God’s heavenly scroll contains His divine sentence against the world. Held together by seven seals, the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, is the only One holy and worthy to unroll the scroll. And with each seal broken by the Lord, a new judgement is unleashed upon the earth. Chapter six of Revelation brings us to the beginning of God’s wrath poured out upon a wicked and unrepentant world.
The first four seals come in the form of four divine horsemen.
Rider On The White Horse- This rider is no other than the Antichrist. He sets forth to conquer the world, quickly rising to power. Many fall under his spell as he brokers a false peace between Israel and the world, lasting 3 1/2 years. During this time he leads many away from God.
Rider On The Red horse- The moment the abomination of desolation occurs, the red horse and rider are set loose. This rider takes peace from the world causing wars like never before seen. The great sword he is given drips with blood as the people of the earth slaughter each other.
Rider On The Black Horse- Back in ancient times, scales were often used to weigh something precious. As this rider brings with him worldwide economic collapse and famine, the precious thing being weighed is food. Except for the privileged few, food will be both scarce and expensive.
Rider On The Pale Horse- Called death, and bringing hell along with him, the pale horse and rider are responsible for the deaths of 1/4 of the world’s population. No one will be immune to the war, famine, and wild beasts of earth at his disposal as he wipes out the peoples of the earth.
The fifth seal releases the cries of the tribulation saints. Even facing certain persecution and death, many will receive Jesus as their Savior and be saved during the seven year tribulation. These martyred believers, clothed in white, plead for God to avenge their spilled blood. And in yet another example of the love and grace of God, He tells them they must wait and rest a bit longer until all of His children have had the opportunity to be saved.
The Final seal of the chapter wields forth nuclear war and devastating cosmic occurrences. Fired nuclear weapons decimate the lands. Asteroids, and meteorites rain down from the sky, and a shaking of the earth so great occurs, it causes all peoples to hide themselves, “in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of the their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?’(vs 16-17)
On that great day, no one will be able to hide from God. But in His goodness and love, God gives each of us the opportunity to escape His wrath to come. When we receive His free gift of pardon through the blood of Jesus Christ, before the tribulation occurs, the Lord will call us to meet Him in the sky in the Rapture, sparing us the judgement to come. The Bible tells us that those who go through the tribulation know the judgements they incur come from the most high God, yet their hardened hearts still reject Him and His Son.
The days are growing short my friends. I truly believe we are living in the season of the Lord’s return. Won’t you save yourself from the wrath to come, and receive God’s gift of eternal life filled with love, joy, and fellowship with the Lord forever?
