SUNDAY SCHOOL PLAN FOR 12-13-15
The Revelation of Jesus Christ
Revelation 1 Intro to Rev and Greetings to the 7 Churches
Revelation 2 & 3 The Letters to the 7 Churches
Revelation 2:7 The Church of Ephesus
Revelation 2:11 The Church of Smyrna
Revelation 2:17 The Church of Pergamos
Revelation 3:5 The Church of Sardis
Revelation 3:12 The Church of Philadelphia
Revelation 2:26 The Church of Thyatira
Revelation 3:21 The Church of Laodicea
Revelation 4:1 Glimpse of the Throne
Revelation 5:1 The Worthy Lamb
Revelation 6:1 The First 6 of the 7 Seals
So far we have studied about Chapter 1 which was an introduction to Revelation about “past” things. In Chapters 2 and 3 we studied about the 7 churches found in Revelation
Chapters 2 &3 and what God had to say to each one of them about the conditions they were going thru and their worship and obedience to him. In Chapter 4 John gave us a view of
God's throne and what happens on a day to day basis around his throne. Chapter 5 continues with John's vision found in
Chapter 4 and talks about a book which is bound by 7 seals.
The scroll or book contains the Tribulation judgments of God.
Jesus was the only one in the entire universe who was worthy to open the book and break the seals.
Today we will be taking a look at The First 6 of the 7 Seals and what unfolds as each seal is broken. Revelation chapter 6 begins with the seals that represent the beginning of Christ's judgment of unbelievers on the earth during the Tribulation period. There is a close similarity between these judgments and the events predicted by Jesus in Matthew 24 verses 4 - 31.
The purpose of the Tribulation period is to punish unbelievers for their sin and rejection of Jesus and to bring the “remnant” to salvation which is faith in Christ.
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The 7 seals are divided into two groups of four and then three. The first four are about the horses and the riders. They are about things that are going to happen on the earth. With the fifth seal, the events move from earth to heaven.
Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
The 1 st Seal
Vs 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.
John says here in verse 1 “And I saw when the Lamb opened one
of the seals”. The Lamb here that John is referring to is Jesus himself. Jesus is the Lamb. Jesus is the only one worthy to open the seals. And here we find that he opens the first seal of the scroll. By opening the seal, he has just now started the events of what is called
“the last days”. These events are within the 7 seals. The 7 th seal or the last seal which is found in Chapter 8 includes the 7 trumpets. The last of the 7 trumpets includes the 7 bowls. The end of the world comes after the 7 bowls. Next John says “and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and
see”. Here we find that one of the four living creatures or four beasts calling out. Do you remember the mighty angel that cried out to the whole universe? Turn back over to Revelation 5:2. So just about as loud as the angel, one of the four beasts cried out as well. His voice was so loud that John said it was like the sound of thunder.
What was he saying? He said “Come and see”. He called out for
John to watch as he called for the first horseman to come out. This part begins what is called "The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse".
The four horsemen present the picture of man's inhumanity to mankind that will cause a lot of human suffering. But this is nothing new. Down throughout history, those in control of the affairs of this world have a history of causing their fellow human beings a lot of suffering, with false hopes of peace followed by wars, famines, and
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SUNDAY SCHOOL PLAN FOR 12-13-15 death. One of the worst horrors of the 7 year Tribulation is the many plagues that will strike the world's people, particularly those who reject the Savior. The judgments are started with the 7 seals.
Vs 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.
In verse 2 John says “And I saw, and behold a white horse”.
John saw “a white horse”. This is the first of the 4 horsemen of the
Apocalypse. The color “white” here representing conquest and pestilence. Next John says “and he that sat on him had a bow”.
Notice that the scripture says “a bow” but no arrows. This is indicating that although he is militarily strong, in the beginning he does his conquering by diplomacy and not by force. The role of this rider is to conquer. I can tell you that the rider of the “white horse” here in chapter 6 is not Jesus. Jesus appears on a white horse in chapter 19. I will give you the reasons why in a bit. Next John says
“and a crown was given unto him”. Since he wears a crown, we know that he is successful in his efforts. Some think that the rider on this white horse is Jesus Christ since he has a crown and rides a white horse. They say that this is a picture of the world being led to Christ
(mostly those in postmillennial or amillennial theology hold this view).
There is a problem with this view for a couple of reasons. We will see later in this book that Jesus actually wears many golden crowns of royalty and not just a simple victor's garland like the word crown could be translated here. Jesus also has a sharp sword the comes out of this mouth. Not a bow. Jesus is the one that opened the seal that caused this rider to come forth. If this is Jesus, he is in riding in the company of three evil riders who will soon follow. Many conquerors of the past have ridden white horses. So the fact that the rider is on a white horse proves nothing about whom he is. The weapon Jesus uses in other scripture passages is a two-edged sword. So a bow is totally out of character for him. Also Jesus was in heaven with John opening the seal at the time that John was shown this rider on the earth.
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To me, this is not Jesus. If it's not Jesus then who is the rider on the
“white horse”? I believe the rider was an evil rider. This rider is a great future world leader. John says here in verse 2 “and he went forth conquering, and to conquer”. The bow is a symbol of his control over weapons of war. Since the rider shows no arrows it could mean that he conquers by the threat of the power he displays and when this rider rides, he does not conquer using actual military force. He has a
“bow” and a “crown”. His aim is to hurt people and to fight and win battles. He is powerful and he will do a lot of damage on the earth.
To me it seems that John is referring to the Antichrist, who through deceit and clever maneuvering will bring a false peace to the world.
But that peace will not last. Most premillenial experts in bible prophecy believe that this rider is the world leader that later will be filled by Satan and become the Beast Antichrist. Daniel tells us there is one who is coming who "by peace will destroy many". Turn over to
Daniel 8:25.
Questions: Thoughts on who you think the rider of the “white horse” is?
The 2 nd Seal
Vs 3: And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the
second beast say, Come and see.
Here in verse 3 John says “And when he had open the second
seal”. We see that again The Lamb (Jesus) opened the second seal.
Remember he is the only one worthy to open the seals. One at a time. Next John says “I heard the second beast say, Come and
see”. The second creature called out for John to watch as he called for the second horseman to come out.
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Vs 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.
In verse 4 John says “And there went out another horse that
was red”. A bright red horse came out. This red horse means war.
This war could be twofold in nature however. There is a constant attack of the devil and his demons on Christians, but I believe this goes much further than this. In my opinion, this “red horse” indicates a large war that is going to happen. The beginning of World
War III. The breaking of the second seal pictures the wars that erupt as the Antichrist forms his kingdom. Turn over to Daniel 7:23. The color “red” reminds us about the blood of those who died in the battles. There will be great wars all across the whole earth. John says “and power was given to him that sat thereon to take
peace from the earth”. God gave this Antichrist the power “to
take peace from the earth”. Turn over to Revelation 13:5. Notice that he speaks of 42 months. That would be 3 ½ years. The first 3
½ years Israel will sign a peace treaty with the Antichrist. There will be peace on earth for the first 3 ½ years after the mass confusion of the Rapture of the Saints occurs. There will be disasters of all kind as planes, trains and cars crash. People disappear. Confusion everywhere. After the first 3 ½ years the Antichrist will break that treaty with Israel and Great Tribulation will come for the next 3 ½ years. John says “and that they should kill one another: and
there was given unto him a great sword”. This world leader is given power to use great military force. This evil man caused people to kill each other. Families turning on each other. Parents against their children and children against their parents. Neighbor against neighbor. Friend against friend. The rider had received a large sword which probably means he will be able to conduct war on many fronts.
Here’s the scenario Daniel gives us. Look at Daniel 7:24. To begin with ten nations will rise in power. It isn’t stated but it would be logical that this would be a group of like-minded nations rallying
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SUNDAY SCHOOL PLAN FOR 12-13-15 around a common religious or political cause.
When Daniel's "three kings" oppose the Antichrist, he will respond in a deadly way, swiftly crushing his enemies and bringing death to earth on a massive scale never before known. Only since the advent of the atomic age has it been possible to bring this kind of unimaginable, swift destruction on such widely scattered portions of the globe. His purpose is to cause mankind to slaughter one another “that they should kill one
another”. The Greek word that is used, and also the verb, means "to butcher, slaughter or massacre someone". This contains a purpose clause which reveals that “peace is taken from the earth” for the very purpose that mankind should butcher each other. And in the remainder of the Revelation's Seals, Trumpets and Golden Bowl
Judgments, mankind does this to himself with ruthless skill. Once the
Antichrist is in control of the three nations the other seven will completely submit to him retaining only an appearance of independence. This remade ten-nation league will then turn it’s combined forces on the rest of the world. In a savage and merciless campaign it will spread its dominance over other nations until it controls a great empire. Nations will either voluntarily surrender or be brutally conquered. Look at Daniel 7:7. And again he said the same thing in Daniel 7:23 that we previously read. Look what Jesus had to say about this. Turn over to Matthew 24:4-8 and Luke 21:8-11.
These are the “wars and rumors of wars” Jesus said we will hear about in the time just before the great tribulation. The “red horse” was the color of blood. This “red horse” also means the martyrs who died holding up the name of Jesus. Blood ran freely all throughout the Bible. Believers in some parts of the world are even being made martyrs now by Isis and other extremist. War is on every side. In Israel and Lebanon these days there are many killed every day. Ireland has what they call a holy war going on. Even these are not the extent of what I believe this scripture means. I really believe this red horse has to do with a global war of great magnitude.
QUESTION: Your thoughts about the rider of the “red horse”?
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The 3 rd Seal
Vs 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.
Here in verse 5 John says “and when he had opened the third
seal”. Here we see where The Lamb (Jesus) has opened the next seal. The third seal. Then he says “I heard the third beast say,
Come and see”. The third creature called out for John to watch as he called the third horseman to come out. Next he says “And I
beheld, and lo a black horse”. As the third creature called out,
John saw a “black horse” representing rampant inflation and famine which is a common aftermath of war. In this case, famine is not the kind that results from a natural occurrence. Instead it's the starvation which results from war. Next he says “and he that sat on
him had a pair of balances in his hand”. As he came out, John saw the rider. He had in his hands a “balance” or scale. People will use a scale in order to measure the weight of things. Food is going to be weighed in exchange for money during the 7 year Tribulation. This is was also a prophecy of Ezekiel concerning a coming siege of
Jerusalem. Turn back to Ezekiel 4:16. The Lord told Ezekiel, “I am going to break the staff of bread in Jerusalem, and they will eat bread by weight and with anxiety, and drink water by measure and in horror, because bread will be scarce”.
Vs 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.
John says in verse 6 “And I heard a voice in the midst of the four
beasts say”. John is not sure whether it was “a voice” from the beast with the face of an ox, an eagle, a lion, or a man. But he
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“heard a voice 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. This is a picture of famine and rationing of the worlds food supplies. Here we recognize that people will be eating “wheat” and “barley” by measure and for an extremely high price. A quart of wheat is about enough food for one person to live on for one day.
Barley is a less costly grain and a day’s wage will feed approximately three people for one day. The “penny” describes one day's worth of wages. It will cost a full days wage to just get enough food to survive on. In biblical days a denarius was a common wage for a day's work, and a quart of wheat or three quarts of barley are basically the diets that people lived on. John is indicating by using the word “penny” that a man will have to work all day just to get enough food to eat, with nothing left over for his family or the elderly. Look at
Matthew 20:2. In the parable of the vineyard, a day's work was worth a penny. This "penny", in the verse above, means a full day's pay. I believe this means that a loaf of bread will be so inflated in price, because of scarcity of food, that it will take a whole day's wages of a man to buy one loaf of bread. Not to mention milk and eggs. We surely know that it is a "measure", which is a very small amount.
The situation here pictures people trapped in a city just like Austin that is under siege or trying to survive after their fields have been burned by hostile armies.
T he famine will be so great, that food will be weighed by the ounce and dispensed carefully. These food prices will probably be about 12 times more than normal. There will not be enough food. So, the food will be very expensive. The poor and many others will die. They will starve to death. This famine will probably be as bad as the famine that was in Egypt in Joseph's time. Probably drought will trigger crop failures in many places. Only the very rich will be able to buy food. Personally, I believe, God will instruct
Christians who are still here, who are totally sold out to him. They will know when to plant and exactly what to do, just as God told Joseph what to do. I believe that they must stay in close contact with God during the Tribulation period. If he tells them to dig a very deep well, they must do that. If he tells them to plant a garden, they must do that too. It is going to be very important to be able to take daily
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SUNDAY SCHOOL PLAN FOR 12-13-15 instructions from God. Not to question, just do it. I really believe though that God is right now setting up places of refuge for the
Christians. A place where believers can run, so they can have physical and spiritual food. God will not forsake the righteous. Food will become very expensive for the daily wage earner but the rich may survive better. John says “and see thou hurt not the oil and the
wine”. “Oil and wine” are prepackaged luxury foods that apparently will not be under the food-rationing program. In time of war, the perishable crops are disrupted. But prepackaged food like oil and wine will probably be available for those who can afford it.
Rationing of basic stables is common during times of war along with crop disruptions and this is what is being pictured here on a large portion of the earth. Food rationing will make it possible for governments to gain nearly total control over the people. At this point in time, any true democracy in the world will be dead. The One
World Government will be in control.
QUESTION: Your thoughts about the rider of the “black horse”?
The 4 th Seal
Vs 7: And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
Here in verse 7 John says “and when he had opened the forth
seal”. Here again we see where The Lamb (Jesus) has opened the next seal. The fourth seal. Then he says “I heard the voice of the
fourth beast say, Come and see”. The fourth creature called out for John to watch as he called the fourth horseman to come out.
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Vs 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.
John says here in verse 8 “And I looked, and behold a pale
horse”. This horse represents death. The horse is “pale”, which is the color of the skin of dead people. John sees this sickly colored horse. Next John says “and his name that sat on him was Death,
and Hell followed with him”. Death was the name of the rider, and
Hell or Hades followed him. This passage implies that when this rider rides the “pale” horse there will be hell on earth and that possibly this rider has some control over the underworld or “Hell”. "Death,
and Hell" are grouped together here in this verse. Meaning a termination of mans earthly existence. Death is inevitable for every one of us. Death of the body, that is. Look at Hebrews 9:27. Hell does await some, but heaven awaits Christians. The fact that Hell follows Death shows that those slain are unbelievers, because upon death believers do not go to Hell or Hades but straight to the Savior's side. Hades is the name of the place of dead people in the Bible. In
Hades, they wait for the day when God will be their judge. Keep in mind though that sometimes the word Hell is used when talking about the grave. In that particular instance, Hell would follow death, because our bodies lie in the grave until resurrection day. “Death” and real “Hell” is however reserved for the lost. Then John says
“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”. This verse says that “power was
given to kill” with weapons, lack of food, death (plague) and with savage animals of the earth. God allows sword, famine, wild beasts and pestilence to chastise the nations. “Over the fourth part of the
earth”. They have the right to kill a quarter of all the people on the earth. One quarter of the earth's population, well over a billion people, will die as a result of WWIII. They will use four methods to
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SUNDAY SCHOOL PLAN FOR 12-13-15 achieve this. The first method is with “swords”. Many people will die because of wars and murder. The second method is with
“hunger”. Many more people will die because of a lack of food. The third method is with “death”. Many people will die because of diseases. Disease often accompanies war but here it's possible that germ warfare might also involved. Just a thought. The fourth method is “with the beasts of the earth”. Try to imagine that even the wild animals suffered because of lack of food. So, the wild animals attacked and killed people as well. These events may be describing a world war along with civil war that takes place between pro Christian
Western nations and Islamic nations that becomes so bad that the survivors will be looking for a leader that proposes absolute control of the world through a one world government and an all inclusive one world religion. One that will include everybody no matter what religion you have been brought up on. I really believe this is a time in the end that is spoken of as “a time when men's hearts will fail them for fear of things that are coming upon the earth”. Turn over to
Luke 21:25-28. Today we have the capability to knock the earth off of its axis with the nuclear bombs. Fear is rampant, not only here in the U.S., but around the world. All it would take is for one crazy man to push the wrong button and total destruction would occur.
QUESTION: Your thoughts about the rider of the “pale horse”?
In Heaven
The 5 th Seal
Vs 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
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John says here in verse 9 “And when he had opened the fifth
seal”. Here again we see where The Lamb (Jesus) has opened the next seal. The fifth seal. Then he says “I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the
testimony which they held”. When the 5th seal is broken, John sees an “altar” in Heaven. "under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony
which they held." John did not see these souls with his physical eye, but saw them in the Spirit. He saw all the souls of the people under the altar who were slain for their testimony about Jesus. These people had died because they believed in the Lord. They believed the word of God and they had been good and faithful servants of God.
When a priest made a sacrifice, he poured out the blood below the altar. Turn over to Leviticus 4:7. The idea here is that these people were like a sacrifice. They were as a sacrifice made to God. In fact, they died on earth. But by their death, they offered their souls on the altar in heaven. The message at the opening of this fifth seal tells about the persecution and murder of believers for their testimony.
This last persecution will only last for a little season of time but it will be very severe. The prayers of the martyrs will soon be answered by the judgments that come because of the wrath of the Lamb found in over in Chapter 8. Since no judgment is coming yet from the Lord at the time of this fifth seal, it is further proof that these seals occur before the time called the Day of the Lord. The focus of this persecution of the saints being placed after the war of the four horsemen is significant and important. After the religious wars that in themselves kill many true Christians, the world's solution will be to form an all inclusive false world religion that will claim that all paths lead to God. Those who say that Jesus is the only way to God will be outlawed as being bigoted, subversive, and dangerous people and a threat to world peace. Those on earth who missed the rapture will have one more chance to get into the body of Christ by faith that will lead to the death of their body or by enduring until the end time gathering by the angels that occurs just prior to the marriage ceremony and just before the pouring out of the wrath of God on the earth. Turn over to Revelation 20:4. God is a God of 2 nd chances.
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QUESTION: Any thoughts on this so far?
Vs 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?
In verse 10 John says “And they cried with a loud voice”. They
(all of them) spoke to the Lord at one time, because he has all the authority. The Lord God is holy. And he will do what is right. In the end, he must punish all evil actions. The Lord will punish the people who had caused their deaths and they knew this. These souls were waiting for the Judge of all the earth to interrupt the evil of the devil and his persecution of the saints who remained there. But still these souls asked the Lord a question. They were asking, “How long, O
Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood
on them that dwell on the earth”? How long must we wait?
When will you punish those who caused our deaths? Their cry was the same, in a sense, as the Christians who say, come quickly Lord
Jesus. Shortly after the beginning of the Tribulation there will be a great "soul harvest" in which millions will come to Salvation thru faith in Christ. Many will be the result of the preaching of the 144,000 witnesses described in Revelation 7:4. Let's turn over there. Most of these Tribulation saints will be killed by the forces of the Antichrist.
These martyred souls will cry out for God to avenge their deaths.
This is not a reprimand of the Lord, but just a pleading for it to all be over. These souls are not looking for vengeance, but are just crying out for the Lord to end all of it and set up his kingdom.
QUESTION: Who are the souls crying out to God for revenge?
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Vs 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 fellow servants also and their brethren, that
should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.
Here in verse 11 John says “And white robes were given unto
ever one of them”. To each of these souls, the Lord gave “white
robes” or white clothes. These are the ones who were martyred during the Tribulation and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. White robes are the uniform issued to all believers in the Lord Jesus. These clothes showed that they were clean from all sin. In other words, God accepted them as innocent.
And he gave them honor. These martyrs are our fellow servants.
They arrived in heaven the same way we will, through their faith unto the death. The white in these "white robes" shows that these have been victorious over the problems in this earth. These souls under the altar were at rest. But yet they were told by God “and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow servants also and their brethren, that should
be killed as they were, should be fulfilled”. The clear answer was that the situation will become worse first. But, at the time when God chooses, he will answer their prayer. He will show his anger against the people who do not believe in him. That day of God’s anger will come upon the earth. God told them to be patient. They must wait a little time longer. That people on the earth would kill more of God’s people. Then the time will come and God will act. Turn over to
II Thessalonians 1:6-10.
The 6 th Seal
Vs 12: 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
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Here in verse 12 John says “And I beheld when he had opened
the sixth seal”. Once again we see that The Lamb (Jesus) opened the next seal. John is still caught up in his vision while he is still physically on the island of Patmos. Then he says “and, lo, there
was a great earthquake”. When Jesus opens the sixth seal, the great day of the wrath of God's Lamb has arrived. To announce this day there will be an earthquake so great that every island will be moved out of its place which we will see in verse 14. The first four seals described judgments largely inflicted by man. The sixth seal however describes a judgment clearly supernatural in origin. The prophet Isaiah foretold about this terrible earthquake. Turn back to
Isaiah 2:17-21. Next in verse 12 John says “and the sun became
black as sackcloth of hair”. The Sun will be darkened. At the same time of the earthquake, the sun became dark. It was as if a black cloth covered the sun. The light could not shine through it. The day became as the night. Look at Matthew 24:29. Last he says in verse 12 “and the moon became as blood”. The moon will become blood red. The moon will glow a deep red color and it will be the color of blood. Could John be trying to describe an enormous volcanic activity? Particulate matter scattered in the atmosphere after a volcanic eruption has often turned the sky black and made the moon seem to turn red. The sixth seal brings natural disasters of various kinds. The earth and the heavenly bodies will go into convulsions.
Vs 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.
In verse 13 John says “And the stars of heaven fell unto the
earth”. Here John is saying that to him it seemed as if the stars fell down to the earth. Actually what he was witnessing was that of meteorites which will fall from the sky. This may be an event as earth shaking as the earth encountering a great comet. This type of upheaval would account for the falling stars and for all the people
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SUNDAY SCHOOL PLAN FOR 12-13-15 hiding in caves and holes in the ground for protection as we will see in verse 15. This will fulfill this passage in Joel 2:31. Notice the passage says it occurs before the terrible day of the Lord. So this is only the announcement that it is about to arrive. It is not until after the opening of the 7th seal that the wrath of the Lamb actually begins.
John says “even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when
she is shaken of a mighty wind”. These meteorites or “falling
stars” were like unripe figs that fall from the tree in a winter storm.
The ancient people had a tradition. They believed that the stars would fall from the sky. When this happened, the end of the world would come. The Old Testament and the New Testament agree that there will be a time when the heavens will be shaken just as this one spoken of that John saw, when the heavens will be shaken. We can now tell that this has been prophesied, not just of John, but by dozens of prophets throughout the Bible.
Vs 14: And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of
their places.
Here in verse 14 John says “And the heaven departed as a scroll
when it is rolled together”. The sky will disappear as if God had rolled it up. Turn over to Isaiah 34:4. The earthquake that we talked about in verse 12 of this magnitude would immediately put up a screen of smoke that nothing in the heavens would be visible. These terrible events will come before the Lord returns to the earth. This verse tells about real events that will really happen in the skies during the Tribulation.
Next he says “and every mountain and island
were moved out of their places”. The mountains and islands will be moved during this great earthquake. We can already see where this could happen. What is happening currently with the state of
California? Every so often we loose more and more of California as it falls off into the ocean. I can see where eventually it will be gone.
“moved out of their places”.
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QUESTION: Your thoughts on what we have studied so far?
Vs 15: And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains
Here in verse 15 John says “And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the
mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man”. Wow!!
Who has he not included? At these terrible events, all the people on earth will be afraid. This is what John is trying to convey to us. All people. Everybody who's left unsaved. They will cry out in terror.
John says they all “hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks
of the mountains”. They tried to hide from God and from the Lord
Jesus. They tried to escape from the anger of God and of the Lamb.
They would rather die than meet with God. Look at Revelation 9:6.
This really is the time when even silver and gold will not be able to save people from the Wrath of God.
Vs 16: And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb
Here in verse 16 John says that those that will hide in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains will “say to the mountains and rocks,
Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the
throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb”. In the end, there will be no place to hide. All will have to meet with God. The people of earth will clearly recognize these phenomena as coming from the hand of God, for they are said to cry out to the mountains where they take cover. Suddenly they will realize who Jesus is. But it will be too late. They have rejected Him. Now that it is too late, they realize
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SUNDAY SCHOOL PLAN FOR 12-13-15 their terrible mistake of rejecting Jesus as their perfect Lamb sacrifice. They would rather die right now, than face him and be told of their eternity in hell that awaits them. They now even realize that
Jesus sits on the throne. What a terrible awakening and a terrible mistake to make.
Vs 17: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall
be able to stand?
Here in verse 17 “the great day of the Lord” has finally come.
And, in that day, God will be their judge. This will be the day of God’s anger. And the Lamb will be angry with all those who are on the earth. John says “and who shall be able to stand”? The answer to that is "no one". Nobody will be able to escape from the fierce anger of God and of the Lamb. As a result of these first six seal judgments, many unbelievers will want to die and to hide from God, but will be unable to. The great day of his wrath is the day of the
Lord, the predicted time of God's judgment of the earth and its inhabitants. Turn back over to Joel 1:15 and Joel 2:1 and then 2:11.
The "great day" spoken of here in Verse 17, begins three and a half years of the worst things you could ever imagine. The last day has to be the last judgment. DOOM for the unbelievers. Remember,
Revelation is written to the church, the Christians. It encourages us to look forward to heaven. It, also, tells us the terrible things we will be saved from when Gods wrath descends on this earth. And it leads true Christians to witness to their friends and family while there is still time. Knowing what is coming, we certainly don't want to leave anyone behind. The thing we must do is make sure that we are not left here to face all of these horrors. The way to assure that is by selling out to Jesus NOW. Make Jesus the Lord of your life NOW before it is too late.
QUESTION: Final thoughts on what we have studied so far?
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