Sunday, September 1, 2019

The Revelation of Christ – Part 15: The Third Seal


The Revelation of Christ – Part 15:
The Third Seal – HOFC
Pastor Bruce A. Shields
House of Faith Church | www.PS127.org | www.TruthDigest.org

This Document is a Sermon Outline, you may hear the full audio of the actual sermon by following the link Online Audio Files located above for this, and other Full Sermon Audios.  For a complete list of Sermon Outlines, visit TruthDigest.org, or Truth Digest on facebook; for our Official Church website, visit PS127.org, or find us on facebook at House of Faith Church

SERMON INTRODUCTION
The Book of Revelation, or the Revelation of Christ, is the most difficult book in the bible.

Because of this fact, many avoid it, or ignore it all together. Some fear lack of understanding, others afraid to misinterpret, which I guess it is better to avoid than dive in and get it completely wrong.

Many times, when a new believer comes to me for direction, they want to jump right into Revelation and find out what’s to come.

This is equivalent to deciding one day to learn Mandarin and sitting down to author a novel in Chinese that very same day.

Or, a kindergartener learning how to count, and then trying to calculate quantum mechanics calculations.

The words in Revelation have caused much debate on rapture, judgement, even some who claim John was writing about the events in his day in code rather than Jesus Christ revealing to him about the coming events and Judgment.

A special blessing is promised to those who read Revelation.

Although it may be a difficult book, we could all use a special blessing, reading this is good for us all, and with the help of the Holy Spirit, we will take the Revelation of Christ in small portions and gain understanding, little by little.





SERMON SERIES

THE THINGS WHICH ARE – The Church Age (Age of Grace)
Part 4 – Smyrna The Steadfast Church
Part 5 – Pergamos The Immoral Church
Part 6 – Thyatira The Careless Pagan Church
Part 7 – Sardis The Spiritless Church
Part 8 – Philadelphia The Favored Church
Part 9 – Laodicea The Church God Hates

THE THINGS WHICH SHALL BE – The Coming Judgment
Part 10 – The Throne of God
Part 11 – The Scroll and Seven Seals
Part 13 – The First Seal
Part 14 – The Second Seal
Part 15 – The Third Seal

TODAY’S SERMON - THE THINGS WHICH SHALL BE – The Coming Judgment
Part 15 – The Third Seal


SCRIPTURE READING
Revelation 6:5, 6
When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. 6 Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, “Two pounds of wheat for a day’s wages, and six pounds of barley for a day’s wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!”

          I.      JOHN IN HEAVEN
a.   What was (Always)
                                     i.   Revelation 1:2 “The Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ



                                    ii.   John 1:1-5In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

b.   What is (Now)
                                     i.   The Lord dictates seven letters for John to write to the seven churches

                                    ii.   These are both literal churches, and figurative to the time span of the “Church Age”, or the “Age of Grace” in which the Church (Body of Christ) is now in.

                                   iii.   We are currently in the last of the seven stages of the Church age

                                   iv.   Meaning, we are at the threshold of “What is to come”


c.   What is to Come (The Future)
                                     i.   At this point, the Lord calls John into heaven

                                    ii.   Not a “vision”, not a suggestive thought placed within his head, but a literal calling up in the spirit to the heavenly realm of God’s Abode.

1.   2 Corinthians 12:1-4 Paul talks about being called up into the “third heaven”
2.   The first heaven is our sky
3.   The second heaven is space where the stars are
4.   The third heaven is beyond that!

                                   iii.   Once there, John can “time-skip” through the future by the command of the Lord and the Living Creatures to witness the events of our future because the Third-Heaven is “outside” of time as we understand it.
1.   2 Corinthians 4:18 “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary (has time), but what is unseen is eternal. (Not effected by time)”

2.   Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning” This is where our dimension, all that is in it, including time, exists. The “beginning” of this dimension!

3.   Matthew 13:39 “…The harvest is the end of the age” Time in this dimension is NOT eternal!  Jesus tells us that at the “end of the age” there will be a harvest, and a judgment. We know that after all is said and done, we will live everlasting without end!  This takes place “after” time is no more in this dimension.


         II.      THE SEALS BROKEN
a.   The Lamb breaks the First of Seven Seals
                                     i.   The White Horse (antichrist imitating savior coming in peace)
                                    ii.   Bow with no arrows, comes in peace but preparing the entire time for war
                                   iii.   Receives crowns, countries submit to him and his authority


b.   The Lamb breaks the Second Seal
                                     i.   The Fiery Red Horse antichrist causes war on those who do not submit
                                    ii.   He is given the power to make people kill each other (war)
                                   iii.   He was given a large sword (nukes? Power to kill many?)


c.   Now the Lamb breaks the Third Seal
                                     i.   The Black Horse comes
                                    ii.   The rider holding scales in his hand
                                   iii.   A voice from the midst of the four living creatures speaks
                                   iv.   Two pounds of wheat for a day’s wage
                                    v.   Six pounds of barley for a day’s wage


        III.      THE THIRD SEAL
a.   The Black Horse
                                     i.   Opposite of the White Horse the REAL savior will ride in on (Revelation 19:11)
                                    ii.   Black also represents death & famine, not of life and food but of Spirit and God


b.   The Rider held scales in his hand
                                     i.   After the antichrist presents himself as a man of peace he gets many nations to submit to him and his authority, then wages war against those who do not.
                                    ii.   He now (as the rider on the black horse) places himself as judge over all he has conquered
                                   iii.   It is at this point God speaks up and places limits upon him


c.   John hears something
                                     i.   6 Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying,
                                    ii.   The four living creatures surround the Throne, so in their midst, it is God upon the Throne who speaks


d.   Two pounds of wheat for a day’s wage
                                     i.   2 represents union, facts verified by witnesses, union between Christ and the church, the second Adam-Christ
                                    ii.   Wheat is used to make bread
                                   iii.   Bread (also represents the bread of life, Jesus, manna from heaven) which is NO MORE because it is the Tribulation
                                   iv.   The “cost” is a day’s wage, meaning a day’s “work”, a huge “expense” a BIG COST to get what was once easily obtainable!
                                    v.   What has been lost is UNION with Christ (#2)


e.   Six pounds of barley for a day’s wage
                                     i.   6 represents man, human weakness, evils of Satan, the antichrist, 666 represents the un-holy trinity, man created on 6th day, Hebrew slave was to serve 6 years and be released on the 7th which is the length of Tribulation
                                    ii.   Barley is used to make bread
                                   iii.   Bread (also represents the bread of life, Jesus, manna from heaven) which is NO MORE because it is the Tribulation
                                   iv.   The “cost” is a day’s wage, meaning a day’s “work”, a huge “expense” a BIG COST to get what was once easily obtainable!
                                    v.   With the absence of the “Bread of Life”, the world must now revert to “works”
                                   vi.   The “Spirit of Jesus, the bread of life, no longer available to man, everything must be done in man’s own ability now (#6) as opposed to the way it used to be.


f.    Do no damage to the oil and the wine
                                     i.   Oil is the Holy Spirit
                                    ii.   Wine is the blood of Christ
                                   iii.   Although the antichrist rules nations, although he has made himself the judge of mankind on earth (the scales), although man no longer has access to the bread of life, the antichrist has ZERO effect on the oil and wine (Holy Spirit and Blood of Christ) because GOD says in verse 6!



CONCLUSION –
What does this mean?
There will still be some who believe during this time.  There will still be some who love God and trust in Him, even though they did not before. Even though the antichrist will rule many nations, have the authority to cause war and kill many, and set himself as judge of the earth, the Blood of Christ CAN STILL SAVE!
We refer to these people as Tribulation Saints.
Next week we will see the Fourth Seal opened by Christ.




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