Join us for a thorough examination of the fifth and sixth seals in Revelation 6. As the world prepares for the day of God’s wrath, listeners will gain a deeper understanding of biblical prophecy and God’s ultimate plan for humanity. Highlighted by listener letters and supported by scriptural references, this episode is designed to enrich your faith and strengthen your hope. Learn about the comforting promise for martyrs, the nature of divine judgment, and how believers are called to find solace and strength in the message of Revelation.
The spirit of prophecy, if we’re really hearing the word of God through all of our studies, is that we will have deeper convictions and a stronger public confession of our faith because we know how it’s all going to turn out. How interesting. The testimony of Jesus, our commitment, our confession that he is the Messiah and our coming king is the very spirit of prophecy itself. That’s a powerful statement.
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This is Hope for Today. When the sixth seal of Revelation chapter 6 opens, the world comes apart. The earth convulses and the sky rips open. And the powerful, the ones who thought they were untouchable, scramble for caves like rats in a flood. They beg for anything to hide them from the face of the Lamb. But as it turns out, there’s no safe room, no bunker, no escape. The great day of God’s wrath has come Grab your Bible and turn to Revelation chapter 6 verses 9 through 17 as Bible teacher David Hawking continues our study of this passage and confronts what the world dreads and what no believer will ever have to experience. First, Sandy has written hope for today. And Matt, we’re going to share just a bit of her letter today. And this is a real blessing.
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What does she have to say? It says, I listen to your radio show and enjoy your preaching and knowledge. And in honor of my mom, she wanted to- Make a donation. Yeah. And it’s so neat how she did it. Because she says, I really enjoy your teaching on Revelation. Mom was a big supporter of many radio Bible teachers. But it’s my turn to step up to the plate. Isn’t that great? I love that.
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Thank you, Sandy, for standing with us in ministry. You’re part of the team. We appreciate you. And as always, we ask you to pray for us as well. If you have a note, a testimony to share, maybe a prayer request to share, hang on. Later in the program, we’re going to tell you how to get in touch. We’ll now turn to Revelation chapter 6. And here’s David with today’s study.
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We pick up where we left off. And we are still at the beginning stages of the tribulation, the day of the Lord, the day of God’s wrath. Beginning at verse 9. And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them, 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. And I beheld when he opened the sixth seal, and lo, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. And 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 the heaven departed as a scroll, when it is rolled together, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth and the great men and the rich men and the chief captains and the mighty men and every slave and every free man hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains and said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. For the great day of his wrath is come, and who shall be able to stand? I’d like you to see three things in these verses, one in each of the verses. In verse 9, you have the condition of those under the altar being described. We are told that they are slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. They are not the martyrs of the tribulation who are yet to be killed, but they’re the martyrs of the past. God calls these Jewish martyrs of the past a cloud of witnesses in Hebrews 12, 1 and 2. They are slain for the word of God. but also for the testimony which they held. Some of us have strong conviction but are unwilling to publicly confess our faith. Paul wrote to us, I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. It is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes to the Jew first and also to the Greek. That’s the condition of those under the altar. They are past martyrs who have been killed for their convictions and their confessions. Secondly, the cry of those under the altar is in verse 10. The cry of those under the altar. Did you notice that? And they said, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? The third thing I’d point out about the fifth seal judgment is the comfort. The comfort for those that were under the altar. Look at verse 11. these martyrs. It says white robes were given unto every one of them. 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. Vast host of multitude that no man can number are going to be killed in the tribulation for their faith. Many believe on the basis of the facts in Revelation that more people will be killed for their faith in the tribulation than in any previous time of history. Now that’s remarkable because millions have been martyred. Now what comfort is this to these who are under the altar, these past martyrs who are crying out for God to do something? And the tribulation is God’s answer. Three things I’d point out about this comfort that extended to them. One is the righteousness of God himself is their position before God. It says white robes were given unto every one of them. What’s that talking about? Look at chapter 7, verse 14. In answering who these martyrs will be in the tribulation, it says, these are they who came out of the great tribulation and have washed their robes and made them white in the, what? Blood of the Lamb. You know, we are righteous before God, not because we do right things. Now, I believe we should do right things. It’s a lot better than doing wrong things. Amen? But let’s make sure we understand we are not righteous before God because we do right things. That is a religious view of many religions. In the Bible, our righteousness is an act of God, not a work of man. In the Bible, our righteousness is an act of God whereby he declares you and me to be righteous because our sin has already been paid for. That’s the gospel. That’s the good news. We are righteous in the Lord. The robes, some say, suggest that there is a body during the intermediate state of believers in heaven awaiting the resurrection. If they have robes, then they must have some sort of body. And we do know the Bible says that when you die, you’re absent from the body and present with the Lord, awaiting the day when Christ comes and that we have the resurrection of the body. So is there an intermediate state body, and does this prove that? I don’t know, and no, it doesn’t. The real person is with the Lord, awaiting the resurrection of our bodies. I don’t think there’s really a need for an intermediate body at all. I think God can give you one. Moses and Elijah appeared with our Lord. Samuel the prophet came up and appeared in a body, in the case of Saul and the witch of Endor. God can cause that to happen. But we do not of necessity have to have bodies. The point of the white robe is referring to the righteousness of our Lord and is so stated. Another example would be chapter 19 and verse 8. Now, in addition to the righteousness of God being their position before God, indicated by the white robes, a part of their comfort also deals with the rest of God as they await for the purposes of God to be fulfilled. I love to talk about this. You know, a lot of us fear death. Paul said that he had a desire to depart and to be with Christ, which is far better. but it was more necessary to remain in the flesh for you, he said. As for me, hey, I’d like to get out of here and go home to be with the Lord. I don’t know about you, but some days that’s stronger with me than others. You know what I mean? Things could go so wrong and so bad and you feel so rotten and lousy, you say, I just want to go home and be with the Lord. Well, I love Revelation 14, 13. It says, Blessed are they who die in the Lord, for they shall rest from their labors. Now, the third thing I’d like to point out is that the remainder, the remainder of those who are to be martyred, watch this carefully. You talk about the comfort God’s giving to these past martyrs. Well, the remainder of those to be martyred suggests that this is all a part of the plan of God. How did you read verse 11? Look at it again. It says, for a little season until their fellow servants also and their brethren that should be killed as they were should be what? Fulfilled. You see, it was all a part of the plan of God. And what a sweet thing to say to those who had suffered so much for their convictions and confession to hear, hey, it was all under my control. The Lord was in charge from beginning to end. And all of those who have suffered, hey, he says if we suffer, we shall reign with him. Don’t you ever think that it goes unnoticed by our God. He’s in absolute control of the whole thing. And what a nice thing to say to them. Now let’s come to the sixth seal judgment in verse 12. And boy, is it dramatic, to say the least. And I want you to see basically just two things with a few items underneath it. But two things. Number one, the worldwide catastrophe that will take place, which is mentioned in verses 12 to 14. It’s called a great earthquake. And the second thing we’ll look at is the panic-stricken concern of the people on earth in verses 15 to 17. Now let’s take a look at this worldwide catastrophe, which God predicts will take place somewhere in the beginning of the tribulation, apparently, if it’s chronological here. It says a great earthquake in verse 12. That’s used 19 times in the Bible. Now speaking about the future, Jesus told us that there will be earthquakes in various places that are only the beginning of sorrows. So the fact that there will be earthquakes, very prominent in the days before the Great Tribulation, is not a surprise. Not a surprise at all. The Bible predicts it. God’s going to take this planet in his hands literally and shake all nations. He’s going to shake the whole thing up. Well, all of that, you know, we’re seeing a prelude to all of this in the multiplicity and frequency and increase of earthquakes in our particular time. It’s growing remarkably. But God says a great earthquake is going to take place. Turn to chapter 11, verse 13. Chapter 11, verse 13. A little bit later, which the Bible describes as the middle of the tribulation, it says, “…the same hour was there a great earthquake…” Same words. “…and a tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand, and the remnant…” The Jewish believers… were terrified, affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven. One of the most beautiful expressions of a Jewish person believing God and trusting Him is when it says they gave glory to the God of heaven. Now, also you’ll find in chapter 16, where we have the seven last plagues, at the end of the tribulation, you find this in chapter 16, verse 18. There were voices and thunders and lightnings, and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake and so great. Verse 20, every island fled away and the mountains were not found. We’re talking… serious earthquake at the end of the tribulation period. But apparently near the beginning, there’s another serious earthquake that occurs. Turn back to Joel, Joel chapter 3. Joel chapter 3, look at verse 12. Let the heathen nations, Gentiles, be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat, for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about. Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, get down, for the press is full. The fats or the vats overflow, for their wickedness is great. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision, for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining. The Lord also shall roar out of Zion and utter his voice from Jerusalem. And the heavens and the earth shall what? shake, but the Lord will be the hope of his people and the strength of the children of Israel. So shall you know that I am the Lord your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain. Then shall Jerusalem be holy and there shall no strangers pass through her anymore. The shaking of the Lord. While you’re still there, turn to Haggai. A little bit to the right. Obadiah, Jonah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Haggai. Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi. Look at Haggai chapter 2. Look at chapter 2, verse 6 and 7. For thus saith the Lord of hosts, yet once it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land, and I will shake all nations, and the desire, I think that should be capital D, the desire of all nations shall come. I think it’s referring to the Messiah. And I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of hosts. Look down at verse 21. speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I will shake the heavens and the earth. Well, that never happened in his time. But I’ll tell you, God predicts by many Hebrew prophets there’s going to be a great earthquake, and apparently a series of them. Now, in looking back at Revelation 6, look at the extent of this catastrophe, this worldwide catastrophe that’s going to take place, the extent of it. And I want you to see it in both heaven and on earth. In heaven, look at what takes place. Really amazing. It affects four things. It affects the sun, the moon, the stars, and the sky itself. Now let’s take a look at the sun. It says, verse 12, the sun became black as sackcloth of hair. That’s what it says. This is an eclipse. Interesting that we read in the prophets like Isaiah chapter 13 and verse 10. Very similar words about the sun being blackened. Isaiah chapter 13 and verse 10. It says, For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light. The sun shall be darkened in its going forth, and the moon shall not cause its light to shine. In Joel, where we were looking a moment ago, the prophet Joel’s message, we read in chapter 2, verse 10, Verse 31. Verse 31. In chapter 3, verse 15, the sun and the moon shall be darkened and the stars shall withdraw their shining. You see, Revelation is quoting the verses that are in the Hebrew prophets. What’s going to happen to the sun? It’ll become black, a sackcloth of hair. What will happen to the moon? It will become like blood, which we just read. What will happen to the stars? They’re going to fall from heaven. By the way, turn back to Matthew 24 for a moment. Matthew 24, and look at verse 29. Jesus used these same prophetic passages to predict what’s going to happen in the great tribulation. The sun is darkened. The moon is blood red, becomes like blood. It doesn’t say it is blood, but like and similarly blood red. And the awesomeness of that, the occultic world pictures judgment day like that. Sun becomes black. Moon becomes like blood, and the stars fall into the earth. Is it a meteor shower? There’s lots of suggestions. But look at what Jesus said, Matthew 24, 29. It says, “…immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, the moon shall not give its light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken.” What are the powers of the heavens? Some say it’s referring to the governments of the world. Some say, no, it’s referring to the demonic hosts, the spiritual wickedness in high places. It’ll all be shaken up when God decides to take over, when the day of God’s wrath comes.
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Well, that’s Bible teacher and author David Hawking, and this is Hope for Today. By the way, if you missed any part of today’s program, or for that matter, a recent broadcast, you can listen again for a limited time by going to davidhawking.org, and right there on the homepage, click on the radio tab, and you can see everything that we have of recent broadcast. And just before David returns to close out our study time today, Matt’s here, and we want to tell you about an excellent Bible study resource that you might just want to add to your home Bible study library.
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Matt? Zachariah was a young man among the captives who returned from Babylon, and God called him in 520 BC to preach repentance to the returned exiles and encourage them to rebuild the temple and restore proper worship.
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Zechariah reminded the people of God’s simple plan. If they would repent and return to him, he would return to them the blessings of protection he had promised.
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The returning exiles had grown discouraged, and Zechariah was a new voice from the Lord to renew enthusiasm for completing the temple restoration, remaining faithful to him, and rebuilding a God-honoring community from the ruins.
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Now, Matt, Zechariah is also a wonderful book of Bible prophecy. Oh, yeah. The ministry of the Messiah is clearly laid out, both the first coming and the second coming.
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Jim, there’s no other Old Testament book that has as much detail. Zachariah has numerous powerful prophecies that were fulfilled in Jesus’ ministry. And many are quoted in the Gospels. The triumphal entry. His death and the scattering of his followers. Messiah’s role as king and priest. And second coming prophecies include the Battle of Armageddon, Messiah’s arrival on the Mount of Olives, rulership over the entire world. And there’s even more. Israel’s experience during the time of Zechariah is a foreshadow of their future. As it was through the reprimand of Babylonian captivity. that the nation was purged of idolatry, so it will be by the fires of the tribulation that Israel will be purified from its sin of sins, the rejection of the Messiah. That’s it.
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Well, this and more awaits you inside Visions of the Future by David Hawking, our featured resource for August, and it’s just $15.
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And as always, please faithfully pray for hope for today.
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To get your copy of Visions of the Future, call 800-75-BIBLE in the U.S. or 888-75-BIBLE in Canada, Bible by the numbers 24253, or order online at DavidHawking.org. And before David comes back, let me ask you something. What’s heavy on your heart right now? Is it a family struggle? Maybe you’re dealing with a broken relationship or a decision you just don’t know how to make. Well, share that with us and we will pray with you and for you. We count it a privilege to bring the needs of our listening family before the Lord. And while we need your prayers as well, pray that God will guide every step of this ministry. We take that seriously and that God would provide what’s needed and use these broadcasts to draw people to Jesus and to strengthen the body of Christ. And while you’re praying, can I ask you something personal? If you knew your support could help a family find hope, put biblical teaching on radio and online, train pastors, stream video studies by David, and even reach into places where people are hearing the gospel and Bible teaching for the first time. Would you want to be a part of that? Well, you can. When you stand with Hope for Today, people hear the gospel, lives are changed, and your impact follows you into eternity. So if God is stirring your heart to pray or give, we’d be honored to hear from you, to have you with us in ministry. You can mail your prayer request and your donations to Hope for Today, Box 3927, Tustin, California, 92781. That’s in the U.S. In Canada, write to Hope for Today, Box 15011, RPO, Seven Oaks, Abbotsford, B.C., V2S 8P1. And of course, you can give on our website or by phone as well. Let’s get back to our study time. Here’s David.
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Well, I hope you’ve been enjoying our study of Revelation 6. We’ve been at it for quite a while, and we need to be, because here is a vivid, powerful description of what the Great Tribulation is going to be like. There’s going to be a great earthquake. And heaven is going to look like it’s departed like a scroll. And every mountain and island is going to be moved out of their places. Wow. My dear friends, there’s a day of God’s wrath that is coming on planet Earth. And you don’t want to be a part of it. I hope that you’re headed for the rapture. You don’t want to be a part of the tribulation. You want to be in the rapture of the church. Read 1 Thessalonians 4, 13 to 18. Wow. We’re going to be caught up to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore, comfort one another with these words. It is a great comfort to know that we will not be a part of the day of God’s wrath in the tribulation period. And I hope that you have a personal relationship with the Messiah of Israel, our blessed Lord Yeshua, who died for your sins, rose again from the dead, and is coming back soon. God bless you.
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Well, thank you, David. And if you want to know more about what it means to be a Christian, according to God’s Word, the Bible, well, let us send you David’s booklet, What is Christianity? and a Bible study by mail. Both of these are free if you’re not yet a Christian or if you’re new to the Christian faith. Call 800-75-BIBLE, that’s in the U.S., or 888-75-BIBLE in Canada to receive yours. Bible 24253. On our next broadcast, David Hawking takes a final look at the sixth seal in Revelation chapter 6. The earth shudders, the sky splits open, and the powerful run for cover. And what they fear the most isn’t the disaster, it’s the Lamb. The great day of God’s wrath is here, and only one question remains. Who, who can stand? Don’t miss David’s closing study of Revelation 6, 9 through 17 next time on Hope for Today.
Join us for a thorough examination of the fifth and sixth seals in Revelation 6. As the world prepares for the day of God’s wrath, listeners will gain a deeper understanding of biblical prophecy and God’s ultimate plan for humanity. Highlighted by listener letters and supported by scriptural references, this episode is designed to enrich your faith and strengthen your hope. Learn about the comforting promise for martyrs, the nature of divine judgment, and how believers are called to find solace and strength in the message of Revelation.
