The 3rd Seal of Judgement and the Price of Bread

Revelation 6:5-6

When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, "Come and see!" I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, "A quart of wheat for a day's wages, and three quarts of barley for a day's wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!"

Recently, the issue of hyper-inflating grain prices around the world has raised to the surface of America's 24hour news sources. Why? Because the people who have to pay a day's wages to get a loaf of poor-quality bread are hitting the streets en-masse all over the world, rioting in protest. The media here at home is known for it's incredibly short attention span, with natural disasters and other terrible events forgotten usually within the span of a week, but this "story" will not go away easily. So what's really going on?

The simple, obvious answer is that we have too many mouths to feed on the planet. But there is a sinister influence at work; and the food crisis is actually part of a multi-leveled plan to make the population of the world demand from their leadership a one world government. How could something like this be planned? By using food crops to create fuel alternatives; by continuously restricting the flow and price of oil; by establishing infrastructures throughout the world that are increasingly import-dependent; by patenting life and inventing the antithesis of God's gift of food: terminator seeds. This current crisis is partially a genocide of the poorest, and partially a talking point to support the establishment of a New World Order. Without crisis or chaos there is no reason for the people to demand security.

Right here and now we are living in the the early stages of an age of mass enlightenment, and because of that, the elite leaders of the world are racing against time to establish their New World Order before we become aware enough to realize that what they will showcase as a plan of security is, in reality, the enslavement of the masses. Citizens of America are kept insulated from the suffering of the world to ensure continuous consumer spending (the life-blood of our society), and to downplay our role in perpetuating suffering in the rest the world. Shocking events are quickly mentioned by ever-smiling, young and attractive news anchors who keep moving right along from one topic to the next. We're too busy or apathetic to bother connecting what dots we are given. This is one of the main reasons why many Americans think it's a joke to point out that George Bush has fulfilled many prophecies concerning the antichrist, and that the world is experiencing the signs and wonders which mark the end of days. Right now the third horseman of the apocalypse is riding out upon the earth, and a voice from heaven is inviting us to "come and see" it, not to look the other way.

In America, mainstream believers (who are wonderful consumers) feel that the end of days will be recognized by their oppression and suffering. They believe this because it is foretold that the world would be under great oppression from the Antichrist Empire, and they have been blinded to the idea that the "land of the free and home of the brave" could be that evil empire. We are well-fed and thoroughly entertained, just as the Germans were during the rise of the Third Reich.

America calls itself a "Christian Nation" under the rule of George W Bush more than it ever has before. Multitudes wear their "faith" in the Bible as some sort of badge of honor. But it's all a sham! Nobody has the time to study, let alone read the Bible. The most often answer I get whenever I ask a mainstream Christian if they read the Bible is, "Not as much as I should". I have learned that this response is code for "barely, if at all". Millions of my fellow citizens proudly claim to have "found repentance"; to be friends of Jesus. But when you look at the spiritual fruit that America produces, you can clearly see that these claims are lies. How dare we print "in God we trust" on our money when we consistently trust in and serve capitalism above the one true God? What excuse do we have when we stare down the consequences of our selfish-faithless-vengeful actions which have driven our country towards the gates of hell (not to mention constitutional crisis) since September 11th 2001, and we still refuse to change our ways?

The truth is that our nation is the great beast that rises up out of the sea in Revelation 13. America is the great Babylon that falls in Revelation 18. Until the time comes for us to fall, we will be comfortably and selfishly separated from the suffering we continuously cause in the world. Even our own citizens who have suffered from natural disasters here at home are put out of the minds of most. There is, of course, a remnant of people living in America who aren't detached from the suffering, and who have been continuously distressed by the unresponsiveness of the rest, but they are accounted for in prophecy as well. God's plan is unfolding exactly as He said it would.

That being said, let's take a closer look at what the "four horsemen" of the Apocalypse are all about.

Rev 6:1-2

Then I watched while the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. I heard one of the four living creatures say with a voice like thunder, "Come and see!" I looked, and there before me was a white horse. The rider on the horse held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out, determined to win the victory."

In 1999, the world was introduced to George W Bush as a candidate for American president. During his campaign Bush pledged to restore integrity to the oval office, if elected. Unfortunately, he has shown himself to be a man entirely void of integrity all throughout his rule, and his determination to "win victory" overshadowed the little fact that he wasn't elected president. His attitude in the aftermath of the 2000 election was reprehensible, at best. By the power of Satan, he was given his crown of leadership, and this false savior has inspired the wrath of God by disguising his power-grab under the sheep's clothing of Christianity. Revelation 19:11-16 describes Jesus Christ as riding on a white horse, with a crown of many crowns on his head. The first horseman and Jesus are two mirror opposites of one another. Jesus is the prince of peace, so the antichrist is the prince of war.

Rev 6:3-4

When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, "Come and see!" Then another horse came out, a red one. Its rider was given power to take away peace from the earth and to make people kill each other, and he was given a big sword.

By taking an honest look through the history of this century, can there be any doubt that these characteristics began to manifest themselves on September 11th, 2001, and that this horse of warfare and empirical conquest is still riding throughout the world? At the Nuremberg trials, where the Nazis confessed to burning their own Parliament building to the ground (and blaming it on terrorists) in 1933 to justify their military agression to their own citizens, high-ranking Nazi Herman Goering said this:

“Naturally the common people don’t want war. But after all, it is the
leaders of a country who determine the policy, and it’s always a
simple matter to drag people along whether it is a democracy or a
fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship.
Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of
the leaders.  This is easy.  All you have to do is tell them they are
being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and
for exposing the country to danger.  It works the same in every
country.”

The empiricists have been quite open since the inception of the War on Terror that it would last for a very, very long time. And a consequence of this ongoing war is the redistribution of wealth at an alarming rate from the mouths of the many to the pockets of the few.

Rev6:5-6

When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, "Come and see!" I looked, and there before me was a black horse, and its rider held a pair of scales in his hand.Then I heard something that sounded like a voice coming from the middle of the four living creatures. The voice said, "A quart of wheat for a day's pay, and three quarts of barley for a day's pay, and do not damage the oil or wine!"

This horseman has recently ridden out. It is black, the color of crude petroleum. "Oil and wine" in this context actually represents both the mark of the Beast and the mark of the God. On one hand, the instructions not to "damage the oil or the wine" is symbolic of the great disparity between the ruling class, and the rest of the world. "Oil" represents standard and new bio-fuels; wine represents the wine of Babylon (the "global market"). On the other hand, "Do not harm the oil or the wine" is a parallel to the protection promised to those who bear the mark of God in the last days. Revelation 9 discusses a plague of locusts who emerge from the bottomless pit, and verse 4 says, "They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads." Psalm 104:15 tells us that by God's blessing we are given: "wine that gladdens the heart of man, oil to make his face shine, and bread that sustains his heart." It is no coincidence that Jesus called himself the bread of life.

This food crisis will not end in peace, a solution will not be found by the "them" that we have entrusted to govern us and keep us secure. According to the Illuminti ten commandments (called the Georgia Guidestones), the Earth's population must be slashed to a steady 500,000,000 people. That means that over 6.5 billion people now living in the world have been sentenced to death, not just by war, but by starvation, by disease, and by being abandoned to the natural elements.

Rev6:7-8

When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, "Come!" I looked, and there before me was a pale horse. Its rider was named death, and Hell was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill people by war, by starvation, by disease, and by the wild animals of the earth.

This plan is very real, and is even now being manifested in the world. Do not rest assured in your safety because a third of the earth's water hasn't yet been turned to blood, or the sun has yet to turn black as sackcloth etc. All of these things will happen in their time (and I believe those signs will happen in a very short period of time, perhaps in one terrible day). Don't look ahead to what will happen soon, but look around at what is happening now!

When the fifth seal is broken, the saints who are dead in Christ are allowed to voice their impatience; they are given white robes to ready themselves and told to wait a little while longer.
It is during this time that I believe a new wave of empowered believers will go throughout the world preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God. Only when the sixth seal is broken do the following signs take place:

Rev6:12-17

Then I watched while the Lamb opened the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake. The sun became black like rough black cloth, and the whole moon became red like blood. And the stars in the sky fell to the earth like figs falling from a fig tree when the wind blows. The sky disappeared as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved from its place. Then the kings of the earth, the rulers, the generals, the rich people, the powerful people, the slaves, and the free people hid themselves in caves and in the rocks on the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us. Hide us from the face of the One who sits on the throne and from the anger of the Lamb! The great day for their anger has come, and who can stand against it?"

This seal cannot be reached or broken until the ones before them have been broken by the Lamb. There is an undeniable order to this pouring forth of judgment. And we are now suffering under the rise of the third horseman, with two seals remaining between now and Nuclear Armageddon (the 6th seal).

Suspense part 1

When getting into the habit of studying the Bible for yourself, you begin to notice certain patterns emerge from cover to cover. Examples of these patterns include, but are not limited to the treachery of our adversary, the rebelliousness of the people, the broken heart of God, and the ultimate victory of Good over Evil. By recognizing these patterns from the past and acknowledging the eternal perspective of God (who is the same yesterday, today and forever) we can actually get a glimpse of patterns that are presently unfolding and be able to predict their future outcome.

Skeptics of the Bible love to point out the fact that it has been compiled by the writings of different men over the span of thousands of years. From an unfamiliar, outside perspective of the Bible, this can lead you to believe that it is a chaotic and random collection of writings that doesn't really tell one story. However, by actually reading through it, you find wording in Psalms that lines up precisely with themes and events spoken of in the Gospels; you find people throughout history turning their backs time and again from obeying the commands of God, despite miraculous provision for them at the hand of God, and consistent warnings to change their ways from the prophets. By studying the Bible, you see the adversary's shadowy efforts exposed as he works relentlessly throughout world history to destroy God's promise. You also see how the devil succeeds in diverting the attention of men away from seeking God; and how he has the power to guide the people by the motivations of sin, like a pied piper, to their own destruction.

In choosing to dismiss rather than investigate the Bible, skeptics (and the masses they mislead) are unable to recognize the truth that it does tell one story: the human story. The Bible is the ultimate epic; a story of the nature, trial and triumph of love on universal scale; a story of treachery and intrigue; a story that is filled with action, and over-the-top suspense.

By making an honest assessment of the current world situation, we can recognize that at this point in the story:

1. The forces of evil and darkness are thriving in the world more than ever before.
   
2. The forces of "good" are hopelessly outnumbered, out-muscled, and out-funded.
   

People who care about the truth are out there. And as things continue on this path, as this darkness intensifies, more and more are going to reject the mainstream darkness in search of real light. Even still, the forces which work against the truth have many advantages. These forces are the wealthiest and most powerful men on the planet who are controlling the direction of world events, and deliberately leading us past the point of no return: to a destination of self-destruction.

The fact is that the reality of our situation is so dismal, so depressing, so hopeless, that many are unwilling or even unable to acknowledge it. It's as if people are suffering the effects of Shell Shock. However if you look for the truth, you will agree that there is an amazing amount of suspense surrounding our current circumstances. Just this past week, a documentary called the 11th hour was released which covers this issue.

In 2 Timothy 3:1-3, Paul says:

(K)now this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good...

Jesus says in Matt 24:21

For then (at the end of days) there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again.

This is serious distress! However, the dramatic suspense of our current situation is one of God's favorite strategies. God has an undeniable flare for the dramatic, swooping in to the rescue at the very last possible moment. If you've ever seen The Ten Commandments or read Exodus and you think back to the moments leading up to the parting of the Red Sea, you will know exactly what I'm talking about.

But concerning suspense as it will be in the last days, let's allow Jesus and the prophet Isaiah to paint the picture:

Matt 24:22

If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.

Isaiah 59:19b

When the enemy comes in like a flood, The Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard against him.

To Be Continued...

Suspense part 2 (The Gideon Parallel)

Judges 6-8 tells us the story of Gideon, and I believe that this story is a type and a shadow of God's strategy for the battle which concludes the great seven-year tribulation. First of all Judges 6:1 specifically says Israel was submitted to a seven year period of suffering under the Midianites, before being delivered by God. At some point towards the end of that seven year period, God sends his angel to call upon Gideon, and prepare him for God's purpose. Another parallel to judgment day is in the fact that when God calls, Gideon is working in a wine press, separating wheat from chaff in his effort to hide from the enemies of Israel. John the Baptist foretold that Christ would separate the wheat from the chaff in a reference to judgment day. In prophecy, the righteous are often related to wheat and the wicked are compared with chaff. Also, Revelation chapter 14 describes the great wine press of God's wrath, which is used at a set point in the last days. So with those parallels established, let's see how the story unfolds:

Judges 6:12 says

"The angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon and said, "The Lord is with you, mighty warrior!"

When Gideon hears this, he scoffs and asks where the Lord has been, and why he has allowed the enemies of Israel to take root. He doesn't even acknowledge the fact that this stranger addressed him as a "mighty warrior", because to his ears it is nonsense. The scripture then takes a jump, and the angel is replaced by the Lord himself, who tells him that he is being appointed by "I Am" to deliver his people from their oppressors. At this point the mood changes: Gideon gets scared, and blurts out that he must be mistaken about that because he (Gideon) is the youngest son in his family, which is of the weakest clan in the tribe of Manasseh. His reaction is very human, and one that I empathize strongly with in my own walk of faith. But God's selection process is another pattern, for remember that the Lord told the apostle Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”

The Midianites, meanwhile, are described as an innumerable swarm of people who descend upon Israel like locusts. (This is another comparison to the time of judgment in Revelation chapter 9). The Midianites occupy the promised land in force, and their sole intention is to wipe out the seed of Abraham, because the devil has motivated them to do so. If they had been given enough time, they would have succeeded in wiping out the Israelites entirely. But God never intended for that to happen. He allowed the occupation for a set time as punishment to a rebellious people; he then called and used Gideon to demonstrate his power, and to bring the people back to him. These are all things that are foretold in prophecy to take place in the last days.

This story is also a demonstration of the roller coaster effect of faith. In Judges 6:11-27, when the Lord first calls Gideon, he is immediately skeptical and asks for a sign of verification that he is being called of God and not simply losing his mind. Gideon, to make certain that he is not being fooled, thinks up the test himself, and the Lord passes it as only the He can. At that point, Gideon is provided with enough encouragement to lead a group of ten servants to destroy the alters of Baal and Ashteroth, and erect an alter to Jehovah, as he was instructed to do. When the people discover what he has done, they are stirred up against Gideon, and plan to kill him. But the Lord does not allow this; he instead inspires Gideon to call together three tribes of Israelites, to raise up an army.

At this point, Gideon is perhaps a little uncertain that the Lord is really calling him to defeat the Midionites. He is very good at second guessing himself, and of making sure that this thing he will do is of God's will and not his own imagination. 32,000 Israelites have also gathered by this time, having been summoned to fight with Gideon. These people need to see a sign, just as much as he needs a reaffirmation so once again, Gideon asks the Lord for signs to validate this calling. Over the next two mornings they all witness the Lord's signs of confirmation that He will deliver the Midianites over to them.

These signs encourage all who witness them. Then, the Lord takes the abundance of courage these men are filled with, and transforms it into faith in him. Jehovah orders the size of the army gathered to be reduced, first from 32,000 to 10,000; then from 10,000 to a meager 300 men. This is a very literal fulfillment of Christ's promise that "many are called, but few are chosen". I believe this army of 300 is a parallel to the 144,000 described in Revelation chapter 7. For while the entirety of Israel would be delivered from the enemy at the hands of Gideon, only 300 would participate in the battle against the Midianites. This distinction is made by Christ when he said, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few".

So what does God plan to do with his army of 300 men and his very nervous, newly appointed general, Gideon? He first re-fills Gideon's heart, which had been drained by the downsizing of his army.

Judges 7:8b-11.

Now the camp of Midian lay below him in the valley. During that night the LORD said to Gideon, "Get up, go down against the camp, because I am going to give it into your hands. If you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah. and listen to what they are saying. Afterward, you will be encouraged to attack the camp." So he and Purah his servant went down to the outposts of the camp.

Note that the Lord presented Gideon with the option to observe the camp alone, but then said "If you are afraid...go with Purah". Also note that Gideon opts to go with Purah! The Lord, even then, was presenting Gideon with the choice to either step forward in faith on his own, or to be led while still under the influence of his own fear. He was addressing both the personal weakness, and the potential of his creation. This passage contains the paradox of having free will, while at the same time being predestined of God. It is wise to act in faith, but God understands that doing so is difficult for us. Why else do you think Jesus allowed his 12 disciples to follow him, even though they continually demonstrated that their level of faith was meager? Faith is something that God supplies, but that we have the power to develop. Faith in God is the great untapped potential of humanity.

The Lord replenishes the faith of Gideon one last time, and then his army of 300 is given their instructions. Each man is supplied with a clay jar, a lit torch, and a trumpet. They are instructed to split up in three groups on top of the hills surrounding the Midianite camp. They are ordered to gather there quietly, and by cover of darkness. Upon Gideon's signal, the 300 are told to smash their jars to let their torches shine, and to blast their trumpets and shout, "For the Lord and for Gideon!" and then stay put...that's it. No swordplay, certainly no scud missiles, just a shout and a light. But this is the strongest parallel between that battle and the day of judgment. In the opening of Revelation, when John is visited by Christ, he describes the sound of a trump, and the light from Christ himself, and the flame of seven lamp stands that appear with him.

The 300 do as they've been instructed, and sure enough, the Lord descends upon the enemy camp, and causes them to begin fighting and killing each other off. This is a type of judgment as well; for when Christ returns, the sins of the wicked will be their destruction, while the faith and obedience of the righteous shall be their deliverance.

1 Thess 4:16a says

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God.

2 Peter 1:16-19 gives another strong clue about what will happen the day that Jesus returns. I feel that the best way to clearly see that clue as it relates to this story is by the Message Bible:

We weren't, you know, just wishing on a star when we laid the facts out before you regarding the powerful return of our Master, Jesus Christ. We were there for the preview! We saw it with our own eyes: Jesus resplendent with light from God the Father as the voice of Majestic Glory spoke: "This is my Son, marked by my love, focus of all my delight." We were there on the holy mountain with him. We heard the voice out of heaven with our very own ears. We couldn't be more sure of what we saw and heard—God's glory, God's voice. The prophetic Word was confirmed to us. You'll do well to keep focusing on it. It's the one light you have in a dark time as you wait for daybreak and the rising of the Morning Star in your hearts.

I see the trump as being symbolic of the appointed time "when all that is whispered in secret shall be shouted from the rooftops". I see the torches as representing the light of glory that will anoint the last group of saints meant to greet Christ upon his return. This light is a parallel to the "tongues of fire" which anointed the disciples at Pentecost, and also to the way that the skin of Moses literally glowed when he descended from the mountain where God gave him the Hebrew law. 2 Corinthians chapter 4 is a confirmation of these parallels. It also ties in the clay jars used to conceal the army's lit torches. I see a modern parallel between the clay jars and our current status whenever I am called a "crackpot". This passage also reminds us why God used 300 men with jars and trumpets to defeat an insurmountable foe.

2 Cor 4:6-7

For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us

Truly, judgment day is the ultimate last resort. It is also the greatest point of suspense possible. Imagine the planet Earth as a damsel in distress tied to a set of railroad tracks, about to be run over by a locomotive called "consequences". Ultimately, the devil is playing the evil, mustachioed menace who is cackling maniacally at his own deviousness. Ready to witness the carnage. This is the point that we have arrived at. The consequences we face are due to our insatiable appetite for consumer products, our gross negligence of the suffering of others, our constant tendency to wage war, and our stockpiles of yet unused weapons of mass destruction which could eradicate most (if not all) life on the planet. These things constrict us, and set us up to meet certain doom, much sooner than later. This current reality is why I believe strongly that the Lord is about to intervene like the typical hero; to save the damsel (earth) and defeat the villain (Satan). I believe this because the Lord is good, and he is true, and that's what we have been told throughout the ages would happen when things got as bad as they're headed. The Lord is not slow in his timing as we might imagine. Though he might allow suspense to build to the point where we feel we can take no more, he will surely save us. And what a great day that will be!