In Revelation chapters 4 and 5 we got a sneak preview of what Heaven will be like for Jesus’ born-again believers — the true church — after we are raptured. What’s next? In the Book of Revelation chapters 6 and 7, we see the start of the Great Tribulation that will last 7 years. These will be the last 7 years of the world as we know it! Once the Rapture happens, there’s no stopping the Great Tribulation!
Revelation 6: Jesus Opens the First 6 Seal Judgments
John writes… Oh, and here come the 4 horsemen of the apocalypse!
I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.
When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make people kill each other. To him was given a large sword.
When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, “Two pounds of wheat for a day’s wages, and six pounds of barley for a day’s wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!”
When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.
When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters, were killed just as they had been.
I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. The heavens receded like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.
Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and everyone else, both slave and free, hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the 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 their wrath has come, and who can withstand it?”
Revelation 6 NIV
Let’s go through these one by one…
- The White Horse (It’s not Jesus!) Meet the Antichrist. He carries a bow which could be a weapon used to conquer or a rainbow of peace.
- The Red Horse who makes people kill each other. You think it’s bad now, wait till this!
- The Black Horse of poverty, famine and economic worries. The poor will suffer more, but the rich will still enjoy their lives — for now.
- The Pale Horse of death. One quarter of the earth will die by sword (war), famine, plague (worse than COVID-19) and wild beasts.
- These are the Christian martyrs or the Tribulation Saints, who were killed just because they believe in Jesus after the Rapture. They want vengeance for their deaths, but they have to wait because vengeance is the Lord’s.
- The great earthquake and nature revolts. Yes, mankind has abused the earth and God is getting His vengeance. The people — everyone — will try to hide from the destruction.
Revelation 7: The 144,000
Then Jesus takes a break from the seals to deal with a different type of seal.
After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree. Then I saw another angel coming up from the east, having the seal of the living God. He called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea: “Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.” Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.
Revelation 7:1-4 NIV
I won’t bore you with the list of tribes, but you can read them here. However, be assured that these 144,000 are 12,000 people from each of the 12 tribes of Israel — no one else! These are the new Messianic Jewish believers who will spread the Gospel of the Salvation of Jesus Christ all over the world.
The Tribulation Saints Praise God…
After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice:
“Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb.”All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying:
“Amen!
Praise and glory
and wisdom and thanks and honor
and power and strength
be to our God for ever and ever.
Amen!”Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?”
I answered, “Sir, you know.”
And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore,
“they are before the throne of God
Revelation 7:9-17 NIV
and serve him day and night in his temple;
and he who sits on the throne
will shelter them with his presence.
‘Never again will they hunger;
never again will they thirst.
The sun will not beat down on them,’
nor any scorching heat.
For the Lamb at the center of the throne
will be their shepherd;
‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’
‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’”
So, let’s recap…
We have the Rapture, when all the Christian, born-again believers are swept up into Heaven. God then leaves man to his own devices. Those left behind will either realize the error of their ways and accept Jesus as their savior or they won’t, and face God’s judgement. Either way, those left behind WILL go through the Great Tribulation! New Christian believers, at that time, will face martyrdom. There will be suffering for ALL those left behind! But when the Tribulation Saints reach Heaven, they’ll get white robes and crowns.
For the Lamb at the center of the throne
Revelation 7:17 NIV
will be their shepherd;
‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’
‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’”
So, it’s up to you. Your choice.
This is from the Prophetic Gallery Series Bible Study in the free YouVersio Bible app
God’s people in the churches of Revelation face terrible challenges, and the question they all ask is “Why must God’s people suffer like this?” and “What is the purpose of this suffering?” Jesus answers this question in this wing of the art gallery. The suffering causes people to look to God and seek forgiveness. If everything is going well, then the people will live their lives, but they will not seek God.
Jesus is saying to His Church, “My desire is to fill heaven; this will fill heaven. Can you be faithful in the midst of the difficulties? Can you speak my Word boldly to your world in the midst of these difficulties? If you do, then heaven will be filled!”
When we see the end of the story, it is possible to get through the difficult times with a strong faith and bold testimony. Jesus, in His story about the end times, shares what it takes to fill heaven—going everywhere and bringing people to the wedding feast!
Prophetic Gallery Series: https://aaec.ae/
What the earth is going through right now, the COVID-19 pandemic, civil unrest and economic uncertainty is just the start of the birth pains. It will get worse, then the Rapture will happen — any day now. The Great Tribulation starts right after the Rapture of the Believers.
Believe now, and you’ll be sure to avoid the coming Great Tribulation. Honestly, you have nothing to lose! If you want the assurance of salvation and a 1-way, non-stop ticket to Heaven and that you won’t be left behind at the Rapture — which could happen any day now, this is what you have to do…
Believe. Repent. Be Baptized. Receive the Holy Spirit.
- Believe — have Faith — that Jesus is the Christ and He died taking your sins away forever.
- Repent of your sins — stop sinning! Do a complete 180 in your life and surrender your life to Him.
- Be Baptized — show the world and yourself that you have died to your old life and are born again in Christ.
- Receive the Holy Spirit in your heart.
Pray this prayer humbly and wholeheartedly…
“Dear Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner. I believe You died for my sins. Please forgive me. Right now, I turn from my sins and open the door of my heart and my life to you. I confess You as my personal Lord and Savior. I will follow you for the rest of my life. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Next Steps in Your New Walk with Jesus…
- Start reading the Bible daily. If you don’t have one, I recommend the YouVersion, Bible.app and Through the Word app — both are free and have a lot of great daily devotionals and Bible studies.
- Pray every day. Talk to God. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you daily.
- Find and join a Bible-believing church — preferably a non-denominational one and be baptized!
Soli Deo Gloria — to God Alone be the Glory!
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse painting by Viktor Vasnetsov, Painted in 1887 is public domain in the U.S.
[…] The Rapture of Jesus’ true believers happened and we are in Heaven waiting for the 7-year Tribulation to be over. Back on earth, many wise people, who were left behind, figured out that they missed the […]
LikeLike
[…] Jesus’ true believers happened and we are in Heaven waiting for the 7-year Tribulation to be over. Back on earth, many wise people, who were left behind, figured out that they missed […]
LikeLike
[…] the halfway point of the 7-year, Great Tribulation. So, it’s after the Rapture, after the 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse, etc. Read my last few blog posts or listen to the last few […]
LikeLike
[…] The 7 Seal Judgements where large portions of the earth are destroyed by man — including the 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse. […]
LikeLike
[…] We then learn what we need to do to avoid the Great Tribulation and God’s Judgement. The Great Tribulation will not be a fun adventure. It’s nasty! Nastier than anything we’ve already experienced here on earth so far. […]
LikeLike
[…] Apocalypse is coming and sorry, but you won’t be able to hit “cancel” and make it go […]
LikeLike
[…] Yesterday, I wrote about the Signs of the Times and that Jesus Christ warned us to watch for the signs of His return to snatch up His church. That snatching up is the Rapture, when all born-again believers will disappear from earth and go directly to heaven. The dead in Christ first will rise first, then the living. That will also include children under 12, babies and the unborn — the innocents. That will cause such a crisis that one man — he could be a political leader — will rise to power and lead a one-world government. He will have solutions to all the problems. He will come across as a peacemaker. Very charismatic, he’ll win many of those left behind after the Rapture to his empire. He’s actually the first Horseman of the Apocalypse! […]
LikeLike
[…] Sure, at that point, you’ll probably say, “Wow! They were right!” the moment you realize that all the true Christian believers are gone. You can then absolutely turn to Jesus and become born-again. However, more than likely, you’ll have to go through some, if not all, of the tribulation. […]
LikeLike
[…] are going through a tribulation right now, but it’s not the Great Tribulation as some preachers may claim. That will be a thousand times worse! However, we are going through the […]
LikeLike
[…] left behind, you will get a second chance at salvation, but you’ll have to endure the Great Tribulation as described in the Book of Revelation. My friends, I really don’t think you want to do […]
LikeLike
[…] in the clouds to meet Him in the air! This is NOT the second coming. That’s after the great tribulation as explained in the Book of Revelation. No, this is the rapture when Jesus calls up His church […]
LikeLike
[…] “Day of the Lord” is not a 24-hour day, but a time of judgement. This happens during the great tribulation which is foretold in the Book of Revelation. That’s why verse 9 is very important: “For […]
LikeLike
[…] all life. That doesn’t mean He won’t use fire. That’s what’s coming in the great tribulation and in the Day of the […]
LikeLike
[…] for salvation if you invite Jesus into your heart, but you’ll also have to live through the Great Tribulation. That, my friends, will not be […]
LikeLike
[…] have a second chance to avoid going to hell. However, they’ll have to go through the Great Tribulation — and that’s not going to be fun. They’re the ones that will say, “Oh, my […]
LikeLike
[…] get a second chance to accept Jesus as their savior, but they’ll have to live through the Tribulation — and that won’t be fun at […]
LikeLike
[…] the rapture will have a second chance to be born again, but they’ll have to live through the Great Tribulation and, friends, that will not be […]
LikeLike
[…] Those left behind will get a second chance to be saved, but they’ll have to go through the Great Tribulation. Those who are saved after the Rapture will be Tribulation Saints and have a special reward in […]
LikeLike
[…] and repent and believe right then and there. Ultimately, you’ll have to suffer through the great tribulation. That won’t be fun. But you’ll be saved, that is, not go to […]
LikeLike
[…] This is the second coming of Jesus — NOT the rapture. After the rapture — that’s when all the born-again Christian believers will be caught-up and taken away to meet Jesus in the sky — those left behind WILL have a second chance! However, they will have to live through and survive the Great Tribulation. […]
LikeLike
[…] that doesn’t mean He won’t destroy with fire — that happens during and after the Great Tribulation which we find in the Book of […]
LikeLike
[…] Then, those left behind will get a second chance, but they’ll have to live through the Great Tribulation. Finally, it’s Jesus’ second […]
LikeLike
[…] people left behind will get a second chance. Nonetheless, they’ll have to live through the Great Tribulation. And that won’t be […]
LikeLike
[…] can fall on your knees and repent and believe in JESUS. BUT, you’ll have to live through the Great Tribulation and that won’t be fun at […]
LikeLike
[…] worse. It will get worse before Jesus comes back for us in the Rapture and much worse during the Great Tribulation (Hence, you do not want to be left behind!). However, like He said before, “I will not leave […]
LikeLike
[…] On the other hand, Paul, being younger, actually does read the Bible every so often and is beginning to see the true light. Where George will probably accept the mark of the beast, Paul will see it for what it is. The Rapture has piqued his curiosity enough that he will study eschatology — or the end times — and eventually become a Tribulation Saint. […]
LikeLike
[…] that we can still turn to Jesus for salvation. However, we’re going to have to go through the Great Tribulation, and from what I gather, that’s not going to be fun. Look,” she walked over the […]
LikeLike
[…] the Gospel of John. Then, stop going to the mosque and find any new Christians. They will be the Tribulation Saints. They were left behind like you, but they understand what happened and will have turned to Jesus. […]
LikeLike
[…] can invite Jesus into our hearts and we’ll be saved. It also says that there soon will be a Great Tribulation with much destruction all over the world. It’s not going to be pretty. There’s a prayer […]
LikeLike
[…] happen. He did this to warn us — prepare us. I believe the next things we will see are the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. John […]
LikeLike
[…] day or the hour of the Rapture. Only God the Father knows. Also, we don’t know how soon the Great Tribulation will start after the Rapture. What triggers it is the peace treaty between the Antichrist and […]
LikeLike
[…] the day or the hour of the Rapture. Only God the Father knows. Also, we don’t know how soon the Great Tribulation will start after the Rapture. The idea behind all this, is to get you to understand that you have […]
LikeLike