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Pray that this pandemic will end soon and the resumption of the postal service.
Subject 10 : The Revelation (Commentaries on the Revelation)
[Chapter 6-1] The Seven Eras Set by God (Revelation 6:1-17)
“Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, ‘Come and see.’ And I 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. When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, ‘Come and see.’ Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword. When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, ‘Come and see.’ So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, ‘A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine.’ When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, ‘Come and see.’ So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth. 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. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, ‘How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?’ 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 brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed. I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and 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 and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?’”
Exegesis
Verse 1: “Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, ‘Come and see.’”
This verse tells us that Jesus opens the first plan of the scroll received from the Father, which records God’s entire plan for mankind.
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.”
The first seal of God speaks of the establishment of the gospel of the water and the Spirit in Jesus Christ as God’s plan to deliver mankind from sin, and of the victory of this plan. God the Father’s plan to make mankind into His people by saving them from their sins began with the gospel of the water and the Spirit in Jesus Christ—that is, with the deliverance of mankind from sin through the baptism of Jesus and His blood on the Cross.
God has delivered souls from all the sins of the world with the gospel of the water and the Spirit, and He continues to do so even as we speak now. This is the first plan that God has set for mankind. This first plan of God is for the salvation of mankind through the coming of Jesus Christ to this earth, His baptism, crucifixion, and resurrection.
This era of the white horse refers to God’s victory in the righteous war of the gospel that He fulfilled to deliver mankind from all its sins. This also tells us that the gospel of the water and the Spirit will continue to triumph.
Verses 3-4: “When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, ‘Come and see.’ Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword.”
This tells us that during the second era set by God, the world will turn into Satan’s world. The appearance of the red horse here means that the world would come under the dominion of Satan.
Satan has brought war to this world, taking away its peace. Because of him, the world went through the two world wars, countless people lost their lives as a result, and those who survived have lived in precarious, broken peace. Even now, nations and states all over the world mistrust each other and wage war against one another, shattering peace in many places. This era is the era of war and genocide.
Verses 5-6: “When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, ‘Come and see.’ So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, ‘A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine.’”
The third era that God speaks of is the era of the black horse, the era of physical and spiritual famine for mankind. Throughout the world today, many people have not been saved because of their spiritual famine, and as many are also dying from physical starvation. We must remember that we are now living in this third era. With the passing of this era, the era of the pale horse will arrive.
Verses 7-8: “When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, ‘Come and see.’ So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth.”
The fourth era set by God is the era of the pale horse. The Bible tells us that it is during this period that the Antichrist will begin his activities, and that this era is also the era of martyrdom for the saints. This is the time when the Antichrist will, to rob the saints of their true faith, persecute and kill those who do not worship him or do not receive his mark. From then on, the world will come under the plight of the plagues of the seven trumpets. At this time, the martyrdom of the saints is unavoidable.
Verses 9-11: “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. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, ‘How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?’ 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 brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.”
The fifth era of God is the era of the saints’ resurrection and rapture. After this era will begin the Millennial Kingdom. The passage tells us that we must all believe in the martyrdom, resurrection, and rapture that await us, and that we must live by our faith and hope in the New Heaven and Earth that God has promised us.
Verse 12: “I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood.”
The sixth era of God is the era of the destruction of the first world that God had created. It is at this time that the plagues of the seven bowls will descend upon the world, when the sun, the moon, and the stars will lose their light, and the earth will sink under water from earthquakes.
Verse 13: “And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind.”
During this sixth era, the destruction of the universe created by God will occur by the plagues of the seven bowls. A great confusion will engulf the world as the stars fall from the sky and the earth is turned over.
Verse 14: “Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place.”
This verse tells us that when the plagues of the seven bowls are poured, the sky will disappear as if it were a scroll being rolled up, and all the mountains and islands will be moved out of their places—disasters that indicate earth-shattering changes that will alter the very physical structure of the world.
Verse 15: “And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains,”
During this era of the sixth seal, when God pours the plagues of the seven bowls, there will be no one living on this earth, neither kings nor the powerful, who will not tremble in fear at the wrath of the Lamb.
Verse 16: “and said to the mountains and rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!’”
The wrath of God will be so great that all mankind will tremble in fear. This will be the first and the last time that every mankind will be struck by fear.
Verse 17: “‘For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?’”
When the plagues of the seven bowls are poured, everyone, regardless of how powerful or strong, will tremble in fear of the great disasters that will descend upon them from the wrath of God above. There is no one who can stand before the wrath of God without fear.
What, then, is the seventh era? The seventh era set by God is the era in which the saints will live in the Millennial Kingdom, to be followed by the New Heaven and Earth in which they will live forever.
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