A Study of The Book of Revelation, Part #27

THE FIFTH AND SIXTH SEAL

Revelation 6:9-11: 

The difference between an "Age" and a "Dispensation" is, that an "Age" stands for a period between two great physical changes in the earth's surface, while a "Dispensation" stands for a "moral" or "probationary" period in the world's history. For illustration, the "Present Age" began with "The Flood," and ends with the return of Christ to the Mount of Olives. "The Flood" caused such physical and climatic changes that the length of human life was reduced from 900 to 100 years; all this will be reversed when Christ comes back, when the whole contour of the Land of Palestine will be changed (Zec 14:4-10; Eze 47:1-12), and men shall live again for upwards of 1000 years. Isa 65:20.  Dispensations are probationary periods, and the form of "Administration" is different and progressive in each "Dispensation." For illustration, the Administration of the "Legal Dispensation" was that of "Law," of the "Present Dispensation" is "Grace," and of the one to follow is "Righteousness."   Often there is an attempt to combine the different dispensations of the Bible, thus forming a polluted Gospel.  If the promises made under the dispensation of the Law  to the children of Israel were brought forward and applied to the church under the dispensation of grace, then Jesus coming and dying would have been in vain and the book of Revelation would be an "outright lie".  Paul tried to set this straight in 2 Timothy 2:15  Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. For a deeper understanding of the Bible the scripture must be divided inaccrodance with Ages and Dispensations.  This does not detract from 2 Timothy 3:16  All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 

9. And 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: 

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? 

11. And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it Was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled. 

When the fifth seal is removed, the scene changes completely. Each of  The first four seals is characterized by a living creature and a horse, neither of which appears under the last three seals. Thus the first four seals are set apart from the last three. Matthew 5:13 tells us that born again believers are the “salt of the earth.” Matthew 5:14 tells us they are also the “light of the world.” The presence of the Church in the world preserves the earth, wards off corruption and holds back the terrible judgment of Almighty God.  Regardless of how unworthy and faulty we may be as believers, we are the salt that keeps civilization from rotting on its feet. But when God’s patience runs out and He removes the salt and the light, corruption and moral darkness will then engulf this earth (Isaiah 60:2). When the Rapture takes place, the salt and the light will be taken out. The Holy Ghost will also go out with the Church, because the Church is the home of the Spirit on earth (I Corinthians 3:16). When the Rapture takes place the Church will be caught up to meet Jesus in the air and will be presented by Christ to Himself in glory (Ephesians 5:27). “Only He who now letteth will let, until He be taken out of the way” (II Thessalonians 2:7). The Spirit will go out with the Church, and will then work from Heaven to earth as He did in the Old Testament era. In those days the Holy Ghost came upon men, and then left them; but since Pentecost He has been in the world to stay. He has not departed for one moment. This is the dispensation of grace.

After the Rapture of the Church, there will be persons converted by no known human agency. The first witnesses on earth after the Rapture will go through the world preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom (Matthew 24:14). The result of their preaching is made known in Matthew 25:31-48. These first preachers of the Gospel of the Kingdom will be chiefly converted Jews. “These my brethren” in Matthew 25:40 refers to the Jewish brethren of our Lord according to the flesh. The first believers after the Rapture will be severely persecuted. They will be butchered , “slain for the Word of God and for the testimony which they held.” The Word of God, faithfully declared, brings persecution from the world and the devil. 

When these first preachers deliver their message, there will be very few on earth who will listen, because those who have been exposed to the Truth as we hear the Truth today, will be sent strong delusions. They will believe the Lie - (the Antichrist) - and they will all be damned because “they believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” Read carefully II Thessalonians 2:1-12  and study those verses very carefully .  You will see that when the Rapture takes place and the Holy Spirit leaves the world, those who hear the Gospel of the grace of God and refuse to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, will not listen to any message. They will be sent “strong delusion,” they will believe the message of the Antichrist and they will all be damned! 

The persons saved after the Rapture will be the multitudes who have never heard a message of the Gospel of the grace of God. Naturally there will be bitter, severe persecution, and many will be martyred because of their testimony. This earth will be literally hell on earth after the Rapture.  Now the Lord, by the power of the Holy Spirit, bridles the passions of ungodly men; but when the presence of the power of the Holy Ghost is withdrawn at the close of the dispensation of grace, the devil will have full sway in the hearts and lives of the masses left when the true Church is taken out. 

“The testimony which they held” is not the testimony that you and I give today in this Age of Grace. We testify to the saving grace of God and to the gift of God,  the Lord Jesus Christ. These people will testify to the coming Kingdom. They will preach that Jesus is coming to set up a literal kingdom on earth, and that testimony will cause unheard of persecution. When Antichrist  and his followers hear these fanatical preachers declare that One is coming to set up a kingdom, they will be furious and persecution will be meted out as never before on the face of this earth. Their testimony concerning the coming kingdom, concerning the Christ who will sit on the throne, and Concerning the kingdom rights of Christ and His followers (Matthew 24:14) will be trampled under foot, and the witnesses who declare this message will be cruelly, brutally slain. Notice the sacrificial word slain is used here instead of killed, which appears in verse 11. The first group referred to is composed of Jews, the latter group of “their fellow servants and their brethren,” both Jews and Gentiles. The word “slain” is used in keeping with the special character of these witnesses, probably all Jews. The second company referred to will be killed under the beast (Revelation 13:7 and 11). The altar referred to here is no doubt the altar of burnt offering which stood in the court of the tabernacle and the temple. This altar was made of brass, typifying the endurance of divine judgment. You will also notice the altar in chapter 11:1, chapter 14:18, chapter 16:7. The golden  altar of intercession comes into view - twice in these scenes - chapter 8, the latter part of verse 3, and chapter 9:13. The first altar mentioned in verse 3 and the altar in verse 5 of chapter 8 refers to the brazen altar. Brass symbolizes the judgment of Almighty God. John saw the souls under the altar, the altar upon which they had been sacrificed by their persecutors. John heard the cry from the souls of these martyrs, crying aloud for vengeance on their enemies. 

I hope you noticed something unusual here. These martyrs who had sealed their testimony with their life’s blood, did not pray as Jesus prayed, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). They did not pray as Stephen prayed, “Lord, lay not this sin to their charge” (Acts 7:60). The change of dispensation changes the character of the Lord’s dealings with ungodly men. Law was the principle on which God dealt with wicked men in the Old Testament era. Grace is the principle on which God deals in this present dispensation. Grace goes the second mile. If one takes your coat, give him your overcoat. These martyrs are crying out in another dispensation. Grace is past. They are crying in keeping with Psalm 94: “O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongeth; O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, shew thyself. Lift up thyself, thou judge of the earth: render a reward to the proud. Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph?” (Psalm 94:1-3).  It's become easier to understand when we rightly divide the word of God.

The judgment of sin on the cross, the first of five judgments, when Jesus laid down His life willingly, is the foundation on which securely rests our glory in Heaven, our peace with God the Father. The judgment of sin on the ungodly and the wicked that will be on earth after the Rapture, is imperative. It must be, in order to clear the earth from evil and to make it a fit dwelling place for God’s earthly people. “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof.” It was created for the meek, and the meek shall inherit the earth in due time. No one can deny the presence of a new Heaven, a new earth, and the Pearly white City. No one can deny the Bride, the New Testament Church, Israel the nation, and the saved nations, the Gentiles, that will be on earth after the consummation of all things. John did not see these martyrs in life. He did not witness the brutality of their persecution and martyrdom. 

It is all over when he sees them “underneath the altar.” He hears them cry with a loud voice, “How long?” This cry is well known among the suffering Jews, and will be better known during the coming hour of unparalleled sorrow and persecution upon the Jews. Read carefully Psalm 74:9,10; Psalm 79:5; Psalm 89:46; Psalm 94:3,4. The appeal of these martyrs is to God. They are crying to the sovereign ruler of all creation - the One who has the right and the power to avenge the Blood shed by the enemies of the Lord God. These martyrs are crying out to God to pour out vengeance “upon them that dwell upon the earth.” God does not answer by pouring out vengeance at that moment. Their cry for vengeance is heard, but the answer is delayed. 

Christians pray for those who despitefully use them. They do not pray for God to destroy their enemies. Today, we are to return good for evil. This is the age of Grace. God declares, “MY grace is sufficient for thee.” And He promises no temptation beyond that which we can bear. But those who had been martyred as these Jews had been, under the Law, had a perfect right to cry out that vengeance be poured out upon their enemies. When the Lord gives to each of these martyrs a white robe, He stamps His approval upon their request. He did not rebuke them when they begged that vengeance be poured out upon the inhabitants of the earth. He did not shame them. He gave to each of them a white robe. In this day of Grace, if we return evil for evil, if we do good only to those who do good to us, we do not receive a reward, but rather a rebuke. But here, Grace is over. This is another dispensation. These martyrs are instructed to “rest yet for a little season,” until another company of “fellow servants and brethren” should be killed as they were killed. And when this second company has been martyred, then the vengeance of Almighty God will be poured out upon the inhabitants of the earth. 

We must bear in mind that neither the Old Testament martyrs, from Abel, nor the Christian martyrs, from Stephen, are referred to here. But these two companies of martyrs are killed after the Rapture - they seal their testimony with their blood after the saints have been caught out of this earth into Heaven. 

THE SIXTH SEAL 

Revelation 6:12-17: 

12. And I beheld 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; 13. 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. 

14. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. 

15. 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;

16. 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: 

17. For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? 

These verses do not need to be symbolized, the events in these verses are real, they are just as real as are the souls under the altar in verses 9-11. When the sixth seal is removed, there is a great earthquake. we know what an earthquake is; we know what the sun is; we know what black is - “the sun became as black as sackcloth of hair.” Sackcloth was a coarse black cloth made of hair - and as black as soot. When the sixth seal is removed the earth will go into convulsions . . . it will reel and rock. The sun will turn black, the moon will become as blood. Stars will fall from their sockets down to the earth. If God did not mean earth, then why did He not make it clear so we could understand it? The stars are in the Heaven above the earth, they will fall to the earth “as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs” (faulty, dried up figs), when a mighty wind shakes the tree. 

Heaven will split wide open and roll back like a scroll. The mountains and islands will literally turn loose and move around like checkers on a checkerboard! The mountains will rush to the sea like ships driven by atomic power; they will roll across the terrain like mighty tanks built by man. And when the stars begin to fall, when the moon becomes as blood, when the sun is as black as soot, when islands are dashing through the ocean and mountains are rolling around like apples and balls on the floor, then there will be a prayer meeting well attended! Kings will be there, great men will be there, millionaires will be there, chief captains will be there. Mighty men will be there - and, of course, bondmen, free men, slaves . . , ALL men will be there. 

They will hide themselves in dens and rocks, in crevices and mountains, and will beg the mountains and the rocks to fall on them. They want to be hidden from “FROM THE FACE OF HIM THAT SITTETH ON THE THRONE! AND FROM THE WRATH OF THE LAMB!” These people see the face of Jesus, and it is an hour of mortal fear. Remember Revelation 1:7: “Behold He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him.” Only the born again will go in the Rapture, and if you are not born again you will be left behind; and if the Rapture should take place right now (and it could), if the Rapture should occur as you read these lines, and you are not saved, you would be left to go through the reign of the Antichrist, and you could very well be alive when this terrible time comes upon the earth. These kings and great men, rulers and captains, bondmen and free men, millionaires and paupers, white men and black men, red men and yellow men - ALL men - will beg God to cover them and hide them from the face of Jesus - the Lamb of God. Why? “The great day of His wrath is come - and who shall be able to stand?” 

- That does not sound like the lovely, grandfatherly God who sits in an armchair away over yonder in Heaven some place and winks at the wickedness of men, and chuckles at their ungodliness! - That does not sound like the great, grandfatherly God who will give all men a second chance, does it? Face it! - That does not sound like the God the liberals and the modernists talk about. But this is the God the BIBLE talks about. I believe God is love (I John 4:8) and I teach the love of God; but I do not believe in a one-sided Gospel. I believe we should teach it all. I teach the love of God, the tenderness of God, the long-suffering of God; but I also teach occasionally from  Deuteronomy 32:39-43  See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand. For I lift up my hand to heaven, and say, I live for ever. If I whet my glittering sword, and mine hand take hold on judgment; I will render vengeance to mine enemies, and will reward them that hate me. I will make mine arrows drunk with blood, and my sword shall devour flesh; and that with the blood of the slain and of the captives, from the beginning of revenges upon the enemy. Rejoice, O ye nations, with his people: for he will avenge the blood of his servants, and will render vengeance to his adversaries, and will be merciful unto his land, and to his people. Yes, I teach that God is love, God is merciful and kind; but I also teach from Paul’s text: “For our God is a consuming fire",  (Hebrews 12:29). And I always teach, “Hebrews 10:28-31  He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Many may suggest that such a catastrophe is not feasible from a God of love. God would not send such judgment upon this earth. Have we forgotten the great darkness that for three days covered Egypt in the days before the exodus of God’s people (Exodus 1O:21-23)? Have we forgotten the total darkness, the darkness of death itself, that settled over Jerusalem and the entire universe when Jesus was crucified (Matthew 27:45)? 

The prophet Zechariah speaks of the day that shall not be clear or dark, and Zechariah associates this day with an earthquake at the time when the Lord returns to this earth in judgment (Zechariah 14:1-7). In the prophecy of Joel we read, “And I will shew 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” (Joel 2:30, 31). Isaiah tells us, “Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and He shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine” (Isaiah 13:9,10). “And all the host of heaven (the stars, the moon, the sun) shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree” (Isaiah 34:4).We see here the picture of earth’s pains of travail as mother earth labors just before bringing forth the new creation.

Jesus refers to this time: “In those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken” (Matthew 24:29). Before closing chapter six, let me point out that the hand of Almighty God will shake this earth  into a giant convulsion. When the day of the judgment of Almighty God becomes a reality, the peoples of the earth in their fear and terror will hide in the dens and rocks, and cry for the rocks and mountains to fall on them and hide them from the face of Jesus, from the Lamb. Instead of repenting and crying for mercy and salvation, they pray for the mountains and rocks to bury them and hide them from the face of the Lamb of God, sitting on the throne. Are you ready for that judgment day? If you are not, in the words of Amos, “Prepare to meet thy God!” The way to prepare is to simply trust Him by faith. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life” (John 5:24).   This is real, this is not a Santa Claus religion.