Will There Be An End-Time Temple Built In Jerusalem Just Before World War III?

Some say there will be no end-time Temple built in Jerusalem just before the Great Tribulation (World War III) begins. But the building of that temple and the resultant start of the Levitical “evening and morning sacrifices” is crucial in letting us believers in Jesus Christ, Yeshua haMeschiach know things are getting really close to the start of World War III and the 2^nd coming of Jesus Christ. If we should see or witness an orthodox party of Israeli Jewish leaders start initializing construction of this temple, you know that time is getting very short. It doesn’t even have to be a temple, per se, but can be a duplicate of the Tabernacle Moses built in the Wilderness, as prescribed in the Book of Exodus. So is it important for us believers in Jesus to know that the Bible prophecies the building of some kind of end-time temple before the 2^nd coming of Jesus Christ? I think it is extremely important. Let’s see what the Bible has to say about this event. Jesus told us this just days before his crucifixion, Matthew 24:14-16, “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. When ye therefore see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand :) then let them which be in Judea flee unto the mountains…” then he goes on to describe the coming Tribulation, World War III.

The Prophecy of the 2300 Evenings and Mornings

First, let us understand that Daniel couldn’t understand these prophecies given in chapters 8-11, let’s look at verses 8-12 of Daniel 12, “And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand. And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. Blessed is he that waiteth and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty [1,335] days.” Next, let’s look at verses 16-17 of Daniel 8, which is part of the prophecy of the 2300 evenings and mornings, and these two verses very importantly tell us that this prophecy of the 2300 evenings and mornings is for the end-times, it says “And I heard a man’s voice between the banks of Ulai, which called, and said, Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision.” i.e. the vision of the 2300 evenings and mornings. “So he came near where I stood: and when he came, I was afraid, and fell upon my face: but he said unto me, Understand, O son of man: for at the time of the end shall be the vision.” “Time of the end,” that would be what Jesus tells us in his Matthew 24 discourse.

Fulfilled Prophecies, Historic Background To The 2300 Evenings & Mornings

Verses 1-2 of Daniel 8 give us the time this vision was revealed to Daniel, it is the 3^rd year of the reign of Belshazzar the king of Babylon, about 550BC, and he is given the vision at Shushan in the palace in the province of Elam (verses 1-2). In verses 4-8 Daniel is then given a synopsis of the rise and fall of world empires which were also given to Daniel in Daniel 2 and 7, and Daniel 11, verses 1-4. That is, there will be four major world empires, going from the Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Greek, and finally the Roman empire (see https://unityinchrist.com/prophecies/2ndcoming_4.htm ). “Then I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and behold, there stood before the river a ram which had two horns: and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher came up last. I saw the ram pushing westward, and northward, and southward; so that no beasts might stand before him, neither was there any that could deliver out of his hand; but he did according to his will, and became great.” (verses 3-4) The ram with two horns were the kings of Media and Persia, becoming the great Persian Empire which destroyed the Babylonian Empire in 539BC (verses 3-4, 20). The he-goat that came from the west which “touched not the ground” was Alexander the Great’s Greek Empire, and he was it’s first king (verses 5 and 21). Alexander dies, and his four generals divide his kingdom into four lesser empires (verse 8) “And as I was considering, behold, an he goat came from the west on the face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground: and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes. And he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen standing before the river, and ran unto him in the fury of his power. And I saw him come close unto the ram, and he was moved with choler against him, and smote him, and brake his two horns: and there was no power in the ram to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground, and stamped upon him: and there was none that could deliver the ram out of his hand. Therefore the he goat waxed very great: and when he was strong, the great horn was broken; and for it came up four notable ones toward the four winds [four sides of the compass] of heaven.” (verses 5-8). The longest prophecy in the Bible is Daniel 11, and 9/10ths of these prophecies are fulfilled and in the history books, showing us that these four Greek generals, each forming a lesser Greek empire, ended up being two empires -- the king of the north swallowing up two of them, so that there was just the king of the north, ruling out of Syria, and the king of the south, ruling out of Egypt. This king of the north ends up historically becoming the Roman Empire. Since Daniel was specifically told that this 2300 evenings & mornings prophecy was for the end times, what follows is a prophecy about a powerful king, represented by a little horn, coming out of this king of the north, which will end up being a resurrected Holy Roman Empire, just before the time of Jesus Christ’s 2^nd coming (verses 16-17 of Daniel 8). In verses 20-22 of Daniel 8, the angel explains to Daniel this prophecy about Persia and Greece, which is already a part of history now.

The Little Horn Coming Out Of The King Of The North and The Vision Of The 2300 Evenings & Mornings Stated

Daniel 8:9-17, And out of one of them” [out of one of these four lesser Greek empires, and it will end up being out of the king of the north] “came forth a little horn, which waxed exceedingly great, toward the south, and toward the east and toward the pleasant land. And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them. Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down. And an host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of the transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practised, and prospered. Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden down under foot? And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days [Hebrew: ‘evenings and mornings’]; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed. And it came to pass, when I, even I Daniel, had seen the vision, and sought for the meaning, then, behold, there stood before me as the appearance of a man. And I heard a man’s voice between the banks of Ulai, which called, and said, Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision. So he came near where I stood: and when he came, I was afraid, and fell upon my face: but he said unto me, Understand, O son of man: for at the time of the end shall be the vision.” (verses 9-17) Now poor Daniel is confused, and don’t forget, the parts of this we know are now historic were still in the future for Daniel. Daniel only lived to see the Medo-Persian Empire conquer the Babylonians, he lived through that. We read that part already in verses 3-8. Now Daniel asks for an explanation. In verses 20-22 Daniel is given an explanation for what we now know is historically fulfilled, the part about the Persian and Greek Empires coming one after the other. That’s covered in verses 18-22, “Now as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep on my face toward the ground: but he touched me, and set me upright. And he said, Behold, I will make thee know what shall be in the last end of the indignation: for at the time appointed the end shall be. The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia. And the rough goat is the first king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king. Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power.” That describes Alexander the Great conquering the Persian Empire, and then his death, and after that his four generals dividing up his kingdom into four kingdoms. Now the angel gets to the part of his explanation that transitions right to the end-times, at the tail-end of all these empires, right before Jesus Christ’s 2^nd coming. “And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up. And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people. And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand. And the vision of the evening and morning which was told is true: for it shall be for many days.” (verses 23-26) How do we know these last four verses (23-26) are about the end-times, just before Jesus’ 2^nd coming? Verse 25b gives us the answer, “he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.” “The Prince of princes” is none other than Jesus Christ!

The Tribulation Temple

Revelation 11:1-3, And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months. And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.” Next let’s view a prophecy in Daniel to put this into perspective. Daniel 9:25, “Know therefore and understand, that from the coming forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty two weeks.” i.e. 7 + 62 = 69 weeks, day for a year prophetic principle, 1 prophetic week = 7 years, so 69 prophetic weeks = 69 x 7, which = 483 years. Somehow this all calculates out, if you find out which Persian king gave the real proclamation to go forth and rebuild Jerusalem and the temple, some say Cyrus, some say one of the Artaxerxes, it would be 69 prophetic weeks, then the Messiah would be “cut off.” Daniel 9:26, “And after the sixty two weeks [and I assume the seven weeks mentioned before that in verse 25, adding up to 69 prophetic weeks], Messiah shall be cut off, but not for himself;…” Jesus is slain, “and the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.” That happened in 70AD, and then again in 133-135AD, where Jerusalem and Judea were totally destroyed, city, Temple and the whole nation by the Roman Empire. Now verse 27 of Daniel 9, “Then shall he[“he” refers back to this “people of the prince” Roman Empire, but now by context of the prophecy has fast-forwarded 2,000 years to the time of the end] confirm a covenant with many for one week; but in the middle of the week, he shall bring an end to the sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, even unto the consummation…” Historically, the temple and sacrifices were destroyed and stopped in 70AD and the nation of Judea totally destroyed and all the Jews driven out of Judea in 133-135AD. So for these “sacrifices to be brought to an end” in verse 27 must refer to them having been started up again. No such thing has happened yet, from 70AD to now. So this would mean a new sanctuary has to be built and sacrifices started afresh. So verse 27 fast forwards to the end times, when a temple has been built in Jerusalem, morning and evening sacrifices started, and this ruler over the beast empire makes a covenant in the Middle East, more than likely between the Arabs and Israelis, a 7-year (one prophetic week) covenant of peace. Then after three and a half years, this peace treaty is broken somehow, as Daniel 9:27 says, “He shall cause the sacrifice and oblation to cease.” The sacrifice and offering have been cut off, stopped. The late Pastor Chuck Smith has another very astute comment for Revelation 11:1-2, titled “Antichrist’s Middle East Solution.” Now none of this would make any sense before now, but in today’s day and age it makes perfect sense. During some future Middle East crisis this new charismatic leader of a unified Europe, a revived Holy Roman Empire, will come into the Holy Land, and will broker a 7-year peace treaty between the Jews (Israelis) and the surrounding Arab nations. It says in the middle of that time period, that “prophecied week,” after 3 ½ years, But in the middle of that week he shall bring an end to the sacrifice and offering,” verse 27 of Daniel 9. So now Pastor Chuck Smith’s comment:

Antichrist’s Middle East Solution

One of the major factors in the negotiations between Jews and the Moslems in Jerusalem is the problem of the Temple Mount. It is a holy site to the Jewish people; but it is also a holy site for the Moslems as it houses the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock. This is a huge problem when you consider that the Jews are going to rebuild their temple during the tribulation period and will be sacrificing there. [I think he means they’re going to rebuild the temple in the first three and a half years of this brokered peace treaty, and start up sacrifices. You can’t cut off sacrifices unless you start them. And to meet the Old Testament requirements, you had to have either the tabernacle or a temple built to do them in, or just outside of.] I believe this passage [in Revelation 11:1-2] gives us a strong hint as to how this will take place. In measuring the temple of God, John was told not to measure the outer court, which had been given to the Gentiles. In Ezekiel 42:20, in measuring the temple area, there was a wall that was said to separate the holy areas from the common or profane. I believe that a likely scenario is that the Antichrist [person ruling over the revived Holy Roman Empire], when negotiating a peace treaty with Israel [and the surrounding Arab nations], will likely come up with the idea of building a large wall on the Temple Mount and allowing the Jews to rebuild their temple to the north of the Dome of the Rock, on the other side of the large wall. This could work for the Jews and the Arabs alike. And it is likely that this is the reason why the outer court was not measured here [by John in Revelation 11]. It is in the Moslem area of the Temple Mount. And this would be perceived as a brilliant solution by this great world leader.” [p. 1685 The Word For Today Bible, New King James Version.]

But before these two individuals could start witnessing from a temple in Jerusalem one has to be built. This is what Revelation 11:1-3 is all about. Revelation 11:2, “But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.” A prophetic year has 12 months of 30 days each. 42 x 30 = 1260 days. 1260 days divided by 360 = 3.5 years. 42 months is 3 ½ years that the Gentiles in this revived Holy Roman Empire, a United States of Europe in some form, keeps Israel and Jerusalem under military occupation. Remember “occupied France” in World War II, occupied by the Nazi’s? Same thing. Revelation 11:3, “And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.” So these 1260 days are literal days, equaling 3.5 years. Sackcloth was the normal garb or clothing for a holy prophet in the Old Testament times with the House of Israel and the House of Judah. So these are modern day prophets of God. God must protect his people during this time (cf. Revelation 3:10) or else they also will suffer the same fate as the Laodicea era Church, martyrdom. This period of protection, as Revelation 12:14 indicates, lasts “a time, and times and half a time.” If a “time” is equal to a year and “times” is equal to two years, we also have a period of 3 ½ years when the Philadelphia era Church is protected. It appears to correspond to this same period when the Gentiles “tread under foot” the Israeli nation and the surrounding nations in the Middle East that are mentioned in Daniel 11:40-45. Some of those nations escape, probably due to individual treaties made with this ruler of the European political-military combine. Some do not. Read those verses and see. It is pretty straight forward what these two witnesses do. Also God has endowed them both with supernatural powers for their own protection. Revelation 11:3-6, “And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.” Notice, the plagues that it mentions are similar or the same as the first four Trumpet plagues (cf. Revelation 8:1-12). This may be no coincidence. These may be God’s instruments which call down the Trumpet plagues of Revelation 8 & 9, so the world knows from their testimony just who is responsible for them. As God’s two faithful witnesses, they obviously wouldn’t be taking credit for bringing on the Trumpet plagues, the power and glory goes to God. Their job is to make sure people realize where it’s all coming from, as prophets of God. Elijah was used to bring the people of Israel back to God. The lesson will not be lost on Israel, all 12 tribes, now in captivity to this Euro political-military combine. These two witnesses may be the only hope that’s keeping them alive right now. Think about that for a moment. Don’t forget, Jesus Christ gave the words of the Book of Revelation to the apostle John, so it is Jesus here who indicates a tribulation temple will be built sometime before his 2^nd coming.

The Last Half Of Daniel 11

Historically verses 29-35 of Daniel 11 start out referring to and were fulfilled by Antiochus Epiphanes, but the prophecy transitions to and also refers to the end-time dictator called by Daniel “the abomination of desolation” (or the abominable desolator as some translate it). In both references, historic and prophetic, the dictator being described cuts off the daily sacrifices, as clearly seen in the prophecy of 2300 evenings and mornings in Daniel 8 (see https://unityinchrist.com/Daniel/daniel1.htm and https://unityinchrist.com/Daniel/daniel2.htm and https://unityinchrist.com/Daniel/daniel3.htm). Antiochus Epiphanes was a forerunner of this end-time dictator, and he did cut off the daily evening and morning sacrifices, and he tried to destroy all the Torah’s he could find, but he did not cut off the sacrifices for 2300 evenings and mornings, 1150 days. But he was a historic proto-type of this coming dictator. Verses 29-35 apply more to Antiochus Epiphanes in the 160s BC. Let’s read it all the way through to the end of Daniel 11. Daniel 11:29-45, “At the time appointed he shall return [Antiochus Epiphanes], and come toward the south; but it shall not be as the former, or as the latter. For the ships of Chittim [Roman naval ships] shall come against him: therefore he shall be grieved, and return, and have indignation against the holy covenant: so shall he do; he shall even return, and have intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant. [Antiochus is trying to Hellenize the Jews by getting them to turn away from God and their Temple worship of God] And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, [this happened historically under Antiochus Epiphanes, and will yet happen again, as the prophecy of 2300 evenings and mornings in Daniel 8 clearly shows] and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate [i.e. in the Temple]. And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.” (verses 31-32) Judas Maccabee certainly did do exploits, see the complete study on Daniel 11 in this section. Understand from verse 31 onward through verse 35 this prophecy is dual, its prior fulfillment was under Antiochus Epiphanes and his defeat at the hand of Judas Maccabee and his army, and the future fulfillment describes the dictator referred to as the Abomination of desolation, or in Revelation as “the Beast.” Antiochus Epiphanes was most definitely a forerunner of this future coming dictator. But from verses 36 onward this has yet to be fulfilled, it’s about the end-time Roman empire in Europe and it’s future dictator. “Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help: but many shall cleave to them with flatteries. And some of them with understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed.” (verses 34-35) “And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that is determined shall be done. Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all. But in his estate shall he honour the god of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things. Thus shall he do in the most strong holds [or fortresses of munitions] with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain. And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.” (verses 36-40) This is prophetically speaking of the military buildup of the United States of Europe just before the start of WWIII, and then the initial start of World War III where the Arab nations, Muslim nations (king of the south), push at a United States of Europe, Beast Empire, and this empire in Europe counters with a powerful military blow, conquering nearly all of the Middle East and probably North Africa, as the next verse shows. “He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief children of Ammon.” (verse 41) This would be Turkey, the Edomites, and Jordan, the modern-day Moabites, as are those of Ammon, the capital of Jordan being Amman. “He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape. But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and Ethiopians shall be at his steps.” (verses 42-43) Now this next verse cross references to Revelation 9:1-11, where the Beast Empire, the U.S. of Europe gains military intelligence (“tidings from the east”) of military intentions from the east, probably Russia. This brings a powerful military response in the form of an invasion toward the east, which is into Russia. Revelation 9:1-11 describes this invasion to the east, as does verse 44 of Daniel 11, “But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many.” (verse 44) Now this end-time dictator of this modern Roman Empire decides to relocate his capital city and headquarters to Jerusalem. “And he shall plant the tabernacle of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.” (verse 45) The vision is continued and wrapped up in Daniel 12:11-13. Daniel 12:11-13, “And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.” This clearly indicates that this latter part of Daniel 11, as it does in Daniel 8, refers to an end-time cut-off of daily sacrifices.

Where Are The Daily Sacrifices To Be Cut Off?

Where? Jesus said in Matthew 24:15-16 “in the holy place…” Does any other New Testament writer tell us where or what this “holy place” refers to? Let’s see what the apostle Paul called it. 2^nd Thessalonians 2:1-4, esp. vs. 4, “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, that ye be not soon shaken, neither troubled 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:” some early false teachers, false prophets who had worked their way into the early church were teaching that the 2^nd coming was already at hand, or in some cases, were teaching that it had already occurred. Let Paul continue, “for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, (cf. Matthew 24:11-13) and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.” [Strong’s Concordance, Gr. # 3485, naos, “temple, shrine.”] This one verse appears to nail it down, coupled to the others we just read in Daniel 8 through 12, that the place this dictator comes to occupy and come into is some kind of temple the Jews have set up in Jerusalem, and that the Jews have established a Levitical order and are performing the daily evening and morning sacrifices, as prescribed in the Law of Moses in the Torah. We know ultra orthodox Jews have been setting up Temple utensils and other paraphernalia in preparation for building a temple building or tabernacle as prescribed in Exodus. When you see that “temple” built or being built, time, prophetically speaking, is extremely short. The first of the four horsemen in Revelation 6, which is false religion, false Christianity is coming from where? Out of Europe, more than likely. So, next question, when will Christians, the greater Body of Christ, get their act together and proclaim the Gospel to the world, as Matthew 24:14 says they will? For that answer, we must take a closer look at Matthew 24 and those verses that are in direct context to verse 14.

Opening of the First Seal of Revelation 6 --- A Time of Massive Evangelism for Real Christians --- coupled to serious persecution

Matthew 24:9-14, “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. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love [Greek, agapeo] of many shall wax cold.” Because that word for love is agapeo in the Greek, this is talking about the love of Christians growing cold. “But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached unto all nations; and then shall the end come.” (what end? the next verse tells us, verse 15, the start of World War III, as depicted in Matthew 24:15-31.) These verses, 9-14, correspond to the opening of the First Seal of Revelation 6. Let’s take a look and see why I say that. That last verse, 14, explains why the increased persecution. They’re preaching up a storm, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God to the entire world. This verse, in context with verses 9-13 imply massive preaching of the Gospel to the world. What happens when you witness to people who don’t want to hear it? They become hostile, don’t they? Now multiply that factor by billions of times over, and that explains verses 9-13 of Matthew 24, a time of great persecution. Now let’s see why I say verses 9-14 of Matthew 24 represent the time period of the 1^st Seal of Revelation 6. What does the First Seal of Revelation represent? Revelation 6:1-2 is where the beast person and false prophet make their first appearance and broker a 7-year peace treaty in Jerusalem between the Israeli Jews and Arab nations. For the past 20 years U .S. Presidents have been trying to do that, without much success. But a European will do this, and succeed! But how do we know this? And how do we know that verses 9-14 of Matthew 24 represent the 1^st Seal of Revelation 6, the White Horse in the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse? I hope to conclusively show you that now.

The First Seal --- The First Horseman

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. 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.” Jesus identifies this horseman in Matthew 24:4-5, “And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.” Jesus in Revelation 19 is on a white horse, but he is pictured as having a sword, not as having a bow. In cross-referencing Jesus’ words in Matthew 24:4-5 Paul says in 2^nd Corinthians 11:3-4, “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might bear with me…For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.” The Bible identifies Satan’s ministers as being professing Christians. They don’t look Satanic, but the fruit of their actions prove otherwise (see https://unityinchrist.com/history2/earlychurch3.htm). The First Horseman of Revelation 6:1-2 is no more than a clever counterfeit of the horseman pictured in Revelation 19:11-15, which is Christ. Christ brandishes a sword out of his mouth, not a bow held in his hand as in Revelation 6:1-2. The sword represents the true Word of God, which is Christ (cf. John 1:1-14; Hebrews 4:12). Also the time-setting of Revelation 6:1-2 is totally different from that of Revelation 19:11-15. The white horse of Revelation 6:1-2 is the First Seal Jesus Christ opens near the beginning of the Book of Revelation. The white horse with Christ on it in Revelation 19 is at the other end of the Great Tribulation, at the other end of the Book of Revelation. One horse opens the events depicted in Revelation chapters 6-19, the other white horse and rider, mentioned in Revelation 19, brings those events to their final conclusion at the 2^nd coming of Jesus Christ. So what the First Seal and white horse of Revelation 6:1-2 reveal is a great false “Christian” religious leader who comes on the scene to initiate the events depicted in Revelation 6 through 19. Next, we need to see when this false counterfeit christ, religious leader, comes on the scene, in Jesus’ discourse in Matthew 24. As we’ll see, it fits right into a block of verses sequentially between what I have termed “the end-time age” identifier block of verses, Matthew 24:4-8, and the World War III—Great Tribulation block of verses, verses 15-26 (which represent the other three horses and 5^th Seal of Revelation 6).

When the First Seal is opened --- it begins a 7-year peace treaty --- What is the Body of Christ doing during this period of time?

We’ve covered this before, but this nails the timing down for us. Daniel 9:27, “And he shall confirm the [margin “a”] covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and upon the battlements shall be the idols of the desolator[marginal rendering], and that determined shall be poured upon the desolator.” We have a prophetic day for a year principle operating here, where one week = 7 prophetic days, or 7 actual years. This “prince” that confirms the covenant with many for one week --- 7 years --- is the last major ruler-king of a restored end-time Roman Empire (see https://unityinchrist.com/prophecies/2ndcoming_4.htm). In the middle of this 7-year span of time, after three and a half years from the making of this peace treaty, this “prince” (verse 26) shall cause the sacrifice to cease in this restored temple in Jerusalem (just as Antiochus Epiphanes did). For the next three and a half years World War III (what the Bible calls “the Great Tribulation”) rages. So what is happening during the first three and a half years of this 7-year peace treaty? The world in general, and especially the Arabs and Israelis are at peace. Probably shortly after this treaty is ratified and signed, the Israeli Jews build their temple and start sacrifices, which by the way, haven’t been sacrificed since 70AD. The world will wonder, and think “This is great! Peace at last in the Middle East and the world!” The world’s economy may even be doing great. But wise and godly Christians will know they only have about three years to get the Lord’s work finished, that of getting the Gospel to the whole world, verse 14 of Matthew 24, before all hell breaks loose (verses 15-31). [Are you wondering what that Gospel is? see https://unityinchrist.com/misc/WhatIsTheGospel%20.htm] This period of time, as we see in verse 14, is marked by an intense preaching of the Gospel around the world, which brings on, results in intense hatred and persecution of Christians (verses 9-13). Why would Christians go nuts about preaching the Gospel around the world? Because when this beast-false prophet combo make this “7-year Peace Treaty,” the first thing the Israeli Jews do is build themselves a temple in Jerusalem (they may be attempting to build it just before the peace treaty, we don’t know). At this point in time the Christians know they only have about three years to finish preaching the Gospel around the world, until Matthew 24:15, the start of World War III occurs (cf. Daniel 9:27; Matthew 24:15-31). All Pre-Tribulation Rapturists will know at this point in time, if they haven’t been “Raptured” by the time this 7-year peace treaty is brokered and the temple built, that their Pre-Trib Rapture doctrine is in serious error, just plain wrong. My guess, at this point they’ll put their collective shoulders to the grindstone of getting the Gospel out to the world with the rest of us. If we’re all part of this evangelistic group getting the Gospel to the world, we know that Jesus in Revelation 3:10 promised us protection of some sort, that we wouldn’t go through the Tribulation itself (see https://unityinchrist.com/revelation/revelation3-1-22.html). So now it’s either what they term a “Mid-Trib Rapture” that occurs to fulfill Revelation 3:10, or the Church, greater Body of Christ, goes into hiding somewhere, into a “place of safety.” Whatever way it happens is Jesus’ concern, not mine, should I survive the persecution of Matthew 24:9-13. It’s time to wake up folks.