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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 the 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 the mankind from sin, and of the
victory of this plan. God the Father's plan to make the mankind
into His people by saving them from their sins began with gospel
of the water and the Spirit in Jesus Christ-that is, with the deliverance
of the 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 do so even as we speak now. This is the first plan
that God has set for the mankind. This first plan of God is for
the salvation of the 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 the 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 the 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 received 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 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?'"
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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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