WILL THE END REALLY COME?
Revelation 6:9-17
Our world today is filled with unavoidable suffering. Famine, epidemics, earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, and tornadoes inflict untold suffering on humanity. We have no way of counting how many have suffered or died because of such disasters.
On top of that stands man’s inhumanity to man. War, terrorism, crime, domestic abuse, and discrimination heap horror upon horror. In the twentieth century we’ve had several examples.
Adolf Hitler’s goal was to eliminate all the inferior races and create a race of supermen. Joseph Stalin murdered close to 40 million of his own countrymen. Mao Zedong killed over 70 million Chinese in the effort to collectivize the country and then in the Cultural Revolution that followed. Idi Amin purged Uganda of those that didn’t agree with him. It’s not only others that we point to, here in the United States we’ve murdered over 15 million unborn babies since abortion was legalized.
Whenever people turn away from God, unspeakable horror results. Over 100 years ago, James Russell Lowell spoke at a meeting where Christianity was being questioned. He responded, I challenge any skeptic to find a ten square mile spot on this planet where they can live their lives in peace and safety and decency, where womanhood is honored, where infancy and old age are revered, where they can educate their children, where the gospel of Jesus Christ has not gone first to prepare the way. If you find such a place, the I would encourage you to emigrate there and proclaim your unbelief.
Jesus has, and continues to be what makes the difference.
Whether we like it or not, the four horsemen of Chapter 6 have already shown glimpses of what is to come. Now they are ready to ride on the face of the earth.
The Fifth Seal
As with the first four seals, when the Lamb opened the fifth seal another sequence in the unfolding of divine judgment was revealed and John sees under the altar the souls of those who had been slain ... These are the martyrs, those killed during the Tribulation.
Jesus taught the identical sequence of events we see in Revelation chapter 6, in his teaching in Matthew 24. The first seven verses describe the events of the first four seals. Just as the fifth seal describes martyrs, so does verse 9 of Matthew 24, then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me.
Jesus talked about the persecution the church would face. It all started with Himself and the disciples. i.e. list of disciples, Charisma magazine June 2001, Voice of the Martyrs @ persecution.com.
Andrew Andrew preached the gospel in Macedonia, Greece, Scythia, Asia Minor, Russia and other countries in Asia. Acts of Andrew, a small book from the 3rd century says that he was crucified at Patras (Greece) in AD 60. He suffered on the cross for 2 days, while preaching and encouraging the people gathered around him.
Bartholomew Bartholomew preached the gospel in many countries, but mostly in India, Armenia and Ethiopia. He was beaten, then crucified, and afterwards beheaded in Albanopolis, Armenia.
James, Son of Alphaeus He preached in Persia.
There are two views concerning his death. According to the first view, he was beaten and stoned to death by the Jews at the age of ninety-four; and finally had his brains dashed out with a fuller’s club. The second version says that he was crucified in Persia.
James, Son of Zebedee James is believed to be the first Christian missionary to Spain. James became the first martyr among the apostles when King Herod Agrippa ordered his execution (Acts 12:2) c AD 43. According to Clement, as he was led to the place of his execution, his accuser, seeing James’ extraordinary courage, repented and asked for his forgiveness. This man became a Christian and asked to be martyred with James. They were both beheaded at the same time.
John He preached the gospel in Palestine and Asia Minor. After the death of Domitian, John was freed from the Island of Patmos and lived till his death in Ephesus, where Mary was also burried. John was the only apostle who died a natural death, around AD 98-100, when he was about 100 years old.
Judas, (Not Iscariot) He preached the gospel in Mesopotamia and Persia. One tradition says that magicians killed him with clubs and stones in Persia; according to another one he was crucified in Edessa, Turkey, in AD 72.
Matthew John Foxe states in his Book of Martyrs, that Matthew preached in Egypt and Ethiopia. He was martyred with a spear in the city of Nadabah, Ethiopia, AD 60.
Simon Peter According to the Church History of Eusebius, Peter preached in Pontus, Galatia, Bithynia, Cappadocia, and Asia.
According to John Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, after hearing Nero’s intention to kill Peter, the Christians convinced him to flee Rome. But coming to the gate, he saw the Lord Christ come to meet him, to Whom he, worshipping said, Lord, whither dost Thou go? To whom He answered and said, I am come again to be crucified. By this, Peter, perceiving his suffering to be understood, returned back into the city. He was then killed in Rome at the order of Nero around AD 68, one of thousands of Christians martyred during this emperor’s reign. According to Tertullian and Origen, he was crucified head downwards at his request. He said he was unworthy to be crucified the same way as Jesus Christ.
Philip According to tradition, he preached in France, southern Russia and Asia Minor. It is believed that he was martyred in Hierapolis, a city in today’s Turkey.
Simon Zelotes He preached the Gospel in Egypt, Mauritania, Africa, Libya and even Britain. He was crucified in Britain in AD 74.
Thomas Thomas preached the Gospel in India, and to the Parthians, Medes and Persians and other nations. He was martyred with a spear in India. It is said, that he is buried in Mylapore, a suburb of Madras.
Matthias Matthias was stoned to death and then beheaded by the Jews in Jerusalem.
Now, the persecution mentioned here in Revelation has to do specifically with the tribulation, which even in its initial stage, will be world wide. I believe this persecution will be led by the government and by the religious system involved in worshiping the Antichrist. The world’s hatred for God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ will motivate them to persecute believers.
The church was born with persecution, but this persecution will be even greater than any seen up to this point.
The altar John sees is most likely similar to the altar of incense in the Old Testament (Exodus 40:5), because of the prayers of the saints is shown as incense.
These believers become martyrs because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They are the first fruits of those who will be saved throughout the Tribulation.
The fifth seal is not about martyrdom as some suggest. The seal is about God’s wrath being poured out on the wicked. The martyrs appeal to God for vengeance based on two of His attributes. 1st, because He is Holy, He must judge sin. 2nd, because He is true He must be faithful to His word and keep His promise.
How long ... until you judge the inhabitants of the earth? All the wrongs will be made right, but not until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed. God knows how many martyrs there will be. Then the end will come.
Until then, those already martyred are to enjoy their state of rest and blessing. To each was given a white robe. The white robes are a reward of grace, symbolizing God’s gift of eternal righteousness, blessedness and honor. They symbolize all the glory that redeemed saints will enjoy in heaven.
The Sixth Seal
One of the prophetic themes in scripture, paralleling the prophecies of the Messiah, is the coming of the Day of the Lord. It is an expression used to describe periods when God intervenes in human history for judgment. The phrase Day of the Lord appears nineteen times in the Old Testament and four times in the New. God has intervened in the past and judged men, i.e. flood, Sodom and Gomorrah, Egypt, etc.
The first five seals we see involved persons, the four horsemen and the saints under the altar. In the sixth God acts alone. By the time this seal is opened, the midpoint of the Tribulation has passed. We are in the Great Tribulation, the final three and a half years.
The Antichrist has desecrated the temple in Jerusalem, the world worships him, and a massive persecution of Jews and Christians has been unleashed. The warnings of the first five seals have gone unheaded.
With the opening of the sixth seal, John observes a phenomenon more violent than anything he has observed so far.
1st Earth affected There was a great earthquake There have been many earthquakes in recorded history and there will be more during the first half of the Tribulation, but the cataclysmic event John saw in this seal is to be far more powerful and devastating than any previous earthquake. Literaly, the face of the earth will change.
2nd Sun affected The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair. Sackcloth was a rough cloth worn by mourners, usually made from the hair of black goats. John sees the sun turning totally black. This could well speak of volcanic activity after the shaking of the quake.
3rd Moon affected the whole moon turned blood red This disaster goes hand in hand with the sun being blotted out. This could be similar to the color of hot lava flowing.
4th Stars affected and the stars in the sky fell to the earth In the last couple of years several movies have come out regarding meteors hitting the earth. Something similar to a meteor shower could be happening right here.
5th Sky affected The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up The atmosphere is being touched now. The sky would appear to split apart and like a scroll roll up.
6th Mountains and islands affected every mountain and island was removed from its place The earth will be unstable from the earthquake and impacting asteroids that the crust of the earth will have major shifts. Nothing will remain as it was! Wow!!!
What does this all mean? God is trying to get everyone’s attention. Notice how the people respond. John names five groups of people, three powerful ones: political leaders (kings and princes), military leaders (generals), economic leaders (rich and mighty) and two not so powerful: every slave and every free man.
The first human response to natural disaster is self-preservation (they hide in the caves). The second response is to blame God for the natural disaster. The reaction of the unbelieving world to the terrors unleashed is not one of repentance.
I believe the will acknowledge what the believers have been saying all along, but will not repent. They will be like the demons James speaks about (2:19), the believe and fear God, but will not repent. Paul said, For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie ans so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness. 2 Thessalonians 2:11-12
These events prompt a world wide prayer meeting. These people direct their prayers to Mother Nature, not to God.
The picture painted by the sixth seal is horrifying and frightening, but not hopeless. The church will be delivered from this time. A great multitude of people will be saved in the midst of the terrors of divine judgment, both Jews and Gentiles.
But for the rest, the sobering words of Hebrews will apply. If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God .... it is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Hebrews 10:26-27, 31
