revelation 6 vs matt 24

I don't like to get into prophecy that much because unless God has revealed the meaning all men can do is guess what will happen. There are also many prophesies that appear to have been fulfilled, and yes I have heard the point that some prophesies are duel, but the question is which ones? Also we need to admit that the scriptures don't say they are duel. One example is the prophesy in Luke 21:20. "But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near." If one studies the history of Jerusalem we find that they have been surrounded by armies and taken many times. But we must remember that the point of the prophesy is that it occurs during the end time. If we loose site of this fact we will make the many mistakes others have made.

I don't believe that we should be looking into the prophetic writings to think we can view the future because, contrary to common beliefs, prophesies were never intended to for-tell future events verbatim. I have found in over 30 years of study that most men, including myself, have missed the mark when trying to do so. Prophecies are truly intended to warn of God's wrath for the purpose of repentance, and revealing God's power over creation, and over man's puny system. God can and has changed the prophecy as He desires as we see in the story of Jonah, so the thing to do is follow God's lead. The main thing to remember is the admonition giving by the Apostle Peter recorded in 2 Pet 1:20-21 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

I would like to make it very clear that I'm not doing this study to say I have any special spiritual gifts, or that I can understand the mysteries of God. The reason I'm doing this study into Rev. chapter 6 and Matt. 24 is because some men want to add their own interpretation while disregarding the plain wording of Jesus Himself. Yes, God has already given the meaning of Revelation six in the bible! We don't need prophets coming with warnings from God today because they have already came, with the exception of the two great witnesses, and if we will just read what they have written we can as stated above know the warning, and intent of God which is for us to repent and return to Him.

Jesus disciples asked Him a very important question in Matt: 24:3 that was, "What will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?" (NKJ throughout) This is a question anyone of us would like to know the answer and Jesus did explain what would be the sign of the end of the age and the return of the Messiah to bring in the Kingdom of God. The important point here is that Jesus Himself gives the answer to the question "What will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?". We must keep this particular question in mind as we go through this study in order to see the continuation of the explanation in Revelation 6 because as you will find, not only does revelation 6 relate to Matt: 24, but the order of events are very close with only a few points made by Jesus for what seems to be interjections for what ever purpose He deemed necessary.

Let's do a list of events to help us see how they are in order.
Jesus Stated in Matt 24:5 "For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many." On into the discussion Jesus states that many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. There will be some in the future declaring that they are the Messiah and we are warned not to go after them. We also find in II Th 2:3, that there will be a great falling away in the end times. "Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition," These and other scriptures warn of a great Apostasy (The White Horse) that is predicted to come about in the last days. This Apostasy can only be of the word of God in what we know as the Christian religion because there would be no importance in the warnings if this was say of the Muslim or Buddhist religion although the anti-Christ can come from any religion.

The Great tribulation is coming upon the whole world because mankind has denied God and began to teach false doctrines, and worship the cross, the Madonna, and a figure they claim to be Christ on a cross, but is only a man made idol of the false Christ. II Thes. refers to this false prophet as the Man of perdition and warns of a Great Apostasy that will sweep the earth. We find this same false prophet in Rev 6:1-2. "Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, "Come and see." And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer." A white horse with a rider having a bow (Not a sword) going out conquering and to conquer. What is this rider going out to conquer and why is he depicted as riding a white horse?

How is the true Messiah depicted?
We find in Rev 19:11-16 a rider on a white horse that is called Faithful and True. "Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS." The fact that this first rider in the opening of the first seal is on a white horse (Depicting righteousness.) but has a bow in his hand and does not have any of the other characteristics of this rider in Rev. 19 we can see which is the true returning Messiah. Remember...Jesus stated "many will come saying Jesus truly is the Christ and then shall deceive many people." The rider on the white horse (Beast; hippos (hip'-pos in the greek); is going out to deceive "in the name of Christ" which I believe this is known today as the The Ecumenical Movement. (See our paper on the ecumenical movement.) Also let's understand the statements above that seem to contradict. At first it states; "He had a name written that no one knew except Himself." and then it states; "and His name is called The Word of God." So what is the answer to this? Notice one verse has the word "a name written" while the other states "His name is" which means one name is written that could not be known but His name is The Word of God.

Let's continue now with the list of events in their order.
The second warning Jesus stated was, "And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars for nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. Matt 24:6-7. We find that the second seal being opened depicts war. "When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, "Come and see." Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword." Rev 6:3-4.

The third warning Jesus stated in Matt. 24 was, And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places." The rest of Matt: 24:7. We find in Rev. six that the third seal being opened depicts famines, pestilences. "When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, "Come and see." So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, "A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine." Rev 6:5-6.

The forth warning in Matt. 24 is about the sum total of these things and Jesus alluded to this with the comment at the last part of Matt 24:7 "and earthquakes in various places, and "All these are the beginning of sorrows. We see this being summed up here in Rev 6:8 when the fourth seal was opened. "So I looked, and behold, a pale horse, and the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth."

Now the next thing we see being warned about here by Jesus is martyrdom of the saints. "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake." Matt 24:9. The term "deliver you up to tribulation" is rendered in the original as thlipsis (thlip'-sis); which means persecution so the intent of the scripture is "Then they will deliver you up to persecution and shall kill you." That also corresponds with the opening of the fifth seal in Rev 6:9-11? "When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed." Jesus also added that many will be offended, and will betray one another, and will hate one another. As we have seen in the past when people began to be delivered up to persecution and killed many will betray others to avoid it.

This next area is one place Jesus did interject another subject before continuing the opening of the seven seals in order to announce the two great witnesses. "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come." Jesus was stating here that the Gospel message would be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, right before the end would come. We find this in Rev 11:3-4. "And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth." These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the God of the earth." You can also find a prophecy about them in Zech 4:12-14. "And I further answered and said to him, "What are these two olive branches that drip into the receptacles of the two gold pipes from which the golden oil drains?" Then he answered me and said, "Do you not know what these are?" And I said, "No, my lord." So he said, "These are the two anointed ones, who stand beside the Lord of the whole earth."

Now in Matt 24:29 we see the next event is "Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken." The scripture in Rev 6:12-13 that corresponds with Matt. 24:29 is, "I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place."

Now let's notice a very important aspect of this next statement that corresponds with the opening of the sixth seal in Matt 24:29. "Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken." Notice that these events will occur "immediately after the tribulation." This is very important to note because the opening of the next and seventh seal is the beginning of the sounding of the seven trumpets which Jesus returns at the sounding of the seventh trumpet. In Matt 24:31 Jesus brings this out as the next event to occur. "Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other."

Here in Matt: 24: 30 we also see the statement, "then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory," which corresponds with Rev 6:15-17. "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?" Jesus ended this explanation to the question when will you return and what will be the sign of your coming with, "So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near even at the doors!"

Remember that the opening of the seventh seal is the beginning of the sounding of the seven trumpets which is a study in itself. I hope I have helped some see that the sixth chapter of the book of Revelation was in fact a vision concerning events that are the great tribulation and that lead up to the return of the Messiah. When someone ask what the white horse with the rider that has a bow and is going out to conquer means you now can refer them to Jesus statements in Matthew 24 for the correct answer. When they ask what is the meaning of the red, black or dappled horse of Revelation six you again can refer them to the answers by Jesus Himself. The books of the bible were not written in the chapter and verse you find them today so the events in Matthew 24 and 25 are the same writing and should not be separate. There is a study titled: "To Preach The Kingdom of God" that is a continuation of this study.