SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 3/20/2015
10:55 AM
My Worship Time Focus: The Second
Seal: War
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Revelation 6:3-4
Message of the
verses: “3 When He broke the second
seal, I heard the second living creature saying, "Come." 4 And
another, a red horse, went out; and to him who sat on it, it was granted to take peace
from the earth, and that men would slay one another; and a great sword
was given to him.”
The false peace that we looked at in yesterday’s SD is
now taken away by the second rider who is on the red horse. Red would mean bloodshed. I am watching a drama that was made for TV
back in the 1980’s entitled “The Winds of War.”
The book by the same title was written by a Jewish man named Herman
Wouk, and the story centers around a military family who was involved with many
world leaders before the United States got into the war. The reason that I have watched this on
different occasions is because it shows how World War II begins, and it
actually began with the promise with peace by Adolf Hitler who as John writes
in his first letter that there are many antichrists, but then there will come
The Antichrist, of which Hitler was not him.
In Hal Lindsey’s book “The Late Great Planet Earth,” he entitles the
chapter on the Antichrist “The Future Fuehrer,” showing that the Antichrist
will be like Hitler was only much worse.
There has been much written about how Hitler was probably possessed with
a demon, and how he loved being involved with the occult, and this again is
similar to what will happen to the Antichrist.
Now as far as the timing of when this second seal will be
broken in relationship with the seven year period of the tribulation it is
believed that this will happen in the first three and a half years of it. We can be sure that this is a judgment on
those who are on planet earth even though there are many at this point who have
become believers.
I have highlighted “it was granted to take peace from the
earth,” that is the one who rides on this horse. God was the One who granted this to
happen. God is in complete control of
this happening unlike what some people believe.
We have just seen God on the throne in chapters 4-5 and again this
scroll is the title deed to the universe, and when it is completed Christ will
rule over the universe as Satan and the Antichrist, and also the false prophet
will be in the lake of fire along with all those who are alive at the end of
the tribulation period who were not believers.
As I just said this is not the wrath of Satan or men, but the wrath of
God that causes these judgments to happen.
The following is what Jesus, while on earth said about this time: “6 “You will be hearing of wars and rumors of
wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but
that is not yet the end. 7 “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom
against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes.”
John MacArthur writes “John also noted that ‘a great
sword was given to’ the rider. Machaira (sword) refers to the short,
stabbing sword a Roman soldiers carried into battle. It was a weapon used by assassins. The vision depicts a ‘great’ sword to
describe the extent of the war.
Antichrist’s false peace, then, will dissolve in a maelstrom of battle,
assassinations, rebellion, revolt, and massacre. Just as Hitler desired peace
and then turned to war so the Antichrist will do the same. We will see that Antichrist will be as
skillful at war as he was in promoting the false peace. Let us look at Daniel 8:24 “"His power
will be mighty, but not by his own power, And he will destroy to an
extraordinary degree And prosper and perform his will; He will destroy mighty
men and the holy people.”
John MacArthur quotes Daniel 11:36-45 in reference to the
Antichrist setting up the abomination of desolation, and he writes this “will
touch off a massive conflict, described in detail in Daniel 11:36-45.”
36 "Then the
king will do as he pleases, and he will exalt and magnify himself above every
god and will speak monstrous things against the God of gods; and he will
prosper until the indignation is finished, for that which is decreed will be
done. 37 “He will show no regard for the gods of his fathers or for the desire
of women, nor will he show regard for any other god; for he will magnify
himself above them all. 38 “But instead he will honor a god of fortresses, a
god whom his fathers did not know; he will honor him with gold, silver, costly
stones and treasures. 39 “He will take action against the strongest of
fortresses with the help of a foreign god; he will give great honor to those
who acknowledge him and will cause them to rule over the many, and will parcel
out land for a price. 40 “At the end time the king of the South will collide
with him, and the king of the North will storm against him with chariots, with
horsemen and with many ships; and he will enter countries, overflow them and
pass through. 41 “He will also enter the Beautiful Land, and many countries
will fall; but these will be rescued out of his hand: Edom, Moab and the
foremost of the sons of Ammon. 42 “Then he will stretch out his hand against
other countries, and the land of Egypt will not escape. 43 "But he will gain control over the
hidden treasures of gold and silver and over all the precious things of Egypt;
and Libyans and Ethiopians will follow at his heels. 44 “But rumors from the
East and from the North will disturb him, and he will go forth with great wrath
to destroy and annihilate many. 45 “He will pitch the tents of his royal
pavilion between the seas and the beautiful Holy Mountain; yet he will come to
his end, and no one will help him.”
MacArthur writes “As the head of a Western confederacy,
Antichrist, as noted above, will initially portray himself as a champion of
peace. He will even appear to do what no
one has been able to do, bring peace to the troubled Middle East. He will make a treaty with Israel, posing as
their protector and defender. But all
too son his true colors will show, and his desire for dominance will provoke
rebellion. Antichrist’s attempts to
crush his enemies and rule them with an iron hand will touch off wars that will
last through the remainder of the Tribulation.
Finally, when earth’s true King, the Lord Jesus Christ, returns,
Antichrist will be case into the lake of fire forever (20:10).”
Probably for three and a half plus years the earth will
be at war even to the point of destroying the earth, but Christ said in Mt 24:22
“And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but
for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.”
Spiritual meaning
for my life today: I keep going over
something that is repeated in the book of Ezekiel many times that will be true
during the end of the Tribulation “then they will know that I am the LORD.’"” Those like John Kerry who are trying to
destroy Israel will one day know the truth of that statement in Ezekiel.
My Steps of Faith for Today: To love the Lord my God with all of my heart,
soul, mind, and strength, and to determine to better live in the love He has
for me.
Answer to yesterday’s Bible
question: “He was forbidden by the Holy
Spirit” (Acts 16:6).
Today’s Bible
question: “What is the promise of Christ’s
coming in Revelation 1:7?”
Answer in our next SD.
3/20/2015 11:51 AM
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