Setting Up the Picture
Matthew 24:21 “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.”
Matthew 24:37-42 “But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be…Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.”
2 Timothy 3:1 “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come. For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power.”
2 Peter 3:10-11 “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness…”
The Days of Sorrow and the Tribulation
In Christian eschatology, which is the study of end times, the book of Revelation serves as a key resource for understanding what awaits us in the future. We will explore the central themes of the tribulations that will befall humanity and the earth during the seven-year period leading up to the return of Jesus Christ, also known as Jeshua haMashiach.
The overall narrative is intricate and contains a wealth of information. For the purpose of this discussion, we will focus on three aspects: the seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven bowls that arise during the period of time just before and then during the tribulation. The question of whether believers will experience these tribulations alongside non-believers is a matter of debate. However, in this post, we will not be exploring the concept of the “rapture.” Instead, we will concentrate on the specific tribulations that individuals can anticipate during each phase of this time period. I am not a Bible scholar but in my reading of the text, these are the basic ideas that I see and I include some commentary on the seals.
We will start with the seals. These seven seals have thus far preserved the scroll of God’s wrath from being opened. The opening of these seals marks the beginning of the days of sorrow and the tribulation and is initiated by Jesus breaking the seals one by one. Through this action, God’s final judgments are unleashed on mankind and the earth leading to the defeat of the accuser (haSatan), his followers and great Babylon, thus bringing in the reign of Christ on earth – the Millennial Reign. Now, let’s examine each seal followed by the trumpets and bowls.
The First Seal: Deception and False Teaching – Conquer the hearts and minds of the people
Revelation 6:2 “…I looked and, behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.”
Matthew 24:24 “For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.”
1 Timothy 4:1 “…in later times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy…”
I see the first horse as being white to symbolize the idea that this deception will seem non-threatening and that is exactly what makes it so destructive. The ideas that are spread by this spirit will be accepted by most without question, they will seem to make sense, people will “get on the bandwagon” without much convincing. The rider has a bow but no arrows; this supports my supposition that the “conquering” will be relatively easy and not require force. The fact that the rider is given a crown to wear means, to me, that his ideas and deceptions will come to rule the hearts and minds of the people.
I think that we clearly are seeing this going on right now. Could anyone reasonably disagree with that?
The Second Seal: War and Rumors of War, Violence in the Streets
Revelation 6:4 “…Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword.”
Matthew 24:6-8 “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.”
It seems to me that we are about to enter this phase of the end times process. We have spent the last few years in the effects of the first seal being opened and now it would appear that the second seal is about to be opened.
The Third Seal: Famine, Indentured Servitude
Revelation 6:5-6 “…So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst 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.’”
To me the blackness of the horse indicates the darkness of the times. Mankind will be indentured by the ruling class and forced to work for barely subsistence wages. “Do not harm the oil and the wine” says to me that the people will be given just enough sustenance to survive and “wine” as distraction from their troubles so that they can be kept working to serve their “overlords”. This is a time that will look very much like George Orwell’s 1984 movie or just about any other dystopian film. People will be alive but not really living.
This is where I see the anti-Christ coming into play. The earth, and mankind, has now been suffering for several years at this point and will be looking for a “savior” to rescue them from their sorrow. This would be the perfect time for the anti-Christ to swoop in and offer a solution to their troubles.
The Fourth Seal: Mass Death
Revelation 6:8 “…So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And the power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with the sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth.”
At this point, those that have not succumbed to famine, war, poverty and disease are subjected to, not only the ruthlessness of the ruling powers; being killed by sword, hunger and plain old misery leading to death, but by this point, humanity has lost its place at the top of the food chain; we have fallen to such depths that we now become prey to the animals rather than master to them. At this point, those that are still alive will be suffering a great deal. It’s important to note here that the ruling classes and ruling powers will likely still be living fairly well. Even certain nations or areas of the world will be less affected. The suffering will mostly, at this point, be the burden of the working classes in the “conquered” lands; probably the western nations.
The Fifth Seal: Martyrdom
Revelation 6:9-11 “…I saw under the alter the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, how long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.”
Matthew 24:9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved.”
In this time period we see that the world has suffered to the point of having lost all hope and goodness, except for the remaining Christians – who are despised because they still harbor love, compassion and hope in their hearts. The hard-hearted lost masses will rise against the remaining Christians, betraying them at every turn and turning them over to the authorities to be tortured and executed.
The Sixth Seal: Heavenly Signs
Revelation 6:12-16 “…behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sack-cloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, ‘fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb…”
Matthew 24:29: “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken…(and the Son of Man) will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”
Now maybe we have some insight into why the rich and powerful are building bunkers like it’s the end of the world – It is.
The Seventh Seal: The Seven Trumpets and Seven Bowls
Revelation Chapters 8-20 – The wrath of God is poured out on those that are left. His wrath includes the seven trumpets and seven bowls. Let’s look a bit at those.
1 Thessalonians 5:9 “For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.”
Many people assume that this verse means that they will be spared from the first six seals but it seems to me that it is referring the sparing of the elect from God’s wrath – which begins with the seventh seal and leading into the trumpets and bowl judgements. I personally think that the rapture happens here but I leave it to you to decide for yourself. This view, incidentally, is called “pre-wrath rapture”.
The Seven Trumpets and Seven Bowls
Trumpet # 1 – “The first angel sounded; And hail and fire followed, mingled with blood, and they were thrown to the earth. And a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.” Revelation 8:7
Trumpet # 2 – “Then the second angel sounded: And something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood. And a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.” Revelation 8:8-9
Trumpet # 3 – “Then the third angel sounded: And a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and the springs of water. The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died from the water, because it was made bitter.” Revelation 8:10-11
Trumpet # 4 – “Then the fourth angel sounded: And a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them were darkened. A third of the day did not shine, and likewise the night.” Revelation 8:12
“And I looked, and I heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with at loud voice, ‘Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound.’” Revelation 8:13
Trumpet # 5 – “Then the fifth angel sounded: And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth. To him was given the key to the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace. So the sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit. The out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth. And to them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. They were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. And they were not given authority to kill them, but to torment them for five months. Their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it strikes a man. In those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will desire to die, and death will flee from them.” Revelation 9:1-6
Trumpet # 6 – “Then the sixth angel sounded: And I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden alter which is before God, saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, ‘Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.’ So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released to kill a third of mankind.” Revelation 9:13-15
Trumpet # 7 – “Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, ‘The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign for ever and ever!’” Revelation 11:15
This is the period of time where God’s wrath is poured out even more through the seven bowls onto the remaining and unrepentant remnant of mankind. These bowl judgements are include: horrible sores, the rest of the sea being poisoned, the rest of the fresh water being poisoned, the rest of the earth being scorched, complete darkness and pain over the earth and its remaining inhabitants, the battleground prepared for the battle of Armageddon and the earth utterly shaken by unprecedented natural disasters.
After this, Babylon the great falls and Heaven rules for the next 1,000 years over Babylon and the earth. This period is called the millennial reign.
Conclusion
As you can see, this is going to be rough and, unfortunately, I think that we have started this process. We seem to currently be at the beginning of the overall seven year period – between the first and second seals. The whole process should unfold in its entirety between now and the end of 2029.
This is going to be unspeakably horrible for those that live through it. The only salvation is the salvation that comes through Christ Jesus.
I hope that you have found this information to be both informative and motivating. I encourage everyone to take these prophecies very seriously because I am certain that we are in the midst of their fulfillment.