Sunday, August 25, 2019

The Revelation of Christ – Part 14: The Second Seal – HOFC


The Revelation of Christ – Part 14:
The Second 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 3 – Ephesus The Backsliding Church

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 12 – The Lamb is Worthy
Part 13 – The First Seal

Part 14 – The Second Seal



TODAY’S SERMON - THE THINGS WHICH SHALL BE – The Coming Judgment
Part 14 – The Second Seal

SCRIPTURE READING
Revelation 6:3, 4
When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make people kill each other. To him was given a large sword.

          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.

                                   iii.   Why? Because John has been given the task to record the FUTURE, not possible future, not “what could or may be”, but what ACTUALLY HAPPENS.

                                   iv.   The only way for him to do this, is to call him up to heaven in the spirit, outside of TIME (Which was created in this dimension for man in Genesis)

                                    v.   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.


         II.      THE FIRST SEAL BROKEN
a.   The Lamb breaks the First of Seven Seals
                                     i.   And John hears the Living Creature say with a voice like thunder, “Come!”

                                    ii.   I believe this is where John “skips” through time to watch the ACTUAL events unfold from the breaking of the First Seal.
                                   iii.   This is NOT a vision, a “probable future”, but the ACTUAL EVENTS AS THEY TAKE PLACE!

                                   iv.   I believe the Living Creatures saying “Come!” in a thunderous voice is “time skipping” because a few seconds later another seal is broken, these events do not take place on earth that quickly.

                                    v.   As described in scripture, the antichrist from the first seal begins as o man of peace, gaining the crown and submission of nations over time, then he turns to war to conquer. So, the Second Seal takes place “later” in time.


b.   When the First Seal is Broke by the Lamb
                                     i.   A white horse appears
                                    ii.   Its rider (the antichrist) holds a bow with no arrows

                                   iii.   Nations give him crowns (or submit to his authority)

                                   iv.   In turn, he gathers his armies because as the scriptures say “He rode out (meaning from the beginning) as a conqueror bent on conquest”

1.   It was always his intension to gain trust, build armies then conquer the rest of the nations.


c.   LIT- He went forth overcoming and that he may overcome
                                     i.   The antichrist came in peace to rule the weak and ignorant, then using their armies that he had gained leadership of, took over the rest of the nations.


        III.      THE SECOND SEAL
a.   John sees the Lamb open the Second Seal
                                     i.   He then hears the Second Living Creature say “Come!”

                                    ii.   Again, this is a “time skip” so John can witness the ACTUAL events unfolding!

b.   Another horse appears
                                     i.   Fiery red
1.   There may be a few reasons this horse is red

a.   Mars is the Roman God of War
                                                                                                 i.    This may signify the New Rome

b.   Or perhaps fiery red signifies the burning rubble and blood from terrible war

2.   Either way, this second horse is fiery red…war is coming

                                    ii.   Matthew 24:1-8 “Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. 2 “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”

3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

4 Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. 6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.”


c.   Its rider was given the power
                                     i.   To take peace from the earth
1.   This is what Jesus referred to in Matthew 24 when the disciples asked about the end times.

2.   Wars and rumors of wars robs us of peace.

                                    ii.   And to make people kill each other
1.   How do you “make” people kill each other?
2.   Soldiers in armies have to fight
3.   People in occupied territories have to defend themselves
4.   Civil wars may break out across the globe

                                   iii.   To him was given a large sword
1.   A large or great sword could be many armies, or a large weapon of mass destruction, such as a nuclear bomb


CONCLUSION –
This, the second of the seven seals, opened by Christ, revealing to John the future which “is”, next, the third of the seven seals, and another horse.




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