Revelation 6 starts the Tribulation and continues through chapter 18.
Just a warning before we start, there are various and sundry beliefs regarding the four horsemen – that they correspond to the four beasts in Daniel’s visions or the four colors of the pan-Arab alliance and such. Don’t run off onto rabbit trails chasing down these theories as they are exhausting and distracting.
When does the Tribulation actually start? What event launches it officially? When the AC signs a covenant with Israel. Daniel 9:27…
27 And he will confirm a covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come the one who makes desolate, until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, gushes forth on the one who makes desolate.”
*Note that the covenant may be preexisting – possibly written in the gap period or even today.
Israel will get to build the 3rd temple (perhaps the Dome of the Rock will be destroyed in the Ezekiel 38 and 39 war), and be exempt from his tyranny for seven years.
*And this is a covenant with death…
Isaiah 28:15-16
15 Because you have said, “We have made a covenant with death,
And with Sheol we have made a pact.
The overwhelming scourge will not reach us when it passes by,
For we have made falsehood our refuge and we have concealed ourselves with deception.”
So we are going to read in a minute that the AC comes on a white horse with a covenant (bow with no arrows) – a false peace – so what does the Bible say about peace and safety?
1 Thessalonians 5:3
3 While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction will come upon them like labor pains upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
Note that the Two Witnesses must start prophesying at the beginning of the Tribulation. (Revelation 11:3)
3 And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.”
And if you read Revelation chapters 17 and 18, you will understand that the Great Harlot (Mystery Babylon) has already been active throughout Revelation to this point and is destroyed by the Beast (AC)
*There are those that disagree with this, thinking the two witnesses only come on the scene at the midpoint of the Trib. but the math doesn’t add up to me, but we’ll talk about that when we get to chapter 11.
From David Gusik (one man’s opinion, of which there are many concerning Revelation, some see Revelation as more chronological, some, as Ryan pointed out, see broad parenthetical passages (I agree) but this is the first I have heard someone say a summary was given up front then more detail later. This is a more Hebraic style, as Genesis chapter 1 vs chapter 2, and Revelation 14 seems to be a summarizing prelude to the chapters beyond.)…
[1. There are many different opinions, but it seems best to say that the seals, trumpets, and bowls that will be described later are not strictly sequential events. It could be said that chronologically, the trumpets do not follow the seals and the bowls do not follow the trumpets in a strict order.
- The first six seals are a “Summary of the judgments distributed over the whole book; a brief summary of what will occur in ‘the day of the Lord,’ up the time of His actual Apocalypse or Unveiling in chapter 19.” (Bullinger)
- That span begins with the revelation of the Antichrist (the first seal) and it concludes with the revealing of the face of Him who sits on the throne(the seventh seal).]
So that’s an interesting perspective.
Revelation chapter six
6 verse 1 As I watched, the Lamb broke the first of the seven seals on the scroll. Then I heard one of the four living beings say with a voice like thunder, “Come!” 2 I looked up and saw a white horse standing there. Its rider carried a bow, and a crown was placed on his head. He rode out to win many battles and gain the victory.
Note that he ‘saw’. John actually saw this. This is not a dream.
Is this rider on the white horse Jesus? Some say yes, some say no. I think no, but it is a common misconception for those unfamiliar with the Bible.
Matthew Henry says it is. And it is interesting how he stands on his head to make the crown and bow fit his narrative.
But most commentators say it is the AC for good reason. Ron Rhodes, Chuck Missler, and David Gusik among them. Christ is opening the seals, He is not inside them. Similar to how John observes the 24 elders. He is not one of them, or he likely would have mentioned it.
Again, David Gusik says in the article I sent, these four points, among others…
[i. He rules (a crown was given); he rules with a bow, not a sword; and he exercises dominion over the earth (went out conquering and to conquer). But the results of his rule, as described in the following verses, show clearly that this is not the reign of Jesus.
As Missler says, ‘this guy keeps bad company.’
- “The whole context and character of these seals absolutely forbid our thinking of this rider being the Lord Jesus, as so many affirm. Hisreign shall not bring war, famine, and strife in its train.” (Jennings)
iii. Here we reach an interpretive crossroads of the Book of Revelation. You can tell much about how a person understands this book and God’s prophetic plan by seeing how they understand this first rider. Those who think Revelation is mostly a book of history (preterists) believe that this rider is Jesus, the apostles, or the Roman emperors. Those who believe that this is a prophetic passage, yet to be fulfilled, often account this rider to be the antichrist.
- He went out conquering and to conquer: Taking this to be the final satanic dictator over men, we see that he will be more terrible than all previous dictators were. He will rule over men as a false messiah, and lead man in organized rebellion against God, in the pattern of Nimrod, his first predecessor. He is the one often called the antichrist.]
We’re going to talk about Biblical types of antichrists at the end. But Nimrod was the first of the type.
‘Crown’ here is ‘stephanos’, a victor’s crown, not diadem. Christ wears diademata, the crowns of a sovereign, reigning monarch in Revelation 19.
Satan is a counterfeiter. Jesus returns on a white horse in Revelation 19:11-16
11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. 12 His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many crowns; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. 13 He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. (note here that the Bride is dressed in white linen, which Revelation 19:8 says 8 It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. ‘are the righteous works of the saints’.
This tells us that the Bema seat judgement (rewards judgment) has already occurred) 15 From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. 16 And on His robe and on His thigh, He has a name written: “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”
This greatly contrasts with the rider on the white horse we see in Revelation 6:2, the counterfeit.
*(when else has Satan counterfeited? Miracles of the staffs of Moses and Aaron in Exodus chapter 7:11-13 and recounted in 2 Timothy 3:8.
miracles the AC and False Prophet perform in Revelation 13:13-14
13 He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down out of the sky to the earth in the presence of people. 14 And he deceives those who live on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who live on the earth to make an image to the beast who *had the wound of the sword and has come to life.
Satan has a counterfeit Trinity too – Satan (the dragon), Beast / AntiChrist and the False Prophet in Rev 13.
13:3 And the dragon gave the beast his own power and throne and great authority.
13:4 4 They worshiped the dragon for giving the beast such power, and they also worshiped the beast.
13:11 11 Then I saw another beast come up out of the earth. He had two horns like those of a lamb, but he spoke with the voice of a dragon. 12 He exercised all the authority of the first beast.
Antichrist in 6:2 here rides a white horse and carries a bow. What do you think of the fact that no arrows are mentioned?
He comes appearing as a man of peace bearing a covenant (a rainbow in Genesis post flood) (Both the Hebrew word qeset and the Greek word toxon mean the same – both a rainbow and a weapon.) Which as we just saw in Isaiah 28:15-16 is called a ‘covenant with death’.
τόξον • (tóxon) n (genitive τόξου); second declension
Antichrist will seal the treaty with Israel for seven years, then break it halfway through. (Daniel 9:27)…
( 27 And he will confirm a covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come the one who makes desolate…)
Bow sometimes thought to represent a missile launchpad. Frequently used in OT prophecy.
This begins Daniel’s 70th week. (Daniel 9:24-27)
24 “Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the wrongdoing, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for guilt, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy Place. 25 So you are to know and understand that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem, until Messiah the Prince, there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with streets and moat, even in times of distress. 26 Then after the sixty-two weeks, the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined. 27 And he will confirm a covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come the one who makes desolate, until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, gushes forth on the one who makes desolate.”
**The illustrations did not transfer from my notes to the website**
**Page 21 of your notes…(and page 87 in ETICO)
Prophetic clock stops at the point Jesus rode into Jerusalem (we covered this extensively in the spring). The Preterists do not believe the clock stopped by the way, but we’ve refuted their position in the spring (see notes pages 68-74)
What is another name given to the Tribulation period? The Time of Jacob’s Trouble..
Jeremiah 30:7
7 Woe, for that day is great,
There is none like it;
And it is the time of Jacob’s distress,
Yet he will be saved from it. (NASB)
7 Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble, but he shall be saved out of it. (KJV)
*So we have ‘Daniel’s 70th Week’, the ‘Time of Jacob’s Trouble’, and the ‘Tribulation’, which all refer to the same seven year period.
Please take a few minutes today and read the short, three-chapter book of Zephaniah. It deals almost exclusively with the Tribulation period, though it has some dual focused prophecies as well.
What are some of the names given to the AC in the Bible?
(By the way the word ‘antichrist’ doesn’t mean ‘opposed to Christ.’ It means ‘in place of Christ. A false messiah.’)
- The Assyrian (Micah 5:4-6…
4 And He will arise and shepherd His flock
In the strength of the Lord,
In the majesty of the name of the Lord His God.
And they will remain,
Because at that time He will be great
To the ends of the earth.
5 This One will be our peace.
When the Assyrian invades our land,
When he tramples on our citadels,
Then we will raise against him
Seven shepherds and eight leaders of people.
6 They will shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword,
The land of Nimrod at its entrances;
And He will rescue us from the Assyrian
When he invades our land,
And when he tramples our territory.
*The Assyrian Empire, the second Biblical World Kingdom, encompassed modern day Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Jordan, Iran and Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
Some people take this to be evidence that the antichrist will be a Muslim, as Joel Richardson does. There are two reasons that I don’t think so.
- The Jews will accept him as a Messiah and 2. Islam is so neutered in the Ezekiel 38 and 39 war, as well as the fourth part of the Psalm 83 war (we discussed this in the spring – see notes page 31 as well as pages 58-67 in ‘Israel and the Church, the Prodigal Heirs’) that Islam as a world power will be reduced to near nothing.
Review – we are in third section of Revelation 1:19 – write the things ‘that will take place after these things’ – meta taute . Revelation chapters four and five can be seen as a gap period after the rapture, and the tribulation starts with chapter 6 and goes through the end of 18. In chapter five we saw the scroll which is the title deed to the earth. When a scroll was written on the outside, it indicated bankruptcy.
Seven-year Tribulation starts with the antichrist’s affirming of a covenant with Israel, which is a covenant with death, according to Isaiah 28. The tribulation is also called Daniel’s 70th week, and we looked into the Daniel 9:24-27 which talks about the first 69 weeks.
All the seal judgements are the result of mankind saying ‘my will be done’ instead of telling God, ‘Thy will be done’.
1 Thessalonians 1:10
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.
1 Thessalonians 5:9
9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,
And what is this period of the seal judgements called in Revelation 6:16?
16 and they *said to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the sight 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?” (This hearkens back to Joshua 10:16-28. – five kings hid in the cave of Makkedah)
All of the seal judgements are God’s wrath.
[[Some hold to a pre-wrath rapture viewpoint, because the word ‘wrath’ is found in the English translations in 1 Thessalonians 5:9 as well as Revelation 15:7, before the bowl judgements. But like ‘love’ has several Greek words (storgi, agape, phileo, eros) that are all translated as ‘love’, there are at least two Greek words that mean ‘wrath’, Orge and thumos. Problem is the Greek word orge (orgay) is used in all of the above verses, but a different word ‘thumos’ is used for the bowl judgements in Revelation 15:7,
They suppose that not being destined to wrath means we avoid everything from the first bowl judgement and on. And if one is trying to make the argument that ‘not being destined for wrath’ pertains to the bowl judgements, you’d think they’d at least research the Greek to see if the same word is used.
It is not.
But as only Jesus, was found worthy to loosen the seals, AND because even the seal judgements are recognized as the wrath of God in Revelation 6:16-17, I think we can safely dispose of the pre-wrath argument.]]
Revelation 6:1-2 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 the one who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.
We determined that the rider on the white horse in Revelation 6:2 is very likely the antichrist for various reasons we discussed, and not Christ as Matthew Henry and other commentators have posited. The bow he carries is unlikely to be a weapon, as no arrows are mentioned, but rather a covenant. Same Greek word for ‘rainbow’ as ‘weapon’, ‘toxon’.
This rider has a ‘stephanos’ not a diademata like Jesus wears in chapter 19 on His return. A stephanos is a wreath like crown made of greenery which only lasts a short while then withers away, which is significant as the AC is only on the scene for a short while. We talked about how satan is a counterfeiter and always has been. Names for the AC include the Assyrian, which we explored last week. We’d gotten about halfway through another name for him, the Little Horn, when we ran out of time. Did anyone read the notes I sent? If so, you have a head start for today. Quickly review what we went over about the Little Horn before we ran out of time…
- The Little Horn (Daniel 7:8-11,
8 While I was thinking about the horns, behold, another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the previous horns were plucked out before it; and behold, this horn possessed eyes like human eyes, and a mouth uttering great boasts.
9 “I kept looking
Until thrones were set up,
And the Ancient of Days took His seat;
His garment was white as snow,
And the hair of His head like pure wool.
His throne was ablaze with flames,
Its wheels were a burning fire.
10 A river of fire was flowing
And coming out from before Him;
Thousands upon thousands were serving Him,
And myriads upon myriads were standing before Him;
The court convened,
And the books were opened.
11 Then I kept looking because of the sound of the boastful words which the horn was speaking; I kept looking until the beast was killed, and its body was destroyed and given to the burning fire. 12 As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but an extension of life was granted to them for an appointed period of time.
Daniel 7:21-26,
21 I kept looking, and that horn was waging war with the saints and prevailing against them, 22 until the Ancient of Days came and judgment was passed in favor of the saints of the Highest One, and the time arrived when the saints took possession of the kingdom.
23 “This is what he said: ‘The fourth beast will be a fourth kingdom on the earth which will be different from all the other kingdoms, and will devour the whole earth and trample it down and crush it. 24 As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings will arise; and another will arise after them, and he will be different from the previous ones and will humble three kings. 25 And he will speak against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law; and they will be handed over to him for a time, times, and half a time. 26 But the court will convene for judgment, and his dominion will be taken away, annihilated and destroyed forever.
*Time, times, and half a time – 3.5 years
*This is an argument AGAINST the thought that believers will be preserved THROUGH the tribulation like Shadrack, Meshack, and Abednego were. AC in Daniel 7:21 will ‘wage war against the saints and prevail against them’ and ‘wear down the saints of the Highest One’ in 7:25. As well as Daniel 8:24 which says,
24 And his power will be mighty, but not by his own power,
And he will destroy to an extraordinary degree
And be successful and do as he pleases;
He will destroy mighty men and the holy people.
And, further, if believers are preserved through the Tribulation, then why are there beheaded saints under the altar at the fifth seal in Revelation 6?
Daniel 8:24 tells us that AC will NOT be universally loved, but will be opposed by ‘mighty men’ who he ‘destroys’.
So often, AC is depicted as a man universally loved, who is so charismatic, no one can resist following him. That is not true.
I didn’t mean for this to detour extensively into a study of Daniel, but it must at least in a small way, to get a picture of the AC.
Daniel 8:8-12,
9 And out of one of the (prominent horns) came a rather small horn which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the Beautiful Land. 10 It grew up to the heavenly lights, and some of the lights, that is, some of the stars it threw down to the earth, and it trampled them. 11 It even exalted itself to be equal with the Commander of the army; and it removed the regular sacrifice from Him, and the place of His sanctuary was overthrown. 12 And because of an offense, the army will be given to the horn along with the regular sacrifice; and it will hurl truth to the ground and do as it pleases and be successful.
10 It grew up to the heavenly lights, and some of the lights, that is, some of the stars it threw down to the earth, and it trampled them.
Here we see a reference to Revelation 12:4…
4 And his tail *swept away a third of the stars of heaven and hurled them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her Child.
As well as references to Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28 which I won’t reiterate here exhaustively, but just be reminded that Isaiah 14 is the ‘I will’ chapter, where Satan declares..
‘I will ascend to heaven;
I will raise my throne above the stars of God,
And I will sit on the mount of assembly
In the recesses of the north.
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.’
15 Nevertheless you will be brought down to Sheol,
To the recesses of the pit.
Where Daniel says in 8:11…
11 It even exalted itself to be equal with the Commander of the army
2.5 The Insolent King
Daniel 8:23-25 23 And in the latter period of their dominion,
When the wrongdoers have run their course,
A king will arise, Insolent and skilled in intrigue.
24 And his power will be mighty, but not by his own power,
And he will destroy to an extraordinary degree
And be successful and do as he pleases;
He will destroy mighty men and the holy people.
25 And through his shrewdness
He will make deceit a success by his influence;
And he will make himself great in his own mind,
(narcissist – pride of Ezekiel 28 and Isaiah 14 – why leaven is a synonym for sin throughout the Bible, it conveys the notion of being ‘puffed up’)
And he will destroy many while they are at ease.
He will even oppose the Prince of princes,
But he will be broken without human agency.
- The Prince that Shall Come (Daniel 9:26)
26 Then after the sixty-two weeks, the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined.
- The Man of Perdition / Lawlessness / Sin (2 Thessalonians 2:3)
3 No one is to deceive you in any way! For it (the Day of the Lord) will not come unless the apostasy (apostasia – the departure) comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.
Why was 2 Thessalonians written? Because I am told that after Paul sent 1 Thessalonians, someone forged his name on another letter that said the world was already in the tribulation, and they needed reassurance. So Paul makes clear in 2 Thessalonians verse 2 that they should not believe that lie that was sent in his name.
- The Beast from the Sea (Revelation 13:1-8
Then I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns were ten crowns, and on his heads were blasphemous names. 2 And the beast that I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave him his power and his throne, and great authority. 3 I saw one of his heads as if it had been fatally wounded, and his fatal wound was healed. And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast; 4 they worshiped the dragon because he gave his authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?” 5 A mouth was given to him speaking arrogant words and blasphemies, and authority to act for forty-two months was given to him. 6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemies against God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle, that is, those who dwell in heaven.
7 It was also given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them*, and authority was given to him over every tribe, people, language, and nation**. 8 All who live on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written since the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slaughtered.
*Note again, that believers are not protected through the Tribulation – only the 144,000. When we get to the 5th seal we will see them crying out for vengeance!
**Note too, that the US will cease to be a sovereign nation during the Tribulation.
- The Idol Shepherd (Zechariah 11:16,17)
15 And the Lord said to me, “Take again for yourself the equipment of a foolish shepherd. 16 For behold, I am going to raise up a shepherd in the land who will not care for the perishing, seek the scattered, heal the broken, or provide for the one who is exhausted, but will devour the flesh of the fat sheep and tear off their hoofs.
17 Woe to the worthless shepherd
Who abandons the flock!
A sword will be on his arm
And on his right eye!
His arm will be totally withered,
And his right eye will be blind.”
**(Compare this to Revelation 13:3
3 I saw one of his heads as if it had been fatally wounded, and his fatal wound was healed. And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast;
(KJV) 17 Woe to the idol shepherd that leaveth the flock! the sword shall be upon his arm, and upon his right eye: his arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened.
Could it be that the AC has persistent weakness on his left arm and right eye from a wound that appeared to kill him?
- The Willful King (Daniel 11:36-39
36 “Then the king will do as he pleases, and he will exalt himself and boast against every god and will speak dreadful things against the God of gods; and he will be successful until the indignation is finished, because that which is determined will be done. 37 And he will show no regard for the gods of his fathers* or for the desire of women**, nor will he show regard for any other god; for he will boast against them all. 38 But instead he will honor a god of fortresses, a god whom his fathers did not know***; he will honor him with gold, silver, precious stones, and treasures. 39 And he will take action against the strongest of fortresses with the help of a foreign god****; he will give great honor to those who acknowledge him and will make them rulers over the many, and will parcel out land for a price.
*could describe any Jew or Muslim or Hindu or Christian
**homosexual or pedophile or bestial
***military might (see Revelation 13:4)
4 they worshiped the dragon because he gave his authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?”
**** Is Satan the foreign god? CERN portal? Demonic / Alien grand delusion?
- One come in his own name
John 5:43
43 I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, you will receive him.
Mankind rejected the real Messiah but will eagerly embrace the false Messiah.
Please read pages 90-94 in ETICO. Ron Rhodes thinks the AC will not be a Jew while Arthur Pink is convinced he will be. Rhodes does not think he will be a Muslim, while Joel Richardson (not Rosenburg) feels he will be.
Who in history have been ‘types’ of antichrist?
Starting with Nimrod, Pharaohs, Nebuchadnezzar (remember he wrote an entire chapter of the Bible. Anyone know which one? Daniel 4),
Alexander the Great, Roman Emperors, Genghis Khan, Mohammed and leaders of caliphates since, John Wycliffe and Martin Luther both thought the pope in their day would turn out to be the AC, Otto Von Bismarck, Kaiser Wilhelm II/ King of Prussia, Hitler, Stalin perhaps, Hirohito, Saddam Hussein because he tried to rebuild Babylon, Macron (bc his name means ‘the mark’), many US presidents have been suspected by Christians of being THE antichrist, starting with Kennedy, Reagan bc of his popularity, GHWB because he proclaimed the ‘new world order’ very emphatically in a speech once, Clinton, Obama, Trump, – Satan does not know the future and it is thought by many that he always has to have an antichrist figure at the ready
Other references to Trib in Bible incl Matthew 24, book of Zephaniah, and see Lion and Lamb article sent by email previously.
Matthew 24: 4-12
4 And Jesus answered and said to them, “See to it that no one misleads you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will mislead many people. 6 And you will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pains.
9 “Then they will hand you over to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. 10 And at that time many will fall away, and they will betray one another and hate one another. 11 And many false prophets will rise up and mislead many people. 12 And because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will become cold.
*Be aware that some say Matthew 24:5 is congruent with the first seal in Revelation 6:2, Matthew 24:6 corresponds to the second seal in Revelation 6:4, Matthew 24:7 the third and fourth seals in Revelation 6:5-8.
*During this time, God’s focus has returned to Israel and the Trib is to bring about their repentance. See Dispensations in the notes pages 24-28 in notes. Also, in Charting the End Times pages 81-83.
Many Jews still hate Jesus and Christians. Just go to Israel and try to preach Jesus on the street. Or go on the United with Israel FB page and proclaim that the Messiah they are waiting on has already come and his name is Jesus (YeShua) and brace for the insults and hatred. Most Jews are practical agnostics, not orthodox Jews, yet they will fall back on and cling to their religious traditions when presented with the gospel of Jesus.
Anti-Christ means ‘in place of Christ’ not so much ‘against Christ’. Again, he will be a counterfeit Christ who will use peace with the Jews as his Trojan Horse to win their trust, then turn on them when they refuse to worship him.
So we have at least eight or nine names given to the actual antichrist and lots of ‘types’ of antichrists in scripture. For your eschatological education.
Remember, this is not the only time we will discuss AC. Also, in Rev ch 13.
GET OUT your one page Revelation summary here so you can follow along…
Revelation 6:3-4
The Second Seal: War
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 people would kill one another; and a large sword was given to him.
Go back to Daniel 8:25 to understand this. ‘By the policy of his peace he will destroy many.’ That doesn’t sound very peaceful does it?
25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand. (KJV)
The first part of that verse, some have taken to relate to the building of Mystery Babylon, but we’ll get to that in chapters 17-18.
What does this mean, ‘and by peace shall destroy many’? Could it be that those who are stubbornly apposed to his ideas of peace are branded the enemy?
Are we seeing foretastes of that today? Christians nowadays who might appose special rights for LGBTQ-P people? Where they completely misunderstand our motives and choose to call all of it ‘hate’? And the Bible is seen as hate speech? Wasn’t conceivable forty years ago, but my how times change. Just be sure our faith doesn’t change with it, blowing to and fro with every breeze, being double minded in our ways.
I foresee passionate zealots of the AC hunting down new believers (a host will be around after the rapture) in the name of loyalty to this new policy of ‘tolerance’ the AC will promote. Tolerant as long as they agree with him. Just like now. Many on a certain aspect of the political spectrum are enormously tolerant of others as long as it is not Biblical.
Other thoughts on how the AC will destroy many through peace?
Keep in mind too, as we previously alluded to, that the AC will not be unopposed even among unbelievers. Though I don’t agree with him on a few things, Mark Hitchcock in Russia Rising explores this.
Some say the rider on the red horse is symbolic of the Ezekiel 38 and 39 war.
I believe that war will have long been over by the time AC hits the stage. I think AC takes credit for Israel’s victory and thus deceives many Jews and wins their loyalty.
I think the red horse represents war by people trying to prove their loyalty to AC and slaughtering believers, who appear at the fifth seal.
Much of the world receives him.
Contrast that to John 1:10-11
10 He was in the world, and the world came into being through Him, and yet the world did not know Him. 11 He came to His own, and His own people did not accept Him.
and again, John 5:43.
43 I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, you will receive him.
If you research, you will find multiple instances through the last 75 years or so, where world leaders have called for a single, powerful world leader.
Well, now they will have him, but suddenly there will be hundreds of millions who are reading the Bible after the rapture and realize what’s going on.
These must be eliminated for peace to reign.
Jon Courson says politics is about getting and maintaining power. Maintaining power brings war.
Guess who usually never suffers in a war? Those at the top, pullling the strings, ordering soldiers to die for them.
In socialism, the tail wags the dog. The ruling class lives large while the majority of the population goes without. Think of how Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez both ended up billionaires in their socialist utopias while the citizens were resorting to eating their pets and scavenging in the garbage to survive. Think about these two things as we watch the third seal opened…
Revelation 6:5-6
The Third Seal: Famine
5 When He broke the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, “Come!” I looked, and behold, a black horse, and the one 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.”
So, food insecurity results from war – not only decreased production (as farmers will become soldiers) but logistics of getting it from the place of production to the consumer, not to mention polluted soil and decreased sunlight, acid rain, etc. that all decrease production.
A day’s wage for a quart of wheat or three quarts of a less palatable grain, but foods of luxury will not be bothered.
Oh, how the first world will moan and groan. We are so used to our pizza deliveries and other conveniences. No more riding a block to get a Whopper or a gallon of milk. Oh no. Those days are gone. You thought the last hurricane saw panic buying? You thought Covid resulted in shortages? People will be wishing they could fill their stomachs with toilet paper during the tribulation. So if you are stubbornly refusing to receive Christ’s gift of salvation, you’d better be stockpiling groceries now, or seeds, or ammunition or other things of barter value.
Then what do war and famine bring but death?
‘But do not touch the oil and the wine’
These are luxury items, meaning the ruling class will still have access to luxury goods. And people are needed to produce those goods for the ruling class.
Therefore, I disagree with commentators that say that when Matthew 24 talks about how things are so ‘normal’ that the Rapture has yet to occur in these passages. Remember, most of the Olivet Discourse is geared to the Jews for AFTER THE RAPTURE and before the Second Coming.
Yes, life will be ‘normal’ for some after the Rapture and during the horrors of the Tribulation because Revelation 6:6 tells us so! The ruling class, (like the top of any socialist system) will be enjoying luxury goods such as oil and wine. Their status and wealth insulate them for a time against the horrors of the Tribulation. And people are needed to produce this oil and wine! So when God takes one for judgement in Matthew 24:36-40 and leaves one to inherit His Millennial Kingdom, life for these will have been relatively normal up to that point.
BY THE WAY, Matthew 24:36-40 is NOT the RAPTURE! It corresponds to the gathering of people by angels for JUDGMENT as documented in Revelation 14:14-18 . This is obvious and plainly stated as Matthew 24:38-39 tell us that the next verses are like the days of Noah when the flood came and took them all away. THE ONES TAKEN ARE TAKEN FOR JUDGEMENT! NOT THE RAPTURE!
Revelation 6:7-8
The Fourth Seal: Death
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 the one 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 famine, and plague, and by the wild animals of the earth.
A ‘chloros’ horse – denotes a sickly green color. Same root as in chlorophyll. A retained placenta is green, and smells so bad you could pass out. I wonder if odors accompany these horses, besides horse manure of course. Dead bodies breed more disease. Remember, Israel buries the bodies from the Gog/Magog war for seven months in Ezekiel 39:12
¼ (one-fourth) of the earth. Let’s look on our one-page summary sheet…
What is the approximate world population now? And what do the New Agers following the Georgia Guidestones think the world population should be?
‘Maintain a world population of 500 million’.
So Bill Gates and Fauci have a long way to go to meet their goal, but they’re on the way! Remember, there will be an element of those on the earth who think all of this is a GOOD thing. Many will have celebrated our disappearance, and many will support the war against the new believers, and will be euphoric when they are killed off, thinking ‘now that they are gone, mankind can finally evolve.’ And again, I think part of the strong delusion sent in
2 Thessalonians 2:11-12 (again!) 11 For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, 12 in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.
…will be demons in disguise (angels of light?) who lead and guide this supposed evolution.
And in the last part of Revelation 6:8 – ‘and by the wild animals of the earth.’ The word here is ‘therion’, and means ‘wild beasts’. At least one commentator said the term is not limited to lions and tigers and bears, oh my. But might also refer to microscopic beasts. Though ‘plagues’ is already mentioned. Did anyone see ‘War of the Worlds’? How did all the aliens die in the end? I think the sense is that all nature’s animals will turn on mankind.