, earthquake, sun blacked out, etc. The first four seals occur in the first half of the Tribulation, the fifth seal stretches from the first into the second half, and the sixth occurs during the second half. But before we plunge in, let’s get a little background: We see in Revelation 5 that Jesus, the Lion of Judah, the Root of David is the only one who has overcome and is worthy to open the book of judgment and break its seals. Before we move to Revelation 6, let’s jump back a bit to Matthew 24 where Jesus, in one of the most important prophetic passages in the Bible, the Olivet Discourse, outlines the general course of end times and specifically the Tribulation. While many of the characteristics in this prophecy describe the whole of the present age, we see in Revelation 6 that these characteristics escalate the closer we get to the end. Interestingly, the Olivet discourse generally follows the order of Revelation 6. This book detail Jesus breaking the first six seals of God’s book of judgment, and unleashing God’s wrath and judgment on sinful mankind. The purpose of this judgment is to prepare the earth for the establishment of the Lord’s kingdom which will be explained later in Revelation. Finally, we will examine Chapter 7 of the Book of Revelation which is like a parenthesis between the sixth and seventh seal. Let’s dive in! First Seal When Jesus breaks the first seal, the first horseman of the apocalypse is released. This horseman rides a white horse, carries a bow, and is given a crown. His purpose is conquest. The white horse represents peace, but we know through other prophetic scriptures that this will be a false peace. Many confuse the first horseman with Christ because later, we see Christ riding a white horse. But the first horsemen is not Christ; he is a counterfeit Jesus. In Matthew 24:4-5, Jesus warns His disciples of counterfeits such as these. He says not to be misled because many will come in His name, saying that they are the Christ. Observe this about the first horseman: he has a bow, but no arrows are mentioned, and he is given a crown; he does not forcefully take the crown. These facts imply a bloodless peace through diplomacy or some other means and, like the white horse, support Daniel’s prophecy of a covenant of peace with Israel. Second Seal When Jesus breaks the second seal, the second horseman of the apocalypse is released. This horseman rides a red horse, and the rider is granted the power to take peace from the earth. The red horse represents war. The rider is given a great sword. Violence and slaughter will be common during this time. Jesus warned His disciples, saying that there will be wars and rumors of wars, nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom (Matthew 24:6-7). Although the horseman will take power peacefully, this is not a lasting peace. Once nations begin to understand the deception and control, they will rise up against the antichrist and each other. Third Seal When Jesus breaks the third seal, the third horseman on a black horse is released. The rider has a pair of scales, and John hears a voice 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 scales imply that food will need to be measured and rationed; there just won’t be enough for everyone. One day’s wages will only be able to buy enough wheat for one person or enough barley for a small family for a day. There will be no money left over for necessities like oil and wine (considered necessary for cooking and purifying). Again, Jesus warns of famine in Matthew 24:7. This famine will undoubtedly be a result of the continuous wars the second seal unleashes. Fourth Seal When Jesus breaks the fourth seal, the fourth horseman on an ashen horse with a rider named Death is released. Hades follows him. The ashen color is pale like death. This rider is given authority over one-fourth of the earth to kill with sword and with famine and pestilence. Twenty-five percent of the earth’s population will die. Let’s put that in perspective. The current world population is 7.8 million. This number would be reduced by the Rapture, of course, but that still means that possibly 100,000,000 people die when the fourth seal is broken. Jesus tells us all of this is merely the beginning of birth pangs (Matthew 24:8). Fifth Seal When Jesus breaks the fifth seal, John sees the souls of martyrs who have been slain because of the Word and their testimony. They cry out for justice, wondering how much longer they must wait before God avenges them. They are each given a white robe and told that they should rest a bit longer until the number of their fellow martyrs reaches completion. In the prophetic Olivet Discourse, Jesus warns the disciples that as the Tribulation unfolds, believers will be hated and killed. This corresponds with the opening of the fifth seal. Sixth Seal The sixth seal is different from the first five. God will not use man to accomplish His judgments but will directly intervene by initiating cataclysmic earthquakes, which cause volcanic eruptions that make the sun black and the moon like blood. He will cause comets to fall from the sky, and the sky as we know it will disappear. This will be the first time
Mustard
A mustard seed. That’s it.
That’s the amount of faith Jesus says we need, and NOTHING is impossible. Not a reconciliation of a broken relationship ~not the healing of a body ~not the redemption of a lost child.
The Fifth Kingdom – Daniel’s Prophecies
Daniel’s statue prophecy and beast prophecy give us a solid prophetic framework for interpreting New Testament prophecy. The prophecy speaks of a fifth kingdom, a revived Roman Empire that will play a significant role in end time events.
Hugs
The power of a hug is a real thing. The exhale hug is my favorite. When is the last time you let Jesus hug you with a sweet embrace that makes you exhale?
Three Purposes of the Great Tribulation
The time between the Rapture of the Church and the Glorious Appearing of Christ is referred to by many names throughout the Bible. We, however, will refer to it as Christ did in Matthew 24:21 when He informed the disciples that there would be a tribulation, a period of intense suffering like the world has never known. Although we have seen tremendous death and destruction in this century and the last, with World War II alone killing more than 56 million people and the Indian Ocean Earthquake/Tsunami of 2004 killing more than 225,000, Jesus says that what will occur in the Tribulation will be nothing like has ever happened since the beginning of the world (Matthew 24:21). This Tribulation is mentioned 49 times in the Old Testament and at least 15 times in the New Testament. It will be a time of God’s wrath against the entire earth (1 Thessalonians 1:9:10, Revelation 3:10). John describes the nature of the Tribulation as being such that everyone from kings to slaves will hide in caves and among the rocks and mountains and beg the mountains and the rocks to fall on them and hide them from the wrath of the Lamb (Revelation 6:15-17). This wrath will last 7 years, and there will only be survivors because it will be cut short to save the elect (Matthew 24:22). The Church will not have to endure the Tribulation because Jesus will come back for the Church in an event called the Rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17), saving it from the wrath to come (1 Thessalonians 5:9). The Tribulation is a terrible time, but it is not without purpose. It has three main objectives. DISCIPLINE OF ISRAEL The first objective is to discipline Israel for its rejection of Christ and prepare them for the coming Kingdom. Jeremiah 30 calls this time of testing, the time of “Jacob’s distress,” but emphasizes that Israel will be saved from it. During this time, God will chasten Israel justly and punish them, purging from them rebels who transgress against God (Ezekiel 20:38). Before it is over, two-thirds of Israel will be cut off and perish, but one-third will be refined and tested by God. This remnant will eventually return to God (Zechariah 13:8-9), acknowledging that Christ is their Lord and God will restore and heal their land. END-TIME REVIVAL The second objective of the Tribulation is to redeem believers from around the world. Jesus tells us in Matthew 24:14 that before the end comes, the Gospel will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations. As a result, there will be an end-time revival, and multitudes will be saved (Revelation 7:9-14). JUDGMENT OF THE WICKED The third objective of the Tribulation is God’s judgment of the wicked, those unbelievers who hardened their hearts to Christ and refused to believe (2 Thessalonians 2:12). God will judge all flesh and punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity (Isaiah 26:21, Jeremiah 25:30-32). In Revelation, we are told that even amid the wrath of God, these unbelievers will continue to curse Him and refuse to repent of their deeds (Revelation 16:9, 11, 21). Although the Tribulation is inevitable, we know that God wants no one to perish. He is patient and wants everyone to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9). God has decided where and when each man must live so that they will search for Him and find Him though He is not far from any of us (Acts 17:26-27)! Before Jesus ascended to Heaven, He told us to go and make disciples of all nations and He assured us that He will be with us always, to the very end of the age (Matthew 28:19-20). While we wait on Jesus’ return, we have work to do, a Message to get to the world!
Trust
It’s a word with weight. The word trust is one that shouldn’t be used lightly. Ever had your trust broken? Ever been the one to lose someone’s trust? Then you know the struggle it truly is to rebuild. Even with that in mind, we find ourselves trusting in some form every single day. We trust in small things and big things. We trust the car will start or that the chair will hold when we sit. We trust others and ourselves in daily and life decisions. Every. Single. Day. Yet, here’s the thing…every single one of them can fail. Every. Single. One. After all we’re in the natural world and every single one of us are flawed humans. The car may not start, the chair may break. Someone we trust may hurt us, we may hurt someone that trusts us. Things break and people make mistakes. I feel like this is where you may be thinking “Duh Shahla!” but stick with me. If someone asks you do you trust God, what’s your answer? If like me, your answer is ‘of course’. Then why does my trust not always remain with Him? Ever try to “fix” a situation? Ever think God’s moving too slow so you “help”? I have. In the moment I let my fear take over. And sitting in my feelings I made a choice that I thought was “helpful”, that seemingly “solved” the problem. Somewhere along the way I thought my solution was better than trusting God and His outcome. The dictionary’s definition of trust is beautiful when read with God in mind. “trust: assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of (God) someone or something.” He is One who is utterly and completely trustworthy. My trust, our trust, ultimately needs to be in God and remain in Him. Do I trust God? It really is a yes or no answer. If my answer is yes, then my focus needs to be on putting my trust in Him, letting it remain with Him no matter the circumstances. I share from a place of acknowledgment that I have had my trust broken and I’ve also been the one to break trust. I know the painstaking, heartbreaking, journey rebuilding trust is. It’s why I’m so thankful you and I are able to leave our trust with the One who is unfailing, who is in the details, whose Living Word is meant to be believed and walked out each day. Our trust in God never has to be rebuilt because He is faithful and unchanging. I look at Psalms 62:8 every morning when I sit in what has become lovingly deemed, “my prayer chair,” and even with a daily reminder in front of me, I have had setbacks when I took my eyes off Jesus. If you’ve had a setback in trusting God remember today is a new day and we can ask for forgiveness for misplacing our trust and ask for his help placing our trust firmly in Him and to let it remain with Him. There are a few simple things we can do to help us keep our trust with the One who is completely trustworthy. Talk with God about misplacing our trust, which unfortunately fosters our doubts and fears. He knows this and is one of many reasons to ask for his help and wise counsel. Seek reminders of his trustworthiness, read His word and if you’re a journal keeper like me, then read old journals. You may be surprised at how many answered prayers and the faithfulness of God show up in those pages. Listen to good reminder songs of His trustworthiness. Worship music is a key to keeping our trust in Him. A few suggestions below. Lord, thank you for being completely trustworthy. You know my heart better than anyone, the good and the bad. I confess there are times I let my feelings take over and take my eyes off You. Please help my heart remain steadfast in Your promises and my trust to remain firmly in You. You are my King, You are a Promise Keeper, may these words be reflected in my heart and in my actions. In Jesus Name. Amen. This week’s playlist: King Of The World Natalie Grant Promises Maverick City Music Trust In You Lauren Daigle