As we have seen, the stated purpose of The Revelation, which was given to the Apostle John, was to show unto Christ's servants "things which must shortly come to pass."  It was further stated, "for the time is at hand."  This means that what John was shown was either about to take place or about to begin to take place.  The first thing John saw, of which this could rightly be said, was Christ's opening of some seals on a mysterious seven sealed book or scroll.  The first four of these seals reveal the activity of four horsemen that go forth on campaigns associated with deception, wars, poverty, and martyrdom, respectively.  Moreover, these things parallel in sequence the first things Jesus warned His disciples of in a talk He had with them on Mount Olivet, commonly called "The Olivet Discourse."  Hence, in harmony with the stated purpose of The Revelation and that of which Jesus spoke, first century Christians were under notice that the things they were being warned of were about to begin to take place---at least the first things.  Was such the case?  History bears much testimony to the affirmative.

     A perceived problem with the foregoing position concerns the 4th Seal and what is said about power being given to Death and Hell over "the fourth part of the earth" (Rev. 6:8).  The common interpretation is that this denotes one-fourth of the population being killed, and history doesn't testify to this many people ever having been killed since Christ's time.  But, the fourth part "of the earth" is actually a geographical statement, and when interpreted thus, the possibilities for what this seal depicts are radically changed.  Applied even to our day, we know that there are many places upon the earth (arguably totaling 1/4 of it ) so hostile to Christians that, if they should go there, they may never come back.  Moreover, this situation has characterized all of the Church Age.  The correctness of this interpretation is made all the more apparent by what John sees after the opening of the 5th Seal---those martyred during the Church Age and the assurance they receive that their blood will at long last be avenged.

     Everything taken together, there is solid scriptural support and centuries of historical evidence for the understanding that the four horsemen have been riding since early in the era of the Church.  From the perspective set forth in this study, they have left quite a trail.  It must be borne in mind that Almighty God has from Adam's day granted to Satan certain liberties to ply his craft.  He would have absolutely none otherwise.  The horsemen of the first four seals merely represent the nature of the liberties he has been granted for the time since the giving of The Revelation.  According to the wording of The Revelation, the Lamb (Jesus) would have begun to open some of the seals as early as the close of the first century (Rev. 1:1-3 and 4:1).  Evidence supports that He opened the first four then and that Satan's henchmen have been riding ever since, insatiably bent on accomplishing their part in his sinister goals.  It is to the credit of Satan's effectiveness to deceive and misdirect that their activity has not been tied to them.  Hopefully, my angle of observation has made their hoofprints easier to discern.  Through the lens of a worldwide perspective, it can be seen that they are even now very much on the move.

     It is Important to our understanding of The Revelation to realize how the other things Jesus spoke in His Olivet Discourse also relate to it.  It should not surprise us that Jesus' Olivet discourse holds keys that help to unlock the mysteries of what we find in The Revelation and vice-versa.  For example, it is clear that distinct phenomena occurring with the sun and the moon are going to accompany Christ's return, because we find concerning this in all three accounts of His discourse and in Revelation 6:12-17, which is John's account of the 6th Seal.  But, John also gives an account of Christ's return much later, in Revelation 19, an account we all know to be of His Second Advent.

     Interestingly, in conjunction with all that happens at the time of the opening of the 6th Seal, Jesus said, "And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven" (Matt. 24:30).  Allowing Scripture to interpret Scripture, this supports that Christ will be making a sign appearance before the time of His Second Advent---an understanding that is extremely helpful.  Matthew's account of this event also dovetails with the corresponding sections of Mark and Luke's accounts, which in turn, ties back in with the time of the opening of the 6th Seal.  Under the heading, JESUS' OLIVET DISCOURSE AND THE SEVEN SEALED BOOK (click here), note the 22+ prophecy parallels I have there listed, which occur in sequence and support the foregoing with what follows.  These parallels cannot be lightly dismissed.

     Further support of the foregoing is the prophecy of Joel's, appealed to by Peter on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:16-21).  Not only does this prophecy concern God's pouring out of His Holy Spirit upon the Church, it also points to the Church Age, as it encompasses the time from its inauguration on the Day of Pentecost until its close, just before the beginning of the last days' Day of the Lord judgment.  It is quite apparent that Joel's prophecy is precise concerning elements of the day of the beginning of the Church Age.  Not so apparent is that it is equally as precise concerning elements of the day of its end.  This is confirmed if what it says concerning the signs in the sun and the moon fits with the 6th Seal and with everything else that fits with the 6th Seal---and it does.  Because the end of the Church Age is marked by the rapture, Joel's much overlooked prophecy holds perhaps the most important key to unmistakably recognizing the time of this event in The Revelation.

     Based on these things, the chronology of The Revelation, and much more, it can rightly be concluded that the rapture of the Church will occur just after Christ's opening of the 6th Seal and in conjunction with the sign appearance that He will make at that time.  This has the rapture occurring just before the beginning of the last days' Day of the Lord judgment, or "the great day of His wrath," as spoken of in John's account of this seal (Rev. 6:17).  After this, John writes of 144,000 Jews that will be sealed at this time and then beholds the just resurrected and raptured Church in Heaven, of which it is truthfully said, "These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."

     Christ then opens the last seal of the Seven Sealed Book, which Scripture supports will be opened the same day as the 6th Seal.  Helpful to contemplate is that this book could rightly be entitled, THE DAY OF THE LORD, as the time of the last days' Day of the Lord judgment is what it is all about.  On the day that the Day of the Lord commences, things will immediately start coming together for the fulfilling of the final seven years of Daniel's Seventy Weeks' prophecy.  This all means that the rapture will occur well before that time of tribulation, making this a solid pre-trib (or pre-Daniel's 70th Week) rapture view.

     Concerning Daniel's prophecy of 70 weeks, the fact that the Church was not a part of the fulfilling of the first 69 weeks of this prophecy strongly suggests that it will not be a part of the 70th Week.  Similarly, what is in our Western Hemisphere was also not a part of the fulfilling of the first 69 weeks, and there is prophetic evidence that it too will not be a part of the 70th Week.  This evidence occurs just after the opening of the 7th Seal with the sounding of the first four of seven trumpets and the resultant destruction of one-third of the earth (Rev. 8:7-12).  As we have seen, if this destruction is concentrated (rather than cumulative) and concerns what is in our hemisphere, this would represent exactly one-third of the earth.  This supports that what is in our hemisphere may be taken out of the picture at this time for the purpose of bringing the focus again to bear upon what is in Israel's hemisphere---as in the Bible days.  Interestingly, this can scripturally occur the same day as the rapture.  Said another way, on the day of the rapture, it looks like God is going to do something staggering to begin the resetting of the world's stage for the time of Daniel's 70th Week.  In harmony with this, if all the remaining population of the earth during that time is in Israel's hemisphere, this takes all of the mystery away from how "every eye" will simultaneously behold Christ (in Person) at His Second Advent.

     If the first four trumpets of Revelation chapter eight result in the destruction of what is in our hemisphere, and trumpets number five and six of chapter nine result in the completion of the world's stage for Daniel's 70th Week, this fits that "little book open" in chapter 10 as being the little book of Daniel.  This fit is made all the more apparent by what we discover in chapter 11, as everything John now begins to see relates to Daniel's 70th Week.  This becomes especially evident when the worship occurring in verse one of this chapter is understood as being directed toward the Antichrist.  This understanding is supported by Paul's prophecy concerning "that man of sin...the son of perdition;  who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped;  so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God" (II Thess. 2:3-4).  Further reinforcing this interpretation are the next two verses (Rev. 11:2-3), which are clearly in reference to two 3-1/2 year periods of time, equaling the seven years of tribulation that make up Daniel's 70th Week.

     Finally, the sounding of the 7th Trumpet heralds the long anticipated period that will result in COMPLETE CLOSURE FOR THIS WORLD.  It will include the last half of Daniel's 70th Week, Christ's Second Advent, the Battle of Armageddon, Christ's Millennial Reign, and the Last Judgment.  After this, TIME WILL GIVE WAY TO ETERNITY and that Happily Ever After part for God and all of His saved, as revealed beginning in Revelation chapter 21.

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