"The Bride Is Ready" Revelation 19 "FROM THE SERIES: When The Lamb Stands By Sharon Clemens

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The final destruction of Babylon causes the multitudes in heaven to erupt in loud praise. What a fitting contrast to the mourning of lost men in chapter 18. The Bride of Christ raptured before the Tribulation will be among those singing praises before the throne. Yes, we will be part of this heavenly chorus, and from our heavenly perspective, we are in complete concert with our Lord's destruction of corrupt world systems. This outpouring of praise will herald the return of our Lord and King to take His rightful place on the throne of Israel.

The celebration is more than justified by the last verse of chapter 18, which summarizes the worst of the charges brought against Babylon. “And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who were slain on the earth.” Babylon embodied all that led to the atrocities against God’s people, what can be called the Tribulation holocaust. Ref. Rev. 6:7; 11:7; 13:7, 15; 17:6. See 19:2—“…and He has avenged on her the blood of His servants shed by her.” The Tribulation holocaust of innocent blood will bring the wrath of God down on the heads of the citizens of the global system of Antichrist. Our heavenly King will return to destroy His enemies in person--and He will bring His Bride and the citizens of heaven with Him.

REVELATION 19:1-10:

19:1-5—“After these things…” Immediately following the destruction of Babylon, the victory celebration begins. The praise is led by the twenty-four elders [representing the completed Church in heaven] and four living creatures we saw in chapters 4 and 5. Their “Amen” is a resounding affirmation of the justness of all they witnessed.

• The voice from the throne is likely one of the cherubim as they are posted to the throne, calling all heaven to the worship celebration [vs. 5].
• MacArthur, p. 2018--“The fall of Babylon ends whatever semblance of normalcy will still exist in the world after all the seals, trumpets, and bowls. Life will be totally disrupted and the end near. No more music, no industry, no preparing of food (“millstone”), no more power for light, and no more weddings because God will destroy the deceivers and deceived.” All that offered comfort and escape to the lost no longer exists.
• The sinking millstone also represents the failure of the global economic system. Just as evil commercialism was pictured caught in a grain measuring basket, so the capital of the economy is pictured as a grain millstone slated for destruction.
• 19:6--The longed for day of justice has come and all in heaven rejoice! “Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns.” Babylon’s fall was the last piece of business our Lord determined to accomplish before His physical return to ascend His earthly throne.

I can recall unforgettable worship moments in the over thirty years of my life in Christ. My spirit has been lifted to the throne in filled auditoriums with hundreds of voices and a full slate of instruments. I have also experienced the profound presence of Christ in a tiny group where our bowed heads offered soft praise in song. Nothing I have experienced in this life will come close or even compare to the purity of praise in the throne room as multitudes beyond number offer our praise in the very receiving presence of the Trinity.

What an honor to participate in this incredible throne room worship service. No praise band, church choir, orchestra, pipe organ or means of human sound will be able to equal the “voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings…” John describes what he heard in the only means available to him—the powerful sounds of nature. From his description, we can speculate that the worship chorus will not only be impressive in quality and volume, but will seem to exude power, just as we can literally feel the power of the crashing waters of Niagara Falls.

ENTER—THE BRIDE

If you are new to the study of The Revelation, verse 7 of chapter 19 is worthy of special preview notice. Here is the only specific mention of the Church since we left the Church Age in chapter 3. The Church is the Bride of Christ and is introduced here, at the end of the Tribulation, NOT because the Church is IN the Tribulation, but because Christ is ready to return to the earth and He is bringing His bride [wife in some translations] with Him. Where has the Bride been? The Bride has been in heaven with Christ because the Church was raptured BEFORE the Tribulation began. The placing of the Bride exactly here is, in fact, strong evidence that the Church is NOT going through the Tribulation. The Church doesn’t appear on earth again until we return with our Bridegroom.

CONFIRMATION OF PRE-TRIB RAPTURE--19:6-9--

“For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready…” The Wedding in which the Church becomes the bride of Christ begins in heaven during the Tribulation. When the Church returns with Christ here in chapter 19, she already “has made herself ready” because the Church will receive her adornments at the Judgment of Rewards in heaven (The Bema) immediately following the Rapture. [See 1 Cor. 3:12-15; 2 Cor. 5:9, 10; Romans 14:10; 1 John 2:28.]

MacArthur, p. 2019—“Hebrew weddings consisted of 3 phases: 1) betrothal (often when the couple were children); 2) presentation (the festivities, often lasting several days, that preceded the ceremony); and 3) the ceremony (the exchanging of vows). The church was betrothed to Christ by His sovereign choice in eternity past (Eph. 1:4; Heb. 13:20) and will be presented to Him at the Rapture (John 14:1-3; 1 Thess. 4:13-18). The final supper will signify the end of the ceremony. This symbolic meal will take place at the establishment of the millennial kingdom and last throughout that 1,000 year period (cf. 21:2).” See also 2 Cor. 11:2; Eph. 5:22-24.

19:8—The “fine linen” she wears represents “the righteous acts of the saints.” Without Christ, all our works are as filthy rags. (Is. 64:6) Only in Christ are we able to produce the outward manifestation of inward virtue. [Note that this “linen” is not the imputed righteousness granted to believers at salvation, but the practical results of that righteousness in believers’ lives, according to MacArthur, p. 2019. These are the rewards given to the Church believers at The Bema, The Judgment of Rewards.] The elaborateness of our wedding gown will depend on the quality of our “righteous acts” while on earth—those done for the glory of God. The church is the bride, pure and faithful—never a harlot, like unfaithful Israel in Hosea (see Hosea 2). [Note: Not the “Harlot of Babylon” in chapter 17]

The church is the bride during the presentation feast in heaven, then comes to earth for the celebration of the final meal (the Millennium). After that event, the new order comes and the marriage is consummated (Rev. 21:1,2 ).” (MacArthur, The MacArthur Study Bible, p. 2019) (See also Heb. 12:22-24).

• 19:9—“…Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!” THE BRIDE IS RETURNING WITH THE BRIDEGROOM, CHRIST, FOR THE WEDDING SUPPER, THE FINAL STAGE OF THE WEDDING.
• Look carefully at the wording: “Blessed are those who are invited (called)…” Those who are singled out for blessing in this verse are not the Bride; the blessed are THE GUESTS. The bride doesn’t get invited, she invites, or in this case, her bridegroom invites to the wedding supper. Those invited as guests are believers from ages other than the Church Age.
• What remnants are signified as guests:

1. THOSE SAVED BEFORE PENTECOST but who were not alive at Pentecost. Pentecost can be called the birth of the Church because it was the day the Holy Spirit came to indwell existing believers and all who come to Christ thereafter—until the Rapture. (Acts 2:1ff.) These believers are no less “saved” although they are not “the church.” MacArthur: “It is really differing imagery rather than differing reality.” Note that this group of believers includes all believers in the Old Testament historical period and believers in the New Testament who died before the coming of the Holy Spirit.

CLARIFICATION OF THE CHURCH: Those who were living at the time of Pentecost are believers specifically called the church, those “in Christ” because Christ is in us in the person of the Holy Spirit. [2 Cor. 5:17; Romans 12:5; 16:7; Gal. 3:27; 1 Thess. 4:16] This distinction is demonstrated in the Rapture passage in 1 Thess. 4:16: “And the dead in Christ will rise first.” For example, John the Baptist was not a believer who was in the category of “the church” because he was beheaded by Herod before Pentecost. John actually clarified his position in the Kingdom himself when he identified himself as a friend of the bridegroom:

“I am not the Messiah; I have been sent as his forerunner. It is the bridegroom to whom the bride belongs. The bridegroom’s friend, who stands by and listens to him, is overjoyed at hearing the bridegroom’s voice. This joy, this perfect joy, is now mine.” [John 3:29]

2. THOSE SAVED IN THE TRIBULATION who were martyred or died during the seven year time period. These believers came to Christ after the Rapture. They will be resurrected and will attend the Marriage Supper of the Lamb in the Millennial Kingdom.

3. BELIEVERS ALIVE IN EARTHLY BODIES. A remnant of believers will come to Christ after the Rapture during the Tribulation and will physically survive the seven years. They will enter the Millennial Kingdom in their un-resurrected physical bodies. It is this living remnant, both Jew and Gentile, who will re-populate the earth during the Kingdom.

• 19:10—“fell at his feet.” The Bible forbids the worship of angels (Col. 2:18, 19). “For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” The central theme of both Old Testament prophecy and New Testament preaching is the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible is history and literally, HIS STORY. The Bible tells of Christ from beginning to end, just as the Lord told His disciples on the road to Emmaus [Luke 24:25-27—“…And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.”

THE REVELATION, which means THE REVEALING OF CHRIST, is the culmination of all prophecy. It is a great omission by the church NOT to teach this incredible book of prophecy, “For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

We are in the season of celebration of Christ’s first coming. Our Lord’s birth at Bethlehem and His earthly ministry fulfilled hundreds of Old Testament prophesies. Fulfilled prophecy is the strongest evidence for the validity of the Bible. Just as Christ came the first time as a baby to Bethlehem fulfilling prophecy, so He is coming again, and in the same way He left [Acts 1]. He will return in His human body bearing the marks of His death on the cross. He will return to the Mount of Olives, the same place from which He ascended into heaven to His Father. All of the prophecy concerning His Second Coming will be as completely and perfectly fulfilled as were the prophecies concerning His First Coming…and His return may be very near.

In Him We Wait, Work, and Watch,

Luke 12:35-59

Sharon

[Prophecy Chat is a weekly commentary of current events in light of Bible prophecy. Sharon L. Clemens is a premillennial teacher of eschatology. She can be reached for comment or questions by e-mail at farmgrove@frontier.com]

"The Universe Responds To The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse"Revelation 6, When The Lamb Stands, seriesby Sharon Clemens

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                       * All scriptures within this study are linked to BibleGateway.com using the "NIV".


In the last Prophecy Chat, the Seals were opened and the Four Horsemen descend on the earth.

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse represent a global developmental shift in politics, culture, religion and economics. Nothing is the same on planet earth after the Antichrist and his Beast system take complete control. His platform of peace fails to bring Utopia to the earth. Instead, his programs foment global wars, famine, inflation and death. The cumulative effects of this New World Order of Antichrist is the loss of one-fourth of the world's population.

The Revelation, the final book of the Bible, is beautifully designed and perfectly ordered to reveal Jesus Christ in the fullness of His deity because we have not yet seen Him operating in the fullness of His offices. At His first coming, we saw Him in the office of our high priest, sacrificing His own blood for our sins [Hebrews 9:11-15]. We saw Him as prophet, speaking prophecies of His return and fulfilling all prophecies concerning His first coming [Matthew 24; Luke 24:25]. The Revelation now reveals Christ as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, who is coming to judge and to reign. This book is designed to DISPLAY Christ as the coming King with the authority to judge. This design is evident in the outline of the Seal Judgments because we see the immediate result of the first wave of judgment:

* The Four Horsemen represent the first four Seal Judgments, and the fifth and sixth Seals are a response to the first four to demonstrate God's mercy and justice in judgment. He delivers the saved but He will destroy the lost in the testing of the Tribulation. * Dispensationalists point out that every dispensation is a different test of man's response to God; the Tribulation tests man under wrath conditions, God's last approach to bring man to Himself before the Kingdom. * The response to the first four seals reveals the two responses of man to God's truth just as daily trials expose true spiritual condition!

The Tribulation is the final and ultimate test of true spirituality. It is God's final answer to man's very human doubts about God's intentions. I am grateful for M. R. DeHaan's wonderful book Coming Events in Prophecy for his insightful observations on the coming of Christ. He comments on man's doubts about God's motives by their continually asking the same questions:

"If there is a God in Heaven, why doesn't He interfere and put an end to the bungling of the nations? If God is sovereign, why does He allow all the violence and suffering and despoliation? Why does He permit wars, the bombing of whole cities, hospitals, and children's homes, laying waste whole countries and spilling the blood of countless thousands of innocent victims who had neither part nor voice in bringing it about?... We believe the Bible gives the answer. God is going to let man himself prove the utter depravity of human nature, the incorrigible wickedness of the human heart, the absolute failure of man's efforts to govern himself, the utter uselessness of all man's efforts and highest achievements to abolish war, crime and disease, and the impossibility of bringing in an age of peace and prosperity by man's efforts. Man must be brought to the end of himself; he must be convinced of his hopelessness without God. God today is proving man's failure with a vengeance. After centuries and millenniums of our flaunted civilization, and boasting of human progress, with its advance in education and reform, scientific evolution, the heart of man has not been improved one bit. The unregenerate heart of man is not changed by all these developments. In fact, the potentialities and possibilities of wickedness in the natural man are increased and augmented by culture and education, instead of being improved. The more educated a sinner is, the more dangerous he becomes. An educated criminal is more to be feared... than a dumb one... No wonder God is said to laugh at it all [Psalm 2], for God's program calls for all these things to continue, till God steps in. Nowhere in the entire Bible is there a single verse to support the contention that this world will become better and better until at last by the efforts of man in the field of education, science, and the preaching of a watered-down, social 'gospel,' man will finally learn his lesson and the age will climax in a great world-wide revival, and then wars will be abolished, and the nations live in peace. No! No! My friend, the Bible knows nothing of such a program! Instead the Bible teaches without exception that the world will grow worse and worse. It warns us that in the last days perilous times shall come and this age will climax in the most terrible war of all history...In speaking of the closing days of this dispensation [the Tribulation], Jesus says: 'And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved' (Matthew 24:22)" [M. R. DeHaan, pp. 112, 113. Emphasis and bracketed information mine.] That, my friends is another revealed truth in the Tribulation-- that man and his pragmatic and humanistic solutions are doomed to failure. When God steps in, His holiness will be revealed against the blackness of man's defeat SIDE NOTE: In the book of Daniel, an exponential increase in "knowledge" and frantic activity is given to the prophet as a sign of "the time of the end." [Daniel 12:4] Although the last century saw an increase in human knowledge greater than all the ages before it, knowledge is not wisdom. Without the ability to apply knowledge through spiritual wisdom, human knowledge is a deceptive TRAP. It inflates human pride in our own ability, as DeHaan points out. BELIEVERS CAN PRAY FOR THE ABILITY TO ANALYZE KNOWLEDGE IN THESE DAYS THROUGH THE LENS OF GOD'S SPIRITUAL WISDOM BY PRAYING AND APPLYING JAMES 1:5--"If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting..." This prayer is an excellent way to begin the year 2011--asking and receiving spiritual wisdom and discernment for the times in which we live! --------------------------------------- The next time someone asks "How could a loving God allow this to happen to the innocent?" answer this: No one is innocent. We are all born into sin and death and fall short of the glory of God. There is no difference between man; there is no one who is innocent before a holy God. [Romans 5:12; 3:22-23] The question is rather: Why does a holy God deem to save anyone at all? Praise God that He mercifully chooses to do so! [See Psalm 14:1-3] Does man worship God for His sovereign control, or will he question God's motives? The Tribulation will reveal everything. Satan tempted Eve to question God's motives in the Garden of Eden [Genesis 3:4], and we see where that decision led. Satan led her to believe that God was jealously preventing her from being "god" like Him. But the truth was that God was saving her from death. Her decision to bite of that apple plunged mankind into sin and death. Satan is still in the business of deceiving gullible man into believing he can be god and control his own destiny. Now we see in the reaction to the first four seals how heaven and earth reveal the only two options available--God or Satan :

The Revelation 6:9-11

* FIFTH SEAL: HEAVEN RESPONDS The Fifth Seal is a graphic picture of the consequences of Antichrist's Beast System on the earth--the wholesale slaughter of true believers of Jesus Christ. These martyrs, who were killed for their testimony of Christ and His Word, appear now in a place of divine shelter in the throne room of heaven. Their souls have been delivered. * Why are they "under the altar"? This is a figurative term to represent a place of high honor in the center of God's glory. In the Old Testament sacrificial system, the redemptive blood of Christ was foreshadowed in the blood of sacrificial animals. This blood was poured out at the base of the brazen altar in the Tabernacle [Leviticus 4:7, 18, 25, 30]. In Old Testament imagery, blood represents life [Lev. 17:11]; the life is in the blood by God's design. So, here the souls of the martyrs are under the altar to indicate that their lives were given sacrificially to God's glory. * WHAT IS THEIR TESTIMONY IN HEAVEN? They do not question why their death was allowed. No greater love offering could they give to Christ than their lives. The alternative would be to worship Antichrist, and they chose death over denial of Jesus. When we have a heavenly perspective rather than an earthly one, like Paul we willingly allow ourselves to be "poured out as a drink offering" in this life, if it honors our Lord [2 Timothy 4:6]. That is true spiritual maturity. * Their question is not WHY. Their question is WHEN: "How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" This question is in-line with God's will because justice for His martyrs vindicates His holiness. Warren Wiersbe asks, "...is it 'Christian' for these martyred saints to pray for vengeance on their murderers? After all, both Jesus and Stephen prayed that God would forgive those who killed them. I have no doubt that, when they were slain on earth, these martyrs also prayed for their slayers; and this is the right thing to do." [See Matthew 5:10-12, 43-48]. [Wiersbe, p. 65] But now the response of heaven is a prayer for justice against evil to be done. The great question the martyrs now ask is not whether their enemies would or should be judged, but WHEN. "How Long, O Lord..." has been the cry of God's suffering people throughout the ages [See Psalm 74:9-10; 79:5; 94:3-4; Habakkuk 1:2]. * God's answer is "not yet." They must rest a little while longer, until the number of those predestined for martyrdom is completed. Wiersbe states that "God made clear to these martyrs that their sacrifice was an appointment, not an accident; and that others would join them. Even in the death of His people, God is in control (Ps. 116:15); so there is nothing to fear." [Wiersbe, Ibid.] * When Christ's wrath reaches its fullness, He will take vengeance: Romans 12:19--"Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, 'Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,' says the Lord." * The martyrs of the Tribulation echo the Old Testament prayer for justice in Psalm 94:1-3: "O LORD God, to whom vengeance belongs-- O God, to whom vengeance belongs, shine forth! Rise up, O Judge of the earth; Render punishment to the proud. LORD, how long will the wicked, how long will the wicked triumph?" WAIT FOR IT--VENGEANCE IS COMING! God's timing is perfect and ultimately SATISFYING.

The Revelation 6:12-16

* SIXTH SEAL: EARTH RESPONDS    IN THE PRECEDING SEALS, GOD USES SATAN AS A VEHICLE TO ADMINISTER HIS WRATH. NOW, HE INTERVENES DIRECTLY BY UNLEASHING HIS CREATION UPON MAN. This is poetic justice. Our Lord uses His creation against man like a weapon or instrument of judgment because man refuses to worship God as the Creator. What better way to demonstrate that only God can control creation. [Natural disasters such as volcanic eruptions, seismic activity, and weather anomalies are radically increasing even now as a prelude to the Tribulation--called "the beginning of sorrows" by our Lord in Matthew 24:8.] * Creation reacts to the Four Horsemen producing worldwide convulsions, natural catastrophes and the first of three great earthquakes (6:12; 11:13; 16:18-19). The upheaval is so great that "every mountain and island was removed from its place." In the Indonesian tsunami, the islands in the area of the tidal wave and earthquake were dislodged from their foundations. One article reported that TIME shifted by a few seconds due to interference with the rotation of the earth. Imagine the global disruption from the cumulative effects of three great earthquakes. Creation will seem to go into labor--like a woman giving birth to a child. Just as physical birth pains increase in frequency and intensity, so creation will convulse in steadily increasing violence until Christ returns to lift the curse on the physical universe. The Second Coming will redeem both the physical universe and mankind when the curse is lifted. Romans 8:19-20] The analogy of birth pains is used by our Lord in Matthew 24:8 as well. "The beginning of sorrows" was a euphemism for labor pains. The signs accompanying Christ's return are like birth or labor pains that increase in frequency in intensity. We will see in the Trumpets and Bowls how the judgments increase in intensity and scope from one to the other.

THE MYTH OF ENVIRONMENTALISM: The Tribulation is a showdown between God and Satan and a test of God's truth vs. Satan's lies. Extreme environmentalism is Satan's lie that man is capable of destroying creation, unless global controls are enforced. Man has also believed the lie that creation contains a living force also in man and all things--a kind of god-force. This is the ancient pagan religion of Pantheism. Although this pagan religion has other names in our day, it is the same lie Paul spoke of in Romans 1:25--"...who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen." Satan seeks to control man through such lies and the myth of evolution in order to rule over man and God's creation. He uses humanity's fear of the earth's environmental death to control both for his own purpose.

The Lord demonstrates how fruitless man's attempts are to control an environment they did not create or to determine its destruction. The Creator alone maintains the Universe and determines its lifespan. To demonstrate His ownership, He bombards man with natural disasters and "acts of God" that they are helpless to defend against. [Read also Isaiah 13:6-13 for a prophetic foreshadowing of The Day of the Lord.]

Although the Tribulation devastation is extensive, man need not fear the total destruction of the earth. The earth will survive as the Lord promised in Genesis 8:22. After Christ's return, He will restore the earth as a habitation for the living remnant of believers. Its condition will be similar to the Garden of Eden for the duration of the Millennial Kingdom reign [Ezekiel 36:35]. Only then will the Creator of the Universe speak a new heaven and a new earth into existence [Revelation 21:1; 2 Peter 3:7; 10-12]. The new universe will exist, unpolluted by the curse, for eternity.

* The specific results of these natural disaster/acts of God are speculation. John described literal judgments in first century terms, using descriptive words with which he was familiar. It may be that atmospheric debris from volcanic eruptions as a result of the earthquake could cause the sun's light to be obscured, turning it black. The same atmospheric dust can cause the moon to look red, as happened in the great Krakatoa [Krakatau] eruption in Indonesia that killed 36,000 people in 1883. The dust created by the eruption was so dense, it spanned the globe for months, carried along by the Jet Stream, and causing atmospheric anomalies reported extensively in London, England. [Krakatoa, Indonesian Volcanoes] Stars falling to the earth could be the result of volcanic eruption debris, or it could describe meteor showers. A volcanic eruption also causes an effect similar to a nuclear blast where the atmosphere is sucked out and then comes crashing back in a blast of immense proportions--like the "sky" receding like a scroll, rolling up. Or, it could refer to an actual nuclear blast as a result of escalating war. The scroll effect would be as John, a first century man, would describe such a blast. * Although the earth will survive, the natural disasters described in the Sixth Seal are so overpowering, men's hearts fail them for fear [Luke 21:26]. Widespread heart attacks result from the terrible expectations of those things God allows to come upon the earth. * Note that the description of the earthquake and the signs in the sun, moon and stars are very similar to the signs that accompany Christ's physical return in Matthew 24:29. Christ's coming occurs at the end of the seven year Tribulation [Revelation 19; Zechariah 14:4] and causes confusion as to the timing of the Sixth Seal. John MacArthur in his commentary says this: "The previous 5 seals will be precursors to the full fury of the Day of the Lord which will begin with the sixth seal (v. 17). The events described in this seal unleash the seventh, which contains the trumpet judgments (chaps. 8, 9; 11:15ff.) and the bowl judgments (chap. 16)." [MacArthur Commentary, p. 2001]

The remainder of the Tribulation judgments are LAUNCHED by the sixth seal. In a sense, the Seal Judgments extend to the end of the Tribulation because the Seventh Seal contains all the others. It is no wonder men's hearts fail them for fear of the unknown.

* MEN OF THE WORLD RESPOND The response of men of the world is quite different than the response of the redeemed martyrs in heaven. Not only are the earth dwellers filled with fear, in desperation they "pray" to the mountains and rocks to "Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!" [Revelation 6:16] They perceive that these judgments are of Biblical proportions, a term that is becoming more frequently used even now by our main-stream media. But the men of earth do not pray to God for deliverance. Instead, they put their trust in mountains and rocks, hiding themselves in caves. The number of people investing in bomb shelters and survival shelters is on the increase. It was common during the Cold War to build bomb shelters because of the threat of nuclear attack from Russia. So today men are becoming frightened, knowing something is coming, but still trusting in their own ability to prepare for survival. * Those who speak to the mountains and rocks represent the lost. They are earth dwellers with their focus on earth, rather than heaven. They are men of all classes and races with one thing in common. They are unsaved and in fear of their lives. While the lost focus on the earth, the focus of the redeemed is on heaven. In Philippians 3:18-21, Paul speaks of those who are the enemies of the cross of Christ as men doomed to destruction because they "set their mind on earthly things." He describes the believer as one whose citizenship is in heaven, which is understood as our true home. Earth for the believer is temporary. Our focus is continually on the sky, waiting for the imminent return of the Lord Jesus Christ. Our faith is in His deliverance, not earthly answers. Note that Christ delivers His own through martyrdom and death in the fifth seal, but it is deliverance none-the-less. For believers, our ultimate destination is heaven and all men die, except those taken in the Rapture. Death is not permanent to the believer; it is merely a temporary state until the resurrection of the body.

Chapter 6 ends with an obvious question. After the natural disasters of the sixth seal, "...who is able to stand?" Is it possible for any person to survive or live through the Tribulation? Chapter 7 will reveal that a remnant of believers is delivered ALIVE THROUGH the Tribulation.

Next time--The Sealing of the Remnant.

In Him We Wait, Work, and Watch,
[Luke 12:35-59]
Sharon

[Prophecy Chat is a weekly commentary of current events in light of Bible prophecy. Sharon L. Clemens is an evangelical, premillennial, dispensational teacher of eschatology. She can be reached for comment or questions by e-mail at farmgrove@frontier.com]

REFERENCES:

Be Victorious, Warren W. Wiersbe, Victor Books, 1985.

The MacArthur Study Bible, KJV, John MacArthur, Author and General Editor, Word Bibles, Nashville, TN, 1997.

Coming Events in Prophecy, M. R. DeHaan, M.D., Radio Bible Class. Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1967. [I highly recommend this book for an understanding of the relationship between the first coming of Christ and His return. This book is out-of-print but may be obtained through Amazon.com or other outlets as a used book and/or through libraries. I have not contacted Radio Bible Class to see if they have any copies available.]

Indonesian Volcanoes: Krakatao.

"The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" Revelation 6When The Lamb Stands, series by Sharon Clemens

^^^^^^^* To see all postings from, When The Lamb Stands Series Click here only
                       * All scriptures within this study are linked to BibleGateway.com using the "NIV".

The ominous hoof beats of the Four Horsemen have begun
to echo through our global culture.
The tide of humanism is preparing to conquer,
thinking mankind can save itself from destruction.
God sits in the heavens and laughs, and uses man's proud delusions
to lead to his own self-destruction.
Christ orchestrates the judgment, but He will also ascend to save.
[Reference Psalm 2; Psalm 110]

     The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, the first four Seal judgments, have ominous connotations, as they should. They are credited with taking the lives of one-fourth of the world's population [Revelation 6:8], approximately 1.5 billion people. [Ref. Midnight Call Magazine, March, 2005] To give us an idea of the magnitude of this destruction, this is roughly four times the population of the United States, although these deaths will be spread-out globally. The four Seals could be likened to a global tsunami, in effect.

     When the Lamb breaks the first seal, the seven years of wrath descend upon the earth and judgment will not end until God's wrath is spent and Christ physically returns.

     "Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, 'Come and see.' And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer." [Revelation 6:1-2]

     To emphasize the importance of this moment, the thunderous invitation to come and see is issued by the first Living Creature. The Living Creatures are closest to the throne and represent the very holiness of God and God's right to judge. Warren Wiersbe says: "In other words, events take place on earth because of the sovereign direction of God in heaven." Nothing happens on the earth that doesn't come directly from the throne. [Ref. Wiersbe, Be Victorious]

     Each Creature announces one of the horse Seals, and their voices reverberate through heaven and earth as the steeds gallop swiftly toward their destination.

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

     Each horse represents a global developmental shift of massive proportions that causes natural and awful consequences. The entrance of the white horse ushers in a chain of events that results in the death of one-fourth of the earth's population by the time the fourth horse arrives. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse symbolize the over-all destruction of man's final rule on the earth. The term apocalypse actually comes from the Greek word meaning "to uncover, or to reveal." The Revelation of Jesus Christ is the apocalypse of Jesus Christ, or the revealing of Jesus Christ in His full glory, but apocalypse has become synonymous with judgment and doom.

     Why do horses represent these shifts? The horse was THE war machine of John's century. Dr. Wiersbe also believes the horse imagery is related to the vision described in Zechariah 1:7-17. "Horses represent God's activity on earth, the forces He uses to accomplish His divine purposes. The center of His program is Israel, particularly the city of Jerusalem." [Be Victorious, p. 62]

The White Horse - Revelation 6:1-2

     * ANTICHRIST - The white horse rider: The first horse is ridden by the villain of the ages, THE Antichrist. The world of man has long been calling for a one-world leader or ruler to solve all the earth's problems. Such a solution has never worked as history proves, but man learns nothing from history. The global rulers of the earth such as Nebuchadnezzar and Alexander the Great either went mad with power or their kingdoms experienced peace for only short periods of time before other powers took their place. But man's pride in his own ability to pragmatically deliver himself over-rules reason and history. Pride over-rules the unbeliever's need for a Savior God.
     * Antichrist makes his entrance onto the world stage in a dramatic way. One who comes riding a white horse usually depicts a military leader. Contrast this with one who rides a donkey, symbolic in the scriptures for one who comes in peace, as Christ did in entering Jerusalem on Palm Sunday on a donkey [Zechariah 9:9; Matthew 21:1-9]. Antichrist professes peace because he carries a bow without arrows. However, his peace is a deception. Daniel 8:25 describes a type of Antichrist as one who destroys "when they [Israel] feel secure" or "at peace." This is a tactic of those who are against Christ. They strike when their enemy is unsuspecting.
     * The Antichrist will come to power on a political platform promising peace. He will confirm a seven-year peace treaty with Israel, Daniel 9:27, beginning the count-down of the seven-year Tribulation [See "Introduction to the Tribulation" - the previous Prophecy Chat]. It will seem to the deceived world that a political leader has finally managed to bring peace in the Middle East.
     * Thomas Ice calls his tactics similar to a cold war in which there is the threat of military power behind the diplomacy. His true goal is to conquer and rule the world. Because of this deception, the first half of the Tribulation is called the "false peace." Without the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ, earthly peace will not last because sinful man does NOT have within himself the ability to sustain true peace.
     * Antichrist is "given" a crown but doesn't possess one as his natural right. This may indicate that he is awarded power in place of others who have it by royal succession or possibly election. John MacArthur believes he may win the crown in a bloodless coup, as indicated in Daniel 7:8. In Daniel, we are told Antichrist comes to power as a little horn, or power, that comes up among ten horns of the Revived Roman Empire [the ten toes of Daniel 2]. The little horn is able to uproot three of the ten horns to gain prominence.
     * Although Antichrist comes on the scene like the hero riding the white horse, he is not the Christ; he is an Antichrist or imitation of Christ. However, many will be deceived into thinking he is the savior of the world because the world is falling apart and the population cries out for someone to save it [John 5:43] Antichrist will use Madison Avenue techniques and demonic power displayed in "signs and lying wonders" and all types of "unrighteous deception" to seduce unbelievers to his evil worldview [2 Thessalonians 2:1-12]. Those who reject Christ become willing victims of Antichrist's deception.
     * Christ is NOT this rider; He does not return until the end of the Tribulation, Revelation 19:11ff. Note the differences between Antichrist in Revelation 6 and Christ's return in Revelation 19: Antichrist comes professing peace, but brings war [the red horse following closely after him]. Christ comes in wrath and destroys the enemies of God at Armageddon. Only then does He establish everlasting peace. Antichrist's weapon is a bow with no arrows. Christ's weapon is a double-edged sword, the Word of the Lord [19:15]. Antichrist's crown is from the Greek stephanos, a crown awarded to a victor. Christ's crown is diadema, "the kingly crown," belonging only to Christ, the Son of God.

     Wiersbe notes that some hold fast to this white horse rider being Christ because our Lord is the "conquering Christ" who today is defeating the forces of evil in the world. They point to Revelation 19:11 as proof; but the only similarity is the presence of a white horse. Wiersbe believes the rider would be identified as Christ in chapter 6 rather than at the end of the book if this was indeed His entrance to earth. Dr. J. Vernon McGee agrees. Revelation 6 is not a description of the conquering Christ. There is a sense in which Jesus Christ is conquering today as He releases people from the bondage of sin and Satan--over-coming the world [Colossians 1:13; Acts 26:18]. Satan is a defeated foe, but he is not yet bound. Why? The Lord is not through with him.

     In Revelation 1:18, Christ announced "I am the Living One...And I hold the keys of death and Hades." He holds the keys that will lock the doors of Hell, but Satan will not be locked up until Revelation 20:2-3, AFTER the Tribulation and Christ's return. [Reference McGee, Revelation Volume II, p. 40]

     In our day, the signs of the times clearly evidence that things are getting worse and worse, not better and better. It is not yet time for Christ to usher in peace and prosperity. The world will not get better until Christ takes the throne at the end of seven years of testing. Our Lord warned that the global catastrophes coming upon the earth would increase like birth pains, getting stronger and stronger until the creation is delivered out of bondage by wrath [Matthew 24:9-22]. The Lord warned that a sign of His return would be that events would get worse and worse, building toward a cataclysmic climax! That climax is Christ breaking through the clouds of heaven in His glory light! [Matthew 24:30; Revelation 19:11-21]

     Satan is allowed to play his part in offering mankind the choice of the forbidden fruit of humanism while God's witnesses offer the eternal solution--the kingdom of Jesus Christ. The Tribulation is a time of unprecedented choice--black and white choice. Man is either all-out for Christ, or all-out for Antichrist. Antichrist plays his part, until he is no longer useful and his time is up!

The Red Horse - Revelation 6:3-4

     * WAR - Conflict on Earth - The second Seal is the red horse judgment. Another entity sits upon it, possibly a demonic cohort of Antichrist acting on his behalf or a demonic force. But it is God who will grant this horse and its rider the power to create worldwide war, as MacArthur points out [The MacArthur Study Bible, p. 2000] [Revelation 13:7]. Although Antichrist comes promising peace, he takes peace from the earth. He quickly resorts to WAR to get what he wants, which is complete domination of the earth and to be worshipped as God [Revelation 13:4, 11-12]. It is Satan, after all, who empowers Antichrist. Satan's fall was the result of his pride--his evil desire to be God [Isaiah 14:12-15]. During the Tribulation, he will attempt to overthrow God once again through his chosen Antichrist; Satan's final battle field is the earth of man. God is creator, but Satan by nature is a destroyer [Revelation 9:11]. He cannot help but destroy what he desires to own.
     * Red represents judgment and blood. For Satan, it also represents terror and death Note that Satan appears as the red dragon in Revelation 12:3 and as the red beast in Revelation 17:3.
     * Antichrist's weapon is a LARGE SWORD, indicating great military might and power at his disposal [Daniel 8:24]. As a natural consequence of global chaos and demonic oppression, people will kill one another. We can speculate that as rations run low and persecution increases, whole-sale riots, revolts, massacres and assassinations will be common. Marshall law will pit citizens against each other. Daniel 11:40-45 describes the escalating global war of the Tribulation that will end at Armageddon when Christ returns. Daniel's account describes the war from Antichrist's point-of-view. It is thought Antichrist's military power will stem largely from Western support because he is seen rising from the Revived Roman Empire, which is considered a western power base.
     * Several end-times power cliques' vie for world domination toward the end and even attack the forces of Antichrist. Leaders called the king of the South and the king of the North shall attack him. Antichrist will prevail against much of the South and will move his base of operations to Israel. However, powers from the East and the North shall come against him there. Israel is the epicenter--caught in the middle--but this is God's plan. The returning Christ will return to fight for Israel and take on all human powers and defeat them utterly [Daniel 2:44]. The evil forces will turn their attentions to defeating God. Their attempts are futile. [Zechariah 12" and 14]

The Black Horse - Revelation 6:5-6

     * FAMINE - The third Seal is the black horse judgment. Following naturally on the heels of global war is famine and inflation. In Lamentations 4:8-9, black is used to describe the complexion of someone dieing of starvation. [See also Jeremiah 14:1-2] Note in the passage that a worker is unable to earn enough to barely feed himself, let alone a family. Barley was considered only good enough for animal food as it is low in nutrition, but it will be eaten because it is cheaper than wheat. Men will be living on whatever they can buy or they can find. Poverty is likened to people having to resort to eating dog or cat food; this passage indicates that famine and inflation may cause widespread hunger.
     * What does it mean not to damage the oil and the wine? There are two views on this passage. 1. John MacArthur notes that oil and wine in John the Apostle's day were considered staples of daily life. Oil was used in the baking of bread. Wine was necessary for cooking and purifying water because water supplies were often contaminated. [The MacArthur Study Bible] Suddenly, in the Tribulation, even basic necessities will become luxuries that have to be carefully protected, possibly rationed as food was in World War II. The need to ration food will provide Antichrist with an excuse to institute the Mark of the Beast so that no one will be able to buy or sell unless his government approves them; he will control all commodities [Revelation 13]. 2. Warren Wiersbe believes this text is more a reference to an elite group hoarding the best food for themselves. At the same time that a common man will have to work all day just to secure food for himself, the rich will be enjoying plenty of oil and wine. "No wonder Antichrist will eventually be able to control the economy (Rev. 13:17) as he promises to feed the hungry masses." [Wiersbe, Be Victorious] BOTH VIEWS MAY BE CORRECT. Basic necessities will be scarce and yet Revelation 18 indicates that commercial Babylon--the sin city Mecca of the end times--will be the place where anything and everything will be available to the elite, for a price! We can speculate that Antichrist and those in the higher echelon of his supporters will have access to Babylon and it will be Antichrist's commercial center--until God personally destroys it! Then, Antichrist moves his base of operations to Jerusalem where the final showdown takes place.

The Pale Horse - Revelation 6:7-8

     * DEATH and HELL - The fourth horse judgment is death, which naturally follows global war, famine and inflation. The Greek word from which the English word "chlorophyll" comes is used here. It describes the pale, ashen-green pallor characteristic of the decomposition of a corpse. HELL follows the horseman of DEATH because God allows global death to weed out of the earth the unbelievers--those who will spend eternity in hell.
     * Wiersbe: "Christ has the keys of death and Hades (1:18), and both will one day be cast into (eternal) hell (20:14). Death claims the body while Hades claims the souls of the dead (20:13). John saw these enemies going forth to claim their prey, armed with weapons of the sword, hunger, pestilence (death), and wild beasts. In ancient times, hunger, pestilence, and the ravages of beasts would be expected to accompany war." Note also Jeremiah 15:2; ">24:10; Ezekiel 14:21.
     * SWORD, FAMINE, PLAGUE & WILD BEASTS: As we saw in the 2005 Indonesian tsunami, the world health authorities were as concerned with the aftermath of the devastation as they were with the immediate death tolls. The possibility of pandemic disease resulting from contaminated water and decomposing bodies was highly probable. At the present time, Haiti is suffering a cholera epidemic in the aftermath of their natural catastrophe. Lalonde speculates that the "wild beasts" of our day could refer to millions of living bacteria that could create a plague of massive proportions as a result of the Seals. Currently, there are so many strains of sickness that they threaten to become pandemic, which is a global epidemic.

THE CUMULATIVE EFFECTS OF THE FOUR HORSEMEN OF THE APOCALYPSE RESULT IN THE LOSS OF ONE-FOURTH OF THE WORLD'S POPULATION.

     The German magazine, Focus, reported that the 2005 tsunami disaster was of "biblical proportions;" but according to the Revelation, much greater destruction is coming. Midnight Call states, "The numbers of casualties in the tsunami, the World Trade Center or any other destructive tragedy seem quite small when compared to those numbers." [Midnight Call Magazine, "Tsunami Tragedy," p. 29]

     The Seal Judgments are just the beginning. We are told in Revelation 9 that the Trumpet Judgments will result in the death of another one-third of the remaining population of the world. This is another 2 billion lives. The total of these two series of judgments is 3.5 billion dead, and may not include the martyrs, the believers in Christ, who die at the hands of Antichrist. This tally may also not include those who die at the return of Christ at Armageddon.

     Isaiah 24:5,6 is stark in its description of this time: "The earth is also defiled under its inhabitants, because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore THE CURSE [what is written on the scroll] has devoured the earth, and those who dwell in it are desolate. Therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and FEW MEN ARE LEFT." [Emphasis mine] Verse 13 of Isaiah 24 continues on to say only the GLEANING will be left. This gleaning of the Tribulation is the saved, living remnant that will enter victorious into The Millennial Kingdom!

     IN CLOSING--CONSIDER THIS SOBERING TRUTH: Isaiah speaks of the inhabitants of the earth being burned. This is symbolic of the lost of the world being like a whole burnt offering typical of the Old Testament. The unbelievers who die in the Tribulation are like the tares among the wheat, gathered out and burned as an offering to God and set aside to appease His wrath.

When man does not willingly offer himself sacrificially to God, God TAKES him as a burnt offering.

NEXT TIME: Heaven and Earth Respond to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

In Him We Wait, Work, and Watch,
[Luke 12:35-59]
Sharon

[Prophecy Chat is a weekly commentary of current events in light of Bible prophecy. Sharon L. Clemens is an evangelical, premillennial, dispensational teacher of eschatology. She can be reached for comment or questions by e-mail at farmgrove@frontier.com]