THE GATHERING CLOUDS OF DOOM
REVELATION 6
I think we would agree that our society is teetering on the edge. Mass murders by deranged gunmen overcome by sin and Satan are seemingly happening on a regular basis. Babies continue to be aborted at a record pace. Murder rates are skyrocketing, respect for authority is at an all-time low, and prices and inflation are at near record highs while the supply chain is nonexistent in America. Illegals storm across the border; some seeking for what America once stood; others seeking and planning who knows what.
New diseases are being spread like wildfire. IN my life alone, and I am sure I will leave out some, AIDS, COVID-19, Monkeypox, Legionnaire’s Disease, Swine Flu, Ebola, and many new STDs have appeared. As we get smarter and smarter, the problems become bigger and bigger, and the solutions become more and more elusive.
It is as if we are being overwhelmed. Wars and rumors of war pervade the news. New weapons of mass destruction are being developed with more and more nations having access to those weapons. Dear friend, the likelihood of a rogue nuclear attack has never been higher. Stockpiles of biological weapons are available to any bloodthirsty tyrant or terrorist willing to pay the price.
Politics are in turmoil. There is no leadership, no solutions, and much finger-pointing. Democrats blame Republicans, Republicans blame Democrats, everyone blames Trump, and no one repents and turns to God. Congress has turned into the characters in The Wizard of OZ, and I will leave it to your imagination to cast the role of the witch and to decide who needs courage, a brain, and a heart. We are in dire straits. Dear friend, it is as if Solomon was directly talking to us as he wrote those thousands of years ago.
Proverbs 26: 27 (NIV)
27 Whoever digs a pit will fall into it; if someone rolls a stone, it will roll back on them.
Dear friend, things are bad, and most of the things that are so bad in America are the result of the pit America dug and into which she has now fallen, but dear friend, my faith is in Jesus, and before this world completely goes to Hell, Jesus is going to snatch me out of here faster than Exlax goes through a widow woman.
1 Corinthians 15: 51-52
51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed--52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
And I guarantee you that the Holy Trinity is not wringing its hands in emergency session as to what is happening in the world today. If you remember, I said when we did our verse-by-verse study of the Book of Revelation that those prophetic events of tomorrow cast a long shadow on today, and I believe that is exactly what is happening. What we are experiencing, I believe, is like a woman experiencing labor pains, and this world is about to give birth to some serious judgements. Judgements that will be brought on because of the hole man has dug and fallen into.
Now, what I would like to do is to look at our world in terms of what is here, how did we get here, and whether or not there is any hope in changing what is here, and we are going to take the prophecies concerning the Apocalypse and show how they are casting a shadow across today’s landscape.
I. WHAT IS HERE?
I gave you in my introduction a litany of problems in our country specifically today, and the reason I say our country. because even in her sinful condition, America is still the standard bearer for Christianity throughout the world, but the response of Christian people to what is happening is truly astounding. The Bible clearly states in detail what is here today, and it was Jesus Christ Himself that described it.
Matthew 24 : 3 – 8
3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?" 4 And Jesus answered and said to them: "Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
Jesus gave us a glimpse into what we see today. Matthew 24 and Revelation 6 paint a picture of events to come, and those events, I believe, are casting their shadows across the landscape today. I want you to see with open eyes this morning as we look at what is here.
A. POLITICAL TURMOIL
Revelation 6: 2
2 And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.
Now, we know specifically this verse of Scripture is talking about the Antichrist, and I want you to know he could very well be alive today. He might be a toddler, or he might be ready to step onto the world scene, or he could be on the world scene, but if he is or is not, is irrelevant, but the conditions that gives the impetus for his rise are very evident today. The nations of the world, especially America, are in political disarray. Can you name any nation today that is politically stable? I think Isaiah is referring to political turmoil when he wrote these words.
Isaiah 59: 4
4 No one calls for justice, nor does any plead for truth. They trust in empty words and speak lies; they conceive evil and bring forth iniquity.
I am here to tell you that for the last 22 years our nation has been in a political mess. Now, I know you can track it back further, but the political hole we have dug has gotten considerably deeper in the last 22 years, and just so you understand, in that time, we have had 2 Democratic Presidents and 2 Republicans, and both parties have controlled Congress. If you are honest with yourself, you know that nothing gets done. The goal for most politicians is to stay in power regardless of what happens to middle class America. They care not the plight of the American people. We have witnessed President after President providing no leadership, and as a result, the world and America are ready for a new world leader to emerge because the world and America has rejected God and trusted man. The Bible refers to this coming leader as the Lawless One, the Man of Sin, the Beast, and the Son of Perdition, and tragically, if he were to run for office today in America with an R beside his name, most of us would vote for him regardless of his morals, and if he ran with a D beside his name, the Democrats would do the same.
That is how political we have become, and the whole time, Jesus is knocking on the door wanting to come in. No issue arises in our country today unless it is framed in a political context, and turmoil and chaos reign, and no one calls it sin; no one calls for repentance, and the hole gets deeper. Listen. God told His people what to do, and we did not and are not, and we have what we have as a result. What did God tell us to do?
Romans 13 : 1 – 2
1 Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.
1 Timothy 2 : 1-2
1 Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.
We did not do as God commanded. We have not submitted as Romans says, and we have not prayed as we should for our leaders as 1 Timothy says. We did not trust what God’s Word said. We trusted politicians instead of God and turmoil reigns, and from that turmoil and the removal of the church, the Antichrist will come. The Antichrist will be the political solution for which man has so longed. I am here to tell you that I may have many faults, but I will tell you this. I do not place any faith or hope whatsoever in any political solutions.
B. WARFARE
Revelation 6: 4
4 Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword.
Jesus said we would always have war and rumors of war, and we see that will be the case in the future too with this red horse rider, but can I say this?Warfare is the biggest source of political turmoil in the world. World War 1 is the line of demarcation in our history. Prior to WW1, America minded America’s business. Sure, the Monroe Doctrine was established in 1823 in reference to North, South, and Latin American affairs, but the US stayed out everyone’s business. Prior to WW1, the business of America was America’s business as Theodore Roosevelt said, but WW1 changed that. At the time of WW1, America only claimed 12 miles of territorial waters. Today, America claims 200 miles.
Since WW1, America has been in war after war after war. Much of our national debt has been created by the countless wars in which America has engaged over the last 100 years, and in only one of those wars, was America willing to do what America needed to do in order to win it. America spent a combined 40 years in Vietnam and Afghanistan with no desire whatsoever to do what it took to win those wars. Tell me what good we did in Vietnam. We lost 58,000 men, and Vietnam is still Communist, and so is Cambodia and Laos. What good did we do in Afghanistan? As soon as we left, the terrorists took back over. Wars and wars and wars, and we clamor for peace, and if one could bring it, the world would love him.
But dear friend, there is a source of true peace, and that source is Jesus.
Philippians 4: 6 – 7
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
John 14: 27
27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Dear friend, only Jesus can bring you true peace, but I want you to know that warfare also refers to the total disregard for life that we see today. 62 million babies aborted since 1973. You know it is really pathetic, and I am sure God has had to restrain Himself many times. In the United States, you can go to jail for abusing a puppy or a bald eagle’s egg, but you can choose to kill a baby just as that precious life is getting ready to come from the mother’s womb. By the way, we keep great company in the world in regard to abortion. Did you know that China, North Korea, and America are the only nations currently with no abortion restrictions? Praise God for the Supreme Court action this summer in the Dobbs case that rightfully returned abortion to the states for each individual state to decide the issue for itself, but for God’s people, there is no decision to make. Abortion is ungodly. We have the highest murder rate in the industrialized world; it is brother against brother literally. Listen. It has not happened by chance. God said, “You shall not murder.” That was not good enough for man, so in 1980, the US Supreme Court said it was unconstitutional for the 10 Commandments to be displayed in schools. Do you remember any school shootings prior to 1980? 19 babies and 2 teachers died in Texas on May 24 because God’s law had been removed 42 years earlier, and it was replaced by the sound of gunfire.
Can I say this? Do not fall for the lies of these revisionist. Nowhere in the US Constitution is the phrase separation of church and state. The US Constitution says that Congress cannot establish a religion, and Congress cannot restrict the free exercise of religion. The founding fathers intended to keep the state out of the church, but they never intended to keep God out of government. God has standards, and if you substitute your standards for God’s absolute standards, absolutely nothing is off the table including third trimester abortions and shooting up an elementary school. Dear friend, it is not a gun issue, it is not a law issue. It is a heart issue because what is in a man’s heart is soon brought to light.
Luke 6: 45
45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
C. ECONOMIC CHAOS
Revelation 6: 5 – 6
5 When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, "Come and see." So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. 6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, "A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine."
You talk about class warfare. This is just the beginning. The supply chain differences in the end times will be the same as ours, but they will be magnified greatly. This future event is casting a very long shadow across the landscape today, and if you do not understand that it is a part of God’s plan, you do not understand Habakkuk 1 : 5 (NIV).
5 “Look at the nations and watch— and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.
Do you realize what Revelation 6 : 5-6 is saying? High prices and shortages only affect those that have to work for a living. That is what that little phrase do not harm the oil and the wine means. The elite do not care if gas gets to be $20 a gallon because it does not affect them one iota, and dear friend, if you know your history and governmental systems, it is a characteristic of socialist and communist governments, and it is an indication to me personally that the world under the Antichrist will be one big Socialist/Communist experience. I just do not have time to chase that rabbit today, but if you know your history, Nikita Khrushchev said in 1960 that Communism would bury the US without firing a shot. Unknowingly because he is awaiting God’s final judgement in the holding cell of the damned today, Khrushchev was repeating what Scripture says. Our entire tax system benefits the elite and wealthy. Why should someone making $50,000 per year pay a higher percentage of their income in taxes than someone making $5,000,000 per year? Do not harm the oil and the wine. There is so much in that little phrase, and dear Christian friend, why are wringing your hands over something that God said was going to happen? And hallelujah!!!! What it means to us is that the Lord Jesus is getting ready to call us to meet Him in the air.
D. DISEASE
Revelation 6: 7 – 8
7 When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” 8 I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine, and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth. Who knows what disease is lurking around the next corner? I mentioned earlier the diseases that have appeared just in my lifetime, but do you know the real tragedy? Even Christian people dismiss the fact that God’s hand of judgement could be involved in the propagation of all these diseases. In the COVID crisis, Christians blamed everyone else instead of acknowledging that COVID could be God’s judgement on a society that refuses to repent. We can blame the Chinese, liberals, and immorality, but we do not want to believe God’s involvement because if we did, that would mean that we recognize sin’s involvement and our need to repent.
II. HOW DID WE GET HERE?
How did we get to where we are now?
A. THE LOST MAN REJECTED THE WAY
The number one reason society is teetering on the edge of destruction and God’s judgement is sin. When Adam and Eve sinned, Adam in particular, the world’s trajectory took a terrible turn for the worse.
Romans 6: 23
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 5: 12
12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned
From the moment Adam sinned, sin took control of this planet. In its simplest form, sin is doing what I want to do instead of what God demands. Above all else, God demands righteousness. Because we are of Adam, we can never be righteous enough to satisfy God’s demands. So, what did God do?
John 3 : 16
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Romans 8 : 32
32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?
God so loved man that He sent His Son who laid down His life and God spared Him none of His wrath so that by accepting Jesus, man could fulfill God’s righteous demands by being wrapped in the righteousness of Jesus.
John 14: 6
6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
Jesus is the Way to fulfill those righteous demands, but man has rejected the way. The majority of man has taken the wrong way and stayed on the road on which he or she was born.
Matthew 7: 13 – 14
13 "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
Man has rejected the Lord Jesus Christ and allowed sin to reign, and as a result, man has warfare, disease, and economic and political turmoil. As a result of sin and the rejection of Christ, God has given man the society that man wants.
Romans 1: 24 – 26
24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves,25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. 26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature.
B. THE CHRISTIAN FORGOT THE WAY
Revelation 3: 20
20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come into him and dine with him, and he with Me.
Dear friend, Christians play a big role in this mess too. How sad a picture for Jesus to be on the outside wanting to come in. The church took its eyes off the Way. The church became too busy building porches and raking leaves to win lost souls to Jesus and to make disciples, and as Jude says the lost world crept into the church unnoticed, and the church lost influence in setting the course for society. When Christ is left on the outside, what God demands is laid down in favor of what I think.
III. HOW CAN WE GET OUT OF HERE?
A. MAKE DISCIPLES
Matthew 28: 18 – 20
18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.
The hope for this world is that you and I share the Gospel to one lost soul at a time, and that can make all the difference. It made a difference in a man named Saul’s life. It made a difference in a dying thief’s life. It is so sad that the dying thief is more of a witness than many living Christians. It made a difference in the lives of some fishermen. It has made a difference in my life, and it will make a difference today in a lost person’s life too.
People are hurting. People are searching. People need Jesus.
Matthew 9: 37 - 38
37 Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. 38 Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest."
The world needs Jesus, and Christ needs you to share with the world what He has done in your life if you are a born again Christian. Dear friend, the Scripture says go and make disciples. How many of you wants things to get better? How many of you are willing to commit to winning one lost soul this year? How you answer that question determines how concerned you are. Do not rant and rave about politicians who cannot make a lasting difference when you will not reach out and share the good news about the One who can make an eternal difference.
B. REPENT TO BE REVIVED
Isaiah 59 : 1 – 2
1 Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear. 2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear.
2 Chronicles 7 : 14
14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
Dear friend, I want you to know that as long as God is on His throne and the church is still on this earth, there is hope for this world. As Isaiah said, the Lord’s hands have not shrunk nor His arms shortened. God has not gone deaf, and His eyes are wide open to our problems, and He wants to heal our land, but our sins are separating us from Him doing just that. I want you to know what Christians need to do. God gave us the recipe, and it does not say that the power to change is in the ballot box, gun, or revolution.
What do we need to do?
(1) We must humble ourselves.
(2) We must pray and seek God.
(3) We must repent.
And when we do that, the Bible promises that God will hear our pleas, forgive our sin, and heal our land. Dear friend, do you care enough about America to do as 2 Chronicles says? Had you rather complain about politicians instead of seeking God on His throne? No politician can ever help us out of this mess, but God Almighty can. Will you reach a lost soul for Christ? Will you humble yourself? Will you pray and seek God? Will you repent? If you do, God will honor His Word. My fear is that deep down we really do not believe what God says in His Word because if we did believe what God says about healing our land then we would do what His Word says we need to do for that to happen.
What about you lost friend? Are you trapped with the masses of humanity traveling that wide road to destruction? Jesus is calling you to salvation. He is knocking on the door of your heart as I speak. Will you invite Him in? Jesus is saying come to me. Will you do that?