[Chapter 6-1] The Seven Eras Set by God (Revelation 6:1-17)
(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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