Part 1: Unveiling the 7-Year Tribulation
The 7-year Tribulation is one of the most fascinating topics in the Bible, as it involves events yet to occur. The mysterious visions shared in the two books of the Bible, Daniel and Revelation, are captivating and frightening. These books outline the fate of Israel and those who chose not to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Because I am fascinated with unfulfilled prophecies, I want to know the exact order of the end times events to speak intelligently about what will happen and explain why God lashes these plagues from heaven. Understanding the chronological order of these anticipated end-time events is important to anyone seeking clarity of what occurs after the Rapture.
Due to the amount of detail and to keep this article at an easy reading length, we will cover the events over the three different blog articles. Don't worry about missing any information, they will link together.
Understanding the 7-Year Tribulation Prophetic Clock
Based on Bible prophecy warnings, the 7-year tribulation seems closer than ever. Just how close are we? In a previous article, Rapture Ready: Signs the Church's Departure Could Be Nearing; we shared that the Bible tells us that no one, not even the Son of God, knows the day, time, or hour the Father will send Jesus to return. We can only explore the Bible verses and tie everything together to determine the possible generation that will not die out, as it says in Matthew 24:34.
"Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place." Matthew 24:34
One of the most significant and detailed prophecies to explore on the timetable of end-time events is Daniel 9. Daniel is a Jew who was captured and taken back to Babylon to be trained and enter the service after King Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem. Daniel refused to worship the king’s idols and endured hardship to remain a faithful follower of Jesus. Daniel could interpret a troubling dream the King had after seeking answers through prayer. The key feature of the king’s dream is that a kingdom will be set up by the God in heaven that will last forever and that His kingdom will destroy all previous, man-made kingdoms. (Daniel 2:44-55)
Daniel contributed his ability to interpret dreams to God, and he was also chosen as an angel to share the detailed Messianic prophecies for the Jewish people's future. The chapter if Daniel 9 begins with him praying for Israel, acknowledging the nation's sins against God, and asking for His mercy. During this plea for mercy, the angel Gabriel appeared to him and gave him a vision of Israel's future.
In verse 24, the angel says, “Seventy ‘sevens’ are decreed for your people and your holy city.” Most analysts agree that the seventy ‘sevens’ should be understood as seventy “weeks” of years or a period of 490 years. These verses show when Jesus, the Messiah, will return for his believers before these horrific 7-year Tribulation end-time events launch.
The prophecy continues to divide the 490 years into three smaller units: one of 49 years, one of 434 years, and one of 7 years. The final “week” of 7 years is further divided in half.
49 Years + 434 Years + 7 Years = 490 Years
The last seven years in this series are also called Daniel’s 70th week. Gabriel, the angel, said the prophetic clock or timeline would start when a decree was issued to rebuild Jerusalem. Remember, at this time, Jerusalem was destroyed to the ground and needed to be rebuilt.
Of the 70 “sevens,” 69 have been fulfilled in history. For a full breakdown explained through Bible verses, visit GotQuestions.org. If that is true, there is a big gap between the 69th and 70th week, providing a grace period for those to get saved before God releases his wrath on evildoers. The final “seven” of Daniel’s 70th weeks is the 7-year Tribulation period. After analyzing this prophetic clock, the Rapture can come anytime. After the twinkle of an eye that no one on earth will see occur, but only see the disappearance of believers, the confusion and Tribulation end time events can start.
Key Events of the Tribulation Period
God’s number 7, described in Decoding the Most Evil Symbolic Numerology in Biblical End Times Prophecy, will be seen throughout these events. Once the Holy Spirit is removed from the earth, it opens the door for the rise of the Antichrist.
Satan is the current ruler on earth, permitted by God, but God was still in control of the events and timing. The world will be begging for a ruler to bring peace to the world. Imagine the chaos of millions of people disappearing with no explanation. What if these people are removed during the day’s events, a plane pilot is taken, and a dad driving their family on vacation has his kids instantly removed from the back seats in seconds? What confusion! The world will demand answers. This opens the door for the most deceiving leader in the world to rise to leadership of the entire world. He will win the people over by bringing peace to Israel, which in our current days would be a miracle. He will also have the gift of performing signs and wonders, which over time will convince people he is the Messiah in the Bible as reference.
There are three main sections of the 7-year Tribulation:
First 3 ½ years = 7 Seals and 7 Trumpets Judgments
Second 3 ½ years = 7 Bowls of God's Wrath, Antichrist Reign, and the Second Coming
The Seven Seals
A trumpet sound kicks off the 7-year Tribulation period. After that first trumpet, Jesus will open each of the seven seals, letting out the beginning of His wrath on wickedness. The four horsemen represent the first four seals, each horse's color outlining the event that will begin that will begin at the crack of each seal.
First Seal: Conquest
The first horseman rides a white horse, symbolizing conquering and becoming victorious over much of the world. This rider represents the Antichrist who will rise in power through his campaign of deception and conspiracy that earns him global loyalty and devotion from the people, including the Jewish people. (Revelation 6:1, 2; Matthew 24:5).
One can speculate that the world will be crying for help, and this man rises out of nowhere with a plan to help explain away the Rapture and the reason for all Christians disappearing.
Second Seal: War and Bloodshed
A red horse gallops, removing peace from the earth and representing war and bloodshed. This horse will usher in great division, deception, and civil turbulence. Peace will disappear between families, cities, neighborhoods, and homes. The phrase “people should kill one another” may be chanted and be an embraced societal value. (Revelation 6:3-4; Matthew 24:6-7)
This kill-or-be-killed philosophy doesn’t seem far-fetched as today we watch people chant, ‘Death to America,’ and Hamas demands the elimination of the Jews.
Third Seal: Famine and Economic Collapse
The black horse rushes with the rider carrying a pair of scales, denoting famine and economic collapse. (Revelation 6:5-6; Matthew 24:7)
Remember the grocery store shortages and physical fights over toilet paper? This famine will put that experience as visiting Disney World. The world currencies will crash, with inflation shooting through the roof higher than we could imagine today. Image the chaos that will elevate when the food supply lines go down.
Fourth Seal: Death and Plague
A rider named Death rides the pale horse and is given the power over a fourth of the earth to kill with a sword, with hunger, and by beats of the earth. There wasn’t just one rider; there was another that followed, Hades, noting the underworld of evil. (Revelation 6:7-8; Matthew 24:7)
Both riders have a part to play in the departure of people on the earth. Death claims the body and kills, while Hades takes the soul. They take a fourth of the population with them. Imagine that? The global population is approximately eight billion, meaning two billion will die. The world panicked over the COVID-19 deaths that were in the millions. The world was devastated then. To put this in perspective – for every one person that died in the pandemic, another 500 – 1,000 people will die.
Fifth Seal: Martyrdom of Believers
Under an altar, the souls of those who were slain for following God are crying out to Jesus, “How long, O Lord, holy and true until You judge the agenda on our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” They ask when this will end, but it isn’t over yet. During this time, Christians who accepted Jesus during these years of the Tribulation will also be martyred for their faith. (Revelation 6:9-11)
Sixth Seal: Cosmic Disturbances
Phenomenal cosmic disturbances include the sun turning to darkness, the moon turning to blood, and a great earthquake. (Matthew 24:29; Revelation 6:12-17)
The earthquake will be so great that those living on an island will likely be washed away by its aftereffect, producing a tsunami. Buildings and cities will be pummeled to the ground due to the massive shaking and destroyed from the sky by meteors soaring to the earth's surface. Add the volcanic eruptions that will blast ash into the atmosphere, and no wonder there will be darkness.
When the angels were posed to release the next disaster, Jesus would stop them and declare there was something He must do first. He seals protection for the 144,000 Israelites who accepted Jesus as their Savior during these events. They will be protected from many plagues coming their way because they will be sealed with God’s number, seven. (Revelation 7:3-8)
Seventh Seal: Introduction to the Seven Trumpets
This last seal is cracked, and there is silence in heaven for about half an hour, which must be the first time (Revelation 8:1). Heaven is quiet and anticipating Jesus' orders. What is next? The cracking of this seal introduces the start of the seven trumpets.
The Seven Trumpets of Judgment
After reading about the seven seals, I would hope this nightmare would be over. However, the destruction and terror begin to ramp up as each trumpet is sounded. If you are petrified with fear from these events, please know that it is a simple decision to be saved from God’s wrath. It is to repent of your sins, realize that you need a Savior, and accept Jesus as your Lord. If you are ready to be saved and have an intimate relationship with Jesus, visit my “Saved” page and say the Salvation Prayer.
Meet you in the clouds,
Cheryl (C-Dub)
