THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST - Part 21 (Revelation is the only book in the Holy Bible that promises a blessing to those who read it and obeys it) Chapter 6 - continued Third Seal: Scarcity on Earth Revelation 6: 5 - 11 (vs. 5) - When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, Come and see. So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. (vs. 6) - And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine. (Note: (vs. 5,6) - Black is often connected with famine in the Bible (Jeremiah 14:1,2; Lamentations 5:10). A denarius was the standard daily wage for ancient laborers. In the early days of the Tribulation period, food will be in short supply; so people will have to work all day just to get enough food to eat. Yet the luxuries of the wealthy (oil and wine) will remain untouched,) Fourth Seal: Widespread Death on Earth (vs. 7) - When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, Come and see. (vs. 8) - So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth. Fifth Seal: The Cry Of The Martyrs (vs. 9) - When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. (Note: (vs. 9) - The martyrs of Revelation are described as being under the altar because the Old Testament priests poured the blood of the sacrifices there (Exodus 29:12; Leviticus 4:7). These faithful ones will be slain in the early years of the Tribulation for the same reason that John was exiled, their devotion to God and their testimony (1:9). Testimony likely refers to the word of judgment they will preach. (vs. 10) - And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth ? (Note: (vs. 9, 10) - In the Tribulation period, martyrdom will be common everywhere, unlike today. On the Mount of Olives, Jesus foretold the persecution to come (Matthew 24:8-10). Zechariah the prophet spoke of the day of tribulation as a time when two-thirds of the entire Jewish population would be killed (Zechariah 13:8). Yet Zechariah also gives this promise: I will bring the one-third through the fire, will refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested (Zechariah 13:9). Those who trust in God in that time will be called upon to demonstrate their faith---often with their lives. And yet they will ultimately overcome the enemy (12:11). (vs. 11) - Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed. Note: (vs. 9 - 11) - As the fifth seal is opened, the scene shifts from earth back to heaven. This seal is different from the others. Rather than presenting the action, it portrays the result of the action: John sees the souls of those who have already been slain (a sacrificial word that means slaughter, butcher, murder). Although readers are left to imagine the method by which they were martyred and the suffering they must have endured, it is important to understand that they were put to death, just as Christ was (1:5). (Note: (vs. 10, 11) - These believers will cry out to God, asking Him to render justice for all the devoted who have been murdered during the Tribulation. Their cries will signal the beginning of an even more severe judgment to come. Those who dwell on the earth describes unbelievers who are hostile to God (3:10; 8:13; 11:10; 13:8; 17:2). (To be continued) (*Footnotes from Dr. David Jeremiahs Study Bible)
Posted on: Tue, 04 Mar 2014 15:07:28 +0000
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