The End is Near

I have always been very intrigued by the book of Revelation.

Perhaps because my dad was obsessed with it. 

Ironically he would read it to my brother before he went to bed every night.  lol, not what I would pick as a bed time story, but you know.

So Revelation is prophesy about the end of the world.

God gave us this revelation through John to warn the Christians when the end was just around the corner.

I would like to break down what I believe to be the meaning of the first 6 seals for anyone inclined to read this. :)

In Revelation there are 7 seals, 7 trumpets, and 7 bowls.  I believe they are in chronological order, and my theory is that most of the seals have already happened.  Thus we are upon the the 6th which will be quite scary and we will not miss that one.  There will be no doubt when it comes because the sky will "recede like a scroll." 

 (Rev. 6) The First Seal
"I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, “Come!” ² I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest."

This is clearly alluding to Jesus! :)  He is described later as being on a white horse and wearing many crowns.  The conquest he was on when he came to earth was to defeat Satan's power over humanity and sin and death.  Mission accomplished :) 

The Second Seal
"When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” ⁴ Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make people kill each other. To him was given a large sword."

Thus the first and second world wars and all the other wars that followed.  That one is pretty easy to see it has already happened.  That prophesy has already been fulfilled.

The Third Seal
"When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. ⁶ Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, “Two pounds of wheat for a day’s wages,  and six pounds of barley for a day’s wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!”

Now this one is tricky as I have heard that this would have to be a world wide famine.  But does it say that anywhere in this passage?  No it does not.  This is already the case in Africa.  How long have they been having a famine?  A long, long time. 

The Fourth Seal
"When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” ⁸ I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth."

It is intriguing that it specifies a fourth of the earth.  The land mass and population of Africa is about a fourth of the earth.  I don't know why these two seals seem to be mainly affecting them, but the fact is both famine and plague are rampant in Africa.  The AIDS epidemic has killed countless numbers of people.  The genocide and ethnic cleansing that takes place every day in the Middle East and Africa prove that this prophesy has been, and is being fulfilled.

The Fifth Seal
  "When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. ¹⁰ They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” ¹¹ Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters, were killed just as they had been."

This could easily be referring to the underground church in China and Christians who are martyred for their faith all over the world.  We are so lucky in America to not have to worry about this, but in just about every other country, Christian have to hide their faith for fear of their lives.  When I was in India I saw a monument that had been erected in honor of a few missionaries who had come there and were burned alive for being Christian.  This is already happening throughout the world.

What is disconcerting about this passage is that it says, "Wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants....were killed just as they had been."  Which means that the deathly persecution of the church could extend to the whole world before the 6th seal, which appears to be the second coming of Christ and the rapture of the church.  Meaning America could start to have to have an underground church as well.  Time will tell.  The good news is is the Christians beheaded for their faith are those who will rule with Christ in the thousand year reign. 

When I was in Jr. High there was a girl in the Columbine shootings who was known for sticking by her faith at gun point.  One of the teen guys demanded her to deny her faith or he would shoot her.  She would not deny that she was Christian and he shot her in the school library.  I remember thinking, would I be able to do that?  I think in that situation God would give us all the courage to as brave as she was.  Amen :)

Finally, the grand finale, The Sixth Seal....

"I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, ¹³ and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. ¹⁴ The heavens receded like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place."

The description of this event is the same way Jesus describes what it will look like at his second coming when he comes on the clouds to gather his elect.

Mt. 24 says:
"Immediately after the distress of those days

'the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light;
the stars will fall from the sky,
and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’

³⁰ “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. ³¹ And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other."

 

Also in Mark 13:

"So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time.

²⁴ “But in those days, following that distress,

“‘the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light;
²⁵ the stars will fall from the sky,
and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’

²⁶ “At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. ²⁷ And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens"

Lastly, Joel 2:
"I will show wonders in the heavens
and on the earth,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
³¹ The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.
³² And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved."

Everyone knows this final verse as Paul quotes it in Romans.  What is interesting though is the original context, and I did not know this before.  "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord" on THAT day.  The day when the heavens recede like a scroll and the moon turns to blood.  You would think everyone would at that point.  So everyone will have a last chance to "call on the name of the Lord."  That is very good. 

Following this there is what seems to be "The Rapture." 

Rev. 7....

The Great Multitude in White Robes

^"After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands."

"Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?”
¹⁴ I answered, “Sir, you know.”
And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." 

Therefore we will be rescued from the horror that is to come. 

May we all be ready when he comes. :)