Have The Four Horsemen Began Their Ride?
Has the world entered into the 7 Year Tribulation? Has Jesus began opening the seals that unleash the judgment of God upon the earth? Was WW1 (1914) and WW2 (1937) caused by the blowing of the first and second trumpets? Was Russia’s 1986 nuclear disaster (Chernobyl) the result of the third trumpet?
Many good people today believe we have entered into the last 7 years, immediately preceding the Second Coming of Christ and the beginning of The Dispensation of Divine Government that lasts for 1,000 years. Some of those who teach this are prominent teachers in the realm of Christendom who have their own televised broadcasts.
Revelation 4:1 begins after the church is spoken of for the last time in Revelation 1 – Revelation 3. Greek: meta (NT:3326) tauta (NT:5023), after these things. This Greek phrase is used at the beginning and at the end of Revelation 4:1, thus: “After these things (after writing the things concerning the churches of Rev. 2-3), I looked … a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice … said, Come up hither, and I will show thee things which must be after these things,: that is, after the churches (Rev. 4:1).
This confirms and settles the question as to the time of the fulfillment of all the events of Revelation 4 – Revelation 22. They must be after these things, that is all things concerning the churches, or after the rapture of the church. The church is no longer on earth when the events of Revelation 4 – Revelation 22 take place. The church age is represented by the prophetic application (Rev. 1:3) of the seven churches (Rev. 2 – Rev. 3). Revelation 4:1 is when the rapture takes place in Revelation and is the place that ends the church age.
Christ said the things of Revelation 4 – Revelation 22 “must be hereafter,” that is, after the churches, as proved above and also by Revelation 1:19, which is the key to understanding the three main divisions of Revelation. If this is true, then the church is raptured before these things of Revelation 4 – Revelation 22, and after the things of the churches of Revelation 2 – Revelation 3. If “the things which are,” from Revelation 1:19, concern the church (Rev. 2 – Rev. 3), then the “things which must be after” “the things which are” must concern events after the churches. The church must be here during the time of the fulfillment of the things concerning the churches, and it must not be here during the fulfillment of the things after the churches. Then the church is raptured in Revelation 4:1 between “the things which are” (Rev. 2-3) and “the things which must be hereafter,” that is, after the churches (Rev. 4-22).
It was told to me by a preterist that “the things hereafter” are after John’s life (of course there’s no authority for that), but he also maintained that Revelation 4 – Revelation 18, at least, happened by 70 A.D. However, all sources point to John’s death being around 98-100 A.D., meaning “the things hereafter” Johns life were fulfilled 30 years before he died! This is the definition of contradicting ones self. The time of the rapture, like that of the Second Coming, is not definitely known as to the day or the hour, but we do know that it will take place before the Tribulation, before the reign of Antichrist (2 Thess. 2:1-8), before the fulfillment of Matthew 24- 25; Mark 13; Luke 21; Revelation 4 – Revelation 19, and before the fulfillment of many other prophecies.
All things after Revelation 4:1 are 100% AFTER the rapture of the spotless church (Eph. 5:27; Tit. 2:11-13; 1 Jn. 3:1-10). A simple understanding of Revelation is found in the first chapter. After all, “revelation” means to reveal, or unveil things that were covered. God doesn’t want us blind to what’s coming, the devil does.
The issue is that all of Revelation 4 – Revelation 22 are “after these things,” (Rev. 1:19; Rev. 4:1) that is after the these concerning the church age (Rev. 2 – Rev. 3). All confusion and wrong understanding concerning end times could be better and simply understood if we would all comprehend that nothing after Revelation 4:1 can happen during the church age. Simply stated, the first few trumpets sound in Revelation 8, so this cannot take place until after the rapture of the church.
A correct understand that Revelation is given in sequential order, with parenthetical passages inserted throughout to explain events or subjects further or completely, will also help in understanding that the 200 million demons unleashed from the abyss (Rev. 9) are not the same company of beings as found in Revelation 16, which are human troops assembled for the greatest and last battle of this age. China does not send 200 million people for the Battle of Armageddon, at least not as proven from Revelation 9 or any other scripture. You just aren’t allowed to randomly jump around in Revelation. For another matter, the seven seals are broken before the seven trumpets are blown, so when were the seven seals broken, which begin with the revealing of the Antichrist (Rev. 6:2). So when was this man of sin revealed?
Keep looking up friends! Our redemption does draw near as long as we are living faithful for the One who is faithful to His Word (2 Tim. 2:11-15).
