Revelation 6 - Verse by Verse Bible Study

By Pastor Steven L Anderson

Video

January, 2013

Alright now in Revelation chapter , we're just getting into the opening of the seals

of the book that the lamb had in chapter number . And this is where we really start getting

into the meat and potatoes of Revelation, into the actual events of the end-times. Everything

up to this point has pretty much been introductory. And in verse number , the Bible reads "And

I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder,

one of the four beasts saying, Come and see." And whenever you see the term "as it were",

it means that it wasn't really thunder, it was just "as if" it were thunder. His voice

was so powerful that it sounded like thunder. And he said "And I saw, and behold a white

horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth

conquering, and to conquer." Now, I believe this rider on the white horse is the antichrist.

And the reason that I believe that... You say "where do you get that, just from looking

at a few words there?" Well the reason I believe that is because if we compare Revelation

with Mathew , Mark , and Luke , it is amazing how the events line up EXACTLY. And

very clearly we can see that the events that are described in Revelation chapter are

the same exact events of Mathew . That's why they both culminate- Mathew and Revelation

- with the sun and moon being darkened and the stars falling, because it's the same chronology

of events. And when we compare with Mathew , it becomes very obvious that this is the

antichrist, because everything else matches up, that should match up also. But if you

look at the verse, it says in verse , "And I saw, and behold a WHITE HORSE". Well first

of all, if we remember when Jesus Christ rides in on a white horse in Revelation , it would

make sense that if the antichrist is someone who is a false Christ, someone who is saying

"I am Christ", it would make sense that he would impersonate Jesus Christ in that way

by coming on a white horse. And it says that he had a bow- a bow is a weapon of warfare-

and it says "a crown was GIVEN unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer."

Well if you remember, when Revelation talks about the antichrist, it says that the dragon

GAVE him his power and his seat and great authority. And here we see a crown is GIVEN

unto him, he is being GIVEN authority by someone else. So that all matches up perfectly. Now

what I want you to do is put your finger in Revelation , and then go to Mathew . We

could really do this with Mathew or Mark , or Luke , because they are all going

to line up perfectly. But we might as well just do Mathew since it's the more famous

passage, and it's just easy to flip back and forth between two things. So let's start at

the beginning of Mathew , and if you would, look at verse , the Bible reads, "And as

he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us,

when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end

of the world? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.

For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many." So right

away, the first thing that Jesus begins to talk about is many people coming and saying

"I am Christ" and deceiving many. You say "well that's MANY that are claiming to be

Christ." Well in st John chapter the Bible says " Little children, it is the last time:

and as ye have heard that antichrist"- singular- as ye have heard that antichrist shall come,

even now are there MANY antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time." So here

in Matthew , the first thing that we see is that he says "many shall come in my name

saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many." He says in verse , "And ye shall hear of

wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to

pass, but the end is not yet." So in Matthew , first he brought up false Christs, then

the next thing he brought up was wars and rumours of wars. Well flip back to Revelation

. The first seal was the antichrist riding on a white horse, a crown was given unto him,

he went forth conquering and to conquer. Look at the second seal, verse . "And when he

had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. And there went out

another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace

from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him

a great sword." So that matches up perfectly with what Matthew said about nation rising

against nation, and wars and rumours of wars. So, let's look at the third seal. It says

in verse number , "And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say,

Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of

balances in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure

of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not

the oil and the wine." So when the third seal is opened, what we see is prices of food are

brought out. "A measure of wheat for a penny". You say "well, how much is a penny?" Well,

if you study your Bible, in the book of Matthew, there was parable about day labourers who

worked all day, a twelve hour day, and they agreed with the master of the house that they

would each be paid a penny for their work. That shows that a penny is equivalent to a

days work for an unskilled labourer. Well if we were to think about that in terms of

the economy of the United States here... If somebody goes out and goes to the day labourer,

labour ready... If they were to work a hour day, they're going to walk away with

probably about bucks. Maybe bucks. But let's just say bucks. Now, can you

imagine going to the store and buying a measure of wheat for bucks? I mean that's a very

steep price for food. And what this shows is that there is famine going on, because

when you're paying really high prices for food, the laws of supply and demand mean that

obviously, the demand is much higher than the supply. Obviously there is a shortage

of food, which is why the food is so expensive. So the first seal was the antichrist going

forth to conquer. He's not totally in power yet, oh no, he's just going out TO conquer;

he's going out to take power. Next thing we see, warfare. We see nation rising against

nation, that's the second seal. The third seal, we see these really high food prices.

Well go back to Matthew , keep your finger in Revelation . And of course He talked about

false Christs. Verse he said "ye shall hear of wars and rumours 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", that's the second seal. "And there

shall be" what? "Famines". There's your third seal. Do you see how it's just following an

exact sequence? It says "there shall be famines", and then look what comes after the famines.

"And pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows."

Flip back if you would to Revelation now. And in Revelation with the opening of the

fourth seal, it says in verse , "when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice

of the fourth beast say, Come and see. And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his

name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over

the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and

with the beasts of the earth." So, first seal, antichrist, second seal, war, third seal,

famine, the fourth seal is basically death. "Power was given unto them over the fourth

part of the earth to KILL", with what? Sword, with hunger... That's the wars and famines

that we have already seen... "And with death and with the beasts of the earth." Okay, that

fits in perfectly with what the Bible is talking about in Matthew when it says "famines

and pestilences, and earthquakes in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows."

It's talking about a lot of people dying through disease, and through these earthquakes. And

so every time here is an earthquake that's major, people die in large numbers. And so

all of it's matching up perfectly. Well, let's look what's next in Revelation verse ,

we see the fifth seal opened. "And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the

altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which

they held". So these are people that are being killed for the cause of Christ. Look back

at Matthew ; let's see if that comes next. Right after the things we just looked at,

it says in verse , "THEN shall they deliver YOU up to be afflicted, and shall kill you."

See how it matches up perfectly with the fifth seal? "And ye shall be hated of ALL nations

for my name's sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and

shall hate one another." Now look if you would at Revelation chapter again, it says "And

when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain

for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud

voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood

on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and

it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants

also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled." Now, I've

already made this point, but I just want to drive it in one more time quickly, is that

here these martyrs are saying that their blood has NOT YET been avenged, and that God is

not yet judging the earth. So that shows that the events of the first four seals are NOT

THE WRATH of God. And obviously the fifth seal is not the wrath of God, it's Christians

being killed for the cause of Christ, that's not God doing that. That's the devil. That's

the antichrist. And so it's very clear, when you look at what they're saying at the fifth

seal there. They're anxious for God to begin to pour out His wrath, He hasn't done it yet.

He is about to, He said just a very little season they need to rest, and then it would

be fulfilled. And then right after that, what do we have? We have the opening of the sixth

seal. And it says in verse , "And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo,

there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the

moon became as blood"- this is the sun and moon being darkened which is a very key event,

the day of the Lord, and we're going to cover that in a moment, more about that. But go

back to Matthew if you would. Now if you know a little bit about the chronology of

end times prophecy, you know that in the beginning of "Daniel's th week", whatever you want

to call it... We have first of all, the antichrist comes in to conquer. Then we have wars. Then

we have famines, then we have death on a large scale due to pestilence, beasts of the earth,

earthquakes, just all type of disasters that are causing people to die. Not the wrath of

God, though. Then, when we get to the fifth seal, He says "they are going to deliver you

up to be afflicted and kill you". We have these people being martyred. Now, look down

if you would at Matthew , and look what comes next. It says in verse number , "And

then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another."

Talking about the persecutions and martyrs. And then it says "And many false prophets

shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall

wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel

of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and

then shall the end come. When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken

of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)

Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop

not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field

return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that

give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither

on the Sabbath day: For then shall be GREAT TRIBULATION, such as was not since the beginning

of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened,

there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened."

And so here we see that after what the Bible calls "the beginning of sorrows", He talks

about the antichrist going out and conquering and to conquer, the false Christ. Then we

see wars, and really the whole world at war, peace taken from the entire world. Nations

riding against each other in world warfare. Then we see terrible famines. Then we see

just death on a mass scale from pestilence, disease, earthquakes. The Bible calls all

that the beginning of sorrows. We got that? Then, AFTER that, He says, then they shall

deliver you up to be afflicted and shall kill you. So, they're not really afflicting Christians

or delivering them up to be killed during that first part, okay? Then, it becomes a

thing of persecuting Christians, persecuting God's people. Then He says "when you see the

abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet", He said "then shall be GREAT

tribulation". Now, we could definitely characterise the events leading up to that as tribulation.

It is a time of trouble; it is a time of great affliction. But, when the abomination of desolation

takes place, that's when we enter the phase of what is called "great tribulation", okay?

And at that time, the persecution of God's people will intensify. Christians will begin

to be persecuted, leading up to the abomination of desolation, but when the abomination of

desolation takes place, and the Bible tells us that that will be in the midst of the week

according to Daniel :, that that will take place in the midst of the week, and if we

were to be exact about it, it's days into the seven year period that we're covering

with most of the book of Revelation... days in, you have the abomination of desolation.

Then there is GREAT tribulation. But, for the elect's sake, the time period of the great

tribulation shall be shortened. And He said "except those days should be shortened, there

should no flesh be saved, but for the elect's sake they shall be shortened." The reason

why is because if you study Revelation chapter which covers in great detail the events

of the tribulation, the great tribulation that is, and the persecution upon God's people,

you will see that you're not going to be able to buy or sell during this time, unless you

will worship the antichrist, unless you'll receive the mark of the beast. And anyone

who will not worship him will be killed. That's where you are getting these mass numbers of

martyrs, and these mass numbers of Christians being killed for the cause of Christ that

we see with the fifth seal, and what we see in Matthew , because of the fact that you

can't buy or sell, and you have a death warrant on you. And so that's going to be great, GREAT,

tribulation. That's going to be a very difficult time. And look, if this were allowed to run

its course, let's say it were allowed to go, since this happens in the exact middle of

the week, the abomination of desolation, let's say it were allowed to go for the full

months that the antichrist is in power. Because the antichrist is going to remain in power.

He is going to fully take power in the middle of the week, and he's going to remain in power

for forty two months, or three and a half years. If this were allowed to run its course

for that whole time, every Christian is going to be killed. I mean, how are you going to

live for three and a half years, with all the technology that's out there, all the satellites

and all the control, and all the infrastructure that's being put in place, and checkpoints

and surveillance cameras, and satellites... You wouldn't be able to survive. NO flesh

would be saved! So He is saying, for the elect's sake, those days shall be shortened. So not

all believers will be killed. Many, many believers will survive this time, and make it unto the

end. Now the Bible says, whosoever shall endure to then shall be saved. Now, some people have

misrepresented that to mean that in order to be saved- meaning "in order for us to make

it to heaven, in order for us to have eternal life", we have to somehow endure to the end

in our Christian life. Meaning we have to stay in church, and we have to keep on serving

God. Now go to Acts chapter quickly, I just want to clarify this. Acts chapter number

. They'll say "you know, you've got to endure to the end, or you're not really saved!" But

what we need to realise is that in Matthew , right after He says "he that shall endure

unto the end, the same shall be saved." He says "except those days should be shortened,

there should no FLESH be saved: but for the ELECT'S sake those days shall be shortened."

So the elect are already saved or they wouldn't be the elect! Because the elect are those

that are justified by the Lord Jesus Christ, according to Romans , the elect are those

who are in Christ. And so for the elect's sake the days are shortened that their FLESH

might be saved, because otherwise their FLESH is going to be killed. Their flesh is going

to be executed. And let me show you why He uses the word "saved". Look if you would at

Acts chapter , verse number . "And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in

the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: The sun shall be turned into darkness,

and the moon into blood" Sound familiar? It says "before the great and notable day of

the Lord come: And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the

Lord shall be saved." So, that's a verse that's used in Romans just to talk about salvation

in general, that anyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved, and that's tied

in with the concept that "if thou shalt confess with the mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe

in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." But what it's

actually specifically saying in Acts chapter , and specifically saying in Joel chapter

where this comes from... Because if you go to Joel it says "whosoever shall call

on the name of the Lord shall be DELIVERED". And what that's saying is that anyone who

has called upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, anyone who is saved as it were, is

going to be DELIVERED at the time that the sun and moon are darkened, because when the

sun and moon are darkened, that's when Jesus Christ comes in the clouds, and those of us

that are alive and remain will be rescued from the great tribulation at that time. We

are going to be in the midst of going through the great tribulation, but thank God, those

days shall be shortened, Jesus Christ will come in the clouds, and cut the tribulation

short. And he will rescue us, and if he didn't there would no flesh be saved, because no

flesh could survive for and a half years of that kind of intense persecution and so

forth. So back to Matthew if you would, and the Bible says in verse number , "Wherefore

if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is

in the secret chambers; believe it not. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and

shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For wheresoever

the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together." So this is a very clear scripture

that's telling us that when Jesus Christ comes, we won't have to wonder if he is really here,

because every eye shall see him, the Bible says in Revelation :. "Behold, he cometh

with clouds; and EVERY eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds

of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen." So here He says, "don't believe

anybody who tells you he is here or he is there, he is in the secret chambers, it's

a secret". He says no, no. When he comes, he will come as the lightning that shines

from one end of heaven to the other. You will know that it is him. That's why the doctrine

of a "secret rapture" is such a false doctrine. Because what they are saying is, Jesus Christ

will come secretly, not everyone will see it. He says "no, you'll know". Why would Jesus

be warning us, "don't believe anybody that tells you it’s secret!"... And then it's

really going to be secret? And then people are supposedly leaving behind a cassette tape

that says "if I'm gone and you're listening to this tape, that means I've been raptured.

You didn't get saved", or whatever. Basically, that person should look at this and say "well,

no." That's not true. Because when Jesus comes, he will light up the whole sky from one end

of the heaven to the other. That's what the Bible really says. And then He says this,

"Wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together." Now, what is

that verse referring to when he says "wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered

together."? Well, he just finished talking about Christ coming in the clouds, then he

uses the conjunction "FOR", connecting it to what he just said... "FOR", wheresoever

the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together. Now, why is he using that illustration?

Well, keep your finger there and go to Luke . And I'm coming back to Revelation , but

I just want to lay this ground work, and it's all going to fit together in a moment, I promise.

But it says in Luke chapter , it says in verse number , "I tell you, in that night

there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.

Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two

men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. And they answered

and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither

will the eagles be gathered together." Now, if we were to look at that scripture right

there, it's talking about obviously, I believe, the rapture. You've got people being taken,

other people being left behind, it's pretty clear when you compare it with Matthew .

And if we look at Matthew , are you in Matthew ? If we look at it in verse , we're looking

at Jesus Christ coming in the clouds, the coming of the Son of man, then the next verse

says "wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles gathered together." Well, the "carcase"

is singular. "Carcase" means "body", right? And then we've got the eagles, that would

be what? Singular or plural? That's plural. Now why would eagles gather together at a

carcase? To eat it, right? Because eagles are birds of prey, and eagles are some of

the animals that it was told unto the children of Israel, that they should not eat this animal,

because it is a predator, it is something that eats the carcase of a corpse, or a cadaver.

And so when He says "wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together",

I have heard people say this "well, that's a negative gathering! A dead body, a carcase?"

Yeah, but not when you're an eagle! I mean, when you're an eagle, a carcase is a good

thing. I mean, that's a buffet right there. So they said "oh, this is a negative gathering,

it's a BAD gathering", and they try to say that people are being gathered for a bad reason,

or to be punished. But He says that the Son of man comes in the clouds, and He talks about

one being taken, the other being left, and they say "where Lord? Where are they being

taken?" And He says "withersoever the carcase is, thither shall the eagles be gathered together."

And if we look up the word "eagle" in the Bible, there is a scripture in Exodus, when

they're leaving the land of Egypt, and He says that "I bear you up on eagles wings,

and brought you unto myself." It's very similar to the wording and the language that he uses

when he talks about the rapture, where he says "I'll come again and receive you unto

myself". So for some reason, He chooses to use this kind of odd illustration about eagles

feasting on a carcase, but basically He is saying that the eagles being gathered together

to the carcase is a parable, or symbolic of the fact that we will be gathered together

unto Jesus Christ in the clouds. When you read it in Matthew , there is really no

other way to interpret it, when He talks about Christ coming in the clouds, and then follows

it up with, "because, wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.

And then he begins to talk about that gathering." Because look what he says next. "Immediately

after the tribulation of those days"- verse - "shall the sun be darkened, and the moon

shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens

shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then

shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the

clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great

sound of a trumpet, and they shall"- what? - "gather together his elect from the four

winds, from one end of heaven to the other." So, when we look at it, we've got Christ in

the clouds in verse , as the lightning shining from one end of heaven to the other. That's

in verse . In verse we have the Son of man again, in the clouds in heaven. And then

in verse , we have the elect being gathered together unto him. So right in the MIDDLE

of that, in the middle of talking about Christ coming in the clouds, and in the MIDST of

talking about gathering the elect is a parable that says "withersoever the carcase is, thither

shall the eagles be gathered together", it's pretty hard to look at this and not interpret

it as the elect are "the eagles", and Jesus is represented by the carcase. And the Bible

makes it clear of course that the lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them

and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters, he shall wipe away all tears from

the eyes. You say "no Pastor Anderson, that's a bizarre interpretation, we're not going

to eat Jesus!" Oh really? I thought the Bible said that "except ye eat the flesh of the

Son of man, and drink his blood, you have no life in you." So why would He not use an

illustration about eagles that are eating at a carcase when the Bible talks about us

eating the flesh and drinking the blood of the Son of man. There's a whole chapter, well

not a whole chapter, but a great part of John chapter deals with that subject. And I'm

making such a big point about this, because those that believe in a pretribulation rapture,

in direct contradiction of chapter verses through , which clearly spells out that

Christ comes in the clouds and the trumpet sounds, and the elect are gathered AFTER the

tribulation... They will take these verses that say in verse "Then shall two be in

the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at

the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left." They try to say "oh, that's not

the rapture. Those people are being taken to a bad place, they're being taken for judgment",

whatever that's supposed to mean! But that's what they say. But, if you look at Luke ,

remember, He said in the field, one taken, one taken, one left. Two women at the mill,

one taken, one left. WHERE? Withersoever the carcase is, thither shall the eagles be gathered

together. You know what that does? That proves... Are you listening to me? That proves that

verses and of Mathew TIE IN with verses through . Those that are pre-trib

will try to separate the two. Because then another pre-trib interpretation- because one

pre-trib interpretation will say "oh, and aren't about the rapture, they're being

taken for judgment." But then another pre-trib interpretation will say "well, when He says

after the tribulation, that's not the rapture, but by the time we get down to verses and

, we're on the subject of the rapture now." And the reason they want to be back on the

subject of the rapture is because they really like verse . "But of that day and hour knoweth

no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only." That's where they derive

their doctrine of imminence, saying "Jesus Christ could come at any moment, because no

man knoweth the day or the hour." So those that are pre-trib, when we are reading immediately

AFTER the tribulation, all of a sudden, it's NOT the rapture, Christ coming in the clouds...

But when we get to verse , it suddenly becomes the rapture again, and then we're down to

and , it's not the rapture anymore. Or if it is the rapture, then you better realise

that the rapture in verse and is described the SAME WAY at the end of Luke . And when

they ask "WHERE?” it said, "withersoever the carcase is, thither shall the eagles be

gathered together." So basically, in order to wrap your mind around this pre-trib rapture

paradigm, it's like verse is the rapture, verse is not the rapture, verse is the

rapture, and then verse is not the rapture, even though it's all talking about the SAME

DAY. It's bizarre! I hope you understand what I'm saying; I'm trying to make this as clear

and understandable as possible. Just two chapters, just Matthew and Luke , just put them

side by side, it's SO CLEAR. Now, I got to get into the day of the Lord though, we've

got to get into the rest of Revelation . And of course, people will try to say that

this whole chapter is talking to the Jews. Let me ask you something. I thought that the

whole world was at war. Can somebody help me out with this? "Oh, Mathew , that's all

about the Jews, this is all talking about the Jews." Okay, well then why did He say

that He should take peace from the earth that they should kill one another? He didn't say

"I'm going to take peace from the Middle East so that they will kill one another". That's

just another day at the office for the Middle East. He said He is going to take peace from

the Earth, that they will kill one another. All these things are worldwide. Just because

He gives a specific instruction, are you listening? He gives a specific instruction that says

"then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains", that just highlights the fact

that the rest of the chapter is talking to other people that are NOT in Judaea, for Him

to even bring up the fact, specifically, "here is a certain instruction for those that are

in Judaea, as opposed to everything else I've been saying, which is just for everybody."

And that's why at the end of the passage, in Mark , which is a parallel passage, He

says "what I say unto you, I say unto all, watch." And so, it's pretty clear. Others

will say "well, he mentioned the Sabbath day", verse , "But pray ye that your flight be

not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day." "That there proves that the whole thing

is to the Jews." I guess they think he means that Jews have to still keep the Sabbath today,

I guess that's what they think, just if you're a Jew, you are supposed to keep the Sabbath,

if you're not a Jew, you don't keep the Sabbath. I thought God's commandments were the same

for everybody!? I mean, if you believe in keeping the Sabbath, wouldn't it make sense

that that's something that everybody should be keeping in ? And if you don't believe

that we need to observe the Sabbath day, wouldn't it make sense that NOBODY needs to observe

the Sabbath day, or do we need a genealogy to figure out who is Jewish, and who is of

an Israelite ethnicity, so we can figure out whether we need to keep the Sabbath or not?

I mean what kind of a bizarre doctrine is that? You say "well, what does it mean then?"

Here's what it means. It's the same reason why you pray that your flight is not in the

winter. The same reason you pray that it's not on the Sabbath. Why? Because it's more

difficult to travel in the winter. I mean, if you're fleeing, if you're trying to take

a trip, what's easier? Winter or Summer? If you're heading for the hills, if you're out

in the woods, where would you rather be? Summer or Winter? Obviously, if you are fleeing in

the winter, there is difficulty about travelling. Well now, think about on the Sabbath day.

And again, if you are in that part of the world, that observes the Sabbath day, which

would basically be the nation of Israel, or it could be a place like Europe, because in

Europe today, they still shut everything down, one day in seven. Now if you're in the United

States, everything is open seven days a week. But if you're in Germany, it shuts down on

Sunday. I mean, it shuts down completely. And if you're in Israel, I would assume- I've

never been to Israel, but I'm assuming that things shut down on the Sabbath day. And you

say "well, but Sunday is not the Sabbath day!" Well, apparently you've never been to Germany,

because in Germany, every calendar starts on a Monday, and ends on a Sunday, which makes

Sunday the seventh day, right? I mean that's every calendar I've ever seen in Germany.

But anyway, if you are in a place where that affects you, especially a place like Israel,

okay? Because He is giving special instructions to those that are in Judaea, that's going

to make your flight more difficult, because of the Sabbath day. That's why in Mark ,

which is a book that's a little bit less geared toward the nation of Israel, it just says

"Pray that your flight be not in the winter." Period. It doesn't take the time to give that

detail about the Sabbath day. But if it's applicable, it's applicable; it just depends

on where you live. So what He is not saying is "pray that you’re..."- And look, I think

that this is funny.”Pray that your flight be not on the Sabbath day, because when people

are trying to kill you, and the Sabbath day rolls around, stop everything, it's the Sabbath,

can't travel." And then I'm just a sitting duck, they're going to kill me. I mean do

you really think if somebody is trying to kill you... I mean, I don't care what you

believe about the Sabbath. You think if somebody is hunting you to kill you, God expects you

to stop, and observe the Sabbath? When you're running for your life? [LAUGHS] That's just

a... You don't understand the Sabbath. Remember what David did, when he was an hungered? I

mean give me a break. But, obviously, He is referring to other people's observance of

the Sabbath around you, that's going to hinder you, because the stores are closed, the shops

are closed, the trains aren't moving... whatever, that's slowing you down in your travels. But

anyway, let's get into the day of the Lord. Matthew : says " Immediately after the

tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her

light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:

And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven", and on and on, the trumpet

sounds, the elect are gathered. Go to Revelation and let's look at this in Revelation chapter

where we see the day of the Lord. It says in verse , "And I beheld when he had opened

the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth

of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even

as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven

departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out

of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the

chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves

in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall

on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath

of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?"

The sun and moon being darkened is what initiates the day of the Lord. The Bible says "the sun

shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood BEFORE the great and terrible day

of the Lord come". And so, when the sun and moon are darkened, that's what brings us into

the day of the Lord. Now, I believe that the day of the Lord is a LITERAL DAY. I'm not

saying that it's a hour period, I'm saying that it's a day on the calendar as it were,

I mean it's an actual day, I don't think it represents a longer period of time. I believe

that the day of the Lord is a specific day. It's a certain day. And that day is characterised

by total darkness of the sun, moon, stars. It's also characterised by God's wrath being

poured out, it's the beginning of God's wrath being poured out, because we proved when we

looked at the events of the fifth seal, that God's wrath had not begun to be poured out

yet. But then when we get to the sixth seal, they say that "the great day of His wrath

IS COME". Another reason why it's important to have a King James Bible. Because these

modern Bible Versions say the "great day of His wrath HAS come", and then someone could

misconstrue that and say "oh, it happened a while back, it already happened." No, he

said it IS come, meaning it is just now arrived, at this time. So, the great day of His wrath.

Now, according to Matthew , when the sun and moon are darkened, Christ comes in the

clouds and we are gathered together unto him. So is this a good day for us, or a bad day

for us? It's a great day. But if you're not saved, is this a good day when you are left

behind to face the wrath of Almighty God? It's a terrible day, it's a horrible day.

Now look, it says in verse , they "said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and

hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:

For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?" So they're afraid,

they're fearing the wrath of God, and they're fearing the wrath of the lamb, the wrath of

Jesus Christ. And they're wanting to be hidden from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne.

Just trying to give you the picture here. Now, Jesus Christ said that at this time the

trumpet is going to sound and the elect are going to be gathered. That's why there is

a great multitude of all nations and kindreds that appears in chapter , they appear in

heaven out of nowhere, and it says they have come out of great tribulation, makes perfect

sense. Now let's just quickly go back and look at a few day of the Lord passages in

the Old Testament. Go back to Isaiah . Isaiah chapter number . And again, if you haven't

already done so, I very strongly encourage you to read Matthew , Mark , Luke and

Revelation , and just put them all side by side. And I've found that anybody who does

that gains a profound understanding of end times Bible prophecy. And what would really

be a good idea is if you would basically put it in columns. And on a computer this is really

easy to do. You could set up a page with maybe three columns or four columns, depending on

which passages. And just put them side by side, and line up the different subjects and

you'll see it lines up perfectly. And by comparing the little differences in wording between

Mark , and Matthew , and then comparing that with Revelation , boy, it all just becomes

clear. It all just fits, it all just makes sense. And then once you figure it out...

It's frustrating when people don't see it. When they don't understand it. You try to

explain to them just basic truths and they don't get it. I think it would just be cured

if they would just do that, if they would lay it out, look at it side by side, compare

scripture with scripture. Put away the prophecy book and the commentary, and just compare

these things. It's so obvious. But look at Isaiah . Here is a great passage on the

day of the Lord. Now remember, in the New Testament, the day of the Lord was characterised

by sun and moon being darkened, stars falling, wrath of God, let's read it and see what we

see here in Isaiah :. "Howl ye"- now doesn't that sound like the mourning and wailing and

so forth that we saw in the New Testament about the day of the Lord? "Howl ye; for the

day of the Lord is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty. Therefore

shall all hands be faint, and every man's heart shall melt: And they shall be afraid:

pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth:

they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames." So so far in the

day of the Lord, we're seeing that men are fearful, they scared to death, they're howling,

they're wailing. And it's comparing them to a woman that's in labour. That's the exact

comparison he uses when talking about the day of the Lord in st Thessalonians . He

says "when they shall say peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them as

travail upon a woman with child and they shall not escape. But ye brethren, are not in darkness

that that day should overtake you as a thief"... did He say "you're not even going to be here!

You just got raptured in chapter !"? No. He said "ye brethren are not in darkness that

that day should overtake you as a thief, ye are all the children of light, the children

of the day, we are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep as do

others, but let us watch and be sober". He didn't say you aren't going to be there! He

didn't say "that day is not going to overtake you at all, you are going to be up in heaven!"

No, He said that that day will not overtake you AS A THIEF, because you'll be watching,

and because you are watching, you won't be overtaken as a thief. But it will overtake

you. You are going to be there, what else are you watching for?? But He says here, let's

keep reading. "Behold the day of the Lord cometh"- verse - "cruel"- I mean, God is

really mad and He is going to punish people severely. He is going to be cruel, the Bible

says. "Both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy

the sinners thereof out of it. For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall

not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not

cause her light to shine. And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for

their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the

haughtiness of the terrible." This is like the mighty men and the rich men and the chief

captains, where they are just whining and wailing "aaahhh, hide us from the face of

the lamb!" They're not going to be so tough at that time; they are not going to be so

proud at that point. And it says in verse , "I will make a man more precious than

fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir. Therefore I will shake the heavens,

and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the Lord of hosts, and in

the day of his fierce anger." So what do we see in that passage? God's wrath, God's anger,

destruction upon the wicked, sun moon and stars are darkened, heaven and earth shaken,

and it was likened unto a woman being in labour. And what do we see in Revelation ? An earthquake!

Sun and moon darkened, stars falling from heaven! And again, I have explained it before,

but when the Bible talks about the stars falling from heaven, we are not talking about the

gigantic balls of gas that are larger than the earth, okay? Because here, the Bible clarifies

in Isaiah by explaining that the stars shall not give their light, and that the constellations

shall not give their light, we know that those stars still exist when the fourth trumpet

judgment happens, the stars are darkened for a third part of the day. Those stars are still

there. And if just one of those type of stars were to actually hit the earth, obviously

that would be enough to demolish it. But when the Bible refers to the stars falling from

heaven as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, we talking about shooting stars, or

a meteor shower. And there is a lot of biblical evidence for that; I'm not going to spend

a lot of time on that right now. But it says in... Go to Joel. Joel talks a lot about the

day of the Lord, toward the end of the Old Testament. And there are many other passages

that talk about the day of the Lord, I'm just hitting a few highlights here, just showing

you how if a person doesn't understand what the day of the Lord is, they are ignorant

of A LOT of scriptures. Because the Bible really reinforces this idea of the day of

the Lord, all throughout the Old Testament and the New Testament, and it's always characterised

by the same things. Wasn't Isaiah really consistent with both st Thessalonians ,

and Revelation ? And it fits in perfectly with Matthew . Look at Joel :. "Alas

for the day! For the day of the Lord is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty

shall it come." Look at chapter verse . "They shall run to and fro in the city; they

shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up upon the houses; they shall enter in at

the windows like a thief. The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble:

the sun and the moon shall be dark"- sound familiar? "And the stars shall withdraw their

shining"- again, reinforcing what we saw in Isaiah . "And the Lord shall utter his voice

before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word:

for the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?" Look at verse

. "And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars

of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great

and terrible day of the Lord come." So what do we see? God's wrath, the wicked being destroyed,

a destruction from the Almighty, the sun, moon and stars darkened, heaven and earth

shaken. He mentions a thief again. He says "clouds and darkness", he talks about fire.

All the same elements keep coming up over and over again. A thief, a woman in travail,

sun and moon darkened. It's very consistent. Look at Amos. Look at chapter , verse .

"Woe unto you that desire the day of the Lord! To what end is it for you?" Now a lot of people

will use this and say "you know, if you think that the rapture is on the day of the Lord,

then woe unto you, because the Bible says woe unto you that desire the day of the Lord."

But look what He is saying. He is specifically speaking to a group of people that are not

saved. Because He says "Woe unto you that desire the day of the Lord! To what end is

it for YOU?" He doesn't just say "to what end is it?" period. He says "to what end is

it for you? The day of the Lord is darkness, and not light." TO YOU He is saying! He is

saying "to you", because the people he is addressing are not saved. "There is no reason

for YOU to look forward to this day". He says “it is darkness and not light." Whereas

when the Bible discusses THE DAY OF THE LORD, what does He say? "We are not of the night,

nor of darkness. He says "we are all the children of the light, and the children of the day".

We are not in darkness. They are in darkness. This passage reinforces that. He says "As

if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned

his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him." Verse . "Shall not the day of the Lord be

darkness, and not light? Even very dark, and no brightness in it?" So what do we see? The

wicked are being destroyed, and we're seeing total darkness. Again, ties in perfectly.

Go to Zephaniah, just a few pages to the right in your Bible. Zephaniah chapter . The Bible

reads in verse . “The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly,

even the voice of the day of the Lord: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. That

day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation,

a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, A day of the trumpet

and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers. And I will bring distress

upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the

Lord: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung. Neither

their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord's wrath"-

remember the rich men, and the chief men, they were fleeing? "But the whole land shall

be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all

them that dwell in the land." So in this passage from Zephaniah again, God's wrath, wicked

being destroyed, clouds, darkness, sun and moon darkened, mighty men crying bitterly,

weeping, scared, right? And then we see a trumpet, that fits in perfectly with Matthew

's description of the day of the Lord. And fire, because of course the same day Lot went

out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone. The same day that we are caught up together

to be with Christ in the air, the Lord will rain fire and brimstone upon this earth. "Sudden

destruction shall come upon them as travail upon a woman with child, and they shall not

escape." Go to Revelation , let's finish up. Revelation chapter . Just wanted to show

you some day of the Lord passages. We've got Acts , we've got st Thessalonians , we've

got nd Peter chapter , we've got Zephaniah, we saw Joel, we saw Amos, we saw Isaiah. I

mean over and over again, this subject keeps coming up. And it's always sun and moon darkened,

sun and moon darkened. Look, would you say that the sun and moon being darkened is a

pretty key event, if it's coming up this often? I mean is there ANY DOUBT that this is a VERY

MAJOR EVENT in Bible prophecy? Okay, what about this... Is it one of the most talked

about events in all of end times Bible prophecy? If we were to just find the quantity of scriptures...

I mean, are there that many scriptures about the trumpet judgments as there are about the

sun and moon being darkened? Sun and moon being darkened is the key event. It's the

pivotal event. It is the quintessential event. Why? Because it's associated with the second

coming of Jesus Christ. Why? Because it is the day that INITIATES His wrath. It's a very,

very significant event. Now, don't you think it would be silly to say "oh, Revelation doesn't

cover that event"? I mean, an event that's talked about this much in the Bible. Wouldn't

it be silly to say "oh, Revelation doesn't cover it", or "it just glosses it over. It

just kind of insinuates that maybe the sun gets a little dark at one point"? Wouldn't

you say it would be RIDICULOUS to say that Revelation is not the day of the Lord, when

it's the ONLY time in Revelation that the sun and moon are darkened and the stars fall?

And it has all the elements that we saw in all these places? So wouldn't it be ridiculous

to say that the event in Revelation of the sun, moon and stars being darkened is a different

event than the sun, moon and stars being darkened in Matthew ? It would be foolish wouldn't

it? Well, then the conclusion that we draw from that, go if you would to Revelation ,

the conclusion that we draw from that, is that anything that comes after the sixth seal

is not the tribulation, because the Bible says "immediately AFTER the tribulation of

those days, the sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon shall not give her light." Now

look, if the sun and moon are not darkened until AFTER the tribulation- and the Bible

says- "the sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood BEFORE the great and

terrible day of the Lord come." That tells me that the great and terrible day of the

Lord does not come until AFTER the tribulation. I mean how much simpler can this be? When

they say "the great day of His wrath is come", and Isaiah said it, Zephaniah said it...

All these passages said "THIS IS THE DAY OF THE LORD'S WRATH, this is when He is coming

to punish the earth"... He has not punished the earth up to this point folks! He punishes

it on the day of the Lord. That's when he comes to bring His wrath, to bring His judgment,

and it's AFTER the tribulation. So why is it that when we say "the rapture happens after

the tribulation", they say "well, God wouldn't pour out His wrath on His own people..." How

can you believe that the wrath of the lamb is part of the tribulation, when Matthew

said that the sun and moon are darkened after the tribulation, and the sun and moon are

darkened before the great and terrible day of the Lord come? And people will try to say

"oh Matthew is talking to the Jews". Okay, let's pretend for a minute that Matthew

"is only talking to the Jews". In fact, let's just pretend that it's only for Jerry Seinfeld

and Adam Sandler, Steven Spielberg... Let's just pretend for a second "it's not for the

Christians, it's not for the church saints, it's for the Jews". Okay, let's pretend it

ALL to the "Jews". Does that change the fact that it says that the sun and moon are darkened

after the tribulation? Hey Adam Sandler, the sun and moon are darkened after the tribulation,

okay? Does that change the meaning, at all? NO! The sun and moon are darkened AFTER THE

TRIBULATION! Will the day of the Lord's great wrath happen before the sun and moon are darkened?

How many times did He tell us, the sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon in to

blood before the great and terrible day of the Lord come? So the day of the Lord happens

after the tribulation. The day of His great wrath happens after the tribulation. He comes

to judge the earth, after the tribulation. He comes to pour out His wrath AFTER the tribulation.

That's why as soon as we see this ending, of the sun and moon being darkened in chapter

, he says in verse , "For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able

to stand?", next verse. "And after these things"- we're still in chronological order here. "I

saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the

earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. And

I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he

cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and

the sea, Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed

the servants of our God in their foreheads." So, have the earth and the trees been hurt

yet? No! He has NOT poured out His wrath! He has not rained fire and brimstone, YET.

But what does He do in chapter ? He opens the seventh seal. Look at verse . "And when

he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half

an hour. And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven

trumpets." And of course in verse , "the angel took the censer, and filled it with

fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth". And then by the time we get to verse , all

the green grass is burned up, and a third of the trees are burned up. So, God's wrath,

and God's fire and brimstone and punishment and damnation... It all comes AFTER the tribulation.

Look, the trumpets come after the tribulation. The vials come after the tribulation. The

tribulation is not God's wrath. It is NOT God judging and avenging the blood of His

saints upon them that dwell on the earth. That happens after the tribulation. And so

this chapter is key. This chapter is probably one of the most important chapters in the

whole book of Revelation, chapter . And the reason I say that is because this is the subject

that Jesus took the time to spend a whole chapter discussing, the exact events of Revelation

, are the exact events he spent Matthew , Mark and Luke telling us about. Very

important. And it was so important, Isaiah covered it. Zephaniah covered it, Joel covered

it. Amos covered it. Even in the Old Testament, God was already laying down these principles

and foundations. And isn't it sad that he laid it down for thousands of years, line

upon line, precept upon precept, drove it in, drove it in... And then there are preachers

today that don't get it. They don't get it. They don't even know what the day of the Lord

is. It's a sad day that we live in when people are not reading these scriptures and seeing

the clear teaching of the day of the Lord. And I just wish that people would wake up,

because we have believed so many lies for so long, it's time for God's people to study

to show themselves approved unto God, and this is a great place to start. Look up every

mention of the day of the Lord. Look up all the times the sun and moon are darkened, and

that that's mentioned. But this chapter is key, and next time, we're going to talk about

in chapter ... We are going to get into the sealing of the ,, and we are going to

see also the great multitude appear in heaven. But let's bow our heads and have a word of

prayer. Father we thank you so much for your word, and for this powerful passage, and...

I am looking forward to the day of the Lord, because for me, as one of the children of

light, this is going to be a glorious day, this is going to be an awesome day. I just

pray that you would allow me to be counted worthy to endure unto the end, in that my

flesh would be saved. I would like to make it to this day alive and see you come in the

clouds, if it happens in our lifetime. But, not my will but thine be done. Please help

all that are here to understand these words, and in Jesus' name we pray, amen.