In Your Bible Read This
Revelation chapter 14.

Here Is Your Memory Verse
Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his
judgement has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth,
the sea and the springs of water. Revelation 14.7.

Afterwards Talk About This
Discuss how you see the four horsemen of the apocalypse
riding through the earth in your lifetimes.

Something To Do Before Next Time
Write an article sensibly warning people about Bible prophecy concerning
loss of investments, and submit it to your local newspapers and radio stations.
No scare tactics or you will lose credibility.

Written Diploma Work
Write a page of suggestions concerning how we might worship
the Lord better than we do in our church services, taking into
account the ways to bring him glory.

Meditate On These Verses
Revelation 19, 1-2

Spend a Minute to Change the World

Pray For Eritrea - 4,000,000 in nine major peoples

30 years of war and drought, 50% Muslim, 40% Orthodox

Huge challenge to rebuild the nation

 

Be sure to teach this lesson to others.

Always pray and prepare well adding

your own verses and stories to bring it to life.

Many people believe that we are in the last days before Jesus returns as King. Certainly, there is no later day than today. The new millennium and the turn of 1999 into the year 2000 is of great prophetic interest to many while the recently turned year 6000 in the Jewish calendar is very significant for others. Scientists are alarmed about the environment, politics are in continual crisis, and spiritually we know that sin, crime, injustice and inequality cannot go on for ever. Something is going to happen.

The Horsemen Of The Apocalypse

In Revelation 6, 1-8 we learn about four horsemen who will ride the earth. Never have the sounds of their hooves been clearer. The rider of the white horse is Jesus who rides to conquer the hearts of men. Rev. 19.11.

• The red horse follows and he takes away peace from the earth as men kill each other as in the two world wars and lately in Bosnia, Kosovo, Sierra Leone, Eritrea and Rwanda.
• The black horse brings economic ruin to nations until the poor cannot eat, but the rich get richer through the crisis.
• Last is the pale horse ridden by death who gathers men through violence, disease and catastrophe.

Thankfully the Bible says that when sin abounds, grace abounds even more, Romans 5.21. We are going to meet three angels with clear messages from God for the end times. Maybe they are Christian leaders who catch the ear of the world because in Rev. ch. 2 the word angel refers to the leaders of the churches.

1. The First Angel

Proclaims the eternal gospel to every nation, tribe and language as God’s no.1 priority Rev.14.6-7. He has three messages:

1. In a fearful world - fear God alone.
2. Give him glory. In a time of spectacular advance of knowledge, medicine and science, God expects to be honoured and thanked for such mercy.
3. Worship him alone, the creator not the created. So often worship is no more than singing in church. We can also worship the Lord by co12, -operating with his priority to finish the Great Commission. Romans 1-3.

2. The Second Angel

He prophesies that, ‘Babylon is fallen.’ Revelation 14.8. Babylon is a home of demons and evil spirits that cast magic spells to lead the nations astray and into madness, killing many of the saints. Kings, rulers and merchants commit adultery, with her because she gives luxury and wealth and turns merchants into great men. Babylon satisfies men’s lust for personal or corporate riches and splendour. It is the world trade in luxury goods whilst millions lack food and so trade their own and their children’s bodies and souls. See Revelation ch. 17 and 18.

Ruined In One Hour!
In one hour she will be brought to ruin! Can this be? The Lord has given many a warning in recent days. For example, the Maxwell empire crashed. Japanese banks have defaulted. Internet and technology stocks and shares rise and crash. Remember the notorious ‘Black Wednesday’ of 1992 when international speculators destroyed the value of the pound and European currencies. Investors, including pastors lost millions of pounds in one hour on the London Stock Exchange. National economies like Korea and Brazil have been ruined in days.

Come Out of Her My People
These were just warnings from heaven for God's people to heed the command of 18.4. Either we give our lives and possessions to God or we will lose them as the world system receives its overdue judgement. Christians should make sure that their savings, investments and shares are in the right hands and not in the wrong place. Haggai 2.6-7, Jeremiah 51, 6-7. Babylon will fall.

3. The Third Angel

The message of the third angel is to prepare God's people not to compromise with a ‘beast's’ system or receive his mark in order to even go shopping, or you will receive God's fury, Rev. 14.9; 13, 11-17.

Who Is The Beast?
He is a coming political leader of global stature. A very convincing, powerful man with a compelling system that enjoys evil supernatural backing that demands worship.

What Is This Mark?
The technology to place a mark already exists in the West and only waits for wider acceptance. An electronic bar code on hand or head is a brilliant idea to curb crime by withdrawing money from circulation."

Christians need to discover faith in God for provision, Isaiah 55, along with non-materialistic community lifestyles, Acts 2, 42-47, so that a compromise can be avoided. This calls for patient endurance on the part of God's people and may bring martyrdom to some. It will at least demand a daily dying to self in the face of ridicule and isolation.

Fanciful Speculation Or Prophecy?
What do you make of all this? Read Zechariah 1.4-6 before you answer.

4. Two Harvests Of The Earth

The first is by Jesus
Who commands the harvesting the earth of God’s people for eternal life with him.
Revelation 14,14-16; Daniel 7.13.

The Second Harvest Is Eternal Death
By the angel in charge of the fire of judgement and destruction for those who have refused to fear God, to give him glory or to worship him, preferring to live in Satan's kingdom. It is a harvest for the awful winepress of God's wrath. Rev. 14.11; 17-20; 2 Peter 3.12.

Now we understand the pressing urgency of the first angels message from heaven to finish the Great Commission. We will need each other in the times that are coming. Meanwhile we should store our treasures in heaven by investing our lives in God's work with the lost and the poor, using worldly wealth to gain friends by sending the gospel of the kingdom to every nation. Matthew 6.20; Luke 16.9.