What Do You Believe About the End: Pt. 7 Tribulation and Rapture in the Seals
/The central theme of this teaching is the seals and their relation to rapture timing. Before we delve into the seals, there are two thoughts to review:
A review of brother Aaron’s teaching that divided the thoughts of tribulation vs wrath
A moment to honor our King
I. Tribulation vs wrath
In reference to dividing tribulation and wrath, brother Aaron did a great job showing through scripture the distinct difference between the two. Tribulation, which literally means a pressing can be initiated by men. As a matter of fact, if I remember correctly, he mentioned that the word tribulation is used in the Greek New Testament 19 times and only 3 times does it refer to something that God is doing; whereas, the other 16 times, it refers to what man or Satan, through antichrist is doing.
This means that that the times of the last 7 years period are divided (not perfectly but almost) in half by the seals (the first half), also known as tribulation and the (trumpets/ vials), which occur during the last half of the last 7 years, which period of time is referred to as the wrath of God.
I said, “almost, not quite”, that this last 7 years was divided in half. The reason for this clarification is that the midpoint of the last 7 year period is clearly referred to in scripture in Daniel 9:27 when the prince who confirmed the covenant (also known as signing of a peace treaty with Israel and surrounding nations) will break the covenant. This is also mentioned in Daniel 9:27 when it says that he (the prince/ antichrist) will stop the sacrifices and offerings.
This thought coincides with passages in Matthew 24, 2 Thessalonians 2 and Revelation 13, which describe that the man of sin will place himself in the temple of God, demand that all other forms of worship be stopped and force the whole world to worship him. Revelation 13:10 describes this period of time as a time that the saints must have faith and endure.
Pre-tribulation rapture teachers have to insert the thought that the word saints in Revelation 13:10 refers to Jews in order to preserve their position. The problem is that the text doesn’t say that. The text says the saints, which is a word that is used to describe New Covenant believers throughout the New Testament.
I have attempted to teach members of the congregation throughout the years the difference between eisegesis and exegesis.
Eisegesis— is broken down into 2 Greek words: eis- a preposition meaning into and gesis, which is actually a suffix created from the Greek verb hegeomai meaning to lead into…
Exegesis— is dissected similarly Ek- a preposition meaning out and gesis from hegeomi meaning out of.
The use of these words in biblical study describes the difference between a person who has a predetermined thought in their mind and they bring their thought into the text, so in the case of a person who believes in a pre-tribulation rapture and is unwilling to consider he or she may be wrong, the idea is that they bring their own way of thinking and see into the text (eis into) what they already believe. In the case of the scripture that I am referring to, if saints means Christians, then their thought of a pre-tribulation rapture is destroyed, unless of course, it is speaking of tribulation Saints/ Christians who remain after the rapture, which would also be an eisegesis, because the text doesn’t say that either.
Whereas, the thought of exegesis would say. This is what the scripture says…saints- period. Then, if the reader were a pre-tribulation believer, they would have to embark upon a journey to find a place in the Greek New Testament where the word saints was used to describe Jews. In my opinion, they would not find it, because I have looked and haven’t found it yet myself.
The thought where we left off was in reference to the tribulation extending slightly past the 3.5 year mark. The 3.5 year mark, also known as the middle of the week (Daniel 9:27) is when the antichrist demands to be worshipped and is referred to by Jesus as the time that Daniel spoke of in reference to the abomination of desolation (Matt 24:15).
Jesus goes on to explain that this will result in a time of great tribulation (Matt 24:21), and then he states that if that time were not shortened, then even the elect could possibly be deceived (Matt 24:23), but for the sake of the elect, that time will be shortened (Matt 24:22).
I believe that this shortened period Jesus described refers to a timeframe of 75 days that occurs after the antichrist sets himself in the temple and demands to be worshipped, which coincides with Revelation 13 and the mark of the beast. This 75 day period is referenced by Daniel: Blessed is he who waits and arrives at the 1,335 days. Daniel 12:12 (ESV). If 1260, which is the midpoint of a 7 year Jewish calendar, is subtracted from 1335 days, the difference is 75 days.
For clarity, the 75 days of great tribulation starts with antichrist at the midpoint and ends with an event where the rapture of the church and the Day of the Lord occur simultaneously. I personally believe that this is the pattern of scripture described through the flood and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Luke 17:26-27 (ESV)
26 Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 27 They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.
On the same day… at the same time that Noah entered the Ark, the flood waters of God’s wrath came.
Luke 17:28-30 (ESV)
28 Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, 29 but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all— 30 so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed.
On the day… at the same time when Lot went out from Sodom, the fire and sulfur of God’s wrath poured out from heaven.
Thank you Jesus that we are not appointed to wrath (1 Thess 5:9) because the wrath that we deserved was placed on Him when He died for us on the cross (Isaiah 53:6).
And that delineates the wrath of God from the tribulation that will come upon the world. The wrath of God will be poured out upon those who refused to receive by faith the sacrifice of Jesus for their sin. Instead they spurned the truth of God and chose to believe a lie. Therefore, they will be judged naked before God, while the saints will have been raptured and clothed in white.
II. A moment to honor our King
In Revelation chapter 5, John, who loved the Lord so much while on earth with Him, has been received up in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day and great glories and splendors are being revealed to him. What he experiences is so difficult for us to understand. What did it feel like, smell like, sound like or look like to him?
If, at times in worship, we feel the power and presence of God that signals us to lift our hands, fall to our knees or prostrate ourselves with face buried in the ground, what did John feel in the literal presence of God while elders and creatures are bowing in honor towards the Lamb who was slain?
If there have been times when the presence of the Lord has overwhelmed us to the point where we have glimpsed our true self and seen the horrors of selfishness in the times that we have served our flesh rather than the majesty and splendor of the King of the universe, what did John feel at this moment? Is this why he weeps? Does he finally see what he thought he already knew? Does he now realize that as close as he was on earth to Him, and as much as he thought on earth he loved Him, and as much as he gave up to tell others about Him, even being imprisoned on the isle of Patmos for preaching Christ, but now is it that he really sees it for how it really is?
He gets to go back to reality and tell others about it. Most of us never will. We will die in whatever state we are in, and then we will be thrust into the heavenly scene and there we will receive our judgment for the things done in the body while on earth.
And so, I wanted to take a moment to honor our King with an attempt for us to try to understand what John may be thinking and feeling as he stands there speechless. He can’t talk because he is sobbing and wailing with tears pouring out of his eyes. The Strong’s uses the word bewail to describe the word weep and bewail has the thought of regret associated with it.
What does he regret? What does this man who seemed to understand how valuable Jesus was while on earth regret now that he sees Him in all of His glory? Does he regret that he didn’t do it more so…? Do what? I don’t know… love Him more, pay attention more, serve Him more, die to self more, serve someone else more, forgive others more?
Is it even that?
Or is it that he realizes now, with unclouded clarity, what the creation has done to this loving Lamb? How the word that spoke the worlds into existence was betrayed along with His Father when the angels fell, was betrayed along with His Father when the angels deceived the human creation, how the creation on earth rejected the voice of truth and crucified embodied truth, and how even most who called themselves Christians lived for themselves too busy to serve their King while on earth?
Focused on their bank accounts, their new houses and cars and soccer games and promotions, they longed for one more day on earth to have one more day with their children, their grandchildren, another vacation while the world rejected Him as their King.
Is that what you feel John? Do you feel the reality that until these seals are opened we can’t move forward in time? Do you feel that until these seals are opened we are stuck on this side of the Millennial Reign, stuck on a side where, we as humans still have time to build what we want, but our King cannot yet sit on His rightful throne? Is that what’s happening John? Do you feel the urgency of heaven’s purity longing for things to be made right? Do you feel the Father’s heart pounding with pride as He looks at His Son, a lion ready to roar while clothed in the blood stained visage of an obedient Lamb that was willingly slain before the foundations of the earth?
I felt like Jesus was worthy of a moment of honor before we move through the seals and understand that while no one wants to have to go through times of tribulation, if these seals are never opened, Jesus can never receive the glory that He earned through obedience when He died to give us eternal life.
Seal 1
Seal number one is a rider on a white horse. There are four descriptors of this rider: 1) he rides a white horse 2) he is given a crown, 3) he has a bow without mention of arrows, but 4) he comes out to conquer.
The white horse is important because the rightful King will return on a white horse in Revelation chapter 19 when He leads the armies of heaven for the battle of Armageddon. This rider is an imposter. He comes in time before the true King. This rider is the antichrist.
We aren’t told who gives him his crown, but the thought is that he is given power to rule. It is important to understand that in some ways God is allowing this to happen. This will lead to deception and 2 Thessalonians 2 states that God will send the world strong delusion through the antichrist because they rejected the truth that He (God) offered them.
But I do believe that the giving of the crown more thoroughly represents the inhabiters and rulers of the world receiving him as their king. Just as Christians receive Christ with their freewill, the world will receive antichrist with their freewill, and while the world receives him, true believers will reject him, and in their rejection, they will receive two things: persecution and the crown of life.
His bow without arrows seem to represent the reality that he harbors the power of war but will originally be introduced as a man of peace. Nevertheless, the descriptor that reveals him as a conqueror shows that his true intent is not peace but tyranny.
It is my belief that seal number 1 and the confirming of the covenant in Daniel 9:27 are essentially one and the same. This is when the kings of the earth will give him their power (Revelation 17:2, 12). Most people will not recognize what is happening at this point. This will be lauded as the greatest peace ever known to mankind. The man of sin will likely be the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. But stay awake Christian because he is the human vessel of the dragon.
Seal 2
The rider of the red horse has three descriptors: 1) he rides a red horse, which could be associated with the color of blood 2) a simple statement in the text says, “he is permitted to take peace from the earth.” The opposite of peace on earth is war. Interestingly, the opposite of war is the promise that heaven announced at Jesus’ birth to the shepherds when the angel said, “Peace on earth and good will towards men.” Lastly, 3) he is given a sword—a weapon of war.
Seal 3
The rider on the black horse has two main descriptors 1) a black horse 2) and a set of scales in his hands. In addition, the rest of the passage speaks of the high cost of food a measure KJV or a quart ESV of wheat for a denarius and 3 measures or quarts of barley for a denarius. A denarius was a day’s wage and a measure or quart is a day’s serving of grain for a person.
The thought is that this black horse refers to famine. During this time, food will be so expensive that a man will work a whole day for that day’s food. Barley was cheaper, so if he bought barley instead of wheat, he could feed a family of 3, maybe 4, depending on how old or big his children are, with the wages that he earns in one day. Essentially, he would be working for food, so this excludes clothing and shelter.
The phrase do not harm the oil and wine is interesting. Oil and wine were considered more expensive, luxury items. In my opinion, this refers to the elite, or a group of people, likely those who are behind the fabrication of this famine, who will be sheltered from this famine and also continue to enjoy their delicacies.
I will admit that this is opinion and definitely some level of personal eisegesis is involved.
Rider 4
The rider of the fourth horse has four specific descriptors: 1) he rides a pale horse, which is confusing because the word pale is translated from the Greek chloros, as in chlorine or chlorophyll, both of which relate to the color green. The idea is the horse’s color was the color death, which is relatively easy to verify, since the text tells us the rider’s name 3) … the rider’s name is death. Lastly, 4) hades follows this rider.
The word Hades is translated in the KJV as hell. The definition is that it is the place of departed souls and is sometimes translated as the “grave.”
Death is given authority over a fourth of the earth to kill. Death kills four different ways:
A sword— war, or possibly a death penalty based on enacted laws
Famine
KJV uses the word death for the 3rd way of killing. The ESV & NASB add the word pestilence but the Greek word is Thanatos and means death.
Beasts of the earth
Some people believe that there are beasts that have been engineered and are readied for release to wreak havoc on the world when signaled? For furthered study in this matter do a deep dive on the word chimera. As far as whether this is true, I suppose only time will tell.
However, I personally think that the thought of death and beasts and pestilences together create an interesting mixture. For example, it was finally admitted that Covid was created in a lab. The way that non-naturally occurring viruses would be genetically created is that beasts (animals) would be used as hosts and infected with microorganisms that are then manipulated within the host until able to infect a human, then the pestilence would be furthered studied or for more sinister purposes released on the population.
Seal 5
This is the first seal without a rider. When this seal is opened, a scene is shown in heaven of the souls of those who are slain because of their testimony regarding the word of God. They are under the altar and they have been dressed in white robes, and, like the righteous blood of Abel, they ask for justice, which they will receive. Rest assured that when Jesus receives His justice for the way that He was treated, every believer that was persecuted for Christ, will also be avenged.
These believers will be referenced again in Revelation chapter 7, and, in my opinion, this is the actual scene that depicts heaven filled with raptured saints.
Seal 6
When seal 6 is opened, there is a huge earthquake, the sun blackens, the moon turns into blood, the stars begin to fall, heaven opens up like a scroll and the inhabiters of earth become stricken with fear as they realize that the day they scoffed at has come upon them. They will now have to face the wrath of the Lamb.
It is important to understand that the wrath of God has not started yet. Seal 6 is the signal that we are transitioning from the seals to the trumpets, from tribulation into wrath. I believe that the rapture occurs between seal 6 and 7. It is likely that as quick as lightning flashes across the sky, the rapture will occur as soon as this natural phenomenon begins to take place.
One would expect that after seal 6 would be seal 7, but seal 6 and 7 are separated by Revelation chapter 7. Revelation 7 contains two heavenly scenes. The first scene is the 144,000 made up of 12,000 from the 12 tribes of Israel of which I will not speak in detail now.
The second scene shows a great multitude that is impossible to count. The multitude is described as being from all the nations, kindreds, people and tongues. They are dressed in white robes. They have palms in their hands and they sing to God and the Lamb. The first time people praised Him with palms a week later they hung Him on the tree. The second time, He will be praised by those who truly longed to be with Him in His Kingdom.
There were two scenes before this one in John’s vision that should be compared to this one in Revelation 7.
The scene of Revelation 4 starts with John called up, and what he sees are 24 elders clothed in white and wearing crowns. It has been taught by pre-tribulation teachers that this is a scene of the rapture. The thought is that the 24 elders represent believers of all ages. The way this is explained is that the first 12 elders symbolize the twelve tribes and represent all the believers of the Old Testament; whereas, the other 12 elders symbolize the 12 disciples and represent all the believers in the New Testament period.
All I have to say is that it requires an extremely large amount of eisegesis in order to pull off this interpretation. Personally, I do believe that it is a novel thought that the 12 and 12 could represent the tribes and the disciples since they are elders and even represent the old and the new. But I must admit that this is a highly symbolic interpretation.
However, to take it to the extreme that this represents believers of all times requires quite a stretch.
The scene in chapter 5 includes the 24 elders again, the 4 beasts, the voices of myriad of angels and the prayers of the saints contained in vials singing a song of thanks to the Lamb for redeeming peoples with His blood from every kindred and tongue, tribe and nation.
But in revelation chapter 7, the scene includes the elders, the angels, the beasts (creatures) but instead of vials that contain the prayers of the saints, there is a multitude of saints too numerous to count that are clothed in white robes. While the text goes on to explicitly describe them as the ones that have come out of great tribulation, I do believe that this scene is after the rapture and depicts the greatest example of heaven being filled with the elders, the creatures, the angels and the saints of all time.
In conclusion, my main thought of this whole teaching is that the rapture event is best described as occurring just after the opening of seal 6 and prior to the opening of seal 7, which releases the first angel to blow the first trumpet. Again, within seal 7 is the blowing of the first trumpet, which is the beginning of the wrath of God.
The timing of this rapture thought has been labeled as some as a midweek rapture. Whereas, others have described it as a post-tribulation—pre-wrath rapture. This can be confusing to people that have always believed in a pre-tribulation rapture because it is difficult to disregard the old thinking that tribulation references the whole 7 year last days period; therefore, the brain imagines someone is saying that the rapture occurs after the 7 year period, but that is not what post-tribulation—pre-wrath means. Post-tribulation—pre-wrath means after the 3.5 years or 3.5 and a little bit (75 days) and before the wrath (blowing of the first trumpet).