MAX KLEIN BIBLE MINISTRIES
The Seven Baptisms
Written by: Max Klein
Baptism means identification or association:
Introduction:
1. This meaning began in Homer's time. Homer wrote of the one-eyed giant, Cyclops who had trapped Ulysses and his men in a cave and was eating them one at a time. The ingenious Ulysses devised a plan. He had his men sharpen a large log and together they rammed this log into the eye of the one-eyed Cyclops rendering him blind. They identified (baptized) the sharpened log with Cyclops’ eye which changed Cyclops from a seeing giant to a blind giant. Having blinded the Cyclops, they were able to maneuver their way out of the cave. Another example by Homer: Homer's Odyssey, book 9, used baptism for hot metal identified (baptized) with water when a smith dipped a piece of hot iron into water. This is how a blacksmith would temper swords in the ancient world. After this identification, the sword was made stronger and so less likely to bend.
2. Xenophon said that the Spartan military recruits after finishing infantry training would identify (baptize) their spears with pig’s blood. They would run by a barrel of pig’s blood and thrust their spears into this blood. This ritual, identified their spears with killing and the soldier’s readiness for combat with the enemy.
3. Euripides used the word for a ship identified with the bottom of the sea when it sank. Before sinking, the ship was valuable; after sinking it had no value at all.
4. So "baptize" in the classical Greek meant to identify one thing with another so that the characteristics of the original thing were altered. Therefore, the interpretation of the word "baptism" is identification with something that brings about a change.
5. There are a number of cognates related to this Greek word such as bapto, baptizo, baptisma, baptismos, baptistes, and embapto. A few examples follow:
6. John 13:26, “Jesus then answered, ‘That is the one for whom, I shall dip [the future of the Greek word bapto] the morsel and give it to him. So, when he had dipped [the aorist participle of bapto; the sop now takes on a new meaning that of honor] the sop [the morsel], He took and gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot.”
To give someone a sop [a special bit of food usually a piece of bread or meat with a tasty sauce] was the highest honor of a banquet. At a banquet a special piece of bread or meat was prepared along with a special sauce for the guest of honor who would then honor someone by giving it to that person. Jesus as the guest of honor took this sop and dipped it into a special sauce and gave it to Judas. In this way, the Lord Jesus Christ honored Judas as a member of the family of God, and for his ministry as an apostle to the Lost Sheep of Israel. This honor should have given Judas second thoughts regarding his plan to betray Jesus to the Sanhedrin.
7. Matthew 3:7, “but when he [John the Baptizer] saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism [identification: the Greek word baptisma], he said to them, “You brood of vipers [poisonous snakes], who warned you to flee from the wrath to come [Baptism of Fire: identification with the fire of Torments and then the Lake of Fire]?”
8. Hebrews 6:1-2, “Therefore, leaving behind the elementary teaching about Christ, let us advance to maturity, not laying again the foundation [of the basics such as]: a change of thinking about dead works [just as an unbeliever must have a change of mind about Christ to obtain salvation, so the believer must have a change of mind about legalism (dead works) in order to obtain the spiritual life], and of faith toward God [Faith-Rest Drill], (2) doctrine of baptisms [the Greek word baptismos; a reference to the seven types of baptism as found in Scripture] as well as the laying on of hands [ritual rebound in the age of Israel], and of resurrection from the dead, and of eternal judgment [the Great White Throne Judgment].
9. Matthew 3:1, “In those days John the Baptizer [the Greek word baptistes; when John baptized someone into the Jordan River, the converts were identified with the plan of God and his kingdom.] came proclaiming [as a herald] in the desert of Judea.”
There are two categories of identification in Scripture namely an actual identification or a real baptism and a representative identification or a ritual baptism which uses water.
The four real or actual identifications with something that has significance.
1. The Baptism of Moses: 1 Corinthians 10:1-2 presents the baptism of Moses, "For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea; (2) and all were baptized [the Greek word baptizo] into Moses in the cloud [the Lord] and in the sea." This was a real identification in which Moses was identified with the Lord and the open path through the Red Sea and the Jews were identified with Moses. By the way, none of the Jews got wet, only Egyptian unbelievers who were immersed in the water as a means of death.
2. The Baptism of the Cross is found in Matthew 20:22, “But Jesus answered [Salome by addressing her sons] and said, “You [plural: a reference to James and John] do not know what you [James and John] ask. Are you [James and John] able to drink of the cup [bear the punishment of all the sins of the world] that I am about to drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism [the sins of the world identified with Christ followed by the Father judging them] that I am baptized with [identified with]?” They [James and John] said to Him, “We are able. [the dumbest statement that James and John ever made]” [I selected the longer text as did Jerome.]
3. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit (Retroactive Positional Truth and Current Positional Truth) occurs at salvation for Church Age believers only.
Colossians 2:12. Having been buried [aorist participle] with Him [Jesus Christ] by means of the baptism [God the Holy Spirit identified us with the burial of Jesus Christ as part of our salvation] by means of which [Baptism] you have been raised up [main verb] with Him [in union with Jesus Christ seated at the right hand of the Father] through faith [at the point of salvation] in the operational power from the source of God who has raised Him [the humanity of Christ was given a resurrection body] out from the dead [physical death].
Romans 6:3-9:
Romans 6:3: Or do you not know that all of us who [a correlative] have been baptized into [identified with] Christ Jesus [Current Positional Sanctification: we are in union with Christ in his life in heaven], have been baptized into His death [Retroactive Positional Truth and so identified with his substitutionary spiritual death on the cross]?
Positionally, (in union with Christ) we share His righteousness, heirship, priesthood, destiny, election, eternal life, royalty, sonship etc. All these making us a new spiritual species in Christ Jesus. The plural correlative hosoi (ὅσοι) means that if we were identified with Christ in heaven and we were, then also we have been identified with Christ in his substitutionary spiritual death in which he removed the power of sin nature. Thus, the sin nature should not have power over our lives.
A few more points will be noted:
1. Note that the baptism of the Holy Spirit at salvation enters the believer into union with Christ at the right hand of God the Father which union is called current positional truth.
2. This verse also mentions identification with Christ in His spiritual death on the cross which identification theologians call retroactive positional truth. Retroactive positional truth also includes identification with Christ in His physical death and burial as well.
3. Identification with Christ in His death, then, has a two-fold connotation namely all personal sins were judged at the cross and since that is the case, God the Father is free to provide in grace, the Recovery Procedure. The second connotation is that good and evil were rejected by Jesus on the cross since good and evil are a part of Satan’s policy and plan. On the cross, Jesus relied on the proto-type spiritual life which operated under the two power options namely God’s power system.
4. So, the old sin nature’s ruling power over the Christian has been broken since all sins were judged on the cross and the Recovery Procedure has been provided. So, Retroactive Positional Truth has destroyed the sovereignty of the old sin nature over the life of the Christian.
5. Also, since Jesus rejected the good and evil policy of Satan so should the believer reject Satan’s policy of good and evil as the believer applies Retroactive Positional Truth.
Romans 6:4: Therefore, we have been buried together with Him through the identification [Baptism of the Spirit] into His death [physical], in order that just as Christ has been raised up from the dead [on Resurrection Sunday], through the glory of the Father [through the Father’s power], [So also we, the dead in Christ, will be raised from the dead by the power of the Father, and those alive at the Rapture, by the power of the Holy Spirit.] in this manner we also might walk in newness of life [Experiential sanctification should reflect our future ultimate sanctification.].
Christ had to die physically “and Jesus having shouted clearly with a loud voice said, Father, into your hands I deposit my [human] spirit, and having said this, he exhaled” (Luke 23:46). This last exhale caused His soul and spirit to depart from his mortal body resulting in physical death. Just as Christ had to die physically in order to obtain his resurrection body, so we must depart from our body of corruption, or mortality in order to receive our eternal body called our resurrection body.
The Newness of Life:
1. The newness of life provided through the baptism of the Spirit includes positional freedom from producing good and evil. Not only are we free from the tyranny of good and evil but we are also free from having to produce good and evil.
2. The believer has no obligation to improve the devil’s world through social action, socialism, welfare state, communism, environmentalism, or any social gospel, social action, getting involved, etc.
3. The human race is protected from Satan’s policy of good and evil through the laws of divine establishment which promote freedom instead of improvement at the cost of freedom.
4. In addition to the Laws of Divine Establishment the believer is insulated from good and evil positionally through the baptism of the Spirit.
5. Divorced from the Old Sin Nature positionally and its useless activity of human good and the function of evil, the life of the believer can be devoted to glorifying the Lord Jesus Christ through maximum knowledge and application of Bible doctrine.
Romans 6:5: For if we have become united with Him [Christ, the new husband] in the likeness of His death [the substitutionary spiritual death of Christ on the cross], and we have, and not only this, but also, we shall be [united in the likeness] of His resurrection [Current Positional Truth: in union with the resurrected Christ].
Romans 6:6: Be knowing this [through Retroactive Positional Truth], that our old man [our former husband, the sin nature dates back to the Garden] has been crucified together [with Him], in order that the [human] body, with reference to its sin nature, [the sin nature located in the body] might be rendered powerless [when we use Recovery Procedure and the two power options], that we should no longer be slaves to the sin nature.
“Our old man has been crucified with Him” meaning that the power of the sin nature has been broken on the cross. Since the power of the sin nature was broken by the work of the cross, we as believers have no excuse for not executing the spiritual life. We will not be able to say to Christ at our evaluation that our sin nature was too powerful for us to execute the spiritual life.
A few points for further clarification:
1. Retroactive positional truth is that phase of the baptism of the Holy Spirit at salvation which identifies the believer with Christ in His spiritual death, physical death and his burial.
2. In the substitutionary spiritual death of Christ on the cross all the personal sins in human history were imputed to Christ, but at the same time the other two trends of the old sin nature were not imputed for judgment.
3. Good and evil is the policy of Satan as the ruler of this world and the function of the old sin nature as the sovereign of human life. In fact, the sin nature functions as the agent of Satan.
4. Good and evil were not imputed for judgment on the cross. Hence, in the spiritual death of Christ on the cross they were rejected to remain an issue in the angelic conflict, rejected to be perpetuated in human history as an issue every believer must face, and either overcome through the intake of doctrine or be entrapped by ignorance of doctrine and therefore lose out in glorifying God in time.
5. We are identified with Christ in His spiritual death, which means that we must understand that our sins have been judged and that good and evil has been rejected.
6. It all adds up to the fact that the sovereignty of the old sin nature over human life has been made powerless through retroactive positional truth.
7. The imputation of all personal sins of the human race to Christ on the cross means that the believer through the rebound technique is instantly forgiven sins, cleansed from all wrong doing which includes Satanic good and evil, restored to fellowship and filled with the Spirit.
Romans 6:7: For we who have died [the Christian is identified with the substitutionary spiritual death of Christ: theologically called Retroactive Positional Truth] have been acquitted [positional deliverance] from [the power of] the sin nature.
A few points for further clarification:
1. A dead person is discharged from the obligations of his former sphere of life. This is why the word “death” is used in this context. It is not a literal, physical death we are discussing but identification with Christ in His death.
2. As unbelievers we were under the authority of Satan as the ruler of this world, and under the authority of the old sin nature as the sovereign of human life.
3. Both the power of Satan and the old sin nature have been abrogated through the baptism of the Holy Spirit at salvation.
4. This passage, then, emphasizes the annulling of the power and the authority of the old sin nature as the sovereign of human life.
5. Positionally, the power of the sin nature has been broken. Experientially, the old sin nature controls to the extent that we fail to understand and utilize the provision and support of logistical grace.
Romans 6:8: Now if we have died with Christ, and we have [retroactive positional truth], we also believe that we shall live in association with Him [the instrumental of association; a reference to Current Positional Truth].
In this verse, the 1st Class conditional sentence shows the relationship between Retroactive Positional Truth with Current Positional Truth. The protasis, the ‘if’ clause states the reality of Retroactive Positional Truth and the apodosis, the concluding clause states the doctrinal inference and the reality of Current Positional Truth. While Retroactive Positional Truth presents positional rejection and separation from good and evil as the policy of Satan and the function of the old sin nature, Current Positional Truth relates the believer to the function of the royal family of God. In other words, they have separate functions.
Romans 6:9: Knowing that because Christ has been raised from the dead [He received a resurrection body], no longer can He die; [physical] death is no longer a master over Him.
Analysis:
1. Retroactive positional truth destroys the sovereign authority of the old sin nature over human life. Current positional truth, on the other hand, destroys the limited authority of physical death in human life.
2. Instead of being ruled by the old sin nature located in the cells of the human body and influencing our souls toward sin, good and evil, we now have a new sovereign, the Lord Jesus Christ. We are identified with Him in His deaths, in His burial, resurrection, ascension and session.
3. Before salvation and the baptism of the Holy Spirit our lives were under the absolute rule of Satan who is the ruler of this world and under the rule of the old sin nature which is the ruler of life, and under the limited rule of physical death. All of that, of course, has been changed since salvation.
4. Now both retroactive and current positional truth have abrogated the authority and power of these former rulers. The power of Satan over our lives has been broken through identification with the rejection of good and evil namely Satan’s policy and plan and through our position in union with Christ. The power of the old sin nature is broken through retroactive positional truth and the power of physical death is broken through current positional truth.
5. Therefore, having studied these things by principle and by implication we are now ready for application, verses 12 & 13 specifically.
6. Having been positionally liberated from the sovereignty of the old sin nature as an absolute ruler, and the authority of physical death, we must recognise and apply doctrine for the experiential victory commanded in verses 11-13.
Galatians 3:25-28, “But now that faith has come, we are no longer under the authority of [have need of] a school bus. (26) For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. (27) For all of you who were baptized into Christ [identified with Christ through union with Him] have clothed yourselves with Christ. (28) There is neither Jew nor Greek [no racial distinction], there is neither slave nor free man [no social or economic distinction], there is neither male nor female [no gender distinction]; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. [All Christians have the same privileges and opportunities to execute the spiritual life.]”
Current Positional Truth, Elaborated:
In the Church Age, Current Positional Truth establishes our relationship with Christ as opposed to religion. It refers to the Church Age believer in union with Christ and is the key to understanding the Church Age and how the royal family came into being. Therefore, it is the basis for distinguishing between Christianity and religion. Christianity is a relationship with God without merit whereas religion is a system of works to gain the approbation of God. Never shall the twain meet!
The mechanics of Current Positional Truth is the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, whereby the Spirit enters us into union with Christ. 1 Corinthians 12:13, “For also by agency of the one Spirit we are all baptized [identification resulting in becoming a new spiritual species] into one body [in union with Christ], whether Jews or Greeks [racial distinctions are removed], whether slave or free [class and economic distinctions are removed], even all were made to drink [the aorist passive, the voice of grace] the one Spirit [The Holy Spirit did not ask us whether we wanted to be put into union with Christ or not.].” Ephesians 4:5, “One Lord [becomes our Lord positionally at Salvation]), one faith [faith alone in Christ alone; Acts 16:31], one baptism [Baptism of the Holy Spirit takes place at salvation].”
Current Positional truth guarantees that there will be no judgment for believers in eternity, Romans 8:1, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Thus, the condemnation which occurred at the first birth was removed at the 2nd birth. As a result of being born with the sin nature and the imputation of Adam’s Original Sin, we were condemned to the Lake of Fire for all eternity, but now that has been removed. Romans 5:12, “For this reason just as through one man [Adam] the sin [nature] entered into the world [procreation], and so spiritual death through the sin [the imputation of Adam’s Original Sin to the sin nature], and so spiritual death spread to all mankind, because all sinned when Adam sinned [since we were all genetically in Adam when he sinned, we will receive Adam’s Original Sin].” However, at our spiritual birth, the 2nd birth, our pre-salvation sins were all forgiven including Adam’s Original Sin. After which, the Spirit entered us into union with Christ where there is now no condemnation (Romans 8:1).
Current Positional truth qualifies the believer to live with God forever. To live with God forever, the believer must have eternal life and God’s perfect righteousness, 1 John 5:11-12, “And this is the deposition [testimony] that the God [the Father] has given to us, eternal life, and this life is in his son [Since we are in union with Christ, we share this life.]. (12) and he who has the son [a relationship with the Son] has the life [eternal life] and the one who does not have the son of God [relationship with the Son] does not have the life [eternal life].” 2 Corinthians 5:21, “And He [the Father] made Him who knew no sin [perfection] to be a sin offering [imputation of sins on the cross] as a substitute for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him [current positional truth].” To live with God forever means you must have His life, and you must be as righteous as He is.
Positional truth guarantees the believer’s eternal security, Romans 8:38-39, “For I am persuaded that neither death [nothing in death] nor life [nothing in life] nor angels nor principalities [ruling angels] nor powers [human organizations] nor things present nor things to come (39) nor height [nothing in heaven] nor depth [nothing in Hades] nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Eternal life in Christ is for all eternity!
Positional truth belongs to all categories of believers whether they be apostate, mature, immature, spiritually adult, or carnal. Since Current Positional Truth occurs at the point of salvation before experience in the Christian life begins, it doesn’t depend on that experience. 1 Corinthians 1:2, “to the church of God which is in Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus [at salvation], called saints together with all who call upon the person of Our Lord Jesus Christ, their [Lord] and ours.” So, even though you may be carnal or in reversionism, you still have positional truth. Being in union with Christ has nothing to do with what you do [experiential righteousness], or don’t do [failure to execute God’s plan]. Current Positional sanctification is completely the work of God the Holy Spirit and so is not based upon our volition, but on the sovereign decision of God. We make the decision to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, but we don’t make the decision to enter into union with Christ “all were made to drink the one Spirit” as per 1 Corinthians 12:13. God the Holy Spirit graciously did that for us and so it cannot be undone.
Current Positional truth creates a new spiritual species in Christ as per 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ and he is, he is a new spiritual species. The old things have lost their power; behold, new things have come to pass.” You become a new spiritual species at salvation by being put into union with Christ. It is what God does for you, and therefore it is grace. It is not what you do after salvation, such as the self-righteous works of legalism. The “old things” have to do with spiritual death and those things related to that death; the “new things” refer to things you receive at salvation such as the 40 assets and the unique spiritual life.
Positional truth should motivate the production of divine good and a pattern of life compatible with royalty as per Ephesians 2:10, “For we are his creation, having been created in Christ Jesus [a new spiritual species with many assets] for the purpose of divine good production [via experiential sanctification] which the God [the Father] has prepared in advance [in eternity past, God the Father provided election and predestination as part of our Portfolio of Invisible Assets], that we in the sphere of them [election and predestination] may pattern our lives.”
Even though a Christian may die the Sin on to Death, he will not lose his position in union with Christ (1 John 5:18-20), and so cannot lose his salvation. In order for a believer to lose his position in Christ, he would have to sin in that status, but since the believer cannot sin in union with Christ, he cannot lose his position in Christ and so cannot lose his salvation. Thus, it is comforting and reassuring to a believer to know that even though a loved one may have died the ‘sin on to death’, he has not lost his salvation.
Because we are in union with Christ, we share His:
1. Eternal life, 1 John 5:11, “And this is the deposition [testimony] that the God [the Father] has given to us, eternal life [At salvation, God the Father imputes this life to the human spirit], and this life is in his son [The Christian also shares the life of Christ through union with Him]. (12) and he who has the son [a relationship with the Son] has the life [eternal life] and the one who does not have the son of God [relationship with the Son] does not have the life [eternal life].”
John 14:6, “Jesus said to him [Thomas], ‘I am the way, the truth and the life [eternal life]; no person [in human history] comes face to face with the Father [having an eternal relationship with the Father] except through Me.’”
2. Perfect righteousness, 2 Corinthians 5:21, “And he (God the Father) made him [Jesus] who knew no sin (perfection) to be a sin offering as a substitute for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in him [positional truth]. Sharing the righteousness of Christ, we become the objects of God the Father’s love as per Romans 8:39.
3. Election, Ephesians 1:4, “just as He [the Father] has elected us for Himself in Him [Jesus Christ] before the creation of the world [in eternity past], that we may be set apart [experiential sanctification] and blameless [ultimate sanctification] in the presence of Him [Father].”
4. Destiny, Ephesians 1:5, “By means of love, He has predestined us for the purpose of adoption as adult sons to Himself through Christ Jesus our Lord according to the grace purpose of His will.”
5. Sonship, Galatians 3:26, “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.”
6. Heirship, Romans 8:16-17, “The Spirit Himself testifies together [bears witness] with our [human] spirit, that we are the children of God. (17) Now, if we are children and we are, also heirs, on the one hand heirs of God [the Father], and joint heirs with Christ. If indeed [if it is true that], we suffer with Him [pass all three stages of undeserved suffering], that also we might be glorified with Christ.”
7. Sanctification, 1 Corinthians 1:2, “to the church of God which is in Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called saints together with all who call upon the person of Our Lord Jesus Christ, their [Lord] and ours.”
8. Priesthood, Hebrews 7:12-19, “For when the priesthood is changed, of necessity there takes place a change in the Law also. (13) For the One [the Lord Jesus Christ] concerning whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe [the tribe of Judah] from which no one has officiated at the altar. (14) For it is evident that our Lord has descended from Judah, a tribe with reference to which Moses spoke nothing concerning priests, (15) and this is clearer still, if another priest arises similar to Melchizedek, and there has, (16) who has become a priest not on the basis of physical requirement [a reference to the Levitical Priesthood] but on the basis of indestructible life [the Lord’s priesthood is forever]. (17) For this reason, it is witnessed, ‘You are a priest forever similar to the order of Melchizedek.’” [We are in union with Christ. Therefore, we are royalty and priests forever. We represent ourselves before God as royal priests.] (18) For, on the one hand, there is a rescinding of the former commandment [the Mosaic Law that authorized the Levitical priesthood] because of its weakness and uselessness (19) (for the Law brought nothing to completion), but on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope [the second door of hope for the Church Age believer—a personal sense of destiny—by which we enter the adult spiritual life] through which we draw near to God.”
Hebrews 7:26-28, “For it is fitting that we should have such a high priest, impeccable integrity, the One who cannot do evil, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens; (27) Who does not need daily, like those Levitical priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for their own sins, and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He [Jesus] offered up Himself. (28) For the Law appoints men as high priests who are weak, but the word of His [God the Father’s] oath, which came after the Law, appoints a Son, who has become perfect forever [Jesus Christ is a perfect high priest].”
9. Royalty, 1 Peter 2:9, “ But you and only you are an elect [elect by God the Father] race [as a new spiritual species], a royal priesthood [since Jesus is a king-priest], a holy nation [God’s entity: a nation of priests: every Christian is a priest], a people for God’s own possession [a protected people], so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him [Christ] who has called [in eternity past] you out of darkness [spiritual death and the Cosmic Systems] into His amazing light [his plan];”
10. New Spiritual Species, 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ and he is, he is a new spiritual species. The old things have lost their power [Old Covenant]; behold, new things have come to pass [This would include the New Covenant to the Church.].”
Current Positional Truth changes our relationship with Angels.
1. Through current positional truth the believer is higher than angels positionally.
2. Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father, and so superior to all angels. By virtue of being in union with Christ, every believer is now positionally superior to angels.
3. Positional truth has fulfilled the believer’s triumph with Christ in the angelic conflict. We are victorious with Him already.
4. Furthermore, positional truth demands compatibility with experiential righteousness. Therefore, the believer’s walk on this earth must be compatible with positional truth since we have perfect security in Christ, we have the freedom to choose for Jesus Christ, to love Jesus Christ, to respond to His love, and to fulfill our purpose on this earth.
What positional truth is not?
1. It is not an experience, emotions or ecstasies.
2. It is not progressive; it cannot be improved in time or eternity.
3. It is not related to human merit or ability.
4. It cannot be changed by God, man or angels. It is eternal in nature.
5. It is not obtained gradually as you grow in grace, but in toto at salvation.
6. It is not known apart from the metabolization of doctrine.
7. From understanding the doctrine of positional truth, we progress in our spiritual life, but we cannot improve it since it is perfect at salvation.
8. We are not in Christ because of what we do (execution of the spiritual life) or fail to do (fail to execute the spiritual life), but because of what God has done.
A few points of explanation:
1. The conclusion from positional truth, whether retroactive or current, is that the Christian must apply these doctrines to his spiritual life.
2. In Romans 7:1-4 where we have an illustration of a woman whose first husband has died freeing her to marry another. This is what actually happens to us as believers at salvation. The old sin nature is the husband up to the point of salvation, but at the moment we believe in Jesus Christ positionally the sin nature is dead, as it were, the first husband has died and we have a new husband through union with Christ. Retroactive Positional Truth removes our first husband, the sin nature whereas Current Positional Truth enters us into union with Christ, our new husband.
3. The old sin nature-husband is still around, still seeking to regain his control over his former wife, the believer. But union with the second husband, the Lord Jesus Christ, has broken the first husband’s authority over the former wife.
4. The Baptism of Fire:
Matthew 3:11, “On the one hand I [John the Baptizer] baptize you [believers] by means of water because of a change of thinking [about Christ], but the one coming after me is mightier than I whose sandals I am not worthy to lace [loosen, remove]. He himself will baptize by means of the Holy Spirit [a reference to the Baptism of the Holy Spirit in the Church Age] and by means of fire [a reference to the Baptism of Fire at the 2nd Advent].”
Baptism of Fire: The baptism of fire (identification with fire) is defined as the judgment of unbelievers both Jew and gentile at the Second Advent. They will be removed from the earth and placed in fire for 1000 years until the Last Judgment, Luke 3:16-17; Mathew 25:31, 33. The analogy to the Baptism of Fire is found in Matthew 24:36-41. The one left in the field is the mature believer; the one taken is the unbeliever.
Parables of the Baptism of Fire:
1. The wheat and the tares (the unbelievers), Matthew 13:24-30, 36-40.
2. The good and bad fish (unbelievers), Matthew 13:47-50.
3. The ten virgins: five wise, five foolish (the unbelievers), Matthew 25:1-13.
4. The sheep and the goats (the unbelievers), Mathew 25:31-46.
5. The talent test, Matthew 25:14-30. The one talent man represents the unbeliever.
If Jesus Christ had not been rejected by the Jewish people, then the age of Israel would have continued until its completion (the Tribulation completes the age of Israel). (However, they did reject Jesus Christ as Savior and Messiah and so the client nation was destroyed, and the Church age was intercalated that is inserted before the age of Israel was complete.) After the completion of the age of Israel at the end of the Tribulation, comes the wrath of God namely the Baptism of Fire when the Lord removes both Jewish and gentile unbelievers from the earth and identifies them with fire forever. After which, the Millennial reign begins.
The Three Ritual Baptisms. None are extant at the present time. They are representative identifications in which water is used as a training aid to represent some principle of doctrine.
1. The Baptism of John is found in Matthew 3:2-6, “Saying, ‘Change your thinking [regarding Christ] for the kingdom of heaven is near.’ [The future king was already on the earth] (3) For this is what was communicated through Isaiah, the prophet saying, ‘The voice of one [John the Baptizer] proclaiming loudly in the desert [of Judea]. Prepare [the aorist tense is a one time-decision] the way of the Lord [an idiomatic expression for salvation]. Keep on making upright [the use of the Recovery Procedure followed by the development of experiential righteousness] His paths!’ (Isaiah 40:3) (4) Now, John himself kept on having a garment of camel’s hair [very uncomfortable] and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. (5) Then [after John went where God wanted him to be] Jerusalem kept on going out to him [face to face] and all Judea and all the districts around the Jordan. (6) and they were being baptized [identified with the kingdom] by him [under John’s authority] in the Jordan River [where Israel crossed when they entered the land], and they kept on confessing their sins [post-salvation confession of sins].”
MAX KLEIN BIBLE MINISTRIES
The Book of Revelation: Chapter Six
A verse-by-verse commentary by Max Klein
Let us bow our heads; If we need to use the Recovery Procedure as found in 1 John 1:9, let us do so at this time that we might be in fellowship. (pause) Father, we thank you for the privilege and opportunity to study your word and for the freedom that you have provided for us here in Corpus Christi, Texas, U.S.A.; furthermore, we express our appreciation to God the Holy Spirit who will enlighten us regarding the message this morning. We as priests pray this through the person of our Lord Christ Jesus, our High Priest, Amen.
A reminder before we continue in our study of Revelation 6.
1 Thessalonians 5:16, “Always be happy [inner happiness].”
This is not simply some sort of an ecstatic stimulation. In the Bible it is a word which means to have inner happiness through one’s relationship with the Lord. One’s happiness as a Christian does not depend upon relationships in life, pleasant circumstances, or surroundings, or because of some success. When God the Holy Spirit controls the life of the adult believer, he can have perfect inner happiness, a perfect stability, moment by moment.
If the Christian is not able to apply the following verse, he cannot share in God’s happiness. Romans 8:28, “We know, in fact, that to those who love the God [the Father], he causes all things to work together for good [intrinsic good] to those who are called according to a predetermined plan (divine decree).
In the divine decree (according to a predetermined plan) God caused all things to work together for good for the mature believer. God has a system for causing all things to work together for good namely through the application of the Problem-Solving Devices. God the Father solved every problem in human history in eternity past. However, if the believer cannot use or does not use the Problem-Solving Devices, he is not able to benefit from these solutions which God the Father has provided.
Historical background information regarding Revelation 6:
Israel’s first 5th Cycle of Discipline administered by the Chaldeans took place from 586 B.C. to 516 B.C. After Cyrus the Great had defeated the Chaldeans in 539 B.C., he decreed that the Jews may return to their land. Some did under the rule of Zerubbabel, a prince of Judah. In 516 B.C. the temple was completed under the ministry of Haggai the priest and Zechariah the prophet. Then in April of 445 B.C., the king of Persia issued a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem. This is the story of the book of Nehemiah and especially Nehemiah chapter two. Daniel then in chapter 9, gives us the remainder of the time clock for Israel from 445 B.C. until the 2nd Advent of Christ.
Daniel 9:24-27, "Seventy times seven [490 lunar years] are decreed [literally cut out of time: not a sequential 490 lunar years, but 483 lunar years up to the Church Age and then, the 7 lunar years of the Tribulation] for your people [Israel] and your holy city [after the decree to restore Jerusalem in 445 BC by Artaxerxes, the 490 years promised commences], to finish the transgression [Israel’s 5 Cycle of disciplines which began in August of 70 A.D. will end at the 2nd Advent], and to make an end of sin [reference to the Baptism of Fire which eliminates Jewish unbelievers], and to make reconciliation for iniquity [the regathering of Israel at the second advent and their restoration as a client nation to God in the Millennium], and to bring in everlasting righteousness [resurrection of all Old Testament saints], and to seal up the vision and prophecy [the 2nd Advent will terminate the Jewish Age], and to anoint the most holy place [Jesus Christ dedicates the Millennial Temple]."
Daniel 9:25, "Know [from study] therefore and discern, that from the issuing of the decree [by Artaxerxes in 445 BC] to restore and rebuild Jerusalem unto the anointed one [Messiah], the prince [Jesus Christ on the cross: verified in the next verse], shall be seven weeks [49 lunar years for the construction of Jerusalem], and [sequential] threescore and two weeks [62 weeks times 7=434 lunar years which takes us to 30 A.D.]: it shall be built again, with street and moat, even in troublous times [the opposition of Sanballat and Tobiah; it took them 49 lunar years to rebuilt Jerusalem and the walls; 49+434=483 and since Israel was promised another 490 lunar years (490-483=7) that leaves 7 remaining years for the Tribulation]."
Daniel 9:26, "Then, after the threescore and two weeks [sixty-two weeks namely 434 lunar years after the restoration of Jerusalem] shall the anointed one [the Messiah] be cut off [the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ on the cross; the age of Israel is interrupted and the Church Age begins], and not for himself [but for our sins] and the people [SPQR: Romans] of the prince who shall come [dictator of the revived Roman Empire] shall destroy the city and the sanctuary [August of 70 AD]; and the end thereof shall be with a flood [The Roman army swiftly overran the city; Jerusalem and the temple were completely destroyed in A.D. 70], furthermore even unto the end [the Jewish Age will come to an end at the 2nd Advent of Christ] wars and desolations are decreed [during the Church Age]."
Daniel 9:27, "And he [the prince that shall come, the dictator of the Revived Roman Empire] shall make a firm covenant [a peace treaty] with the many [the Jewish people] for one week [for the seven years of the tribulation]: and in the midst of the week [in the middle of the tribulation] he [the dictator of the Revived Roman Empire] shall cause the sacrifice and the food offerings [oblation] to cease [in the false temple of the tribulation] and upon the wing [according to the treaty, the dictator will provide military protection ] of abomination [the Jewish dictator agrees to place the statue of the dictator of the Revived Roman Empire in the Holy of Holies] there comes one [the dictator of the Revived Roman Empire] who causes desolation [by his evil policies] even unto the end [of the age of Israel]. Then, what is decreed [determined by prophecy] will be poured out upon the desolator [this dictator of the Revived Roman Empire is thrown into the Lake of Fire at the 2nd Advent: Revelation 19:20].”
Outline of Revelation 6:
1-13: General historical trends of the Tribulation
14-16: Nuclear activity of the Tribulation
17. The anticipation of the Baptism of Fire
We will never see in the Church Age, the unrestrained disaster which is coming to planet earth after the Rapture of the Church. There will be a lot of misdirected use of energy and ability.
The Concept of Energy and Ability:
1. Energy without ability is misdirected arrogance. Energy without ability produces mental attitude arrogance or inordinate ambition. When people have energy without ability, they become trouble makers.
2. Energy without ability results in self-righteous arrogance which manifest itself in crusader arrogance. A crusader is a self-righteous person who tries to interfere into someone else’s business, intrudes into the privacy of another and tries to control the life of another. He easily enters into the sins of gossip, and maligning.
3. Energy without ability produces conspiracy arrogance, sexual arrogance, iconoclastic arrogance, morality arrogance, and the arrogance of Christian service. People who have energy but no ability to serve the Lord are always using their energy in pseudo systems of Christian production.
4. Ability without energy is lack of motivation and lack of self-discipline. In other words, the arrogance of laziness.
5. The controlled energy of hard work produces ability, and the ability channels hard work into fields of productive success. Ability is not inherent, it is acquired through hard work, through dedication, through plugging.
6. Energy plus ability produces a true purpose in life.
7. Energy is basically created in the body, but ability is created in the motivation of the soul, not by the intelligence of the soul.
8. Motivation in the soul produces the decisions to take in doctrine consistently regardless of circumstances, regardless of discouragement.
9. Both energy and ability are harnessed through perception and application of Bible doctrine.
10. Therefore, both energy and ability must be related to doctrine and wisdom, otherwise a pseudo drive is created. All pseudo drives terminate in the cosmic system.
Our Lord’s wisdom and ability during His first advent was derived from His residence and function in the Prototype Divine Power System, and it resulted in the greatest of all victories in human history, the strategic victory of the cross. Our Lord’s wisdom coupled with His energy and ability at the second advent sets in motion the greatest reign in all of human history, the tactical victory of the second advent. In the meantime, our Lord has provided the Operational Divine Power System for the royal family so that believers in the Church Age can face and overcome every disaster in life. We have the means of meeting any disaster, any tragedy in life.
Our Lord has seen fit through the vehicle of eschatology to give to us an account of the greatest period of historical disaster. In the Tribulation, the trend will be increasingly more and more evil until the Lord brings it to an end. This evil we can see clearly since we are given many prophecies which punctuate this great period of evil.
We are now moving away from the concept of historical trends in this dispensation to the concept of historical trends based on prophecy. Historical trends of the Tribulation are determined by prophecy. The Tribulation revealed in Revelation chapters six through eighteen.
Historical Trends and Prophecy:
1. Historical trends in the Tribulation are highlighted by prophecy. The Church Age is the dispensation of no prophecy. Hence, in the Church Age, one must observe trends in order to determine the direction in which the Client Nation and world is moving.
2. In other words, during the Church Age historical trends are determined by the decisions, the scale of values, the volition of the royal family of God [Church Age believers] and to some extent the unbeliever’s attitude toward the Laws of Divine Establishment.
3. In the Church Age, as goes the believer so goes the historical trends for the most part. The dispensation of the Church is the only historical era in which the Two Power Options are provided for the believers as the means of executing God’s plan.
4. Positive decisions of the Church Age believer to live in the divine power system produce a historical uptrend.
5. Negative volition and decisions to live in the Cosmic System produce a historical downtrend.
6. Decisions determine the type of environment one will have; environment does not determine the type of decisions one should make.
7. In all other dispensations or historical eras, human decisions and actions were fed into the computer of divine decree so that historical trends were programmed and revealed through prophecy.
Historical Uptrend or Downtrend:
While this is the devil’s world, Jesus Christ controls history, however, in compatibility with human freedom. He does not contradict or coerce human volition. The sovereignty of God and the freewill of man are related, not contradictory. He controls history through positive volition toward truth choosing the divine plan instead of Satan’s cosmic administration.
Therefore, there are no tragedies in histories. The reason why there are no tragedies in history is because people individually and collectively are the products of their own decisions. Historical disaster results from wrong decisions which destroy future options.
Too often people individually and collectively make wrong decisions by trading their freedom for what appears to be security, or what appears to be pleasure. The exchange of freedom for security results in cosmic involvement and historical downtrend as noted by the rise of socialism, liberalism, the welfare state, redistribution of wealth, and other Satanic philosophies which offer security instead of freedom.
Therefore, there are no tragedies in history, only in drama. Historical disaster is related to certain cosmic trends such as “the demand for power exceeds the need for power.” Arrogance, the motivating evil of the cosmic system demands power and authority not authorized by the Laws of Divine Establishment. Therefore, disaster occurs when arrogant people and nations fail to see their own inconsistencies, only the inconsistencies of others. Disaster occurs when bad decisions create bad environment known as degeneration. Disaster occurs when jealous people or envious nations fail to see their own sins and evil production, only the sins and evil production of others. Emphasis on peace and security at any price or at the price of freedom brings disaster.
Revelation 6:1
Next, I watched when the Lamb [the title of Jesus Christ in His 1st Advent providing salvation and defeating Satan strategically on the cross] broke open the first of the seven seals [Based on His victory in the angelic conflict our Lord is worthy and qualified to open the seals which portray the historical trends of the Tribulation.]; then I heard the first of the four angelic heralds speaking as with a voice of thunder [of power with great authority], "Come."
Καὶ εἶδον ὅτε ἤνοιξεν τὸ ἀρνίον µίαν ἐκ τῶν ἑπτὰ σφραγίδων, καὶ ἤκουσα ἑνὸς ἐκ τῶν τεσσάρων ζῴων λέγοντος ὡς φωνῇ βροντῆς, Ἔρχου.
In the first six seals, we are going to see things that happen throughout the Tribulation. In the seventh seal we are going to see things that happen at a specific time in the Tribulation. We are going to learn a great deal about what is happening now by what is going to happen in the future. People talk about learning from the past; we are going to learn from the future.
This chapter will make it quite clear that inequality in life is not an important issue; what is important is happiness in life. Happiness in life for the unbeliever is related to the Laws of Establishment and happiness for the believer is related to his spiritual growth.
The first thing that we note is that society always exists in a state of inequality. There never has been and there never will be a time in history when equality can be or will be achieved. There are two reasons for this fact. First of all, the devil is the ruler of this world and gives preferential treatment to his own cosmic slaves. Secondly, the sovereignty of God has made free will or volition the issue in the angelic conflict, and the more that free will is allowed to function, the more the inequality. Freedom guarantees inequality. Hence, there are two sources of inequality: the evil of Satan’s system and the freedom issue in the divine policy of the Laws of Divine Establishment and the spiritual life. A third concept can be added: there is inequality at birth combined with the concept of equality of opportunity to fail or succeed. We are born unequal but we are also born with opportunity. The very fact that God gives us life after birth means that we do have opportunity, opportunity of course to fail or succeed in life. However, inequality continues to exist whether you fail or succeed since we do not succeed or fail even to the same degree. Inequality in itself is not a bad thing, only the arrogance which resents that inequality or the self-pity which fails to adjust to that inequality.
Note further that from the seven categories of humanity which we will find at the end of this chapter, that inequality exists in both time of prosperity and time of adversity. The Tribulation is a time of terrible adversity for most but a time of great prosperity for some. In any case, inequality is not an issue. Revelation six not only proves that there will always be inequality, but that inequality is not the real issue; the real issue is happiness and security. Revelation 6:15-16, “Both the kings [rulers of nations] of the earth and the nobility [maximum political influence and power], and the highest military ranks [generals, admirals etc.], and the rich, also those who have ability plus every slave [today labor] and free person [the two make-up the working force of the Tribulation, the 6th category] hid [none of these categories of unbelievers had any security and happiness] themselves in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. [All these will be refugees.] (16) And they [these 6 categories of unbelievers in society] said to the mountains and to the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us [praying to mountains and rocks] from the presence of Him [urgent demand for oblivion] who sits on the throne [the Father] and from the wrath of the Lamb [Jesus Christ]. [They have academic understanding of the gospel and the plan of God the Father; they are acutely aware of God the Father and the Lord in disaster.]”
There is a good and a bad state of inequality. Good inequality exists in the environment of freedom; bad inequality exists in the environment of no freedom. So, whether historical prosperity or historical adversity, freedom or tyranny, inequality is inescapable and an unsolvable fact of history. Those who want to solve the problem of inequality, generally the liberals and the arrogant crusaders, always create new inequalities, as illustrated by the French revolution.
The real solution to inequality is not equality but happiness and the pursuit of happiness, happiness in all states of inequality. Happiness can and does exist in every category of society: some poor people are happy; some rich people are happy. Some failures in life are happy and some people who are successful are happy. Happiness exists among those who are unequal. We all have the same shot at happiness. Happiness or unhappiness depends on the unbeliever’s attitude toward the Laws of Divine Establishment and the believer’s attitude toward Bible doctrine.
The topic below on happiness is taken from Thieme’s Bible Doctrine Dictionary pages 121, 122.
“Happiness (a) Generally regarded among humanity as a state of emotional stimulation, excitement, or anticipation related to favorable circumstances; (b) as designed by God, a mental attitude of contentment based on divine truth in the soul. Three specific categories of happiness are available to man: (1) Neutral happiness (neutral H). The inner satisfaction and stability of any person, believer or unbeliever, who functions with genuine humility under the laws of divine establishment (Ps. 144:15a; Eccl. 9:9). The person with neutral happiness has developed human honor and integrity, characterized by establishment-oriented virtues including self-discipline, personal responsibility, courage, respect for authority, and patriotism. Also called establishment happiness, neutral H is genuine but limited—its continuation depends upon the virtue of the individual and the presence of establishment principles within his environment. See also divine establishment. (2) Pseudo-happiness (minus H). Emotional stimulation and gratification derived from details of life such as success, approbation, wealth, possessions, recreation, status symbols, pleasant environment, and relationships. Lacking a foundation in virtue and truth, pseudo-happiness is volatile, transient, and frustrating. This superficial happiness is incapable of sustaining anyone through the challenges of life. In fact, it vanishes in adversity. Though pseudo-happiness is pursued by both unbeliever and believer, it is particularly damaging to the reversionistic believer who has neglected Bible doctrine (2 Tim. 3:4b). To fill the void in his soul, he embarks on a frantic search for happiness in the details of life. But seeking happiness apart from God and His plan is a vicious cycle that always arrives back at the same place—boredom, restlessness, confusion, and futility (Prov. 14:14; Eccl. 1:5–9; 2:9–11). Contentment eludes him, and the misery that prompted the frantic search only intensifies. See also reversionism. (3) Sharing the happiness of God (plus H). The enduring state of inner peace, confidence, and contentment that results from knowing God and being inculcated with His thinking. Since this happiness is unrelated to any detail or circumstance of life, the believer with plus H knows “how to get along with humble means” and also “how-to-live in prosperity” (Phil. 4:11–12). Described in 1 Peter 1:8 (NIV) as an “inexpressible and glorious joy,” plus H is enjoyed to the maximum by the believer who reaches spiritual maturity.”
Revelation 6:2
Then, I looked, and behold, a white horse [of the first seal representing victory, conquest and dictatorship], and the one mounted on it [the rider is the dictator of the Revived Roman Empire] had a battle bow [most likely used as a weapon of terrorism and gorilla-warfare since the sword, spear and chariot are not mentioned]; and a crown was given to him [because the society was weak]; in fact, as a conqueror, he appeared [on the scene of history] so that he might conquer.
καὶ εἶδον, καὶ ἰδοὺ ἵππος λευκός [nominative of exclamation], καὶ ὁ καθήµενος ἐπí αὐτὸν ἔχων τόξον, καὶ ἐδόθη αὐτῷ στέφανος, καὶ ἐξῆλθεν νικῶν καὶ ἵνα νικήσῃ.
The Bible must be interpreted in the time in which it was written. To the Romans a white horse depicted victory, conquest and maximum authority. The horse of Roman generals in a triumphal procession was as white as they could get it, a good grey, in other words. The rulers of the Persian empire rode white horses at all times as a badge of rank to be seen from a distance. The white horse in the Bible is a symbol of several things: victory, leadership, rulership, but in our context, it refers to dictatorship in the Tribulation as a historical trend.
The Rider of this White Horse:
1. The rider is identified as the great dictator among dictators of the Tribulation. He is the dictator of the revived Roman empire and is given five different names in the Bible, all of which are related to eschatological passages. He is called the beast out of the sea in Revelation 13:1-10, the little horn in Daniel 7, the prince that shall come in Daniel 9:25, the scarlet, colored beast of Revelation 17:3ff, the wicked one (literally, the evil one) in 2 Thessalonians 2:7ff and is the subject of a number of scriptures.
2. The Tribulation will be characterized by dictators, more dictators than at any time in history. Dictators usually come to power during economic hardship, and in order to stay in power, they usually take the country to war. Dictators must have something to occupy the minds of the people because they are not on a solid economic footing.
3. The decline of society throughout the world in the Tribulation, the removal of the pivot of mature believers at the Rapture; the disappearance of client nations; the removal of God the Holy Spirit as the restrainer if evil; the inevitable result is the rise of dictatorships. All power spheres of the Tribulation will be under some form of dictatorship which is destructive to human freedom. All of these dictators of the Tribulation are the direct result of many evil decisions on the part of many evil people.
4. While the rider of the white horse specifically represents the dictator of the revived Roman empire, he also personifies all dictators of the Tribulation and, by application, all dictators of history.
5. One of the trends of the Tribulation is universal loss of freedom because of dictatorships. Dictators substitute their own arrogant volitions for the function of millions of free wills.
6. In this passage we are not only looking at one dictator but we are looking at dictators in general inspired by Satan, influenced by the cosmic system, entering into a vacuum created by social degeneracy.
7. Occasionally in history there is dictator of great genius and humility who comes along and does something inspiring that last for a hundred years or so. For example, Julius Caesar, but in this passage, we are dealing with the arrogance of the typical dictator. Arrogance seeks to dominate its environment whether it is a self-righteous, arrogant Christian in a local church or an arrogant self-righteous dictator in the Tribulation.
Dictator of the Revived Roman Empire: Passages
There have been many dictators in history but the Roman dictator we now face is going to be the last, the greatest, and extremely evil. Daniel 7:7b-8, “and [the transition from the Roman Empire to the Revived Roman Empire] it had ten horns [the ten-nation confederation in the first part of the Tribulation]. (8). While I was contemplating the horns [the ten nation- confederation], behold, another horn, a little one [the dictator of the Revived Roman Empire], came up among them, and three of the first horns were pulled out by the roots before it [This dictator decisively defeated three of the nations.]; and behold, this horn possessed eyes like the eyes of a man [great perceptive ability; undoubtedly a genius] and a mouth speaking eloquently [Satan promotes and uses an intelligent person for this very important role].”
2 Thessalonians 2:6-11, “And so now you know the one who restrains [the Holy Spirit restrains evil in the Church Age] so that he [the dictator of the Revived Roman Empire] may be revealed in his own dispensation [in the Tribulation and not before]. (7) For the Mystery of Lawlessness [already people have made deals with Satan] is already operational only he [the Holy Spirit] who now restrains [will continue that ministry] until he [the Holy Spirit] is taken out of the way [at the Rapture]. (8) And then [after the Rapture] the lawless one [dictator of the revived Roman Empire] will be revealed, whom the Lord shall destroy with the breath of His mouth [the least power of God] in fact he [the Lord Jesus Christ] shall neutralize him by the very appearance of His coming [2nd Advent], (9) [The dictator of the Revived Roman Empire] whose presence [in history] shall be according to the modus operandi of Satan with all power and by means of supernatural signs [extra natural phenomena in the spiritual realm like healing] even lying wonders [propaganda]. (10) and by means of all deception of unrighteousness [This dictator is a pathological liar who has a ministry of disinformation and will deceive both unbelievers and some believers] to those who are being destroyed [ruined: If you do not possess truth, you will be deceived, ruined and destroyed.] because they did not receive the love for the truth [These unbelievers reject God at God Consciousness or at Gospel hearing or both; believers reject truth as related to their spiritual lives], in order that they might be delivered [from delusion, from destruction, from catastrophe]. (11) And so, for this reason, God will send them [unbelievers of the Tribulation] the modus operandi of delusion [from black-out and scar tissue of the soul; strong delusion among the masses produces a power to be exploited by demagogues] so that they should believe the lie [the propaganda of the Dictator of the Revived Roman Empire will take advantage of the strong delusion of the masses],”
The dictator of the Revived Roman Empire will be a criminal of criminals.
All criminality is acquired through arrogance. No one is born with a genetic tendency toward crime. It is all a matter of arrogance; e.g., authority arrogance, mental attitude arrogance, self-righteous arrogance, sexual arrogance, the arrogance of unhappiness, and above all, psychopathic arrogance. All criminals are such because of their own volition, because they have made a decision to be a criminal. Environment is not the issue in criminality. The environment does not mold the criminal, rather the criminal molds the environment. Honor and integrity can belong to all, not just to one social caste. There may be 8 siblings from a very poor home. Seven become wonderful responsible citizens while one becomes a criminal. Criminals are criminals not because of their environment, but because they will to be so.
Criminality actually begins with rejection of authority in the home. Rejection of parental authority eventually results in the rejection of all legitimate authority including God’s Laws of Establishment, and therefore the criminal is totally disoriented to life. He seeks to superimpose his authority on society. In arrogance, he gives lip service to the authority he encounters, but in his soul, he despises any and all authority except his own. A law-abiding citizen may be irresponsible without being a criminal, but all criminals are irresponsible all the time.
The criminal lives inside the cosmic system. He is totally preoccupied with himself. He is hypersensitive about himself and insensitive toward others. Strangely enough, he is very self-righteous, and filled with self-justification regarding his criminal deeds. For example, it happens many time in prison riots during which criminals will kill other criminals. When asked why they killed another criminal, they will answer because the other criminal deserved to die. He raped and killed children whereas I merely raped and killed adults for I would never touch a child.
The criminal is a bored person. He wants excitement and proof of his power. In fact, the criminal's desire for excitement is so great that he becomes jaded without constant stimulation from excitement. To the criminal, living without excitement is a put-down. Therefore, the criminal requires constant stimulation related to his crimes, sex, torture, alcohol, or drugs, making others afraid of him. Eventually, only extreme criminal activity related to torture, rape, and murder is satisfactory as an antidote to his boredom.
All liars are not criminals, but all criminals are liars. For the criminal, lying is a way of life. Therefore, the criminal becomes a pathological liar. Habitual deceit and lying is the criminal's total disregard for the truth in any form. Lying is the criminal's standard way of dealing with the world, a part of criminal manipulation.
The criminal is saturated with a lust pattern of arrogance. He has sexual lust, killer lust, power lust, approbation lust, money lust, stimulation lust requiring extensive use of drugs or alcohol, cruelty lust from which comes torture and abuse of others, as well as homicide. From his arrogant preoccupation with self, the criminal is involved in a lust pattern from which it is almost impossible to break away.
Revelation 6:3
And when He had broken open the second seal, I heard the second angelic herald say, "Come."
Καὶ ὅτε ἤνοιξεν τὴν σφραγῖδα τὴν δευτέραν, ἤκουσα τοῦ δευτέρου ζῴου λέγοντος, Ἔρχου.
We resume with the second seal which is presented in verses three and four. The right of our Lord Jesus Christ as the God-Man, the unique person of the universe, the only savior, to break open the seals. As the God-Man He continues to control history. Our Lord Jesus Christ will break open the second seal of the Doomsday book of the Tribulation revealing a second historical trend which is warfare.
John will see the vision; he will record the vision, and it will become a permanent part of the canon of scripture. Always in the perception of Bible doctrine, always in spiritual growth there is the concept of authority, the authority of God delegating that authority whether it is authority in civil life, whether it is authority in spiritual life.
Revelation 6:4
Then another, a fiery red horse appeared [on the scene of history], and to the rider [personification of warfare] was given the power to take peace from the earth [this implies a short period of peace just after the Rapture of the Church], so that they [arrogant tyrannical rulers represented by the white horse] might slaughter each other [in warfare]; in fact, a great sword was given to him [the sword symbolizes conventional warfare].
καὶ ἐξῆλθεν ἄλλος ἵππος πυρρός, καὶ τῷ καθηµένῳ ἐπí αὐτὸν ἐδόθη αὐτῷ λαβεῖν τὴν εἰρήνην ἐκ τῆς γῆς καὶ ἵνα ἀλλήλους σφάξουσιν, καὶ ἐδόθη αὐτῷ µάχαιρα µεγάλη.
Warfare is a historical trend that will never be discontinued, not until our Lord returns. Then, the swords will be turned into plowshares and the spears into pruning hooks and man shall learn war no more. In the meantime, warfare is a normal part of life. You cannot stop war; you cannot prevent war except by being so powerful that no nation dare attack.
Warfare is not all bad. Warfare has evils that accompany it, but so does peace. People are victimized as much in peace as they are by war. It is only the liberal who somehow thinks that if you could get rid of war you would improve the environment and solve everyone’s problems. This is sheer fantasy!
In the formation of the power spheres of the Tribulation, there will be a tremendous amount of warfare in the formation of the four great power spheres which include the king of the west, the Revived Roman Empire; the King of the North which today would be comparable to the Russian communist bloc, the King of the South would be the pan-Arabic bloc, and the King of the East would be the Asiatic bloc. In the rise of dictators, as we noted in the previous two verses, there is always violence, terrorism and warfare.
Satan’s attempt to provide a pseudo-Millennium prior to the Second Advent is going to be a total failure. Satan will not be able to control history in any possible way, and so there will be tremendous unrestrained warfare. The Tribulation, then, will be a time of both local and world wars, a concentration of battles, campaigns and wars which can only be terminated by the Second Advent of Christ and His assumption of the rulership of this world. Before there could be any form, then, of permanent peace, Satan must be superseded as the ruler of this world.
Historical Perspective:
Matthew 24:4-8, "And Jesus answered [He thought before he spoke.] and said to them, “Be alert lest anyone deceive you [during the second half of the Tribulation].
Happy are those who are alert (Revelation 16:15b). Happiness in the greatest disasters of history is related to alertness. Maximum doctrine in the stream of consciousness makes one alert; it gives one the wisdom to understand the trends of history and the wisdom to know what to do in historical change and even in historical disaster.
Believers who do not possess metabolized doctrine in their souls have neither the alertness nor the wisdom to know what to do in historical upheaval. Furthermore, they will always believe the lies that are communicated during historical times of disaster.
Matthew 24:5, “For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive the many."
The first deception relates to false Messiahs. There would be false Messiahs both in the Church Age and in the Tribulation. In the Tribulation, many Jewish believers will be deceived by false Messiahs. Without maximum truth in the soul there is no protection against deceit.
Matthew 24:6, “Furthermore, you will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. Be alert that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end [of the Jewish Age namely the Tribulation]."
There would be hot wars and cold wars (rumors of wars) from the time Christ spoke up to His 2nd Advent. Believers are to be alert in understanding the historical trends as well as understanding how to make application to these historical trends. Believers are not to be disturbed or frightened by these historical events. God’s provision and the spiritual life are more than adequate to handle these historical upheavals.
Just because you live in a time of historical disaster, does not mean that the Tribulation has occurred. Furthermore, you are not to be frightened. God has provided for you perfect provision and protection and the greatest possible spiritual life. The believer with capacity from metabolized doctrine in his soul can have great happiness in historical disaster whereas the believer without doctrine in the soul is always afraid in disaster.
Since wars are inevitable, wise nations prepare for war by developing a well-equipped and trained military. Furthermore, since it is the responsibility of every man to defend his beloved homeland, he should serve some time in one of the branches of defense whether it should be the army, air force, or navy unless one’s nation has become just as evil as its adversaries.
Matthew 24:7, “For nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes."
These things will occur in the Church Age as well as in the Tribulation. So, when historical disaster occurs, do not assume that you [the church age believer] are in the Tribulation. There will be many wars and disasters during the Church Age. Just because you find yourself in the middle of a world war or world famine does not mean that the Tribulation has begun.
As a matter of fact, all Church Age believers will be removed from the earth via the Rapture of the Church prior to the Tribulation. As soon as the Church Age believer is removed, the seven year-Tribulation will begin. Christians are removed at that time because the Tribulation is a part of the Age of Israel, not a part of the Church. The Tribulation is the last week (seven years shortened) of the 70 Weeks (490 years) of Daniel 9:24-27. (Each week represents seven years.)
Matthew 24:8, “But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs."
These beginning birth pangs prior to giving birth occur during the Church Age, from the Day of Pentecost to the Rapture. These pangs include war, depression, natural disaster, famine etc. These are not signs of the Tribulation, but historical trends in the Church Age. The true signs of the Tribulation are specific prophesies found in Matthew 24:9-26.
The intense birth pains are the seven years of the Tribulation. Since the suffering leading up to birth is not as severe as the suffering during birth, historical disasters will be more intense in the Tribulation than in the Church Age especially in the last three and half years which is called the ‘Great Tribulation’.
War to end warfare based on Integrity.
The Lord at the 2nd Advent will destroy the armies attacking Israel:
There will be warfare in the southern part of the Middle East during the Tribulation and the slaughter is described in Isaiah 63:6, “In my anger I will trample their armies, and in my fury, I make them drunk [intoxicated], and I will cause their life blood to pour out on the land.”
Isaiah 34:5,6, “For my sword is satiated in heaven, it shall descend from heaven for the judgment of Edom, furthermore the people [the invading army] I have dedicated to annihilation on the battlefield. The sword of the Lord is saturated with blood, a great slaughter in the land.”
This anticipates two passages we will study later on in Revelation. Revelation 14:20, “They were trampled in the winepress outside the city, and their blood gushed out of the press as high as the horses’ bridle for a distance of two hundred miles.” Revelation 19:15, “And a sharp broadsword proceeded from his mouth [at the Second Advent of Christ] in order that with it he might strike and kill the armies of the invading nations.”
The invasion of the king of the north into the land of Israel is described in Joel 2:20, and again we see the tremendous unrestrained slaughter, “I will remove the northern army far from you, in fact I will drive it into a desert area and its vanguard into the eastern sea [the Dead Sea], its rearguard into the western sea [the Mediterranean]. Consequently, its stench will go up and the smell will rise heavenward.”
Ezekiel 39:2-5, “Now I will turn you around, motivate you to push on [toward Israel]; I will concentrate you [your forces] from the remote areas of the north, and bring you against the mountains of Israel. (3) Then, I will strike your bow from your left hand, and make your arrows drop from your right hand [decimation of infantry]. (4) On the mountains of Israel, you will fall, you with all your troops and allies; I will give you as food to all kinds of vultures and predatory animals. (5) You will fall in open field for I have decreed it, declares the Lord God.”
We are studying the four horsemen of the apocalypse as the first four seals of the Doomsday book of the Tribulation (the prophetical events in the Tribulation.) The first horseman riding the white horse is the great dictator of the revived Roman empire. Therefore, he represents political power and the trends related to it during the Tribulation. The rider of the red horse represents warfare. Coming up is the third horse and it is connected with economic disaster or economic depression. There is a relationship between these three. When things become bad politically; when politicians are at their lowest ebb, lacking integrity, and are full of arrogance and more interested in their own inordinate ambition than they are in the good of the country, then it is inevitable that people will become entangled in many disasters related to political decline, warfare, economic disasters. These three will bring in the Ashen Horse, the fourth horseman, namely death.
In warfare there are certain principles which have always been true and which have been established from ancient times by great commanders such as Julius Caesar, Hannibal, Gustavus Adolphus, Frederick the Great, Napoleon, to mention just a few. They have always followed these principles and these principles are true in life as well as having pertinence to the concept of the profession of arms.
1. The first principle is called the principle of objective. In the military, for example, the purpose of a military operation is to attain the objective assigned or designated by whoever is in command. The objective constitutes the guide for the interpretation of orders, the formulation of decisions, and the deployment of troops. The selection of national objectives is called strategy and strategy depends on political, military and economic conditions which are variable. Under the principle of the objective, this means that military is always and inevitably subordinate to the political as well as to the economic conditions. The first objective must always be the neutralization or the destruction of the power of the opposing military forces to fight. This means decisive defeat and destruction of enemy armies.
2. The second principle in warfare is called the principle of offensive. It is a very simple one: the offence is the only action by which a decision is gained. Offensive brings victory; defense can only avoid defeat. So, it is imperative that all thinking, whether it is strategical or tactical, be geared to offensive concepts, not defensive. The only effective way to wage war is to act on the offensive, destroying the enemy armies. The offensive increases the effectiveness of the force adopting it; it raises morale; it permits concentration of effort; it allows freedom of action. The defensive should be used to assist the offensive action elsewhere, to gain time, to utilize good terrain, to compensate for weaknesses. The offensive should be used where there is any reasonable chance of success.
3. The third great doctrine in military history is the principle of mass. Mass is a military term for combat power. Furthermore, it means concentration of combat power at the point of maximum effectiveness. Mass or combat power includes numbers, weapons, tactical skills, discipline, fighting ability, resolution, morale, and leadership. Success in warfare is attained by the proper employment of mass in a main effort to attack at the proper time and place for the accomplishment of a definite purpose.
4. The fourth principle of warfare is the principle of economy of force. Economy of force is the means by which the mass is employed in the main effort, and, again, remember that mass is combat power and includes, numbers, weapons, tactical skills, discipline, fighting ability, resolution, morale and leadership. The time and place of the main effort having been determined, men and means are conserved by reducing their employment in other directions to the minimum, consistent with safety. In other word, do not waste your men and their equipment and weapons on meaningless or inefficient military projects.
This is a principle which can be brought over to the economic area very quickly. There has been a tremendous amount of wastage, a digression from the concept of economy of force because of the political nature of our country. The demand for a welfare state and its function is opposed to the economy of force principle. So, back to the military, the economy of force is the means by which one successfully co-ordinates the various units in a military organization for victory, and there must be the successful co-ordination in economy as well.
5. Number five is the principle of movement. Movement means the maneuver of combat elements. In the offensive, this principle is used to bring mass into close grips with the enemy in order to secure decisive results. Movement is designed to place mass in the best place for attack. Movement is most effective when concealed. (In many cases movement is only possible by the effective employment of fire power.)
6. The principle of surprise is number six. To obtain maximum effectiveness with minimum loss of life, surprise must be employed. It may take the form of time, place, direction, force or tactical weapons. The main factors of surprise are threefold: preparation, secrecy, rapidity. (They also can be used effectively in marketing principles.)
7. Number seven is the principle of security. Security embraces all the measures taken to guard against observation and surprise, to ensure against hostile interference with operations, to gain and maintain the power and momentum of free action.
8. Number eight is the principle of simplicity which is a relative term. Military plans should be simple so as not to sponsor complicated movements. Orders should not be ambiguous but direct and free from contingencies. Frequent changes of plans should be avoided. This is why one hears often in the military, the acronym ‘KISS’ “Keep it simple stupid.”
9. Number nine is the principle of co-operation. Teamwork demands that all military units and persons involved in a mission work together to accomplish the mission.
Revelation 6:5
And when He had broken the third seal, I heard the third angelic herald say, "Come". Then I looked, and behold, a black horse [representing economic depression]; and the rider had a pair of scales in his hand [indicates scarcity of food because of inflation which will be caused by governments diluting their currencies and other bad policies such as attacking God’s free market system].
Καὶ ὅτε ἤνοιξεν τὴν σφραγῖδα τὴν τρίτην, ἤκουσα τοῦ τρίτου ζῴου λέγοντος, Ἔρχου. καὶ εἶδον, καὶ ἰδοὺ ἵππος µέλας, καὶ ὁ καθήµενος ἐπí αὐτὸν ἔχων ζυγὸν ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ.
Black means economic depression. Jeremiah 4:28, “Therefore, the land will mourn, and the heavens will become black [economic depression], because I have spoken and will not change my mind, I have decided and will not turn my back.” Lamentations 4:6-10, “For the iniquity of the daughter of my people [Israel as a Client Nation] is greater than the sin of Sodom, which was overthrown as in a moment, and no hands were turned toward her [no one could deliver her]. (7) Their princes [of Israel] were purer than snow and whiter than milk; their bodies were healthier in appearance than rubies, their appearance like sapphire, (8) but now their appearance is blacker than soot [because they were dying of famine]; they are not recognized in the streets; their skin is shriveled on their bones, it has become dry as a stick. (9) Those killed in battle are better off than those who die of famine [economic depression]; racked with hunger they waste away from lack of food from the ground. (10) With their own hands compassionate women have cooked their own children who became their food when my people Israel were destroyed [by economic depression and warfare].”
Economic Depression:
Whose fault, is it?
1. The economic status of the client nation to God is often a sign of the spiritual status of that client nation. As goes the believer, so goes the client nation to God. Deuteronomy 28:15, 23-24, “But it shall come about, if you do not obey the Lord your God, to observe to do all His commandments and His statutes with which I charge you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you: (23) The heaven which is over your head shall be bronze, and the earth which is under you, iron. (24) The Lord will make the rain of your land powder and dust; from heaven it shall come down on you until you are destroyed [economically].”
2. When economic depression occurs, we have a tendency to blame someone; for example, the Federal Reserve, the policies of government and bureaucracy, poor management, or the demands of labor, but whatever the apparent reasons, you can always count on that the economic status is a reflection of the spiritual status of that nation.
3. Depression means the pivot is shrinking. It means believers are not advancing to maturity, and therefore God is exercising His divine prerogative in administering the Five Cycles of Discipline.
Definition.
1. ‘Famine’ in the Bible refers to economic depression and natural disasters.
2. Jesus Christ prophesied that there would be many wars and famines until His Second Advent. Matthew 24:6, “Furthermore, you will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. Be alert that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end.”
There would be hot wars and cold wars (rumors of wars) from the time Christ spoke up to His 2nd Advent. Believers are to be alert in understanding the historical trends as well as understanding how to make application to these historical trends. Believers are not to be disturbed or frightened by these historical events. God’s provision and the spiritual life are more than adequate to handle these historical upheavals.
Matthew 24:7, “For nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes.”
These things will occur in the Church Age as well as in the Tribulation. So, when historical disaster occurs, do not assume that you [the church age believer] are in the Tribulation. There will be many wars and disasters during the Church Age. Just because you find yourself in the middle of a world war or world famine does not mean that the Tribulation has begun.
Mark 13:8, “For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will also be famines. These things are merely the beginning of birth pangs [a reference to the Church Age].
3. Since the Bible advocates free enterprise as part of the Laws of Divine Establishment, any violation of this law through sin, human good produced in the Cosmic System, or evil [of course also produced in the Cosmic System] results in recession and depression.
4. In the natural course of life, economic recessions and depressions occurs periodically in order to cleanse the system of poorly run companies, malinvestment and greed etc. Furthermore, depression is inevitable when government tries to play God and in so doing loads down the system with unnecessary, burdensome and anti-productive bureaucracies.
5. Economic depression is also divine judgment and punishment of a nation in degeneration and reversionism, Isaiah 51:17-20, “Awake, awake! Rise up [encouragement from the Lord to recover from what appears to be the 4th cycle of discipline], O Jerusalem, [the people of Jerusalem are pictured as being in some state of inebriation, not drunk with wine, but with divine judgment] you who have drunk from the hand of the Lord the cup of his wrath, you who have drained to its dregs the goblet that makes men stagger [maximum divine discipline]. (18) Of all the sons she [Israel] reared, there was none to take her by the hand [no integrity and leadership in the land]. (19) These double calamities [economic and military disaster in context] have come upon you; Who can comfort you? [They have rejected the only source of comfort and encouragement; they have rejected the Lord Jesus Christ, the God of Israel, and they have rejected the Word.] Devastation [by economic depression] and destruction [by starvation and the sword], famine and sword. Who can console you [no one since they have rejected truth and the source of truth]? (20) Your sons [the citizens] have fainted [they have no strength in their souls]; they lie at the head of all the streets like antelope caught in a net [helpless against divine judgment illustrated by a wild antelope caught in a net and so uses all of his strength in struggling to free himself, but is unable to do so.]. They are filled with the wrath of the Lord and the rebuke of your God [the nation is being punished since the unbeliever has rejected both the gospel and the Laws of Divine Establishment; the believer has rejected the spiritual life and the Laws of Establishment].”
6. When political power or the law tampers with free enterprise, it results in economic depression. Economic depression is always the creation of politicians and the poor decisions of government.
Recession and depression are part of the cycles of discipline.
1. Economic recession is a part of the second cycle of discipline on a national entity as per Leviticus 26:18-20, “If after these things you will not listen to Me, then I will punish you on an intensified basis seven more times for your sins. [The first phrase implies that some wake up as a result of the first cycle of discipline. Everything in the first cycle is intensified in the second cycle by seven. (19) Then, I will also destroy the arrogance of your power; [Notice that once the first cycle of discipline is administered and it does not turn around the nation, arrogance sets in. Today, in the United States, we have great arrogance in places of power. Don’t be concerned regarding this evil for God punishes such arrogance among those in power who do not use their power properly.] I will make your sky like iron and your earth like bronze. [This refers to economic ruin in an agricultural society resulting in economic depression.] (20) Then, your strength will be spent uselessly for your land will not yield its produce, nor will the trees of the land bear their fruit." [No matter how hard you work, you cannot get ahead. This was written at a time when the economy was based on agriculture. All the same, we can make application to our industrial society. So, the second cycle of discipline is against arrogance resulting in depression, bad social life, loss of national pride, and a people who even though they may work hard, cannot prosper.]
2. The fourth cycle of discipline, described in Leviticus 26:23-26, is an intensification of economic collapse. So far, nothing but grace warnings have been given. Now, God will really judge the nation. There will be great uncontrollable crime, military invasion and partial defeat, disease from overcrowding, a shortage of food causing starvation, and even greater natural disasters. “And if by these things you will not be corrected by Me, but will continue to be hostile toward Me [negative volition from cosmic involvement in the stages of reversionism], (24) Then, I myself will be hostile toward you, and I will strike you seven times more for your sins. [Again, there is the intensification of the characteristics of all the cycles, with something more added, as stated in the next verse.] (25) I will bring the sword upon you to avenge the breaking of the covenant, and when you retreat into your cities I will send an epidemic among you, so that you will be delivered into the hands of your enemies. [the breakdown of the military establishment. The Jews have to retreat into their fortified cities because their armies could not win in the field. Once there are overcrowded cities, disease becomes rampant.] (26) When I cut off your food supply, ten women will bake your bread in one oven, and they will dole out your bread by weight, so that you will eat and never be satisfied."
When an army begins to lose a war on its own soil, the first thing to go is the food supply. So, one of the inevitable results of the fourth cycle of discipline is the beginning of starvation. Ten women baking bread in one oven means there is food rationing. Therefore, after eating a small piece of bread, you are just as hungry as you were before, and even more so.
3. So, the second cycle of discipline is economic recession; the fourth cycle of discipline is economic depression.
4. Economic depression often results in the collapse of a nation as the administration of the fifth cycle of discipline to the client nation. Deuteronomy 28:25-26, “The Lord shall cause you to be defeated before your enemies [after the economic depression mentioned in the previous two verses]; you will go out one way against them, but you will flee seven ways before them, and you will be an example of terror to all the kingdoms of the earth. (26) Your carcasses will be food to all birds of the sky and to the beasts of the earth, and there will be no one to frighten them away [to chase the animals and scare the carrion eating birds away].”
Economic depression is a test for the function of the faith-rest drill.
1. Abraham and his family were facing an economic crisis in the land, but this was a test to see if Abraham would advance to spiritual maturity. However, he sought help in Egypt and the context of the following passage makes it quite clear that Abraham was failing in his spiritual life at that time. Genesis 2:10-13, “Now there was a famine in the land; so, Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land. (11) It came about when he came near to Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, "See now, I know that you are a beautiful woman; (12) and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, 'This is his wife'; and they will kill me [a total failure in the use of the Faith-rest Drill], but they will let you live. (13) ‘Please say that you are my sister so that it may go well with me because of you, and that I may live on account of you.’”
2. Economic depression is used to test believers regarding the place of doctrine in their lives and the logistical grace rationale, Genesis 26:1-3, “Now there was a famine in the land, besides the former famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Gerar, to Abimelech king of the Philistines. (2) And the Lord appeared to him [Isaac who was about to go to Egypt], and said, "Do not go down to Egypt; dwell in the land of which I shall tell you. (3) Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you, and will bless you; for to you and to your descendants I will give all these lands, and I will fulfil the oath which I swore to Abraham your father.”
The Importance of Preparation for Economic Depression.
1. Genesis 41 teaches the importance of liquidity or cash in a depression. As Prime Minister of Egypt, Joseph, knowing God's plan, saw the seven prosperous years as a time to prepare for the seven depression years. By his preparation, Joseph was able to keep Egypt in a state of liquidity so that, during the seven depression years, Egypt not only survived but increased its economic power.
2. The importance of preparation can also be realized from watching the squirrel. The intensity of his nut-gathering activity in the fall indicates the type of winter to come.
Solution for Recovery from Economic Depression.
1. Only the spiritual recovery of the believer will deliver a nation from its economic depression.
2. In 1929 when the Great Depression hit the United States, there was a rise of good Bible exposition. Some of the great Bible teachers of that generation became well known at that time. So, there was a spiritual recovery long before the United States realized economic recovery.
3. 2 Chronicles 20:9, "If disaster comes to us, whether by the sword of judgment or disease or economic depression, we will stand in Your presence before the temple that bears Your name and we will pray to you in our distress. Then, You will both hear us and deliver us." [Economic disaster, like warfare or disease, always has a tendency to bring people back to the reality of eternal God. In the Old Testament economy was restored by mature believers going into the Temple and praying. Only the pivot of mature believers in the client nation can effectively restore the economy through their spiritual impact.]
4. When a client nation is under the fourth or fifth cycle of discipline, only the pivot of mature believers is able to provide the historical impact for deliverance. This emphasizes how important you are as a member of the royal family of God, and how important is your momentum in the Protocol Plan of God.
5. Psalm 33:16-19, "No king is delivered by the size of his army; no warrior escapes being wounded because of his great strength. A horse is an empty hope for deliverance; in spite of its great strength [horsepower], it cannot deliver you, but the eyes of the Lord are on those who respect [personally love] Him, on those who wait for His grace, to deliver them from death, and to keep them alive in economic depression." [In the time in which Psalm 33 was written, human solutions were such things as the size of the army, the strength of the individual, and the ability of the horse. Yet none of these can deliver. There are no answers to a client nation in apostasy apart from its spiritual recovery.]
Economic depression is often caused by rejection of Bible doctrine as it is taught by those authorized to teach it.
1. In the Old Testament, the authorized teachers were the prophets and Levitical priests. In the New Testament, they were first the apostles and now pastor-teachers. We're seeing such rejection today.
2. Psalm 105:15-16, "Do not touch [be hostile against] My anointed ones [those who teach Bible doctrine]; do My prophets no harm. [In other words, do not reject the message or the messenger. By rejection of the messenger, you reject the message.] (16) He called down famine [economic depression] on the land, and destroyed all their food supplies."
During economic depression, there is generally a lot of false teaching from false doctrine which intensifies the depression, Jeremiah 14:13-28.
1. Politicians, religious types, and false prophets always promise that there will be no depression. Jeremiah 5:12, "They have said, `Misfortune will not come on us; we will not see the sword or famine.'"
2. Compare that passage with Jeremiah 14:13-16, which states that ten years later, they were destroyed by both the sword and famine. They had tampered with God's laws regarding their economy. “But, ‘Ah, Lord God!’ I said, ‘Look, the prophets are telling them, 'You will not see the sword nor will you have famine, but I will give you lasting peace in this place.' (14) Then the Lord said to me, ‘The prophets are prophesying falsehood in My name. I have neither sent them nor commanded them nor spoken to them; they are prophesying to you a false vision, divination, futility and the deception of their own minds. (15) Therefore, thus says the Lord concerning the prophets who are prophesying in My name, although it was not I who sent them--yet they keep saying, 'There will be no sword or famine in this land'-- by sword and famine those prophets shall meet their end! (16) The people also to whom they are prophesying will be thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword; and there will be no one to bury them--neither them, nor their wives, nor their sons, nor their daughters--for I will pour out their own wickedness on them.”
God protects the mature and positive believer in time of disaster.
1. Job 5:20, "In economic depression, He will deliver you from death, and in battle from the power of the sword." This mentions both the fourth and fifth cycles of discipline.
2. Romans 8:35-37, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall disaster, or anguish, or persecution, or economic depression, or privation, or danger from warfare? In all these things, we win the supreme victory through Him who loves us." In other words, since the Lord loves us, he will protect the advancing believer; this same love will destroy the reversionistic believer in time of historical disaster.
Revelation 6:6
Then, I heard as it were a voice [of Lord Jesus Christ] in the center of the four angelic heralds [of Seraphim rank] saying, "A quart of wheat for a denarius [a day's wage would only purchase a quart of wheat], and three quarts of barley [the food of the poor] for a day's wages; furthermore, do not damage the oil and wine [both luxury items].
καὶ ἤκουσα ὡς φωνὴν ἐν µέσῳ τῶν τεσσάρων ζῴων λέγουσαν, Χοῖνιξ σίτου δηναρίου, καὶ τρεῖς χοίνικες κριθῶν δηναρίου· καὶ τὸ ἔλαιον καὶ τὸν οἶνον µὴ ἀδικήσῃς.
This verse is describing how inflation has destroyed the purchasing power of the denarius. There are insufficient funds to sustain a person much less an entire family. Political folly has destroyed the purchasing power of the currency. Whereas, wheat was the basic food for the middle class, barley was the basic food of the poor. Whether we are speaking of one quart of wheat or three quarts of barley, both represented starvation wages. The denarius will be just enough to buy a little food and nothing else; no other necessities except a little food which would result in malnutrition, loss of energy, ill health, death from either disease or starvation or both. Even if you worked very hard, you could still not make enough money to live; inflation consumed all of one’s income.
At the time of writing in Revelation, a denarius or a day’s wages would ordinarily buy 16 to 20 quarts of wheat. Obviously in normal times one day’s wages or a denarius would buy food, shelter, clothing, and a lot more, but in time of run-away inflation, the denarius or a day’s wages would only purchase enough food for one person to barely stay alive.
Those who produce the luxuries will receive a mandate to keep producing these items. It is always true, even in the greatest of economic disasters, that there are some who are prepared for disaster and even prosper in it. They will demand luxury items such as olive oil and wine. Olive oil was not only an extremely nutritional food for those who could afford it, but also was used for heating and lighting. Wine will not only be a luxury drink during this future depression, but will also be used to purify water from bacterial contamination.
Revelation 6:7
And when He [the Lord Jesus Christ] broke open the fourth seal, I heard the fourth angelic herald say, "Come."
Καὶ ὅτε ἤνοιξεν τὴν σφραγῖδα τὴν τετάρτην, ἤκουσα φωνὴν τοῦ τετάρτου ζῴου λέγοντος, Ἔρχου.
Revelation 6:8
Then, I looked and behold an ashen horse [the power of death] and the rider his name was "Death"; in fact, Hades [in particular Torments] was marching in step with [literally, was following after] him [death]. Furthermore, authority was given to them [death and Hades] over a fourth of the population of the earth [of unbelievers will die and be sent to Torments during the first half of the Tribulation] to kill with a sword [the Thracian broadsword representing warfare, crime and terrorism] and with famine [economic depression], and with deadly disease [leading to terminal illnesses], and by wild animals of the earth [the increase of wild animals will kill many].
καὶ εἶδον, καὶ ἰδοὺ ἵππος χλωρός, καὶ ὁ καθήµενος ἐπάνω [αὐτοῦ] ὄνοµα αὐτῷ [ὁ] Θάνατος, καὶ ὁ ᾅδης ἠκολούθει µετí αὐτοῦ· καὶ ἐδόθη αὐτοῖς ἐξουσία ἐπὶ τὸ τέταρτον τῆς γῆς, ἀποκτεῖναι ἐν ῥοµφαίᾳ καὶ ἐν λιµῷ καὶ ἐν θανάτῳ καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν θηρίων τῆς γῆς.
Hades (Sheol) is located in the heart of the earth or its approximation. It has four compartments namely Abraham’s bosom (the former paradise), Torments separated from Abraham’s bosom by a gulf-fixed, Tartarus and finally the Abyss. Abraham’s bosom was where all Old Testament believers went to, and resided in their interim bodies until the ascension of Christ. At which time they were led in a procession to the 3rd heaven. Torments is where all unbelievers go upon their physical death and reside there in their interim bodies until they are resurrected to face the Great White Throne Judgment. Tartarus is the prison for all the fallen angels who cohabitated with the human race. This story is found in Genesis 6:1-4, Jude 6 and 2 Peter 2:4, “For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into Tartarus and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment,”. The final compartment of Hades is called the Abyss. This is where Abaddon, a very powerful and evil angel (in Hebrew, Apollyon in Greek) is located with many other terrorist-type fallen angels. They will be released during the Tribulation to torture unbelievers for five months (Revelation 9:1-12)). There is also a Sea Prison in which the Nephilim of Genesis 6 reside. The half-human, half angels will be resurrected to face the Great White Throne Judgment.
Taken from Thieme’s Bible Doctrine Dictionary page 121, “Torments. The place of fire and agony where unbelievers temporarily reside after death. Unbelievers remain in Torments until the Last Judgment, when they will be resurrected and judged before the great white throne then cast into the lake of fire for eternity (Rev. 20:13–15). Between Paradise and Torments is a “great chasm fixed,” an impassable barrier that signifies no hope in eternity for those who reject Jesus Christ in time (Luke 16:19–31). Concepts of purgatory and prayers for salvation of the dead are false doctrines derived from the Apocrypha (a group of 14 books not considered canonical). Every person’s eternal residence is determined by their personal attitude toward Jesus Christ during their time on earth (2 Cor. 6:2; 1 John 5:11–13). Therefore, those who presently reside in Torments are already condemned to the lake of fire (John 3:18).”
The four means of death in this passage are presented in prepositional phrases: with a sword, with famine, with deadly disease and by wild animals. The Tribulation will be characterized by unrestrained crime, terrorism, violence, and warfare so that millions of unbelievers will die. The Thracian broadsword includes all categories of warfare and terrorism and so used in this passage. Ordinarily when the word sword is used just for conventional warfare, the Roman machaira is used. Most of us understand something about crime and warfare, but little about terrorism. So, a short brief on terrorism:
Terrorism is simply a ploy for the purpose of attracting an audience with the objective of changing government, or forcing government policy or philosophy to change. Also, terrorists strive to create the image in the mind of the government that they are stronger and more powerful than they really are. By using the media, they begin to obtain the support of the masses which previously was only a mirage. The terrorists also attempt to get the government to react and then to overreact. When the government does overreact then more and more of the populace will turn against what they see as a repressive government and side with the terrorists.
Reasons presented for terrorism.
1. Bringing into an awareness any act of violence to attract attention.
2. To alter the public beliefs concerning terrorists, to promote the power of the terrorists.
3. To destroy the enemy which would be government, the military, the police, any form of establishment type authority.
4. To exhaust the opponent through anxiety “Where will they strike next?”
5. Live training drills and preparation for all-out revolution. The masses and the people will not fight unless they have been exposed to it.
6. To provoke fighting and tension among their opponents.
7. To force their opponents to divert their resources.
8. To get the people and government to overreact.
9. Personal self-interest.
10. Revenge.
The second prepositional phrase refers to economic depression or famine. It means hunger, famine, death caused by economic circumstances. The tremendous and widespread wars of the Tribulation inevitably are going to result in economic disaster. The production of food, its packaging and logistics will break down in the Tribulation so that millions of people will die from economic depression, malnutrition, and starvation.
The third prepositional phrase is a little misleading for it is often correctly translated “death,” but can also refer to terminal illness from disease as in this passage.
This brings us to the fourth prepositional phrase namely many will die directly from wild animals. The retraction of civilization during the seven years of the Tribulation results in the increase of wild animal life that will prey on human beings which will bring about a sudden and dramatic increase of death from wild animals of all categories. The Tribulation will be a time when there will be a lot man-eaters among the animal kingdom. Many of which undoubtedly will be demon possessed. Demon possession of animals will change the ordinarily shy behavior of many animals to a behavior of violent aggression toward man bringing about a tremendous loss of life by these wild animals on planet earth.
Summary of the four horsemen:
1. Death or the ashen horse is the grim reaper, the inevitable result of the unrestrained function of the first three horsemen of the apocalypse. Remember that the restraining ministry of God the Holy Spirit over evil will be removed at the Rapture of the Church.
2. Political decline bringing about tyranny represented by the white horse implies social degeneration. This has two categorical results: first, foreign policy disaster represented by the red horse namely continuous warfare and military disaster and secondly, domestic policy disaster represented by the black horse caused by governmental destruction of free enterprise through governmental regulation and interference with free enterprise, socialism, the welfare state, redistribution of wealth, unjust and discriminatory taxation.
3. Therefore, the white horse of political arrogance and incompetence reflects the social degeneration of the people of a nation.
4. Social degeneration produces an incompetent form of government and political disaster which in turn results in military and economic disaster.
5. The result is the function of the fourth horseman, death which reaps the results of the other categories in this adverse historical trend.
Revelation 6:9
And when He [the Lord Jesus Christ] had broken the fifth seal [the historical trend of great martyrdom in the Tribulation], I saw under the altar [of the burnt offering] the souls [John actually sees their interim bodies which house their souls] of those who had been murdered [slaughtered like sheep; the cognate noun sphagion refers a sacrificial victim], because of the word of God [they advanced rapidly in their spiritual lives], and because of the testimony [of integrity] which they had maintained [they remained faithful to the Lord to the point of their martyrdom].
Καὶ ὅτε ἤνοιξεν τὴν πέµπτην σφραγῖδα, εἶδον ὑποκάτω τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου τὰς ψυχὰς τῶν ἐσφαγµένων διὰ τὸν λόγον τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ διὰ τὴν µαρτυρίαν ἣν εἶχον.
We are through now with the study of the four horsemen of the apocalypse and move to verses 9-11, the fifth seal. In this particular seal we are going to study the martyrs of the Tribulation. The very fact that there is unrestrained historical disaster inevitably means that there will be some martyrdom among believers.
While many of these believers will not have been saved very long, God can calculate from His omniscience how far they would have gone if they had lived a full life. After their martyrdom, they will enjoy great happiness in their interim bodies in heaven awaiting the 2nd Advent at which time they will receive their resurrection bodies. They are seen under the altar of burnt sacrifices that is the brass altar representing the cross. As we will see, from this location, they will offer imprecatory prayers. They will be sacrificed by evil people because they appreciated the sacrifice of Christ on the cross more than life. The deliverance of their souls into heaven means loss of life on earth but loss of life on earth means finding a far greater life in heaven in interim bodies.
A few more points for clarification:
1. These positive believers in the Tribulation will not only be consistent in the perception of doctrine, and the use of their time, but also in the production of virtue. Immediately after their salvation, they will begin learning God’s plan for their lives and quickly develop experiential righteousness and sufficient virtue to face martyrdom.
2. These believers of the Tribulation are not the 144,000 Jewish evangelists, but their converts and of the ministry of Moses and Elijah.
3. So important will be doctrine and the Lord Jesus Christ in their scale of values that they will not compromise the Word to save their own lives.
4. Life was not so dear as to compromise their spiritual lives by rejection or renouncing the Lord Jesus Christ, the living Word, or Bible doctrine, the written Word.
5. Their testimony and integrity will be more important than life, even the suffering of a horrible and painful death. So, these magnificent believers of the Tribulation will sacrifice their lives to the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
These martyrs of the Tribulation will fulfil the principle enucleated by our Lord in Matthew 16:24-25, “Then, Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone desires to follow after Me [execute the spiritual life as I have], let him deny himself [disregard one’s human priorities] and let him take up his cross [advance and endure undeserved suffering when it comes] and follow Me [fulfill the operational plan as Jesus fulfilled the Father’s proto-type plan for his life]. (25) For whoever desires to deliver his soul [through advancing spiritually] shall lose it [former values about life in his soul], and whoever desires to lose his soul [or even life] for My sake [establishing correct priorities and eternal values] shall find it [capacity for life, love, and happiness].”
Revelation 6:10
Furthermore, they [the one’s martyred] shouted and said, "O sovereign Lord [They chose this word wisely for it means unlimited authority and power. It connotes an absolute ruler with unlimited use to exercise His power; They understand that they are addressing the one who controls history through his integrity and power], holy [the integrity of Christ as God] and true [the integrity of the humanity of Christ], how long will it be before you will judge and avenge our blood on the population of the earth?" [They will not be as specific in their imprecatory prayer as David had been.]
καὶ ἔκραξαν φωνῇ µεγάλῃ λέγοντες, Ἕως πότε, ὁ δεσπότης ὁ ἅγιος καὶ ἀληθινός, οὐ κρίνεις καὶ ἐκδικεῖς τὸ αἷµα ἡµῶν ἐκ τῶν κατοικούντων ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς;
If there is one thing we have learned as believers it is that “Vengeance is mine, says the Lord.” So, as a part of Christian integrity, revenge is out; it is one of the concepts of evil which is developed in the Cosmic System. Yet here we find believers in the next historical era, the next dispensation, talking about revenge. However, they are not taking vengeance themselves, but asking the Lord to do so. “How long, O Lord, before you will judge and avenge our blood on the population of the earth?” Furthermore, in their interim bodies in heaven and minus the sin nature, their imprecatory prayers are objective and bona fide.
In this verse, we have the imprecatory prayers of the martyrs of the Tribulation. Their appeal to the hypostatic union of Christ in imprecatory prayers is compatible with their emphasis on the just function of our Lord Jesus Christ as the one who controls history, the justice of our Lord to rectify the terrible injustices which were done to them by demon-possessed men and demonized men in governments. Their prayers are an appeal to the justice of God as a part of His divine integrity. And since God the Father has delegated all judgment to God the Son as per John 5:22, it is an appeal to the integrity and justice of both the humanity of Christ and His deity in hypostatic union.
This introduces the subject of imprecatory prayers.
An imprecatory prayer is generally defined as a prayer which is offered to God in which justice is demanded for some form of persecution, for some form of antagonism and hostility directed toward the one involved. The imprecatory prayers of the martyrs of the Tribulation were foreshadowed by the imprecatory prayers found in many of the Psalms. So, let’s go to the Psalms to define, to categorize and to understand the meaning of imprecatory prayer, and to try to answer a question for each one of us namely do we as believers have the right to go to God in prayer and demand the execution, the destruction, the ruin of some person, believer or unbeliever?
Psalm 54: Introduction, “For the choir director, on stringed instruments; A Maskil of David when the Ziphites came and said to Saul, ‘Is not David hiding himself among us?’” Psalm 54:1-5, “Deliver me, O God, by your person, vindicate me by your power. (2) Hear my prayer, O God; listen to the words of my mouth. (3) Strangers are attacking me, and men of violence seek my life, men who have no regard for God. (4) Behold, God is my helper; the Lord is the sustainer of my soul. (5) Let the evil return to those who slander me, [the beginning of a legitimate imprecatory prayer. This follows the principle of doctrine that when you are slandered and you are maligned, and you do not try to defend yourself but leave it in the Lord’s hands, then evil will return to the slanderer.] In your faithfulness, destroy them.”
Now notice carefully: the victim namely David who is offering the prayer does not seek to destroy them himself; he does not retaliate himself. In effect, this imprecatory prayer puts the whole matter in God’s hands; it is an appeal to the Supreme Court in heaven. In other words, he does not try to take the option of vengeance from God. Therefore, one of the worst areas of sinning is retaliation. You may have a just cause when you start but the moment you retaliate you have lost your just cause.
Psalm 143:11-12, "For your name’s sake [for the sake of your person], O Lord, preserve my life [David in great danger is praying this imprecatory prayer]. (12) In your righteousness [integrity] bring my life out of trouble. In your loving kindness silence my enemies, ruin [destroy] all who afflict my soul; for I am your servant.”
Psalm 35, a Davidic Psalm: 35:4, “May those who seek my life be disgraced and put to shame; may those who plot my ruin be turned back [be frustrated] and humiliated.” [He doesn’t ask for their death. To pray for the humiliation of someone is beneficial. Humiliation leads to enforced humility; humility leads to true orientation to life. Virtue begins with humility.] (8) May ruin overtake them by surprise; may the net [they’d tried to trap him] which they hid to trap me entangle them; may they fall into the pit [that they have dug]. (15) But when I stumbled [a reference to David’ failure], they gathered around and laughed in glee; attackers gathered against me when I was unaware, they slandered me without ceasing. (26) May all who gloat over my distress be put to shame and humiliated; may all who exalt themselves over me be clothed with shame and disgrace.”
David in Psalm 35 is dealing with arrogance on the part of others related to injustice, and slander. David wisely turns the matter over to the Supreme Court in heaven.
Psalm 69 gives us another one of David’s imprecatory prayers.
Psalm 69:4, “Those who hate me without a cause. [This obviously is a case of where there is unjustifiable antagonism] are more than the hairs of my head; those who would destroy me are powerful. Those who would destroy me are powerful being wrongfully my enemies”
Psalm 69:22-26, “May their table [an idiom for prosperity] set before them become a snare; and when they are in prosperity, may it become a trap, [They are trying to prosper at his expense. For those who are unjustly and unrighteously prosperous their prosperity becomes a snare. That is exactly what happens to people whose prosperity comes through sin, evil, injustice, and lack of integrity.] (23), May their eyes grow dim so that they cannot see, and may they suffer from terrible nervousness. (24) Pour out your wrath on them, let your fierce anger overtake them. (25), May their camp be desolate; may none dwell in their tents. (26), For they have persecuted him [David] whom you yourself had disciplined, and they gloat over the pain of him [David] whom you have wounded.”
The Lord rightfully disciplined David but the Lord doesn’t need help. In the Old Testament this was a legitimate use of the imprecatory prayer. However, we are not authorized to pray such a prayer in the Church Age.
The most powerful of all of David’s imprecatory prayers is found in Psalm 109:1-13, “O God whom I praise, do not remain silent! (2) for they have opened their wicked and deceitful mouths against me; they have maligned me with a lying tongue. (3) With words of hatred they surround me, they attack me without a cause. (4) In return for my friendship [love] they act as my accusers; but I am in prayer [about this]. (5) They repaid me evil for good, and hatred for my love. (6) Appoint an evil man to oppose him [praying for finesse judgment namely using evil to punish evil]; and let Satan stand at his right hand [let Satan also support this operation.] (7) And when he is tried, let him be found guilty; and let his prayers become sin [another way of saying. Don’t let his prayers be answered]. (8) Let his days be few; let another take his office. (9) Let his children be orphaned, and may his wife be a widow. (10) May his children be wandering beggars; may they seek alms far from their ruined homes. (11) Let creditors seize all that he owns; may strangers plunder the production of his labor. (12) May no one extend kindness to him or take pity on his orphaned children. (13) May his posterity be cut off; let their names be blotted out of the next generation.” Psalm 109, 16, 20 “For he never thought to show kindness, but he hounded me to death, he persecuted the needy, the broken-hearted, he put to death the despondent of soul. (20) May this be the Lord’s payment to my accusers, and to those who speak evil against my soul.”
A few points to consider:
1. Imprecatory prayers were permitted in the Old Testament, and David is our best example.
2. Even though the Tribulation is a part of the Old Testament, we only have the imprecatory prayers of certain martyrs, and their imprecatory prayers are offered in interim bodies in heaven. Furthermore, they do not make any specific request, but turn the matter completely over to the integrity of the Lord when they prayed, “how long will it be before you will judge and avenge our blood on the population of the earth?”
Regarding Church Age believers the mandates are quite clear that we should never participate in imprecatory prayers. Matthew 5:43-45, “You have heard that it was said [Leviticus 19:18], ‘You shall love your neighbor, [only this part is in Leviticus] and you shall hate your enemy’ [what the Rabbis and Pharisees had been teaching to foment a revolution against the Romans],’ (44) but I say to you, love impersonally [rather than hate] your enemies [someone who hates you] and pray [for their benefit rather than maligning them] for those who persecute you [verbal persecution or violence], [Impersonal love progresses as we move toward the Church Age.] (45) In order that you [the disciples] may become [obviously, manifestly] sons of your father [similar in thinking] who is in heaven for he causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous [believers] and the unrighteous [unbelievers]. [Our Father in heaven is gracious to all mankind; we as his sons should manifest this graciousness.]”
Revelation 6:11
Also a white robe [The Roman Stola was a long flowing robe, a reference to the Interim Body.] was given to each one of them [martyrs of the Tribulation. So, even though their mortal bodies were destroyed, they were given a much better body.]; and they were told that they should refresh themselves [enjoy their happiness in their interim bodies] for a little while longer until they, that is until their fellow-servants, even their brethren, those who were destined to be killed [in the Divine Decree] even as they had been killed, should be completed.
καὶ ἐδόθη αὐτοῖς ἑκάστῳ στολὴ λευκή, καὶ ἐρρέθη αὐτοῖς ἵνα ἀναπαύσονται ἔτι χρόνον µικρόν, ἕως πληρωθῶσιν καὶ οἱ σύνδουλοι αὐτῶν καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ αὐτῶν οἱ µέλλοντες ἀποκτέννεσθαι ὡς καὶ αὐτοί.
The Roman stola is not to be confused with the himation. The stola was a long flowing sleeveless robe whereas the himation was an outer wrap or cloak. In the passage above, the stola represents the interim body whereas the himation in Revelation 3 is used to illustrate the Uniform of Glory which will be given to the great believers at the Evaluation Platform of Christ.
Revelation 3:5, “Thus, the winner [he who overcomes] will be clothed in white garments [the Greek word himation is used to illustrate the translucent uniform of glory which will be worn by those who will hold the Order of the Morning Star]; and I will never blot out his title [of knighthood] from the book of eternal life, in fact I will acknowledge [the presentation of these winners in the court of heaven while the Tribulation is occurring on the earth] his title [of knighthood] before My Father and before His angels.
Himation is used for clothing in general as well as the translucent uniform of glory, but stola (stole in the Greek) is used in this verse for the interim body. The angel in Mark 16:1-6 was wearing a stola. “When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices, so that they might come and anoint Him. (2) Very early on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. (3) They were saying to one another, ‘Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?’ (4) Looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away, although it was extremely large. (5) Entering the tomb, they saw a young man [this angel appeared as a young man] sitting at the right, wearing a white robe [stola in Latin, stole in the Greek); and they were amazed. (6) And he said to them, do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen; He is not here; behold, here is the place where they laid Him.”
These martyrs wearing white stolas are again mentioned in Revelation 7:9, “After these things [the vision of the sealing of the 144,000 Jewish evangelists] I looked and behold, a large crowd [believers martyred in the Tribulation as per Revelation 7:14] which no one could count from all the nations [implies worldwide evangelism: national barriers do not hinder evangelism in the Tribulation even without a Client Nation] and Jewish tribes [racial barriers do not hinder evangelism in the Tribulation], and the masses [social barriers do not hinder evangelism in the Tribulation], and foreign languages [these Jewish evangelists live in every country of the world and so would know the language of their country] standing [in their interim bodies] before the throne [in presence of God the Father; the throne mentioned because he is invisible] and before the Lamb [presence of the Son in hypostatic union], and they were wearing white robes [stola: a reference to their interim bodies in heaven after death], and palm branches were in their hands [anticipating their resurrection bodies and the Millennial reign of Christ].” [You should relate this to Palm Sunday.]
Revelation 7:13-14, “Then, one of the angelic staff officers responded and said to me [John], "These who are wearing the white robes [stolas], who are they, and from where have they come? (14) Consequently, I said to him, "My lord, [a teaching angel, one of the 24 staff officers] you know. Then, he said to me, "These [martyrs] are they who have come out of the great Tribulation; furthermore, they have washed their robes [at salvation, the imputation of divine righteousness after the removal of pre-salvation sins] and made them white [interim body after death] by means of the blood of the Lamb [the saving work of Christ on the cross].”
So, those who die during the Tribulation will receive their resurrection bodies with the Old Testament saints at the Second Advent, but those who survive the Tribulation will become the nucleus for the Millennial population after the Baptism of Fire and, therefore, will not receive their resurrection bodies until the end of the Millennium.
Refreshment:
Refreshment is one of the great subjects of the Word of God. It is a subject that deals with both time and eternity. It has the connotation of great happiness in the soul. Proverbs 25:13 describes refreshment, “Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest.” The time of harvest was in the heat of the summer and so very hot. So, runners would be sent up Mount Hermon to obtain buckets of snow. By the time they were down, it would have melted, but the water would still be cool and would refresh the souls of those harvesting.
The cold water is analogous to Bible doctrine which refreshes the soul. Refreshment does not come from interaction with people unless those individuals have metabolized doctrine in their souls. Romans 15:32, “So that I may come to you in happiness by the will of God, even that I may enjoy refreshment with you.” A responding congregation is a refreshment to the pastor.
This same concept is found in the ministry of Titus to the Corinthians. Their response to his teaching of doctrine was refreshing to Titus. 2 Corinthians 7:13, “For this reason we have been comforted. And beside our comfort, we rejoiced even much more with the happiness of Titus, because his spirit has been refreshed by all of you.”
Mature believers have a ministry of refreshment. 1 Corinthians 16:17,18, “And I [Paul] rejoice over the coming of Stephanos and Fortunatus and Achaicus; because they have supplied what was lacking on your part. They have refreshed my spirit and yours. Therefore, acknowledge such men.”
Philemon 7, “For I have come to have much happiness and encouragement by your love, because the deep and tender affections of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.” Philemon 20, “Okay, brother, I wish to have benefit from you in the Lord [experiential sanctification should reflect positional truth]; refresh my tender affections [emotions respond to correct application of doctrine] because of [our relationship with] Christ.” [Happiness is in the soul; emotions are responders. The correct use of one’s emotions under the control of correct thinking in the soul helps a person to appreciate the content of his soul. The frame of reference in the stream of consciousness provides information for the memory center which stimulates response in the emotions. Therefore, the emotions become a stimulus to happiness. Emotions themselves are not happiness; but they make you aware that you’re happy.]
2 Timothy 1:16, ‘The Lord give mercy to the family of Onesiphorus because many times he has refreshed me, and he was not ashamed of my imprisonment.”
Now back to our passage: The inevitable printout of the Divine Decree calls for an unusual number of martyrs in that short seven years. “Who were destined to be killed [in the Divine Decree]” refers, of course, to the believers of the Tribulation who have not yet been martyred but will be before the Tribulation is over. When this announcement is made in heaven, they are still on earth. Until the full number of martyrs is completed those already in heaven are given a command to refresh themselves. This implies the greatest possible happiness and fellowship while they are waiting for the end of the Tribulation and for their resurrection bodies. During the meantime, God will answer their imprecatory prayers by avenging their martyrdom via the Seven Trumpet Judgments (the last three are called ‘Woes’ as per Revelation 8:13).
Revelation 6:12
Then, I looked [John sees a new vision] when He [Lord Jesus Christ] opened the sixth seal, and a tremendous earthquake [plus a volcano] occurred, with the result that the sun became black like sackcloth made of hair [goat's black hair; the rays of the sun will be blocked by this ash], and the entire moon became red like blood [as one would view it at night through volcanic ash].
Καὶ εἶδον ὅτε ἤνοιξεν τὴν σφραγῖδα τὴν ἕκτην, καὶ σεισµὸς µέγας ἐγένετο, καὶ ὁ ἥλιος ἐγένετο µέλας ὡς σάκκος τρίχινος, καὶ ἡ σελήνη ὅλη ἐγένετο ὡς αἷµα,
There will be a tremendous number of volcanoes and earthquakes, which means also tidal waves in the Tribulation. In this verse, we not only have a shaking of the earth that is earthquakes but volcanic eruptions as well. Earthquakes and volcanoes always go together. The sun is blotted out and the moon turns red at night, that is what volcanic ash does. So, we conclude from this that we have a Krakatoa type volcanic action related to earthquakes, but at a much greater magnitude.
Krakatoa:
The only confirmed eruption of Krakatoa before the 19 century was in 1680, and it was moderate. However, on May 20, 1883, it once again became active; ash clouds reached a height of 6 miles, and explosions were heard in Batavia, Jakarta 100 miles away, but ten days later it had died down. It resumed on June 19 and became violently active by August 26 at which time, violent explosions occurred and a black cloud of ash rose 17 miles above that area. The next morning which would be on the 27th, tremendous explosions were heard over 2, 200 miles away in Australia, and black ask was blown 50 miles into the sky. Pressure waves were recorded around the world. The surrounding region was plunged into darkness for two and a half days from this ash. Near the volcano, masses of floating pumice were so thick so that it prevented ships from the area. The fine dust drifted several times around the Earth, causing spectacular red and orange sunsets throughout the following year. The volcano’s collapse triggered a series of tsunamis recorded as far away as Hawaii. The greatest wave, which reached a height of 120 feet took some 36,000 lives in nearby coastal towns of Java and Sumatra. All life on the island
of Krakatoa was buried under a thick layer of ash. As a result, plant and animal life did not reestablish itself for five years.
Revelation 6:13
And meteors [this translation fits better than the word ‘star’] from the sky fell onto the earth [causing death and destruction as part of the 6th Seal Judgment], like a fig tree drops its unripe figs [this analogy implies a tremendous number of meteors will fall unto the earth; those unbelievers and believers in the Cosmic System who die before they should] when being shaken by a great wind [historical disaster brought about by bad decisions].
καὶ οἱ ἀστέρες τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἔπεσαν εἰς τὴν γῆν, ὡς συκῆ βάλλει τοὺς ὀλύνθους αὐτῆς ὑπὸ ἀνέµου µεγάλου σειοµένη,
Stars are great balls of hot gas, mostly of hydrogen with some helium and small amounts of other elements. No star can land upon the earth since all stars are larger than the earth; Furthermore, no star has ever hit the earth; if one had, it would have completely burned-up the earth. The closest star to the earth is the sun which weighs about 333,000 times as much as the earth, and is large enough for 1,300,000 planet earths to fit within it.
A star has such large mass that gravity created by this mass crushes the star inward enough to ignite nuclear fusion. Nuclear fusion of hydrogen atoms in stars releases immense amounts of energy (H + H equals He + energy) which we ultimately experience as sunlight (radiation and heat).
A meteor is a transient celestial body that enters the earth’s atmosphere with great velocity. The incandescence caused by high temperature which in turn is caused by the resistance of the air as it passes through the atmosphere produces a very luminous and beautiful phenomena.
It is no accident that this analogy was chosen since unripe figs analogous to those who will be in the Cosmic System and the reason for this seal judgment. It is obvious then that in Revelation 6:13 unripe figs refer to historical judgment of those who will make bad decisions resulting in their living in the Cosmic System. The analogy explained: Bad decisions destroy opportunities for mankind to live a full life. Life is often cut very short because of so many bad decisions. Decisions create environment, not environment decisions. Bad decisions create bad environment which cuts short one’s life on this earth. That is exactly what is going to happen in the Tribulation. The great wind is the analogy to the historical disaster brought on by the accumulated bad decisions resulting from the rejection of the Word of God, Bible doctrine. The great wind of historical disaster causes the unripe figs to fall to the ground, an analogy to death. The unripe figs are both believers and unbelievers who have rejected pertinent categories of truth: for the unbeliever the rejection of the Laws of Divine Establishment and the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ; for the believer, the whole realm of Bible doctrine.
The unripe figs which fall to the ground under the strong wind of historical disaster in the Tribulation have the complete canon of scripture available to them. Also, they have the opportunity to listen to great Bible teachers such as the 144,000 Jewish evangelists and teachers primarily in the first half of the Tribulation; Moses and Elijah in the second half, and also to angels who will both evangelize and teach.
Other passages that teach about the fig and the fig tree:
Jeremiah 8:13, “So decrees the Lord: I will take away their harvest [economic depression], there will be no grapes on the vine, there will be no figs on the fig tree, and their leaves will wither; furthermore, what I have given them in prosperity will also pass away.” No figs on the fig tree means no pivot of mature believers to carry the nation.
In Matthew 21:19 the failure of Israel to produce a pivot of mature believers guaranteed that they would be destroyed in A.D. 70, just as the fig tree withered: “When he [our Lord Jesus Christ] saw a lone fig tree by the road [analogous to client nation Israel as it existed at that time], he came to it, and found nothing on it except leaves only [representing arrogance, self-righteousness, legalism, human works]; and he said to it [to the fig tree], ‘No longer shall there ever be any production from you’. Then at once the fig tree withered,” analogous to the fifth cycle of discipline.
In the prophecy of our Lord’s Second Advent given in Matthew 24:30-31, He illustrates by teaching the parable of the fig tree in verse 32, “Now learn the parable of the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender, and its leaves come out [the evangelism of the 144,000 Jews], you know that summer [the second advent and the Millennium] is near; even so you too, when you see all of these judgements, you know that he [our Lord Jesus Christ is near] is close to the door [Second Advent].”
In the parable of the two baskets of figs in Jeremiah chapter 24 the basket of the good figs represents believers who have attained maturity through maximum doctrine resident in the soul, while the basket of evil figs represents believers who live in the Cosmic System and therefore contribute either to the temporary or permanent destruction of the client nation.
Revelation 6:14
Also, the atmosphere [around the earth] was split apart [the result of a thermonuclear detonation] like a scroll when it is being rolled up [would indicate nuclear fusion] with the result that every mountain and island were moved out of their places [tremendous movements of the tectonic plates].
καὶ ὁ οὐρανὸς ἀπεχωρίσθη ὡς βιβλίον ἑλισσόµενον, καὶ πᾶν ὄρος καὶ νῆσος ἐκ τῶν τόπων αὐτῶν ἐκινήθησαν.
Revelation 6:15
Both the kings [rulers of nations] of the earth and the nobility [maximum political influence and power], and the highest military ranks [generals, admirals etc.], and the rich, also those who have ability plus every slave [today labor] and free person [the two make-up the working force of the Tribulation, the 6th category] hid [none of these categories of unbelievers had any security and happiness] themselves in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. [All these will be refugees.]
καὶ οἱ βασιλεῖς τῆς γῆς καὶ οἱ µεγιστᾶνες καὶ οἱ χιλίαρχοι καὶ οἱ πλούσιοι καὶ οἱ ἰσχυροὶ καὶ πᾶς δοῦλος καὶ ἐλεύθερος ἔκρυψαν ἑαυτοὺς εἰς τὰ σπήλαια καὶ εἰς τὰς πέτρας τῶν ὀρέων·
These six categories mentioned include rulers of nations, those with maximum power, military leaders, the wealthy, those who have ability, the working man; and we are going to see that none of these people will have security or happiness in time of historical disaster.
Inequality:
1. In every historical era, in every dispensation of human history, society exists in a state of inequality. As one may observe that inequality has nothing to do with happiness or misery. Lower classes can be just as happy as upper classes and vice versa, and there is honor and integrity in every category of society and there is great evil in every category. So being in a certain category of privilege doesn’t mean happiness just as being in a category of non-privilege doesn’t mean misery.
2. There are two reasons for inequality among human beings. First, since the devil is the ruler of this world, he gives preferential treatment to those believers and unbelievers who live in the Cosmic System. Therefore, there is a system of pseudo prosperity provided by Satan, a system of pseudo prosperity that ends up with people fleeing to the mountains and screaming for the rocks to fall on them with the intense desire to die. Secondly, the sovereignty of God has made human volition the issue in the angelic conflict which free will-function naturally brings about inequality in the human race. How the person responds to the Laws of Establishment, and how the believer responds to the spiritual life will produce great inequality in God’s plan. People do not succeed or fail to the same degree, therefore degrees of failure or degrees of success guarantee inequalities in life.
3. Inequality exists at the point of human birth and the imputation of human life. We are born unequal physically and mentally. However, the inequality is not an issue when the person becomes a believer for God provides equal opportunity and privilege for all alike. So, the inequalities that exist at the second birth are directly related to your own decisions in life in contrast to the inequalities at the first birth which inequalities have nothing to do with our decisions.
4. This means inequality in itself is not a bad thing, only the various categories of arrogance which resent inequality such as envy, jealousy, bitterness, implacability, vindictiveness, self-pity, self-righteousness, and so on. In other words, arrogance fails to adjust to life, therefore arrogance fails to adjust to the inequalities of life. This is how arrogance becomes the source of communism, socialism, the welfare state, the redistribution of wealth.
5. Inequality exists in both historical adversity and in historical prosperity. In the Tribulation, as in the Church Age, inequality exists in a time of historical adversity; in the Millennium inequality will exist in a time of perfect environment on the earth. So, prosperity or adversity makes no difference, there are inequalities in both milieux, and the various circumstances of history do not change this.
6. However, there is a good state of inequality, and there is a bad one. Good inequality exists in the environment of freedom; bad inequality exists in the environment of tyranny. So, while historical environment may change from freedom to tyranny inequality doesn’t change. You have inequality under conditions of tyranny; you have inequality under conditions of freedom. So, whether historical prosperity or adversity, freedom or tyranny, inequality is an inescapable and unsolvable fact of history. This is not to imply that inequalities in society means unhappiness. Poor people can be happy or unhappy; rich people can be happy or unhappy. Your status in life with regard to inequality is not the issue; your status in life with regard to our Lord and Bible doctrine is the issue.
7. Inequality in itself is not even a bad thing. Inequality in history has been the basis of challenging people to become great when they otherwise would not have become great. All of the ruling families in Europe at the turn of this century came from former peasant stock and had there not been inequalities their ancestors would not have been motivated to succeed. If we were all equal, there would be no decisions to make and no improvement. The real problem with inequality is not inequality itself, it is arrogance and its manifestations. Arrogance has among its manifestations, self-pity, people feel sorry for themselves in a lower status of inequality. There is the matter of guilt complex which belongs to the higher status of inequality in life.
8. The believer’s happiness is dependent upon his relationship with the Lord, not on circumstances. Jeremiah demonstrated this when he wrote during a time of historical catastrophe the following in Lamentation chapter 3 beginning in verse 20, “My soul [historical disaster of the fifth cycle of discipline is the background] still has this in remembrance and is humbled within me. (21) This I recall to my mind; therefore, I have hope. (22) It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. (23) They are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness. (24) The ‘Lord is my portion’, says my soul. Therefore, I have confidence in him. (25) The Lord is good to them who wait for him [the full use of the faith-rest drill], to the soul that seeks him.”
Seeking protection and security: Every category of society in the Tribulation has some means of protection or security, but none of these systems will provide the necessary deliverance in historical disaster. All deliverance comes through salvation and positive volition toward Bible doctrine. All classes of society in time of historical disaster seek the high places, the mountainous areas for their last stand of security and safety. These people as unbelievers in the Tribulation will seek the wrong high ground. The only high ground that will protect them is the high ground of salvation and Bible doctrine, and they have rejected that high ground. We are going to learn that it makes no difference what your race, what is your status, how high you have gone, or how low you have sunk, the only answer to life is not in success and achievement but in God and His Word of God.
A few more points for clarification:
1. All classes of society in time of great historical disaster seek the literal high place for security, but they have the opportunity of seeking the spiritual high place, the only real security. You are safe any place in the world if you have found the high ground of Bible doctrine and the advance to maturity. That is true safety and security.
2. These people that are being described here are unbelievers, and they are seeking the wrong high ground. The only high ground for historical disaster is regeneration plus Bible doctrine resident in the soul of that believer.
3. For the unbeliever, regardless of his success or his system of security within the framework of his status, regardless of wealth, influence, authority, or some exalted status in life, or some humble status in life, there is no security, there is no happiness, there is no blessing in the historical pressure of the Tribulation.
4. All of these unbelievers seeking refuge on the high ground of planet earth will be the recipients of a principle which never changes namely grace precedes judgment. They will have had a chance to be saved; they will have had a chance to learn doctrine; they will have had a chance to accept God’s security package, and these people will turn it down.
5. Analogy: Just as there were 120 years of evangelism before the flood, and just as Jonah evangelized the Assyrians before their judgment, so all the people of the Tribulation will have heard the gospel many times, and just as many times they will have rejected it. They will be the products of their own decisions.
Revelation 6:16
And they [these 6 categories of unbelievers in society] said to the mountains and to the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us [praying to mountains and rocks] from the presence of Him [urgent demand for oblivion] who sits on the throne [the Father] and from the wrath of the Lamb [Jesus Christ]. [They have academic understanding of the gospel and the plan of God the Father; they are acutely aware of God the Father and the Lord in disaster.]
καὶ λέγουσιν τοῖς ὄρεσιν καὶ ταῖς πέτραις, Πέσετε ἐφí ἡµᾶς καὶ κρύψατε ἡµᾶς ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ καθηµένου ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς ὀργῆς τοῦ ἀρνίου,
The unbeliever will face the soul pain of loss opportunity. These unbelievers want eternal oblivion. They want to be crushed into unconsciousness for eternity. Those who face divine judgment desire and demand eternal deliverance.
“Fall on us and hide us”: The urgent demand for oblivion will be denied. In their desire for oblivion, they know from whom they must run away. They seek oblivion from God the Father, “from the presence of him [God the Father] who sits on the throne,” and they seek oblivion from God the Son, “and from the wrath of the Lamb.” So, they will have understood that God the Father had a plan for them; also, they will have understood salvation. However, they will reject the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, and they will reject the plan of God the Father. Their desire for oblivion, to be smashed by the rocks and to be blotted out of existence is because they are acutely aware of the presence of God in divine disasters. But it is an awareness of God which is absolutely useless because it drives them to distraction. It drives them to the point of insanity, the desire for oblivion.
They want to be crushed out of existence, they want to be buried under rocks and forgotten. Those unbelievers in the Tribulation who actually survive all of this will be judged by the Baptism of Fire which means that they will be identified with fires of Hades and later with the Lake of Fire.
Revelation 6:17
For the great day of their [the Father and the Son] wrath [the Baptism of Fire] has come, and so who is able to stand? [answered in the entire next chapter: only believers of the Tribulation in the Lord Jesus Christ]
ὅτι ἦλθεν ἡ ἡµέρα ἡ µεγάλη τῆς ὀργῆς αὐτῶν, καὶ τίς δύναται σταθῆναι;
Introduction to the Baptism of Fire:
Baptism means identification or association:
1. This meaning began in Homer's time. Homer wrote of the one-eyed giant, Cyclops who had trapped Ulysses and his men in a cave and was eating them one at a time. The ingenious Ulysses devised a plan. He had his men sharpen a large log and together they rammed this log into the eye of the one-eyed Cyclops rendering him blind. They identified (baptized) the sharpened log with Cyclops’ eye which changed Cyclops from a seeing giant to a blind giant. Having blinded the Cyclops, they were able to maneuver their way out of the cave. Another example by Homer: Homer's Odyssey, book 9, used baptism for hot metal identified (baptized) with water when a smith dipped a piece of hot iron into water. This is how a blacksmith would temper swords in the ancient world. After this identification, the sword was made stronger and so less likely to bend and break.
2. Xenophon said that the Spartan military recruits after finishing infantry training would identify (baptize) their spears with pig’s blood. They would run by a barrel of pig’s blood and thrust their spears into this blood. This ritual, identified their spears with killing and the soldier’s readiness for combat with the enemy.
3. Euripides used the word for a ship identified with the bottom of the sea when it sank. Before sinking, the ship was valuable; after sinking it had no value at all.
4. So "baptize" in the classical Greek meant to identify one thing with another so that the characteristics of the original thing were altered. Therefore, the interpretation of the word "baptism" is identification with something that brings about a change.
5. There are a number of cognates related to this Greek word such as bapto, baptizo, baptisma, baptismos, baptistes, and embapto.
Some Scriptural References regarding these cognates:
John 13:26, “Jesus then answered, ‘That is the one [a reference to Judas] for whom, I shall dip [the future of the Greek word bapto] the morsel and give it to him. So, when he had dipped [the aorist participle of bapto; the sop now takes on a new meaning that of honor] the sop [the morsel], He took and gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot.”
To give someone a sop [a special bit of food usually a piece of bread or meat with a tasty sauce] was the highest honor of a banquet. At a banquet a special piece of bread or meat was prepared along with a special sauce for the guest of honor who would then honor someone by giving it to that person. Jesus as the guest of honor took this sop and dipped it into a special sauce and gave it to Judas. In this way, the Lord Jesus Christ honored Judas as a member of the family of God, and for his ministry as an apostle to the Lost Sheep of Israel. This honor should have given Judas second thoughts regarding his plan to betray Jesus to the Sanhedrin.
Matthew 3:7, “but when he [John the Baptizer] saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism [identification: the Greek word baptisma], he said to them, “You brood of vipers [poisonous snakes], who warned you to flee from the wrath to come [Baptism of Fire: identification with the fire of Torments and then the Lake of Fire]?”
Hebrews 6:1-2, “Therefore, leaving behind the elementary teaching about Christ, let us advance to maturity, not laying again the foundation [of the basics such as]: a change of thinking about dead works [just as an unbeliever must have a change of mind about Christ to obtain salvation, so the believer must have a change of mind about legalism (dead works) in order to obtain the spiritual life], and of faith toward God [Faith-Rest Drill], (2) doctrine of baptisms [the Greek word baptismos; a reference to the seven types of baptism as found in Scripture] as well as the laying on of hands [ritual rebound in the age of Israel], and of resurrection from the dead, and of eternal judgment [the Great White Throne Judgment].
Matthew 3:1, “In those days John the Baptizer [the Greek word baptistes; when John baptized someone into the Jordan River, the converts were identified with the plan of God and his kingdom.] came proclaiming [as a herald] in the desert of Judea.”
The Baptism of Fire:
Matthew 3:11, “On the one hand I [John the Baptizer] baptize you [believers] by means of water because of a change of thinking [about Christ], but the one coming after me is mightier than I whose sandals I am not worthy to lace [loosen, remove]. He himself will baptize by means of the Holy Spirit [a reference to the Baptism of the Holy Spirit in the Church Age] and by means of fire [a reference to the Baptism of Fire at the 2nd Advent].”
Baptism of Fire: The baptism of fire (identification with fire) is defined as the judgment of unbelievers both Jew and gentile at the Second Advent. They will be removed from the earth and placed in Torments until after the Great White Throne Judgment at which time, they will be cast into the Lake of Fire forever.
Parables of the Baptism of Fire:
1. The wheat and the tares (the unbelievers), Matthew 13:24-30, 36-40.
2. The good and bad fish (unbelievers), Matthew 13:47-50.
3. The ten virgins: five wise, five foolish (the unbelievers), Matthew 25:1-13.
4. The sheep and the goats (the unbelievers), Mathew 25:31-46.
5. The talent test, Matthew 25:14-30. The one talent man represents the unbeliever.
If Jesus Christ had not been rejected by the Jewish people, then the age of Israel would have continued until its completion (the Tribulation completes the age of Israel). (However, they did reject Jesus Christ as Savior and Messiah and so the client nation was destroyed, and the Church age was intercalated that is inserted before the age of Israel was complete.) After the completion of the age of Israel at the end of the Tribulation, comes the wrath of God namely the Baptism of Fire when the Lord removes both Jewish and gentile unbelievers from the earth and identifies them with fire forever. After which, the Millennial reign begins.
This brings to completion our study of Revelation 6.
