Tribulation Timeline:
When Shall These Things Be?
(Part 2)
"And as He sat upon the mount of Olives,
the disciples came unto Him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be?
and what shall be the sign of Thy coming, and of the end of the world?"
(Matthew 24:3).
by Tom Stewart
The Seven Seal Judgments
1. The 1st Seal has a rider on a white horse going forth to conquer. He is the Antichrist
conquering through political and economic treaty, while holding the threat of the
force of arms. "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" (Revelation 6:1-2). He will also "confirm
the covenant with many for one week" (Daniel 9:27). The
"many"
who have signed the treaty are the world --
including Israel. Probably the momentous events following the so-called alien abduction
of many -- before the Tribulation Week begins -- prompt the passage of the treaty
that establishes Antichrist's New World Order at the beginning of Daniel's Seventieth
Week.
2. The 2nd Seal has a red horse
whose rider has a sword, implying war.
"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" (Revelation 6:3-4).
3. The 3rd Seal has a black horse of famine. The shortage of food is
a result of war, but it is also a tool of Antichrist to conduct war against what
the New World Order calls 'unnecessary eaters'.
"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" (Revelation 6:5-6).
4. The 4th Seal has the pale horse of death. One out of every four people
are killed by this judgment. It is essentially the wrath of man against man. "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" (Revelation 6:7-8).
5. The 5th Seal is the martyrdom of the Tribulation Saints. During the preliminary phase of the mark of the beast, these believers refuse cooperation in what they understand to be
a system of economic conduct that will result in the inevitable worship of the Antichrist. They will refuse even before worship has been mandated.
Antichrist will kill them because they are troublesome.
"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 fellowservants
also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled"
(Revelation 6:9-11).
- a. This writer believes that the 5th Seal judgment is 83 days prior to the middle of the Tribulation Week. And here's why...
b. The Second
Coming of Christ (Yom Kippur on Tishri 10) occurs immediately after the end of
the Tribulation Week (The Seventieth Week
of Daniel). The last day of the Tribulation Week would be Tishri 9. "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"
(Matthew
24:29-30).
c. Since the Rapture (the Second "Come Up Hither")
is the fulfillment of the Feast of Trumpets (Rosh HaShanah)
on Tishri
1, then it could be said that the Rapture
occurs eight
days before the end of the Seventieth Week...
d. Which brings me to the last
chapter of the Book of Daniel. "And from
the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh
desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. Blessed is
he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days" (Daniel 12:11 and 12).
The
Blessed event described after 1,335 days is the Rapture, ie., the Rapture
is often called the "blessed hope" because it is synonymous with being caught up face to face
with Jesus (Titus 2:13).
e. The
middle of the Tribulation Week, which is
known as the "abomination
of desolation" (Matthew 24:15), is 1,260 days
before the very end of the Tribulation Week.
The math: 360 days [1 prophetic year] times 3 1/2 years [1/2 of the 7 year week]
equals 1,260 days. Therefore, a period extending from eight days prior to the end
of the Week proceeding to eight days prior to the middle of the Week would be 1,260 days. 75 more days would make a total of 1,335 days [1,260 plus
75 equals 1,335]. Since we were already eight days prior to the middle of the Week,
75 more days would bring us to 83 days before the middle of the week [8 plus 75 equals
83].
f. Even if you are not totally confused with that explanation-- see the "Tribulation
Chart" found in this "Timeline" section, for some visual help to this
discussion-- the question that I am attempting to answer is: '83 days prior to the
middle of the Tribulation Week-- what does that have to do with the 5th Seal?'
Remember, that Daniel 12:11-12
spoke of the abomination of desolation, which occurs in the middle of the Week, and
also referred to the blessedness of the one who would continue 1,335 days. Also,
remember the blessedness of the Rapture.
g. Since the 5th Seal is the martyrdom of the Tribulation
saints, who give up their lives before
the mark of the beast requires them to worship Antichrist as God (seated in the Temple
at the middle
of the Week), then it would be truly a
blessedness for any saint to be able to continue to the Rapture exit point 1,335
days later!
h. I hope that you can see why I think that the 5th Seal judgment occurs 83 days
prior to the middle of the Tribulation Week. Even
more important... for any of you who would read these words during the actual Seventieth
Week of Daniel... Daniel 12:12 contains a gold nugget of a promise to get you through
to the Rapture. "Blessed
is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty
days" (Daniel
12:12 ). Be patient. Keep waiting. Our LORD Jesus Christ will come in 1,335 days.
Not sure how you can make
it to the Rapture? Now would be a good time to see how far you can go by trusting
the promises of the Living God. Most, but not all, will be martyred. Justify the
truth of God's WORD by being the someone that is "alive" and that does
"remain" when Jesus raptures His Church toward the end of the Week. "For this we say unto you by the WORD of the LORD,
that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the LORD shall not prevent
[lit., precede] them which are asleep. For the LORD Himself shall descend from Heaven
with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God: and the
dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught
up together with them in the clouds, to meet the LORD in the air: and so shall we
ever be with the LORD" (1 Thessalonians
4:15-17). May our LORD Jesus increase your faith!
6. The 6th Seal is the heavenly turmoil as well as earthquakes when the inhabitants of the world are reminded
by the Living God that He is the One who has a controversy with them because of their
rebellion. "A noise shall come even to
the ends of the earth; for the LORD hath a controversy with the nations, He will
plead with all flesh; He will give them that are wicked to the sword, saith the LORD" (Jeremiah 25:31).
Antichrist is wrathful, but "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living
God" (Hebrews
10:31). "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?" (Revelation 6:12-17).
- a. The Sixth Seal judgment is 11 1/2 days prior
to the middle of the Tribulation Week. And here's why...
b. The two witnesses, most probably Moses
and Elijah-- though some good arguments
indicate Enoch and Elijah-- will minister as God's prophets again on this planet
for 1,260 days (Revelation 11:3) before they are
slain
by Antichrist. Their dead bodies shall lie in the streets of Jerusalem for an additional 3 1/2 days before the LORD gives the
command to "Come Up Hither" (Revelation 11:12), which is symbolic of the Rapture that
happens approximately an hour later with the blast of the Seventh and Last Trumpet
judgment. [Verse 3:] "And I will give
power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
[Verse 6:]
These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy:
and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all
plagues, as often as they will. [Verse 7:] And when
they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless
pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. [Verse 11:] And after
three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood
upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. [Verse12:] And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come
up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them. [Verse13:] And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the
tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand:
and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of Heaven. [Verse15:] And the
seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in Heaven, saying, The kingdoms
of this world are become the kingdoms of our LORD, and of His Christ; and He shall
reign for ever and ever" (Revelation 11:3,6-7,11-13,15).
From the beginning of their prophesying to their resurrection is a total of 1,263
1/2 days.
c. Remember, wherever you
find the
Rapture, you find the Resurrection. This event combines the Rapture (Second
"Come Up Hither"), the Resurrection of all of the righteous dead in the LORD, and
the Last Trumpet. Isn't this what the Apostle Paul described to the Thessalonians
in the passage that most Christians see the Rapture depicted? "For the LORD Himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout,
with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ
shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together
with them in the clouds, to meet the LORD in the air: and so shall we ever be with
the LORD" (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).
d. The termination of Moses
and Elijah's Tribulation Week ministry is the Rapture, which occurs eight days before
the end of the Seventieth Week of Daniel. The length of total time they spend on
earth during that Week is 1,263 1/2 days. What marks the beginning of their ministry that indicates that it should
be the 6th Seal judgment? Let's examine
that.
e. The Russian
invasion of Israel, in alliance with the
Arab nations that hate the existence of modern Israel, seems to be the event
that is worthy of the beginning of the ministry of God's two witnesses, Moses and Elijah. This invasion is described in Ezekiel 38 and 39. Many in evangelical Christian prophecy view this invasion
as occurring at the beginning of the Tribulation Week-- differing with this writer.
Instead, it will occur 30 days prior to the middle of the Week,
and it is not to be confused with another confrontation with the Arab nations prior
to the Tribulation, one which leaves Israel in an advantageous position. This can
be determined by a statement in the last chapter of Daniel. "And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away,
and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred
and ninety days" (Daniel 12:11). 1,290 days extends from the end of the Tribulation Week forward to 30 days
prior to the middle of the Week. The "daily
sacrifice" in
a newly rebuilt Jewish Temple will already be in progress.
f. The LORD told Daniel that "the daily
sacrifice",
"the transgression of desolation",
and "the sanctuary and the host to be
trodden under foot" would last 2,300 days (Daniel 8:13-14). "The
daily sacrifice" refers to the beginning of sacrifice in the Jewish Temple on Jerusalem's Temple Mount. "The transgression of desolation" refers to Antichrist's "abomination of desolation" (Matthew 24:15) which occurs
"in the midst [lit., middle] of the week"
(Daniel 9:27). "The sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot" refers to the period of time, beginning with the Russian
invasion and continuing to "the consummation"
(Daniel 9:27) at the end of the Week, that even this newly rebuilt Jewish Temple will be out
of business while the Gentile nations trod under foot Jerusalem and the Temple. "Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint
said unto that certain saint which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning
the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary
and the host to be trodden under foot? And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and
three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed" (Daniel
8:13-14).
g. Temple sacrifice will be in progress 220 days after the beginning of
the Tribulation Week. How so? 2,520 days [the length of the Tribulation Week] minus
2,300 days [the number of days mentioned to Daniel that extends from the cleansing
of the sanctuary at the end of the Week, forward] equals 220 days [the time after
the beginning of the Tribulation Week that the Temple sacrifices will have had to
begun].
h. To conclude this discussion of the timing of the 6th Seal judgment... The Russian-Arab
invasion of Israel will take place 30 days before the middle of the Tribulation Week.
At this time the daily sacrifice will cease. Israel
will be subjugated. "Behold, the day of
the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. For I will
gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and
the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into
captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then
shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the
day of battle" (Zechariah
14:1-3). 18 1/2 days later (which is 11 1/2 days before the middle of the Tribulation
Week), God's prophets, Moses and Elijah, appear, and call down a supernatural judgment
of fire from the LORD out of Heaven. "And
I will send a fire on Magog [Russia], and among them that dwell carelessly in the
isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD"
(Ezekiel 39:6).
"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?"
(Revelation 6:12-17).
Though the Russian-Arab alliance is defeated supernaturally by the LORD God Almighty
through Moses and Elijah, the stage is set for the Antichrist's "abomination of desolation"
at the middle of the Tribulation Week. At this
time all will be required to worship this deceiver as God. He will declare himself
to be more than just an exalted messiah, but actually the one and only true God.
A blasphemous lie! This then opens to the 7th Seal judgment and the abomination
of desolation.
7. The 7th Seal is an ominous silence in Heaven for the space
of 1/2 hour while the angels prepare to
sound the following Trumpet judgments. The 7th Seal contains the remaining Trumpet
and Vial judgments, and the 7th Trumpet judgment contains the remaining Vial judgments. "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" (Revelation 8:1-2).
- a. Probably the judgment
of God with the best name recognition is the 7th Seal judgment. The seven Seal judgments,
the seven Trumpet judgments, and the seven Vial judgments occur consecutively and
not concurrently; however, the 7th Seal judgment opens up to all the remaining judgments.
Likewise, the 7th Trumpet judgment opens into the remaining Vial judgments. The first
half of the Tribulation Week is devoted to the seven Seal judgments. The seven Trumpet
judgments extend from the middle of the Week to 8 days before the end of the Week.
The seven Vial judgments are the "vials
of the wrath of God" (Revelation 16:1),
which occur during the last 8 days of the Week.
b. The 1st Trumpet judgment begins on the heels of the opening of the 7th Seal judgment.
The 7th Seal's silence in Heaven is for a space of 1/2 hour (Revelation 8:1), and
is not a reaction to Antichrist's declaration of himself to be the only true God
in the Jewish Temple. It is the pregnant pause before that declaration where the
inhabitants of Heaven watch as THE Living God,
"The High and Lofty One that Inhabiteth
Eternity" (Isaiah 57:15), prepares to
unleash His judgments upon the wicked of planet earth.
c. Israel has not only been reeling due to the Russian-Arab invasion, but the Antichrist-- who was supposed to be a friend as
confirmed
by his "covenant with many for one week"
(Daniel 9:27)-- is now exploiting the opportunity
of Russia's destruction upon "the mountains of Israel"
(Ezekiel 39:2) to seize control of the Temple.
d. Of this time, the LORD Jesus said: "Then
let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains"
(Matthew 24:16). This is the time of "Jacob's
trouble" (Jeremiah 30:7). "Let him which
is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let
him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that
are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight
be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: For then shall be great tribulation,
such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall
be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but
for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened"
(Matthew 24:17-22).
e. This is the time in which those whom the LORD Jesus told to flee will be hidden
by the LORD in the wilderness. These are the elect, but at this time they are not
saved. Most probably they are the nucleus of the nation born in a day (Isaiah 66:8).
God will providentially care for them, according to His purpose, in the meantime. "And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should
feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days... And to the woman were
given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her
place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time [1 + 2 + 1/2 = 3
1/2 years, or 3 1/2 x 360 = 1,260 days], from
the face of the serpent" (Revelation 12:6,14).
.
Big Chart
- The tribulation timeline displayed all at once.
Index - An in-depth index of
all topics displayed on the Big Chart, but in small chart form.
Print - It is recommended that
you print out the Big Chart, to help you see an overview easier, and for future reference.
Section Index for Timeline
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