Almighty
God's seismograph far exceeds in capability any instrument human scientists
have or ever will devise. It forecasts the single greatest earthquake
this
planet will ever suffer and forewarns of catastrophic geophysical and
astrophysical phenomena. Famines and pestilences of every description,
including
plagues
that produce terrible sores on human flesh, plagues that involve supernatural
insects that attack human beings, gigantic hailstones and other huge
objects
from space that will impact earth causing the oceans of earth to turn into a
blood plasma-viscosity because all life in the seas will die-God's
seismograph
predicts all these things and more. For example, God forewarns us that the sun
will apparently go nova, becoming dark while at the same time
heating
the earth to many times hotter than normal and causing the moon to appear blood
red. According to God's Bible-God's seismograph- there is coming
a
time when this planet will be totally engulfed by fire and destroyed.
There
is, however, no reason to be fearful of these coming calamities. The great and
loving God of heaven has provided a way to escape these terrifying
cataclysms.
As a matter of fact, His way is the one and only way to avoid those terrors and
the horrors of hell. His name is Jesus Christ.
Prophecies
given within God's Holy Word, the Bible, predicted precisely the mindset that
will mark the generation alive at the very end of the age. Second
Peter
3:3,4 says, "Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days
scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise
of
his coming?" Words of mockery and derision from scoffers blast at
fundamentalist, pre-millennial truth from every quarter. The primary hue and
cry of
late
against rapture teaching, and pre-tribulation rapture teaching in particular,
hisses in serpent like fashion from the lips of those who speciously claim
that
"the rapture theory" was invented by a woman in the early 1800s who
claimed she was given the doctrine in a vision.
In
my involvement in interview programs around the nation, I've found, much to my
sadness, accumulating evidence that scoffing at the futurist view of biblical
prophecy,
and at pre-tribulation rapture teaching in particular, is like a swelling
tsunami that threatens to sweep the very heart of God's Word from this
generation.
Thankfully that cannot happen. No cataclysm, tidal wave or other force can
quench the fire of God's Word. The Bible has stood the test at every
critical
point in history, and it continues to stand great testing today. Prophecies
that are beginning to come to pass before the eyes of this generation
continue
to prove with every passing day that interpreting the prophetic Word in an
absolutely literal way rather than allegorically, symbolically or,
as
the praetorists insist, as history already accomplished, is the Holy
Spirit-directed way.
Many
people who question the legitimacy of the pre-trib rapture view do so because
they are genuinely concerned, confused and searching for answers. Some
ask
earnest questions with open minds despite their misdirected belief in a
post-millennial, amillennial or other hybrid view. The scoffers do not include
these
people, but rather those whose voices first begin to refute rapture teaching
with derisive laughter that quickly degenerates to hostility and even
anger
when they are confronted with truth from Holy Scripture.
Regardless
of their best attempt at interpretation, gross error or heretical "walking
after their own lusts," if those who scoff have truly accepted Christ
as
their Savior and Lord, they will be instantaneously delivered at the rapture
from the wrath to come (read I Thessalonians 5). Those scoffers who truly
refuse
to accept that Jesus Christ paid for their sins on that cruel cross at Calvary
will remain on earth to endure the most terrible period of human
history
mankind will ever suffer. (See chapter 15, "Rapture Before Wrath" by
Thomas Ice, for an in-depth look at the rapture and all it will entail.)
No
greater horrors occurring in the history of man can be imagined than those
atrocities involved in the many genocidal purges that have taken place on
this
fallen planet. Such purges have been perpetrated upon many races and classes
throughout the ages. Let us consider for the moment some of those that
have
taken place just within the last 100 years.
This
quickly closing millennium contains a historical record filled with powerful
testimony validating the truth in God's Word: "Evil men and seducers shall
become
worse and worse" (2 Timothy 3:13). Man's inhumanity to his fellow man
continues to tramp bloody, murderous footprints across the unfolding pages
of
our daily lives as witnessed by our local, national and world news reports.
Indeed, mankind today collectively demonstrates a hardened and impenitent
heart.
And God's Word forebodingly warns, "...Thy hardness and impenitent heart
treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation
of
the righteous judgment of God" (Romans 2:5). God's warning states further,
"But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey
unrighteousness,
indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that
doeth evil" (Romans 2:8,9).
God
spoke to all the beastly tyrants who have perpetrated their bloodthirsty
genocide. His finger of condemnation seems to point particularly at the
dictators
of
the twentieth century: "These, having not the law, are a law unto
themselves: who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their
conscience
also
bearing witness, and their thoughts the meanwhile accusing or else excusing one
another in the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus
Christ
according to my gospel" (Romans 2:14-16).
The
world's foremost geopolitical scholars and historians readily acknowledge that
the twentieth century has been the bloodiest of all. Peter and Patti
Lalonde
write in their book The Edge of Time, regarding Jimmy Carter's National
Security Council director Zbigniew Brzezinski:
In
the opening pages to his book Out of Control: Global Turmoil on the Eve of the
21st Century ... Brzezinski refers to the twentieth century ... as the
century
of "mega deaths, mega being a factor of 106. 11 fie explains that while
the figures of mega death he provides are estimates: "... what is
important
is
the scale and not the exact numbers. It is the scale-so unprecedented that it
becomes almost incomprehensible.... In brief, this century's wars extinguished
no
less than approximately 87,000,000 lives, with the numbers of wounded, maimed
or otherwise afflicted being beyond estimate." Mr. Brzezinski then
proceeds
to
give figures in the millions for the atrocious killings committed "in the
name of doctrine" by despots like Hitler, Lenin, Stalin, and Mao. In
conclusion
to
his chapter, he calculated that 170 million human beings had lost their lives
as a result of war and genocide so far in the twentieth century, an estimate
that,
in his own words, is "perhaps somewhat low."'
While
most human beings on planet Earth would never desire to inflict genocidal
atrocities on their fellow beings, such horrors committed by the beasts
among
us through the ages indicate just how deceitful and desperately wicked the
human heart is and how far that wickedness will go if unchecked by God's
Holy
Spirit. The unbridled conscience of man inevitably leads to an insatiable
thirst for blood. Is it any wonder that when the Holy Spirit is "taken out
of
the way" (2 Thessalonians 2:7), the last great dictator of human history
will bring mankind to the point of total annihilation at Armageddon?
The
cup of God's indignation and wrath certainly must be very near full to
overflowing, even just considering twentieth-century man's inhumanity to man.
And
remember, people get the kind of leadership they allow and, therefore, the kind
of leadership they deserve. This is true of any people during any age.
John
the apostle suddenly found himself in the throne room of God witnessing what surely
must of been the most spectacular scene ever observed by human
eyes.
He was summoned by Christ Himself: "After this I looked and, behold, a
door was open in heaven: and the first voice that I heard was as it were of
a
trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up here, and I will show thee things
which must be hereafter" (Revelation 4:1).
The
old prophet was awed by what he saw as reported through his account of God's
throne room and the astonishing heavenly activity (see Revelation 4). A
book
was brought forward by an angel who looked in vain to find one who could unseal
the scroll. John was greatly saddened and distressed because no one
could
be found to unseal the book and he wept bitterly. Then one of the heavenly
elders comforted John and said, "Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe
of
Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the
seven seals thereof" (Revelation 5:5).
Jesus
Christ then took the scroll from God the Father and all in heaven bowed before
the Son of God and worshiped Him and praised Him alone as worthy to
break
the seal and open the book (Revelation 5).
The
fullness of God's wrath now begins to overflow His cup of indignation. Christ's
bride, the church-all born-again believers in Jesus Christ as the only
way
to salvation-has been removed from planet Earth. Christians of the Church Age
now fall down before the Lamb of God with all other heavenly beings while
Jesus
opens the book of the apocalypse. Keep in mind that this is the unfolding of
God's wrath upon a wicked and rebellious generation of earth dwellers
right
from the first seal Christ opens. Twenty-one judgments follow in a series of
seven seals, seven trumpets and seven vials or bowls over a period of
seven
earthly years. This truth is essential to an understanding that Christians of
the Church Age will be taken home to the Father's house before this
last
seven years of judgment and wrath begins (read John 14).
The
Lord prophesied during His Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24-25) shortly before His
crucifixion about this terrifying time on planet Earth. Some argue that
the
first three-and-one-half years of this seven-year period will be mankind's own
doing. However, mankind can do nothing if God does not allow it. When
the
Almighty takes His hand off this world-when the restrainer of 2 Thessalonians
2:7 is removed from His present office of restraint wicked man will have
his
own willful way. The result will be anarchy, chaos and the most powerful
terrorizing the weak. Man will get his wish in establishing a world based
upon
the hellish evolutionary theory. It will indeed be the survival of the
fittest-or, perhaps more correctly stated, the survival of the most vicious.
Nature,
too, will go wildly uncontrolled as the very stones cry out against man's
refusal to acknowledge Jesus Christ as King of kings and Lord of lords.
Thus,
that first three-and-one-half years of the apocalypse will be as much God's
wrath as will the last three-and-one-half years when His wrath falls
from
the cup of His indignation with more profusion and greater concentration.
Jesus
addressed His disciples' question, "What shall be the sign of thy coming,
and of the end of the world?" (Matthew 24:3): "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. And ye shall hear of wars and rumors
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
various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows" (Matthew 24:4-8).
Jesus
was speaking of a specific time-the time of sorrows. This, I believe, refers to
the beginning of the apocalypse or the tribulation. Ed Hindson and
Daymond
Duck dealt with false Christ’s, false prophets, great deception and wars and
rumors of wars in the first two chapters of this book. Let us now look
at
famines, pestilences and earthquakes in terms of what we see happening
today-the foreshadows of the coming wrath-and what God's Word warns about the
wrath
itself.
It
is perhaps good to further emphasize a few facts about the unsealing of the
book. Dr. John Walvoord, the preeminent prophecy scholar of our day, gives
us
a good basis from which to consider matters concerning God's unfolding wrath.
The Son of God, introduced as a Lamb that had been slain, holds in His
hands
a book having seven seals (Revelation 5). "This," Dr. Walvoord says,
"will be the important means of revelation of future events in Chapter
6." This
book,
Dr. Walvoord explains,
...
is not a book such as is common in our modern civilization, but rather is a
scroll rolled on a roller such as they used at that time. In the vision,
this
roll of parchment is represented as having writing on both sides. On the edges
of the roll, there are seals so placed that as it is unrolled it is
necessary
to break the seals one at a time. As each seal is broken, the scroll reveals another
event that is prophetic of the coming time of Tribulation.
"As
chapter six begins," Dr. Walvoord continues, "the apostle John ...
sees the lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ, opening one of the seals. When the first
seal
is
opened it begins a tremendously significant series of events. They picture a
period of time of unprecedented trouble for the entire world. 113
Dr.
Walvoord, in answering the question concerning what the seals refer to and what
events are here portrayed, states further: Many expositors of the book
of
Revelation believe that the next event in the prophetic program of the present
age will be the coming of the Lord for His church. This is called the
Rapture,
or the translation, of the Church. This could occur at any time.
After
the rapture of the church has taken place, the last seven years of Israel's
program described in Daniel 9 will unfold. This future period of approximately
seven
years will be climaxed by Christ's returning in power and glory to establish
His kingdom in the world.
This
coming of Christ is pictured in the nineteenth and twentieth chapters of
Revelation. The seven years between the Rapture and the time that Christ comes
back
to the earth is the period which is before us in this book of Revelation
beginning in Chapter 6.
As
the seals are broken and the parchment is unrolled, the events to be fulfilled
are revealed in graphic detail. The question might well be asked at this
point
why one should study this portion of Scripture. If, as a matter of fact, the
saints will be in glory as Christians, why should we study this Scripture
predicting
a period that does not directly relate to us?
The
answer is this: God has given this revelation by way of warning and informs us
how this present age is going to end. As we study these terrible judgments
as
they are unfolded in the book of Revelation, they present to us God's prophetic
fore view of the great climax of world history as it will take place
in
the terrible year just before Christ comes back in power and glory.
Dr.
Walvoord then presents an interesting analogy that might give us a clue as to
why this present generation is witnessing an increase of frequency and
intensity
of unusual phenomena on many fronts:
As
the first seal is opened, John in his vision hears the noise of thunder. It
seems that the noise of thunder is a symbolic presentation of a coming storm.
On
a warm summer day, one can hear thunder in the distance even though the sun is
still shining where he is. On the distant horizon, however, the dark
clouds
can be seen. The roar of thunder in the distance is the beginning of a storm.
That seems to be the symbolism here. For the passage speaks of the
noise
of the thunder....
God's
seismograph forewarned nearly 2,000 years ago of the end time quaking we are
beginning to experience today. The many upheavals are already progressing
like
a degenerative disease in most all areas of human affairs, whether considering
socioeconomic, geopolitical, religious or technological matters, whether
involving
things pertaining to the geophysical and astrophysical, or maybe even what the
New Agers call the paranormal.
To
bring it back for a moment to Dr. Walvoord's analogy, the storm front is
approaching and we hear the rumbling. Dr. J. Vernon McGee, in analyzing
Revelation
8,
which pictures a time of "silence in heaven" following the storm
front that initially slams planet Earth following the rapture of the church,
brings
into
focus for us how the distant rumblings we hear now, or if you will, these pre-wrath
tremors we feel at present, will eventually affect mankind.
He
says that this "heavenly hush" is but a brief lull in judgment
activity indicating not the exhausted patience of God but rather the carefully
measured
reluctance
of God, who is slow to anger, slow to judge: "This silence marks the
transition from grace to judgment .......
We
are not at this present hour in the midst of the lull just before the seventh
seal is opened, of course. That time of silence is scheduled to take place
within
the great apocalyptic storm itself, the tribulation period. We are, however, in
a lull of sorts. A calm or stillness that permits this generation
to
hear the distant thunder warning of that approaching end-time storm. I am
convinced we are in the midst of a time when God is gently, lovingly, trying
to
get the attention of mankind. Through His great, though not infinite, patience
He is letting this generation feel the vibration of His righteous anger
in
order to call every person to repentance.
Global
warming, "El Nino," a hole in the ozone layer, destruction of the
rain forests, and many other ominous-sounding words and phrases have recently
been
made
part of contemporary lexicon.
Although
much of the furor around these issues are the rantings and ravings of environmental
fanatics who want the American government to throw billions
of
dollars their direction so they can build power bases to influence people, it
cannot be denied that there are portentous signals all around us.
Few
scenes on television are more troubling than those showing tiny children in the
throes of starvation. Many of us, if we are honest, admit that we've
hurriedly
changed channels and tried to erase from our minds the pictures of the little
ones whose bellies are distended and whose skeletons, through emaciation,
strain
against ulcerated skin. America as a land of plenty is far removed from these
distant places of deadly famine, and we prefer to keep it that way.
There
is coming, God's Word says, a time of such tragedy that it will afflict every
area and most every person on the planet.
Following
the first two horsemen of the four horsemen of the apocalypse, we read: 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 (Revelation 6:5,6).
Considering
that Jesus, in His Olivet Discourse, said that this time of future tribulation
would be the most terrible that earth dwellers would ever suffer,
this
third horseman account of famine during the apocalyptic era is indeed
terrifying. People alive at the time will not be able to simply change channels
or
look the other way. They will be experiencing it in every sense. No matter
where they live, it will be their tiny children with distended stomachs,
pasty
skin and emaciated bodies who will be looking up at them for food that cannot
be found. This will be no ordinary famine-if there is such a thing-but
starvation
on a scale beyond our ability to imagine.
The
first two riders of the apocalypse will have set the stage for this, the
greatest famine in human history. Antichrist, who will have come on the scene
promising
peace and prosperity, will under satanic direction make life more miserable
than ever for all of those who inhabit the earth. The red horse of
war
will prove once and for all man's absolute inability to institute world peace.
The aftermath of the unprecedented devastation caused by the many conflicts
raging
around the globe will cause agricultural production to fall off and the
resultant shortages will make prices inflate astronomically.
Dr.
John Walvoord, in commenting on this era, states that in order to understand
the vision of verses 5 and 6, we must first realize the worth of
"penny,"
translated
in the NIV, NKJV and NASB as denarius. Walvoord explains:
In
the wage scale of that time, it was nothing uncommon for a person to receive
one denarius for an entire day's work. In other words, it was that which
a
common laborer would receive for a day's toil. For such a coin, one measure of
wheat, or three measures of barley, could be purchased. The explanation
seems
to be this: A measure of wheat is approximately what a laboring man would eat
in one meal. If he uses his penny to buy barley, which is cheaper grain,
he
would have enough within an entire day's wages to buy three good meals of
barley. If he bought wheat, which is a more precious grain, he would then
be
only able to buy enough for one meal. He would not have enough left to buy
either oil or wine. Oil and wine were considered essential in biblical times.
The
oil was used for shortening and the wine was a common beverage. To put it in
ordinary language, the situation would be about the same as predicted.
That
one would have to spend a day's wages for a loaf of bread, and that one would
not have enough money left to buy even an inexpensive beverage. What
is
portrayed here is a time of famine when life will be reduced to the barest
necessities. Famine is almost always the aftermath of war.'
The
third horseman riding the black horse of famine, then, sets up the horrible
scene that follows-the pale horse of Revelation 6:8-when literally billions
die
while the wrath of God falls on incorrigible mankind.
All
the famines of past generations will seem as nothing compared to this horrible
era. The fourth horseman account says that many more will die by the
violent
acts of their fellow human beings, by beasts of the earth and simply by death
(presumably mass starvation).
God's
Word has much to say about famine. For example, see Genesis chapters 12 and 41;
Ruth 1:1; 2 Samuel 21:1; 1 Kings 18:2; 2 Kings 6:25 and chapter 7;
and
Luke 4:25. However, we do not have to go back to biblical times to examine the
terror within the human condition termed famine.
A
Reuters news service story recently reported that the results of the 15- year
Sudanese civil war threatens more than 700,000 people of southern Sudan
with
starvation.
Hundreds
of thousands of people in southern Sudan are facing severe famine. The rebel
Sudan People's Liberation Army has made military progress against
government
forces this spring and the hostilities have made farming difficult. Relief
agencies warn they are under funded and ill-equipped to deliver food
to
an area the size of western Europe. Hundreds of people have died, and without
urgent help, thousands more will perish, aid officials say.'
Hoof
beats of the black horse upon which rides the horseman of famine precariously
balancing the scales already send seismic shock waves across vast areas
of
our globe. One recent story reports prices of staple goods in Indonesia rising
50, 70, even 200 percent, and a lime magazine article reports:
Vietnam
faces a stagnant economy, rebellious farmers, soured foreign investors, a
rapidly expanding labor pool, and even the ravages of El Nino. Predictions
of
drought in some parts of the country, flooding in others, have farmers
scurrying to pagodas to pray for spiritual intervention. "This is our most
serious
crisis
within a decade," says reform-minded economist Li Dang Done.
Droughts,
floods, fires and smoke-related damage have adversely affected hundreds of
thousands of agricultural areas in Asia. These and collateral problems
caused
by rebellious, angry people in the areas affected are taking their toll on food
production across the world. Even the Americas are now on the verge
of
what seems to be a precursor period to the third horseman judgment of the
apocalypse. Wildfires are, as of this writing, destroying vast rainforests
of
Central America and Mexico and sending destructive choking smoke to our nation,
and the resultant effects are incalculable.
People
become dangerously desperate when they are threatened by food shortages. One
interesting observation along these lines in the southern state where
I
live at least is seeing what happens during the months of January and February
when the weather forecasters warn of ice storms or even snow. The moment
the
forecasts are issued, people rush to the supermarkets to gather food to see
them through, even though ice storms and snow storms in this area last
only
a few days at most. People become outright hostile and threatening to their
neighbors in these situations, and grocery shopping becomes a rather risky
business
during these times.
If
such a small, almost insignificant problem can cause such a crisis whereby
people go temporarily insane and fight each other in supermarkets, what might
a
truly monumental food shortage crisis do to our so-called civilization?
Jesus
said in Matthew 24:7 that the tribulation period will be marked by pestilence.
I believe the Lord, when prophesying pestilence during the great tribulation,
meant
that the coming pestilence will far exceed in dimension and virulence any such
tragedy that has ever afflicted previous generations. Since, as we
have
been analyzing, indicators of our day strongly point to the fact that we are
sensing other pre-wrath seismic activity, it should be interesting to
note
whether pestilence might be included in the quaking.
Just
as famines in Jesus' Matthew 24 prophecy apparently coincide with the third
rider who rides the black horse of Revelation 6:5, pestilence coincides
with
the rider on the fourth horse. Dr. Walvoord analyzes:
In
verses seven and eight, the fourth seal is opened, and the voice of the fourth
beast is heard to say, "come and see." John writes, "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."
This
is a very important step in the prophetic unfolding, for here is a terrible
divine judgment on the world. The horse described as pale in color is more
accurately
pictured as a livid green horse. The rider on this horse is called Death and
Hades, the abode of the dead, follows after him. Power is given
to
this rider over a fourth part of the earth to kill with the sword with hunger
and with death and with the beasts of the earth ......
These
judgments are truly awesome if we consider today's world population. Well over
1 billion people would die in that terrible era of future judgment
if
today's world population figures remained the same. Dr. Walvoord further
states:
If
one-fourth of the earth's population were destroyed in a single judgment from
God, it would represent something far more terrible than anything this
world
has ever known since the time of the flood when God destroyed the whole human
race with the exception of Noah and his family .... The fourth seal
of
the book of Revelation makes clear that the prophecy does not deal with trivial
things. But it is describing a period of world history that is awful
beyond
any word. It is prophesying a time when God is going to bring judgment on the
world as He has never brought judgment on the world to this hour.
It
is a time of unprecedented judgment."
One-fourth
of the world's population at that time will perish by sword (war and homicide),
hunger (famine), death (apparently by aging and every other cause),
and
by beasts of the earth. It is the latter death-dealing term that presents some
fascinating possibilities regarding Jesus' prophecy about apocalyptic
pestilence.
The
fourth horse upon which the horsemen of death and hell ride is aptly called
pale. Actually, it denotes a chloros, a sickly green color like that of
human
corpses if left unattended by mortuary science. When the pale horse gallops
across the world scene literally billions of people will have already
died
because of the preceding judgments. Undoubtedly the decomposing, uninterred
bodies will themselves contribute greatly to millions and millions of
additional
deaths when the fourth seal is broken.
"Beasts
of the earth," including domesticated pets and other animals, will devour
the corpses and scatter them as well as attack and kill many helpless,
half-alive
human beings. However, the term "beasts of the earth," according to
some astute observers, might harbor an even more ominous connotation. Noted
author,
lecturer and Bible teacher Chuck Missler notes, "... This fourth horseman,
although he is generally viewed as [indicating pestilence] ... may reflect
far
more than just conventional diseases. Don't assume that the beasts of the earth
are necessarily large enough to be seen with the naked eye." Missler
also
points out the fact that the four horsemen of Revelation 6 seem to closely
parallel Jesus' prophecies in Matthew 24-wars and rumors of wars, famines,
pestilences,
earthquakes and so on. And when Jesus states that if He did not return at the
time of Armageddon "there should no flesh be saved," the Lord
could
have been referring to, in addition to other things, a frightening plague
running rampant upon the planet.
Jesus,
the Lion of the tribe of Judah, said shortly before He was crucified that
earthquakes will be a significant sign of the great tribulation. The Lord
obviously
meant earthquakes of unprecedented seismological dimension. The apostle John,
awed in the presence of God and the heavenly hosts, watched as
the
glorified Christ, who alone was worthy to do so, unsealed the sixth seal. John
recorded, "And I beheld, when he had opened the sixth seal and, lo,
there
was a great earthquake; and the sun became as black as sackcloth of hair, and
the moon became as blood; and the stars of heaven fell unto the earth..."
(Revelation
6:12,13).
God's
wrath at that future time of judgment will be obvious even to the most hardened
rebel. No doubt the great earthquakes of the time will open fissures
when
God Himself applies pressure to the tectonic plates crushing against one
another. The prophecy in Revelation 6 forewarns of one specific earthquake
of
unparalleled magnitude. Most likely, that earthquake will cause a rift within
the planet that will unleash tremendous volcanic activity.
The
sun becomes dark, the moon turns blood red and heavenly bodies fall to earth.
This is a tremendous time of geophysical and astrophysical catastrophes
combining
to constitute the greatest judgment yet to befall incorrigibly wicked mankind.
Ash and sulfuric dioxide gases undoubtedly will explode into earth's
atmosphere.
Life on earth will become increasingly tenuous and the atmosphere will choke
all creatures who draw breath while they stumble through a supernaturally
darkened
world.
Earthquakes
we see and hear reported today, as devastating as they are in many cases, will
seem as nothing compared to the quakes of the apocalypse. However,
just
as God is giving mankind today a hint of His coming wrath in every area of
human affairs, He is also, through the intensity and frequency of earthquakes
taking
place, calling lost people to turn their hearts toward Him.
Seismic
activity around the globe has exploded over the past two decades. Of course,
part of this eruption stems from the fact that reporting earth tremors
has
improved and proliferated. The truth remains that seismologists continue to
document increasing numbers of earthquakes. It is as if Jesus' words,
"There
shall
be ... earthquakes in divers [various] places" (Matthew 24:7), were given
to those alive at the end of the twentieth century as a foreshadowing of
things
to come.
Since
the 1906 San Francisco quake, the intensity and frequency of tremors continue
to mount. Reports of tremblers come in almost hourly. It seems no geographical
area
is immune from earthquakes these days. The following assessment by prophecy
scholar Jack Van Impe presents some fascinating statistics on earthquake
activity
in history:
History
shows that the number of killer quakes remained fairly constant until the
1950s, averaging between two to four per decade. In the 1950s, there were
nine,
in the 1960s, there were 13, in the 1970s, there were 51, in the 1980s, there
were 86. From 1990-1996, there have been more than 150.
While
increased seismological monitoring has made it appear that earthquake activity
is on the rise, it is equally accurate to say that this generation
has
witnessed more earthquake activity than any other generation. Jesus' prophecy
predicting that there will be mounting evidence that will indicate "a
time
of sorrows" (birth pangs) has been absolutely validated in our time.
Jesus, by and for whom all things were created, prophesied through the prophet
John
two future earthquakes of staggering magnitude. The first of those yet future
quakes will, despite its devastation, have a positive effect: "And the
same
hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in
the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand; and the remnant were
terrified,
and gave glory to the God of heaven" (Revelation 11:13).
God
will apparently use that future earthquake to manifest the truth of who He is.
While 7,000 men-and that apparently refers to men of great reputation-will
die
as a result of the quake, many others will turn their hearts toward God in
repentance. God's love is plainly shown even through His terrible wrath.
He
still calls rebellious people to repentance during this time of horrendous
judgment.
God's
seismograph, through His omniscience, has registered prophetically the
earthquake of all earthquakes. From the Bible we learn that this future quake
will
have instant worldwide ramifications and bring in its wake the full measure of
God's wrath upon blasphemous mankind:
And
the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air, and there came a great
voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. And
there
were voices, and thunders, and lightning’s; and there was a great earthquake,
such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake,
and
so great. And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the
nations fell.... And every island fled away, and the mountains were
not
found. And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about
the weight of a talent [perhaps 100 pounds]; and men blasphemed God because
of
the plague of the hail; for the plague was exceeding great (Revelation
16:17-21).
Dr.
John Walvoord says of this most powerful quake:
The
cities of the world fall, their magnificent structures being reduced to rubble.
Great changes take place in the topography of the world at large. Every
island
is described as fleeing away, and mountains disappear. On top of this wholesale
destruction visited upon the entire world, there comes a great hail
out
of heaven.... If this verse is interpreted literally, it pictures a desolation
by this hail of that which remains from the destruction of the earthquakes.
In
spite of this great judgment, men still blaspheme God and fail to repent.
The
destruction described in the seven vials of the wrath of God to be poured upon
the earth at the climax of the tribulation is only the beginning, however.
The
whole world is to be brought to the bar of justice before the King of kings and
Lord of lords as He returns to rule. The dramatic presentation is designed
to
impress the reader with the fact that there is no safety apart from salvation
in Christ, there is no escape of divine judgment apart from receiving
the
One who bore the judgment of sinners when He died for them on the Cross.
The
study of these terrible judgments of divine wrath upon a wicked world should
point us to the wonder of the grace of God who can take those who are sinners
by
nature and by choice and yet wonderfully save them and deliver them and make
them fit objects for the grace and blessing of God.
The
Word of God is plain: Salvation is the divine offer for all those who will
trust in Christ, and judgment must be the lot of those who spurn divine
grace."
Those
Not Subject to God's Wrath
Plainly,
the things we have looked at involve the wrath of God Almighty, which will be
fully poured out during that future time of apocalypse. Dr. Walvoord's
-
commentary precisely points to God's one and only plan to keep you and me from
that future time of righteous judgment. God's Word says in 1 Thessalonians
5:3:
"For 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."
The
entire world at present is crying "peace and safety." The
journalistic and diplomatic eyes of the world are on that little city called
Jerusalem and
on
Israel because the powers-that-be blame that nation for refusing to give in to
the Palestinian Liberation Organization's (PLO) demand that Israel give
up
more and more land for peace. Note the pronoun used in this prophecy:
"When they shall cry peace and safety." The Scripture here, I
believe, separates
the
lost, unbelieving world from those who believe in Christ. When "they"
cry peace and safety, then sudden destruction comes upon "them" and
"they" shall
not
escape. Notice the pronoun usage in verses 4 and 5 of 1 Thessalonians 5:
"But
ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a
thief, Ye are all the children of light, and children of the day: we are
not
of the night, nor of darkness." And now look at verse 9: "For God
hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus
Christ."
"We"
Christians of the Church Age are saved by the marvelous grace of God. We will
not come under His wrath either during the tribulation period or following
the
great white throne judgment (during which time the awesome judgment of God will
be meted out).
Some
who believe that the rapture of the church will take place at mid-tribulation
rather than in the pre-tribulation era base their theory on the premise
that
God's wrath doesn't begin falling until three-and-a-half years into the
apocalypse. But Jesus Christ, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, opens the seals,
one
through seven, as depicted in Revelation 6. Because Jesus Christ is God, the
judgments that flow from those seals are God's judgments, thus His wrath.
Since
Christians, as is plainly stated in 1 Thessalonians 5:9, are not appointed to
wrath, but to salvation through Jesus Christ, they will escape the
time
of the apocalypse-all of it (see Revelation 3:10).
The
famines, pestilences and earthquakes of our daily headlines foreshadow that
unimaginable time of God's wrath. The birth pangs that will produce the
apocalypse
convulse this world hourly. Therefore, it is more important now than ever
before that we who are God's children through His grace gift, Jesus
Christ,
work to bring lost people to the Lord while at the same time looking for
"that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our
Saviour,
Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:1 3).
Famines,
pestilence, earthquakes.doc