Many people ask why the Tribulation is necessary. Some Christians believe that we must go through the Tribulation to be purified. The preterists state that there is no Tribulation because it happened in 70 A.D. A Verse by Verse Examination Reveals The True Purpose of Revelation Chapter 6

Full preterists argue that, in Matthew 16:28 where Jesus states that some of those who were there would not taste death until He comes again, it means that Jesus returned in the first century, and the judgment of the Tribulation happened in 70 A.D. when Titus destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple.

See Rob’s Complete Verse by Verse Commentary on the Book of Revelation

It is impossible to place the events you will read in the book of Revelation, at 70 A.D. There was no mountain burning with fire that destroyed every mountain and island (Rev. 8:8). There were no demon locusts that stung men with their tails, and no one could die for five months (Rev 9:10); there was no 70-pound hail recorded in history that fell on men in 70 AD (Rev. 16:21) The Book of Revelation describes two-thirds of the people on earth dying by 21 judgments. During the siege of Jerusalem in 70 AD, about one million Jews died in a single judgment by the Romans. During these 21 Judgements described by the last three and one-half years of the Great Tribulation, nearly 6 billion people will perish.

There is also the problem of the fixed periods of time that Revelation describes. What do we do with the specific numbers that are in Revelation: 1,000 years, 7 years, 144,000, and 1,260 days? If 1,000 is not 1,000, then what is it? No one could really know, because it is up to the interpretation of the one who reads it. The preterists’ view, in all forms, is not possible.

Revelation means exactly what it says. There is no mystery in these events. Jesus said they would only happen once during the history of the world and last only for a short time, but that if they were to go any longer, no one on earth would survive.

Jesus said: For in those days there will be tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the creation which God created until this time, nor ever shall be. And unless the Lord had shortened those days (to 3 1/2 years), no one would survive. ~Mark 13:19-20

The Jewish historian, Josephus, described the destruction of Jerusalem and the murder of 1.1 million Jews, as well as another 97,000 Jews who were taken as captives of war in 70 A.D. Thousands of other citizens of Jerusalem were sold as slaves, with many more being dispersed all over the world. This entire event is recorded by Josephus in the “Book of Wars,” Book 5, Chapter 22, Sections 1-3.

The book of Revelation described two-thirds of the people on earth being killed by twenty-one judgments from God. Clearly, the Tribulation did not happen in 70 A.D. or any time after. This will become very clear to you by the time you finish this book.

Why Will There Be a Tribulation?

The Bible defines two purposes for the Tribulation: first, the salvation of the Jews; second, judgment for the world. The seven years are the seventieth week of Daniel Chapter 9:25-27 prophecy, that is applicable only to Israel and the Jews: Seventy weeks (490 years) are determined for your people and for your holy city. ~Daniel 9:24

The Tribulation is not for the church; it is for “your people,” the Jews—the angel told Daniel. The Tribulation, the seventieth week of Daniel, is a time determined by God for the salvation of the Jews.

The primary purpose of the seven-year Tribulation is for Israel to believe in Jesus as their true Messiah. Paul wrote that during the Tribulation, “all Israel will be saved.”

For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved. ~Romans 11:25-26

The Old Testament predicted the rejection of the Messiah by the Jews. Isaiah wrote that when He arrives, Israel will despise and reject Him, hiding their faces from Him. They will not honor or respect the Messiah when He arrives.

Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?…He is despised and rejected by men…And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. ~Isaiah 53:1-3

The term “the arm of the Lord” is a Jewish idiom for Messiah. In the case of Isaiah’s prophecy, the Jews did not believe the report that salvation had arrived in the Messiah, Jesus.13

Zechariah predicted that the Jews would crucify their Messiah, and when they see Him coming to earth again and realize what they have done, they will mourn and grieve for Him as for an only son who has died.

They will look on me whom they have pierced and mourn as for an only son. They will grieve bitterly for me as for a firstborn son who has died. The sorrow and mourning in Jerusalem on that day will be like the great mourning. ~Zechariah 12:10-11

Jesus scolded the Jews for not recognizing the time of their visitation by the Messiah. He told the leaders of Israel that because they rejected Him, their house (the Temple) would be left to them desolate.

“See! Your house is left to you desolate; and assuredly, I say to you, you shall not see Me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’” ~Luke 13:35

Now as Jesus drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.” ~Luke 19:41-44

Because the Jews did not recognize or accept their Messiah when He came, Jesus pronounced judgment upon the nation. The city of Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed in 70 A.D. by the Roman general, Titus.

Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” ~Matthew 24:2

The Roman soldiers so completely decimated the Temple in 70 A.D., that there was “not one stone left upon another,” just as Jesus had said would happen when He predicted this event in 32 A.D.

In chapter 12 of this book, we will see the salvation of the Jews that will take place in the last half of the Great Tribulation. This is the primary purpose for the Tribulation period: to save all Israel. When the Rapture happens, the Time of the Gentiles will be over, and the time of Israel’s salvation will begin.

A secondary function of the Tribulation is to demonstrate the evil of satan and those who worship him, and destroy both in the Lake of Fire. God will permit satan to reign over the earth as a self-claimed god for seven years. His reign will manifest the true hearts of those who hate God, and they will worship and serve the beast.

The Tribulation was never intended for Jesus’ church. When Paul wrote his first letter to the Thessalonian church, he specifically told them that this time of wrath is not for those who love Jesus, because God has reserved us for salvation (1 Thessalonians 5:9-10). The idea that we must be purified by tribulation—from the text of Acts 14:22, “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God”—is describing the tribulations (troubles/trials) that come from the world, not the Tribulation that comes from Jesus called “the wrath of the Lamb.”

There Is A Stunning Difference Between Tribulation From The World, And Tribulation From God

Jesus said that in this world we will have tribulation, but He has overcome the world (John 16:33). Jesus did not say that in this world the believer will have to endure the Tribulation that comes from God. The last three and one-half years of the Great Tribulation describes the wrath of God being poured out on earth. Nearly every person who decides to trust in Jesus at that time will be beheaded by the beast (Revelation 20:4). These believers are people who did not believe in Jesus before the Rapture, but decide to trust in Him after the Tribulation begins. When millions of Christians disappear from earth at the Rapture, the world will know that Jesus’ promise to return for His church and Paul’s description of this event in 1 Thessalonians 4 are true. A great number will turn to Christ during the Tribulation, but it will be at great cost—the loss of their lives.

The idea that Christians must go through the Tribulation in order to be purified of sin and be ready for the return of Jesus is impeached by the New Testament. Paul wrote that we are complete in Christ Jesus. Paul wrote extensively that all of our righteousness comes from Jesus, and those who trust in Him have no record of sin accounted to them.

For in Jesus dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power. ~Colossians 2:9-10

And such were some of you (once sinners). But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. ~1 Corinthians 6:11

Jesus said that those who trust in Him are “clean,” and there is no need of any further purification:

Jesus comes to wash the feet of the disciples. Peter protests: “No,” Peter protested, “you will never ever wash my feet!” Jesus replied, “Unless I wash you, you won’t belong to me.” Simon Peter exclaimed, “Then wash my hands and head as well, Lord, not just my feet!” Jesus replied, “A person who has bathed all over does not need to wash, except for the feet, to be entirely clean. And you disciples are clean, but not all of you.” For Jesus knew who would betray him. That is what he meant when he said, “Not all of you are clean.” ~John 13:8-11

The moment any person trusts in Jesus for their salvation, after repenting from their sins they are clean, holy, sanctified, and fully ready for heaven. If Christians must go through the Tribulation in order to be purified of sin and ready for heaven, this is a works doctrine that places salvation in the hands of the worker, not in Christ. Salvation is a free gift. We cannot earn it by being more pure or more worthy. When we trust in Jesus for our salvation, we are fully ready for heaven at that moment.

As we begin chapter six in the book of Revelation, the first three and one-half years of the Tribulation is set into motion by the first seal that is opened by Jesus: Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, “Come and see.” And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer. ~Revelation 6:1-2

The peace is short; after three and one-half years, when Jesus opens the second seal, the Great Tribulation begins: When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come and see.” Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword. ~Revelation 6:3-4

We saw Jesus take this scroll from the Father, in chapter five. In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus described these final three and one-half years as a period on earth unlike any that has taken place before: For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved. ~Matthew 24:21-22

The Tribulation Period is divided into two sections: the first three and one-half years is called the Tribulation; the second three and one-half years is called the Great Tribulation. It is the second three and one-half years that chapter six of Revelation is primarily describing. During this time, two-thirds of the people who live on earth will die by twenty-one judgments from God. This Great Tribulation begins when Jesus opens the first of seven seals in the Title Deed to earth. It will continue until chapter 18 of Revelation is concluded.

The beginning of the seven years is described by the book of Daniel as the seventieth week of Daniel. Chapter nine of Daniel describes seventy weeks of years (490); the first sixty-nine (483), fulfilled at the arrival of the Messiah on earth. Jesus completed this prophecy on the day He rode into Jerusalem on April 6, 32 A.D. There remains just one seven-year period of time (one week) in Daniel’s seventy weeks.

Chapter six of Revelation begins the last seven years of Daniel’s prophecy. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 describes the event that will trigger the start of the seven years: the Rapture of Jesus’ church. Revelation chapters four and five detail events taking place in heaven during the first three and one-half years of the Tribulation on earth. 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 describes the next event: the revealing of the antichrist that will take place immediately after Jesus removes His church from the earth. Jesus describes the entire term of the seven years in Matthew Chapter 24. The revealing of the antichrist is triggered by the opening of the first seal for the Title Deed of the earth, that we saw in Jesus’ hand in Revelation Chapter 5.

At the midpoint of the seven-year Tribulation, the antichrist will enter the Temple that has been rebuilt at Jerusalem and go into the Holy of Holies. The false prophet will erect a statue of the antichrist there, and he will command the world to worship the antichrist as God. Both Daniel and Jesus describe this event as the abomination of desolation.

From this brief description, the student of Revelation can see that it is important to have a good working knowledge of the entire Bible. The culmination of all that the Bible describes is found in the twenty-two chapters of Revelation. By the time you finish this treatise on Revelation, which describes these events, your knowledge of the entire Bible will be greatly enhanced.

One of the first principles a person learns when they begin a study in the prophecies of the Bible is their stunning accuracy. It was this artifact of scripture that first propelled me into a serious study of the Bible in 1975. Since that time I have never ceased to be amazed at the new things I learn every time I study the Hebrew and Greek scriptures. The precision at which the Lord fulfilled the 400 Messianic Prophecies of the Messiah is beyond the realm of chance. In just eight of these prophecies, predictions about Messiah for which He would have no ability to control, the odds of one man in all of history could fulfill just these eight prophecies is 1 in 10^17. This is the number of seconds that have passed during the 13.799 billion-year history of the universe.

It is important to remember that what John is writing in the text of Revelation are not predictions. John was transported by Jesus into the future, where he actually saw these things take place. John is simply recording what he saw. All of prophecy is not God predicting the future, but Him allowing us to see what He has seen: things that have already taken place from His perspective, living outside of time in the domain of eternity.

You and I are living during the most exciting period of history, the days in which the events described by the book of Revelation are likely to take place. As I write these words today, a global pandemic of the Coronavirus has swept the world. Over ten million people have already contracted this dreaded disease. Lawlessness has filled the streets of America, with people burning down businesses, looting stores, defying legal authority, and rejecting the rule of government to control violence and crime. These are the days in which the Bible has written—days of evil and violence that are like the days of Noah, when people did what was right in their own eyes, and every thought and intent of their hearts was towards evil continually. Jesus said that when we see these days return, look up, because the day of His return is near (Luke 21:25-27).

In Matthew Chapter 24, Jesus describes the events that will happen just before the Tribulation begins:

Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.” ~Matthew 24:1-8

The Last days will begin by a great time of deception. One of the ways in which this deception will be revealed is through those who claim that the Bible is a work of fiction. In the last thirty years of Biblical scholarship, there has arisen a group of atheists who have attained advanced degrees in New Testament criticism for the sole purpose of discrediting the narratives of Jesus. In the book “You Are My Witnesses,” I detail the modern atheist scholar in his deception, claiming that the miracles of Jesus never happened, eyewitnesses didn’t write the texts, and the narratives that make up the Gospels were not written until the end of the first century.

Today I am seeing more critics and scoffers of the Bible, than at any other time of my 45 years as a Biblical scholar. Hundreds of books by atheist scholars, such as Bart Ehrman, have been written, criticizing the New Testament as a fabrication. Those who read these publications don’t notice that these scholars provide no evidence to support their ideas, but merely rely upon their status as scholars to convince the public that they know what they are talking about. When conservative scholars, such as myself, write in opposition to the unfounded conclusions of atheist scholars, we are often mocked as forming our opinions from outside accepted scholarly circles.

The truth is, Biblical scholarship has devolved into criticism that doesn’t seek to prove the scriptures but to discredit, align, and bring into question the reliability and truthfulness of the New Testament texts. This is the exact type of deception that Jesus warned would arise in the last days before His return.

As a result of these untrue publications written by modern liberal scholars, many people have hardened their hearts against God and His word. Atheists today are quite militant in their attacks against the truthfulness and reliability of the New Testament scriptures. In the last two years, I have written several books, defending the reliability of the New Testament and the eyewitness testimony of the men who recorded their sworn statements of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. These books are largely ignored because they are in opposition to the lies that atheists have published about the New Testament narratives. Deception reaches its intended goal, when people no longer listen to the truth but believe the lies written against the testimony of Jesus and His Gospel.

Religious Deception

When people no longer have confidence in the integrity of the Bible, they begin to invent their own scriptures and traditions to replace what God has said:

Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles. ~Romans 1:21-23

All lies and deception have a common source. Jesus said that these untruths come from the father of lies, satan. People who reject the truth about Jesus, as it is written in the New Testament, make up stories and religions of their own. They use the name of Jesus, but change who He is. The Jesus of the Mormon and Jehovah’s Witnesses religions is nothing like the Jesus of the Bible. Described as God in human flesh, false religions make Jesus a sinful man who became God by His obedience to their religion. In these false religions, Jesus was once a man like all men, a sinner who needed a savior himself. The Mormon church claims to be Christian, but states that Jesus became what any man can become—God—if he will only follow the doctrines and principles of their church.1 The Jehovah’s Witnesses state that Jesus was once an angel, not the Eternal God.2 The book of Hebrews is clear that Jesus is the Eternal God, Creator of all that exists and was never an angel.

The Bible presents Jesus as the eternal Son of God, who has always existed, who created the universe, who took the body of a man to die for the sins of the world, who rose from the dead, who will return to rule the universe forever. The average person doesn’t understand these subtle differences that are presented by deceptive modern religions. Most people who attend these churches, which diminish Jesus or change who He is, don’t know that the Jesus these false churches preach is not the Jesus of the Bible. This type of deception began in the late 1800s and is worldwide today.

The source of all religious deception is satan. He creates many false religions and gods to confuse people, so that people cannot find the True God. The way that any person can know the truth about the One God of the universe is by reading the words He left to us. It is through the texts of the Bible that God has chosen to reveal Himself. Critics lie and say that the Bible is a work of fiction. The gullible and those who do not investigate facts for truth often believe these lies. They don’t read the Bible with the idea that it is true, and they never find God.

The New Testament exists as the record that God has kept His promise to send the world a Savior. The narratives of Jesus are true, and the men who saw and heard Him state that they know they are telling the truth. They write that what is recorded is so that anyone who reads these words can know the One True God. By placing our trust in Jesus to forgive our sins, we are born again by the Spirit of God and have eternal life.

Modern New Testament scholars who are atheists, and seek to turn people away from believing the testimony of the New Testament, write that these texts are myth.

There are many liberal Bible scholars, critical Bible scholars, and even skeptical Bible scholars who believe that the Bible holds no authority, being merely a book of literature or a historical record of the religious experiences of people in the past. ~Dr. Roy Zuck

Understanding that the Bible was written as the word of God, a revelation of Himself to man, how could we trust anyone who does not believe this premise, and views the Bible as nothing more than ancient literature? Would you trust your life to a Medical Doctor who tells you that he doesn’t believe in medicine? The conclusions of atheist New Testament scholars, like Bart Ehrman, are not objective nor reliable.

Some say that Jesus never claimed to be God, the writers of the New Testament made Him God. When we read these texts for ourselves, we discover that the entire Old Testament, beginning with Samuel, teaches that the Messiah will be the Son of God. We can find evidence in nearly every book of the New Testament that Jesus is God. There are 134 personal statements by the writers that affirm they saw Jesus perform miracles as proof that He is God. There are 396 citations in the New Testament where the writers state that Jesus was crucified and rose from the dead, empirical evidence that His claim to be God is true.

In chapter 1, part 1, of this book, we examined some of the extensive evidence that proves Jesus claimed to be God.

Historical Evidence Of Reliability

The only way to verify that events actually took place in ancient history is to read what people wrote about these things in the surviving manuscripts. Critics will tell you that the narratives of Jesus are written too far from the occurrence of the events they describe to be considered reliable.

When we actually examine these surviving manuscripts for ourselves and verify the dates that are given for these manuscripts, we find that the copies of the New Testament we have in our possession today are from a time closer to the events than any other manuscript copies of any other ancient literature—secular or religious.

When we read the comments of critics as they describe the New Testament, we get the idea that only the New Testament survives by manuscript copies; all other ancient documents present us with the original autographs. It is important to understand that no ancient works of literature survive today with their original autographs.

All that we have to prove any works of antiquity are manuscript copies. In this regard, no secular events of history have more surviving manuscripts than the New Testament. Reliable scholars have consistently written that we have better manuscript evidence for the reliability of the New Testament than any events in the history of the world, secular or religious.

Modern scholars claim that the disciples of Jesus were illiterate and unable to write anything. When we examine the book of Acts, we see Peter before the leaders of Israel presenting an incredible dissertation that only a genuine scholar is capable of:

Friends, I realize that what you and your leaders did to Jesus was done in ignorance. But God was fulfilling what all the prophets had foretold about the Messiah—that he must suffer these things. Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away. Then times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord, and he will again send you Jesus, your appointed Messiah. For he must remain in heaven until the time for the final restoration of all things, as God promised long ago through his holy prophets. Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from among your own people. Listen carefully to everything he tells you.’ Then Moses said, ‘Anyone who will not listen to that Prophet will be completely cut off from God’s people.’ Starting with Samuel, every prophet spoke about what is happening today. ~Acts 3:17-24

Despite what modern scholars say, asserting that Peter was illiterate and not capable of writing a testimony of Jesus, we see Peter, in the book of Acts, meticulously reciting the Hebrew Prophets, proving Jesus is the Messiah, from the scriptures. Between Acts 2 and 4, Peter recites 25 critical Hebrew prophecies that Jesus fulfilled with great precision.

This is the proof that Peter was not illiterate, and the testimony recorded in the New Testament about Jesus is the truth. It was by the Spirit whom Jesus sent to live in these men, that they were able to remember and write their testimony of all they saw and heard from Jesus: These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. ~John 14:25-26

One Church

According to David Barrett, editor of the World Christian Encyclopedia: A comparative survey of churches and religions from AD 30 to the present, there are 19 major world religions which are subdivided into a total of 270 large religious groups, and many smaller groups. Amongst all religions, there are 34,000 separate Christian groups that have been identified in the world today. Despite all these many divided Christian groups, Jesus said that all those who trust in Him are a part of His One church. Jesus did not divide us into groups and denominations; we are all one by our faith in Christ.

The church of Jesus is divided today because people are divided. This was not how Jesus intended that we should conduct ourselves. When Jesus returns for His church, we will all be one once again. There are no separations, divisions, or denominations in heaven. Just one people who love and worship God, living together forever. I pray we might move closer to that ideal today.

The Signs Jesus Described For The Last Days

Jesus said: For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. ~Matthew 24:7

• In the last 3,000 years of recorded history, there have only been 286 years without a war.
• There have been over 15,000 wars, resulting in 4 billion deaths.
• During World War 1, more than 10 million men died.
• During World War 2, more than 35 million men and women died.
• During the Vietnam war, 58,000 men and women died.
• From 1970-1986 there were more than 19 wars, involving 30-40 nations, with 7.1 million people killed during those wars.
• There are currently from 22-25,000 gang-related deaths every year.
• Someone is beaten, stabbed, or shot in America every 22 seconds.

An Increase In Frequency And Severity Of Natural Disasters

Jesus predicted that famines, pestilences, and earthquakes will noticeably increase in frequency and severity as we approach the time of His return. Major catastrophic earthquakes are increasing in frequency and severity at an alarming rate:

• From 526 to 1811, a period of 1,285 years, there were only 17 major earthquakes.
• From 1822 to 2014, a period of just 192 years, there were 128 major earthquakes.

This is a 500 percent increase in frequency of major quakes in just the last 192 years.

• From 1960 to 2014, in just a 54-year period of time, there were 71 major catastrophic earthquakes.

This means that more than 50% of every catastrophic earthquake in history has happened in just the last 54 years.

We see the same trend in natural disasters; they are also increasing in frequency and severity.

• From 1888-1947, a period of just 59 years, there were 13 major hurricanes, typhoons, or other major catastrophic storms, with 62,274 people killed.
• From 1952 until 2013, a period of 61 years, there were 82 catastrophic storms with 760,761 people killed.

This is an increase of 500 percent in frequency and severity in natural disasters in just 61 years.

Famines:

Despite the world’s prosperity, 250,000 children starve to death every week worldwide, while nations of the world spend over one trillion dollars a year for weapons of war. Jesus said that famines, pestilences, and earthquakes would  be prevalent around the world in the years leading up to His return.

The Most Important Sign Of Jesus’ Return

Many of the prophecies of the last days that are important to the return of Jesus depend upon one stunning prophecy: the return of the Jews to their own country. No other nation or people who have been disbursed all over the world, and have lost their land and national identity, have ever come back to their own land  and be established as a nation and people a second time. This was until the Jews returned to their land in 1948.

The prophet Ezekiel predicted that in the last days, the Jews who had been disbursed all over the earth would come back to their land and be a nation and people once again. This return was described by Isaiah as taking place in a single day: Who has ever seen anything as strange as this? Who ever heard of such a thing? Has a nation ever been born in a single day? Has a country ever come forth in a mere moment? ~Isaiah 66:8

The return of the Jews to Israel was crucial to the return of the Messiah. Unless the Jews were in their own land again, the Messiah could not return. The fact that the Jews were brought back to their land is a supernatural work of God and the fulfillment of prophecy, proving that the Bible is the word of God.

When Jesus returns, it will be at the Mount of Olives, outside Jerusalem. Every prophecy that will be fulfilled at that time, from all the prophets who wrote in describing this event, depends upon Israel being a nation again:

I will gather all the nations to fight against Jerusalem. The city will be taken, the houses looted, and the women raped. Half the population will be taken into captivity, and the rest will be left among the ruins of the city. Then the Lord will go out to fight against those nations, as he has fought in times past. On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem. And the Mount of Olives will split apart, making a wide valley running from east to west. Half the mountain will move toward the north and half toward the south. You will flee through this valley, for it will reach across to Azal. Yes, you will flee as you did from the earthquake in the days of King Uzziah of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come, and all his holy ones with him. ~Zechariah 14:2-5

When Jesus returns to earth as the conquering Messiah, Israel will be surrounded by the nations of the world under the command of the antichrist. Gathered at the Valley of Megiddo, north of Israel, a massive military force will be waiting for Jesus to arrive (see chapter 19).

Jesus will descend from heaven with His church, as described by Revelation Chapter 19. He will land on the Mount of Olives, the mountain splitting in two (Acts1:7-12). Traveling north to Megiddo, Jesus will come face to face with the power of the antichrist, directed by the reigning king, satan (2 Corinthians 4:4). Jesus will simply speak, and all those who are ready to fight Him will be destroyed. Their bodies will spill their blood to the depth of a horse’s bridle along the entire 200-mile length of that valley (see chapter 19).

This battle could not take place; the nations would not be surrounding Israel; antichrist would not be waiting at Megiddo—if the Jews had not returned to their land. When Israel became a nation again on May 14, 1948, the stage was set for the soon return of Jesus. All that remains today is the removal of Jesus’ church from earth before He pours out His wrath on this world during the Great Tribulation. This is the topic of this book, a commentary on the Book of Revelation.

Ezekiel predicts this return by the Jews as a work of God to prepare the world for the return of Jesus:

“As I live,” says the Lord GOD, “surely with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out, I will rule over you. I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you are scattered, with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out. And I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there I will plead My case with you face to face. Just as I pleaded My case with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will plead My case with you,” says the Lord GOD. “I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant; I will purge the rebels from among you, and those who transgress against Me; I will bring them out of the country where they dwell, but they shall not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the LORD.” ~Ezekiel 20:33-38

Ezekiel predicts that the Jews will be brought by God back into their former land. It will be during the last part of the seven-year Tribulation that the Jews will finally recognize Jesus as their Messiah:

For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God. ~Ezekiel 36:24-28

Chapter 12 of Revelation describes this awakening by the Jews and the realization that Jesus is the True Messiah. God will supernaturally protect the Jews from the persecution of the antichrist as he seeks to destroy them by great wrath.

Revelation 6:1-2

Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, “Come and see.” And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.

The First Seal

As Jesus opens the first seal on the scroll, in Revelation chapter six, the church is no longer on earth; we see the redeemed of the Lord in heaven as the Tribulation begins. In chapters four and five of Revelation, we previously saw the church in heaven. Here in chapter six, the first seal is opened in heaven, resulting in the events of the first three and one-half years of the seven-year Tribulation. The antichrist comes out on a white horse with a bow but no arrow. He comes to make peace by the signing of a seven-year peace treaty between Israel and many nations (Daniel 9:27).

This treaty will allow the Jews to rebuild their third temple at the Temple Mount, next to the Islamic Dome of the Rock. This is all necessary in order for 2 Thessalonians 2:3-12 to be fulfilled. We know today that the Temple could be rebuilt on the existing Temple Mount without disturbing the Arab holy sites. We will cover this in depth in chapter 11.

Revealing Of The Antichrist

As Jesus breaks the first seal of the seven that are on the scroll, the seven years of Daniel’s seventieth week begins. As the first seal is broken, we see the antichrist riding on a white horse—much like Jesus will ride back to earth on a white horse, in chapter 19 of Revelation.

This is not a coincidence; the antichrist is the antithesis of Christ. This man will seek to imitate Christ in his conquering of the world and command worship from the inhabitants of earth. From the beginning of Lucifer’s story in the Bible, he wanted to be worshiped as God. It was this evil desire that caused his heart to rebel against God and resulted in his fall. Lucifer was created perfect and without sin. It was his rebellion that caused sin to arise in his heart. God did not create sin in His creation; it begins when the beings God made rebel against Him and choose their own way.

The restraining force in the world today, that is preventing the antichrist from being introduced, is the Holy Spirit working through Jesus’ church. At the moment Jesus takes His church from earth, this restraining force will be lifted, and the antichrist can make his entrance:

And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. ~2 Thessalonians 2:6-8

Some commentators have stated that the Holy Spirit will be removed from earth to allow the antichrist to be known, but this is not possible. We see many people who are saved during the final seven years of the Tribulation. No one is saved apart from the work of the Holy Spirit in their hearts. This can only mean that it is the restraining force of the Holy Spirt working through believers in Jesus that is preventing the antichrist from being revealed to the world. Once Jesus’ church is no longer on earth, the man of sin will be known immediately.

In just three and one-half years, the antichrist will unite the world under one government, one currency, one military, and one religion. He will rule over a confederacy of ten nations. Three will be removed, leaving seven to institute his policies and government.

We notice that when the first seal is opened, the antichrist has a bow in his hands, but no arrows. This indicates that he will conquer by peace. According to Daniel’s prophecy in chapter 9:27, this man will confirm a covenant with many nations for one week or seven years: 

Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week he shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, even until the consummation, which is determined, is poured out on the desolate. ~Daniel 9:27

A crown is given to the antichrist, signifying that God has permitted him to reign on earth for a brief time. At the garden, satan was given the dominion that Adam had over the earth when he deceived him and took away his rulership. As satan rules the world through the beast during the seven-year Tribulation, his authority is limited by God’s sovereignty, which determines the extent of the beast’s rulership and power. Left unrestricted, satan would destroy the earth and every person on it.

Paul describes the time in which the antichrist will be revealed to the world, as a period identical to the days in which we are now living: the presence of the COVID-19 Pandemic, the massive falling away of persons who once claimed to believe in Jesus, the rise of false religion, and the marked increase in lawlessness and evil that has permeated the whole world. These are all compelling signs that we are very near the end of this present age:

Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition. ~2 Thessalonians 2:1-6

Falling Away (Gr: “Apostasia” Ap-Os-Tas-Ee’-Ah), a departure from the truth:

Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons. ~1 Timothy 4:1

The last days are characterized by doctrines that have their origin in demons:

Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons. ~1 Timothy 4:1

In times past, the Christian church has relied upon the scriptures of the Bible for their direction and counsel. In the last days, people will depart from scripture and instead believe the opinions of liberal scholars and false religion. Today the world has a large number of atheists who have acquired Ph.D.’s in New Testament studies, in order to refute the reliability of the testimony about Jesus. Many of these men and women sit in places of leadership at universities and seminary. Young students who enter college with great excitement over serving Christ, as a result of their education, are indoctrinated into the lies of these atheist scholars.

Students are told that the Gospels were written late in the first century by non-eyewitnesses. They are told that the Gospels were written anonymously and are therefore unreliable. None of these assertions is true, and they are easily impeached by evidence. Young students don’t know this, and they often lose their faith in Jesus by the end of the first year of their studies. In 2019 I published a new book that refutes the lies of modern atheist scholars and details the truth of New Testament reliability. “You Are My Witnesses: The Men Who Saw Jesus” is a treatise on the facts of New Testament scripture that proves the Synoptic Gospels were written by 44 A.D. by the men whom Jesus called to be His witnesses.

Paul wrote to Timothy and told him that as we approach the day of Jesus’ return, there will be an increase in the number of persons who no longer trust scripture, but rely upon the lies of atheist scholars for their doctrine:

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. ~2 Timothy 4:3-4

The source of these lies in the last days will be satan, who is working in the hearts and minds of the unsaved:

Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day (Tribulation) will not come unless the falling away comes first (departure of faith), and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And now you know what is restraining (the Holy Spirit through the church), may be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. ~2 Thessalonians. 2:4-7

When the antichrist is revealed at the beginning of the seven-year Tribulation, he will seek rebellion against the rulership of God over the earth and exalt himself above God to be worshiped by the people of earth:

Then the king (antichrist) shall do according to his own will: he shall exalt and magnify himself above every god, shall speak blasphemies against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the wrath has been accomplished; for what has been determined shall be done. ~Daniel 11:36-38

The seven-year Tribulation is the seventieth week of Daniel 9:27. In the middle of the week, at three and one-half years, the antichrist, also called the beast, will end the daily offerings at the newly constructed Temple at Jerusalem and exalt himself above God. He will command worship for himself, described as the abomination of desolation, triggering the Great Tribulation, the opening of the second and third seals, resulting in war, death, and famine.

Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week (7 Years); But in the middle of the week (3 ½ Years) He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate.” ~Daniel 9:27

Jesus instructed the Jews, who will live during this period of history, to flee Jerusalem when they see the abomination of desolation take place, because this will begin the horrors described by Revelation chapters 6-18:

“Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand). Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. ~Matthew 24:15-16

The place the Jews will likely flee to is Jordan, where the Lord will protect the Jews from annihilation by the antichrist during the last three and one-half years of the Great Tribulation. Today, in the midst of all the conflict in the Middle East, Jordan has remained neutral between Jews and Arabs. When the antichrist comes to take control over the land of Israel during the Tribulation, he will not be permitted to seize Jordan:

He (antichrist) shall also enter the Glorious Land (Israel), and many countries shall be overthrown; but these shall escape from his hand: Edom, Moab, and the prominent people of Ammon. ~Daniel 11:41

Edom, Moab, and Ammon are cities in Jordan. Inside the border of Jordan is the ancient rock city of Petra. We will cover this event in detail at chapter 12 of Revelation.

At the beginning of the seven years, the antichrist will quickly rise to power. He will make peace in the middle east by a treaty that will last for seven years. It is not clear whether the actual treaty will specify seven years in the text, or simply last for this period of time. It is clear that part of the benefit for the Jews in signing this treaty will be to allow the building of the third Temple at the Temple Mount site.

The stones for this Temple have already been cut. The young men who will be conducting the sacrifices in this new Temple are already being trained in Israel. The Following statement is from: http://www.templemountfaithful.org

In Israel we are now living in exciting, prophetic end-times. G-d is moving in the midst of the people of Israel to redeem the people and land of Israel and to rebuild His House on Mt. Moriah in Jerusalem. We believe that Mashiach ben David is soon to come. At the same time these are very critical times that will be followed by troubles and difficult events. One important result of these times is that the preparations for the rebuilding of the Temple and the worship in it are continuing at full speed.

The work on the architectural plans for the Third Temple continues. Preparation of the stones and other practical parts of the building also continues.

A model of the Ark of the Covenant is being prepared. It will give everyone an idea of how the original one looked. The original Ark, which was hidden in a secret room under the Temple Mount a short time before the destruction of the First Temple, will be placed in the Third Temple.

Red heifers are being raised in Israel and in the U.S.A. We are looking for ashes of the red heifer which were hidden by the priests prior to the destruction of the Temple. Research is being undertaken on how to prepare the ashes in our time.

In a Center in Jerusalem, musical instruments for the Levitical worship are being prepared. Many other items for the Temple worship are also being prepared.

In recent years in Israel, the education of the priests and Levites has begun so that they can fulfill their tasks in the Temple.

When we arrive at chapter 11 of Revelation, we see that John is told to measure the new Temple that he sees at the beginning of the seven-year Tribulation:

Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel stood, saying, “Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there. But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months.” ~Revelation 11:1-2

The following descriptions of the Temple that will be built at the beginning of the seven-year Tribulation are repeated when we arrive at chapter 11, part 2. This is because this subject is particularly important to both chapters 6 and 11.

It is curious that John is instructed to not measure the area where the current Dome of the Rock is located. From this description written 2,000 years ago, we see that the time of the building for this third Temple will be during the existence of the Islamic religious sites that will coexist next to the Temple.

It has been the theory of many who examine Bible prophecy that the Temple cannot be built until the Dome of the Rock is destroyed. John seems to dispel this idea by the inclusion of the text that describes a Gentile site next to the location where the third Temple will be built.

Dr. Asher Kaufmann, Ph.D., Brandeis University, is a Middle East expert with a focus on Lebanon, Israel, and Syria. He has made an extensive study of the Temple Mount area and has come to the conclusion that the first Temple—Solomon’s Temple—and the second Temple were constructed 322 feet north of the present Dome of the Rock Islamic site.

The Temple Mount Site

Temple Mount With Second Temple

If you visit the Temple Mount today, there is a little area of flat bedrock, which is called the Dome of the Spirits. There is a small dome constructed above this flat rock with just pillars and a roof. This smaller dome has also been called the Dome of the Tablets. Dr. Kaufmann believes that the name Dome of the Tablets is a clue as to what this location is revealing: the place where the Tablets of God’s Law were placed inside the Ark of the Covenant at Solomon’s Temple.

Dome of the Spirits (Tablets)

It is interesting that in Revelation chapter eleven, John sees the new temple that will be built at this site. He is given a ruler and is told to measure the new Temple, but not the outer court because it has been given to the Gentiles.

Where the Dome of the Rock and the al Aqsa Mosque currently stand is the place called the outer court, the  area that the Lord told John not to measure.

Islamic Dome Of The Rock

Ezekiel gives us quite an interesting description, telling us the precise measurements of the third Temple. As Ezekiel records the measurements of this new Temple, he also describes a wall that is built around it. In Ezekiel 42:20 he writes that this wall was constructed to separate the Holy Place from the profane (Islamic site). He measured it by the four sides: it had a wall round it about, 875 feet on each side with a wall all around it to separate the holy places from the profane place.~Ezekiel 42:20

There are more than twenty acres of ground, north of the Dome of the Rock Mosque. The archeological evidence proves that this was the area where the first and second Temples were built, and the certain location of the third Temple that will be built at the beginning of the seven-year Tribulation.

John was transported into our present day and shown the Temple Mount as it now looks. He saw the Third Temple and the existing Dome of the Rock still standing. This would explain how the antichrist is able to convince the Jews and Arabs to sign a seven-year peace treaty and rebuild the Temple. This seems quite impossible now that Arabs and Jews could share the Temple Mount, each with their own places of worship, but this is what will happen at the beginning of the seven-year Tribulation.

Sharing the Temple Mount is essential in order to fulfill prophecies such as 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 and Revelation 11:1.

There is adequate space at the current Temple Mount site at Jerusalem to build the Temple that is described by Paul in 2 Thessalonians 2, where the antichrist will enter the Holy Place and be proclaimed as God. It is the location where John saw this Temple constructed, in Revelation 11, and was warned by the angel to not measure the area “given to the gentiles,” the place where the Dome of the Rock now exists.

It is also interesting that in John’s description of the Temple and the Holy Place within, this third Temple will be lined up directly across from the Eastern Gate, just as the first and second Temples were. God has saved this location north of the Dome of the Rock through every conflict and war, preserving it for the building of the third Temple at the beginning of the Tribulation period.

Third Temple Across From East Gate

The prophet Ezekiel writes 2,700 years before Jesus will arrive the second time, that the Eastern Gate will be sealed up and can only be opened by the Messiah when He comes again: Then he brought me back the way of the gate of the outward sanctuary which looks toward the east; and it was shut. Then said the Lord unto me; This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter in by it; because the Lord, the God of Israel, hath entered in by it, therefore it shall be shut. It is for the prince; the prince!  ~Ezekiel 44:1-3

The Eastern Gate Seen From Inside The Temple Mount And From Outside At The Kidron Valley

Because Jesus will come again touching down on the Mount of Olives, directly across from the Mount of Olives He will enter the New Temple through the East Gate. The East Gate was closed by the Muslims in 810, then reopened in 1102 by the Crusaders. It was walled up once again by Saladin, Sultan of Egypt and Syria, in 1187 A.D. Saladin was later defeated by Richard the Lionheart, the king of England, in 1191 A.D.

The sealing up of the Eastern Gate is recorded by the prophet Ezekiel in 700 B.C., and fulfilled by a Muslim king in 1187 A.D. God is able to direct every event of history to ensure that every detail of His word is fulfilled. We see this consistently throughout the Bible. This principle of predictive and fulfilled prophecy, with one hundred percent accuracy, is a distinguishing artifact of the Bible that no other god or religion can match.

There is some conjecture that the sealing up of the Eastern Gate was ordered by the Muslim ruler in an attempt to thwart the prophecy written by Ezekiel. In a different twist to this idea, it has also been surmised that the Islamic scriptures teach that Jesus is the Messiah and the Sultan sealed the gate to fulfill Ezekiel’s prophecy. Either way, what God said through His prophets has always come to pass exactly as He said. To the present day the Eastern Gate remains closed and is awaiting the coming of the Messiah, the Prince of Peace!

Zechariah records the prophecy of Messiah’s return at the Mount of Olives, directly across the Kidron Valley, northeast of the Old City of Jerusalem, between the Temple Mount and the Mount of Olives. The Mount of Olives is in direct alignment with the Eastern Gate:

And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. ~Zechariah 14:4

In the following photo taken from the Mount of Olives, we see the sealed East Gate in clear view from the location where Jesus will return to earth from heaven.

The View From The Mount of Olives, Across The Kidron Valley, Looking Toward The East Gate

Revelation 6:3-4

When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come and see.” Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword (a Megas Machaira).

When Jesus opened the first seal, the first three and one-half years of the Tribulation begins. The opening of the second seal begins the second three and one-half years called the Great Tribulation.

After the Rapture takes place, the antichrist will emerge and direct the signing of a seven-year peace treaty between the Jews and Arabs. The first three and one-half years will be peaceful on earth. As the Jews complete the building of the Third Temple, the antichrist will enter the Holy Place, and the false prophet will proclaim the antichrist (the beast) as God. A command will be issued that every person on earth must worship the beast. This will begin the judgments of the Great Tribulation by the opening of the second seal.

A great sword of war, a Megas Machaira, is given to the antichrist. The use of this term to describe the type of weapon used is clearly a reference to an extremely powerful armament that will be deployed, like a nuclear device. We see proof of this by the resulting global famine and death that takes place.

The Machaira was a shorter sword utilized by the Greeks while on horseback. From an elevated position the Machaira had a distinct advantage over any other sword, because the force of each blow was greatly enhanced by the elevated position over an enemy. This made the Machaira a superior weapon to any other. The intent is clear in the text of Revelation 6:4—a powerful weapon, greater than all others, capable of inflicting death and destruction all over the earth.

Revelation 6:5

When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come and see.” So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand.

Whenever there is war that causes massive death over large areas, famine will follow. Here, as the third seal is opened, food is in short supply and many are dying from starvation. In the following verse, we see a scale that is used to measure and ration what remains of the food supply after this war is concluded:

Revelation 6:6

And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine.”

A Denarius was an ancient silver Roman coin. At the time John wrote Revelation, one coin was an entire daily wage. Food will be in such short supply at that time, that it will take an entire day’s pay to purchase enough food for one day. During the time of Jesus, under normal conditions, a Denarius would buy eight measures of wheat or twenty-four measures of barley, enough food for an entire week for one person. Under the conditions of global war, a single Denarius will buy just one measure of wheat or three measures of barley. This implies that when war and famine break out on earth during the beginning of the Great Tribulation, earth will only have one-eighth the normal supply of food.

Instructions are given to not touch the oil and wine, considered luxury items at the time John wrote these words, and only affordable for the rich. It is an unfortunate result of war that the rich are often unaffected, while the poor suffer tremendously. As the antichrist is the source of this war, he does not oppress those with money who live for this world; he tortures and causes suffering amongst the most vulnerable. This present world has been under the rulership of the fallen Lucifer since the Garden of Eden. The reason for all evil and suffering in this present world is because satan comes to rob, kill, and destroy human life.

Revelation 6:7-8

When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come and see.” So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth.

It is inevitable that a global war will cause massive death. The opening of the fourth seal by Jesus reveals the massive death of billions all over the planet. Those who have been left on earth after the Rapture are the unsaved. Here we see that their fate during this catastrophic war is eternal death in hell.

It is difficult to imagine the number of dead described by John: one fourth of all people on earth who die as a result of the war that the antichrist starts. This number is staggering. Today there are 7.6 billion people on earth. One fourth represents 1.9 billion people who will die during this war. Before the Great Tribulation has concluded, John will write that two-thirds of the population of earth will be dead; some 5 billion souls will be lost; many, for eternity.

The time to share the Good News of salvation in Jesus is today. Every person we reach now, before the Tribulation begins, will not be present when billions die during the plagues of these 21 judgments seen in Revelation.

John mentions a sword, hunger, and beasts of the earth as methods for death during this fourth seal judgment. The Greek word used here for sword indicates that this could be a global nuclear war. The beasts John describes comes from the Greek word therion, a dangerous animal that could include rats or other rodents. Therion can also mean bacterial or chemical warfare, which has a longer reaching and wider ability to destroy large numbers of people. During the Bubonic plague of the fourteenth century, one third of the people living in Europe perished. Rats have been responsible for the death of over four hundred million people during man’s history.

Revelation 6:9-11

When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been 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, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.

The opening of the fifth seal causes global persecution of those who have come to trust in Jesus during the Tribulation. These persons will be killed by the antichrist for their faith in Jesus and refusal to worship the beast. It is certain that after the world realizes a billion or more people have vanished from the earth, they will believe the Christian message of the Rapture was true. Millions will likely turn to Christ in the days after this event and begin to read the texts of Revelation to see what comes next.

One of the reasons I wrote my book of Revelation Commentary was because I believe the time of these events is near. I wanted to record a vivid description of these twenty-one judgments from God for those who will live during the Great Tribulation, that they might understand what is happening, and turn to Jesus for salvation. It is my prayer that many will be saved as a result of this small work.

People living in the days of these judgments will learn that the Bible predicted the antichrist and his demand for worship and a denial of Jesus. Those who choose to trust in Jesus after the Rapture will discover that their refusal to worship the beast will cost them their lives. Just as Christians in the 250 years after Jesus rose from the dead refused to bow to Caesar as God, people who are saved during the Tribulation will not take the mark of the beast and will remain faithful to Jesus, even though it will cost their lives.

There was a drastic change in the minds of Roman Emperors after news of Jesus’ resurrection began to spread across their Empire. Up to that time, the Romans were very tolerant of every religion, except Christianity. This belief in a resurrection made it impossible for the Roman Emperors to accept Christianity as a conventional religion. No other leader amongst any other religion had ever claimed to rise from the dead.

It was because the Romans viewed a religion based upon a resurrected Savior as extremely dangerous, that they vigorously sought to stamp out every trace of Christianity.

A similar but much more vicious and global persecution will take place after the beast demands worship of the people on earth during the last three and one-half years of the Great Tribulation. Those who are killed at this time are told to be patient a little while longer while the remainder of those on earth, who are also killed for their faith, are completed. They are given white garments and told to rest under the altar of God.

How Were They Killed By The Antichrist?

In chapter 12 of Revelation we learn the manner in which these people are killed during the Tribulation:

And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. ~Revelation 20:4

Revelation 6:12-14

I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place.

The Sixth Seal:

If we carefully study the events that take place after Jesus opens the sixth seal, we see stunning similarities with events that happen after a nuclear detonation. The term, every mountain and island was moved out of its place, is an indication that this is a global occurrence. A second possibility for an event like John is describing is the phenomenon of a polar axis flip or a geomagnetic reversal. When this takes place, there is a change in earth’s magnetic field where the positions of magnetic north and magnetic south are reversed.

Earth has a magnetic field that is generated by dynamic action, that takes place when the convection of molten iron in the planetary core generates electric currents that produce magnetic fields. During a polar axis flip, these dynamos reverse. When this takes place, massive changes in the tectonic plates of earth can cause mountains to rise or fall, and islands to rise or disappear.

When the sixth seal is opened, John sees that every mountain on earth is moved out of its place. This is strong geologic and scientific evidence that perhaps an axis flip has taken place. The other descriptions John mentions, such as the sun becoming black and the moon turning blood red, are likely caused by the infusion of dust particle in the atmosphere of earth during either a massive nuclear exchange that triggers a polar axis flip, or simply the result of the axis flip itself.

John also writes that the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place.

Bright objects falling from the sky, which looked to John like stars, could also be the entry of ballistic missiles into earth’s atmosphere as they move towards their targets. Currently there are 14,000 nuclear warheads in the world’s inventory. In the event of a global nuclear war instituted by the antichrist, thousands of these warheads entering the atmosphere simultaneously could look like falling stars.

John describes the atmosphere of earth receding back upon itself, rolling up like the closing of a scroll, with the mountains and islands of earth being moved out of their place. During the detonation of nuclear device, a tremendous rush of air rushes back into the vacuum that was caused by the blast. This rush of air looks like the sky receding like a scroll. How did a first-century man like John know about a nuclear detonation 1,900 years before it was actually observed on earth? Obviously, John didn’t know these facts; they were shown to him by Jesus, and he simply wrote what he saw. This type of warfare on earth could cause a shift in earth’s axis that is precisely set to allow life to exist on earth.

The Earth Rotates at 23.5 Degrees on Its Axis

The direction of Earth’s rotation axis is nearly fixed in space. A tilt of 23.5 degrees ensures that our planet is not perpendicular to the plane of our orbit. As the Earth moves through its orbit, the north and south poles are alternately tilted towards the Sun. This is what causes the change in our seasons.

If this axis tilt was increased or decreased by just one percent, the surface temperature differences between night and day on earth would be too great to sustain diverse life forms, and no human could live on this planet.

A meteor as small as three miles in diameter, or a massive nuclear war, could cause a polar axis flip. In an instant, current frozen polar regions would become deserts, and regions once known as deserts could become lush tropical forests, or instantly become quick frozen wastelands.

The phenomenon of an impending axis flip has caught the attention of scientists since the mid 90s, when the movement of the poles began to accelerate from just 9 miles a year to over 34 miles a year. In 2019 the poles moved over the international date line towards the Eastern Hemisphere. If we are moving closer to the beginning of the Tribulation, and the opening of the sixth seal causes a polar axis flip, we may be very close to this event today. The fact that there is a trend in the movement of the poles already accelerating is a very interesting fact.

Scientists have discovered that our most recent axis flip moved the poles more than 1,600 miles from their previous location. This change in the axis of earth could have been caused by the meteor that struck the high desert near Winslow, Arizona, about 50,000 years ago.12 This meteor was estimated at just three miles in diameter, causing a crater 522 feet deep.

On April 29, 2020, an asteroid estimated between 1.1 and 2.5 miles wide came within 3,908,791 miles of Earth, moving at 19,461 miles per hour. This asteroid could have caused a polar axis shift as well as global weather events.

An asteroid called 2002 NT7, discovered on July 24, 2002, came within 37,910,000 miles of earth on January 13, 2019. Traveling at 45 feet per second, or 167,000 miles an hour, 2002 NT7 has an impact velocity fast enough to wipe out an entire continent and cause global climate changes.

Revelation 6:15-17

And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves 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 who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”

Despite the horrors of the judgments we have read so far when Jesus opens the first six seals, the people of earth do not turn from their sins to God when these events take place. Instead, they cry out to the rocks to hide them from the wrath of Jesus, who sits on the throne of God. The kings and great men, and every other man on earth, declare that the great day of Jesus’ wrath has come.

Evidence does not save people. The wrath of God does not save people. Jesus came to earth as God and showed the world all the proof that we could ever demand, yet most people still did not believe in Him. Jesus described the wrath that will be coming upon earth, the events we are reading here in the book of Revelation, yet very few turned from their sins and received Him as their Messiah:

But despite all the miraculous signs Jesus had done, most of the people still did not believe in him. ~John 12:37

The Preceding Is From Rob’s Verse by Verse Commentary on the Book of Revelation

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