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 Where are we today in Revelation?  A Soft Sign 1. Revelation 6. The Lamb has already broken the first seal on the seven-sealed scroll. The rider on the White Horse is now riding to defeat the enemies of righteousness. [White in the book of Revelation portrays righteousness. A horse is the means or vehicle for the realization of that color's meaning.] The rider here is the nation where many Christians reside; Daniel describes them as "the mighty and holy people" (8:24 Septuagint-LXX). The rider has a bow (the ancient equivalent of a gun or missle laucher), is a militarily strong nation, described by Daniel as "the strongest of fortresses" (11:39). He is wearing the crown of a recent military victory. This rider is literally, "conquering (or overcoming) so that he might conquer," (Rev 6:2) or put another way, he's doing what he thinks he has to do for the sake of righteousness. Daniel further identifies this national entity as "the powerful," (8:9 LXX) substituting that for the term that we would expect from the context as "West." Thus, the rider on the white horse is the United States (the powerful West, home to the Christian misssionary movement) today in the mid-east attempting to keep enemies of the United States and Israel from developing and using weapons of mass destruction. He will not succeed. [The rider on the White Horse is not the antichrist--the horse would have to be a different color. God told the story with the color White, so God wanted to communicate righteousness. The rider is not Christ, as we see in chapter 19, because here the rider carries a military weapon--a bow. Please note that here and in chapter 19 the white horse signifies a righteous objective. Here victory is not achieved because this rider carries the wrong weapon. In chapter 19 the rider, Christ, employs the Word of God, the right weapon, and is victorious.] Another Soft Sign: Apostasy
2 Thessalonians 2
One of the major subjects relevant to the Christian life and to the study of prophecy is "the falling away," often called "the apostasy." The Scriptures reveal that a time would come when professing Christians would fall away from the faith, love would grow cold, and sound doctrine would not be  generally taught or endured (Matt. 24:12; 1 Tim. 4:1; 2 Tim. 3:1, 4:3). The second and third chapters of Revelation explain that five of the seven churches addressed will be found in various states of rebellion prior to the Lord’s coming. 
In 2 Thess. 2, the apostle Paul discusses apostasy in the context of its relationship to the events surrounding the day of the Lord and our gathering together with Him.
Apostasy Precedes That Day The nature of Paul's words reveals his concern and frustration. Someone was trying to convince the Thessalonians that the  day of the Lord had already arrived, and had consequently shaken their "composure" (2:2). To prevent deception (2:3), the apostle points to key events that must precede the day of the Lord (2:3-8):
• The coming of apostasy (i.e., "falling away")
• The man of lawlessness to be revealed (2:3)
• The man of lawlessness to present himself as God (2:4)
Holding Fast Prevents Apostasy
The apostle offers evidence that should convince the Thessalonians that the day of the Lord had not arrived (2:6-7). He does this by presenting them with the fact that a condition prevails in the church which is the opposite of apostasy. To describe this condition the apostle chooses a word, "hold fast," which was also used by the Lord Jesus to describe the opposite of apostasy. The Thessalonians were familiar with this word and the condition that it communicated since the apostle had previously used it when he wrote "hold fast to that which is good" (1 Thess. 5:21). He notes the Thessalonian experience of "holding fast" (2 Thess. 2:6) as evidence that the apostasy has not yet occurred.
A Problem for Us (Not the Thessalonians)
Unfortunately, the Greek is difficult to translate in 2 Thess. 2:6-7, and there are consequently many different translations of these key verses. A plausible translation of verses 6-7 that would preserve the context could read:
6καὶ νυν τὸ κατέχον οἴδατε εἰς τὸ ἀποκαλυφθη ναι αὐτὸν ἐν τῳ̂ ἑαυτου καιρῳ̂. 7τὸ γὰρ μυστήριον ἤδη ἐνεργει ται της ἀνομίας· μόνον ὁ κατέχων ἄρτι ἕως ἐκ μέσου γένηται.
(sorry the Greek accents did not all come through correctly) [Black, Matthew ; Martini, Carlo M. ; Metzger, Bruce M. ; Wikgren, Allen: The Greek New Testament. Third edition (Corrected). Federal Republic of Germany : United Bible Societies, 1983, S. 2 Th 2:6-7]
"And now you know the experience of holding fast, which means that he, the man of sin, will be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already working; only he who holds fast now is effective until he is out of the midst" (2:6-7). ("Until he is out of the midst" is a way of stating "until those who hold fast are not central in the church.") "And then that lawless one will be revealed" (2:8).
In other words, the apostle is effectively saying:
"You Thessalonians are holding fast, a condition which is the opposite of apostasy. Thus the man of lawlessness will be revealed at another time. Lawlessness is already working, but the man of lawlessness will not be revealed until the one who holds fast is no longer characteristic of the church."
Revelation of the Lawless One
In verse 8, the apostle again discusses the revelation of the man of lawlessness. In verse 3, he had stated, "the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed." Now, having finished discussing apostasy (2:6-7), he again concerns himself with details of the man of lawlessness (2:8-12).
No Mysterious Restrainer Some believe that the Holy Spirit is presented here, the Holy Spirit is viewed as restraining the appearance of the man of lawlessness, and the man of lawlessness will appear when the Holy Spirit is taken out of the world.
However, the context does not support the Holy Spirit as the subject of verses 6 or 7, and no other passage of Scripture teaches that the Holy Spirit will be taken out of the world before or during the day of the Lord.
In addition:
• No other Scripture refers to the Holy Spirit as "he who now restrains" (NASB).
• The Scriptures do teach that the Holy Spirit is present among men on earth before and during the day of the Lord. Mark 13:11, Acts 2:17-21 cf: Joel 2:28-32, Zech 12:10, Ezek. 39:29 cf: Ezek. 37:14.
• The work and ministry of the Holy Spirit is apparent on earth during the tribulation in Rev. 11, which describes two witnesses who "prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days" (11:3). Read in light of 2 Pet. 1:21, "no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God," Rev. 11 begs the conclusion that the two witnesses are moved by the Holy Spirit who is present in them.
• 2 Thess. 2:7 does not say that anyone is "taken" anywhere. Of the dozens of times that this common Greek word is translated in the New Testament, this is the only passage where "taken" appears. (Compare the translation in the Revised Standard Version.)
• Even if the Holy Spirit were the "restrainer" that is "taken," neither the English translations nor the Greek text indicate that He is taken out of the world. Such an interpretation would be a suggestion or hypothesis, but not the clear teaching of the passage.
Conclusion
As the apostle concludes his remarks in this section of his letter, he states, "So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught" (2:15). Such a concluding remark is consistent with a discussion wherein Paul labored to make the point that the Thessalonian experience of holding fast was proof that apostasy and the day of the Lord had not arrived.
Today as we examine the condition of our witness to the world in the light of Jesus' letters to His churches, it appears we are on the brink of the day of the Lord. Our army is victorious in modern Babylon, while mystery Babylon, the harlot, is victorious in our homes, communities, and churches.
Our army is victorious in modern Babylon, while mystery Babylon, the harlot, is victorious in our homes, communities, and churches.
The Sign 2. Next we will experience the breaking of Seal Two when the rider on the Red Horse is given a sword and rides. Red, here and elsewhere in Scripture, is bloodshed (Isa. 63:2). The man of lawlessness above is the same as the rider on the Red Horse; the connecting point is taking peace from the earth and evoking a response from the Lord (seal six). He rides in reaction to the rider on the White Horse. This will be accomplished when several weapons of mass destruction are detonated in many densely populated cities in the United States. The rider on the Red Horse is of course Russia (Russia, "the Reds") in cooperation with an Islam nation, probably modern Iran. Many saints will die whom God will hear from when Seal Five is broken. The terrible death and destruction caused by the perpetrator of this attack will earn for him the title, "the abomination of desolation." This terrible desolation, and the abominable person responsible are who and what Jesus spoke of in answer to His disciples' question for the sign of His coming. This one who causes desolation, this son of destruction as Paul calls him, will dare to say that he is God, effectively [2Thess 2:4, Greek hoste + inf] placing himself in the place of God (cf. Dan 11:37). The calendar using the seven day week will be replaced by a six day per week calendar without a Sabbath, as worship is shifted from God to the "little horn" (Dan 8:11). The sanctuary of God will have been thrown down with the terrible desolation of the body of Christ, the church. [The 2300 evening-mornings events, Dan 8:14, are 1150 work days with Sabbaths missing. See Genesis 1, the only other place in the Bible where evening-morning is used. The Sabbath is not described as an evening morning. 2300 divided by 2 is 1150 work-days. 1150 days divided by 6--the work week needing a Sabbath--is rounded to 192, the number of missing Sabbaths. Add 1150 to 192 and the time period spoken of equals 3 1/2 years, similar to the other end-time passages in Daniel. Chapter 8 of Daniel is just like the angel said, about "the time of the end," not something historical. Note the end-time ruler makes changes in times and laws--with the calendar-- with what we are accustomed to (7:25); he does not do away with "daily sacrifice." Those two words do not occur in the text or anywhere else in the Bible! Sacrifice is added by translators. The single word "regularity" or "continuity" or "periodic" or "regular" better reflects the meaning here and elsewhere (Dan 8:11, 12, 13, 11:31; 12:11)]. The regular observance of the Sabbath is not permitted. This rider is temporarily successful. 3. When the Lamb then breaks the third seal, the black horse is next. Great economic collapse and terrible inflation will follow the desolation of the cities of the United States. However the voice of the Lamb reports from the throne, the Spirit of God (symbolized by the oil) will continue to inspire the delivery of the message of Christ, the gospel (symbolized by the wine). It appears that God is here assuring the reader that even though the missionary home base of the Christian church has been destroyed, and times will be very bad, the gospel will still be preached. When solving the meaning of symbols in the book of Revelation, remember this is the book of Revelation! God put the cookies on the bottom shelf. |
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