Breaking 6 seals of the book.
Breaking 6 seals of the book.
1. Comparing Matthew 24:4-31 with Revelation 6:1-17.
Both of these passages refer to things that will happen near Jesus’ second coming.
Matthew 24:3
As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
Jesus’ answer to these questions asked by Jesus’ disciples is mentioned in Matthew 24:4-31.
When we compare Jesus’ answer to the disciples and Revelation 6:1-17, we see that many signs and plagues are mentioned in both parts, and the order in which they are mentioned is almost the same.
i. Matthew 24:4,5,11,24
“4 Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you.
5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many.
11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.
24 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. “
The first sign that Jesus gave to the disciples that day was the sign that ‘false Christs are coming’. Revelation 6:1,2 also points to this.
Revelation 6:1,2
“1 I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, “Come!” 2 I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out like a conqueror bent on conquest.”
ii. Matthew 24:6,7
“6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.
7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.”
The second sign that Jesus speaks of is the sign of ‘Wars and News of War’ and it is the same sign that is symbolically placed before us in Revelation 6:3,4.
Revelation 6:3,4
“3 When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!”
4 Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make people kill each other. To him was given a large sword.
iii. The next sign mentioned in Matthew 24:7 is ‘famine’, which is symbolized in Revelation 6:5,6.
Revelation 6:5,6
“5 When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand.
6 Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, “Two pounds[a] of wheat for a day’s wages,[b] and six pounds[c] of barley for a day’s wages,[d] and do not damage the oil and the wine!”
iv. Matthew 24:9
“9 “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me.”
The suffering mentioned in Matthew 24:9 is, ‘Believers will be persecuted and put to death.’ In Revelation 6:9, it is mentioned about those who were killed because of the word of God and because of their testimony.
Revelation 6:9
“9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained.”
v. Matthew 24:29
“29 “Immediately after the distress of those days
“‘the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light;
the stars will fall from the sky,
and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ “
Revelation 6:12-14 describes similar things.
Revelation 6:12-14
“12 I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red,
13 and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind.
14 The heavens receded like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.”
In the next section we will talk about ‘the Lamb breaking the six seals of the book’.