Bad News

Revelation 6 describes the events that will be taking place during the seven-year period upon the earth known as the Great Tribulation - from the time that Jesus takes His church out at the rapture until He comes again with His church at His glorious second coming described in Revelation 19. So, between Revelation 6 and 19 we have a detailed account of the horrors, destruction, and desolation coming to this old planet earth.

REVELATION 6:1-2

In Revelation 6 Jesus begins to loose the seven seals in heaven, and we see the resultant events that take place upon the earth. "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 [living creatures]" (Rev. 6:1).

The word beast is an unfortunate translation. To us beast denotes a dumb animal, but these are living creatures. These are angels called "cherubim" which are about the throne of God. They are a very intelligent creation of God.

One of the four living creatures said,

Come and see [the words "and see" are not in the earliest versions]. 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 (Rev. 6:1-2).

There are some who teach that the white horse rider is none other than Jesus Christ. I personally believe that the white horse rider is the Antichrist. I believe that the moment Jesus takes the church out of the world the hindering force of the Holy Spirit will be removed - and then that man of sin shall be revealed, the son of perdition (2 Thessalonians 2:3,7-8).

The power of God's Spirit working in the church is hindering the Antichrist from taking over the world today. Once the church is raptured, there'll be no hindering force whatsoever and the Antichrist will move in.

I also do not believe that this is the second coming of Jesus Christ because it is followed by wars, famines, and death. The coming of Jesus Christ will usher in the glorious era of peace - God's millennial age upon the earth. In addition, this white horse rider appears at the very beginning of the Tribulation period; I cannot see this as the coming of Jesus Christ.

The term "conquering and to conquer" does speak of an ultimate conquest. The Antichrist will take over the earth and establish his kingdom. He'll receive the authority, throne, and kingdoms from Satan, which Satan once offered to Jesus if Jesus would bow to him, and begin his rule upon the earth.

It is interesting that we already see signs of the Antichrist in the world. I believe the "peace symbol" is one of the signs of the Antichrist. Historically, it is the sign of the broken inverted cross that originated with Caesar Nero. Nero is my candidate for the Antichrist (see Rev. 17:10-11 commentary). He originated this peace symbol as a sign of his hatred against Christianity.

The Bible declares that a powerful man will arise on the world scene. This man will bring the world under his control through a peace program and economic strategy.

The Antichrist will set up an economic system that will do away with money. Everyone will be assigned a mark. You won't be able to buy or sell without that mark. Ultimately, it will be affixed either in your hand or in your forehead (Rev. 13:16).

The Bible described this system two thousand years ago. In October 1974 in the state of California, several banks introduced what they called the "cashless society." You can pay your bills and arrange all your transactions by a bank number. The bank takes care of everything. You don't even need to see your paycheck. The bank receives it automatically from your employer.

Money has become a dangerous commodity because it's so easy to steal. Many service stations have a sign: "No cash accepted after 7 P.M." In many areas you already need a number on a card to buy gas after dark.

Daniel tells us that the Antichrist will make a covenant with the nation Israel, which will no doubt grant her the right to rebuild the temple. However, after three and a half years the Antichrist will break this covenant with Israel, and in that rebuilt temple he'll set up an image of himself. This image has the power to speak and all the world will be ordered to worship it (Rev. 13).

We could theorize about the image with the capacity to speak and the numbering monetary system. You could say that the image is perhaps a fantastic computer system that will sit in the temple, and that all commerce will be done strictly through computer transactions and everybody will be assigned a number.

We can only guess how it will happen. However, it will happen. God's Word cannot fail. Jesus said, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away" (Matthew 24: 35). You can be sure, since God said it, that it's going to happen! This man of sin, the son of perdition, the Antichrist shall be revealed.

Satan, who rules over the earth at the present time, will give the Antichrist his throne. Satan will turn it over to this madman until the world is brought under his dominion, power, and control.

REVELATION 6:3-4

And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second cherubim [living creature] say, Come. 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 (Rev. 6:3-4).

The Antichrist will come first of all with the program of peace. He's going to establish himself as a "man of peace." He will actually be able to effect a certain degree of peace upon the earth for a time.

For the first three and a half years people will rejoice in the economic prosperity and peace that this man brings. They'll say, "Peace and safety! Let's eat, drink, and be merry! He's a genius! He's a god!" The world will begin to worship him. But his peace will be short-lived. Just as the people begin to say, "Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them" (1 Thessalonians 5:3).

The second horse, the red horse of war, comes and the world is plunged into great wars and conflicts which will culminate in the Battle of Armageddon.

REVELATION 6:5-8

When he had opened the third seal, I heard the third cherubim [living creature] say, Come. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures 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 (Rev. 6:5-6).

A "measure of wheat" is about a quart; "a penny" is a day's wage.

Jesus told a parable about the man who went out early in the morning to hire laborers to work in his fields, and he contracted them for a penny, a day's wage (Matthew 20:1-2). Today this amounts to approximately forty to fifty dollars.

Therefore, a measure or quart of wheat for a day's wage speaks of a famine or a scarcity of food. We know that prices are governed by the supply and demand of an item. Here they'll be selling a quart of wheat for forty-five dollars.

A lot of people are trying to hedge for the future by buying silver and gold. When it gets right down to the basics, the commodity that will really hold its value is food. You can't eat gold or silver. It doesn't digest well. So, if you want to be wise, put your money into wheat, and when this time comes you can be the wealthiest man during the Tribulation period. But then, what are you going to do with the gold you get for the wheat?

There will be a tremendous famine upon the earth. In giving the signs of His coming to His disciples, Jesus spoke of famines, pestilences, and earthquakes being upon the earth (Matthew 24:7). We have famines already to a certain degree. In fact, it seems that we have to write-off certain nations because the famine is so great. We just won't try to help them. We'll only help those on the borderline of famine because we can't supply food for all the people of the world. It's very tragic in this day of modern industry and technology that man cannot even provide for the food needs of the world. And with the rapidly increasing population, things are getting worse - not better.

This famine follows in the wake of war. Should we have an atomic war right now, the whole balance of food supply would be in a precarious position. Two thirds of the world today is living under starvation conditions. There are very few nations which have a surplus of food. Imagine what would happen if a full-scale atomic war was fought and all the food supplies became contaminated and inedible. We can easily see the possibility of a terrible famine coming upon the earth.

When he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature [or cherubim] say. Come. 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 the sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth (Rev. 6:7-8).

The fourth horse rider comes forth, the pale horse of death. Through the wars (the red horse), through the famines (the black horse), and through this pale horse of death, one-quarter of the earth's population will be wiped out. As the earth's population is nearing five billion, over one billion people will be destroyed by these horsemen. It's hard for us to conceive of such carnage.

REVELATION 6:9-11

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: 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? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled (Rev. 6:9-11).

Who are these "souls" under the altar? They are those who were slain for the Word of God and for the testimony which they held. These are the souls who have been martyred during the Tribulation period. They are calling for vengeance upon those who killed them.

These souls under the altar are not the church or church martyrs. The church has already taken its place in the heavenly scene, singing glory to the Lamb for the redemption by His blood (Rev. 5). This group martyred during the Tribulation period doesn't take its place in the heavenly scene until Revelation 7 (between the sixth and seventh seals).

Martyrs and the Mark

The Antichrist is going to make an image of himself, and the false prophet will demand that the earth worship this image (Rev. 13). These two have the power to put to death anyone who refuses to worship this image (Rev. 13:15). However, an angel is going to fly through the midst of the heaven saying unto the people, "Don't take the mark of the beast. Don't worship him or his image. If any man worships his image, there is no hope and he is condemned to Gehenna" (Rev. 14:9-11). There is no possibility of salvation for anyone who takes the mark of the beast, worships the beast, or worships his image. Many will refuse to take the mark and will turn to Jesus Christ.

Many will be killed during this time for the Word of God and the testimony they hold. Oftentimes we worry about the salvation of our loved ones. The worry is good. Perhaps you'll intercede and pray for them now. It's very important.

Once the church has been raptured, it doesn't mean that the opportunities of salvation have ceased. It will be possible for people to be saved during this Great Tribulation period. After the church has been taken out, many of your loved ones who have rejected Jesus Christ will know that your witness to them was true. I believe many of them will turn unto the Lord and seek salvation. God is gracious and merciful, and salvation will be given to those who will believe and trust in Him in that day.

These martyrs who have refused to take the mark of the beast are given white robes and told to rest for a short season until their total number be complete - until those to be slain as the martyrs were slain are fulfilled.

Some of you may be breathing a sigh of relief, saying, "If I miss the rapture I can always make it in the back door. I'll be one of the martyred souls under the altar." It would seem to me that if you have difficulty living for Christ now with the strength and help of the Holy Spirit, you'll have a harder time dying for Christ then. When the church is removed, you'll be on your own. It's much better to go in the rapture of the church.

REVELATION 6:12-14

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; 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. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places (Rev. 6:12-14).

Great cataclysmic events will take place upon the earth, including great meteorite showers.

In Arizona there is a huge meteorite crater in the desert between Flagstaff and Winslow. One meteorite can do an amazing amount of damage. Imagine the devastation if such a meteorite hit an area like Los Angeles.

In 1908, a meteorite hit Siberia and leveled forests for miles. In fact, the explosion and the damage were so tremendous that the physicists believe the meteorite might have been anti-matter. Anti-matter in theory is a reversal of matter as we know it. Matter is composed of atoms having electrons revolving around a nucleus of protons. The theory of anti-matter proposes that antimatter atoms have protons revolving around a nucleus of electrons. According to this theory, when matter meets with anti-matter, there is a tremendous atomic explosion. So devastating was the destruction in 1908 in Siberia that some physicists have theorized an antimatter meteorite actually hit the earth. We don't know for sure.

It is interesting that Isaiah describes the same cataclysmic events as John. He said the earth will stagger to and fro like a drunken man and be moved out of its place (Isaiah 13:13; 24:20). Joel describes these things as he speaks about the powers of the heavens being shaken and the sun and the moon being darkened (Joel 2:30-31; 3:15-16). Jesus spoke about these great cataclysmic events as preceding His second coming.

There is an interesting book by Immanuel Velikovsky called Worlds in Collision. The major premise of this book is that the planet Venus was introduced into our solar system during the historic period of man. The author believes that Venus made a very close pass to the earth about the time that the children of Israel were delivered from the Egyptian bondage. It made its second pass at the time Joshua came into the Promised Land. Then the planet Venus was fixed in its present orbit in our solar system.

Velikovsky describes the events that took place at the time of Moses and the exodus from Egypt - those plagues that came upon the Egyptians when the waters turned to blood (Matthew 24:29-30). He ties these events in with the approach of the planet Venus to the earth and the myriad of meteorites that would result from this close pass. He speaks of the earth changing direction in its orbit at that point. He gives evidence to show that perhaps Venus' pass took place during this period of history, collaborating it with historic events around the world.

As Velikovsky described the events that would take place at the introduction of a planet into our solar system, my mind went on to the future and to an event that is going to happen - the great earthquake.

The sun becomes black and the stars of heaven (the meteorite showers) come upon the earth. There will be tremendous devastation. The heavens will depart as a scroll when it is rolled together, and every mountain and island will move out of its place. These are the cataclysmic judgments of God that will take place upon the earth at that time. Just how God is going to do it, we don't know - but He will do it.

Polar Axis Shift

We have another possible explanation for the predicted cataclysmic events. According to many physicists a polar axis shift takes place about every five thousand years. We're a little overdue for our polar axis shift now.

Our present polar axis is set at a twenty-three degree pitch in its relationship to the sun. This slant gives the earth its seasons. We know that the seasons today are not as they have always been. At one time there were forests at the South Pole. Explorers have discovered charcoal deposits two hundred feet under the ice.

The North Pole regions and Siberia used to be tropical areas. The remains of mammoths have been found encased in ice and perfectly preserved. This speaks of an "instant freeze" process taking place some time in the past. In the digestive tracts of these mammoths they have discovered tropical vegetation. So, we know that at one time the earth was actually more tropical and lush than it is now.

Physicists tell us that a polar axis shift creates great convulsions throughout the earth causing mountains to disappear. There used to be a great ocean around Salt Lake City, Utah. The Great Salt Lake is all that remains now. There are sea shell fossils at the south rim of the Grand Canyon. That whole area was once under a great sea. Some scientists believe that at the last polar axis shift this ocean covering Utah and Arizona actually flooded south, creating the Grand Canyon, and now comprises the Gulf of California.

During a polar axis shift whole mountain ranges disappear while others are forced upward, oceans move and tidal waves are generated. All the earth's geographical structure and surface undergoes tremendous change.

Before the earth changes the tilt of its axis, it goes into a wobble like a top that is slowly running down. Then it suddenly shifts. Studies by physicists show that the earth has already gone into a wobble and could shift at any time.

It is an interesting possibility and may be what Isaiah was referring to when he said, "The earth shall stagger to and fro like a drunken man [the wobble] and then shall be removed out of her place." God could shift the earth so that it receives an even, all around exposure to the sun. If the earth didn't have the present tilt, but was perpendicular to the sun we'd have the same uniform relationship to the sun and, once again, the polar caps would melt. The increased heat would produce much more moisture in the atmosphere, creating lush and tropical jungles all around the world.

It is very possible that the flood in Noah's time could have been created by the polar axis shift. It would closely correspond to the time some physicists say the last shift took place. This could also explain why the life span was shortened after the flood. The drastic atmospheric changes may have caused an increase in ultraviolet and infrared ray penetration and, consequently, a quickening of the aging process. It's quite interesting to study these scientific matters and to realize how marvelous a book God's Word, the Bible, actually is.

REVELATION 6:15-17

Will communism conquer the world? I can declare to you that it shall not, because we find different classes of men described in Revelation 6:15.

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 [all classes of men that exist at the present time], hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? (Rev. 6:15-17).

We are now living in the Age of Grace. God has been merciful and gracious unto us. God has been very longsuffering and patient. But the day of His wrath is coming.

God was long-suffering and patient with the men of Noah's day, waiting 120 years as Noah built the ark before the flood finally descended. The patience of God was manifested then, and God has been patient and long-suffering now. But God said in the time of Noah "My spirit shall not always strive with man" (Genesis 6:3). That is also true today.

There are many people who misinterpret the longsuffering of God for weakness. They say that God will not judge His people. David declared that the wicked who are rich and prosperous say, "Does God see? Does God hear? Will He judge the world?" (Psalm 94:7, 9). They live as if there were no God. But the day of God's wrath shall come - the tragic day for those who are left here.

The very fact that "the great day" is the day of God's wrath, "the wrath of the Lamb," would again preclude the church being upon the earth. "For God has not appointed us to wrath" (1 Thessalonians 5:9).

When the wrath of God was to be poured out upon the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham said unto the Lord, "Will not the Lord of the earth be just? Isn't God fair? Would You destroy the righteous with the wicked?" And Abraham proposed, "What if there be fifty righteous in the city, would You destroy the fifty righteous?"

The answer was, "No." If there were fifty righteous men then God would spare the city for their sake. But what if there's only forty-five righteous? He'd still spare it. What if there were only thirty? He'd still spare it. What if there were only ten? God would still spare it. But when the angel of the Lord arrived in the city of Sodom, there were not ten righteous. So, the Lord delivered Lot and his wife and two daughters (Lot's wife didn't make it completely). Then the judgment came upon the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah (1 Thessalonians 5:9).

God delivers the righteous. Referring to this very same incident, Peter said, "The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished" (2 Peter 2:9).

The day of God's wrath is come. But God isn't angry with us, for we have accepted His provision through Jesus Christ. God's anger against our sin was visited upon Jesus Christ, and He died in our place.