INTRODUCTION: Connecting the Series – “From Abomination to Wrath”
We’ve been studying the last days according to the Word of God—not tradition, not Hollywood.
We’ve seen the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel and Jesus. We’ve broken down the tribulation, the great tribulation, and the timing of these events. We’ve seen that God’s wrath does not begin the seven-year period—tribulation does.
During Daniel’s 70th week, or final 7-year period of time, we’ll see tribulation, then great tribulation, then the second coming of Jesus Christ, and finally God’s wrath will be poured out. We studied the Abomination of Desolation in great detail last week. The abomination of desolation marks the mid point of Daniel’s 70th week.
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 Antichrist confirms a covenant—not God’s covenant, but a deceptive one. Likely involving a restored temple or Jewish sacrifices. But halfway through—after 3½ years—he breaks it, stops the offerings, and commits the abomination of desolation. That is when great tribulation begins.
Now, let’s compare the words of Jesus in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21 with what Jesus opens in Revelation 6 – the seals of Revelation. These are not separate events. Jesus told us what would happen—and then showed us the same sequence through the seals.
You’re going to see that Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21, and Revelation 6 match perfectly. Again, these are end times events and not separate occurrences.
I. The First Seal – False Christs
Revelation 6:1-2
And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. 2 And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.
This is a false Christ—a deceiver sent out with authority to conquer through deception. I want to make sure you understand that this is not God’s wrath being poured out. This is the antichrist causing the trouble or tribulation.
He went forth conquering and to conquer.
Matthew 24:4-5
And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. 5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
Deception comes first—but it opens the door for war. The white horse brings the antichrist. He’s imitating the Lord Jesus Christ. Many will fall for this deception.
Remember, we are walking through the seals in Revelation and showing how Jesus already told us about this in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21. The first seal is the antichrist on a white horse deceiving people.
II. The Second Seal – War
Revelation 6:3-4
And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. 4 And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.
The red horse brings global conflict, strife, and bloodshed. People are killing one another in war.
Matthew 24:6-7
And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
War is occurring all over the world. There will then be a lack of food. Famine begins. We’ve seen the white horse and now the red horse. What’s next? Let’s look at the third seal that Jesus Christ opens here in Revelation 6.
III. The Third Seal – Famine
Revelation 6:5-6
And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. 6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.
Now we see a black horse. This will be severe inflation and food shortage—where a full day’s wage buys only a single meal. Imagine that today. Let’s say you went out and worked hard for your family and you can only afford a meal to split between your spouse and children.
There will be people killing each other. There will be great food shortages.
Matthew 24:7
For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
Famine opens the door to even worse—mass death from multiple causes. When you’re short on food, disease will begin to spread. When people aren’t getting what they need in terms of food, sickness will be on the rise.
We’ve seen the first, second, and third seals so far to this point. The white horse, the red horse, and the black horse. What are we going to see next?
IV. The Fourth Seal – Death
Revelation 6:7-8
And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. 8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.
Now we see a pale horse. This is not symbolic. A fourth of the population dies—by sword, starvation, and wild beasts.
Luke 21:11
And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
This is an increase in death. People were already being killed, but now we see a greater increase in death. 25% of the world is killed with hunger, death, and beasts of the earth.
And yet, it’s going to get more personal next. The next seal reveals the persecution of the saints. Notice that all of this matches perfectly between the Gospels and the book of Revelation.
V. The Fifth Seal – Persecution
Revelation 6:9-11
And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: 10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? 11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.
These are saved people who died in the tribulation. Their blood cries out for vengeance.
Matthew 24:9-10
Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. 10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
This matches perfectly. The saints or people saved by the blood of Jesus Christ are being killed. This is the fifth seal. No more horses. The first four seals have the white horse, red horse, black horse, and the pale horse. The fifth seal is about the souls that were slain for the word of God.
And they are asking how much longer it will be until the Lord pours out his wrath on the earth. So, we know seals 1 through 5 are not about the wrath of God being poured out. Instead, we know this is the tribulation.
At the abomination of desolation, we know the antichrist begins to come after the saints. So, the abomination of desolation most likely occurs between seals 4 and 5. I want you to remember that.
The cry of the saints is followed by a cry from the whole world—because the sky is about to break open.
VI. The Sixth Seal – Cosmic Signs
I want you to watch what the Bible says closely here. Tell me the signs that you see here.
Revelation 6:12-14
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; 13 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. 14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
We see the sixth seal being opened. There is a great earthquake. The sun goes dark. The moon becomes as blood meaning it also darkens.
Revelation 6:15-17
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; 16 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: 17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
What does the Bible say right there in verse 17? This is so simple and easy to understand. “For the great day of his wrath is come.” That means the prior seals were not God’s wrath. But now, we’re at the sixth seal and we’re seeing that God’s wrath is now come. Let’s go back to Matthew 24 and see what is there.
Matthew 24:29-30
Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: 30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
“Immediately after the tribulation.” So, the tribulation is over once the sun and moon is darkened. You see that matches Revelation perfectly. At seal 6, the sun and moon are darkened. This means the tribulation is over when we reach seal 6.
The wrath of God hasn’t fallen yet—but it’s about to. Between seal six and seven, something incredible happens: the second coming of Jesus Christ and the rapture. Matthew 24 tells us these things and this goes together perfectly with the Book of Revelation.
Matthew 24:31
And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
After the sun and moon are darkened, we see Jesus coming in the clouds. After the sixth seal, we see Jesus coming in the clouds. After the tribulation, we see Jesus coming in the clouds. What does Jesus do? He gathers together his elect or his people who have believed on Him.
Revelation 7:13-14
And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? 14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
We see this exact same order in the Book of Revelation. Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21 match Revelation perfectly.
The saints come out of great tribulation. Remember, tribulation is seal 1 with the white horse, seal 2 with the red horse, seal 3 with the black horse, seal 4 with the pale horse, and seal 5 with the saints being killed during great tribulation. Seal 6 then occurs and then Jesus comes back before all of the saints are killed on the earth.
The Seventh Seal – Wrath Begins
We know that God’s wrath is now coming. He’s going to take vengeance on those who killed his people. The great day of his wrath is come.
Revelation 8:1-2
And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. 2 And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets.
The seventh and final seal is opened. Silence in heaven for about 30 minutes or half an hour. Now, the wrath of God begins with the trumpets. The saints are safe. The trumpets begin to sound. This is not tribulation—this is the judgment of God poured out.
The tribulation was over at the sixth seal. We’re at the seventh seal.
So, remember, trust the words of Jesus. In the end times, we’ll see Tribulation, the Abomination of Desolation, Great Tribulation, the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, the rapture, and then the wrath of God is poured out.
Conclusion: The Timeline of the Lamb
Jesus didn’t give us confusion—He gave us clarity. He didn’t leave us guessing—He left us prepared.
The same Lord who sat on the Mount of Olives and warned His disciples in Matthew 24, is the Lamb in Revelation 6 opening each seal in the same order. This is one timeline, one message, one truth.
First comes deception. Then comes destruction. Then comes death. Then comes persecution. Then come the signs in the heavens. Then comes the gathering of the elect. Then comes the wrath of God.
The pre-tribulation rapture theory falls apart when compared to Scripture.
The Bible says, “Immediately after the tribulation… he shall gather his elect.” That’s not what men say. That’s what Jesus said.
These seals are not fiction. They are prophecy. They are coming. And when they begin to open, it will be too late to figure it out. You must already be rooted.
So here’s the question:
Will you believe what Jesus actually said? Will you prepare your family to endure? Will you stand when others fall away? Or will you cling to man-made timelines that disappear under the weight of Scripture?
The seals will open. The sky will shake. The Lord will return. And every eye will see Him.
Don’t just read Revelation—respond to it. Don’t just hear the warnings—believe them. Don’t just survive the timeline—follow the Lamb through it.
Jesus gave us the roadmap before the end begins,
and He will lead us through it and bring us home when it’s done.
It’s a call to trust Him—not just for salvation, but for survival in the last days. Let’s pray.
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