TODAY'S TECHNOLOGY IN BIBLE PROPHECY
Lesson 13: A study of how the sixth seal description of Atomic
World War I defines the outbreak of that war to be
the first day of "the Great Tribulation."
I The winds will cease to blow after Atomic World War I.
1 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners
of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, so
that no wind should blow on the earth or on the sea or on
any tree (Rev. 7:1, NASB).
A "After this I saw," establishes the end of AWWI as the
beginning of the next chronologically ordered series
of events.
B God sent the four-angel team to help explain the most
important event that will occur directly after the
atomic war ends.
C The angels stationed themselves at the four points of the
compass and assumed bodily positions that would project
the idea of holding the earth's four winds.
D Since this event will occur after AWWI, it follows that
this major climatic disruption will be a direct negative
consequence of that war.
E The statement, "so that no wind should blow on the earth
or on the sea or on any tree," means cessation of wind
movement on land and sea will be absolute after AWWI; the
leaves on the trees will not even rustle.
F Where should we expect to find an explanation for why
global wind movement will come to a standstill after
AWWI?
- In the continuing prophecy following this verse.
II A fifth angel explains why it is important for the post-
AWWI winds to be halted.
2 And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the
sun, having the seal of the living God; and he cried out
with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted
to harm the earth and the sea,
3 saying, "Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees,
until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their
foreheads" (Rev. 7:2-3, NASB).
A The fifth angel's commands indicate that any release of
the post-atomic war's winds would seriously harm "the
earth, sea, and trees."
B Note also that the fifth angel's directive "to the four
angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the
sea," establishes the fact that the four angels will
eventually "harm the earth and the sea" at some future
time when they release the winds.
C Modern man's experience with the deadly effects of
radioactive fallout from nuclear explosions confirms
the Bible's forewarning that all the planet's life-forms
would be seriously harmed if the winds continued to blow
after the atomic war.
D Computer simulation studies predict that a 10,000
megaton atomic war would contaminate 30% of Northern
Hemisphere mid-latitude land areas with enough radiation
to cause widespread mortality among all mammals,
including human beings.
E The studies also show that if the post-AWWI winds were
halted the area affected by fallout would be
substantially reduced.
III The advent of the 1980s 1.2 billion instructions per second
supercomputers provided insight into the forces that will
bring the post-AWWI winds to a standstill.
A Note first that until the invention of the atomic bomb
and the 1980s generation of supercomputers (which enabled
scientists to do meaningful nuclear war studies), the
Bible's nuclear war prophecies remained as locked to the
human race as the day they were written.
B Logically then, scientific studies provide a sensible
place to look for insight into why the post-AWWI winds
will cease to blow.
C Nuclear war studies estimate that in a global nuclear
war 10 to 20 thousand burning targets would loft several
hundred million tons of smoke into the atmosphere. Day
will quickly be transformed into night over vast
continental areas.
D Simulations revealed that almost half of the atomic smoke
will be driven into the thin air of the stratosphere
where sunlight will raise the temperature of the
smoke-ladened air between 30 and 80 degrees C.
1 The hot clouds, like hot-air balloons, would rise and
expand, and then spread out horizontally and move
briskly around the globe.
2 Meanwhile, the low altitude tropospheric air over the
land below, deprived of up to 95 percent of its daily
ration of solar energy, will be effectively sealed off.
3 Thus, the lower level "four winds of the earth" will
become motionless, or "held back, so that no wind
should blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree."
E The loss of low altitude wind currents will keep the
highly radioactive atmosphere above the blast areas from
blowing into adjacent uncontaminated airspace.
F Hence, the "four angels standing at the four corners of
the earth" symbolically established that the winds will
"not harm the earth or the sea, until . . . ," the worst
of the atomic fallout above the blast zones has had time
to settle out of the smoke clouds and return to the
surface below.
G Thus, despite predicted widespread crop damage around the
globe from sub-freezing "nuclear winter" effects, the
absence of lower level wind currents will actually be a
blessing in disguise for the earth and its inhabitants.
IV How long will the winds remain restrained?
A The question comes down to how long the atomic smoke-
induced global temperature inversion will last?
- According to the text it will last "until we have sealed
the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads."
B "We" in the command: "Do not harm the earth or the sea or
the trees, until 'we' have sealed the bond-servants of
our God in their foreheads," is a direct reference to the
commanding angel and his four-angel team.
C Since both the commander and the team symbolically represent
independent future events, the plural "we" means the two
future events will, in some way, combine their distinct
forces to accomplish the process of "sealing the servants
of God" in the post-AWWI period.
1 The stopped winds will be one contributing influence.
2 The other contributing influence will spring up from
the direction the commanding angel was introduced--
"from the rising of the sun."
a Since the Apostle John was a Jew from Palestine,
all directions are given with Israel as the
central point of reference.
b Therefore, the fifth angel ascended "from the
rising of the sun," or East of Israel, to call
attention to some special influence in "sealing"
the servants of God going out from the East,
directly following AWWI.
3 The information needed to fully explain the situation
is not given here; however, the matter will be easily
resolved in a later chapter.
D The subject of "until," that is, how long will the winds
be restrained before the "sealing" of God's servants will
be brought to completion, will also be explained in the
same later chapter.
V A look at why a description of the form of "the seal" is not
supplied.
A Information regarding the form of "the seal" is not
given because the seal is a spiritual seal between the
believer and God: "Ye were sealed with that Holy spirit
of promise" (Eph. 1:13).
B A physical seal will never exist--only the everlasting
seal of salvation between Christ and His servants.
C The question as to "who will be sealed?" is answered next.
4 Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000
from all the tribes of Israel.
5 From the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed, from the
tribe of Rueben 12,000, from the tribe of Gad 12,000,
6 from the tribe of Asher 12,000, from the tribe of
Naphtali 12,000, from the tribe of Manasseh 12,000,
7 from the tribe of Simeon 12,000, from the tribe of Levi
12,000, from the tribe of Issachar 12,000,
8 from the tribe of Zebulin 12,000, from the tribe of Joseph
12,000, from the tribe of Benjamin 12,000 (Rev. 7:4-8, NIV).
A John "heard the number of those who were sealed;" he did
not see it done.
B The way John received this information is in keeping with
how one person learns of another's sealed commitment to
Christ--namely by the individual's personal testimony of
their salvation and new found life in Christ.
C John's comment that 144,000 were sealed from the twelve
tribes of Israel, not the renewed nation of Israel,
indicates that most of these Jews will be living in other
nations around the world.
1 The fact that John did not see these Jews grouped
together in one location, but only heard the number of
them which would be sealed after AWWI, supports this
position.
2 Note too that Zech. 12:9-10 declares that most of the
Jews living in the restored nation of Israel will not
worship Christ until the day He returns and sets up
His earthly kingdom.
3 Since the text indicates Christ will not return
directly after the 144,000 are sealed, it follows that
the 144,000 will be an identifiable group of Jews from
the world's greater Jewish community.
VI The definition of the Great Tribulation revealed.
9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great
multitude, which no one could count, from every nation and
all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the
throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm
branches were in their hands;
10 and they cry out with a loud voice, saying, "Salvation
to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb."
11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and
around the elders and the four living creatures; and they
fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God,
12 saying, "Amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and
thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God
forever and ever. Amen" (Rev. 7:9-12, NASB).
A "After these things," establishes the completion of
144,000 Jews making a firm commitment to Christ as the
beginning of the next series of events.
B The great multitude, standing before the throne and
before the Lamb, Jesus Christ, praise God, the author
of their salvation, and Christ, the finisher of their
salvation.
- The passage teaches that God and Christ are one and
entitled to equal praise.
13 Then one of the elders asked me, "These in white
robes--who are they, and where did they come from?"
14 I answered, "Sir, you know." And he said, "These are
they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have
washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the
Lamb (Rev. 7:13-14, NIV).
A The elder answered part two of his rhetorical question
first because it was the main reason he posed the
question.
1 Note that "have come out" is incorrectly translated
here.
a The original Greek reads: "These are the ones
'coming out' of the great affliction" IGENT.
b The difference is critical to determining the
correct interpretation of the text.
2 "Have come out" could be interpreted to mean that the
Great Tribulation had already come to an end at this
point in the prophetic flow of sixth seal events.
3 In direct contrast, "these are the ones coming out"
not only implies that the great multitude just came
out of the Great Tribulation, but also implies that
there will be many more Christians coming out of this
Great Tribulation, which will continue for some
unspecified period of time.
B "These are the ones coming out of the great affliction"
also serves to separate the Christians who will die
during the sixth seal time period from the fifth seal
Christians who suffered and died before the opening of
the sixth seal.
C What two prophetic facts are established by this
deliberate division of Christians into two distinct
groups?
1 First, the split defines the great earthquake, which
will trigger AWWI, to be the beginning of the time
period referred to as the Great Tribulation.
2 Second, the setting apart of Christians "coming out of
the great affliction" into a second, well-defined
group, eliminates the possibility that there will be
a wholesale rapture of all Christians before the Great
Tribulation begins.
D The elder's answer to the other half of his two part
question: "Who are they?" serves to positively identify
the multitude as Christians.
E For example, the elder's reply: "They have washed their
robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb," has
to refer to God's acceptance of Christ's death on the
cross as the means by which the multitude in heaven were
cleansed of all their sins and unrighteousness; the
multitudes good deeds, sufferings, and trials clearly did
not save them.
F Since the "sealed Jews" were announced before "the great
multitude, which no one could count," it follows that
the 144,000 will join forces with those already engaged
in leading the great multitude to Christ during the
closing days of the tribulation epoch.
G The informative comment: "which no one could count,"
reveals that vast numbers of people will be led to
Christ during the Great Tribulation.
15 "For this reason, they are before the throne of God; and
they serve Him day and night in His temple; and He who sits
on the throne shall spread His tabernacle over them.
16 "They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more;
neither shall the sun beat down on them, nor any heat;
17 for the Lamb in the center of the throne shall be their
shepherd, and shall guide them to springs of the water of
life; and God shall wipe every tear from their eyes"
(Rev. 7:15-17, NASB).
A The great multitude are before the throne of God solely
because Christ made full payment for their sins when He
died on the cross.
B Christ will rescue the great multitude from a dying
planet and eternal death, and will also establish them
in a new dwelling place, free of misery and sorrow.
VII The opening of the seventh seal will be followed by silence.
1 When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in
heaven for about half an hour (Rev. 8:1, NIV).
A When the seventh seal is opened, the full prophetic
communication of the Book of Revelation is suddenly
available for everyone's inspection.
B The reaction in heaven--stunned silence--is a reflection
of today's Christians same emotional reaction when they
learn from the opened Book of Revelation that the Sixth
Seal Atomic War(AWWI) is about to engulf the world.
C For the escalating violence of this world will continue
for a much longer time than anyone anticipated.
D Christians need to shake off their own personal shock
and move decisively to reach the great multitude with
the impressive opened Book of Revelation.
E For the typical unbeliever has long since concluded that
atomic weapons will destroy his world and quickly finds
hope in the realization that God recorded a future for
the human race, despite the nuclear age.
F According to the sixth seal prophecy, the Bible's
description of the post-AWWI winds coming to a complete
standstill will be instrumental in leading millions to
Christ in the closing years of the nuclear age.