Tribulation

"Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, 

and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.

At that time many will fall away and will betray one another 

and hate one another. Many false prophets will arise and will

mislead many. Because lawlessness is increased, most

people's love will grow cold. But the one who endures

to the end, he will be saved." (Matt 24:9-13 NASB)

When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice

of the fourth living creature saying, "Come."

I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and he 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 with famine and with pestilence

and by the wild beasts of the earth. 

When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath

the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of 

the word of God, and because of the testimony which they 

had maintained. (Rev 6:7-9 NASB)

     This is most likely at the mid point of the "70th week of Daniel" (Dan 9:25-27), where the Antichrist breaks a covenant he makes with Israel, and unleashes his fury against them. Other passages that correspond to this point in time are found in Daniel 7:7-8, 20-21, 24-25, which speak of the rise of the "little horn" who persecutes the saints of the Highest One for "a time, times, and half a time" (31/2 years). This is also mentioned in Daniel 8:23-26, and Daniel 11:31-36, where we see the abomination of desolation is set up, something Jesus warns us about as well in Matthew 24:15-22, as the point when the great tribulation begins. According to Jesus, this period of time will be a horrific time unlike any other that has been, or will be (Matt 24:21-22), and for the sake of the elect, it will be shortened.

     We read in Revelation 12:7-17 of a war in heaven, where the serpent, also called Satan, is cast down to the earth. This results in a time of terrible persecution against Israel, and upon Christians as well (see Rev 12:17). Again, in verse 14, we read that this time of tribulation lasts for a time, times, and half a time. Just like we read in Daniel 7, it is for a time frame of 3 1/2 years. 

     Revelation 13 speaks of the rise of the "beast", which is not only the Antichrist, but also his kingdom, made up of ten nations. It is my belief that at the point Satan is cast down to the earth, he enters this Antichrist and uses the "beast" as an agent of his wrath. 

     Here we read of the beast given a mouth speaking blasphemy (see also 2 Thess 2:3-6), and authority for 42 months, or 3 1/2 years (Rev 13:4-7). Just as we saw in Daniel's prophecy, this beast will make war with the saints and overcome them, and just as Jesus stated, It will be the one who endures to the end who will be saved (Matt 24:13).

     Then I heard a loud voice in heaven saying, 

"Now the salvation, power, and the kingdom

of our God and the authority of His Christ

have come, for the accuser of our brethren

has been thrown down, he who accuses them

before our God day and night.

And they overcame him because of the 

blood of the Lamb and because of the word 

of their testimony, and they did not love 

their life even when faced with death."

Revelation 12:10-11 NASB.

     

     

The Birth Pains

      In the Olivet discourse found in Mathew 24 and 25, Jesus puts forth a timeline of events leading up to His second coming. He refers to false Christs, wars, rumors of wars, earthquakes and famines in various places, as "birth pains." He tells us not to be frightened, as the end is not yet (Matthew 24:4-8). 

     The opening of the seven seals in Revelation 6 follow this timeline remarkably. The rider on a white horse is representative of the emergence of a leader who will ultimately be revealed as the Antichrist (Rev 6:2). This leader will be a deceiver, and will usher in an age of deception that the world has not yet seen (Matt 24:4-5, 24). 

     Wars and rumors of wars (Matt 24:6-7), are those conflicts solidifying the beast kingdom of the Antichrist. The opening of the second seal (Rev 6:3-4), unleashes war and conflict upon the earth. Although it is true that we have had countless wars throughout the ages, the conflicts mentioned here will be those conflicts taking place within the final seven year period known as the great tribulation, and to be more specific, those conflicts taking place within the first 3 1/2 years. 

     Jesus mentions famines in various places (Matt 24:7). This corresponds to Revelation 6:5-6, where a rider on a black horse is released at the breaking of the third seal. This rider is carrying a pair of scales in his hand. A voice is heard 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." A denarious was the equivelant of a days wages. Take your paycheck, and figure out what you make in one day. Imagine paying that amount for a quart of wheat?  The breaking of this seal releases economic collapse, and famine, at least to a certain extent into the world.

     Could it be that the conflicts taking place at this time in the middle east effect the oil trade?  Something of this nature could have a devastating impact on the economies of many nations. And could something like this set up the emergence of the Antichrist system, where the only means of trade will be by taking a mark (Rev 13:16-17)? At any rate, we see the devastation that war creates in our world today. Displaced people, starvation, poverty, are all inevitable results of war. 

     Jesus states that these things are merely the birth pains, and as a pregnancy is nearing its end, the labor pains intensify, which leads us to the next seal, the rider on an ashen horse (Rev 6:7-8).