When the first seal is broken, the Antichrist will be revealed to the world as he sets up his government, and in his attempts to gain worldwide power, he uses cold war. The one who sits on the white horse is a demon who will help make that happen...
(Revelation 6:1-2) Then I saw when the Lamb broke one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, “Come.” 2 I looked, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.
The second seal is broken. The one who sits on the red horse is a demon who will help cause war across the entire earth...
(Revelation 6:3-4) When He broke the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come.” 4 And another, a red horse, went out; and to him who sat on it, it was granted to take peace from the earth, and that men would slay one another; and a great sword was given to him.
The third seal is broken. The one who sits on the black horse is a demon who helps cause worldwide famine...
(Revelation 6:5-6) When He broke the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, “Come.” I looked, and behold, a black horse; and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. 6 And I heard something like a voice in the center of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not damage the oil and the wine.”
The fourth seal is broken. The one who sits upon the ashen horse is joined by many other demons. They will be given permission to cause death to a fourth of the earth by using violence, famine, wild animals and pestilence...
(Revelation 6:7-8) When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come.” 8 I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name Death; and Hades was following with him. Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth.
The fifth seal is broken. It is martyrdom, as the Antichrist will be trying to rid the earth of God's children...
(Revelation 6:9-11) When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; 10 and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” 11 And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also.
The sixth seal is broken. Terror is released upon the earth via physical disturbances...
(Revelation 6:12-17) I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; 13 and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. 14 The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. 15 Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; 16 and they said 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; 17 for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”
From this we see:
- the first living creature, with a voice like thunder, announces the first judgment on the earth (6:1)
- the one who sits on the white horse is a demon who will help create a cold war in order to help the Antichrist set up his government with aspirations of ruling the world (6:2)
- the second living creature, announces the second judgment on the earth (6:3)
- the one who sits on the red horse is a demon who will help cause war across the entire earth (6:4)
- the third living creature, announces the third judgment on the earth (6:5)
- the one who sits on the black horse is a demon who will help cause worldwide famine (6:5)
- a voice in the center of the four living creatures makes a prophetic announcement, which either is another angel, or it is maybe a combination of the living creatures' voices (6:6)
- the fourth living creature, announces the fourth judgment on the earth (6:7)
- the one who sits upon the ashen horse is joined by many other demons. They will be given permission to cause death to a fourth of the earth by using violence, famine, wild animals and pestilence (6:8)
Personal experience: we are not told how much time is in between each seal being broken. It could be that all these things are all happening pretty much at the same time.
What we do know from scripture is that the above events definitely have to all happen within the first half of the Tribulation. Either way, there will be a lot of demonic activity happening during the first half of the seven years, and then, it will be even more so in the second half.
And even so, there will still be people becoming believers during the Tribulation! I mean, these will be the people who have to learn the hard way. But still, in those circumstances, their choice will be very decisive. There won't be many people pretending to be Christians just to "fit in" - because being a Christian in the Tribulation will mean persecution and death.
Even today, it's interesting how fast and big the hidden churches grow in the countries where evangelism is illegal! Meanwhile over here, where we have religious freedom, I hear so many people ask the question, "Well, if there is a loving God, why is there so much evil?"
People who want an excuse not to believe in God, will find or create an excuse. And because God IS loving, He never forces anyone to believe in Him, even though He died for everyone's sins anyway.
Today's takeaway: just as God is loving and patient with people, we need to be loving and patient...
(1 Corinthians 13:1-13) If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.
4 Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, 5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, 6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part; 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. 11 When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. 13 But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.
