The World's
Worst
Nightmare!
                                                                                              By Pastor F. M. Riley
                                                                                              April 10, 2019
     "For then shall be great tribulation [tribulation; the great one], such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be [hereafter].  
     And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved:  but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened;
                                                                                 Matthew 24:21-22.  
     "And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
     I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but He that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost [Spirit], and with fire:
     Whose fan is in His hand, and He will throughly purge His floor, and gather His wheat into the garner; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."  Matthew 3:10-12.  
Introduction   
     We all have dreams when we go to sleep at night.  According to Medical Researchers, who have recorded the brain waves of sleeping people, the brain never completely shuts down.  Rather, the brain wave charts reveal increased activity when a sleeping person is dreaming.  
     This truth is verified by the inspired Word of God.  God's Word clearly states that God sometimes speaks to mankind in dreams.  Read it for yourself in Job 33:14-30.  
     Further, there is a real "living nightmare" coming upon the whole world LEFT BEHIND on the earth following the resurrection and rapture of all true New Covenant believers from off the face of the earth.   
     This study has to do with the "living nightmare" that is coming upon mankind on the earth, due to the unbelieving world turning away from Almighty God, and spiritually going to sleep in relation to man's fallen nature, and man's  need for God.  I call it a "living nightmare" because when those LEFT BEHIND on the earth at the rapture, awaken from their sleep at night, they will find that the "nightmare" is still going on, and they are still caught in it, with no way out other than death.  
     Join us for what I hope will be an enlightening study........
THE BEGINNING OF THE NIGHTMARE
     The "nightmare" will begin with a sound unlike any sound mankind has ever previously heard.  That sound will literally shake the entire earth.  "For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
     Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord," 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17.    
     The sound will obviously be the Trumpet of God, followed immediately by the "shout" of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself calling all of His righteous dead [those who died in Christ] to come forth from their graves.  The Greek word translated as "shout" in this Scripture literally means, "an intelligent call."
      I make no claim to knowing how the Lord can or will do it, but I am persuaded that He will call every righteous soul by their name, "for the Lord knoweth them that are His," 2 Timothy 2:19.  When speaking of the resurrection, the old prophet, Job, said, "Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee:," Job 14:15.  Obviously based on this truth, some child of God wrote the old Stamps-Baxter gospel hymn,
     "I'll be somewhere list'ning, I'll be somewhere list'ning, I'll be somewhere list'ning for my name."  Oh, glory to God!  Hallelujah!  
     At the same time the resurrection of the righteous dead occurs, the entire earth will be shaken.  Why?  Because every deceased believer will be raised "in the likeness of His resurrection," Romans 6:5.  This means that the graves of every one of the righteous dead will suddenly be opened.  Didn't the earth shake, and wasn't the tomb of the Lord opened, when the Lord Jesus Himself was resurrected?  Read it for yourself in Matthew 28:2.   
     I am making a point of this, because the resurrection and rapture will be the greatest "witness" ever given to mankind, testifying of the reality of God, and of the absolute truth of His Word.   And all of those LEFT BEHIND on the earth will see the open graves for themselves, with all of the bodies that were in those graves missing.  Glory to God!
     Can our readers even imagine the panic and fear that will be struck into the hearts and minds of those LEFT BEHIND when they stand at the open grave of one of their deceased loved ones, and find the grave empty and the body of their loved one gone?  
     Many today refuse to believe in "such a silly theory as the resurrection"" [their words; not mine], but they will be forced to believe in a resurrection then.  All over the earth, in every nation, where a true believer has ever died and been buried, their grave will be standing open and empty, for all those who are LEFT BEHIND to see.  Glory!
     Every cemetery on  earth, in every nation on earth, where a true believer was buried, their grave will be standing open, but their body will be gone.  Yes, what a glorious "witness" this will be to those LEFT BEHIND.   
     What a glorious event for every true believer, and what a "living nightmare" for those LEFT BEHIND.   Can our readers even imagine the crying, the screaming, the fear and terror, struck into the hearts and minds of those who are LEFT BEHIND on the earth, as they realize the resurrection and rapture really has taken place, and they missed it?  
     Of course, the "authorities" will first try to explain away the open graves as being the work of grave robbers.  Isn't that exactly what the wicked religious leaders of the Jews did when Christ was resurrected?  Matthew 28:11-15.  But their claims won't fool anyone.  Grave robbers open a single grave, steal the rings or jewelry off a dead body, and they are gone, and the body is still in the grave.   How could thousands of open graves with the bodies missing, possibly be explained as the work of grave robbers?  Well...???   
     Yes, the day the resurrection and rapture occurs, will be the most glorious day in human history for all true believers.  
      But for those who are not true believers, it will be the beginning of a "living nightmare," and it will only get worse and worse for the next seven years.  Any reader who is not saved, or is unsure about their salvation, should RUSH to seek the Lord right now, while there is still time and opportunity to be saved.  Take heed!
THE IMMEDIATE RESULTS
      In Heaven.......Following the "Book of Revelation" as our guide line, immediately following the rapture there wil be a glorious assembly of the Lord's Church and reunion of God's people in Heaven, before the throne of God Himself,  as clearly set forth in Revelation 4.  
     Then in Revelation 5 is the record of Father God giving to the Lord Jesus Christ a little book, sealed with seven seals.   This book is given by the Father to His Son, therefore it sets forth the judgments decreed by God Himself which must  be poured out on unbelieving mankind LEFT BEHIND on the earth.   The Justice and anger of God  in reference to the rejection and crucifixion of His Son must be satisfied before God will begin to bless mankind on the earth again.  Right here is a good place for our readers to read again Hebrews 10:31.  
THE OPENING OF THE SEALS
     The seals on the book are opened in Heaven by none other than the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.  And when each seal is opened, the Lord Jesus issues the command, "Come!"  The Lord is commanding the judgment under each seal to come upon unbelieving mankind on the earth.  He is not speaking to John in giving these commands.  The translators added the words, "and see," in each of these Scriptures dealing with the seals.  These added words are not in the Greek text.  
     And as each of these seals are opened in Heaven, the terrible "living nightmare" continues on those LEFT BEHIND on the earth.
     Seal No. 1.......Revelation 6:1-2.......This very first seal introduces the coming of the anti-christ.  Notice that he is riding on a white horse.  In ancient times Kings rode white horses as they paraded themselves before their people, or before a people whom they had just conquered.
     White is also the symbol of purity, integrity, and honesty.  The anti-christ riding a "white horse" is presenting himself to Israel, and to the whole lost world,  as an honorable man whom they can implicitly trust, even though they don't realize that  he is deceiving them.  
     Notice that he is carrying a bow in his hand.  Much ado has been made about this bow by commentators.  A bow, no arrows, and so on.  Has it ever occurred to our readers that this bow may not be a weapon at all?  There are other kinds of bows which are not weapons.  Have our readers ever taken a close look at the "bow" carried by the Roman Pope everywhere he appears in public?  It is a hideous thing, carved from wood, with the Lord Jesus still on the cross, bowed outward in His suffering.  Let me tell every reader right now.....the Lord Jesus Christ whom I serve, IS NOT still on the cross, and I personally resent Him being represented as such.  
     But back to our subject.  The anti-christ then comes on the world scene in self assurance, knowing that he is going to conquer and rule the whole world.  And with his coming on the world scene, is where the "living nightmare" begins in earnest for those LEFT BEHIND on the earth.  
     Seal No. 2.......Revelation 6:3-4.......Someone once said, "One can fool part of the people part of the time, but they cannot fool all of the people all of the time."   The anti-christ comes on the world scene as a respected and honorable "man of peace."  But that doesn't last long.  When the Lord opens the second seal, the anti-christ is then seen as riding a "red horse."  Red is the symbol of war.  And in order to become a ruler of the whole world, the anti-christ will be forced to resort to war in order to enforce his authority on many of the nations of the world.  And that is exactly what he will do.  The nations and people who choose to follow his leadership will go to war against those nations and people who refuse to follow him.  As the Scriptures say, peace will be taken from the earth, and "they shall kill one another."  What a "nightmare!"  
     Seal No. 3.......Revelation 6:5-6.......When this seal is opened the anti-christ is seen riding "a black horse," and he has "a pair of balances in his hand."  Black is the symbol of death by starvation.  I know!  I once had the sad experience of attending the funeral of a beautiful young lady who had been a member of our church.  She developed a type of cancer which stopped her intake of food from processing, and she literally starved to death.  All of the thousands of tiny blood vessels in her body broke down, and her skin turned coal black.  This happens to every person who dies of starvation.  
     Folks, when the whole world goes into a state of war, all available resources will be used in the war.  Land wil not be plowed, nor seed sown, and no harvest will be gathered in.  All available food will be seized by the anti-christ and his followers.  The anti-christ will then impose world food rationing over all the earth,  and you can believe he will be selective in who receives food and who doesn't.    The amount of food allotted to anyone will be weighed out on balances [scales].  The few people who do still have jobs, will be forced to pay a full day's wages for just enough wheat to bake one loaf of bread.  The English word translated as "penny" in this passage is the Greek word, "denarius."  A denarius was the wages paid to a slave for a day's labor.
     Will the "living nightmare" become worse and worse for those of mankind LEFT BEHIND on the earth?   Readers better believe it!  
     Seal No. 4.......Revelation 6:7-8.......When this seal is opened the anti-christ is seen riding "a pale horse," and is called "Death."  The pale horse represents the pallor of death.  Just as the Lord Jesus Christ is "the way, the truth, and the life [John 14:6], and the only way to Heaven, so the anti-christ is  "a way, a liar,  and Death," and the certain way to "Hell."  
     We are explicitly told in this passage that one-fourth of mankind LEFT BEHIND on the earth will die during this first half of the Tribulation, by "the sword" [war], by "hunger" [starvation], by "death" [pestilence and disease], and by "beasts" [starving crazed animals].  The people who keep the world statistics tell us that there is now approximately nine billion people living on the earth.  I don't know the number who will be taken in the rapture, but I suspect probably not even a billion.  But if eight billion are LEFT BEHIND on the earth, this would mean that two billion people will die during the rise to power of the anti-christ.  Are our readers enjoying this descripiton of the "living nightmare?"  Those who are LEFT BEHIND at the rapture will enjoy it even less.  Take heed!  
     Seal No. 5.......Revelation 6:9-11.......The opening of this seal has to do with those people LEFT BEHIND at the rapture, who turn to the Lord God, calling upon Him with their whole heart and soul, in repentance and faith, during the first half of the Tribulation.  They are the same as the great blood washed multitude in Revelation 7:9-17.  This group may or may not also include the 144,000 Jewish believers saved and sealed right after the rapture.  We do find the 144,000 mentioned again, as being "redeemed from the earth" in Revelation 14:1-5.   
     Notice that all of these "were slain for the Word of God, and for the testimony which they held."  This makes it plain that the anti-christ, right from the beginning of his rise to power, will not tolerate those in his kingdom who turn to the Lord God of Heaven in repentance and faith.  They will be martyred, laying down their lives for the cause of Christ, Revelation 6:10-11; 20:4.  Glory to God!  But their being martyred will remove their souls out of the "living nightmare" taking place on the earth.  Praise the Lord!  
     Seal No. 6.......Revelation 6:12-17.......The opening of this sixth seal takes mankind LEFT BEHIND on the earth from the introduction  of the anti-christ as he rides the four horses, right up to the middle of the Tribulation Period.  When this seal is opened there is a great earthquake on the earth; accompanied by the Sun becoming "black as sackcloth of hair," plunging the entire earth into pitch black darkness even during the day.  For how long?  The Scriptures do not say.  But at the same time the Moon will become "as blood;" blood red, and the earth itself will be bombarded by an asteroid shower.   The Greek word translated as "stars" in this passage is the word, "asters," from which we derive the English word, "asteroid."  Does this sound like enough of a "living nightmare" for those LEFT BEHIND, who are still alive on the earth?   It isn't!  
     After the asteroid shower has bombarded the earth, the sky above the earth will roll back like a scroll, and every mountain and island on the earth will be moved out of it's present position.  If they haven't already done so, I suspect that many of those on the earth will soil their clothes [if they have any left to soil; Isaiah 3:6-7], or die of heart failure, when this happens.  But as the sky is rolled back, those on the earth will be able to look right up into Heaven, and see the angry face of Almighty God sitting on His throne,  as well as the angry face of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, whose "wrath" they have been experienceing under the opening of these seals,  6:16.
    Dear readers, right here at the middle of the Tribulation is when "the wrath of the Lamb" ceases, and "the wrath of God" takes over.  In Psalm 110:1, we read, "The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit Thou at My right hand, Until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool."  
      Under the seal judgments, each judgment will be called to "come," by the Lord Jesus Himself, thereby displaying "the wrath of the Lamb."  Yet there will still be many LEFT BEHIND on the earth who refuse to repent and call upon the Lord.  This is verified in Revelation 9:20-21.    
     Therefore, in absolute rage, Father God tells His Son to just sit by His side and wait, and Father God will deal with those who, up to that point, have refused to repent.  And if "the wrath of the Lamb" under the opening of these seals, seems terrible, just wait until the "wrath of God" under the seven trumpets begins to be poured out.  
     What happens under the opening of this sixth seal is bad enough, that it causes those LEFT BEHIND on the earth to finally pray to the rocks and mountains to fall on them and hide them from the face of God.  Yet they refuse to pray to God and ask for His mercy upon them.   Such hard hearted wicked men and women, are as sure to spend eternity in Hell, as if they were already there.  "For He saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee:  behold, now is the accepted time; now is the day of salvation,," 2 Corinthians 6:2.   Take heed!  
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TO BE CONTINUED.......
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     I want to apologize to all of my regular readers.  I have not wrote and sent out a Bible Study in over a month.  I have had sickness and other problems.  I spent one whole day in the hospital being stuck with needles and blood drawn, as the doctors were trying to find out what was wrong with me.  
     At this present time, I am doing a little better.  I thank the Lord for giving me the health, strength, and eyesight to write this study and send it out.  My prayer is that it will be a blessing to every reader, and perhaps even move some readers to call upon Christ right now before the "living nightmare" begins.  
     I appreciate the prayers and the fellowship of my brothers and sisters in Christ.  Please continue to pray for me.  I want to be alive and alert when our Lord comes for His Church and people, and I know He is coming SOON.  God bless you all.  Join me at the table, Matthew 26:29.  
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     My personal contact information:
POSTAL.......Pastor F. M. Riley, 14275 Co. Rd. 8120, Rolla, MO 65401
EMAIL.........francismriley34@gmail.com
PHONE.......573-202-6493  
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