Rev 6:1-4
Peace Is Taken
This morning we continue our series of messages on the book of
Revelation. There are many on this world who are completely unaware
of what is about to come upon this world, but the Bible warns us:
Luke 21:34 And take heed to yourselves, lest
at any time your hearts be overcharged with
surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of
this life, and so that day come upon you
unawares.
We have discussed several major events in this book already, but the
two most recent ones are:
1. Rev 4 - The relocation of John. Everything that happens to
John will happen to the church. If John was removed from
this world before his vision of the tribulation began, we
will be removed before the tribulation begins.
2. Rev 5 - The holy One takes up His book- The book is a
scroll of judgment which God has mercifully been storing
since sin began. When holy One takes it, it is because He is
about to opened it and it’s judgment will be executed.
3. Now, \\#Rev 6:4\\ - Peace is taken from the earth.
Rev 6:4 And there went out another horse that
was red: and power was given to him that sat
thereon to take peace from the earth….
a. Notice, there is a gap between Revelation 4:1 and 6:1.
(1) That might mean there will be some time between the
rapture and the beginning of the tribulation that
we do not anticipate.
(2) We like to think of things as cut and dried (i.e.
rapture then seven years of tribulation) but God
likes to mix up the things we think we understand.
(3) The tribulation will not start until the 7 year treaty
with Israel is confirmed \\#Dan 9:27\\.
b. There are many ways to study Revelation.
(1) Most study it by its natural divisions of seven -
seven seals, seven trumpets, seven thunders, and
seven vials.
(2) We are going to study it slightly differently.
(a) Man against man judgments.
(b) Nature against man judgments.
(c) God against man judgments.
Let’s look at the taking of peace.
I. \\#1Thess 5:1-3\\ The topic here is the peace that will be felt
around the coming of the Lord.
A. \\#2\\ The day of the Lord is a reference to Tribulation.
B. There will be a false sense of peace and safety.
1. To be honest, the world if far from a peaceful place.
a. We have fighting going on in Syria, with ISIS in
Afghanistan and Iraq, and with the Boko Haram in
Africa.
b. Not to mention the potential war between Iraq and
Israel which could ignite a third world war.
c. Then there are tensions between authority and blacks
and workers and welfare.
2. Personally, I think the idea here is that men will be
talking peace when there really won’t be any real
prospect for it at all.
3. Mankind likes to think things are better than they are:
a. They see a false sense of peace and security.
b. They see a false sense of prosperity.
c. They see this past week’s decisions as a false sense
of personal advancement.
C. In reality, the opposite is true.
1. The peace that man will see will be false and the
beginning of the Tribulation.
2. WAR, FAMINE, and PERSECUTION and will be their door.
3. These are the first events which mankind will inflict
upon mankind.
II. \\#Rev 6:1-4\\ John described a great conflict in the opening of
first 2 seals.
A. We remember that this the actual scroll, sealed with 7 seals.
1. Many picture God sitting in heaven reacting to mankind,
but we see here is that mankind reacts to heaven.
2. Not many details of this conflict are given.
a. I think this is a spirit of conflict and not a war
(the war begins in the next verse).
b. Seeing how black is being turned against white,
welfare against worker, secular against sacred; I
see this spirit already loose to some extent.
B. \\#1-2\\ First seal looses one on a white horse to conquer
on this earth.
1. We know that Jesus will come on a white horse AT THE
END OF THE Tribulation.
Revelation 19:11 And I saw heaven opened, and
behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was
called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he
doth judge and make war.
2. This is NOT Jesus.
a. This is a false Christ, an imitator of Christ.
b. This is either the anti-Christ or a false peace maker
of the anti-Christ’s nature.
c. There is only one reference as to when the anti-Christ
might be revealed.
2Thess 2:6 And now ye know what withholdeth that
he might be revealed in his time.
7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work:
only he who now letteth will let, until he be
taken out of the way.
8 And then 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:
9 Even him, whose coming is after the working
of Satan with all power and signs and lying
wonders,
(1) That verse does not tell us exactly what is
withholding the revealing of the wicked one, but
it does make it clear that the anti-Christ is
being held back.
(2) Whatever you might believe is holding him back,
you can be pretty sure when the church is
taken off the earth, that force is removed.
(3) Regardless of when the anti-Christ is revealed,
remember that he will be alive and moving into
position many years BEFORE he is revealed.
(4) It is possible that he is alive today and already
holding a political office. For all we know, we
would recognize his name this morning.
3. Some ask the question, "Do I believe Obama is the anti-
Christ?"
a. He could be.
(1) To this day, there is still some question about
his birth place.
(2) He is certainly evil enough.
b. However, if Obama is not, then he is certainly one of
the anti-Christ’s forerunners.
(1) He uses flattering and lies to get what he wants.
(2) He hates Israel.
(3) He is against everything the Bible is for - life
of the unborn, marriage, worship of God, a work
ethic; and for everything the Bible is against
- homosexuality for example.
(4) He is a narcissist (he thinks he is god.)
(5) He has been placed in a position to begin the
persecution of the American church.
(6) He is a war-baiter.
(a) He has stirred tensions between white and
blacks, between the workers and welfare
recipients, between the capitalists and
the socialists, and between Israel and the
entire world.
(b) His arrogance and lack of diplomacy has
made America even more despised and weak in
the eyes of the world than ever before.
(c) Someone posted an article on Facebook
yesterday where Russian Vladimir Puttin
is now calling America a godless nation.
c. Through all of this, Obama is creating a spirit of
conquering!
C. \\#3-4\\ Second seal looses great fighting.
1. Three terms indicate the violence of this war: "red" (as
in blood), "kill," and "great sword."
2. This will not be a local fight but world war.
3. This fighting will "take peace from the earth"
D. Consider what we do not know about this conflict.
1 We do not know WHEN this conflict will begin—only that it
will be at the beginning of the tribulation.
2. We do not know what the war will be about.
3. We do not know how the war will start.
a. Another terrorist attack?
b. Israel and Iran?
c. The collapse of the economy?
d. Religious persecution within America?
4. We do not know where the war will start.
5. We do not know what the sides of the war will be.
a. Even if it is a religious war, true Christians
themselves will not be a "side" in this war.
b. Christians may fight to stop the oppression of Islam,
but they will fight as they do today, as defenders
of their homeland, not defenders of Christianity.
c. Jesus has made it clear that Christians are not to
fight for Christianity.
John 18:36 Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of
this world: if my kingdom were of this world,
then would my servants fight, that I should not
be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom
not from hence.
6. We do not know how the war will end.
7. We do not know how long the war will last.
a. Some believe it lasts the entire first 3 1/2 years of
the tribulation.
b. I think that is because \\#Rev 6:17\\ makes mention
that "the great day of his wrath is come," but as
that summation could be a generalization of the
tribulation and is given by the unrepentant of the
earth, I do take it as meaning such.
8. The one thing we know is that it is a devastating war and
the whole world will suffer from it, one way or the
other.
III. \\#Rev 6:5-8\\ John describes a famine in the opening of the
next two seals.
A. Anytime there is war, there are the ravages of war.
B. \\#5-6\\ Third seal releases a famine.
1. Every famine that has ever been on this world is a
miniature of this famine.
2. Considering the famines we have had, that is pretty major.
3. Remember the flood in Joseph’s day \\#Ge 47:13-25\\?
4. Those people sold their…
a. possessions.
b. land.
c. selves.
C. \\#7-8\\ Fourth seal sends for death and hell.
1. In the first days of the tribulation, one-fourth of the
world’s population dies!
a. Presently there are over 7 billion people in the
world.
b. One in four die.
c. 1 3/4 billion people.
2. Even worse, HELL follow death.
a. These are not saved people dying for the saved left in
the rapture.
b. These souls, at least for the most part, are going
straight to hell.
3. Some will begin to find Christ.
a. The rapture will set off a curiosity in the Bible.
b. Bibles, radio & TV sermons, internet, printed
literature will see souls saved.
c. But most of those who die will be added to the legion
of the damned.
IV. \\#Rev 6:9-11\\ John describes those who have been persecuted in
the opening of the fifth seal.
A. Those who WERE SLAIN FOR THE WORD OF GOD are
UNDER THE ALTAR.
1. These are not those killed in the hollow name of religion.
2. These are those who stood for the Word of God.
3. In the Old Testament, God did not forget the remains of
His sacrifices.
a. The blood of the sacrifice was poured out at the
bottom of the altar \\#Ex 29:12\\.
b. The ashes of the sacrifice fell under the altar into
a special pan made to hold them \\#Ex 27:3\\. These
ashes were then moved to a clean place
\\#Lev 6:10-11\\.
4. God will not forget those who were sacrificed for His
work.
B. From this seal, I conclude that the end of this Great War will
result in true Christians being persecuted.
1. You say, "I thought all the Christians were raptured off
the earth."
2. They were, but time is progressing and Christ brings more
to Himself.
a. Even after Christians leave, a gospel footprint will
be left behind.
b. Our Bibles, recorded sermons, written materials,
websites, television broadcasts… all of it will be a
powerful witness for Jesus Christ.
3. I find it interesting that the world will not like that
generation of Christian any better than they like the
true believers today.
4. So they will set about to slay them.
C. However, these martyred could also include the many who are
being slain for Christ today and have been slain since the
church was born.
Luke 21:12 But before all these, they shall lay
their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering
you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being
brought before kings and rulers for my name’s
sake.
13 And it shall turn to you for a testimony.
14 Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to
meditate before what ye shall answer:
15 For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which
all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay
nor resist.
16 And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and
brethren, and kinsfolk, and friends; and some of
you shall they cause to be put to death.
17 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s
sake.
18 But there shall not an hair of your head perish.
19 In your patience possess ye your souls.
D. \\#Rev 6:11\\ And it obvious from what these are told that
more martyrs are to follow.
War, famine, persecution—These are the beginnings of the tribulation
and these are all the results of what mankind does to mankind. When
the question is asked, "Will mankind ever learn?" The answer should
be, "No."
You can, however, learn something. You can learn that the only hope
for mankind is Jesus Christ. Would you trust Him today?
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