Bible Study The Book of Revelation by Joshua Tapp - HTML preview

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SERMON: REVELATION CHAPTER 6

[2] The title of the sermon today is “REVELATION CHAPTER 6.”

 

- In Revelation Chapter 5, we see a book with 7 seals in the right hand of God the Father

- No man is able to come and take that book out of His hand

- The Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, comes and takes the book out of the Father’s right hand

- We see all creatures in heaven, on earth, and in hell worship the Lord Jesus Christ

- And now we move to Chapter 6

- In Chapter 6, we’re starting to see those SEALS from that book opened

- This is where we start to see all the details of the end times

- Chapters 1 through 5 have been an introduction to this book and now we’re going to get the details

 

[3] Revelation 6:1   AND I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.

-

- Jesus Christ is opening the first seal

- John hears a voice from one of the 4 beasts that are in the midst of the throne

- That voice is like thunder so it’s very loud and powerful BUT it’s not actual thunder

- It’s LIKE thunder and that beast is saying, “JOHN, COME AND SEE!”

 

[4] Revelation 6:2   And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.

 

- The Apostle John sees a white horse and a man sitting on that horse.

- That man has a bow and a crown that was given to him. He goes forth conquering.

- The man that we see here is the Anti-Christ. This is not Jesus Christ.

- And you might say, “Well, how do you know that? The verse doesn’t say that!”

- Satan loves to imitate God because he is the greatest deceiver in existence.

- Satan wants to be God. The anti-christ is not Satan but he is Satan’s imitation of Jesus Christ.

- Satan also has false prophets, angels, and he even has his own fiery furnace in the Book of Daniel.

- He imitates God in every way possible in order to deceive people.

- Satan even has many false bible versions and false gospels which are usually a works based salvation.

- Let’s see how we know 100% for sure that the man on the white horse here is the ANTI-CHRIST.

- Do you remember Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21?

- You should get to know those chapters really well as they match Revelation Chapter 6 perfectly.

- Since they match so well with Revelation 6 and Revelation 13 and 14, you’ll know that the Anti-Christ comes first

- Jesus warns us to “TAKE HEED THAT NO MAN DECEIVE YOU.”

 

[5] Matthew 24:3-5   And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?  4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.  5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

 

- This passage says MANY ANTICHRISTS. Yes, but THE Anti-Christ will be the last one and the greatest.

 

[6] 1 John 2:18   Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.

 

- Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21, Revelation 6, and Revelation 13/14 match perfectly all the way from the start of the Tribulation to Jesus coming in the clouds. Compare those chapters side by side. I created a document on the website that puts those side by side for you.

- Since everything perfectly matches, we know that the part about the anti-christ also matches

- Let’s look closer, though. The anti-christ is someone who is going to deceive others. He will make people believe he is the CHRIST!

- But, he’s the exact opposite. Just like the world today PREACHES the exact opposite of the Bible. Churches teach the EXACT opposite.

 

[7] Revelation 19:11   And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.

 

- When Jesus comes for the Battle of Armageddon, He’s on a white horse right there in Revelation 19:11.

- Wouldn’t it make sense that the anti-christ would impersonate Jesus? In Revelation 19, it’s clear that it’s Jesus!

- In Revelation 6, it’s clear that the man on the white horse is an impersonation of Jesus Christ.

- You’ll notice in Revelation 6:2 that it says, “And a crown was given unto him.”

- Revelation 13:2 and 13:4 tells us that the DRAGON gives the BEAST his power, his seat, and his authority.

- The dragon is SATAN and the BEAST is the Anti-Christ. So who gives the Anti-Christ the crown in Revelation 6:2?

- Yes, it’s Satan or the DRAGON. How do we know the DRAGON is Satan?

 

[8] Revelation 12:9   And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

 

- So everything makes PERFECT sense once you know the man on the white horse is the Anti-Christ.

- As we go through this Chapter, you’ll be able to see how Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21 all match up perfectly.

- I’ll show you more of those verses as we continue.

 

[9] Revelation 6:3   And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see.

 

- Jesus opens the second seal and hears the second beast say, “COME AND SEE.”

- And notice that each of the four beasts speaking are corresponding with the seals so far.

- Now, we’re going to see the second seal. Let’s see what happens.

 

[10] Revelation 6:4   And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.

 

- Now we have a red horse. Power was given to him that sat thereon.

- What’s his job now? To take peace from the Earth. What’s the opposite of peace? WAR!

- Notice it says, “They should kill one another.” And a great sword was given unto him.

- This is describing war between nations. They are killing each other.

- If you get the order of this wrong and you think Jesus comes back first, all of these things happening are imitations of Jesus Christ.

- Do you see how false preachers who teach a Pre-Tribulation Rapture will deceive so many people?

- These false teachings aren’t harmless. They could easily cause people to take the mark of the beast and be sent to hell.

- If they aren’t saved when this happens, they will take the mark of the beast. They might even think it’s Jesus Christ. It’s not.

- We have war right here in Revelation 6:4. Let’s see what Matthew 24 says. And we’ll leave off in the consecutive verse in Matthew 24.

 

[11] Matthew 24:6-7   And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.  7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.

 

- And remember, Mark 13, Luke 21, and the second half of Revelation that repeats MATCHES perfectly.

- You can know 100% for sure that we have this right.

- Let’s see what happens with the third seal.

 

[12] Revelation 6:5   And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.

 

- The third seal is opened. The third beast says, “COME AND SEE.”

- Now we have a black horse. We’ve had white, red, and now black.

- He has a pair of balances in his hand. Or, a scale to weigh things.

 

[13] Revelation 6:6   And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.

 

- Now we hear this voice that says, “A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny. Hurt not the oil and wine.”

- We’re seeing the cost of food in this verse. Do you see that?

- A measure of wheat for a penny. Three measures of barley for a penny.

- What’s a penny? It’s not the penny that we think of because you can’t get anything for one of our pennies. We look to the Bible to explain.

- Do you remember the story that Jesus tells us in Matthew Chapter 20 about the vineyard laborers?

 

[14] Matthew 20:1-2   For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard.  2 And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard.

 

- A penny is a day’s worth of work for someone who is an unskilled laborer. That’s a full day of wages.

- You can relate that to today’s world. For a full day of work, an unskilled laborer might get about $100.

- Imagine going to the store and paying $100 for about a quart of wheat. That’s probably about $5 or so in today’s world. 20x the cost.

- If food costs 20x what it cost right now, what would we have? Think of that. The food is so expensive because there’s a shortage.

- If there’s plenty of food, costs will stay down. People wouldn’t be able to afford food.

 

[15] Matthew 24:7   For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.

 

- We see the famines in Matthew 24. Matches perfectly again.

- What have we seen so far in Revelation 6? 3 seals to this point.

- FIRST SEAL = ANTI-CHRIST. He’s coming forth to conquer. He’s not in complete power yet. He’s going out to take this power.

- SECOND SEAL = WARS. Nation rising against nation. People killing each other in war.

- THIRD SEAL = FAMINES. Very high cost of food which is a result of a lack of food supply and people can’t afford the food.

- What do you see next in Matthew 24 verse 7? Pestilences or disease is next. What’s the result of pestilence and disease? DEATH.

- If we go to Revelation 6, that’s what we should see.

- Let’s see what the FOURTH SEAL has in store for us in verse 7 and 8.

 

[16] Revelation 6:7   And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.

 

- Now, it’s the fourth beast speaking for the FOURTH SEAL, “Come and See!”

- Well let’s see.

 

[17] Revelation 6:8   And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.

 

- Now we see a pale horse. The name is Death and Hell followed with him.

- You have death and hell with power over the FOURTH part of the earth.

- They go forth killing with sword, with hunger, with death, and with the beasts of the earth.

- This matches perfectly with Matthew 24 because we see war, hunger, pestilences, earthquakes. People are dying from those things.

 

[18] Revelation 6:9   And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:

 

- Now we don’t see one of the 4 beasts saying anything because we’re on the FIFTH SEAL.

 

[19] Matthew 24:8   All these are the beginning of sorrows.

 

- So the 4 beasts and the first 4 seals are the beginning of sorrows. This is JUST the beginning.

- These SOULS that we see under the altar here in verse 9 were slain for the word of God. What are they called? Martyrs.

- What’s Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21 say? The same thing.

 

[20] Matthew 24:9-10   Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.  10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.

 

- Perfect match yet again.

- Obviously, the FIFTH SEAL is not the wrath of God. He doesn’t kill people for the cause of Christ.

- This is VERY CLEAR and easy to understand.

 

[21] Revelation 6:10   And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?

 

Now you have the souls who have been martyred crying out and asking God when He’s going to take out His wrath on those people who are killing His people.

- Satan and the Anti-Christ are the ones who are killing people for the word of God.

- In other words, God’s wrath has not yet started. If it hadn’t yet started in the FIFTH SEAL then it had not started in Seals 1 – 4.

- This means the man on the white horse for the FIRST SEAL is not Jesus Christ.

- Let’s keep going, and you’ll see that God’s wrath has not started at this point. It’s very clear it hasn’t started, but there’s more proof.

 

[22] Revelation 6:11   And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.

 

- White robes were given to the slain souls. If you stand up for God and are killed for it, you’ll have a white robe too.

- This means SOULS can wear clothing. The rapture hasn’t yet happened so these souls aren’t in their new bodies.

- But look, they are told to “REST YET FOR A LITTLE SEASON.” Why?

- So their fellowservants and brethren can be killed as they were. Rest just a little while longer.

- We’re at the FIFTH SEAL and the SIXTH SEAL is coming soon. What happens in the SIXTH SEAL? Let’s see.

- But keep in mind that God tells them to wait just a little while longer and then His wrath will begin. He will avenge them soon.

 

[23] Revelation 6:12-13   And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; 13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.

 

- Does this sound familiar to you? We know that the Day of the Lord happens when the sun and moon are darkened.

- With the SIXTH SEAL, we see that the sun and moon are darkened. The Day of the Lord is a great and a terrible day.

[24] Joel 2:10-11   The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining:  11 And the LORD shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?

 

[25] Joel 2:31   The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.

 

- Let’s talk about the order of Daniel’s 70th week or the 7-year period.

- The entire 7-year period is not Tribulation.

- The first thing that happens is the Anti-Christ. Then wars. Then famine. Then death from famine, disease, and earthquakes. Then martyrs.

- That’s what we see in Revelation Chapter 6. Let’s see what Matthew 24 says.

 

[26] Matthew 24:4-24   And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.  5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.  6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.  7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.  8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.  9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.  10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.  11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.  12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.  13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.  14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.  15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)  16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:  17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:  18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.  19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!  20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:  21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.  22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.  23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.  24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

 

- In verse 8, you’ll see again where it says these are the beginning of sorrows. That’s the first through the fourth seal.

- Then people are starting to be killed for Christ’s sake in the FIFTH SEAL. Once that hits, people are THEN persecuted for being Christian.

- Once you see the Abomination of Desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet, THEN SHALL BE GREAT TRIBULATION!

- So before the Abomination of Desolation, there is tribulation and persecution but once that hits, then there will be GREAT TRIBULATION.

- This great tribulation will take place before the SIXTH SEAL because we use Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21 to give us that information along with the Book of Daniel. The timing is given to us within the Book of Daniel.

- We can put all of these together and have a great understanding of the chronological order of when things will happen.

- The abomination of desolation will take place in the MIDST or MIDDLE of the week (Daniel 9:27). Then, there’s GREAT TRIBULATION.

- In verse 22, we learn that the GREAT TRIBULATION will be shortened for the ELECT’S SAKE. The elect are saved people.

- Revelation 13 gives us more detail about the Great Tribulation.

- You won’t be able to buy or sell anything unless you bow down and worship the Anti-Christ.

- Anyone who doesn’t bow down and worship the Anti-Christ will be killed. That’s where you’ll see the HUGE number of martyrs for Christ.

- If this were allowed to continue, there would be no saved people left on the Earth.

- If you make it to the end without being killed, your flesh or your life here on Earth is saved.

 

[27] Matthew 24:13   But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

 

- Many false preachers will use Matthew 24:13 out of context to say that in order to be saved you MUST do all these works until you die.

- They don’t understand that Matthew 24 is talking about the tribulation.

- They will tell you that you MUST endure to the end in your Christian life to be saved. You must repent of your sin every day. You must attend their church and give your offering every week. You must help pay their bills. You have to say a specific prayer every day. You MUST continue to serve God every day of your life until the end. But the bad part is THAT none of these people go out to win souls to Jesus Christ.

- Just look and you’ll see that just a few verses past Matthew 24:13, you’ll see that verse 22 says: “that except those days be shortened no FLESH shall be saved.” Throughout the entire Bible there’s a CLEAR LINE drawn between your flesh, soul, and spirit.

- The elect are those who are already SAVED. If not, the Bible wouldn’t call them the ELECT in this passage.

- Their flesh shall be saved if they endure to the end. No matter what happens, the elect has eternal life. This means their soul is saved.

- If they are killed for the cause of Christ, though, their flesh doesn’t survive here on earth. But their soul is SAVED!

 

[28] Acts 2:19-21   And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:  20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:  21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

 

- Notice that the end of verse 21 right there says SAVED past tense. This is because once you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, you’re saved.

- If you call upon Him, you believe on Him to save you.

 

[29] Romans 10:13-14   For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.  14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

 

- The Old Testament says the exact same thing.

[30] Joel 2:31-32   The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.  32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.

 

- When Jesus comes in the clouds after the sun and moon are darkened, the elect or the remnant who are left on the earth will be saved. Their flesh will be saved from DEATH. Do you see this? It makes perfect sense with the words of the Bible.

- So those elect will be in GREAT TRIBULATION but Jesus Christ comes back and saves them from further persecution. They are raptured.

- I want to continue reading in Matthew 24 verse 25.

 

[31] Matthew 24:25-28   Behold, I have told you before.  26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.  27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.  28 For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.

 

- The coming of the Lord Jesus Christ will NOT BE A SECRET! At all.

- There will be no secret rapture like the movies and false preachers tell us.

- If you’re not saved, you won’t be wondering what happened to the saved people.

- You won’t say, “Did the Rapture just happen? I didn’t even see Jesus.” Any preacher, church, or movie that says this is a LIAR.

- How do we know that? Because Matthew 24 says it will not be a secret. But there’s more proof than that.

 

[32] Revelation 1:7   Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

 

- “EVERY EYE SHALL SEE HIM!”

- In other words, don’t be deceived when someone says you missed him and he’s over there now. “I don’t believe you missed it.”

- GOD HIMSELF says, “You will see Jesus in the clouds.” Why is He telling us this?

- Because the Anti-Christ coming will probably imitate the Rapture and his minions will tell others that they missed it.

- They will say, “Jesus is back.” But it won’t be Jesus. It will be the great deception of Jesus as the anti-christ.

- Do you believe that people are making videos for people that tell them they are gone because of the rapture?

- Those stupid movies like “LEFT BEHIND” are the reason for all of that. When you know the Bible, you’ll see those movies don’t follow it at all.

- But yet, people will believe a movie over the words of God in the Bible.

 

[33] Matthew 24:28   For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.

 

- We’re going to get back to Revelation 6 here in a minute, but I want you to see this. What does Matthew 24:28 mean?

 

 

[34] Luke 17:34-37   I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.  35 Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left.  36 Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.  37 And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.

 

- This Scripture in Luke 17 is talking about the RAPTURE.

- The carcase is a body (SINGULAR BODY) because carcase and body are used interchangeably in Matthew 24 and Luke 17.

- The eagles (PLURAL) gather together to that body. Why do eagles gather together to a body? They would be gathered to eat the body.

- Eagles are birds of prey. In the Old Testament, people are told not to eat eagle. Eagles eat dead things.

 

[35] Leviticus 11:13-14   And these are they which ye shall have in abomination among the fowls; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray,  14 And the vulture, and the kite after his kind;

 

- So some false preachers will say that this gathering of the eagles to eat the body is a negative gathering.

- Would you say that the eagles who are getting fed is a negative thing for the eagles? Of course not. They need food. They’re hungry. It’s good.

- In Luke 17 they ask, “Where Lord? Where will those people be taken?” Referring to the Rapture.

- He says, “Wheresoever the body is, the eagles will be gathered together there.”

- The first use of the word “EAGLES” in the Bible is in Exodus 19:4

 

[36] Exodus 19:4   Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself.

 

- That’s the Lord speaking right there in that verse. He says, “I bare you on eagles wings and brought you unto myself.”

- This gathering together of the eagles to the body is a picture of the Rapture.

- When we go back to Matthew 24, you’ll see that the next event is the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and the GATHERING together of His people.

 

[37] Matthew 24:29-31   Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:  30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.  31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

 

- But you might ask, “Well, what about the eagles feeding on the body?”