The Tribulation's Seven Seal Judgments
Revelation 6:1-17; 8:1-5
DEFINING TERMS
Rapture- An event in the future when Jesus will gather all believers—living and dead—and instantaneously snatch us away from here, taking us into the air, where we will meet him in person and experience a brief reunion with all other Christians before he takes us to Heaven—his Father’s house—to be with him. He will also include all children too young to decide for or against him.
Antichrist- The most evil person who will ever live. He will rise to global prominence after the Rapture, promising peace and world unity and ending the chaos likely caused by the Rapture. After gaining global control, he progressively reveals his true colors and increases his tyranny, the likes of which the world has never previously experienced.
Tribulation- A seven-year period that will shortly follow the Rapture. The Tribulation will not begin until the Antichrist signs a seven-year treaty with Israel that he will break halfway through (Daniel 9:24-27).
Judgments- During the seven-year Tribulation, God will send 21 judgments to Earth to awaken what is left of the world’s population who were not worthy of escaping those things coming upon Earth because they did not receive Christ during our present time. The Book of Revelation divides those judgments into three sets of seven: the seal judgments, the trumpet judgments, and the bowl judgments. The seal and trumpet judgments will happen during the first half of the Tribulation. God will stretch out the bowl judgments over the last half.
Tribulation saints- People who do not receive Christ before the Rapture who will recognize the error of their ways, repent their sins, and accept Christ’s offer of salvation after the Rapture. Unfortunately, because they missed the Rapture, they will have to endure the persecution of the Antichrist and the Tribulation judgments.
SEAL JUDGMENTS
The first four seal judgments mention the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, and no, they are not Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Ole Anderson, and Tully Blanchard.
Revelation 6:1-2: The rider on the white horse in Revelation 6—the Antichrist—is not to be confused with the rider on the white horse in Revelation 19—Jesus Christ. The rider on this horse will have a bow but no arrows. The Antichrist will initially conquer not through force but through diplomacy and a false peace that promises world unity. That is why he has a bow but no arrows. However, he does have a crown, which indicates the success of his initial rise to power.
Revelation 6:3-4: The red horse symbolizes war, most likely a global conflict referenced in Daniel 7:24. The ten horns in Daniel 7:24 symbolize ten kingdoms or rulers who will emerge when the Antichrist divides the world into ten regions and will place a ruler over each of them. The reference in Daniel 7:24 to the other king that will arise who is different from the earlier ones is the Antichrist. The verse says he will subdue three kings, indicating that the Antichrist will overcome and likely destroy three of these kingdoms that try to rebel against his authority. The victory of the Antichrist’s forces consolidates his power and control over the world.
Revelation 6:5-6: The black horse symbolizes famine. Worldwide inflation and hunger will result from the war. The pair of scales represent food scarcity. Verse 6 indicates that the average person will have to work all day to have enough money to buy food for that day. The rich will not be as affected, which is why it says, “Do not damage the oil and the wine!”
Revelation 6:7-8: There is no mystery about what the pale horse represents because the passage says it symbolizes death. That would make sense with the aforementioned war, inflation, and famine. It appears by the wording at the end of verse 8 that 1/4 of the post-Rapture world population will die due to the war and its aftereffects, as well as wild animal attacks. Since this passage says Hades follows death, one can safely conclude that the quarter of the population that dies from these first four judgments will be people who continue to rebel against God by not accepting Jesus as their savior.
Revelation 6:9-11: Just because the only ones who perish in God's first four judgments will be unbelievers doesn't mean none of the Tribulation saints will die. However, instead of dying by God’s hand, they will die because of the persecution of the Antichrist and his government. Verse 9 says their slaying will occur because of the Word of God and the testimony they will maintain. That means the government will kill them because of their commitment to the Bible and their refusal to stop sharing the truth of what Jesus has done for them with others. The end of this passage tells us that these martyrs will ask God how much longer it will be until he avenges their deaths. God reassures that man tells them to wait, as more of their fellow Tribulation saints will join them.
Revelation 6:12-17: A global earthquake called the Wrath of the Lamb will shake Earth as if someone were shaking a snow globe. The darkening of the sun and the moon’s red-looking color are likely a product of that event and the subsequent volcanic eruptions. Verse 13 describes meteors falling to Earth. Verse 14 says the consequences of these events will be so vast that it will change Earth’s topography. Verse 15 says every person, from the greatest to the least—by human standards—will seek to hide themselves from what is happening. Verses 16 and 17 tell us they will beg the mountains and rocks to hide them from Jesus’ wrath.
Revelation 8:1-5: Heaven is seldom silent. However, after the first six seal judgments, the opening of the seventh seal reveals silence in Heaven for half an hour because of what has transpired on Earth. The fact that it gives a specific amount of time shows that, despite the teaching of many, Heaven is not timeless. People are aware of the passage of time in Heaven. God may be timeless, but that doesn't mean the place where he dwells is. We also know there is time in Heaven because of the martyred Tribulation saints I mentioned earlier who asked God “how long” it would be until he avenged their deaths. How could they ask “how long” if there is no awareness of time in Heaven?
I recommend Randy Alcorn's book, Heaven, to learn more about the future home of the true Christian. It is the best book I have ever read about Heaven.