you Welcome to the pulpit ministry of the Clearview Baptist Church in Redmond, Oregon. It is our sincere desire to magnify the scriptures, to glorify the Lord, to testify of the Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ, to edify the Christian, and to notify the sinner. Jesus Christ said, in answer to Satan, in Matthew chapter 4 and verse 4, It is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. It's our desire to be a blessing to you today. With our Bibles open, we invite you to listen to today's message. Let us open our Bibles back to the book of the Revelation, chapter 6, and we gave you what we called an explanation this morning regarding the 70th week of Daniel and related the chapter, the Olivet Discourse, Matthew chapter 4, and we brought up several things regarding the tribulation period, how that it encompasses the beginning of sorrows, it encompasses the great tribulation, it will be divided in the midst. That being said, we come to chapter 6, and we're just going to begin reading. and deal with more of an exposition. I want to get all the way through chapter 7. Again, this won't be in the detail we normally give you verse by verse, but we'll still try to give you enough that it will make better sense, some of the things we said this morning. Revelation 6, verse 1. This whole chapter is what I call the progressive description of the seals. Chapter 7 is a parenthetical. It's a parenthesis where you give more details. That's what it is. It's a parenthesis in the judgment of the vision as given to John and Jesus is explaining, the angel signifying, explaining certain aspects. Revelation 6.1, And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were, the noise of thunder. Remember, throughout the book of the Revelation, thunder announces judgment is about to fall. One of the four beasts saying, come and see. 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. I don't have the time today, but if you go to Revelation 19, you will see the Lord Jesus Christ on a white horse. When you compare these, And note the differences. I cannot believe this is Jesus Christ in the first seal. I believe in the first seal of the white horse. What we find is peace. realized in the world in religious pretense, and I believe it is the coming of the Antichrist. That's who I believe this white horse rider is. This would be what many call the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. It reaches back to Zachariah's vision in the Old Testament. So the Antichrist will be that white horse rider. He's cloaked with a counterfeit piece, and he is a rider on a white horse armed with a bow. He comes to imitate the true King, even Jesus. And He will ride on a white horse, judge, make war, bring forth a consummation of the age. Matthew 24, 4 and 5 gives you a good comparison. Verse 2, a crown was given unto Him. This is the crowning of the Antichrist. He will be crowned, by the way, in that day. He will rule. Yet, He is under the dominion of our Lord and Savior. He's just a part. God's divine prophetic program. But then there's the conquering of the Antichrist. He will go forth to conquer and to conquer. I don't know how long the peace treaty will last in that sense. There's going to be so much war, so much devastation. I know the Jews, he'll confirm the covenant. And there'll be, you know, three and a half years for the Jews, where He, you know, basically uses them for His advantage, as we talked about this morning in Psalm 10, operating covertly behind the scenes to bring forth the height of anti-Semitism, the greatest that the world has ever known, and many will die. And we know two-thirds of the Jews' population, according to Zechariah chapter 12, or Zechariah 14, two-thirds of the Jews. are going to die in that day, and a third will become that remnant that shall be converted. You can see the Antichrist. I'm moving right along. When he had opened the second seal, verse 3, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. And there went out another horse that was red. We move from a white horse to a red horse rider. And power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace. See, peace came in the first seal. So now He takes peace from the earth and that they should kill one another. And there was given unto Him a great sword. So I believe this will be the removal of peace which brings war throughout the world and the release of power. The men of the world will live by the sword. And if you live by the sword, what did Jesus say? You will die by the sword. So war will devastate this world. I believe it will be worldwide in scope. And so the third seal, verse number five, this is the black horse rider. 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. Now what do we have here? food being measured out. And you say, well, a penny's nothing. Well, a penny in John's day would have been a day's wages. So how would you like to go to the store and buy a loaf of bread for a whole day's wages? That's famine. That's inflation. Okay? But the poor folks' food, the measure of wheat, or you could get three measures of barley for a day's wage, that's going to be rationed. But don't hurt the oil and the wine. or with the rich folk. You see, there'll be the persecution of the poor. Remember Psalm 10. So, there'll be times of hard conditions in verse 5. Balances in His hand. Things are hard. Hurtful conditions. Verse number 6. Famine will be realized. War will be realized. Peace, war, famine. Peace is more about deception. Antichrist himself and many false Christs coming into the world. Now the fourth seal, what we would call the pale horse rider in verse 7. And when he had 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 them over the fourth part of the earth to kill with sword and with hunger and with death and notice and with the beasts of the earth." The beasts will turn on men in this day. We hear about attacks of lions and bears and tigers and whales, or sharks rather, but in this day, the beasts of the earth will hunt down men. It'll be a terrible time to be alive. And so the fourth seal is the pale horse rider. Death will be realized in fatal realities. Again, we read Matthew 24. I don't really want to go back through that comparison now. So there's the reign of death. There's the ruin of death. And I want you to know that it is according to God's permission. And it is according to God's power. Remember, it is the Lamb who is opening the seals one by one by one. There is such a culture of death Men love death. I was at the doctor recently, and behind the counter, and I'm not criticizing, I gave tracts, I prayed for her soul, but all black was the clothing. A black cup with skulls, with crossbones. Men love the idea of this death culture. They'll have death. for a while in this. So death comes according to God's prophecies in verse 8. This is the breaking of the seal of the Lord. And it is according to God's power, permission, and prophecies. Then the fifth seal, if we come down to verse number 9, when He'd opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the Word of God. These are martyrs, martyred saints, and for the testimony which they held. And here's one of those takes us back to David in the Psalms, and they cry 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? Remember Psalm 9, two weeks ago. God will make inquisition for blood. Men wanted blood, He gives them blood. And He avenges the blood of His servants. And Wyatt Robes, verse 11, were given unto every one of them, and it was said unto them that they should rest yet for a little while, a little season rather, until their fellow servants also and their brethren that should be killed, as they were, should be fulfilled. and I beheld." And so we pause there. So that fifth seal, what I would call tyrannical persecutions. There will be an outbreak of persecutions against those who deny the end of Christ, who do not take the mark of the beast, who rather stand for and with the Word of God and believe that the Kingdom of Christ is imminent. Hopefully, I can get there and give a little more explanations about this Gospel of the Kingdom, okay? Now then, the sixth seal. Natural disasters. Verse 12, And Abba, hail 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 removed 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." So let me pause and say that there will be an explosion of slavery during the days of the tribulation. What's a great problem? It's underground for the most part right now, but what's a great problem in the world? Human trafficking. The world is filled with more slaves today than it was in Jesus' day and the days of the Civil War and all those days. There's more slaves in the world today than there ever has been. But there's not more now than there will be then. But every bondman, every freeman 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?" Now, this sixth seal is what we would call natural disasters. The earth is shaken. The heaven is separated. Like a scroll, it's rolled back. And what are men able to see? I believe they're able to glimpse into the heaven. I believe they catch a glimpse of Him that sits on the throne. And they catch a glimpse of the Lamb standing. and therefore marching forth rather in judgment against the world. But I'll throw this at you. If you compare it with Matthew 24, it seems that we're right at the end of the tribulation. Right before Jesus comes. And I don't know if that's what this parallels with or not. I'm just going to say that. I didn't ask you to mark it, but would you go to Acts chapter 2 real quick? Acts chapter 2. And I want to throw this as well out there. Acts 2, and then I'm going to go to the book of Joel and read a passage. Go to Acts 2, and I'm going to read the reference in Joel 2. So Joel 2, the Bible says, it shall come to pass afterward, verse 28, that I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions, And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out My Spirit." That's Joel 2.28-29. Now Joel 2.30 says, And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood and fire and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before. the great and the terrible day of the Lord come. And it shall come to pass that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call." So I want you to know that in the days of the tribulation, there will be people saved. Not those who rejected the gospel here and now, in the church age before the rapture. But those who didn't get a chance to hear, who didn't get a chance to reject, they will be offered salvation. They will not just be sent to strong delusion and believe the lie. They will have a chance to repent and to believe the gospel. Because Joel said it, in that day, many whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Now, you're in Acts 2, I hope. Look at verse number 16. Here is the day of Pentecost. Peter's preaching. Look at what Peter says. Remember what were they doing? Speaking in tongues, prophesying, seeing visions. There was great things happening right there in Jerusalem. But look at verse 16. But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel. what I just read to you. And it shall come to pass in the last days. So this is proof that Peter and the church, early church, were in the last days. So we are definitely in the latter times of the last days, no doubt. And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of My Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams, and all My servants and all My handmaidens, I will pour out in those days of My Spirit, and they shall prophesy." and I will show wonders in heaven above and signs in the earth beneath, blood and fire and vapor of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before that great and notable day the Lord shall come. And it shall come to pass that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved." Here's the point I'm making. This colon at verse number 18 is where the fulfillment stops in Acts chapter 2. God did not show wonders in heaven and signs in the earth such as blood, fire, and vapor of smoke. The sun did not turn into darkness. The moon did not turn into blood. The great and notable day of the Lord did not come in Peter's lifetime." Again, there's that gap in prophecy. The church age. But what I'm saying to you is that it is quite possible with these natural disasters, when the heaven is shaken, when the earth is shaken, when the sun is darkened, when the scrolls of the heaven is rolled back, it is quite possible that we are only at about that. We're still in the first half of the tribulation announcing what is coming. And that it is not the same signs in the heavens as in Matthew 24. That they happen at the beginning, and then they also happen at the end. And so, that's a possibility. Again, one of those details that I've not completely sorted out in my own head. And so what that does is that brings us to the sixth seal. And the world has recognized the wrath of God has come upon us. That brings us now to chapter 7. Six seals have been opened. We would expect the seventh seal to be opened, but that's not what happens. It is, in English grammar, a parenthesis. You draw the half of an O or whatever, a parenthesis, and then you begin to explain things that you've been talking about, and then you close that parenthesis and you move on. That's what chapter 7 is all about. It's a parenthetical description. John is given a fuller look of what's behind the fifth seal. So let's back up. Chapter 6, verse 9. 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 them, every one of them, and it was said unto them that they should rest yet for a little while, a little season, excuse me, until their fellow servants also and their brethren that should be killed as they were should be fulfilled. So, chapter 7, verse 1, And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God, and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. And I heard the number of them which were sealed, and there were sealed 140,000 and 4,000 of all the tribes of the children of Israel." Pause right there. The JWs or the cult of Jehovah's Witness will tell you that they are the 144,000 sealed servants of God that will be kept safe through the tribulation period and granted great promises and great position on the new earth. Nowhere in this chapter do we read that anyway. We read 12,000 from the 12 tribes of the children of Israel. Yes, tribes listed here differ from what you read in the Old Testament. There are reasons for that. I believe it's Dan and Ephraim that are not mentioned here. I think that's who that's not mentioned. And there was idolatry. There was reasons why They're not mentioned here that I won't go into. And I didn't dive real deep into anyways in my studies. But the point is this, after the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in A.D. 70, the Jews don't have the records. They can't trace their lineage back and say, I'm of the tribe of Benjamin. I'm of the tribe of Judah. And so there's all this debate about the lost tribes, this, that, and the other. Well, guess what? God knows where they are. God knows who they are. sealed 12,000 who believe, most likely due to the preaching of the two witnesses, who believe Jesus is our Messiah. We crucified Him. The Kingdom of God is at hand. He's coming. We must believe Him. They repent and they embrace Christ. They're born again. They're saved by the grace of God. In all ages, man is saved by grace through faith. Then 12,000 Jewish virgin men from the 12 tribes are sealed as the servants of God. So 144,000. And in the second half of the tribulation, or the great tribulation, these I think would be those who endured the first half, and who were saved out of it, meaning physically delivered out of it, they are now sealed going into the second half and they cannot be harmed by the beast, the Antichrist. In other words, they are invincible evangelists. They can't be killed. They can't be hurt. They will be a thorn in the devil's side. And so for the rest of the time, the gospel will go throughout the earth. And the devil can't stop it. It will be preached. Now, out of that preaching, I'm not going to read, of the tribe of, of the tribe of, of the tribe of. Take the Word of God, read it later, but take the Word of God's Word for it. There's 144,000, 12,000 from each tribe. This brings us to verse number 9 of Revelation chapter 7. After this I beheld, and lo, a great multitude which no man could number. Notice, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues stood before the throne. and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes and palms in their hands." It takes us back to that day they laid down those palm trees, branches of palm trees in Jesus' triumphant entry. They're ready for the King. I mean, these folks, their belief is in Jesus Christ. But notice what they say in verse 10, "...and cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God, which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. And all the angels stood around about the throne and about the elders and the four beasts and fell before the throne on their faces and worshiped God saying, Amen, blessing, glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be unto our God forever and ever. Amen. So it seems back in heaven now as far as the vision goes. One of the elders said unto me, answered saying unto me, what are these? which are raised in white robes, whence came they?" Notice John's polite answer, verse 14. And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation. That's that second half. In the midst of the week, after the abomination of desolation, the Antichrist in the temple. Daniel spoke about it. Jesus spoke about it. Three and a half more years. That great tribulation. 144,000 Jews surrendered. preached throughout the world. You know what's going to happen? A great multitude. Verse 14. They will come out of great tribulation and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God and serve Him day and night in His temple. And he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more, neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat for the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them. and shall lead them on the living fountains of waters, and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes." So let me back up to verse 14. These are they which came out of great tribulation and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. What we saw in this is the rule of heaven is in the earth. God sends out servants. Okay? In verses 1, 2, and 3. First, the servants are the angels ready to judge and punish the world. They're ready. That's the rule of heaven over the earth. But then the servants of God are ready, and they preach throughout the earth. That's the reach of heaven into the earth. Don't think that God is just going to wipe everybody out without giving those who never had an opportunity to believe. He's going to give them an opportunity. Those who did not reject Jesus will go there in a minute. will have an opportunity to believe Jesus and call on Him as their Lord and Savior. And out of great tribulation, a great host will be saved. These tribulation saints, I believe, are many of them that are the white-robed martyrs of the fifth seal. He sees that they begin being martyred in the first half. There's a slew of them slaughtered and martyred in the second half. And they're going to pay for not taking the mark of the beast. They're going to be killed. They're going to be martyred. They're going to be under the altar. And God is going to avenge their blood. But how are they saved out of great tribulation? Verse 14, they have washed their robes made them white in the blood of the Lamb. So as I mentioned this morning about the gospel of the grace of God versus the gospel of the Kingdom, I am not preaching to you that the Kingdom of God is at hand. That's not the next event that we are expecting. We are expecting the return of Christ in the rapture. And therefore, we point men back to the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And we announce His coming, yes, but it is the blessed hope of the church in this age that is made up of both Jew and Gentile. We are one body in Christ where there's neither Jew nor Greek, Scythian nor barbarian. There is no, in God's eyes within the church, either Jew or Gentile. We are one. Body in Christ. Ephesians 2 talks all about that. The middle wall of partition broken down so the Jews don't sit on the left side and the Gentiles sit on the right side in the body of Christ. No, no, no, no. There's no wall between us. We're one new man in Christ. But all through this book of the Revelation, what do you read about? After chapter 4 and 5, what do you read? You read about the Jews? You read about the Gentiles? God is again distinguishing between Jew and Gentile. So we just read about 12,000 of the tribe of what? Asher, Judah, Reuben, Benjamin, Zebulun, Simeon, Issachar, etc. Who are these? These are Jews recognized by God as Jews. But then we come down to verse 9 of all nations, kindreds, people, tongues. There's all the Gentiles. The church isn't here. These are tribulation saints. How are they saved? By grace, through faith, in the Lord Jesus Christ. And yes, the gospel preached in this day will truly look back, no doubt, to the death, burial, and resurrection, announcing Christ as the Messiah. But it will say this, the Kingdom of God is at hand. The King is coming. Let's look at what they say in verse 10. The great multitude cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God, which sitteth upon the throne and unto the Lamb. They thanked God for grace. That's that word salvation. Salvation to our God. which sitteth. They rejoice in God's grace. They rejoice in God's government. And then he says unto the land. Rejoice in God's... I'm sorry, that's God's grace. God's gift is salvation. God's government is the throne. And God's grace is seen in the Lamb. So you're only ever saved by grace through faith. Now, that being said, we're going to close out with 2 Thessalonians 2. 2 Thessalonians 2. So this great multitude that's saved out of great tribulation is not comprised of individuals who have an opportunity to hear and reject the gospel today. Go to 2 Thessalonians chapter number 2. So those who laugh and scorn and mock and taunt Christians and reject Jesus Christ, make fun of us, as in 2 Peter 3, where is the promise of His coming? Those mockers and scoffers and rejecters of Christ, they will die and go to hell. They will not have a chance to repent in the tribulation. They will not have this chance. I know Tim LaHaye and the Left Behind movies, if you've ever seen any of that stuff, they give everybody a second chance that rejected the Gospel. I do not find that anywhere in Scripture. Here's what we do find in Scripture. Look at 2 Thessalonians 2. Alright, verse 3. Let no man deceive you by any means, for that day shall not come except there come a falling away first. and that man of sin," there's the Antichrist, be revealed, the son of perdition, "...who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God," or that is worshiped, "...so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God." I believe that there is a little fuller explanation of that abomination of desolation in the middle of the week. That He will cause the sacrifices again. The temple will be rebuilt. They're already making preparations for it now, plans for it. And there's all sorts of things going on pertaining to that matter in Israel already. But their temple will be commissioned and rebuilt under the reign of the Antichrist. And they will begin sacrificing. But do you know what these sacrifices are? The complete rejection of Jesus Christ and His sacrifice. It's the uttermost renouncement of Jesus as Lord and Savior. In the midst of that week, He's going to stop all their sacrifices, set Himself up as God in the temple, and demand worship as God. Now, come down. Verse number 5, Remember ye not that when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time? For the mystery of iniquity doth already work. It was already working in Paul's day. Only he who now letteth, that word means to hinder, will let or hinder until he be taken out of the way. I believe that's the Holy Spirit. who is the great restrainer and hinderer of Satan and his program in this day and age. He will be taken out of the way with the rapture of the church. And then, verse 8, shall that wicked be revealed whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming. Even him whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish. Notice, "...because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved." And the next verse is key, "...and for this cause." For what cause? For all men who received not the love of God's truth. For this cause. God will send them strong delusion. Verse number 11, that they should believe a lie, that they all might be damned who believed not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. Here's the thing. You can't sin now and have your fun while rejecting Jesus and expect to get saved in that day. That is not how it works. He said, if you reject My Son now, I will reject you then. For this cause, God sent them strongly. It's a sovereignly sent strong delusion. But it's not sent except for those who rejected Jesus. Others who did not, as we compare Scripture with Scripture, in the book of Revelation, in the book of Daniel, in the book of Joel, they will have an opportunity to repent and believe. But all who did not receive the love of the truth before the coming of Antichrist, before the rapture of the church, that they might be saved. Those who did not receive the love of the truth that they might be saved, they will not have an opportunity to repent. Their opportunity was scorned and it will be forever gone Again, the exhortation is, now is the day of salvation. Behold, now is the accepted time. Boast not thyself of tomorrow, for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. No man is guaranteed the next few minutes, let alone tomorrow. So if you don't know the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, I urge you, trust Him today. So that brings us to Revelation 8. And the Lord willing, we will look into that our next time together. We want to thank you for listening today. This is Pastor Benjamin Cooley. We're meeting above the restaurant next to Sleep Inn in the North Redmond Event Center, located at 1857 Northwest 6th Street, Redmond, Oregon, 97756. Sundays we begin our morning worship at 11, and our midweek prayer service is Wednesdays at 7, all at the same location. Reach us, clearviewbaptistatproton.me, or look on the internet, www.clearviewbaptistredman.com.