Article by: Kenneth J. Ester
The Seven Seals
In the days of old when we did not have computers and printers and email. Before we even had good writing paper and glue sealed envelopes, they had a completely different way of ensuring privacy. They would write a message on parchment then roll it up into a scroll. They would then drip melted wax from a candle onto the edge of the parchment to seal that edge to the back of the parchment. People of high ranking would often have their insignia carved into a stamp or ring and they would press that into the hot wax as it dried and cooled. This would leave behind an imprint of their insignia in the wax seal.
Nobody would be able to read the contents of the scroll without first breaking that wax seal. If they received a letter and the seal was broken, they would know their privacy had been infringed upon. If it came from someone of high ranking and the wax did not have the correct insignia imprinted into it, they would know that the seal had been removed and replaced.
The important thing to take from this is the purpose of the seal. It is not a part of what is inside the scroll. It is to protect what is inside the scroll. The contents of the scroll cannot be revealed until after the seal is broken first.
Revelation 5:1-5 (NASB)
1 I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a book written inside and on the back, sealed up with seven seals. 2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the book and to break its seals?” 3 And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the book or to look into it. 4 Then I began to weep greatly because no one was found worthy to open the book or to look into it; 5 and one of the elders *said to me, “Stop weeping; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals.”
Most every eschatologist today will tell you that the End Times will consist of a 7 year Tribulation and that 7 years of tribulation will have 7 Seals, seven Trumpets and finally the 7 Bowls of God's Wrath. Every eschatologist who teaches this is wrong.
The book in God's right hand in this scripture is actually a scroll. In the first century when John had this vision, they did not have books like we have today. They may have had some books, but they were nothing like they are today. The word that was translated to "book", could easily have been translated as "scroll". In fact that would make more sense with the scripture telling us that it was written on the inside and the back.
So God has in His right hand a scroll that is written on both sides. It is rolled up, and to protect its contents from being revealed there are seven seals. These seals are not a part of the contents of this scroll. They keep the contents from being revealed.
Now John writes everything he sees down, so the contents are already revealed. The contents are not just words however. They are events. When the scroll is opened, these events will actually happen. These events will be the events that happen in the Seven Trumpets and Seven Bowls. God has a time set for these events to happen, so He placed seven seals on the scroll to keep these events locked up. The only one who has ever existed who was worthy to break these seals is Jesus.
Then Jesus takes the scroll from God and He breaks the seven seals. The thing is however, is that the seven seals are also events of their own. As each seal is broken, it triggers a particular end time event to begin to unfold. John goes on in chapter 6 to describe what he sees as each seal is broken.
The important thing to realize here however is that the events of the seven seals are not a part of what is in the scroll. They only need to happen before the events inside the scroll can actually take place. The seven trumpets and seven bowls of God's wrath, those are in the scroll. Before those events can take place, the events of the seven seals must start first.
Another important thing to realize is that each event of the Seals, Trumpets and Bowls does not have to take place before the next one starts. A seal being broken only opens the doors for that event to take place. When it truly takes place and how long it takes, that is a whole different subject.
Finally, the last important thing I need to mention is that there is nothing in the bible that says how much time is between each event. As the Lord breaks open the seals, most eschatologists like to picture each seal slowly happening one at a time. There is nothing that says that is how it happens. They only see it that way because John wrote about them one after the other. However, John had no choice. It is impossible to write about seven separate events at the same time and keep it clear which event is which seal.
The truth is, when Jesus breaks the seven seals, He does not break them one at a time and contemplate what is happening. He is going to essentially grab the edge of the scroll and pull it apart and all of the seven seals will break in very quick succession.
The First Four Seals!
Seal-1
Revelation 6:1-2 (NASB)
1 Then 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.” 2 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.
This is the antichrist. Some try to interpret it to be Jesus because later He returns to fight in Armageddon riding a white horse. They also see the crown as being the Lord of Lords and King of Kings. What doesn't make sense in that is that Jesus is the one who is breaking the seal to allow this to happen, and Jesus does not conquer His people. We follow Him willingly. He doesn't conquer His enemies. In Armageddon He basically just wipes them all out.
This is not the Lord, but it is the antichrist. The crown is to show his ruling position, and the bow is to show that he will have command over military. The antichrist will conquer many other nations. As for the white horse, Satan has always been a copy cat. There is the Holy Trinity in the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit. There is the unholy trinity in the Devil, the antichrist and the false prophet. Jesus is the Messiah and the antichrist ends up false messiah. So it is perfectly understandable that the image would also have the antichrist mimic the Christ by riding a white horse.
Seal-2
Revelation 6:3-4 (NASB)
3 When He broke the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come.” 4 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 would slay one another; and a great sword was given to him.
This rider is "War". The important thing to take from this rider is that it will not be a simple war between two nations. This is a World War! He takes peace away from the earth. Not just a few nations but from the earth! On top of this, he is given a "great" sword. Not just a sword, but a great sword! This is to signify this will be a "great" war that takes peace from the earth.
Seal-3
Revelation 6:5-6 (NASB)
5 When He broke the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, “Come.” I looked, and behold, a black horse; and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. 6 And I heard something like 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 damage the oil and the wine.”
The third rider is "Famine". A denarius was considered a full day's wage for a soldier in the first century. This would be an exuberant price to pay for some wheat and barley. When food costs so much, it is because there is far too little of it.
This is not necessarily an event of its own, but it is a consequence of seal 2, the war. Whenever war takes place in a land, that land suffers famine. Since this will be a World War, this famine will take place all over the world.
Seal-4
Revelation 6:7-8 (NASB)
7 When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come.” 8 I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name Death; and Hades was following with him. 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.
The 4th rider is exactly who it says he is. It is death! he is given authority to kill a quarter of the world's population with war and famine (two of the other riders) and pestilence and wild beasts.
This world has around 7.8 billion people in it today. It will not be long until there are 8 billion. A quarter of the population would be around 2 billion people dying! No ordinary World War would kill anywhere near that many. The only way a World War would come close to this kind of death toll, is if it was a Nuclear War!
The Antichrist a man of War or Peace?
From reading 2 Thessalonians, chapter 2, we know the antichrist will walk into the Holy Temple in Israel, midway through the tribulation, and claim to be God. We also know from scripture that the antichrist actually does gain control over the world. The majority of the world will worship him. The problem I have is that if he starts World War 3 and uses nukes, I really struggle to believe so many would worship this guy! It just doesn't fit! So I kept praying on it and I believe God put the answer in my head. The antichrist will not be the one who starts the war. Someone else will start it. The antichrist will be the one who stops it and places the world in a state of peace. Then every nation who defies him, he will conquer and the world will worship him for it!
This would also fit in with the copycat mentality of the devil. Because Jesus is called the Prince of peace, it would make sense that the antichrist would want to also be the prince of peace in his own way.
Painting a Picture of the End Times!
The day is coming and I believe it will be soon. Very soon! Inside the next few years and possibly inside the next year, when the unthinkable will happen. World War 3 will start and very shortly after that, as a nation like North Korea is being invaded and taken over, the leader will decide to go out with a bang. A very serious bang!
He will fire his nukes at his enemy because he feels he has nothing left to lose and he will make them pay. As those nukes fly toward different nations, those nations will retaliate. In moments there will be nukes heading to many places in the world, all at the same time. The devastation will be far more than most would ever consider.
Yes there will be hundreds of millions who will be instantly wiped out, as most nukes will be aimed at major cities. However, multiple nukes would hit at the same time all over the world, and in many cases multiple nukes would strike the same cities. This kind of force striking the earth would cause the tectonic plates to shift. Massive earthquakes would break out all over the world. These quakes would cause unbelievable tsunamis that would wipe out the majority of the coast lines, which is where the majority of our populations live. These earthquakes would also cause many volcanoes to erupt. The amount of soil and chemicals thrown into the atmosphere from those volcanoes and the nukes before them would block out the sun in many places.
Every nation would be in total chaos, but one man will suddenly become the most powerful man alive. The antichrist will be a man who doesn't care about any single nation, but will be in control of an army comprised of the military powers of ten nations and possibly several more by this point. The nations of the world will be wounded, but his army would then become the most powerful army in the world and nobody will be able to stand against him!
The antichrist will step in and put an end to the war. He will destroy any army that defies him and he will force the leaders of nearly every nation to agree to a treaty of peace for seven years.
The treaty that is signed will be the beginning of the seven years of tribulation the Bible refers to as Daniel's 70th Week! The antichrist rising to power, the nuclear war, the famine that would be happening all over the world and the death of two billion people would be the first four seals that break before the Tribulation can begin.
Seal-5
Revelation 6:9-11 (NASB)
9 When the Lamb 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; 10 and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” 11 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, would be completed also.
These are the tribulation saints. What are the tribulation saints? They are the Christians that replace the millions of Christians who are raptured before any of this happens!
The Bible tells us Jesus is the one who breaks the 7 seals. What many do not realize is that the rapture is "how" He breaks the seals!
Another thing even many Christians do not realize, is that Satan is not barred from heaven right now. Even though he fell from grace and defied God, the Bible also tells us he is in heaven before God, day and night, accusing the saints. He is doing everything he can to turn God against us! But that will come to an end.
The Bible also tells us that the day will come when Jesus will come in the clouds and He will bring all of the souls of the believers who have ever died with Him. With a shout, the bodies of the dead will rise as imperishable. As their souls are reunited with their now imperishable bodies, we who are still alive will be changed, from perishable to imperishable. Then we will all be caught up to the clouds together to be with Jesus.
Jesus does not come back to fight Armageddon at this time. Many have been taught wrongly that the rapture happens at the same time as the Second Coming. When you truly study the scripture completely, you find that is literally impossible and that Jesus must come for us well before that! When He does, he will not return to earth but only come in the clouds and then takes us back to heaven in our new bodies. We will be wed to Him as the church is the bride that is married to the Lamb. Then we will follow Jesus back as part of His army in the Second Coming!
However, when He first takes us back to heaven, it will mean that there is no longer a reason for Satan to be allowed to continue to accuse us of anything. This is when Satan and all of his angels will be thrown down to earth and barred from returning to earth. This event is the reason Satan will cause havoc in starting World War 3, and then possess the leader of the ten nation coalition and stops the war. Setting himself up as the most powerful person in the world.
The rapture is the event that paves the way for the seven seals to happen. It is the event that truly breaks the seals and puts them into motion.
Yet, after the rapture happens, the world will very temporarily be void of any Christians. There will not be a single true believer on this earth! Then there will be hundreds of thousands if not millions who will have studied the Bible but never fully truly believed, who will recognize the rapture has actually happened. It will be the absolute proof they needed in order to believe. These will now know it was all true, without a doubt, and they will fill the churches. These will be the tribulation saints.
They will not receive salvation just from believing as we did. They will now have to prove their faith. They will need to refuse to worship the antichrist, refuse to take his mark, and be willing to die for their faith in Christ. They will have to live through the worst years and worst persecution this world has ever witnessed. Worse than what the Jews faced in the holocaust!
The 5th Seal is a vision of the beginning of them showing up in heaven as they are killed for their faith in Christ.
Seal-6
Revelation 6:12-17 (NASB)
12 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; 13 and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. 14 The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. 15 Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the 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; 16 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; 17 for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”.
There are many interpretations of this seal. I will admit, this is only my interpretation. I truly believe the 6th Seal can actually be broken down into three parts.
Verse 12 are the same signs that Joel gives us and then later is quoted in the book of Acts.
Joel 2:31 (NASB)
21 “The sun will be turned into darkness And the moon into blood Before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.
Acts 2:20 (NASB)
20 ‘The sun will be turned into darkness And the moon into blood, Before the great and glorious day of the Lord shall come.
In the Bible, when the "day of the Lord" is used, it is referring to the wrath of God or His anger. So these are the signs that will happen before the day of God's Wrath! I have a friend who believes these signs will be caused by the rapture.
Verse 13, I believe, is the war in heaven where Satan and his angels are thrown down to earth. The Bible sometimes refers to angels as stars. One third of the angels follow Satan in his rebellion against God and here they are cast out of heaven and thrown to earth. Which will happen right after the rapture.
Starting with verse 14, I believe we have John's description of a nuclear war. The sky opening up like a scroll is describing a mushroom cloud. The nukes as well as the earthquakes and tsunamis that are caused by the nukes will wreak havoc on the world's islands and mountains.
Though verses 16 and 17 are part of the description of the war, they also tell us something very important. This is where the day of God's Wrath begins!
Many see the 7 bowls of God's Wrath as the day of God's wrath that Jesus saves us from. However, if you read that scripture, the Bible clearly says that they are the bowls in which God's Wrath is finished! Not the entire wrath of God but just where it is finished. Here in Revelation 6:16-17 we are told the day of the wrath of God has begun! That is what Jesus is to save us from. That is why the rapture happens before this.
Romans 5:9 (NASB)
9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.
1 Thessalonians 1:10 (NASB)
10 and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come.
Finally we have the 7th Seal being broken...
Seal-7
Revelation 8:1-2 (NASB)
1 When the Lamb broke the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. 2 And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.
There is no particular event that coincides with the seventh seal. When the last seal is broken, the Seven Trumpets are then sounded.
If you remember, I said in the beginning that the scroll contains the seven trumpets and the seven bowls of God's wrath. For these events to happen, the seven seals must be broken first. As the Lord breaks open the seven seals, when the last seal breaks open, what would happen? The contents of that scroll is then revealed. Which starts with the seven trumpets.
Also take note that it says when the seventh seal is broken that there is silence in heaven for half an hour. Consider what an ominous moment this is that all of heaven goes silent. Even the four living creatures that praise God day and night become silent. There was no silence in heaven for the seven seals, even though they cause around 2 billion people to die. Because they are events that happen by the cause of man. The seven Trumpets are different. This is when God steps in and really starts to show His power to the world. This is when havoc is not just wreaked upon mankind, but on the earth as well. This is when things really get bad!
My Message to the Reader
There have always been those who claimed the End of the World was coming soon. There have been a handful of wacko preachers who have tried to predict a date the Lord was coming back. I am not one of them!
Today there are more Christians studying the End Times than ever before. They are often debating on whether the rapture is Pre-Tribulation, Mid-Tribulation or Post-Tribulation. They are often debating the Seals, Trumpets and Bowls. Yet the one thing nearly all of them agree on is that the world is truly setting the stage for them to happen in our lifetime!
Before I started studying the End Times, if you would have asked me if it will happen in our lifetime, I would have answered it was possible but likely not. As I studied it though, my mind changed quickly. There is just too much happening to deny it now.
Prophecy that has always been literally impossible to happen in the past, can only happen now with today's technology. The fact that the one nation that needed to exist for prophecies to come true, did not exist for 1,878 years. That is Israel and they have become a nation again and it happened within the lives of some who are still living today! The fact that one war that must happen before the End Times takes place is where Russia, Turkey and Iran unite against Israel and today all three of them are allies for the first time in history.
When you combine these types of things happening on top of how the Democratic party often shows support for the Islamic religion that is responsible for so much violence, hate and death in just my lifetime, and calls Christianity a dangerous religion? The fact that the Pope is part of a push to create a one world religion where all religions are just different paths to the same God, and ignores the fact that Jesus clearly says He is the ONLY way to the Father!
Then you pile all of that onto the unbelievable rate in which natural catastrophes are happening today? The annual wildfires, the pandemic, tsunamis, earthquakes and volcanoes erupting at such high rates.
The loss of love in the world as hate is driven as a normal thing? The Democratic party has spent the last 4 years pushing absolutely nothing but hatred for the president and even hatred for those who support him! When was that considered okay in the past?
When one looks at what is actually happening in the world today, and looks at what the Bible says will happen in the End Times, as well as looks at the prophecies that have already been fulfilled? It is undeniable that the last days are coming soon and everyone who studies them seem to feel the same way.
This world we live in, is about to enter into the worst 7 years it has ever witnessed and ever will. And the only ones who will be saved from it will be those whose names are written in the Book of Life.
Contrary to what the world believes, you will not be saved because you are a good person. You will not be saved because you go to church, or pray to God or believe in God. Contrary to what some denominations teach, you will not be saved because you do good deeds. You will be saved only, and I mean "ONLY" if you believe in your heart that Jesus is Lord and that God truly raised Jesus from the dead!
If you are not certain that is true, you should begin to study up on it and learn more about it. Because without believing that with "all" of your heart, you will be left here on earth and forced to prove your faith, and you will need to be willing to die for it in order to go to heaven.
If you are not sure and have questions, either go and talk to a good Pastor or someone who really studies the Bible, or email me (Ken) at OneGodLogic@hotmail.com and explain why you struggle to believe. Give us a chance to open your eyes to truth and facts and give you reasons you may not have considered before.
Nobody would be able to read the contents of the scroll without first breaking that wax seal. If they received a letter and the seal was broken, they would know their privacy had been infringed upon. If it came from someone of high ranking and the wax did not have the correct insignia imprinted into it, they would know that the seal had been removed and replaced.
The important thing to take from this is the purpose of the seal. It is not a part of what is inside the scroll. It is to protect what is inside the scroll. The contents of the scroll cannot be revealed until after the seal is broken first.
Revelation 5:1-5 (NASB)
1 I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a book written inside and on the back, sealed up with seven seals. 2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the book and to break its seals?” 3 And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the book or to look into it. 4 Then I began to weep greatly because no one was found worthy to open the book or to look into it; 5 and one of the elders *said to me, “Stop weeping; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals.”
Most every eschatologist today will tell you that the End Times will consist of a 7 year Tribulation and that 7 years of tribulation will have 7 Seals, seven Trumpets and finally the 7 Bowls of God's Wrath. Every eschatologist who teaches this is wrong.
The book in God's right hand in this scripture is actually a scroll. In the first century when John had this vision, they did not have books like we have today. They may have had some books, but they were nothing like they are today. The word that was translated to "book", could easily have been translated as "scroll". In fact that would make more sense with the scripture telling us that it was written on the inside and the back.
So God has in His right hand a scroll that is written on both sides. It is rolled up, and to protect its contents from being revealed there are seven seals. These seals are not a part of the contents of this scroll. They keep the contents from being revealed.
Now John writes everything he sees down, so the contents are already revealed. The contents are not just words however. They are events. When the scroll is opened, these events will actually happen. These events will be the events that happen in the Seven Trumpets and Seven Bowls. God has a time set for these events to happen, so He placed seven seals on the scroll to keep these events locked up. The only one who has ever existed who was worthy to break these seals is Jesus.
Then Jesus takes the scroll from God and He breaks the seven seals. The thing is however, is that the seven seals are also events of their own. As each seal is broken, it triggers a particular end time event to begin to unfold. John goes on in chapter 6 to describe what he sees as each seal is broken.
The important thing to realize here however is that the events of the seven seals are not a part of what is in the scroll. They only need to happen before the events inside the scroll can actually take place. The seven trumpets and seven bowls of God's wrath, those are in the scroll. Before those events can take place, the events of the seven seals must start first.
Another important thing to realize is that each event of the Seals, Trumpets and Bowls does not have to take place before the next one starts. A seal being broken only opens the doors for that event to take place. When it truly takes place and how long it takes, that is a whole different subject.
Finally, the last important thing I need to mention is that there is nothing in the bible that says how much time is between each event. As the Lord breaks open the seals, most eschatologists like to picture each seal slowly happening one at a time. There is nothing that says that is how it happens. They only see it that way because John wrote about them one after the other. However, John had no choice. It is impossible to write about seven separate events at the same time and keep it clear which event is which seal.
The truth is, when Jesus breaks the seven seals, He does not break them one at a time and contemplate what is happening. He is going to essentially grab the edge of the scroll and pull it apart and all of the seven seals will break in very quick succession.
The First Four Seals!
Seal-1
Revelation 6:1-2 (NASB)
1 Then 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.” 2 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.
This is the antichrist. Some try to interpret it to be Jesus because later He returns to fight in Armageddon riding a white horse. They also see the crown as being the Lord of Lords and King of Kings. What doesn't make sense in that is that Jesus is the one who is breaking the seal to allow this to happen, and Jesus does not conquer His people. We follow Him willingly. He doesn't conquer His enemies. In Armageddon He basically just wipes them all out.
This is not the Lord, but it is the antichrist. The crown is to show his ruling position, and the bow is to show that he will have command over military. The antichrist will conquer many other nations. As for the white horse, Satan has always been a copy cat. There is the Holy Trinity in the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit. There is the unholy trinity in the Devil, the antichrist and the false prophet. Jesus is the Messiah and the antichrist ends up false messiah. So it is perfectly understandable that the image would also have the antichrist mimic the Christ by riding a white horse.
Seal-2
Revelation 6:3-4 (NASB)
3 When He broke the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come.” 4 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 would slay one another; and a great sword was given to him.
This rider is "War". The important thing to take from this rider is that it will not be a simple war between two nations. This is a World War! He takes peace away from the earth. Not just a few nations but from the earth! On top of this, he is given a "great" sword. Not just a sword, but a great sword! This is to signify this will be a "great" war that takes peace from the earth.
Seal-3
Revelation 6:5-6 (NASB)
5 When He broke the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, “Come.” I looked, and behold, a black horse; and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. 6 And I heard something like 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 damage the oil and the wine.”
The third rider is "Famine". A denarius was considered a full day's wage for a soldier in the first century. This would be an exuberant price to pay for some wheat and barley. When food costs so much, it is because there is far too little of it.
This is not necessarily an event of its own, but it is a consequence of seal 2, the war. Whenever war takes place in a land, that land suffers famine. Since this will be a World War, this famine will take place all over the world.
Seal-4
Revelation 6:7-8 (NASB)
7 When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come.” 8 I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name Death; and Hades was following with him. 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.
The 4th rider is exactly who it says he is. It is death! he is given authority to kill a quarter of the world's population with war and famine (two of the other riders) and pestilence and wild beasts.
This world has around 7.8 billion people in it today. It will not be long until there are 8 billion. A quarter of the population would be around 2 billion people dying! No ordinary World War would kill anywhere near that many. The only way a World War would come close to this kind of death toll, is if it was a Nuclear War!
The Antichrist a man of War or Peace?
From reading 2 Thessalonians, chapter 2, we know the antichrist will walk into the Holy Temple in Israel, midway through the tribulation, and claim to be God. We also know from scripture that the antichrist actually does gain control over the world. The majority of the world will worship him. The problem I have is that if he starts World War 3 and uses nukes, I really struggle to believe so many would worship this guy! It just doesn't fit! So I kept praying on it and I believe God put the answer in my head. The antichrist will not be the one who starts the war. Someone else will start it. The antichrist will be the one who stops it and places the world in a state of peace. Then every nation who defies him, he will conquer and the world will worship him for it!
This would also fit in with the copycat mentality of the devil. Because Jesus is called the Prince of peace, it would make sense that the antichrist would want to also be the prince of peace in his own way.
Painting a Picture of the End Times!
The day is coming and I believe it will be soon. Very soon! Inside the next few years and possibly inside the next year, when the unthinkable will happen. World War 3 will start and very shortly after that, as a nation like North Korea is being invaded and taken over, the leader will decide to go out with a bang. A very serious bang!
He will fire his nukes at his enemy because he feels he has nothing left to lose and he will make them pay. As those nukes fly toward different nations, those nations will retaliate. In moments there will be nukes heading to many places in the world, all at the same time. The devastation will be far more than most would ever consider.
Yes there will be hundreds of millions who will be instantly wiped out, as most nukes will be aimed at major cities. However, multiple nukes would hit at the same time all over the world, and in many cases multiple nukes would strike the same cities. This kind of force striking the earth would cause the tectonic plates to shift. Massive earthquakes would break out all over the world. These quakes would cause unbelievable tsunamis that would wipe out the majority of the coast lines, which is where the majority of our populations live. These earthquakes would also cause many volcanoes to erupt. The amount of soil and chemicals thrown into the atmosphere from those volcanoes and the nukes before them would block out the sun in many places.
Every nation would be in total chaos, but one man will suddenly become the most powerful man alive. The antichrist will be a man who doesn't care about any single nation, but will be in control of an army comprised of the military powers of ten nations and possibly several more by this point. The nations of the world will be wounded, but his army would then become the most powerful army in the world and nobody will be able to stand against him!
The antichrist will step in and put an end to the war. He will destroy any army that defies him and he will force the leaders of nearly every nation to agree to a treaty of peace for seven years.
The treaty that is signed will be the beginning of the seven years of tribulation the Bible refers to as Daniel's 70th Week! The antichrist rising to power, the nuclear war, the famine that would be happening all over the world and the death of two billion people would be the first four seals that break before the Tribulation can begin.
Seal-5
Revelation 6:9-11 (NASB)
9 When the Lamb 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; 10 and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” 11 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, would be completed also.
These are the tribulation saints. What are the tribulation saints? They are the Christians that replace the millions of Christians who are raptured before any of this happens!
The Bible tells us Jesus is the one who breaks the 7 seals. What many do not realize is that the rapture is "how" He breaks the seals!
Another thing even many Christians do not realize, is that Satan is not barred from heaven right now. Even though he fell from grace and defied God, the Bible also tells us he is in heaven before God, day and night, accusing the saints. He is doing everything he can to turn God against us! But that will come to an end.
The Bible also tells us that the day will come when Jesus will come in the clouds and He will bring all of the souls of the believers who have ever died with Him. With a shout, the bodies of the dead will rise as imperishable. As their souls are reunited with their now imperishable bodies, we who are still alive will be changed, from perishable to imperishable. Then we will all be caught up to the clouds together to be with Jesus.
Jesus does not come back to fight Armageddon at this time. Many have been taught wrongly that the rapture happens at the same time as the Second Coming. When you truly study the scripture completely, you find that is literally impossible and that Jesus must come for us well before that! When He does, he will not return to earth but only come in the clouds and then takes us back to heaven in our new bodies. We will be wed to Him as the church is the bride that is married to the Lamb. Then we will follow Jesus back as part of His army in the Second Coming!
However, when He first takes us back to heaven, it will mean that there is no longer a reason for Satan to be allowed to continue to accuse us of anything. This is when Satan and all of his angels will be thrown down to earth and barred from returning to earth. This event is the reason Satan will cause havoc in starting World War 3, and then possess the leader of the ten nation coalition and stops the war. Setting himself up as the most powerful person in the world.
The rapture is the event that paves the way for the seven seals to happen. It is the event that truly breaks the seals and puts them into motion.
Yet, after the rapture happens, the world will very temporarily be void of any Christians. There will not be a single true believer on this earth! Then there will be hundreds of thousands if not millions who will have studied the Bible but never fully truly believed, who will recognize the rapture has actually happened. It will be the absolute proof they needed in order to believe. These will now know it was all true, without a doubt, and they will fill the churches. These will be the tribulation saints.
They will not receive salvation just from believing as we did. They will now have to prove their faith. They will need to refuse to worship the antichrist, refuse to take his mark, and be willing to die for their faith in Christ. They will have to live through the worst years and worst persecution this world has ever witnessed. Worse than what the Jews faced in the holocaust!
The 5th Seal is a vision of the beginning of them showing up in heaven as they are killed for their faith in Christ.
Seal-6
Revelation 6:12-17 (NASB)
12 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; 13 and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. 14 The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. 15 Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the 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; 16 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; 17 for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”.
There are many interpretations of this seal. I will admit, this is only my interpretation. I truly believe the 6th Seal can actually be broken down into three parts.
Verse 12 are the same signs that Joel gives us and then later is quoted in the book of Acts.
Joel 2:31 (NASB)
21 “The sun will be turned into darkness And the moon into blood Before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.
Acts 2:20 (NASB)
20 ‘The sun will be turned into darkness And the moon into blood, Before the great and glorious day of the Lord shall come.
In the Bible, when the "day of the Lord" is used, it is referring to the wrath of God or His anger. So these are the signs that will happen before the day of God's Wrath! I have a friend who believes these signs will be caused by the rapture.
Verse 13, I believe, is the war in heaven where Satan and his angels are thrown down to earth. The Bible sometimes refers to angels as stars. One third of the angels follow Satan in his rebellion against God and here they are cast out of heaven and thrown to earth. Which will happen right after the rapture.
Starting with verse 14, I believe we have John's description of a nuclear war. The sky opening up like a scroll is describing a mushroom cloud. The nukes as well as the earthquakes and tsunamis that are caused by the nukes will wreak havoc on the world's islands and mountains.
Though verses 16 and 17 are part of the description of the war, they also tell us something very important. This is where the day of God's Wrath begins!
Many see the 7 bowls of God's Wrath as the day of God's wrath that Jesus saves us from. However, if you read that scripture, the Bible clearly says that they are the bowls in which God's Wrath is finished! Not the entire wrath of God but just where it is finished. Here in Revelation 6:16-17 we are told the day of the wrath of God has begun! That is what Jesus is to save us from. That is why the rapture happens before this.
Romans 5:9 (NASB)
9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.
1 Thessalonians 1:10 (NASB)
10 and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come.
Finally we have the 7th Seal being broken...
Seal-7
Revelation 8:1-2 (NASB)
1 When the Lamb broke the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. 2 And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.
There is no particular event that coincides with the seventh seal. When the last seal is broken, the Seven Trumpets are then sounded.
If you remember, I said in the beginning that the scroll contains the seven trumpets and the seven bowls of God's wrath. For these events to happen, the seven seals must be broken first. As the Lord breaks open the seven seals, when the last seal breaks open, what would happen? The contents of that scroll is then revealed. Which starts with the seven trumpets.
Also take note that it says when the seventh seal is broken that there is silence in heaven for half an hour. Consider what an ominous moment this is that all of heaven goes silent. Even the four living creatures that praise God day and night become silent. There was no silence in heaven for the seven seals, even though they cause around 2 billion people to die. Because they are events that happen by the cause of man. The seven Trumpets are different. This is when God steps in and really starts to show His power to the world. This is when havoc is not just wreaked upon mankind, but on the earth as well. This is when things really get bad!
My Message to the Reader
There have always been those who claimed the End of the World was coming soon. There have been a handful of wacko preachers who have tried to predict a date the Lord was coming back. I am not one of them!
Today there are more Christians studying the End Times than ever before. They are often debating on whether the rapture is Pre-Tribulation, Mid-Tribulation or Post-Tribulation. They are often debating the Seals, Trumpets and Bowls. Yet the one thing nearly all of them agree on is that the world is truly setting the stage for them to happen in our lifetime!
Before I started studying the End Times, if you would have asked me if it will happen in our lifetime, I would have answered it was possible but likely not. As I studied it though, my mind changed quickly. There is just too much happening to deny it now.
Prophecy that has always been literally impossible to happen in the past, can only happen now with today's technology. The fact that the one nation that needed to exist for prophecies to come true, did not exist for 1,878 years. That is Israel and they have become a nation again and it happened within the lives of some who are still living today! The fact that one war that must happen before the End Times takes place is where Russia, Turkey and Iran unite against Israel and today all three of them are allies for the first time in history.
When you combine these types of things happening on top of how the Democratic party often shows support for the Islamic religion that is responsible for so much violence, hate and death in just my lifetime, and calls Christianity a dangerous religion? The fact that the Pope is part of a push to create a one world religion where all religions are just different paths to the same God, and ignores the fact that Jesus clearly says He is the ONLY way to the Father!
Then you pile all of that onto the unbelievable rate in which natural catastrophes are happening today? The annual wildfires, the pandemic, tsunamis, earthquakes and volcanoes erupting at such high rates.
The loss of love in the world as hate is driven as a normal thing? The Democratic party has spent the last 4 years pushing absolutely nothing but hatred for the president and even hatred for those who support him! When was that considered okay in the past?
When one looks at what is actually happening in the world today, and looks at what the Bible says will happen in the End Times, as well as looks at the prophecies that have already been fulfilled? It is undeniable that the last days are coming soon and everyone who studies them seem to feel the same way.
This world we live in, is about to enter into the worst 7 years it has ever witnessed and ever will. And the only ones who will be saved from it will be those whose names are written in the Book of Life.
Contrary to what the world believes, you will not be saved because you are a good person. You will not be saved because you go to church, or pray to God or believe in God. Contrary to what some denominations teach, you will not be saved because you do good deeds. You will be saved only, and I mean "ONLY" if you believe in your heart that Jesus is Lord and that God truly raised Jesus from the dead!
If you are not certain that is true, you should begin to study up on it and learn more about it. Because without believing that with "all" of your heart, you will be left here on earth and forced to prove your faith, and you will need to be willing to die for it in order to go to heaven.
If you are not sure and have questions, either go and talk to a good Pastor or someone who really studies the Bible, or email me (Ken) at OneGodLogic@hotmail.com and explain why you struggle to believe. Give us a chance to open your eyes to truth and facts and give you reasons you may not have considered before.
