By: Randall E. Pickens, Sr.

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Without a doubt this is the pressing question on so many minds these days. Has the Tribulation events of John’s Revelation begun? Events of the day, sound eerily similar to events prophesied. This is puzzling to say the least! Let’s consider what the scriptures tell us before registering an opinion.

Only the scriptures can guide us!

I chose a picture of the 7 seals of Revelation Chapter 6 to feature in this article. I did so because so many of the questions I am fielding these days involve end time events that many feel have already begun occurring around the world. The first question I must answer is; do I believe we have entered the referenced “time of the end”? The answer is emphatically, NO! I do believe that Revelation chapter 6 can help answer many of these questions for us, so then let’s take a look at these scriptures and others intently and listen for the Holy Spirit’s guidance.

Let me first point out that the sealed scroll featured in Revelation 6 was created in the book of Daniel 12:4 “But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end“. The book sealed in Dan 12 is one in the same now to be unsealed in Rev 6. John’s vision picks up where Daniel’s leaves off. Also, be aware that Rev Chapter 6 actually only covers the first six seals. The seventh seal is not mentioned until Rev 8. I will not cover chapter 8 here in this article. The first six seals are sufficient to answer the questions we intended to address regarding the timing of the “Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse”.

Now, before we turn to the book of Revelation we need to also consider the answers Jesus gave His apostles in Matthew chapter 24:4-5 when they had similar questions, “take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many“. Rev 6 opens with the same warning but it is veiled in John’s vision of what is commonly called the “Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse“.

The white horse introduces the “man” Antichrist, and then progressive seal events to occur that will introduce the “beginning of sorrows“, the first 3 1/2 years of the tribulation or Daniels 70th week. The 6th seal will introduce natural disasters including earthquakes, and frightening planetary phenomena which mark the beginning of a time frame referenced as “Jacob’s Trouble” or the final 3 1/2 years of the 70th week known as the “great” tribulation and then the finale at the battle of Armageddon.

The 1st Seal – White Horseman – Rev 6:1-2

The first of these seals reveal a horseman riding a white horse. He has a bow and is crowned, he goes forth conquering and to conquer. Listen closely and you can hear the words Jesus spoke at the Olivet Discourse found in Matt 24. White is commonly considered to represent “purity” or “holy”. So, the white horse here might initially cause one to consider the rider to be Jesus but here is implied to be the “deception” Jesus warned of and also we hear of the riders involvement in “wars and rumors of war“. The early church fathers and some early commentaries mistakenly assumed the white horseman to be Jesus but closer scrutiny reveals this horseman to be the man, Antichrist. Exactly what we would expect of a deception. 2 Corinthians 11:14 … “for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light”. The confusion is understandable but is cleared up when viewed in context. I am convinced this rider of the white horse is the Antichrist. Matt 24, Rev 6, and Dan 12 should be read together; for a multiple witness of this concept and end time events. Matt 24:4-5 Jesus warns the disciples of the deceiver to come as a false Christ. This 1st Seal opening gives us a strong hint to the timing of the advent of the Antichrist. An event that obviously is still in the future. Apostle Paul tells us;

2Th 2:7-8  For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.  And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 

This scripture implies the Antichrist can’t be revealed until “after” the restrainer is removed. I believe the restrainer is the Church of Jesus Christ. (the rapture event) With the church removed, the Antichrist is unrestricted and then free to rise to the height of his power and then will fulfill the act of the “abomination of desolation” spoken of in Dan 8:11-12, 9:26-27, 11:31, and 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4; the Antichrist.

This event will also trigger the start of the “great tribulation” or the second half of the tribulation period. This clearly implies the Antichrist has a stealthy rise to this point until this most public pronouncement proclaiming he is God! Rev 6:1  And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.  Rev 6:2  And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer. 

Rev 6:1  And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. 
Rev 6:2  And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer. 

The 2nd Seal – Red Horseman – Rev 6:3-4

The second of these seals reveal a horseman riding a red horse. Chapter 6 is relatively short and to the point so we must look for key words and phrases that reveal association with previous scriptures. The key phrase associated with this 2nd seal or red horse is “take peace from the earth“. Dan 9:27 speaks of this peace treaty and it being broken in the middle of the 70th week. This timing is in coordination with the rise of the Antichrist and the desolation of the 3rd temple. The next phrase being “killing one another” which resonates from the Matt 24 warning of “wars and rumors of war“. Daniel, Jesus and John provide the multiple witnesses we are told to require when validating prophecy or establishing sound doctrine.

Rev 6:3  And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. 
Rev 6:4  And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword. 

The 3rd Seal – Black Horseman – Rev 6:5-6

The third of these seals reveal a horseman riding a black horse. The key phrases associated with the 3rd seal are; (1) “A pair of balances”, (2) “a measure of wheat for a penny”, (3) “three measures of barley for a penny”, and (4) “hurt not the oil and the wine”. These visions are not difficult to understand and are equally associated with the Matt 24 prophesied famines. Economic troubles are always symptomatic of famine and shortages. The reference to exorbitant inflationary price increases ring loud in our current day media. The “penny” (denarius) represent the average daily wage for a jew in John’s day. A measure of wheat is about a quart of wheat and a penny is a day’s wage for a laboring man. And what are laborers getting today? About forty dollars. So forty dollars for a quart of wheat. The “wheat and barley” represent two of the staple commodities of the day. The oil and wine however has been more controversial. Some think they represent luxuries compared to the grains (staples). So, conventional theory is that the comparison of these commodities implies the famines characteristic of inequality between the poor and the rich. I personally feel their is more to this than meets the eye, I sense a deeper meaning. Oil and wine have always been associated with the Temple service, the Holy Spirit or even the Jews and Gentiles as people groups when mentioned in prophecies and parables. Could this be a reference to the protective covering over the tribulation saints which will represent Jews and Gentiles? This would be my strongest suspicion. Keep in mind, this 3rd seal time frame would coincide with the time frame of the presence of the two witnesses and the 144,000 sealed servants/witnesses. The term sealed implies protected which is in keeping with the phrase “hurt not” in this chapter.

Rev 6:5  And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. 
Rev 6:6  And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.  

The 4th Seal – Pale Horseman – Rev 6:7-8

The fourth seal introduces the horseman on a pale horse which we’re told is named Death. This event will be characterized as perilous times including murders, wars, famine, plagues, pestilence, diseases, calamities, and deaths from attacks of wild beasts. This event seems to represent the culmination and generalization of the effects of all previous events as well. It also reveals the transition from the effects of the Antichrist’s rise to power and his siege and persecution of mankind to the time of the Judgements of God on the children of disobedience.

Now note that the fourth seal introduces the last of the “Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse“. So, this raised a question for me; “why just four“? We still have three seals to go!

WHY JUST FOUR HORSEMEN?

Well, let me share with you some observations. The first observation is; the first four seals and horseman introduce events that occur in the earth at the hands of either the Antichrist or those under his control. These events are also administered to promote his agenda or persecute those who resist. These events under the four horseman occur in the environments present during the first 3 1/2 years of the tribulation period.

Rev 6:7  And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. 
Rev 6:8  And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth. 

The 5th Seal – Occurs in Heaven Rev 6:9-11

The fifth seal introduces a change of venue. We find John in heaven and he observes the martyrs beneath the alter. The emphasis is on the martyrdom of the saints from Stephen up to the last martyr of the Great Tribulation. He is told that there are yet more to die for their witness before the judgements start. The key point here is that the fifth seal introduces a change in focus from the effects of the persecutions of the Antichrist vs the Judgements of God to start on the disobedient in the earth.

So, this explains why so many have difficulties differentiating between the events that are attributed to the Antichrist vs God. We should always analyze whether the events are due to resistance to the Antichrist system and persecution of the righteous vs the judgements of God on the children of disobedience. The transition begins here and proceeds through the 6th seal. The previous chart helps to see these events of the tribulation period sequentially. The sixth seal is where the “wrath of God” begins, “the wrath of the Lamb” .

Rev 6:10  And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? 
Rev 6:11  And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.        

The 6th Seal – Occurs in the Earth Rev 6:12-17

The sixth seal finds John back on earth and he is witnessing the beginning of the “Great Tribulation” or the final 3 1/2 years. As mentioned previously we must realize that the events occurring in this time frame overlap, some are accountable to the Antichrist and the others are clearly the Judgements of God.

Rev 6:12  And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; 
Rev 6:13  And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. 
Rev 6:14  And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. 
Rev 6:15  And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; 
Rev 6:16  And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: 
Rev 6:17  For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? 

Where is the 7th seal? IT’S NOT MENTIONED IN CHAPTER 6

The seventh seal is not mentioned until chapter 8. We will cover the judgments of God in another article to come so stay tuned. Our intent here was to point out the fact that the Antichrist has not been revealed yet although we may be very close to this event. The Antichrist is most likely alive in the world today awaiting the opportunity to rise. However, I personally don’t expect to be here when He is revealed; I am convinced the rapture event will remove the Church, FIRST!

Look up your redemption draweth nigh,

Stay tuned !

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