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REVELATION CHAPTER 4 - 6 KJV WEB See previous page Rev 4,1-11 (28b) Gift of God >> God is our advocate >> God protects us through our faith – It seems the antichrist has modeled his kingdom after the four living creatures "full of eyes in front and behind" (Daniel 7,1-8), with one exception that the devil is opposite these heavenly creatures, suggesting that Satan was once one of these living creatures (cherub or seraph). The antichrist will even release counterfeit anointings into the world to mimic the seven Spirits of God. Look on the back of a one-dollar bill and note the all-seeing-eye at the pinnacle of the pyramid of gold bars, and consider the handiwork of Satan counterfeiting the very throne of God! This all-seeing eye represents the antichrist guarding his kingdom from disloyalty, primarily from those who would refuse to take the mark. One purpose of these four living creatures, they will play a roll in the last days to protect and save God’s people from their enemies (Rev 12-13,14). See also: Cherubim protect the saints; Rev 6,1-8; 39j (224b) Kingdom of God >> Illustrating the kingdom >> Description of heaven >> Describing the kingdom after he makes all things new >> Description of the ascension – It says in Rev 12-14 that the wings of the great eagle were given to the saints and they flew to their place in the wilderness from the serpent. The wings of the great eagle belonged to one of these four living creatures. God will send one of His cherubs of glory to rescue the Church from the antichrist. So the job of cherubim is to protect God’s worshipers. While their enemies are closing on them, the wings of the great eagle will come to their rescue and whisk them into the wilderness, where they are saved. The antichrist is a beast that thrives in urban environments, but has an aversion to the wilderness, meaning it is an unnatural beast. The Beast represents the epitome of man, who was cast out of the Garden of Eden and into the wilderness, and from the wilderness man has created civilizations, like man-made gardens of Eden and considers the wilderness off-limits. For this reason the beast cannot leave civilization, meaning the mark of the beast does not work in the wilderness, since it is a computer system. This is why God sends His people into the wilderness. See also: Cherubim guard the throne; 224l / Wilderness; Rev 4-1,2; 50h / Beast; Rev 4,6-11; 244e / Mark of the beast; Rev 5,2-9; 39l / Wilderness (Place of safety and protection); Rev 8-10; 60c (224l) Kingdom of God >> Illustrating the kingdom >> Description of heaven >> The holy of holies >> The throne room of heaven – These four living creatures are cherubim. God highly honored them by prominently displaying them on the Ark of the Covenant, located in the Most Holy Place of the old covenant Jewish temple of worship. All we really know about these cherubim is that they are similar to angels, but then we don’t know that much about angels. We don’t know their origin or their history or how long they’ve lived. We only know what they were made to do, at least these particular four; they guard those who worship God at His throne. We must turn to the ancient world of Israel to know more about cherubim, for Ezekiel wrote about these heavenly beings. Cherubim, though fewer in number than angels, might collectively have more authority than all the angels combined. It is possible that the cherubim were created before the angels. See also: Cherubim guard the throne; Rev 4,3-11; 50g Rev 4-1,2 (50h) Judgment >> Sequence of Revelations >> Second half of the tribulation >> The saints flee into the wilderness - spiritual warfare (Pre-rapture ascension) – This door standing open is the same door a few verses earlier in Rev 3-8. It was available to John the revelator, who acts as a microcosm of the Church of those who are faithful in Christ. This door stands open for all who know and love the truth, so that whoever passes through it may receive an anointing that God will bestow on His people like no other time in history, one that will be unique to the last days. There are many pre-tribulation Rapture advocates who say that this open door refers to the Rapture. Actually, they are close. Instead of the Rapture, entering through this door, the same door that the the five wise virgins entered, leads to a spiritual ascension. Walking through this door gives a prophetic anointing that affords us revelation knowledge about the events that will soon take place in the last days. See also: Wilderness; Rev 4,3-11; 50g / Spiritual ascension; 237i (162c) Works of the devil >> Satan determines the world's direction >> (Exception) Carried away by the Holy Spirit (237i) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Transferring the kingdom >> The Church is transferred to the kingdom >> The ascension >> Believers’ spiritual ascension – John said, "Immediately I was in the Spirit," after he walked through this open door; his body remained in the flesh but his spirit went to heaven, making no mention of a resurrection. In fact we could even say that being in the spirit counters a bodily resurrection. He walked through this open door into a prophetic anointing where God revealed to him all the events that would transpire in their proper sequence. Knowing the sequence of Revelation acts like a key that unlocks our understanding of God's intensions in the fulfillment of endtime prophecy. We must have a revelation of God’s word instead of simply knowing a set of facts, if we want to navigate through the last days, one that enters within the veil, giving us an accurate, well-rounded understanding of His overall plan for the Church. If we know the truth, it is because the Holy Spirit taught us by revelation. The difference between knowing a set of facts about the Bible and possessing revelation knowledge from God, is the difference between the ministry of Moses and the ministry of Christ (Heb 3,1-6). It is easy to tell when a person has a mere mental ascent of the Bible and when he actually knows it by revelation of the Spirit. We need a deeper knowledge of the Scriptures if we are going to survive the last days. See also: Spiritual ascension; 50h / Spirit and the Word (Spirit reveals His word to protect us from New-Age teachings); 2Pet 1,2-11; 109f Rev 4-1 (106g) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Hearing from God >> Attaining the hearing ear >> Hearing His voice (118a) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Eyes of your spirit >> Seeing through the eyes of your spirit >> Making spiritual observations (219i) Sovereignty >> God overrides the will of man >> Predestination >> Predestined according to the word of God (237l) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> The Church is transferred to the kingdom >> Transformed from death to life KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Rev 4,2-11 (88i) Thy kingdom come >> Fear of God >> Fearing the power of God is the beginning of wisdom – We don’t know these elders. They may be angelic or possibly of a totally different creation of which we are completely unaware, but most likely they are human and Moses is one of them among others of his caliber. Around the throne came flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder, making the throne of God seem a very terrifying place, yet it is the safest place in all creation for His children. To the unbeliever, though, it would be a horrifying place. An unbeliever would feel more terrified and out of place in the presence of God, in the presence of the holy angels and among righteous souls made perfect than in hell, and for this reason God created hell for him, an environment that is completely outside the presence of God, where he can feel at home. See also: Hell; Rev 4,2-4; 253cc / Presence of God is worse than hell to the wicked; Rev 20,11-15; 48c Rev 4,2-4 (253cc) Trinity >> Relationship between Father and Son >> Jesus is equal with the Father >> Jesus has all the external qualities of the Father >> Outward appearance of Jesus Christ – Despite John’s description of heaven, it it is an unimaginably beautiful place. Therefore, hell, being the antithesis of heaven is an unimaginably horrible place, putrid and full of madness, where the unforgiven filth of mankind is throne into a pit and left to rot, dead souls living a conscious existence that cannot die. Heaven is just the opposite; it is a beautiful place, full of wonder and splendor. It is a place that everyone in their right mind wants to go, meaning those who are not trusting Christ for their eternal salvation are not thinking right. See also: Hell; Rev 4,2-11; 88i Rev 4-2 (55g) Paradox >> Opposites >> God sits on a throne that is standing (215i) Sovereignty >> God controls time >> Suddenly >> The Kingdom of Heaven appears suddenly >> Without warning >> God brings His kingdom to pass in its time – A throne suddenly appeared in front of John and he more clearly realized that God has all power and authority in heaven and on earth. This is the foremost revelation God wants to give us in the last days, that He is reigning from His throne and that His thousand-year reign on earth is about to burst into the natural realm, but there are a few things that first must happen. Notice how many were on the throne: one. The Bible teaches monotheism (one God), and it also teaches that His throne belongs primarily to the Father, and so where is Jesus if He is not sitting on God's throne? Rev 22,1-3 says that the throne belongs to God and to the Lamb, but in this verse it says there is only one sitting on it. This could mean that the Father and Son are united as one, or it could mean that we don't know much about the Father. Perhaps He doesn't have a form, or that Christ is the literal form of God. If the Father has a form, it is completely unknown to us, and if Christ could have explained Him further to us, He probably would have. The point is, the Father is an abrupt mystery, and that will probably never change. See also: God's vision of the world; Jn 14-30,31; 87c Rev 4,3-11 (50g) Judgment >> Sequence of Revelations >> Second half of the tribulation >> Heavenly ceremony prior to the spiritual ascension – The cherubim were full of wings and eyes, meaning they are highly mobile and see all things. They are like birds in that sense. God has given these four living creatures a ministry at his throne as perhaps the closest creatures to Him besides man, who has been invited to sit on Christ’s right-hand, who sits on His Father’s throne. It says in Rev 12-14, “The two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman, so that she should fly into the wilderness to her place, where she was nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent,” suggesting that in the last days God will give authority to the cherubim to defend the Church from the dragon (Satan). The creature that helped the Church had attributes of an eagle, making it no surprise to find this in Ezekiel 10-14, “Each one had four faces. The first face was the face of a cherub, the second face was the face of a man, the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle.” Jewish believers, namely the 144,000, are considered the woman, and her children (gentile believers) collectively are the Church (Rev 12-17). See also: Wilderness; Rev 6,9-11; 48b / Cherubim guard the throne; Rev 4-6; 84b Rev 4-4 (32k) Gift of God >> Father will honor your devotion to Him >> Honor a fruitful life (72h) Authority >> Hierarchy of authority >> More Authority The More Responsibility >> Closer we get to Jesus the more authority we have (113g) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> The anointing >> Heaven’s clothes >> Garments of holiness (226b) Kingdom of God >> Illustrating the kingdom >> Rewards of the Kingdom of Heaven >> Reserved in heaven >> God crowns us with glory for sharing our rewards >> The reward of a crown KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Rev 4,5-11 (234e) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Seeking the glory of God >> Set your mind on the glory of God – In the center of the sea of glass before the throne are “four living creatures full of eyes in front and behind.” They are not human; they are not angels; they are called living creatures because there is nothing else like them. They are not just creatures, but living creatures, suggestive of the life of God that is in them, and for this reason they never cease to glorify His name (seraphim). Unlike the angels that number in the myriads and people that number in the myriads, there are only four of these living creatures. They all have six wings, mentioned in the Old Testament (Ezekiel chapter 1). Images of two of them are prominently displayed on the lid of the Ark of the Covenant located in the Holy of Holies. Rev 4-5 (104d) Thy kingdom come >> Purifying process >> Purified by fire >> Purified through the fiery anointing – Jesus never taught there were seven Holy Spirits, only one, as it is written, “There is one body and one Spirit-...” (Eph 4,4-6; 1Cor 12,7-12). This should make it clear that we are talking about seven anointings of fire as John the Baptist spoke, “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire” (Mat 3-11). We have John the Baptist associating the Spirit with an immersion of fire, and this chapter speaks of reserving seven anointings for the Great Tribulation of the last days, for the purpose of killing the flesh while freeing the spirit from its carnal restraints. John didn’t teach the indwelling Holy Spirit, indicating that the water of baptism is for the body. Rev 4,6-11 (244e) Kingdom of God >> The eternal kingdom >> Eternal life of the trinity >> Father is the source of eternal life – There were world empires that came and went, each having a name. Daniel assigned an animal to each, except one, simply calling it a beast (Dan 7,1-8), because it was different from all other kingdoms. There was not a frame of reference to which we may compare it, like the four living creatures in heaven are different from anything that God has created. This suggests that Satan patterned his last day’s world empire after the four living creatures, because he was once a cherub. According to the pattern of Satan’s counterfeiting ways that oppose God, the essential characteristic of his empire will be death (Rev 6-8), in contrast to the four living creatures, who epitomize the life of God. See also: Beast / Living creatures; Rev 4,6-9; 15h Rev 4,6-9 (15ha) Servant >> Angels have authority >> Cherubim/Seraphim – In the center of this sea of glass before the throne are “four living creatures full of eyes in front and behind.” They are not human; they are not angels; they are called creatures (NASB) because there is nothing else like them. They are not just creatures, but living creatures, referring to the life of God that is in them. Unlike the angels that number in the myriads and mankind that also number in the myriads, there are only four of these living creatures that we know. They are Cherubim with six wings and full of eyes, being cherubs of glory mentioned in the Old Testament (Ezekiel chapter 10). Images of two cherubim are prominently displayed on the Ark of the Covenant, Israel's main artifact of temple worship, located in the Holy of Holies. Satan's kingdom of the last days will bear a resemblance to these heavenly Cherubim, since Satan himself was once a Cherub (or Seraph) before he sinned. There were four tiers of Satan's empire represented by gold, silver, bronze and iron/clay in descending order, according to Daniel's interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's dream (Daniel chapter 2), being a similarity of these four living creatures, who had four faces, that of a lion, a calf, a man and an eagle. Then Daniel had a dream of the same kingdom; the first tier was described as a beast having the appearance of a lion and had wings like an eagle. The second beast was like a bear, the third like a leopard, and the fourth didn't appear like any creature known to man, the devil incarnate, once a cherub (Daniel chapter 7). See also: Beast; Rev 5-6; 111j / Living creatures; Rev 4,6-11; 244e Rev 4,6-8 (117j) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Eyes of your spirit >> Seeing through the eyes of your spirit >> Acknowledging the presence of God Rev 4-6 (28h) Gift of God >> God is our advocate >> God protects His people – We know nothing about the rich history that these four living creatures must have shared with God over the eons, but we do know their purpose is to stay alert and keep watch over His kingdom that no unclean thing should enter through the perpetually open doors, as Jesus commanded us to stay vigilant and keep watch over our souls that no unclean thing should enter our hearts (Lk 17-21). (84b) Thy kingdom come >> Be on the alert >> Remain on duty >> Keep watch – The purpose of the four living creatures “full of eyes in front and behind” is to guard God’s throne from intruders who would seek to enter the gates of the holy city with evil intent. Being omnipotent, God is able to protect His throne, and being omniscient, He knows from eternity past the moment anyone would attempt to challenge His authority, but He enjoys delegating authority to His creation. See also: Cherubim guard the throne; Rev 4,8-11; 244b (125k) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Peace >> God is at peace >> The God of peace – We are familiar with the ocean that is seemingly infinite. When he speaks of a sea of glass, John is alluding to a sea that is completely placid with no wind breaking its surface, wind suggestive of the prince of the power of the air. It is a sea of people, God’s worshipers who number in the billions, at peace, one of the fruits of the Spirit. In the midst of all this would-be terror come flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder, yet no one makes a ripple, for all are at peace with God that surpasses all comprehension (Phi 4-7), because they know they are safe around their Master's throne. (136i) Temple >> Your spirit is the temple of God >> The body of Christ >> Body of Christ is the Church KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Rev 4,8-11 (73f) Authority >> Respect Positions Of Authority >> Respect the Father’s Authority (81l) Thy kingdom come >> Pray without ceasing >> For the Church >> Anointing to pray (101d) Thy kingdom come >> Zeal does not count the cost >> Zeal of God has consumed me (109a) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Revelations of the Holy Spirit >> Spirit reveals the Father – The ramifications of being created in the image of God has stirred much debate. One thing we know, it doesn’t refer to His appearance; whether or not we look like God is irrelevant. We are made in His image in terms of His internal attributes; therefore, He teaches us to love, because that is His primary attribute. Jesus was human before He was born the son of Mary; then He became a man, and He will forever remain a man, but whether the Father has the appearance of a man is doubtful. When we look in the mirror, we see the physical attributes of our form, but if the Father looked in the mirror, He would see the epitome of faith, which is the substance of God, and what form that takes is anybody’s guess. We know that the Father is more than a Spirit, because the Holy Spirit holds that position. Jesus talked about the Holy Spirit and He also talked about the Father as separate entities. Although God is Spirit (Jn 4-24), He is also the origin of faith. We can say that the Holy Spirit and faith are the same (2Cor 4-13), which is the language of the trinity; each member is the same in some ways yet different in others. Jesus promised that He would come to us (Jn 14-18), so He sent the Holy Spirit, meaning He and the Spirit are one, so the Father and Son are one. Therefore, we understand Jesus through the Spirit of Truth (1Jn 4-6), and we understand the Father through Christ. See also: God's substance is faith; Rev 21-3; 104h (133a) Temple >> Your body is the temple of God >> Holiness >> God is holy >> The Father is holy (150i) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Works of the Church bear witness of Jesus >> Speak the word of the Spirit >> Speaking the words that God has spoken to you (244b) Kingdom of God >> The eternal kingdom >> There shall be no end to his increase >> The Father is eternally glorified – When these four living creatures give glory to God, they glorify the Father, who is “God”. They worshipped the one from whom all things flow, and the Son is subjected to Him. In the beginning, when God said in Genesis 1-26, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness,” that was the Father speaking to the Son, and we didn’t hear a retort saying, ‘I have a better idea.’ It was the Father’s will that He should create man in His image, and the Son was in full agreement, and the Father involved His Son and the Holy Spirit in His creation of man. In the same way, God doesn’t need these four living creatures full of eyes to guard His throne, but He created them and gave them this authority because He enjoys delegating authority to His creation, yet the more authority He delegates, the more authority He has. Many people don’t understand this; they refuse to delegate authority in fear of losing it, but this requires them to do everything for themselves without any help, causing them to be less in control. When people delegate authority, their power and influence increases, in that the one who receives authority is subject to the one who gave it to him, and credit for all accomplishments that happen under him goes to the top. God delegates authority to all His creatures and takes credit for what they do. He has lost nothing by giving away His kingdom but has exponentially increased it. See also: Cherubim guard the throne; 252h / Church has authority of Christ; Jn 5-19; 87c (252h) Trinity >> You shall put no other gods before Me >> Worship God >> Worship God for who He is >> Worship God for being God – This chapter depicts the worship of God in heaven, and these four living creatures, the seraphim of glory, lead the chorus. Compare that with people who refuse to hear the gospel message or want anything to do with Him. The last place they want to be is in heaven, yet it is home to the children of God who love Him. God’s people worship Him; we are amazed at Him who is so far beyond us. There are lots of people in the world who think God is the ultimate narcissist as though He needs all attention on Himself, for man and angel alike to sing His praises, but it is not He who needs our worship, but we who need to worship Him. He proved this by sending His Son to die on a cross at the hands of a vial and hostile world; He was anything but worshipped. God is first and foremost a servant, which beckons us to worship Him. Also, we worship Him to avoid organizing a coup against Him. That is, if we don’t worship God, we will worship ourselves, which would make us jealous of Him, having proven this throughout history. We have an innate need to find the person who created us and worship Him. Case in point, “Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, 'Teacher, rebuke your disciples!' 'I tell you,' He replied, 'if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out” (Lk 19-39,40). We want to give thanks to someone for our existence, and who better to give thanks than the one who created us? If we worship ourselves, it will destroy us, but if we worship God, He will preserve us forever. See also: worship God; Rev 4-11; 212a / Cherubim guard the throne; Rev 4-11; 151i Rev 4,9-11 (77m) Thy kingdom come >> Being Humble Before God >> Exalting God through humility KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Rev 4-10,11 (98g) Thy kingdom come >> Endurance (Thorn in the flesh) >> (Faith à Suffering à Glory of Christ) >> The resurrection – These twenty-four elders were human. They were people who were delivered from their sins, washed clean by the blood of the lamb and placed before His throne, people like Moses and Elijah. We know the struggle they experienced because we are going through it too, but we don’t know what the four living creatures experienced to receive their place before the throne (Vs 6-8). We are like butterflies that go through metamorphosis; we are currently in the caterpillar (worm) stage; death is the chrysalis, and the resurrection is the butterfly. We don’t know if the four living creatures had to go through a metamorphosis as we must; there is no mention of it. We may be the only creatures who must die to be resurrected. The angels who sinned with Lucifer essentially died with no hope of being redeemed; they dwell in the disembodied realm of the undead, and mankind will follow them to eternal damnation who reject the salvation of Christ. Rev 4-11 (151i) Witness >> Validity of the Father >> Witnesses of the father >> Creation is evidence of God >> No other source but God can explain the creation – These four living creatures are full of eyes; they see everything, and God placed them around His throne as it were so nobody could sneak up on Him. At the same time, God is all-knowing; He knows the end from the beginning, if someone were to sneak up on Him, He would have known about it a billion eons beforehand and would be ready for him. These four living creatures in that sense are emblematic of God’s foreknowledge. God believes in materializing everything that is real. For example, the human brain, the most organized structure in the known universe, is a highly complex organ that physically houses the thoughts of our soul. We know that the brain merely consists of soft, gray matter, yet it is able to emulate our soul. We know this tissue is not our identity, but it represents us. God will do the same throughout His entire creation forever; He will give us a body, and He will make things in demonstration of His abilities. The four living creatures full of eyes who are watching God’s throne would warn Him of any would-be intruders, but the real purpose for these four living creatures is to give the inhabitants of heaven one more layer of security, one more reason we need never look over their shoulder for danger. See also: Cherubim guard the throne; Rev 4,1-11; 224b (212a) Sovereignty >> God is infinite >> He is the creator >> The creation glorifies God >> The creation exemplifies God’s sovereignty – Anyone who does not want to know God essentially wants to be god. He created us to be His worshipers, and if we don’t worship Him, we will invariably worship ourselves. The worship of man is like homosexuality in that people who worship themselves are fascinated with things of their own nature, whereas worshippers of God are fascinated with Him is different from us, being the Creator and Owner of all things, that He has all power and authority and that He never had a beginning. For this reason to worship ourselves or demons or other people is unnatural and depraved. The reason people don’t want to worship God is that they have aspirations of being god, and therefore consider God their rival. God honors their wishes and has prepared a place for them outside His presence where they can worship themselves forever, a place of their own stripped of every attribute of God's character. Subtract God from the creation and we get hell (Jm 1-16,17). Sadly, most people would rather worship themselves in hell than worship God in heaven. It may be a place of misery and horror and fear and torment, but to them it is somehow better than heaven. See also: worship God; Rev 4,8-11; 252h (248b) Priorities >> God’s priorities >> The will of God >> God exercises His will _________________________________ REVELATION CHAPTER 5 KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Rev 5,1-14 (50ea) Judgment >> Sequence of Revelations >> First half of the tribulation >> Heavenly ceremony prior to the seals – The book was sealed with seven seals, but there was writing on the back, which was not sealed, telling how the story ends, speaking about the new heavens and the new earth. The Old Testament has already told us about this Millennium that is coming, the beginning of Christ's eternal reign, a thousand years of peace on earth before He makes all things new. These things have been detailed by Israel's ancient prophets, but the great tribulation is a system of events that God wants to keep somewhat of a mystery, though many of its events have been written in the book of Daniel (Dan 12-4). Now that the New Testament has come, those seven seals have been broken, and we can open the book and read for ourselves what takes place during the great tribulation prior to this millennial kingdom that is coming. Each seal represents a divine judgment greater than the last. (71i) Authority >> Ordained by God >> Jesus is ordained by God – The cross was Christ's purpose and calling. He was predestined to suffer for the sake of God's children, and accepting His destiny has ordained Him to judge the world. That is, the only one worthy to judge the world is the one who spilled His blood to save it. The Father ordained Christ to shed His blood for the sins of mankind, and after they rebelled and rejected the gift of His grace, He ordained the Son to judge them. In other words, His judgment comes as a direct result of the cross. Last time God judged the world was through Noah. Water represents the Holy Spirit, and much later God released a flood of his grace upon the earth at Pentecost. Soon God will recompense the world with fire, according to the words of John the Baptist, "As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire" (Mat 3-11). Therefore, Jesus was greater than John the Baptist by as much as God is greater than Noah. Jesus was God in human flesh, the very Creator of the universe, the King of heaven and of angels; He had the highest authority of all creation, and this exponentially increased the grace that He released into the world by the sacrifice of Himself. This selfless act by the highest authority acts as the standard that He uses to determine the severity of His judgment. See also: Jesus the judge; Rev 5,1-5; 11e / God Judges the wicked through the cross; Rev 16,1-21; 49h (223k) Description Of Heaven (Key verse) (230h) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> Mystery of godliness >> Mystery of the trinity >> Obey the mystery of godliness like Jesus did Rev 5,1-5 (11e) Servant >> Jesus is our standard – We do not have authority to be judgmental, only to heal and bless. Judgmental people have no choice but to be their own standard, because if they used Christ as their standard, they would have to judge themselves first, which would correct their malediction to judge others. God has given Christ authority to execute judgment because He judged sin in His own flesh. Jn 5-27 says “[the Father] gave [Christ] authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man.” Son of man means son of all men, smaller than anyone, and in that smallness “He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety. Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation” (Heb 5,7-9). See also: Jesus the judge; Rev 5,2-9; 39l (16d) Sin >> Man’s nature is instinctively evil >> Disobedient to the will of God – John began to weep because he was afraid the judgment of God would never come, though there are many people in the world who do not know God, who are on the receiving end of God’s judgment, who have a different view, who hope His judgment never comes. Proverbs 10-29 says, “The way of the Lord is a stronghold to the upright, But ruin to the workers of iniquity.” The righteous see God's judgment as good, analogous to a surgeon’s knife that injures the patient in the process of healing him, whereas the wicked see God through hearts of evil and project their own wickedness onto Him. The wicked think God should leave them alone and let them do what they want; meanwhile, their victims blame God for allowing their evil to continue. The next day they switch roles, but both the judgmental and their victims see God as evil. The only ones who believe in God's judgment are those who trust Him and worship Him. (63a) Paradox >> Anomalies >> Righteous deception >> Jesus deceives His people (111f) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Spirit and the word >> Word and the power (meaning) of God >> Word in obedience cannot evade the power of God – After Jesus overcame sin on the cross, God gave Him authority to execute judgment in the world, and one day He will come on a white horse with all His servants behind Him and take dominion over the earth, and destroy those who oppose His righteousness in the administration of His judgment. Our administration is against demonic forces of wickedness that wage war against the saints and against our gospel that we preach in the world to save those who believe. To the degree that we overcome sin is the degree that we have spiritual authority to preach the gospel and be the world’s conscience. Without Christ's victory over sin we have no power over Satan, who is the accuser of the brethren, and without personal victory over sin, we are just as guilty as the people we are trying to save. God wants to see a contrast between us and the world by our faith. The devil wants to place us under bondage to our addictive sins, but nothing has power to overcome the demonic forces in our flesh that pull us into their dark domain, except faith in Jesus' blood sacrifice. 1Jn 5-4 says, “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world -our faith.” (227j) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> God working in you >> Dependence on Jesus >> Depending on Jesus to fulfill His purpose in us (253f) Trinity >> Relationship between Father and Son >> Father and Son glorify each other >> Holy Spirit honors the Son through the Father >> Father honors the Son who honors the Father Rev 5-1 (40h) Judgment >> Judgment of Christ >> God’s word judges the world >> It does not obey Him – The first five seals are the tortures that man inflicts upon himself in Satan's wrath, though these seals are considered judgments from God, and the sixth seal is a giant earthquake, but the seventh seal contains the seven trumpets of God's judgment. Note, however, that the seventh trumpet does not contain the seven bowls of God’s wrath. This suggest that there are two categories of God's judgment, the Seals that include the Trumpets that occur when the saints are on the earth, and the Bowls that occur after they are gone. KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Rev 5,2-9 (39l) Judgment >> The essence of life defeated the essence of death – There was a woman caught in adultery that the religious leaders brought to Jesus and asked Him if they should stone her, and He answered them, “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her” (Jn 8-7); He was talking about Himself when He said this. The one who was without sin, who was worthy to pronounce judgment against her, refrained from doing so. In the days of His flesh He judged no one, but at the end of the age circumstances will have changed; He will open the seals of God’s judgment and pour them on the earth. It is possible that the last days would have never come had the world not martyred the saints, but they touched the apple of God’s eye and martyred them by the thousands. This is what inspires endtime prophecy to be written and fulfilled. Take martyrdom from the picture (the fifth seal), and all endtime prophecy goes away. Man has performed enormous atrocities since Jesus gave His life for the sins of the world. Greater wars were fought with more loss of life and property than any other time in recorded history, yet God overlooked all this, but He draws the line at the systematic martyrdom of the saints. Many people have been martyred over the centuries, but their death always resulted in promoting the Kingdom of God with more souls converted to Christianity than ever, but the goal of the antichrist is to eliminate the Church from the earth. The antichrist will establish a system of mass genocide against both believing Jews and gentiles with the world’s full backing; people will cast their vote against them by receiving the Mark of the Beast, thus fully endorsing the antichrist’s agenda of martyring the saints. See also: Martyrs; Rev 6,1-8; 64k / Mark of the beast; Rev 6,1-8; 64k / Jesus the judge; Rev 5-2; 15h Rev 5-2 (15h) Servant >> Angels have authority >> They have the power to decree an order – It is because of the victory of Christ that endtime prophecy was written, and we can read for ourselves what takes place and prepare our heart for those days. The fact that there was no one found worthy to open the book and its seven seals means there was no one worthy to judge the ungodly. Although the world will have grown wicked by then, not even the most righteous person or angel has authority to judge sinners, but Christ does. Man has rebelled against His mercy, and so it is only fitting that He should judge them. He came and poured his grace on the world, His own blood was sacrificed, and so God found Him worthy to open the book and break its seals. See also: Jesus the judge; Rev 5-4,5; 188i Rev 5,4-14 (252c) Trinity >> You shall put no other gods before Me >> Worship Jesus (Because He is equal with God) >> Jesus is worthy of our worship >> Worship Jesus for what God made Him through suffering – One of the holiest moments in heaven will take place before the tribulation begins on earth, the ceremony of choosing the only man worthy to open the book and break its seals. Here we see all of creation worshipping Jesus Christ, breaking the First Commandment to worship no other god but the one true God of heaven, if in fact Jesus is not God. The First Commandment says in part, “You shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.” Heaven itself would have been guilty of idolatry and breaking this primary commandment right in front of God the Father at His very throne, had Jesus not been God. Jesus is indeed God, and if anyone wants to think otherwise, he is in an uphill battle against Scripture to prove his anti-Trinitarian views. This ceremony may be happening at this very moment, because the time is near and the first seal is about to be broken, denoting a global economic collapse. Rev 5-4,5 (41d) Judgment >> Satan destroyed >> Be like Jesus >> Jesus overcame sin – No one in heaven but Christ was worthy to open the book, not even the angels were worthy. That is not to say that heaven is full of sinners, but that God’s creation is imperfect, according to Job 4-18, “He puts no trust even in His servants; And against His angels He charges error.” Jesus earned the right to judge the world in righteousness when He sacrificed Himself for the sins of the world, even for those who would reject Him. No one in heaven is worthy to open the book, except the Son of God, who lived in a body of sinful flesh for thirty-three years without ever sinning. We have all done things that have caused God to frown. Adam and Eve sinned by eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil placed in the Garden of Eden that God told Him not to eat, and had the tree not been forbidden, it would have been impossible for Adam and his wife to sin. Without the tree they could have done things wrong and it still would not have been sin, because they would not have acted against God's command (Rom 7-7,8). Likewise, the angels may have done things wrong without committing sin, because no opportunity was given them to sin, except to follow Lucifer in the angelic rebellion against God's throne. This was the event that God used to cull the angelic host of those whose hearts were not fully with Him. God didn’t make his creatures to be perfect but free to be imperfect. God gives opportunity for his creation to prove their hearts to be wholly devoted to Him, but this does not make them perfect; rather, they become perfected through suffering. Jesus was given the opportunity to prove His heart wholly devoted to His Father, and He demonstrated this without fail, and for this reason the Father raised Him from the dead and set Him at His right-hand, being perfect unlike His creation. He only is worthy to open the seals in the eyes of the Father. See also: Adam assimilated into Satan's curse; 2The 2-13; 191k (188i) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Sorrow >> Grieving over your own loss >> Grieving over your circumstances – It says that John began to weep, because there was no one found worthy to open the book and its seals. Why did it sadden him to think there was no one worthy to open the book of judgments and bring upon the world the death of hundreds of millions of people? The exercise of justice brings joy to the righteous and saddens them when it is deferred. Heaven considers God’s judgment to be righteous, whereas the world considers it to be evil (Proverbs 21-15). The world disagrees with God in every conceivable way and laments the execution of His justice. The world’s idea of justice is that God should leave them alone to oppress their fellow man and suppress the truth and destroy the earth. For example, man over-populates the earth and a tsunami follows an earthquake and wipes out an entire seaboard. With so many people, catastrophe takes millions in its wake; they are random and unrelated to God's judgment, but since man refuses to keep his populations in check, the earth does it for man. In contrast, the judgment of God is not random and is meant to be a correction of wrongs. See also: Jesus the judge; Rev 5-9; 37h Rev 5,5-14 (32m) Gift of God >> Father will honor you >> Father honors His Son Rev 5-5,6 (64h) Paradox >> Anomalies >> Weaknesses of God >> God subjects himself to human frailty >> His weakness is stronger than men Rev 5-5 (87c) Thy kingdom come >> Obedience >> Jesus obeyed all the Father’s will -- This verse goes with verse 9 (123b) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Being bold in the position God has given you KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Rev 5,6-14 (56d) Paradox >> Opposites >> humble yourself to be used of God (224l) Kingdom of God >> Illustrating the kingdom >> Description of heaven >> The holy of holies >> The throne room of heaven – Jesus came and took the book from the right-hand of the Father, meaning that these judgments originated from the highest authority, and there was no anger or rage mentioned. The anger is contained in the book to be fulfilled. We would think that if God is all-knowing that there would be no cause for anger, but we know from the Old Testament that God often got angry at the Israelites for their obstinance. This suggests that God did not lead man by his omniscience, but in fact God put an angel in charge of the Israelites, because they were just too frustrating for the Father (Exodus 23,20-23 and Ex 33,1-5). The angel the Father put in charge of Israel was none other than His Son, who was more than once ascribed as an angel (Genesis 16,7-10; Genesis 22-11,12; Genesis 32,22-30; Exodus 3,1-9; Zechariah 1,8-17). The Father thinks exclusively in terms of His omniscience, whereas Jesus does not. Rev 5,6-11 (15ha) Servant >> Angels have authority >> Cherubim/Seraphim Rev 5,6-10 (153b) Witness >> Validity of the Father >> Witnesses of the father >> Jesus bears witness of the Father Rev 5,6-9 (187g) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Die to the flesh >> Dying to receive the glory of God >> Dying to self precedes the resurrection – These seven spirits are in relation to the seven angels of the seven churches that He visited in chapters two and three. Their eyes see the world persecuting the saints, and their horns have lethal power like a bull. Rev 5-6 (13a) Servant >> Jesus is a servant of mankind >> He is smaller than any man (37h) Judgment >> Redemption of man >> His blood delivered us from destruction -- This verse goes with verse 9 (111j) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Spirit and the word >> Word and the judgment of God – Going forward for a moment, Rev 13-1 says that the beast has ten horns (and seven heads). These horns represent power like the horns of a bull (while the heads represent authority). In contrast, with Christ the seven horns are associated with seven eyes, “which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth.” These seven Spirits are angels, which the Church will experience as seven anointings, but the world will experience them as seven Trumpet Judgments. God has prepared seven anointings for the Church in the last days that are given to open our eyes to the power and authority of Christ's coming kingdom. Remember, chapters two and three spoke of seven churches, most of which were having problems serving the Lord. These seven anointings are sent into all the earth to guide the Church into repentance and the will of God, opening our eyes to the power of Christ’s kingdom that is about to manifest on the earth and remain for a thousand years (Eph 1,18-23). See also: Beast; Rev 6,1-8; 64k (118b) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Eyes of your spirit >> Seeing through the eyes of your spirit >> Everything you can see you can have – If God's people suffer for a little while, they will inherit the Kingdom of God along with the entire creation, and God will give them authority over the nations forever. He wants us to comprehend the glory He has given us, that we might have hope to persevere, because Satan is coming to deceive mankind to believe that he has all power and authority. Just as Christ defeated him through the weakness of human flesh, so He intends to defeat him again, only this time through the weakness of our human flesh. God will deliver us from all our enemies, even if He must deliver us from death as martyrs. (209ja) Salvation >> The salvation of God >> Jesus is our sacrifice >> Jesus paid the price for us >> Jesus is the lamb of God >> He was the Passover lamb -- This verse goes with verse 12 KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Rev 5-8 (82k) Thy kingdom come >> Power of prayer >> Prayer prepares you to meet Jesus – These golden bowls of incense, which are the prayers of the saints, take us back to old covenant temple worship with the golden altar of incense placed before the veil leading into the Holy of Holies to illustrate that prayer allows access into the Most Holy Place. Moses taught in Exodus 30-6 to place the golden altar of incense in front of the veil outside the Holy of Holies, whereas Heb 9-4 placed it inside the Holy of Holies. So, which was it, inside our outside the Most Holy Place? The writer of Hebrews was an authority on the subject of temple worship, and since the theme of Hebrews centered on this subject, it is unlikely he was confused about the location of the Golden Altar of Incense. From a practical standpoint, the Golden Altar of Incense required constant attention to keep the perpetual incense burning, but of the Most Holy Place the high priest was allowed only once a year to perform the annual sacrifice for the purification of sin. However, from a spiritual standpoint, the golden Golden Altar of Incense was actually an article of the Most Holy Place, suggesting that our prayers are Most Holy to the Lord, in that it ushers us into the presence of God! Unlike the high priest who was allowed into the Holy of Holies once a year, we new covenant worshippers have access into His presents as often as we wish through prayer, after carrying a bowl of blood with us that represents dying to self and walking past the table of showbread, representing the word of God, and the seven-candlestick menorah that illumines His word. Thus, the four living creatures and the 24 elders, each having a golden bowl of incense, suggests that in the last days God will endow us with an anointing to pray, and since the lamb has “seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God, sent out into all the earth,” the objective of this anointing is to pray for the elect that their eyes may be opened to the greatness and power and glory of Christ that is manifesting on the earth to reveal His millennial kingdom. See also: Temple of Worship (Placement of the furniture); Jn 10-9; 119e Rev 5-9 (37h) Judgment >> Redemption of man >> His blood delivered us from destruction -- This verse goes with verse 6. It says in Rom 5-9 that the blood of Jesus has saved us from the wrath of God, and here we see God using the blood of Christ to judge the world. Therefore, our faith in His grace saves us from judgment through His blood. Jesus opened the seals, representing the judgments of God, meaning the embodiment of God's grace has become the judge of all the world. This book is about the Revelation of Jesus Christ, the Revelation of God’s judgment. Knowing that hell is the ultimate judgment from God against the enemies of Christ, the book of Revelation describes hell becoming anxious to receive its inhabitants, being unable to wait any longer and reaches to the earth's surface and pulls the disobedient into its lair. Note that heaven has made this into a song, suggesting that the judgment of God is a blessing to the righteous. The fact that Jesus went to the cross and paid the ransom for mankind, has ironically made Him worthy to judge the world. The very object of grace that would have saved them has become their condemnation, and their Savior has become their Judge. See also: Jesus the judge; Rev 5,1-14; 71i (87c) Thy kingdom come >> Obedience >> Jesus obeyed all the Father’s will -- This verse goes with verse 5 (114h) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Working the grace of God >> Jesus does God’s work >> All his works are done through the father >> Jesus exercises His will through the will of His Father (209i) Salvation >> The salvation of God >> Jesus is our sacrifice >> Jesus paid the price for us >> Jesus paid our ransom with His own blood (213k) Sovereignty >> God is infinite >> Jesus owns you >> His will becomes our will >> We are bought with a price KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Rev 5-10 (81a) Thy kingdom come >> Prayer >> The priesthood >> We are a type of Jesus’ priesthood – Jesus purchased for God with His own blood men from all the nations of the world, and He has made them to be one nation of priests to His God and Father, and they will reign upon the earth. Just as our lives in the flesh are a microcosm of the age of Millennium, so the Millennium is a microcosm of eternity. That is, what we do in this life will impact how we experience the Millennium, and what we do in the Millennium will impact how we experience eternity. We decide the quality of our lives by our level of service toward God. Christ is our intercessor to the Father, as we have the role of priest and intercede for the people whom God has prepared for salvation. He will create a people in eternity after He makes all things new, and He will fill the creation with loyal subjects, and we will intercede for them. Although there is no sin in heaven, they will need us to intercede for them for guidance and correction. (231j) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> Body of Christ is the organism of God’s kingdom >> We are the body of His kingdom Rev 5,11-14 (144c) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Witnesses of Jesus >> The Church bears witness of Jesus >> Having fellowship with Him (151i) Witness >> Validity of the Father >> Witnesses of the father >> Creation is evidence of God >> No other source but God can explain the creation (224g) Kingdom of God >> Illustrating the kingdom >> Description of heaven >> The joyful kingdom >> Rejoicing in heaven – People in hell will hear the commotion of heaven in the praise and worship directed at the Father and the Son in exultation of God Almighty. Hell itself will hear this joy and join the chorus and celebration. This is a depiction of heaven before the children of God fill its streets, before God conquers sin and death and before He creates a new heavens and a new earth. Every created being will worship God, including the rocks according to Lk 19,37-40. (233i) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Seeking the glory of God >> Seek His glory without wavering >> Seek His glory through obedience – This scene in heaven describes all things that Lucifer sought when he fell into transgression. Every living thing worshipped Christ and His Father, ascribing to Him: power, riches, wisdom, might, honor, glory, blessing and dominion forever and ever. Lucifer sought all these things and lost his place in heaven. To us God has given His throne to sit at Jesus' right-hand, as He sits at His Father's right-hand. God has withheld nothing from us. Lucifer received all things barring God’s throne without a mediator and then gambled it all away, while we with a mediator have received all things, including His throne. Rev 5-11,12 (15g) Servant >> Angels >> The presence of angels denotes authority – This is the song of angels. The “living beings” are cherubim and seraphim; Lucifer was once a Cherub, the greatest of all the angels. They reside closest to His throne in proximity, yet man's position with God is even closer than cherubim and seraphim, for Christ has invited us to sit with Him on His Father's throne. Not just some of mankind but all who are in heaven have a place of authority, and our position with Christ is determined by investing this life in the Kingdom of Heaven. (130b) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Unity >> Being in one accord >> Having one voice – If the inhabitants of heaven can worship God in a state of unity, then it is God’s expectation for us to unite in this life (Mat 6-10). We are called to act in one accord and have one voice, for unity is key to the Church’s ability to please Him, and the Church cannot fulfill the great commission apart from unity. With unity is synergy, the interaction of elements that when combined produce an effect that is greater than the sum of its parts. Another way to describe the effects of unity is through exponents. We can get out our Cartesian Coordinate system and plot a line following the value of an exponential equation (x2 = y), and it will generate a curve leading to infinity. Compare that with a non-exponent equation (such as x + 2 = y); it generates a straight line that is almost horizontal. If we try to establish the Kingdom of God in a way that our effect is equal to our work, we will get nowhere, but unity’s effect is greater than the work we put into it, so we can accomplish things greater than ourselves, but to do this we must have one voice. It is nice to have one voice in a church, but it is better to have one voice in many churches, so the more churches unite, the more we unite as one true Church. See also: Working the grace of God (We must walk in His grace; Act 24,24-27; 55m Rev 5-11 (118a) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Eyes of your spirit >> Seeing through the eyes of your spirit >> Making spiritual observations Rev 5-12 (209ja) Salvation >> The salvation of God >> Jesus is our sacrifice >> Jesus paid the price for us >> Jesus is the lamb of God >> He was the Passover lamb -- This verse goes with verse 6 Rev 5-13,14 (243m) Kingdom of God >> The eternal kingdom >> There shall be no end to His increase >> God's kingdom is Infinite >> God will create a new Adam and Eve (252h) Trinity >> You shall put no other gods before Me >> Worship God >> Worship God for who He is >> Worship God for being God – Every created being confesses these words, even the dammed in hell can't help but worship God. When they see His glory, there is only one appropriate response; God's presence invokes a knee-jerk reaction of worship within His creation. Rev 5-13 (151j) Witness >> Validity of the Father >> Witnesses of the father >> Creation is evidence of God >> Living things reflect the nature of God (212a) Sovereignty >> God is infinite >> He is the creator >> The creation glorifies God >> The creation exemplifies God’s sovereignty _________________________________ REVELATION CHAPTER 6 KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Rev 6,1-17 (49c) Judgment >> Enemies of God’s righteousness are destroyed Rev 6,1-8 (39j) Judgment >> Jesus defeated death >> Jesus defeated this world system >> Jesus defeated Satan in the world -- These verses go with verses 12-17. All four living creatures one at a time said “come” at the breaking of the first four seals, as demons each were assigned a horse of the apocalypse. It is significant in that these living creatures play a role in protecting the saints during the great tribulation of the last days. We have never heard the term “living creatures” until the book of Revelation, but we have heard “cherubim” stated in the Old Testament. The fact that cherubim are mounted on the Ark of the Covenant, which resided in the Holy of Holies, suggests that the purpose of the living creatures is to lead the Church into a Most Holy Place with God during the tribulation of the coming days. See also: economic collapse; 64k / Cherubim (Living Creatures); 2Cor 5-3; 212h (64k) Paradox >> Anomalies >> God helps Satan >> God’s judgments accomplish the devil’s will – The beast is in a continual process of change and mutation, so that there are actually four antichrists in all throughout endtime prophecy, just as there were four cherubim. Each antichrist competes against each other and is each assigned a horse, and in each instance there are two entities involved. In one case there is the false prophet and the beast, and in another case there is the beast and the harlot, so these names keep changing like a mutating virus to accommodate the different antichrists that emerge. The first antichrist manages the controlled demolition of the world economic system, called the false prophet; the second antichrist takes peace from the earth in reference to rioting and war; the third antichrist is the result of the first two: desolation and poverty. The third antichrist the Bible meticulously describes instituting the mark of the beast and targets Christians for martyrdom. This is the one that most concerns God, because he slaughters the saints in an organized fashion resembling Hitler’s holocaust. The fourth sets up shop in Jerusalem and leads the war of Armageddon. The seals depict the total collapse of civilization, riots and war, unimaginable poverty, starvation and disease, ending in the martyrdom of the saints. Years will not separate these events but months, meaning social order will disintegrate very rapidly. The third horseman will require the world to receive a mark, and by receiving it privileges those who receive it the right to eat and doubles as a vote against the saints, thus sealing their fate in the lake of fire, which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. These are the names of the four antichrists: economic collapse, war, poverty and hell. See also: Martyrs; Rev 6,9-11; 48b / economic collapse; Rev 6-1,2; 50e / Beast; Rev 4,1-11; 224b / Mark of the beast; Rev 6-5,6; 23j Rev 6,1-7 (15ha) Servant >> Angels have authority >> Cherubim/Seraphim Rev 6-1,2 (50e) Judgment >> Sequence of Revelations >> First half of the tribulation >> The seals of Satan's wrath >> First seal - Collapse of the global economy – Who is this rider on the white horse, and what does the first seal represent? It signifies the total collapse of the global economy. The most deceitful words spoken by a man since the fall of Adam were recently spoken, “We are too big to fail.” Perhaps the only thing rivaling this deception was the government actually giving them the money they demanded! The federal government implicated itself in this worldwide economic deception when it agreed to bailout the banks. The global economy is a giant Ponzi scheme that when money stops flowing into it, it immediately collapses! It will suddenly become crystal clear that the monetary system we have taken for granted has been the kingpin of our civilization, so when it collapses and they restart it, they will establish it according to their specifications. Then they will be in absolute control of who buys and sells and who doesn’t. See also: economic collapse; 160a (85d) Thy kingdom come >> Words that are spoken in faith >> Powerful when spoken by the Spirit >> The spoken word of God (160a) Works of the devil >> Essential characteristics >> Counterfeit >> Counterfeit God >> Counterfeit Christ – The first five seals depict Satan’s wrath. The very first seal portrayed a white horse that had a rider with a bow in his hand and a crown on his head. Everything about this description depicts a skillfully crafted satanic deception. In fact, deception is the main point of the first seal. The fact that his horse was white denotes righteousness, implying that the rider portrayed himself as having good intensions, but in fact he was the epitome of evil, making his white horse a counterfeit of the horse Jesus rides. The fact that the rider had a bow but made no mention of arrows implies that he had no power to kill, yet his bow still suggested war, not conventional war, but a war of economics. Therefore, the power of his bow is deception. He goes to war with lies, fraud and deceit, and a crown, representing authority. His crown is another lie; he went out conquering the global banking system, and to conquer an emerging one-world government. See also: economic collapse; Rev 6-3,4; 25f (175c) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> Form of godliness >> Wealth gives a false sense of godliness – A white horse denotes false righteousness, emblematic of monetary wealth. People with big money have favor with the people and give the impression of having favor with God solely by virtue of their financial prowess that others envy. It makes them appear to have God’s blessing, but nothing could be further from the truth. KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Rev 6-3,4 (25f) Sin >> Poverty (Forms of fear) >> Satan and his children are murderers – Taking peace from the earth refers to war between (and within) nations, referring to the third world war and civil war, along with anarchy, national unrest, rioting in the streets, general lawlessness and gang warfare that controls whole neighborhoods. This is the result of total collapse of the global economy. People will no longer be able to buy the things they need, such as food and a roof over their heads, and so they will slay one another instead of helping each other as they did in the Great Depression (1929-1939). God gave us that decade as a testimony against the inexcusable barbarism of the coming days. During the Great Depression there were few reports of rioting that will be common in the Tribulation. The coming days will be similar to the atrocities of World War I, only worse. Germany was oppressed and became desperate, being charged with reparations for other countries after the Great War. Personal character has been bred out of the human gene pool; the two great wars were largely responsible for this (see: Rise of ), that worked to harden man's heart. Going back to a time before WWI, people were far more open to the gospel. On Sunday morning the whole town came to church, and nobody locked their doors, for the fear of God was instilled in people's hearts, but after WWI everything changed. Man's heart hardened against God and against their fellow man. There were skirmishes and other wars prior to those, and they all had the same effect of hardening man's heart, but they weren't like WWI that involved all the developed nations of the world in mass murder, attrition in trench warfare and carnage on a grand scale. An attitude of social isolationism and personal supremacy replaced the fear of God and a common sense of decency. All government-financed welfare programs will be terminated, and policing will be disbanded, so lawlessness will abound. Grocery stores and homes will be raided for their last morsel of food; people will be shot on the street for a pair of shoes or for the coat they were wearing. Law cannot exist in a collapsed economy. See also: economic collapse; Rev 6-5,6; 23j (50e) Judgment >> Sequence of Revelations >> First half of the tribulation >> The seals of Satan's wrath >> Second seal - WWIII Rev 6-5,6 (23j) Sin >> Poverty (Oppression) >> The cause of poverty – A loaf of bread for a day’s wages denotes hyperinflation. It will make living in developed nations virtually impossible. The more developed a nation, the greater it will be effected in the fulfillment of endtime prophecy. Civilization will no longer be feasible, proving that money is at its core. When money fails, civilization fails; it is just that simple, and those who are in control know it. Put so many psychopaths in charge of the money supply and they will naturally abuse it to control everything and everyone. The average wage today is about a hundred dollars a day, which can scarcely buy groceries for a week, but the coming day’s wages won’t buy a sack lunch to take to work. If people still have jobs, they will probably quit, seeing it is a waste of time and calories. It will give more time for people to slay one another and to steal, kill and destroy. We can point our finger at those in control, but they couldn’t have accomplished their objectives without our help. We remember a day when money was for sale, and it wasn’t even necessary to pay it back, just go bankrupt or default on our mortgage. That was the 1990’s. We walked into their trap, believing all the while they were walking into ours. Even the little guy took advantage of the exorbitant money supply, but these were mosquito bites compared to what the global economy did to manipulate the money supply with their multi-billion dollar derivatives, making short-term gains, always thinking short term. Finally the money system imploded from a lack of substance in 2008, showing what will happen in the coming days. We should have allowed the economy to collapse instead of bailing out the banks with borrowed money, so when the collapse occurs, it will be worse than ever. See also: economic collapse; 249l / Mark of the beast; Rev 6,9-11; 50f (50e) Judgment >> Sequence of Revelations >> First half of the tribulation >> The seals of Satan's wrath >> Third seal - Rioting, social unrest, famine and disease (108e) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Balance >> God's sovereignty balances good from evil (249l) Priorities >> God’ s preeminence >> Wealth >> World’s perception of wealth >> The world’s wealth has no value >> The world’s idea of wealth opposes the truth – When it says, “do not harm the oil and the wine,” it is talking about the very wealthy, who will seem immune to the coming global economic collapse, not because they have so much money, but because they have invested their billions in mountains of gold and silver and other real assets, which maintains its value in financial crises. Gold could easily top $65,000 an ounce, during the days of the seals, making it worth over a million dollars a pound, and silver could rise to $1,000 an ounce. They will literally have tons of it, and they will be able to live luxuriously, like they always have. So, what are the wealthy preaching about finances today? They discourage anybody from physically owning silver and gold, because they are buying it for themselves, but we hear a lot about continuing to invest in the stock market, which is destined to crash, and they plan to use the crash to make pennies on the dollar off the backs of the little guy. For this reason they will be able to afford oil and wine during the worst depression in human history. The very wealthy will be unaffected by the very economic disasters they caused. The top echelon, the multi-billionaires, are controlling the economy, intentionally directing it into shallow waters and running it aground as a way of culling the populations of the world. Their plan is for millions and even billions of people to die, and turning what remains of the human race into slave laborers to work in their sweatshops for pennies. With the populations diminished, they will establish a new economy with themselves at the helm, one that is totally unique to any economy that has ever existed in the history of mankind, one that will be completely computerized, that will require a mark on the hand or on the forehead in order to buy or sell. They consider themselves gods. They want to control not just money but people; they want to control literally everything, and they want man to fall on their knees and worship them. See also: economic collapse; Rev 6-7,8; 47e KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Rev 6-6 (28h) Gift of God >> God is our advocate >> God protects His people Rev 6-7,8 (26b) Sin >> Consequences of sin >> Death is hell >> Sin has the sentence of hell (47e) Judgment >> God Judges the world >> Hell is a place of the dead – It says, “Authority will be given to them over a fourth of the earth.” Who is “them”? John is referring to the horses and their riders over the first four seals. Thus, the fourth seal is added to the first three and to a fallen economy ravaged by inflation. The fact that hell is following means the systematic extermination of Christians has not yet begun; people were dying without Christ, according to the plan of the financial elite culling the world's population. Everyone’s wealth has been lost who didn't invest in real assets; people will have no means to buy food. Gangs will have run their course, rioting and pillaging, having taken the last morsel of food from the stores and robbed everybody of everything that could be construed as valuable in times of desperation; then starvation and death will set-in as the fourth seal. It will be the darkest time in human history, and that is saying a lot. Bodies will be stacked wherever they can find a place for them; the stench will be unbearable; rats will multiply by the millions, which will gorge on the corpses and spread disease among the living, dramatically increasing the human mortality rate. Predatory animals, such as mountain lions, bears and even feral dogs, will increase from the sudden prevalent food source of human flesh, after people have resorted to living in the woods. See also: economic collapse; Rev 6,9-11; 242b (50e) Judgment >> Sequence of Revelations >> First half of the tribulation >> The seals of Satan's wrath >> Forth seal - Massive human die-off Rev 6-8 (245k) Kingdom of God >> Spirit realm imposed on the natural realm >> Literal manifestations >> Manifestations of the devil >> Manifestation of sin Rev 6,9-17 (98m) Thy kingdom come >> Endurance (Thorn in the flesh) >> Endurance invites the Holy Spirit into your life >> Endurance invites the judgment of God KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Rev 6,9-11 (44c) Judgment >> Satan destroyed >> Complete >> Fulfill the requirements (48b) Judgment >> God judges the world >> Eternal judgment – Satan (the dragon) through his antichrist will incite the multitudes against the saints to have them martyred, just as he incited the people to kill Jesus. Satan will attempt to quietly silence the saints during a Great Endtime Revival without shedding their blood, for this revival will expose Satan as a ruler of spiritual wickedness that has plagued mankind since Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit. Satan will attempt to quell this revival by employing the pope as the savior of the world, and when he fails, the false prophet who controls the world economy will burn Rome and set-up shop in Jerusalem and pose as Israel's Messiah in effort to quell the revival led by the Jews. He will enter Jerusalem’s temple, but the Jews will reject him as their messiah. The Two Witnesses will be there to defend the truth from Satan’s lies, exposing him as the antichrist. After this, Satan’s rage will turn to bloodshed against the saints in Jerusalem. See also: Martyrs; 50f / Wilderness; Rev 6-11; 219j / Last days (Ten Virgins); Mat 26,36-46; 196j (50f) Judgment >> Sequence of Revelations >> First half of the tribulation >> The seals of Satan's wrath >> Fifth seal - Mark of the beast -- Martyrdom – About 200 years after Paul died Catholicism was born, and it was a demonic replica of the true Christian faith. Instead of being like Paul who loved the saints, Catholicism martyred them, like Paul did before he met the Lord. Catholicism murdered more Christians than any other institution in the world. This is a historical fact, and they don’t like to be reminded of it. In confronting a Catholic priest, he would probably send us away before he talked to us about their spotted past, yet the religion as a whole has not openly repented of its bloodstained inquisitions and its murderous crusades, suggesting that it is still in its heart to continue martyring the saints if given the opportunity, and in the last days it will be given that opportunity. See also: Martyrs; 116l / Mark of the beast; 242b (84ca) Thy kingdom come >> Be on the alert >> Be faithful till Jesus comes >> Endure to the end (85g) Thy kingdom come >> Words that are spoken in faith >> Testify of God’s works (113g) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> The anointing >> Heaven’s clothes >> Garments of holiness (116l) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Rest in Jesus (Sabbath) >> Rest in His yoke by dying to self >> Relax as God kills you – This passage says that these martyrs grew impatient and asked God how much longer they must wait for judgment to fall on those who martyred them, but this was mostly figurative in that the martyrs entered eternity and time is no longer relevant, and those who are martyred trust in God’s judgment. Rather, it was their blood that cried out to Him from the earth, as in the case of Cain and Able (Genesis 4-10), “'What have you done?' replied the LORD. 'The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground.'” Martyrs trust everything about God; that is why they were martyred. Jesus' answer was to wait and relax and rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow martyrs was complete. It speaks in this way as though they were in a holding tank beneath the altar, referring to their bodies and the First Resurrection, but these martyrs didn’t go anywhere different than all Christians who have died; they found paradise in the presence of God. See also: Martyrs; 189f (126m) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Patience >> Be patient in your circumstances (148b) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Works of the Church bear witness to Jesus >> Evangelism >> Solemnly testify against unbelief (189f) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Martyr >> Martyrs bring about the judgment of God – The fifth seal holds the key to understanding the rest of endtime prophecy. If it weren’t for the fact that the world decided to martyr the saints, God would have allowed man to continue on his murderous rampage without lifting a finger. He has given man the freedom to do whatever he wants. That was the deal He made with Adam when he made man and gave him the earth. However, there is an exception clause: 'Do not martyr My saints!' Once they started martyring His people on a grand scale, they stepped over a line, and now God has stood from His glorious throne and is terminating man’s multi-millennial reign of terror. Had the world left God’s people alone, this age would have continued, but martyrdom has dropped the curtain on man’s age, precipitating the trumpets of God’s judgment and ultimately the bowls of His fierce wrath. God will not idly sit for long and watch His people martyred for their faith. See also: Martyrs; 192b (192b) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Result of putting off the old man >> Gain by losing >> Life for life >> Losing your life to gain God’s purpose – Each of us are called to Die to Self (Paul coined this phrase in the book of Romans). There are certain denominations in Christendom that believe Jesus was sacrificed so we don’t have to die to self, that we can enjoy our lives even richer and fuller because of Him (prosperity doctrine). However, we are all called to sacrifice the evil passions and desires of our sinful nature, which is tantamount to sacrificing our lives in the world. Forces of evil empower the world system, like gasoline fuels an engine, so for us to sacrifice our sinful passions and desires is comparable to removing fuel from a fire. To deny ourselves and pick up our cross and follow Jesus is part of every person’s calling; these martyrs are no different from us, except that they literally died to self. See also: Martyrs; 209g (201g) Denying Christ >> Man chooses his own destiny apart from God >> Jesus is an offense >> Jesus offends the world >> The Church offends the world (209g) Salvation >> The salvation of God >> Righteous saved with difficulty >> Righteous saved with casualties – Some might say that it is a sacrilege to think anyone would be called to give his life for Christ, that if anyone tried to replace the blood of Christ with their own blood sacrifice, it would be blasphemous, suggesting that these martyrs oppose the blood sacrifice of Jesus. However, they didn’t sacrifice themselves; somebody else sacrificed them, and God received their deaths as martyrs. “They did not love their life even when faced with death” (Rev 12-11). They would not concede to the antichrist or take his mark or follow his ways or be part of his New World Order; they would rather die. See also: Martyrs; 220b (213a) Sovereignty >> God is infinite >> God is all knowing >> God knows everything about everything (214h) Sovereignty >> God controls time >> God’s timing >> God’s time is soon >> Relatively soon (220b) Sovereignty >> God overrides the will of man >> Predestination >> Predestined according to the sovereignty of God – The martyrs’ complaint was figurative for the purpose of bringing across the point that God’s judgment is sure to fall on those who martyred them, and that He had predestined them to be martyred. God’s answer to His martyrs included a comment about predestination as a way to comfort them, suggesting that predestination is a comfort to the righteous, because it indicates that He is in absolute control, even when it appears that He is not. God has given us these times to believe in Him. God controls the apparent randomness that occurs all around us and allows whatever happens to us, and He has all the power in the universe to act on that randomness to make whatever changes He wants for an outcome that He has specifically designed. This is the mindset of the Father: He exclusively thinks in terms of foreknowledge. He doesn’t think any other way; He knows the end from the beginning, but He lives in the present. The name He gave to Moses at the burning bush was I AM (Exodus 3-14). He has always existed, and He always will. God has divested Himself from this creation because of sin, but the next creation will be heavenly, and He will dwell within its fabric like He dwells in the believer, calling us the first fruits of the new creation (Rom 8,19-23). See also: Martyrs; 242b (242b) Kingdom of God >> Opposition toward the Kingdom of God >> Persecuting the kingdom >> Persecution to the death >> Martyrs – Martyrdom on a grand scale by a world economic system designed to quell dissonance on those who refuse to take the mark of the beast is the ultimate sign of the times. By the fifth seal, the leaders of a dawning new age will be busy rounding up the saints and systematically exterminating them, hundreds of thousands of Christians, and God will take an extremely dim view of it. There are essentially two signs to God's decision to pull the curtain on man's multi-millennial reign and establish His own millennial kingdom in its place. The first sign is martyrdom of the saints, and the second is, “The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood-idols that cannot see or hear or walk. Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts” (Rev 9-20,21). See also: Martyrs; Rev 6-11; 219j / economic collapse; Rev 6,1-8; 39j / Mark of the beast; Rev 6-16,17; 105f (251b) Priorities >> God’s prerequisites >> Making plans >> Making plans according to the will of God >> Making plans according to the counsel of His will KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Rev 6-10 (107e) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Hearing from God >> Truth of the trinity >> Jesus is truth (133a) Temple >> Your body is the temple of God >> Holiness >> God is holy >> The Father is holy Rev 6-11 (219j) Sovereignty >> God overrides the will of man >> Predestination >> God’s calling is our destiny – “It is written,” said Jesus to the devil during His temptations in the wilderness. The fact that the seals have been written in the book of Revelation are facts that will transpire in the last days as a production of God’s foreknowledge. The fact that these things have been predestined in fine detail to a specific number of martyrs that must be killed before He will act, and that number ranges into the hundreds of thousands if not millions, it is a testimony of God’s patience for the lost. It is also a testimony of God building wrath against those who will not repent. Once the earthquake occurs as the sixth seal, being the trigger that starts the process, there is no stopping the angels from blowing their trumpets and fulfilling endtime prophecy like a set of dominoes. See also: Martyrs; Rev 5,2-9; 39l / Wilderness; Rev 4,1-11; 224b Rev 6,12-17 (39j) Judgment >> Jesus defeated death >> Jesus defeated this world system >> Jesus defeated Satan in the world -- These verses go with verses 1-8 (40b) Judgment >> Jesus is the judge >> Jesus judges the world’s disobedience – God hates rebellion more than we will ever know; eternity is not long enough to fully grasp how God feels about creatures challenging His authority. Submission is the only way to live with God in peace and harmony forever, but with rebellion man can live maybe six thousand years, a mere season, before rebellion ultimately leads to self-destruction, which the Bible teaches is the consequence of sin. (50g) Judgment >> Sequence of Revelations >> First half of the tribulation >> The seals of Satan's wrath >> Sixth seal - A colossal earthquake (51a) Judgment >> World & church >> Warning of wrath >> Consequences of sin – If an avalanche occurred and they were killed and buried under tons of rock and boulders, it would be better than the fate that is awaiting them in hell. There is no way to reverse direction or repent, for they had already taken the Mark of the Beast. Even with the most vivid imagination, they could never conceive their impending fate, cast into a lake of fire and tormented day and night forever and ever. This shows the level of hatred that God has for sin; He takes man’s rebellion personally. It is a hatred that transcends any human wrath, and He warned us of it from the beginning in the very first commandment, "I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God." He jealously defends His honor, despising all forms of idolatry and protects His throne from those who would try to steal His glory. Much as Satan is capable of anger and wrath, God’s wrath is infinitely greater. The Father is incomprehensible to us, though Jesus said to Philip, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (Jn 14-9). Jesus was referring to His grace and mercy, but there is another side to God that Jesus did not show us, His wrath against sin that He demonstrated on His Son while He hung on the cross. (175i) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> Ignorance >> Dodging the issue (willful ignorance) >> Dodging the issue to get out of trouble (203a) Denying Christ >> Running from God >> Wicked men cannot approach the throne of God >> God chases them away from His presence – The presence of God is more excruciating to the wicked than the prospect of hell. They would rather the mountains fall on them to escape Him who comes to judge them for martyring the saints. They would rather run to their place that God has prepared for them than to face the wrath of the Lamb. He is far worse to the wicked than the lake of fire, and for this reason God has made them a hell, that the wicked might find relief from His presence. (218c) Sovereignty >> God overrides the will of man >> God’s will over man >> You cannot control the judgment of God >> You cannot control how God responds to persecution (218d) Sovereignty >> God overrides the will of man >> God’s will over man >> Reaping the harvest >> We choose our actions, not their consequences >> God controls the consequences of our actions (232d) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Seeking the kingdom >> Count the cost >> If Jesus cost too much, then you aren’t worth much (245g) Kingdom of God >> Spirit realm imposed on the natural realm >> Literal manifestations >> Manifestation of God’s righteous judgment >> Manifestation of God’s justice – This earthquake serves as confirmation that God’s judgment has officially begun, blocking out the sun and igniting various volcanoes around the globe that coughs up plums of smoke and ash. The stars fell from the sky, means the earth shook so violently that it made the stars appear to quiver, but in fact it was the earth that was shaking. The earthquake will be felt around the globe, while people see the stars darting in and out of their places in the night sky. It says that all the mountains and islands moved from their places, but they are not re-moved. Such an enormous earthquake is reserved for God’s final judgment (Rev 16,17-21). It says the last earthquake will cause the crust of the earth to liquefy, leveling every mountain and removing the islands, causing volcanoes to spew out huge volumes of lava and changing the topography of the earth in preparation for the Millennium, whereas the one in this verse will seem to shake the earth a little by comparison. KJV WEB / Navigation Bar Rev 6,15-17 (51k) Judgment >> Judging the Church with the world >> No partiality with God’s justice (221b) Kingdom of God >> The elusive Kingdom of Heaven >> Kingdom hidden behind the veil from the world >> God hides from man’s ignorance >> God hides from those who are looking for Him Rev 6-16,17 (105f) Thy kingdom come >> Pure in heart >> Lacking a pure heart – People in the last days who do not believe in Jesus, who have taken the Mark of the Beast, have lost their ability to repent. Taking the mark will double as their vote to rid the world of Christianity and to slaughter the saints. They have already made their commitment to Satan in systematized genocide, and their souls will become evil as the devil himself. See also: Mark of the beast; Rev 4,1-11; 224b (209ja) Salvation >> The salvation of God >> Jesus is our sacrifice >> Jesus paid the price for us >> Jesus is the Lamb of God >> He was the Passover lamb – What the people saw that frightened those who hid in the mountains from the presence of the Lamb was the difference between themselves and God; they realized that Jesus was without sin. When God placed Jesus in a body like ours, being perfect, He was “tempted in all things as we are, yet [He was] without sin” (Heb 4-15), which is incomprehensible to us. No one else in creation could have accomplished this, not even the angels. He proved to all creation that God is perfect, not just in theory but in practice. The Bible says that when we get to heaven, God will give us a resurrected body that no longer craves sin and will perfect our mind to never think about sin (Heb 12-23). We will never be tempted again. He will not make us robots, for these are the things we want. We get weary of our sin and long for the day of our freedom (Rom 8-20,21). Rev 6-16 (111e) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Spirit and the word >> Father and the Son See next page