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Speaker: Rev. Shine Thomas
Posted on: 2010-11-29
Series: Revelation

Introduction

Today, we continue our study of what the Bible has to say about the end times. The Bible says Jesus is coming again and the dead in Christ shall rise from the grave and we will be taken up to haven to be with the Lord. This is called as the Rapture of the church. Following this event the world will go through a 7-year period called as the Tribulation Period and the man who will be known as the antichrist will start to rule upon the earth.

2 Thessalonians 2:3 Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day (tribulation) will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction.

Revelation Ch. 6 speaks of a man coming on the white horse. He is the antichrist. The church is in heaven now. At the start of Tribulation a world leader will come into picture. He will possess extraordinary political and militarily skills and personal charisma that will soar his popularity throughout the entire world. The Bible calls this person the antichrist. How can we call a world leader antichrist? Satan takes this opportunity to rule the world. This leader becomes possessed by the devil and thereby becomes the personification of the devil called the antichrist.

The antichrist will make 12 major political, economical, and technical changes when he comes to power.

Twelve works of the antichrist

1. Antichrist will bring a one-world government. The first thing the antichrist will do is to bring a one world government. If we look at Revelation 13:1, Daniel 7:16-24, Daniel 2:41-42 we can find a world government consisting of 10 nations. The leader of this counsel will be the antichrist who will lead the 10 nations and the other world nations will be under this counsel.

If you look carefully at the present day news you will find that one world government or the new world order is being talked by the present world leaders.

2.Antichrist will bring one world currency. Revelation 13:16-18. Once the one-world government concept is in place this government would want to control the commerce and hence the one world currency will come in. This is very easy in the present setting as we are moving towards a cashless society now. The use of credit and debit cards are on the rise. You can now transact anywhere in the world with a card.

3. Antichrist will bring one-world religion. This is called as the new age religion which accepts all world religions. In new age you can worship anything but Jesus.

4. Antichrist will divide the land of Jerusalem for gain. Daniel 11:39, Revelation 11:2.

5. Antichrist will redistribute the wealth of the world. Daniel 11:24

6. Antichrist will bring a 7-year peace treaty with Israel. Daniel 9:27

7. Antichrist will cause craft/deceit to prosper. Daniel 8:25

8. Antichrist will force every person on the earth to receive his mark in the hand or forehead and those who will not have the mark will not be able to buy or sell things. Revelation 13:16-17.

9. Antichrist will perform signs, set up his idol in the third Jerusalem temple, and demand to be worshipped as God. Revelation 13:12-13, Matthew 24:15.

The first temple that was built by king Solomon in 957 BC was destroyed by the Babylonians led by King Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BC. The second temple was built somewhere between 521-517 BC. This was again destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. The antichrist will set his image on the 3rd temple which will be built by in the Jews in Jerusalem.

10. Antichrist will humiliate death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

11. Antichrist will drive the Jewish people out of Jerusalem into Jordan called Petra. Revelation 12:6,14-16

12. The antichrist will be defeated at Armadegon by the Lord Jesus Christ. He will be bound and cast into the bottomless pit with satan and the false prophets for ever and ever. Daniel 7:11, 2 Thessalonians 2:8, Revelation 19:20.

Satan was defeated, satan is defeated, will be defeated, he is a defeated one. Christ is Lord indeed.

This seven year rule of antichrist in this world is mentioned in Revelation as 7 seals, 7 trumpets, and 7 bowls. In Revelation Ch. 5:1 Apostle John saw Jesus Christ having a scroll sealed with 7 seals. Jesus Christ opens the scroll and breaks the seal one by one. John sees 7 seals followed by 7 trumpets which are followed by 7 bowls of wrath poured upon the earth. The seals, trumpets, and bowls cover the events of tribulation period. Tribulation is 7 years, 2 periods of 3-1/2 years. The first period is called the tribulation. The second period is called the great tribulation because the suffering is greater. The 7 seals cover the first 3-1/2 years of tribulation, the 7 trumpets cover the second 3-1/2 years, and the 7 bowls the final days of tribulation before the completion of the 7 years. Let us go through these events mentioned in the Bible that are to take place in this world after rapture. When I say the seal, trumpet, and bowls do not bother, just concentrate on the events one by one.

Seven Seals

Seal 1 – A white horse who is coming to conquer the world. It is the appearance of the antichrist. He will come on a white horse which shows he will come in the pretext bringing peace to the world. Revelation 6:2 I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.

Seal 2 - A red horse of war and bloodshed Revelation 6:3-4 3 When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” 4 Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make people kill each other. To him was given a large sword.
Red Horse is the horse of war and bloodshed. The red horse shows the peace that came in the beginning of tribulation was just temporary and the antichrist will start to get all the nations under his control by diplomacy, and if diplomacy fails he would use wars and there will be a lot of manslaughter. Peace will be taken from the earth. Man will kill one another.

Seal 3 - A black horse - famine Revelation 6:5-6 5 When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. 6 Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, “Two pounds of wheat for a day’s wages, and six pounds of barley for a day’s wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!”

Black horse shows famine. There will be great famine on the earth. The rich and the famous people will have good food and facility the poor will face famine and die.

Seal 4 - A pale horse of death Revelation 6:7-8 7 When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” 8 I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.
Pale Horse shows Death. There will be great number of deaths due to wars and famine. Literally one third of the Earth’s population will be by killed in this time. According to November 2010 statistics of world population there are 6.8 billion people on earth. In tribulation 2.26 billion people will be killed. How many people are they? Presently India has 1.15 billion people. That means in tribulation period two times Indian population is going to be killed.

Seal 5 – Tribulation martyrs who are slain under the altar. Revelation 6:9-11 9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. 10 They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” 11 Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters, were killed just as they had been.

Tribulation martyrs who are slain under the altar. Who are the martyrs of tribulation? Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. The gospel will be preached to the whole world only in tribulation time. Today even though the gospel is preached through different media like the internet, television etc still there are unreached places on earth where the gospel has not reached. The Bible says in tribulation period the angels will fly through the heavens preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. Revelation 14:6-7 6 Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language and people. 7 He said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.”

The angels of God will take up the responsibility to preach the gospel to every person, every tribe, and every language group of people. People who receive the gospel in tribulation will not obey the beast nor take his mark on their forehead or hands. Because of their testimony their heads will be cut off by the antichrist rule. These are the martyrs of tribulation.

Revelation 20:4 I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

At the end of 3/1-2 years God is going to bring them into heaven which is the second resurrection. There are 3 resurrections in the Bible which we will study later.

Seal 6 – Nature’s revolt where there is a great earthquake, the sun turns black, the moon turns to blood, the stars in the heaven fall to the earth as figs, every mountain and every island of the sea is removed from its place by the earth quake. Revelation 6:12-14 12 I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, 13 and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. 14 The heavens receded like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.

Seal 7 – There is absolute silence in heaven. Revelation 8:1 When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. Why was there “silence” in heaven for approximately 30 minutes? Because the saints of God see the wrath of God that is being poured out on the earth and it takes their breath. It is so mindboggling. There is pin drop silence in heaven because of the happenings on earth.

Also it is the calm before the storm of further judgment to come. How many of you remember being spanked? If your parent was an effective disciplinarian, he/she made you wait for it. Maybe you did something wrong and your dad said to you, “Go into the bathroom, go downstairs, or upstairs. I’ll be there in a few minutes.” I could almost feel the pain. Waiting for the discipline to come was painful more than the spanking itself. God unleashes His power with an expression of silence and delay to ensure that He has the full attention of everyone in the universe.

Suddenly from the silence in heaven come the 7 trumpets which are given to 7 angels of God.

The Seven Trumpets

Revelation 8:6-11:19

1. Hail-fire-blood.
Revelation 8:7 The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down on the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.

2. Burning Mountain.
Revelation 8:8-9 8 The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood, 9 a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

3. Star Wormwood.
Revelation 8:10-11 10 The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water— 11 the name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter.

4. Sun smitten
Revelation 8:12 The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them turned dark. A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night.

5. Plague locusts
Revelation 9:1-6 1 The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss. 2 When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace. The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss. 3 And out of the smoke locusts came down on the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth. 4 They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5 They were not allowed to kill them but only to torture them for five months. And the agony they suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpion when it strikes. 6 During those days people will seek death but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them.

6. Plague Horseman
Revelation 9:17-19 17 The horses and riders I saw in my vision looked like this: Their breastplates were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulfur. The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke and sulfur. 18 A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur that came out of their mouths. 19 The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails were like snakes, having heads with which they inflict injury.

7. Hail and earthquake
Revelation 11:19 And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a severe hailstorm.

God intensifies his judgment on the face of the earth. A meteor is going to strike the earth. People have seen it in films. It is going to happen and everything that you can imagine in calamity will be the consequence.

Following the 7 trumpets God is going to pour 7 bowls of judgment in the last few days of the last of the 6th year, just a few days before the 7 years are fully completed.

Seven Bowls

(Revelation 16)
1. Boils
Revelation 16:2 The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the land, and ugly, festering sores broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image.

The great running festering sore – Boils. Have you ever had one boil? Think about the whole body covered with boils.

2. Sea will turn to blood.
Revelation 16:3 The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it turned into blood like that of a dead person, and every living thing in the sea died.
Sea turns to Blood. God poured it out on Egypt that brought it to its knees.

3. Rivers will turn to blood.
Revelation 16:4 The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood.

Poured out on the rivers and waters turned to blood producing famine and thirst like the world has never known.

4. Great Heat.
Revelation 16:8-9 8 The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and the sun was allowed to scorch people with fire. 9 They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him.

The sun becomes so hot that it scorches men with fire. People are fighting against global warming but the Bible says it is coming. We cannot do anything about it.

5. Darkness.
Revelation 16:10-11 The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues in agony 11 and cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, but they refused to repent of what they had done.

Judgment of God upon all who took the mark of the beast. The great and mighty men, rich men and politicians of this world shall flee to the caves and mountains and say ‘fall on us’, and hide us from the wrath of the Lamb of God that is on the throne. They are the powerful, successful people on the phase of the earth. They have the money to accomplish anything they want to. They want God to kill them and God will not let them die.

6. Great Army from the East.
Revelation 16:12-16 12 The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East. 13 Then I saw three impure spirits that looked like frogs; they came out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14 They are demonic spirits that perform signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty. 15 “Look, I come like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake and remains clothed, so as not to go naked and be shamefully exposed.” 16 Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.

The great army of 200 million marching from the east to Israel. The Chinese & Russian along with the antichrist will come to conquer the wealth of the Persian Gulf and fight against Israel and this lead to the battle of Armageddon. This will be World War III.

7. Hail.
Revelation 16:18-21 18 Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occurred since mankind has been on earth, so tremendous was the quake. 19 The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. God remembered Babylon the Great and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of his wrath. 20 Every island fled away and the mountains could not be found. 21 From the sky huge hailstones, each weighing about a hundred pounds, fell on people. And they cursed God on account of the plague of hail, because the plague was so terrible.

An outpouring of hail upon the people of the earth. This is the repeat of the 7th plague of Egypt. According to the Law of Moses blasphemers must be stoned. God never changes. You may not see it but He is the same. God will stone the ungodly. God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah with the same kind of hail fire that was so extreme.

By the end of tribulation the Battle of Armageddon would be at its peak where the antichrist and its armies fight against the Nation of Israel. Israel will be captured, two-thirds of the Jews will be slaughtered, women raped, half the city will be in exile. They will cry out to the Lord and Jesus will come down from heaven on a white horse on the Mount of Olives. On his robe and thigh He has the name written, ‘King of Kings and Lord of Lords.’ The armies of heaven will follow Jesus. Jesus and His army will and defeat the enemies of Israel and the antichrist.

Zechariah 14:2-4 2 I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it; the city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the women raped. Half of the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be taken from the city. 3 Then the LORD will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights on a day of battle. 4 On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south.

Revelation 19:11-21 The Heavenly Warrior Defeats the Beast: 11 I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. 12 His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. 13 He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. 14 The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. 17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God, 18 so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and the mighty, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, great and small.” 19 Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to wage war against the rider on the horse and his army. 20 But the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed the signs on its behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. 21 The rest were killed with the sword coming out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.

The antichrist will be captured. Satan will be captured and both of them will be thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. The rest of the entire army will be killed. The birds of the air will come and gorge themselves on their flesh of the kings, generals, soldiers, and people. That day every eye will see, every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

Conclusion

I just praise the Lord that the people of God do not have to fear these things. We will be in heaven watching all these events on earth. Now, the question that must be answered: Are you ready for the return of the Lord Jesus? Are you saved and sure that you will not be here for these terrible days? If not, you can be, all you need to do is to come to Jesus by faith and He will save you. If you are saved, praise the Lord! Let us go out and share Jesus with a world that needs to hear about Him and what He can do for their souls!