An angel’s life

From a Dispensational, Pre-Tribulational and Pre-Millennial Perspective

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C H A P T E R  S I X

The Breaking of the Seven Seals

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From this point forward there is no more mention of the Church of Jesus Christ. There is no final message for this time of tribulation; there is no mention of her at all, for she is gone.

Not long after the sudden disappearance of billions of people from the earth, in some corner of the world you just might hear this conversation taking place.

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A Conversation in the furture.. Meet Jack

Hi there, my name is Jack and these people are all my friends. Not long ago all those Christians suddenly disappeared. No one really knows what happened to them either. Some say that God came and took them all to heaven… yah, sure He did! I don’t know where they went to, but things have been a lot different since thy left. Whether it is good or bad might be up to your particular point of view. For one thing, I heard on the news that crime is up all over the world. It’s strange, but people just seem to have a different attitude now.

Well, at least there’s no one around preaching at us or telling us to go to church. Those Christians were always on me to go to church and kept telling me about Jesus, over and over again, like they were on some kind of mission or something. Well, now they’re gone. Funny thing though, the next Sunday, the churches had never been as packed as they were then.

Not long after everyone disappeared, a new leader named Pevrai Teav emerged in Europe. He seems to have a lot of answers to many of the world’s problems. He even had a good explanation about the disappearing of all the Christians.  Israel and her neighbors have just signed a peace treaty for the next seven years, so the problems over there seem to be over. This new leader seems to have answers to a lot of our problems.  A lot of people and even national leaders are saying how great this man Pevrai is.  I believe he can truly save the world from itself.  He says if we all will just trust in him he will show us how we can achieve world peace, be better citizens of the world and pull together for the betterment of all mankind. Now what’s wrong with that after all?

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Welcome to Daniel’s 70th week,
otherwise known as the
T R I B U L A T I O N

Definition:
1. Great affliction, trial, or distress; suffering: Their tribulation has finally passed. See Synonyms at trial.
2. An experience that tests one’s endurance, patience, or faith. See Synonyms at burden1.

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the “Time of Jacob’s Trouble” or “The Day of the Lord,”
(Jer. 30: Dan. 9:27: Rev. 6:1-18:24)

Jeremiah 30:7 “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.”

Daniel 12:1 “At that time Michael shall stand up, The great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; And there shall be a time of trouble, Such as never was since there was a nation, Even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, Every one who is found written in the book.”

Matthew 24:21 “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.”

In chapter five, it is Jesus Christ (the Lamb) who takes the book with Seven Seals out of the right hand of God who sits on the throne and all heaven rejoices and praises God. In chapter six it is Jesus again who breaks the seven seals, one at a time, revealing the contents of each seal as it is unleashed unto the world (Rev. 5:7; 6:1-17; 8:1).

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* * Chapter Six * *

The Breaking of the Seven Seals

Revelation 6:1 “And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.”

These Things are “The Beginning of Sorrows”
(Matthew 24:

* The First Seal (The false Christ)

The White Horse - The Rise of the Antichrist
(Dan.7:8, 23-26; 8:8-10, 20-25; 11:35-45; II Th. 2:1-12; Rev. 13:1-18, 17:10-16)

Revelation 6:2  “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 saw, and behold a White Horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.”

The Olivet Discourse corresponding prophecy:

Matthew 24:4-5 “And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.”

* * Two White Horses of Revelation (Rev.6:2)

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.”

The symbolic “White Horse” and its rider. Who is this rider with his bow and now is given a crown. Notice the crown is not on his head, it is simply given to him. The Scriptures does not reveal to us his name except that it gives us pictures of who he is and what he has come upon the earth to do.

The bow he carries in his hand is symbolic with pictures of evil and conquest (Ps.7:12, 11:2, 37:14, 46:9, 58:7; Jer. 49:35). The Antichrist is the only person predicted in Scriptures as going forth conquering and to conquer at this particular time. (Dan. 7:7-8, 20-21, 23-24; 8:23-25; 9:27; 11:36-45; Rev. 6:1). The bow is symbolic of his strength and his ability, but he has no arrows. This tells us that the peace he brings will come about through diplomacy as a king, hence the crown. He will negotiate a peace treaty and will be the one who breaks it.

This rider will cause the wars, famines, pestilences, death, and hell of the following 3 seals (6:3-8). This rider will confirm a peace covenant for one week with Daniel’s people, the Jews (Dan. 9:27). This rider can only be the antichrist, and he makes his appearance only after Christ, the Lamb of God, breaks the first seal. He comes on a white horse imitating the deeds of Christ.

* * The Rider Who Is Called “Faithful and True” (Rev.19:11-21)

Revelation 19:11-16 “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.   12 His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself.   13 He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.   14 And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.   15 Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.   16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.”

Christ is always symbolized with having a sword, not a bow (Rev. 1:6, 19:15, 21). The rider of this white horse:

•    Comes to make war also. The difference between this rider and the first is that the war is a result of or part of His judgment.

•    On His head are many crowns; the first rider was given only one.

•    His robe was dipped in blood, representing either His own blood that was shed for us, the blood of His saints under persecution, or the blood that was about to be spilt.

•    This rider is identified to us as “The Word of God.”

•    This rider is not alone but comes WITH his saints, to stop man from destroying himself and the earth.

* The Second Seal (War Breaks Out)

The Red Horse - War caused by the Antichrist
(Dan. 7:23-24; 8:9, 23; Mt. 24:6-7)

Revelation 6:3-4 “And when He had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat there on to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.”

The Olivet Discourse corresponding prophecy

Matthew 24:6-7 “And you shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that you be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: …”

The Red Horse is a clear symbol of war. This is a natural outcome of the rider of the White Horse going out to conquer and conquering. This horseman will have the power to take the peace from the earth. The world’s leaders will appeal to their weapons of mass destruction, and entangle themselves in war. Recent advances such as the modern police state and intercontinental ballistic missiles carrying nuclear weapons will enable the sword of war carried by this blood-colored Horseman to bring the systematic persecution of all of the truly faithful and a judgment of a desolating worldwide war as men are set upon the task of killing one another.

* The Third Seal (Famines)

The Black Horse Famine Comes Riding
(Matthew 24:7)

Revelation 6:5-6 “And when He had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and he that sat on him had a set of balances in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see you hurt not the oil and wine.”

The Olivet Discourse corresponding prophecy

Matthew 24: 7 “…and there shall be famines”

The Black Horse represents famine, which is the result of the conquest and the wars of the first two seals. The bread by “measure and weight” signifies scarcity of food (Ezek. 4:10-17). A measure was about 1 quart, a slave’s daily ration, an amount usually purchased for about 2 cents. One could usually buy 8 measures of wheat or 24 measures of barley for a penny, but during this future famine only 1 measure of wheat or 3 measures of barley can be purchased for a penny. This will make food 8 times higher than in normal times.

* The Fourth Seal (pestilence and death)

The Pale Horse Death and Hell
(Matthew 24:7-

Revelation 6:7-8 “And when He had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. And I looked, and behold a pale horse, and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with the sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beast of the field.

Matthew 24:7-8 “… and pestilences, and earthquakes in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.”

It is worthy to note that the riders of the first three horses are not named but here they are. Notice Hell follows behind Death for they are inseparable companions. Death here no doubt refers to a great pestilence following the wars, famines and plagues of the first three seals. One fourth of the earth, over which the pestilence shall sweep, will leave so great a death toll that the beasts of the field will gather to eat them (Mt 24:28, Lk.17:34-37, Rev. 17:17, Ezek. 39:17-21). Hell will have to enlarge itself and open its mouth without measure as it did in Isaiah. 5:13-16.

The word used to describe the color of the “pale” horse is the Greek word “chloros” or green. It is meant to convey the sickly green tinge of the deathly ill or recently dead. Since the literal translation “green” does not carry these connotations in English, the word was rendered “pale” in most English translations.

…All these are the beginning of sorrows…

*The Fifth Seal (Martyrdoms)

The Martyrs
(Mt. 24:9-13, Rev. 7:9-1; 15:2-4; 20:4)

Revelation 6:9-11 “And when He had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the alter the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, will you not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given to every one of them; and it was said unto them that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.”

The Olivet discourse corresponding prophecy:

Matthew 24:9-13 “Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and you shall be hated of all nations for my names sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”

These saints are those who were saved after or as a result of the rapture of the church. They will be killed for the same two reasons John was exiled to the island of Patmos, for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ (Rev. 1:9). The fact that their souls were under the Sacrificial Alter is proof that they were offered as a sacrifice and that is why they are Martyrs.

Notice they are given The White Robes to wear. This agrees with Rev 4:4, the Four and Twenty Elders which, representative of the church, are also wearing White Robes. When they ask how long before God avenges their death, they are told to just rest a little while longer (till the end of the Tribulation) until all their brethren from this period should join them. This is fulfilled in Rev. 20:4-6.

* The Sixth Seal (physical changes)

Physical Changes On the Earth

Revelation 6:12-17 “And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

The Olivet discourse corresponding prophecy

Matthew 24:29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken.”

Remember the oil field fires in Kuwait that Saddam Hussein had set as his armies were driven out at the end of the Gulf War? What an apocalyptic site: the sun, with its ominous darkness, and the moon, with its eerie dark, blood-red color, and the black smoke added to this ruinous, “end-of-the-world” scene? No, this wasn’t the sixth seal of Revelation, but it is a good local illustration of what it will look like worldwide as a result of wars, earthquakes and perhaps volcanic activity or possibly a lunar eclipse. Lunar eclipses may be seen from the whole night side of the planet and last for hours. During such an event the Moon turns the color of blood.

* * Chapter 7 * *

An Interval between the Sixth & Seventh Seals

The Sealing of the 144,000 To protect them from the coming trumpet judgments
(Revelation 7:1-

Revelation 7:1-4 “And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, (North, South, East and West) holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, or on the sea. Saying, hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed a hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.”

God will reserve 144,000 people of Israel, 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes of Israel, who during the period of the Tribulation will not bow their knee to Antichrist. They are saved and become servants of God and are sealed. This sealing is not the sealing of the Holy Spirit, by whom the believer is sealed (Eph. 1:13-14), but it is a sealing at the hand of angels.

We are told what this sealing is in Rev. 14:1. The “Fathers Name” is to be written on their foreheads. They were sealed on their foreheads where others could see it. Theirs is to be no secret discipleship. In the same public manner the followers of Antichrist will be sealed with a mark in their foreheads or right hand with the mark of the beast, which is the number 666. Rev.13:16-18.

The Blood-Washed Multitude
(Revelation 7:9-17)

Revelation 7:9-17 “After this I beheld and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongue stood before the throne, and before the lamb clothed in white robes, and palms in their hands; and cried with a loud voice. Salvation to our God which sits upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. And all the angels stood around about the throne, and about the elders and the Four Beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, saying, Amen: blessing and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever, amen. And one of the elders answered, saying to me, who are these which are arrayed in white robes? And from where did they come? And I said to him, Sir, you know. And he said to me, these are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and have made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the Throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His Temple: and He who sits on the Throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more: neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the Throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of water: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.”

This “Blood-Washed Multitude” introduces us to another class of the saved of the end-time. They do not represent the Church, for the Church has already been taken out. They differ from the Elders, who represent the Church, in that they stand, and have “palms” in their hands, while the Elders have “crowns,” and “sit on thrones” and have “harps,” and “golden vials” in their hands. They are an elect body of Gentiles gathered out from all nations and kindred and people and tongues.

The statement that they “came out of great tribulation” does not necessarily imply that it was “The Great Tribulation” that they came out of, for that covers only the last half of the week. They are seen by John in the middle of the first half of the week. The Scriptures only tell us that they came out of “great tribulation,” and as the whole week is a period of tribulation, they could come out of it at any point during the week.

* * Chapter 8 * *

* The Seventh Seal (silence)

Revelation 8:1 “And when He had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.”

The “Silence” that follows the breaking of the seventh seal is in anticipation for what is to follow in the sounding of the “Trumpets,” and the pouring out of the “Vials.” This silence is heard throughout Heaven, for the Four and Twenty Elders stop their harp playing, the angels hush their voices, and the Cherubim and Seraphim and all the hosts of Heaven are silent, and so great was the silence that all of Heaven was awed by it. Why the period of half an hour? It is the period of silent preparation for the awful judgments that were to burst forth onto the earth under the “Trumpets” and “Vial” judgments.

~ delivered by Don Aster, Messianic Rabbi