1 00:00:02,880 --> 00:00:07,520 Revelation chapter 6. Last week we read from verse one 2 00:00:07,640 --> 00:00:12,120 down to verse 8 and we primarily focus on the 1st 2 verses. 3 00:00:12,800 --> 00:00:15,680 Today by the grace of God, we will consider verses 3 down to 4 00:00:15,680 --> 00:00:19,680 verse 8, but I'd like for us to read from the beginning in order 5 00:00:19,680 --> 00:00:23,520 to recenter ourselves in this incredible vision that John 6 00:00:23,520 --> 00:00:26,600 recorded and was given by the Spirit. 7 00:00:27,560 --> 00:00:30,200 Revelation 6 beginning in verse one. 8 00:00:31,200 --> 00:00:34,360 Now I watched when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, 9 00:00:34,360 --> 00:00:36,920 and I heard one of the four living creatures say with a 10 00:00:36,920 --> 00:00:41,720 voice like Thunder, come. And I looked and behold, a White 11 00:00:41,720 --> 00:00:45,920 Horse and it's rider had a bow, and a crown was given to him, 12 00:00:46,520 --> 00:00:49,040 and he came out conquering and to conquer. 13 00:00:49,720 --> 00:00:52,040 When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living 14 00:00:52,040 --> 00:00:56,480 creature say come, and out came another horse, bright red. 15 00:00:56,960 --> 00:00:59,760 It's rider was permitted to take peace from the earth so that 16 00:00:59,760 --> 00:01:03,200 people should slay one another. And he was given a great sword. 17 00:01:04,319 --> 00:01:07,080 When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature 18 00:01:07,080 --> 00:01:10,800 say come, and I looked and behold, a Black Horse. 19 00:01:11,240 --> 00:01:13,800 And it's right, I had a pair of scales in his hand. 20 00:01:14,480 --> 00:01:16,680 And I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four 21 00:01:16,680 --> 00:01:20,640 living creatures saying, a quart of wheat for a denarius, and 22 00:01:20,640 --> 00:01:24,280 three quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not harm the 23 00:01:24,280 --> 00:01:27,840 oil and wine. When he opened the 4th seal, I 24 00:01:27,840 --> 00:01:30,320 heard the voice of the 4th living creature say, Come. 25 00:01:30,960 --> 00:01:34,600 And I looked and behold A pale horse, and it's rider's name was 26 00:01:34,600 --> 00:01:37,400 Death. And Hades followed him, and they 27 00:01:37,400 --> 00:01:40,080 were given authority over a fourth of the earth to kill with 28 00:01:40,080 --> 00:01:44,040 sword, and with famine, and with pestilence, and by wild beasts 29 00:01:44,560 --> 00:01:48,200 of the earth. Father, we are completely aware 30 00:01:48,200 --> 00:01:50,880 that if you do not help us by the power of the Spirit, we will 31 00:01:50,880 --> 00:01:54,800 be left in the dark, we will be confused, and even worse, we 32 00:01:54,800 --> 00:01:57,760 will dare to interpret these things subjectively. 33 00:01:58,200 --> 00:01:59,920 But Lord, you are the great Teacher. 34 00:02:00,040 --> 00:02:03,200 Your Word promises us that you've given us an anointing, an 35 00:02:03,200 --> 00:02:06,200 anointing within to help us know your Word. 36 00:02:06,640 --> 00:02:09,960 So we pray, Lord, that we would sense your guidance, that we 37 00:02:09,960 --> 00:02:13,120 would know the truth, and that it would set us more and more 38 00:02:13,120 --> 00:02:16,040 free. We ask these things in the 39 00:02:16,040 --> 00:02:18,840 matchless name of Jesus Christ, Amen. 40 00:02:20,080 --> 00:02:25,520 Hopefully you remember that these 4 horsemen, commonly known 41 00:02:25,520 --> 00:02:29,080 as the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, are symbolic 42 00:02:29,080 --> 00:02:33,920 depictions of the events that will mark the beginning of the 43 00:02:33,920 --> 00:02:38,280 Tribulation Period. The Tribulation period is an era 44 00:02:39,680 --> 00:02:42,920 that Jesus Christ himself spoke of in the Gospels. 45 00:02:43,720 --> 00:02:47,720 And in essence, they describe the moments, the episodes, the 46 00:02:47,720 --> 00:02:52,440 events that will precede the bodily return of the Lord Jesus 47 00:02:52,440 --> 00:02:55,560 Christ. And they are characterized by 48 00:02:55,800 --> 00:03:00,480 distress and destruction in a manner that the world has never 49 00:03:00,480 --> 00:03:04,560 experienced. And as we come here to the Book 50 00:03:04,560 --> 00:03:08,760 of Revelation, we are granted by the goodness of God an outline 51 00:03:09,280 --> 00:03:14,040 of the Tribulation period. And what God does in His wisdom 52 00:03:14,320 --> 00:03:20,600 is that He organizes these events in three sets of seven 53 00:03:20,960 --> 00:03:25,520 judgments. Three sets of seven judgments. 54 00:03:26,320 --> 00:03:30,320 We are introduced to the first here with the seven seals, and 55 00:03:30,320 --> 00:03:33,080 we already started studying it beginning last week. 56 00:03:33,920 --> 00:03:37,120 Following the seven seals, we will then explore the seven 57 00:03:37,120 --> 00:03:39,120 trumpets. And then after the seven 58 00:03:39,120 --> 00:03:42,240 trumpets, we will look at the seven bowls of God's wrath that 59 00:03:42,240 --> 00:03:45,440 will be poured out. Leading to what? 60 00:03:46,200 --> 00:03:49,440 The culminating point of Jesus Christ coming back to this 61 00:03:49,440 --> 00:03:53,360 world, confronting his enemies, and claiming everything 62 00:03:53,440 --> 00:03:58,560 victoriously. But there's a long journey ahead 63 00:03:58,560 --> 00:04:01,000 before we get to that climactic moment in our study. 64 00:04:01,000 --> 00:04:06,760 Because we have just begun examining the beginning of the 65 00:04:06,800 --> 00:04:09,840 end. Here's what we learned so far. 66 00:04:10,520 --> 00:04:15,360 Before Christ returns, Antichrist will appear. 67 00:04:16,120 --> 00:04:20,519 We've concluded that the White Horse here in verse 2 is a 68 00:04:20,519 --> 00:04:25,920 representation of the man of lawlessness who will come as a 69 00:04:25,960 --> 00:04:30,040 real man possessed by unusual satanic power. 70 00:04:30,680 --> 00:04:34,800 And he will influence the world while simultaneously opposing 71 00:04:34,800 --> 00:04:40,200 Christ and his followers as he acts as a counterfeit savior for 72 00:04:40,200 --> 00:04:42,880 a chaotic and confused generation. 73 00:04:44,080 --> 00:04:47,040 We are not told the exact timing of the arrival of the 74 00:04:47,040 --> 00:04:50,880 Antichrist, but we can be sure that he will come at the right 75 00:04:50,880 --> 00:04:55,720 time, at a time when there will be such a need for leadership 76 00:04:55,720 --> 00:04:58,600 and while nations are in turmoil. 77 00:04:59,880 --> 00:05:02,640 We will learn much more about the Antichrist in Revelation 78 00:05:02,640 --> 00:05:06,040 chapter 13, but what we've discovered so far is that his 79 00:05:06,080 --> 00:05:11,880 desire to eliminate true worship from the earth and receive 80 00:05:11,880 --> 00:05:17,680 worship to himself will be realized in great part due to 81 00:05:17,680 --> 00:05:21,480 his introduction as a universal peacemaker. 82 00:05:23,200 --> 00:05:27,600 He will come to seemingly do what no politician or religious 83 00:05:27,600 --> 00:05:31,560 figurehead has able to accomplish in the past, usher in 84 00:05:31,840 --> 00:05:36,880 global peace and security. He will be loved. 85 00:05:36,880 --> 00:05:41,640 He will be adored. He will be worshipped, and in 86 00:05:41,640 --> 00:05:46,040 great part because he will seem to bring to rest areas and 87 00:05:46,040 --> 00:05:51,080 conflicts that have never known a hint of serenity. 88 00:05:51,760 --> 00:05:53,880 That includes peace. In the Middle East, by the way, 89 00:05:55,040 --> 00:05:58,520 nobody seems to be able to figure out how to bring 90 00:05:58,520 --> 00:06:01,400 reconciliation, how to bring calm Antichrist. 91 00:06:01,400 --> 00:06:05,520 We'll do it, and we'll explore that as we approach Revelation 92 00:06:05,520 --> 00:06:08,840 13. But whatever peace this man will 93 00:06:08,840 --> 00:06:16,680 bring, it will not last, and the reason why it will not endure is 94 00:06:16,680 --> 00:06:20,440 because the Bible on more than one occasion assures us that 95 00:06:20,440 --> 00:06:23,840 there is no peace for the wicked. 96 00:06:25,840 --> 00:06:28,640 Paul, in his letter to the Thessalonians, puts us in his 97 00:06:28,640 --> 00:06:32,920 own way when he gives a general comment about the last days. 98 00:06:32,920 --> 00:06:36,240 And this is a known passage in First Thessalonians 513. 99 00:06:37,440 --> 00:06:41,040 First Thessalonians 5. Three rather while people are 100 00:06:41,040 --> 00:06:44,760 saying there is peace and security, then sudden 101 00:06:44,760 --> 00:06:48,080 destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a 102 00:06:48,080 --> 00:06:51,360 pregnant woman, and they will not escape. 103 00:06:53,600 --> 00:06:56,360 Paul foresees a time where everybody will be saying there 104 00:06:56,360 --> 00:07:00,280 is peace, there is security, but he tells the believers and us 105 00:07:00,840 --> 00:07:03,880 that whatever peace and tranquility is enjoyed, it will 106 00:07:03,880 --> 00:07:09,440 suddenly be broken by an eruption of violence and 107 00:07:09,440 --> 00:07:13,600 turmoil. And this general comment 108 00:07:14,000 --> 00:07:17,520 perfectly fits the sequence of the seals that we will look at. 109 00:07:18,160 --> 00:07:21,120 Today. We explored the first one. 110 00:07:22,000 --> 00:07:26,560 We will complete the rest of the vision of the four Horsemen as 111 00:07:26,560 --> 00:07:30,600 we continue. So let's come back to Revelation 112 00:07:30,600 --> 00:07:32,480 6. If you're a note taker, be ready 113 00:07:32,480 --> 00:07:34,880 to organize your thoughts by using the horses as your 114 00:07:34,880 --> 00:07:37,640 headings. And it's important to note this 115 00:07:37,640 --> 00:07:40,720 from the outset. Not every rider of these horses 116 00:07:40,720 --> 00:07:45,120 represents an actual human being that will cause these events. 117 00:07:46,400 --> 00:07:51,040 In fact, the second, third, and fourth horses and their horsemen 118 00:07:51,560 --> 00:07:54,000 are much easier to interpret than the first one. 119 00:07:55,120 --> 00:07:57,920 The first one was a little bit difficult to decode, but once we 120 00:07:57,920 --> 00:08:00,520 were able to do some work, we were able to see that it it 121 00:08:00,600 --> 00:08:04,120 perfectly parallels Christ teaching about the last days in 122 00:08:04,120 --> 00:08:05,960 the all about discourse. And that will continue to be the 123 00:08:05,960 --> 00:08:09,120 case. But what we find here as we just 124 00:08:09,120 --> 00:08:12,840 read, is that these horses, these riders symbolize 125 00:08:12,880 --> 00:08:17,640 impersonal agents. They're personifications. 126 00:08:18,160 --> 00:08:20,960 They're not distinct individuals, but they are 127 00:08:20,960 --> 00:08:25,320 representations of forces and of things that will happen. 128 00:08:27,200 --> 00:08:29,560 And the meaning of the bright red horse here in verse 3 and 129 00:08:29,560 --> 00:08:31,680 verse 4 is quite obvious. Let's read it again. 130 00:08:31,680 --> 00:08:34,200 When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living 131 00:08:34,200 --> 00:08:38,200 creature say come, and out came another horse, bright red. 132 00:08:38,200 --> 00:08:41,640 It's rider was permitted to take peace from the earth so that 133 00:08:41,640 --> 00:08:45,640 people should slay one another, and he was given a great sword. 134 00:08:47,480 --> 00:08:52,800 Here's what this horse means. The Lord will permit World Peace 135 00:08:53,520 --> 00:08:57,440 to disappear and be replaced by worldwide conflict. 136 00:08:58,880 --> 00:09:02,480 Again, I can't help but say it. This perfectly corresponds with 137 00:09:02,480 --> 00:09:06,640 Jesus teaching about the signs of the last days in Matthew 24. 138 00:09:06,960 --> 00:09:11,960 After Christ told us that there will be false Christs who will 139 00:09:11,960 --> 00:09:15,240 emerge and deceive the masses, ultimately leading to the 140 00:09:15,240 --> 00:09:18,720 ultimate false Christ. What does he follow it up with? 141 00:09:18,800 --> 00:09:22,600 Well, let me remind you in Matthew 24 verse 6 and 7, and 142 00:09:22,600 --> 00:09:26,640 you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. 143 00:09:26,880 --> 00:09:29,880 See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place. 144 00:09:29,880 --> 00:09:33,840 But the end is not yet, for nation will rise against nation 145 00:09:33,840 --> 00:09:36,960 and Kingdom against Kingdom, and there will be famines and 146 00:09:36,960 --> 00:09:41,400 earthquakes in various places. So it's a play by play. 147 00:09:42,280 --> 00:09:44,920 We see it in Matthew 24 and it lines up perfectly with 148 00:09:44,920 --> 00:09:49,800 Revelation chapter 6, wars and rumors of wars, nations against 149 00:09:49,800 --> 00:09:51,200 nations. And I know I can hear the 150 00:09:51,200 --> 00:09:54,080 skeptic. We've always had wars. 151 00:09:54,920 --> 00:09:59,640 We've even had world wars. Sure, we're not saying that 152 00:09:59,640 --> 00:10:01,320 that's not the case. We're not saying that leading up 153 00:10:01,320 --> 00:10:03,800 to the Tribulation, there won't be great calamities. 154 00:10:04,080 --> 00:10:09,080 There won't be skirmishes and battles and civil problems. 155 00:10:09,080 --> 00:10:13,360 We know that. But as Jesus qualified, what we 156 00:10:13,360 --> 00:10:16,320 will see in the Tribulation period will be unprecedented. 157 00:10:17,520 --> 00:10:22,840 It'll be things that we've never considered were possible, and 158 00:10:22,840 --> 00:10:26,320 that's what we find here. There are actually things about 159 00:10:26,320 --> 00:10:32,840 what Jesus says and what John sees that indicate to us how 160 00:10:32,840 --> 00:10:34,920 this will be different. Let's consider a couple of 161 00:10:34,920 --> 00:10:36,640 insights. Come back to our main text. 162 00:10:37,240 --> 00:10:41,120 First, consider how swiftly the international violence will 163 00:10:41,320 --> 00:10:43,880 erupt. If you look closely, what you'll 164 00:10:43,880 --> 00:10:49,560 notice is that every time a horse is summoned, John has the 165 00:10:49,560 --> 00:10:57,200 same recorded response. And I looked and behold, let me 166 00:10:57,200 --> 00:11:00,640 prove it. Look at verse 2 and I looked and 167 00:11:00,640 --> 00:11:04,400 behold a White Horse. Scroll down to verse 5. 168 00:11:04,840 --> 00:11:07,160 When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature 169 00:11:07,160 --> 00:11:10,320 say come and I looked and behold. 170 00:11:10,640 --> 00:11:15,360 Look down at verse 8 after the 4th seal was opened and I looked 171 00:11:15,720 --> 00:11:20,400 and behold, he does this every time. 172 00:11:20,400 --> 00:11:25,040 Or does he? For some reason this is not 173 00:11:25,040 --> 00:11:27,560 recorded after the second seal is opened. 174 00:11:28,800 --> 00:11:32,000 Look at verse 3 and 4 when he opened the second seal. 175 00:11:32,000 --> 00:11:34,720 I heard the second living creature say come and out came 176 00:11:34,720 --> 00:11:37,080 another horse, bright red. There's no mention of I looked 177 00:11:37,080 --> 00:11:40,400 and behold. Why is that? 178 00:11:41,840 --> 00:11:47,960 I believe it's to suggest just how sudden the violence will 179 00:11:47,960 --> 00:11:53,000 come and crash into the world as it is enjoying supposed peace. 180 00:11:54,240 --> 00:11:59,880 It's as though the red horse is just behind the white one. 181 00:12:01,320 --> 00:12:06,000 What that tells us is this global conflict will not 182 00:12:06,040 --> 00:12:11,000 escalate incrementally. You know, everybody's on edge 183 00:12:11,000 --> 00:12:14,360 today because we we see wars, but we're also concerned. 184 00:12:14,360 --> 00:12:18,320 Not us believers, hopefully, but the general population is is 185 00:12:18,320 --> 00:12:21,400 worried that things can reach a breaking point and it seems to 186 00:12:21,400 --> 00:12:24,320 be boiling in different regions of the world. 187 00:12:25,840 --> 00:12:29,080 I think with this, with the mention of the absence of I look 188 00:12:29,080 --> 00:12:32,200 and behold, because it was so swift, it was just right there, 189 00:12:33,280 --> 00:12:41,880 means that this global war will come explosively, almost like 190 00:12:41,880 --> 00:12:45,360 overnight. It won't even really make sense. 191 00:12:46,720 --> 00:12:51,200 One day, one week, one month, we're all enjoying tranquility. 192 00:12:51,280 --> 00:12:54,360 How is this possible? And then the script will change 193 00:12:54,360 --> 00:12:58,480 in the blink of an eye. It will be alarming. 194 00:12:58,480 --> 00:13:02,360 It will be shocking in a sense. It will only be deemed as 195 00:13:02,360 --> 00:13:05,720 something supernatural to the discerning eye at least. 196 00:13:06,880 --> 00:13:09,120 But a second thing we must highlight is how the rider of 197 00:13:09,120 --> 00:13:12,280 the bright red horse was given. Look at the last part of verse 198 00:13:12,280 --> 00:13:14,560 4. A great sword. 199 00:13:15,520 --> 00:13:17,880 A great sword. Not just a sword, but a great 200 00:13:17,880 --> 00:13:19,800 one. Emphasizing the scale and the 201 00:13:19,800 --> 00:13:23,680 severity of this all inclusive conflict. 202 00:13:25,320 --> 00:13:28,200 This future World War will bring mass carnage. 203 00:13:28,680 --> 00:13:31,480 It will bring battles breaking out in virtually every nation. 204 00:13:31,480 --> 00:13:36,200 There will be civil wars and casualties will be realized on a 205 00:13:36,200 --> 00:13:41,920 massive scale, and no doubt the weaponry that will be developed 206 00:13:41,920 --> 00:13:45,720 by then will make all of this destruction the more possible. 207 00:13:49,280 --> 00:13:55,680 Additionally, this transition from a false peace to all of 208 00:13:55,680 --> 00:13:59,360 this chaos will be the opportunity for the Antichrist 209 00:13:59,360 --> 00:14:06,560 to rear his ugly head and to seek and maintain control by 210 00:14:06,560 --> 00:14:13,800 using and resolving to violence. This is where the evil of this 211 00:14:13,800 --> 00:14:17,760 man, apart from deception, will be realized, and we'll explore 212 00:14:17,760 --> 00:14:22,200 that more in the coming weeks. And while we can spend time 213 00:14:22,200 --> 00:14:26,400 trying to speculate all the human reasons for this outbreak 214 00:14:26,400 --> 00:14:29,480 of World War and trying to determine the Antichrist exact 215 00:14:29,480 --> 00:14:33,760 movements at this stage of the Tribulation, we won't because 216 00:14:33,760 --> 00:14:37,200 there's one truth that is undeniably clear from this. 217 00:14:37,400 --> 00:14:42,280 You ready? God is the source and sustainer 218 00:14:42,280 --> 00:14:46,520 of peace. We want to worship in our series 219 00:14:46,520 --> 00:14:48,800 in Revelation. We want to see the godness of 220 00:14:48,800 --> 00:14:51,360 God, if I may use that terminology. 221 00:14:52,000 --> 00:14:56,080 What do we take from this? That He is the source and the 222 00:14:56,080 --> 00:14:59,320 sustainer of peace. Revisit verse 4 again and notice 223 00:14:59,320 --> 00:15:01,560 the language. And out came another horse, 224 00:15:01,560 --> 00:15:07,640 bright red. It's rider was permitted to take 225 00:15:07,640 --> 00:15:09,320 peace from the earth. Permitted by who? 226 00:15:09,760 --> 00:15:14,280 We don't have to guess. Here's how this truth should 227 00:15:14,280 --> 00:15:16,320 inspire awe and all of us right now. 228 00:15:18,760 --> 00:15:21,680 The only reason why we're not seeing bloodshed in every street 229 00:15:23,560 --> 00:15:27,640 and are not trying to flee for shelter because nuclear weapons 230 00:15:27,640 --> 00:15:30,840 are being shot out into space from coast to coast. 231 00:15:32,560 --> 00:15:38,960 It's because God is gracious. One of the things about God's 232 00:15:38,960 --> 00:15:42,960 common grace that I think we overlook is how humanity is 233 00:15:42,960 --> 00:15:47,200 restrained from their iniquity, breaking out without limit 234 00:15:47,800 --> 00:15:52,560 because of God's grace, without violating human will and the 235 00:15:52,560 --> 00:15:58,560 great mastery of God's sovereignty he restricts. 236 00:15:58,680 --> 00:16:04,240 He holds back from self destruction being a reality on a 237 00:16:04,240 --> 00:16:07,200 global scale in a matter of hours. 238 00:16:09,240 --> 00:16:13,520 Have you considered that about the grace of God that he is able 239 00:16:13,520 --> 00:16:16,960 to extend peace to an undeserving world? 240 00:16:17,400 --> 00:16:21,240 And that while this evil world has incredible potential to 241 00:16:21,240 --> 00:16:27,680 destroy itself and accelerate apocalyptic events, any level of 242 00:16:27,680 --> 00:16:33,080 serenity and security that we enjoy is a result of God's 243 00:16:33,080 --> 00:16:40,240 goodness on any level. And let's not limit this now to 244 00:16:40,320 --> 00:16:45,400 the idea of national security or crimes decreasing in our urban 245 00:16:45,400 --> 00:16:48,400 cities. Let's expand our understanding 246 00:16:48,400 --> 00:16:51,040 of the mercy of God and how He gives peace. 247 00:16:51,440 --> 00:16:57,200 Yes, He supervises the world and He offers peace, but He's also 248 00:16:57,200 --> 00:17:00,000 able to grant it on a personal level. 249 00:17:01,960 --> 00:17:06,680 The God of peace, the Bible calls him the God of peace. 250 00:17:07,359 --> 00:17:10,240 See what I take from this, and I hope you see it as well, is that 251 00:17:10,240 --> 00:17:12,520 there is a spiritual dimension to violence. 252 00:17:13,480 --> 00:17:19,319 Do you see that, That God permits peace to be removed? 253 00:17:20,040 --> 00:17:22,560 And it really exposes our depravity. 254 00:17:24,160 --> 00:17:26,560 God is not necessarily acting directly. 255 00:17:26,560 --> 00:17:29,920 He's just removing His hand and letting us have at it. 256 00:17:30,840 --> 00:17:33,920 And even in this we see that He doesn't let it go too far. 257 00:17:36,440 --> 00:17:41,600 So what we find here is that God himself is peace. 258 00:17:42,080 --> 00:17:45,920 He gives peace. He can take peace. 259 00:17:47,960 --> 00:17:50,360 But for the believer and the one who wants to be a believer, 260 00:17:50,360 --> 00:17:55,160 understand that Christ qualifies the kind of peace that we get to 261 00:17:55,160 --> 00:17:57,960 inherit if we trust Him. This is a famous passage. 262 00:17:57,960 --> 00:18:02,480 Let me remind you of it in John 14 and verse 27. 263 00:18:02,480 --> 00:18:07,040 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you. 264 00:18:08,080 --> 00:18:10,160 Not as the world gives do I give to you. 265 00:18:10,600 --> 00:18:13,560 Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. 266 00:18:15,640 --> 00:18:18,720 I think most people will be content if Jesus had just said 267 00:18:19,200 --> 00:18:24,880 peace I leave with you, but he gloriously goes on to tell us 268 00:18:25,240 --> 00:18:29,840 the quality of this peace. My peace I give to you. 269 00:18:31,640 --> 00:18:36,720 Meditate on that. Jesus says my peace I give to 270 00:18:37,000 --> 00:18:39,320 you. Here's what that means. 271 00:18:40,680 --> 00:18:44,400 The peace that Jesus Christ experienced throughout his 272 00:18:44,400 --> 00:18:50,480 earthly ministry is something available to you and I My peace. 273 00:18:51,080 --> 00:18:55,480 It's almost too good to be true. Are you saying that the calm and 274 00:18:55,480 --> 00:19:04,000 the composure that characterized Christ's attitude and 275 00:19:04,000 --> 00:19:10,720 disposition when faced with threats and slander and danger 276 00:19:11,760 --> 00:19:15,720 and the disappointment of his own disciples and the various 277 00:19:15,720 --> 00:19:21,520 challenges of ministry is something that I can actually 278 00:19:21,520 --> 00:19:25,960 know for myself? Yes, because Jesus said it. 279 00:19:26,600 --> 00:19:31,400 My peace I give to you. Now here's the wonderful thing 280 00:19:31,400 --> 00:19:34,920 about Jesus peace. We learn how we're able to 281 00:19:34,920 --> 00:19:37,560 mature and strengthen it in our own lives. 282 00:19:38,040 --> 00:19:41,480 It's found in John, another famous passage, John 1633. 283 00:19:42,600 --> 00:19:47,040 Jesus says I have said these things to you, that in me you 284 00:19:47,040 --> 00:19:51,560 may have peace, in the world you will have tribulation. 285 00:19:51,560 --> 00:19:53,760 But take heart, I've overcome the world. 286 00:19:56,000 --> 00:19:58,800 We learn here that the peace of Christ isn't automatically 287 00:19:59,240 --> 00:20:03,640 produced in us. It's available, but it's not 288 00:20:03,640 --> 00:20:06,920 automatic. And Jesus here tells us that 289 00:20:06,920 --> 00:20:13,920 this peace that is in Him, that is His, is only experienced and 290 00:20:13,920 --> 00:20:16,400 dependent on knowing what He said to us. 291 00:20:17,680 --> 00:20:20,520 Did you see that I have said these things to you? 292 00:20:20,520 --> 00:20:23,200 Why, that in me you may have peace? 293 00:20:23,880 --> 00:20:28,840 Here's the main point of this, that the channel by which Christ 294 00:20:29,120 --> 00:20:34,320 allows this piece of His to flow into our shaky hearts is by no 295 00:20:34,320 --> 00:20:38,760 other than understanding and believing what He already had 296 00:20:38,760 --> 00:20:43,040 spoken. I have said these things to you 297 00:20:43,040 --> 00:20:45,200 so that in me you may have peace. 298 00:20:45,200 --> 00:20:47,480 You can't have peace unless you know what He said. 299 00:20:48,880 --> 00:20:51,720 And He's given us the full counsel of God before us. 300 00:20:52,720 --> 00:20:56,320 And so the more I expose myself to these truths and digest these 301 00:20:56,320 --> 00:21:02,120 truths and chew on them by faith, it feeds a peace. 302 00:21:02,120 --> 00:21:05,040 What kind of a peace? The same peace that Jesus had 303 00:21:07,840 --> 00:21:11,200 and notice here also that he says in me, you may have peace. 304 00:21:11,920 --> 00:21:14,800 The starting point is by first giving your life to Christ. 305 00:21:16,040 --> 00:21:20,360 There's so much talk about peace these days on podcast political 306 00:21:20,360 --> 00:21:26,520 platforms, even between leaders in the world today. 307 00:21:26,520 --> 00:21:28,080 Peace, peace. How do we achieve peace? 308 00:21:28,080 --> 00:21:30,000 They're tweeting about it. They're interviewing about it. 309 00:21:30,120 --> 00:21:32,440 They're meaning behind closed doors to try to make it happen. 310 00:21:35,200 --> 00:21:38,640 And yet it will never be known unless the Prince of Peace is 311 00:21:38,640 --> 00:21:42,320 embraced. And unfortunately, as we learn 312 00:21:42,320 --> 00:21:45,960 here, that Jesus Christ will continually be rejected by the 313 00:21:45,960 --> 00:21:49,440 world to the point that another will come in His own name and 314 00:21:49,440 --> 00:21:53,040 they will receive him. He will come promising peace, 315 00:21:53,240 --> 00:21:56,600 and they will take the offer, not realizing that it will 316 00:21:56,600 --> 00:22:00,600 suddenly be shattered because there is no peace for the 317 00:22:00,600 --> 00:22:04,600 wicked. And that's what we find here 318 00:22:05,560 --> 00:22:09,440 with a third seal. We come back now to Revelation 6 319 00:22:09,440 --> 00:22:14,040 and read in verse 5 what happens when he opened the third seal. 320 00:22:14,040 --> 00:22:16,840 I heard the third living creature say, come, and I looked 321 00:22:16,840 --> 00:22:20,600 and behold, a Black Horse and it's rider had a pair of scales 322 00:22:20,600 --> 00:22:23,120 in his hand. And I heard what seemed to be a 323 00:22:23,120 --> 00:22:25,920 voice in the midst of the four living creature saying a quart 324 00:22:25,920 --> 00:22:28,280 of wheat for a denarius and three quarts of barley for a 325 00:22:28,280 --> 00:22:31,600 denarius and do not harm the oil and wine. 326 00:22:32,920 --> 00:22:35,640 So like the red horse, the black 1 is not so difficult to 327 00:22:35,640 --> 00:22:37,360 interpret. He represents famine. 328 00:22:37,400 --> 00:22:43,160 And this is no natural famine. This is a man made economic 329 00:22:43,320 --> 00:22:46,920 collapse. It follows the global war that 330 00:22:47,240 --> 00:22:49,120 that we just read about, that we just looked at. 331 00:22:49,120 --> 00:22:52,720 And so we see that famine and poverty are often companions and 332 00:22:52,720 --> 00:22:56,200 the consequences of war. And that's exactly what we're 333 00:22:56,200 --> 00:22:59,120 being told here. And this will lay an even 334 00:22:59,120 --> 00:23:02,160 greater burden on the wider population, especially ordinary 335 00:23:02,160 --> 00:23:04,800 people. We see here that the 336 00:23:04,800 --> 00:23:08,000 international economy, economy will take a devastating blow 337 00:23:08,000 --> 00:23:09,920 during the early stages of the Tribulation. 338 00:23:09,920 --> 00:23:12,960 That's what's coming. And we've seen this in history, 339 00:23:12,960 --> 00:23:16,600 surely. But the severity of this has to 340 00:23:16,600 --> 00:23:23,120 be understood, and that accompanies the arrival of the 341 00:23:23,120 --> 00:23:27,040 Antichrist. Now before I get there, I want 342 00:23:27,040 --> 00:23:32,280 you to consider how this voice among the living creatures 343 00:23:32,280 --> 00:23:37,400 determines the prices of goods. He gives the prices for wheat, 344 00:23:37,400 --> 00:23:39,400 and he gives the prices here for barley. 345 00:23:40,920 --> 00:23:45,040 Now notice here that a quart of wheat is for denarius, and three 346 00:23:45,040 --> 00:23:48,320 quarts of barley for a denarius. Now, according to Matthew 20, 347 00:23:48,320 --> 00:23:53,360 verse 2A, denarius was the wage for a full days of an average 348 00:23:53,360 --> 00:23:56,080 man's work. So what? 349 00:23:56,080 --> 00:24:01,600 What's happening here that a man will have to work all day to 350 00:24:01,600 --> 00:24:04,280 simplify it, just for a loaf of bread? 351 00:24:05,320 --> 00:24:08,560 We're talking about intense inflammation here. 352 00:24:09,360 --> 00:24:12,360 We're talking about something here that is extreme. 353 00:24:12,360 --> 00:24:17,240 It is radical, it is horrifying. I mean, put yourself in the 354 00:24:17,240 --> 00:24:20,840 position of a father or a husband who has to Labor Day 355 00:24:20,840 --> 00:24:23,920 after day and for all that work every day. 356 00:24:23,920 --> 00:24:29,840 He only gets really a small under nutritional meal. 357 00:24:33,000 --> 00:24:35,320 What kind of decisions does he have to make for his wife, for 358 00:24:35,320 --> 00:24:39,160 his children? Will he eat most of it so that 359 00:24:39,160 --> 00:24:43,320 he can be energized to work the next morning, promising his 360 00:24:43,320 --> 00:24:45,320 family that they will eat the following night? 361 00:24:47,840 --> 00:24:50,840 Will he give it up all together for the for the sake of the 362 00:24:50,840 --> 00:24:55,960 survival of his loved ones? Will we have to succumb to 363 00:24:55,960 --> 00:25:00,520 thievery and violence to try to make it another another week? 364 00:25:02,320 --> 00:25:05,200 We're supposed to think deeper about the implications of these 365 00:25:05,200 --> 00:25:08,480 devastations. And what we find here is that 366 00:25:08,480 --> 00:25:11,840 there will be scarce resources. It will be extremely 367 00:25:11,840 --> 00:25:14,800 challenging. And listen, although there are 368 00:25:14,800 --> 00:25:17,400 places in the world that are suffering today, and I'm sure 369 00:25:17,400 --> 00:25:19,800 and I know that there are times in history when even more severe 370 00:25:19,800 --> 00:25:24,240 famines have been recorded, As I said earlier, what makes this 371 00:25:24,240 --> 00:25:28,560 particular season of inflation unique is that it is accompanied 372 00:25:28,560 --> 00:25:31,360 by the Antichrist and his leadership. 373 00:25:31,360 --> 00:25:34,120 And here's what I want to make known to you. 374 00:25:34,720 --> 00:25:40,480 He will surely capitalize on this growing economic hardship. 375 00:25:41,080 --> 00:25:44,360 He will take advantage of it. It will be leveraged to compel 376 00:25:44,520 --> 00:25:46,840 the people to do what worship him. 377 00:25:49,520 --> 00:25:56,280 This sheds light on how the mark of the beast will gain success 378 00:25:56,280 --> 00:26:01,200 over time. In Revelation 1317, we're told 379 00:26:01,200 --> 00:26:05,000 there that no one is able to buy or sell apart from having this 380 00:26:05,000 --> 00:26:08,520 mark. And you think, how is that going 381 00:26:08,520 --> 00:26:10,040 to happen? Well if you have something like 382 00:26:10,040 --> 00:26:17,680 this, an all out meltdown, people trying to even find a 383 00:26:17,680 --> 00:26:20,320 loaf of bread, long lines, people dying in the streets and 384 00:26:20,320 --> 00:26:24,840 homes, then it makes sense how there will be many who will 385 00:26:24,840 --> 00:26:28,600 consider their physical well-being and giving no thought 386 00:26:28,760 --> 00:26:32,440 to the eternal consequences of their Pledge of Allegiance to 387 00:26:33,080 --> 00:26:37,280 the Antichrist. It's horrific to think about, 388 00:26:38,840 --> 00:26:43,960 it's devastating, it's heart crushing, and if any generation 389 00:26:44,480 --> 00:26:47,320 should have zero doubt of the possibility of this concept, 390 00:26:47,320 --> 00:26:51,800 it's ours. It wasn't too long ago where for 391 00:26:51,800 --> 00:26:55,000 a few short years you and I had to wear certain things and 392 00:26:55,000 --> 00:26:58,160 inject certain things in our bodies if we want to do basic 393 00:26:58,160 --> 00:27:05,360 things in life. Say what you want, argue what 394 00:27:05,360 --> 00:27:07,880 you want. I seek to interpret the world 395 00:27:07,880 --> 00:27:13,560 through the lens of the Bible, and if that period of time was 396 00:27:13,560 --> 00:27:16,720 anything, my conclusion, my conviction is that it was a 397 00:27:16,800 --> 00:27:20,120 wonderful dress rehearsal for the Tribulation period. 398 00:27:23,360 --> 00:27:26,480 This is what we find, and it's not so far fetched now, is it? 399 00:27:26,880 --> 00:27:30,240 It's very possible, we've seen it, especially now as we 400 00:27:30,240 --> 00:27:36,560 consider the advancement of technology, that our resources 401 00:27:36,560 --> 00:27:41,400 globally are so interconnected. What happens in one nation 402 00:27:41,400 --> 00:27:44,600 doesn't just affect that nation, it affects the world, depending 403 00:27:44,600 --> 00:27:48,480 really on the nation. So we understand how things are 404 00:27:48,480 --> 00:27:54,600 becoming more and more connected and we're not so separate as we 405 00:27:54,600 --> 00:27:58,360 thought, and we can't really get off the grid as much as we'd 406 00:27:58,360 --> 00:28:03,200 like to. Things are traceable, things are 407 00:28:03,200 --> 00:28:07,880 interwoven. Things are lining up to the 408 00:28:07,880 --> 00:28:12,480 fulfillment of this book. It's all being prepared. 409 00:28:13,320 --> 00:28:15,520 And what I find so interesting about what we read here is that 410 00:28:15,520 --> 00:28:17,720 the voice that commanded the rider of the Black Horse to 411 00:28:17,720 --> 00:28:21,280 inflate the price of wheat and barley also tells them not to do 412 00:28:21,280 --> 00:28:24,120 what? Don't harm the oil or the wine. 413 00:28:24,920 --> 00:28:27,560 Isn't that interesting? Don't touch the oil of their 414 00:28:27,560 --> 00:28:29,080 wine. Why? 415 00:28:30,240 --> 00:28:33,880 Well, you can imagine the conversations around this, the 416 00:28:33,880 --> 00:28:37,960 ideas that have been generated. Here's my goal and I hope it's 417 00:28:37,960 --> 00:28:40,000 yours. I don't want to speculate. 418 00:28:40,000 --> 00:28:43,400 I don't want to imagine. I want to be as close as 419 00:28:43,400 --> 00:28:45,240 possible to what God intended by it. 420 00:28:46,680 --> 00:28:51,440 And I believe the main point of this is this, that through this 421 00:28:52,120 --> 00:28:57,560 there is a measure of mercy in the midst of judgement. 422 00:28:58,880 --> 00:29:02,400 Do not harm the oil and wine. Why do I say that? 423 00:29:02,800 --> 00:29:05,440 Because this happens more than once in the Book of Revelation. 424 00:29:05,440 --> 00:29:08,600 Let me give you one example. Turn to Revelation 7, verse 2. 425 00:29:13,280 --> 00:29:19,520 This is dealing with another act of judgement that follows what 426 00:29:19,520 --> 00:29:21,760 we're reading here, Revelation 6, if we honor it 427 00:29:21,760 --> 00:29:24,760 chronologically and notice what it said here in Revelation 7, 428 00:29:24,760 --> 00:29:26,880 verse 2. Then I saw another Angel 429 00:29:26,880 --> 00:29:30,040 ascending from the rising of the sun with the seal of the living 430 00:29:30,040 --> 00:29:33,120 God, and he called with a loud voice of the four angels who had 431 00:29:33,120 --> 00:29:34,880 been given power to harm the earth. 432 00:29:35,200 --> 00:29:40,840 And see saying, verse 3, do not harm the earth or the sea or the 433 00:29:40,840 --> 00:29:44,960 trees until we have sealed the servants of our God on their 434 00:29:44,960 --> 00:29:48,880 foreheads. Here we have an example of the 435 00:29:48,880 --> 00:29:51,480 Lord withholding judgment, one that comes after what we're 436 00:29:51,480 --> 00:29:56,080 studying here because He first wants to accomplish a redemptive 437 00:29:56,080 --> 00:29:59,160 thing. We still have to seal the 438 00:29:59,160 --> 00:30:02,240 foreheads of those who belong to God before we let these things 439 00:30:02,240 --> 00:30:06,120 loose. And so I bring this up to 440 00:30:06,120 --> 00:30:10,080 suggest that it's possible that similarly as severe as this man 441 00:30:10,080 --> 00:30:14,880 made famine will be, God and his goodness won't allow there to be 442 00:30:14,880 --> 00:30:19,320 a total drought to drive the world into complete extinction. 443 00:30:24,200 --> 00:30:28,160 Touch these basic necessities. Don't touch the oil and the 444 00:30:28,160 --> 00:30:31,320 wine. And I believe it's totally 445 00:30:31,360 --> 00:30:35,840 appropriate to rejoice in the mercy of God in a very unlikely 446 00:30:35,840 --> 00:30:38,440 text. That's what we're supposed to 447 00:30:38,440 --> 00:30:43,560 recognize here, that God here is merciful. 448 00:30:44,560 --> 00:30:47,800 And God here is giving, even in the final lapse of human 449 00:30:47,800 --> 00:30:53,560 history, drops of grace so that people can taste it and have 450 00:30:53,560 --> 00:30:58,880 enough of sensibility to cry out to Him and listen. 451 00:30:58,880 --> 00:31:02,280 As we rejoice in the mercy of God in a text like this, we 452 00:31:02,280 --> 00:31:05,920 should also not lose sight of His sovereignty. 453 00:31:08,120 --> 00:31:10,280 How's the sovereignty shown? It's really shown with every 454 00:31:10,280 --> 00:31:13,800 single horse. God doesn't just give and take 455 00:31:13,800 --> 00:31:17,280 away peace. God also is the supreme manager 456 00:31:17,280 --> 00:31:21,960 of every asset, every item in this world. 457 00:31:23,640 --> 00:31:27,920 God supervises, God sees, God determines. 458 00:31:28,120 --> 00:31:30,160 Even with things that we often take for granted. 459 00:31:31,400 --> 00:31:33,680 Notice how He determines the quantity, right? 460 00:31:33,760 --> 00:31:35,440 He's talking about measurements here. 461 00:31:36,360 --> 00:31:40,080 A quart of wheat, 3 quarts of barley. 462 00:31:40,480 --> 00:31:42,440 I mean, how much more specific can you get than that? 463 00:31:42,840 --> 00:31:46,480 He's talking about the quantity. He's determining the quantity 464 00:31:47,160 --> 00:31:50,600 and the availability. Now listen, here's the point. 465 00:31:50,880 --> 00:31:54,360 It's one thing to talk and counsel and sing about how God 466 00:31:54,360 --> 00:31:57,600 is in control. It's an entirely different thing 467 00:31:57,600 --> 00:31:59,760 when we realize just how much He is in control. 468 00:32:02,480 --> 00:32:09,040 This is so specific, this is so precise, and it's something that 469 00:32:09,040 --> 00:32:13,760 we have to understand as a means to be in constant awe of Him. 470 00:32:13,800 --> 00:32:19,120 And if we don't, if we don't see just how God is in control, is 471 00:32:19,120 --> 00:32:23,600 sovereign, we are one step closer to being idolaters. 472 00:32:26,240 --> 00:32:30,400 Am I exaggerating? I'm not exaggerating because 473 00:32:30,400 --> 00:32:32,960 that is the very reason, at least one of the reasons why God 474 00:32:32,960 --> 00:32:37,400 condemns the people Israel. They lost sight of the true 475 00:32:37,400 --> 00:32:42,880 source of every good. Let me give you the example that 476 00:32:42,880 --> 00:32:46,800 I am thinking about. And Hosea, notice what the Lord 477 00:32:46,800 --> 00:32:50,080 says to the people Israel, chapter 2, verse 8. 478 00:32:50,840 --> 00:32:53,760 And as you're prepared to hear these words, what were the main 479 00:32:53,760 --> 00:32:55,360 resources that he highlights in Revelation? 480 00:32:55,360 --> 00:33:03,600 6 Grain, oil, wine, right? Listen to his words. 481 00:33:03,600 --> 00:33:09,120 And Hosea 28 And she, being Israel, did not know that it was 482 00:33:09,120 --> 00:33:15,880 I who gave her the grain, the wine and the oil, and who 483 00:33:15,880 --> 00:33:19,480 lavished on her silver and gold, which they use for bail. 484 00:33:20,240 --> 00:33:25,560 Israel lost sight that I was the one who gave her the grain that 485 00:33:25,560 --> 00:33:30,200 she ate, the oil that they used to prepare their food, the wine 486 00:33:30,200 --> 00:33:33,040 to make their hearts merry and to sanitize. 487 00:33:33,520 --> 00:33:36,280 I am the one who gave it. Isn't that what he says? 488 00:33:38,800 --> 00:33:40,840 And Revelation 6, He's the one who controls it. 489 00:33:42,280 --> 00:33:43,960 But notice what he says in Hosea 29. 490 00:33:44,160 --> 00:33:49,280 Therefore, I will take back my grain and it's time and my wine 491 00:33:49,520 --> 00:33:54,480 and it's season, and I will take away my wool and my flax, which 492 00:33:54,480 --> 00:34:01,360 were to cover her nakedness. So he gives it and he can take 493 00:34:01,360 --> 00:34:05,000 it. What does this show? 494 00:34:06,680 --> 00:34:11,840 That both in the Old and New Testaments, God is the one who 495 00:34:11,840 --> 00:34:20,199 influences, who supervises, who brings change and shifts to the 496 00:34:20,199 --> 00:34:23,880 economy of the world, to the things that we see happening. 497 00:34:25,840 --> 00:34:29,800 And here's what else I see. That his control is not a cruel 498 00:34:29,800 --> 00:34:34,040 1. Can you imagine being able to 499 00:34:34,040 --> 00:34:40,080 control absolutely everything? And yet what we find here is 500 00:34:40,080 --> 00:34:45,600 that even while Israel was worshipping Baal, God gave them 501 00:34:45,960 --> 00:34:51,960 grain, oil, and wine. I'm still going to provide for 502 00:34:51,960 --> 00:34:53,440 you. I'm still going to nourish you. 503 00:34:53,920 --> 00:34:58,480 I'm still going to give you meals and joyful feasts, even 504 00:34:58,480 --> 00:35:02,880 though with much of it Israel took it and use it to worship 505 00:35:02,880 --> 00:35:07,560 false gods. That's grace, That's grace. 506 00:35:10,480 --> 00:35:11,960 Keep in mind the holiness of God. 507 00:35:12,160 --> 00:35:14,720 Wouldn't he have taken at the moment that they gave a glance 508 00:35:14,720 --> 00:35:19,480 to Baal, and yet for an extended period of time He still supplied 509 00:35:19,480 --> 00:35:23,480 them with what they needed? But what we learned here is that 510 00:35:23,480 --> 00:35:26,800 God's common grace will not be so common in the Tribulation 511 00:35:26,800 --> 00:35:31,040 period. It will be less and less common. 512 00:35:32,360 --> 00:35:35,920 And one of the ways we see this is how he will let loose a Black 513 00:35:35,920 --> 00:35:41,600 Horse who will strike the economy of the world and 514 00:35:41,760 --> 00:35:46,680 everyone will feel it and Antichrist will take advantage 515 00:35:46,680 --> 00:35:50,480 of it and so many other things will follow, especially what we 516 00:35:50,480 --> 00:35:53,480 see here with the final horse. Let's come back to Revelation 6 517 00:35:53,480 --> 00:35:56,160 as we conclude with these two verses. 518 00:36:00,240 --> 00:36:05,080 Verse 7 when he opened the 4th seal, I heard the voice of the 519 00:36:05,080 --> 00:36:09,440 4th living creature say come. And I looked and behold A pale 520 00:36:09,440 --> 00:36:12,680 horse, and it's rider's name was Death. 521 00:36:13,160 --> 00:36:16,520 And Hades followed him, and they were given authority over a 522 00:36:16,520 --> 00:36:19,320 fourth of the earth to kill with the sword, and with famine, and 523 00:36:19,320 --> 00:36:21,840 with pestilence, and by wild beasts of the earth. 524 00:36:23,280 --> 00:36:26,920 Now we might be tempted to see this horse similar in color to 525 00:36:26,920 --> 00:36:31,360 the first one, a different shade of white, but we have to 526 00:36:31,360 --> 00:36:33,000 understand it in the original text. 527 00:36:33,000 --> 00:36:36,480 When you actually look at the original, the word depicts the 528 00:36:36,480 --> 00:36:39,800 color green. In fact, the only time the 529 00:36:39,800 --> 00:36:43,960 original word chlorose is used in the New Testament is to 530 00:36:43,960 --> 00:36:48,760 describe vegetation. So more accurately, what we're 531 00:36:48,760 --> 00:36:54,240 seeing here is a horse that has a pale green hue, the color of a 532 00:36:54,680 --> 00:37:02,800 sickly corpse of a dying man. This is what this horse looks 533 00:37:02,800 --> 00:37:06,160 like. And immediately we understand 534 00:37:06,160 --> 00:37:09,720 here who the rider is. There's no mystery. 535 00:37:10,080 --> 00:37:11,640 The rider on this horse is death. 536 00:37:12,160 --> 00:37:16,080 That's his name. And this is of importance 537 00:37:16,080 --> 00:37:19,280 because he follows. We see the sequence here, global 538 00:37:19,280 --> 00:37:21,760 war and global famine. What follows those things 539 00:37:21,760 --> 00:37:25,480 inevitably death on a massive scale. 540 00:37:26,760 --> 00:37:29,120 So here's what we learned in the early stages of the tribulation. 541 00:37:29,120 --> 00:37:34,360 There will be incredible death, loss of life, and we're told the 542 00:37:34,360 --> 00:37:37,400 exact amount over a fourth of the earth will be killed. 543 00:37:39,520 --> 00:37:45,640 Now if we use today's number, the population of the world, 8.2 544 00:37:45,640 --> 00:37:51,760 billion, then we're talking about at this point just over 2 545 00:37:51,760 --> 00:37:54,600 billion people will die in a short amount of time. 546 00:37:56,680 --> 00:38:00,640 This is startling, and we're told exactly how it would be 547 00:38:00,640 --> 00:38:03,400 accomplished by sword and through famine. 548 00:38:03,480 --> 00:38:05,640 We already covered that. But there are two things that 549 00:38:05,640 --> 00:38:10,000 are added by pestilence and by the wild beast of the earth. 550 00:38:10,960 --> 00:38:14,080 And perhaps the most curious thing out of the four is the 551 00:38:14,080 --> 00:38:16,880 last one, right? The wild beast of the earth. 552 00:38:18,880 --> 00:38:22,880 Now, I think a surface level reading of that would spur the 553 00:38:23,520 --> 00:38:27,440 thought of big animals running out of forests and jungles and 554 00:38:27,440 --> 00:38:29,280 just chasing people down and devouring them. 555 00:38:32,120 --> 00:38:33,880 But it's a little bit more complex than that. 556 00:38:35,960 --> 00:38:39,320 Consider the transmission of diseases from animals even 557 00:38:39,320 --> 00:38:42,000 today. Consider some of the greatest 558 00:38:42,000 --> 00:38:44,680 plagues in history that have been caused by rodents. 559 00:38:46,120 --> 00:38:50,960 Think about what bugs can do, like mosquitoes, serpents and 560 00:38:50,960 --> 00:38:55,720 dogs, mice. I don't think there's one animal 561 00:38:55,720 --> 00:38:58,120 in view here. I think it's going to be the 562 00:38:58,120 --> 00:39:01,240 collection of catastrophes and calamities. 563 00:39:02,360 --> 00:39:06,360 You have mass war, meaning there will be bodies, you'll have 564 00:39:06,360 --> 00:39:10,200 famine, there will be again, such a lack and and many areas, 565 00:39:10,200 --> 00:39:16,000 including sanitation. So this will invite animals and 566 00:39:16,000 --> 00:39:21,560 beasts to invade and to pollute and to bring even more harm to 567 00:39:21,560 --> 00:39:28,000 the world as we know it. The Bible is so specific, and 568 00:39:28,000 --> 00:39:30,760 whatever way you look at it, it is absolutely astounding. 569 00:39:31,120 --> 00:39:36,840 And listen, we're only in the fourth seal of the first set of 570 00:39:36,840 --> 00:39:39,400 judgments. We're not even finished the 571 00:39:39,400 --> 00:39:41,520 seals yet. And this is what we will see. 572 00:39:41,520 --> 00:39:45,000 No wonder Jesus said there will be tribulation, great 573 00:39:45,000 --> 00:39:48,000 tribulation, like the world has never known. 574 00:39:51,440 --> 00:39:54,360 And this judgment, by the way, is just one of the many reasons 575 00:39:54,360 --> 00:39:56,920 why I hold to a futurist interpretation of the Book of 576 00:39:56,920 --> 00:40:02,200 Revelation. Because others would see this in 577 00:40:02,200 --> 00:40:04,400 a different way. The details of what we just read 578 00:40:04,400 --> 00:40:08,560 in these two verses would be applied and taught much 579 00:40:08,560 --> 00:40:10,480 differently. For example, the preterist. 580 00:40:10,760 --> 00:40:12,880 Remember we talked about this in the intro in the overview of the 581 00:40:12,880 --> 00:40:16,520 Book of Revelation. The preterist sees the events in 582 00:40:16,520 --> 00:40:19,520 the Book of Revelation as something of the past, more 583 00:40:19,520 --> 00:40:23,720 specifically, things that have been happening leading up to 584 00:40:23,720 --> 00:40:29,080 primarily 70AD. And so how would the preterist 585 00:40:29,080 --> 00:40:31,520 interpret a verse like this? Well, well, they say it. 586 00:40:31,520 --> 00:40:34,320 It's no secret. This is just apocalyptic 587 00:40:34,320 --> 00:40:37,360 language. This is just symbolic imagery to 588 00:40:37,360 --> 00:40:40,680 describe the devastation of the Jewish people when they were 589 00:40:40,680 --> 00:40:44,440 surrounded by the Romans and when Rome invaded. 590 00:40:47,000 --> 00:40:49,320 And as I mentioned in the introduction, the problem of 591 00:40:49,320 --> 00:40:55,800 this is that we fail to consider the global scale that is defined 592 00:40:55,800 --> 00:40:57,640 by both Christ and the Book of Revelation. 593 00:40:58,520 --> 00:41:01,120 Even in the Olivet Discourse, you see Jesus talking about 594 00:41:01,120 --> 00:41:04,200 things that will happen on a larger, more widespread platform 595 00:41:04,200 --> 00:41:06,280 and things that will be more narrow pertaining to the Jewish 596 00:41:06,280 --> 00:41:10,240 people. And so all of that is mixed up, 597 00:41:10,240 --> 00:41:14,320 all of that is blurred unless you take it in a historical, 598 00:41:14,320 --> 00:41:16,480 literal sense, unless you just take it plainly. 599 00:41:16,640 --> 00:41:20,080 When, when it says here that a fourth of the earth will die, 600 00:41:20,320 --> 00:41:25,720 it's a fourth of the earth. To interpret it otherwise, to 601 00:41:25,720 --> 00:41:29,640 localize it, to allegorize it, is to minimize the severity and 602 00:41:29,640 --> 00:41:36,120 the enormity of what's to come. Here's how we're going to end. 603 00:41:37,080 --> 00:41:42,560 The last horseman is unlike the first 3 in this, he has no 604 00:41:42,560 --> 00:41:47,600 accessory. The White Horse had what a bow, 605 00:41:48,160 --> 00:41:50,320 the bright red horse. What a great sword. 606 00:41:50,960 --> 00:41:53,960 The Black Horse scale in his hand. 607 00:41:55,000 --> 00:41:56,880 The rider on the White Horse or the pale horse? 608 00:41:56,880 --> 00:42:03,880 Rather nothing. But here is also where this 609 00:42:03,880 --> 00:42:07,080 horse stands out. Though he possesses no 610 00:42:07,080 --> 00:42:09,400 accessory, he is accompanied by someone else. 611 00:42:09,960 --> 00:42:17,560 Hades and Hades followed him. So this is where this vision is 612 00:42:17,560 --> 00:42:20,720 unique. Here's this rider on this pale 613 00:42:20,720 --> 00:42:26,040 horse, and immediately trailing him is Hades. 614 00:42:26,760 --> 00:42:29,200 Was he walking? Was he on his own horse? 615 00:42:29,680 --> 00:42:31,640 We're not told. That's not what's important 616 00:42:31,640 --> 00:42:34,080 here. What's important is how more 617 00:42:34,080 --> 00:42:37,960 than once in Revelation, Death and Hades are paired together. 618 00:42:39,960 --> 00:42:42,880 Why is that? What's death? 619 00:42:44,040 --> 00:42:48,960 Biblically, death is when the spirit is separate from the 620 00:42:48,960 --> 00:42:53,200 body, when it is taken from the body, when the body becomes soul 621 00:42:53,200 --> 00:42:59,400 less, spirit less that is death. What is Hades? 622 00:42:59,920 --> 00:43:04,400 Hades is the realm where these disembodied spirits go as they 623 00:43:04,400 --> 00:43:09,440 await their final resurrection. To say that Hades is simply the 624 00:43:09,440 --> 00:43:13,800 grave miscommunicates the actual reality of it. 625 00:43:13,800 --> 00:43:16,560 It's not you being buried. It's not the graveyard in your 626 00:43:16,560 --> 00:43:18,680 neighborhood. It's it's speaking about a 627 00:43:18,680 --> 00:43:21,400 shadowy realm. If I can use that imagery, it's 628 00:43:21,400 --> 00:43:24,120 speaking about a compartment in the world to come that will 629 00:43:24,120 --> 00:43:30,720 contain the disembodied spirits as they await the sealing of 630 00:43:30,720 --> 00:43:34,320 their eternal faith, the judgment of their everlasting 631 00:43:34,320 --> 00:43:39,160 destination. So this is how we make sense of 632 00:43:39,160 --> 00:43:42,240 death being followed by Hades. It's so profound when you think 633 00:43:42,240 --> 00:43:45,040 about it. What this vision is trying to 634 00:43:45,040 --> 00:43:50,960 communicate is that death will come and he will gather people, 635 00:43:51,360 --> 00:43:54,360 but death is not the final state of man. 636 00:43:55,440 --> 00:44:00,160 Yes, they will cease to live physically, but Hades is right 637 00:44:00,160 --> 00:44:07,280 behind death, meaning 1/4 of the world will not just die, they 638 00:44:07,280 --> 00:44:15,640 will slip into eternity. So if we just read this as wow, 639 00:44:15,680 --> 00:44:20,200 1/4 of the world will die. Yeah, that's tragic. 640 00:44:20,800 --> 00:44:26,520 But it's even more tragic. 1/4 of the world will enter into a 641 00:44:26,520 --> 00:44:32,440 world more real than this one. 1/4 of the world in such a short 642 00:44:32,440 --> 00:44:36,320 amount of time will enter into the next World. 643 00:44:36,920 --> 00:44:40,160 They can't change anything. They can't confess anything, 644 00:44:42,240 --> 00:44:47,000 however, and whatever they did in their lives will seal their 645 00:44:47,000 --> 00:44:51,400 fate. And so we're supposed to sense 646 00:44:51,400 --> 00:44:56,480 the gravity of this death simply escorts you and I to another 647 00:44:56,480 --> 00:45:00,560 world, one that is more real and permanent than this one. 648 00:45:03,360 --> 00:45:06,680 And here's what we have to do as we are studying about the 649 00:45:06,680 --> 00:45:09,360 future, I think it's totally appropriate to pause here and to 650 00:45:09,360 --> 00:45:14,680 reflect on our own mortality. You know, the preacher has many, 651 00:45:14,680 --> 00:45:19,240 many things that he has to do. One of his primary tasks is to 652 00:45:19,240 --> 00:45:23,040 regularly remind people about eternity. 653 00:45:26,240 --> 00:45:30,680 And any faithful church will regularly remind the people that 654 00:45:30,680 --> 00:45:35,560 come to receive the word of God of the world to come and how 655 00:45:35,560 --> 00:45:39,040 transient this world is and not to lose focus. 656 00:45:39,040 --> 00:45:43,960 As I alluded to during the announcements, there's many ways 657 00:45:43,960 --> 00:45:45,880 of comparing this world and the next. 658 00:45:49,000 --> 00:45:55,040 You know, this world is really like a stage as significant, as 659 00:45:55,040 --> 00:45:59,240 important as as wonderful as it is by way of comparison is just 660 00:45:59,440 --> 00:46:04,000 a play. And we all have our costumes and 661 00:46:04,000 --> 00:46:08,120 we all have our roles. But there's a time coming with 662 00:46:08,160 --> 00:46:14,240 where the play will end, where the final scene will be 663 00:46:14,240 --> 00:46:17,880 executed, where you will have your final line. 664 00:46:18,920 --> 00:46:23,120 You will give your final performance, so to speak, and 665 00:46:23,120 --> 00:46:27,240 you will go backstage, you will take off your costume, you'll 666 00:46:27,240 --> 00:46:32,040 remove your makeup, and you will push through a door with an exit 667 00:46:32,040 --> 00:46:34,520 sign above it. And that's the real world. 668 00:46:36,320 --> 00:46:39,840 So it is with eternity. There's a time coming where we 669 00:46:39,840 --> 00:46:43,560 will take off this flesh, where we will leave behind all these 670 00:46:43,560 --> 00:46:46,440 props, all the things that we played with, all the things I 671 00:46:46,440 --> 00:46:50,240 brought laughter, all the things I brought tears, and we will 672 00:46:50,400 --> 00:46:52,840 exit through a back door, so to speak. 673 00:46:53,840 --> 00:46:55,240 And that's where life really begins. 674 00:46:58,600 --> 00:47:00,000 Do you know where you're going when you die? 675 00:47:01,640 --> 00:47:03,480 It's inevitable. Look, I'm not trying to scare 676 00:47:03,480 --> 00:47:04,240 you here. I'll help you. 677 00:47:04,240 --> 00:47:07,120 I'm going to die. Does that help? 678 00:47:07,120 --> 00:47:11,400 You can't do anything about it. And I believe it's one of the 679 00:47:11,400 --> 00:47:13,520 greatest apologetics for the truth of the Bible. 680 00:47:14,920 --> 00:47:18,800 Only the Bible has the most comprehensive explanation of 681 00:47:18,800 --> 00:47:24,640 what death is, what it leads to, where it came from, more 682 00:47:24,640 --> 00:47:25,960 importantly, how it was defeated. 683 00:47:28,480 --> 00:47:31,160 And so here's the thing. I mean, to be honest, you can 684 00:47:31,160 --> 00:47:33,800 get so caught up in the details and trying to be accurate, and 685 00:47:33,840 --> 00:47:35,240 you have to be. When you interpret the Bible, 686 00:47:35,240 --> 00:47:37,120 especially with a book like Revelation, you don't want to 687 00:47:37,120 --> 00:47:39,400 get it wrong, right? You want to be faithful. 688 00:47:39,400 --> 00:47:41,560 You don't be too fanciful. You want to be, you want to be 689 00:47:41,560 --> 00:47:45,600 right, sure. But I praise God that even in 690 00:47:45,600 --> 00:47:48,200 the midst of this, and hopefully and prayerfully by His grace, we 691 00:47:48,200 --> 00:47:49,600 remain with the same heart posture. 692 00:47:50,000 --> 00:47:52,640 I want to take advantage of this study to be as evangelistic as 693 00:47:52,640 --> 00:47:54,720 possible. We're talking about the end 694 00:47:54,720 --> 00:47:57,680 here. We're talking about the fate of 695 00:47:57,680 --> 00:48:01,480 every single one of us, whether it will occur in our generation 696 00:48:01,480 --> 00:48:05,680 or not. Death will visit you and I, and 697 00:48:05,680 --> 00:48:12,280 Hades is right behind him. But here's the beauty of this 698 00:48:12,280 --> 00:48:17,160 book, that we don't have to wonder what will happen with our 699 00:48:17,160 --> 00:48:20,720 souls, with our spirits, when they leave these bodies. 700 00:48:21,560 --> 00:48:25,000 We, because of Christ, will not enter into a shadowy realm. 701 00:48:26,200 --> 00:48:29,680 We don't have to question what's going to happen with our eternal 702 00:48:29,680 --> 00:48:33,680 state. No, if you're in Christ, to be 703 00:48:33,680 --> 00:48:37,320 absent from the bodies, to be present with the Lord, that's 704 00:48:37,320 --> 00:48:41,400 the hope that we have. Surely that is a reason why we 705 00:48:41,400 --> 00:48:45,680 can know the supernatural peace. I know where I'm going, OK? 706 00:48:46,040 --> 00:48:49,680 Whatever my fate might bring. Is it sword? 707 00:48:50,160 --> 00:48:52,600 Is it famine? Is it pestilence? 708 00:48:53,720 --> 00:48:56,480 Is that a wild beast? Is it a snake bite? 709 00:48:57,280 --> 00:49:00,920 I don't know what it is, but if I'm in him, it doesn't matter 710 00:49:02,520 --> 00:49:06,320 because Death will escort me into his loving arms and I will 711 00:49:06,320 --> 00:49:10,800 be with him, and I'll be more alive, more filled with joy, 712 00:49:13,720 --> 00:49:18,560 more captivated by beauty that this world could never portray. 713 00:49:21,120 --> 00:49:28,000 And so death as an advantage to the believer, I, I just wonder, 714 00:49:28,000 --> 00:49:30,240 I really do. And I'm, I'm ending here, I 715 00:49:30,240 --> 00:49:36,200 assure you, even if one person here doesn't know where they're 716 00:49:36,200 --> 00:49:39,320 going, why would you risk it? Why would you gamble with your 717 00:49:39,320 --> 00:49:42,240 soul? As we're studying revelation, I 718 00:49:42,240 --> 00:49:44,960 want to remind you that this is ultimately about the revelation 719 00:49:44,960 --> 00:49:46,640 of Jesus Christ. Do you know him? 720 00:49:47,120 --> 00:49:49,840 Have you made a conscious decision of placing your faith 721 00:49:49,840 --> 00:49:52,560 and trust in Him? Have you said at any point in 722 00:49:52,560 --> 00:49:56,040 your life, I renounce my sin and I choose to be washed by the 723 00:49:56,040 --> 00:49:59,800 blood of Jesus Christ? Do you realize that if you're in 724 00:49:59,800 --> 00:50:02,960 Christ, you're not destined for wrath and nothing can change 725 00:50:02,960 --> 00:50:07,160 your future? I want to give you the gospel of 726 00:50:07,160 --> 00:50:09,280 the grace of God, the good news of Jesus. 727 00:50:09,280 --> 00:50:12,840 Here's what you must do. You must acknowledge that you're 728 00:50:12,840 --> 00:50:15,760 a Sinner. You must realize that in 729 00:50:15,760 --> 00:50:18,800 comparison to God, you fall so short of his glory. 730 00:50:18,960 --> 00:50:22,560 It would be pathetic to even try to open your mouth and defend 731 00:50:22,560 --> 00:50:28,680 your righteousness. And at the same time, you also 732 00:50:28,680 --> 00:50:34,040 realize the depth of his love. We're the same Christ who opens 733 00:50:34,040 --> 00:50:38,360 these seals at a future time before that, long before that 734 00:50:38,880 --> 00:50:43,000 set aside judgment, suspended it, so that He can enter into 735 00:50:43,000 --> 00:50:47,120 this world and drink your judgement and drink the wrath 736 00:50:47,120 --> 00:50:48,960 that deserves to be poured on me. 737 00:50:50,320 --> 00:50:52,920 Why? Because He doesn't want us to 738 00:50:52,920 --> 00:50:55,160 endure these things, and He doesn't want to want to launch 739 00:50:55,160 --> 00:50:56,960 us into an eternal separated state. 740 00:50:58,400 --> 00:51:02,240 He wants to embrace you, receive you, forgive you, renew you, and 741 00:51:02,240 --> 00:51:04,920 give you life. You say, but what? 742 00:51:05,680 --> 00:51:07,800 What do I have to do? You acknowledge your need for 743 00:51:07,800 --> 00:51:12,200 Him, you embrace Him. In that moment you will 744 00:51:12,200 --> 00:51:17,360 understand freedom, you understand forgiveness, and He 745 00:51:17,360 --> 00:51:20,360 will impart and infusing you the Holy Spirit and you will be born 746 00:51:20,360 --> 00:51:22,280 again. That's what is available to you. 747 00:51:23,760 --> 00:51:26,320 And so I invite you at this time as we pray that if you don't 748 00:51:26,320 --> 00:51:30,240 know Christ, that you would call out to Him and believe what He's 749 00:51:30,240 --> 00:51:31,840 done for you and what He can do for you today. 750 00:51:32,760 --> 00:51:36,000 Father, we thank you for helping us thus far. 751 00:51:36,240 --> 00:51:40,200 We ask God with whatever was said, it would be retained and 752 00:51:40,200 --> 00:51:43,640 it would be used to worship you. We pray for the one who doesn't 753 00:51:43,640 --> 00:51:49,160 know you that today would be the day for those who know you that 754 00:51:49,160 --> 00:51:51,680 we would worship You in light of all the things that we saw. 755 00:51:52,400 --> 00:51:56,960 Lord, your absolute sovereignty, how you gave that great sword, 756 00:51:57,560 --> 00:52:02,640 how you determined the economy, how you permitted death in Hades 757 00:52:03,040 --> 00:52:06,840 to only go so far. Lord, thank you that you are our 758 00:52:06,840 --> 00:52:09,840 Father. Thank you that you are not cruel 759 00:52:09,840 --> 00:52:13,080 with your control. Thank you, Lord, that you give 760 00:52:13,080 --> 00:52:18,600 us so much more than we deserve. And for this we sing to you with 761 00:52:18,600 --> 00:52:23,080 glad hearts in Jesus name, Amen. Let's give him thanks.