FBC Daily Devotions

Read Revelation 6:7-8.

The fourth seal is now opened releasing the worst form of judgment yet. The fourth horseman will deliver death with violence, famine, plagues, and by wild animals (can’t help but think of the bird flu or swine flu here). The judgment will be so great as to kill a fourth of the earth’s population. One is tempted to consider only one form that might cause these deaths, but according to the revelation, there will be many forms. It is possible that the world scene will be in such a depressed state that war will increase, food supplies will diminish, and an epidemic will break out without the resources to react quickly enough to contain it. With the world’s population today at nearly 6.8 billion, the loss of life would be around 1.7 billion. The U.S. alone is a mere 306 million. As bad as this time will be, Jesus still refers to this as “only the beginning of birth pains” (Matt. 24:8). It is difficult to imagine a worse time coming…

At this time, the world will still be in the first half of the Tribulation period. According to Daniel’s prophecy (Dan. 9:26-27), the Antichrist will have already risen and will have established a covenant with the nation of Israel. This covenant according to Daniel, will mark the beginning of  the Tribulation period (Daniel’s 70^th week). For Israel, this will mean a restoration of the temple practices (i.e. sacrifices, offerings, etc.) – something that ended with the destruction of the temple in AD 70. With this in mind, it seems the temple would possibly have to be rebuilt some time before the Tribulation period – which has caused some to look for the rebuilding of the temple as one of the signs of the coming Tribulation. In addition, because the covenant with Israel will mark the beginning of the end, the Antichrist must rise prior to the Tribulation. While this may be speculation, it seems clear that there are some events that will anticipate the coming Tribulation. My awareness is rising… how about yours?

Read Revelation 6:5-6.

As the judgments escalate, the next seal is opened bringing with it famine. The picture of famine is given in the scales and the cost of grain. Apparently a day’s worth of food will be all that one will be able afford, the scarcity of grain raising the price of this normally abundant commodity. The command to be careful with the oil and the wine may be seen as God’s limit to the famine. Oil and wine were normally staples of eastern culture. For a famine to be so bad as to affect the supply of oil and wine would create perhaps one of the most severe famines possible. But God in His grace put limits on the hardship. He supplied enough for the time being. We have to remember that at this point in the Tribulation, it is still early. The heat will be turned up gradually as the seals progress.

As I now understand it, we are still somewhere in the first half of Daniel’s 70^th week (cf. Dan. 9:24-27), otherwise known as the Tribulation period. A few days back, I noted that the seals either began with the second half of the Tribulation, or perhaps lead up to the second half of the Tribulation period. After careful study of Matthew 24, and the enlistment of some scholarly works, I believe the whole structure of the book of Revelation and the end times is built upon the framework of the 7 seals. From the beginning of tribulation to the end and to the return of Christ, all is captured in the 7 seals. When the seal judgments are laid over Jesus’ description of the end times presented in Matthew 24, the 6^th seal (as we will see again later) must follow after the first half of the Tribulation. This is because Jesus’ description of the 6^th seal (Matt. 24:29) follows the introduction of the “Abomination of Desolations”, which we know with certainty from Dan. 9:27 will signal the beginning of the second half of the Tribulation. I will explain this more as we journey further into the seals and other judgments (i.e. trumpet and bowl judgments) in the coming days and weeks. For now it is good to recognize that while things will look bad during this period of the third seal, it will not be enough to turn many to Christ in repentance. For such as these, things will have to get worse in order for them to wake up.

Read Revelation 6:3-4.

Wars and rumors of war, nation will rise against nation. These are the warnings of Christ in Matthew 24:7, but Jesus tells us not to be alarmed because these things must happen before the end will come. Certainly we live in times where war and rumors of war are common throughout the world. I doubt there has ever been a time when some nation wasn’t rising up against another. It is the inevitability of the Fall of man, and Jesus says it is an inevitable part of the end. Not to be a fatalistic pessimist, but the world today will never achieve a utopian state of peace. It’s just not in our nature. That is not to say we are to ever give up on peace, but it does mean that it is not realistic to have the expectation that evil, selfishness, greed, etc. will simply give up and go away. From what we see in this passage, things will have to get much, much worse before they will become permanently better. It will take a cosmic act to rid this world of its cosmic problem. When peace is removed from this world with the coming of the second horseman, then we will see mankind at its worst and it will virtually self-destruct.

When we think of the many wars throughout the world today, it should not alarm us, but rather inform us. These are merely evidences of the great need for Christ to redeem this world from itself. It is far too easy to blame God for such terrible conflict in this world when it is our own self-interests and evil desires that are really to blame. So avoid the temptation to blame God for injustice and evil and instead let it remind us that this is exactly why Christ is desperately needed for peace to ever become a reality.

Read Revelation 6:1-2.

The Judgments

In this and the coming chapters of Revelation, there are three sets of judgments that will be delivered, each subsequent set building on the previous. The judgments begin with the seals of chapter 6, continue with the trumpets of chapter 8, and end with the bowl judgments of chapter 16. It is recognized that some see each set of judgments as restatements of one another. However, without explanation (far beyond the scope of this venue) let us go with the understanding that the judgments are sequential. Let us also assume that these judgments are not figurative of past church history, but rather of events that will take place in the future. (As noted by one commentator, “All attempts to find fulfillment of the seals in history have failed to yield any uniform interpretation with no two commentators agreeing. Actually there is no sequence in history that clearly corresponds to these events.”[1])

Beginning with the seal judgments, these will occur some time after the rapture of the church. Commentators are divided over where the seal judgments lie in the sequence of events in the tribulation period, but many premillenialists (which is the official position of FBC) understand these to occur at the beginning of the second half of the tribulation period (i.e. 3-1/2 years after the church has been raptured) or perhaps leading up to the second half of the tribulation period. This is due in part to prophecy given in the book of Daniel that gives a 7 year duration for the tribulation period, beginning with 3-1/2 years of temporary peace (Dan. 9:27). (Forgive me if this is getting a little much into the details.) At any rate, the seal judgments either mark the beginning of God’s wrath or are preparatory to it.

The Seals

The breaking of the first four seals is each accompanied by a horseman and the command of one of the creatures around the throne to “Come!” or “Come forth!”. The first broken seal sets into motion “a white horse” seated by a man with “a bow” and “a crown” set off to conquer. Who is this man? Of all the horsemen, this is the most difficult to ascertain. My first thought was that this was Jesus Christ leading the way for God’s wrath. The white horse, a conquering king fit the motif. However, after closer examination, this is probably not Christ in part because this horseman or his horse is not seen as significantly different from the other three. Christ would surely be characterized as the most prominent of the four. In addition, it is Christ who opens the seal, and it would seem improbable that He would also be the one who comes forth from the seal. Mine is not to venture too far here since there are so many views on this seal that it becomes almost futile to spend much time deliberating. But perhaps the most compelling view is that this horseman represents the Antichrist who, according to 2 Thess. 2:7-8, Dan. 7:8, 20; 8:9; and 11:40-43, will wage war on the world with sweeping success. It is interesting to note that Jesus begins his description of end time events in Matthew 24 with a warning that many will come in His name saying, “I am the Christ.” (Matt. 24:5) The picture of the first horseman riding on a white horse and wearing a crown is a fitting disguise. It is a good reminder that even today Satan hides behind many disguises. His deception often comes with a friendly face, but his intent will be to turn people away from the One true and living God. This calls for attention on our part to heed the words of Christ: “See to it that no one misleads you.” (Matt. 24:4)

As we begin to unravel the mystery of the revelation, it is important to note that the value of the revelation depends greatly on how it is approached. If one sees it merely as symbolic of general (yet great) tribulation that will accompany the end times, then one will primarily gain a greater appreciation of the severity of the end times. But as has been said earlier, the approach I am taking is one that understands the revelation as describing literal events (albeit highly symbolic). The value in this approach is perhaps a greater appreciation of not only the severity of God’s wrath, but also a greater appreciation of God’s sovereign control and plan for mankind and the universe; indeed, God has every detail already worked out. Granted the interpretation of the specific events is nearly impossible to nail down, yet I believe that as the events begin to unfold before our very eyes, the fog of the revelation will begin to clear.

Related to this, though, there is something that has been nagging me. It has to do with our understanding that the church will be raptured prior to the events that take place in these upcoming chapters. Why give us this revelation if we won’t be here to see it unfold? And if we are raptured before the warnings are fully apparent, who is this revelation really written to? The answer lies in the fact that while these dreadful images act as a warning to those in unbelief (or those whose belief is questionable – e.g. the church at Laodicea), they are also intended to give hope to those who believe. God has given us a glimpse into the future to reveal that evil will not gain the upper hand, but will be dealt with in a most terrific way. There is a way that seems right to man, but in the end it leads to death (Prov. 14:12).  Evil is a serious matters that must and will be dealt with. We can be certain that all things that stand against Christ and our life in Him will be brought into submission to Him. For at the name of Jesus, every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Phil. 2:10-11)  

Knowing this, just knowing the things to come even though we may be absent, can bring a great deal of comfort in the present. Just as a father or a mother would find great comfort in the present if they knew with certainty that their son or daughter would have a prodigious future, so also we can live in comfort knowing with certainty that the future is a good one where evil is no longer permitted to continue.

When looking at the revelation, the events to come will lead to the fall of evil. There will be critical events in the tribulation period that will ultimately reveal whose power will prevail. Let us rest in the knowledge that Christ and His goodness will prevail despite this present darkness.

If you have time today, read the week’s entire passage (Revelation 6:1-8) and also Matthew 24:4-31. There is a remarkable similarity to the description and order of the seals in Rev. 6 to the end time events described by Jesus in Matthew’s gospel. I will make further note of these similarities as we go through the individual seals in the coming days. For now, note the degree of certainty with which these events are foretold. What do they say to you about God?