Bible prophecy is history written in advance. Looking at world events unfolding before our very eyes, the end-time prophecies are nearer than we think. Mankind can know and understand because the Revelation of bible prophecy comes from God the Father Who gave it to Jesus Christ. Christ then sent it to His angel who in turn gave it to the Apostle John (Revelation 1:1). Blessed are those we reads and obey the very Word of God (1:3). The Apostle John recorded these events which have great relevance for God's servants of the end-time church. The end-time bible prophecies were sealed for our times (Daniel 12:9) and only the wise shall understand (Daniel 12:10).
John was in a vision at the island of Patmos where he was in exile. Only Christ was found worthy to open the seven seals. The first seal that John saw was a white horse. The rider of this white horse must not be confused with the rider depicted in Revelation 19:11. The one in Revelation 19:11 is Jesus Christ Who will return to earth to establish the kingdom of God at His Second Coming. The rider of the white horse in Revelation 6:2 represents false Christ, false Christianity and counterfeit church which will go forth to deceive the majority before the Lord's return! The fact that it resembles the true Christ and true Christianity shows that the false one looks and sounds convincing. The counterfeit is hard at work in deceiving the masses -For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work (2 Thess 2:7).
The false prophets and preachers are gone out into the world to ensnare the naive and gullible (1 Tim 4:1-2). The rider of the white horse in Revelation 6 had a bow while the horseman in chapter 19 goes forth with a sharp sword that strikes the nations (19:15). This signifies that the true Christ will return with power to judge the world with the Word, for the Word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12). The counterfeit white horseman comes with a different source of power derived from the great deceiver. The real Christ wears many crowns (19:12) whereas the counterfeit one wears only one crown (6:2). The one crown probably represents his mastery of the art of deception. The false Christ looks and sounds so convincing that many servants of the Lord were also being deceived!
The first four seals represents a prelude to the Great Tribulation. The fifth and sixth seals usher in the cataclysmic events of the Great Tribulation while the seventh seal brings in the Day of the Lord - the last one year of the Great Tribulation when God will judge His people. After that Christ will return to set up the kingdom of God on earth with Jerusalem as the Headquarters. These two white horses depict different events in different time setting - the false Christ and counterfeit Christianity intensifying at the beginning of the end-times and the true Christ appears in person with His resurrected saints at the end of the Great Tribulation (Zechariah 14:5b).
Many Christians today are taken in by 'signs and wonders'. They forsake the warnings of Christ, 'For false Christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand.' (Matthew 24:24-25). Human beings are so fickle-minded and gullible that they will follow with a herd instinct to where the glamour and glories are! They will be punished during the Day of the Lord for those who are still living. Some will repent and turn to God for mercy but at the price of severe sufferings and even the cost of their lives (Isaiah 13:6,9).
The false Christianity started at the time of Nimrod and his wife Semiramis. Their followers practise the Babylonian Mystery Religion which till today, their doctrines and practices have taken roots in many churches. The false doctrine of the immortal soul is one such false doctrine - the belief that one who is dead has a soul that lives on in the spirit realm. This gives rise to the false doctrine of 'going to heaven if you believe in Christ when you die or forever burn in hell if you do not.' This is contrary to the teachings of Scriptures. 'The soul who sins shall die' (Ezekiel 18:4 and 20). 'But the dead know nothing' (Eccl 9:5). 'For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the Lord, they shall inherit the earth' (Psalm 37:9,11,18,22,29,34). Christ Himself affirmed this truth, ' No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven' (John 3:13). Is it any surprise then when Christ told His people that where He goes you cannot come (John 8:21)? At the Mount of Olives, Christ told His disciples, 'Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth' (Matthew 5:5). The wicked do not have eternal life in hell, they will simply be annihilated at the lake of fire (Malachi 4:1).
Shortly after the first Apostles died at the close of the first century A.D., the counterfeit Christianity movement went into overdrive. Christian and fiction writers alike think up creative ideas and myths to propel Christianity into a popular religion accepted by the masses. Many of the Christian writers were influenced by Greek philosophers, thinkers and writers and their ideas were readily accepted by the Catholic church of the early centuries as part of their doctrines. Church history shows that only a small miniority were kept pure to the teachings of Christ and His Apostles. Many of these saints were persecuted and martyred in cruel deaths throughout the centuries of the early church.
As prophesied in Revelation 12:6, the true church of God had to flee in the midst of severe persecution. The council of Nicea was formed in 325 A.D. to resolve the differences in Christian doctrines. The end result was that even the council condemned the practice of true Christianity. The Roman Emperor Constantine, a sun-worshiper, enforced the decree of compliance mainly for political reasons.
The true gospel of the kingdom of God was suppressed for fear of coup d'etat by the Jewish people who were largely mistaken in believing that the kingdom of God would be ushered in during their time to overthrow the Roman Empire. They were expecting a Messiah with supernatural power and charisma to deliver them from their oppressive masters - the Roman authorities. Little did they know that the meek and gentle Jesus Christ's first advent was to deliver the good news of the gospel of His coming kingdom (to displace Satan from the throne of this world), to die for the sins of mankind to cancel out the death penalty (through resurrection) and found a church of called-out saints (to qualify as sons of God in the divine Royal Family) for His eventual return to save all of mankind who has ever lived with the hope of life in eternity!
Just like a watchman (Ezekiel 3:16; 33:1-33), my role is to inform and warn as the Scriptures command. Those who reads these prophecies, let him/her understands (Matthew 24:15). We have to be vigilant as bible prophecy states that during the last days, the Babylonian Mystery Religion will again surface with greater intensity to dominate the world's religious scene. The Ezekiel warning (Ezekiel 33) is timely for Christians living in our times to guard against religious deceptions. However, all of us have to account to God someday for the truth made available to us. Those found to be faithful stewards of all that are entrusted to them (including the Word of truth) will be amply rewarded.
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