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Revelation 19:11,12,13: V11 and 12 shows by capitalization of names, that this is JESUS CHRIST, NOT the counterfeit of Rev 6; v13 shows that the blood on His vesture is not His Blood, but the blood of His victims, as He now comes in wrath and vexation at the Second Coming.
John 1:1 also calls Him the Word [Re 13].
Revelation 19:14 refers to the Saints, not the angels, wearing "white", "clean" linen, and sitting upon white horses following their Lord Jesus Christ, The Word.
Revelation 6 does not contain any of the descriptions that Revelation 19 contains, distinguishing between the True Jesus Christ and the Antichrist: Coming into the 3 ½ and 3 ½ Tribulation period, you will be confronted with an unholy trio all through Revelation. Satan, the counterfeit of the Father; Antichrist, the counterfeit of the Son, Jesus Christ; and the Holy Spirit, whose counterfeit is the false prophet [also, known as the lamb with 2 horns—Revelation 13].
Re 6:1a
"And I saw when the Lamb (God the Son) opened one of the seals…"
He will take them off one by one. Those seals will take us to the end of the first 3 ½ years of the Tribulation. The Book of Revelation contains a whole series of sevens: 7 letters to the 7 churches; 7 seals; the seven seal judgments; and the 7 trumpet judgments, the seventh trumpet judgments introducing the final seven bowl judgments. And in between, there are 7 distinct persons, and 7 woes. "Seven" is God's perfect number.
Revelation is a book that is a perfectly tuned Book; it is part of the Word of God. It is NOT a book of myths and legends, as some might believe. Also, the order of events are as written. It is the beginning of the final 7 years, also called Daniel's 70th week, the time of wrath and vexation, or just the Tribulation. It begins when the Antichrist signs that seven-year treaty. Will we Christians be here? I believe that, yes, we will be here for small part of the beginning of the Tribulation. No, I do not believe we will be here as long as mid-Tribulation. I believe we'll be here long enough to see the antichrist's rise to power, though.
The first 3 ½ years, although they will be bad enough, will not be as bad as the last 3 ½ years. The last 3 ½ years will see the full wrath of God.
Backing up a little, about 2000 B.C., God does something totally different. Out of the mainstream of Adam He pulls off one separate nation when he promised Abraham that out of him will come a nation of people (the Nation of Israel). All through the OT, God speaks predominantly to the Jew, with a few exceptions. He brings them to a place in time where the Messiah would come. Then the Tribulation was to come, followed by the Messiah setting up His Kingdom, but instead, the Jew rejected and crucified Christ. After that, the Father God set the Jew aside until a later time, they have NOT fallen from God's program (Rom 11); they have merely gone into a period when God set them aside, for a little while, and turned to the Gentile.
As soon as Israel loses her Temple, loses her national state and her sovereign government, and is scattered, God's time clock stops dead. That's when the 'Church Age', or the 'Age of Grace', or the 'Age when Christ Jesus calls out the Body of Christ', and THERE IS NO TIME FRAME NOW. NO ONE KNOWS WHEN CHRIST JESUS WILL RETURN. The way events are going today, and the imminent war on Israel approaching, we know it can't be too much longer. If someone sets a date, he is a false teacher, because there is nothing, NOTHING, IN SCRIPTURE THAT GIVES US THE ABILITY TO SET A DATE.
Now, Christ has taken the scroll from our Father God. The Scroll includes the 'mortgage' that Satan is holding over the planet as a result of the curse, and one by one, as the seals are being removed, so is the mortgage being removed. The removal of the first seal brings the white horse. It is a christ, but not our Jesus Christ, as some think due to the 'white' horse. IT IS THE ANTICHRIST—THE MASTER COUNTERFEITER, who has fooled myriads of people over the centuries!
When people first start working for the Treasury Department, for several months they don't do anything but look at legitimate American Bills. They don't look at counterfeits. By looking at just the legitimate bills for such a long time, if they see one little mark that isn't in the legitimate bill, they notice it right away.
By the same token, if one comes to really know the Lord Jesus Christ, which can only be obtained through the reading of their Bible, they will know the counterfeit christ immediately, be he a false teacher, or whatever.
And here in Re 6, the "white horse" is a counterfeit christ. The real One is found in Re 19.
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Re 19:11,12 "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called (note the Capitals on all of His names) Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written that no man knew, but he himself."
Re 19: 13 "And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood (not His blood, but the blood of His victims as He comes in vexation and wrath): and his name is called The Word of God."
Re 19:14, He sits atop His "white horse at the Second Coming,
"And the armies (we, the Church—by now the Bride—are included in this army) which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean."
It is interesting to note that NOT ONCE, throughout the OT, or for that matter, the Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, there is no mention ANYWHERE concerning the saints wearing "linen, white and clean". The angels are mentioned, but not the Church. This secret is still in the mind of God. Christ Jesus doesn't betray that here. The time is not yet right to reveal the saints. This was not revealed until it was revealed to the Apostle Paul, much later.
Again, the first seal in Re 6:2 opens the Tribulation. The seven years come to an end in Re 19.
Re 6:2
"And he that sat on him had a bow:…"
"Bow" is hard to find the meaning of because of the difference in both pronounciation, and the many different meanings:
1. A knot with two loops and loose ends; used to tie shoelaces
2. A slightly curved piece of resilient wood with taut horsehair strands, used in playing certain stringed instrument
3. Front part of a vessel or aircraft
4. Curved piece of resilient wood with taut cord to propel arrows
5. Something curved in shape
6. Bending the head or body or knee as a sign of reverence or submission or shame, and more…..
Most men agree that it's the 'bow' that shoots arrows. But is it??? According to Daniel, the Antichrist is NOT coming in using power of military might, or fighting wars. He is going to come in "peaceably and with flatteries". The Antichrist will be very charasmatic—people will fall all over him. He may come in with the THREAT of power behind him, but at first, he will not actually have the military power YET.
Re 6:2
"…and a crown was given unto him…"
He will come up out of the Common Market of Europe, and therefore, the world WILL recognize him as their leader. The EC (European Community) will consist of 10 nations in all, and the Antichrist will come up and usurp the power. Matthew 24 is the perfect parallel of Revelation Chapter 6, and it is a good idea to compare the two.
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Matthew 24 There is NO church age doctrine here
Matthew 24:1,2 Jesus was looking toward the siege of the Roman armies under Titus
Matthew 24:3 Jesus begins to lay out the events of the seven years, beginning with the 'white horse' of
Re 6
Matthew 24:4,5 The white horse comes on the scene and practicallyl convinces the world he is Christ. Just what the world is looking for:
I John 2:18 Yes, there are many antichrists, but they, at that time, thought the Tribulation was already upon them (near).
Re 6:2b,3a
"…and he went forth conquering, and to conquer. And when he had opened the second seal…"
Remember, the seals are on the 'mortgage' which Satan holds. The Antichrist signs the seven-year peace treaty with Israel, as seen in Daniel, and then a short time later, another horse appears—the red horse.
Re 6:4a
"And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon (the red horse) to take peace from the earth (when there is an absence of peace, you have WAR. So this 'rider of the red horse' is going to bring war on the earth), and that they should kill one another:"
The battleground of the rider of the red horse will be typified by NOT killing the enemy, but by KILLING EACH OTHER. Ponder: what power on earth is associated with the color red? RUSSIA. Could this be the Russian invasion of Israel, [Ezekiel 38,39] this 'rider on the red horse'? I think so.
Re 6:4a
"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 (the combatants) should kill one another…"
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Ezekiel 38:22,23
The Russian army, or the Northern Confederation army, will be defeated by it's confusion and the tremendous power of God. It's going to be utterly destroyed on the hills and mountains of Israel.
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Ezekiel 38: 1,2 Most Bible Scholars are convinced that God and Magog, Meshech and Tubal are Russia and her satellite nations.
Matthew 24:6
Matthew 24:7a The Red Horse
Ezekiel 38:2,3 God is Sovereign, and even though we can't always understand His ways, we should believe that He is in Total Control Always. God declares prophetically that he will bring up this consortium of nations headed by the Russians.
Ezekiel 38:4a As literally as turning a horse, God will turn the direction of Russia.
Ezekiel 38:5 Humanity will come down on Israel with all sorts of weapons.
Ezekiel 38:6a This is the nation of Turkey. Turkey has recently joined Russia against Israel.
Ezekiel 38:7,8 Talking about present day Israel. Since Israel has been back in the land, production, agriculture and business, etc., have boomed. Not only is their nation alive now, but so is their once dead language.
Luke 1:67-71 Exactly what Israel is looking for today—being safe from their enemies, so they will believe what the Antichrist says when he comes.
Ezekiel 38:9 It'll be a consortium of all the nations listed in vss 5 and 6.
Ezeliel 38:10, 11, 12a A perfect picture of Israel, today.
Ezekiel 38:12b The Jews have returned from every nation in the world.
Ezekiel 38:13a I believe Tarshish refers to Great Britain. Some of the other nationsinvolved in the NATO alliance will be under the control of the Antichrist here.
Ezekiel 38:13b In other words, take a great spoil, but God will intervene in short order.
Ezekiel 38:14,15a Everything from Lebanon, all the way to, probably, Moscow.
Ezekiel 38:16 Because of the (second) use of the word "latter", it seems to indicate the Tribulation period.
Ezekiel 38:18 Russia has been anti-God for over 70 years, and God has NOT FORGOTTEN. Russia will have much to pay for. God says, "My fury is coming up before me."
Ezekiel 38:21a Israel is mountainous country, the very center is a string of mountains and valleys.
Ezekiel 38 21b These words are tied to Re 6:4a. God will fight this battle on the hills of Israel.
Ezekiel 38:22,23 The Russian army or the Northern Confederation army will be defeated by confusion and the tremendous power of God. It will be utterly destroyed on the hills and mountains of Israel.
Ezekiel 39:1 Although this vs isn't talking about America, America will soon see the judgment of God upon her, too. The day is near for America has turned her back on God. This vs shows how God deals with sinful nations: He says, "I'll turn thee back."
Ezekiel 39:3,4 Some people think this is Armegeddon, but is it? This is a separate war, a separate battle within the seven-year time frame, but not Armegeddon.
Ezekiel 39:5 Meaning, the homeland of Russia as well as all the other nations that have consorted against the Nation of Israel.
Ezekiel 39:7-9 You might think that this can't be enough time to be the Tribulation, however, in Scripture, a part of a year was counted a whole year. i.e. when a king would serve Israel for 10 years and a month, it would be called 11 years, so using that rule of thumb, an invasion of the Nation of Israel within the first 11 months, for instance, after the seven-year treaty is signed, will still make this prophecy come true.
Speculation on Ezekiel vs 6 by Les Feldick, Oklahoma teacher of the Bible: "I can't prove it through Scripture, but I can certainly whet your thinking. And just consider the possibilities. Logically now, I know that God doesn't have to work in the terms of logic. I know that. But many times He does…..Logically, if you were sitting in a place of authority, whether it's in the Kremlin or some other place in this Northern Confederation, and you were getting ready to invade the little Nation of Israel, I think that you would realize there's only one nation on earth that might oppose you. And who would that be? America. We are the only friend that Israel has in the world. And I think that the Russian leaders would understand that if they invaded Israel, America would probably come to her defense….every missile that has ever been pointed at America before, is STILL SITTING THERE. Still pointing at the American target. If you were the commanders, what would you do? I know what I would do. I would say, 'Let's unload everything that we have on North America. They're the only possible enemy that we have."..I think the Russians will unload everything that they have and will utterly rock the Western Hemisphere out of the rest of prophecy, because there's nothing for us in prophecy. Then when it says that God will send a fire on the Russian homeland, we know that we have submarines all over the oceans of the world, loaded with ballistic missiles on board. So after we have suffered that initial attack, I think our military will still have enough left to give the command to unload all our submarines on the Russian homeland, which will destroy it." Again THIS IS SPECULATION.
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Matthew 24:7b Famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in divers places…
Re 6:5, 6a
"And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast (or creature) 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 (creatures) say, 'A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny;…"
The black horse represents FAMINE. For example, the great production areas of the North American Continent: whether the great grain belts to the north, or the citrus supplies in other areas such as California, that have vast food productions, if you knock out the great food production area of Russia (the Ukraine), it almost annihilates the world's supply of food. Thus, famine. This verse is saying that the average worker will have to work a full day, just to buy bread for the next day, prices will be so high. And wherever there is famine, you inevitably find disease and death.
Re 6:7,8
"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 with the beasts of the earth."
Now we have the pale horse. After the death of two great power structures, he now sees the pale horse, on the pale horse was Death. Power was given over them to kill one quarter (fourth part of the earth) with the sword. Could be one fourth of the geographical area, or one fourth of the population, either one. But this is just the beginning. Remember, there is not really someone riding on four horses, this is symbolism, for which Revelation is noted—but symbols of events that are going to come on this planet.
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Revelation 6:7,8 The fourth horse, the Pale Horse. On this horse was Death, and Hell followed
Matthew 24:8 "…the beginning of sorrows"
Jeremiah 30:7 "…for that day is great…" [Tribulation]
Re 6:9
"And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:"
These are the Tribulation martyrs, NOT the saints , who had their heads chopped off for refusing the Mark of the Beast [Re 13: 15]
Re 6:10
"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?'"
Re 6:11
"And white robes were given unto every one of them (the martyrs); 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."
That was all part of the fifth seal. Now we come to the sixth seal. Only one more left that is holding the scroll together. Christ is the One Who is opening it to read it and pay it off.
Re 6:12a
"And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake…"
In Matthew, these things were mentioned: "famine, pestilence and earthquakes, in divers places". We are already huge increases in earthquake activity. Contrary to history, many are taking place EVERYDAY, all over the world.
Re 6:12b
"…and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;"
When you see all these tremendous earthquakes, you know that there must be volcanic eruptions also. These volcanic eruptions spit out so much dust that it is possible to block out the sun. This may be what happens. And the moon became as blood, probably because of all the pollution that's been blown, or chemtrailed, into the atmosphere. Even cosmic disturbances, now [v13].
Re 6:13,14
"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."
In other words, there will be TREMENDOUS earthquake activity, and we're only talking about the first half, now. The second half gets FAR worse, and even rulers and others in high places will be getting pretty scared.
Re 6:15, 16
"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 (actually BEGGING for death): 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:'"
There has been a lot of calamity in the last 1900+ years, but no one has EVER yet seen the WRATH OF GOD. The things that come upon us, that plague us, are not acts of God's wrath, but Satan who brings suffering and turmoil to the creation of God. God is a God of Grace, at least, now yet: 'Where sin aboundeth, His grace abounds even more'. But, Grace will end with the calling-out of the Body of Christ.
Re 6:17
"For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?"
After the Jew and Gentile have rejected the King, they will go into a period of perplexity and derision – exactly at which point we are at now.
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Ps 2:5: "Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure."
The Age of Grace is gone now and we are at the mid-point of the Tribulation. The appearance of the Antichrist has come, and permission for Israel to go back into Temple worship—you might say she's gradually going back under the Law.
Re 6:17
Again, "For the great day of his wrath is come: and who shall be able to stand?"
Actually, the Bible does not refer to the first 3 ½ years as being the wrath of God—they will be bad enough; but the last 3 ½ will be unbelievable, and beyond the comprehension of humanity.
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Matthew 24:8 "All these are the beginning of sorrows…"
Matthew 24:9 "Then ('then' is the first half) shall they deliver you up to be afflicted… [ Jer 30:7, the time of Jeremiah's trouble]
Matthew 24:10-12a "And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another: And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound…" Remember, the Church is gone now. Liken these days to lifting a great dam out of a river; that resevoir will suddenly just wash down the river bed taking everything in it's way. Once the True Church, the Body of Christ is gone, this will be the picture of iniquity and wickedness that will break loose upon all remaining humanity.
Matthew24:13 "But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." This verse is NOT talking about salvation, but those who will be fortunate to have come through the whole Tribulation in one piece.
Isaiah 24:1a "Behold, the LORD maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down…" The Tribulation
Isaiah 24:2-5 "And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the servant, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the taker of usury, so with the giver of usury to him. The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled; for the LROD hath spoken this word. The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away the haughty people of the earth do languish." [includes the super rich]; "because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant."
Isaiah 24:6 [watch the language closely] "Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth" [the Tribulation pays off the curse and earth will be delivered from the curse], "and they that dwell therein are desolate…" because ot the terrible events that have taken place): "therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned" (nuclear activity?) "… and few men left"
Matthew 24:14a "And this…" [speaking to that which was temporary with His day] "…gospel of the kingdom…" Some people believe this vs means the Gospel of Grace, but they didn't know the Gospel of Grace at that time in history. Christ hadn't died yet…or been raised from the dead. The Gospel had not been accomplished at that time. The Gospel they knew then was that the King WAS COMING, WAS HERE, and was referred to by Jesus time and again as the 'Gospel of the Kingdom'. Good news? The King is ready to set up His Kingdom as it was being offered to Israel. Jesus uses that as a background.
Matthew 24:14 "And this gospel of the kingdom shall (in the future) be preached in all the world for a witness unto ALL NATIONS; and then shall the end come." The Gospel of Grace calls out a people for His Name, definitely, BUT IT'S GOING TO END, AND THE TRIBULATION IS GOING TO COME IN, and then Jesus said, "The same Gospel of the Kingdom that He preached in His three years of ministry will be proclaimed again DURING THE TRIBULATION. Notice that Jesus did not mention the Church Age and the Gospel of Grace. He skips over it, from His ministry to the Tribulation. And THAT is the message that the 144,000 young Jewish men will preach to the world. THE KING IS COMING!