Revelation – Lesson 5

March 24, 2010


1. What happens when the lamb opens each of the first six seals?
Seal 1 – (False Prophets) When the 1st seal is opened John sees a white horse, an imitation of Jesus at His second coming described later in Revelation 19:11-16. Here are pictured false christs - false preachers deceiving and causing multitudes to accept them as the ministers of righteousness (2 Corinthians 11:13-15), preaching counterfeit Christs (2 Corinthians 11:4) represented to be the true Christ who died for us on the Cross.

Seal 2 – The second seal is opened and a red horse appears, killing men, taking peace from the earth - symbolizing WAR.
Seal 3 – The third seal is a black horse, picturing FAMINE.
Seal 4 –The fourth seal is a pale horse meaning PESTILENCE.
Seal 5 The fifth seal depicts one phase of the great Tribulation - the martyrdom of saints.
Seal 6 – The sixth seal shows the Heavenly signs - sun and moon becoming dark, and the stars falling. Terrible event here described as yet to come.

2. Rev. 6:2-8. What do each of the four horsemen represent

white – First Horseman - White Horse - Conquest / First Seal - False Peace/False Religion

red – Second Horseman - Red Horse - War / Second Seal - War

black – Third Horseman - Black Horse - Famine / Third Seal - Famine

pale – Fourth Horseman - Pale Horse - Death / Fourth Seal - Disease

3. What do the judgements of the 4 have in common? DIRECTLY CORRESPONDS to the order of the release of the Four Horsemen during the opening of the first Four Seals! What is described by the seals is similar to the signs of the end of the age as described by Jesus in Matthew 24. There will be wars, famines and earthquakes (Mat 24:6-8), persecution (24:9-14), the heavenly bodies are shaken (Mat 24:29) and 'at that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn' (Mat 24:30).

4. What does Jesus say in Matthew 24:4-8 Jesus gave 4 signs that correspond with the first Four Seals of Revelation 6: "Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in diverse places. All these are the beginning of sorrows" Matthew 24:4-8

5. 5th seal is an interlude, What is the answer to the Martyrs question in 6:10 Then a white robe was given to each of them. And they were told to rest a little longer until the full number of their brothers and sisters and their fellow servants of Jesus who were to be martyred had joined them. (Rev. 6:11 NLT)
6. Rev. 6:9-11 enduring persecution how is this relevant to you? As a born-again Christian we have the Hope of Glory living in our hearts. We can say like Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:8, “We are confident I say and willing rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.” And also in Philippians 1:21, “For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Praise God!

7. How will people react to the 6th judgement? 6:15-17 Then everyone the kings of the earth, the rulers, the generals, the wealthy, the powerful, and every slave and free person all hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. And they cried to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. For the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to survive?”.

8. How is this a warning or encouragement to you? It is a blessing because I know my Jesus is coming for me and I will be with Him for eternity! I need to witness to this lost world and share Jesus with them.

9. What happens in Rev. 7: 1-8? What happens in Rev. 7:9-17? Four angels hold in check the four winds so no wind blows. They are told not to release winds until seal is imprinted on foreheads of the servants of God. 144,000 to be marked, 12 thousand from each of the 12 tribes of Israel. He is suddenly surrounded by a huge crowd which no one could count from every nation, race and tongue. He is told these are the ones who have survived the period of great trial.

10. Why is it important to know that God's servants will be sealed before God sends His afflictions? Rev. 7:3 says Wait! Don’t harm the land or the sea or the trees until we have placed the seal of God on the foreheads of his servants.” In the midst of pouring out judgments, God remembers mercy for His own. God does not forget His promises. The four angels are seen restraining judgment until the sealing of His people is complete. This sealing is God claiming his people that have been faithful and placing His seal of protection upon them.

11. What personal relevance and encouragement do you find
in 7:16-17 This scripture says it all: Then he said to me, “These are the ones who died in the great tribulation. They have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb and made them white. “That is why they stand in front of God’s throne and serve him day and night in his Temple. And he who sits on the throne will give them shelter. They will never again be hungry or thirsty; they will never be scorched by the heat of the sun. For the Lamb on the throne will be their Shepherd. He will lead them to springs of life-giving water. And God will wipe every tear from their eyes.” Even to the end our Mighty God extends His Great Mercy to those left behind although they may have to suffer and die during the tribulation. It hurts my heart to know that so many people I love still reject Jesus.

12. The 7th seal, What happens when the Lamb opens the 7th seal? Rev 8:1-5 There is first silence in heaven for half an hour. Seven angels are given seven trumpets. Then another angel with a gold incense burner came and stood at the altar. And a great amount of incense was given to him to mix with the prayers of God’s people as an offering on the gold altar before the throne. The smoke of the incense, mixed with the prayers of God’s holy people, ascended up to God from the altar where the angel had poured them out. Then the angel filled the incense burner with fire from the altar and threw it down upon the earth; and thunder crashed, lightning flashed, and there was a terrible
earthquake.!

13. How do you interpret the heavenly response to the saints prayers? Rev. 8:5 And there were thunderings, and lightings, and voices, and an earthquake - These, especially when attended with fire, are emblems of God's judgments, This fire cast from the altar upon the earth indicates that the judgments of God are about to fall upon it. God has heard the cries and prayers of the saints! Praise His Holy Name! He is our deliverer!

14. What can we learn about from the following of the Father, Christ, the Kingdom of God, suffering and endurance Rev. 6:1-8:5? Jesus came the first time as the Lamb of God, to give His life a ransom for many. His forgiveness and mercy have been available to all that would open the door of their heart and receive it by faith. Now, however, He returns as the Lion of the tribe of Judah. He comes with wrath and fury against those that refused His forgiveness and mercy. I think John 3:16-17 sums it up for us all: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten so that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son to condemn the world but that the world through Him might be saved. …But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. Matt 24:13

5. Rev 6:1-8:5 What insight would you like to take to heart this week? The hope that we have in Jesus Christ our Lord and the tender mercies of our God even to the very end! “For the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” Thank you Lord!

16. How would like this truth to affect your life? I want to be humble before my Lord and to serve Him and bring Him glory in all I do and say. I want to be a light in the darkness so that all will draw near to Him!

17. What action can you take to allow this to happen, by God's grace? Worship the Lord in spirit and in truth and “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

2 Timothy 2:15 This is the prayer of my heart.

Revelation – Lesson 4

March 11, 2010

I thought I’d do this lesson differently and answer all the questions in a report/essay style. I got so much out of this lesson and writing it out this way gave me a better understanding. In chapters 4 and 5 the main theme is worship. These chapters really emphasize and make it clear that believers are called to a life of worship. I am to rejoice in Him always, through every circumstance in my life and through every trial that I am confronted with. True worship is acknowledging God’s true worth. It is praising Him for all that He is!

In Chapter 4 John is called up into heaven to see the things that are going to take place in the future. He is given his first glimpse of heaven! John sees what he describes as the One, our God, seated on the throne and all that surrounds the One, in all His majesty, splendor and glory like precious stones! Wow, can you just imagine this! Being a woman who likes and appreciates fine jewels helped me to visualize just how glorious heaven must be! I loved how Revelation 4 pointed out the rainbow around the throne. I can’t imagine anything more beautiful than a rainbow in the sky, so it took me back to Noah and the rainbow covenant and how God still keeps still keeps His promises each day in my life! John sees twenty four thrones and 24 elders dressed in white wearing gold crowns on their heads all in a complete circle facing God. He also sees four living creatures described as a lion, a calf, one with a face of a man and an eagle. They all have wings and eyes all over them. They worship God day and night and they never ever get tired. They praise the one who is worthy to receive glory, honor and power forever! This really spoke to me and reminded me of those very special and intimate moments I’ve had with the Lord. You know, those moments where nothing else matters and you cry out to Him and you worship Him from the depths of your heart for His amazing grace in your life and you feel the warmth of His embrace and He takes every fear and worry away and then His love and peace cover you completely. There is nothing in this world that compares to it or satisfies and you want to be in that moment forever! I call them “my special God moments”. One day it will no longer be just a moment that is here and there but an eternal life worshipping God in His magnificent presence for who He is and all the great things He’s done!

In Chapter 5 the focus is on a roll of paper sealed with seven seals (scroll) and the Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, the living Son of God! This chapter begins with John hearing an angel ask if there is anyone worthy to open the scroll or even look at it. John begins to weep with so much sadness when he realizes that there is no one on earth or heaven who is worthy. Then he’s told by one of the 24 elders to stop weeping and to look, because the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has conquered and proved Himself worthy! John sees the Lamb of God who was slain but now alive with seven horns and seven eyes standing before the 24 elders in front of the throne and the 4 living creatures. The horn is a symbol of absolute power and the seven eyes are the seven spirits of God sent to the earth. This means that God is absolutely sovereign and able to see each of us at the same time! John then sees Jesus with an outstretched arm take the book (scroll) from the right hand of God who is sitting on the throne. (God’s right hand symbolizes power! Our God is mighty and powerful!) Once Jesus the precious Lamb of God takes the book, the 4 living creatures and the 24 elders holding harps and bowls of incense fall down before Him and they begin to worship Him, singing a new song, giving Him all honor and praise because He alone was worthy to take the book (scroll). Jesus our Lord and Savior, was slain and rose from the dead to redeem us! God purchased us, because he loved us so much, He gave His only son to save us and give us everlasting life! Jesus paid the price for every single person on this earth! It is so incredible to think that we are a kingdom and priests of God! It is even more than amazing to think that God collects our prayers in a golden bowl and they are held in heaven! He hears us when we cry and sees every tear that falls from our eyes! I don’t know about everyone else but when I read this it made me want to cry out like David did in Psalm 8:4; “Who is man that you are mindful of him and who is the son of man that you visit him”. Praise God! Reading this chapter also made me remember and think about when John the Baptist saw Jesus and cried out, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29) His heart was filled with humility, joy and excitement when He saw Jesus. It’s so awesome how the Lord opens our eyes to so many things when we stop and see Him for who He really is and we worship Him in spirit and truth and we study His Word! John the Baptist knew that the Messiah was the Lamb of God who had come to deliver and redeem us and David understood God’s absolute power and sovereignty. I want the Lord to continue to change my heart and to make me more like Him! I want to love and serve Jesus more intimately and passionately. I don’t want to take worship lightly and be blinded any longer by the things of the earth that are so temporal.

“To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever”. (Revelation 5:13)