Thru the Bible

Steve Schwetz: Welcome to Thru the Bible. In this study of Revelation, we look ahead to the time when all godly influence is taken out of the world and the enemy is allowed to reign over the earth for a season. But don’t worry, God’s still in control.

Our teacher, Dr. J. Vernon McGee, is going to guide us through this hinge point of history, described as the Great Tribulation. You may have heard about it or maybe read imaginative novels about it, but nothing is like studying God’s Word to get the truth about the events in Bible prophecy.

Before we begin in Revelation 6, let’s take a couple minutes to hear from our fellow passengers on the Bible Bus. First, we hear a great reminder from Matt, who called and left a message on our testimony line.

Matt: I love the Bible because it reminds me that the injustice in our world will one day be made right and Jesus will be on the throne and make corrections for all the sin and darkness that we experience. My name’s Matt from Titusville, Florida. Thank you so much for preaching the good news.

Steve Schwetz: And then here’s another message. This one’s from Emily, a longtime listener.

Emily: Hello, my name is Emily. I live in Lamont, Florida. I have enjoyed listening to the Bible Bus with J. Vernon McGee for years and years. I believe since 1972. It’s been a very long trip, but I love everything that I hear from him and others that are in the ministry and love the Lord. Thank you for being there. I love the Lord. Blessings to you.

Steve Schwetz: Well, we’ve got time for one more. Here’s a letter from Glenda, here in the US, who hops on the Bible Bus in Spanish.

"I love this study. It is complete and easy to understand. I’ve been listening to it for about 10 years. From the first time I listened, I loved it and felt the blessing of the Holy Spirit. I understood that He guided me to find you, first listening to you on Radio Nueva Vida in California and then I started listening to you every day for the next four years, and that five-year study was over.

I asked God’s blessing to get on the bus from day one on the next five-year trip, and He listened. We are about to finish the last book, Revelation. I am very thankful to God who led me to find this Bible study. I have learned and understood much to the glory of God. I will keep listening to you again and again until God calls me to His heavenly kingdom. Thank you and many blessings. You are the light of this lost world. Hugs and my love in Christ Jesus."

Well, thanks Matt, Emily, and Glenda for sharing your stories and really encouraging us today. And what about you? Has a recent study maybe challenged your thinking or opened your heart in a new way? What’s God teaching you as we travel through His Word together?

Why don’t you share your story just by calling and leaving a voicemail at 1-800-65-BIBLE? You can also send us a note in our app or email us at biblebus@ttb.org or writing to Box 7100, Pasadena, California, 91109. In Canada, you can mail us at Box 25325, London, Ontario, N6C 6B1. Let’s pray together.

Father, thank You for Your Word that speaks to every generation and to every heart. As we open Revelation today, would You guide us by Your Spirit to see Your truth clearly, to trust Your plan fully, and then to walk with Jesus faithfully? It’s in His name we pray. Amen. Turn now to Revelation 6 as we make our way through the Bible with Dr. J. Vernon McGee.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: We come today to the sixth chapter of the book of Revelation and actually this is the great watershed, the great divide of the book of Revelation. Here is a division that let me say is all important. I know traveling on old Highway 66 across northern New Mexico, you go through Albuquerque and Gallup, New Mexico, and Winslow and then up to Flagstaff.

Now between Flagstaff and Winslow, there’s a place called the Great Divide or the Continental Divide is the way I think they label it. I found the same thing over in Colorado, up at Berthoud Pass. And I’m told that in both of these places, you could drop a chip in a stream that is flowing toward the west on the west side of the divide, and it would end up in the Pacific Ocean.

Or you could put a chip on the east side of the divide and it would end up eventually in the Atlantic Ocean by way of the Gulf of Mexico, of course. But this is a very important division by the way, very important. It actually separates those two chips and they’re worlds apart. That’s what we have here in the sixth chapter of the book of Revelation.

And the reason for that is that we’ve come to the third major division. Now we said that at chapter four and actually that is where it is. But what happened in chapter four, we found ourselves transferred to heaven. John was caught up and we went right up with him because we began to see things in heaven.

And we didn’t see anything labeled the church because the church was the name given to it down here, but we saw the 24 elders and we went up with John and the elders had to get up there somehow. They were caught up and they represent the church. And the church we find now in heaven and it’s no longer mentioned from here on in the book of Revelation on the earth at all. Oh, there’s an invitation at the end that comes from the church, but that refers back to this day in which we live.

But you have here an orderly process in the book of Revelation. And we need to follow Peter’s rule for prophecy, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. That is, you don’t interpret it by itself. It must be looked at as a system and a program and it must fit in with the other.

Now by the time you get to the sixth chapter, a great many forget that John gave to us an orderly division of the book of Revelation. He said back in Revelation 1:19, "Write the things," this is what he was told to do, "the things which thou hast seen." And that was that glorious vision of the glorified Christ as the great high priest amidst the lampstands where He’s keeping the light burning here on the earth and that’s His picture.

And then we were given the things that are. And we had seven churches which represent the total earthly experience of the church from the day of Pentecost to the Parousia, from the upper room to the upper air. That this is the total history of the church on earth. Then he was told "and the things which shall be hereafter," *meta tauta*. So we ended the earthly career of the church at the end of chapter three and then we were told *meta tauta*, after these things.

And believe me, he mentioned it twice there. He couldn’t get away from it. He did that for the benefit of those who hold a historic viewpoint of Revelation, the amillennialists today. He says, "after this," *meta tauta*, and he would show the things which must be hereafter, and that’s *meta tauta*. That’s chapter 4, verse 1 of Revelation.

So beginning there, it was new. But the two chapters we had, four and five, we were in heaven. We were there with John. And the first thing we saw was a throne and the Lord Jesus is there and He is the Lion of the tribe of Judah who is sitting at God’s right hand waiting till His enemies are made His footstool down here. Then in chapter five, He’s the Lamb. And we see the emphasis upon His first coming, that He’s the Lamb.

But the Lamb is the one because He’s the Redeemer that was able to take the book which is the title deeds of this earth. And did you know that He’s the only one that’s able to judge this earth? And He’s the only one that’s able to judge it not only because of who He is, He’s God manifest in the flesh, but by what He’s done. He created this earth and that gives Him a right.

And He’s worshipped in chapter four as the Creator. Then He also redeemed this earth and we see that in chapter five, He’s worshipped as the Redeemer. Since He’s the Creator and Redeemer, He’s the only one worthy to judge this earth. He’s the only one that’s able to rule this earth.

What a reflection upon the consummate conceit of little man down here who want to be judges. What right has the Supreme Court to judge anyone? What right has the Senate or the House of Representatives or the president to judge anyone? Who do they think they are today? May I say to you who is worthy to sit in judgment? It’s the Lord Jesus Christ. He alone is worthy.

And until one of these boys can measure up to Him, they’re not really in a position to judge in their own ability and strength. And any human judge down here that does not look to God is not worthy to sit on any bench and judge anyone. And that would even be a police court today.

And may I say to you that the injustice that’s on this earth is brought about by little man sitting in judgment on others. Jesus Christ is worthy and that’s the picture that is given to us as we close that chapter. Now when we come to chapter six, the scene shifts down here to the earth.

And the question naturally, what happened on the earth when the church left? Well, the Great Tribulation took place. And we have here first the Great Tribulation in the world from chapter 6 through 18. Then we have the opening of the seven-sealed book here in chapter 6 through chapter 7 and actually through chapter 8, verse 1.

And these seven seals here open up the Great Tribulation period. The Lord Jesus breaks the seals. The first four horses ride forth. And then you have the martyred dead during that period. And then you have the day of wrath coming and the seals and in a very orderly way, the seventh seal introduces the blowing of seven trumpets.

The blowing of the seventh trumpet introduces seven startling persons. And when we come to that beast out of the sea, that introduces the seven bowls of wrath in chapters 15 and 16. And then the last bowl of wrath brings to us the burden or the judgment of Babylon, chapter 17 and 18.

That brings to an end the Great Tribulation period and then Christ comes to the earth. It’s quite interesting to note that Babylon is the first judgment and it’s the last judgment. Babylon at the Tower of Babel represents the first organized rebellion against God. That’s in Genesis 11.

And then Babylon represents the last rebellion against God both religiously, that’s Revelation 17, and politically, that’s chapter 18. And we find here that this brings to an end man’s little day on this earth. Now the important thing for us to keep before us is the one who was worthy to open that book.

He’s directing everything now. And that means that we have in this book as we were told at the beginning, it’s the revelation, the unveiling of Jesus Christ. He’s no longer walking among the lampstands for they all have been removed from this earth.

He’s no longer the high priest standing as intercessor but He’s now the executor of God’s will upon the earth as He opens the seals of the book. All of the judgments of the Great Tribulation usher forth from the seals out of which come the trumpets, the persons, and the bowls. And the Great Tribulation is triggered from heaven. Jesus Christ directs the entire operation. And that’s the reason we’ve said in Psalm 2, He shall break them with a rod of iron.

Somebody said they don’t like all this. You don’t? Well, do you have a better suggestion? If you do, would you pass it on to the Lord Jesus of how He’s going to put down the rebellion on this earth? How do you think He’d put it down? Suppose He came like He did 1,900 years ago.

Do you think that in Moscow today they are ready in the Kremlin to turn it over to Him? How about our country today? I’m telling you, they’re not even about to turn it over to Him in Washington. In neither party is interested in putting Jesus Christ on the throne. They’ve got some very unworthy men on both sides that would like to be on the throne.

Oh, my friend, may I say to you that He alone is the one that is worthy. And how is He going to come to power? Just exactly like the second Psalm said: He’ll break them with a rod of iron. And we’re going to have that from now on. This is judgment on the earth.

Now the church was delivered. Why? Because they were such nice, sweet Sunday school children? Oh, no. They were sinners. But they were saved by the grace of God. And only those that have rejected the grace of God go in the Great Tribulation period. That’s my reason for believing that God’s raised up radio today.

And I think it’s a better means than television to get the Word of God out to the ends of the earth and He’s going to let them all hear the gospel. And then when they make their decision, that’ll decide whether they’re going into the Great Tribulation or not. Now chapter four, we saw the throne and the triune God. Chapter five, we saw the book, the Lord Jesus Christ.

And there are certain factors that are brought into focus which increase the intensity and the ferocity of the Great Tribulation. Let me mention five of them here. The Holy Spirit restrains evil no longer. Somebody says, "You mean he left the world?" No, he didn’t. He was in the world before the day of Pentecost calling out the church.

But on the day of Pentecost, he assumed a new ministry of baptizing believers into the body of Christ, and of filling them, and of indwelling them, and of leading and guiding them in this world. And he’ll take the church out. It doesn’t mean that he’s going to leave. He’ll still be here, but he won’t restrain evil any longer. In other words, man’s going to have his little day during this period and so is Satan. That’s the reason I don’t want to be here.

Then the second thing, the true church as light and salt is removed. The church has very little influence in the world, but it still has a little, and when it leaves the earth there’ll be none left. Then the third is the devil knows he has but a short time and he’s going to make hay while the sun shines.

He’s going to take advantage of it during this period and God’s going to give him free rein. We’ll see that in this period. And the fourth thing, evil men are free to carry out their nefarious plans. In other words, Antichrist, he’ll be able to take over this earth for a brief period of time. And then the fifth, there is direct judgment from God.

And we have that by the way in this chapter here in verse 17, if you’ll notice there, "for the great day of his wrath is come and who shall be able to stand?" This is a tremendous period you see and the Great Tribulation I do not think breaks suddenly like a great tornado. The opening of the seals is gradual, logical, chronological.

They’re opened one at a time. Book of Revelation makes sense. And as we come to this chapter now to the text, may I make this statement very carefully and that is from here on, that is actually from chapter four on, it is future. It’s future. Now if it is future and we’re in the time when the things that are, the period of the church, and these things reach into the future, then may I say to you don’t try to drag any of the seals or any of the trumpets or any of the bowls or any of these persons up into this period because they don’t belong in this period and they’ll not appear in this period.

Now I think we’re seeing the setting of a stage today, but I don’t think that any of these things are taking place today. Yet we find that a great many men are doing just that and it’s sensationalism of course and it I guess gets listeners and it sells books, but it sure isn’t according to the way John put it down here.

It’s quite logical now. And we want to put that down as an axiom that from here on it’s future. And it’s going to come to pass but none of these things has come to pass. When we went through the church, seven churches, we could fit that into history. You can’t fit any of this into history.

Now that’s the difference between the futurist and the historic viewpoint. Although it’s quite interesting to me that many who hold a historical viewpoint, the historical school, many of them assume that this is future from here on or a little farther down, they make it future. In other words, they just can’t fit it into history.

The amillennialist attempts to fit everything from here on into history. And as a result, there are about 50 different systems of interpretation according to Dr. Walvoord that have come out of the historical viewpoint. And friends, 49 of those are bound to be wrong. And personally, I think the other is too.

And also let me quote again from Dr. Walvoord. He quotes from John Cummings’ book *Lectures on the Apocalypse* and he holds the historical viewpoint. But he believes in the premillennial return of Christ and the futuristic character of the latter portion of the book of Revelation. That’s quite interesting.

But he made this startling statement. Now I didn’t make this statement. I’m not prepared to make it, but he made it. Listen, I’m reading now: "I believe that one half of the professors of the gospel are nothing better than practical infidels." What do you think about that?

That means that 50% of the church members today are not believers at all. That, my friend, I just say it and leave it right there. Now let me come and let's at least open one seal today. And we open the first seal and I’m going to read now from my translation, you follow the authorized version. That’s still the best.

None of these modern versions have made any improvement at all including mine. It hasn’t helped it at all. But all I’ve done without trying to translate but just pulling out of the original what John is saying. Will you listen? "And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as a sound of thunder," now it’s not come and see, it’s "Go!"

It’s a command from heaven. "And I saw and behold a white horse and one sitting on him having a bow and a crown was given to him and he went out conquering and to conquer." Now the Lord Jesus Christ takes the seven-seal book. He breaks the first seal and he’s going to break them all *ad seriatim*, right in order.

Book of Revelation makes sense, friends. And he’s in full charge and every creature in heaven is moving at his command and so the four horsemen now are going to ride forth and he breaks the seal and he says go. And it’s restated by John that he saw and he heard. This is television we’re looking at.

And to determine the symbolism of the rider on the white horse, that’s given rise to a difference of opinion, many differences. The preponderance interpretation among commentators is that he represents Christ and they use Psalm 45 and Revelation 19 in support of this position.

But most of the contemporary Bible expositors of the premillennial school say that the white horse and the rider is Antichrist. And that’s the position of Scott, Ironside, Chafer, Walvoord, Woodbridge, and Pentecost. And it happens to be my position also. Now he rides forth.

And Antichrist does not appear as a villain. After all, Satan’s angels, they’re angels of light. They don’t look like demons. They don’t have horns. And so Antichrist is going to come as the most attractive man that the world has ever seen so far because they didn’t see the Lord Jesus and they don’t see Him today. But they’re going to accept this man because he’s come in his own name. Now we’ll see about him next time and then the other horsemen as they ride forth. So until then, may God richly bless you, my beloved.

Steve Schwetz: Well, we’ve still got a lot of ground to cover in our study of Revelation, so if you’ve missed a message, it’s available anytime in our app or at ttb.org. And if you haven’t already gotten your free copy of Dr. McGee’s notes and outlines, they’re a great resource. And for the book of Revelation, it’s no exception and now’s the perfect time.

If you listen by app, well, no fear, you’ve already got them right there on that device. And if not, the quickest and easiest way to get them is to go to ttb.org and look for our free digital book *Briefing the Bible*. With this one download, you’re going to have access to all of Dr. McGee’s notes and outlines for our entire five-year journey.

Or if you’d prefer to get them just for Revelation, you can select one book at a time too. Or call us and we can send you an abridged print copy of *Briefing the Bible* by mail when you request it. The number again is 1-800-65-BIBLE. I’m Steve Schwetz, and I’ll be here next time, saving a seat on the Bible Bus just for you. Well, ride the Bible Bus for five years and you’ll be amazed at what God teaches you from His Word about what it means to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. It’s a blessing that keeps on going. That’s what we believe at Thru the Bible.