The Beginning of The Tribulation
Revelation 6:1-8
Message #15
Today, we begin a long look at the great seven-year Tribulation. We might prefer to just skim through it and get to the end when we’re all in Heaven. But the truth is it is critical for us to understand that God’s judgment upon sin is exactly what we deserve from God apart from Jesus Christ because in his perfect holiness, God must judge sin, or he cannot be God.
If you have received the salvation God freely offers you – through faith in Jesus Christ alone – then you are about to see (in the Book of Revelation) what you have been saved from. If you have not received the salvation God freely offers you through faith in Jesus Christ, then you are about to see (in the Book of Revelation) what you can be saved from when God finally must bring his judgment upon the sin of the world.
When we last left John in Heaven, God was on his throne holding a scroll, and all of Heaven was focused on:
The Lion of the Tribe of Judah
The Root of David
The Lamb of God – Jesus Christ
who is the only one in all creation who is able to take the scroll and open it. And as Jesus Christ steps forward and takes the scroll from the Father, all of creation explodes in worship because this is the beginning of the earth being returned to its rightful ruler.
And we talked about the fact that in that scroll, the entire Tribulation period is rolled up in that scroll. And by the time that scroll is unrolled completely, not only will the seven-year Tribulation period be over, but the title deed to the world will be given back to its rightful owner – Jesus – taken from that usurping little “g” god, Lucifer. Who took it from Adam as the federal head of Mankind in the Garden of Eden through sin.
And so all of creation explodes in worship because this is the beginning of all things being made new. It’s the beginning of it happening. This it! At the end of the Tribulation, everything goes back to Jesus and to us in him. It’s a big deal in Heaven.
On Earth, however, it is a different story. It is also a beginning. But it is the beginning of the judgment of God upon sin, and it is the beginning of the end of Satan’s usurping rule of the world.
The next thirteen chapters of Revelation are devoted to events that occur during the Tribulation. We’re going to be looking at the judgment of God that must come upon the sin and evil of the world. But please don’t miss the whole story.
In the judgment of the Tribulation, we see God’s righteous and holy justice upon sin. But in God’s offer of the free gift of salvation in Jesus Christ, we see how great God’s love is because he has made a way in Christ for us to escape the judgment that must come.
So, remember, in Revelation Chapter 4, we met four angelic beings who are the worship leaders in Heaven. Well, today, those same angelic beings are used to call forth the beginning of God’s judgment on the world.
As Jesus opens each of the first four seals on the scroll, each of these angelic beings will give a shout of command, and we will see four horses who kick off the Great Tribulation. This is the beginning of God’s final dealing with sin and evil in this world.
Revelation 6:1–2 (NLT)
1 As I watched, the Lamb broke the first of the seven seals on the scroll. Then I heard one of the four living beings say with a voice like thunder, “Come!”
2 I looked up and saw a white horse (symbol of victory) standing there. Its rider carried a bow (but no arrows), and a crown was placed on his head (a victor’s crown, NOT a crown of royalty). He rode out to win many battles and gain the victory.
So, the first event of the Tribulation is a white horse representing victory. The bow also represents conquest, but notice there are no arrows, maybe implying this first victory doesn’t come through “actual war,” and the crown here in verse 2 is the victor’s crown, as in winning a contest – not a crown of royalty.
And so, right now, you may be thinking, “Wait. A white horse of victory. A bow of victory – but no actual war. A victor’s crown. Wait a minute… is this Jesus Christ???”
It seems like it could be Jesus, doesn’t it? Which is exactly how Satan so often appears. This rider appears like Jesus, but he is actually the antithesis of Jesus Christ. This is the Antichrist appearing right at the beginning of the Tribulation.
The first event of the Tribulation period is the Antichrist bringing false peace to the world, just like Satan can conquer us with his promises of false peace. The Antichrist will be allowed to temporarily conquer the world by first bringing false peace.
Daniel 9:27 says the Antichrist will make a covenant of peace with Israel for seven years, which would put the covenant of peace right at the beginning of the Tribulation, right where we see it here. And there are many who believe that this covenant of peace the Antichrist will make with Israel will include an arrangement between the Jewish and Muslim religions that would allow both the Dome of the Rock Shrine and the third Jewish Temple to stand side-by-side on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. For numerous reasons, we think there’s a good chance this covenant of peace will come through the E.U (the European Union). You can learn all about that in the second half of our “Book of Daniel” series.
So, the Tribulation period actually begins with a false peace orchestrated by the Antichrist. And if you choose to reject Christ and take your chances on earth during the Tribulation, I’d say enjoy that false peace while you have it because the second horseman takes it away as quickly as it came.
Revelation 6:3–4 (NLT)
3 When the Lamb broke the second seal, I heard the second living being say, “Come!”
4 Then another horse appeared, a red one. Its rider was given a mighty sword and the authority to take peace from the earth. And there was war and slaughter everywhere.
Let me put up verse 4 again in the ESV to make one point.
Revelation 6:4 (ESV)
4 And out came another horse, bright red. Its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that people should slay one another, and he was given a great sword.
The second horse and rider takes peace from the earth, and the result is war and slaughter everywhere.
When we overcome global warming, that is not going to bring peace on earth. When we have a one world “whatever,” that is not going to bring peace on earth. The peace that we have on earth right now is because the Holy Spirit is here because God exists here in his Church. We are the bearers of the Restrainer of Evil on this earth. And so, when we are “taken” in Chapter 4, verse 1, when we’re raptured, and peace is taken from this earth, then man will not be restrained in the evilness of his sin nature.
Again, verse 4 says, And there was war and slaughter everywhere. The horse is bright red for the color of blood, and notice this is not God slaying people. This is people slaying one another. It’s allowing man to be who they are at the core of their sin nature.
And so, in the first judgment, is allowing the Antichrist to come into power with false peace. The second judgment allows Mankind to be who they are without the Holy Spirit. Mankind turns on one another in wars and violence of every possible kind, and the scope of this war and slaughter on earth is like nothing we’ve ever seen. And the final two horses prove that by showing the consequences of the red horse “taking peace” from the earth.
So, first comes a false peace to the earth. Second, that false peace turns into war and slaughter, and then the third horseman brings the consequences.
Revelation 6:5–6 (NLT)
5 When the Lamb broke the third seal, I heard the third living being say, “Come!” I looked up and saw a black horse, and its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand.
6 And I heard a voice from among the four living beings say, “A loaf of wheat bread or three loaves of barley will cost a day’s pay. And don’t waste (harm [footnote]) the olive oil and wine.”
The black horse is the color of famine. The worldwide war and slaughter brings worldwide famine, and a day’s pay will get you one loaf of wheat bread – which means a loaf of good wheat bread would cost at least $150 in today’s dollars. Or, you can get three loaves of barley bread for that same $150. But barley is a grain that’s normally only given to animals – not humans. And in reality, most people won’t be able to buy bread at all in this worldwide famine, except maybe for the rich – at least for now. Notice, the end of verse 6 says and do not harm (waste [NLT]) the olive oil and wine! These are the food items of the rich, and so maybe the rich are not yet being affected by this famine. But we’ve already read the people who don’t have food – do have swords. And so, some of the people with swords and no food are going to be killing the people with food and no swords.
And finally, we have the fourth horseman – death.
Revelation 6:7–8 (NLT)
7 When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the fourth living being say, “Come!”
8 I looked up and saw a horse whose color was pale green. Its rider was named Death, and his companion was the Grave. These two were given authority over one-fourth of the earth, to kill with the sword and famine and disease and wild animals.
The word pale is the word from which we get “chlorine.” It’s a pale green horse – like chlorine gas. One commentator described this color as “the color of a corpse, in the state of decay.” The rider’s name is Death – and the grave (Hades) is following him, and they are given authority to kill one-fourth of the population of the earth.
I tried to do the rough math on this. And after allowing for Believers who’ve been taken up in the Rapture, this could easily be 1 ½ Billion people. And so, I added up all the death tolls of all the wars on earth since 100 AD, and I got to around 500 million (½ billion). So, the horseman named Death is allowed to slay three times the total number of people killed in all of wars – put together – in the past 2,000 years. This is death on a scale the world has never seen.
But what should make a huge impact here is these four horsemen bring judgments that are primarily man bringing destruction to man. God’s hand has not been directly used in these judgments, and Mankind has already slaughtered one-quarter of the world’s population.
But God is in control. God is still on his throne. And we know God is in the process of returning the world to its rightful ruler, and we say it is much better to know this now than to be here when it begins!
Now, I want to take some time to show you the remarkable parallel between Revelation Chapter 6 and Matthew Chapter 24. Let’s turn there.
In Matthew Chapter 24, we find “The Olivet Discourse,” which is a discourse Jesus had with his Disciples on the Mt. of Olives. When you sit on the Mt. of Olives, you look over all of Jerusalem. Many of us have sat on the Mt. of Olives, and for me, this is one of the most moving places in all Jerusalem. And it was here, looking over the spiritual center of the world, that Jesus was talking to his Disciples about the Last Days.
Matthew 24:3-5 (NLT)
3 Later, Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives. His disciples came to him privately and said, “Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will signal your return and the end of the world?”
4 Jesus told them, “Don’t let anyone mislead you,
5 for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many.
This is Horseman Number 1. The white horse of the Antichrist. 1 John 2:18 says many antichrists will come in the last days, but the one we see here on the white horse is THE Antichrist.
Matthew 24:6–7(a) (NLT)
6 And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately.
7 Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom . . .
This is Horseman Number 2. The red horse of war like nothing we’ve ever seen.
Matthew 24:7(b) (NLT)
7 . . . There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world.
This is Horsemen Numbers 3 and 4 – bringing massive death on the earth.
And we’ll see more parallels between Revelation Chapter 6 and the Olivet Discourse in Matthew 24, next week.
Many people have used the Olivet Discourse to try to explain the imminent coming of the Rapture. But the question from the Disciples was, “What will be the sign of your return” and the end of the world? And Jesus gives them a summary of the beginning of the Tribulation, which precedes his second coming.
But listen, in Matthew 24, verse 8, Jesus says this.
Matthew 24:8 (NLT)
8 But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come.
As terrible as these judgments are, they are only the first of the birth pains – of God birthing the New Heaven and the New Earth free from sin for eternity.
So, to close. If you have not put your faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior yet – please don’t get mad at God because he must judge sin. God is a perfectly holy, just, and righteous God. And because he is, he must judge sin. But because of his great love for you, God has made a way for that judgment for your sin to fall on Jesus Christ in your place, making you righteous before God in Christ, meaning by your faith in Christ.
And guys, we cannot know how great our salvation is until we know how great the judgment upon sin must be.
The revealing of God’s coming judgment in the Book of Revelation vividly shows us what judgment we have been saved from.
Romans 5:8–9 (ESV)
8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.
Judgment upon the sin and evil in this world – must come. But God has made a way to save us from that judgment through our faith in Jesus Christ – alone!
If you have received the salvation God freely offers you – through faith in Jesus Christ alone – then you are about to see (in the Book of Revelation) what you have been saved from. If you have not received the salvation God freely offers you through faith in Jesus Christ, then you are about to see (in the Book of Revelation) what you can be saved from when God finally must bring his judgment upon the sin of the world.
When we last left John in Heaven, God was on his throne holding a scroll, and all of Heaven was focused on:
The Lion of the Tribe of Judah
The Root of David
The Lamb of God – Jesus Christ
who is the only one in all creation who is able to take the scroll and open it. And as Jesus Christ steps forward and takes the scroll from the Father, all of creation explodes in worship because this is the beginning of the earth being returned to its rightful ruler.
And we talked about the fact that in that scroll, the entire Tribulation period is rolled up in that scroll. And by the time that scroll is unrolled completely, not only will the seven-year Tribulation period be over, but the title deed to the world will be given back to its rightful owner – Jesus – taken from that usurping little “g” god, Lucifer. Who took it from Adam as the federal head of Mankind in the Garden of Eden through sin.
And so all of creation explodes in worship because this is the beginning of all things being made new. It’s the beginning of it happening. This it! At the end of the Tribulation, everything goes back to Jesus and to us in him. It’s a big deal in Heaven.
On Earth, however, it is a different story. It is also a beginning. But it is the beginning of the judgment of God upon sin, and it is the beginning of the end of Satan’s usurping rule of the world.
The next thirteen chapters of Revelation are devoted to events that occur during the Tribulation. We’re going to be looking at the judgment of God that must come upon the sin and evil of the world. But please don’t miss the whole story.
In the judgment of the Tribulation, we see God’s righteous and holy justice upon sin. But in God’s offer of the free gift of salvation in Jesus Christ, we see how great God’s love is because he has made a way in Christ for us to escape the judgment that must come.
So, remember, in Revelation Chapter 4, we met four angelic beings who are the worship leaders in Heaven. Well, today, those same angelic beings are used to call forth the beginning of God’s judgment on the world.
As Jesus opens each of the first four seals on the scroll, each of these angelic beings will give a shout of command, and we will see four horses who kick off the Great Tribulation. This is the beginning of God’s final dealing with sin and evil in this world.
Revelation 6:1–2 (NLT)
1 As I watched, the Lamb broke the first of the seven seals on the scroll. Then I heard one of the four living beings say with a voice like thunder, “Come!”
2 I looked up and saw a white horse (symbol of victory) standing there. Its rider carried a bow (but no arrows), and a crown was placed on his head (a victor’s crown, NOT a crown of royalty). He rode out to win many battles and gain the victory.
So, the first event of the Tribulation is a white horse representing victory. The bow also represents conquest, but notice there are no arrows, maybe implying this first victory doesn’t come through “actual war,” and the crown here in verse 2 is the victor’s crown, as in winning a contest – not a crown of royalty.
And so, right now, you may be thinking, “Wait. A white horse of victory. A bow of victory – but no actual war. A victor’s crown. Wait a minute… is this Jesus Christ???”
It seems like it could be Jesus, doesn’t it? Which is exactly how Satan so often appears. This rider appears like Jesus, but he is actually the antithesis of Jesus Christ. This is the Antichrist appearing right at the beginning of the Tribulation.
The first event of the Tribulation period is the Antichrist bringing false peace to the world, just like Satan can conquer us with his promises of false peace. The Antichrist will be allowed to temporarily conquer the world by first bringing false peace.
Daniel 9:27 says the Antichrist will make a covenant of peace with Israel for seven years, which would put the covenant of peace right at the beginning of the Tribulation, right where we see it here. And there are many who believe that this covenant of peace the Antichrist will make with Israel will include an arrangement between the Jewish and Muslim religions that would allow both the Dome of the Rock Shrine and the third Jewish Temple to stand side-by-side on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. For numerous reasons, we think there’s a good chance this covenant of peace will come through the E.U (the European Union). You can learn all about that in the second half of our “Book of Daniel” series.
So, the Tribulation period actually begins with a false peace orchestrated by the Antichrist. And if you choose to reject Christ and take your chances on earth during the Tribulation, I’d say enjoy that false peace while you have it because the second horseman takes it away as quickly as it came.
Revelation 6:3–4 (NLT)
3 When the Lamb broke the second seal, I heard the second living being say, “Come!”
4 Then another horse appeared, a red one. Its rider was given a mighty sword and the authority to take peace from the earth. And there was war and slaughter everywhere.
Let me put up verse 4 again in the ESV to make one point.
Revelation 6:4 (ESV)
4 And out came another horse, bright red. Its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that people should slay one another, and he was given a great sword.
The second horse and rider takes peace from the earth, and the result is war and slaughter everywhere.
When we overcome global warming, that is not going to bring peace on earth. When we have a one world “whatever,” that is not going to bring peace on earth. The peace that we have on earth right now is because the Holy Spirit is here because God exists here in his Church. We are the bearers of the Restrainer of Evil on this earth. And so, when we are “taken” in Chapter 4, verse 1, when we’re raptured, and peace is taken from this earth, then man will not be restrained in the evilness of his sin nature.
Again, verse 4 says, And there was war and slaughter everywhere. The horse is bright red for the color of blood, and notice this is not God slaying people. This is people slaying one another. It’s allowing man to be who they are at the core of their sin nature.
And so, in the first judgment, is allowing the Antichrist to come into power with false peace. The second judgment allows Mankind to be who they are without the Holy Spirit. Mankind turns on one another in wars and violence of every possible kind, and the scope of this war and slaughter on earth is like nothing we’ve ever seen. And the final two horses prove that by showing the consequences of the red horse “taking peace” from the earth.
So, first comes a false peace to the earth. Second, that false peace turns into war and slaughter, and then the third horseman brings the consequences.
Revelation 6:5–6 (NLT)
5 When the Lamb broke the third seal, I heard the third living being say, “Come!” I looked up and saw a black horse, and its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand.
6 And I heard a voice from among the four living beings say, “A loaf of wheat bread or three loaves of barley will cost a day’s pay. And don’t waste (harm [footnote]) the olive oil and wine.”
The black horse is the color of famine. The worldwide war and slaughter brings worldwide famine, and a day’s pay will get you one loaf of wheat bread – which means a loaf of good wheat bread would cost at least $150 in today’s dollars. Or, you can get three loaves of barley bread for that same $150. But barley is a grain that’s normally only given to animals – not humans. And in reality, most people won’t be able to buy bread at all in this worldwide famine, except maybe for the rich – at least for now. Notice, the end of verse 6 says and do not harm (waste [NLT]) the olive oil and wine! These are the food items of the rich, and so maybe the rich are not yet being affected by this famine. But we’ve already read the people who don’t have food – do have swords. And so, some of the people with swords and no food are going to be killing the people with food and no swords.
And finally, we have the fourth horseman – death.
Revelation 6:7–8 (NLT)
7 When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the fourth living being say, “Come!”
8 I looked up and saw a horse whose color was pale green. Its rider was named Death, and his companion was the Grave. These two were given authority over one-fourth of the earth, to kill with the sword and famine and disease and wild animals.
The word pale is the word from which we get “chlorine.” It’s a pale green horse – like chlorine gas. One commentator described this color as “the color of a corpse, in the state of decay.” The rider’s name is Death – and the grave (Hades) is following him, and they are given authority to kill one-fourth of the population of the earth.
I tried to do the rough math on this. And after allowing for Believers who’ve been taken up in the Rapture, this could easily be 1 ½ Billion people. And so, I added up all the death tolls of all the wars on earth since 100 AD, and I got to around 500 million (½ billion). So, the horseman named Death is allowed to slay three times the total number of people killed in all of wars – put together – in the past 2,000 years. This is death on a scale the world has never seen.
But what should make a huge impact here is these four horsemen bring judgments that are primarily man bringing destruction to man. God’s hand has not been directly used in these judgments, and Mankind has already slaughtered one-quarter of the world’s population.
But God is in control. God is still on his throne. And we know God is in the process of returning the world to its rightful ruler, and we say it is much better to know this now than to be here when it begins!
Now, I want to take some time to show you the remarkable parallel between Revelation Chapter 6 and Matthew Chapter 24. Let’s turn there.
In Matthew Chapter 24, we find “The Olivet Discourse,” which is a discourse Jesus had with his Disciples on the Mt. of Olives. When you sit on the Mt. of Olives, you look over all of Jerusalem. Many of us have sat on the Mt. of Olives, and for me, this is one of the most moving places in all Jerusalem. And it was here, looking over the spiritual center of the world, that Jesus was talking to his Disciples about the Last Days.
Matthew 24:3-5 (NLT)
3 Later, Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives. His disciples came to him privately and said, “Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will signal your return and the end of the world?”
4 Jesus told them, “Don’t let anyone mislead you,
5 for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many.
This is Horseman Number 1. The white horse of the Antichrist. 1 John 2:18 says many antichrists will come in the last days, but the one we see here on the white horse is THE Antichrist.
Matthew 24:6–7(a) (NLT)
6 And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately.
7 Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom . . .
This is Horseman Number 2. The red horse of war like nothing we’ve ever seen.
Matthew 24:7(b) (NLT)
7 . . . There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world.
This is Horsemen Numbers 3 and 4 – bringing massive death on the earth.
And we’ll see more parallels between Revelation Chapter 6 and the Olivet Discourse in Matthew 24, next week.
Many people have used the Olivet Discourse to try to explain the imminent coming of the Rapture. But the question from the Disciples was, “What will be the sign of your return” and the end of the world? And Jesus gives them a summary of the beginning of the Tribulation, which precedes his second coming.
But listen, in Matthew 24, verse 8, Jesus says this.
Matthew 24:8 (NLT)
8 But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come.
As terrible as these judgments are, they are only the first of the birth pains – of God birthing the New Heaven and the New Earth free from sin for eternity.
So, to close. If you have not put your faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior yet – please don’t get mad at God because he must judge sin. God is a perfectly holy, just, and righteous God. And because he is, he must judge sin. But because of his great love for you, God has made a way for that judgment for your sin to fall on Jesus Christ in your place, making you righteous before God in Christ, meaning by your faith in Christ.
And guys, we cannot know how great our salvation is until we know how great the judgment upon sin must be.
The revealing of God’s coming judgment in the Book of Revelation vividly shows us what judgment we have been saved from.
Romans 5:8–9 (ESV)
8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.
Judgment upon the sin and evil in this world – must come. But God has made a way to save us from that judgment through our faith in Jesus Christ – alone!