Day 360: Revelation 4-6

(The first three chapters made up the first section of this book. It consisted of the introduction and the letters to the seven churches, the events prior to the Tribulation. The next three chapters made up the second section of this book: The big picture view of the Tribulation in chronological order from the beginning of the Tribulation to the end of the Tribulation. One of the keys to understanding this book is to know the perspective for each chapter. The perspective for chapters 4 and 5 were heaven.)

Revelation 4

(This chapter presented the perspective from heaven of the beginning of the Tribulation.)

¹ After these things I saw, and behold, a door opened in heaven, and the first voice that I heard, a voice as of a trumpet speaking with me, one saying, Come up hither, and I will show thee the things which must come to pass hereafter.

(John heard a trumpet which said "Come up hither..." This was the Pre-Tribulation Rapture (see 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). The trump called John up to heaven prior to the prophecy concerning the seven year Tribulation.)

² Straightway I was in the Spirit: and behold, there was a throne set in heaven, and one sitting upon the throne;
³ and he that sat was to look upon like a jasper stone and a sardius: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, like an emerald to look upon.

(John stated straightway he was in the Spirit, and he saw (was in) heaven. The rainbow was a sign of Noah's Covenant (see Genesis 9:13).)

⁴ And round about the throne were four and twenty thrones: and upon the thrones I saw four and twenty elders sitting, arrayed in white garments; and on their heads crowns of gold.

(These twenty-four elders represented the Church.)

⁵ And out of the throne proceed lightnings and voices and thunders. And there was seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God;

(Again, the seven Spirits of God were listed in Isaiah 11:2.)

⁶ and before the throne, as it were a sea of glass like a crystal; and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, four living creatures full of eyes before and behind.

(In the Bible, when water was described generically (without name) it represented people, meaning "a sea of glass like a crystal" was a mass of people: the Church.)

⁷ And the first creature was like a lion, and the second creature like a calf, and the third creature had a face as of a man, and the fourth creature was like a flying eagle.
⁸ and the four living creatures, having each one of them six wings, are full of eyes round about and within: and they have no rest day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.

(Isaiah 6:2-3 also described six winged seraphim saying, "Holy, Holy, Holy.")

⁹ And when the living creatures shall give glory and honor and thanks to him that sitteth on the throne, to him that liveth for ever and ever,
¹⁰ the four and twenty elders shall fall down before him that sitteth on the throne, and shall worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and shall cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
¹¹ Worthy art thou, our Lord and our God, to receive the glory and the honor and the power: for thou didst create all things, and because of thy will they were, and were created.

(The twenty-four elders worshipped God and cast their crowns before His throne recognizing God's glory, honor, and power. Revelation 4 covered the events at the beginning of the Tribulation, which is why the number "4" is on the hash mark denoting the beginning of the Tribulation (click on diagram to enlarge).)

Revelation 5

(This chapter presented the perspective from heaven immediately following the beginning of the Tribulation.)

¹ And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the back, close sealed with seven seals.

(John saw a book with seven seals.)

² And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a great voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?
³ And no one in the heaven, or on the earth, or under the earth, was able to open the book, or to look thereon.
⁴ And I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open the book, or to look thereon:

(A strong angel shouted a question of who was worthy to open this book and loose its seals. John wept because no man was found worthy.)

⁵ and one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not; behold, the Lion that is of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath overcome to open the book and the seven seals thereof.

(An elder told John not to weep and that Jesus was worthy. The description of Jesus was Lion of Judah, Root of David, and the overcomer. Genesis 49:8-10 was Jacob's blessing over Judah being a lion and the lineage of the Messiah. Isaiah 11:1 (the verse prior to the seven Spirits of God) spoke of the root of Jesse (David's father). God made the Davidic Covenant in 2 Samuel 7:13 stating that the Messiah would come from David.)

⁶ And I saw in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, having seven horns, and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent forth into all the earth.

(John saw Jesus: the Lamb.)

⁷ And he came, and he taketh it out of the right hand of him that sat on the throne.

(Jesus took the book with seven seals.)

⁸ And when he had taken the book, the four living creatures and the four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having each one a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.

(When Jesus took the book, the twenty-four elders and the four beasts worshipped Him with harps and incense. The incense was the prayer of the saints. Throughout the Bible, sacrifices and prayers were called a "sweet savor," they smelled good and appeased God's anger. In this case, where there was no anger to appease, the incense from the prayers of the saints smelled good.)

⁹ And they sing a new song, saying, Worthy art thou to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou was slain, and didst purchase unto God with thy blood men of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation,
¹⁰ and madest them to be unto our God a kingdom and priests; and they reign upon earth.

(This chapter finished with angels, creatures, and elders worshipping the Lamb (Jesus) because of His sacrificial death on the cross for all people.)

¹¹ And I saw, and I heard a voice of many angels round about the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;

(The angels' voices were heard as they surrounded the throne, living creatures, and elders. Ten thousand times ten thousand is one hundred million. Thousands of thousands is millions. It looks like the number of angels was more than one hundred million and less than two hundred million.)

¹² saying with a great voice, Worthy is the Lamb that hath been slain to receive the power, and riches, and wisdom, and might and honor, and glory, and blessing.
¹³ And every created thing which is in the heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and on the sea, and all things are in them, heard I saying, Unto him that sitteth on the throne, and unto the Lamb, be the blessing, and the honor, and the glory, and the dominion, for ever and ever.
¹⁴ And the four living creatures said, Amen. And the elders fell down and worshipped.

(So far, the perspective from heaven was that Jesus was worthy to open the book with seven seals because of His sacrificial death on the cross. These events took place immediately after the Pre-Tribulation Rapture of the Church, denoted by the "5" (click on diagram to enlarge).)

Revelation 6

(This chapter presented the perspective from earth of the big picture view of the Tribulation.)

¹ And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, Come.

(Christ opened the first seal and there was a thunder. One of the four creatures told John to come so he could see.)

² And I saw, and behold, a white horse, and he that sat thereon had a bow; and there was given unto him a crown: and he came forth conquering, and to conquer.

(John saw a white horse, a man with a crown, a bow, and no arrows. The Conqueror on the White Horse was the man that would become the Antichrist. Notice the deception, everything about him appeared to be good: white horse, crown, bow...however he had no real power. He used a bow without arrows. Jesus uses words from His Mouth, which was called a two-edged sword. The Antichrist will be received by people as if he is the Messiah. Remember, the Antichrist cannot be revealed until the Holy Spirit (along with the Church) is removed (2 Thessalonians 2:6-8). It made sense that the first event of the Tribulation (immediately following the Rapture of the Church) would be the revealing of the Antichrist.)

³ And when he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, Come.

(Christ opened the second seal and the second creature said "come.")

⁴ And another horse came forth, a red horse: and to him that sat thereon it was given to take peace from the earth, and that they should slay one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.

(The Red Horse was the Man of War. Notice, this person was given the power to take peace. This did not mean he caused war. It meant he could cause war if people did not obey. Some people believe this Red Horse was the war that was prophesied in Ezekiel 38, meaning these events took place during the second half of the Tribulation. If the events of Ezekiel 38 occurred in the first half of the Tribulation or if the second seal did not correspond with Ezekiel 38 and occurred early in the Tribulation, it could mean the Antichrist had Russia and those countries conquered early in the Tribulation so that there was peace. Whether the events from Ezekiel 38 took place early in the Tribulation or not, the first half of the Tribulation will be a time of peace and prosperity. How this time of peace will be created is up for interpretation. It could be due to some key wars disabling "superpowers" or to threats of war. Either way, the Man of War on the Red Horse will play a role in bringing about peace.)

⁵ And when he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, Come. And I saw, and behold, a black horse; and he that sat thereon had a balance in his hand.

(The third seal was opened and a black horse appeared. The Black Horse was Famine.)

⁶ And I heard as it were a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, A measure of wheat for a shilling, and three measures of barley for a shilling; and the oil and the wine hurt thou not.

(Famine will cause people to locate where the food is, which will be Europe and Asia (which includes the Middle East).)

⁷ And when he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, Come.

(Fourth seal was opened and the fourth creature said "come.")

⁸ And I saw, and behold, a pale horse: and he that sat upon him, his name was Death; and Hades followed with him. And there was given unto them authority over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with famine, and with death, and by the wild beasts of the earth.

(The Pale Horse was Death. One quarter of the earth's population will be killed. Remember, the Holy Spirit will have been removed from the earth. The sword did not necessarily mean war. Individuals will lack conviction from their wrong acts and kill if they believe they can get away with it. Safety will be in numbers. It looked that one fourth of the world's population will be living in outlying areas where anarchy (sword), famine, and wild beasts will devour them. Today, eighty percent of the world's population lives in Europe and Asia.)

⁹ And when he opened the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of them that had been slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:

(The fifth seal was opened and John saw those who were martyred during the Tribulation...)

¹⁰ and they cried with a great voice, saying, How long, O Master, the holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?

(...these people were specifically looking for Justice on those currently on the earth. These were not martyrs from before the Tribulation. Halfway through the Tribulation, the Antichrist will declare himself the Messiah and require people to worship him or be martyred. This fifth seal appeared to take place after the midpoint of the Tribulation, which may or may not have placed the previous three seals before the midpoint of the Tribulation.)

¹¹ And there was given them to each one a white robe; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little time, until their fellow-servants also and their brethren, who should be killed even as they were, should have fulfilled their course.

(White robes were given to the martyrs and they were told to rest "for a little time." There were still other martyrs who would join them, meaning the Tribulation was not over, yet.)

¹² And I saw when he opened the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the whole moon became as blood;

(The sixth seal opening caused a great earthquake. The sun became black and the moon blood.)

¹³ and the stars of the heaven fell unto the earth, as a fig tree casteth her unripe figs when she is shaken of a great wind.
¹⁴ And the heaven was removed as a scroll when it is rolled up; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
¹⁵ And the kings of the earth, and the princes, and the chief captains, and the rich, and the strong, and every bondman and freeman, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains;
¹⁶ and they say to the mountains and to the rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
¹⁷ for the great day of their wrath is come; and who is able to stand?

(The sixth seal represented the Day of the Lord, when Jesus physically returns at the end of the Tribulation. It appeared these six seals gave the order of six key events that happen from the beginning to the end of the Tribulation. The time between each event was not specified, so we do not know if the second, third, and fourth seals occur during the first half or the second half of the Tribulation...denoted by the "6" and the arrow (click on diagram to enlarge).)

(This concluded the big picture chronological presentation of the events of the Tribulation. The third section will give a layered description of other events that occurred during this seven year period.)

Day 361