I think I must preface this post by stating that I believe the first five seals of Revelation 6 have already been opened. The first four seals mirror the signs identified as birth pains in the Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24 and Mark 13). I do not intend to expound on that belief at this time, but it may affect the language I use considering the predominant pretribulational teaching. (Detailed explanation of my understanding can be found at my website in my journal on Revelation.) My purpose for this study is clarifying the order of events concerning the rapture, the day of the LORD and the revealing of the Antichrist.
The Rapture = When Jesus gathers believers to Himself and transforms us to immortal incorruptible bodies.
the day of the LORD = The appointed time that God will pour out His wrath and exact His vengeance on all that is wicked and evil on planet earth.
the Antichrist = The man of sin that Satan will use and eventually indwell to establish his throne of power over the whole of planet earth—a time limited by God to the last 3.5 years before Jesus comes to establish Himself on the throne of David as King.
I must also clarify that I believe “the day of the LORD” (the wrath of God) and the seven years that we commonly refer to as “the tribulation” (aka the time of Jacob’s trouble and the 70th week of Daniel) are two separate but predominantly concurrent events with specific purposes. As stated before, I believe “the day of the LORD” is the designated time that God will exact His wrath on all that is wicked and evil on planet earth. The “tribulation” is the last seven years before Jesus returns as King, and the signing of the covenant as foretold in Daniel 9:27 marks its beginning.
Daniel 9:26–27 “…and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary….And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week….”
This seven-year period is directed toward the people of Israel as a refining fire to produce a purified remnant of believers that accept Jesus as the Messiah and through whom the LORD will fulfill His covenants with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and David concerning possession of the Promised Land and the Davidic dynasty. Jesus described the last 3.5 years of the seven as “great tribulation,” a time worse than any other the world has or will experience.
Matthew 24:21–22 “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.”
I do want to clarify that I am seeking to understand the truth of scripture and use many teachers and resources in the process. I believe that God will hold me accountable for what I share with others. I am not seeking to please anyone but the LORD and only want to ensure to the best of my ability that I am sharing truth.
2 Thessalonians 2:1-3 “Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition….”
There is a teacher I listen to that uses this scripture to teach that believers will know who the Antichrist is.
As I read these verses, I understand that two things must happen before “the day of the Lord” (the time of God’s wrath) begins— 1) “our gathering together unto Him” (the Rapture) and 2) the man of sin must be revealed.
Revelation 6:17 identifies the opening of the sixth seal as the beginning of the “wrath of the Lamb” (the day of the Lord).
Revelation 6:16–17 “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?”
Scripture is very clear that the believer will not suffer God’s wrath; therefore, the rapture must precede the sixth seal or occur concurrent to it. As far as I can see based on all my studies, the first thing that identifies the Antichrist will be the signing of the covenant referenced in Daniel 9:27. Taken in conjunction with verse 3 of 2Thessalonians, I must conclude that the signing of the covenant also occurs before the sixth seal.
If we stopped here, I can see the possible basis of this man’s teaching. However, Paul goes on to tell us more.
2 Thessalonians 2:6–9 “And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders….””
The Greek for the word withholdeth states “to hold down…retain.” The same Greek word is translated letteth in verse 7. In other words, there is a force in the form of a being that is “holding down” or preventing the revealing of the Antichrist. That being has to be stronger than Satan, the power behind the Antichrist. I believe the only possible conclusion is that this is a reference to the Holy Spirit—who is now indwelling the body of believers. Only after the Holy Spirit is “taken out of the way” will the Antichrist be revealed. For the Holy Spirit to be taken out of the way, the body of believers must be taken out of the way. That will happen when the LORD gathers His people together in the rapture.
My conclusion of the order of events based on this passage—1) the Rapture, 2) the Antichrist is revealed by the signing of the covenant, 3) the day of the Lord, God’s wrath, begins with the opening of the sixth seal.
This, of course, negates the possibility of the rapture occurring in conjunction with the sixth seal as I had previously considered possible.
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