The Final Triumph

From chapter 6 onwards, we see the more prophetic part of Revelation - the things which Jesus told John would take place in the FUTURE. Whenever we study prophecy that is as yet unfulfilled, we must bear 1 Corinthians 13:12 in mind: "Now we see in a mirror dimly - but then face to face. Now I know in part but then I shall know fully". God in His great wisdom, has allowed a lot of prophecy concerning the future to be seen by us only dimly as in a mirror. We must never forget that. There is a great curiosity in our flesh to know everything about the future exactly. But the word of God has not been given to satisfy our curiosity. Deuteronomy 29:29 says, "The secret things belong to the Lord our God but the things which are revealed to us and to our children". So there are things that are clearly revealed and things that are hidden. Here are some things that have been clearly revealed: 2 Peter 1:4 states that "all things pertaining to life and godliness have been given to us". Everything relating to partaking of the Divine nature has been revealed clearly. That is neither dim nor unclear. Romans 6:14 also is crystal clear when it says that "sin cannot rule over you when you are under grace". But the amazing thing is that most believers don't look at such truths that are taught clearly. Instead they argue over the details of prophecy, that are often unclear. This is a dangerous attitude. We must have our priorities right. The greatest thing is not prophecy but love. We are never told to pursue after a clear understanding of prophecy. But we are told to pursue after love - the Divine nature (1 Corinthians 13:8, 9, 13; 14:1). There are many parts of Biblical prophecy that we will know clearly only when they actually happen, and yet other things that we will know only when the Lord comes. But since the Lord has given us the book of Revelation, He must be expecting us to understand something, albeit dimly, about the future. In chapter 6 we have a bird's eye view of the future, upto the very end. Then from chapter 7 onwards, the Spirit comes back and fills up certain details in the remaining chapters. Praise God that this book has been written like that - so that it doesn't satisfy our curiosity. In all of us, there is a great lust to study prophetic charts that claim to explain the sequence of events at the end time. But God does not satisfy our curiosity. The word of God, including the book of Revelation, was not given primarily for that. Consider what Jesus told His apostles just before He went up to heaven. The apostles had asked Him, "Lord is it at this time you are restoring the kingdom to Israel?" They had thought that since Jesus was risen, He was now going to drive out the Romans and establish His millennial reign. Jesus did not say that such questions were unimportant. No. Instead, He said, "It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority" (Acts 1:6, 7). He told them that there was something else that they needed to know right then, and many other things that they did not need to know. And then He told them of the absolute necessity of receiving spiritual power. Not knowledge - but power! (Acts 1:8) - power to be His witnesses to the end of time. And remember that those were His last words on earth. This fact is important for us to bear in mind as we approach the book of Revelation. Verse 1: And I saw when the lamb broke one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, 'Come'. This invitation is extended 4 times - "Come". In verse 3, the second living creature says "Come". In verse 5, the third living creature says "Come". And in verse 7, the fourth living creature says "Come". These are the four living creatures that we saw in chapter 4:7. We saw there that they were like the cherubs that Ezekiel saw, and that they are leaders among the category in which they were created: the lion - king of the beasts; the calf - king of the cattle; man - king of creation; and eagle - king of the birds. So these 4 creatures who are saying "Come" in chapter 6:1, 3, 5 & 7 are expressing the voice of creation, saying to Jesus "Come". At the end of the Bible we read that, John himself says "Amen, come Lord Jesus!" (Revelation 22:20). But all creation itself is crying out for the Lord to come, as we read in Romans 8:19 to 22. It is a shame when those who call themselves believers do not have as anxious a longing as the rest of creation. The whole of creation is waiting for the "revealing of the sons of God", when Jesus comes in His glory. In that day, the whole of creation will be set free from its slavery to corruption and enter into the glory of the sons of God. Right now however, creation is suffering "the pains of child birth" - a travail that will be completed only with the return of Christ. And when these creatures say "Come", the Lord Jesus will come - not as a lamb to take away the sins of the world, but as a lion to judge the sins of the world. Verse 2: And I looked and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow, and a crown was given to him; and he went out conquering and to conquer. Compare this with Revelation 19:11-16, where we read "I saw heaven opened; and behold a white horse, and He Who sat upon it is called Faithful and True; and in righteousness He judges and wages war. And His eyes are as a flame of fire and upon His head are many crowns....nd on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS". His name is called the Word of God". That is our Lord Jesus Christ. But what we see here in Revelation 6:2 is slightly different. He doesn't have many crowns on his head. Here it says that a crown was given to him. In other words, it is not something he obtained by his own right. He was allowed to have a crown. But he was on this white horse and he had a bow, and he went out, conquering and to conquer. This is a symbol of someone IMITATING Christ - someone claiming to be Christ. If you read Matthew 24, you will find it to be very similar to Revelation 6. Both passages are dealing with the end of the age. There the disciples came to Jesus and asked Him "Tell us when will these things be, what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?" (Matthew 24:3). And Jesus replied saying, "See to it that no one misleads you" (verse 4). Here is the first white horse: "Many will come in my name saying that I AM THE CHRIST and will mislead many". That is the first sign that Jesus gave. And that is exactly what we see in Revelation 6:2 as well. Someone comes on a white horse drawing a whole lot of people after him - people who don't know the Scriptures, who follow a person thinking that they are following the Lord and who are thus deceived and led astray. Jesus warned us saying that many would come IN HIS NAME and deceive us. Such a person is symbolised here as a rider on a white horse. He is a counterfeit Christ!! Notice the number of times in this chapter that the phrase "it was given" occurs - "a crown was given to him....t was given to take peace from the earth.... great sword was given to him....uthority was given to him" (verses 2, 4, 8). In every instance, something evil comes forth. But in each case, it was after God had granted him permission. The first rider was permitted to have a crown. The second was permitted to take peace from the earth and allowed to have a great sword. The fourth rider was permitted to have authority over one-fourth of the earth. When Pilate told Jesus that he had the authority to crucify Him, Jesus replied, saying, "You would have had no authority over me, unless it had been GIVEN TO YOU from above" (John 19:11). It was the Father Who allowed Pilate to have authority over Jesus. No-one can do anything on earth without God's permission. It is our Father Who allows deceiving spirits to enter this world to deceive those who do not love the truth (2 Thessalonians 2:10, 11). All this deception will culminate with the arrival of the Antichrist - the counterfeit Christ - on the world scene. And most people will be deceived into thinking that he is indeed their "Messiah" and their "Saviour", and that only by following him they can be saved. But before the Antichrist arrives, many little antichrists have already arisen through the centuries and are arising even today. Children it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have arisen; from this we know that it is the last hour (1 John 2:18). If it was the last hour (11 p.m.) in 96 A.D., when John wrote that, it must be past 11.59 p.m. now. Only a few seconds are left now. Many political leaders in history have been little antichrists, who drew people after themselves by demonic power. There are many heathen "godmen" in India who do the same. But that spirit is found in Christendom too. Gifted "Christian" leaders often get people to follow them instead of connecting them to Christ. There are many such leaders in Christian groups today, who are counterfeit "christs". The antichrist comes on a white horse, as Christ does. Satan comes as an angel of light, deceiving multitudes - and God permits him to do so, because He sees that the people do not love the truth so as to be saved from their sins. We read here that the rider "went out conquering and to conquer" (verse 2). Satan is bent on conquering man thoroughly. Verses 3, 4: And when He broke the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, 'Come'. And another, a red horse, went out, and to him who sat on it, it was granted to take peace from the earth, and that men should slay one another; and a great sword was given to him. Permission was granted to him, to get people to slay one another and to take peace from the earth. This is a picture of war. The red colour of the horse speaks of bloodshed. The second sign that Jesus gave His disciples was: You will hear of wars and rumours of wars, see that you are not frightened, for those things must take place but that is not yet the end - for nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom (Matthew 24:6). The second rider on a red horse takes peace from the earth and men kill one another. There have always been wars, throughout the past 19 centuries, since John wrote the book of Revelation. But in all these 1900 years, there were never any wars that were called "World Wars" until the 20th century. Wars between nations also have increased tremendously in the 20th century. There was no terrorism (as we see it nowadays) until the 20th century. Verses 5, 6: And when He broke the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying 'Come'. And I looked, and behold a black horse; and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard as it were a voice in the center 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' The third horse is a black one - and signifies famine and scarcity of food. This corresponds to the third sign that Jesus gave His disciples - famines (Matthew 24:7). Things will become very difficult especially for the poor people. They will be able to buy only one kilogram of wheat with a day's salary. Or if they want cheaper food, they will be able to buy 3 kilograms of barley with a day's wages. As we approach the end, there will be increasing shortage of the necessities of life. But luxuries like the oil and wine will not be touched. This means that the rich will live with plenty, while the poor will have to struggle in order to survive. James says, Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you ....your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure! You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter (James 5:1, 3, 5). Verses 7, 8: And when He broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, 'Come', and I looked, and behold, an ashen horse: and he who sat on it had the name 'Death'; and Hades was following with him. And authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth. Here we see a sickly pale horse. And its rider was "Death". Following it is "Hades" - which is a name for the place where people go when they die. Authority was given to them over a quarter of the earth . The world's population is over six billion, and so this represents authority over 1500 million people. Four instruments used to kill people are mentioned here: weapons of warfare, famines, diseases and wild beasts. It is important for us to know why God permits these four judgments, so that we have no part in them. In Ezekiel 14:13,14, we read that the Lord says, If a country sins against me by committing unfaithfulness, and I stretch out My hand against it, destroy its supply of bread, send famine against it, and cut off from it both men and beasts, even though these three men, Noah, Daniel and Job were in its midst, by their righteousness they could deliver themselves". Noah, Daniel and Job were the most righteous people of their time. Noah saved his wife, his three sons and their wives. Daniel saved His three friends. Job saved his family. But God says that if they had lived at this time, they would have been able to save only themselves. They would not be able to deliver their sons and daughters, if those children were not righteous themselves. And then God says, If I were to cause wild beasts to pass through the land, and they depopulated it, and it became desolate so that no one would pass through it because of the beasts, though these three men were in its midst as I live, declares the Lord God, they could not deliver either their sons or their daughters. They alone would be delivered. (Ezekiel 14:15, 16). And then the Lord adds, "How much more when I send my four severe judgments against Jerusalem - sword, famine, wild beasts and plague of disease." (verse 21). These are the four judgments mentioned in Revelation 6:7, 8. But God is gracious in that only one-fourth of the world's population is wiped out, so that the others may turn to righteousness. It is only by righteousness that we can protect ourselves from these severe judgments. We cannot save our wives, our sons, our brothers or our sisters, unless they are righteous too. For all righteous people the promise in Psalm 91 is particularly relevant. There we read of these four judgments: weapons of warfare - "the arrow that flies by day" (verse 5); disease - "pestilence" (verse 6); famine - "the destruction that lays waste at noon" (noon is the time when we eat and this refers to lack of food) (verse 6); wild animals - "you will tread upon the lion and cobra, the young lion and the serpent you will trample down" (verse 13). These judgments will not touch the righteous. "A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not approach you" (verse 7). One-quarter of the world's population may be affected. But "IT WILL NOT APPROACH YOU!" You will only look with your eyes, and see the recompense of the wicked. For you have made the Lord, your dwelling place....o evil will befall you, nor will any plague come near your house (verses 8-13). Why? The Lord says, "Because he loved me, therefore I will deliver him, I will set him securely on high" (verse 14). The Lord will set us on high. Let us make sure that we qualify for that promise to be fulfilled in our lives. Verses 9-11: And when He broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; and they cried out with a loud voice saying, 'How long, O Lord, holy and true, wilt Thou refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?' And there was given to each of them a white robe, and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, should be completed also. The fifth seal symbolises tribulation. These people were killed "because of the word of God and because of the testimony which they held". Paul exhorted Timothy to "hold fast the form of sound words" (2 Timothy 1:13). Here were people who had held fast to the whole counsel of God. They were not compromisers or men-pleasers who preached to tickle people's ears. "If we please men, we cannot be servants of Christ" (Galatians 1:10). These were true servants of Christ who held fast the word of God as their testimony; and because they held fast to the word of God, they were killed. In Matthew 23:34, 35, Jesus said Behold, I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes (or Bible teachers); some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your assemblies and persecute from city to city, that upon you may fall the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar". When Cain killed Abel the Lord told Cain, Your brother's blood is crying unto me from the ground - because you've slain him. Here in Revelation 6, those who were slain cry out with a loud voice saying, How long O Lord will you refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" This is the cry of the Old Testament prophets and saints. In Psalm 79:10, we read Let there be known among the nations in our sight vengeance for the blood of Thy servants, which has been shed. We read similar prayers in Psalm 94:1-7 & 119:84. These all express the same thing: Lord take revenge on these people who have shed our blood" - just like Abel's blood cried out for vengeance. But when we turn to Hebrews 12, we see something different. Here the old covenant is contrasted with the new covenant. We today have not come to Mount Sinai and to Moses, but to Mount Zion and to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant and to the sprinkled blood (of Jesus) which speaks better than the blood of Abel (verses 21-24). The blood of Abel cried out for revenge, whereas the blood of Jesus cried out for mercy and for forgiveness!! Therein lies one fundamental difference between the old and the new covenants. Those who seek for vengeance have not understood what the blood of Jesus was shed for. When the blood was flowing from Jesus' body - from His head, hands, back and feet - He prayed, Father forgive them. When the blood was flowing from Stephen's body, he prayed, Lord don't lay this sin to their charge (Acts 7:60). That is the cry of the new-covenant saint. One mark of a true disciple of Jesus is that He does not desires vengeance on his enemies. So these slain saints in Revelation 6 are obviously Old Testament saints because they are asking for vengeance to be taken on their enemies. When John was given this vision, it was only about 65 years since the church had been established and there were very few Christians who had been slain for their faith by that time. Most of the slain saints were the ones that Jesus spoke of - from the time of Abel to Zechariah. These were the ones whose souls were under the altar. They were given white robes and told to wait a little longer UNTIL the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed (during these 20 centuries of the church age) would also be completed. These "brethren" are the new-covenant saints who are slain for the word of God. There is a particular number of saints that have to be slain for the Word of God and for their testimony. God knows that number. In the past 2000 years, many Christians have died like Jesus and Stephen, asking God to forgive those who killed them. They were killed for the Word of God and for the testimony they held. As soon as this number is complete, God will come down in judgment on this world that killed His servants. Till then we must be patient. So the fifth seal shows us that tribulation and persecution are our appointed lot on earth. In Matthew 24:9, we see the fifth sign that Jesus gives His disciples is tribulation, being hated by ALL nations and being killed for His Name's sake. The day is coming when EVERY NATION on the face of the earth will hate the true disciples of Jesus. Nominal Christians and compromising "believers" will not be hated. They will be accepted and honoured! But the ones who hold to God's Word and proclaim the whole counsel of God will be hated. And at that time many will fall away. They will join Babylonian Christianity (false, compromising Christian churches), because there their lives will thereby be safe. Such Christians will betray the true disciples of Jesus. These things are happening even today in many lands. Jesus said to His disciples, "In the world you will have tribulation, but take courage, I have OVERCOME the world" (John 16:33). Jesus taught there, very clearly, that we will have to face tribulation. The doctrine that believers will escape tribulation is not the teaching of the Holy Spirit, but a doctrine of men. It is a comfort-loving, compromising, diplomatic Christianity that wants to escape tribulation. And such a Christianity has naturally produced a theology that teaches that "the church will escape tribulation", even though Jesus clearly stated, "In the world you shall have tribulation." The Lord is not going to take us out of the world. No He said, "I have overcome (not "escaped from") the world." And He wants us to be overcomers too. Jesus prayed to the Father saying, "Father, I am NOT asking You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from evil (sin)" (John 17:15). How do many Christians then teach that we will be taken out of the world so that we do not face tribulation. Jesus prayed that we should be kept from sinning, not from tribulation. He wants us to be kept from disobedience to God and from the power of Satan, the Evil one, but not from persecution - because Jesus knows that persecution and tribulation are good for us. That is our calling. When the early apostles went around establishing churches and teaching the disciples, did they teach them saying, "God loves you so much that He will help you to escape from all tribulation"? NO. They told them, "We all have to enter God's kingdom through many tribulations" (Acts 14:22). That was the message of Jesus and of the apostles. But unfortunately, that message is not being preached today. In Revelation 6:12-17, we read about the wrath of God that is going to fall upon the earth. Tribulation is the wrath of man and Satan poured out on true believers. God has never promised us that He will protect us from such wrath. Millions of true disciples of Jesus have faced unimaginable tribulation and persecution and been killed during the past 20 centuries. God allowed them to face all of that bravely. But when it comes to the wrath of God (Revelation 6:12-17), we will certainly escape. Verses 12-17: And I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. And the sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth and the great men and commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, 'Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the WRATH of the Lamb; for the great day of their WRATH has come; and who is able to stand ? Here is the first place in the book of Revelation where we find the word 'wrath' appearing referring to the wrath of God and of the Lamb. In contrast, tribulation (which we saw under the fifth seal in verses 9-11) was the wrath of man instigated by Satan. The disciples of Jesus will be taken up to meet the Lord in the air, before this judgment falls. We see this sequence described by the Lord in Matthew chapter 24: Immediately AFTER THE TRIBULATION of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, the powers of the heavens will be shaken (compare Revelation 6:12-14), and then the sign of the Son of man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn (compare Revelation 6:15, 16), and THEY WILL SEE THE SON OF MAN COMING IN THE CLOUDS of the sky with power and great glory. And HE WILL SEND FORTH HIS ANGELS WITH A GREAT TRUMPET AND THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER HIS ELECT FROM THE FOUR WINDS. (This is the sequence described in 1 Thessalonians 4:16 as well). (Matthew 24:29-31). That is the rapture of the church that we look forward to, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ - immediately AFTER the great tribulation and just BEFORE the wrath of God bursts upon this earth. Jesus will appear as "the bright Morning Star" (Revelation 22:16) at that time to take us up to be with Him. The morning star appears JUST BEFORE the sun appears (Christ setting up His kingdom on earth), and JUST AFTER the midnight and the period of darkness (the great tribulation). The darkest hour is just before the dawn. Our Lord further confirmed this by teaching in Matthew 25:6 that it was "at midnight" that there would be a shout, "Behold, the bridegroom comes" In the midst of the pitch darkness (midnight) of the tribulation, the shout will arise, "The Bridegroom is coming". And before the sun rises on the earth, those who are ready will be taken up. They shall see Jesus as the 'Morning Star'. At the end of Revelation 6 we read of what the Old Testament prophets called "the DAY of the Lord". This is called here "the great DAY of the wrath of God" (Revelation 6:17) - a very brief time of judgment upon the earth. In Acts 2:17-20, Peter quotes from the prophet Joel, on the day of Pentecost, saying, 'It shall be in the last days', God says, 'that I will pour forth of My Spirit upon all mankind; and your sons and daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions ....and I will grant wonders in the sky above, and signs on the earth beneath, blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the GREAT AND GLORIOUS DAY OF THE LORD shall come.' The pouring out of the Holy Spirit, and the end of the age are brought together there by Joel. And in between verses 18 and 19 comes this 2000-year period where we can be filled with the Spirit and can partake of the divine nature. What we read of in verses 17 and 18 is the beginning of this 'church age'. Verses 19 and 20 then speak about the end of the church age. Because the prophet Joel did not know about the church age which lay between the outpouring of the Spirit and the second coming of Jesus Christ, he called that day, 'the great day of the Lord.' Why does this final judgment ("the day of the Lord") come upon the earth? Let us look at some Old Testament verses for an answer. First of all, let us look at Isaiah 13:6-11: Wail, for the day of the Lord is near! It will come as destruction from the Almighty. Therefore all hands will fall limp, and every man's heart will melt. And they will be terrified, pains and anguish will take hold of them, they will writhe like a woman in labour. (Jesus also spoke of that period as the beginning of birthpangs - Matthew 24:8)....or the stars of heaven and their constellations will not flash forth their light; the sun will be dark when they rise. And the moon will not shed its light. Thus I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will also put an end to the arrogance of the proud. So we see that it is mainly because of the pride of man that this final judgment comes. Pride is the root from which all the other sins grow. God says, "I will abase the haughtiness of the ruthless" (verse 11). Let us also consider Isaiah 2:10-21: Enter the rock and hide in the dust from the terror of the Lord and from the splendour of His majesty. The proud look of man will be abased. And the loftiness of man will be humbled....For the Lord of Hosts will have a day of reckoning against everyone who is proud and lofty, and against everyone who is lifted up that he may be abased....and the pride of man will be humbled and the loftiness of man will be abased. And the Lord alone will be exalted in that day". Notice again that the judgment of the Lord is against "PRIDE". Man's pride and exaltation are going to be brought low. Men commit many sins, but it is primarily the pride of man that is highlighted as the thing that God is going to judge in 'the day of the Lord.' In the midst of a section on the day of the Lord, in Isaiah 3:10, 11, God says, Say to the righteous that it will go well with them....oe to the wicked! It will go badly with him. Consider also Zephaniah 1:14: Near is the great day of the Lord, near and coming quickly. Listen, the day of the Lord! In it the warrior cries out bitterly." And then the prophet says in Zephaniah 2:3: Seek the Lord, all you humble of the earth who have carried out His commandments. Seek righteousness. Seek humility. Perhaps you will be hidden in the day of the Lord's anger. Certainly the humble will be hidden. We see from all these passages that whenever the Old Testament prophets prophesied about the coming of the Lord, they always said that it was going to come as a judgment on the proud. It is the humble who are going to escape. And if you were to ask me who are going to be raptured, I will say, "Those who have learned during their earthly life, before the Lord returns, to humble themselves." We are told to seek humility and you will be hidden in the day of the Lord's anger. In Zephaniah 3:11-13, 17, we are told: In that day, I will remove from your midst your proud, exulting ones. But I will leave among you a humble and lowly people, and they will take refuge in the name of the Lord. The remnant of Israel will do no wrong and tell no lies, nor will a deceitful tongue be found in their mouths. The Lord your God is in your midst a victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy. This is a promise given to the humble. Not everyone can claim that "The Lord my God is rejoicing over me", but only those who have responded to the earlier exhortation to seek humility and who have humbled themselves. In confirmation of what we have just considered, look at Revelation 6:15, and see the seven categories of people who are going to hide in the caves, rocks and mountains when Jesus comes in glory: "Kings, great men, commanders, the rich, the strong man and the free man" - six categories of great people - and every slave". It is the proud exulting ones who are going to be humbled in that day. That is why it is very important for us to learn from Jesus in these days what He urged us to learn: "Learn from Me," He said, "for I am gentle and humble in heart". He is coming only for such disciples of His. Let us now look at a New Testament passage about the day of the Lord, 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6 says, Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need for anything to be written to you. For you yourself know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. While they are saying, 'Peace and safety!,' then destruction will come upon them suddenly like birth pangs upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day should overtake you like a thief; for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness. Do you know what it means to be a son of the light and of the day? It means to partake of Jesus' humility - the Divine nature. To belong to the darkness, on the other hand, means to exalt oneself like the prince of darkness has done from the time he fell. The Antichrist will finally be the head of all those who exalt themselves. And Jesus will be the Head of all those who humble themselves. Those who live in humility will never be in darkness and the coming of the Lord will not come upon them like a thief. They will not be surprised by His coming, because they are always ready for Him, having learnt the way of humbling themselves - the new and living way that Jesus opened.