 Okay. Good morning everyone. Welcome to BC 308, our course on Revelation and Daniel. Thank you for joining the class today. Let's take a moment to pray and we will get started. Could somebody please pray with the class and then we start? Let's pray. Father we thank you for this opportunity. We come together before your presence and ask our God that you would speak to us today and help us to understand your word. A little more deeper and we pray that you would minister to us. Help us to really focus and to really get a grab of Revelation and Daniel as we are entering into the next chapter of Revelation. Pray that you would minister to us God. Thank you. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Thank you. Alright. So we paused at the end of chapter 5. So just quickly summarize Revelation 4 and 5, what we said and then we will move forward. So what we have said is Revelation 4 and 5 is giving us an insight into heaven. After the rapture of the church. The reason we say that is in Revelation chapter 4 verse 1, the Lord says, John come up here and I will show you things which must take place. That means these are things out in the future. These are not things that were happening then during John's time. But these are things that were going to take place. We said that. Secondly, chapters 4 and 5, we are seeing the elders seated around the throne and they have received their robes of righteousness, the crowns and they are seated on the throne. And we said that, well, it means it's showing us that they have received their rewards. They have received the place of honor. But Peter has written, in chapter 5 verses 1 to 4, he says, When the chief shepherd shall appear, then we, talking to the elders. Verse 5, he says, I'm writing to the elders. Verse 4, he is talking about the reward. He says, then we will receive a crown of glory which will not fade away. So that means as elders, when are we receiving the crown of glory? When he shall appear, not when we die and go to heaven, but when he shall appear. So there has to be the appearing of the Lord subsequent. And after to that, he's appearing, then you're going to receive the reward for being an elder, for being a good shepherd, for being a good, whatever God's called us to do. So that is also telling us that this rewards ceremony or the giving of the awards, rewards is happening after the Lord appearing. So we're seeing that. In chapter 5, and we're seeing in chapter 4, the worship going on in heaven. Chapter 5 is very interesting because we are seeing also in chapter 5, this great multitude of people who have been redeemed from every tribe, tongue and nation. They are in their robes and they worshiping God. So there again is another picture of the raptured church, the church which is believers from all over the world. Every tribe, tongue and nation standing and worshiping God. In chapter 5, something very interesting happens. At that time, they're saying, you know, there's a scroll. Who's going to open the scroll? Who's worthy to open the scroll? And so it's almost like nobody is there except when the Lord Jesus comes and he's represented there in front of the throne as a lion of the tribe of Judah. When he comes, he takes a scroll, he opens, which is signifying that now these things are going to be fulfilled. So the scroll is open and then it's almost like the bell is rung saying time for all these things to be fulfilled. So I see an interesting question in the chat. John is asking, when we talk about the elders, as it includes the apostles of the Lamb, can we safely say that John might be seeing himself too as this is a site in the future? That's an interesting question. I never thought of that. But obviously John is one of the 12 apostles. So one of the thrones must be for him. And yeah, it's quite an interesting question. I mean, there is no indication here that John has recognized himself there. So my guess is that God would have not revealed that to John. Otherwise he would have put that on. And I saw myself standing among the 12 on the right side or the left side, along with the 24. I mean, he would have put a big note there. Very interesting question. I never thought of it. So definitely, definitely. John being part of the 12 apostles would be, I don't know which side, but on one of the sides because the others are the 12 Old Testament prophets, as we saw. So the answer to the question is, yes, John would have been among the 24. But my guess is God would not have disclosed that. So it's quite obvious that John's recognize that these are elders, but it's likely he didn't know their names. Otherwise, I think he would have written down. If he had seen Moses, Elijah, I don't know, I'm just making this up. If he had seen, you know, starting, let's start from, you know, maybe from Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, I don't know who all, but David and maybe, you know, we said, yeah, Moses, you know, whoever else, I don't know. It's quite possible he would have written their names down, you know. And so if he saw himself there, he had written the names down. So I'm assuming, I'm assuming this is just a guess, that he recognizes these are elders, but he doesn't recognize who they are. And so he doesn't put their names down. I mean, that's how I would look at it. But, you know, we can't back it up with scripture. So, yeah. So the Lord Jesus opens the scroll and that's saying, OK, these events are going to start, right? And along with that, there is this amazing worship happening in heaven. I just want to point out about the harp and the bow. It's a very interesting picture that we see in verse eight of Revelation five. And I know we've read Revelation chapter five. Just a few things to point out. Revelation five was eight. So John is seeing the worship going on in heaven. The Lord has taken the scroll, the foreign living creatures and 24 elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, that is the instrument they're playing, and a golden bowl that's filled with incense, which are the prayers of the saints. It's very interesting. These elders, they're before the throne. Each of them at this point, at this point in verse eight, verse five eight, they're having a harp. OK, we understand that. They're playing on their harp or the instrument. And they're having a bowl that's filled with incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they're singing a song and they're worshiping Jesus, they're praising the Lord. Yeah, OK. So I just want to point out one good thing and one not good thing. The good thing is harp, praise, bowl, prayer. So both praise and prayer is part of what we bring before the throne. You know, so you might have heard some people, you know, they named their ministry, ministries or ministry, harp and bowl ministry. So that's a nice name. It's just saying there is praise and there is prayer, right, harp and bowl. So the nice thing we can learn is that we bring both praise and prayer or intercession. We bring worship and prayer, praise and worship, prayer and intercession we bring before the throne. So all of us, in one sense, should be harp and bowl worshippers or harp and bowl people before the throne. So there is praise and worship. There is prayer and intercession. That's the nice thing. I want to just mention here is the wrong deduction. I'm just mentioning this so that we can be aware. We should not use this scripture to use. We should not use this to say that I can direct. I need to direct my prayer through the elders to the Lord. That's the wrong thing we must avoid. You know, somebody can say, hey, look, look, look, look. The elder is scaring the bowl and he's offering it to the Lord who's on the throne. And it is saying here he's scaring a bowl full of the prayers of the saints. So I should not wrongly conclude that I need to offer my prayer to the any one of the elders. I don't know who. John or whoever, one of the two apostles are, you know, it is a wrong conclusion because the rest of scriptures directly tell us whatever you ask the Father in the name of Jesus. You pray our Father. He has always taught us you pray directly to the Father. You pray to the Father. You don't have to send your prayer through the elders. You don't have to send your prayer to the throne through somebody else. You're going to the Father in the name of Jesus. So that's the wrong thing. It's just showing us that this picture is just showing us because we always have to interpret what we're seeing with the rest of scripture. So this picture is showing us that the elders are offering praise and prayer or praise and worship, prayer and intercession before the throne, which is a good thing. That's a good thing. We bring praise and prayer before the throne. But it does not mean that our prayers are going to the elders first and then going to Jesus. That is a wrong conclusion and we should be careful not to do that. But our prayers are going to the Lord in the name of Jesus. And it's just a picture that the elders are offering praise and prayer. So now we're going to go into chapter 6. Chapter 6 is a picture of things happening here on earth. So there are things happening in heaven, which the elders are in the throne room. There is worship. All of these things are happening. The scroll has been opened. So that means here on earth things are starting to happen. What is the first thing we see happening? We see the seals. The Lamb of God, Jesus is opening seven seals. And as each seal is being opened, something is happening here on earth. And each of these is basically, this is the start of the tribulation. So we're just going to read a lot of the judgment destruction that's going to happen here on earth. It's not necessarily pleasant to read, but it is the judgment of God happening here on earth, starting from the beginning of the tribulation. So let's read in little portions. So we'll read verses 1 to 8, Revelation chapter 6 verses 1 to 8. And then we will read after that. So somebody could read Revelation 6, 1 to 8. Revelation chapter 6, verses 1 to 8. Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, come and see. And I looked and behold a white horse. He who sat on it had a book and a crown was given to him and he went out conquering and to conquer. When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, come and see. Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth and that people should kill one another. And that was given to him a great fault. 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. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, a quart of wheat for a dinner is and three quarts of barley for a dinner is and do not form the oil and the wine. Yeah. So it was eight, seven and eight, please. Seven and eight. And he opened the fourth seal. I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, come and see. So I looked and behold a pale horse and the name of him who sat on it was the 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 peace of the earth. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. So now the seals are being opened. What is interesting? Yes. The first four seals each of them is depicted by a horse. There's a white horse. There's a red horse. There's a black horse and there is a pale horse. So wondering like, oh, what is this? Why is God using like each of these four seals for sales are opened. It's showing a horse, the moving of a horse. Why is God using this image? And we will talk about, you know, so the horse is a symbol of strength and speed. Right. So, so we shouldn't think like, oh, okay. So this is where we are using things figuratively as opposed to literally. So it doesn't mean like the seal is open. Some, you know, like a scroll, there's a seal, the seal is open and suddenly there's a horse running. It's more like, okay. It's figurative. It's telling us something about what is going to happen at that time. So that means these things, these four things coming on a horse, meaning these four things are going to happen with strength and with speed. It's going to happen forcefully. It's going to happen very fast. Four horses, white horse, red horse, black horse, pale horse. The first seal is talking about a man. It says there is somebody sitting on that white horse. This is Revelation 6, 1 and 2. And he has a bow and a crown and he's conquering and to conquer. So this is the revealing of the Antichrist. Revelation 6 verse 2. So why do you say that? Because we saw in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 that the man of sin, the son of perdition, he has to be revealed. He has to be made known. So he says, 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 verse 3, 3 and 4. It says, let no one deceive you by any means. For that day will not come unless a falling away comes first. And the man of sin is revealed. The son of perdition opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. So the man of sin is revealed. So there is almost like an unveiling. This man is coming onto the scene. 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 verse 3 and 4. So Revelation 6, 2 is the fulfillment of that, this man of sin. So why do you say cause? He's coming on a white horse. Who else comes on a white horse? Jesus comes. But Jesus comes on a white horse in Revelation 19. And he comes from heaven. Jesus, when he comes to Revelation 19, he's also coming as the conquering king. He comes and he defeats all of his enemies, the enemies of Israel. Revelation 19. But this man on a white horse is different. He's not the Christ. Therefore we say he is the Antichrist. He comes. Revelation 6, 2. At the beginning of the tribulation, he comes like a man of peace. And he has been given the authority to conquer, to really take people in his control. So that's how we conclude that this man is the Antichrist. He's like the Christ. He's coming on a white horse. He's coming to conquer. But he is not the Christ. Because the Christ comes in Revelation 19. He also comes riding on a white horse. He comes when he destroys all his enemies. He comes to conquer, to rule the nations with the rod of iron. This Revelation 6, 2 is a different person. He's coming on a white horse. Like the Christ. But he's the Antichrist. And he's gaining influence. So on earth, everything begins with the man of sin being revealed. 2nd Thessalonians chapter 2 was 3 and 4. But what has happened for the man of sin to be revealed? He who restrains has been taken out of the way. The church has been taken out of the way. So therefore we are saying the church is in heaven now. All the believers are in heaven now. And this man of sin is revealed. The next three white horses, the red horse, the black horse, the pale horse, are speaking to us about things that are going to happen on the earth. The red horse verses 3 and 4 are talking about war beginning on the earth. There is going to be violence. There is going to be war. So very interesting. The Antichrist comes on the scene extending his influence. And the tribulation is beginning with this increased conflict everywhere. This is peace from the earth. People should kill one another. And they were given to him a great sword. So there is conflict erupting in numerous places all around the earth. Third seal, there is scarcity of food or you could even say famine. Because now this black horse is the symbol of somebody holding a scale. And in those days scales were used to measure out food. Sometimes in some parts of India, if you go to the store, especially in I think in rural parts, maybe in the city also, I'm not sure. If you go to buy food, they will measure it in scales. They'll put one side, they'll put weights. And the other side, they'll put rice or they will put some grain or something. They'll measure that. And that's how they give you the food. So one kg rice, okay. One side the weight and one they put the rice on. So that scale is what is pictured here in the third seal. But it's a black horse, meaning it's not good. There's scarcity. It's talking about food becoming very expensive. And he's saying don't even touch the oil and the wine. That means you can't even have access to oil and wine. Food has become very scarce. So that is the third. So there is conflict, the scarcity of food or shortage of food or you know, you could even say maybe it's famine, it's not crops are not growing. Then the fourth seal, there is death. This is the pale horse. It's represented by the pale horse. Death is going all over the earth. And it says here, 25% of earth's population is wiped out. You know, it says here, a fourth of the earth. They're killed with sword, hunger and by the beasts of the earth. So 25% fourth of the earth's population are dying. And there are many reasons there is they've been dying because of violence. They're dying because of hunger. And they're dying because of the beasts of the earth. Now that's something to think very interesting because it says the animals are now coming to kill people. Now if you look at it in some parts, I'm not saying everywhere, but in some parts a man has so encroached on territory that leopards, bears, are all these wild animals. I'm saying leopards and bears because I know leopards here in Bangalore, also Bangalore City, outskirts, they are coming in. It's almost like we have encroached so much on their territory. They're coming in, you know, and suddenly people find leopards in an apartment complex roaming around. Of course it's very dangerous. So, you know, it's like we're coming to that place now. And it says the beasts of the earth are going to kill people. So something's going to happen that's going to cause widespread death on the earth. So we're just beginning to see this is the beginning of the seven years of tribulation. But at the same time, Revelation 6, there's going to be a lot of spiritual things happening because a lot of people are going to turn to faith in Jesus. So the rapture has taken place. The redeemed saints have gone into heaven. They are worshipping God, Revelation 4 and 5. The elders are there, the saints are there, they are worshipping God. On earth, people are not everybody, but many people are going to turn to the Lord. But it's going to be very difficult for them to follow Jesus. They're going to be martyred. You'll see this in Revelation 6. Let's read, please, verses 9 to 17, 9 to the end. Revelation 6, 9 to the end. When he opened the fifth scene, 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. 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. Even 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. Sixth seal. I looked when he opened the sixth seal and behold, there was a great earthquake and the sun became black as sack lot of hair and the moon became like blood and the stars of heaven fell to the earth as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free men hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains and said to the mountains and rocks fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the lamb for the great day of his wrath has come and who is able to stand? Amen. So the next two seals. So fifth seal. John is saying that there are the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and the testimony which they held. Very interesting. Why? Because he has only seen in chapter five that the redeemed are actually standing and worshipping God, right? Revelation five, it says, you know, was nine, the redeemed either from every tribe, a nation, they're worshipping God. But this is a different set of people in Revelation six, nine because they're not standing before the throne and worshipping God. This is a different set of people. What has happened to them? They are those who had been slain become martyrs. So there's a difference. Revelation five, these are the redeemed saints, raptured saints. Everybody's received glorified bodies. They're standing before the throne, worshipping God. Revelation has started on the earth and there are people who have turned to faith in Jesus. They have now become saints or believers in Jesus and these people are now being killed. And their souls are coming up into the throne room of God before the altar of God. And those are whom we are seeing here in Revelation six, nine to eleven. They're receiving a white robe and God is saying, you know, so they're crying out, Lord, how long are you going to avenge our blood? I mean, all these people have been martyred. And he says, okay, you wait. There are going to be more people are going to be killed. So you just have to be patient and God will avenge. God will, you know, will avenge. Those are being martyred. You wait a little longer. It's going to happen. But Revelation six, nine to eleven is telling us that there will be lots of people who are being martyred for their faith. It says for the word of God and for the testimony which they held during the tribulation. So will there be people who will become believers during the tribulation? Yes, they will die. They will be killed for their faith. Yes. And their souls are coming up into the throne of God and God is saying, okay, you be patient. More people are going to happen in just a little while. More people are going to be killed. It's a little while longer. The sixth seal is telling us about great earthquakes. And look at the sign very carefully. The sun will become black and the moon will become like blood. Now, that terminology, that language is used in connection with Joel's prophecy. Remember Joel prophesied in Joel chapter 2, 28, 29. He said, in the last days, I will pour out my spirit on all flesh. Young men will see visions. All men will dream dreams upon my servants and my handmaidens. I will pour out my spirit in those days. And the sun will be darkened and the moon will become blood red. And I will show signs in the heavens above and on the earth beneath. Okay. But that is connected to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. And it is connected with the last days. And that language, the sun being darkened and the moon being blood red, is now, it'll be repeated twice, at least two times in the book of Revelation. First, we're seeing it here. Revelation 6, 12. The sun is becoming black and the moon is becoming blood. And there's the signs in the heavens above. The stars are falling to the earth and to the earth beneath. Right? So, it's literally, literally. Revelation 6, 12 is fulfilling Joel's prophecy. But it is connected to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. It's one prophecy. So, what I want to say here is that although it is not stated in Revelation 6 about the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, what I want to say here is that because this prophecy is actually part of the bigger prophecy of Joel, there is going to be, or we can safely say, there will be a moving of the Holy Spirit continuing through the book of Revelation. It's connected. It's one prophecy. In the last days, I will do all of these things. That's the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. And then there are going to be these tremendous signs happening. The sun will be dark and the moon will become blood red. I will show signs in the heavens above and on the earth beneath. Well, it's happening here. So, there also has to be the movement of the Holy Spirit, which we will see in the next chapter, Revelation 7. So, these signs are happening. And it is interesting to see the reaction of the people of the earth, which is verses 15 to 17, Revelation 6. The kings of the earth, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, and everybody, every slave and every free man, they are hiding themselves and they are saying to the rocks, fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. What does this mean? It means this, that people are recognizing something unusual is happening. People are recognizing that this is the judgment of God, because they are saying, hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne from the wrath of the Lamb. People are recognizing a rich, powerful people, mighty people, and everybody, free men, everybody, people are recognizing, hey, there's this sense that we are in this time of God's judgment. We are in the tribulation. We are there. But sadly, they're not repenting. And you will see this again coming up in, I think in chapter 8 or 9. We'll see this one more time, where even though people are recognizing that this is God doing something, they're not repenting. What are they crying? They're saying rocks, I mean, they're trying to self-destruct rather than repent. So we are seeing both things happen during the tribulation. We are seeing people who will believe and who will be killed for the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus. And then we are seeing people who are recognizing that this is the work of God. I mean, God's judgment has been poured out on the earth, and this is Bible being fulfilled. They're recognizing that God is there and God is judging the earth, but they're not repenting. They're telling rocks, fall on us. They still don't want to turn to God. They want to die, just go away. So in the tribulation, there will be people who turn to the Lord and there will be people who still continue to reject the Lord. We'll see this again, repeated. So while these seven seals, this one, the seventh seal has to be opened, but while these seals have been opened and all these things are beginning to happen on the earth, the Lord reveals to John that he has a special assignment for the Jews on the earth during the tribulation. And again, this is very interesting to think about because we are now in the church age from the day of Pentecost till the rapture. It's the church age. God's dealings is primarily in and through the church. And as Paul writes in Romans chapters 9 to 11, God has not neglected the Jews. But in this time, he's working through the Gentiles. They leave us everywhere. And as we come to the end of the church age, the church is taken out of the way, then God has a special assignment for the Jews during those seven years of tribulation. So that's what we see in chapter 7 that for some reason, and there's no explanation given, God selects 144,000 Jews. We just refer to them as these 144,000 Jewish servants. For some reason, somebody says, why 144,000? I don't know. It's just what the scriptures say. Well, from 12 tribes, I mean 12,000 from 12 tribes. Why not, you know, some other Nambali? Why not 200,000? Whatever. So the Bible says, he marks 144,000 Jewish believers to serve him during the tribulation. So we're going to read Revelation chapter 7. And we'll just read verses 1 to 4. We don't need to read verses 5 through 8. Please, Revelation 7, 1 to 4. After these things, I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree. Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels from whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying, do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads. And I heard the number of those who were sealed, 144,000 of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed. Now, we come to a particular point where there is a momentary stillness on the earth. So the picture, Revelation 7, 1, the picture of four angels standing at the four corners of the earth. Now, remember when you say four corners, don't think of the earth as a flat table. It's just saying four directions. And he's holding the four winds. So the four winds are a picture, when you look at them in scripture, are a picture of movement happening. And sometimes, very often it's in the context with the movement of God. God is doing something. So here we're coming to the point where the four winds are held, meaning things are still. Nothing's going to happen. So there's a momentary pause because something special has to happen. What is it? 144,000 from the tribes of the children of Israel have to be marked on their foreheads. These are the servants of God. So these 144,000 people are going to be marked by God to serve God during the tribulation. These people are from the tribes of the children of Israel. They're Jewish people. So what can we say here? There is the seal. So what is the seal? From scripture, on the New Testament scripture especially, the seal represents two things. One, it represents the mark of the presence of the Holy Spirit. Today we as believers, we are sealed by God. What is it? The Holy Spirit is given to us as the seal. We are sealed by the Spirit. Another picture of being sealed is the name of God. So two things in the New Testament, the seal, the mark of God is the Holy Spirit and the name of the Lord. These are the only two things that are represented by the seal of God being put on us. So it is safe to say here that God is putting His Holy Spirit and His name on these people. They're going to carry the name of the Lord. That's what the seal of God is. 144,000 Jewish believers. What are they going to do? They are servants of the Lord. They're going to serve God. And verses 5 to 8 is showing 12,000 from each of the tribes. The only point to note is that two of the tribes are missing. I forget which two of the original tribes are missing, but instead the two sons of Joseph are included. The tribe of Joseph and Manessa are included here, replacing the other two tribes. So again, the question is, why are those two tribes replaced by Joseph and Manessa? So again, we don't know the reason. So sometimes Bible commentaries would say, maybe because these two tribes did not fight or did not engage in conflict for Israel, maybe God left them out or maybe because of some other reason. But that's the thing that we note here in mentioning the 12 tribes. Two of the original tribes are left out and they're replaced by Joseph and Manessa. So 144,000 Jews are sealed by God to serve God during the tribulation and the seal represents the Holy Spirit and the name of Jesus. So once again, we say that there is indication here that the Holy Spirit is at work during the tribulation. So he's not been taken out of the earth because these people, if they're going to serve God during the tribulation, they definitely need the empowering of the Holy Spirit. They cannot serve God, serve the Lord without the empowering of the Holy Spirit. I mean, if any time they needed to be anointed by God, it's there in the tribulation. So it would be almost contradictory to say, hey, this is the worst time to be on earth, but I'm calling you to serve and I'm not giving you the Holy Spirit. No, no, no, no. The logical thing would be this is the toughest time. I'm calling you to serve. I'm going to make sure you have the Holy Spirit to empower you. So here again, another reason why we are saying the Holy Spirit is going to be active on the earth during the tribulation and therefore it's the church that has been raptured and taken out of the way. So we'll come back, we'll continue from here, continue to, continue in chapter 7. Yeah, and I see Jeffy knows our question on the chat. We will pick it up right after the break, right? And if you have any questions, please feel free to bring it up as we look at these things. Let's come back in 10 minutes, please. Thank you.