Revelation 6
Compare Matthew chapter 24 with Revelation 6
Gospel preached to all world even openly in Jerusalem by evangelist, angels and two witness sent by God - Matthew 24:14
7 Year Period of Great Tribulation
Earth ruled by Anti Christ
Temple rebuilt in Jerusalem
God pours His wrath from heaven
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Three major Earth quake
Rev 6:12 - (Joel 2:30-31; 3:15, IS 13:9-10; 34:24)
Rev 11:13 -
Rev 16:18-19 -
Wrath of God
Rev 6:17 -
Rev 11:18 -
Rev 14:10 -
Rev 16:19 -
Rev 19:15 -
Wrath of Satan opposing God
Rev 12:17 -
Wrath of Nations opposing God
Rev 11:18 -
1 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."
Who opened the first seal?
Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals;
The Lamb ie Jesus Christ - Rev 5:6-10
What did John hear and from whom?
and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, "Come and see."
2 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.
What is the color of the horse?
And I looked, and behold, a white horse.
What he had who sat on the horse?
He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him,
In what material the crown of the man who rides the white horse in Rev 6:2 made up of?
Greek Word used for crown is Stephanos (Strongs: G4735) and in English it is crown - Referred 18 times in the New Testament and it is translated as crown.
the wreath or garland which was given as a prize to victors in public games
metaph. the eternal blessedness which will be given as a prize to the genuine servants of God and Christ: the crown (wreath) which is the reward of the righteousness
that which is an ornament and honor to one
Rev 2:10 - Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.
Rev 3:11 - Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.
Rev 4:4 - Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and they had crowns of gold on their heads.
Rev 6:2 - 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.
What he is doing who sat on the horse? What happened when the first seal is opened?
and he went out conquering and to conquer.
Who is this who sat on the horse?
This verse didn't give explicitly who this person is. But there are three clues given in this verse.
He rides in White Horse
He has a Crown
He is conquering.
Let us go through in detail and find out who this is.
Through out the Bible only in three places white horse is mentioned.
Zechariah 1:8-11 - 8 I saw by night, and behold, a man riding on a red horse, and it stood among the myrtle trees in the hollow; and behind him were horses: red, sorrel, and white. 9 Then I said, “My lord, what are these?” So the angel who talked with me said to me, “I will show you what they are.” 10 And the man who stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, “These are the ones whom the Lord has sent to walk to and fro throughout the earth.” 11 So they answered the Angel of the Lord [Jesus], who stood among the myrtle trees, and said, “We have walked to and fro throughout the earth, and behold, all the earth is resting quietly.”
Revelation 6:2 - 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 19:11 - Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.
Based on these verse who this could be?
Matt 24:5 - 3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?" 4 And Jesus answered and said to them: "Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many.
1 John 2:18 - Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour.
Jesus will come to Judge the world/pore out God's Wrath - Rev 6-19.
Luke 4:16-21 - 16 So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. 17 And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: 18 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; 19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord." 20 Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. 21 And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."
Is 61:1,2 - 1 "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound; 2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn
Joe 1:15 - Alas for the day! For the day of the Lord is at hand; It shall come as destruction from the Almighty.
Rom 1:18 - 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith." 18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness
Matt 24:21,22 - 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened.
Jesus comes as King to Rule and Reign - Rev 20, 21, 22.
Thus, the book is an unveiling of the character and program of God thorough Jesus Christ.
It is for short period.
Matt 24:22 - 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened.
It is should be limited to 7 years as in Rev 11, 12, 13th chapter and as per Daniel 9
Jer 30:7 - 1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, 2 "Thus speaks the Lord God of Israel, saying: 'Write in a book for yourself all the words that I have spoken to you. 3 For behold, the days are coming,' says the Lord, 'that I will bring back from captivity My people Israel and Judah,' says the Lord. 'And I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.' " 4 Now these are the words that the Lord spoke concerning Israel and Judah. 5 "For thus says the Lord: 'We have heard a voice of trembling, Of fear, and not of peace. 6 Ask now, and see, Whether a man is ever in labor with child? So why do I see every man with his hands on his loins Like a woman in labor, And all faces turned pale? 7 Alas! For that day is great, So that none is like it; And it is the time of Jacob's trouble, But he shall be saved out of it. 8 'For it shall come to pass in that day,' Says the Lord of hosts, 'That I will break his yoke from your neck, And will burst your bonds; Foreigners shall no more enslave them. 9 But they shall serve the Lord their God, And David their king, Whom I will raise up for them. --- (When this prophesy given to them after king David or before David?)
Dan 9:27 - 24 "Seventy weeks are determined For your people and for your holy city, To finish the transgression, To make an end of sins, To make reconciliation for iniquity, To bring in everlasting righteousness, To seal up vision and prophecy, And to anoint the Most Holy. 25 "Know therefore and understand, That from the going forth of the command To restore and build Jerusalem Until Messiah the Prince, There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; The street shall be built again, and the wall, Even in troublesome times. 26 "And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; And the people of the prince who is to come Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, And till the end of the war desolations are determined. 27 Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate."
Rev 11:2,3 - 1 Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel stood, saying, "Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there. 2 But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months. 3 And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth."
Rev 12:6 - Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days.
Rev 13:3 - 1 Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name. 2 Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. 3 And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast. 4 So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?" 5 And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months.
2 Thes 2:1-12 - 1 Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, 2 not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. 3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. 5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? 6 And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Two Programs at work.
God's program of Salvation.
Satan's program of Sin.
V3 - When rapture happens to the believers/church then it is natural that falling away/rebelliousness/apostasy of God will take place with those left out or remnant people in the earth.
V6 - What is restraining - in neutral gender.
V7 - He who now restrains - in masculine gender.
He now restrains the work/program of Satan
Just as there was a "fullness of the time" for the coming of Christ (Gal 4:4) God's program come, so there is a "fullness of the time" for the appearance of the Antichrist; and nothing will be off schedule. Once that time comes Jesus will taken away the person who restrains the work/program of Satan. Then the program of Satan will be start.
Who is this person who restrains the work of Satan?
This is not God the Father or Jesus because they are the one taking Him away. So only person left out in our triune God is Holy Spirit. Therefore Holy Spirit's restraining work/ministry will be taken away or stopped by God so that Antichrist will come into picture and start his program.
This is one more reason falling away/rebelliousness happens in V3.
3 When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, "Come and see."
Who opened the second seal?
What did John hear and from whom?
4 Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword.
What is the color of the horse?
Who is this who sat on the horse?
What he had who sat on the horse?
What he is doing who sat on the horse? What happened when the second seal is opened?
5a When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, "Come and see.
Who opened the third seal?
What did John hear and from whom?
5b So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. 6 And I heard a voice in the midst 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."
What is the color of the horse?
Who is this who sat on the horse?
What he had who sat on the horse?
What he is doing who sat on the horse? What happened when the third seal is opened?
7 When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, "Come and see."
Who opened the forth seal?
What did John hear and from whom?
8 So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth.
What is the color of the horse?
Who is this who sat on the horse and What is his name?
What he had who sat on the horse?
What he is doing who sat on the horse? What happened when the forth seal is opened?
9 When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held.
Who opened the fifth seal?
What did John saw?
Who are they?
10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?"
What do they do? What are they asking?
11 Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.
Church will rest in Heaven with the Father and Jesus Christ and watch all that happens in earth:
Rev 6:10-11 - 9 When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. 10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" 11 Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.
Is 26:20-21 - 20Come, my people, enter your chambers, And shut your doors behind you; Hide yourself, as it were, for a little moment, Until the indignation is past. 21 For behold, the Lord comes out of His place To punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity; The earth will also disclose her blood, And will no more cover her slain.
What was given to them?
What was the reply to their question?
12 I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. 13 And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. 14 Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place.
Who opened the sixth seal?
I looked when He opened the sixth seal,
What happened when the sixth seal is opened?
and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place.
Joel 2:30 - 30 "And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: Blood and fire and pillars of smoke. 31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD.
15 And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, 16 and said to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17 For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?"
What did they do?
And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains,
What did they say? and What did they see?
and said to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?"