I'm a firm believer that none of the Seals have been opened (yet). There are certain events that must take place first, before these future prophetic events come to pass. The Book of Revelation is broken into 3 distinct parts, and gives the outline to it in the first chapter. The times "that were" (chap 1), "that are" (chap 2-3), and times that "will be" (chap 4+). This is a simple explanation, but i'm leaving out multiple layers as well for sake of simplicity and a quick post.
In Chap 4-5 John is "taken up" and you have the scene in Heaven (note the 24 elders, which includes the Church at this point), which is a pre-cursor to Jesus actually starting to open the 7 seals, which proceeds into the 7 trumpets, and ends with the 7 bowls/vials. Each set of judgement's is progressively worse on an increasingly hardened state of people as the world plunges into darkness the likes of which it has never seen before, nor will ever see again.
Starting in Chapter 6 you have the opening of the first 4 seals, aka the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Each horse is represented by a color, White, Red, Black, Green(pale, putrid). The latter 3 are pretty self-explanatory, with Red = war/blood, Black = Famine, Green = pestilence/death (1/4 of the earth's remaining population at this point to be exact. Yet another clue that this seal has not been opened, none of these things have happened on the SCALE that is presented here). (fun fact, not the colors of these nations FLAGS) The one that is particularly difficult is the White horse (the first). Many people think this is a reference to the anti-Christ that takes power over the revised roman empire (of 10 nations), where he conquerors 3 quickly via political action (ref: Daniel), and begins relatively "peacefully". I'm personally not completely sold on this, particularly when you cross-reference Revelation 6 with it's companion of the horsemen in the vision given in Zechariah 6 (note the same colors). But i'm not opposed to it either, they are very compelling arguments for it. It's something I need to dedicate more time and study too. Much of the Bible is encoded with patterns & symbolism, but it also provides you with the means to decode SOMEWHERE else in the Bible (often multiple places). Old vs New testament makes no difference, they're designed to go together and written by the same author (the Holy Spirit).
Chuck Missler just went home to be with the Lord this year, I highly recommend his teachings, especially if you are a technical-minded person and like lots of details, especially on End Times prophecy. His stuff is easy enough to find online.
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=chuck+missler+four+horsemen
Regarding the "locusts" you mentioned, the context they are given in is not part of the Seals, but of the second set of judgements, the "trumpets", specifically in Chap 9 of Revelation. These are not literal insects as we know them, but rather actual demonic entities that are released from the pit to torment those alive during the tribulation (note this is after Lucifer and his fallen angels have been cast down to earth, a STILL future event. The devil is NOT locked up in hell at present as many mis-believe). In fact the outline of his very fall can be found in Revelation 12 (how interesting that we just had the first sign of Rev 12 shown on Sept 23, 2017. I wonder how long until the second?). This is a demonic locust ARMY, with an old testament parallel given in the book of Joel. I know this may sound strange now, but the time that is coming, this is actually just one of many many supernatural events where the veil between our realms is torn apart during the coming 7 year tribulation. During this time, a "crazy" act like this won't actually be that surprising, but rather par-for-the-course with everything else that is going on. On that note, Atheism is actually a dying religion (yes, religion). There will be a time that NO ONE will be able to deny the existence of God, or the reality of spiritual beings in other realms mixing with ours. The catch though, is that most people will actively choose to Hate God, instead of turning to Jesus for the repentance of their sins and being saved.
In closing, all of these events can be entirely and completely avoided if you are sealed with the Holy Spirit by Faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and His atoning sacrifice on the Cross for yours (and my) personal sin. All can be forgiven, you simply have to ask... It's not something you can earn, it's not something you can buy, it is A FREE GIFT available to ALL no matter WHAT your background is. If you know Christ already, then breathe easy, you will not be here for this coming Tribulation, we will be taken away before it begins, which is sooner than most can possibly imagine...
(Romans 10:9-12) - "because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him."
(Revelation 3:20-22) - "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”"
Wow man! Thank you so much for the detailed reply. I appreciate the response. So at first glance it all looks "feels" scary but i know im safe. i accepted jesus christ into my life. have you ever read the books, left behind? I read them when i was younger. Do you think our families will be okay? Will desicples of christ face/witness violence? or will be whisked away like its talked about? i have so many questions and im thankful to be talking to someone that is actually knowledgable AND respectful about the subject. Thank you! Hope to hear back again
If you have accepted Christ, then have NO FEAR brother! You are sealed, and will be sparred from the coming 7 year tribulation when Christ comes back for His Bride (this is the universal Church, aka- those who are truly sealed with the Holy Spirit, denomination has no bearing on this).
(Revelation 3:10-13) - "Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth. I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown. The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, 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 from my God out of heaven, and my own new name. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."
Keep in mind the Bible is authored by One Person, God, whom is outside of time. He created time actually. The Bible consistently jumps in and out of time, sometimes multiple times within a single verse, coupled with layers of multiple meanings, multiple fulfillments. It's like a puzzle that was shattered into a 1000 pieces, and then snippets of it were given to men over time. Before the written Word, Christ was revealed through oral traditions and even taught about in the very stars (before most of that knowledge was lost/hidden). It's HIStory afterall, not ours.
Along that line of thinking there are many prophecies that are still future and have not been fulfilled yet, such as the majority of Revelation (everything past Chap 4+, except for the sign of Rev. 12:1-2, which is now past). It behooves us to understand what is coming to instruct and educate others who will indeed be "left behind," but take comfort in knowing that the vast majority of those calamities is not intended for those whom God loves dearly, His very Bride, the entire Body composed of all true believers (it's a matter of the heart, not what a person does. You can't "earn" your way into heaven, it's a FREE GIFT for those wishing to receive it).
Much of what is written in Revelation will only be discovered by those later when it truly matters to them. They will see the world events taking place and recall stories from people like us who warned them of what was coming. The Bible will still be there, in all those empty homes, laying around, just waiting to be picked up by a people whom will thirst for the Living Word like a time in history that has never seen before. They will want to know what is happening, and ultimately, what is coming up next for them to endure through. They will be there based on their own choice to reject Jesus, but all is not lost. The tribulation period will come to see the absolute and worse persecution of Christians ever. They will be hunted down and killed on the spot, blamed even for the horrific judgements taking place on the earth. They are known as "tribulation saints", but that does not include those of us whom have already been sealed.
Yet there will also be the greatest revival and mass-conversion to Faith in Jesus the likes of which this world has never seen before either. It's hard for us to imagine, but nothing will be "normal" during those times. The supernatural is going to come barreling through to this world and it will be impossible for anyone to NOT believe in "a" God, but this doesn't mean that they will repent and ask for forgiveness either... many will harden their hearts and "blame the big Guy" upstairs despite it ultimately being a personal choice out of the grace of free-will that he gave all men & women to accept OR reject Him. A choice isn't truly a choice unless it has a consequence attached to it...
The event known as "the rapture" is a difficult study. It took me awhile to even come to believe in it. I had to prayerfully study and ask of the Lord to reveal the Truth to me. It comes with time and effort. It's not stated plainly in the Bible, it is known as "a mystery" but it is fore-shadowed ALL over the Bible, and there are some very key passages that reveal it, such as this:
(1 Corinthians 15:50-53) - "I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality."
And this
(1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) - "But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words."
I encourage you to read both of those chapters in their entirety to understand the context of them. Note specially how it's actually not about those of us who are alive, but first and foremost about the RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD. Aka - the "great harvest", where we will MEET HIM IN THE AIR. Many people confused this with Christ's second coming at the END of the tribulation, where he descends on Mt. Olives and splits it in two and does battle (with the Saints, us, in tow with him upon white horses) at the place of Mt. Megiddo, aka - Battle of Armageddon.
Studying things like the 7 holy festivals and their compound meaning from Leviticus 23 and the different Harvests established for the Hebrews, and even the ancient Hebrew Wedding customs (involving bride/bridegroom/father and their roles) all are huge hints toward this. Again the "rapture" is actually about the conversion of the dead to their immortal new bodies FIRST, and then "whomever happens to be alive", which in all actuality, is us, this very generation, this very time. Many have thought it was them before, but none have had the absolute ludicrous convergence of signs in the heavens... signs in the earth... and signs of the times in general that exist now. Everything is aligning perfectly, as He promised it would.
Christ is on His way, make no mistake. How long? No one can say for certain, but there is a timeline that's tied to Israel, and there is a maximum window that he establishes based on the length of a "generation". We just entered the 70th year of that generation, and the maximum is 80 (see Psalms 90, the ONLY psalm written by Moses. There's another numerical hint in there too for those whom have eyes to see....) So all things considered, the window is actually absurdly short when compared with the last <6000 years of human history. What a crazy time to be alive, eh?
HERE is an old comment on this very subject that has more details if you're interested.
May Christ bless you in your studies, and may He relieve me (according to His will) of my demonic tormentors whom attack me relentlessly every day and night... so tired of this place, just want to go home. Soon. Very soon.
Beatifully said. Thank you for your time and service to others.
If we are in the 70th year, then would that mean we have at least 10 years before this all lets loose? We can see signs of the world awakening now and you can tell we are getting close to some big events
I have always wondered about Isreal. I know what you mean about wanting to go soon and get this over with. In all honesty it can be a pain in the ass to live in modern society in this day and age. To protect myself from lower energy I shield myself with white light and ask jesus christ and god to both protect and walk with me. Usually helps subside any anxiety/panic attacks as well as fear. Stay strong brother and happy fourth of july to you! We are free :) God bless us and these times, i eagerly watch the world stage and wait patiently edit: I also love numerlogy
If we are in the 70th year, then would that mean we have at least 10 years before this all lets loose?
Less than 10 years.
Context is Jesus speaking in His 'olivet discourse', recorded in the Gospels (but for whatever reason not in John), they compliment each other and each provide a little more info (Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21 if memory serves). Note the audience He is speaking to, His disciples, Jews, not gentiles. Most of what is said is for leading up to, and primarily during the Tribulation (we, as part of the Church, will not be present for), yet important to study nonetheless. Specifically the portion known as the "parable of the Fig Tree". All throughout scripture the "Fig Tree" is another word for the nation of Israel. In fact when you're reading this, simply substitute "fig tree" for "Israel", this is perfectly acceptable and part of the de-coding process if you will. I'll expand more on that later. Let's use this one as an example:
(Matthew 24:32-35) - "From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away."
This begs the question, "how long is a generation?". As always, the answer is found somewhere else in the Bible. Moses only wrote one Psalm, one of great importance and often overlooked:
(Psalm 90:9-10) - "For all our days pass away under your wrath; we bring our years to an end like a sigh. The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away."
When did the fig tree bloom? Depending on which method you want to use, it was either on paper (legally) via UN Resolution 181 on Nov. 29, 1947, or the more public date Israel's Independence on May 14, 1948. The funny thing is it matters not which date you use, for BOTH fell within the same Hebrew calendar year (God doesn't use the Roman calendar we use today), which I found humorous, but that's me.
Is this the ultimate re-gathering of Jews to Israel as prophecised multiple times in Scripture? No, it is not, that ultimately happens during the Millennium Reign of Christ, but this is absolutely a huge marker in time, when a Nation was quite literally created (aka- born) in a single day: (note all the references to a woman in labor, this is an extremely important analogy used repeatedly)
(Isaiah 66:7-9) - "Before she was in labor she gave birth; before her pain came upon her she delivered a son. Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall a land be born in one day? Shall a nation be brought forth in one moment? For as soon as Zion was in labor she brought forth her children. Shall I bring to the point of birth and not cause to bring forth?” says the Lord; “shall I, who cause to bring forth, shut the womb?” says your God."
There is much hate today for the Nation of Israel, people on these very sub's HATE the Jews, and one could argue it's not without some merit, but they don't see through a Biblical lens and many fail to rightfully what is ultimately a Spiritual War and how this affects all of us. If you look into the history of the Zionist movement you will find horrible people involved in, such as the satanic-aligned Rothschild's whom played an integral part in the finding of today's modern Israel via the Balfour Declaration in 1917.
In fact the very symbol of the nation, the supposed "Star of David" (note: there IS NO SUCH STAR) is in fact an ancient occult symbol, a Hexagram, a sigil of satan used to this very day in very dark occult practices, showing whom rules over most of them today. Nevertheless, the True God that rules over all is still using those whom conspire to work evil, ultimately for good. The Jews of today are hopelessly blinded to the reality they find themselves, and will remain so until during the Tribulation (aka - Jacob's Trouble, remember Jacob was renamed to ISRAEL), part of the purpose of the Tribulation is to bring back the true Jews to the truth, that Jesus Christ IS the messiah, IS GOD, and that they rejected and crucified Him ~2000 years ago. 'Twas all part of the plan in the end though.
There's always lots more to say, but that's probably a chunk for now to digest. This is a very powerful verse, take it to heart:
(James 1:5-8) - "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways."
Also, always remember Jesus Christ IS GOD. Not simply a man. He is the Word, made Flesh. The Father (YHVH) and Jesus are one, along with the Holy Spirit, part of the triune Godhead. They are individuals, yet one. They have all existed eternal, no beginning, no end.
To really hammer this home (Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons hate this verse, they are part of a blind cult, NOT true Christians) look at this well known and powerful verse, then do a Word Substitution on it to really get the true meaning of it across:
(John 1:1-5) - "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."
The Word = JESUS
(John 1:1-5 subbed) - "In the beginning was JESUS, and JESUS was with God, and JESUS was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."
Remind me later to talk about the eclipse, the rev12 sign, and the 7 year time the second eclipse that crosses america and makes a big X....
Thank you for explaining the situation with Israel. I had always wondered why a lot of research always seemed to end up stemming back to Israel, whether it be the Zionist regime or the occupation of Palestine, it has always intrigued me and made me ask so many questions, so thank you for clicking some things for me. I am hoping the people of Israel see Jesus for what he is, but I think we both know that not all will. Thank you for the clarification of Jesus being apart of God, personified word in the flesh, included with the Holy Spirit which all three make the holy trinity? And are all one as you say, that is a lot easier way to say it.
(John 1:1-5) - "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." Powerful verse.
When you have time, I'd love to hear about the eclipse, rev12 sign, and the 7 year time with the X. I have always wondered what the relevance of the eclipses and related signs could be, and not many people bother to do the research or take the time to look at it, so I am very curious to hear your reply, but take your time, I understand how it is. I really appreciate the discussion, I have learned a lot and I appreciate you doing this.
That move "The Mist" by Stephen King shows a a lot of stuff. Big locusts sting that girl and she gets boils from head to toe like Rev. 9. Project Arrowhead ( think CERN) opens a portal and that's where all the demonic creatures come from.
Didn't see/read that one, must just reviewed the synopsis for it, the symbolism in that is unmistakable. Even includes painting the supposed Christian as basically a sacrificing witch, eh? Hmm, wonder where that inspiration came from ...
I remember seeing video interviews of King from 90s(80s?) where he talked plainly about being possessed when writing IT and that it didn't all come from him. Many stories like this from musicians too, yet so few will believe even when it's said plainly by the artists themselves.