This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
Revelation 6:17
DailyBibleStudy.Org
17 For [hoti] the great [megas] day [hemera] of his [autos] wrath [orge] is come; [erchomai] and [kai] who [tis] shall be able [dunamai] to stand [histemi]? KJV-Interlinear
17 for the great day of their wrath has come; and who is able to stand?" NASB
In chapters nine through eleven, much more of the wrath of God is revealed. Between the sixth and seventh trumpet, and the first and third woes, described in detail, there are seven thunders, which are not described. The descriptions of the seven thunders are in fact withheld from us, and will not be revealed until they actually occur.
Given that we have many horrible descriptions which will result in the death of half of the worlds population, one can only attempt to imagine the horror that the thunders represent.
Now, thus far in our study, of this chapter, we have only the highlights of the documented turmoil and judgments which are going to occur.
At the end of this chapter, people will be so horrified and in so much terror, from what they know is coming, that they wish and hope for mountains to fall on them and end their misery. Why, because Gods judgment has not yet been executed against them, but it is coming and they know it.
They (the population of the world) know, from all of the signs, from all of the events, from everything that is happening all around them, that this is indeed the end, typically described as the day of judgment, the day of the lord, Isa 2:10-11, 19-21; 13:9-13; 34:4,8; Ezek 32:7-8; Hos 10:8; Joel 2:11,30; Zeph 1:14; Mal 4:5.
Typically in our current day, when a storm or some huge event occurs people all say, rather arrogantly, ‘this is the sign of the end,’ when nothing of the sort is true.
Today people tend to exaggerate way out of proportion and way out of Gods timeline, the things that happen, probably just to gain influence or attention for themselves. Besides, it is rather fun to discuss, from the safety of our homes and computers, all of the possibilities.
Were the truth be known and understood, there are no prophecies that are designated for our dispensation, except for the Rapture. All events that occur in our dispensation are nothing more than the setting up of the stage for those final years and events of history, which will occur in the Tribulation.
When the steam engine was invented, it was to be the end of the world. When electricity was discovered, it was to be the end of the world. When the airplane was invented, it was to be the end of the world. When nuclear fission was discovered, it was most certainly the end of the world.
The end of the world has come and gone so many times, that certainly someone has even suggested that rap music must be an integral part of the end. And I heard on the news just a week ago, that some clerics have blamed all of the recent earthquakes on women who have large breasts. And if you are offended then get over it. But you can see that the absurd has no limitations.
The year 2000 was to be the end, and now it is the year 2012.
Well as these dates and events come and go, people have a tendency to look for something else, probably just to keep from being bored.
And no, the events in the Middle East, the events on Afghanistan and Pakistan, the events in Africa, the rising debt, and a long list of other things that are happening in the world, are not the signs of the end. Not even close.
The sign of the end, the day of the Lord, will come at one time and one time only in history and it will be within the seven year period of the Tribulation.
You and I and all believers now, in our dispensation of this Church Age, will never see that day.
From what we have already been studying, it should be very clear that in that day, the world will be literally falling apart, with death all around, and it will then and only then, be very clear to all (no exceptions), that the end has finally arrived.
There will not be any goofballs standing on the street corner holding signs announcing the end. There probably won’t be any street corners left on which to stand. There won’t be any news headlines. There probably won’t be any printed news left to read. There won’t be any journalists or reporters on site to cover the ‘end.’ They will be hiding like everyone else, if indeed they are still alive.
What is important to you and me and to all believers, even unbelievers, in our current day, is Christ and doctrine.
As an unbeliever, you need to believe in Christ so that you will avoid that future horrible day. It will not be an adventure, it will not be something that you would want to experience. Try putting your face into a burning hot fire, just for the experience of it, then perhaps you will gain some understanding of the seriousness of all of this.
You have heard of blonde jokes, that make fun of mindless people who wander through life in a fog. Well, most people today, act as though they possess this blonde mentality. And instead of being unable to handle things of a serious nature, they choose to ignore them.
It is much more fun to have rosy glows and sing songs, and repeat verses, and gossip over the recent ‘end of days’ news.
Knuckling down to a daily nuts and bolts study, just isn’t much fun.
So where do you suppose all of this will lead?
Why?
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Showing posts with label Revelation 6. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Revelation 6. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Monday, May 10, 2010
Revelation 6:16
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
Revelation 6:16
DailyBibleStudy.Org
16 And [kai] said [lego] to the mountains [oros] and [kai] rocks, [petra] Fall [pipto] on [epi] us, [hemas] and [kai] hide [krupto] us [hemas] from [apo] the face [prosopon] of him that sitteth [kathemai] on [epi] the throne, [thronos] and [kai] from [apo] the wrath [orge] of the Lamb: [arnion] KJV-Interlinear
16 and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; NASB
Ever since Satan rebelled against God, all of creation has been groaning in the midst of travail, Rom. 8:22, which simply means to be under the obligation to work, in agony, in torment, under extreme pressure, burdened without relief.
When God created the universe, He created it in complete perfection, Isa. 45:18, with the purpose of being inhabited throughout. Satan’s rebellion sent everything into a tailspin, including planet earth.
When God created man, He placed him in a perfect garden environment. Man sinned and that caused the perfection of the garden to be closed off, and brought burdens in all forms into the human race, as well as planet earth.
Mans only way out of this mess, was the promise of a savior, and Christ’s eventual victory over sin and death, neither of which God caused.
To look away from God is to perpetuate the travail or burden that all of creation is forced to endure. To look to God, through Christ, means that there is a bright light at the end of the tunnel and a destiny separated away from the burdens of old.
When one is under extreme pressure, even facing death, which is it best to look to for help, the world which has no help, or to God who has the solution?
After the attack on the twin towers of September 11, 2001, many stories came out, indicating bravery and faith. Of those who survived and were in or near the collapsing buildings, came stories of prayer and hope, even of a quick end to what seemed to be their last dying breath. There were many stories of people thinking, ‘Please Lord, take me quick.’
We can look to history and see many similar stories from people who have been under great pressure and in extreme circumstances, and their hope was always to God. And whether their situation was in the concentration camps of world war two, or from some other dramatic situation, to them, their situation would have seemed dire and hopeless. But still their thoughts were of God and hope.
In the Tribulation, we have already studied the many difficulties that people will face, and thus far, know that due to mans failing plans, one-fourth of the population of the world will die. That is a lot of people. And though we have not studied it yet, still another fourth of the world will die from other judgments, making the death total, one-half of the total population of the world, before the Second Advent.
And yet people will still not figure it all out, that their way is the wrong way and that Christ is their only answer.
And rather than turning to Christ, they continue to look to human solutions, and face constant death and terror from all aspects of life. Judgment after judgment will pound them, and their terror will make them run in fear, from their only answer.
At some point in peoples lives, they will admit that God is more powerful, but they will wish and hope for their own death, rather than being left in the hands of His judgment. They recognize the truth, but still make the wrong decision.
Anyone can easily believe in Christ, in an instant, and solve their eternal destiny.
But, arrogance and indifference toward doctrine, blind people so badly, that they are unable to bring themselves to believe in Christ, even when they recognize His power.
Jesus Christ in the one who sits on the throne in heaven. The lamb is the work of Christ on the Cross. It is through this means only, that people can be saved.
And as this chapter ends, and as these Tribulation highlights come to an end, people in the Tribulation, unbelievers most of them, will finally recognize where the real power and control is, but instead of turning to Christ for help, they will run and hide and wish that the world, their first hope, will save them.
Interestingly, unbelievers or negative peoples, will look to that which cannot save, for salvation (their death), from Him who can save. As though dying will serve to isolate one from Gods wrath, and end the terror. And again, interestingly enough, the second death will actually isolate the unbeliever from God, in the Lake of Fire, but it will not bring relief from terror, but only increase it dramatically, and make things worse, forever. This is the quintessence of confusion, delusion, and detachment from reality.
But then, it applies to everyone throughout history, who rejects truth, and not just to those in the Tribulation.
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Revelation 6:16
DailyBibleStudy.Org
16 And [kai] said [lego] to the mountains [oros] and [kai] rocks, [petra] Fall [pipto] on [epi] us, [hemas] and [kai] hide [krupto] us [hemas] from [apo] the face [prosopon] of him that sitteth [kathemai] on [epi] the throne, [thronos] and [kai] from [apo] the wrath [orge] of the Lamb: [arnion] KJV-Interlinear
16 and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; NASB
Ever since Satan rebelled against God, all of creation has been groaning in the midst of travail, Rom. 8:22, which simply means to be under the obligation to work, in agony, in torment, under extreme pressure, burdened without relief.
When God created the universe, He created it in complete perfection, Isa. 45:18, with the purpose of being inhabited throughout. Satan’s rebellion sent everything into a tailspin, including planet earth.
When God created man, He placed him in a perfect garden environment. Man sinned and that caused the perfection of the garden to be closed off, and brought burdens in all forms into the human race, as well as planet earth.
Mans only way out of this mess, was the promise of a savior, and Christ’s eventual victory over sin and death, neither of which God caused.
To look away from God is to perpetuate the travail or burden that all of creation is forced to endure. To look to God, through Christ, means that there is a bright light at the end of the tunnel and a destiny separated away from the burdens of old.
When one is under extreme pressure, even facing death, which is it best to look to for help, the world which has no help, or to God who has the solution?
After the attack on the twin towers of September 11, 2001, many stories came out, indicating bravery and faith. Of those who survived and were in or near the collapsing buildings, came stories of prayer and hope, even of a quick end to what seemed to be their last dying breath. There were many stories of people thinking, ‘Please Lord, take me quick.’
We can look to history and see many similar stories from people who have been under great pressure and in extreme circumstances, and their hope was always to God. And whether their situation was in the concentration camps of world war two, or from some other dramatic situation, to them, their situation would have seemed dire and hopeless. But still their thoughts were of God and hope.
In the Tribulation, we have already studied the many difficulties that people will face, and thus far, know that due to mans failing plans, one-fourth of the population of the world will die. That is a lot of people. And though we have not studied it yet, still another fourth of the world will die from other judgments, making the death total, one-half of the total population of the world, before the Second Advent.
And yet people will still not figure it all out, that their way is the wrong way and that Christ is their only answer.
And rather than turning to Christ, they continue to look to human solutions, and face constant death and terror from all aspects of life. Judgment after judgment will pound them, and their terror will make them run in fear, from their only answer.
At some point in peoples lives, they will admit that God is more powerful, but they will wish and hope for their own death, rather than being left in the hands of His judgment. They recognize the truth, but still make the wrong decision.
Anyone can easily believe in Christ, in an instant, and solve their eternal destiny.
But, arrogance and indifference toward doctrine, blind people so badly, that they are unable to bring themselves to believe in Christ, even when they recognize His power.
Jesus Christ in the one who sits on the throne in heaven. The lamb is the work of Christ on the Cross. It is through this means only, that people can be saved.
And as this chapter ends, and as these Tribulation highlights come to an end, people in the Tribulation, unbelievers most of them, will finally recognize where the real power and control is, but instead of turning to Christ for help, they will run and hide and wish that the world, their first hope, will save them.
Interestingly, unbelievers or negative peoples, will look to that which cannot save, for salvation (their death), from Him who can save. As though dying will serve to isolate one from Gods wrath, and end the terror. And again, interestingly enough, the second death will actually isolate the unbeliever from God, in the Lake of Fire, but it will not bring relief from terror, but only increase it dramatically, and make things worse, forever. This is the quintessence of confusion, delusion, and detachment from reality.
But then, it applies to everyone throughout history, who rejects truth, and not just to those in the Tribulation.
Feel Free to make a comment about this study: Comment Page
If you are a Facebook member, then please join the Bible Study Group that best suits you:
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Daily Bible Study Quick Links
Go to this quick links page, and save it in your bookmarks for quick access to the daily studies.
Two subscription options to receive these daily studies everyday via e-mail, are available here.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Revelation 6:15
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
Revelation 6:15
DailyBibleStudy.Org
15 And [kai] the kings [basileus] of the earth, [ge] and [kai] the great men, [megistanes] and [kai] the rich men, [plousios] and [kai] the chief captains, [chiliarchos] and [kai] the mighty men, [dunatos] and [kai] every [pas] bondman, [doulos] and [kai] every [pas] free man, [eleutheros] hid [krupto] themselves [heautou] in [eis] the dens [spelaion] and [kai] in [eis] the rocks [petra] of the mountains; [oros] KJV-Interlinear
15 And the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; NASB
And just who will be affected by the circumstances that have been set loose in this world? Everyone.
Kings – All leaders in government.
Great men - High officers of state, appointed, hired, or elected.
Rich men – People of wealth or celebrityship and worldly success.
Chief captains - Commanders of armies, commanders in business or enterprise of every type.
Mighty men - People of great prowess in battle, or business, who feel by their success or beliefs that they have no need of God.
Bondman - slaves or all workers in all classes that have not already been included in any of the above.
Freeman - masters of their own destiny (in their own eyes). And again, everyone who has not already been included in a list.
The idea is, that all classes of people, high and low, would be filled with alarm, distress, fear and anger, and ultimately terror.
To hide ones self from life, requires tremendous distress in ones life. Most folks can handle terrible tragedies in their life. They deal with the trouble and they get through it. But in the Tribulation, trouble will be so overwhelming, the world will be so chaotic, that even the bravest of people, even the most stable, the most poised, the most educated, the most of anything that people possess which gives them confidence and mental stability in life, then none of these attributes will be sufficient to calm their nerves.
People will come unglued, overwhelmed with terror, and they will hide as all of life unravels all around them.
These are just descriptive words, and to most folks, words just do not convey the real terror that will occur in that future period. And to describe an era where the total population of the world will cower in absolute fear, is almost beyond the ability of words.
And the fear does not come only from storms and earthquakes and such, most of it comes from people. People who are gangs on the hunt for theft and murder and rape and torture and worse.
Most of the worlds population will be helpless in their communities or homes or wherever they happen to be. Remember that public services, and commercial businesses will be all but dismantled in the tyranny and chaos, so people will be without transportation, without income, without food, without decent shelter.
Even the things that you take for granted like an aspirin for a headache, or medicine for allergies, or bandaids for cuts and worse, food, water, toilets, will not be available. This makes for a really bad environment and a miserable life.
Again, look to exactly what we have been studying in this chapter. We have only the words, only the headlines, on a scroll being revealed. We know of the white horse, the red horse, the black horse, the grey horse, the prayers of fallen believers, the instability of the planet, the total disruption of life and the extreme misery that will come to everyone.
That is all that has thus far been revealed.
The scroll has writing on both sides, which means tremendous details of all of these events and circumstances, but we are only given the chapter headings, so to speak.
And these are all future. So this writing to us and to everyone in our current dispensation, is a warning, that if you have not believed in Christ, and if the Rapture does occur in your lifetime, then you will be living in this disastrous time, and you will be pushed to the brink of your fears and beyond.
Today we have the writing. Unfortunately most folks will not read this book or any study concerning it. Most folks do not do much reading, let alone recognize the consequences of life due to their day to day decisions.
But soon the trumpets will blow. That is coming up later on, but what is the difference between a written document and a blast of a trumpet? Well, most folks won’t read, but they will look up when they hear trumpets.
What are trumpets used for? They sound an alarm. They announce the arrival of something or someone. They get attention, when a document does not draw the necessary attention required.
Documents have to be opened, read, pages turned, and comprehended. An awful lot of work for a person these days. But documents can give information long in advance of an event, such that you could have more than enough time to get prepared.
The trumpets, on the other hand, make an announcement of things that are imminent. Someone is about to enter a room, something is about to arrive. And these things are already on their way, and cannot be stopped. Early preparation is nearly impossible.
And that is the purpose of the trumpets that we will be studying pretty soon. They will be the next level of warning.
And then we will see the bowls being poured out, and that is the actual action of all of these events that will bring the world to its knees and worse.
While many different things will be described within each of these groups, all of the activities and events will take place on a scale that is beyond our comprehension. Even scary movies cannot convey to your personal experience, the fear and terror and horror that will take place.
And just as people do not generally take notice of massive earthquakes and death tolls, of volcanoes that disrupt transportation in an entire continent, rising debt and people rioting because of lost benefits, the rise of socialism and the rise of attacks against biblical principles, which any one of these is sufficient to get noticed, then so too, as time advances and when the Tribulation actually begins, people will still be blind to the extreme events occurring in their day.
One wonders just how far humanity has to be pushed before people get it. And that question is actually answered within this book of Revelation. Humanity will be pushed to the very brink of extinction, and still most of the population will reject truth, and the error of their ways.
It should be easy to see how people even now, reject truth, as the trials of life are relatively gentle, when compared to what they will become in the future. And that is unfortunate.
Feel Free to make a comment about this study: Comment Page
If you are a Facebook member, then please join the Bible Study Group that best suits you:
Facebook Groups
Daily Bible Study Quick Links
Go to this quick links page, and save it in your bookmarks for quick access to the daily studies.
Two subscription options to receive these daily studies everyday via e-mail, are available here.
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
Revelation 6:15
DailyBibleStudy.Org
15 And [kai] the kings [basileus] of the earth, [ge] and [kai] the great men, [megistanes] and [kai] the rich men, [plousios] and [kai] the chief captains, [chiliarchos] and [kai] the mighty men, [dunatos] and [kai] every [pas] bondman, [doulos] and [kai] every [pas] free man, [eleutheros] hid [krupto] themselves [heautou] in [eis] the dens [spelaion] and [kai] in [eis] the rocks [petra] of the mountains; [oros] KJV-Interlinear
15 And the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; NASB
And just who will be affected by the circumstances that have been set loose in this world? Everyone.
Kings – All leaders in government.
Great men - High officers of state, appointed, hired, or elected.
Rich men – People of wealth or celebrityship and worldly success.
Chief captains - Commanders of armies, commanders in business or enterprise of every type.
Mighty men - People of great prowess in battle, or business, who feel by their success or beliefs that they have no need of God.
Bondman - slaves or all workers in all classes that have not already been included in any of the above.
Freeman - masters of their own destiny (in their own eyes). And again, everyone who has not already been included in a list.
The idea is, that all classes of people, high and low, would be filled with alarm, distress, fear and anger, and ultimately terror.
To hide ones self from life, requires tremendous distress in ones life. Most folks can handle terrible tragedies in their life. They deal with the trouble and they get through it. But in the Tribulation, trouble will be so overwhelming, the world will be so chaotic, that even the bravest of people, even the most stable, the most poised, the most educated, the most of anything that people possess which gives them confidence and mental stability in life, then none of these attributes will be sufficient to calm their nerves.
People will come unglued, overwhelmed with terror, and they will hide as all of life unravels all around them.
These are just descriptive words, and to most folks, words just do not convey the real terror that will occur in that future period. And to describe an era where the total population of the world will cower in absolute fear, is almost beyond the ability of words.
And the fear does not come only from storms and earthquakes and such, most of it comes from people. People who are gangs on the hunt for theft and murder and rape and torture and worse.
Most of the worlds population will be helpless in their communities or homes or wherever they happen to be. Remember that public services, and commercial businesses will be all but dismantled in the tyranny and chaos, so people will be without transportation, without income, without food, without decent shelter.
Even the things that you take for granted like an aspirin for a headache, or medicine for allergies, or bandaids for cuts and worse, food, water, toilets, will not be available. This makes for a really bad environment and a miserable life.
Again, look to exactly what we have been studying in this chapter. We have only the words, only the headlines, on a scroll being revealed. We know of the white horse, the red horse, the black horse, the grey horse, the prayers of fallen believers, the instability of the planet, the total disruption of life and the extreme misery that will come to everyone.
That is all that has thus far been revealed.
The scroll has writing on both sides, which means tremendous details of all of these events and circumstances, but we are only given the chapter headings, so to speak.
And these are all future. So this writing to us and to everyone in our current dispensation, is a warning, that if you have not believed in Christ, and if the Rapture does occur in your lifetime, then you will be living in this disastrous time, and you will be pushed to the brink of your fears and beyond.
Today we have the writing. Unfortunately most folks will not read this book or any study concerning it. Most folks do not do much reading, let alone recognize the consequences of life due to their day to day decisions.
But soon the trumpets will blow. That is coming up later on, but what is the difference between a written document and a blast of a trumpet? Well, most folks won’t read, but they will look up when they hear trumpets.
What are trumpets used for? They sound an alarm. They announce the arrival of something or someone. They get attention, when a document does not draw the necessary attention required.
Documents have to be opened, read, pages turned, and comprehended. An awful lot of work for a person these days. But documents can give information long in advance of an event, such that you could have more than enough time to get prepared.
The trumpets, on the other hand, make an announcement of things that are imminent. Someone is about to enter a room, something is about to arrive. And these things are already on their way, and cannot be stopped. Early preparation is nearly impossible.
And that is the purpose of the trumpets that we will be studying pretty soon. They will be the next level of warning.
And then we will see the bowls being poured out, and that is the actual action of all of these events that will bring the world to its knees and worse.
While many different things will be described within each of these groups, all of the activities and events will take place on a scale that is beyond our comprehension. Even scary movies cannot convey to your personal experience, the fear and terror and horror that will take place.
And just as people do not generally take notice of massive earthquakes and death tolls, of volcanoes that disrupt transportation in an entire continent, rising debt and people rioting because of lost benefits, the rise of socialism and the rise of attacks against biblical principles, which any one of these is sufficient to get noticed, then so too, as time advances and when the Tribulation actually begins, people will still be blind to the extreme events occurring in their day.
One wonders just how far humanity has to be pushed before people get it. And that question is actually answered within this book of Revelation. Humanity will be pushed to the very brink of extinction, and still most of the population will reject truth, and the error of their ways.
It should be easy to see how people even now, reject truth, as the trials of life are relatively gentle, when compared to what they will become in the future. And that is unfortunate.
Feel Free to make a comment about this study: Comment Page
If you are a Facebook member, then please join the Bible Study Group that best suits you:
Facebook Groups
Daily Bible Study Quick Links
Go to this quick links page, and save it in your bookmarks for quick access to the daily studies.
Two subscription options to receive these daily studies everyday via e-mail, are available here.
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Revelation 6:14
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
Revelation 6:14
DailyBibleStudy.Org
14 And [kai] the heaven [ouranos] departed [apochorizo] as [hos] a scroll [biblion] when it is rolled together; [heilisso] and [kai] every [pas] mountain [oros] and [kai] island [nesos] were moved [kineo] out of [ek] their [autos] places. [topos] KJV-Interlinear
14 And the sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. NASB
The mountains and islands moving out of their place reflect the universal worldwide application of all of the events and instabilities that we have been studying. The rolling up of the sky represents the violent turmoil which will overtake the daily lives of people all over the world.
This will become a really bad day which just won't end, and actually will continue for years.
If you have ever been a witness to, or have seen on television, some of those storm chaser shows, where they show the storms in the sky with the cloud formations seemingly churning and rolling with great momentum and power and violence, lightning, and thunder, then you can get some idea as to how the world is going to be.
Not just stormy, for certainly there will be violent earthquakes and storms galore, but remember that in this chapter, symbolism is the means being used to describe what life is going to be like during the Tribulation.
John is only hitting the highlights through what little has been revealed by the unsealing of the scroll in the six seals thus far.
Here in these verses of chapter 6 we see the overall picture of the governments, society, economies, crime and mans policy and attitude in general, on this earth, which have all gone bad. In chapter 16 we will see more detail as to mother natures literal role in the Tribulation.
The whole picture being painted gives us the view of the universal troubles and consternation and circumstances that will be worldwide, giving a normal person, every indication that the end of the world is very much a real thing and very near, and not just the sign being held by some nut on a street corner like we might see today.
We can even look to our own history and contemporary events like the great depression, world war two, and the events in Greece in recent weeks and even the events of the stock markets of these past few days. World debt is on the rise at alarming rates, riots are occurring because people do not want to lose their government promised benefits. Views of life are upside down as people look to government for their livelihood rather than to a free enterprise system.
Jobs and prosperity come from business not government, but then we have not seen a free enterprise system for many decades as rules and regulations have eaten away at the free economies of the world, and as troubles have developed resulting in not government being blamed, but business being blamed for what government does.
And so today we have examples on a small scale, of what life is going to be like in the Tribulation, but on a massive worldwide scale in that future period. And, there will be no mechanism for stabilizing all of the trouble because the world will have gone to a one world concept rather than on the safe independent nation concept for economic systems to survive. Europe went with the Euro currency and as goes that currency, so goes all of those countries. Different currencies do have their stabilizing attributes.
When the rapture occurs, all believers are removed from the planet leaving only unbelievers to deal with life. Man will then have his opportunity to solve his own problems, and he fails miserably. Without believers in this world, there is no stability, no preservation, no clear thinking, no innovation with which to approach even the simplest problem.
Man deteriorates miserably in his own dug out pit. When Satan is cast out of heaven at the mid point of the Tribulation (see chapter 12), then even his plan is not to solve mans problems, but to destroy man, and more specifically all Jews in Jerusalem, because God has promised to return to Jerusalem to rescue them, and all believers worldwide, because God has promised their (mature believers in hiding) rescue as well.
Were it not for the new believers who would believe in Christ, during this future seven year Tribulation period, the trouble would be even worse. But now we have seen thus far in six of the seven seals, the overwhelming trouble that is awaiting the world.
The last few verses will describe the intensity of the pressure people have to deal with thus far, but the seventh seal will not reveal any relief but the contrary. Greater judgments are on the horizon. But too the intensity of Bible teaching will grow as well. There is always an out … if you take it.
This is all future stuff of course, but the same principles of Bible study apply to our individual lives today just as they applied to all generations in the past, and will continue to apply to all generations in the future.
Become and remain positive toward God in your daily life or suffer the consequences. Stupid people think that they do not need God, or they are, for whatever reason, embarrassed to discuss or even consider God in their lives.
For women it might be a social thing - 'Oh pooh! It's all just silly children stories.' Men on the other hand might think it beneath their macho skin. Whatever your excuse is for ignoring God in your life, your decision to avoid the truth is your own stupidity. Unfortunately you'll discover your mistake too late … maybe.
Well, there is still more description to come in the next two verses, and they are worse than you can imagine.
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Go to this quick links page, and save it in your bookmarks for quick access to the daily studies.
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Revelation 6:14
DailyBibleStudy.Org
14 And [kai] the heaven [ouranos] departed [apochorizo] as [hos] a scroll [biblion] when it is rolled together; [heilisso] and [kai] every [pas] mountain [oros] and [kai] island [nesos] were moved [kineo] out of [ek] their [autos] places. [topos] KJV-Interlinear
14 And the sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. NASB
The mountains and islands moving out of their place reflect the universal worldwide application of all of the events and instabilities that we have been studying. The rolling up of the sky represents the violent turmoil which will overtake the daily lives of people all over the world.
This will become a really bad day which just won't end, and actually will continue for years.
If you have ever been a witness to, or have seen on television, some of those storm chaser shows, where they show the storms in the sky with the cloud formations seemingly churning and rolling with great momentum and power and violence, lightning, and thunder, then you can get some idea as to how the world is going to be.
Not just stormy, for certainly there will be violent earthquakes and storms galore, but remember that in this chapter, symbolism is the means being used to describe what life is going to be like during the Tribulation.
John is only hitting the highlights through what little has been revealed by the unsealing of the scroll in the six seals thus far.
Here in these verses of chapter 6 we see the overall picture of the governments, society, economies, crime and mans policy and attitude in general, on this earth, which have all gone bad. In chapter 16 we will see more detail as to mother natures literal role in the Tribulation.
The whole picture being painted gives us the view of the universal troubles and consternation and circumstances that will be worldwide, giving a normal person, every indication that the end of the world is very much a real thing and very near, and not just the sign being held by some nut on a street corner like we might see today.
We can even look to our own history and contemporary events like the great depression, world war two, and the events in Greece in recent weeks and even the events of the stock markets of these past few days. World debt is on the rise at alarming rates, riots are occurring because people do not want to lose their government promised benefits. Views of life are upside down as people look to government for their livelihood rather than to a free enterprise system.
Jobs and prosperity come from business not government, but then we have not seen a free enterprise system for many decades as rules and regulations have eaten away at the free economies of the world, and as troubles have developed resulting in not government being blamed, but business being blamed for what government does.
And so today we have examples on a small scale, of what life is going to be like in the Tribulation, but on a massive worldwide scale in that future period. And, there will be no mechanism for stabilizing all of the trouble because the world will have gone to a one world concept rather than on the safe independent nation concept for economic systems to survive. Europe went with the Euro currency and as goes that currency, so goes all of those countries. Different currencies do have their stabilizing attributes.
When the rapture occurs, all believers are removed from the planet leaving only unbelievers to deal with life. Man will then have his opportunity to solve his own problems, and he fails miserably. Without believers in this world, there is no stability, no preservation, no clear thinking, no innovation with which to approach even the simplest problem.
Man deteriorates miserably in his own dug out pit. When Satan is cast out of heaven at the mid point of the Tribulation (see chapter 12), then even his plan is not to solve mans problems, but to destroy man, and more specifically all Jews in Jerusalem, because God has promised to return to Jerusalem to rescue them, and all believers worldwide, because God has promised their (mature believers in hiding) rescue as well.
Were it not for the new believers who would believe in Christ, during this future seven year Tribulation period, the trouble would be even worse. But now we have seen thus far in six of the seven seals, the overwhelming trouble that is awaiting the world.
The last few verses will describe the intensity of the pressure people have to deal with thus far, but the seventh seal will not reveal any relief but the contrary. Greater judgments are on the horizon. But too the intensity of Bible teaching will grow as well. There is always an out … if you take it.
This is all future stuff of course, but the same principles of Bible study apply to our individual lives today just as they applied to all generations in the past, and will continue to apply to all generations in the future.
Become and remain positive toward God in your daily life or suffer the consequences. Stupid people think that they do not need God, or they are, for whatever reason, embarrassed to discuss or even consider God in their lives.
For women it might be a social thing - 'Oh pooh! It's all just silly children stories.' Men on the other hand might think it beneath their macho skin. Whatever your excuse is for ignoring God in your life, your decision to avoid the truth is your own stupidity. Unfortunately you'll discover your mistake too late … maybe.
Well, there is still more description to come in the next two verses, and they are worse than you can imagine.
Feel Free to make a comment about this study: Comment Page
If you are a Facebook member, then please join the Bible Study Group that best suits you:
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Daily Bible Study Quick Links
Go to this quick links page, and save it in your bookmarks for quick access to the daily studies.
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Friday, May 7, 2010
Revelation 6:13
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
Revelation 6:13
DailyBibleStudy.Org
13 And [kai] the stars [aster] of heaven [ouranos] fell [pipto] unto [eis] the earth, [ge] even as [hos] a fig tree [suke] casteth [ballo] her [autos] untimely figs, [olunthos] when she is shaken [seio] of [hupo] a mighty [megas] wind. [anemos] KJV-Interlinear
13 and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. NASB
The stars, is a word for the literal stars in the heavens, but John is using symbolism here to depict something else.
Stars are also used as expressions for love, for hopes and dreams, for wishes, for leaders and rulers. And just as when one is wishing on a star, and those wishes come easily and disappear just as easily, so too, the would be leaders of this world, who have come into their power as wishful thinking, will leave their positions just as easily.
The figs falling out of season are those which did not fall during a timely manner. That is, they did not fall during harvest time in the autumn, but did not ripen and so remained on the tree into the winter. The fruit will never ripen, will never orient to the seasons, and simply refuses to go away, sucking the good juices of the tree, so as to weaken the tree. So a powerful storm comes along to cast them off of the tree and forever to the ground where they will never be useful for anything. But the tree is saved to produce more and better fruit.
So it is in the sixth seal. Man is arrogant and decadent to the max. All the problems in the Tribulation will lead to revolution, riots, and the overthrow of governments. Governments will fall. The leaders will fall, and so these are the stars that will fall from the heights of their own appointed positions.
Revolt after revolt will occur. Corruption and rage will abound throughout the weaker nations of the world, and instability will abound. The masses of the common folk will fall in the midst of all this violence just like the strong winds shake up the fig tree and cleanse its bad fruit. Satan and his band, also, will be cast out of heaven and down to this earth.
If you have noticed, almost every spring and fall has its violent storms. These storms cleanse the trees of their leaves and dead branches and such, and make way for new growth. So it will be with planet earth. The dead stuff, those unbelievers who will never believe, and those believers who are hard core negative toward God, all these will be cleansed by these judgments.
And just as is takes just a little wind, and only wind to cleanse the dead and worthless fruit off of the trees, so too, the removal of worthless leadership will fall just as easily. They have no real power, no real strength, no real resources, no insight with regard to their role in life.
All rulers, all celebrities, all wealthy, all people of influence and position in this world, have a responsibility to preserve, to promote and to protect truth. Truth is the content of the Word of God, which includes all God given rights and privileges to humanity.
Man (leadership, etc.) distorts truth and attempts to substitute human social ideas, in order to convince and persuade the masses to follow them, while at the same time cornering all worldly advantages for themselves.
Thus they make promises in order to keep the poor, poor, and their own power and advantages, intact. This approach in life never works. And as it is documented here, all leadership on all levels, in all aspects of life, will fail and fall.
The French peasantry revolted during their revolution, and the heads of the royals and aristocrats, politicians and even prostitutes, came off, quite literally. The guillotine did not rest for weeks as tens of thousands were systematically executed.
And so the picture of the Tribulation comes together. A dismal time, when tyranny and chaos reign, as starvation and atrocities take their toll on human life.
And we are not done building this description, even yet.
Feel Free to make a comment about this study: Comment Page
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Daily Bible Study Quick Links
Go to this quick links page, and save it in your bookmarks for quick access to the daily studies.
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DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
Revelation 6:13
DailyBibleStudy.Org
13 And [kai] the stars [aster] of heaven [ouranos] fell [pipto] unto [eis] the earth, [ge] even as [hos] a fig tree [suke] casteth [ballo] her [autos] untimely figs, [olunthos] when she is shaken [seio] of [hupo] a mighty [megas] wind. [anemos] KJV-Interlinear
13 and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. NASB
The stars, is a word for the literal stars in the heavens, but John is using symbolism here to depict something else.
Stars are also used as expressions for love, for hopes and dreams, for wishes, for leaders and rulers. And just as when one is wishing on a star, and those wishes come easily and disappear just as easily, so too, the would be leaders of this world, who have come into their power as wishful thinking, will leave their positions just as easily.
The figs falling out of season are those which did not fall during a timely manner. That is, they did not fall during harvest time in the autumn, but did not ripen and so remained on the tree into the winter. The fruit will never ripen, will never orient to the seasons, and simply refuses to go away, sucking the good juices of the tree, so as to weaken the tree. So a powerful storm comes along to cast them off of the tree and forever to the ground where they will never be useful for anything. But the tree is saved to produce more and better fruit.
So it is in the sixth seal. Man is arrogant and decadent to the max. All the problems in the Tribulation will lead to revolution, riots, and the overthrow of governments. Governments will fall. The leaders will fall, and so these are the stars that will fall from the heights of their own appointed positions.
Revolt after revolt will occur. Corruption and rage will abound throughout the weaker nations of the world, and instability will abound. The masses of the common folk will fall in the midst of all this violence just like the strong winds shake up the fig tree and cleanse its bad fruit. Satan and his band, also, will be cast out of heaven and down to this earth.
If you have noticed, almost every spring and fall has its violent storms. These storms cleanse the trees of their leaves and dead branches and such, and make way for new growth. So it will be with planet earth. The dead stuff, those unbelievers who will never believe, and those believers who are hard core negative toward God, all these will be cleansed by these judgments.
And just as is takes just a little wind, and only wind to cleanse the dead and worthless fruit off of the trees, so too, the removal of worthless leadership will fall just as easily. They have no real power, no real strength, no real resources, no insight with regard to their role in life.
All rulers, all celebrities, all wealthy, all people of influence and position in this world, have a responsibility to preserve, to promote and to protect truth. Truth is the content of the Word of God, which includes all God given rights and privileges to humanity.
Man (leadership, etc.) distorts truth and attempts to substitute human social ideas, in order to convince and persuade the masses to follow them, while at the same time cornering all worldly advantages for themselves.
Thus they make promises in order to keep the poor, poor, and their own power and advantages, intact. This approach in life never works. And as it is documented here, all leadership on all levels, in all aspects of life, will fail and fall.
The French peasantry revolted during their revolution, and the heads of the royals and aristocrats, politicians and even prostitutes, came off, quite literally. The guillotine did not rest for weeks as tens of thousands were systematically executed.
And so the picture of the Tribulation comes together. A dismal time, when tyranny and chaos reign, as starvation and atrocities take their toll on human life.
And we are not done building this description, even yet.
Feel Free to make a comment about this study: Comment Page
If you are a Facebook member, then please join the Bible Study Group that best suits you:
Facebook Groups
Daily Bible Study Quick Links
Go to this quick links page, and save it in your bookmarks for quick access to the daily studies.
Two subscription options to receive these daily studies everyday via e-mail, are available here.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Revelation 6:12b
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
Revelation 6:12b
DailyBibleStudy.Org
12 And [kai] I beheld [eido] when [hote] he had opened [anoigo] the sixth [hektos] seal, [sphragis] and, [kai] lo, [idou] there was [ginomai] a great [megas] earthquake; [seismos] and [kai] the sun [helios] became [ginomai] black [melas] as [hos] sackcloth [sakkos] of hair, [trichinos] and [kai] the moon [selene] became [ginomai] as [hos] blood; [haima] KJV-Interlinear
12 And I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; NASB
From the time that Adam and Eve were in the Garden, Jesus Christ walked daily with them, but they were still fooled and chose sin and failed.
From the time of their eviction out of the Garden to the Flood, there is every indication of strong scriptural influence. The conflict between Cain and Abel demonstrated mans rejection of Gods sacrificial requirements (Gods work), and the building o the Ark indicated mans rejection of Gods warnings and salvation methodology.
After the flood, the time of the Patriarchs, the time of the enslavement, the development of a nation, the time of the Judges, the desire to be ruled by man rather than God, right down to the time of the birth of the Savior, humanity failed terribly, even though humanity had prophets and scriptures, and miracles galore.
After the First Advent, humanity had only the written word, and the supporting ministry of the Holy Spirit. No more prophets, no more miracles, per se, nothing to guide man but faith and words written on a page, and still man failed.
When the Rapture occurs, then the Holy Spirit (the restraining ministry) will be removed from the world, and sin will be allowed to run rampant with no constraints. Things will get really bad, as we have already seen from the first four seals.
Throughout all of human history, God has held everything together in one way or another, but humanity has wanted to have things his own way, so with the Tribulation, humanity will get his wish. And what do they say about making wishes? Be careful what you wish for!
I am sure that during your life you have had encounters with people who have wished God away, or presume that they can do things better than God. And here is the chance that everyone has expressed – the Tribulation.
And how bad will life get?
Well, we discussed it a bit yesterday, but now for a more in-depth look at the symbolism in this verse and the remainder of this chapter.
A great earthquake, ‘megas seismos,’ meaning exceedingly great, mighty, overwhelming. And earthquake, means just that, or a tempest or a raging storm. This term is in the feminine gender, and for good reason. Have you ever encountered a woman on the warpath? Well, if you have been around for any length of time, then you know that among the females of the species, the hormones can bring about such drama and attitude, that if you are ever caught in the crosshairs as their victim, your life won’t be worth even doggie doo-doo.
And under the leadership of man, absent Gods restraints, the world will be in full rebellion.
The sun being black as sackcloth of hair, is a reference to the rough apparel made of black goat hair, and is worn when a person is in extreme mourning and grieving over the loss of loved ones, or over the loss of ones situation.
The moon becoming blood red, is a reference to the total disruption of the normal cycles of life. The moon is used to chart and determine the calendar and the seasons, but when it is out of whack, then life is out of whack. The moon normally is used to display love and contentment, but a disrupted moon means sleepless nights, despair, anxiety, hopelessness with both physical and mental pain. Even suicide is considered as normal if it will allow ones escape from troubles. And the troubles of the world will be immense.
And so John begins to paint a picture of extreme, beyond imagination, gloom and doom.
This is not like losing ones job, or a home because of a storm, because you usually have alternatives for help, whether insurance or savings or charities, or family or some type of resource that can step in and help. In those situations the difficulty may be great, but it is usually short lived or at least gives you a way out.
In the Tribulation, there will be no help to turn to. Law and order will be gone. Gangs will roam and do as they please. Public services will be in huge disarray and virtually ineffective. Disasters will be worldwide. Laws will prevent you from doing almost anything, and if you lose your identification or papers, then you are screwed big time. And business and jobs will be hammered into non-existence.
And, this is only the beginning of the outlook on life that people will have during this the most terrible period of human history ever.
John paints a picture of a very high stress and dismal time, where hopelessness and helplessness will rule.
So, wouldn’t you think that people would come to Christ in droves?
Some will, most won’t.
Feel Free to make a comment about this study: Comment Page
If you are a Facebook member, then please join the Bible Study Group that best suits you:
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Daily Bible Study Quick Links
Go to this quick links page, and save it in your bookmarks for quick access to the daily studies.
Two subscription options to receive these daily studies everyday via e-mail, are available here.
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
Revelation 6:12b
DailyBibleStudy.Org
12 And [kai] I beheld [eido] when [hote] he had opened [anoigo] the sixth [hektos] seal, [sphragis] and, [kai] lo, [idou] there was [ginomai] a great [megas] earthquake; [seismos] and [kai] the sun [helios] became [ginomai] black [melas] as [hos] sackcloth [sakkos] of hair, [trichinos] and [kai] the moon [selene] became [ginomai] as [hos] blood; [haima] KJV-Interlinear
12 And I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; NASB
From the time that Adam and Eve were in the Garden, Jesus Christ walked daily with them, but they were still fooled and chose sin and failed.
From the time of their eviction out of the Garden to the Flood, there is every indication of strong scriptural influence. The conflict between Cain and Abel demonstrated mans rejection of Gods sacrificial requirements (Gods work), and the building o the Ark indicated mans rejection of Gods warnings and salvation methodology.
After the flood, the time of the Patriarchs, the time of the enslavement, the development of a nation, the time of the Judges, the desire to be ruled by man rather than God, right down to the time of the birth of the Savior, humanity failed terribly, even though humanity had prophets and scriptures, and miracles galore.
After the First Advent, humanity had only the written word, and the supporting ministry of the Holy Spirit. No more prophets, no more miracles, per se, nothing to guide man but faith and words written on a page, and still man failed.
When the Rapture occurs, then the Holy Spirit (the restraining ministry) will be removed from the world, and sin will be allowed to run rampant with no constraints. Things will get really bad, as we have already seen from the first four seals.
Throughout all of human history, God has held everything together in one way or another, but humanity has wanted to have things his own way, so with the Tribulation, humanity will get his wish. And what do they say about making wishes? Be careful what you wish for!
I am sure that during your life you have had encounters with people who have wished God away, or presume that they can do things better than God. And here is the chance that everyone has expressed – the Tribulation.
And how bad will life get?
Well, we discussed it a bit yesterday, but now for a more in-depth look at the symbolism in this verse and the remainder of this chapter.
A great earthquake, ‘megas seismos,’ meaning exceedingly great, mighty, overwhelming. And earthquake, means just that, or a tempest or a raging storm. This term is in the feminine gender, and for good reason. Have you ever encountered a woman on the warpath? Well, if you have been around for any length of time, then you know that among the females of the species, the hormones can bring about such drama and attitude, that if you are ever caught in the crosshairs as their victim, your life won’t be worth even doggie doo-doo.
And under the leadership of man, absent Gods restraints, the world will be in full rebellion.
The sun being black as sackcloth of hair, is a reference to the rough apparel made of black goat hair, and is worn when a person is in extreme mourning and grieving over the loss of loved ones, or over the loss of ones situation.
The moon becoming blood red, is a reference to the total disruption of the normal cycles of life. The moon is used to chart and determine the calendar and the seasons, but when it is out of whack, then life is out of whack. The moon normally is used to display love and contentment, but a disrupted moon means sleepless nights, despair, anxiety, hopelessness with both physical and mental pain. Even suicide is considered as normal if it will allow ones escape from troubles. And the troubles of the world will be immense.
And so John begins to paint a picture of extreme, beyond imagination, gloom and doom.
This is not like losing ones job, or a home because of a storm, because you usually have alternatives for help, whether insurance or savings or charities, or family or some type of resource that can step in and help. In those situations the difficulty may be great, but it is usually short lived or at least gives you a way out.
In the Tribulation, there will be no help to turn to. Law and order will be gone. Gangs will roam and do as they please. Public services will be in huge disarray and virtually ineffective. Disasters will be worldwide. Laws will prevent you from doing almost anything, and if you lose your identification or papers, then you are screwed big time. And business and jobs will be hammered into non-existence.
And, this is only the beginning of the outlook on life that people will have during this the most terrible period of human history ever.
John paints a picture of a very high stress and dismal time, where hopelessness and helplessness will rule.
So, wouldn’t you think that people would come to Christ in droves?
Some will, most won’t.
Feel Free to make a comment about this study: Comment Page
If you are a Facebook member, then please join the Bible Study Group that best suits you:
Facebook Groups
Daily Bible Study Quick Links
Go to this quick links page, and save it in your bookmarks for quick access to the daily studies.
Two subscription options to receive these daily studies everyday via e-mail, are available here.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Revelation 6:12
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
Revelation 6:12
DailyBibleStudy.Org
12 And [kai] I beheld [eido] when [hote] he had opened [anoigo] the sixth [hektos] seal, [sphragis] and, [kai] lo, [idou] there was [ginomai] a great [megas] earthquake; [seismos] and [kai] the sun [helios] became [ginomai] black [melas] as [hos] sackcloth [sakkos] of hair, [trichinos] and [kai] the moon [selene] became [ginomai] as [hos] blood; [haima] KJV-Interlinear
12 And I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; NASB
Before we get to this sixth seal, lets review quickly the first five.
The first seal is of a white horse, the hero, the promise of the world as to solutions of whatever problems there might be.
The second seal reveals a red horse and the violence that the worlds promises always result in.
The third seal is the black horse and all of the economic and social disasters that result from mans efforts to solve his own problems.
The fourth seal is the horse of death. That is all that the world can provide. No promise, no hope, no future of any value, only doom and death.
The fifth seal is of believers who will have died due to the extreme violence. When the world is wrong, it looks for someone to blame, and violence is the result. But the fifth seal is also one of hope, for both the living believer as well as those who have been martyred. The world will continue to spiral downward into its own oblivion, but believers on either side of life or death, are all cared for with the greatest of protection.
Believers have both hope and peace, both promise and destiny. Unbelievers have nothing.
And thus far, these verses have revealed not in detail, but in summary, the pattern of the events that will occur in heaven and on the earth, during the Tribulation.
The sixth seal is now removed and the contents of the scroll are revealed.
Again, we do not see the details, but we do see the effect, and that is what is in view here.
Remember that in this vision, John is giving us not detailed activities, but symbolic impressions, in order to gain our attention, and especially to gain the attention of those who will be directly affected, in the future.
In many passages we have descriptions of disasters such as earthquakes and wars and such, and here we have descriptions of extreme activities. And these being revealed behind the sixth seal is an announcement and a warning, that God is behind and in full control, over all that is about to occur.
The first four seals reveal mans efforts and resultant disaster.
The fifth seal reveals Gods controls over the lives of those who belong to Him, regardless of what humanity does to them.
The sixth seal is a blast of sound designed to get your attention and to remind everyone that God is in charge.
The earthquake, is Gods presence, the rumbling, the power that is way beyond mans control, but demonstrates Gods presence, who man seems to have forgotten. The sun turning black, the moon turning blood red, all of these are expressions and symbolic of a world that has gone totally out of control.
Have you ever referred to someone who is crazy, as having gone nuts? Did you mean that they turned into a cashew or a peanut? No. It was an expression of their detachment from reality.
And so it is here, in this portion of our study. Other passages will get into the details of the actual events, but as for now, the removal of the seals only gives us the headlines, so to speak.
God gives us all bits and pieces of information. For some, that is enough to get them to follow His Word. For others, then more information, or experiences are required in order to get them to repent. For still others, even more, even violent situations are required in order to gain their repentance. And for still others, the violence has to be so horrible, that they will still reject God, even in the extremes of life.
This serves two purposes. First, you should learn that this world is the devils world and that imperfections are a part of this world, and that more and more tough times are needed in order to gain peoples attention. And second, there will be those who will reject God, no matter how ugly the world gets.
But God allows history to pass by, while events unfold at ever changing levels of pressure, so that the most folks who will believe and be saved, will have that opportunity.
Look into your own mirror and answer the question, ‘How much pressure will it take before you will get off your backside, and into a daily Bible study?’
For most folks, life is not tough enough for them to make that change. And as long as life continues along with relative east, or with not too much difficulty, then they will not make that commitment.
One day, they will wish that they had.
Look at those unbelievers who will miss the boat at the Rapture, and will have to live through or die during, the Tribulation. If not for one decision, faith in Christ, they would have missed the worst period in all of human history. But they refused to think six simple words, ‘Father, I believe in Jesus Christ.’ And look what they will face.
But then what about you. So you have believed and are saved, and if the Rapture occurs in your lifetime, then you will leave this world.
But then, your question is not of salvation, but of spiritual growth. What are you leaving or potentially losing for lack of a daily study? Well, you are leaving a treasure in heaven, that is worth far more than all the wealth on this planet. That is a lot.
By being equally as defiant or indifferent, you are no different than those unbelievers. And when you get to heaven, and finally see what you could have had, you will kick yourself, because you simply saw no value in pursuing a daily Bible study, each and everyday, for yourself while back on earth.
You can look around and see nothing spiritual in your life or in this world. You can lose track of God, blame God, even doubt God, while all you see are your day to day activities, friends, work, wants, entertainments, problems, etc.
But, do not get lost in concluding that the daily activities you face are all that there is to life. There is far more.
Many in the Tribulation will presume that theirs is the only answer to life’s problems, even as they observe life falling apart all around them. Remember over one-fourth of the worlds population will die. That has got to get the attention of some!
And whether it gets their attention or not, the thunder, the quake, the dramatic changes in life all around, are greater than anything in this world and they will overwhelm them all and all of mans plans.
Jesus Christ controls history. Jesus Christ is truth. And despite all of mans efforts to make his own history and destiny, and failures that result, God can still bring it all together and save and protect, and give all believers who look to Him, a great future. And there is nothing and no one who can block that from happening.
The symbolism is intended to be dramatic, and larger than life. God is larger than life. So when will people begin to take notice?
This sixth seal is the certainty of Gods judgment, Gods power, and Gods blessing.
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Revelation 6:12
DailyBibleStudy.Org
12 And [kai] I beheld [eido] when [hote] he had opened [anoigo] the sixth [hektos] seal, [sphragis] and, [kai] lo, [idou] there was [ginomai] a great [megas] earthquake; [seismos] and [kai] the sun [helios] became [ginomai] black [melas] as [hos] sackcloth [sakkos] of hair, [trichinos] and [kai] the moon [selene] became [ginomai] as [hos] blood; [haima] KJV-Interlinear
12 And I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; NASB
Before we get to this sixth seal, lets review quickly the first five.
The first seal is of a white horse, the hero, the promise of the world as to solutions of whatever problems there might be.
The second seal reveals a red horse and the violence that the worlds promises always result in.
The third seal is the black horse and all of the economic and social disasters that result from mans efforts to solve his own problems.
The fourth seal is the horse of death. That is all that the world can provide. No promise, no hope, no future of any value, only doom and death.
The fifth seal is of believers who will have died due to the extreme violence. When the world is wrong, it looks for someone to blame, and violence is the result. But the fifth seal is also one of hope, for both the living believer as well as those who have been martyred. The world will continue to spiral downward into its own oblivion, but believers on either side of life or death, are all cared for with the greatest of protection.
Believers have both hope and peace, both promise and destiny. Unbelievers have nothing.
And thus far, these verses have revealed not in detail, but in summary, the pattern of the events that will occur in heaven and on the earth, during the Tribulation.
The sixth seal is now removed and the contents of the scroll are revealed.
Again, we do not see the details, but we do see the effect, and that is what is in view here.
Remember that in this vision, John is giving us not detailed activities, but symbolic impressions, in order to gain our attention, and especially to gain the attention of those who will be directly affected, in the future.
In many passages we have descriptions of disasters such as earthquakes and wars and such, and here we have descriptions of extreme activities. And these being revealed behind the sixth seal is an announcement and a warning, that God is behind and in full control, over all that is about to occur.
The first four seals reveal mans efforts and resultant disaster.
The fifth seal reveals Gods controls over the lives of those who belong to Him, regardless of what humanity does to them.
The sixth seal is a blast of sound designed to get your attention and to remind everyone that God is in charge.
The earthquake, is Gods presence, the rumbling, the power that is way beyond mans control, but demonstrates Gods presence, who man seems to have forgotten. The sun turning black, the moon turning blood red, all of these are expressions and symbolic of a world that has gone totally out of control.
Have you ever referred to someone who is crazy, as having gone nuts? Did you mean that they turned into a cashew or a peanut? No. It was an expression of their detachment from reality.
And so it is here, in this portion of our study. Other passages will get into the details of the actual events, but as for now, the removal of the seals only gives us the headlines, so to speak.
God gives us all bits and pieces of information. For some, that is enough to get them to follow His Word. For others, then more information, or experiences are required in order to get them to repent. For still others, even more, even violent situations are required in order to gain their repentance. And for still others, the violence has to be so horrible, that they will still reject God, even in the extremes of life.
This serves two purposes. First, you should learn that this world is the devils world and that imperfections are a part of this world, and that more and more tough times are needed in order to gain peoples attention. And second, there will be those who will reject God, no matter how ugly the world gets.
But God allows history to pass by, while events unfold at ever changing levels of pressure, so that the most folks who will believe and be saved, will have that opportunity.
Look into your own mirror and answer the question, ‘How much pressure will it take before you will get off your backside, and into a daily Bible study?’
For most folks, life is not tough enough for them to make that change. And as long as life continues along with relative east, or with not too much difficulty, then they will not make that commitment.
One day, they will wish that they had.
Look at those unbelievers who will miss the boat at the Rapture, and will have to live through or die during, the Tribulation. If not for one decision, faith in Christ, they would have missed the worst period in all of human history. But they refused to think six simple words, ‘Father, I believe in Jesus Christ.’ And look what they will face.
But then what about you. So you have believed and are saved, and if the Rapture occurs in your lifetime, then you will leave this world.
But then, your question is not of salvation, but of spiritual growth. What are you leaving or potentially losing for lack of a daily study? Well, you are leaving a treasure in heaven, that is worth far more than all the wealth on this planet. That is a lot.
By being equally as defiant or indifferent, you are no different than those unbelievers. And when you get to heaven, and finally see what you could have had, you will kick yourself, because you simply saw no value in pursuing a daily Bible study, each and everyday, for yourself while back on earth.
You can look around and see nothing spiritual in your life or in this world. You can lose track of God, blame God, even doubt God, while all you see are your day to day activities, friends, work, wants, entertainments, problems, etc.
But, do not get lost in concluding that the daily activities you face are all that there is to life. There is far more.
Many in the Tribulation will presume that theirs is the only answer to life’s problems, even as they observe life falling apart all around them. Remember over one-fourth of the worlds population will die. That has got to get the attention of some!
And whether it gets their attention or not, the thunder, the quake, the dramatic changes in life all around, are greater than anything in this world and they will overwhelm them all and all of mans plans.
Jesus Christ controls history. Jesus Christ is truth. And despite all of mans efforts to make his own history and destiny, and failures that result, God can still bring it all together and save and protect, and give all believers who look to Him, a great future. And there is nothing and no one who can block that from happening.
The symbolism is intended to be dramatic, and larger than life. God is larger than life. So when will people begin to take notice?
This sixth seal is the certainty of Gods judgment, Gods power, and Gods blessing.
Feel Free to make a comment about this study: Comment Page
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Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Revelation 6:11
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Revelation 6:11
DailyBibleStudy.Org
11 And [kai] white [leukos] robes [stole] were given [didomi] unto every one of them; [hekastos] and [kai] it was said [rheo] unto them, [autos] that [hina] they should rest [anapauo] yet [eti] for a little [mikros] season, [chronos] until [heos] their [autos] fellowservants [sundoulos] also [kai] and [kai] their [autos] brethren, [adelphos] that should [mello] be killed [apokteino] as [hos] [kai] they [autos] were, should [hos] be fulfilled. [pleroo] KJV-Interlinear
11 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, should be completed also. NASB
During theTribulation, once people realize the significance of the Rapture and identify the period of history that they are in, what book of the Bible do you suppose will be the most read book?
I suspect that most everyone will be reading this book of Revelation, more than any other of the books in the Bible. That seems only reasonable.
One would assume that the Psalms and the gospels will follow close behind as the most read books, but this book will have immediate impact on everyone's day to day life, as they see the world literally unraveling, around them.
For within this book are all of the instructions for survival and comfort during those last years of human rule.
Here is one of those instruction sets.
There will be millions of martyred believers. This is just how the world will go during the reign of the anti-christ. Believers and Jews will be among the most hated people on the planet, and the target of all out violence. As it is Satan’s intention to rid the earth of all Jews and all Christians, leaving Christ no one to return to, to save at the Second Advent.
So, the instructions are, to expect it, hide as best you can, survive as best you can, but in the end, most of the believers will not survive to the end.
That said, there is a comfort ahead. Though Satan can have his way with your physical body, he cannot have your soul (which contains your true and real life). God possesses that.
If you die, then be prepared to rest in heaven with Christ, while the remainder of history continues at Christ’s direction. If you are in pain, if you have to suffer, it will last only a little while, and then will be no more (forever).
These instructions go out to everyone, but not everyone (believers) will die during the Tribulation. Some will survive. So there is hope in both directions. To die and go to heaven immediately and then reign during the Millennium, or to survive and enter into the Millennium to repopulate the world during that one-thousand year reign of Christ.
As for those who are martyred, there will be for them in heaven, a symbolic white robe of purity and peace and righteousness. No more judgment, no more pain, no more suffering, only pure and uninterrupted peace and happiness and rest. The robes are symbolic and assure them that they will receive their resurrection at the end of the Tribulation, Rev. 20:4-5.
Christ gives further instructions. Rest and leave the remainder of history up to Him. Judgment will come to those who deserve it. No one will escape the punishments due them.
Jesus Christ knows the exact number of those who will be martyred, as He knows all details of history. Nothing gets past Him. Nothing gets missed by Him. Nothing gets forgotten by Him.
Throughout the seven years of the Tribulation, the numbers of martyred believers, will increase, but none will be lost. Even the time frame for this period of history is known by God, right down to the very last second.
Little, ‘autos,’ means very small. Season, ‘chronos,’ represents a specific or designated period of time. So the Tribulation, will not go on and on, and will not have an ambiguous finish, but will last for a specific time and then will end abruptly. This Christ knows also. And by stating it, He promises it.
Feel Free to make a comment about this study: Comment Page
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Go to this quick links page, and save it in your bookmarks for quick access to the daily studies.
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Revelation 6:11
DailyBibleStudy.Org
11 And [kai] white [leukos] robes [stole] were given [didomi] unto every one of them; [hekastos] and [kai] it was said [rheo] unto them, [autos] that [hina] they should rest [anapauo] yet [eti] for a little [mikros] season, [chronos] until [heos] their [autos] fellowservants [sundoulos] also [kai] and [kai] their [autos] brethren, [adelphos] that should [mello] be killed [apokteino] as [hos] [kai] they [autos] were, should [hos] be fulfilled. [pleroo] KJV-Interlinear
11 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, should be completed also. NASB
During theTribulation, once people realize the significance of the Rapture and identify the period of history that they are in, what book of the Bible do you suppose will be the most read book?
I suspect that most everyone will be reading this book of Revelation, more than any other of the books in the Bible. That seems only reasonable.
One would assume that the Psalms and the gospels will follow close behind as the most read books, but this book will have immediate impact on everyone's day to day life, as they see the world literally unraveling, around them.
For within this book are all of the instructions for survival and comfort during those last years of human rule.
Here is one of those instruction sets.
There will be millions of martyred believers. This is just how the world will go during the reign of the anti-christ. Believers and Jews will be among the most hated people on the planet, and the target of all out violence. As it is Satan’s intention to rid the earth of all Jews and all Christians, leaving Christ no one to return to, to save at the Second Advent.
So, the instructions are, to expect it, hide as best you can, survive as best you can, but in the end, most of the believers will not survive to the end.
That said, there is a comfort ahead. Though Satan can have his way with your physical body, he cannot have your soul (which contains your true and real life). God possesses that.
If you die, then be prepared to rest in heaven with Christ, while the remainder of history continues at Christ’s direction. If you are in pain, if you have to suffer, it will last only a little while, and then will be no more (forever).
These instructions go out to everyone, but not everyone (believers) will die during the Tribulation. Some will survive. So there is hope in both directions. To die and go to heaven immediately and then reign during the Millennium, or to survive and enter into the Millennium to repopulate the world during that one-thousand year reign of Christ.
As for those who are martyred, there will be for them in heaven, a symbolic white robe of purity and peace and righteousness. No more judgment, no more pain, no more suffering, only pure and uninterrupted peace and happiness and rest. The robes are symbolic and assure them that they will receive their resurrection at the end of the Tribulation, Rev. 20:4-5.
Christ gives further instructions. Rest and leave the remainder of history up to Him. Judgment will come to those who deserve it. No one will escape the punishments due them.
Jesus Christ knows the exact number of those who will be martyred, as He knows all details of history. Nothing gets past Him. Nothing gets missed by Him. Nothing gets forgotten by Him.
Throughout the seven years of the Tribulation, the numbers of martyred believers, will increase, but none will be lost. Even the time frame for this period of history is known by God, right down to the very last second.
Little, ‘autos,’ means very small. Season, ‘chronos,’ represents a specific or designated period of time. So the Tribulation, will not go on and on, and will not have an ambiguous finish, but will last for a specific time and then will end abruptly. This Christ knows also. And by stating it, He promises it.
Feel Free to make a comment about this study: Comment Page
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Go to this quick links page, and save it in your bookmarks for quick access to the daily studies.
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Monday, May 3, 2010
Revelation 6:10
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
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Revelation 6:10
DailyBibleStudy.Org
10 And [kai] they cried [krazo] with a loud [megas] voice, [phone] saying, [lego] How [heos] long, [pote] O Lord, [despotes] holy [hagios] and [kai] true, [alethinos] dost thou [krino] not [ou] judge [krino] and [kai] avenge [ekdikeo] our [hemon] blood [haima] on [apo] them that dwell [katoikeo] on [epi] the earth [ge]? KJV-Interlinear
10 and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, wilt Thou refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" NASB
And of those who were under the alter, the souls, the cry will go out for justice against those who had caused their demise as well as justice against those who were ruining the world for everyone.
During the Tribulation, those who die, will go to heaven to be with the Lord, however they will not be resurrected into their new resurrection bodies immediately, but will receive their resurrection bodies at the end of the Tribulation, immediately after the Second Advent. That is why they are referred to ‘souls,’ or unresurrected people, in the previous verse.
Realize that this fifth seal does not deal with the martyrdom of the believers in the Tribulation, but has to do with their prayers. Many will die of course, but they will go to heaven, and there they will have a say as to what they want. And what they want is justice and an end to the evil that is taking place on the earth.
However, if judgment was to occur immediately, when people want it to, then most probably many who have not yet believed in Christ, but will do so later on, will not have their chance to believe and therefore won’t be saved. So, time is given for many more to be saved, and judgment is postponed until all who will believe, will have their chance.
This implies that there will come a time when all who will believe, will do so, and no more after that will make that decision.
In history there are three historical gaps, or pauses whereby one set of events has concluded making way for the next increment of events. The first was in Noah’s day, when for over a hundred years, opportunity was given to the world to believe in the savior. Noah and the seven other members of his family were the only people who would board the ark. That was the first gap.
Then at the end of the Old Testament era another gap occurred, as the scriptures were completed and for nearly four-hundred years, no further revelation came from God, making way for the birth of Jesus. This was an informational gap.
Then at the end of the Church Age, there will be another gap in history. God does not do things arbitrarily. If people were believing in Christ day in and day out, then the Rapture would not occur such that some would be included or excluded simply because of the luck or bad luck of the day of the rapture, relative to their faith.
We already know that at the end of our dispensation a great apostasy will occur. That implies a gap in the occurrence of people believing and being saved. Those who are going to believe, will do so, and as for the rest, something more must occur before they will believe. That something more will be forced upon them in the Tribulation.
Therefore we can reasonably presume that there is going to be a fixed number of believers who will be members of the Royal Family from our Church Age. Just as there is going to be a fixed number of believers, who will be martyred during the Tribulaton. And that number is made reference to in the next verse.
What is clear in these verses, is that there will be unresurrected believers who will have been martyred, and who will be in heaven, but also that they will possess the ability to speak and communicate. We know that the Lord hears them because He will answer them, but too, John hears them, because he has written their spoken words, which we have just read.
Christ will allow history to run its course, so long as there remains even one more single individual who will believe and be saved. But once that last person believes, then all of human history, as far as the Tribulation is concerned, will come to a very rapid end.
Feel Free to make a comment about this study: Comment Page
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Daily Bible Study Quick Links
Go to this quick links page, and save it in your bookmarks for quick access to the daily studies.
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DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
Revelation 6:10
DailyBibleStudy.Org
10 And [kai] they cried [krazo] with a loud [megas] voice, [phone] saying, [lego] How [heos] long, [pote] O Lord, [despotes] holy [hagios] and [kai] true, [alethinos] dost thou [krino] not [ou] judge [krino] and [kai] avenge [ekdikeo] our [hemon] blood [haima] on [apo] them that dwell [katoikeo] on [epi] the earth [ge]? KJV-Interlinear
10 and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, wilt Thou refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" NASB
And of those who were under the alter, the souls, the cry will go out for justice against those who had caused their demise as well as justice against those who were ruining the world for everyone.
During the Tribulation, those who die, will go to heaven to be with the Lord, however they will not be resurrected into their new resurrection bodies immediately, but will receive their resurrection bodies at the end of the Tribulation, immediately after the Second Advent. That is why they are referred to ‘souls,’ or unresurrected people, in the previous verse.
Realize that this fifth seal does not deal with the martyrdom of the believers in the Tribulation, but has to do with their prayers. Many will die of course, but they will go to heaven, and there they will have a say as to what they want. And what they want is justice and an end to the evil that is taking place on the earth.
However, if judgment was to occur immediately, when people want it to, then most probably many who have not yet believed in Christ, but will do so later on, will not have their chance to believe and therefore won’t be saved. So, time is given for many more to be saved, and judgment is postponed until all who will believe, will have their chance.
This implies that there will come a time when all who will believe, will do so, and no more after that will make that decision.
In history there are three historical gaps, or pauses whereby one set of events has concluded making way for the next increment of events. The first was in Noah’s day, when for over a hundred years, opportunity was given to the world to believe in the savior. Noah and the seven other members of his family were the only people who would board the ark. That was the first gap.
Then at the end of the Old Testament era another gap occurred, as the scriptures were completed and for nearly four-hundred years, no further revelation came from God, making way for the birth of Jesus. This was an informational gap.
Then at the end of the Church Age, there will be another gap in history. God does not do things arbitrarily. If people were believing in Christ day in and day out, then the Rapture would not occur such that some would be included or excluded simply because of the luck or bad luck of the day of the rapture, relative to their faith.
We already know that at the end of our dispensation a great apostasy will occur. That implies a gap in the occurrence of people believing and being saved. Those who are going to believe, will do so, and as for the rest, something more must occur before they will believe. That something more will be forced upon them in the Tribulation.
Therefore we can reasonably presume that there is going to be a fixed number of believers who will be members of the Royal Family from our Church Age. Just as there is going to be a fixed number of believers, who will be martyred during the Tribulaton. And that number is made reference to in the next verse.
What is clear in these verses, is that there will be unresurrected believers who will have been martyred, and who will be in heaven, but also that they will possess the ability to speak and communicate. We know that the Lord hears them because He will answer them, but too, John hears them, because he has written their spoken words, which we have just read.
Christ will allow history to run its course, so long as there remains even one more single individual who will believe and be saved. But once that last person believes, then all of human history, as far as the Tribulation is concerned, will come to a very rapid end.
Feel Free to make a comment about this study: Comment Page
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Sunday, May 2, 2010
Revelation 6:9
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
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Revelation 6:9
DailyBibleStudy.Org
9 And [kai] when [hote] he had opened [anoigo] the fifth [pemptos] seal, [sphragis] I saw [eido] under [hupokato] the altar [thusiasterion] the souls [psuche] of them that were slain [sphazo] for [dia] the word [logos] of God, [theos] and [kai] for [dia] the testimony [marturia] which [hos] they held: [echo] KJV-Interlinear
9 And when He 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; NASB
And the fifth seal reveals many saints, many believers who will die as a result of the terrible violence in the Tribulation. And though the Tribulation starts out with only unbelievers, through the course of time and the many trials that will occur, many will remember Christ and believe in Him and be saved. Many will take up the evangelism role, and bring others to Christ.
And, there will even be some who will survive the entire period of the Tribulation, grow up to spiritual maturity, and after being rescued by Christ at the Second Advent, receive the blessing of being the ones who will repopulate the world in the Millennium.
But, most of the believers will die, and all unbelievers will die during the Tribulation.
In the beginning of human history, God made man in His image. Man in return, made gods in the images of their choice, rejecting God, Christ, and doctrine. And it is that rejection that will eventually lead human history to these final seven years of brutal devastation.
Note one thing here. These verses continue from verse to verse, without so much as a pause to reflect on what is happening.
The Old Testament had many disasters and judgments recorded, and went into great detail over the tears and sorrow and repentance. Even the first few chapters of this book, addressing the seven churches, had pauses for addressing flaws and warning of penalties and promising blessings. That was and is for our dispensation.
But here, the arrogance of humanity is so great, that from the time of the Rapture, events will occur in rapid succession, with no time for pause or consideration. And though these past few verses give highlights of the events that will cover the entire period of the Tribulation, there will be so much history crammed into such a short timeframe, that there simply will not be enough time to think, so to speak.
The scriptures teach that God is a loving and patient God, but they also teach that God judges with a vengeance, those who reject truth and pursue evil. And in this final segment of history, man is so evil, that only extreme violence will shake the arrogance out of those who will finally believe in Christ.
God placed every human being on this earth, for a reason. And that reason is because you are a value individual, to Him. It is your thoughts and actions that cancel out that value, and make you worthless, when you reject or disregard doctrine. You have only yourself to blame.
Those killed, ‘sphazo,’ means those slaughtered, or martyred, during this immediate timeframe of history. These do not refer to all of human history, but only to the immediate phase (the Tribulation), since the hero (anti-christ) arrived onto the scene.
The word for souls is plural, implying huge numbers, and growing numbers at that. Their total number is not complete and will not be complete until the end of the Tribulation. Martyrdom will continue throughout the entire seven year period. And God has an exact count on every single person and their life and death, and destiny.
And, note one more thing. This description of being killed, indicates extreme violence, slaughter, torture, horrible, horrible deaths that will be the experience of those who go out in this manner.
This description is intended to frighten people into faith, so that they will not be a part of this history. Remember, that believers in our dispensation have the promise that they will be spared these horrors, and will not be a part of these events.
For the ‘testimony,’ indicates their faith, and therefore status as believers in Christ. Some will be brave when they meet their death, probably most will be terrified when these things occur.
Though they will die at the hand of a violent world, they will go to be with the Lord, and will be safely and securely protected by Christ, as the alter symbolizes.
The alter symbolizes the work of Christ on the Cross, and therefore they are saved people through their belief in Him. Their testimony is their faith for salvation.
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Revelation 6:9
DailyBibleStudy.Org
9 And [kai] when [hote] he had opened [anoigo] the fifth [pemptos] seal, [sphragis] I saw [eido] under [hupokato] the altar [thusiasterion] the souls [psuche] of them that were slain [sphazo] for [dia] the word [logos] of God, [theos] and [kai] for [dia] the testimony [marturia] which [hos] they held: [echo] KJV-Interlinear
9 And when He 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; NASB
And the fifth seal reveals many saints, many believers who will die as a result of the terrible violence in the Tribulation. And though the Tribulation starts out with only unbelievers, through the course of time and the many trials that will occur, many will remember Christ and believe in Him and be saved. Many will take up the evangelism role, and bring others to Christ.
And, there will even be some who will survive the entire period of the Tribulation, grow up to spiritual maturity, and after being rescued by Christ at the Second Advent, receive the blessing of being the ones who will repopulate the world in the Millennium.
But, most of the believers will die, and all unbelievers will die during the Tribulation.
In the beginning of human history, God made man in His image. Man in return, made gods in the images of their choice, rejecting God, Christ, and doctrine. And it is that rejection that will eventually lead human history to these final seven years of brutal devastation.
Note one thing here. These verses continue from verse to verse, without so much as a pause to reflect on what is happening.
The Old Testament had many disasters and judgments recorded, and went into great detail over the tears and sorrow and repentance. Even the first few chapters of this book, addressing the seven churches, had pauses for addressing flaws and warning of penalties and promising blessings. That was and is for our dispensation.
But here, the arrogance of humanity is so great, that from the time of the Rapture, events will occur in rapid succession, with no time for pause or consideration. And though these past few verses give highlights of the events that will cover the entire period of the Tribulation, there will be so much history crammed into such a short timeframe, that there simply will not be enough time to think, so to speak.
The scriptures teach that God is a loving and patient God, but they also teach that God judges with a vengeance, those who reject truth and pursue evil. And in this final segment of history, man is so evil, that only extreme violence will shake the arrogance out of those who will finally believe in Christ.
God placed every human being on this earth, for a reason. And that reason is because you are a value individual, to Him. It is your thoughts and actions that cancel out that value, and make you worthless, when you reject or disregard doctrine. You have only yourself to blame.
Those killed, ‘sphazo,’ means those slaughtered, or martyred, during this immediate timeframe of history. These do not refer to all of human history, but only to the immediate phase (the Tribulation), since the hero (anti-christ) arrived onto the scene.
The word for souls is plural, implying huge numbers, and growing numbers at that. Their total number is not complete and will not be complete until the end of the Tribulation. Martyrdom will continue throughout the entire seven year period. And God has an exact count on every single person and their life and death, and destiny.
And, note one more thing. This description of being killed, indicates extreme violence, slaughter, torture, horrible, horrible deaths that will be the experience of those who go out in this manner.
This description is intended to frighten people into faith, so that they will not be a part of this history. Remember, that believers in our dispensation have the promise that they will be spared these horrors, and will not be a part of these events.
For the ‘testimony,’ indicates their faith, and therefore status as believers in Christ. Some will be brave when they meet their death, probably most will be terrified when these things occur.
Though they will die at the hand of a violent world, they will go to be with the Lord, and will be safely and securely protected by Christ, as the alter symbolizes.
The alter symbolizes the work of Christ on the Cross, and therefore they are saved people through their belief in Him. Their testimony is their faith for salvation.
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Saturday, May 1, 2010
Revelation 6:8
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Revelation 6:8
DailyBibleStudy.Org
8 And [kai] I looked, [eido] and [kai] behold [idou] a pale [chloros] horse: [hippos] and [kai] his [autos] name [onoma] that sat [kathemai] on [epano] him [autos] was Death, [thanatos] and [kai] Hell [hades] followed [akoloutheo] with [meta] him. [autos] And [kai] power [exousia] was given [didomi] unto them [autos] over [epi] the fourth part [tetartos] of the earth, [ge] to kill [apokteino] with [en] sword, [rhomphaia] and [kai] with [en] hunger, [limos] and [kai] with [en] death, [thanatos] and [kai] with [hupo] the beasts [therion] of the earth. [ge] KJV-Interlinear
8 And I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name Death; and Hades was following with him. And 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. NASB
The pale horse is death. Death comes from starvation, due to famine, due to the many instabilities in the world, due to the huge governmental oppressions imposed on the world, caused by the one who would be the hero and ruler of the world – the anti-christ.
All of these seals are painting a picture of a utopia, a man made utopia, that will never exist, and will end up only in massive disaster.
And it is the people who by their own volition which rejects truth, who will bring all of this tyranny onto themselves.
Since the day that the Savior was promised to Adam, Satan has had his own savior planned. And if he had the means, he would have brought his version of a savior into the world long before now. However, Jesus Christ controls history, and humanity has not and will not bring a one world ruler into the world, until it has fallen far below the degenerate levels of society, that will allow it.
That time will not occur until the last generation of this Church Age. A generation that will include believers that will be Raptured away, along with a world full of unbelievers that will remain behind, to live through the Tribulation.
Many of those unbelievers will find the Lord during the hardest of times in all of human history. It is a terrible thing when people who are so stubborn, have to be pushed to the brink of oblivion, before they will open up their minds to faith in Christ.
But that is the way that many will find Christ. Stubbornness is a very powerful force, as it can cause a person to refuse to the bitter end, before actually relinquishing their pride to humble faith.
The pale horse, is the means of human activity. Death is the result. Hades is the underworld, the world of the dead.
The sword is violence, all manner of violence. From gang activity, criminal activity, social hate, governmental atrocities and everything that you can imagine, and worse. The world will go unleashed and unhindered as violence takes over all aspects of life.
Hunger is from the lack of social or public commerce or charity. No production, no manufacturing, no retail. This is removed from society when government (the anti-christ) takes over.
One-fourth of the population of the world will die as the anti-christ allows it all to happen. One person in every four, means that everyone on earth will be affected. Not one person will go untouched by the extremes.
The beasts of the earth are the scavengers who get fat on all those who society simply cannot bury or dispose of.
That means the stench of the dead on the planet, will be horrendous.
And this is not a childrens story, not a fiction made up by science-fiction writers, but a revealing of what is actually going to occur in our future some day.
And, it is all going to occur simply because people do not see the value of God, Christ, doctrine, obedience to truth, or the principles of truth, or their spiritual life. People just refuse to engage in a daily study of doctrine.
This is all going to occur because people refuse to come and see, and understand.
Again, the question, ‘Where do you stand in all of this?’
‘What are you not doing that you should be doing?’
‘What principle of doctrine do you believe that does not apply to you, or that you are exempt from?’
And in your excuses, you will find the answer as to why all of this will take place.
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Revelation 6:8
DailyBibleStudy.Org
8 And [kai] I looked, [eido] and [kai] behold [idou] a pale [chloros] horse: [hippos] and [kai] his [autos] name [onoma] that sat [kathemai] on [epano] him [autos] was Death, [thanatos] and [kai] Hell [hades] followed [akoloutheo] with [meta] him. [autos] And [kai] power [exousia] was given [didomi] unto them [autos] over [epi] the fourth part [tetartos] of the earth, [ge] to kill [apokteino] with [en] sword, [rhomphaia] and [kai] with [en] hunger, [limos] and [kai] with [en] death, [thanatos] and [kai] with [hupo] the beasts [therion] of the earth. [ge] KJV-Interlinear
8 And I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name Death; and Hades was following with him. And 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. NASB
The pale horse is death. Death comes from starvation, due to famine, due to the many instabilities in the world, due to the huge governmental oppressions imposed on the world, caused by the one who would be the hero and ruler of the world – the anti-christ.
All of these seals are painting a picture of a utopia, a man made utopia, that will never exist, and will end up only in massive disaster.
And it is the people who by their own volition which rejects truth, who will bring all of this tyranny onto themselves.
Since the day that the Savior was promised to Adam, Satan has had his own savior planned. And if he had the means, he would have brought his version of a savior into the world long before now. However, Jesus Christ controls history, and humanity has not and will not bring a one world ruler into the world, until it has fallen far below the degenerate levels of society, that will allow it.
That time will not occur until the last generation of this Church Age. A generation that will include believers that will be Raptured away, along with a world full of unbelievers that will remain behind, to live through the Tribulation.
Many of those unbelievers will find the Lord during the hardest of times in all of human history. It is a terrible thing when people who are so stubborn, have to be pushed to the brink of oblivion, before they will open up their minds to faith in Christ.
But that is the way that many will find Christ. Stubbornness is a very powerful force, as it can cause a person to refuse to the bitter end, before actually relinquishing their pride to humble faith.
The pale horse, is the means of human activity. Death is the result. Hades is the underworld, the world of the dead.
The sword is violence, all manner of violence. From gang activity, criminal activity, social hate, governmental atrocities and everything that you can imagine, and worse. The world will go unleashed and unhindered as violence takes over all aspects of life.
Hunger is from the lack of social or public commerce or charity. No production, no manufacturing, no retail. This is removed from society when government (the anti-christ) takes over.
One-fourth of the population of the world will die as the anti-christ allows it all to happen. One person in every four, means that everyone on earth will be affected. Not one person will go untouched by the extremes.
The beasts of the earth are the scavengers who get fat on all those who society simply cannot bury or dispose of.
That means the stench of the dead on the planet, will be horrendous.
And this is not a childrens story, not a fiction made up by science-fiction writers, but a revealing of what is actually going to occur in our future some day.
And, it is all going to occur simply because people do not see the value of God, Christ, doctrine, obedience to truth, or the principles of truth, or their spiritual life. People just refuse to engage in a daily study of doctrine.
This is all going to occur because people refuse to come and see, and understand.
Again, the question, ‘Where do you stand in all of this?’
‘What are you not doing that you should be doing?’
‘What principle of doctrine do you believe that does not apply to you, or that you are exempt from?’
And in your excuses, you will find the answer as to why all of this will take place.
Feel Free to make a comment about this study: Comment Page
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Friday, April 30, 2010
Revelation 6:7
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Revelation 6:7
DailyBibleStudy.Org
7 And [kai] when [hote] he had opened [anoigo] the fourth [tetartos] seal, [sphragis] I heard [akouo] the voice [phone] of the fourth [tetartos] beast [zoon] say, [lego] Come [erchomai] and [kai] see. [blepo] KJV-Interlinear
7 And when He broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, "Come." NASB
The fourth beast speaks. The fourth beast is the one who had a head of an eagle, the farsighted one.
Farsightedness means understanding, being able to look and see and understand what is happening, being able to comprehend the nature of what is happening and the consequences. And people who are resistant toward listening and learning objectively, will never see or understand the consequences of their thoughts and actions.
Now we will look for the first time at the words ‘come,’ and ‘see.’
Come, means to leave from where you are, and go to another place, the place of where the pertinent activity is taking place. And in John’s case, he is already in heaven, and he can already see the earth. But this means to move in your mind as well, in order to understand, to open up your mind in order to understand, to be teachable.
Too often, folks simply will not listen, so they do not understand. Their minds are already made up, and anything you say or do will never get them to see the truth, or change their mind. That is the state of the world, for the most part, at this future time in history. It is certainly the state of the world even in our current day.
But people do not instantly get into this type of attitude. It takes time for folks to develop beliefs, opinions, and habits by which they establish their lifestyle. And it takes generations, for whole generations to get this way.
When folks are exposed to truth, and accept it, then they will have a tendency to be more open minded, and they will tend to be more objective in their analysis of the things that are going on around them at home, and in the world in general.
However, when truth is excluded from the thinking process of people’s minds, then the opinions of the world (all of which are not good), enter easily into their ideas and beliefs and they are easily fooled and deceived.
Most folks think of unbelievers or of radical religious types, when they think of anti-God activities, or anti-Christian activities or ideas. However, the worst of the negative types of people, are actually believers in Christ, not unbelievers.
The Bible commands us to study and learn and grow up. Most do not follow this mandate. They instead concentrate on the emotional aspects of faith. They quote verses, thinking that somehow their quote wields them with some form of supernatural power or emphasis. Some folks love to sing the hymns. That too, exercises the emotions, giving one a rosy glow or feeling about their love for Jesus and life and so forth.
These things are not spiritual growth, but should be applications of growth or expressions of growth, and not a replacement for the daily study commanded.
However, again, people get entrenched in their beliefs and habits, and getting them to change is difficult if not impossible. They will not ‘come and see.’ Their mind is closed.
And now we are at the fourth seal. These seals are opened in sequence for a reason. When people are so negative toward truth, whether they are believers or unbelievers, then these sequences in history will occur. The worst sequence will not occur until the Tribulation. But the Tribulation is not the first time that these things have happened - of abusive rulers, of tyranny, of a negative attitude in the masses. And one of the things that folks should have learned from history is that attitude toward Christ determines the level of blessings or lack of it, in history.
And when blessings are diminished, then sorrows increase dramatically.
In our dispensation, God is making Christ’s enemies a footstool for his feet. What does that mean? God is shaping, forming, arranging all of the pieces of the historical puzzle such that they will all be in place for the final events of history – Rapture and then the Tribulation.
All of these pieces of the puzzle include the dramatic rise in population, the precise formation of the continental drift pressure points, the precise status of the various volcanoes, the national powers that will exist in the four spheres on the planet, and so forth. But it also includes the number of believers that will be included in the Royal Family, the attitudes of the population around the world, the forms of governments, the nature of the regulations and monetary systems, the nature of society’s norms and standards, and on and on and on, and so forth.
All of these things (a massive list to be sure; no one could possibly list all of the details of history) are coming to a head, and will all culminate together at precisely the exact same time and moment in history. Most people cannot balance their own checkbooks. Certainly most governments cannot balance their national budgets. Only God can coordinate such a massive and complicated puzzle over these many, many centuries, and make them all come together at the same time.
And it is people who are helping make all of these things possible, primarily through their own negative attitude toward truth, which will culminate at the end of our own dispensation, in the greatest apostate society ever in history.
Noah’s generation was apostate to be sure, but they did not and would not follow a lunatic anti-christ leader. The Tribulation generation will not only follow the most evil person in history, but they will worship him. And that should wake up your eyes as to the horrible attitudes and policies, that we see, even in our current day.
John was in tears. Why?
Because the most horrible period of atrocities, pain, and suffering are coming, and people won’t do anything to stop it. They are in fact, bringing it all onto themselves, by means of their own indifference and negative attitude toward God, Christ, and doctrine. Unbelievers are apathetic, and negative believers are simply lazy or think they know it all, already.
Very few will knuckle down to study and learn and grow up spiritually. Where do you fit, in this picture?
Feel Free to make a comment about this study: Comment Page
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Daily Bible Study Quick Links
Go to this quick links page, and save it in your bookmarks for quick access to the daily studies.
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Revelation 6:7
DailyBibleStudy.Org
7 And [kai] when [hote] he had opened [anoigo] the fourth [tetartos] seal, [sphragis] I heard [akouo] the voice [phone] of the fourth [tetartos] beast [zoon] say, [lego] Come [erchomai] and [kai] see. [blepo] KJV-Interlinear
7 And when He broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, "Come." NASB
The fourth beast speaks. The fourth beast is the one who had a head of an eagle, the farsighted one.
Farsightedness means understanding, being able to look and see and understand what is happening, being able to comprehend the nature of what is happening and the consequences. And people who are resistant toward listening and learning objectively, will never see or understand the consequences of their thoughts and actions.
Now we will look for the first time at the words ‘come,’ and ‘see.’
Come, means to leave from where you are, and go to another place, the place of where the pertinent activity is taking place. And in John’s case, he is already in heaven, and he can already see the earth. But this means to move in your mind as well, in order to understand, to open up your mind in order to understand, to be teachable.
Too often, folks simply will not listen, so they do not understand. Their minds are already made up, and anything you say or do will never get them to see the truth, or change their mind. That is the state of the world, for the most part, at this future time in history. It is certainly the state of the world even in our current day.
But people do not instantly get into this type of attitude. It takes time for folks to develop beliefs, opinions, and habits by which they establish their lifestyle. And it takes generations, for whole generations to get this way.
When folks are exposed to truth, and accept it, then they will have a tendency to be more open minded, and they will tend to be more objective in their analysis of the things that are going on around them at home, and in the world in general.
However, when truth is excluded from the thinking process of people’s minds, then the opinions of the world (all of which are not good), enter easily into their ideas and beliefs and they are easily fooled and deceived.
Most folks think of unbelievers or of radical religious types, when they think of anti-God activities, or anti-Christian activities or ideas. However, the worst of the negative types of people, are actually believers in Christ, not unbelievers.
The Bible commands us to study and learn and grow up. Most do not follow this mandate. They instead concentrate on the emotional aspects of faith. They quote verses, thinking that somehow their quote wields them with some form of supernatural power or emphasis. Some folks love to sing the hymns. That too, exercises the emotions, giving one a rosy glow or feeling about their love for Jesus and life and so forth.
These things are not spiritual growth, but should be applications of growth or expressions of growth, and not a replacement for the daily study commanded.
However, again, people get entrenched in their beliefs and habits, and getting them to change is difficult if not impossible. They will not ‘come and see.’ Their mind is closed.
And now we are at the fourth seal. These seals are opened in sequence for a reason. When people are so negative toward truth, whether they are believers or unbelievers, then these sequences in history will occur. The worst sequence will not occur until the Tribulation. But the Tribulation is not the first time that these things have happened - of abusive rulers, of tyranny, of a negative attitude in the masses. And one of the things that folks should have learned from history is that attitude toward Christ determines the level of blessings or lack of it, in history.
And when blessings are diminished, then sorrows increase dramatically.
In our dispensation, God is making Christ’s enemies a footstool for his feet. What does that mean? God is shaping, forming, arranging all of the pieces of the historical puzzle such that they will all be in place for the final events of history – Rapture and then the Tribulation.
All of these pieces of the puzzle include the dramatic rise in population, the precise formation of the continental drift pressure points, the precise status of the various volcanoes, the national powers that will exist in the four spheres on the planet, and so forth. But it also includes the number of believers that will be included in the Royal Family, the attitudes of the population around the world, the forms of governments, the nature of the regulations and monetary systems, the nature of society’s norms and standards, and on and on and on, and so forth.
All of these things (a massive list to be sure; no one could possibly list all of the details of history) are coming to a head, and will all culminate together at precisely the exact same time and moment in history. Most people cannot balance their own checkbooks. Certainly most governments cannot balance their national budgets. Only God can coordinate such a massive and complicated puzzle over these many, many centuries, and make them all come together at the same time.
And it is people who are helping make all of these things possible, primarily through their own negative attitude toward truth, which will culminate at the end of our own dispensation, in the greatest apostate society ever in history.
Noah’s generation was apostate to be sure, but they did not and would not follow a lunatic anti-christ leader. The Tribulation generation will not only follow the most evil person in history, but they will worship him. And that should wake up your eyes as to the horrible attitudes and policies, that we see, even in our current day.
John was in tears. Why?
Because the most horrible period of atrocities, pain, and suffering are coming, and people won’t do anything to stop it. They are in fact, bringing it all onto themselves, by means of their own indifference and negative attitude toward God, Christ, and doctrine. Unbelievers are apathetic, and negative believers are simply lazy or think they know it all, already.
Very few will knuckle down to study and learn and grow up spiritually. Where do you fit, in this picture?
Feel Free to make a comment about this study: Comment Page
If you are a Facebook member, then please join the Bible Study Group that best suits you:
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Daily Bible Study Quick Links
Go to this quick links page, and save it in your bookmarks for quick access to the daily studies.
Two subscription options to receive these daily studies everyday via e-mail, are available here.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Revelation 6:6
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
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Revelation 6:6
DailyBibleStudy.Org
6 And [kai] I heard [akouo] a voice [phone] in [en] the midst [mesos] of the four [tessares] beasts [zoon] say, [lego] A measure [choinix] of wheat [sitos] for a penny, [denarion] and [kai] three [treis] measures [choinix] of barley [krithe] for a penny; [denarion] and [kai] see thou hurt [adikeo] not [me] the oil [elaion] and [kai] the wine. [oinos] KJV-Interlinear
6 And I heard as it were 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 harm the oil and the wine." NASB
Shortages of every type of goods and services are on the horizon. When a given geographical area experiences repetitive catastrophes, then shortages are inevitable. Now we see in the breaking of the third seal, that just to be able to feed ones self for one day only, it will take a days wages. Can't get ahead when you work all day to feed only yourself. Nothing mentioned concerning the care of ones family or even the cost of maintaining a home, transportation, etc. Times will be extremely tough.
The third creature is that with a face of a man. The four living beasts correlate with each of these seals.
Man in all his glory and grand legislation and schemes, seem to mess things up economically. We'll set tariffs here and there, we'll raise taxes, we'll lower interest rates or raise them. We'll offer tax incentives, tax credits, and manipulate the deductible items a little here and there. Man has a multitude of rules and regulations aimed at controlling the economy, generating government revenue, financing public programs and such.
But as these layers of bureaucracy increase so does the complexity of economics. And so does the burden on peoples ability to even make a living, increase to beyond tolerable.
One set of regulations may 'seem' to solve or control an economic problem, but other problems arise and yet more regulations are added to the books of government, and the spiral of disaster continues. The Tribulation will be no different, and even more so, it will see the added burden of regulation of the economics of everything that a person can do, with the recording of all persons identifications and the requiring of ID cards of some type, thus preventing some people from doing business unless they have the proper ID, to the regulation of what one can own, buy and sell. More on this commerce regulation in chapter 13.
This attempt to regulate commerce, but with the intent of controlling peoples religious beliefs, will fail horribly. When laws become unfair and burdensome on the population, then underground markets open up, and generally thrive, especially when there is little if any monitoring of the whole process. We have already seen that the problems in the world will compound upon themselves. Because of the massive disruptions by violence, crime, and government regulation (not to mention storms and natural disasters – which we have not yet studied), communications are down, transportation is down, law enforcement is down, so the mandated commerce controls will be difficult to maintain, but they will at the same time become a huge burden on the population, as government regulation, or attempts to regulate will almost always end up in disaster for an economy.
We see even today, the monster of government control trying to gain a foothold on the nations. Our Trojan Horse seems to be in the form of health care and global warming. Something that can appeal to people in concept, but when you look inside, evil runs rampant.
All of the faces of the creatures of God, have been taken and distorted. Authority has been perverted. Power has been abused. Now free enterprise or the free thinking of man has been undermined. This destroys innovation and true competition in the market place.
The result, 'A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine.'
Shortages occur and inflation takes over.
A denarius is the reference for a days wages. Often translated as a penny or a shilling, the denarius was the typical days wage of the Roman soldier, or perhaps a common laborer.
The dry measures of the wheat and barley, and the extra care for the oil and beverage indicate that nothing is to be wasted. The quart of wheat, when ground up into flour will not yield a quart of flour, but perhaps a couple of cups, and only a very small loaf of bread is available from that. If a person eats three meals a day, with the family, there won't be any leftovers for the fridge. There won’t even be enough to go around.
While in todays world a person can buy a loaf of bread for less than an hours wage (typical labor), this increase in prices is dramatic. I know that there are a lot of bread loaves and sizes and so forth, but a typical loaf may cost one or two dollars. If a person is earning ten or twenty dollars an hour, than one could buy lots of loaves for only one hours work.
However, when the cost of common bread (not fancy bread) soars to require a whole days wages, what does that tell you about wages? They do not keep pace with rising costs. Likewise, when bread costs go up, that means shortages and rising costs exist everywhere else. Needless to say, times will be extremely tough. Emphasize the extreme.
And one more principle is revealed here. The voice, this time, does not come from one of the four living beasts, who represent the very foundation of life. But the voice comes from an unidentified source within their midst.
This indicates that all of the fundamental rules of life have been violated, and that live and its foundations have no part in this very bad situation in which the world will find itself. On their own, people by their continued indifference to truth, will bring this disaster upon themselves. They have no excuse, they have no one to blame, but themselves.
This principle applies to everyone, even you.
Now that we have seen inside three seals, and have four more to go, we should probably begin looking at another Biblical principle - God controls history.
Note that the sequence of the events begins with the revelation of the event in heaven prior to its occurrence on earth.
Nothing in history, nothing in life, happens without Gods prior knowledge. He is ahead of us all when it comes to knowing what will happen and when. Whether it is impending disaster on a world wide scale, or whether it is what you will have for breakfast tomorrow, nothing happens that God does not know about.
God knows every thought, every decision, every event in history.
Who breaks the seals? Jesus Christ. Who imputes human life into each and every infant born in this world? Jesus Christ. He controls every aspect of ones life. He has made provision for every circumstance that might occur in each persons life.
Down here on earth, we may be caught by surprise as events unfold, but in heaven, there are no surprises. God in eternity past, made a decision as to the events of history, and recorded them down in what theology calls the Divine Decrees. Nothing ever happens unless it is first revealed in heaven.
'Seal up the scroll, for its time is not yet.'
'Break the seal and reveal its contents.'
'Only the one who is worthy (the lamb), is able to break the seal'.
Jesus Christ controls history. For every person who resides inside His sphere of power and protection (fellowship), there is no danger, only blessing.
For those who reside in the jungle, that is, outside His sphere of protection (out of fellowship for believers, and for all unbelievers) there is misery and disaster.
Though the world during the time of the Tribulation is falling apart, it is in no danger of self-destruction.
Though your life may seem like it is in the self destruct mode, you too are in His hands and you do have some degree of protection. Though, if you are negative or disinterested in Bible study, that protection may be only to pile on more misery and discipline in order to wake you up.
So you still have some control over your miserable future. You can maintain that misery by ignoring your daily Bible study, or you can turn that little light on in your head and get with a program of daily Bible study.
We learn that not only will there be terrible trouble in the Tribulation, but this also helps us to see that our individual lives are under some protection, as well as design.
History is not spontaneous, nor haphazard. Nothing happens by surprise. Now your life may be somewhat haphazard, but that is entirely up to your decision making process. God is not the author of confusion. Even in the worst of times, there is always a means of escape for the believer in fellowship, for the believer advancing to spiritual maturity.
If you haven't already done so, you may want to review, or re-review the special study on fellowship. Find it in the Special Study Library online. That is presuming that you even have the inclination to pursue your spiritual learning process, without someone getting it for you.
Earlier, John cried tears of sorrow. One of the many reasons for those tears, is because people are their own worst enemies. People do not go after truth, but disregard it, and end up in a life of great distress.
It would be nice if God hit you in the head every time you did something wrong, but that will not happen in this dispensation. Your resource for self discipline and self control is your own volition.
If you have been with this study for very long, you know a little of your history.
When peoples in Mesopotamia came under oppression, they moved into Europe, Africa, and Asia. They had a frontier to escape to. When the Old World became over populated and oppressive, the Americas were discovered and masses or people made the exodus to the New World.
God gave man frontiers as an escape from oppression.
But by the time of the Tribulation, the One World concept will give people nowhere to run, except one place – the spiritual life of Christianity. That frontier is vast and endless and secure because it is protected by God. Evil cannot enter into it.
But unfortunately, people will make their own misery, because they will ignore God, Christ, and their spiritual life. They pretend and pursue the rah rah rah’s of Christianity, but not the substance of doctrinal instruction.
When you are attending a school event, you can sing your songs and shout your chants of loyalty and support, but those are not an education. That comes not at the celebration but in the class room, where homework and study are required.
It is no different with the spiritual life. Sing your favorite songs and recite your favorite verses, of course, but those only help shore up your emotional feelings. You must pursue a daily study, so that you can learn and gain an orientation to life and the world around you.
Without a foundation of doctrine inside of your soul, you will have no protection from the worlds influences and thus will fall flat on your face when the times get really tough.
We are now only two verses way from the first of three of the worst disasters the world has ever seen. And in that future day, it will not be pleasant.
Thus John’s tears. Mans decisions (your decisions) make or break your entire life and future. Unfortunately for most, they just do not think that this is really going to happen, nor do they believe that any of these principles apply to them.
And so, indifference, disinterest, and the refusal to knuckle down to learning and growing and obeying Gods principles, will lead to massive sorrow. And that is something that you can count on, regardless of what you think.
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Revelation 6:6
DailyBibleStudy.Org
6 And [kai] I heard [akouo] a voice [phone] in [en] the midst [mesos] of the four [tessares] beasts [zoon] say, [lego] A measure [choinix] of wheat [sitos] for a penny, [denarion] and [kai] three [treis] measures [choinix] of barley [krithe] for a penny; [denarion] and [kai] see thou hurt [adikeo] not [me] the oil [elaion] and [kai] the wine. [oinos] KJV-Interlinear
6 And I heard as it were 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 harm the oil and the wine." NASB
Shortages of every type of goods and services are on the horizon. When a given geographical area experiences repetitive catastrophes, then shortages are inevitable. Now we see in the breaking of the third seal, that just to be able to feed ones self for one day only, it will take a days wages. Can't get ahead when you work all day to feed only yourself. Nothing mentioned concerning the care of ones family or even the cost of maintaining a home, transportation, etc. Times will be extremely tough.
The third creature is that with a face of a man. The four living beasts correlate with each of these seals.
Man in all his glory and grand legislation and schemes, seem to mess things up economically. We'll set tariffs here and there, we'll raise taxes, we'll lower interest rates or raise them. We'll offer tax incentives, tax credits, and manipulate the deductible items a little here and there. Man has a multitude of rules and regulations aimed at controlling the economy, generating government revenue, financing public programs and such.
But as these layers of bureaucracy increase so does the complexity of economics. And so does the burden on peoples ability to even make a living, increase to beyond tolerable.
One set of regulations may 'seem' to solve or control an economic problem, but other problems arise and yet more regulations are added to the books of government, and the spiral of disaster continues. The Tribulation will be no different, and even more so, it will see the added burden of regulation of the economics of everything that a person can do, with the recording of all persons identifications and the requiring of ID cards of some type, thus preventing some people from doing business unless they have the proper ID, to the regulation of what one can own, buy and sell. More on this commerce regulation in chapter 13.
This attempt to regulate commerce, but with the intent of controlling peoples religious beliefs, will fail horribly. When laws become unfair and burdensome on the population, then underground markets open up, and generally thrive, especially when there is little if any monitoring of the whole process. We have already seen that the problems in the world will compound upon themselves. Because of the massive disruptions by violence, crime, and government regulation (not to mention storms and natural disasters – which we have not yet studied), communications are down, transportation is down, law enforcement is down, so the mandated commerce controls will be difficult to maintain, but they will at the same time become a huge burden on the population, as government regulation, or attempts to regulate will almost always end up in disaster for an economy.
We see even today, the monster of government control trying to gain a foothold on the nations. Our Trojan Horse seems to be in the form of health care and global warming. Something that can appeal to people in concept, but when you look inside, evil runs rampant.
All of the faces of the creatures of God, have been taken and distorted. Authority has been perverted. Power has been abused. Now free enterprise or the free thinking of man has been undermined. This destroys innovation and true competition in the market place.
The result, 'A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine.'
Shortages occur and inflation takes over.
A denarius is the reference for a days wages. Often translated as a penny or a shilling, the denarius was the typical days wage of the Roman soldier, or perhaps a common laborer.
The dry measures of the wheat and barley, and the extra care for the oil and beverage indicate that nothing is to be wasted. The quart of wheat, when ground up into flour will not yield a quart of flour, but perhaps a couple of cups, and only a very small loaf of bread is available from that. If a person eats three meals a day, with the family, there won't be any leftovers for the fridge. There won’t even be enough to go around.
While in todays world a person can buy a loaf of bread for less than an hours wage (typical labor), this increase in prices is dramatic. I know that there are a lot of bread loaves and sizes and so forth, but a typical loaf may cost one or two dollars. If a person is earning ten or twenty dollars an hour, than one could buy lots of loaves for only one hours work.
However, when the cost of common bread (not fancy bread) soars to require a whole days wages, what does that tell you about wages? They do not keep pace with rising costs. Likewise, when bread costs go up, that means shortages and rising costs exist everywhere else. Needless to say, times will be extremely tough. Emphasize the extreme.
And one more principle is revealed here. The voice, this time, does not come from one of the four living beasts, who represent the very foundation of life. But the voice comes from an unidentified source within their midst.
This indicates that all of the fundamental rules of life have been violated, and that live and its foundations have no part in this very bad situation in which the world will find itself. On their own, people by their continued indifference to truth, will bring this disaster upon themselves. They have no excuse, they have no one to blame, but themselves.
This principle applies to everyone, even you.
Now that we have seen inside three seals, and have four more to go, we should probably begin looking at another Biblical principle - God controls history.
Note that the sequence of the events begins with the revelation of the event in heaven prior to its occurrence on earth.
Nothing in history, nothing in life, happens without Gods prior knowledge. He is ahead of us all when it comes to knowing what will happen and when. Whether it is impending disaster on a world wide scale, or whether it is what you will have for breakfast tomorrow, nothing happens that God does not know about.
God knows every thought, every decision, every event in history.
Who breaks the seals? Jesus Christ. Who imputes human life into each and every infant born in this world? Jesus Christ. He controls every aspect of ones life. He has made provision for every circumstance that might occur in each persons life.
Down here on earth, we may be caught by surprise as events unfold, but in heaven, there are no surprises. God in eternity past, made a decision as to the events of history, and recorded them down in what theology calls the Divine Decrees. Nothing ever happens unless it is first revealed in heaven.
'Seal up the scroll, for its time is not yet.'
'Break the seal and reveal its contents.'
'Only the one who is worthy (the lamb), is able to break the seal'.
Jesus Christ controls history. For every person who resides inside His sphere of power and protection (fellowship), there is no danger, only blessing.
For those who reside in the jungle, that is, outside His sphere of protection (out of fellowship for believers, and for all unbelievers) there is misery and disaster.
Though the world during the time of the Tribulation is falling apart, it is in no danger of self-destruction.
Though your life may seem like it is in the self destruct mode, you too are in His hands and you do have some degree of protection. Though, if you are negative or disinterested in Bible study, that protection may be only to pile on more misery and discipline in order to wake you up.
So you still have some control over your miserable future. You can maintain that misery by ignoring your daily Bible study, or you can turn that little light on in your head and get with a program of daily Bible study.
We learn that not only will there be terrible trouble in the Tribulation, but this also helps us to see that our individual lives are under some protection, as well as design.
History is not spontaneous, nor haphazard. Nothing happens by surprise. Now your life may be somewhat haphazard, but that is entirely up to your decision making process. God is not the author of confusion. Even in the worst of times, there is always a means of escape for the believer in fellowship, for the believer advancing to spiritual maturity.
If you haven't already done so, you may want to review, or re-review the special study on fellowship. Find it in the Special Study Library online. That is presuming that you even have the inclination to pursue your spiritual learning process, without someone getting it for you.
Earlier, John cried tears of sorrow. One of the many reasons for those tears, is because people are their own worst enemies. People do not go after truth, but disregard it, and end up in a life of great distress.
It would be nice if God hit you in the head every time you did something wrong, but that will not happen in this dispensation. Your resource for self discipline and self control is your own volition.
If you have been with this study for very long, you know a little of your history.
When peoples in Mesopotamia came under oppression, they moved into Europe, Africa, and Asia. They had a frontier to escape to. When the Old World became over populated and oppressive, the Americas were discovered and masses or people made the exodus to the New World.
God gave man frontiers as an escape from oppression.
But by the time of the Tribulation, the One World concept will give people nowhere to run, except one place – the spiritual life of Christianity. That frontier is vast and endless and secure because it is protected by God. Evil cannot enter into it.
But unfortunately, people will make their own misery, because they will ignore God, Christ, and their spiritual life. They pretend and pursue the rah rah rah’s of Christianity, but not the substance of doctrinal instruction.
When you are attending a school event, you can sing your songs and shout your chants of loyalty and support, but those are not an education. That comes not at the celebration but in the class room, where homework and study are required.
It is no different with the spiritual life. Sing your favorite songs and recite your favorite verses, of course, but those only help shore up your emotional feelings. You must pursue a daily study, so that you can learn and gain an orientation to life and the world around you.
Without a foundation of doctrine inside of your soul, you will have no protection from the worlds influences and thus will fall flat on your face when the times get really tough.
We are now only two verses way from the first of three of the worst disasters the world has ever seen. And in that future day, it will not be pleasant.
Thus John’s tears. Mans decisions (your decisions) make or break your entire life and future. Unfortunately for most, they just do not think that this is really going to happen, nor do they believe that any of these principles apply to them.
And so, indifference, disinterest, and the refusal to knuckle down to learning and growing and obeying Gods principles, will lead to massive sorrow. And that is something that you can count on, regardless of what you think.
Feel Free to make a comment about this study: Comment Page
If you are a Facebook member, then please join the Bible Study Group that best suits you:
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Daily Bible Study Quick Links
Go to this quick links page, and save it in your bookmarks for quick access to the daily studies.
Two subscription options to receive these daily studies everyday via e-mail, are available here.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Revelation 6:5
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
Revelation 6:5
DailyBibleStudy.Org
5 And [kai] when [hote] he had opened [anoigo] the third [tritos] seal, [sphragis] I heard [akouo] the third [tritos] beast [zoon] say, [lego] Come [erchomai] and [kai] see. [blepo] And [kai] I beheld, [eido] and [kai] lo [idou] a black [melas] horse; [hippos] and [kai] he that sat [kathemai] on [epi] him [autos] had [echo] a pair of balances [zugos] in [en] his [autos] hand. [cheir] KJV-Interlinear
5 And when He broke the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, "Come." And I looked, and behold, a black horse; and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. NASB
With the first seal, appears the white horse, the hero.
With the second seal, appears the red horse, unleashed violence.
And now we have the third seal being opened, and the black horse appears, with the rider (still the anti-christ) carrying a set of scales for weights and measures.
The economics of the world is the target now. The black horse is used to refer to famine or terrible economic times, Lam. 5:10.
In each instance, Gods divine plan and design has been distorted. First, the lion, where authority is abused.
Second, the ox, where service is abused and used to turn society into oppressed peoples.
And now, third, the image of the man, which is used to represent the third living beast, one who expresses rational thought, and rational thought has been so distorted with abuses that the economies of the world are destroyed.
It is the anti-christ who appears on each of these horses. It is the anti-christ who is responsible for all of the deceit and abuses, and tyranny which is to follow.
He carries the scales, and it is he (the anti-christ) who is responsible for upsetting the balance of economic activity in the world.
When government runs or regulates anything, it ends in disaster. That is a principle that has been true throughout history, it is true today and will be far more than true, in the future when the Tribulation occurs and throughout the entire seven year period of the Tribulation.
One of the fundamental principles of truth is self-determination. This is supported in the free enterprise economic system. And this is why the free enterprise system is under constant attack. All principles of truth are assaulted by evil, in order to promote evils own false and failing systems, designed to destroy humanity.
The anti-christ holds the economics of the world in his hands. His hands represent the governing system that will be in place at that time.
And a quick note here at this point of our study.
Recall that the scroll had writing on both sides of the paper. The writing indicated a very detailed account of historical events.
Thus far, we have been getting only the titles, as it were, behind each of the seals as they are removed. And though the concepts contained within the scroll as they have been revealed, typically follow a logical and chronological sequence, these events and circumstances will exist throughout the Tribulation.
The anti-christ will not invent his position (the concept of the ruler is already there), nor the source of his power (police and militaries are already there), nor the mechanics of the economics at hand (government regulations and laws are already there). These things (bureaucracies, regulations, laws, etc.) will not come instantly into existence after the Rapture. These things will already have their attributes in place, however the anti-christ will take these things to the extreme, and intensify and abuse them, during the Tribulation.
Feel Free to make a comment about this study: Comment Page
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Go to this quick links page, and save it in your bookmarks for quick access to the daily studies.
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Revelation 6:5
DailyBibleStudy.Org
5 And [kai] when [hote] he had opened [anoigo] the third [tritos] seal, [sphragis] I heard [akouo] the third [tritos] beast [zoon] say, [lego] Come [erchomai] and [kai] see. [blepo] And [kai] I beheld, [eido] and [kai] lo [idou] a black [melas] horse; [hippos] and [kai] he that sat [kathemai] on [epi] him [autos] had [echo] a pair of balances [zugos] in [en] his [autos] hand. [cheir] KJV-Interlinear
5 And when He broke the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, "Come." And I looked, and behold, a black horse; and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. NASB
With the first seal, appears the white horse, the hero.
With the second seal, appears the red horse, unleashed violence.
And now we have the third seal being opened, and the black horse appears, with the rider (still the anti-christ) carrying a set of scales for weights and measures.
The economics of the world is the target now. The black horse is used to refer to famine or terrible economic times, Lam. 5:10.
In each instance, Gods divine plan and design has been distorted. First, the lion, where authority is abused.
Second, the ox, where service is abused and used to turn society into oppressed peoples.
And now, third, the image of the man, which is used to represent the third living beast, one who expresses rational thought, and rational thought has been so distorted with abuses that the economies of the world are destroyed.
It is the anti-christ who appears on each of these horses. It is the anti-christ who is responsible for all of the deceit and abuses, and tyranny which is to follow.
He carries the scales, and it is he (the anti-christ) who is responsible for upsetting the balance of economic activity in the world.
When government runs or regulates anything, it ends in disaster. That is a principle that has been true throughout history, it is true today and will be far more than true, in the future when the Tribulation occurs and throughout the entire seven year period of the Tribulation.
One of the fundamental principles of truth is self-determination. This is supported in the free enterprise economic system. And this is why the free enterprise system is under constant attack. All principles of truth are assaulted by evil, in order to promote evils own false and failing systems, designed to destroy humanity.
The anti-christ holds the economics of the world in his hands. His hands represent the governing system that will be in place at that time.
And a quick note here at this point of our study.
Recall that the scroll had writing on both sides of the paper. The writing indicated a very detailed account of historical events.
Thus far, we have been getting only the titles, as it were, behind each of the seals as they are removed. And though the concepts contained within the scroll as they have been revealed, typically follow a logical and chronological sequence, these events and circumstances will exist throughout the Tribulation.
The anti-christ will not invent his position (the concept of the ruler is already there), nor the source of his power (police and militaries are already there), nor the mechanics of the economics at hand (government regulations and laws are already there). These things (bureaucracies, regulations, laws, etc.) will not come instantly into existence after the Rapture. These things will already have their attributes in place, however the anti-christ will take these things to the extreme, and intensify and abuse them, during the Tribulation.
Feel Free to make a comment about this study: Comment Page
If you are a Facebook member, then please join the Bible Study Group that best suits you:
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Daily Bible Study Quick Links
Go to this quick links page, and save it in your bookmarks for quick access to the daily studies.
Two subscription options to receive these daily studies everyday via e-mail, are available here.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Revelation 6:4
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
Revelation 6:4
DailyBibleStudy.Org
4 And [kai] there went out [exerchomai] another [allos] horse [hippos] that was red: [purrhos] and [kai] power was given [didomi] to him [autos] that sat [kathemai] thereon [epi] [autos] to take [lambano] peace [eirene] from [apo] the earth, [ge] and [kai] that [hina] they should kill [sphazo] one another: [allelon] and [kai] there was given [didomi] unto him [autos] a great [megas] sword. [machaira] KJV-Interlinear
4 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 should slay one another; and a great sword was given to him. NASB
With the opening of the first seal, thunder sounded. A signal and warning that something ominous is coming.
The first living beast, first mentioned in chapter four, calls John (us) to come and see.
What is coming is a hero, as far as the world is concerned.
However, the anti-christ carries a bow. A seemingly weak or only symbolic weapon, as his agenda first appears to be more diplomatic and promising. That changes quickly however.
The anti-christ is a weak person, but the one thing that stands out in his life is, that all of the people who allow him to come into power, are even weaker than he.
He conquers, and what does that tell you about his opponents? They are very weak. And since the world is anti-truth, then defeating a weak world comes easy.
The second seal is opened. The second living beast says, ‘Come and see.’
The opening act of the Tribulation has begun and it is time to us to see what is really there.
The first angel, the lion, revealed the first seal. The lion is a representation of the real and correct authority of God, but this authority in the hands of the anti-christ is distorted as he pushed his own agenda for the conquest of the world. A lions voice can be heard from far off, and the images that one congers up in ones own mind are those of the lions power and possible destruction if met face to face. So the intimidation factor is definitely there.
Moving on to the second seal, as announced by the ox. The power and service of the ox is expressed in this seal. However, the red horse symbolizes war. Just as the first horse was symbolic and not a real horse, so this horse is symbolic. In contrast, the horse that Christ will ride in chapter 19, is definitely a real horse, a white war horse, and so too, are the horses that we will ride as we follow Him toward earth, in military formations. We are an army of armies.
Now we see reference to armies, but not specific armies. This war is general in nature. This is the attempted coup of the world by the anti-christ.
If he were indeed a hero, then why the need for violent force in order to gain his following. As hero he would be there to serve, but as a tyrant, his service becomes violent enforcement.
None of the first four seals designates a specific name, nor a specific place, nor a specific order, nor a specific time or duration, nor a specific event. They are all general. This is the nature of the seven year period that people will face. From common sense and from our own history, we can generally picture the scene as follows.
The world has a huge population. Whether it is the seven billion of today or 20 plus billion or more, of the future, really isn't the issue. There will still be a lot of people worldwide. The fact that people listen to an anti-christ person in the first place indicates really big problems and the general unhappiness of the vast majority, but not only from one nation but from many nations, perhaps all nations worldwide.
As we will see, the problems run from war conflicts, probably in regional areas such as we now see in Africa, or in the middle-east, but there are many such conflicts worldwide. Even in Europe there will be a great deal of discord and disagreement which will lead to war within that European body, just as we saw in the previous world wars.
The ox represents the burdens placed on man as a result of the vast and numerous wars that will be taking place. War disrupts commerce, disrupts justice, disrupts any type of hope, for that life of peace - that 8 to 5 job and Monday night football will all but disappear. People will be enduring stress, constant stress. There will be no peace. There will be no certainty of what might happen in the night or tomorrow. One could go to sleep, if that is even possible, and suddenly be awaken by an attack. Not only from a formal military group, but this is confusion, tyranny, crime running loose. Gangs will be on the streets. Violence and terror will be the order of the day. Rape, murder, theft, all these and more will become common place.
As the anti-christ attempts to secure his power, he will soon learn, as the world will soon learn, that this initial peace promised will never come, and the price will be huge.
The word for take peace, ‘lambano,’ means the removal or absence of peace. The word for kill, ‘sphazo,’ means slaughter, and is a reference to the general nature of society. This is not just a military attempt to secure power, but a dramatic breakdown in social order. This is a slaughter, as you would find in an animal slaughter house.
With the restraints of sin, off. Society will sink dramatically and quickly into a realm of degenerate and evil pattern, that no one will be able to end. And all the while, the anti-christ will be attempting to secure his power, by doing the same thing. Likewise, he ignores the violence of criminals, but uses that to his own advantage.
When evil rules, then all rules evaporate into raw jungle law. There will be no containment of the trouble, no confinement to specific geographical areas. Trouble will be worldwide.
Such will be the nature of the Tribulation
The continued conflicts will serve to destabilize life across the world, and will continue in random order and will finally culminate in the last great battle of Armageddon. And as we will see, these seals will present the disorder of the earth.
Usually chaos provides little protection for people, but in this case, chaos will provide protection for believers worldwide. With transportation disrupted, communication disrupted, with power disrupted, and virtually everything else that you can think of being disrupted, there will be tremendous chaos in every aspect of life. And in this chaos, those who seek you out simply cannot find you. Odd as it may seem, in this chaos, believers (new believers) will have some semblance of security, while everyone's disorganized attention is directed elsewhere.
When peace is disrupted, and crime runs rampant, when the government actually becomes the criminal, then that overflows into every aspect of society, and suffering and death skyrocket.
But then we need to remove a couple more of the seals to begin to get clearer picture of life in this new utopia of Satan’s.
Feel Free to make a comment about this study: Comment Page
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Daily Bible Study Quick Links
Go to this quick links page, and save it in your bookmarks for quick access to the daily studies.
Two subscription options to receive these daily studies everyday via e-mail, are available here.
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Revelation 6:4
DailyBibleStudy.Org
4 And [kai] there went out [exerchomai] another [allos] horse [hippos] that was red: [purrhos] and [kai] power was given [didomi] to him [autos] that sat [kathemai] thereon [epi] [autos] to take [lambano] peace [eirene] from [apo] the earth, [ge] and [kai] that [hina] they should kill [sphazo] one another: [allelon] and [kai] there was given [didomi] unto him [autos] a great [megas] sword. [machaira] KJV-Interlinear
4 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 should slay one another; and a great sword was given to him. NASB
With the opening of the first seal, thunder sounded. A signal and warning that something ominous is coming.
The first living beast, first mentioned in chapter four, calls John (us) to come and see.
What is coming is a hero, as far as the world is concerned.
However, the anti-christ carries a bow. A seemingly weak or only symbolic weapon, as his agenda first appears to be more diplomatic and promising. That changes quickly however.
The anti-christ is a weak person, but the one thing that stands out in his life is, that all of the people who allow him to come into power, are even weaker than he.
He conquers, and what does that tell you about his opponents? They are very weak. And since the world is anti-truth, then defeating a weak world comes easy.
The second seal is opened. The second living beast says, ‘Come and see.’
The opening act of the Tribulation has begun and it is time to us to see what is really there.
The first angel, the lion, revealed the first seal. The lion is a representation of the real and correct authority of God, but this authority in the hands of the anti-christ is distorted as he pushed his own agenda for the conquest of the world. A lions voice can be heard from far off, and the images that one congers up in ones own mind are those of the lions power and possible destruction if met face to face. So the intimidation factor is definitely there.
Moving on to the second seal, as announced by the ox. The power and service of the ox is expressed in this seal. However, the red horse symbolizes war. Just as the first horse was symbolic and not a real horse, so this horse is symbolic. In contrast, the horse that Christ will ride in chapter 19, is definitely a real horse, a white war horse, and so too, are the horses that we will ride as we follow Him toward earth, in military formations. We are an army of armies.
Now we see reference to armies, but not specific armies. This war is general in nature. This is the attempted coup of the world by the anti-christ.
If he were indeed a hero, then why the need for violent force in order to gain his following. As hero he would be there to serve, but as a tyrant, his service becomes violent enforcement.
None of the first four seals designates a specific name, nor a specific place, nor a specific order, nor a specific time or duration, nor a specific event. They are all general. This is the nature of the seven year period that people will face. From common sense and from our own history, we can generally picture the scene as follows.
The world has a huge population. Whether it is the seven billion of today or 20 plus billion or more, of the future, really isn't the issue. There will still be a lot of people worldwide. The fact that people listen to an anti-christ person in the first place indicates really big problems and the general unhappiness of the vast majority, but not only from one nation but from many nations, perhaps all nations worldwide.
As we will see, the problems run from war conflicts, probably in regional areas such as we now see in Africa, or in the middle-east, but there are many such conflicts worldwide. Even in Europe there will be a great deal of discord and disagreement which will lead to war within that European body, just as we saw in the previous world wars.
The ox represents the burdens placed on man as a result of the vast and numerous wars that will be taking place. War disrupts commerce, disrupts justice, disrupts any type of hope, for that life of peace - that 8 to 5 job and Monday night football will all but disappear. People will be enduring stress, constant stress. There will be no peace. There will be no certainty of what might happen in the night or tomorrow. One could go to sleep, if that is even possible, and suddenly be awaken by an attack. Not only from a formal military group, but this is confusion, tyranny, crime running loose. Gangs will be on the streets. Violence and terror will be the order of the day. Rape, murder, theft, all these and more will become common place.
As the anti-christ attempts to secure his power, he will soon learn, as the world will soon learn, that this initial peace promised will never come, and the price will be huge.
The word for take peace, ‘lambano,’ means the removal or absence of peace. The word for kill, ‘sphazo,’ means slaughter, and is a reference to the general nature of society. This is not just a military attempt to secure power, but a dramatic breakdown in social order. This is a slaughter, as you would find in an animal slaughter house.
With the restraints of sin, off. Society will sink dramatically and quickly into a realm of degenerate and evil pattern, that no one will be able to end. And all the while, the anti-christ will be attempting to secure his power, by doing the same thing. Likewise, he ignores the violence of criminals, but uses that to his own advantage.
When evil rules, then all rules evaporate into raw jungle law. There will be no containment of the trouble, no confinement to specific geographical areas. Trouble will be worldwide.
Such will be the nature of the Tribulation
The continued conflicts will serve to destabilize life across the world, and will continue in random order and will finally culminate in the last great battle of Armageddon. And as we will see, these seals will present the disorder of the earth.
Usually chaos provides little protection for people, but in this case, chaos will provide protection for believers worldwide. With transportation disrupted, communication disrupted, with power disrupted, and virtually everything else that you can think of being disrupted, there will be tremendous chaos in every aspect of life. And in this chaos, those who seek you out simply cannot find you. Odd as it may seem, in this chaos, believers (new believers) will have some semblance of security, while everyone's disorganized attention is directed elsewhere.
When peace is disrupted, and crime runs rampant, when the government actually becomes the criminal, then that overflows into every aspect of society, and suffering and death skyrocket.
But then we need to remove a couple more of the seals to begin to get clearer picture of life in this new utopia of Satan’s.
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