One Sided Conversation

ONE SIDED CONVERSATION

1 John 5: 1-12

This morning I want to try something with you that may possibly help you to understand what John is saying in this passage of scripture.

But first, to understand why John wrote, not only this chapter but the whole letter, you have to understand that John is dealing with some false teachings that were circulating in the first century; more specifically the teachings of the Gnostics.

The Gnostics considered themselves to be “in the know”; they thought they were privy to the mysteries of God and they defied and disputed a lot of what the Bible said about Jesus and who He was, and what He came to do.
What they wanted to do is conform Jesus into their way of thinking. They had all their pagan beliefs and when they encountered Christianity as it spread throughout the different regions, instead of turning from those pagan beliefs and following Christ, they tried to fit Jesus into their ideologies.
So, that is why John writes this whole letter, to confirm who Jesus is, and to dispute the false teachings of the Gnostics.

Now here in chapter 5 we have what John says, but what makes this a little difficult to understand is, reading this is much like listening to a one-sided phone conversation.

You only hear one side without knowing what the person on the other end of the phone says; but even though you only hear one side you can pretty well tell what the other person is saying or has said.
For example, if I am talking on the phone and I say, “No, she is not here. She ran into town”, what did the person on the other end of the phone say or ask? (Is Anita home?)
If you hear me say, “I am doing well. Thank you.” What did the person on the other end of the phone say or ask?
You don’t get to hear what they say, but from what I say you can tell what they said!

Well, that is very similar to what we have here in these verses.

All we hear in these verses is John’s side of the conversation; he doesn’t tell us what is being said on the other end of the conversation
But we can tell from what John says the gist of what the false teachers were teaching.
And apparently what they say is not that important; we don’t need to bother ourselves too much with that.
What we need to hear is what John says. So, look at vs. 1.

Whoever believes that Jesus (human-Savior) is the Christ (Messiah) is born of God; and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him.

Now, from what John says we get an idea of what the Gnostics were teaching.
Remember, they are trying to conform Jesus to their way of thinking.
But what John says here is what is important.

First, John says, “Whoever believes” – that is a present indicative verb- that means “ongoing action” – it is a present, continuing faith that maintains the “new birth” status.

The concept today that so many have is that a man can have a right relationship with God because he believed years ago even though he has drifted away from that belief and never returned is contradictory to what John says here.
If you do not have a present continuing faith in Jesus (human) as the Messiah you have lost your “new birth” status or your relationship with God.

And look at the second part of the verse: and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him.

That is not hard to understand is it?
IF you love God then you will love His children.

Look at vs. 2: By this we know that we love the children of God when we love God and observe His commandments.

And in this context what is God’s commandment? “Love my children.”

Look at vs. 3: For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.

You cannot keep His commandments and despise, have animosity toward; be hateful to your brothers.
And commandment keeping should never cause us grief. To do what God says should never be a burden to us.
We do what God commands out of our love for Him.

Again, this is John’s side of the conversation. What were the false teachers saying?

Apparently the Gnostics said they were born of God but they denied Jesus as being a man, they denied Him as the only Savior, they denied Him as being the Messiah, (they wanted to separate Him from the O.T. prophets) and they denied Him as being the Son of God…or deity.

And, they didn’t keep His commandment to love those born of God…and so they were claiming “We are born of God” but John says, “No you’re not!
And if any of us do what they were doing…if we deny who Christ is (that He is the Savior, the Messiah, and the Son of God) and if we don’t love each other and if we don’t keep His commandments, regardless of what we might claim, we aren’t born of God either.

And if you or I say, “I guess I will do what God says but I really don’t want to”…you and I might want to reevaluate our love for God.

Now, look what John says in vs. 4: For whatever (in vs. 1 John says, “whoever.” Here he says “whatever) is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world– our faith. 5 And who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

The world with its lies, and temptations; and its wickedness; and its snares is an obstacle in our way to heaven. (1 John 2:15-17)
But the efforts of the world to keep us from heaven is defeated by our faith…faith in Jesus; faith that He alone is the Savior; faith that He is the Messiah; faith that He is the Son of God.
Any faith that denies any part of this is not adequate for victory.

The victory over the world is not achieved by any other means; not by magical charms, or mystic séances, or by human performance.

That is what the Gnostics taught.
But, what John says is what is important and John says the victory over the world is only won by faith in Jesus, the Son of God.

Vs. 6 This is the one who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ; not with the water only, but with the water and with the blood.

Here in this verse John is dealing with the Cerenthian or Apollonarian Gnostic.

The Cerenthian or Apollonarian Gnostic taught the “adoptionist concept.”
They said that “Jesus was a child born to Joseph and Mary..
There was no miraculous virgin birth.
And Jesus lived for 28 years as an ordinary man working in a carpenters shop.
Then about his 28th year, when he was baptized, the H.S. descended on him and took over his body…and for 3 years the life, mind, and will of Jesus, were suspended; those things were all put in suspended animation.
But then about the time that he is nailed to the cross the Holy Spirit leaves him and Jesus the man comes out of the coma; He doesn’t have the foggiest idea how he got there…he doesn’t know why they are crucifying him.
And so all that died that day on the cross was simply a man named Jesus.
This idea all came about because the Cerenthian Gnostics said that “deity cannot die” so the one who died on the cross could not have been deity.
And today, there are groups who teach this same thing.

Well, in this verse John refutes that thinking. What John is saying is, Jesus Christ was human, He was deity and Messiah before, during and after baptism…and He was human, deity, and Messiah before, during and after the cross.

Jesus and all that He was didn’t just go through baptism.
And the one that believes all the elements of Jesus is the one who has overcome the world; his faith has given him the victory.

Now, how do you know that Jesus is the Savior, the Messiah, and the Son of God? Well, look at vs. 7: And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is the truth.

The Spirit was involved in everything that Jesus did.
The Holy Spirit gave prophecies telling of the coming of Jesus.
Jesus was conceived through the Holy Spirit.
He was protected by the Holy Spirit.
He performed miracles by the Holy Spirit (raised dead by the Holy Spirit).
What He taught came from Holy Spirit…Everything He did the Holy Spirit testified to.

8 For there are three that bear witness, the Spirit and the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement.

The water – His baptism said he was human as well as deity.
Jesus came to fulfill all righteousness…obedient in human form.
Holy Spirit descended and what did God say? (This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased).

And the blood or the cross bears witness of who Christ was…a man (he died)…the Messiah (sent from God-sky turned dark at noon day)…Deity…(he rose from the grave. – Romans 1:4)

These three, the Spirit, baptism, and the cross confirm one basic theology…Jesus was deity, human, and the Messiah.

9 If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for the witness of God is this, that He has borne witness concerning His Son.

Look at these words of Jesus found in John 5:33-37 “You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. 34 “But the witness which I receive is not from man, but I say these things that you may be saved. 35 “He (John) was the lamp that was burning and was shining and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light. 36 “But the witness which I have is greater than that of John; for the works which the Father has given Me to accomplish, the very works that I do, bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me. 37 “And the Father who sent Me, He has borne witness of Me.

God has born witness to Jesus through all the miracles.
Through all the resurrections…not just Jesus’ but all.
Through the Fathers words…verbally.
Past prophets…and those living at the time (John).

There is no doubt who Jesus is!

1 John 5:10 The one who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; the one who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the witness that God has borne concerning His Son.

You accept God’s witness about Jesus, you get God’s witness about yourself.
God says as He points to Jesus, “This is my beloved Son”
If you believe that, God will turn around and give that same witness about you.
And the fact that God says that about Jesus gives you the same reasons for believing that you are God’s child too.
All these things give confirmation to your “son-ship.”

But the one who denies what God has said about Jesus; that person has made “God a liar.”

Now, look at vs. 11 And the witness (or testimony) is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son (No where or in nothing else). 12 He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.

So we have heard both sides of the conversation: John’s and to some extent, what the Gnostics believed. Now, after hearing both sides we must choose which one we want: Jesus and eternal life, or do we want to make God a liar and be lost forever?

The Obituary of Babylon (Rome)

THE OBITUARY OF BABYLON (ROME)

Rev. 17

As we begin here in chapter 17 the bowls of the wrath of God have been poured out.

Judgment is completed…Rome is destroyed.
As sure as God said it, it is done.

And now it is time for the obituary.

It is time for the brief death notice and a short biography of the deceased.
This obituary will cover 2 chapters…but today we will cover just the first half of it.

17:1 And one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me, saying, “Come here, I shall show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters,

First you have to ask “who is this great harlot?”
John tells us…look at verse 18. John says: “And the woman whom you saw is the great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth.”

Now, in verse 5, John is going to speak of the harlot as being “Babylon the Great.”

But this cannot be the literal Babylon that is way over on the Euphrates River.
Notice, John says that this “woman or harlot…is the great city which reigns over the kings of the earth.”
John is talking about a “city” in his day…in the time period of 79 A.D.
Babylon didn’t rule over the kings of the earth…Rome did.
In fact, in 330 BC, when the Persian Empire fell to Alexander the Great, the city of Babylon was destroyed.
And the last time it was even mentioned on a Babylonia clay tablet was in 10 B.C…89 years before John wrote this.
At the time John receives this Revelation, Babylon didn’t rule over anything.
Rome did…so his reference to Babylon is to draw a parallel…that just as Babylon was a harlot in its day…and just as Babylon was destroyed…so to is Rome.

Notice verse 1 again. John says that the “great harlot sits on many waters.”

The word “sits” here can mean “dwells”…where she resides.
Now, look at this…this is a map of the Roman Empire during its peak.
Notice, she sits on the waters.

But there is another meaning behind this phrase “sits on many waters.” Look at verse 15:

15 And he said to me, “The waters which you saw where the harlot sits, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues.

In this context the word “sits” infers “rule”….”control.”
Rome ruled over many different people.
And that is true.
One of the things that Rome did in order to become such a great empire is it made many alliances with other nations.
And in some instances Rome would offer those who were potential enemies inclusion into the Roman Empire if they would pledge loyalty to the Empire.
For example, the Romans conquered the region of Palestine.
But what they did in order to minimize the cost and conflict of securing that area by military force…and to control the area…they appointed someone from that area to be king…and he was given rule over the area…just as long as he did what was best for Rome…and as long as he remained loyal to Rome.
That is why just before Christ was born you find Herod, a descendent from the tribe of Edom, as king…answering to the Emperor of Rome.

So Rome did this in many regions…and that is why she “sits” on all these nations and peoples.

So the harlot here is Rome…and there is another reason why the angels speaks of her “sitting on man waters.”

This angel is going to show Rome’s beauty, her place of prominence, her influence, her power first.
The angel is saying, “this is how magnificent she was.”
“But now she is destroyed.”
In doing this he is showing how great her fall is because she fell from such a lofty place…all the way to nothing.

So, lets read it again: Rev 17:1-2

And one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me, saying, “Come here, I shall show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters, 2 with whom the kings of the earth committed acts of immorality, and those who dwell on the earth were made drunk with the wine of her immorality. ”

Verse 2 speaks of Rome’s alliances.
All the nations not only participated in Rome’s wealth and power…but also in her ungodliness.
They laid down with the dog and came up with fleas.

3 And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness; and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast, full of blasphemous names, having seven heads and ten horns.

We do not have to speculate about who this beast is…or what the seven heads and ten horns are…he will tell us.

4 And the woman was clothed in purple and scarlet (these are colors of royalty. She is royal on the outside…but inside she is disgusting. She is nothing more than a well dressed tramp.)

4 And the woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a gold cup full of abominations and of the unclean things of her immorality(she was quick to share these things with any who wanted to participate with her. However, those who participated with her…would be destroyed like she was)

5 and upon her forehead a name was written, a mystery, “BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS(she teaches all the other little harlots how to be big harlots like her.)

5 and upon her forehead a name was written, a mystery, “BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” 6 And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus.

See how disgusting she is…she has thrived on the blood and tears of fellow humans.

And when I saw her, I wondered greatly.

In other words, “who is this harlot…who is this that had drunk the blood of the saints?”

7 And the angel said to me, “Why do you wonder? I shall tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns.

8 “The beast that you saw was and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss and to go to destruction. And those who dwell on the earth will wonder, whose name has not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast, that he was and is not and will come. 9 “Here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits,

Notice this map…there are seven hills on which Rome sits.
Rome has always been known by this identifying feature.

9 “Here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits, 10 and they are seven kings; five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain a little while. 11 “And the beast which was and is not, is himself also an eighth, and is one of the seven, and he goes to destruction. 12 “And the ten horns which you saw are ten kings, who have not yet received a kingdom, but they receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour.

We covered this back in chapter 13…so we won’t get into as much detail as we did then.
But here is the list again:

Augustus
Tiberius
Caligula These 5 have fallen; vs. 10
Claudius
Nero

Galba (7 mos.)

Otho (3 mos.) These three were victims of a horrible civil war. They made no

Vitelius (9 mos.) contribution to the Empire.

Vespasian “One is”; vs. 10
Titus (He ruled for 2 years, 2 months, 20 days) “The other has not come yet; and when he comes, he must remain a little while” vs. 10.
Domitian (the son of Vespasian…”one of the seven”; vs 11).

“Beast which was and is not, is himself also and eighth, and is one of the seven, and he goes to destruction”; vs. 11 (see also vs. 8).

Under Nero the saints were severely persecuted. When Nero died the persecution ceased.
Then, when Domitian came to power the persecution returned.
That is why verse 11 speaks of Domitian as “the beast which was and is not.”
He is Nero Redividus…Nero revived.
The beast reared its ugly head through Nero…after Nero died Galba, Otho, and Vitelus were too busy trying to save their own lives to persecute the saints.
Under Vespasian, the time when John is writing, there was some persecution but it was not national policy like it was under Nero…so the “beast was not.”
But then the beast reared its ugly head again in Domitian and the persecution lasted until the year 3:11.
The beast had shown itself in Nero…died…and resurrected in Domitian.

12 “And the ten horns which you saw are ten kings, who have not yet received a kingdom, but they receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour.

These are 10 client kings or future kings who have not come to power yet…but when they do they will persecute the saints.
This would be Trajan to Diocletian.

13 “These have one purpose and they give their power and authority to the beast. 14 “These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful.”

Here is the reason that the victory is sure: He is Lord of lords, King of kings.
And every man, woman and child that refused to give in to this ungodly nation will be victorious with Him.

Now, notice the word “chosen”…that does not speak of “election.”

That word speaks of “choice”…the “best.”

15 And he said to me, “The waters which you saw where the harlot sits, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues. 16 “And the ten horns which you saw, and the beast, these will hate the harlot and will make her desolate and naked, and will eat her flesh and will burn her up with fire.

This is inner strife…and this inner strife helps aid in the fall of Rome.

17 “For God has put it in their hearts to execute His purpose by having a common purpose,(they are God’s too of judgment and don’t know it.) and by giving their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God should be fulfilled.

18 “And the woman whom you saw is the great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth.”

Again, this is the beginning of the obituary…or the announcement of death and a brief biography of the deceased.

The most powerful nation on the face of the earth…a nation who boasted in its wealth and power…a nation that had climbed higher than any other before it…is destroyed…all because of its rebellion against God, its failure to honor God, and because of the way it treated God’s people.
If it can happen to Rome…it can happen to the US…or any other nation.

The Harvest of the Wicked

THE HARVEST OF THE WICKED

Revelation 14

One of the biggest mistakes that people make when trying to understand the book of Revelation is they try to take each event mentioned and apply it to some specific event either in the modern past or still yet in the future.

As a result they come up with all kinds of ideas as to what this book is talking about.

What we need to understand about this book is instead of trying to apply each vision or event to a specific occurrence, what we must do is simply look at the obvious.

Listen for the obvious message.

It really is not hard to understand what the theme is of this book and that is true here in this chapter.

So, don’t worry so much about the specifics of the details and what they are talking about.
Instead, focus on the general message and what God is trying to say.

Now, when you come to chapter 14 we need to keep in mind that this is all a part of a vision that John is seeing…so we cannot take all he says here as being literal…or that it is going to be literally fulfilled.

We also need to remember that this is a part of the 7^th trumpet that was sounded in chapter 11: 15.
And remember, trumpets are intended to warn or sound the alarm.
And that is, in part, what this chapter does.

At the same time, this chapter is intended to reassure the faithful who are perhaps wondering if their faith in God and His Son has been in vain.

If they are thinking about abandoning their faith in Christ, this chapter is intended to persuade them not to do that.

So, let’s look at chapter 14.

Now, in chapter 13 we saw a great beast come up out of the sea.
- And that beast had 10 horns and seven heads…and on his horns was 10 diadems…and on his heads were blasphemous names.
- And if you remember, we went to chapter 17 and then to the book of Daniel to show that the beast of chapter 17 is the Roman Empire.

And the beast of chapter 13 was a great, terrifying beast that mocked God and persecuted His people.

And the beast deifies himself and tries to force the people to worship him.
But in the last verse of chapter 13 God tells us that the one who claims to be god is really no god at all…he is simply 666…the number of man cubed.
In other words, he is human to the core.

And now what you are going to see in chapter 14 is the One who really is Lord.

And you are going to see once again the foretelling of what is going to happen to the beast and all those who worship the beast.

So, let’s look at this, and once again, simply try to grasp the obvious message of what is said.

Vs. 1 And I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads.

John had just seen in chapter 13 the beast that spoke fear, intimidation, and death.
Now he sees the Lamb…and notice…the Lamb is standing.
- He is not dead or slain.
- This reassures these Christians that the one they are faithful too is raised from the dead and is alive.

And notice the Lamb was standing on “Mt. Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand.”

In Heb. 12:22 Mt. Zion signifies “the church.”
And if you go back to chapter 7 you see that the 144, 000 speaks of God’s faithful people.

And notice in the last phrase of the verse is something that we all had better have stamped on our foreheads…and that is His name and the name of His Father.

Having a name on the forehead speaks of possession…as well as the one who controls the thoughts, reasons and will.
We should be people who belong to the Lamb…as well as a people whose thoughts are controlled by Him.

Now, verse 2: And I heard a voice from heaven, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder, and the voice which I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps.

This is heaven voicing its approval of what it sees and of the Lamb.
What takes place here is heavens will.

Vs. 3 And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders; and no one could learn the song except the one hundred and forty-four thousand who had been purchased from the earth.

Only the redeemed can learn this song and sing it.
Only they could sing it and mean it.
- How often do we pray and sing things which are really not our convictions?
- These singers will be convicted of what they sing.

Vs. 4 These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they have kept themselves chaste. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These have been purchased from among men as first fruits to God and to the Lamb. 5 And no lie was found in their mouth; they are blameless.

Notice the 7 characteristics…
7 indicates perfection.
These are the ones who did not give in to the temptations of Rome.
They remained faithful through it all.
They were given a choice in chapter 13 to follow the beast or Christ…and they have chosen Christ.

So these first 5 verses are encouraging words to these Christians…because it reminds them that the Lamb is still alive…that He meets with heavens approval….and so to do those who are remained faithful to Him.

Now verse 6:

And I saw another angel flying in midheaven, having an eternal gospel (good news) to preach to those who live on the earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people;

It is not to late for those who live on the earth…for those who do not meet heaven’s approval.
There is still hope for the lost.

Vs. 7 …and he(the angel) said with a loud voice, “Fear God, and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made the heaven and the earth and sea and springs of waters.”

The ultimate victory of the faithful was so certain that it could already be proclaimed.
Rome’s judgment is certain.
God is worthy of praise and the coming events will prove that.

Vs. 8 And another angel, a second one, followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who has made all the nations drink of the wine of the passion of her immorality.”

Babylon here is a reference to Rome. Rome is being compared to Babylon here; chapter 17.
Just as Babylon fell…so to will Rome.

And notice that Rome is looked at from a seductive view point.

Rome seduced the nations to participate with her in her immoral deeds.

And notice the angel says: “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great.”

This fact is so certain that it is announced before it takes place.

Vs. 9: And another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or upon his hand, 10 he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.

Those who follow the beast have benefited from the beasts power, influence, and economic prowess.

But now they must pay the piper.
They must now drink the wine of the wrath of God…which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger.
- This is a big price to pay for enjoyment of worldly pleasures.

Rev 14:11-12

“And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; and they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.” 12 Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.

The saints suffered the fires of persecution until they died.
Now, they rest while the wicked suffer.
- This helps the saints to endure.

Rev 14:13

13 And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, “Write, ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!'” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them.”

What makes them “Blessed”?…they die IN the Lord.
There are only two places to die.

For those who die in the Lord…death is a closed door that Satan cannot open.

Now, we are going to see the harvest of those who follow the beast.

God has been promising judgment the beast and those who follow.
Now, it is vindication time.

Rev 14:14

14 And I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and sitting on the cloud was one like a son of man, having a golden crown (stephanos: victors crown) on His head, and a sharp sickle in His hand.

It is harvest time.
Judgment is here.

Rev 14:15-20

15 And another angel came out of the temple, crying out with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, “Put in your sickle and reap, because the hour to reap has come, because the harvest of the earth is ripe.” 16 And He who sat on the cloud swung His sickle over the earth; and the earth was reaped.

17 And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, and he also had a sharp sickle. 18 And another angel, the one who has power over fire, came out from the altar; and he called with a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, “Put in your sharp sickle, and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, because her grapes are ripe.” 19 And the angel swung his sickle to the earth, and gathered the clusters from the vine of the earth, and threw them into the great wine press of the wrath of God.

And the wine press was trodden outside the city, and blood came out from the wine press, up to the horses’ bridles, for a distance of two hundred miles.

The vision of the wine press is symbolic of the horror of God’s judgment.

The message of this chapter is not hard to understand.

Judgment will come on the wicked.
And it will be a horrifying thing.

But those who have the name of the Lord on their foreheads…those who die in the Lord…will be blessed…from now on.

This whole chapter is written here to warn us to come to the Lamb…or to remain faithful to Him even unto death.

Reassurance to the Redeemed

REASSURANCE TO THE REDEEMED

Rev. 7

In chapter 6 we read about the breaking of the seals.

Judgment is coming on the Roman Empire and the opening of the seals not only warns of the coming judgment but also seems to be giving an indication to some degree the means in which Rome will fall.
Remember the four horses that came forth with the breaking of the seals? (White-conqueror with victor’s crown, with a bow, piercing the hearts of men with the word; Red – war, conflict, drains resources; black-economy; ashen-famine, pestilence, wild beasts, death).
The seals are a warning…God warns before He does…He gives people time to repent.

Then the fifth seal is broken…and the souls of those who had been slain because of the word…cried out, “How long, O Lord, will you refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”

And they are given white robes and are told to rest for a while because more would die before God brings forth His judgment.

And when the sixth seal is broken a picture of judgment and destruction is painted for us.

God is going to shake the foundation of the ungodly and turn their world upside down.
And no matter where they run, or where they try to hide…they will not escape “the wrath of the Lamb.”

And the chapter ends with this question: …for the great day of their wrath has come; and who is able to stand?”

And here in chapter 7 the writer answers this question.

Rev 7

7:1 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth (Four relates to the world: east, west, north, south) , holding back the four winds of the earth(winds here represents the activity of God. In Exodus 10: 13 God told Moses to stretch out his hand and when he did an east wind brought locusts on the land. In Exodus 14: 21 God used a strong east wind to turn the sea into dry land. See also Isa. 57:13; Jeremiah 18:17; Dan. 7:2) , so that no wind should blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree. (They hold the wind back so that no destruction on Rome can take place until God’s people are identified. This gave God’s people comfort. When Rome is destroyed God will know whom to destroy and whom to save.)

2 And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun (This angel comes from the east…from where the light originates. His message is one of cheer.), having the seal of the living God; (The seal indicates that God owns sealed ones and would keep Satan from tampering with them. This message here in this chapter is for the saints. They are under God’s protection. Is this a protection from death? No, many will die. But when they do they will not be condemned like the wicked. Ezekiel 9 and 21: 3-4 will help you understand the principles of sealing.)

There is a point to consider here.
Some suffering is not the judgment of God.
Sometimes the innocent suffer with the guilty.
When this judgment comes on Rome it will mean severe hardship for these saints.
But, they will not receive the condemnation or the punishment that the wicked will receive.
The judgment will involve the righteous in suffering and it might look like they are being punished too.
But the sealing is God’s way of saying, “The righteous are not being judged.”

Rev 7:2

2 And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the seal of the living God; and he cried out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, 3 saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads.”(This angel calls for delay. The reason for the delay: the welfare of the righteous. “Don’t hurt the earth until the righteous are marked.”)

The reason they are marked on their foreheads? That is where the thoughts come from. These are people who have their minds on God.

Notice that the “bond-servants of God” will be sealed.

How many does that include? ALL of them. Every bond-servant of God is sealed.
This is not a “part” sealing.
Some want to say that this “sealing” only involves a select few.
Not so. Whoever is a bond-servant of God is sealed.

4 And I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred and forty-four thousand sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:

Some believe that the 144, 000 will be the exact number of redeemed in heaven.
However, if you look at verse 9 the indication is that some were already in heaven…a number so great that no one could count them.

Now, let me give you some thoughts about the number 144,000.

144,000 equals 12 x 12 x 1000.
12 is the number that represents God’s people (12 apostles, 12 patriarchs, 12 tribes).
By multiplying the number 12 by 12 and then by 1000 (which is a number of totality)…you have a number that symbolizes all the redeemed of the earth.
All of God’s saints on the earth at the time will undergo this period of trial when judgment comes on Rome.
But all are assured of God’s protection. See Amos 9:9.

Notice the phase: “from every tribe of the sons of Israel.”

Some believe that this is speaking literally of Israel. That this is speaking only of the Jews.
The problem is with the understanding of who “Israel” is.
A study of Romans 9 and Romans 11 will show you that just because they are Jews does not mean that they are “Israel.”
In fact, in Romans 9:6 the apostles Paul says: “For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel. 7 neither are they all children because they are Abraham’s descendants, but: “through Isaac your descendants will be named.” 8 That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants.

To speak of “Israel” is to speak of God’s redeemed people.

And that is confirmed by Revelation 14:1-5 because in that passage we are told exactly who the 144,000 are.

14:1 And I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads. 2 And I heard a voice from heaven, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder, and the voice which I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps. 3 And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders; and no one could learn the song except the one hundred and forty-four thousand who had been purchased from the earth. 4 These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they have kept themselves chaste. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These have been purchased from among men as first fruits to God and to the Lamb. 5 And no lie was found in their mouth; they are blameless.

“Israel” is an established name for the redeemed people of God.

Rev. 7:4 And I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred and forty-four thousand sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:5 from the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand were sealed, from the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand, from the tribe of Gad twelve thousand, 6 from the tribe of Asher twelve thousand, from the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand, from the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand, 7 from the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand, from the tribe of Levi twelve thousand, from the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand, 8 from the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand, from the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand, from the tribe of Benjamin, twelve thousand were sealed.

Here is another problem for those who want to say that this is speaking of a literal Israel…or Jews.
Where is Dan? He is not included here? Where is He?

9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues (four statements: four is the number of the world. Indicates these people were once in the world) standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands(Lev. 23, 40. Palm branches were used in the “Feast of Tabernacles.” It was a time of celebration, joy, thanksgiving.”

10 and they cry out with a loud voice, saying,

“Salvation to our God (Salvation is attributed to Him) who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” 11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying,

“Amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen.”

Notice the seven phrases…means that God is worthy of all and total adoration.

13 And one of the elders answered, saying to me, “These who are clothed in the white robes, who are they, and from where have they come?”

14 And I said to him, “My lord, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation (probably the great tribulation mentioned back up in chapter 6. Daniel told of the time when the kingdom of God would destroy the 4^th great kingdom on the earth.) , and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 “For this reason, they are before the throne of God; and they serve Him day and night in His temple (notice, they are priests); and He who sits on the throne shall spread His tabernacle over them. 16 “They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; neither shall the sun beat down on them, nor any heat; 17 for the Lamb in the center of the throne shall be their shepherd, and shall guide them to springs of the water of life; and God shall wipe every tear from their eyes. ”

This chapter reassures these saints…the redeemed of God that when judgment and destruction comes on Rome…even though some of them may be killed in that judgment and destruction…they will be in heaven with God and the Lamb.

Salvation is theirs.

The Opening of the Seals

THE OPENING OF THE SEALS

Revelation 6

Here in the 6^th chapter we see the breaking of the 7 seals.

If you remember back in chapter 5 the “One who sat on the throne had a book in His right hand that was sealed with 7 seals…and the only one who was worthy to open the book and its seven seals was the Lamb who was slain…but who is alive.”

Now, here in chapter 6 we see the Lamb breaking 6 of the 7 seals that sealed the book and as He does so we see the beginning of the end of the book.

The rest of the book…gets its beginning right here.

Now, keep in mind that this is a vision and a lot of what is expressed here is expressed in symbols and symbolic language.

Therefore, it is difficult to know exactly what each of these symbols represent.
But, even though it is hard to know exactly what each symbol means…we can still learn the underlying lessons that God intends for us to learn.

CHAPTER 6:

Remember that this book is a book of prophecy and prophecy always warns of a coming judgment….and it always deals with the situation that is going on at the time.

I believe that when these seals are opened God is announcing the certainty of His judgment on the Roman Empire…and indicating to some degree the means in which Rome will fall.

So, look at verse 1.

And I saw when the Lamb broke one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, “Come.”

“Come”: this is a theatrical term and it means to “appear on stage.”
It is a summons to begin…a command to “Get out here!”
This “living creature” is calling this rider “to appear.”

2 And I looked, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him; and he went out conquering, and to conquer.

There is nothing in these verses that tells us for sure who these riders are…but the only other mention of a “white horse” in Revelation is found in chapter 19:11 and the rider there is Christ.
So it is a good possibility that that is who this is.

Notice the “white horse”.

That is the color of the horse that a conqueror rode after His victory.

This rider has a crown given to him.

Crown here is the word “stephanos”….it is a crown of victory or the crown of a conqueror.

And He says that He had a bow.

The “bow” was a weapon of antiquity…it allowed the one carrying it to strike from afar.

Several times in the OT we see the bow used metaphorically to show God defeating His enemies, or rescuing His people, or going to war with His enemies. (Ps. 7:12; Hab. 3:8-13, Ps. 45:5).
So the bow symbolically represented God going out to conquer…to defeat His enemies.
And He did that in one of two ways.
Arrows are intended to pierce the hearts of men…so it may be that this conqueror, especially if it is Christ, will conquer some by piercing their hearts with His word.
And those who reject His word will be destroyed as a result of rejecting that word.
Either way, the word will begin to reduce the influence of Rome and help in its destruction.

Then the verse says that this rider goes “out conquering and to conquer.”

His enemies need to beware because He has won and He will win.

All of these symbols combined together are a picture of conquest…perhaps Christ the conqueror defeating the enemies of God…or, in this case, the Roman Empire.

Now verse 3: “And when He broke the second seal, I heard the second living creature say “Come.”

Again, this is a summons to begin…”Get out here!”

“And another, a red horse, went out; and to him who sat on it, it was granted to take peace from the earth, and that men should slay one another; and a great sword was given to him.”

Red carries with it the idea of danger, blood, war!
Notice the word sword.

In the Greek that is the word “machira” and a “machira” was a small, short sword, kind of like a dagger, that was used for in, close fighting.
This rider on a red horse is indicative of war.
War would begin to reduce the power of Rome.

In verse 5 we see a description of economic hardship. Look what He says:

“And when He broke the third seal, I heard the living creature saying, “Come.” And I looked, and behold, a black horse; and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand.

Scales are for weighing and measuring.

“And I heard as it were a voice in the center of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and wine.”

A denarius was considered to be a day’s wages…and here it takes a day’s wages to buy a quart of wheat or three quarts of barley.
This is an indication of the high cost of living.
Economic hardship.

Economic hardship could cause the people to revolt against the authorities and the government…and this too would aid in the decline of the Roman Empire.

And notice, He says: “Do not harm the oil and the wine.”

These were comforts…luxuries…and they were plentiful.
But no one could afford them because of the economic hardship.
The economic hardship would begin to reduce the Roman Empire

7 And when He broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come.” 8 And I looked, and behold, an ashen horse (sickly pale, yellowy green); and he who sat on it had the name Death; and Hades (Hades…the grave. The abode of disembodied spirits. Death slays, Hades reaps) was following with him. And authority was given to them over a fourth (indication that this is not the final judgment) of the earth, to kill with sword (war) and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth.

Many Christians perished when thrown to wild animals.
Christians are not exempt from suffering.
But for the Christian, the sword, famine, pestilence and wild beasts are just 4 ways to go be with Jesus.

9 And when He broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained (faithful unto death. These Christians had died because of their faith); 10 and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, wilt Thou refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”

Their call for retribution was not necessarily for them…they had already been slain.
Their call is for the cause they had died for.

11 And there was given to each of them a white robe(spiritually clean, pure); and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer (the persecution is not over yet), until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, should be completed also.

God is not finished yet with what He is doing.
Others would be slain.
In doing so the Roman Empire’s cup of iniquity would be full…thus resulting in justification for God’s judgment.

12 And I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; 13 and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. 14 And the sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.

This is language of the prophets to paint a picture of judgment and destruction.
You find this similar thing in Joel 1: 15; Joel 2:1-2; Isa. 13: 6-11; Jeremiah 4:23-25; Micah 1: 3-6; Amos 4: 13.
We know this is not the end of time because the last verse asks the question: Who is able to stand…and chapter 7 is going to tell us that.
This language…this kind of terminology is God stating that He is about to shake up the world of the ungodly.
It is coming soon.

15 And the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; 16 and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb;

There will be no place to hide when God comes in judgment.

They will want to run…but no place to run.
No escape.

17 for the great day of their wrath has come; and who is able to stand? ”

This question will be answered in chapter 7.

Chapter 6 speaks of the coming judgment on the Roman Empire.

A couple of things we can learn here: God warns before He does.
He gives people time to repent.

Second: Anybody who touches God’s people touches the apple of His eye…and those people will answer to God for it.

Vengeance is Mine says the Lord.