The Lamb Breaks the Seals, Part 2 (Rev. 6:9-17) :: By Donald Whitchard
Isaiah 5:20, 53:4-6, 64:6; Matthew 24:21-22; Revelation 6:9-17
Summary: The seal judgments described in Revelation 6 are both a warning of what is to come and a judgment upon those who fail to heed it.
The book of Revelation presents the certainty of prophetic fulfillment via the Sovereignty of God. It proclaims a prophetic warning of approaching judgment and the punishment of the wicked. Revelation is also a book that uses prophecy as a tool of pastoral care. How? Revelation shows the reader that while judgments must come, God, in His mercy, shows His concern for the spiritual well-being of people by calling them to repent of their sins and to come to Christ for salvation to escape the coming wrath that will fall both upon the world and those who choose to reject the only hope that He offers (John 14:6; Acts 4:12).
The seal judgments described in Revelation 6 will occur, but for anyone who responds to the Gospel call NOW (2 Corinthians 6:2), they will be spared the horrors that are to come.
What do we know so far about the seal judgments?
They will not affect those of us who have placed our faith in Christ because by this time, all true followers of Jesus, both living and dead, will have been “caught up” to “meet the LORD in the air” by means of the Rapture (Luke 21:28; John 14:1-3; 1 Corinthians 15:51-58; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 3:10).
Those who have been “left behind” are now in the bullseye of the wrath of God, and they have no one to blame but themselves. They refused to give their lives to Jesus, choosing instead to rebel, ignore, or defy the clear commands of God to repent and trust in Him for eternal life and peace. They will have a plethora of excuses and arguments but to no avail (Isaiah 5:20, 53:4-6, 64:6; Romans 1:18-32, 3:10-18, 23). Some will see themselves as sinners and embrace the Savior, but in doing so, mark themselves for certain death at the hands of the Antichrist and his evil brood (Revelation 6:1-2; 13:1-10). Praise God, there will be countless multitudes who will come to Jesus, but at the cost of their lives.
The seal judgments begin with the arrival of the false Messiah, known as the Antichrist (6:1-2). He appears on the scene as a deceiving worker of peace, and many will follow him as their “savior” as opposed to the true Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, whom the world rejected, yet will return in glory to make all things new as He promised. A false peace will come upon the world as a result of the “wonderous things” this satanic “savior” will do, but in order to fulfill his destiny of world conquest, he will use war as a tool to bring about submission, control, and fear. This is in opposition to the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6) and who brings not only peace for the soul but will make war a thing of the past in the new heavens and earth (Isaiah 2:4).
When the Antichrist uses the weapons of war to obtain control, the outcome will mean that basic goods and services will be difficult to obtain. Wars destroy plant life, crops, and the ability to gather food. All basic services will be practically non-existent, and there will be mass starvation worldwide as both people and the animal world fight for what remains. Wild beasts will stalk and kill people for food. Diseases will wipe out a large number of the population due to the lack of basic medical care. Yet, there will be those who will be able to buy luxury goods without any concern for others. People will die for lack of bread when all they had to do prior to these horrors was to come to Jesus, the Living Bread and the Living Water, who never runs out of anything and who cares for those who come to Him for salvation (Matthew 11:28-30; John 10:28-30).
The disasters that will come in rapid succession bring death (vv.6-8), chaos, calamity, confusion, fear, rage, uncertainty, panic, and cries for help that will go unanswered by the world system. There will be little if any benevolence, selflessness, compassion, pity, or love as people fend for themselves and grow increasingly rebellious toward the idea and existence of God. They defiantly refuse to bow the knee to Jesus Christ for the time being, but bow they will, as will everything in heaven and on earth at the appointed time (Philippians 2:9-11).
Those who have come to Christ during the first part of the Tribulation (the time of the seal judgments) will not be spared from these horrors. These “Tribulation Saints” (vv.9 -11) are killed mercilessly by the Antichrist and his followers. Their blood has been shed for the sake of Christ, and their cries for vengeance are answered as they are told to wait a while longer, as more brethren join them as martyrs for the faith whose stand for Jesus has been a testimony to those who killed them and shows that the cause of Christ will not be stopped or hindered by any powers on earth or in the supernatural realm.
Remember that the forces of evil would never have put Jesus to death if they had known He was going to rise from the dead (1 Corinthians 2:8).
No matter what atheistic zealots would love to believe, their cries to “kill God” and “kill Jesus when He comes back” are foolish drivel from foolish, tiny minds (Psalm 14:1-3, 53:1-3; Romans 1:22). The devil and his followers are the most deluded bunch of losers ever to walk the earth. Their choice to reject Jesus Christ bears bitter fruit that leads to an eternal hell (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:11-15). The wicked will call upon “mother earth” to hide them from the approaching wrath of the Lamb of God (vv.12-17) to no avail.
I see this scene as the outcome of humanity’s futile worship of “the planet” and the tragedy of putting faith in the created instead of the Creator (Genesis 1:1; John 1:1-4; Colossians 1:16-18). The “climate zealots” and those who believed that they were the masters of their fate will see what their misguided zeal and worship of self has produced. The tragic thing is that they do not cry out for mercy from Jesus but instead want to hide from Him as if that were possible. This defiance and stubbornness to submit to Christ will grow in intensity as the time of the Great Tribulation progresses in intensity and terror.
My friend, I ask you this day to please repent of your sins and trust in Christ alone to save you from the wrath to come, both on earth and in eternity. What is described in Revelation 6 is not an allegory or symbolism. God cares for you too much to not present these truths of Scripture to you. Judgment is certain. God’s wrath is about to fall on this wicked world. Jesus Christ is your ONLY hope of escaping what is to come.
The events to follow in the book of Revelation are going to get worse before they get better. The seals are in the hands of Christ, and He is about to break them. You have been warned.
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