Satan doesn't want us studying God's word.
Let me rephrase that, Satan doesn't want us studying
to know the truth in God's word. He doesn’t mind if we study God's word as long
as we aren't studying to know the deep truths God wishes to reveal to us. Hold up the Book of Daniel, hold up the Book
of Revelation and see who truly wants to study the meat of the word not the
milk. I'm not talking about the 'famous' stories such as Daniel in the Lion's
Den, or Daniel and the worthies in the fire, or the ultimate return of Heavenly
Jerusalem to earth where Christ will dwell with us. We need to know the truth revealed and if we
don't want to know that truth isn't it time we start asking ourselves why? Why
don't we know the story of the great golden statue in Daniel? Why don't we know about the beast in Daniel
and Revelation? Why aren't these stories
from God's word that we know by heart? Why?
God help us! In Jesus' name, help us!
******* Continuing our prophecy study-- Please
GO back and READ the study from the beginning to gain full understanding of
where we are if you haven't been following this study daily. Thank you
:) We are on lesson number 75. God bless you! ******
Rev 6:5 And when he had opened the third seal, I
heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse;
and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.
Jesus opened the
third seal of this very important book and the third beast (the one with a face
of a man, with six wings and full of eyes like all four beasts had in common)
spoke and told John to come and see, to come look. And John was shown a black horse.
What is the opposite of white? Black. If white is purity and light, black is
impurity and darkness isn't it? White raiment is known as being the
righteousness of Christ, if there were black raiment it would be the
unrighteousness portray- filthy garments. The white horse traveling through a
period of time when the early church prospered without gross persecution. The
red horse traveling through a period of time where there was much blood shed
for God's people, in fact the bloodiest period of time in 303AD to 313AD before
Christianity was finally accepted by the mainstream. Now this black horse and a
rider with a pair of balances enters the picture.
Balances- even today
we use them to denote what? Justice.
Symbolism-
The scales
(specifically, a two pan, beam balance) are one of the traditional symbols of
justice, as wielded by statues of Lady Justice. This corresponds to the use in
metaphor of matters being "held in the balance". It has its origins
in ancient Egypt.
*******
When you have two
forces in play a balance can be tipped in favor of one or the other- or remain
in its non-tipped state symbolizing equality.
You have two forces
good and evil, Christ's way or Satan's way.
The church of good
and the church of evil perhaps are represented in the balances.
With the balance
held as such in this time could it denote the birth of the corrupt church that
would counter the pure church? It was historically a time when paganisn began
to mingle with Christianity making it impure while retaining the title pure.
Corruption, deception, darkness winds its way into the church and a corrupt
church suits the purposes of Satan rather well. When you add the commerce of
goods and payments to the picture we're adding what to the mix? A government,
yes? An economy and every economy is ruled by a government. With the balances
in the picture we have can imagine that symbol of civil power, of governmental
power because once more meting out justice is government function. The
involvement of government with religion - the beginning of the very corrupted
pure Christianity began. Christ would
have His disciples render unto Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is
God's, He did NOT promote a Christian
government or a time when the church would work as any type of civil power, but
rather claimed this was not His world, not our world. Yet during this period of
time- church and state entwined ever further as our study in Daniel revealed.
The political sway of the apostate pagan infused Papacy grew stronger and
stronger. Jesus NEVER intended that His
followers would hold powerful sway over worldly matters- never. Jesus came to
preach the gospel of the kingdom and instructed His followers to spread that
word- NOT to join with the world in any way.
Rev 6:6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four
beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a
penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.
This time it's not
saying where the voice is exactly coming from rather from the midst of the four
beasts. It's not pinpointing the One Worthy who is opening the seals either.
This voice is in the midst of the beasts and thus far 3 of the beasts have spoken
as the seals were broken. This additional voice makes it stand out- makes us
take notice.
A measure of wheat
for a penny. Food /money.
Three measures of
barley for a penny. Food /money.
Buying and selling.
The great concern here isn't the purity of Christ but rather money, goods.
Yet there's an
admonition- see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.
Could it be that the
wheat and the barley were being hurt? How could such commodities be hurt? For
that matter how could you hurt oil and wine?
Corruption can hurt it all.
Here there is
pointed mention of the wheat and the barley being sold and the admonition not
to hurt the oil and wine. Nothing about selling the oil and wine but the fact
the oil and wine could be hurt. If I tell you not to hurt something then the
possibility exists that it can be hurt or else there need be no mention of it,
right?
Throughout the Bible
oil has had its special place as well as wine in the service of God. Even Jesus
in the parable of the Samaritan helping the wounded man had the man tending him
with oil and wine- healing him, soothing him.
If the oil and wine are hurt there can be no healing perhaps.
Also consider the parable of the virgins and
the oil in their lamps- those who brought extra were commended and welcomed to
the feast while those who did not bring extra were shut out. Already in the
vision of the seven churches the last church was admonished to buy eye salve to
see, oil, so that their eyes would be open to the truths of Jesus that there
would be Spiritual guidance. Wine, as we know, Jesus used to symbolize the
blood He spilled for mankind. If there is a hurting of the oil and the wine
there is a lack of spirit and blood both necessary to be in Christ fully.
Those true to Christ
while the corruption began in earnest during the time of the third seal needed
to guard the truth of the oil and wine, the spirit and blood and hold fast to
that truth as it was being corrupted and brought into ruin so easily, so deceptively.
May God keep our
eyes and hearts open to Him. May we remember these words and understand that
during great famines of a spiritual nature we can hold fast to Christ and His
sacrifice for us through the Holy Spirit's comforting, guiding, admonishing.
As the end
approaches the Spirit of God is withdrawn from the earth and we who long to be
His and stand fast in Him need to protect the spiritually precious gifts that
cannot be bought but need to be given to us by Christ, who counsels us to buy
of Him- Him who has paid the highest price so that we may have the gift of
eternal life in Him, now and forever He reigns! All glory to God in the
Highest! All praise, all honor, all majesty heavenward.
By His grace and
mercy. Amen.
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