The 5th and 6th Seals of Revelation - What Will Be The Sign of Your Coming?

What Will Be The Sign of Your Coming?

First let’s review Jesus’ first coming…

Scripture tells us the Word [who was God and was with God] set aside His glory to come to us in the form of a flesh and blood human being. Furthermore, we are told that He did not come into the world to condemn it. His purpose was to save those who were willing to listen and heed God's call to repentance, baptism, and the receiving of the holy spirit. Through His own life and death He opened up the doorway to life eternal so that people, like you, could walk through.

https://ucgraleigh.blogspot.com/2022/09/the-5th-and-6th-seals-of-revelation.html

Jesus was flesh but He was also the divine king... He came to tell humans about the sure coming of the kingdom of God over which He would rule. That kingdom is now reserved in heaven but will be coming to the planet earth at the appointed time. Those who believe this good news about the coming rule of God on earth are instructed to prepare themselves for that appointed time.

That was His first coming… BUT He also clearly taught that He would come a second time [ John 14:3, 18,28, Matthew 16:27, Luke 17:30, Acts 1:11].

The disciples clearly understood Him to mean just that... it was not a parable, riddle or mystic allegory for the kingdom Coming into their hearts. Otherwise, why would the disciples ask him "what will be the sign of your coming and the end of the age?" Matthew 24:3. They were unsure of the timing, but they were sure it was a necessary next step.

Today I would like to go into detail on two of the signs that immediately precede the coming of Christ. These are the 5th and 6th seals of Revelation 6:9-14.

The First 4 Seals

Jesus' answer to the disciple's question was a run through of the seven seals: Matthew 24:4-8.

· 1st seal - false religious teaching concerning Jesus [Revelation 6:1-2]

· 2nd seal - war and fear of war [Revelation 6:3-4]

· 3rd seal - famine [Revelation 6:5-6]

· 4th seal - pestilence & plague [Revelation 6:7-8]

These line up with the 4 horsemen of Revelation 6:1-8 [refer to chart]. Jesus said you'll see and hear about these but the end is an event still in the future. Then, Jesus speaks of a great time of persecution.

The 5th Seal

Matthew 24:9-14 this lines up with the fifth seal of Revelation 6:9-11.

Next, Jesus shows us how to access some greater detail about how persecution would serve as a sign indicating that His coming is immanent Matthew 24:15. Why would that be necessary?

Because persecution is not unique to the end time scenario!

Jesus warned His disciples, and His Church, that they should expect persecution every step of the way... "if they persecuted me they will persecute you". Persecution and trouble has hounded the true Church of God for 2,000 years. So, it's hard to see persecution itself as a reliable sign that the time for Christ's return has come. What Jesus does here is point us toward a specific act of persecution that will provide a reliable signal. He references the prophecy of Daniel regarding the abomination of desolation.

Jesus is telling them, and telling you today, to look into the prophecies of Daniel for more information:

Daniel 9:27 mention of the abomination links it with the 70 weeks prophecy [read verse 24], and indicates the “abomination” is related to the temple, sacrifices and worship.

Daniel 11:31 this mention links it to a great king from the north who has swooped down into Jerusalem and does this dirty deed. The prophecy is dual: it was fulfilled in the time of Antiochus the 4th in 167 BC. but as Jesus indicates it will happen again... So, some of what Antiochus did foreshadows what is yet to come. However, it will also be different in some ways and we must be careful not to go too far in drawing parallels from the past to the future.

Summary: Antiochus was violent, sadistic in his methods, he outlawed and punished bible reading, possessing a copy of scripture, circumcision, temple worship plus a whole lot more! He wanted the Jews to assimilate into the new world order of Hellenism.

Daniel 12:5-12 here we are given some indication of the duration of the events:

· 1,260 day for the persecution - this time period is elaborated upon in Revelation 11:2-3, Revelation 12:6. We generally refer to this as the "great tribulation". A time of persecution, final end-time witness, and domination by the beast power [king of the north]. It will kick off with a great act of abomination.

· 1,290 days for the abomination - a 30 day warning signal that the great persecution is about to begin. That's the interval where people are given the opportunity to run for cover.

· 1,335 days for an end  - unsure of what this signifies

Some Will Be Protected in The End-time Persecution

Revelation 12:14 during that awful time... lasting 1,260 days /3.5 years... some will be protected.

Revelation 7:3 after we are told about the 5th and 6th seals we are told that some will be set apart and protected from harm.

· 144,000 from among Israel

· Mixed multitude of every nation

Revelation 7:14 these people will not have to suffer the coming wrath of God ... because they have repented. They have truly accepted the blood of Jesus Christ to pay the penalty for their sins.

This also lines up with Jesus overview of the signs of His second coming Matthew 24:16-18. Some will be allowed to escape. In Luke's parallel account of this same teaching session Jesus is recorded saying "watch and pray that you are considered worthy to escape these events" [Luke 21:36].

· I am not of the opinion this means watching the nightly news, I believe it means watching over the state of our own soul... repenting, overcoming sin, living in the spirit.

· I also think “worthy” [Kataxioo] means there will be some objective moral criteria applied to determine who is deserving of such a deliverance.

A Time Like No Other

Deception, wars, famines, plagues are part of human history for the past 2,000 years. But Jesus said right before His return would be a time like no other.

Matthew 24:21 Jesus uses a key phrase to point back to prophecies about these matters that had been in place for centuries Daniel 12:1 and Joel 2:2. In this way Jesus is not so much dispensing new information as He is explaining the meaning of the past prophesies.

The allusion to Daniel 12:1 is interesting because it introduces the resurrection of the saints. But that's jumping forward to the 7th seal. Instead lets look at Joel 2:2 [read 1b thru 2].

This phrase indicates a signature event of human history, nothing before it, or after it will compare. So, the Assyrian invasion, or the Babylonian invasion of Judah in the 8th and 7th centuries BC doesn't satisfy the criteria. These past events are only types, or foreshadows of what is to come at the end.

Joel's chapter 2 gives us a description of the relentless, terrifying nature of the battle to come... but if we drop down to Joel 2:10 … we are told that before them [announcing their coming] are signs in the sun, moon, and stars. This is the 6th Seal.

The 6th Seal

Matthew 24:23-28 Jesus tells us that at the time of the great tribulation there will be lots of deception, false teaching, deceptive signs and wonders all claiming to tell people what's really happening. To which Jesus replies "you'll know the real deal when you see it". Something in the skies… visible to all people on earth will tell you me return is immanent.

He then talks about the 6th seal Matthew 24:29-30 … {Revelation 6:12-13]

Here is a sign that meets some significant criteria:

· so clear that everyone on earth will see it and notice

· well documented in the word of God. Here is a short list of places mentioning this sign: Isaiah 13:10, Isaiah 34:4, Joel 2:10, 31, Zephaniah 1:15, Matthew 24:29, Revelation 6:12-13

· clearly beyond the ability of any human being, any human device, demonic spirit being to conjure up. The sign in the sun, moon, and stars is a disruption to nature, physics, and astronomy that only YHWH [the God of the bible] can make happen.

The 6th seal is also a sign that the world as we know it has come to an end.

What is more sure than knowing that when you get out of bed each morning that the sun will rise? If that is taken away, or significantly altered… anything can be taken away or significantly altered. What is more reassuring than the solid earth beneath your feet? But even this begins quaking beneath our feet.

Everything Will Change

The message of the coming day of the Lord is the message that God will intervene in human affairs... at the appointed time. And it will be announced with unmistakable signs.

The message of the coming Day of The Lord is a proclamation that God will execute a verdict of condemnation on the governments, cultural institutions, and deceptive religious teachings of humanity. The old order is going to be turned upside down... what was first shall be last. The false security we gain from large armies and strong defenses will collapse... the confidence we put in bank accounts, lands and possessions will disappear... the certainty we have in our philosophies and understanding of reality in the universe will be worthless... our confidence that our crimes will never be addressed with be shown false.  

The sixth seal let's humanity know that nothing in this world provides a sure foundation, there will be no where to stand... there will be nothing left to stand on... there will be nowhere to hide from the justice of God.

Revelation 6:12-17

Everyone will see it… everyone will know… But not everyone will repent.