Missing People Truth.org

 

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| Part 6: The Seal Judgements of God |

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[Evidence] The Seven Seal Judgements of God's Wrath

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse comprise the first four seals and are released at the commencement of the Tribulation, riding throughout the entire seven year period, they are:

 

 

 

The Antichrist

First Seal - The Conqueror/Antichrist (Revelation 6:1-2)
The Conqueror is the Antichrist, meaning both “opposing” and “in place of” Christ. This is a literal man who will rise to become a very influential world leader with the primary objective of deceiving as many as possible away from the truth of God.

His tactic to achieve this deceptive rise to power is by appearing to be a man of peace; but it will in fact be a false peace “Through his cunning he shall cause deceit to prosper under his rule” (Daniel 8:25). Seeking to bring “peace and safety” to all peoples, he will reasonably establish what appears to be peace; however his focus will suddenly change causing many wars, death and destruction.
 

He will then attempt to exalt himself in the place of Jesus Christ with lying signs and wonders, even to the extent of falsely declaring that he himself is God. As this man must be revealed (2 Thessalonians 2:3-8) at the start of the Tribulation his identity is currently unknown, however so that you may not be deceived the Bible describes his various attributes and activities as follows:

 

Origins and Power of the Antichrist
The Antichrist will rise out of Europe to gain power over ten “kings” (or nations) and during that process he will subdue three (Daniel 7:24), with the remaining seven nations giving their power and authority to him as the leader over all (Revelation 17:13).

The Antichrist is referred to as “the beast” (Revelation 13:1) out of the sea whose power, position and authority comes from Satan “the dragon” (Revelation 13:2). He will become so militarily powerful that people will say “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?” (Revelation 13:4).
 

 

 

[Evidence] Personal attributes of the Antichrist
 

• He is charismatic who speaks very convincingly and will persuade many to follow him (Revelation 13:5).
   
• He is a deceiver, who will deceive many. God forewarns you:
   

  “For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand.” (Matthew 24:24-25).

  The “elect” refers to those who have accepted Jesus Christ during the Tribulation period.
   
• He is “the lawless one” and a destroyer. He is “The man of sin… the Son of perdition (destruction)” (2 Thessalonians 2:3).
   

  “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders.” (2 Thessalonians 2:9).

• He is a heretic, speaking blasphemy against God, promoting false doctrine and denying that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh (1 John 4:2; 2 John 7). He speaks “blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, and His tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven” (Revelation 13:6). He will deny the rapture of the church and speak against those who have been raptured, blaspheming “them that dwell in heaven”.
   
• He has no “desire of women” (Daniel 11:37), but is a sodomite. Although it’s unlikely that this will become public knowledge initially, but possibly during the second half of the Tribulation.

 

[Evidence] Activities of the Antichrist
God grants supernatural power and authority to the Antichrist for a specific period of forty-two months (3 ½ years) (Revelation 13:5), being the second half of the Tribulation. Although several of the below events will take place in the first half of the Tribulation they will not occur by the supernatural power of God, but instead only by human means in accordance with the influences of Satan.
 

• He causes many wars in an effort to expand his domination. “…therefore he shall go out with great fury to destroy and annihilate many.” (Daniel 11:44).
   
• He establishes a one-world government and many will worship him.
   

  “And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue and nation. All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb [Jesus Christ] slain from the foundation of the world.” (Revelation 13:7b-8).

• He establishes a one-world economy in order to control world commerce. To be permitted to buy or sell, he will mandate that all people must take the “mark of the beast” symbolising ones allegiance to the Antichrist (Revelation 13:16-17).
   
• He establishes a one-world religious system in order to control the people. This is not one religion but rather a system that amalgamates all religions under one governing authority. At mid-Tribulation he will destroy this system prior to announcing himself as God, eliminating any opposition to his false claim of divinity (Revelation 17:15-18).
   
• He breaks the peace agreement and invades Israel. At the start of the Tribulation he made a peace agreement with Israel and many other nations for seven years, but then 3 ½ years later at its mid-point, he breaks that covenant (Daniel 9:27). At that time he will invade Israel and take over Jerusalem, set up his headquarters in the temple of God (Daniel 8:11; Daniel 11:45) and defile God’s sanctuary (“abomination of desolation”) (Daniel 11:31; Daniel 12:11).
  
  He will kill two-thirds of the Jewish people in Israel (Zechariah 13:8) and the remainder will flee to a place of refuge in the mountains (Matthew 24:15-16; Revelation 12:6) known as Bozrah (Micah 2:12) meaning “sheepfold”. This is likely to be modern day Petra in southern Jordan, located within an area of ancient Edom and Moab which will not be conquered by the Antichrist (Daniel 11:41).
  
  Note: There has not been a temple of God in Jerusalem since 70AD when the Second Temple was destroyed by the Romans. However a Third Temple will be built before mid-Tribulation when the Antichrist will occupy and defile it.
   
• He falsely claims to be God.
   

  “[He] opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God” (2 Thessalonians 2:4).

• He seeks to kill all who oppose him and that refuse to worship him and his image (Revelation 13:15).
   

  “It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation.” (Revelation 13:7).

  This reference to “saints” refers to all the people who have accepted Jesus Christ during the Tribulation, these new Christians will be a prime target of the Antichrist.
   
• He assembles the armies for the Battle of Armageddon. At the end of the Tribulation he will gather together the “kings of the earth” and their armies in the Jezreel Valley (Megiddo - plains of northern Israel) to make war against Jesus Christ. But they are quickly defeated. By the Word of God (two-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12)), Jesus will cast the Antichrist and the false prophet alive into the lake of fire and destroy all their armies at the Battle of Armageddon (Revelation 19:19-21).

 

The False Prophet

The false prophet is the accomplice of the Antichrist and is referred to as the “beast coming up out of the earth” who will have all the power of the Antichrist (Revelation 13:11-12). His objective is the same as the Antichrist’s, to deceive you away from the truth of God and from receiving eternal life.

[Evidence] Activities of the False Prophet

The false prophet will attempt to achieve his deceptive objectives by:

• Falsely appearing to be a man of God and peace but in fact he is an agent of Satan (Revelation 13:11).
   
• Performing supernatural “signs and lying wonders” (2 Thessalonians 2:9), through which he will deceive many (Revelation 13:14). These “signs and lying wonders” include:
   
• • Performing a false resurrection of the Antichrist. His head will appear “…as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed.” (Revelation 13:3). But do not be deceived as this is in fact just an elaborate illusion because only God has resurrection power (1 Samuel 2:6; Deuteronomy 32:39).
    
    This act will be so convincing that the false prophet will use it as proof of the Antichrist’s divine nature, calling on all people to worship him (Revelation 13:12).
     
  • Making “fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men” (Revelation 13:13). This is not the same event as the fire from heaven commanded by God that’s described in the Battle of Gog and Magog above. This event will take place sometime after Mid-Tribulation once God has authorised Satan to give the false prophet use of these supernatural powers.
     
  • Giving “breath” to an image of the Antichrist. He will instruct all that dwell on the earth to make an image in honour of the Antichrist (Revelation 13:14).
     

    “He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.” (Revelation 13:15).

• Cause all to receive the Mark of the Beast (Revelation 13:16-18).

 

The Mark of the Beast

When taken on one’s right hand or forehead, this mark symbolises allegiance to the Antichrist. He will use this mark with the intention to control world commerce: declaring that nobody can buy or sell without either the mark, the name of the Antichrist or the number of his name - being 666.

Due to the commerce implications associated with it, many prophecy scholars speculate that this mark will be some form of microchip inserted under the skin. It may be promoted to the people as a means of accessing Government benefits, a secure substitute for credit cards or as a means of combatting money laundering, fraud and the financing of terrorism through the implementation of a cashless society.

BEWARE! DO NOT TAKE THIS MARK UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES! God declares that the moment you take this mark you seal your eternal destiny in the lake of fire. There are no second chances.
 

Think very, very carefully about this. It’s the most infinitely serious decision you will ever have to make. And we’ll tell you now, it won’t be easy. The decision may seem obvious to you right now, but pressure and persecution will soon mount upon you and tragically many will succumb and take the mark. Do not let this happen to you.

The primary reason why so many will take the mark is because they simply don’t know the eternal consequences of doing so. They are “destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6), the very knowledge that you’re acquiring right now. By objectively evaluating the evidence you will solidify your knowledge in the truth of God providing you with the resolve to endure the temporary hardships of refusing the mark in order to gain an eternal reward.
 

Accepting the mark will mean:
You’re allowed to live, buy and sell under the Antichrist’s regime for the next 3 ½ years before you’re condemned to be eternally tormented without rest day and night in the lake of fire (Revelation 14:11). You will only have a maximum of 3 ½ more years to live on the earth because the mark is introduced at the mid-point of the Tribulation and all people who have accepted it are condemned at the end of the Tribulation (Matthew 25:31-46).

Of course, that is assuming you don’t get killed by one of the many plagues comprising the wrath of God (explained in detail below) during this 3 ½ year period. These plagues are so horrific that in just one of the judgements one-third of all mankind (left on earth at the time), some 2 billion people will be killed (Revelation 9:15). If this happens, then you’re condemned to hell at the moment you’re killed.

Before you even consider taking this mark, you should be aware of exactly what hell (or the lake of fire) entails. Hell is a literal place, just as heaven is. A place as tangible as the earth you stand on right now. It’s a place where the most horrific physical and mental suffering you can imagine on this world is mere dust on the scales in comparison to what awaits those who are condemned to hell and eternal separation from God.

 

Refusing the mark will mean:
You will have the opportunity to accept Jesus Christ and receive eternal life in heaven, living forever in paradise with unfathomable and indescribable joy, peace, happiness and love; permanently residing in the very presence of God Himself (Revelation 20:4; Revelation 22:3-4).

Important: Just refusing the mark is not enough to get you into heaven; you MUST also accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. Refer the below section “How can I be saved?” to find out exactly how to accept His free gift of salvation.

Once you’ve accepted Jesus, your name is written in the “Book of Life of the Lamb” (Revelation 3:5). Giving you complete assurance by God Himself that you will not only receive eternal life in heaven but also be adopted as a child and heir of God, equally as Jesus Christ is (Ephesians 1:5; 1 John 3:1). You will receive a glorified physical body of great power, a mansion in heaven, complete knowledge of all things and eternal communion with God, dwelling in His own abode.

By accepting Jesus, you are denying the Antichrist and therefore since you’re still living under his regime for the next 3 ½ years, you will encounter serious – but short term – hardship; you may even be killed for your testimony to Jesus. But if this happens you can take comfort in God’s assurance that you will immediately go to heaven to be with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:6-8; Revelation 20:4) and even receive special honour by God as a martyr for your faith, being privileged to reside under the very altar of God Almighty until all the remaining events of the Tribulation have been fulfilled (Revelation 6:9-11).
 

At the end of the Tribulation all people still living on the earth will be judged by Jesus (Matthew 25:31-46). Anyone who has not accepted Jesus (regardless of whether or not they have accepted the mark) will be eternally condemned. Anyone who has genuinely accepted Christ, evidenced by their lives bearing fruit – being good works through obedience to God’s Word – will be saved and rewarded in heaven.

 

Why does God allow Satan to supernaturally empower the Antichrist to deceive mankind?
By authorising Satan (Revelation 13:5) to empower the Antichrist (Revelation 13:2b) with supernatural abilities to deceive, God is passing judgement on those who have rejected His Son Jesus Christ, by sending them “strong delusion”.
 

However, God is fair and just, therefore He doesn’t do this until mid-tribulation when He’s already allowed mankind to see the evidence for themselves of His existence, supreme authority and power. God has clearly done this through the supernatural revelation of Himself in the Battle of Gog and Magog, then 3 ½ years of exposure to the truth of His Word through the ministry of the 144,000 evangelists and also the initial stages of the two witnesses supernatural ministry.

God provides this 3 ½ years of undeniable evidence so that it may bear witness in your heart to the truth of His Word, so that you may believe and be saved into eternal life. Yet despite all of this proof, some people will still choose to deny God and continue fulfilling their sinful desires. Therefore God acknowledges their unwillingness to ever change and honours their decision, giving them over to their own unrighteousness by facilitating “that they should believe the lie”.

 

Second Seal - Conflict and War on Earth (Revelation 6:3-4)
 

Third Seal - Scarcity of Food on Earth (Revelation 6:5-6)
 

A denarius is the equivalent to a day’s wage and a quart is about 1.1kgs. This judgement is not outright famine where food simply doesn’t exist, but rather extreme scarcity, thereby inciting conflict and violence between those who have and those who do not.

Fourth Seal - Widespread Death on Earth (Revelation 6:7-8)
 

Fifth Seal - The Cry of the Martyrs (Revelation 6:9-11)
 

As the tribulation unfolds and people see these supernatural events taking place, many will recognise their errored beliefs and put their faith in Jesus Christ that they may be saved. While this is obviously a wise decision and guarantees your eternal security in heaven, it will also mean that you will become a target of the Antichrist and may be killed for your new faith.

With this fifth seal being opened, God is assuring those who are martyred for their belief in Him that they will receive a very special honour in heaven, being permitted to reside under the alter of God until the full number of martyred tribulation saints is completed.
 

Sixth Seal - Cosmic Disturbances (Revelation 6:12-17)
 

 

Seventh Seal - Prelude to the Seven Trumpets (Revelation 8:1-6)
When this seal is opened it releases upon the earth “…noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake” assumedly to signify the commencement of the Seven Trumpet Judgements, one of which is unleashed directly on the people who dwell on the earth.

 

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In the next part we’ll examine God’s Word regarding the Trumpet and Bowl Judgements that are to follow these Seal Judgements.

 

 

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