Understanding the Tribulation Timeline Through Daniel and Revelation
The Book of Daniel gives us the timeframe for the tribulation—seven years. However, Revelation provides considerable detail and specificity about what will occur during this period. Some chapters in the Book of Revelation are parenthetical, providing a broader timeframe for more detailed events. For example, Revelation chapter twelve provides an overview of Israel’s struggle with Satan for the past two thousand years, beginning with the birth of Christ and culminating in the time of Jacob’s trouble. Another example is in chapter thirteen, where we read about the rise of the Antichrist (the beast from the sea) and the false prophet (the beast from the earth). This chapter provides more detailed information about the kingdom of the Antichrist, revealed earlier in chapter six, which begins in the first year of the tribulation. Therefore, recognizing these parenthetical chapters is essential to interpreting the prophetic timeline.
In Revelation chapter four, the Apostle John is taken up in the spirit into the heavenly realm, where he sees the throne of God and the Lamb of God who was slain. We are reminded that Jesus, in a spiritual sense, was slain before the earth was formed.[i] We read, “And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth” (Revelation 5:6, NKJV).[ii] The Lamb is then given a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals.[iii] Only He can open it, as it says, “Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals” (Revelation 5:5).
As the seals are opened sequentially, these seven seals release seven trumpet judgments followed by seven bowl judgments that increase with intensity until God’s final wrath is consummated at the end of the tribulation—twenty-one judgments in total. They establish a chronological timeline, enabling us to synchronize explicit signs and prophecies and correlate other inferential signs in the Old and New Testaments that point to global conditions that facilitate the unfoldment of these prophecies. The seven seal judgments are summarized below:
The scroll given to Jesus is significant for several reasons. First, it indicates that God’s judgments against sinful man and the fallen angels have reached their fullness, and the indignation for sin has not only been written in heaven but is sealed, meaning its assurance of being delivered and fully executed will not be undone. Second, Jesus, the Son of God, born in the flesh, has become the Son of man, and He alone is exclusively given the authority to administer these judgments in heaven and on earth. Hence, Jesus said, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18).
Lastly, and very importantly, these seven seals are not only judgments of themselves but more so, the scroll spans the entirety of the seven-year tribulation, decreeing the events and judgments that will occur during this timeframe, including the release of Satan to establish his short-lived kingdom. Within this scroll are judgments inside judgments, and the seventh seal unleashes fourteen judgments to be poured out on the Day of the Lord. Therefore, Revelation chapter six is a decree of judgment and is parenthetical to chapters seven through nineteen.
The first four seal judgments are called the “four horsemen of the apocalypse.” However, from a closer observation, we should recognize that it is the same rider, the Antichrist. The four horses represent four phases of the Antichrist's short kingdom that spans nearly seven years. These four judgments are unleashed during the first half of the tribulation, a time of sorrows marked by global upheaval and environmental calamities. The Lamb will open the first seals and begin unleashing God’s judgments through the Antichrist. Amid this global instability, the Antichrist will enable Israel to be a place of relative peace and security, even forging a covenant of peace for seven years. The Jewish people will hear of many wars and threats of wars, but none will come to it. Famine and pestilence will plague many nations, but Israel will be spared for a short time.
When the first seal is opened, a rider on a white horse appears, and the one who sits on it has a bow and a crown on his head.[iv] The crown indicates this angelic being has governing authority. He has a bow with no arrows, suggesting that he does not wage war at the onset. As previously discussed, the Antichrist will conquer Israel by intrigue.[v] He will disguise himself as a man of peace, but his true nature will be revealed in time—to steal, kill, and destroy.[vi]
This first seal judgment reveals the lawless one, aligning with Paul’s words: "He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming” (2 Thessalonians 2:7-8). We are reminded that even Satan is an instrument of judgment in God’s hand, as it says, “For God has put it into their hearts to fulfill His purpose, to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled” (Revelation 17:17).
In the tradition of the sages, Rabbi Eliezer compares the plagues in Egypt to the four dimensions of the fierceness of God’s Divine anger: His wrath, His indignation, His trouble, and His messengers of evil. Therefore, these seal judgments cannot be separated into differing categories that distinguish Satan’s wrath from God’s anger. Here, in Revelation, they are the same. Satan is an instrument of God’s judgments.
The spirit of the Antichrist is already present and at work in the world; however, the embodied person of the Antichrist cannot be revealed, nor has his kingdom established until this seal is opened. We read, “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish” (2 Thessalonians 2:9-10). While Satan is lawless, he is also restrained. But in these last days, Satan will be unrestrained, and God’s wrath will be unleashed through His instrument of judgment. Satan is also called “the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience.” Until the Antichrist is revealed, Satan can only work through his children.[vii] But once he is revealed, he will embody the person of the Antichrist. Hence, the opening of this first seal releases the person of the Antichrist and marks the beginning of the tribulation.
In Daniel, we read that the Antichrist will be allowed to defile the Temple for two thousand three hundred days, 4.666 months short of seven years.[viii] Interestingly, the number of the Antichrist is 666.[ix] During this roughly four-month window, from the opening of the first seal until the Temple is constructed in Jerusalem, the Antichrist will make a false covenant of peace with Israel and her surrounding Gentile nations, and He will establish his kingdom in Jerusalem, issuing a decree for the daily sacrifices to resume. This detail is essential because Daniel and Jesus spoke of the abomination of desolation that will desecrate this future Temple in the middle of the covenant.[x] Again, we are reminded it is God’s Temple, not Satan’s. Hence, it becomes defiled because of Satan, further justification for God’s judgment.
When the second seal is opened, the Antichrist will come riding on a fiery red horse. He will be given authority to make war, kill, and build alliances with ten kings, enabling him to establish his kingdom for one hour.[xi] We read, “The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast. These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast. These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful” (Revelation 17:12-14).
These judgments mark the beginning of sorrow, as Jesus said, “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places” (Matthew 24:7). Jesus promised to keep the church from this period, saying, “Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. Behold, I am coming quickly!” (Revelation 3:10-11). The hour trial spans the entire tribulation. Hence, the prevailing belief is the church will be raptured before the first seal is opened.
When the third seal is opened, the Antichrist will come riding on a black horse. He will set up a global economic system requiring every person to take his mark—the mark of the beast. Those who refuse to serve and worship him will be killed.[xii] This financial system is linked to Mystery Babylon. However, more exclusively than being a system of commerce, Mystery Babylon is akin to a global idolatrous religion that worships mamon, and ultimately, those who prostitute themselves in this system will worship the Antichrist who seduces them with his mamon.[xiii] We read, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication” (Revelation 17:1-2).
The Antichrist, being the seed of Satan, is directly connected to Mystery Babylon.[xiv] We read, “Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns” (Isaiah 17:3). Hence, the mark of the Beast and Mystery Babylon is part of Satan’s earthly kingdom. Satan will use the mark of the beast to force the nations to worship him. As it says, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation” (Revelation 14:9-10). Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24). Those who serve the Antichrist will be judged with him.
When the fourth seal is opened, the Antichrist will come riding on a pale horse as “the angel of death,” but he will not come alone. Legions of demons will follow him to kill with war, starvation, diseases, pandemics, and wild beasts indwelled by evil spirits. These first four seal judgments bring about widespread and unimaginable death to one-fourth of humanity, more than two billion souls. Satan’s kingdom fully manifests throughout the earth, and we move from the “beginning of sorrows” to “the great tribulation.”
When the fifth seal is opened, we see under the altar a predetermined number of souls martyred during the Great Tribulation, namely those slain for the word of God and the testimony they hold.[xv] While the church will have been raptured, the Gospel will continue to spread. The persecution of Israel and those who have the testimony of Jesus (those left behind) will likely ensue from the beginning of the tribulation. However, it will intensify significantly from the middle of the tribulation to the end. We read, “Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time” (Revelation 12:12).[xvi] When Satan sets up the abomination of desolation in the Temple, Israel will divide, as in the days of the Maccabees, between those who worship the beast and those who recognize the Antichrist as a false god who is demanding to be worshiped.
Jesus referred to Jeremiah, calling this time of Jacob’s trouble “Israel’s Great Tribulation.” And He warned them, saying, “When you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be” (Matthew 24:15-21).[xvii]
These martyrs of the tribulation will become a great multitude.[xviii] However, they will also be part of the first resurrection to rule and reign with Christ during the Millennial Kingdom.[xix] We read, “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” (Revelation 7:9-10).
Lastly, we see the sixth and seventh seals opened. While the first four seals are opened at or near the beginning of the seven-year tribulation and the fifth seal presumably near the middle, correlating with the “great tribulation,” these last two seals come near the end of the seven years. This is where a thorough understanding of God’s calendar and holy convocations is essential. Again, the sacred days that come in the fall are the Feast of Trumpets (Yom Ha’teruah), followed ten days later by the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), and culminating five days later with the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot).
When the sixth seal is opened, there will be signs in the heavens and the earth warning that the great day of God’s wrath has come: an earthquake that moves every mountain and island out of its place, the sun turning black, and the moon becoming like blood. The stars of heaven will fall to the earth, and the sky will recede like a scroll. By the time the sixth trumpet is sounded, another one-third of mankind is killed, which is almost another two billion souls and roughly four billion since the onset of the tribulation. When the seventh seal is opened, after a moment of silence in heaven, the full measure of God’s final judgments, the wrath of the Lamb, will be poured out upon the earth—seven trumpet judgments followed by seven bowl judgments, the prayers of the saints. The trumpet judgments are summarized below:
The seventh trumpet is one of Revelation's most mysterious and significant signs. We read, “In the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, the mystery of God would be finished, as He declared to His servants the prophets” (Revelation 10:7). This verse tells us that “in the days surrounding” the blowing of this trumpet, the mystery of God that has been concealed from the beginning of time, and desired to be known throughout the ages will be made known to all creation and is finished.
Paul said, “This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church” (Ephesians 5:32). We infer this mystery of God is the coming of Christ with His church to establish God’s Kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven. We read, “For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God” (Romans 8:19). The writer of Hebrews says, “By faith he [Abraham] dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God” (Hebrews 11:9-10).
The rabbis teach that the Feast of Trumpets (Yom Ha’teruah) is the day we crown God King of the universe; in essence, it is the coronation of King Jesus, Yeshua.[xx] We surmise the seventh trumpet must align with the Feast of Trumpets. Therefore, on this future day that will align perfectly with God’s holy calendar, Jesus will be crowned King of Kings and Lord of Lords.[xxi] As the angels declare, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” (Revelation 11:15).
The rabbis also consider the ten days following the Feast of Trumpets “days of awe” when they believe the heavens are open and God’s judgments are decreed. It is written, “Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple. And there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail” (Revelation 11:19). When the sixth seal is opened, and God’s incredible signs appear in the heavens, the men of the earth will know that God’s final judgments are imminent. Like Adam and Eve, who hid from God when they sinned, mankind will also try to hide from His presence. They will see the face of Him who sits on the throne and the wrath of the Lamb. They will also see the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, spiritually, the New Jerusalem and the place of God’s dwelling, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand of the twelve tribes of Israel redeemed from the earth.[xxii] The fact that these men can see God’s face implies that heaven, the Ark of His Covenant, will be opened in the heavens, the spiritual realm, and made visible to the physical creation.
Imagine seeing the heavens receding like a scroll, the sun, moon, and stars vanishing, and the Temple of God filling the expanse of the sky and being made visible to every creature on Earth. Also, imagine yourself standing amidst a jubilant crowd gathered in the heavens to celebrate the coronation of King Jesus, hearing a trumpet blast that will reverberate both terror and joy of the creation, fully submitting to God’s sovereignty.
The kings of the earth will writhe in terror from this encounter, for “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31). We read, “Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” (Revelation 6:14-17).
These kings will see the Temple of God in heaven and the face of Him who sits on the throne, His eyes like a flame of fire.[xxiii] And they will know they are about to be destroyed, for it is written, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live” (Exodus 33:20). They will comprehend their imminent fate. Therefore, they will cry out for the rocks to fall on them and hide them from the face of Him who sits on the throne and the wrath of the Lamb.
The seventh trumpet judgment blown on the Feast of Trumpets will announce the visible return of Christ. While the heavens are open, seven angels will pour out seven bowls of God’s final wrath on the earth for ten days. These judgments are the prayers of the prayers of the saints, God’s vengeance for the persecution and death of His righteous ones.[xxiv] We read, “Behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened. And out of the temple came the seven angels having the seven plagues, clothed in pure bright linen, and having their chests girded with golden bands. Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God who lives forever and ever. The temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power, and no one was able to enter the temple till the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed” (Revelation 15:5-8). The bowl judgments are summarized below:
For these ten days, men will be struck with loathsome sores, the sea and the waters will turn to blood, and men will be scorched with fire. Darkness and pain will cover the earth, and the Euphrates River will dry up, preparing for a vast army from the east to rise against Israel in the war to end all wars—the Battle of Gog and Magog (Armageddon). This army will be led by a contingent of ten kingdoms that serve and worship the Antichrist.[xxv] And this contingent will ultimately bring every nation against Jerusalem. As the Lord declared, “For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem” (Zechariah 14:2).
But the nations will not repent. Instead, in their arrogance, they will wage war against the Lamb and His army and be destroyed, as it says, “These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful” (Revelation 17:14). The fact that the Antichrist and his contingent of nations wage war against the Lamb infers that the return of Christ is not imminent, but visible. We read, “Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen” (Revelation 1:7). On the Day of Atonement, ten days after the Feast of Trumpets, Jesus will return to the Mount of Olives, to Mount Zion in Jerusalem. He will make atonement for His land and His people, and He will destroy all who came against Israel.
[i] Revelation 13:8.
[ii] All Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Bible (NKJV) unless otherwise noted, Thomas Nelson Inc., 1982.
[iii] Revelation 5:1. 2 Timothy 4:1.
[iv] Revelation 6:1-2.
[v] Daniel 11:21, 24.
[vi] John 10:10.
[vii] Ephesians 2:2.
[viii] The number four is considered by scholars to represent prophecy, and the number 666 is known as the number of the Antichrist (Revelation 13:18). Daniel 8:14.
[ix] Revelation 13:18.
[x] Daniel 9:27, 12:10-11. Matthew 24:15.
[xi] Revelation 13:7, 14:7.
[xii] Revelation 6:3-8, 13:15-17.
[xiii] Revelation 19:20.
[xiv] Isaiah 14:4-15.
[xv] Revelation 6:9.
[xvi] Revelation 14:13.
[xvii] Jeremiah 30:7.
[xviii] Revelation 7:14.
[xix] Revelation 6:9-11, 7:9-17, 20:4.
[xx] Tauber, Yanki. Days of Awe. Chabad.org.
[xxi] Revelation 19:16.
[xxii] Revelation 14:1-5.
[xxiii] Revelation 1:14, 2:18, 19:2.
[xxiv] Revelation 8:3-4.
[xxv] Revelation 17:12.