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Overview of Revelation's Seals and Prophetic Fulfillments 0:10 Good morning. Welcome to stand on the word, and thanks for joining me this morning as we continue our journey through the book of Revelation. We're looking at chapter 6, 7, and we'll touch on0:21 chapter 8 today. Verse 9 of chapter 6, 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. In chapter 6, we0:33 witnessed the opening of the first 6 of the 7 seals. Then in, there's a pause in chapter 7. We'll talk about that. And then in chapter 8, we see the opening of the seventh0:45 seal, and then that carries over into chapter 11, which in that seventh seal, there are the 7 trumpet judgments. So the question naturally arises, have these0:56 events described in these chapters already happened? Are they unfolding now? Or will they happen in the future? Now for those of you who have been on this journey from the beginning, when we were in the old1:08 testament looking at old testament prophecy, we talked about how biblical revelation often has multiple horizons of fulfillment. Alright. Daniel's prophecy is a great example. Okay? There was a partial1:20 fulfillment, in the actions of Antiochus the fourth, who served as a type of antichrist, yet the complete and ultimate fulfillment of Daniel's prophecy is yet to come. In fact,1:31 we'll touch upon it here in Revelation. And in other words, okay, in other words, scripture often presents both intermediate fulfillment, and then it points1:43 to a final fulfillment of that prophecy. And Revelation is no ex no exemption to that. It functions very similar. Take the fifth seal, for instance, okay, that we're gonna read about today. That's the cry of the martyrs.1:53 The okay, that we're gonna read about today. That's the cry of the martyrs. The church began under persecution, and martyrdom marked, the, you know, periods of time during the first 2000 years of the2:05 church history. And that reality continues today. And in many regions around the world, the persecution of Christians is intensifying. So to me, this actually2:17 suggests we're moving toward this final fulfillment that John describes here. We're witnessing we've witnessed in history a partial fulfillment. We're we're seeing it2:29 now, and then that final and climactic expression and fulfillment of this prophecy is still to come. Now the this is is simply my view. I may be wrong,2:40 though I don't believe I am, but I'm convinced that what we read in Revelation does not does not occur in a vacuum. It's not like you just flip a switch and all of a sudden it's here. The tribulation will unfold swiftly.2:54 Alright? Yet it will not appear suddenly as a a complete break with history. Instead, it will be the culmination of the intensification of patterns3:06 already emerging in the world. Now the sixth, seal offers another example. You know, we have witnessed and we continue to witness significant natural disasters. These may3:18 I believe these are early warning signs, foreshadowing a far greater upheaval that revelation describes. In this sense, the present age contains both the beginnings and3:30 the trajectory of what will reach full expression in the final tribulation. Alright. With that backdrop, let's begin verse 1 chapter 6. Now I saw when the lambThe Four Horsemen: Conquest, War, Famine, and Death 3:41 had opened 1 of the seals, and I heard 1 of the 4 living creatures saying with a loud with a voice like thunder, come it come see, come and see. Notice here, and this3:53 is important, notice the invitation to John. And I would say to us, because it was given to John so that he could give it to us, come and see. These things were revealed and recorded for our edification. They're4:05 here for a reason. Verse 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. Now there's dispute4:17 over who this is on the white horse. Some say it is Christ because we see in chapter 19, very similar description. Others say, no. It's the opposite. It's the antichrist. We have4:29 the lamb, that is Jesus, opening the seal, and we see someone sitting on the white horse all at the same time. It would appear someone other than Jesus would be on that white horse because if Jesus were out conquering4:39 and going to conquer, who would open the remaining seals? Just it's another perspective. Verse 3. When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say,4:51 come and see. Here it is again. Another horse, fiery red, went out, and it was granted to the 1 who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill 1 another. And they there5:03 was given to him a great source so that we have war and we have lawlessness. Verse 5. When he had opened the third seal, I heard the third I heard the third living creature say, come and5:15 see. There it is, invitation again. So I looked and behold a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hands. And I heard a voice in the midst of the 4 living5:26 creatures saying a quart of wheat for a denarius and 3 quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not harm the oil and the wine. Alright. So this third seal is famine.5:39 Alright. Verse 7, when he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, come and see. So I looked and behold a pale horse, and the name of him who sat on it was death, and5:50 Hades followed with him, and power was given to them over a fourth of the earth to kill with the sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beast of the earth. So now this progression should not come as a surprise6:02 because famine, plagues, and and even the untaming of the land, the land becoming untamable with wild animals often follows war.6:14 So, and also the the sixth seal we see here in a moment perfectly aligns with what Jesus said would be the signs of the end of the age in Matthew chapterMartyrs' Cry and Cosmic Signs of Wrath 6:26 24. So there's a progression here that we see unfolding. Verse, 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. Now6:37 John was writing this in the late nineties after 2 waves of persecution of the church had already taken place, there would be, I think, roughly about 10 waves of persecution in total during the time6:49 of the Roman Empire. The first being, as we've seen before, under Nero in 64 AD, that led to, to Paul being martyred in in, in in7:01 Peter. Then Diocletian, it all the way over in AD 3 0 5. Now there would be more in the middle ages, and there is today7:12 intense persecution globally. There would be times, ups and downs. There'd be times of great persecution, then there would be some some peace and relative stability. I think we're we're7:24 moving toward, as I've said before, a time we're seeing it, the intense persecution of the church, I think, which mirrors what we saw at the introduction of the kingdom of God. And7:36 as the kingdom of God moves toward its culmination, I believe Satan understands that in the persecution, is intensifying. And just last week, I was testifying before the House Foreign7:48 Affairs Committee, subcommittee of that committee about the persecution in Sudan that is happening right now. And it's creating 1 of the most significant actually,8:00 the most significant humanitarian crisis in the world right now. So revelation, I believe, is a picture of what was, what is, and what is8:11 to come. It's all the above. Verse 10, and they cried with a loud voice saying, how long, oh lord, how holy and true, until you judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth? Now8:23 so these are the, these are the martyrs. 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 brethren8:35 who would be killed as they were was complete. Now this would suggest that the seals were not opened in rapid succession. There appears to be periods of time in between. Verse 12. Look,8:47 I looked, and when he opened the sixth seal, behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth of of hair, and the moon became like blood, and the stars of heaven fell to the earth as a8:59 fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. Then the sky receded as a scroll, and when it was when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of9:11 its place. Now to me, that just sounds like a description of a nuclear event. Verse 15, and the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every9:22 slave, every free man hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains and said to the mountains and rocks, fall on us, hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the lamb. For9:34 the great day of his wrath has come and who is able to stand. Now the seventh seal is when the judgment of God is poured outSealing the Faithful and Heavenly Multitude 9:47 on the world via the trumpet judgment. Okay? Now there's a pause here in chapter 7 after the opening of the first 6 seals. And9:59 verse 3, chapter 7, do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads. And I heard the number of those who were sealed. 144000 of all the tribes of the children10:11 of Israel were sealed. Now I'll just say this chapter creates a problem for those who subscribe to a replacement theology that claimed that the church replaces Israel and that this is a10:22 reference to the church, the faithful spiritual Israel. But then you have to explain verses 9 through 17. They claim, well, that's the same redeemed10:34 people, but just a larger number. Well, this passage once again shows that God is not finished with the Jewish people and the nation of Israel. Look at verse 9. After these things, I10:46 looked and behold a great multitude, which no 1 could number of all nations. Alright? So why why would it say Israel in the 7 enlist the tribes of Israel and then10:58 go and talk about all nations, tribes, people, and tongues standing before the throne, before the lamb, clothed with light right robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice saying,11:10 salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the lamb. Doesn't make sense if it's 2 separate unless it's 2 separate groups. Verse 13, then 1 of the elders answered saying to me, who are11:21 these arrayed in white robes and where did they come from? And this is John saying, I said to him, sir, you know. So he said to me, these are the ones who come out of the great tribulation and washed their robes and made11:33 them white in the blood of the lamb. Right? The question is, where did they come from? They weren't there a minute ago, and then all of a sudden this massive multitude is there in heaven11:45 before the throne. Well, we know from this, they came from the tribulation. All at once, or all of them martyred at 1 time, it's possible after the fifth11:57 seal of martyrdom, or it could be the rapture of believers prior to the out pouring of God's judgment upon the earth. Now this would be consistent with a12:09 mid tribulation view of the rapture. Verse 15. Therefore, they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in the temple,12:30 Alright. Over into chapter 1 verse 8, when he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. I mean, it it this 1 so significant that there was just I take this as there was12:42 this stunned silence because this from this comes the 7 trumpet judgment. And this this there's nothing like this that has ever occurred before.12:54 And so I think, again, it's just this stunning silence. Verse 2, and I saw the 7 angels who stand before the Lord, and to them were given 7 trumpets. So the 7 angels who had the13:06 7 trumpets prepared themselves to sound. Okay. We're gonna have to stop here. The 7 trumpets are gonna go through to, chapter 1113:18 through chapter 11. So we're going to look next time at the the seventh seal and the 7 trumpet judgment of God as he as the wrath of God is13:30 poured out on the earth. Father, we thank you for your word. And, Lord, we humbly ask for the Holy Spirit as promised to be our teacher, to be our guide13:42 through your word, that, lord, we would grow in our understanding of it, but not just an understanding of a head knowledge. But, father, that it would help us in understanding who you are and and13:54 and and bringing us closer to you and trusting you and acting upon your word. Lord, you reveal yourself through your word. And so, Lord, help14:05 us. Help us. Teach us, to, to understand and, again, Lord, to, to reply in obedience. We thank you for this time of year that we14:17 celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. As he came his first time, we look with great anticipation to his return. For it's in his name we pray. Amen. Alright. Again, let me, in14:29 invite you to join us again as we begin another journey through the word of God beginning next year. We have some resources available for you, and I'd like to share those with you. So if you14:41 would sign up, we can do that. Just text the word bible to 6 7 7 4 2. That's bible to 6 7 7 4 2. And I would, again, prayerfully, or ask you14:53 rather to prayerfully consider inviting someone to join you on this journey. We'd like to see more people impacted by God's word. And so we've got some, tools15:04 available to you to invite your friends to join us. So text the word bible to 6 7 7 4 2. Until next time, keep standing on the word.15:16 Today's study comes from the Stand on the Word Bible Reading Plan available for free at f r c dot o r g slash bible. By following along in just a few minutes a day, you15:28 can read through the entire Bible in just 2 years. Learn more and request the free reading guide at f r c dot o r g slash bible.In this video 0:00 Overview of Revelation's Seals and Prophetic Fulfillments3:37 The Four Horsemen: Conquest, War, Famine, and Death6:16 Martyrs' Cry and Cosmic Signs of Wrath9:40 Sealing the Faithful and Heavenly Multitude
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