Discovering Revelation Part 21
Discovering Revelation Part 21
The Opening of the Seventh Seal!
• This by the way will introduce the 7 Trumpets Blowing!
• We will see as we progress in Chapter 8 four of these Trumpet Judgments!
In Chapter 7 - We saw the sealing of two groups of people from last week!
• The 144,000 Jews. 12,000 of every tribe!
• The myriad numbers of Gentiles from every tribe, tongue and nation!
• Now only the 7th Seal remains to be opened!
• Want you to notice the pattern that John presents here!
• This pattern we will see throughout the rest of the Book of Revelation!
• It will keep all of these events in order so we can best understand them and follow them! Amen?
• There will be a series of sevens and in fact there are four such series which relate to the Great Tribulation Period or seven years!
• John will always give the first 6 of each series!
• Remember he kind of takes a pause between 6&7 for us as a breather! Last week we talked about that!
• So, this 7th Seal opens up the next series of 7 to the Trumpets!
• All these judgments are all tied to one another! Interrelated!
• They all belong to the same period! 7 years of Tribulation!
• Remember, everything from Chapter 4 on is future events!
Revelation 1:19
Therefore write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after these things.
• We are all living this moment today in the Church Age!
• So, of course as Christians that we are this Book should not concern us! Amen? Why Church? We are not here for this period of time!
• The church at this time is caught up in the Rapture to forever be with the Lord!
• We will be judged at that time for the things we have done as Christians in the body! Everything you and I do as believers will be judge in Heaven at the Bema seat! For a gaining or losing of rewards!
Romans 14:10-12
10 But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. 11 For it is written,
“AS I LIVE, SAYS THE LORD, EVERY KNEE SHALL BOW TO ME,
AND EVERY TONGUE SHALL GIVE PRAISE TO GOD.”
12 So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God.
2 Corinthians 5:10
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
• This is not a life and death for we as Believers are all sealed by the Blood of Jesus by the Holy Spirit,
• This issue is all about rewards being issued for what we have done as Believers in the Body of Christ!
• So, if you are a child of God you are sealed by the Holy Spirit!
Ephesians 1:13-14
In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.
• We are all as Believers to be delivered to Christ when the Church leaves the world! Amen?
Question: When is that church? Before the Tribulation period begins!
• Therefore, this is that Blessed Hope of The Church!
These Seven Trumpets will bring us to the full intensity of the Great Tribulation period!
• Now the seven seals bring judgement which are natural results of the activities of sinful humanity apart from God!
• Remember the Sixth Seal brought about the judgment of Nature!
• Now, these Seven Trumpets will unveil that God is directly and supernaturally judging a rebellious race on humanity!
1. Seven Seals- this is the judgment of man’s willful activity!
• The judgment of God upon sinful man!
• 1st Seal- White Horse, the Anti-Christ bringing what? False Peace!
1 Thessalonians 5:3
While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape.
• 2nd Seal- Red Horse - War which is in the heart of man!
• Note: people,think that if we take all the guns, all the atomic warheads and removed them there would be peace on the earth!
• No! Each and every man’s heart has to be changed and only Jesus can do that! Amen? Access to guns is never the issue!
• Before guns and bombs there was never peace and death in the world think about it! Amen?
• There must always be a heart change! Amen?
2. Seven Trumpets- These judgments are the Direct activity of God!
3. Seven Personalities- We will see the judgment which is the result of Satan’s fight against God!
• Satan will finally be exposed in the open during that time!
4. Seven Bowls of Wrath- This will be the final judgment of the great Tribulation.
• This is the direct activity of God because of man’s and Satan’s rebellion. God will be judging both!
The Symbols we will see beginning in this Chapter and subsequent Chapters are symbols of fact! Fact!
• We will see a strong parallel between the plagues of Egypt some 3500 years ago, and these Trumpet Judgments!
• Now we know that the plagues of Egypt were literal plagues!
• So in direct coronation the plagues that we will see in the Great Tribulation are also going to be literal!
• These symbols we will see will be the reality of what is coming!
• These will all be tragic and terrible times on the planet earth such has never been seen before.
• Tribulation will be awful. Listen, there is no reason for anyone to be here for it either! Jesus gives every person opportunity to be Saved!
• We must remember the central figure here of Revelation is who? Jesus! Always Jesus!
• We will see Him now in a new roll! As the Judge of the World!
• The Scriptures will furnish a clear picture and explanation!
• No imagination will be needed here for us!
• This is why it’s important to have a grasp or understanding of the other 65 Books of the Bible!
• As a basic requirement for understanding the language here!
2 Peter 1:20-21
20 But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, 21 for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.
• We don’t interpret Revelation by itself but in conjunction with the other 65 Books Amen?
• The Symbols in this book stand for awful realities!
The opening of this Seventh Seal Introduces thenSeven Trumpets that follow! (Ie Fireworks!)
• We will follow the structure of this Book all the way through!
• It will keep it simple for us and will not allow us sensationalize the scriptures which many people.
• This Book should not terrify anyone except those who are not Born Again! Lost without hope in this world!
• It should however comfort all of us who are Saved! Amen?
• We have a gentle, compassionate Savior but He is also this worlds Judge!
• My Prayer is that He is your Savior this morning! Amen?
• Listen, He died for you! He Loves you! He wants earnestly to Save you!
• But, if you will not have Him or anything to do with Him,
• I tell you there is waiting ahead of you a terrible judgment!
If this Scares you Good!
• I would love to scare you into Heaven if I could!
• But, you are too sophisticated and intellectual for that!
• But, listen with all the love and compassion I can muster up to you!
• Judgment is coming in this earth! Sooner than you think!
• I’m glad it is coming and God is not going to allow all that has been going on on this earth any longer!
• It has gone in far too long and we can certainly see all the evil in this world!
• Anyone and everyone following the Culture today can see just how mentally and spiritually mixed up this culture is!
• Just look at Gods Word lay it beside the Culture of this world today!
• The world is completely opposite and contrary to what the Word of Holy God says in His infallible Holy Book!
• Our kids are buying into this cultural lifestyle, hook, line, and sinker!
• That’s why we must Read His Word, Believe His Word, Heed His Word, Live His Word! Every single day!
• We must get Gods Character inside our character! Needs to be an exchange to take place!
• Exchanging To His way from our way!
• Ready here we go! Chapter 8
Revelation 8:1-6
The Seventh Seal—the Trumpets
1 When the Lamb broke the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.
2 And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.
• There was silence in Heaven! About a half and hour 30 minutes!
• It’s hard to wait 30 minutes in silence ever tried!
• As this seal is opened this is a most solemn moment of great seriousness taking place here!
• Jesus make no mistake about it is in full control and command!
• He opens the seventh Seal, to the fanfare of seven Trumpets!
• Jesus is directing all the Judgments from Heaven!
• Remember Revelation presents Jesus in all His Glory Chapter 1!
• As the Judge of the earth the Judge of the universe!
• The Lamb of God was gentle! Amen? When He needed to be gentle!
• But now we will all see the Wrath of this little Lamb!
John 1:29 Remember John the Baptist?
The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
• Listen close, people are not Lost because they are sinners, they are Lost because they reject Jesus Christ! Who Died for them!
• Even if you go into a lost eternity because you did not accept Him as your personal Savior!
• He even still loved you!
• People say all the time that a good God would never send anyone to Hell! I say yes 10,000 times yes! He doesn’t!
• Why? Because Jesus gives each of us every opportunity to surrender our lives to Him!
• To accept or reject Him as our sacrifice for all of our filthy sins we have committed! All of us must make a decision!
• He chooses us all but if we reject His personal call to be Saved you have chosen your own fate!
Here’s a Good Test for you this morning!
• If you find yourself with no time, no desire, no interest in Jesus in your life at all and you just want everyone to leave you alone!
• Your lost as can be!
• And listen it’s as I said before if you want all these Christians who love you to leave you alone then when you die and one day you will God is going to grant you your very wish!
• You will be cast into outer darkness for all eternity which is exactly what you wanted down here by not listening to a reasonable offer from people who loved you enough to tell you about the greatness of Jesus and His demonstrated love for you to sacrifice Himself and all of your sinful ways!
• No time for God, His Word, His way you will get exactly what you want! Loneliness and emptiness forever and ever never changing forever!
• When you reject Jesus then you reject heaven, reject family members who are already there waiting for us, you reject the best that God has for you here on earth and in the hereafter! Settle for outer darkness alone!
• In fact when you reject Jesus you trample over His precious blood that He shed for you to be forgiven!
• Make time for Jesus in all your life!
• This is the sad scene we see silence in Heaven! After all the celebration and worship and noise in heaven because of what is coming silence has broken out!
• It’s deafening! Ever experienced dead silence! It’s Erie!
• Jesus stole everything in Heaven, in Hell and on Earth! Silent!
• Nothing continues without the permission of Holy Jesus!
• Last weeks Chapter 7 , Jesus placed a pause in this scripture to,see all the people that are to be Saved before He opens this final seal!
• HemSaved two groups of people 144,000 Jews, myriads of Gentiles from every tribe, tongue, language and nation!
• We enter here a Heavenly Hush! For a Half hour!
• The Calm before the Storm!
• Listen, when the sixth seal was broken in Chapter 6 all of nature responded in a convulsion!
• All the Brave men weakened for a moment!
• Crying for the Rocks to fall on them! Rich and poor alike!
• We cannot ever escape the wrath of a Holy God! Anywhere!
• Christ gives opportunity to all people the majority however do not want anything to do with Jesus!
• There hearts become hard like Pharaoh’s was in Egypt! A cold indifferent calloused heart!
Quote “The steps of God from mercy to judgment are always slow, reluctant, and measured.” He knows exactly what He is doing!
• God has always been “swift to hear and slow to anger!”
Isaiah 28:21
For the LORD will rise up as at Mount Perazim,
He will be stirred up as in the valley of Gibeon,
To do His task, His unusual task,
And to work His work, His extraordinary work.
• What is strange about God?
• That He judges His creatures!
Ezekiel 18:32
For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies,” declares the Lord GOD. “Therefore, repent and live.”
• This silence is the transition from God’s good good Grace to His judgment!
• God is waiting today even now!
• For you to come to Jesus and really start life brand new with a slate that is clean and pure.
• Provided only by the sacrifice and spilling of His Blood!
• On that Cross He was born to die in the world for you and I
• Admit that you are a sinner
• Believe that Christ Died for You!
• Confess Jesus as Your Savior today!
• Ne ready for His Rapture when He takes all of us home! Amen?
• Don’t be left behind you will not enjoy it!
• Let’s Pray!