What Happens When God's Wrath Finally Begins — Revelation 6

Hello and welcome to Through the Bible with Les Feldick. An Oklahoma rancher and farmer, Les Feldick has been teaching homestyle Bible classes for 20 years in Iowa, Oklahoma, and Texas. Les Feldick's unique style of Bible teaching has made the books of the Bible come to life. When Les is teaching, it's so interesting that people say time just seems to fly by. And now, here is Les Feldick. Les Feldick talks about the importance of videotaping. He talks about the importance of videotaping. He talks about the importance of videotaping. signs the seven-year treaty with Israel, gives them relative peace and safety, and then I feel you'll have that great invasion from the Red Horde from the north, which in turn will precipitate then a great demise in the food supply, which will trigger then the famine or the black horse of verse 5 and 6, as well as the pestilence, and remember we showed you then in Matthew 24 that Jesus foretold that all these things were just the beginning of sorrows. These are the beginning days of the tribulation. It's going to be the most awful seven -year period in all of human history, and we'll be seeing that as Jesus spoke of it in Matthew 24. But for sake of time now, I'd like to have you come right on. In Revelation chapter 6, we're going to take these seals. Remember all of these horsemen were also seals, and we've got four of the seals off, and remember there were seven on the scroll to begin with, and now when he'd opened verse 9, the fifth seal, John in his visionary experience of course, he saw unto the altar the souls of them who were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held. Now I have to feel that he's making reference to the tribulation martyrs. Now in a future program we're going to show that yes indeed there will be multitudes of non-Jews who will have a salvation experience during all this turmoil, but they will not live very long to tell about it, because it's going to be a period of time when they will almost be martyred immediately. So these are the ones I feel John sees now in a prophetic light, that all these who have been martyred for their faith will cry now verse 10, "...and white robes were given unto every one of them, that is these who had been martyred for their faith. And it was said unto them that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow servants also, and their brethren that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled." Now that's all part of the 5th seal. Now we come down to the 6th seal, and remember there are only seven that are holding this scroll together. Now the 6th seal, and remember Christ is the One who is opening it in order to be able to read that mortgage so to speak, and pay it off. Now remember we're going back to that scroll that was in Revelation 5. Now verse 12, "...and I beheld, and when he had opened the 6th seal, lo there was a great earthquake." Now remember in Matthew 24 that was one of the things that Jesus mentioned, that there would be famine and pestilences and earthquakes in diverse places. Now we're already seeing a tremendous increase in earthquake activity. I think you're all aware of that. It's up in the thousands of percent increase in the last 20 or 30 years, and there are so many earthquakes taking place on the planet every day that the media doesn't even bother to report them. I think one day last week I read in one of the daily papers that there were 3 or 4 earthquakes, not huge but something like 4.6 or 5 on the Richter scale, and in various places. There was one in China, and I think there was one up in southern Russia, and one in Iran. But they're taking place every day, and this is contrary to history. It hasn't been this way. But here we come now in verse 12, and we're approaching now the mid point of this 7 years. We're about at the end of 3 1⁄2 years as we get to the 6th seal, and lo there was a great earthquake. And the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood. Now all you have to do is know the circumstances. We know that when there's tremendous earthquakes there's more than likely volcanic eruptions as well. As we know from the past, volcanoes can literally spew out so much dust into the atmosphere that the sun indeed can almost be blocked out. So I think that's all we have here. It isn't that God all of a sudden is going to blacken the sun per se, but as a result of these activities on the planet, the sun will become almost like we've already seen it at times, just like a little red glow. And the moon became as blood, again because of all the pollution that has been blown into the atmosphere. Then verse 13. Remember that this is God dealing primarily with the nation of Israel as we showed in our closing remarks. Jeremiah said this is the time of Jacob's trouble, and as I've pointed out over the years, and for those of you who have been following from Genesis on, that whenever God was dealing with Israel in the land, the supernatural was commonplace. Remember that? Beginning when Moses went into Egypt, the plagues were supernatural events under God's control. The opening of the Red Sea was supernatural. The life of Samson and his escapades were supernatural. The appearance of the angelic hosts at Christ's birth was supernatural. The opening of the prison when Peter was in prison by the use of an earthquake was supernatural. So this is what I'm talking about. When God is dealing with the nation of Israel as He will be now in these seven years, we're dealing with the supernatural almost every day. These are things that are beyond the ordinary. So now in verse 13 we even have cosmic disturbances. Ephesians 2.1 "...where 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 heaven departs as a scroll when it is rolled together, and every mountain and island were moved out of their place." In other words tremendous earthquake activity. And this is only in the first half, the second half is going to be far worse. Now even the rulers, the men in high places are getting shook, 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 free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains, and they actually plead for death. They cry, "...fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb." Now you see for the last 1900 and some years, mankind has not seen the wrath of God. Now we know there's been a lot of calamity, we know there's been all kinds of earthquake activities and wars, but that has never been the wrath of God. I've always maintained that the things that come on the human race that plague us, are not acts of God's wrath. They are rather God permitting Satan to bring suffering and turmoil to God's creation. God is not in the business tonight of pouring out His wrath. He's a God of grace tonight. His grace Paul says in Romans chapter 5, that where sin abounded, what's always greater. His grace abounds even more. But see grace has ended now, and that has ended with the outcalling of the Church back there before the tribulation began. But now you see we're seeing the wrath of the Lamb being poured out. Romans 5.17a "...for the great day of his wrath is come, and who shall be able to stand?" Now I won't take time to go back and look at it, but do you remember Psalms chapter 2? We've used it so often coming up through the Old Testament, that after mankind, Jew and Gentile have rejected the King, and they're going to go into a period of perplexity and derision, and that's where the world is tonight. They don't know which way to turn. Then what does the next verse say in Psalms chapter 2? Psalms 2.2a "...and then he shall pour out upon them his vexation, and his wrath." Now all these events take us up to the mid point of this seven years. We've had the appearance of the Antichrist, and we've had the permission for Israel to go back into temple worship. She's going to go back under the Law, and of course she's getting closer to that all the time. Then we have the great invasion from the North, and I should have made a comment on that, but I didn't have time. I know there are those, in fact let's just back up because I don't like to skip something just because the half hour runs out. Go back to Ezekiel if you will just a second, because it's a point that I think I want to point out, because it is the main argument to those who feel that this great invasion has to take place before the tribulation begins, because of a seven year element. So that reason I want to take you back to Ezekiel 39, and as a result of this great destruction of the armies of Israel, I want to go back to verse 9. Ezekiel writes in the language of his day, but in our present time he would have had to say, "...and their artillery, and their tanks, and their trucks, and their armored personnel carriers, and their weapons of war. And they shall burn them, and they shall spoil those that spoil them, and rob those that rob them, saith the LORD. And it shall come to pass that day, that I will give unto Gog a place there of graves, and so on and so forth." Now verse 12 says, "...seven months shall the house of Israel be bearing the dead, and they shall set fire, and burn the weapons, both the shields, and the buckles, and the bows, and the arrows, and the hand-slaves, and they shall burn them with fire seven years." Now people say, this can't take place inside the seven years, because that doesn't give enough time to finish it. But here's my argument, and that's all it is. All the way through the chronology of Scripture, and this really threw a curve at people for a long time, the Bible always ascribes a whole year to anything that covers a part of a year. In other words if it said that a king ruled 10 years, or if a king ruled 10 years and one month, the Bible would say he ruled 11 years. So if we take that rule of thumb into effect here, if this great invasion would take place say in the 10th month after the Antichrist has signed that treaty, and there are still two months left in that first 12 months, then the Bible could refer to it as a full year. So this is exactly how I like to look at it, that shortly after the Antichrist has signed this treaty, within the first 12 months we'll have this great invasion, this destruction of the northern armies, and then they still have in Biblical chronology seven years to still burn the weapons. Now I've got to make another comment on that burning. It may be out of date, but again you never know. Way back in the late 60's when we were still living in Iowa, I remember that there was a news item in the Des Moines Register, which was the paper of choice at that time, that a Dutch scientist had perfected some sort of a process where he could actually make wood a better armor than steel, and that was a very economical process. So the Russian army just gobbled that thing up, and I remember when I first read it I took it with a grain of salt, because like Iris always says, people can write anything. Now here's another writer that is just writing to get people's attention. But then after the Six Day War, which was in 1967, and you remember the Israeli army just annihilated the Arabs, the Egyptians, the Jordanians, and the Syrians, who had all been equipped by the Russians. And again in the Des Moines Register, and I carry that little clipping in my Bible until it turns yellow. Now this would have been back in about 1969, shortly after the Seven Day War, which was in 1967. And this little article was a reporter interviewing an Israeli general, and he said to this general, "...now with all of this Russian equipment that you have captured, are you going to incorporate it into the Israeli army?" And that's why I cut it out. Do you know what that Israeli general's answer was? He said, "...no way. That stuff burns like cardboard." Because it was made of this supposedly wood derivative. Now whether that's still the case, I don't know. Maybe that's long obsolete. But if it is, then you see the Scripture again is so accurate, that the Jewish people will literally take this equipment and use it as firewood. Because as the general said, it burns like cardboard. Now I'm throwing that out just because somebody asked me about it here a while back, and I told him the very same thing I'm telling you. So evidently there's still something to it, but I just put these things out so that you're aware of what you read in the news, and what you hear in the news, and so forth, and that these things are possible. Now it may not be anymore. Maybe the Russians quit using that stuff, but I know at the time of the Six Day War, that was the response. It burns like cardboard. Then anyway, Israel will go about burying the dead, and so on and so forth. Now let's come back to Revelation. I think I've picked up everything that I accidentally skipped, and like I tell people, that's what I like about being informal. I don't have to be so cut and dried, and be so perfect, because I'm trusting that my audience isn't looking for that. They're just looking for ways that they can learn, and have things put out on their own level. Now in chapter 6, as we come to the end of the chapter, verse 17, let me repeat it. Revelation 6. For the great day of his wrath is come. Now always remember this, that the Bible does not refer to the tribulation as being the actual wrath of God until the last three and a half years. The first three and a half are going to be bad enough, but it's not referred to as the outpouring of God's wrath until we reach this point. The last three and a half years are going to be beyond human comprehension. Now let's go back for just a moment to Matthew 24 again, where Jesus Himself is speaking of this very thing. Let's go back to where we left off in verse 8. All these things that are taking place, the appearance of the Antichrist, the great invasion, the tremendous loss of life one-fourth of the world, and all the attending pestilence and famine, remember He called in verse 8, the beginning of sorrows. It's not the wrath of God yet. Now verse 9. Matthew 24. Then they shall deliver you up to be afflicted, and it is the time of Jacob's trouble. This is predominantly God dealing with the nation of Israel, although it will be worldwide. And they shall kill you, and you shall be hated of all nations. Now we see that that is already coming on the scene, where the hatred of the Jew is already bubbling to the surface. It's going to keep increasing. You shall be hated of all nations, for my name's sake. Verse 10. Matthew 24. And many shall be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. Now this is Jesus Himself speaking. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. Verse 12. And because iniquity shall abound. Now you want to remember the Church is gone. And see today the Church is really the only break on wickedness across the world. It's the Christian influence that still holds things in check. It's gone. And so it would be just like lifting a great dam out of the river, and you have that reservoir suddenly just washing down that river bed, taking everything in its wake. I think that's going to be the picture of iniquity and wickedness that will break loose as soon as the Church is removed. I'm talking about the true Church. Verse 13. Here's a verse that has been twisted and lifted out of context, and mistaught I think all too often. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. Now we're not talking about salvation here. This is not salvation. We're talking about a physical survival. Now let me take you back to Isaiah chapter 24. This is exactly why Jesus said what He said, that to those who are fortunate enough to have come through this whole seven years, they will see the light at the end of the tunnel. Now you've got Isaiah 24, and you can just begin at verse 1. We'll run off rather lightly here, and for sake of time behold, the Lord maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down. Now we're dealing with the Tribulation here. And it shall be as with the people, so with the priests, and so on and so forth. Verse 3. The land shall be utterly emptied, utterly spoiled. For the Lord hath spoken the word. The earth mourneth, and fadeth away. The world languisheth, and fadeth. The haughty people of the earth delay. It's going to even hit the super, super rich. Verse 5. The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof, because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. Now verse 6, and watch this carefully. Verse 6. Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth. Remember what I said? This whole reason for the Tribulation is to pay off the curse. It's going to be delivered from the curse. The earth is. Read back in verse 6. And they that dwell therein are desolate, because of all the cataclysmic events that have come on the planet. Therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned. In other words there will be a tremendous amount of nuclear activity. What are the last four words? "...and few men left." In other words there are going to be survivors. They're going to somehow or other come through these awful seven years. Now if you'll come back quickly with me to Matthew 24. Remember Jesus is speaking from within His earthly ministry time frame. He's still on the earth. Read verse 13 again. He that shall endure to the end, the same shall be saved. They will survive. Then verse 14. What's the next word? This gospel of the kingdom. Now a lot of people twist that and make it the gospel of grace. Some people will fly off the handle and say, Well you're saying there's more than one gospel? Yes I've said it for 20 some years, and I still say it. They didn't know the gospel of grace at this time. Christ hadn't died yet. He hadn't been raised from the dead yet. There could be no gospel as we know it. It hadn't been accomplished. But what gospel did they know? The King is coming. The King is here. And it was called by Jesus over and over through the gospels, the gospel of the kingdom. The good news is that the King is ready to set up His kingdom as it was being offered to Israel. Now then Jesus is using that backdrop, the kingdom gospel that He and the 12 had been preaching for almost 3 years now. Now what's the next verb? It's the future tense verb. This gospel of the kingdom shall at a future time be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations, and then shall the end come. Now you see that's so simple if you just put it in its right perspective. So many people have lifted this verse out of context. Good friends of mine have lifted this verse out of context and said, We have to get the gospel into every nation before the Lord can come. That's not what Jesus was talking about. The gospel of grace is a calling out of a people for His name, absolutely. But it's going to end. The tribulation is going to come in, and then Jesus said the same gospel of the kingdom that He preached in His 3 years of ministry will be proclaimed again during the tribulation. Now can you put that up here? Now stop and think. If that good news is proclaimed to every nation on earth, the King is coming in how long a time frame? Well from day one it's just 7 years. The King is coming, and that will be the message that we'll pick up probably in our next program, that the 144,000 young Jewish men will preach to the world. The King is coming, and indeed He will be. So this verse is spoken by Jesus Himself with regard to no mention again of the church age. He skips over it from His ministry to the tribulation, but during that 7 year period, the 144,000 will proclaim the gospel of the kingdom. The King is coming. 1. Box 760, Kinta, OK 74552 That's Route 1, Box 760, Kinta, OK 74552 Through the Bible with Les Feldick is viewer supported, and your gift is appreciated. Thank you, and be sure to tune in next time for Through the Bible with Les Feldick.