f.
Revelation
6:1-2 - 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 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.
§
The first seal
opened in the Revelation of Jesus Christ portrays a rider on a white horse with
a bow and no mention of arrows.
§
This appears to
be one of many “2nd but opposite” themes that run throughout the
Bible going all the way back to Genesis.
§
This rider goes
forth with the intention to conquer (this may not be evident) and he is successful
in conquering
§
White has always
been symbolic of peace or surrender, yet this rider is going forth conquering
and to conquer.
§
This could be a
reference to the conquering of nations through a deceptive false peace by
playing on people’s natural desire for peace.
§
This would be a
major deception that could usher in a world ruler that governs by the forced
acceptance of this false peace, thus he conquers with an empty bow (and a lying
tongue).
§
Revelation
19:11 - And I saw heaven
opened, and behold a white horse;
and he that sat upon him [was] called
Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make
war. His eyes [were] as a flame of fire,
and on his head [were] many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man
knew, but he himself. And he [was]
clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
o
Here we have the
authentic Word of God returning with armies upon white horses and with white
raiment, it seems that he who rides the white horse in Revelation 6:1-2 is an
imposter that fits the bill described in Matthew 24:4-5
o
Clear distinction
is made so that confusion can be avoided
g.
Deceive - πλανάω planaō,
verb, to cause to stray, to lead astray, lead aside from the right
way. Used 51 times in 37 verses in
the New Testament.
§
Matthew
18:13 - And if so be that he
find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that [sheep], than of the
ninety and nine which went not astray.
o
The word that was
translated to “astray” in this passage is πλανάω planaō, the same word translated to deceive in
Matthew 24:4.
§
Matthew 22:29 - Jesus answered and said
unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.
o
The word that was
translated to “err” in this passage is πλανάω planaō, the same word translated to deceive in
Matthew 24:4. This passage could be read
“Ye have been led astray…”
o
Being in error is being led astray
o
Who leads us astray?
§
1 John 2:26 - These [things] have I written unto you concerning them
that seduce you.
o
The word that was
translated to “seduce” in this passage is πλανάω planaō, the same word translated to deceive in
Matthew 24:4. This passage could be read
“…concerning them that lead you astray…”
h. Looking at the future from
a historical perspective.
§
Revelation
18:21-24 - And a mighty angel
took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast [it] into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city
Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all. And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and
of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no
craftsman, of whatsoever craft [he be], shall be found any more in thee; and
the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee; And the light
of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom
and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived. And in her was found the blood of prophets,
and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.
§
Describes the
methods of deception employed by the merchants of the earth in order to gain
power
§
Sorceries -
φαρμακεία pharmakeia, feminine noun,
1. the use or the administering of drugs
2. poisoning
3. sorcery, magical arts, often found in connection with
idolatry and fostered by it
4. metaph. the deceptions and seductions of idolatry
o
Root of the
English word Pharmacy, which should give pause because we have become a world
dependent upon drugs that treat the symptoms rather than the source of the
problem. We can see this at the micro
level (being individuals) and metaphorically speaking at the macro level
(government) we treat the symptoms when the problems (specifically in the USA)
can be traced to one source, the lack of repentance and a right relationship
with the Lord.
o
Additionally, we
have the deception of parents with vaccinations that do children more harm than
good. Very credible professional have
researched and documented the dangers of vaccinations, yet they are largely
silenced. What is the agenda of the
pharmaceutical companies who push vaccinations?
Though vaccinations themselves are not very profitable for these
pharmaceutical companies, the drugs used to treat the side effects can be
extremely profitable, and serves as an incentive to sequester information that
could lead to a reduction of mass vaccinations.
o
This leads to
generation after generation being completely dependent on the supply of drugs
rather than God for our health and well-being.
o
We need
scientists, researchers and doctors to be independent of the pharmaceutical
companies to ensure that their research is reliable and not self-serving. The
love of money is the root of all evil and when money is involved through
federal or private funding of research projects, scientists have an incentive
to skew results to achieve a desired result by those funding the grant.
II.
Beginning of
sorrows (Matthew 24:6-8, Mark 13:7-8, Luke 21:9-11)
|
Matthew 24:6-8
|
Mark 13:7-8
|
Luke 21:9-11
|
|
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. For nation shall rise against
nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and
pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these [are] the beginning of sorrows.
|
And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye
not troubled: for [such things] must needs be; but the end [shall] not [be]
yet. For nation shall rise against
nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers
places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these [are] the beginnings of sorrows.
|
But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not
terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end [is] not by
and by. Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom
against kingdom: And great earthquakes
shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great
signs shall there be from heaven.
|
a. Wars
and rumors of wars (Matthew 24:6, Mark 13:7, Luke 21:9)
b. But
the end is not yet (Matthew 24:6; Mark 13:7; Luke 21:9)
§
There is this partition between the 1) wars and
rumors of wars where Jesus says see that ye are not troubled for the end is not
yet. Then…He proceeds into the next
phase stating that 2) “nation shall rise against nation…” which he deems the beginning of sorrows or possibly the
beginning of the end.
§
Thus we have two seals, one for the wars and
rumors of wars (which has been going on for quite some time) and another for
kingdom shall rise against kingdom (which can have spiritual as well as
physical connotations) and seems to be an escalation of conflict.
c. Nation
against nation, Famines, pestilences and earthquakes (Matthew 24:7, Mark 13:8,
Luke 21:11)
§
Revelations 6:5-6 - 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.
o Ezekiel
4:10-17 - And thy meat
which thou shalt eat shall be by weight, twenty shekels a day: from time to
time shalt thou eat it. Thou shalt drink also water by measure, the
sixth part of an hin: from time to time shalt thou drink. And thou shalt eat it
as barley cakes, and thou shalt bake it with dung that cometh out of man, in
their sight. And the LORD said, Even thus shall the children of Israel eat
their defiled bread among the Gentiles, whither I will drive them. Then said I,
Ah Lord GOD! behold, my soul hath not been polluted: for from my youth up even
till now have I not eaten of that which dieth of itself, or is torn in pieces;
neither came there abominable flesh into my mouth. Then he said unto me, Lo, I
have given thee cow's dung for man's dung, and thou shalt prepare thy bread
therewith. Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, behold, I will break the staff of bread in Jerusalem: and they shall eat
bread by weight, and with care; and they shall drink water by measure, and with
astonishment: That they may want bread and water, and be astonied one with
another, and consume away for their iniquity.
-
Bread by weight ~ Scarcity
-
Matthew 20:2 - And when he
had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his
vineyard.
§
Penny = δηνάριον dēnarion = days’ wage
-
Entire daily wage used for food
o Lamentations
4:4-9 - The tongue
of the sucking child cleaveth to the roof of his mouth for thirst: the young
children ask bread, and no man breaketh it unto them. They that did feed
delicately are desolate in the streets: they that were brought up in scarlet
embrace dunghills. For the punishment of the iniquity of the daughter of my people
is greater than the punishment of the sin of Sodom, that was overthrown as in a
moment, and no hands stayed on her. Her Nazarites were purer than snow, they
were whiter than milk, they were more ruddy in body than rubies, their
polishing was of sapphire: Their
visage is blacker than a coal; they are not known in the streets: their skin
cleaveth to their bones; it is withered, it is become like a stick. They that
be slain with the sword are better than they that be slain with hunger:
for these pine away, stricken through for want of the fruits of the field.
-
Visage - תאר to'ar,
masculine noun, shape, form, outline, figure, appearance
-
Black associated with famine and hunge
