—– Forwarded Message —-
From: Terence Yeo <judev21@yahoo.com.sg>
To: judev21@yahoo.com.sg
Sent: Monday, 13 October 2008 6:31:35
Subject: God’s Protection Plan Against The Four Horsemen Of The Apocalyse [notes are amalgam of 1st and 3rd svc and the CD was of the 3rd svc]

Dear ALL,

Have just completed listening to the CD and brushed up on my notes (below).

Best,

Terence

P.S. Some additional reflections. Pastor mentioned that facet of Christ which faces off against the red horse of War is that of the tireless Ox (typified by gospel of Mark which shows the tireless servant – Jesus). This is so true. I was thinking remember Zechariah 13:7 “Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man [that is] my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones.”

The last mention of the word “sword” in the Old Testament is that of the sword being taken by Jesus on our behalf. The red horse rider carries the “great” sword (Rev 6:4). Jesus in redeeming us from the Spirit of War took that great sword into Himself.

Isn’t that also consistent with the picture of a tireless servant – indeed the ultimate service of a servant  – is to lay down his life for friends (John 15:13).

It’s wonderful the scriptures are so consistent! There is amazing symmetry in the way the scriptures were engineered and drafted! Hallelujah! 

Best,

Terence

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God’s Protection Plan
Against The Four Horsemen
Of The Apocalypse

1st and 3rd services of 5 October 2008

preached by Pastor Joseph Prince

as noted by Yeo Choon Meng Terence

Pre-service communion exhortation by Ps Gabriel at the 3rd service

Pastor Gabriel mentioned that all the OT sacrificial animals did not know what was coming to them – they were unwilling sacrifices. Jesus is the only willing sacrifice. Jesus knew in advance that He came to earth to die as our sacrifice.

Tithing

NCC has given SGD 9.5 million on a global basis to missions since last year. This has exceeded 10% of the income of NCC.

NCC has also tithed the senior pastor in that he has gone about 5 sundays (not counting sundays which fall on school holidays) in a year to preach at other churches worldwide. In fact, the record will show that the senior pastor usually has gone a max of 4 sundays in a year to preach overseas.

If you practise tithing your days to God, ie spending about 2.5 hours in a day with God in bible-study, listening to His word, worship etc, you notice that your 24 hours seem to last longer and are more enriching and fulfilling. You experience ‘length’ of days.

Nehemiah 2:20

Neh 2:20 “Then answered I them, and said unto them, The God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build: but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem.”

On 16 September 2008, the Straits Times reported that New Creation would pump in an extra SGD 220 million for the One-North project. This SGD 220 million is similar to the scripture reference Nehemiah 2:20 which Pastor used to exhort the congregation many months before the decision was taken to increase the investment by SGD 220 million. We can therefore see the Lord’s divine footprints in New Creation’s SGD 220 million additional investment!

Where are we now?

We are in a period before the Rapture. In a time, Matt 24:8 calls the “beginning of sorrows”.

7 Seals of Revelation

The 7 seals were on a sealed scroll. That scroll represented the forfeited inheritance of mankind (i.e. forfeited by Adam). As long as that seal remained sealed, it is bad news, that is why John wept (Rev 5:4). But praise God! Jesus was worthy to unseal the seals (Rev 5:5). When Jesus unsealed each seal, we can see the contents of each seal. Jesus is in fact loosing and freeing us from the bondage of these seals! and reclaiming back our inheritance! Good news! Also note that in Rev 5:6, Jesus in His capacity as the Lamb, conquered as the Lion in loosing the seals.

The first 4 seals consist of what is known collectively as the “4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse”. These seals represent the evil spirits that are already running rampant upon the earth. It is important to note that these seals are NOT from God. On the contrary, we are sealed with His Holy Spirit (2 Cr 1:22).

Rev 6:1    And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.

Rev 6:2    And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.

Rev 6:3    And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see.

Rev 6:4    And there went out another horse [that was] red: and [power] was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.

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.

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.

Rev 6:7    And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.

Rev 6:8    And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.

The 4 Horsemen are synonymous with the 4 winds of the book of Zechariah.

Rider on White Horse in Rev 6:2

This represents the spirit of false doctrine. The rider rides rides a white horse and wears a crown i.e. he is trying to impersonate Jesus Christ (as depicted in Rev 19:11) and lead people astray.

[Editor's note: The difference is that this evil spirit is going out to conquer and carries a bow for war. However, we know that because of Jesus Christ at the Cross, the Father is now at peace with us. In fact there is a rainbow around His throne (Rev 4:3) and upon His head (Rev 10:1) symbolising that there is no more judgement on those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their saviour. In Hebrew, the word translated into English as bow (for war) is the same for rainbow. We know in Gen 9:13 that the bow in the sky symbolises God's covenant of no more judgement. The rainbow can be seen as an upturned bow which hung up on the wall no longer to be used as a weapon i.e. there is peace, no more war or judgement. Therefore, we see that this spirit of false doctrine is inter alia, leading people astray by giving the impression that God is still angry with them.]

The root cause of a person’s problems is wrong belief and this can stem from the spirit of the false doctrine as symbolised by the rider on the white horse in Rev 6:2. Example: a woman does not get tempted to be unfaithful to husband until she is convinced that her husband does not love her.

Rider on Red Horse in Rev 6:4

This represents the spirit of war.  Power was given to this spirit to “take peace” from the earth and this spirit carries a “great sword”.

Rider on Black Horse in Rev 6:5

This represents the spirit of famine. This spirit carries a pair of scales.

Rider on Pale Horse in Rev 6:8

This represents the spirit of death. In fact the Greek word which is translated into English as “pale” is chloros which can be understood as green or yellowish pale. This is the colour of corpses.

This spirit brings disease and death.

NKJV Zech 6:3, the OT depicts the same spirit as “dappled horses” i.e. having spots of colour.

The word “beasts” in “beasts of the earth” in Rev 6:8 is a diminutive term in the Greek and therefore suggests that it can be viruses and bacteria that do the killing.

Rev 6:6

In Rev 6:6, it is stated that the spirit is not to harm the “oil and the wine”. In the Hebrew, the word used for oil here can refer to olive oil as well as the black oil. Pastor believes that it is black oil which will not be affected. Pastor also speculates that man’s leisure pursuits such as sport etc and which give rise to happiness i.e. symbolised by “wine” will not be affected.

Who is the “one of the 4 beasts” in Rev 6:1 who told John to “come and see”?

It is Jesus Christ in symbolic form and it represents one of his 4 facets are set out in Rev 4:6-7

Rev 4:6    And before the throne [there was] a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, [were] four beasts full of eyes before and behind.

Rev 4:7    And the first beast [was] like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast [was] like a flying eagle

(1)    Lion – typifies Jesus as King of Kings, characteristic most emphasized by the Gospel of Matthew, also emblem on the standard of tribe of Judah encamped on the east of entrance to tabernacle of Moses

(2)    Calf or ox – typifies Jesus as tireless servant, characteristic most emphasized by the Gospel of Mark, also the emblem on the standard of tribe of Ephraim encamped on the west of entrance of tabernacle of Moses

(3)    Man – typifies Jesus as Man, characteristic most emphasized by the Gospel of Luke, also the emblem on the standard of tribe of Reuben (in Hebrew meaning, see the son) encamped on the south of the entrance of tabernacle of Moses

(4)    Eagle – typifies Jesus as God, characteristic most emphasized by the Gospel of John, also the emblem on the standard of tribe of Dan encamped on the north of the entrance of tabernacle of Moses

Fulness of Christ

Eph  4:13    Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ

We are to sit under ministries which emphasize the fulness of Christ’s nature so that we too grow and manifest the fulness of Christ.

We ought to aim for all 4 qualities of Christ:

(1)    Lion – boldness

(2)    Ox – untiring

(3)    Man – spiritually intelligent

(4)    Eagle – to be able to see prophetically

We ought NOT to be un-balanced. For example, we should not be so prophetic that we are no earthly good, or so bold but lacking in intelligence.

The 4 facets of Christ are also depicted in the OT:

Ezekiel 1:10    As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle.

Ezekiel literally saw the 4 faces of the tribes of Israel encamped.

Numbers 2 : Encampment of tribes around tabernacle of Moses

Num 2:1    And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,

Num 2:2    Every man of the children of Israel shall pitch by his own standard, with the ensign of their father’s house: far off about the tabernacle of the congregation shall they pitch.

Num 2:3    And on the east side toward the rising of the sun shall they of the standard of the camp of Judah pitch throughout their armies: and Nahshon the son of Amminadab [shall be] captain of the children of Judah.

Num 2:4    And his host, and those that were numbered of them, [were] threescore and fourteen thousand and six hundred.

Num 2:5    And those that do pitch next unto him [shall be] the tribe of Issachar: and Nethaneel the son of Zuar [shall be] captain of the children of Issachar.

Num 2:6    And his host, and those that were numbered thereof, [were] fifty and four thousand and four hundred.

Num 2:7    [Then] the tribe of Zebulun: and Eliab the son of Helon [shall be] captain of the children of Zebulun.

Num 2:8    And his host, and those that were numbered thereof, [were] fifty and seven thousand and four hundred.

Num 2:9    All that were numbered in the camp of Judah [were] an hundred thousand and fourscore thousand and six thousand and four hundred, throughout their armies. These shall first set forth.

Num 2:10    On the south side [shall be] the standard of the camp of Reuben according to their armies: and the captain of the children of Reuben [shall be] Elizur the son of Shedeur.

Judah is leader of eastern section and encamped together with Isaachar and Zebulun.

Reuben is leader of southern section and encamped together with Simeon and Gad.

Ephraim is leader of the western section and encamped together with Manasseh and Benjamin. [Editor's note: It is Important to observe where Benjamin Generation is located.]

Dan is leader of the northern section and encamped together with Asher and Naptali.

Notice that the 12 tribes are arranged 3 to a side on each of the 4 cardinal directions. From an aerial perspective, you will see the cross!

Lord is rearguard

Isa 52:12    For you shall not go out with haste, Nor go by flight; For the LORD will go before you, And the God of Israel [will be] your rear guard.

All tribes were camped facing the tabernacle i.e. they all camped facing God. That meant their backs were vulnerable to attack. However, no where in the bible does it indicate that Israel was ever attacked when they were encamped and at rest facing and focusing on God.  This is a good posture for us to adopt today. Our lives should revolve around the dwelling place of God.

4 horsemen of Revelation are pictured as 4 chariots or 4 winds/spirits of heaven in Zechariah

Chariots are slower than horses. This shows us that the evil spirits in OT times are now moving at a faster pace in New Covenant times as they are depicted as horses in Revelation.

Zech 6:1    Then I turned and raised my eyes and looked, and behold, four chariots were coming from between two mountains, and the mountains were mountains of bronze.

Zech 6:2    With the first chariot were red horses, with the second chariot black horses,

Zech 6:3    with the third chariot white horses, and with the fourth chariot dappled horses—strong steeds.

Zech 6:4    Then I answered and said to the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?”

Zech 6:5    And the angel answered and said to me, “These are four spirits of heaven, who go out from their station before the Lord of all the earth.

Zech 6:6    The one with the black horses is going to the north country, the white are going after them, and the dappled are going toward the south country.”

The means that the spirit of Famine (black horse) is coming from the south and going towards the north and it therefore faces off with that aspect of Christ which is the divine Man (Reuben — See the son [of man] in Hebrew – is encamped on southside of tabernacle).

Likewise, the spirit of  Death (pale horse) is coming from the the north and going towards the south and it therefore faces off with that aspect of Christ which is God, the Eagle (Dan is encamped on northside of tabernacle). The Gospel of John records the story of Lazarus and how Jesus raised him from the dead. It stands to reason that if you spend a lot of time in the Gospel of John — the Eagle gospel, you’ll probably live long in the earth.

The spirit of False Doctrine (white horse) is coming from the west and going towards the east and it therefore faces off with that aspect of Christ which is the King of Kings, the Lion (Judah is encamped on the eastside of tabernacle).

The spirit of War (red horse) is coming from the east and going towards the west and it therefore faces off with that aspect of Christ which is the Tireless Servant, the Ox (Ephraim is encamped on the westside of tabernacle).

Keil-Delitzsch, 2 Messianic-Jewish scholars state in their commentary that rabbinical tradition holds the standard of Judah was a Lion (see Gen 49:9), the standard of Reuben was a Man or Man’s head (as Reuben means “See, the son”), the standard of Ephraim was that of an ox, the standard of Dan was an eagle. Initially, it is said that Dan got a snake as its emblem because of Gen 49:17, but this was understood rightly as a prophecy and not as a blessing on Dan, therefore according to tradition, God allowed Dan to change its emblem to that of an eagle which kills the snake.

Isa 59:19

So shall they fear

The name of the LORD from the west,

And His glory from the rising of the sun;

When the enemy comes in like a flood,

The Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard against him.

So literally Isa 59:19 is true when you consider the four facets of Christ effectively facing off and prevailing against the 4 horsemen. Hallelujah!

The Cross

The top of the Cross of Jesus can be seen as pointing North. Jesus (Luke 23:46) breathed out and dismissed His spirit at the northside. He gave up His life for us and in the process conquered death (pale horse) for us.

The bottom of the Cross of Jesus can be seen as pointing South. Jesus (Matt 27:35, Mark 15:24, Luke 23:24, John 19:24) saw the Roman soldiers gamble for his garments at the southside. Christ gave up his riches (the garment was seamless and was thus expensive symbolising Jesus’ wealth) to redeem us from poverty and famine (black horse) and to restore us to His riches.

The Western part of the cross is where the right hand of Christ was nailed. The “great sword” is held by the rider on the red horse. Swords are typically held on the right hand. Jesus’ right hand was nailed on the westside of Cross and he redeemed us from the spirit of war (red horse).

The Eastern part of the cross is where the left hand of Christ was nailed. An archer’s bow is held by his left arm. Jesus’ left hand was nailed on the eastern side of Cross and he redeemed us from the spirit of false doctrine (white horse). The rider on white horse wields a bow. Jesus redeemed us from the fiery darts of the red horse rider.

Jesus HIMSELF suffered the 4 Winds at the Cross to protect and redeem us against them! Hallelujah!

Glory of God

Isa 58:8 Then your light shall break forth like the morning, Your healing shall spring forth speedily, And your righteousness shall go before you; The glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard guard.

When we focus on Lord, His Glory is our rear guard!

Psalm 125:1-2 They that trust in the LORD [shall be] as mount Zion, [which] cannot be removed, [but] abideth for ever. As the mountains [are] round about Jerusalem, so the LORD [is] round about his people from henceforth even for ever.

Graphically, we can see that if we (symbolised by the tribes of Israel) turn away from Jesus (the tabernacle), we are exposed to the 4 winds. Remain focused on Him and we remain protected!

Don’t ever be cynical, just let God watch your back. It is too difficult to watch your own back and go forward at the same time!

We see the 4 winds described in Matthew as well!

Matt 24:3-5 (False Doctrine – white horse) parallels Rev 6:1-2

Matt 24:3    And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what [shall be] the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?

Matt 24:4    And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you

Matt 24:5    For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

The only person who is fit to ride the white horse is Jesus!

Matt 24:6 (War – red horse) parallels Rev 6:3-4

Matt 24:6    And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all [these things] must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

Matt 24:7a (Famine – black horse) parallels Rev 6:5

Matt 24:7a    For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines,

Pastor Prince believes that “famines” refer to financial as well as famines relating to food supply. But praise God, CHRIST is in the market, and there is therefore no crisis in the market for Believers!

Matt 24:7b (Death – pale horse) parallels Rev 6:7-8

Matt 24:7b ” …and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.”

The amazing thing about the description of the 4 winds in Matthew is that they parallel in the order they were listed in Revelation!

Matt 24:8    All these [are] the beginning of sorrows.

This is the beginning of sorrows before the Tribulation.

Nevertheless, take joy because the LORD has brought us “to the banqueting house, and his banner over” us love. [Song of Songs 2:4]

Enter into the joy of the Lord

Christians, draw unto Jesus. For those married, He will give you strength to love your spouse. For Children, study to glorify Jesus not please parents. For our finances, they are to glorify Jesus.

Therefore in the end, Matt 25:21 will be true for us.

Matt 25:21    His lord said unto him, Well done, [thou] good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

Copyright ©  13 October 2008  Yeo Choon Meng Terence. All Rights Reserved.

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