The Bible predicts a 30-day interval between the Abomination of Desolation and the mid-point of Daniel’s 70th Week (see the above timeline and the end of the previous section for more information). The last month of the Antichrist’s reign of power will lead into the final 3½ years of this age and the unbelievable horrors of the Great Tribulation. During this time, tensions in the Middle East will rapidly build to the breaking point. The Arab nations, which are overwhelmingly Islamic, will not tolerate the Antichrist suddenly declaring himself to be God within the rebuilt Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. Neither will the Jews tolerate it, because the Antichrist will betray them and desecrate their Temple. Nor will Christians tolerate it, because they knew that this would occur according to the scriptures, and this means Jesus is coming soon!
The chaos will build with massive demonstrations and riots occurring throughout the Middle East. People will cry out that the Antichrist is a blasphemer and demand that he suffer death for his abominable act. These demonstrations will increase in intensity and violence until they spiral out of control beginning with a violent Middle East war. These events will quickly lead the entire world into another global war followed by the dark horrors of World War III along with fiery destruction. Thus, the start of the final 3½ years of this age will also mark the beginning of The Great Tribulation. Jesus warned that this period would be so devastating that no other time would be like it (Matt. 24:21).
In fact, Jesus said that when the people in Jerusalem and Judea see the Abomination of Desolation occur, they should immediately flee into the mountains (Matt. 24:15-20). Daniel predicted that the first major response to the Antichrist’s arrogance will be a devastating war breaking out in the Middle East and eventually resulting in every nation attacking Israel (Zech. 12:1-3). The nation of Egypt is first predicted to “push” against him from the south and Syria is prophesied to come against him like a “whirlwind” from the north (Dan. 11:40).
Thus, the beginning of the last 3½ years, which Daniel appropriately calls “the time of the end”, will start with a sudden Arab-Israeli war. However, instead of being confined to the nations of the Middle East as numerous wars have been in the past, this time the conflict will quickly grow into a worldwide battle between the superpowers with dire consequences for all life on Earth. That’s why the Bible calls it The Great Tribulation.
The initial counterattack to Egypt’s and Syria’s attack will occur by the core 10-nation Empire of the Beast under the leadership of the Antichrist, and it will be quick and decisive. The Bible indicates that the armies of the Beast will easily defeat and overrun both Egypt and Syria, and the Antichrist will actually end up with his main military base and palace right within the borders of Israel (Dan. 11:41-43). But just when the Antichrist believes he has everything back under his control, powerful armies from other nations will begin to mobilize.
Daniel says that the Antichrist will hear “tidings out of the east and out of the north” that will trouble him (Dan. 11:44). When the prophecies of Ezekiel and John are considered along with those from Daniel, the trouble coming from out of the north is revealed to be the forces of Russia and its allies (Ezekiel 38-39; see The Attack of Russia), and the bad tidings from the east represent the mobilization of China and the far eastern countries with their vast 200,000,000-man army (Rev. 9:16-18; see The Attack of China).
Thus, as the world comes closer to the Return of Christ, every major military force will begin to move toward the Middle East and particularly toward the small nation of Israel. This is why Jesus warned his followers to watch for the sign of the Abomination and quickly run for the mountains if they happen to find themselves in Israel when this occurs (Matt. 24:15-21). They will only have 30 days after that event occurs to get out of the way of the greatest conflict the world has ever known.
The magnitude of the battles arising during the final 42 months of this age can be found documented in the prophetic picture provided in the Second through Sixth Seals in the Book of Revelation. Together they describe a world moving impetuously toward global war and total annihilation. All of these Seals (2-6) occur during the final 3½ years before Christ returns.
The Seven Seals
In previous sections (see End Times Prophecy and particularly The Antichrist), it was discussed how the first Horseman of the Apocalypse (described as the First Seal is opened; Rev. 6:1-2) was none other than the Antichrist himself—coming on a white horse with the deception of peace and even mimicking the appearance of Christ as the savior of the world. The First Seal therefore represents the Antichrist during his reign as global leader over the Empire of the Beast. Bible prophecy tells us that his reign extends throughout the first 3½ years of Daniel’s 70th Week (or for a total of 1,260 days; Rev. 13:5). Therefore, the First Seal symbolically illustrates the Antichrist arising and conquering as he progressively takes over the nations of the world throughout the first half of the final seven years. This is how John describes the opening of the First Seal:
“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.
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. 6:1-2
During the first 3½ years of Daniel’s 70th Week, the Antichrist is given a crown and power to take over the world. However, at the end of the Antichrist’s allotted reign, which is at the mid-point of the final seven years, everything changes. This is reflected in the descriptions within the Second, Third, and Fourth Seals, which also contain symbolic pictures of the Antichrist riding on horses. However, far different from the white “savior” image of the First Seal, the next three Seals show him as he truly is: the harbinger of death and destruction.
The Second Seal reveals another horse going forth with a rider on him (Rev. 6:3-4), but unlike the first one, this second horse is red, reflecting all the blood that will be shed by the Antichrist. The Bible says that its rider is given power to take peace from the earth. This is a symbol of the Antichrist’s forces waging war against all the major superpowers in the world as vast armies make their way to do battle against him in Israel.
“And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see.
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.”
Rev. 6:3-4
All of the wars of the end will be started in response to the Abomination of Desolation that the Antichrist will commit as he desecrates the Temple and declares himself to be God. Daniel also saw this period of destruction in the last verse of his prophecy of the Seventy Weeks. He says,
“… and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.”
Dan. 9:27b
Or in the NASB version, the translation may be a bit easier to understand:
“and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.”
The Third Seal in Revelation then brings the Third Horseman of the Apocalypse, which is black. In this vision, the symbol is the Antichrist riding on a horse and destroying the world’s economies through a catastrophic collapse. He is seen holding a balance, which was the instrument for weighing out food and other goods.
A consequence of major wars is often an economic collapse and famine, and the final 3½ years of the Great Tribulation will cause the worst depression in history. It will completely break the global system of Babylon the Great. As the wars progress towards the end, the Bible predicts that in a single day, a vast nuclear destruction by fire will consume all the riches of man (Rev. 18).
However, even before the nuclear war begins, the early days of World War III will bring economic chaos. When the Third Seal is opened, the Apostle John heard a voice in heaven say,
“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.
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.”
Rev. 6:5-6
The Third Seal predicts that the economies of the world will suffer a massive collapse as World War III fighting rages. Even before the predicted nuclear exchange occurs, conventional wars will cause the burning of many cities and destroy housing and manufacturing capability. Supply lines will be cut off as major transportation arteries and bridges are destroyed and trucks are targeted. In addition, the planting and harvesting of crops will be disrupted as many battles are raging and fields burn. Gasoline and diesel fuel will quickly become too expensive to buy or impossible to obtain. The major result of all this destruction will be soaring inflation as food, goods, and services become scarce. What the Apostle John heard was that a measure of wheat, which is just enough to make a single loaf of bread, will take a whole day’s wages to buy.
Then the Fourth Seal is opened, and a fourth horse is seen with a rider on him. In this vision, the Antichrist is portrayed as death riding upon death. The horse and the rider are both seen as pale as dead bodies, without life and without hope. The Fourth Seal is thus the harbinger of the 3½-year death knell of the world through massive wars, ultimately causing utter desolation. This represents the heart of the final 3½ years of the Great Tribulation. The Apostle John says,
“And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
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.”
Rev. 6:7-8
The opening of the Fourth Seal will thus presage the death of one-fourth of the earth, including plants, animals, and people. The ultimate effects of this Seal will occur when the first nuclear missiles are fired (see Nuclear War and the Great Tribulation). The countries that are battling at this time are the Western Alliance nations made up of the Antichrist’s home empire (which includes the newly revived Roman Empire, which is likely allied with the US, Canada, Australia, and Japan) versus the Russian bloc nations predicted by Ezekiel to attack Israel in the latter days (Russia, Turkey [and the other Turkish countries], Iran, Libya, and the neighboring allies in northern Africa).
Ezekiel predicts that the Lord will send fire upon Gog (the Russian bloc) and upon the coastlands (the Western Alliance nations). The initial nuclear exchange predicted in the Bible will take place across approximately one-fourth of the land mass of the world. Thus, the Fourth Seal’s prediction concerning the death of one-fourth of the earth is terrifyingly accurate!
Then, when the Fifth Seal is opened, the Apostle John sees in heaven all the dead that have given their lives for the testimony of Christ and His Word. These include people that had not obtained the Mark of the Beast, nor had they worshiped the Image of the Beast, but had overcome the Antichrist and his followers and stood strong in Christ until the end. Unfortunately, the souls who have made it to this point and are with the Lord also had to suffer exhausting persecution at the hands of the Antichrist and the Beast (the Empire) and had died during some part of the final seven years. These are heroes of the faith that will be forever etched within the Word of God and remembered forever.
The Apostle John describes the scene this way:
“And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:
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?
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.”
Rev. 6:9-11
All of these people that are dressed in white robes and who died for their faith are again seen in the next chapter of Revelation after the Sixth Seal is opened. John saw “a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands” (Rev. 7:9). John then had a conversation with an angel, and the angel explained who these people are:
“These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.
They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.
For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.”
Rev. 7:14b-17
For the people of God (those who believe in Jesus), the Sixth Seal will bring them to the End of the Age and the glorious Return of Christ with all the promised blessings of the Resurrection and the Kingdom of God. In fact, the Sixth Seal is destined to occur concurrently in time with the Seventh Trumpet. The Sixth Seal marks the darkness and destruction immediately before the end and the Seventh Trumpet heralds Christ descending from heaven with great glory, power, and brightness.
For the faithful who believe and follow Christ, this moment will bring the greatest victory and celebration ever known—the culmination of all the hope we have ever had for salvation, resurrection, and life everlasting. However, for the Antichrist and the Empire of the Beast (all his followers) it brings them to the very brink of God’s judgment and wrath. The contrast couldn’t be more stark: the glorious brightness of Christ blazing forth on a white horse along with his angels in white against the darkness of sin and corruption represented by hundreds of millions of people gathered for battle in the Valley of Armageddon and the surrounding areas.
The effects of the Sixth Seal will be felt on Earth and in the heavens above as the Lord literally shakes everything with His anger:
“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;
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.
And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
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;
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:
For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?”
Rev. 6:12-17
With the opening of the Sixth Seal, the dark Day of the Lord will be at hand. The people of the world will then know that everything written in the Bible is true and Judgment Day has finally come. The sign of the Son of man (Jesus) will be seen by everyone in the heavens (Matt. 24:30) and fear will grip those still alive that have not believed. However, the response of the lost will not be repentance, but to fight or to run and hide from the wrath of the Lamb in caves and under rocks, thinking that they can defeat the Lord or escape what is coming. However, there is only one sure way to Escape to Safety but battling the Lord or hiding from Him is not the way.
The Lord predicted the effects of the Sixth Seal when he told his disciples about the final signs of His Coming:
“Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”
Matt. 24:29-30
Thus, the First Seal through the Sixth Seal provides a timeline for the final seven years and a very bleak picture of the general conditions in the world from the day the Antichrist is revealed up to the point at which Christ Returns. The prophetic details that the Bible provides concerning the last seven years can help us place each Seal in time as to approximately when it will occur (see the timeline graph).
In this regard, the First Seal must actually span the entire first half of Daniel’s 70th Week, since it indicates the Antichrist’s undisputed reign as leader of the world. The Second through Sixth Seals, however, must all be placed after the mid-point of Daniel’s 70th Week. These span up to the moment of the Second Coming, because they describe the destruction and suffering of the world during the final 3½ years and the Great Tribulation.
One point to keep in mind, however, is that some of the Seals are not associated with specific or isolated events in time. A few of them like the Third, Fourth, and Fifth Seals describe the terrible state of the world in the Last Days rather than specific events in time. Therefore, they should be seen in terms of revealing the general conditions of the final few years. This is not to say that they don’t occur in the period between the outbreak of war and the Second Coming, but only that they represent the broader descriptions of sufferings due to war and destruction, and do not mark isolated chronological events which occur at a specific times and dates.
When the Seventh Seal it is opened, however, the result is far different from the previous Six Seals. When the Seventh Seal is opened there is silence in heaven along with prayers from the saints offered to God as incense. This is how the Apostle John described this event:
“And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.
And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets.
And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.
And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand.
And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.
And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.”
Rev. 8:1-6
The opening of the Seventh Seal is so intense that it is accompanied by absolute silence in heaven as all of creation reflects on what it means. The angels that normally are continually singing praises to the Lord around His throne now remain silent. The millions of angels normally serving in God’s presence, suddenly stop. No one speaks and no one moves for 30 long minutes. This Seal marks a dramatic shift in the events within the final seven years. The Seventh Seal results in this solemn moment because everyone knows that it signals something terrible is about to occur, as it heralds the start of the full intensity of the Great Tribulation.
During this time, seven angels standing before the Lord are given the Seven Trumpets and they prepare themselves to sound!
Next: The Seven Trumpets (coming soon)
