SEVEN SEALS of HISTORY

When the apostle John saw the visions of the Revelation, “Apocalypse” in Greek, he faithfully wrote down everything he saw and heard. He did not draw upon the prophecies of Daniel or any other prophecy because he did not write it from his own intellect. It is not a work of fiction or imagination, he merely wrote down what he saw in a massive vision.

(1) Revelation 4: The Scene in Heaven

Revelation 4 is a brief description of the throne room in heaven. The most important thing to notice is that Jesus is nowhere described or even mentioned:

1 After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” 2 At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. 3 And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne. 4 Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. 5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God. 6 Also before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.

In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. 7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. 8 Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying: “‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come.”

9 Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: 11 “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.” (4:1-11)

Many commentators place the Rapture at the start of Rev. 4 because it says, “Come up here.” But there is no mention of a great celebration in heaven, or any mention of the coming of the Kingdom of God, only a mention of the 24 elders and four living creatures. However, in Rev. 11 a loud voice from heaven says, “Come up here,” and dead people come to life and ascend into heaven. This is followed by the coming of the Kingdom of God, rewards for the prophets, and total judgment on the Earth. Which is more likely to be the Rapture? There is no evidence to believe the 24 elders are Raptured saints, but there is plenty of evidence that the Rapture has not taken place in Revelation 4 and 5, as we shall see.

(2) Revelation 5: Victory of Christ

In Rev. 4 Jesus was neither seen nor heard; now in Rev. 5, take careful notice that a search is made for someone worthy to open the book:

1 Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. 2 And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” 3 But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. 4 I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. (5:1-4)

No one in all of heaven is found worthy to open the scroll, absolutely no one! It does NOT say, that no one but Jesus Christ was found worthy; it says NO ONE was found. After the search was made in all of heaven and Earth, John wept because no one was found. But he does not just weep, he “wept and wept.” If Jesus had been found worthy why did John weep? He wept because no one was found.

Why did it say that no one was found? Why wasn’t Jesus found worthy? Because this is a vision of the entire Gospel Age, beginning at the beginning. Like dreams, visions are not bound by time or space. Though Jesus actually died and rose from the grave many years before this vision was given, his death and resurrection has not yet taken place in this vision. That is why Jesus was not seen in heaven in Rev. 4, and why he was not found worthy to open the book. Only the crucified, resurrected Christ is worthy to open the seven-sealed book.

The KJV says “no man” was found worthy, but because Jesus is divine he can open the book, right? No, it did not say no one but Jesus, it said no one. The original Greek says “no one” not “no man.”

The next verses describe Christ entering heaven for the very first time after his death, burial, and resurrection, after he became worthy:

5 Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.” 6 Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 He went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne.

8 And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people. 9 And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God members of every tribe and language and people and nation. 10 You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign c on the earth.” (5:5-10)

Jesus has “triumphed,” or literally, overcome. Other translations of 5:5 say, “has overcome” (NAS); “has won a victory” (Beck); “has prevailed” (KJV). He is seen symbolically as a lamb slain as a sacrifice for our sins: “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). But the Lamb is seen standing, for he has risen from the grave and has taken his rightful place in Heaven. (Lambs were sacrificed for sin during the pre-Christian era. Jesus is the lamb-like sacrifice for the entire world; all those who believe in him have their sins forgiven.)

The wording suggests that it has just happened. Notice how verse 9 is worded, “you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God” (NIV). Why would that statement be made 2,000 years after the fact; that is, after the Rapture? No, the statement occurs here because Christ has just now died on the cross and purchased people for God. And the word is “men” not “us” as the King James Version says. If it were “us” then those in Heaven would have been purchased, so the Rapture could have taken place, but that is not the case. Since this scene depicts Christ’s ascension into Heaven, great celebration naturally follows:

11 Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. 12 In a loud voice they were saying: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” 13 Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!” 14 The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped. (Rev. 5:11-14)

Notice the statement, “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” The inference is that Christ is just now receiving these things, that is, after his entrance into heaven, not 2,000 years later.

In Rev. 4, the seven spirits of God were seen in the form of lamps. These spirits are represented symbolically on Earth by the golden menorah of the Jewish temple. But because of the victory of Christ, God’s spirits are now seen as the eyes of Christ, “sent out into all the earth.” Salvation is no longer just for the Jews but for all mankind.

In Rev. 4 there was only “someone sitting” on the throne. In Rev. 5 it is “him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb.” In Rev. 4, praise is given only to God; in Rev. 5, praise is given to God and to the Lamb. Immediately following the praise and celebration, Christ opens the first seal.

(3) First Seal: White Horse – The Holy Spirit

1 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!” 2 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. (Revelation 6:1-2)

The NKJ translation says, “a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.” There are three different interpretations of this rider. The International Bible Commentary, F.F. Bruce, editor, says:

One long-established interpretation understands this of the victorious progress of the gospel, the rider on the white horse being Christ, as in 19:11. (p. 1607)

The Zondervan NIV Bible Commentary puts forth the dominate evangelical view today, that it is the Antichrist. The commentator admits that the symbolism of the white horse is always “associated with righteousness and Christ,” but rejects it because the other three horses clearly represent war and judgments. He goes on to say:

The references in 19:11-16 to the rider on the white horse as “Faithful and True” and as one who judges and makes war with justice stands in contrast to the rider in 6:2, who is not faithful or true and who wages war for unjust conquest. Moreover, the Lamb opens the seals and would not be one of the riders, nor would it be proper to have an angelic being call forth Christ. Again, a “bow” would most naturally be connected with the enemy of God’s people (Eze 39:3). . . . The evidence, however, seems to favor . . . the Antichrist and his forces that seek to conquer . . . (Vol. 2, p. 1160-1161)

The Wycliffe Bible Commentary by Moody Press, first published in 1962, also says it cannot be Christ because of the other three horses and quotes another commentator saying:

Can there be any doubt that this is the vision of antiChrist? It so resembles the real Christ that it deceives people, even many a reader of this passage! (Thomas F. Torrance, The Apocalypse Today, p. 44)

The above opinions use enormous quantities of faulty reasoning. There is no justification for associating the first seal with the Antichrist just because of the other three seals. At no point does it say that the rider on the white horse is not faithful or true or that he wages war unjustly, NOWHERE! The Bible contains many passages with references to many different things all mixed together. This is why we are told to rightly divide the Scriptures. The context of the surrounding verses is very important, but the other three horses do not ride out of the first seal; they are clearly separated by being placed into four separate seals. In taking the other seals into account, they are ignoring the symbolism of the first seal, the white horse. The book of Revelation is a symbolic book; to discount the symbolism in favor of anything else is departing from any chance of understanding the passage.

Many commentators, as illustrated above, believe that the rider of the white horse is the Antichrist and that he is on a white horse because he comes with deception and claims to be Christ. READ THIS CAREFULLY. The WORD of God NEVER attempts to deceive us in any way. Satan may portray himself as an angel of light, but the Bible calls him a serpent, a red dragon, and the father of lies. THE SCRIPTURES DO NOT PORTRAY SATAN AS AN ANGEL OF LIGHT, AND THEY DO NOT PORTRAY THE ANTICHRIST RIDING A WHITE HORSE! THE FIRST SEAL IS NOT DESIGNED TO DECEIVE US!

It violates every rule of Scriptural interpretation and good sense to suggest that the Bible presents information designed to trick us, or that the Bible does not mean “white” when it says “white.” White is and always will be a symbol of purity and righteousness throughout the Bible, and in most cultures in history. Jesus said of the righteous:

“They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white.” (Rev. 3:4)

But the commentators are right when they say the rider on the white horse is not Christ, because the rider is the Holy Spirit! The first thing to happen after Christ ascended into heaven was the sending of the Holy Spirit. Peter said, “Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear” (Acts 2:33).

The Greek for “conquer” in 6:2 is nikao (3528) and means “to overcome” (VED). Strong’s says, “to subdue … conquer, overcome, prevail, get the victory.” The Greek for the triumph of Christ in Rev. 5:5 is the same word used for “conquer” in Rev. 6:2.

The literal translation of 6:2 reads, “and he went out overcoming, and that he might overcome” (LIT). The BBE translation say, “he went out with power to overcome.” All Christians will either overcome Satan and the world or be overcome by them, and Christ has sent the Holy Spirit; in order that we might overcome. A far cry from “unjust” conquest! The NLT says the rider “rode out to win many battles and gain the victory.”

The four cherubim represent the unfolding plan of God for his people, as in Ezekiel. Therefore, it is no surprise that “one of the four living creatures” calls forth this horse, because the four horses of the first four seals represent stages in God’s plan for Christians and Jews and the world. In the next seal, the second living creature says “Come!” then the third, then the fourth. Therefore, it is the first living creature that calls the white horse. The first living creature is “like a lion.” In Rev. 5 Jesus is called “the Lion of the tribe of Judah.” The connection is unmistakable.

The crown the rider wears is not that of an earthly kingdom. The Greek is stephanos (4735) and denotes “the victor’s crown, the symbol of triumph in the games … a token of public honor for distinguished service” (VED). It is the same word used for the crown of thorns that Jesus wore. This crown is for the victory of Christ described in Rev. 5. The same Greek word appears in Rev. 2:10, where Jesus said, “Be faithful, even to the point of death and I will give you the crown of life.” The ten kings of the ten-horned beast in Rev. 13 do not wear victors’ crowns but diadems, which are earthly crowns.

Therefore, the rider on the white horse is the Holy Spirit who empowers us to overcome. What is more, nothing is said in the first seal about taking peace from the Earth; nothing is said about men slaying each other; nothing is said about war. It is not in the text! The rider does not engage in physical battles, but spiritual battles.

(4) Second Seal: Red Horse – Christian Martyrs

3 When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” 4 Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make men slay each other. To him was given a large sword. (Rev. 6:3-4)

This seal represents all conflict that resulted from the spread of Christianity throughout history, from individual conflict to widespread persecution. It began with the death of Stephen, the first martyr, and continues today.

In the Greek this particular sword is machaira (3162), which is “a short sword or dagger” (VED). It is used for close personal violence, but not war. CWD says, “A knife, slaughter-knife, a sword for cutting.” Homer Hailey’s commentary on Revelation says machaira is “the word translated ‘knife’ at the offering of Isaac by Abraham” (p. 190) in the Septuagint. (The Septuagint is the Greek version of the OT.) Jesus said:

“Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. [machaira] 35 For I have come to turn “`a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law– 36 a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’” (Mat. 10:34-36)

If “machaira” means a small sword, why does Rev. describe it as large? Since the word for sword specifically tells us that it is a small sword or dagger, the “large” cannot describe the size of the sword, but rather the size, amount, or intensity of the conflict.

The second living creature that announced this seal was “like an ox.” Some translations say “calf.” In the Greek moschios (3448), “primarily denotes anything young” (VED). Calves were frequently used in sacrifices. Christianity at this time was very young, and many thousands of people sacrificed their lives and property for the sake of the Gospel.

(5) Third Seal: Black Horse — Diaspora

5 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. 6 Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, “Two pounds of wheat for a day’s wages, and three pounds of barley for a day’s wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!” (Rev. 6:5-6)

In the original Greek it says “a denarius,” not “a day’s wages.” It was not an accident or coincidence that the voice said “denarius” when it would have been just as easy to say “a day’s wages.” The denarius was a Roman coin. The specific mention of the denarius puts the event of this seal during the time of the Roman Empire. No nation on Earth will be using Roman money during the Great Tribulation.

This seal describes the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. by the Romans, which brought an end to the Jewish revolt of 66-70 and resulted in the scattering of the Jews. The prophet Daniel said, “the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes” (Daniel 4:17). It was God’s will for Rome to rule over the nations, so when the Jews rebelled, they reaped the natural consequences. Paul said those who rebel against the governing authorities “will bring judgment upon themselves” (Romans 13:1-2). I believe Paul was referring directly to the Zealots, and actually predicted their destruction. When the Jews were not revolting they were desiring and planning to revolt. This is one of the reasons the Jewish leaders plotted to crucify Christ; they were afraid he would lead a revolt.

During the Jewish revolt, the Roman Empire changed emperors several times in only one year; so if the Jews were ever to gain their freedom from Rome it would have been during that time, but revolting against Rome was futile. Nero died in 68, was succeeded by Galba (68-69), then Otho (69), then Vitelius (69). General Vespasian was retaking Palestine from the rebels when he became emperor (69-79). Even though Vespasian was favored by most of the army and the people, he still had to defeat Vitelius in battle to become emperor.

But the Jews still could not gain a victory because Vespasian’s son, Titus, continued putting down the Jewish revolt. A detailed account of what took place was recorded by Joseph ben Mattias (Josephus), a Jewish rebel who was captured early in the rebellion. He was present with Titus during the siege of Jerusalem and was commissioned by Emperor Vespasian to write a history of the Jewish people.

The Romans surrounded Jerusalem and built a wall around it; thereby they caused a famine in which many thousands perished. The famine was in grain. Notice the statement, “and do not damage the oil and the wine!” The “wine and oil” refers to the sacred wine and oil used by the Jewish priests in the Temple and symbolically signifies the Temple and the priests. It was as if God gave orders to the Romans not to harm the sacred wine and oil. Though the Romans destroyed the city and the Temple, they are not the ones who hurt the wine and oil; it was the Jews themselves who hurt the wine and oil, for the Zealots committed gross sacrilege within the sanctuary, such as murdering the priests and worshipers, stealing the golden utensils, drinking the holy wine and using the oil, before the Romans ever entered the city:

But John made use of this festival as a cloak for his treacherous designs and armed the most inconsiderable of his party, . . . with weapons concealed under their garments and sent them with great zeal into the temple, in order to seize upon it; . . . while the people that stood trembling at the altar, and about the holy house, were rolled on heaps together, and trampled upon, and were beaten both with wooden and with iron weapons without mercy . . . and all those that had formerly offended any of these plotters, were now known, and were led away to the slaughter. (Wars, Book 5, Chp. 3, section 1)

But as for John, when he could no longer plunder the people, he betook himself to sacrilege, and melted down many of the sacred utensils … on which account he emptied the vessels of that sacred wine and oil which the priests kept to be poured on the burnt-offerings, and which lay in the inner court of the temple, and distributed it among the multitude, who, in their anointing themselves and drinking, used (each of them) above an hin of them … (Wars, Book 5, Chapter 13, section 6-7)

The third living creature “had a face like a man.” This terrible famine and its results was not caused by a drought or plague of locusts but was totally man-made. Titus actually gave orders not to harm the Temple, but because the Zealots were using the Temple as a fortress, fighting naturally occurred in and around the Temple which led to it catching fire.

(6) Fourth Seal: Green Horse – Islam

7 When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” 8 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. (Rev. 6:7-8)

The original Greek for “sword” in this verse is rhomphaia (4501), and is a “sabre, … a long and broad cutlass (any weapon of the kind, literally or figuratively)” (SEC). This is a large weapon representing literal warfare.

Thus far we have three major world events, the spreading of Christianity, martyrdom of Christians, and scattering of the Jews. The fourth seal is also an event of equal importance. The next major event to occur that could fit this seal is the rise of Islam that spread from Arabia into Christian nations by force of arms. The color of Islam is Green. You can see the green of Islam on the back cover of this book.

In the Greek, the word for “pale” is most often translated “green,” but is translated “pale” here because the translators are interjecting what they suppose the proper word should be. Who has ever heard of a Green horse! Barnes Notes on The NT says, “The colour of the horse was pale–??????. This word properly means pale-green, yellowish-green, like the colour of the first shoots of grass and herbage.” CWD says, “Green, as the grass or plants.” It is the same word used for “green” in Rev. 9:4 where it says, “They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green plant or any tree” (ESV).

Green the color of Islam, and is most often seen as a yellowish-green. Therefore, this light-green horse represents the death and suffering that followed the spread of Islam. The reason hell follows this horse is because it is not just warfare, but includes forcing people to convert to Islam, which will send the converts to hell.

Notice the verse does not say they were given power to kill a fourth of the world population, but merely “power over” a fourth; indicating this horse will ride over a fourth of the planet, or will grow to become a fourth of the world population; both are true. The rule of Islam spread until it ran from the western edge of Africa to the borders of China, creating the largest empire in world history. But it has extended beyond those nations into Indonesia, Nigeria, and now even has a significant population in Europe, Canada, and other countries. If you don’t count the unoccupied land such as northern Canada, most of Greenland and most of Australia, then countries with a significant Muslim population cover one-fourth of Earth’s landmass. It also has about 25% of the world’s population. The prophet Ezra predicted the coming of Islam in the book of 4 Ezra (2 Esdras) of the Apocrypha:

What a terrifying sight, appearing from the east! 29 The nations of the dragons of Arabia shall come out with many chariots, and from the day that they set out, their hissing shall spread over the earth, so that all who hear them will fear and tremble. (15:28-29) (NRSV)

The fourth living creature was “like a flying eagle.” Unger’s Bible Dictionary says the eagle figuratively means, “great and powerful kings… also of rapidity of the movement of armies” (p. 58, 282). This exactly describes the Islamic invasions which were very quick. The armies were like the German Blitzkrieg of World War II.

(7) Fifth Seal: Souls of Martyrs

9 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. 10 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?” 11 Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and brothers and sisters were killed just as they had been. (Rev. 6:9-11)

These are all the martyrs for Christ from the start of Christianity through the present. They cry out for justice. They want God to pour out his wrath upon those who murdered them. They are told there will be others who must suffer and die for Christ before judgment will come, which means the wrath of God has not yet started. And these people are not whole persons, but only “souls.” If the Rapture had taken place at the start of Rev. 4, they would have Raptured bodies. These souls will return with Christ to become whole persons at the Rapture. This seal tells us that we have not yet reached the end of the age within the book of Revelation, because more Christians will yet be martyred.

(8) Sixth Seal: Signs of Judgment

The sixth seal describes cosmic events that will bring the Great Tribulation upon the world followed by the Day of Judgment:

12 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, 13 and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. 14 The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.

15 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. 16 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! 17 For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can withstand it?” (Rev. 6:12-17)

These passages accurately describe a time of great catastrophe that will bring an end to the world as we know it through massive earthquakes, asteroid impacts, volcanic eruptions, and tsunamis. But notice that this description of Judgment Day only takes up six verses, which is a surprisingly small amount of space for one of the most important events in the history of the planet. More space is given here in Revelation to saints singing a new song in heaven in Rev. chapter 15 than to Judgment Day in this chapter. There must be a reason for this lack of detail.

Notice that the events of first five seals were events that have continued into our present time, including the martyrdom of Christians; therefore, the opening of the sixth seal is actually the beginning of the cosmic events in the universe that will ultimately result in the stars falling from the sky and mountains moving from their places. In other words, the opening of this seal actually starts the cosmic ball rolling or the launch of the cosmic missile that will arrive later, because the events described here are given in greater detail in Rev. 8 and 16.

So the opening of this seal begins the signs in the heavens warning us of the coming day of destruction because the destruction will come from the heavens. We saw this in chapter one with the explanation of Luke 21. So when this seal opens, frightening things will begin taking place in this solar system.

There is evidence that the sixth seal has opened and the cosmic ball is rolling. In other words, there are signs that destruction is coming. The sixth seal probably opened with a series of events in the summer of 1994. On June 9, 1994, a massive earthquake shook many areas of the Western hemisphere. It was centered below Bolivia, South America. What makes it unusual is the depth of the quake, 400 miles down in the earth’s crust. The great depth spread out the force so it shook most of North and South America. It was even felt in Canada. Only six weeks after the deep earth quake, a frightening event took place in this solar system; fragments of the comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 slammed into the planet Jupiter at 130,000 miles per hour, creating explosions greater than nuclear bombs, and triggered fireballs more than 1,500 miles across and rising up more than 600 miles above Jupiter’s clouds. If those fragments had hit Earth it would have blanketed the world with dense dark clouds and created a cosmic winter, with freezing temperatures and no crops for years.

At the same time that the comet fragments were hitting Jupiter, several Southern states were having a major flood that killed at least 24 people, while most of the western half of the U.S. was having the worst fire season in its history (up to that time). Over 50,000 fires were started, most by lightening strikes! Do you suppose God was trying to tell us something? The deep earthquake was a rare event, and the comet hitting Jupiter was the first such event ever witnessed by humans, plus the flood, and the fires; I do not believe that all these things happening together was a coincidence, especially when you consider that the book of Revelation tells us that God’s judgment upon the world will come in the form of a massive earthquake, an asteroid impact, and will include large amounts of lightning, fires, and tsunamis.

What’s more, because of the comet fragments hitting Jupiter, several scientific organizations have started for one purpose, to watch for asteroids that could be heading for Earth. And they found one!

(9) The Watch Has Begun

The comet fragments of Shoemaker-Levy hitting Jupiter was a wake-up call. Many scientists became alarmed at the possibility that such an event could happen to Earth. Before the comet Shoemaker-Levy hit Jupiter, most scientists did not take the possibility of an asteroid impact seriously. Dr. Shoemaker was perhaps the only scientist who was looking for earth-crossing asteroids. Since the Jupiter impacts, scientists have changed their minds and have actually begun to look for objects that could collide with Earth. One such project is called NEAT, Near Earth Asteroid Tracking system, in Hawaii. Another is called Sky Watch, which was responsible for finding the asteroid 1997XF-11 that will pass near Earth in 2028.

Even though Dr. Shoemaker was looking for such asteroids, it was not a known concern or an ongoing project by many people as it has become since the July 1994 comet impacts. Therefore, since the comet hitting Jupiter in 1994 is when the world woke up to the danger of asteroid impacts and began watching the skies for asteroids, that is when the “watch” officially began; that is likely when the 6th seal was opened.

Shoemaker-Levy was followed by the discovery of two more comets, Hyakutake and Hale-Bopp. Then came the discovery of possible life on Mars and the discovery of new planets. It seems every few months there is a new event or discovery connected with this solar system that makes worldwide news. On the evening of March 23, 1997, the comet Hale-Bopp could be seen with the naked eye, at the same time there was a full eclipse of the moon, and Mars was also visible with the naked eye because it was at its brightest, being at its closest to Earth. All this happening on the same night was certainly unusual, but not frightening. We should keep on the watch because there will be many more cosmic signs that may be pointing to the end of the age.

Not everything happening in this solar system will be a sign of the approaching end, but we may not realize it until we put several cosmic events together that they have some significance and are indeed signs. Most likely the signs will become more and more unusual, that is, things happening that are unexpected and that we have never seen before.

Another frightening event which NASA has seen because of the asteroid watch, is the discovery of an asteroid name Aphohis which scientists say could impact Earth in 2036, but there is no doubt, because it is described here in Revelation! (Apophis means “the Destroyer” and is described in another chapter.) This asteroid watch, reminds me of the words of Jesus who told us to watch.

(10) Watch for The Coming Thief

42 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. (Matthew 24:42-44)

Verse 42 begins with “therefore” and refers back to what he just said, which was that a great destruction like Noah’s flood will come upon the world. This means that verse 42 tells us that a Noah-like destruction will happen at the coming of Christ. Jesus then helps us to understand what he is saying by giving us a story to illustrate his point.

Jesus said he will come like a thief; since a thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy, this passage refers to the coming destruction of the Day of Judgment when Christ will return as judge. Jesus will not appear bodily during the destruction, but only in the sky. The whole period of total wrath that will last for several weeks can be considered the Day of Judgment.

Though we will not know in advance the exact day or hour, we can know when the Day of Judgment is very close. The key to the passage is this; if the owner of the house had known what hour the thief was coming, he would have taken the necessary steps to prevent the thief from breaking into his house. If the owner knew the thief was coming at 1 a.m., he could sleep until 12:30, then awaken and turn on all the lights and do whatever is necessary to keep the thief from breaking in.

But since we do not know when the thief will come, we should watch for the coming of the thief– this means that if we are watching, we will be able to see the thief as he approaches. It means we will be able to see destruction coming if we are watching the signs in the sun, moon, and stars!

It’s kind of like radar. An army general cannot know when the enemy planes are approaching, but if the radar is watching, it will give him advance warning so the air-raid alarm can sound. Civilians and military personnel can then flee into bomb shelters for protection. In like manner we are commanded to watch the cosmic events in this solar system so we will know when to flee to shelters so we can be protected during the time of global destruction from the events of the Day of Judgment. Jesus said that people will die from fear because of what will take place, and this means we will be able to see it coming. So, we must watch for possible danger from space.

This is another passage which by itself destroys the pre-trib Rapture which is suppose to happen unexpectedly. Oh, but what if these events take place after the Rapture, during the tribulation? Jesus is not concerned about warning the unsaved world to watch for his return; Jesus is speaking to his chosen people when he says, “you must be ready” and warning us in many different passages, as we have already seen even before the warnings in Matthew 24. The rest of Matthew 24 will be explained in detail in a later chapter.

(11) When You Do Not Expect Him

But, what about the end of the above passage that says Christ will come when we do not expect him? Notice the first part of that statement:

“So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” (Matthew 24:44)

Jesus is talking about destruction coming upon the whole world, so we “must be ready.” How can we watch for the coming thief and be ready if he will come when we do not expect him? I believe this passage refers to the length of time that has transpired since the time of Christ. Jesus continues speaking about this same subject in the very next parable, which clearly states, “My master is staying away a long time.”

The apostles and the early Church were looking for the soon return of Christ. They did not expect it to be 2,000 years before Jesus would return. That is probably what the statement means that Jesus would return when we do not expect him. It does not refer to catching us by surprise, because he is here warning us so that we are not caught by surprise.

Jesus knew that many Christians would stop expecting his return because he was going to stay away a long time. They no longer believe in his return to set up his kingdom on Earth and will not believe any warning of the coming asteroid impacts and nuclear war because it does not fit their faulty theology.

More detail about asteroid impact, and the Day of Judgment is given in the author’s other book on the subject.