The Book of Revelation: Chapters 6-9

Part 1

Tim Moore: Well said, Nathan. And although the chapters and verses we use to reference biblical passages were applied long after John, we will try to provide those throughout our conversations as we always do on Christ in Prophecy so that you can go to the source and know that we are not merely spouting opinions here at Lamb & Lion Ministries. So Dave, what about the things which are? What does that refer to?

David Bowen: Well Tim, we know that Jesus told John in chapter 4 verse 1 that He was about to reveal the things which will take place after these things. So the things which are referred to the letters to the seven churches found in chapters 2 and 3, and by extension the entire Church Age. The letters Jesus dictated to those actual churches, which is now modern-day Turkey, contain so much truth. They also offer a word of encouragement and a warning to churches that fall into the same pattern even still today. And you and Nathan made a case that they preview historic periods that have been evident throughout the Church Age. In that sense, we’re still living in the Church Age because the Rapture has not yet occurred, and sadly we’re living in the era of Laodicea today, where the prevalent attitude is that the church is rich and has need of nothing, when in fact it’s wretched and miserable, poor, blind and naked.

Tim Moore: Wow, you know, Dave, I might be offended or dismayed if I did not realize the sad truth in Jesus’ assessment. But there can be no doubt that apostasy is rising and heresy is abounding in our own time, and many self -proclaiming Christians are so enamored with the world that they don’t even want Jesus to come back soon. But that brings us to the final stage of our outline, the things which will take place after these things. What timeframe does that describe?

David Bowen: Well, we know from Revelation 4:1 that Jesus told John to come up here and immediately snatched him up in the spirit into heaven. There he witnessed Jesus worshiping as the only one worthy to take the sealed scroll from the hand of God the Father.

Nathan Jones: John’s rapture in type seems to propel him forward in time to the moment when the wrath of God is about to be poured out upon the earth. We know that period as the Tribulation, and that is exactly what is described in the following chapters.

Tim Moore: So, last week, we ended by worshiping Jesus as the Lamb and Lion who was slain and is worthy to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and might, and honor, and glory, and power. Now we’ve arrived at chapter 6. In the midst of the four living creatures and all the myriads of myriads praising Him, Jesus breaks the first seal. So, fellas, let’s talk about these seals that are about to be unleashed upon the earth. What’s the first one?

Nathan Jones: Well, we’ve got to remember these seals are on a scroll that only Jesus is worthy to open. And each of these seven seals, each time He pops one, a natural disaster or a judgment of God, or however He does it, falls upon the earth. And the first one is interesting.

Tim Moore: So, before you even say that, the seals, we can imagine a scroll that would have almost waxed seals and somebody would put a ring or some kind of emblem to signify that it is sealed, solid, and if it was broken, you would know that somebody had violated that seal. It’s kind of like a lock.

Nathan Jones: Right, but the seal, the fact that it’s God’s seal, you know Who belongs to it. You know who’s the deed or who the paper, who the scroll belongs to because of the seal.

David Bowen: Yeah.

Nathan Jones: And if a king seal is on it, no one touches that seal.

Tim Moore: No one touches the seal.

Nathan Jones: And I think that states the case right up the bat, this is the judgment of God. It’s not the judgment of man. It’s not the judgment of Satan.

David Bowen: Right.

Tim Moore: Exactly.

Nathan Jones: This came from God Himself. Jesus is opening it. It’s all God’s.

Tim Moore: Very good. So, we interrupt you, I apologize for that.

Nathan Jones: No problem. No problem.

Tim Moore: So, keep going, seal number one.

Nathan Jones: All right. Verse 1 of chapter 6, “Then I looked when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, “Come.” Then I looked, and behold, a white horse, and he who sits on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out overcoming and to overcome.” So what we’re talking about here is although Jesus is pictured as riding a white horse in chapter 19, this is a conqueror who conquers the world before that. So, it’s not Jesus Christ, it’s a one-world leader who comes to conquer. This is a reference back to Daniel 9. This is, or we go back even further, the little horn, this is the Antichrist.

Tim Moore: I think it’s important to realize you just used the word he went out to overcome. And this is not to be confused with those who are overcomers. As a matter of fact, that’s why I prefer the New American Standard Bible or the

Nathan Jones: This is the Legacy.

Tim Moore: The Legacy, and so either one, but in this case, the NASB says that “He goes forth conquering and to conquer.” So don’t be confused that this is an overcomer. No, he’s overcoming the world by conquering it.

Nathan Jones: And I think it’s important to recognize a crown was given to him. Who gives the Antichrist a crown?

David Bowen: Well, I think this is a picture of deception, though, too, because if I understand you, what you’re saying that the world would be in chaos and is he not coming in in a horse with peace?

Nathan Jones: Because of the Rapture.

David Bowen: Yeah, he’s bringing peace. So, the world will grab this because they’re looking for peace, they’re looking for stability, but it’s deception, it’s a lie, it’s false peace because we know with the next three seals what’s going to happen.

Nathan Jones: And we know it’s the Antichrist too because when we get to chapter 13 it explains about this one world ruler who’s coming. We get to 17, 18, which talks about His Kingdom. So, this isn’t Jesus Christ. This is the prophecy, if you go back to Daniel, this is the Antichrist, as John calls him, a one-world ruler who will come and he will conquer the entire world.

Tim Moore: Okay, so the critical point to make at this moment is it is Jesus Christ who releases him.

David Bowen: Yes.

Tim Moore: Authority is given to him by God. You think, why would God give the Antichrist authority?

Nathan Jones: Yeah, that is an interesting…

Tim Moore: Folks, this is the will of God, and we don’t question it. Just like every dictator and despot, frankly, every president who’s ever reigned in the United States, yes, we elect them, but it is the will of God that allows anyone to be in authority.

David Bowen: And bad leaders are judgments upon the people. The earth, the rapture has happened, there’s no Christians on the planet at this time. And so the first judgment, God is, okay, you want a human ruler to rule over you. All right, you’re getting him, but boy, is he going to make things terrible.

Tim Moore: You ask for it, so you get him.

Nathan Jones: You asked, it’s like King Saul, you asked for him, you’re going to get him.

David Bowen: And you brought Daniel up, going back to Daniel, Nebuchadnezzar, I mean, God called him his servant at one point. How does that work out? And it’s kind of like what’s happening here, God is saying, I need to bring the discipline. I need to bring the judgment. So I’m going to allow this one to be that vessel, and use them.

Tim Moore: Well, we know God puts hooks in the jaws even of unwilling kings and despots. And folks, even in the jaws of unwilling individuals to serve His purposes. So we can either be willing servants of the Lord or we can be unwilling, but we will comply with His everlasting will, as will Satan himself. All right, so anything else about the first seal or are we ready to go to number two?

Nathan Jones: Well, the Antichrist precipitates the second seal.

David Bowen: It doesn’t take long to realize this is not real peace.

Nathan Jones: No.

David Bowen: Because from there we go into the second seal, we go into the third seal, we go into a weapons system, we go into war, we go into death, we go into all different things. So, we know what he’s bringing to the table is not going to be peace.

Nathan Jones: And that’s what the second seal is. He opens, if we go to verse 3, “When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, ‘Come.’ And another, a red horse, went out; and to him who sits on it, it was given to him to take peace from the earth, and that men would slay one another; and a great sword was given to him.” So it says right here, he’s war. You know, people look at the colors and say, “Well, red means Communism, and Communism is going to take over the world.” Again, the Bible explains it. It’s war.

Tim Moore: Yes, it is. And the Antichrist will present himself as a man of peace, but inevitably like every dictator and despot, he will use whatever means necessary to consolidate his power. We believe many will clamor for him, just like foolish people are today, they want one world leader to lead us all to greater utopia. But every despot uses war, and whatever means they can to make sure they control the masses and they maintain their power.

Nathan Jones: Well, that’s how he gets his global government. I mean, he’s going to step in, he’s going to have all the answers. Everybody’s going to give him basically control of their money. He’s going to own all the stockpiles of the world. And those countries that don’t get in line, he’s going to conquer.

Tim Moore: And so we would actually think that this man being from Europe or the old Roman Empire might have an easy time with the West who seems to be moving in that direction. But there are parts of the world right now who will not easily reenter a colonial mindset because they’ve been there, and then they may be resistant, and that may be why he goes to war against those who hold out against him.

Nathan Jones: And not to add another layer of confusion on top of this, but we’ve got Ezekiel 38 & 39 Gog & Magog War which the timing indicators indicate that happens between the Rapture and the beginning of the Tribulation.

David Bowen: Yes.

Nathan Jones: So world politics wise, you have the United States, and China, and Africa decimated because of the Rapture. You’ve got Russia destroyed; the Islamic nations destroyed. There’s only one superpower left, and that’s Europe. And the Bible prophesies the Antichrist rises out of Europe. So, the whole world politics are very different by this time.

Tim Moore: They sure are. Okay, so that takes us to seal number three and four, which is inevitable outcomes, as you said, of war. What are those, Nathan?

Nathan Jones: Well, the third seal we read here is, “the third living creature says “Come” a black horse, and he who sits on it has a pair of scales in his hands.” And so, wow, the Legacy has a choinix. Okay, what we’re basically saying is your day’s wage will buy a cheap loaf of bread. In other words, starvation comes to the world. And of course, after that, with the fourth seal judgment, starvation leads to death. So, the Antichrist comes bringing peace, but he only brings war. We have this tremendous death going on. And then of course, the famine that comes with that.

Tim Moore: Okay, so after that, the fifth seal seems to be different because there’s another wave of tragedy, but instead of being another wave of destruction on the earth, the fifth seal describes what John sees as the souls of martyrs.

David Bowen: That’s the martyrs.

Tim Moore: So, what’s that all about?

David Bowen: You know before we move there, can we go back to the fourth seal a little bit? When you go with the famine, you know the world is being set up for a famine now. The world’s being set up for these things here. But he talks about a day’s wage for a quart of barley and for wheat, and then he says, “Do not damage the oil and the wine.” Now when you look at the harvest, the wheat and barley harvest is one time a year, and the olives and grapes is another time a year. So, there’s at least a six-month period of famine here that we need to understand the timing of this. So, this is an extended period of time. And then you get into the fifth seal, when you get into…Are we in the fourth or the fifth seal?

Tim Moore: The fifth seal with the martyrs.

David Bowen: Yeah, the fifth seal, my goodness, this is the martyrs underneath the altar crying out for vengeance. You know these are ones who become believers in the Tribulation Period. And at this time, there’s no gray area, you’re either with God or you’re against God.

Tim Moore: Exactly so.

David Bowen: You cannot have one foot in the church and one foot in the world. It’s going to cost you everything to follow Jesus Christ.

Nathan Jones: Well, and we’ve got to define too who the martyrs are because why are all of a sudden are people saved in the Tribulation? After all, the Rapture took all Christians off this planet. Well, right after the Rapture, I think there’s going to be more people that get saved than any time in history, those who don’t will fall under a great delusion. So, Christianity will explode again. It will grow. But the Antichrist being the Anti-Christ hates those Christians, and he will spend most of the Tribulation murdering anybody because they’re not declaring their loyalty to him.

Tim Moore: I actually feel an affinity with these martyrs. Not that I have been persecuted to the point of martyrdom. Some of us may be. Some of us watching today may be in the fullness of time. But they cry out in verse 10 of chapter 6, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, will you refrain from judging and avenging in this case our blood on those who dwell in the earth?” They are eager for the Lord to get on with His perfect plan to return and to judge the earth. And I too am eager for the Lord to return. But the response is telling. And there was given to each of them a white robe, and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed, as they had been, would be complete. Right now, as eager as we are for the Lord to come back, I think the response will be, not yet, until the number of the saved entering into the Church is complete. God knows that number, He knows the timing, and so sometimes we’re told to just exercise patience and to continue about His business.

Nathan Jones: The fifth seal judgment always troubled me because every judgment is upon mankind, but we get to the fifth seal judgment and it’s upon those who are saved, Christians, Tribulations Saints. Why do you think that God would have an entire judgment against those who get saved during the Tribulation?

David Bowen: Well, he saves them from the judgment and the pain that’s coming. I mean, why is the Rapture a Pre-Tribulation Rapture? He pulls out His righteous before the judgment comes, so the martyrs going through this, it’s going to get worse until the end, as we go throughout the book of Revelation, the Tribulation Period gets worse. So, He’s putting them aside.

Tim Moore: I don’t know if I would call this a judgment on these martyrs in terms, I think the seal being broken, we call it the seal judgments and that creates in our mind that everyone is an act of judgment. I think the fifth seal is just a demonstration of what is happening while all these other things are taking place. Yes, the judgment of God on the earth, there are always what we in the military used to call collateral damage. There are some who suffer even though they are not necessarily the target of pain that was inflicted. In this case there are martyrs. And so, they are suffering from the Antichrist, but in the fullness of God’s timing, He still has a purpose and plan for them, even as they are martyred. That’s why in years gone by, people did not resist martyrdom. They embraced, “Lord, if you want me to be martyred, I will be able to testify to you even in that tragedy of the end of my life, because I’m stepping into eternity.” So I think from the perspective of heaven, this is not a tragedy for them in eternity, nor is it a judgment, it’s just a statement of fact. They are martyred, and God in the fullness of time, when the number is complete, we’ll see that they receive their reward.

Nathan Jones: And sometimes too in the Bible, if you look at the people, the slaves before the Exodus, as the Pharaoh punished them, he brought up wrath upon himself. And so I wondered if this judgment is upon the people, because as they punish and murder the Christians, the Tribulations Saints born in that time, they’re storing up God’s wrath for what’s going to come ahead.

David Bowen: Right.

Tim Moore: Well, we’re going to have to move on to the sixth seal, and even the seventh because we’ve got a lot more to cover in today’s episode. So the sixth seal seems to disturb the very order of the universe. What happens when that is broken?

Nathan Jones: Verses 12, “behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. And the stars of heaven fell to the earth…the mighty winds, the mountains were moved.” What we’re talking about is an earthquake so horrendous, so big that it moves everything. It also shows that everybody in the planet goes down into caves to hide, which would make this not just an earthquake or a natural disaster, but a manmade cataclysm, possibly a nuclear war.

Tim Moore: Possibly so. I think it’s telling, and we’re not going to get into much debate about the nature, although I think that is a possible explanation.

Nathan Jones: Yeah, you don’t go underground when there’s an earthquake, so something else is happening there, yeah.

Tim Moore: Right, but I want to explain the response of the people on earth. Kind of getting back to your point about the what? The people on the earth, even the kings, the commanders, the rich, the strong, and every slave, in other words, everybody cries out in verse 16, “Fall on us mountains and rocks, and hide us from Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb.” Right here folks, we understand, the people on earth understand that it is the wrath of Jesus Christ that’s being poured out upon them.

David Bowen: We have contrast here though too, because we have contrast with this in chapter 6 and then chapter 7. When I look at this, we miss the part about a quarter of the earth not surviving.

Nathan Jones: People that say the first half of the Tribulation is all peace and safety. Not true when you say half the world population will be dead.

David Bowen: Yeah, one fourth of the earth will die by sword, famine, or plague, or wild beast. And then you have the martyrs underneath that, but you have them hiding. You know, if Jesus were to come right now, would we hide from Him?

Tim Moore: No, we wouldn’t.

David Bowen: It shows the contrast between those willing to give their lives to worship Him and those who want to hide and say, “Let the rocks and the mountains fall upon me.” And then in chapter 7, we’re getting ahead of ourselves a little bit, but tells us who these people are, because verse 13 of seven says, “When the elders asked me, ‘Who are these people in the white robes?’” And what does John say? He doesn’t say they’re the church. What does he say? He says, “They came out of the great tribulation.” They’re the ones who became believers and came out of the Tribulation. Which means that, again, Pre-Tribulation, how can you have that point? Well, we’re told right here.

Tim Moore: So these are people past the Church Age.

David Bowen: Yes.

Tim Moore: Well, Nathan, you’ve made a point that seal number seven is very important. So, what does seal number seven do?

Nathan Jones: Well, a lot of people will look at seal seven and say, well, that’s the next seven trumpet judgments. But if you go to chapter eight verses one through five, we learn that there’s a lot of natural disasters, “peals of thunder, sounds of flashes, lightning, and a great earthquake.” So the seventh seal is, again, more natural disasters, but they set up the next series of judgments, which are the seven trumpets.

Tim Moore: All right, so chapter 6 represents an ascending crescendo of horrors, as Jesus pours out His wrath. For those Christians who deny that Jesus would exhibit wrath, it is difficult to accept, they’d rather think of Jesus as the baby in the manger, or as meek and mild and never confrontational in spite of the fact that the Messiah of Scripture is referred to as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah in addition to the Lamb Who was slain. But in the midst of all this outpoured wrath, chapter 7 seems like an island in the storm. It’s as if God demonstrates His faithfulness to honor Habakkuk’s prayer in wrath remember mercy. The devastation could continue unabated, but God wants us to know that even as He is pouring out wrath, He has made a provision for those who put their trust in Him.

Nathan Jones: Well, that’s right. In the midst of the Tribulation, many people, millions and millions perhaps, will realize the foolishness of their sinful ways and will repent and turn to Christ for salvation. Included in that final harvest will be 144 ,000 Jews from every tribe of Israel. We know that a great number of Tribulations Saints, those are Jews and Gentiles, will be martyred because we’re told so in 6:9 -11 and because 7:9-17 also described the great multitude who stands before the throne and praises God with a loud voice saying, “Salvation to our God who sits on the throne and to the Lamb,” like Dave said.

David Bowen: I think we need to pause for a moment to recognize God’s purpose in pouring out wrath during the Tribulation. Yes, there’s a rightful and just punishment to be handed out for sin and mankind’s collective rejection of God, but just as He remembers mercy and wrath, God’s desire is always that sinners would repent and be saved. He does not wish for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. That will still be true during the Tribulation.

Tim Moore: You know that’s a wonderful point, Dave. I’d emphasize one more purpose for the Tribulation. The 144,000 Jews from every tribe demonstrates that God still has a plan for the Jewish people. As a result of the Tribulation and the Great Tribulation, where the Antichrist focuses his satanic hatred on the Jewish people, the Jews will come to the end of themselves. Only then will the surviving remnant turn to Him they have pierced and weep as over an only son. Only then will they cry out, “Baruch Haba B’Shem Adonai” blessed is He who comes and has already come in the name of the Lord.

Nathan Jones: Well, what a fitting interlude, Tim. And even chapter 7 ends with Jesus at the center of the martyrs shepherding them, providing living water to them, and wiping every tear from their eyes.

David Bowen: You know, I hate to break up this moment of encouragement, but we better get back to moving through some of the episodes of wrath.

Tim Moore: We certainly should, Dave, you’re right. And so we better pick up our pace. At the beginning of chapter eight, Jesus breaks the seventh seal. Heaven stands silent for half an hour and then seven angels are given trumpets to blow. Another angel hurls fire from the altar on to the earth, resulting in peals of thunder, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake. So what explains the silence and the warning shot?

Nathan Jones: Preparation for the next series of judgments, the trumpet judgments.

Tim Moore: Okay.

David Bowen: And isn’t silence the only real response you can give to what’s about to come?

Nathan Jones: Yeah, it’s the quiet before the storm.

Tim Moore: Oh, that’s a good way to put it. I think there’s also just a sense of overwhelming foreboding, if you will. And sometimes we ought to be quiet and realize that what’s about to befall the earth should humble us to the point of penitence and prayer as Daniel did, as we talked about in a recent series, but also intercession on behalf of all those who currently have the wrath of God abiding on them.

David Bowen: I think it shows the power of God too, because we’ve got to remember just moments before heaven was filled with praise. They were singing and shouting glory to God and praising Him, and then it goes silent. It just shows the power and respect that we need to have for God.

Nathan Jones: And it shows the weightiness of God. You know, God is just, and He wants to punish sin, but it must really weigh on Him to kill so many people, or allowed to be so many people killed. He loves these people. He doesn’t want them to die. And so, I wonder if it’s a time for God to collect Himself.

Tim Moore: Well, I think it is a heartbreaking moment even as we sometimes have to punish our children, and we don’t have the same righteous indignation that God does or the same combined sense of grace and mercy that He always exhibits. But although we have to take on the trumpet judgments now in a lightning round kind of approach, what are the seven trumpet judgments that are outlined in chapter 8 and 9 of Revelation?

Nathan Jones: So an angel comes out, he blows the first trumpet, hail and fire followed, mingled with blood, they’re thrown to the earth, and a third, a third of the trees are burned up, and all the green grass is burned up.

Tim Moore: Okay, then number two?

David Bowen: Well, the second trumpet is the asteroid, maybe. It’s an impact event, we know that. People look at it and say, what was it supernatural? Was it human? What was it? But we know it’s an impact event. And a third of the sea turns to blood, all the creatures in the sea end up dying because of this. Even the ships, a third of the ships are destroyed.

Tim Moore: Okay, and then number three, a great star, as John describes it, falls from heaven. We don’t believe that, I’m a literalist, but I don’t think it is a star in the way we would understand it today, but a great heavenly body falls from heaven burning a third of the rivers and springs, eliminating freshwater from a third of the earth. You see this third happening over and over again, greater and greater devastation. How about number four, Nathan?

Nathan Jones: Yeah, and they call it wormwood. Well, now we got the heaven struck, a third of the sun and moon and stars. In other words, the light diminishes the day by a third. And an angel then comes out and goes, woe, woe, woe, and each of the woes is the next three trumpet judgments.

David Bowen: But he says it three times.

Nathan Jones: Yes.

David Bowen: There’s emphasis there. You know, when we say, holy, holy, holy, there’s emphasis there, there’s importance to it. So, the woe, woe, woe, that’s why the silence comes out. We have to understand the impact this is about to make.

Tim Moore: So what’s the fifth trumpet judgment?

David Bowen: Oh, my goodness, this, yeah. This is the prison and the abyss. The angel coming down with the key to open this, the smoke comes in the abyss and locusts come out of this. They go out, they can harm the grass. They can’t harm the grass or the trees, but they have the power, they have the supernatural power during this time, and men will want to die. The pain, they’ll be able to sting and hurt and cause so much pain and damage, men will just want to die. And what’s interesting is, they get to do this for how long? 150 days, five months.

Tim Moore: Just like the Flood lingered on the earth.

David Bowen: In Genesis, yes.

Tim Moore: So this demonic horde that is said was held in a pit from antiquity is led by an angel king called Abaddon in Hebrew or Apollyon in Greek and then in the six trumpet because we had less than a minute to go is unleashed and 400 million horsemen whether they’re men or demons are unleashed and what happens to a third of the men on earth?

David Bowen: The four horsemen and the 100 million man army, so more demonic hordes plague the earth.

Tim Moore: And a third of mankind is killed.

Nathan Jones: A third.

Tim Moore: And we end up with the earth that has been devastated with half of the current population.

David Bowen: Correct.

Tim Moore: Dave, you made the point, we now are at eight billion people, so between the quarter and the seal judgments and the third now, at least four billion people are dead and we haven’t even gotten to the halfway point of the Tribulation. All right, we made it through all the seals.

Nathan Jones: Don’t forget the seventh, natural disasters chapter 11.

Tim Moore: Amen.

Closing

Tim Moore: Let’s pause for a moment to consider the consequence of the seal and trumpet judgments to this point. We’ve recognized that in addition to a righteous act of punishment, these judgments are meant to force people to recognize their own sinfulness, driving many into the arms of our Savior. But the overwhelming majority of mankind does not repent, and so God does not relent.

Nathan Jones: In fact, in chapter 9:20-21 it says that they keep on sinning, adding to their suffering on earth and sealing their fate for eternity.

David Bowen: Later we’ll read that the lost and dying world blasphemes God in the face of His judgment. Talk about spitting into the wind, what a tragic and foolish choice.

Tim Moore: You know, but really, that is the same thing we see today all around us. People make tragic and foolish choices, all the while suffering the consequences of their own sin. Billy Graham used to say the same sun that melts the butter hardens the clay. Our hope is that many will hear this message of warning and recognize the inherent hope it contains. While it is still day, there is still time to flee from the wrath to come.

Nathan Jones: We have prayed that throughout the series, your heart will be impacted. If you already know Jesus as your Savior, we hope you’ll join us in urging others to embrace Him now while there is still time. And if you don’t already know Him as Savior, then we implore you to confess your sin and cry out to Jesus, “Save me!” He is faithful and true and will cleanse you of your sin and guarantee you eternal life at His side.

Tim Moore: You know, reading this section of Revelation is like watching a disaster movie where you know what is going to happen and you also know that the people who are destined to suffer and die could have avoided their tragic fate altogether. Folks like our Father in Heaven, we want as many people as possible to avoid the calamity of the Tribulation. Those who put their trust in Jesus now are promised to be rescued from the wrath to come.

While Revelation is filled with despair for those who reject God, Christians are filled with hope as we anticipate Jesus’ call for us to come up here, that is why we can echo John’s final prayer, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.” Godspeed.

End of Program