When Messiah breaks the first seal, the reign of Antichrist begins. He is pictured on a white horse impersonating Messiah with a bow in his hand. Also, a crown (kingdom) has been given to him, and he goes out conquering and to conquer. Interestingly enough, Antichrist is said to have a bow but there is no mention of arrows. Perhaps this is assumed, but this language could also suggest that he conquers without warfare. This first horse represents the first part of the Last Shemitah Cycle when Antichrist signs a covenant of “peace” with Israel, and through skill and diplomacy, solidifies the other nations behind him.

Diplomacy is regarded as a primary means of settling territorial disputes today. Though wars have increased, nations now view diplomacy, dialogue, trade agreements, etc., as being equally or even more effective in settling disputes. The nation of Israel is obsessed with the need for “peace and security” and the whole world seems to be committed to the “peace process.” The one who succeeds in bringing this peace will likely be the rider of the white horse in the first seal. Peace will come for a while and then it will suddenly be broken and all out destruction will begin. The events which follow – wars, famines, plagues, earthquakes, darkness, etc. – are all common themes of the Day of the Lord. While they are saying “peace and security” then suddenly destruction will come upon them like birth pangs upon a woman with child, and they will not escape. This is the time of Jacob’s Distress, but the Lord will deliver a remnant from it. 

When Jesus breaks the second seal, Antichrist rides out on a red horse. This red horse is symbolic of war. A great sword is given to him, and he takes peace from the earth. In the middle of the week, Antichrist breaks his covenant with Israel, sets up the Abomination of Desolation, and the time of “peace” comes to an end (1Thess 5:3). Notice that in order for him to take “peace” from the earth, the earth must have been experiencing a time of peace. This can hardly be said at the moment, but it is the main preoccupation of the nations today, especially in the Middle East. 

When the third seal is broken, a black horse is released and its rider has a pair of scales in his hand. Then a voice cries out saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius….” This is a picture of great famine brought on by the destruction of war and possibly by the persecution of the Antichrist who forbids buying and selling except by the mark of the Beast (Rev 13:17). 

When Messiah breaks the fourth seal, an ashen horse is released. He who sat on it had the name Death, and Hades was following with him. A fourth of the earth is slaughtered by a combination of war, famine, pestilence, and wild beasts. This is undoubtedly a result of the beginning of the Armageddon campaign. At present, a fourth of the earth would equal at least one and a half billion people. For this to happen before the Tribulation is unimaginable. 

When the fifth seal is broken, a vision appears of the martyred saints underneath the altar. The altar is the place of justice, and the blood of the martyrs is seen here as crying out for justice to be done. They are told to be patient a little longer until the rest of their martyred brethren join them. This illustrates the great multitude that will not bow down to the devil taking the mark of the Beast and are martyred as a result. 

The Sixth Seal compares directly to Isaiah 2 

12 I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; 13 and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. 14 The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. 15 Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; 16 and they *said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; 17 for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” Revelation 6:12-17

“The pride of man will be humbled And the loftiness of men will be abased; And the Lord alone will be exalted in that day, 18 But the idols will completely vanish. 19 Men will go into caves of the rocks And into holes of the ground Before the terror of the Lord And the splendor of His majesty, When He arises to make the earth tremble.” Isaiah 2:17-21 

At the opening of the sixth seal, the wrath of Messiah is poured out. This happens toward the end of the Tribulation. The events of the Sixth Seal are conclusive and only happen once. They are clearly identified by many verses of Scripture as marking the end of the Tribulation or the Day of the Lord. 

➢   Sun like sackcloth 

➢   Moon like blood 

➢   Stars fall from the sky 

➢   Every mountain and island moved out of their places 

➢   Sky split apart like a scroll 

Below is a sampling of verses on the cosmic signs at the end of the Tribulation.  

“But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory.” Mt 24:29-30  

”In that day there will be no light; the luminaries will dwindle. For it will be a unique day which is known to the LORD, neither day nor night, but it will come about that at evening time there will be light.” Zech 14:6-7  

“I will display wonders in the sky and on the earth, blood, fire and columns of smoke. The sun will be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. And it will come about that whoever calls on the name of the LORD will be delivered; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be those who escape, as the LORD has said, even among the survivors whom the LORD calls.” Joel 2:30-32 

“Behold the day of the LORD is coming, cruel, with fury and burning anger, to make the land a desolation; and He will exterminate its sinners from it. For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not flash forth their light; the sun will be dark when it rises and the moon will not shed its light. Thus I will punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their iniquity; I will also put an end to the arrogance of the proud and abase the haughtiness of the ruthless. I will make mortal man scarcer than pure gold and mankind than the gold of Ophir. Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken from its place at the fury of the LORD of hosts in the day of His burning anger.” Is 13:9-13 

The Seventh Seal (Chapter Eight) 

The first six seals that Messiah broke contained an overview of events during the Day of the Lord or the Tribulation. The seventh seal is then opened and within it are a series of visions relating to the time of wrath and judgment that is poured out on the earth. These various judgments are pictured as seven angels with seven trumpets. Again the number seven is used symbolically to show the fullness of the judgment and wrath. However, before the judgment is released we are told that there is silence in heaven for half an hour. This verse is telling us how serious this judgment of mankind is and how it pains God to pour it out. All of heaven, which is usually triumphant in song, observes, as it were, a half hour of complete silence because of the magnitude of suffering that is about to be experienced on Earth. Then verses 3-5 reveal the role of God’s people as priests and how the unleashing of this judgment is in direct response to their worship (represented by the incense) and intercession. Then the seven angels sound their trumpets, and seven great judgments are released upon Earth. They are as follows: 

  • Destruction on the earth – Hail and fire mixed with blood. A third of the earth, a third of the trees, and all the green grass was burned up.  
  • Destruction on the sea – Something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea became blood, a third of the creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.  
  • Destruction on the rivers and springs – A great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and springs of water and they became bitter and many men died.  
  • Darkness – A third of the sun and a third of the moon and a third of the stars were smitten – darkness for a third of the day and night.  
  • Locusts releasing torment – torment men for five months. They are not allowed to kill and they are not allowed to harm the servants of God. Their king is the destroyer himself, Antichrist. (The description of these locusts given in Chapter 9 implies that they are not insects at all but likely some sort of man-made weapons. Perhaps they are helicopters or drones that release chemical weapons. Though they are man-made, they are inspired by satan himself (the star that had fallen) who unleashes a horde of demons to round them up. This is the typical picture that exists throughout the book of Revelation of supernatural and natural forces working together in unison.)  
  • Armageddon – Four angels that are bound at the Euphrates are released. These are satanic forces, principalities of war, which prepare the way for the 200 million army to come from the east. A third of mankind is killed by this action. John, not knowing what he was looking at, called the weapons he saw horses, but the descriptions he gave could only be matched by modern armament – weapons of mass destruction.  
  • Seventh Trumpet – Christ Reigns  “And the nations were enraged, and Your wrath came, and the time came for the dead to be judged, and the time to reward Your bond-servants the prophets and the saints and those who fear Your name, the small and the great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth. And the temple of God which is in heaven was opened; and the ark of His covenant appeared in His temple, and there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder and an earthquake and a great hailstorm.” Rev 11:18-19 

When the seventh angel sounds, the Messiah appears and pours out wrath on the nations gathered against Jerusalem. The general resurrection takes place when the prophets and saints of old are raised together with those believers that were martyred during the Tribulation. Also mentioned is the great earthquake and hailstorm which climax the Tribulation. Though Messiah’s appearing is not actually mentioned until Chapter 14, it is implied by these events. This is another reason why the book of Revelation cannot be chronological since the events of the Sixth Seal, the Seventh Trumpet, and the Seventh Bowl are the same and each ends with the return of Messiah to judge. 

 There is a fascinating similarity between the trumpet plagues and the bowl judgments! That is why I am inclined to believe they are the same. They each appear to end with the return of Christ. What is the significance of the “one-third?” Could it be that it is also symbolic since many of the numbers are? 

  • Plagues 
  • Fire on the Earth  
  • Water to Blood  
  • Waters Made Bitter  
  • Darkness  
  • Locusts – Chemical Warfare  
  • Armageddon  
  • Thy Wrath

Excerpt from ” The 7 Lost Keys of End-Time Prophecy: Unlocking the mysteries and dispelling the myths surrounding the Coming of Christ” by PJ Hanley

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