The Key of Prophetic Interpretation

  Whenever we examine the context of Scripture, we do so with the intent of discovering what the Word of God has revealed to us. In the field of prophecy, examination of context is important, for without a careful reading, we’ll be apt to wander from the truth. This has been evidenced in the case of many who confuse the physical with the spiritual. By mixing the various Dispensations into a common melting-pot, they are unable to discern whether a passage should be taken literally, or in a symbolic sense.

   Recently, I got involved in a discussion with an A-Millennialist who did just that. He insisted that the “living waters” of Zechariah 14: 8 were to be understood as the present outpouring of the Spirit in this Dispensation of Grace. He quoted many verses from the New Testament which proved that water does sometimes denote the Spirit’s work. However, he erred in judgment, because he did not distinguish the times and seasons to which Zechariah referred. Therefore, he was unable to determine the true nature of fulfillment. The fact is, that because Zechariah 14 is fulfilled at the RETURN OF CHRIST, the entire chapter must be taken literally.

   Let me explain. It is true that spiritual interpretation of Old Testament language applies today, for Christ is absent from earth, and has sent His holy Spirit to indwell believers and to guide them into all truth necessary for their edification. Therefore, during this Dispensation of Grace, everything is spiritual. However, this does not annul phsyical and objective realities. It only means that for the time being, spiritual realities have taken their place. Because now we walk by faith and not by sight (2 Cor. 5: 17), we know that the literal physical fulfillment of the Old Testament Scriptures is in abeyance. Such is the characteristic of the present Dispensation.

   True, the Comforter was sent in Christ’s absence. But what when He comes back? When Jesus Christ returns in His own body, the Comforter’s present work will be finished, and we shall “know, even as we are known” (1 Cor. 13: 12) When we “see HIm as He is” (1 John 3: 2) faith will be turned to sight, and the objective and physical nature of the kingdom manifested. Then will the age of spiritual application be over.

   When Jesus was on earth the first time, Old Testament prophecies were fulfilled to the letter. Now they are fulfilled spiritually, because He is gone, and the Holy Spirit has taken His place. When Jesus Christ comes back, however, the remainder of Old Testament prophecies will be fulfilled just as literally as they were during His first advent. The reason is quite simple. Christ’s manner of presence determines the nature of fulfillment. When He is present on earth, the fulfillment is physical. When He absent, the fulfillment is spiritual. This important principle may be used as a key to unlock the true interpretation of any prophetic verse in the Bible.

   Take Isaiah 55: 1, for instance. “Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, and buy wine and milk without money and without price.” The fulfillment of this verse is obviously spiritual, for it pertains to the current Dispensation characterized by the presence of the Holy Spirit, and the absence of our Lord. Therefore, the waters, the money, the wine and the milk, must all be interpreted in a spiritual sense.

   However, let us now look at Isaiah 64: 1-2: “Oh, that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence, as when the melting fire burneth, the fire causeth the waters to boil, to make Thy name known to thy adversaries, that the nations may tremble at thy presence.” In this instance, the fulfillment is the very opposite of spiritual, for it describes the second coming of Christ, and His return to earth. Therefore, it is to be interpreted in a literal sense, and expressive of a future physical realities.

   To prove that this principle is correct, we read in Luke 23: 45 that “the sun was darkened” at our Lord’s crucifixion. It was a literal darkening of the literal sun, because the Son of Man was present on earth. But no one would look for the darkening of the sun and moon in this spiritual dispensation. When Christ returns, however, we find that “the sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining. The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter His voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake” (Joel 3: 15-16). These predictions will be literally fulfilled, because they point to the Lord’s personal return to earth.

   This is why the parousia is expressly referred to as the Son of Man’s return. “And then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven; and then they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (Matt. 24: 30). Please note that the term “Son of Man” is always indicative of our Lord’s humanity; and therefore, whenever the term is employed in Scripture, it relates to presence on earth. This is how we determine whether Matthew 24: 30 is to be taken literally, or metaphorically.

   The Son of Man is none other than the Second Adam, He who shall redeem the creation from the bondage of vanity when He returns. And how will He return? Metpahorically, or in His own body? After Christ ascended from the Mount of Olives, the two angels informed His disciples that He would return in like manner as He asended (Acts 1: 11). Now go to Zechariah 14: 4: “And His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east.” The verse predicts Christ’s second coming, when the Dispensation of the Spirit shall have ended. Therefore, the connected prophecies may not be spiritualized. They are be understood as descriptive of physical and objective events.

   It is interesting to note that the phrase “Son of Man” occurs eighty-four times in the New Testament, but is never once used in the church epistles. The first use of the title is in Matt. 8: 20, where it is written, “The Son of Man hath not where to lay His head.” Its last use is in Rev. 14: 14, where the Son of Man is seen as “having on His head a golden crown.” Between the Gospels and Revelation, the term occurs only twice, in Acts 7: 56 and Hebrews 2: 6.

   What is the reason for this? The answer is quite simple: Because the phrase “Son of Man” has nothing to do with this present Dispensation of the Spirit, during which Christ is absent, but has everything to do with His first and second advents. Therefore, Matt. 24: 30 and related prophecies do not speak of any “spiritual” coming, but denote the Lord’s personal presence restored. This fact demolishes forever the false doctrines of Preterism, A-Millennialism, and every other teaching which spiritualizes passages pertaining to the parousia.

   Remember, all things are spiritual in this Dispensation, because Christ is absent. Therefore His presence is realized only in the third person of the Trinity. In this age, the natural things have been set aside, that spiritual things might take their place. For example, the natural Israel has fallen, while the spiritual Israel gains prominence (Romans 11: 11 ff.). Natural circumcision is replaced by that of the Spirit (Phil. 3: 3); and even the the resurrection we enjoy now is of a spiritual nature (Eph. 2: 1, 5). But do we still look forward to a physical resurrection? Of course we do. And when will this take place? When the Lord returns. Is the natural Israel to be restored? Of course it is! But only when the Lord returns (see Romans 11: 26-27).

   Applying this principle again, we come to Revelation 20, the long-studied passage which speaks of the first resurrection and “1000 years.” We know that during this Dispensation, our reign is of a heavenly (spiritual) character (Eph. 2: 6). But does Rev. 20 speak of the same thing? How is John’s vision of the Millennium to be taken–literally, or spiritually? The key is found by examing the time of fulfillment.

   Since the beast and false prophet are to be cast into the lake of fire WHEN JESUS CHRIST RETURNS (Rev. 19: 19-20), we know that the ensuing visions of the binding of Satan and reign of the martyrs will take place on earth, and in a literal fashion. For Paul writes that Antichrist will be destroyed by the epiphany of Christ’s parousia (see 2 Thess. 2: 8). And since the same parousia is mentioned in Matthew 24 in connection with the coming of the Son of Man, it is evident that the subsequent events will take place in the natural realm. Compare with Revelation 2: 26-27 & 5: 10.

   This principle of distinguishing between natural and spiritual fulfillment may be called “The Master Key of Prophetic Interpretation.” I do not claim any originality for this view. However, I do claim that this method is the absolutely correct one; and that, when properly applied, it will clear up the meaning of any prophetic passage in the Word of God. Just take the simple method of interpretation which I have outlined above, and see how easy it is to use. As such, it will be found helpful in refuting any kind of error that may present itself for consideration. And this makes it not only a key, but also a very formidable weapon.

Studies In The Apocalypse (Part 21– Rev. 6: 5- 6: 6)

   (6: 5) “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.”

  As we’ve seen, Antichrist’s rise to power will be accompanied by a number of drastic and world-changing events.  Following a deceptive period of false peace accompanying his meteoric rise to the highest chair of world government, a series of wars will break out.  In our last paper, we looked at the general nature of these wars, and what they will entail. 

   John now describes the breaking of the third seal.  When the Lamb opens the seal, the apostle hears a voice saying, “Come and see,” and immediately (for there is no delay implied in the vision) a third horse, and this one black, appears with a pair of balances in his hand.  What does this black horse rider denote?  Will the judgments played out under this third seal be more devastating in nature than those under the previous seal?  We fear so.  When the Dispensation of Judgment commences, the judgments will continue and augment, becoming fiercer and more worldwide until at last the vials of wrath are poured upon the remnants of an ungodly and unbelieving world.  This period which we are looking at may be described as “the beginning of sorrows” (Matt. 24: 8).

   (6: 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.”

  There is little doubt among expositors that the black horse rider of the third seal denotes famine.  We concur with this interpretation, and are immediately called back to Ezekiel 4: 16-17, where it is written: “Son of Man, behold, I will break the staff of bread in Jerusalem: and they shall eat bread by weight, and with care; and they shall drink water by measure, and with astonishment: that they may want bread and water, and be astonied one with another, and consume away for their iniquity.” 

   There the prophet records the words of Jehovah relative to the famine which would prevail in Jerusalem at the time of Nebuchadnezzar’s taking of the city.  In the Apocalypse, however, we have set before us the picture of a famine that will likely affect one fourth of the entire globe.  Consulting Christ’s Olivet Discourse again, we find that in divers places there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes (Matt. 24: 7).  These certainly have to do with the judgments of the seals we are now considering. 

  But what do we make of the words of the mysterious voice in the midst of four beasts?  What is meant by the cry, “A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny?”  Thankfully, we are not in the dark as to a correct interpretation.  From Matthew 20: 2, 9 we are apprised that a denarius (here translated penny) was a day’s wage.  Classical writers like Herodotus and Xenophon have informed us that a choenix (translated as measure) was the daily ration of a slave.  As the usual price of a choenix was the eighth of a denarius, we can see how sorely this famine will affect the poorer classes.  Translating these figures into common language, let us assume that a day’s wage equals $40.  It will cost the poor that much to procure about a quart of grain.  Actually, we can better represent the figures by saying that a loaf of Wonder Bread will be selling for upwards of $25– that is, if packaged products are even available.  Grains will be sky-high in price; and it is no coincidence that they are moving upward even now. 

  Let us think for a moment of the implications of the red horse rider of the second seal.  How may these wars bring on a period of intense famine?  America now imports a large percentage of its fruits, vegetables, and grains from foreign sources.  Supposing that a major world war breaks out, or some other international disaster which throws the nations of the world into turmoil.  If the food supplies are cut off, or transportation obstructed for any length of time, the basic commodities which we now take for granted may become as dear to us as life itself.  A little sober thought upon the subject will give us to realize that we are not as immune to such an scenario as we sometimes think. 

   The wars of the second seal will precipitate the conditions pictured under the third and fourth seals.  We take it that the first four seals will occur during the first half of Daniel’s 70th week, occupying a three-and-a-half year period.  However, in our study of the first seal, we made it clear that as these seals have a basic correlation to the predictions of Christ’s Olivet Discourse, they may actually begin outside the limits of the 70th week; though how much sooner it is hard to tell.  However, an interpretation that sees the seals as parallel with Christ’s predictions would begin the sunteleia at the closing-period of the age we are now in.  This means that the seal-judgments could begin at any time. 

  However, in common with the majority of expositors, I believe that the true church will be removed before the Dispensation of Judgment begins.  The reason is quite obvious.  Writing to the Thessalonians, Paul says: “For yourselves know perfectly that the Day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.  For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child, and they shall not escape” (1 Thess. 5: 2-3). 

   This term “travail” tells us that the “Day of the Lord” begins with the tribulation, which we believe will last seven years exactly.  Because of its imminent nature, Paul tells us that the day will come like a thief.  But he goes on to say that true Christians will not be taken unawares, for they are the children of light, and not of darkness (1 Thess. 5: 5).  And it is becaue of this that we are exhorted to be watchful. Those taken by surprise are those who will be found “sleeping in the night” (1 Thess. 5: 7).   And lest we should miss the pith of his message, we have Christ’s own warning to the church, in the parable of the ten virgins (Matt. 25: 1-13).  When the cry sounds forth, “Behold, the Bridegroom cometh!” it will be at midnight, when slothful and complacent Christians are asleep, but while true Christians have their “loins girded about and their lamps burning.”  This midnight call must be some time anterior to the revelation of Christ with all His saints, for the latter event is likened to the morning.  The rapture of the church must therefore come during a  culminating time of moral and spiritual darkness, and not immediately before Christ returns in glory.  But these are observations by the way.

  The main point I wished to make, is that the Day of the Lord is synonomous with the Dispensation of the Judgment, and will begin with the breaking of the seals.  The rise of Antichrist to the place of power begins the domino-effect of worldwide travail.  The red horse rider sets off a series of wars which in turn cause famines to prevail in diverse places.  Nevertheless, we hear the voice in the midst of the beasts saying, “And see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.”  Although there are many interpretations of this enigmatic command (for we take it that the voice is issuing orders to the rider of the black horse), we believe that it indicates that the luxuries of the rich will not be harmed.  Remember, the voice in heaven uses the words “choenix” and “denarius” to illustrate a famine as it relates to the poor.  As the indigent will be in need of their daily bread, so the wealthy ones will have plenty of their usual epicurean fare. 

  This situation, marked by food shortages in all the major cities, will doubtless precipitate a wave of panic, and may cause break-outs of crime.  The wise ones who prepare for tribulation beforehand may indeed survive this period.  However, the every-man-for-himself attitude will cause a coldness to prevail among men.  “Because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold” (Matt. 24: 12).  With amazingly keen foresight, Lactantius described the character of these times in 310 A.D.  “When the last end shall begin to approach the world, wickedness will increase; all kinds of vices and frauds will become frequent; justice will perish; faith, peace, mercy, modesty, truth, will have no existence; violence and daring will abound; no one will have anything, unless it is acquired by the hand, and defended by the hand.  If there shall be any good men, they will be esteemed as a prey and a laughing stock.  No one will exhibit filial affection to parents, no one will pity an infant or an old man; avarice and lust will corrupt all things.” (Epitome of the Divine Institutes, lxxi).

   How much better to be removed before these times begin, by keeping our lamps burning with precious oil and watching for the heavenly Bridegroom to return.  We know that those who keep Christ’s word faithfully and do not deny His name will be kept from the hour of temptation that is coming upon the world (Revelation 3: 8, 10).  Reminding others of this, and urging them to continue in patience, and press forward for the heavenly prize, are needed now more than ever.  As our Lord Himself said: “Watch ye, therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21: 36).  Brethren, His word holds true today.  Therefore, let us watch.

Studies In The Apocalypse (Part 20–Rev. 6: 3- 6: 4)

 (6: 3) “And when He had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see.”

 This second seal is intimately connected with the first.  As already stated, Antichrist will be on the scene until the very end.  While the successive seals are broken, he is still riding forward on his grisly career of carnage and world conquest.  But now we are ready to view the contents disclosed by the breaking of the second seal.  What comes next?  When the white horse rider goes forward, many will be tempted to think that peace has finally come.  The whole world will accept Antichrist’s flatteries and welcome him with open arms.  Laodicean Christians will believe that the long-awaited Millennium will begin if once this man is placed at the head of world politics.  But what is the follow-up to his receipt of power?  We shall soon see. 

 (6: 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 breaking of the second seal results in the unloosing of the second horse of judgment.  We do not not need to interpret this vision, for the interpretation is already given us by John himself.  The red horse is war; and its riding forth will issue in a period of tumult and devastation among the nations, such as we have never seen.  The period of false peace ushered in by Antichrist will soon be shattered, and a declaration of war issued.  Whether the war will be universal, or to an extent localized, we are not given to know.  Other portions of the prophetic record must help us out.

  Going back to Christ’s Olivet Prophecy, we read of what shall occur after the rise of false Messiahs.  “And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.  For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom” (Matt. 24: 6).  When Christ says “the end is not yet,” He means that these signs which had given must precede the telos, or Great Tribulation.  The sign of the telos will be the “abomination of desolation” which shall occur precisely in the middle of Daniel’s seventieth week, as the Scriptures declare (Dan. 9: 27; 11:31; 12: 11).

  From the commencement of the sunteleia onward, we are to expect “wars and rumors of wars” as well as a rising of “nation against nation.” The kingdoms of the world will be absorbed into Antichrist’s universal empire, and the Roman empire revived.  This must happen before the Great Tribulation can occur. In Revelation 17 John saw a vision of a whore arrayed in purple and scarlet, riding a beast with seven heads and ten horns.  These heads represent kings whose empires will be subdued and consolidated into the conglomerate beast of Revelation 13.  It was revealed to John that five of the heads had (at that stage of the vision) already fallen, whilst a sixth was in control.  The seventh (Antichrist) had not yet come.  We’ll later find that this vision, which gave John a glimpse into the end of this age, will have its fulfillment immediately before the beginning of Daniel’s 70th week.  Therefore, it must correspond to this same period played out under the second seal. 

   Now we see that when the red horse goes forward, “peace is taken from the earth” and many will be killed with the sword.  This denotes bloodshed, which is why the horse is described as red.  But let us understand that, unlike other wars we’ve witnessed throughout history, which trace their cause to the lusts that war in our members (James 4: 1), these will proceed directly from the throne of God.  Recall the words of Christ: “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword” (Matt. 10: 34).  The succeeding context, in which our Lord quotes from Micah 7: 6, reveals that these perilous times will be characterized by familial  disputes and internecine divisions.  These are connected with a foregoing decline in moral character.  See Micah 7: 2-5.  Verses 7 and 9 of Micah’s prophecy, however, make it obvious that they will immediately precede the time when Christ will bring salvation to His people.  Therefore, Matthew 10: 34 refers to the “end of the age.”

  It will sometimes be asked, what age Christ was referring to when he gave us these signs of what would come to pass?  It is generally believed, and on indisputable evidence, that the age is none other than the “present evil age” which began after the flood and has continued ever since.  Some (especially Preterists) claim that the age was the “Mosaic Age.”  However, the loose way in which the term “age” is sometimes used leads many into error of believing that “all these things” are “past fulfillment.”  Many, through failure to study the Scriptures, do not know that there is a marked difference between an “age” and a “dispensation.” 

  An “age” (Gr. aion) is always defined in regard to its particular mode or manner of living–its physical characteristics, if you will.  Whereas a “dispensation” has respect to a prevailing principle of Divine administration–whether it be innocence, conscience, law, or grace.  When the term “this age” is used in the New Testament, it will be seen in all cases to refer to “this life,” or the present natural order of things (see Luke 16: 8; 2 Tim. 4: 10).  Because of its moral characteristics, it is evil (Gal. 1: 4); and the Gospel (even this word which we preach) promises deliverance therefrom.  So when Christ speaks of the “end of the age,” He is pointing to the close of this present world-period, elsewhere called “man’s day” (1 Cor. 4: 3).

  The period during which the ceremonial law remained in force, however, was not an age, but a Dispensation.  This is vitally important to keep in mind.  The “present evil age” was just as much current when the Sinaitic Covenant was ratified as it was when the Jews were dispersed in A.D. 70, and as it still is today.  The Mosaic economy was marked by an administration of law; whereas the Ecclesiastical economy is marked by that of grace.  When the principle of administration altered in A.D. 30, there was a change of Dispensations, but not of ages. There is no such thing as a “Mosaic Age.”  And the failure to discern this simple but all-essential principle has led not a few to dash themselves to pieces on the rocks of Preterism, Historicism, and other theologies which fail to “rightly divide the word of truth.”

  Now we’ve already seen that the breaking of the seals have to do with that same time-period of which Christ spoke in His Olivet Discourse; a time which would begin with the rise of false Messiahs and close with His own second coming in glory.  The period embraced by these two end-markers is termed the “consummation of the age.”  And the prophecies relative to this period will all have their fulfillment during the close of this present order of human existence.  Because our Lord’s predictions do not pertain to principles of administration, but to the culmination of the present mode or character of human life, we must be cautious in forcing passages to fall in with a theory of past fulfillment.  Since the Olivet Prophecy relates to the end of the age, and not to the close of a Dispensation, it is therefore entirely future. 

  That said, we proceed to look at the effects of this “great sword.”  As in our last study, we found a “key” in Jeremiah 27 relating to the “first seal,” so in Jeremiah 25 we’ll find another key pertaining to this one.   In Jeremiah 25: 15-33 we have a vivid description of this second seal.  We can’t help but believe that when Antichrist steps on the scene, the troubles will begin in Jerusalem and gradually work their way outward throughout the entire earth.  In Jeremiah’s prophecy, the wine cup of Jehovah’s fury is sent to all nations, starting with Judah, and then passing on to those of the entire habitable earth.  The last to drink of this cup of fury will be the “king of Shesach” (Jer. 25: 26)–that is, the king of Babylon–otherwise known as Antichrist (cf. Isaiah 14: 4).

  The result of this passing of the wine-cup of Jehovah’s fury is then outlined in verses 31-33: “A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth; for the Lord hath a controversy with the nations, He will plead with all flesh; He will give them that are wicked to the sword, saith the Lord.  Thus saith the Lord of Hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth.  And the slain of the Lord shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground.”

  This hellish scenario will issue directly from the throne as a punishment of the inhabitants of the world for their wickedness.  Read Isaiah 13: 11: “And I wil punish the world (tebel= inhabited world) for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.”  As the age progresses in moral corruption and unbelief, we find ourselves hurtling forward toward an eventual fulfillment of these prophecies.  We have already seen the rise of Messianic figures.  And although wars and rumors of wars have been a characteristic mark of this dispensation, we know that the rise of a personal Antichrist will issue in a war the likes of which mankind has never yet seen.  What must we do, but pray that calamity be averted, or the judgments postponed, that men may seek the Lord their God and obtain mercy and forgiveness?  As we see the age drawing to a close, let us continue to preach the Gospel of grace to all nations, and remain fervent in our endeavors, while we wait for the ”salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1: 5).

Studies In The Apocalypse (Part 19– Rev. 6: 1- 6: 2)

 (6: 1) “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.”

  The Dispensation of Judgment has now begun.  Naturally, we ask ourselves, whether this period will cover seven years exactly, or begin prior to Daniel’s 70th week.  E.W. Bullinger is of the opinion that the seal judgments will cover about 40 years, embracing the whole of the sunteleia and telos, down to the second coming of Christ.  The sunteleia is the consummation, or meeting point, of the ages, which may be denominated as an “overlapping.”  The telos is the last half of the 70th week, or Great Tribulation–also known as “Jacob’s Trouble” (Jer. 30: 7).

  It is a common practice of expositors to view the seal judgments as pertaining to the 70th week alone.  We believe that, in substance, this is correct.  However, I draw the reader’s attention to the fact, that the six seals are correlative to the predictions of Christ’s Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24, Mark 13).  That our Lord’s own account of the sunteleia embraces a period longer than the first half of the 70th week, is on all hands generally conceded.  Therefore, we hold that the sunteleia outlined by Christ will develop into the 70th week of Daniel.  The full development will be found in the first four seals, whose fulfillment will issue in the telos, or last-half of the week (covered by the fifth and sixth seals).  This view, if accepted, leads us to believe that the seal-judgments will officially begin at the commencement of Daniel’s 70th week.

   Of course, if there is an absolute parallel between the predictions of Matthew 24: 4-14 and the first four seals (which take the prophecy up to the middle of the 70th week) then the Dispensation of Judgment will begin sooner than most people think.  It could actually start at any time.

  When Christ opens this first seal, John hears the noise of thunder.  This can bode nothing but ill for those who live upon the earth in sin and unbelief.  At this point in the vision, a new Dispensation begins; though, as I stated in my last study, there will be an overlapping of law and grace during the entire 70th week–just as there was during our Lord’s earthly ministry.  It is of the greatest importance to understand that the Book of Revelation contains the re-taking up of where God left off at the close of the 69th week, when Christ was crucified.  The Day of Pentecost began a new Dispensation of Grace, in which judgment, which logically should have followed the murder of God’s only Son, was withheld, and grace extended– first to the nation, and then to the whole guilty world. 

   Since the start of this Dispensation, the Lord has been dealing with individuals, and not nations.  Hence we see not yet all things put under Him (Hebrews 2: 8).  Until this Dispensation concludes, God is deliberately withholding His judgments. But when the Lamb begins to break the seals, the period of grace will have ended.  Of course, salvation will still be possible during the tribulation.  But it will no longer be according to the Gospel of the Grace of God, which was preached after Pentecost.  Rather, it will be according to that Gospel of the Kingdom which was first preached by Christ, the twelve apostles and the seventy, the proclamation of which ended on the Cross, when Christ was “cut off, having nothing” (Daniel 9: 26).  This Gospel will be republished toward the close of this age (see Matthew 24: 14).  Which fact helps explain why the doctrines of Pauline grace are entirely absent from the Book of Revelation. 

 (6: 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.”

  That this rider on the white horse must and can only represent the personal Antichrist on his headlong career of destruction, must be conceded by all.  Here is where our Lord’s Olivet Discourse offers us a essential key to interpreting John’s visions.  Giving a prophetic account of the sunteleia, or consummation of the age (not the actual end, or telos, which begins in verse 15), He says: “Take heed that no man deceive you.  For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many” (Matthew 24: 5).  Hence the first sign of the sunteleia will be the rise of false Christs and Messiahs.

  The world is now beginning to witness the entrance onto the political stage of Messianic figures.  Christ told us that this would come to pass, and His predictions are being fulfilled as we write.  These Messianic personages, of which we have seen a few already, will probably multiply as the age progresses, and as many world leaders battle for ultimate world supremacy, even dominion over the new world empire which must soon arise.  What we see in the first seal, however, is the culmination or perfection of these false Messiahs.  The many who say “I am Christ” will in time be succeeded by one, to whom the dominion of the empire will be given.  It is this person we see on the white horse, as he rides forth to bring the remaining nations that have not yet come under his domain, into subjection.

  The Lord’s Olivet Discourse is a true launching-pad for any interpretation of the seal judgments.  But as we study Scripture, and especially the Old Testament prophets, we sometimes come across verses which seem to fit another passage perfectly, as if their very design were to elucidate some obscure truth.  The key to unlocking the verse above which speaks of the white horse rider may be found in Jeremiah 27: 5-8.  Hearken closely, as we quote it in full. 

   ”I have made the earth, the man and beast that are upon the ground, by my great power, and by my outstretched arm, and have given it unto whom it seemed meet unto me.  And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant: and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him.  And all nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son’s son, until the very time of his land come: and then many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of him.  And it shall come to pass, that the nation and kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation will I punish, saith the Lord, with the sword, and with the famine, and with the pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand.” (Italics mine).

  Keep these verses in mind as we continue.  For they afford us the very key to unlocking the meaning of the seal judgments.  Here, in Revelation 6: 2, the rider on the white horse is given a crown.  The Greek word is stephanos, which means a triumphal crown.  This signifies that earthly dominion will be bestowed to him.  As we’ll find later, this dominion will be worldwide.

   Antichrist is given this crown for a purpose: that he may go forth to conquer.  As I wrote in my article Nebuchadnezzar and The Typology of Antichrist, king Nebuchadnzzar was a type of Paul’s “man of sin” (2 Thess. 2: 3), the culmination of individualistic evil, who shall arise at the end of this age and gain worldwide power over all earthly governments.  When we come to discuss the second, third, and fourth seals, we’ll see how this first seal is connected with a true and ultimate fulfillment Jeremiah 27: 5-8.  Also, mark well that this “white horse rider” will be on the scene unto the very time of Christ’s coming in glory.  As a main instigator of the earthly scenes which follow, he is inextricably related to the following seal judgments; although, as we learn from inspired Apostle John, all decrees come from the throne of God. 

  Antichrist rides a white horse, for he is a counterfeit Messiah.  The real Messiah, Jesus Christ our Lord, will appear at the close of the tribulation on a white horse (see Revelation 19).  Before that time, at least seven years previous to the Lord’s second coming, there will appear a pseudo-Messiah, who will be the Antichrist.  His origin and power are not from above, but from beneath.  Whereas he’ll hold forth a “Messianic hope,” it will not be the hope offered by Jesus Christ.  Christ offers us deliverance from this present evil world, release from the bondage and guilt of sin, as well as the promise of everlasting life.  Antichrist will offer freedom from the dominion of Jesus Christ, as his precursors do today.  He will facilitate sinful man’s rebellion against God’s righteous government, and will stand at the head of those Gentile nations which shall say: “Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us” (Psalm 2: 3).  Already we see this happening throughout the world.  As false Messiahs arise, each promises humanity a greater liberty to sin.  But this license (for that is what it truly is) will soon backfire, resulting in a more rigorous subjection of the nations of the world to “the one” who shall receive the crown.