Ron J. Bigalke Jr. (M.Apol., M.T.S., M.Div., Ph.D.) is an author, lecturer, and pastor. Dr. Bigalke currently pursues a second Ph.D. (New Testament) through the University of Pretoria. Ron is the founder and director of Eternal Ministries, Savannah, GA, a parachurch organization devoted to discipleship and evangelism through teaching and proclaiming the Word of God. Dr. Bigalke has served as professor at Moody Bible Institute, Christian school administrator and teacher, and professor of Bible and Theology at Tyndale Theological Seminary.
The purpose of this article is to demonstrate parallels between the synoptic eschatological discourses (Matthew 24-25; Mark 13; Luke 17:22-37; 21:7-36) and Revelation 6-20 in a sequential format, focusing upon the first half of the Tribulation period, or Daniel’s seventieth week. [1] Correlation of each event of Revelation 6-20 with its timing in the eschatological discourses provides a better understanding of the current age (in regard to the signs of the end times, or stage setting), the wrath of God, and the return of Christ and His judgment.
Sequential Judgments
There is an expanding development of the judgments in the Book of Revelation. [2] In other words, the seal, trumpet, and bowl judgments have a sequential relationship. The series of judgments are not parallel and simultaneous in the sense of recapitulation. It is best to interpret each series as generally following its antecedent. This means that the seventh seal judgment leads into the series of the seven trumpet judgments and the seventh trumpet judgment leads into the series of the seven bowl judgments.
The evidence for a sequential order of the judgments is that each series of judgments increases in destruction and intensity. For instance, the second trumpet judgment destroys one-third of the sea creatures, whereas the second bowl judgment turns the sea into blood (Revelation 8:8-9; 16:3). The fourth trumpet judgment darkens the sun partially, whereas the fourth bowl judgment intensifies its heat so as to make it scorching to humanity. The same is evident with the third and sixth trumpets, and the third, fourth, and sixth bowl judgments (there are no similarities between the first, fifth, and seventh trumpet and bowl judgments). The seal judgments, however, are generally different in nature from the trumpet and bowl judgments. For instance, the third seal judgment of famine is severe but nonetheless fractional. The fourth seal judgment affects the fourth part of the earth, whereas the dominant fraction of the trumpet judgments is one-third (8:7, 9, 10-12; 9:15). The finality of the bowl judgments is evident in that John mentioned no fractions.
Furthermore, the command of Revelation 9:4 to hurt only those who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads certainly assumes that 7:1-8 has already occurred. Likewise, the judgment of 16:2 upon those who had the mark of the beast and who worshipped his image assumes that the events of 13:16-18 have already occurred. One may also note the Greek phrases καὶ εἶδον (5:1-2, 6, 11; 6:1, 2, 5, 12; 7:2; 8:2; 9:1; 15:1-2; 17:3, 6; 19:11, 17, 19; 20:1, 4, 11-12; 22:1) and μετὰ ταῦτα (1:19; 9:12; 15:15; 19:1; 20:3), which indicate the sequential nature and chronological progression of the Apocalypse.
Revelation 8:1-2 reads, “When the Lamb broke the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.” Since this vision follows the six seals, there is an obvious succession between the seal and trumpet judgments. The last and final evidence for a sequential understanding of the judgments is the repeated statement that humanity “did not repent” but instead “blasphemed God” (9:20-21; 16:9, 11, 21). The fact that each series of judgments intensifies in destruction and intensity evidences the longsuffering of God with profane humanity.
Having affirmed a sequential understanding of the Book of Revelation, attention will now be directed to parallels with the beginning of the seven-year Tribulation in the synoptic eschatological discourses. For the sake of simplicity and space, comparisons will be made primarily between Matthew’s eschatological discourse and the Book of Revelation.
The Beginning Of The Tribulation
There are two views among premillennialists as to the timing of the fulfillment of the birth pangs prophesied in the Matthean eschatological discourse. In his commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, Dr. Walvoord wrote of premillennialists who understand Matthew 24:4-14 “as a unit, describing the general characteristics of the age leading up to the end, while at the same time recognizing that the prediction of the difficulties, which will characterize the entire period between the first and second coming of Christ, are fulfilled in an intensified form as the age moves on to its conclusion.” In other words, they argue that 24:4-14 lists “general signs,” whereas 24:15-26 lists “specific signs.” This would mean that “these [general] signs have been at least partially fulfilled in the present age and have characterized the period between the first and second coming of Christ.”3 However, even within this view, some interpret 24:4-8 as general signs of the period between the first and second coming of Christ and 24:9-14 as events occurring in the first half of the Tribulation. [4]
It is not easy to argue that the birth pangs (false messiahs, wars, famines, and earthquakes [5]) have been lacking in the present age. However, the relationship between Christ’s statements in the eschatological discourses and parallels in Revelation 6 indicates that these signs cannot occur in the church age. These signs are unique to a period of which the world has never known. Since these signs are events that fit contextually within the Tribulation period, they should not be cited as fulfilled (in any sense) in the current age. [6]
For example, it is common to reference famines and plagues as proof of prophetic fulfillment, but the truth is, these have been occurring throughout the course of human history for thousands of years. The worst famines in history happened in North China (1876-79) and India (1876-78). In North China alone, “deaths by hunger, violence, and subsequent disease are estimated at between 9 million and 13 million.” [7] The worst case of pestilence was in Europe and Asia from A.D. 500 to 650 (popularly termed the “Plague of Justinian”), which left three of every five inhabitants dead. The decline of the city of Constantinople and the Byzantine Empire dates from the Plague of Justinian. Not until the ninth century did the Empire begin to recover. “Recurring epidemics of bubonic plague killed as many as 100 million people” in Europe and Asia. [8] From 1347 to 1351, the Black Death “affected every level of society, killing an estimated 75 million people, depopulating more than 200,000 villages, and reducing the European population by perhaps as much as one-quarter.” [9] None can deny the devastation of these select events, but they will pale in comparison to those of the Tribulation. No current frame of reference exists for the judgments and signs of the Tribulation. If the events of 24:4-14 (or 24:4-8) are general signs of disasters as ancient as the human race—representing familiarly distressing scenes of conquest, war, famine, and death—then what is different in the breaking of the first four seal judgments? Obviously, nothing would be different, and this is not the case from the text. [10]
Another premillennial interpretation of Matthew 24:4-14 is that these prophesied events occur solely in the first half of the Tribulation. Gaebelein wrote:
The point which we wish to make is the following: If this is the correct interpretation, if Matthew xxiv:4-14 refers to the beginning of that coming end of the age and if Revelation vi refers to the same beginning of the end and that which follows the sixth chapter leads us on into the great tribulation, then there must be a perfect harmony between that part of the Olivet discourse contained in Matthew xxiv and the part of Revelation beginning with the sixth chapter. And such is indeed the case. [11]There are significant parallels between the synoptic eschatological discourses and the Book of Revelation. Of course, all premillennialists understand that the synoptic eschatological discourses are parallel in at least some aspects to the Book of Revelation. Therefore, it is logical (and more importantly, this is the revelation of Scripture) that Matthew 24:4-14 and the remaining portions of the Matthean discourse would focus attention upon the same period of time, that is, the seven-year Tribulation.
The First Half Of The Tribulation
In Matthew 24:4-5, 11; Mark 13:5-6; and Luke 21:8, false messiahs and prophets are mentioned; and in Revelation 6:2, we read of the rider on the white horse. Revelation 6:2 lists four significant characteristics of the horseman of the first seal: (1) the color of the horse is white; (2) the rider holds a bow; (3) the rider wears a στέφανος (stephanos); and (4) the rider goes forth “conquering and to conquer.” [12]
Rather than identifying the first seal as the Antichrist, it seems best to understand it as indication of false messiahs and prophets. [13] Given a date of approximately A.D. 95 for the writing of Revelation and A.D. 45-68 for the synoptic eschatological discourses (Matthew 24; Mark 13; Luke 17; 21), this would be logical. Since the synoptics were written earlier, false messiahs would have been anticipated already as commencing the tribulation period. The sequence of the synoptic eschatological discourses would indicate that the first seal is referring to false messiahs already mentioned in Matthew 24:4-5 and the Markan and Lukan parallels. The white horseman is then a counterfeit of the second white horse rider, the Lord Jesus Christ, in Revelation 19.
The fact that the white horse rider in 6:2 wears a στέφανος (stephanos) and the Lord Jesus Christ wears διάδημα (diadēma, “a diadem”) does not distinguish the two horsemen, since Christ is later said to wear a golden στέφανος (stephanos) (14:14). What distinguishes them is that one holds a bow and the other a sword. The στέφανος (stephanos) worn by the first seal horseman puts an emphasis upon the counterfeit nature of the false messiahs. The conquering refers to the progress that the false messiahs make.
Psalm 11:2; 78:57; Jeremiah 9:8; Hosea 7:16; and Ephesians 6:16 are informative texts concerning the bow as an element of deceit and ruin. Additionally, in Greco-Roman antiquity, the bow was a rather recognizable symbol of Apollo, the pagan deity alleged to inspire prophecy, as attested in Homeric works (Smyrna, of course, claimed to be the birthplace of Homer, and his works were quite influential there). Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Strabo also noted Apollo as the god who inspired prophecy. The early church would have been familiar with the imagery and motifs associated with Apollo. [14] The second white horse rider, the Lord Jesus Christ, has a sword throughout the Book of Revelation (1:16; 2:12, 16; 19:15, 21), which distinguishes him from the first white horse rider. The fact that the sword of the Lord Jesus Christ is the very Word of God seems to imply that the bow is some form of distortion of the Word of God that leads to the ruin of all those who heed its proclamation. The bow that the white horseman holds indicates the self-affirming false prophecy proclaimed by the false messiahs (cf. Matthew 24:4-5, 11; Mark 13:6; Luke 21:8).
After giving a warning regarding many false messiahs, Jesus used a future tense (μέλλω, mellō) to indicate that at the time of the false messiahs “you will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars” (Matthew 24:4-6). This is an obvious parallel to Matthew 24:6-7a; Mark 13:7-8a; and Luke 21:9-10, where one reads about “wars and rumors of wars, and nation rising against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.” A false peace and security, along with religious apostasy (the false messiahs inspire their devotees to insurrection and wars), characterize the beginning of the Tribulation that will develop into multiple wars near and far from the land of Israel. All this is yet future and parallels John’s description of the second seal horseman in Revelation 6:3-4.
This prophesied warfare is part of what Jesus called “the beginning of birth pangs” (24:8), which culminate ultimately in His return. Whether this second horseman, the red horse rider, emerges shortly after the first horseman or later in the first half of the Tribulation is not clear. However, it seems that the many false messiahs and prophets influence this second horseman and essentially challenge the Antichrist’s ability to maintain peace for Israel.
The third seal horseman, or black horse rider, brings famine—a foreboding forerunner of the pale horse rider. The third seal will likely be broken shortly after the second seal judgment, since famine often follows warfare. Each of the eschatological discourses of the synoptics prophesies famine as a result of wars and rumors of wars.
The fourth seal horseman, the pale horse rider, brings death. This judgment parallels the synoptic eschatological discourses that prophesy famine, pestilences, and death as part of the beginning of birth pangs. Luke simply mentioned famines, whereas John’s θάνατος (thanatos) includes pestilences and death in general. Interestingly, the prophet Ezekiel used the same four figures of judgment. “For thus says the Lord God, ‘How much more when I send My four severe judgments against Jerusalem: sword, famine, wild beasts, and plague to cut off man and beast from it!’“ (Ezekiel 14:21). Contextually, this verse refers to the wrath of God. These same four figures are used to describe God’s wrath in several other passages (cf. Leviticus 26:21-28; Numbers 11:33; 16:46; 25:8-11; Deuteronomy 11:17; 28:20-26; 32:22-25; Jeremiah 15:1-9; 16:4-11; 19:7-9; Ezekiel 5:11-17; 6:11-12; 7:3-15). Obviously, with the breaking of the four seal judgments, a period of God’s wrath has been brought upon the earth.
The Wrath Of God
Since both amillennialists and postmillennialists believe that the second coming of Christ is a single event which will result in a general resurrection and judgment, they do not give attention to the relationship of the church to the eschatological, tribulational wrath of God. [15] There are three primary views within premillennialism that address this relationship. Pretribulationism teaches that the church will be raptured prior (but not necessarily immediately prior) to the divine wrath outpoured at the beginning of the seven-year Tribulation. Posttribulationism teaches that the rapture and the second coming are aspects of a single event occurring at the end of the Tribulation; therefore, the Lord will preserve (protect) the church in the time of Tribulation. [16] Midtribulationism teaches that the church will be raptured at the midpoint of the seven-year Tribulation, which is when God outpours His wrath. Consequently, only pretribulationists and midtribulationists (and a minority of posttribulationists; see n. 17) focus attention upon the timing of divine wrath within the seven-year Tribulation. Midtribulationism does have some similarities to pretribulationism in some fundamentals, such as the eschatological character of the seventieth week. However, midtribulationism places the rapture at the midpoint of the Tribulation, and not prior to the beginning of it. Of course, the chronological placement of the rapture at the midpoint distinguishes midtribulationism also from posttribulationism. It is best to understand midtribulationism as an intermediary of pretribulationism and posttribulationism.
The adherents of midtribulationism are found generally to have abandoned pretribulationism or posttribulationism. For instance, Van Kampen was pretribulational and sought to find “the common denominator that made the biblical truths of pretribulationism and posttribulationism come together perfectly.” [17] Although no mention was made of midtribulationism within the so-called “new” view of prewrath rapturism, it is quite similar to that system. Indeed, it is best to regard the prewrath view as a variation of midtribulationism. [18]
The midtribulationists argue that the church is only exempted from the wrath of God during the Great Tribulation (Revelation 11:2; 12:6), or the last half of the seventieth week. They regard the last half of the seventieth week as more severe than the first half. Indeed, Harrison described the first half as “‘sweet’ anticipation to John, as it is to them [Israel] under treaty protection, they will be ‘sitting pretty,’ as we say. But the second half—‘bitter’ indeed.” [19] Pretribulationists could agree that the first half of the Tribulation will be relatively peaceful for Israel, since this will be a time of protection for the nation. However, if midtribulationism is to argue that the seven seal judgments and the first six trumpet judgments occur in the first half (i.e., because the seventh trumpet announces the rapture), it would be difficult indeed to imagine John thinking of the prophecies in 6:12-17; 8:11; 9:1-10:11 as “‘sweet’ anticipation.”
Buswell believed that the first half of the Tribulation would be characterized by general trials and troubles that the church would experience. He understood the first half to depict the wrath of man, not the wrath of God. Concerning “Jacob’s trouble” in Jeremiah 30:7 (Buswell correlated Daniel 11:31; 12:1-2, 11 with this reference), he wrote:
This most terrible time of trouble is not to be identified with the wrath of God. Both Matthew and Mark record the words of the Lord predicting cosmic upheavals “immediately after the tribulation of those days...” (Matthew 24:29; cf. Mark 13:24, 25; Luke 21:25, 26). The Lord proceeds to enumerate as definitely coming “after that tribulation,” signs and portents which should be identified with the events which take place at the pouring out of the vials of God’s wrath (Revelation 16:1-21). I take the reference to these portents, coming “after the tribulation of those days,” to mean that the pouring out of the vials of God’s wrath (a time which is commonly, but mistakenly, identified with “the great tribulation”) will be definitely subsequent to this very brief but very intense time of trouble. Tribulation is the common lot of the church in every age.
Tribulation is, generally speaking, from the wrath of man, and to undergo tribulation is the common lot of the church in all ages. But the wrath of God is not for the church. [20]
The fact that unbelieving kings and rulers, rich and strong men as well as slaves, seek to hide “from the face of Him who sits upon the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb,” and that these unbelievers say, “The great day of His wrath has come,”—these reactions of unbelievers do not prove that the sixth seal is the day of wrath. This is but a reaction of the ungodly to cosmic disaster. [21]Buswell attempted to make an artificial distinction (in opposition to Revelation 4-5) between the wrath of man and the wrath of God by citing passages like Acts 14:21 and 1 Thessalonians 3:3-4 as proof that “tribulation is the common lot of the church in all ages.” Therefore, he argued, the first half of the Tribulation cannot be identified as the wrath of God. As evident from the earlier quotation, Buswell did not even regard the bowls of God’s wrath as components of the Great Tribulation. He related the commencement of the millennial kingdom and the wrath of God (associated with the bowl judgments only). Commenting on the sounding of the seventh trumpet in Revelation 11:14-17, he wrote, “What has taken place is that He who is eternally and continuously the King of Kings and Lord of lords . . . has now ended the time of His ‘longsuffering. . . .’ True, He allows the Antichrist to continue for three and one half years but his continuance on earth is under the outpouring of the vials of the wrath of God.” [22]
Matthew 24:29 was cited to indicate the time of the wrath of God. In that verse, Jesus stated that cosmic signs would follow “immediately after the tribulation of those days.” Those days are a reference to the Great Tribulation that commenced in 24:15. Buswell regarded the cosmic signs in Revelation 16 (cf. 11:13) as part of the bowls of God’s wrath. However, Buswell argued that special cosmic signs follow the Great Tribulation and herald the wrath of God. Whereas Buswell used the cosmic signs resulting from the opening of the bowls in Revelation 16 to argue for the time of the wrath of God, Harrison related the time of the wrath of God with the seventh trumpet in Revelation 11. Both Buswell and Harrison ignored the unequivocal references to divine wrath in Revelation 6:16-17 and 7:14. For instance, Buswell disregarded the aorist ἦλθεν (ēlthen) in 6:16-17 as “but a reaction of the ungodly to cosmic disaster.” [23] Instead, he understood the seventh trumpet as the beginning of the wrath of God. “But not only does the seventh trumpet announce the beginning of the earthly reign of Christ, the voices of the twenty-four elders further announce, ‘The nations were angry and Thy wrath has come and the time . . . to destroy those who are destroying the earth.’ These words, I believe, refer to the outpouring of the vials of the wrath of God, and the destruction of the Beast and the False Prophet, and of the armies of the Beast.” [24]
The promise of rewards for the saints in 11:16 was correlated with 1 Corinthians 15:51-52: [25] “From the point of view of God’s own people, the most important announcement of the words of the twenty-four elders is, ‘The time has come for the dead to be judged, even to give the reward to thy servants the prophets and to the saints and to those who fear thy name, to the small and to the great.’ In other words, the seventh trumpet announces the time of rewards for the righteous dead.” [26] Scripture, however, does not teach that the seventh trumpet begins the wrath of God. The truth of the biblical teaching is that the Tribulation commences with the outpouring of God’s wrath in the seal judgments, followed by the trumpet judgments, and concluding with the bowl judgments. The judgments are sequential and progressive, which means there is no break in the outpouring of God’s wrath, and as they are cast upon the earth, they intensify. This is in keeping with the analogy of birth pangs, since such pains do not occur at the beginning of pregnancy, but at the end.
Birth Pangs Of The End Times.
To be consistent with the analogy of birth pangs (and the Revelation parallels), the signs of Matthew 24:4-14 do not occur during the current church dispensation, but only during the Tribulation. The eschatological discourses instruct Israel and Gentile saints living during the Tribulation that the events of 24:5-6 are “not yet the end,” but rather just “the beginning of birth pangs” (24:8; cf. Luke 21:28).
Interestingly, the Greek word ὢδΐν (ōdin) may be a technical term, as the standard Greek lexicon defined it as “of the ‘Messianic woes’, the terrors and torments traditionally viewed as prelude to the coming of the Messianic Age . . . associated with the appearance of the Son of Man at the end of history, as the beginning of the (end-time) woes ἂρχὴ ὠδΐνων Mt 24:8; Mk 13:8.” [27] The birth pangs of the first half of the Tribulation are the beginning of the greater birth pangs in the second half. The entire seven-year Tribulation is the period of birth pangs, as Jeremiah 30:6-7 indicated: “Ask now, and see if a male can give birth. Why do I see every man, with his hands on his loins, as a woman in childbirth? And why have all faces turned pale? Alas! for that day is great, there is none like it; and it is the time of Jacob’s distress, but he will be saved from it.”
Of course, the physical birth process intensifies near the end, as does the Tribulation period, which will progress toward the second coming of Christ (cf. Matthew 24:27-31). It is not possible physically to predict when labor will begin, but generally the body begins preparing approximately a month before birth. In the same way, the Tribulation will begin without prediction (cf. 1 Thessalonians 5:3)—following the imminent rapture of the church—and both the earth and the heavens will be prepared for the return of Jesus Christ. The seven-year Tribulation is clearly divided chronologically in the Books of Daniel and Revelation, and characteristically in the eschatological discourses of the synoptics (i.e., the beginning, less intense experiences and the more frequent and intense experiences of the Tribulation period). Drawing from extrabiblical sources, Raphael Patai devoted an entire chapter to “The Pangs of Time,” concluding:
The pangs of the Messianic times are imagined as heavenly as well as earthly sources and expressions. From Above, awesome cosmic cataclysms will be visited upon the earth. . . . All this will lead to internal decay, demoralization, and even apostasy. Things will come to such a head that people will despair of Redemption. This will last seven years. And then, unexpectedly, the Messiah will come.
Because of this gloomy picture of the beginning of the Messianic era, which by Talmudic times was firmly believed in, some sages expressed the wish not to see the Messiah. . . . In any case, both the people and its religious leaders continued to hope for the coming of the Messiah. [28]The Jewish understanding of the birth pangs of the Messianic times is certainly consistent with the sequence of the synoptic eschatological discourses and the Book of Revelation. The birth pangs support the idea that Matthew 24:4-14 (and the parallels in the Markan and Lukan discourses) refers to the events of the first half of the tribulation, which is also parallel to the four horsemen of Revelation 6:1-8, and the opening of the fifth and sixth seals.
The eschatological discourses of the synoptics warn of persecution and martyrdom during the Tribulation (Matthew 24:9-10, 12; Mark 13:9, 11-13; Luke 21:11a–19). Mark and Luke state that the comfort given to the faithful during the Tribulation is that the Holy Spirit will give them the words to speak. As martyrdom (24:9) is also the fifth seal, John recorded the prayer of those seeking justice from God. There is a change in the revelation pattern with the opening of the fifth seal. John did not see a horse and rider emerging from the seal but rather an altar in heaven. He saw the souls of “those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained” (6:9). The mention of martyrs following the prophesies of the first four seals implies some relationship between their deaths and the breaking of those seals. The souls underneath the altar in heaven are martyrs from the Tribulation. They wear “white robes” as spiritual bodies (signifying a fully completed redemption) “until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also.” It is not difficult for those who believe in a pretribulational rapture to account for these martyred saints, since there will be many proclaiming the gospel during the Tribulation. These souls are the Tribulation saints who await their resurrection and new glorified bodies to enter the kingdom mentioned in Revelation 19.
Earthquakes are frequent throughout the Book of Revelation as judgment is about to intensify (Revelation 6:12; 8:5; 11:13, 19; 16:18). The sixth seal will likely be broken around the time of the abomination of desolation, at the midpoint of the Tribulation. [29] It seems that the sixth seal is used to introduce the Great Tribulation (Matthew 24:21), or the second half of the Tribulation, which begins with the abomination of desolation.
During this time, the “gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a witness to all the nations” (24:14). The natural understanding of these words of Jesus to the disciples is as a reference to the establishment of the messianic kingdom. Trusting in Jesus will be requisite for entering the kingdom promised in the covenants to the nation of Israel. Throughout the Gospel of
Matthew, the kingdom [30] should be understood as “the eschatological kingdom of blessing when the nation will be restored. Consequently, what is in view [throughout the Gospel] are the responses to the proclamation of that kingdom.” [31] In other words, “the gospel [good news] of the kingdom” has no reference to the church age. The good news to those in the Tribulation is that the Lord Jesus Christ will return soon to reign. Indeed, this will be good news to the Tribulation saints who will have endured persecution and even martyrdom during the Tribulation. Many of them will die as martyrs, “but the one who endures to the end, he shall be saved” (24:13). In other words, those who endure to the end of Daniel’s Seventieth Week will enter into the kingdom in their natural bodies.
The Seal Judgments.
Both Rosenthal and Van Kampen gave attention to the similarities between the events of Matthew 24:5-9 and the first five seals of the Apocalypse (Revelation 6:1-8). However, their argument was that the first five seals (6:1-11) are not the wrath of God, but rather the wrath of man through the Antichrist [32] (this is similar to midtribulationism, which is the reason it is best to classify prewrath rapturism as a variation of that view). Rosenthal and Van Kampen were correct in asserting that the seal judgments are opened at the beginning of the Tribulation. The difference from pretribulationism is, not primarily the chronological placement of the seal judgments after the opening of the first seal, but the contention that the first five seals are the wrath of man through the Antichrist as opposed to all of the seal judgments being the wrath of God. [33]
Rosenthal interpreted the first seal as describing the rise of the Antichrist. He rejected the idea that the first seal is an outpouring of divine wrath because it would make God “take direct responsibility for a counterfeit religious system,” and “to attribute the emergence of the Antichrist to God is obviously preposterous.” [34] The prewrath view is part of the growing trend within the church that cannot let God be sovereign.
Isaiah 10:5-12 records the sovereignty of God in using an evil nation, Assyria (“the rod of My anger”), to accomplish His purposes for Judah. [35] Judah is described as “a godless nation” to be plundered and trampled by Assyria (10:6). However, even though God used Assyria as the rod of His anger, He would still hold her responsible for her wickedness. The Lord would “punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria and the pomp of his haughtiness” (10:12b). Assyria was responsible for her arrogance and haughtiness, even though God used the nation as an instrument to accomplish His purposes for Judah. This is the same lesson the prophet Habakkuk learned concerning God’s use of wicked Babylon to punish Judah (Habakkuk 1:12-2:20). It may appear paradoxical to the mind of man that God is sovereign and man is responsible, but it is not an antinomy in the mind of God. The psalmist wrote, “For the wrath of man shall praise Thee; with a remnant of wrath Thou shalt gird thyself” (Psalm 76:10).
In Revelation 5:1, the Apostle John saw “in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a book written inside and on the back, sealed up with seven seals.” A “strong angel” proclaimed loudly, “Who is worthy to open the book and to break its seals?” No one was found “worthy to open the book and to break its seals until the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David . . . the Lamb that was slain” came forth. The Lamb is found worthy to break the seals, which shows that the judgment comes from Him (5:5, 9; 6:1). When each seal is broken, there is a description in Revelation 6 of the judgment to occur on earth, thereby indicating the sequential nature of the judgments. The judgment is from the sovereign Lord, even though from man’s perspective the seal judgments demonstrate the depravity of man.
Both Rosenthal [36] and Van Kampen [37] argued that God’s wrath does not begin until after the sixth seal (the prewrath midpoint of the Tribulation occurs between the fourth and fifth seals). After the cosmic signs of Revelation 6:12-14, vv. 15-17 provide the reaction of “the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man.” They will cry “to the mountains and to the rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come; and who is able to stand?’“ A plain reading of Scripture here should cause one to conclude that “the great day” of God’s wrath has already come and is present during the sixth seal.
Since prewrath rapturists do not believe that God’s wrath begins until the seventh seal, they must argue that “the aorist tense is, generally speaking, timeless.” [38] Rosenthal wrote, “The phrase, ‘the great day of his wrath is come’ refers, not to a past event, but to an event about to occur, and that in concert with the opening of the seventh seal.” [39] Following the sixth seal, God’s wrath “is an event that is on the threshold of happening—a future event soon to occur.” [40] The aorist ἦλθεν (ēlthen) in 6:17 is in the indicative mood, which would confirm the reality of the action (God’s wrath) from the standpoint of the world leaders. However, the reader does not need the perspective of the world leaders in order to determine if God’s wrath has occurred. The sealed book in Revelation 5 contained God’s judgment and the breaking of the seals by Jesus Christ released the divine wrath.
The aorist is not timeless, which is necessary for the prewrath view; rather, in the indicative mood, the time of the action is past. Nonindicative moods may indicate the kind of action as opposed to the time of action. Dana and Mantey stated, “It has no essential temporal significance, its time relations being found only in the indicative, where it is used as past and hence augmented. . . . The aorist signifies nothing as to completeness, but simply presents the action as attained. It states the fact of the action or event without regard to its duration.” [41] Robertson concurred, “It is true that in the expression of past time in the indicative and with all the other moods, the aorist is the tense used as a matter of course.” [42] Wallace agreed, “In the indicative, the aorist usually indicates past time with reference to the time of speaking (thus, ‘absolute time’).... Outside the indicative and participle, time is not a feature of the aorist.” [43]
The Second Half Of The Tribulation
In Matthew 24:15 the desecration of the rebuilt Jewish Temple will indicate the middle of the last, or seventieth, seven (i.e., the midpoint of the seven-year Tribulation). The desecration will clearly point to Christ’s coming and the end of the age. It also demonstrates that the context of the eschatological discourses concerns the nation of Israel because the return of Christ is related to the desecration of the Temple. From the related passages such as Daniel 9:26-27, Matthew 24:15-19, Mark 13:14-19, Luke 21:23, and 23:29-30, it does seem that the sixth seal (Revelation 6:12-17) is the midpoint of the Tribulation. The instruction in the synoptic eschatological discourses (Matthew 24:16-26; Mark 13:20-25; Luke 21:25-26) to flee Jerusalem because of persecution resulting from the abomination of desolation is parallel to events of Revelation 7. The narrative preview of the sealing of the 144,000 and the great multitude are related to the second half of the Tribulation. As a result of the persecution intensifying, these days will be shortened for the sake of the elect (Matthew 24:22); these days are the “great tribulation” of the seventh seal, trumpet, and bowl judgments. Revelation 10 provides the vision of the little scroll. Just as there is a narrative preview between the sixth and seventh seals, there is a similar narrative preview (and added synopsis) between the sixth and seventh trumpets (another indication of the sequential nature of Revelation). The narratives are not parentheses but rather explanatory revelations necessary to the sequential understanding of the unfolding account of the end times. The narrative synopsis of Revelation 12:1-14:13 contains several visions: (1) the woman’s flight to the wilderness; (2) war in heaven; (3) attack on the woman; (4) beast from the sea; and (5) beast from the earth. These visions include several details related to the Tribulation’s midpoint that parallel the instruction to flee from Jerusalem in the synoptic eschatological discourses.
The sixth bowl judgment includes an admonition (16:15) that corresponds to the parables of watchfulness in the synoptic eschatological discourses. The devastation upon the earth from the sixth and seventh bowls is analogous to the devastation in association with the coming of the Son of Man. The narrative synopsis of Revelation 17:1-18:24 expounds upon the abomination of desolation through the symbolism of the harlot and Babylon. Revelation 19 contains the announcement of the Second Coming, which parallels the statements in the synoptic eschatological discourses of God sending forth His angels in judgment, and some people being taken in judgment and others left (e.g., Matthew 24:27-31, 37-41; Luke 17:24-37; Revelation 19:17-18). The judgment of the sheep and goats (Matthew 25:31-46) precedes the establishment of the millennial kingdom and the events prophesied for that period (Revelation 20:1-15). The following chart visualizes the textual parallels indicated in this article. [44]
Textual Parallels between the Synoptic Eschatological Discourses and Revelation 6-20:
| Synoptic Gospels | Revelation 6—20 | ||
| First Seal |
White Horse: False Christ(s)
|
Matthew 24:4-5,11; Mark 13:5-6; Luke 21:8
|
|
Black Horse: Famine
|
Matthew 24:7b; Mark 13:8b; Luke 21:11a
|
||
Matthew 24:6-7; Mark 13:8b; Luke 21:11a
|
|||
Matthew 24:9-10, 12; Mark 13:9, 11-13; Luke 21:11a–19
|
|||
Matthew 24:15-21; Mark 13:14-19; Luke 21:11, 20-24; 23:26-31
|
|||
Sealing of the 144,000; The Great Multitude
|
Matthew 24:16-26; Mark 13:20-25; Luke 21:25-26
|
||
Introduction to the Seven Trumpets
|
Matthew 24:16-26; Mark 13:20-25; Luke 21:25-26
|
||
1/3 Earth Destroyed
|
Matthew 24:16-26; Mark 13:20-25; Luke 21:25-26
|
||
1/3 Sea Creatures and Vessels Destroyed
|
Matthew 24:16-26; Mark 13:20-25; Luke 21:25-26
|
||
Third Trumpet
|
1/3 Water becomes Wormwood
|
Matthew 24:16-26; Mark 13:20-25; Luke 21:25-26
|
|
Fourth Trumpet
|
Matthew 24:16-26; Mark 13:20-25; Luke 21:25-26
|
||
Narrative Preview
|
|||
| Narrative Synopsis | |||
Seventh Trumpet
|
Third Woe: The Seven Bowls
|
Matthew 24:16-26; Mark 13:20-25; Luke 21:25-26
|
11:15—18:24
|
Proclamation of Millennial Kingdom
|
Matthew 24:16-26; Mark 13:20-25; Luke 21:25-26
|
11:15-19
|
|
Matthew 24:16-20, 24; Mark 13:14-23; Luke 21:20-24
|
12:1—14:13
|
||
Introduction to the Seven Bowls
|
Matthew 24:16-26; Mark 13:20-25; Luke 21:25-26
|
14:14—15:8
|
|
First Bowl
|
Malignant Sores
|
Matthew 24:16-26; Mark 13:20-25; Luke 21:25-26
|
16:1-2
|
Second Bowl
|
Sea as Blood
|
Matthew 24:16-26; Mark 13:20-25; Luke 21:25-26
|
16:3
|
Third Bowl
|
Rivers Become Blood
|
Matthew 24:16-26; Mark 13:20-25; Luke 21:25-26
|
16:4-7
|
Fourth Bowl
|
Scorching Heat
|
Matthew 24:16-26; Mark 13:20-25; Luke 21:25-26
|
16:8-9
|
Fifth Bowl
|
Darkness
|
Matthew 24:16-26; Mark 13:20-25; Luke 21:25-26
|
16:10-11
|
Sixth Bowl
|
War Preparation
|
Matthew 24:32-39, 42-51; 25:1-30; Mark 13:28-37; Luke 21:26, 29-36 (cf. 12:35-48; 17:26-33)
|
16:12-16
|
Seventh Bowl
|
Worldwide Destruction
|
Matthew 24:16-26; Mark 13:20-25; Luke 21:25-26
|
16:17-21
|
Narrative Synopsis
|
Matthew 24:16-26; Mark 13:20-25; Luke 21:25-26
|
17:1—18:24
|
|
Description and Judgment of the Harlot
|
Matthew 24:16-26; Mark 13:20-25; Luke 21:25-26
|
17:1-18
|
|
Condemnation and Destruction of Babylon
|
Matthew 24:16-26; Mark 13:20-25; Luke 21:25-26
|
18:1-24
|
|
Second Coming
|
Matthew 24:27—25:30; Mark 13:26-37; Luke 21:27-36 (cf. 17:24, 34-37)
|
19:1-21
|
|
Millennial Kingdom
|
Matthew 25:31-46
|
20:1-15
|
Conclusion
There are obvious parallels between the eschatological discourses of the synoptics and the Book of Revelation in terms of content and the sequence of events. These parallels reinforce the view that the prophetic fulfillment of all aspects of the birth pangs will occur solely in the Tribulation. The first six seals parallel the beginning of birth pangs. The parallels between the events of Matthew 24:4-21 and the first six seals of the Apocalypse reinforce the interpretation that the wrath of God is outpoured at the beginning of the Tribulation. The sixth seal appears to be the midpoint of the Tribulation. Revelation 7:1, therefore, begins prophecies of the second half of the Tribulation. As visualized in the chart, extensive expansion of prophesies in the synoptic eschatological discourses continues until Revelation 20:15. The warnings of intense persecution in the synoptic eschatological discourses begin with the abomination of desolation, which commences the Great Tribulation, and will climax with the second coming of Christ Jesus. The exhortations to watchfulness, readiness, and laboring in the synoptic eschatological discourses (Matthew 24:27-25:46; Mark 13:26-37; Luke 21:27-36) are related to the Second Coming and establishment of the millennial kingdom (Revelation 19:1-20:15).
Notes
- The Tribulation period is Daniel’s seventieth week; it is a theological term primarily, even though it is based on context and exegesis of Scripture.
- Dale Ralph Davis, “The Relationship between the Seals, Trumpets, and Bowls in the Book of Revelation,” JETS 16 (1973): 149-58; Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 8: An Exegetical Commentary (Chicago: Moody, 1995), 525-43.
- John F. Walvoord, Matthew: Thy Kingdom Come (Chicago: Moody Press, 1974; repr., Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1998), 183.
- “Although these verses are very similar to those recorded in Mark 13:9-13 and Luke 12:12-19, the differences show that Matthew is not dealing with the same thing. Luke clearly stated that the events he was describing came before the sign of the end of the age when nation shall rise up against nation and kingdom against kingdom. However, in the Matthew account, the passage begins with the word then, pointing out that what Christ is describing now will come after the event of nation rising against nation and kingdom against kingdom. So while the words tend to be similar, these similarities do not prove sameness.” Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, The Footsteps of the Messiah (Tustin, CA: Ariel Ministries Press, 1983), 440.
- For instance, it is commonly stated that the increasing number of earthquakes is a sign of the end times. Such claims are inconsistent with scientific data and biblical context. See Ron J. Bigalke Jr., “The Olivet Discourse: A Resolution of Time,” CTS Journal 9 (Spring 2003): 136-38. See also Steven A. Austin and Mark L. Strauss, “Are Earthquakes Signs of the End Times?: A Geological and Biblical Response to an Urban Legend,” Christian Research Journal 21 (1999): 30-39; and Gordon Franz, “Earthquakes: On the Increase? Or Warnings of Judgment to Come?” (paper, Eastern Regional Meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society, Myerstown, PA, 1999). This author is grateful to Gordon Franz for providing these additional sources to him.
- World events are not insignificant but may “set the stage” for the prophetic fulfillment of tribulation events. See Thomas Ice, “Stage-Setting of the Last Days,” in Revelation Hoofbeats, ed. Ron J. Bigalke Jr. (Longwood, FL: Xulon, 2003), 283-300.
- James C. Cornell Jr., The Great International Disaster Book (New York: Pocket Books, 1979), 155.
- Ibid., 183.
- Ibid., 184.
- Sigve K. Tonstad, Saving God’s Reputation: The Theological Function of Pistis Iesou in the Cosmic Narratives of Revelation (New York: Clark, 2006), 132.
- Arno C. Gaebelein, The Gospel of Matthew: An Exposition (New York City: Our Hope, 1910), 2:182.
- This phrase consists of the present active participle and the aorist tense of the verb νικάω (nikaō). The idea is that the rider begins to conquer (present active participle) and will achieve ultimate victory (aorist subjunctive).
- It may be that the Antichrist is the impetus for the rise of false messiahs and prophets. Daniel K. K. Wong, “The First Horseman of Revelation 6,” BSac 153 (April–June 1996): 212-26.
- Allen Kerkeslager, “Apollo, Greco-Roman Prophecy, and the Rider on the White Horse in Revelation 6:2,” JBL 112 (Spring 1993): 116-21. See also Hugh Crosthwaite, A Handbook of Mythology: Sacred Practices, Electrical Phenomena, and their Linguistic Connections in the Ancient Mediterranean World (Princeton: Metron, 1992), 11-56; and William Smith, William Wayte, and G. E. Marindin, eds., A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, 3rd ed. (London: Murray, 1891), 2:281-92.
- Ron J. Bigalke Jr., “Prophetic Timing and the Millennium, Part I,” Midnight Call (August 2007): 21-28; idem, “Prophetic Timing and the Millennium, Part II,” Midnight Call (September 2007): 17-23; idem, “Prophetic Timing and the Millennium, Part IV,” Midnight Call (November 2007): 16-26; idem, “Prophetic Timing and the Millennium, Part V,” Midnight Call (December 2007): 16-23. Mal Couch, “The Church and World Government,” in One World: Economy, Government, and Religion in the Last Days, ed. Ron J. Bigalke Jr. (Springfield, MO: 21st Century Press, 2005), 255-69.
- Some posttribulationists believed God’s wrath would not be outpoured until after the Tribulation; therefore, the church will be raptured prior to this outpouring.
- Robert D. Van Kampen, The Rapture Question Answered (Grand Rapids: Revell, 1997), 47.
- Mike Stallard, “An Analysis of the Use of Cosmic-Sign Passages by Proponents of the Pre-Wrath Rapture Theory” (paper, Pre-Trib Study Group, Dallas, TX, 2002).
- Norman B. Harrison, The End: Re-thinking the Rapture (Minneapolis: Harrison Services, 1941), 111.
- J. Oliver Buswell, A Systematic Theology of the Christian Religion (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1962; repr., 1976), 2:389.
- Ibid., 2:435-36.
- Ibid., 2:457.
- Ibid., 2:436.
- Ibid., 2:457.
- Ibid., 2:457-58.
- Ibid.
- William F. Bauer, William F. Arndt, and F. Wilbur Gingrich, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 2nd ed., rev. F. Wilbur Gingrich and Frederick W. Danker (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1979), 895.
- Raphael Patai, The Messiah Texts (Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1979), 95-96.
- The reader should note the related passages: Daniel 9:26-27; Matthew 24:15-19; Mark 13:14-19; Luke 21:23; 23:29-30 (Luke stated in positive terms what Matthew expressed in negative; Matthew spoke of woe and Luke, of blessing). Revelation 6:12-16 relates the above verses and supports the view that the abomination of desolation occurs around the breaking of the sixth seal. This interpretation reinforces the idea that the judgments are sequential (e.g., the seventh seal is the seven trumpets and the seventh trumpet is the seven bowls).
- This kingdom could be understood also as the single, unified, mediatorial kingdom that existed historically under the Mosaic Covenant and was prophesied by the Old Testament prophets to be restored in its former glory at the Second Coming. It is the same kingdom John the Baptist preached and Jesus offered to Israel at His first coming; it is, therefore, the same kingdom that Israel rejected in the first century. The kingdom is historic, prophetic, offered, and rejected.
- Mike Stallard, “Stories Given From the King,” in Revelation Hoofbeats, 272.
- Marvin J. Rosenthal, The Pre-Wrath Rapture of the Church (Nashville: Nelson, 1990), 147-51; Van Kampen, Rapture Question, 139-52.
- Rosenthal, Pre-Wrath Rapture, 143, wrote, “The seal, in the Roman world and in the Bible, indicates ownership and protection.” Eph. 1:13, which Rosenthal referenced, does indicate that the Christian is sealed with “the Holy Spirit of promise.” However, his explanation that the six seals are the assurance of the believers’ eternal salvation does not correspond with the context of Revelation 6.
- Rosenthal, Pre-Wrath Rapture, 142.
- It is not clear whether Judah is a reference to the Northern Kingdom, Israel, or the Southern Kingdom, Judah. H. C. Leupold, Exposition of Isaiah (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1968-71), 1:200-01, believed it was the Northern Kingdom. On the other hand, Edward J. Young, The Book of Isaiah, NICNT (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1965-72), 1:359, believed it was the Southern Kingdom. Since verse 12 refers to God’s “work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem,” it is most likely Judah which was being addressed.
- Rosenthal, Pre-Wrath Rapture, 167.
- Van Kampen, Rapture Question, 164.
- Ibid., 153.
- Rosenthal, Pre-Wrath Rapture, 167.
- Van Kampen, Rapture Question, 154.
- H. E. Dana and Julius R. Mantey, A Manual Grammar of the Greek New Testament (New York: Macmillan, 1927), 193.
- A. T. Robertson, A Grammar of the Greek New Testament in the Light of Historical Research (Nashville: Broadman, 1934), 831.
- Daniel B. Wallace, Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996), 555.
- Although not indicated in the chart, it is also noteworthy that there is the temple setting in the following: Matthew 24:1-3; Mark 13:1-4; Luke 21:1-7; Revelation 4:1-5:14.
- The narrative synopsis would be parallel to the trampling of Jerusalem by Gentiles until those times are fulfilled.
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