I want to read verse 10 and 11. Well, I'm sorry. I was in the wrong chapter. I want to read verse 15, 16, and 17 of the book of Revelation 6. And we're going to cover the entire chapter during this time as we gather around the Word of God. But I want to read these three verses out of that chapter just to give you an idea of what we're going to look at as we enter into the study of this chapter. Verse 15 says it like this, And the kings of the earth and the great men and the rich men and the chief captains and the mighty men and every bondman and every free man hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains. 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? That chapter ends with a question. Who is going to be able to stand in the day of God's wrath upon this earth. Let's go to the Lord in prayer, and then we'll look at our study sheets together and go through this chapter together. Our heavenly fathers, we come before you, Lord. We just want to tell you that we love you. I'm so glad, Lord, that I'm on your side. I'm so glad, Lord, for the day that you saved me. And then Lord called me to preach. And Lord, here I have the opportunity to stand before people and preach and teach a word. Lord, I'm grateful for that. I count it an honor to represent the Lord as I stand here today. And Lord, as I do, Lord, I want to treat your book right. I want to treat your bride right. So I'm asking you, dear Father, to please anoint me with that fresh anointing of God. For Lord, in my own strength, Lord, I cannot do this. Lord, it's not in me, but Lord, I'm asking it to be of you. So Lord, please anoint me afresh and anew. Grant me, Lord, the unction and utterance and understanding that'll be needed through the course of this entire day. But Lord, I pray not for myself alone. I pray for every person in this room. Lord, I understand that every person before me this day is going to be involved one way or another in this Revelation chapter 6. I understand that, Lord. And I'm asking you, dear Father, that you would please deal with every heart that's in this room, from the youngest to the eldest. God, move mightily, Father, even now. And we want to thank you and praise you for what you're about to accomplish. And all of God's people said, amen and amen. You can be seated this morning. Let's look at this together. We have looked at the witness of the Lamb in chapters one through three. And in chapters four and five, we've considered the worship of the Lamb. In this study, now we will encounter our third division of the book of Revelation as we consider the wrath of the Lamb. This study will take a considerable amount of time to accomplish, for it is the most comprehensive description given in the Word of God concerning the tribulation period that will last about seven years on earth. This section of study will begin with chapter 6 and continue through chapter 19. The reason we have selected to title this section, The Wrath of the Lamb, is because the word wrath is used 13 times within these 14 chapters. And the first time that it shows up in this division of the book of Revelation is Revelation 6 and verse 17 for where the Word of God says this, For the great day of His wrath is come, and who shall be able to stand? And then in verse Chapter 19, verse 15, it says, And out of his mouth, talking about Jesus Christ, goeth a sharp sword, and with it he should smite the nations. And he shall rule them with a rod of iron, and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. Number one, let's consider the understanding of this setting. In Revelation 6, verse 1, the Word of God says this, And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were, the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. 14 of the 22 chapters of the book of Revelation are devoted to this one dispensation known in Scripture as the worst, most catastrophic time that this earth will ever experience concerning the Jewish nation of Israel, It is called a time of Jacob's trouble. In Jeremiah 30 verse 4 and 5 it says these words, And these are the words that the Lord spake concerning Israel and concerning Judah. For thus saith the Lord, We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace. And then in verse seven, alas, for that day is great, so that none is like it. It is even the time of Jacob's trouble, but he shall be saved out of it. It is also known as the tribulation period because of the judgments that will be exacted upon the heavens and the earth during that time. In Matthew 24, verse 21 and 22, The Word of God records it for us like this. It said, For then, these are words of Jesus Christ being spoken, For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved but for the atlexic. Those days shall be shortened. Then in Luke 21 verse 25 and 26, we read these words, and there shall be signs. in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars, and upon the earth distress of nations with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring, men's hearts failing them for fear and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth. for the powers of heaven shall be shaken." We are presently living in the final days known as the church age. The Holy Spirit is working to bring the final few to repentance and belief in Jesus Christ. The voice of the church is fading as the lukewarm church falls away from its commission. The faithful churches are facing much opposition around the world today. Sinful man is demanding that the gospel voice of the church be silenced. They do not want to be told their way of living is sinful. In America, They're demanding the separation of church and state as a means of omitting God from our society. And let me just stop right there and say this. It does not say anything about separation of church and state in our Constitution. That was an amendment that was made for the purpose of protecting the church from the government. Not the other way around. It was never written to say, you can't include God in our government. Hey, we've got to include God in everything. Our family, our government, our schools, our education system. We need God involved in everything of our lives. In other countries, governments are destroying church buildings and killing Christians if they do not renounce their faith. The only thing standing in the world's way right now is the Holy Spirit and the church. If they could just get rid of these two witnesses, they could live in their sin without restraint. God will give the world their desire. One day Jesus will descend from heaven and call all of his people out of this world. He will leave no one behind who belongs to him. The church's message and the restraining ministry of the Holy Spirit will come to an end. And then the tribulation We'll begin in 1 Thessalonians 4 verse 16 and 17. We read these words for the Lord Himself. Now this is not a fairy tale. This is actually going to happen one glorious day. For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout and the voice of the archangel and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so shall we ever be with the Lord. 2 Thessalonians 2 and 7 says this, For the mystery of iniquity doth already work. Only he who now letteth will let until he be taken out of the way. John Phillips wrote in his commentary on exploring Revelation, he wrote these words, for two breathtaking soul-inspiring chapters, speaking of Revelation 4 and 5, we have been in heaven. The scroll has changed hands and the right to judge and rule the world has been placed upon Jesus. Now we must come down from the mountain out of the ivory palaces down here on the rebel planet of earth. The tempo is increasing. Passions are rising. Evil men and seducers are waxing worse and worse. Disobedience to parents has grown up into brawling maturity, defying all authority. Men have become inventors of evil things, and their fearful inventions have become Frankenstein monsters, threatening to destroy the globe. The time has come for God to intervene in human affairs, so judgment is given to the Son. The seals on the scroll are to be broken. There will be total chaos when Jesus takes his church out of this world. Millions will suddenly disappear, and every graveyard will show evidence that something unexplainable has happened. What a dilemma for the world to respond to. Just when the world was seeming to recover somewhat from its many issues, the disappearance of God's people will affect every corner of this globe. In 1 Thessalonians 5, verses 1 through 3, we read these words, speaking of the time that we are living in right now. It said, but of the times and seasons, brethren, you have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, peace and safety, Then sudden destruction cometh upon them as travail upon a woman with child, and they shall not escape. Let's look at the first seal. The first seal is open, and it says, And I saw, 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. The first horse is white. The rider sitting upon this horse has a bow and a crown is given to him. He goes forth conquering and to conquer. This rider is the world leader that will arise to bring all the nations together with one common crown. The bow he has given represents a covenant that will ease the tensions between all the nations. The first bowl ever mentioned in Scripture was after the flood of Noah's day. It says in Genesis 9 verses 11 through 13, And I will establish My covenant with you, neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by waters of a flood, neither shall there be a flood to destroy the earth. And God said, this is the token of the covenant. which I'll make between me and you and every living creature that is with you for perpetual generations. What is that token of the covenant? I do set my bow in the cloud and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. Every time you see a rainbow in the clouds, that is the token of God's covenant that he will never drown this earth again with water. When the Antichrist arises, he will obtain world domination through a covenant that he will make with Israel and the rest of the nations. He will also be very wealthy through the backing of world investors which will come together to settle the world down under a global economy and dictator. The book of Daniel reveals these truths in Daniel 9.27, and he, talking about the Antichrist, shall confirm the covenant with many for one week, and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations. In chapter 11 verses 36 through 39, we read these words. And the king, talking about the Antichrist, and the king shall do according to his will. He shall exalt himself and magnify himself above every god. and shall speak marvelous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished. For that that is determined shall be done. He shall magnify himself above all, but in his estate shall he honor the God of forces. The first seal reveals the rise of the Antichrist to power over the entire world. He will be the imposter of Jesus Christ, the second seal. In Revelation 6 verse 3 and 4 we read these words, And when He had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. 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. The second seal is opened, and a red horse rider is revealed. This rider has power to take peace from the earth, and he has a great sword. The one thing that man has longed for ever since he sinned against God in the garden is peace upon earth. Cain killed Abel because his relationship with God was wrong. There is no peace without Jesus Christ. Can I get a witness right there? Because this world rejects the King of Peace, there will be no peace between men during the tribulation period. Every person will be an enemy of one another and a threat to each other. The world cries for peace while at the same time it arms itself for Armageddon. Egypt, Syria, Iran and Iraq have developed biological and chemical weapons. Neutron bombs that kill people but leave buildings intact are being developed around the world. It is interesting to note that the symbol of Islam is the sword. Islamic nations are very deceptive and very militant. The Muslim nations include Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, and Pakistan. Osama bin Laden stated before he died that the difference between Americans and Islam is that Americans love life, but Muslims love death. In Isaiah 57 verse 20 and 21, the Word of God says this, But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked. Did you notice what that said? That the wicked are like the troubled sea that stir up the mire and the dirt. We are having so much mire and dirt stirred up among us now in our society. The vile affections are openly being displayed and highlighted and even exalted among us today. At the opening of the second seal, peace is taken from the earth and a sword stands in its place. The third seal. And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld and lo a black horse, and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny, and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine. The third seal reveals a black horse and the rider of this horse holds a pair of balances in his hand. Worldwide famine is inevitable. The food supply will greatly diminish during the tribulation as a judgment of God. The world does not appreciate it now, neither do they comprehend this truth. God gives us our food every day. We need to understand that. We go to Kroger and we buy food. We go to Ingles and we buy food. But it is God that produced that food and put it where it is. He placed it where it is. We ate this morning, I ate a sausage biscuit this morning, and that food came from God Almighty. If you've eaten anything today, it is God that gave you that food. It was not that it just happened to be there. God placed it there for us all to enjoy. Rod Mattoon said in his commentary on Revelation, we're already seeing signs of famine now, even in the USA. Presently, out of about 180 countries in the world, only four produce more food than they consume. They're the USA, Canada, France, and Argentina. As the population of the world continues to increase, famine continues to rise in underdeveloped or oppressed countries. The United Nations claims that 30 million people in Africa are at risk of dying from famine. The North American grain reserves are at their lowest levels in decades. Massive changes in weather patterns are also contributing to a shortage of food. Property development is turning from farm fields into shopping malls and parking lots. Overgrazing, deforestation, and poor farming methods are ruining the land and crops. By 2025, it is estimated that one million child deaths per month will come from starvations. Because of food concerns, attitudes and actions of cleansing and controlling the population have been implemented for years. New Age and New World Order publications suggest that the earth can only sustain a population between one or two billion, which is not true. They believe the world has four billion people too many. Baby girls are killed in countries like China, India, North Korea because of limitations placed on the size of the family. Famine and population control measures will both increase in intensity in the future. You do understand that abortion is a means of controlling population. That's why there's so many people that's for it today. They want to control the population. And we're not affected like this picture we're seeing right here with starvation in this country. We're not seeing lines of children and adults lined up together waiting for somebody to give them a little bowl of porridge to eat. We don't know what that's like. But around this world, that is already happening. And it's going to get worse during the tribulation period. It is going to be worldwide during the tribulation. Every country will be affected by starvation during the tribulation. The fourth seal. Revelation 6 verse 7 and 8, And when it opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. 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 him over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with the sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beast of the earth. The fourth seal is opened and it reveals a pale horse. This rider is given a name called Death. This rider has a partner that rides with him called Hell. Power is given unto them to kill one-fourth of earth's population by the means of four implementations. The sword, hunger, death, and the beast of the earth are unleashed upon the entire world. Not only will men be at odds with this fellow man, but the beasts of the earth shall become extremely ravenous and threaten the survival of everyone. The four horsemen of revelation or six are the first ones to travel around the earth at the opening of the seven seals. People are dying. Famine is a reality and the inhabitants are literally experiencing hell on earth. The fifth seal. 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 fellow servants also and their brethren that should be killed as they were should be fulfilled. The fifth seal is opened. And the martyred souls of the saints in heaven are crying out for vengeance. When Cain killed Abel in Genesis, God came to Cain and asked him where his brother Abel was. Cain responded and said that he did not know. And then the Lord made an amazing statement to Cain about Abel. He said in Genesis 4 verse 10 and 11, this is God speaking, and He said, And He said, What hast thou done? The voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto Me from the ground. And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand. The blood that Cain shed had a voice crying for vengeance that only God could hear. Now in heaven, all the saints that have been murdered throughout the centuries for the name of Christ are crying for vengeance to be poured out upon earth. While on earth, the church prayed for the sinners to be saved. Now that judgment is determined upon the inhabitants of the earth, retribution is begged for. The time has come for God to balance the books and avenge His very elect. In Luke chapter 18, verse 7 and 8, we read these words. And shall not God avenge His own elect which cry day and night unto Him though He bear long with them? I tell you that He will. Avenge them speedily. In Isaiah 63, 4, For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come. Again in Revelation 12, 19, Dearly beloved, Avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath. For it is written, Vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord. The sixth seal. Revelation 6 verse 12 and 17, And I beheld, when He opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black. and 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. and the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens, and in the rocks of the mountains, 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. The sixth seal is open, and there's a worldwide earthquake. This earthquake is so devastating that the ripple effect will send tsunamis around the entire planet that will crush every mountain and drown every island into oblivion. Untold millions will die at this sixth seal. In Isaiah 24, we read about this in verses 19 through 21. The earth is utterly broken down. The earth is clean dissolved. The earth is moved exceedingly. The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage. And the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it, and it shall fall and not rise again. And it shall come to pass in that day that the Lord will punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth. During this time, the entire earth will move violently in space like a drunkard. Gravity will hold everyone in place on this planet as it is judged by the one who created it. There will be no place to run or to hide from this judge. We've read some heavy stuff. in Revelation chapter six. But thank God for a book that will tell us the truth. Thank God we have the inspired, preserved words of God for us that tells us the truth about the future. Here's my last thought about this portion of scripture, and I want to end right here. There are two scenes displayed before us in this chapter. The first is in heaven where the Lamb is opening the seals and His people are gathered with Him to witness the outcome. The second is on earth. Worldwide devastation is taking place during this time. We are living in the last days and everyone reading these words will either be in heaven during this time or on earth to experience the wrath of God. Where will you be? Heaven or earth? The choice is yours. Jesus Christ died for your sins and He rose from the dead. He is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God making intercession for you to be saved. Romans 8 verse 34 says this, Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Would you be willing to call upon the name of the Lord? He is your only way to God. John 14, 6, Jesus said it like this. He said, I am the way, the truth, and thee life, no man cometh unto the Father but by me. And then in Romans 10, 13, for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Before I was saved, there were some guys out at the railroad where I worked that was leaving some little gospel tracks. And in those gospel tracts, they were talking about the mark of the beast, which we'll get to eventually in Revelation. It was talking about the time of tribulation and what a devastating time that's going to be on this earth. And that was back in 1982. And I could see from what those little tracts were saying that what they were saying was true. That it was really going to happen just like it was saying. I got under conviction November that year I got saved because I was learning some truth about the future. What we've read this morning is not Brother John's words, it's the Word of God. And those things that we just read out of Revelation 6 are going to happen just as we read it. And you're during that time of Revelation 6, You're either going to be in heaven with Jesus Christ, or you're going to be on this earth to experience all of that devastation. Where will you be? The only escape for any one of us is Jesus Christ. No other way. You can't be good enough. You can't join enough churches. Baptism will not do it. It's only through believing in Jesus Christ can any one of us be saved. I made mention that the Lord so graciously led me to this area of Merrillville. And I'm thankful to be a part of your lives. And it's my desire that when I finally make it over there to see every one of you, there with us in heaven. If you've never been born again, if you've never trusted Jesus Christ as your risen Lord and Savior, I beg you today to trust Him. Trust Him before it's too late. Jesus could come back any moment. Do you realize before I even dismiss this service, Jesus could descend and He could call all of the church away And if you're left behind, you're going to experience all of this that we've just read out of Revelation 6. And there's more to follow. There's more descriptive chapters in the book of Revelation telling us about this horrible time called the tribulation period. If you're not saved, please come. Please come. Please bow before the Lord and ask Him into your heart before it's too late.