Blessings, Grace and peace to you! In our previous post we discussed what will kick off the end times period known as the seven-year Tribulation. In this post, we’ll talk about the Dead in Christ rising, the opening of the seals of Revelation, and the beast kingdom rising.
This seven year Tribulation will likely begin with a loud Trumpet Blast, and the dead in Christ will rise (anistēmi/Resurrect) first. None of us really know what this Trumpet blast will sound like. The Bible describes God’s voice as sounding like a Trumpet blast.
Revelation 1:10: I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, 12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands;
13 and in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His chest with a golden sash.
The Church of Philadelphia🚪
In Revelation 3, we discover that God has put before the “church of Philadelphia” an OPEN DOOR FULL of PROMISES for this FAITHFUL CHURCH (bride of Christ). Because the Bride of Christ has persevered and kept God’s Word, God has promised them that He will keep them FROM the time of the Tribulation. They will NOT have to endure the Tribulation.
The Church of Philadelphia have OVERCOME their own sin nature through the blood of the Lamb and the word of their Testimony.
Revelation 3:8-12: ‘I know your deeds. Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one can shut, because you have a little power, and have kept My word, and have not denied My name.
10 Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. 11 I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your crown.
12 He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name.
In Revelation 3:12, Jesus tells us that He is writing His New Name on them. What’s in a name? Today, in our modern culture, a name is simply what we call someone. But in Jesus’ day, and biblically speaking, a name refers to a person’s CHARACTER. Jesus is imparting to the “Church of Philadelphia” a NEW NAME. We believe this represents their Transformation, when God’s Spirit transforms their human flesh into sinless and immortal (God’s Character).
The dead in Christ will RISE FIRST
1 Thessalonians 4:16: For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God🎺, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
Then we who are alive, and remain…. (1 Thess 4)
In these End-Times, God is doing a NEW THING, something that mankind has never seen before. The closest we have ever come to this was after Jesus was resurrected. After Jesus’ death and burial, He went into the belly of the earth and opened the graves of the Old Testament saints, and they rose up out of their tombs WITH HIM at His RESURRECTION and were seen by many people. Jesus overcame DEATH and the GRAVE!
Matthew 27:52 Also the tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; 53 and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection, they entered the holy city and appeared to many.
At Pentecost, Jesus gave HIS FOLLOWERS the GIFT of the INDWELLING of HIS HOLY SPIRIT🕊️, WHICH IS THE DEPOSIT OF OUR inheritance. Jesus redeemed our Spirits at Pentecost, but we are still waiting for the REDEMPTION of our FLESH, which is what happens when the DEAD IN CHRIST RISE first.
Is it possible that once the dead in Christ are raised (RESURRECTED/TRANSFORMED), many will REMAIN on the earth for a short period of time for the purpose of helping with the Harvest in Revelation 7 PRIOR TO being CAUGHT UP? Could there be a GAP in-between the dead in Christ RISING and the HARPAZO (Rapture/Catching away)?
1 Thessalonians 4:17: Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.
We know that Jesus Christ Himself REMAINED on earth AFTER the Resurrection for 40 days for the purpose of training His Disciples. Could God be planning something SIMILAR for the End times?
Habakkuk 1:5: “Look among the nations! Observe!
Be astonished! Wonder!
Because I am doing something in your days—
You would not believe if you were told.Acts 13:41: ‘Look, you scoffers, and be astonished, and perish;
For I am accomplishing a work in your days,
A work which you will never believe, though someone should describe it to you.’”Malachi 4:5: “Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord.
Ephesians 1:13: In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise🕊️, 14 who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.
Romans 8:23: And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.
The “kick-off” to the opening of the seals of Revelation will be the confirmation of the Covenant with the many by the antichrist (Daniel 9:27). The timing for the Dead in Christ rising MAY also be tied to the confirmation of this Covenant.
The Four horses of the Apocalypse (Seals 1-4)
WHITE HORSE: Deception/Rise of the antichrist😈 (Seal 1)
Revelation 6:1: Then I saw when the Lamb broke one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, “Come!” 2 I looked, and behold, a white horse, and the one who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.
RED HORSE: War⚔️ (Seal 2)
Matthew 24: 7: For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom (2nd seal – war), and in various places there will be famines (3rd seal – economic collapse) and earthquakes. 8 But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs. 9 “Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name
Revelation 6:3: When He broke the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come.” 4 And another, a red horse, went out; and to him who sat on it, it was granted to take peace from the earth, and that men would slay one another; and a great sword was given to him. ⚔️
Israel is surrounded by enemies who want to drive her into the sea. We expect to see the Psalm 83 war early in the seven-year Tribulation. This is the end-times war that involves Israel’s direct neighbors.
Psalm 83: God, do not remain quiet;
Do not be silent and, God, do not be still.
2 For behold, Your enemies make an uproar,
And those who hate You have exalted themselves.3 They make shrewd plans against Your people,
And conspire together against Your treasured ones.4 They have said, “Come, and let’s wipe them out as a nation,
So that the name of Israel will no longer be remembered.”
The re-building of the 3rd Jewish Temple in Jerusalem
Revelation 11:2: Then there was given me a measuring rod like a staff; and someone said, “Get up and measure the temple of God and the altar, and those who worship in it. 2 Leave out the court which is outside the temple and do not measure it, for it has been given to the nations; and they will tread under foot the holy city for forty-two months. (3.5 years..2nd half of the 7 year Tribulation).
As a result of this End-Times war, the 3rd Jewish Temple WILL be rebuilt. Revelation 11 shows us that they (the builders of the 3rd Temple) will leave out the outer court where the animal sacrifices are typically done. Why is that? Because they currently do not have enough ROOM to build the outer court on the Temple Mount. We have heard from people inside of Israel that the BLUEPRINTS that are already in place at the TEMPLE INSTITUTE do LEAVE OUT the outer court, just as it is written in Revelation 11. Because the Jewish Sanhedrin do not READ or CARE ABOUT the book of Revelation, they are UNKNOWINGLY fulfilling Scripture.
The Psalm 83 war and the Ezekiel 38 war will not be limited to ISRAEL. The United States is a huge supporter of Israel and will likely be attacked at the same time Israel is attacked. Iran has threatened to do just that. We could be looking at a World War III scenario. Powers have already aligned themselves – Russia/China/Iran — US/Israel.
BLACK HORSE – Global Economic collapse⚖️ (Seal 3)
Revelation 6:5: When He broke the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, “Come!” I looked, and behold, a black horse, and the one who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. 6 And I heard something like a voice in the center of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not damage the oil and the wine.”
The next shoe to drop in the 7-year Tribulation is the 3rd seal. This Seal represents GLOBAL ECONOMIC UPHEAVAL AND COLLAPSE, and the SUBSEQUENT civil unrest and FAMINE that will follow. The enemy’s plan is to collapse the global economy for the purpose of POPULATION REDUCTION, for CONTROL, AND also for the implementation of the MARK OF THE BEAST.
They have already driven the global debt to astronomical levels. The only thing keeping the global economy afloat is FAITH. Money used to be backed by gold, now it is backed by NOTHING. Currency is really only worth the paper it is printed on EXCEPT for the fact that people have FAITH in the system. As soon as the elite decide to CRASH the system, they will create PANIC in the markets. The red horse of war will create plenty of panic in the markets.
Even at the time of 9/11, it took a long time for the markets to recover. Just think about how a global war would stress an already overstretched economic system. The globalists have STATED PUBLICLY that they want to REMAKE the entire FINANCIAL SYSTEM because of CLIMATE CHANGE. They have a plan to do just that.
The BLACK HORSE paves the way for the Mark of the Beast
Enter, the MARK OF THE BEAST, where no man or woman can BUY OR SELL (food, clothing, housing, healthcare – ANYTHING) UNLESS they TAKE the MARK of the BEAST. The antichrist and the false prophet will coerce all people everywhere to take this mark. With the mark, people will be able to work, eat, shop, and live “relatively comfortably” in the beast kingdom. All they have to do in exchange is to sell their souls. 😱
Those who take the mark of the beast will be required to deny Jesus Christ and pledge allegiance to the beast (antichrist). They will espouse his values and will be “remade” into the “image of the beast”.
Out of all the terrifying end times events, this one may be the most horrific because with it comes eternal suffering and damnation. 😱
Revelation 13:16: And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, 17 and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name
Revelation 16:2: So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth; and a harmful and painful sore afflicted the people who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his image.
For those who are not taken in the Rapture (catching away), they will be required at some point to take the mark of the beast if they want to EAT! The elite plan to REMAKE the GLOBAL ECONOMIC SYSTEM utilizing the MARK OF THE BEAST as a type of CURRENCY, but it will NOT be worth it!
You will see below that there has already been hyperinflation in some parts of the world, and because of the severe weather, flooding and fires, growing seasons and harvests have been severely shortened, and forecasters are already predicting that food prices will rise.
Picture: Million Dollar Boy: A young man on his way to buy a loaf of bread in Zimbabwe where bread is over one million dollars a loaf due to inflation. This is a country where everyone is a ‘Millionaire’ but it is worthless. Indeed, a sign of the times.
There has already been pressure on food prices, planting and harvesting. At the same time, the global economy is a game of smoke and mirrors, with nothing of value backing most of the world’s currency. Hard times could be coming SOON, and we must be prepared to LEAN on JESUS, God our PROVIDER.
Those who take the Mark of the Beast in order to BUY or SELL will have a permanent one-way ticket to outer darkness for eternity. No thanks!
Revelation 14: 9 Then another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire andbrimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.
11 And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”
12 Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus. 13 And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, “Write, ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!’” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them.”
It is far better to die in the Lord during the Tribulation than to take the MARK OF THE BEAST, an unforgivable sin that will lead to ETERNAL TORMENT DAY AND NIGHT…FOREVER! There is no contest…it is much better to die in the Lord. However, it is even BETTER to recognize Jesus CHRIST as SAVIOR AND Lord NOW...while it is yet day and get on the ARK of SAFETY BEFORE the TRIBULATION PERIOD!
Pale Horse: Famine/Pestilence/Death 💀 (Seal 4)
The fourth Seal is death and destruction. These are the “four severe judgments” of the Lord as spoken of by the Old Testament Prophet Ezekiel that will affect 1/4 of the earth.
Ezekiel 14:21: For thus says the Lord GOD, “How much more when I send My FOUR SEVERE JUDGMENTS against Jerusalem: sword, famine, wild beasts and plague to cut off man and beast from it!
The 4th Seal is a combination of seal 2 (war) and seal 3 (famine)…adding to that seal 4 (pestilence/disease) and wild beasts. What is likely to break out when people are starving from war and famine? Pestilence (disease). Plus, we may also see biological warfare utilized in the End Times Tribulation wars.
Revelation 6:7: When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come.” 8 I looked, and behold, an ashen horse (sickly color); and he who sat on it had the name Death💀; and Hades was following with him.
Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword (war – 2nd seal) and with famine (3rd seal) and with pestilence (tfj: PLAGUES) and by the wild beasts of the earth.
When God speaks of “the wild beasts of the earth” in Rev. 6:8 (4th seal), we notice that the Greek word for “wild beast” is thērion. This is important because we see this same word used later in Revelation 13:1 to describe the beast (thērion) coming out of the sea.
Revelation 13:1: And the dragon (satan) stood on the sand of the seashore. Then I saw a beast ( wild beast/ thērion) coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns were ten diadems(crowns), and on his heads were blasphemous names.
The Beast rising out of the sea is the antichrist and his kingdom of 10 toes/horns/regions, the GLOBAL New World Order.
Daniel’s Beast Kingdom – Life in a Dying World
The 4th Seal is probably NOT referring to death by NATURAL wild beasts, but by the antichrist and his beast kingdom, who will be beheading Christians, and killing people who do not submit to their authority. Notice in the 4th seal that Hades follows after the rider on the 4th horse. Hades is a place where unbelievers go…
The opening of the 1st 4 seals of Revelation, especially seals 2-4, paint for us a picture of rebellious mankind who does NOT want the ways of God. The ways of man lead to MURDER, WAR, FAMINE, PESTILENCE, and DEATH…and ultimately to HADES (HELL). This is the inevitable END for ALL mankind who CHOOSE to REJECT our CREATOR.
But even during these dark days, the Lord Jesus Christ shows mercy.
Acts 2:21: The sun will be turned to darkness🌆, and the moon to blood🌑, before the coming of the great and glorious Day of the Lord. 22: ‘AND IT SHALL BE THAT EVERYONE WHO CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.’✝️
Three Days of Darkness: Is it Biblical and How do we Prepare? – Life in a Dying World
The end of the age is a really big subject. Quite a bit of Scripture points to this time period. Entire books have been written about this subject.
