The sixth seal, according to Revelation 6, is supposedly the descriptive evidence for the time of tribulation following the pre-tribulation rapture of the Christian community. That is the thesis. Anyone who simply accepts this version of prophecy has failed to seek out the truth for themselves.
Modular Gospel
The rumor mill surrounding a so-called pre-tribulation rapture feeds on certain passages in the Bible. Connected to the pre-tribulation rapture, in which Christian believers would be prematurely taken from Earth and brought to safety, is a subsequent seven-year tribulation or time of distress. All those who are not raptured must endure this time, while the saved are said to be safe in heavenly realms. This time of distress is also the hour of the “coming Antichrist,” who will make a covenant with many, end the offerings of food and drink in the temple, and cause all sorts of problems.
This version serves in particular the rather idiosyncratic interpretation of the verse Daniel 9:27:
“And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.“
The verse stated it. The “Antichrist” would meet his end, and then the 1000-year period of peace on earth would begin, during which all people would have the opportunity to follow the example of the people of Israel, who, after purification, would once again keep God’s laws and lead righteous lives. Gentiles would have the chance to repent.
The sixth seal describes a time of tribulation.
The apologists for this pre-tribulation rapture story find confirmation of their theories in the statements of the sixth seal. These describe the period of the seven-year tribulation. Revelation 6:12-17:
“And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?“
Falling for a Jesuit myth
That’s how it works. A verse from here, a snippet from there, and with these individual building blocks, you piece together a whole new story. The pioneer of this pre-tribulation rapture and future Antichrist narrative, however, is not one of the apostles, but the Jesuit Francis Ribera (1537–1591), with the friendly support of his stablemate, Cardinal Robert Bellarmine (1542–1621), the “Defender of the Church” and chief prosecutor against Galileo Galilei, also a Jesuit. Ribera created the future Antichrist, Bellarmine added various details, and later, Manuel Lacunza (1731–1801) added a (secret) pre-tribulation rapture to the package.
What a surprise, Manuel Lacunza was a Jesuit
Thus, the “salvation program” of Futurism and Dispensationalism, which is very popular today, especially among evangelicals in the USA, was born. A future Antichrist and, before that, a saving pre-rapture of believing Christians.
Why all this? After all, Ribera’s “commentary” on the Book of Revelation was around 500 pages long, significantly more than a single volume of “The Lord of the Rings.” That immediately suggests a completely new story. The Jesuit order was simply carrying out its core mission: the destruction of Protestantism and the restoration of the original, absolute power of the Roman Catholic Church.
Get Rome out of the firing line
“Unfortunately,” almost all Protestants have been able to identify the great adversary described in the Bible through their own study. The “lawless one, son of destruction, abomination of the earth, man of sin, and whore of Babylon” was none and no one other than the papacy with its church and state (see examples of early theologians who recognized the Antichrist in the Church of Rome).
The simple idea was to create a future Antichrist, because then it would no longer be possible for this outlaw to even remotely resemble the Church of Rome. Compliant Protestants, including Edward Irving, John Nelson Darby, and Cyrus I. Scofield, adopted the Jesuit myth and popularized it worldwide within Protestantism (Info).
Ecumenically compatible
If one simply accepts the narrative surrounding the pre-tribulation rapture without question—after all, numerous communities unanimously support this theory—then one shouldn’t be surprised if things turn out not just slightly different, but completely different from what was expected. The dangerous thing about this story is its remarkable ecumenical compatibility. Judaism also anticipates a future, saving messiah, Islam hopes for the Imam Mahdi, and even the Far East envisions a “Siddhartha Gautama 2.0” (the founder of Buddhism) appearing in the form of a Maitreya. They all agree that this figure will walk the earth and bring about world peace. Therefore, they believe they can’t possibly be wrong. How fatal.
Daniel 9:27 was arbitrarily placed in the distant future in this interpretation, while the preceding verses are still recognized as an event in the past. That’s just how it is, end of story! The fact that verse 9:27 actually describes the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ (baptism, ministry, crucifixion) adds a particular layer of irony, since this fanciful reinterpretation effectively declares Jesus Christ the Antichrist. However, this is a complete timeframe spanning 490 years, culminating in the crucifixion and, 3.5 years later, the stoning of the Apostle Stephen (Info).
6. The seal doesn’t fit like that.
Thus, the sixth seal, in the form of a completely new interpretation, also serves as supposed proof of the events in the period between the pre-tribulation rapture of the Christians and the appearance of the saving Messiah. However, five seals precede the sixth seal, and a seventh seal follows. The last seal introduces the prophetic visions of the seven trumpets.
It fails from the outset at the level of the realization that there will be no 1000-year reign of peace on earth, because a thorough annihilation of all living things will follow. The saved will not be brought to safety through a pre-tribulation rapture, but through the final appearance of Jesus Christ. However, He will not set His foot on the (impure) earth. The redeemed will be taken away (Info).
There are plenty of contradictions.
The entire series of more detailed descriptions of the appearance and course of Jesus Christ’s return completely preclude His earthly peacemaking (Info). These obvious contradictions to the pre-tribulation rapture narrative either don’t seem to bother anyone at all, or people are completely unconcerned and see no reason to examine this version for plausibility through their own research in Scripture. “They will perish because they did not love the truth,” as stated in 2 Thessalonians 2:10.
The earth will be destroyed, and this devastated state will last for 1,000 years. Afterward, the new Jerusalem will return to earth. The lost will rise from their graves, and the final judgment will follow, their ultimate annihilation into non-existence (Revelation 20). Only then will Jesus Christ create a new heaven and a new earth—a kind of reset and restoration of the originally very good creation (Revelation 21).
6th seal = 7th plague
No, the 6th seal is not the tribulation, but corresponds to the same descriptions as the 7th plague according to Revelation 16:17-21:
“And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.
And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.“
Vast deception – Vast horror
It’s all over. At that time, during the final plague, the redeemed will no longer be on earth. The “great day of the Lord” (the “Lord’s Day” is NOT Sunday!) brings destruction. Great terror spreads because, after the onset of darkness (the fifth plague), the actual return of Jesus Christ becomes visible to all people. The rapture of the redeemed, who will all have new bodies and shine like the brightness of the heavens or the stars of heaven (Daniel 12:3), will also be witnessed with terror by all those who remain.
They were all deceived, persecuting those who held fast to God’s law and bore the testimony of Jesus (Revelation 14:12). They even did so in the mistaken belief that by persecuting the faithful, they were doing God a favor. But it is too late, it’s over, the train has long since left the station. Therefore, this kind of deception is one of the most dangerous things in our time (Info).
“And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” (Revelation 12:17)
But also…
Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Matthew 5:11
Bible verses from King James Version (1611)
