The Towering Question
Back to 1The Bible’s Greatest Prophecies Unlocked!
At this most critical turning point in prophecy—as the world explodes toward the brink of the fifth seal of Great Tribulation—we ask a sobering question that should be on every reader’s mind: How far—to what degree—have the seals of false Christianity, war, famine, and pestilence come to bear?
You have already seen that the first four seals are now open! The previous five chapters thunder this undeniable fact. Just as evident is that we have not yet entered the time of “great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be” (Matt. 24:21). The world now rests on the fulcrum of these great prophecies—the tipping point!
How critical is the question of the timeline surrounding the fulfillment of the first four seals?
Understand! The arrival of the Great Tribulation hinges entirely on the complete unlocking of the four seals preceding it! Until the horrors that these seals bring claim a quarter of all men, the Tribulation will not come. The depth to which the first four seals have been opened is therefore the key indicator of our proximity to the Tribulation—to discerning the correct “mile marker” on God’s prophetic timeline!
What could be more important for you to comprehend in regard to time?
A Caution to Readers
Before examining the facts surrounding this question of the precise transition between the first four and the fifth seals, a critical warning specific to this juncture in prophecy must be made. As the age draws to a close, self-deception and pursuit of materialism has grown so great that mankind cannot comprehend what is presently occurring the world over—what is happening right now!
Most cannot fathom a human death toll approaching two billion—it is beyond their scope of comprehension and acceptance. And despite the undeniable fact that scores of millions are perishing every year due to the first four seals, they ignore—knowingly or unknowingly—these horrifying numbers. They simply are not looking for the carnage and are not recognizing it when they see it. So great is this self-deception that, at the tail end of the “fourth part of the earth” fulfillment—when the rising body count is greatest!—Earth’s inhabitants will be lulled into believing the soothing lies of the devil’s agents, soon to declare, “Peace, peace; when there is no peace” (Jer. 6:14).
Will you be among the undiscerning and gullible—or deny the undeniable? Or will you wake up to the Bible’s clear warnings and to the cold, hard—concrete!—statistics screaming from newspapers, magazines, journals, television stations and websites the world over?
Understand though. Conditions will to a degree seem normal or no thinking mind would take any such “peace, peace” declaration seriously, no matter who was saying it. When comparing our time with the days of Noah and Sodom and Gomorrah, Jesus, in Matthew 24:37-39 and Luke 17:26-29, added to His warning that a semblance of normal routine continued in society even immediately prior to the Flood and immediately prior to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.
A 20th-century Example
We must again now “reason together.” Follow carefully the next several all-important paragraphs. It has become time for some basic math.
For perspective, we return to the worst recorded flu pandemic of all time: the 1918 Spanish flu outbreak. Recall that about 675,000 in the United States were killed—along with between 40 and 100 million others worldwide. To understand the effect at the time, consider some comparisons. With a 1918 U.S. population of 103 million—almost exactly one-third of today’s 310 million in the U.S.—675,000 equals over two million dying in America if this flu came today. Now, with world population at about 1.9 billion in 1918, and if we use the midrange-estimate of 70 million dying worldwide then, the current 6.8 billion world population would yield 251 million dying today by this pandemic!
Therefore, do not say such extreme horrific disaster could not strike the world. The 1.9 billion people alive in 1918—were they still alive—would say you were wrong! And remember the Black Death. Thissingle plague killed from one-third to one-half the world’s population in the mid-1300s. No one doubts this occurred because it is a fact of history. So why would they doubt when Jesus Christ said that just one-fourth will die from the horsemen?
Here is why: The Black Death is past—the stuff of history books. The horsemen are still largely future. No one wants to imagine such an awful future—even if GOD foretells it will come!
See the contradiction in thinking and acceptance here!
Next, remember that war is worse than ever today, as is famine, and that there are many more deadly diseases on Earth now than ever in history—far more than in the 1300s, or even in 1918.
In Review
An encapsulation of what we have learned becomes necessary to understand the extent to which the first four seals are open. Some computation is required.
The specter of the white horse of false Christianity—while not yet taking victims by the scores of millions—is ratcheting up in readiness! There is seemingly no end to the increase of churches and deceivers.
The horror of war—while not presently claiming lives in the double and triple-digit millions—will soon grip the world as never before. Consider that we saw about 250 million died during the 20th century alone due to wars and related genocides—and this estimate may be conservative! Then remember the “commotions” Luke referenced. The newer phenomenon of terrorism, worsening in the 21st century, including bombings, riots and mass shootings, as well as serial killings, are occurring with greater frequency the world over. Civil wars now plague underdeveloped nations as never before. Politico-military power plays edge nations closer to war, now almost daily! Worldwide tension—extreme volatility!—coupled with spectacular weapons advancements, have made the “rumors” Jesus spoke of about war more common than Hollywood gossip.
So then, millions are currently dying annually due to one or another form of war. Next, recall that about 24,000 people now starve daily. This is almost 9 million annually! And remember that disease now claims 82,000 victims a day—or the 30 million each year referenced earlier. Factor in natural disasters—great earthquakes (300,000 died in total in Haiti, which also suffered a Cholera outbreak in its wake), plus volcanoes, and many kinds of storms and tsunamis—and the annual death toll rises. But there are also such things as unprovoked animal attacks that are on the rise.
We might also ask: What of the 46 million unborn babies who are murdered in a very real war by abortionists each year? This would have to be included in the “death” referenced in Revelation 6:8. Almost certainly a direct component of the horsemen, this ongoing worldwide atrocity commands inclusion within this math.
Now recognize that Mark’s account of the Olivet Prophecy adds a word not found in either Matthew’s or Luke’s account. Instead of mentioning pestilences—which both Matthew and Luke do, as well as does Revelation 6:1-17 in regard to the pale (or sickly) horse—Mark says this: “For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in [various] places, and there shall be famines and troubles...” (Mk 13:8). The rest of the passage continues paralleling Matthew and Luke.
The Greek word translated “troubles” means “disturbance, that is, (of water) roiling, or (of a mob) sedition: trouble.” This word brings to mind riots, civil uprisings, protests, violent crime and gang war, as well as a range of difficulties, some severe, that would come from floods (just think Pakistan in the summer of 2010), and probably tremendous hurricanes, cyclones and typhoons, and other severe storms—all forms of “roiling water.” Mark’s gospel indicates that these things will also grow worse. And each will bring its own additional death toll toward the one-fourth of all humanity that is losing their lives.
Stepping Back
Given a current world population of 6.8 billion, “the fourth part of the earth” is on its face 1.7 billion human beings! But this number is only at our present population. So it is no more than a snapshot of a world population growing ever larger.
Understand! As the population grows, a quarter of a larger base number yields a larger death count. And recognize that with so many already dying, world population is still rising by 77 million annually. Therefore, in the midst of a population explosion, 1.7 billion becomes the smallest possible death toll. Read and reread this paragraph if necessary until it is completely clear in your mind.
But there is also the difficulty, if not impossibility, of determining the exact number of people on Earth. Birth and death rates are in many places estimated. The world’s best statisticians cannot precisely determine either of these figures. Neither can they perfectly track causes of death such as the number that war, famine and disease might include.
What can be known is that scores of millions now die each year because of the four horsemen—perhaps nearing a total of 100 million annually counting 46 million abortions—and many, many more hundreds of millions are yet to perish as a result of these conditions as we approach whatever is the population in God’s mind at which the fourth is calculated.
Now think of this. If just those who have already died in the last ten years, for instance, were added back on top of the 6.8 billion to get a correct larger base number, Earth’s total population would be many hundreds of millions bigger—or perhaps a billion or more bigger—than it is. (Consider if we went back 25 years to add even more.) What if the true base number were just a conservative eight billion?
This would translate to around two billion people who would perish—and we are speaking of the next handful of years! But recognize again that even this number perishing could be somewhat low.
Grasp what you have here learned! Fix it in the center of your mind. Then recognize that everything is in place for the worst wave of death ever to storm the earth to occur. The seals are open and the horses, as though being whipped by their riders, are running faster every day! Their effects are not a switch that flips off suddenly, taking a room to darkness, but rather are like a gradual turning down of a dimmer switch until a room—in this case, the world—is dark (John 9:4).
So then, prior to even the start of the Tribulation—the opening of the dreaded fifth seal—an entire quarter of man’s population will perish! May God help you to comprehend just this one sentence.
No mystery, no symbolism, no cryptic coded language is involved in Revelation 6:8. God is plain!
And yet the death of so many—coupled with the economic upheaval and chaos this will bring—will drive the world to a thought-to-be political/religious solution that is infinitely worse than this mere opening salvo of all that will happen!