First Half of the Tribulation

Introduction

Chaos unfolds worldwide while the church stands before God’s Throne after the rapture. On earth, millions of people are missing – all the little children and babies. Planes, automobiles, and other vehicles have crashed worldwide. People are terrified.

Many believe that an invasion from outer space has occurred. Others are searching the pages of the Bible for answers. Many have heard of the church’s rapture but have never believed in Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins. God will send forth Jewish evangelism to spread the word of God around the world. Millions will turn to Christ, but it is too late to be saved from the fury of the Tribulation.

The world will need a worldwide leader, and they are about to get one.

First four Seal Judgments

Chapter Six – Rider on a White Horse

The first seal judgment is a rider on a white horse.

“Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, ‘Come and see.’ And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer. (Rev. 6:1-2, NKJV).

Many have believed this man to be the Jewish Messiah, Christ, at His second coming. But they are wrong. He is the counterfeit Christ or the infamous Antichrist, under the control of Satan, coming to rule the world. He rides a white horse, which is a symbol of a conqueror returning from war. He will probably be handsome, charming, charismatic, and an eloquent and powerful speaker. He will be evil personified.

He wore a crown that symbolized his status as a conquering king. In his hand, he held a bow but no arrows. He had come in peace, not war. Most people believe he will emerge from the European Common Market, a large part of the revised Roman Empire today. He will quickly become the new world leader and later a dictator.

This first judgment will begin as a tiny snowball rolling down a hill and quickly grow more aggressive and brutal. At the beginning of his reign, he appears to be a peacemaker. Very early, he enters a peace treaty with Israel, which he will later break (see Dan. 9:27 and Matt. 24:15-21). At some point during the first three and one-half years, he will rebuild the Jewish temple, which he will later desecrate.

During the first three and one-half years, he will consolidate all the world’s religions under one secular organization. The organization will be used to control the people. The False Prophet will later head it during the second three and one-half years.

As the dictatorship becomes more brutal, many turn against and commit what the government calls treason—those saved under the preaching of the Jewish evangelists will probably be put to death. These people will become the martyrs defined in the fifth judgment.

Others will become dissolute by the dictatorship and rebel. Soon a worldwide war will begin.

At the end of the first three and one-half years, the Antichrist will probably be killed, and Satan will later resurrect him.

Chapter Six – Rider on a Red Horse

The second seal judgment is a rider on a red horse.

“When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, ‘Come and see.’ Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword” (Rev. 6:3-4, NKJV).

This rider will have great power as he takes peace from the world. A civil war will break out worldwide as the rebelling public wars against the reign of the Antichrist. Perhaps kings and nations will war against other kings and nations. Many will be slain. Some believe that the war will begin as a war against Israel and soon spread worldwide.

The Antichrist will be shown as a false peacemaker. God will show the world that he is a fake as the war unfolds.

Based on our observations of worldwide wars, we know how devastating they are. Many will die from fighting, but many will die from starvation and other reasons. Physical destruction will be everywhere. We will have what we could call world chaos.

Hal Lindsey believed that the wars would continue throughout the seven years of tribulation and conclude with the last battle, Armageddon.

Chapter Six – Rider on a Black Horse

The third seal judgment is a rider on a black horse.

“When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, ‘Come and see.’ So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, ‘A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine’” (Rev. 5:5-6, NKJV).

War always brings about famines. These battles will destroy the land and many food sources, including crops and processing plants. Many people will die of starvation. The world economy will probably collapse.

Most of us have seen on TV where groups of people are starving in third-world countries. Visualize this for the entire world.

Interestingly, wheat is more expensive than barley. As always, in times like these, those with money will be able to buy more expensive food. History has shown that those who hold power and have money take advantage of the poorer people. Many times, they take advantage and overcharge the poor.

Many of us will remember stories from our parents and grandparents about what it was like during the Great Depression of the 1930s. People would have starved if they had not had gardens of food. Some of us who are older will remember rationing during World War 2.

Like the war, the famine may last seven years. It will probably be progressive and worsen as time passes and more land and housing are destroyed. Quote: “Jesus is the Bread of life, but the Antichrist will be a false bead of life. The Antichrist will prove to be a fake when his food programs result in famine” (John Hagee).

Chapter Six – Rider on a Pale Horse

The fourth seal judgment is a rider on a pale horse – death.

“When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, ‘Come and see.’ So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the world” (Rev. 6:7-8, NKJV).

Millions will die during the first three and one-half years as a result of executions, war, starvation, beast, and other things. One-fourth of the earth may result in more deaths than other areas. This may be areas of large populations – we don’t know. Many will become martyrs and be taken to heaven. The non-believers will go to hades (hell) for eternal separation from God and His punishment.

Chapter Six – The Martyrs in Heaven

The fifth seal judgment shows the tribulation of martyrs and saints under the altar in heaven.

The vision moves from earth to heaven in chapter seven.

After the rapture of the Church, many will turn to the true God of creation and are called tribulation saints. Many will turn to the true God of creation either on their own or through the preaching of Jewish evangelists during the tribulation period. These people are not part of the church, which was raptured before the tribulation. These saints will be under heavy persecution, and many will be martyred during the first half of the tribulation. Some have written that believers will be persecuted and tortured as much or more than the Jews in German concentration camps during World War two,

As we approach the end of the tribulation’s first three and one-half years, we are given a vision of heaven, where the dead saints have gone.

“When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been 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, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed” (Rev 6:9-11, NKJV).

Many use these verses to help understand what heaven would be like if we died today. Most scholars agree that the saints would not have resurrection bodies because they were not believers and missed the rapture—we are not sure as this is much debated. They will be given resurrection bodies before the millennium kingdom as they will be part of it.

I will outline each of the observations taken from the above verses.

• Altar – the altar represents the presence of God.
• Know what is taking place on earth – the saints were aware of what they experienced on earth and what was still happening.
• Time – most scholars agree that time passes differently in heaven than on earth. On Earth, we follow a linear system of time—every day is the same, whereas the passage of time in Heaven is more event-oriented. People who claim to have experienced out-of-body experiences claim that they have a vision of heaven where the passing of time differs from when they were away from their bodies. This does not seem to be the case for the tribulation saints, as Jesus said, “a little while longer.”
• Others would be joining the group – “until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.”
• The saints’ bodies—Many believe that if we die before the rapture, we will be a spirit without a body. This does not appear to be the case, as the saints were given clothes to wear.
• Clothes – the saints were given white robes to wear. You can’t wear a robe without a body with form.

Based on the description of the Sixth Judgment, many scholars believe that the following judgment begins the second half of the tribulation, during which God pours out his wrath from heaven. In the “Last Half of the Tribulation” module, we will look at the sixth and seventh seal judgments.

Interlude Chapters

The interlude chapters provide background information and look forward to the activities, groups, characters, and participants involved in the tribulation’s events. Sometimes, they are symbolic, and other times, they are more descriptive.

Chapter Seven

This chapter states that God will select evangelists from each of Israel’s twelve tribes to preach the word of God and His salvation to the world. He will choose 12,000 from each tribe, for a total of 144,000 Jewish evangelists. After the church’s rapture, God returns to his program with the Jews. We read the following from the eleventh chapter of Romans.

“For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: ‘The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; For this is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins’ (Rom. 11:25-27).

God is giving the nation of Israel the promised new covenant – see (Ezek. 36:24-28 and Jer. 31:31-34).

We must understand that the apostle Paul is not addressing individual Jews – he is addressing the nation of Israel. Each individual Jew must place their trust in Jesus’ death on the cross for their salvation. He will find 144,000 who will believe in Jesus for their salvation and respond to the call to be evangelistic. They will begin their ministry immediately following the church’s rapture and continue until the end of the tribulation. Some have said it will be like having 144,000 Jewish Billy Grahams preaching worldwide. Millions will come to Christ and be saved. However, they will never be part of the church – they will be tribulation saints.

God will protest the 144,000, and they will preach throughout the entire seven years. Not a single one will be killed.

Now, let us look at some of the scripture in chapter seven.

“After these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree” (7:1, NKJV).

The first thing we notice is the weather. It appears that the world’s ecology is about to change. Perhaps God will use tornados and hurricanes as part of his destruction of the earth.

“Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying, ‘Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads’” (Rev. 7:2-3, NKJV).

God will place a seal on the forehead of each of these 144,000 evangelists until the end of the tribulation—not a single one will be killed. Now, let’s look at the evangelists.

“And I heard the number of those who were sealed. One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed: of the tribe of Judah twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Benjamin twelve thousand were sealed” (Rev.7:4-8, NKJV).

Interestingly, two tribes are missing—the tribes of Dan and Ephraim. Much speculation has been made as to why these two tribes are missing. The tribe of Levi has replaced the tribe of Dan, and the name of the tribe of Ephraim has been replaced with the name Joseph. It is believed that Ephraim’s name has been changed because they began the civil war, which resulted in the nation of Israel being divided into the southern and northern kingdoms. The territory of Ephraim and Dan had an altar for a golden calf, which the people worshipped. Many believe the future false prophet will come out of the tribe of Dan.

Because of their preaching during the tribulation, millions will be saved. They will become part of the many martyrs discussed in the fifth seal judgment.

The latter part of chapter seven is a vision of martyrs standing before the throne of God. They appear to be the same people discussed in the fifth seal judgment. This scene may be at the end of the tribulation – we don’t know. It will be people saved by the preaching of the Jewish evangelist.

“After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb’” (Rev. 79: 9-10, NKJV)!

“So he [elder] said to me, ‘These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them” (Rev. 7:14b -15, NASB).

Chapter 10 – The Angel and Little Book

This is an interlude chapter, and it is difficult to determine where in the chronological sequence it belongs. The book of Revelation places it after the seven trumpet judgments, but we assume that they occur after the tribulation’s mid-point. It is given before the description of the two witnesses of chapter eleven, which is part of the first half. Keep in mind that the interlude chapters do not appear in chronological sequence for the timeline of unfolding events.

The tenth chapter tells us about a special angel sent to the earth to claim the world for the Lord. We can assume that this chapter is about a vision just before the mid-point or the great tribulation.

“I saw still another mighty angel coming down from heaven, clothed with a cloud. And a rainbow was on his head, his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire. He had a little book open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, and cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roars. When he cried out, seven thunders uttered their voices. Now when the seven thunders uttered their voices, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, ‘Seal up the things which the seven thunders uttered, and do not write them’” (Rev. 10:1-4, NKJV).

There has been much discussion over the identity of the mighty angel. Many have tried to identify him with Jesus, but other verses will show that this is a special angel.

Angels are messengers who are quite active in the Book of Revelation. Although Jesus appeared as “The Angel of the Lord” in the Old Testament, He did not appear as an angel in the New Testament. The angel is a special envoy of Christ who has been sent to the earth to claim it for Jesus. He has a little book, which many claim is the title deed to the world. However, the scroll given to Jesus in chapter five is the title deed to the earth, and unless this book contains the same scroll, then it is not the title deed to the earth. We don’t know what it is and would only speculate if we guessed.

When he cried out, seven thunders uttered their voices from heaven. We do not know what these voices uttered because John was told not to record it. He may not even know what was said. We are not told if anyone on earth heard the voices.

The angel now exalts the Lord and explains that soon that Great Tribulation would be over.

“The angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised up his hand to heaven and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things that are in it, the earth and the things that are in it, and the sea and the things that are in it, that there should be delay no longer, but in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, the mystery of God would be finished, as He declared to His servants the prophets” (Rev. 10:5-7, NKJV).

We are approaching the middle of the Tribulation, with more judgments to come. The next few years will be the worst of all, but the end is near when Jesus finally wins.
John is now told to eat the little book. This probably means it is not the book containing the scroll and seals.

“Then the voice which I heard from heaven spoke to me again and said, ‘Go, take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the earth.’ So, I went to the angel and said to him, ‘Give me the little book.’ And he said to me, ‘Take and eat it; and it will make your stomach bitter, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth.’ Then I took the little book out of the angel’s hand and ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. But when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter. And he said to me, ‘You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings’” (Rev. 10:8b-11, NKJV).

The word of God was bittersweet. John will record what he sees as a prophecy about the latter days.

Chapter Eleven – The Two Witnesses

In the eleventh chapter of Revelation, we read about two witnesses clad in sackcloth who God sends to earth as his witnesses. This is an interlude chapter. They appear to arrive soon after the Antichrist assumes power at the beginning of the tribulation and will remain during the first three and one-half years.
We read the following.

“And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth” (Rev. 11:3, NKJV).

Let us read the following verses in the NASB version as they appear to give more detail.

“And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. And if anyone wants to harm them, fire flows out of their mouth and devours their enemies; so if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this way. These have the power to shut up the sky, so that rain will not fall during the days of their prophesying; and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood, and to strike the earth with every plague, as often as they desire” (Rev 11:3-6, NASB 1995).

Most scholars believe that these two witnesses are Moses and Elijah. Moses represented the law, and Elijah represented the prophets. However, because Enoch and Elijah did not die but were taken into heaven, some believe Enoch is one of the Witnesses.

The witnesses have two roles. The first is to stand against the Antichrist, just as Moses stood against Pharaoh before the Exodus. They can also perform many miracles, as Moses and Elijah did when they were alive in the Old Testament.

Their second role is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. They will play an essential role in training the 144,000 Jewish witnesses. Those who come against them will be destroyed. The Antichrist will try to kill them but cannot until their time is fulfilled. With today’s news coverage, most people will see and hear their witness.

The Antichrist will kill them when their time is fulfilled, probably after the first three and one-half years of tribulation.

“When they have finished their testimony, the beast that [Antichrist]comes up out of the abyss will make war with them, and overcome them and kill them. And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which mystically is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. Those from the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will look at their dead bodies for three and a half days, and will not permit their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb. And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and celebrate; and they will send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth.” (Rev. 7-9n NASB).

“But after the three and a half days, the breath of life from God came into them, and they stood on their feet; and great fear fell upon those who were watching them. And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, ‘Come up here.’ Then they went up into heaven in the cloud, and their enemies watched them” (Rev 11:10-12, NASB 1995).

It is quite apparent that the world has been watching what is happening in Jerusalem. There is great rejoicing at the death of the two witnesses as the Antichrist appears to have won. The people are afraid when the witnesses are resurrected and taken to heaven in a cloud.

After this, God’s wrath is again poured out upon the people. “In the same hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. In the earthquake seven thousand people were killed, and the rest were afraid and gave glory to the God of heaven” (Rev. 11:13, NASB).

Conclusion

Note: I assume we have come to the end of the first half of the tribulation. I am a little confused about where to place the trumpet judgments. If we assume, as many do, that the fifth seal judgment ends the first half of the tribulation, then we have to put the trumpet judgments in the second half.

I will quote parts of the sixth seal judgment to show the change. At this point, God begins pouring his wrath on the world from heaven. Up to this point, he has poured out His wrath through the Antichrist.

“I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place” (Rev. 6:12-14, NKJV).

“And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves 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 who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand” (Rev. 6:15-16, NKJV).

Now, let us examine what Jesus said in the Mount of Olives discourse, as recorded in Matthew chapter twenty-four.

“’Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place’ (whoever reads, let him understand), ‘then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath’” (Matt. 24:17-20, NASB).

“For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened (Matt.24:21-22, NASB).

The mid-point and beginning of the great tribulation will be when the Antichrist breaks his covenant with Israel and desecrates the temple.

Jesus refers to the breaking of the covenant of the Antichrist, as recorded in Daniel chapter nine.

“Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; and the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, and till the end of the war desolations are determined. Then he [Antichrist] shall confirm a covenant with many for one week [seven years]; but in the middle of the week. He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, even until the consummation, which is determined, is poured out on the desolate” (Dan. 9:26b-27, NASB).

We have to remember he is speaking about the Jews and not the church.

The first interlude chapters of the second half of the tribulation will begin this process.

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Scripture quotations marked NASB1995 are taken from the New American Standard Bible, copyright © 1960, 1971,1977, 1995, by The Lockman Foundation, LA Habra, California. Used by permission. All rights reserved.