The seven seals give the big picture, covering the entire seven years of Daniel's seventieth week. The most notable feature of the seven seals is that they exactly parallel the Olivet Discourse. Jesus' description of the "beginning of sorrows," the "great tribulation," and His post-tribulation coming, complete with the cosmic sign, are fulfilled in the same sequence in Revelation 6. Many have seen this parallel. But unfortunately, few have seen its significance in determining the chronology of Revelation. The sixth seal is the most important, describing the celestial phenomenon, the darkening of the sun and moon. This event anchors the seals to two other definite events, the end of the tribulation [Matthew 24:29], and the beginning of the "Day of the Lord" [Joel 2:31].

First Seal
Rev. 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.
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.

Olivet Discourse
Matt 24:5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many....
24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

Second Seal
6:3 And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see.
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.

Olivet Discourse
Matt. 24:6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: ...

Third Seal
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.
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.

Olivet Discourse
Matt 24:7 ... and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.

Fourth Seal
6:7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.

Olivet Discourse
Matt 24:7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

Fifth Seal
6:9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:
10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?

Olivet Discourse
Matt 24:9 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....
22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.

Sixth Seal
6:12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;
13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.
14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;
16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

Olivet Discourse
Matt 24:29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Seventh Seal
8:1 And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. [The Kingdom has come to earth]

Olivet Discourse
Luke 21:31 So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.

The clear parallel between the seals and the Olivet Discourse carries great weight. In my opinion, the sixth seal is conclusive proof that Revelation contains more than one chronology. Therefore, the seven seals are a description of the entire tribulation, ending with Christ's Kingdom. The following comparison demonstrates that the sixth seal occurs in conjunction with the battle of Armageddon. Notice the many parallels of the sixth seal to other passages.

1. Great earthquake, every mountain and island moved out of their places, [Rev. 6:12,14].
a. At the seventh vial, "...there was a great earthquake, ... and every island fled away, and the mountains were not found." [Rev. 16:18,20]
b. Isa. 2:19,22, and Isa 13:13 describe this great earthquake when the "Day of the Lord" comes.

2. Sun and moon darkened, Rev. 6:12.
a. Jesus said this will occur "immediately after the tribulation." [Matt. 24:29].
b. Joel places this sign before the Day of the Lord, [Joel 2:31].
c. The sign occurs at the time of the battle of Armageddon, and Christ begins to reign immediately thereafter. [Joel 3:9-18]
d. Isaiah connects this sign with the coming of the Day of the Lord and the battle of Armageddon. [Isaiah 13:3-13].

3. There will be a meteor shower; "even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind."
a. Again this is a direct reference to the coming of the Day of the Lord in Isaiah 34:4 which says of the stars: "their host shall fall down, as a leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree."
b. Jesus also mentioned this in Matt. 24:29, "immediately after the tribulation...the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken."
c. At the seventh vial there is also this meteor shower, [Rev. 16:21].

4. "The heavens departed as a scroll when it is rolled together;" [Rev. 6:14]. This is a direct quote from Isaiah 34:4, where the context clearly has the battle of Armageddon on the Day of the Lord in view.

5. The kings and mighty men hide in the caves and rocks, [Rev. 6:15,16]. This comes from Isaiah's description of the Day of the Lord.

Isaiah 2
10 Enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty.
11 The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of man shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.
12 For the day of the Lord of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud....
19 And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the Lord, and the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.

6. "The great day of His wrath is come," [Rev. 6:17]. This is also a direct reference to Isaiah's description of the coming of the Day of the Lord, [Isaiah 13:9 & 34:8].

In my opinion, the accumulated evidence from the preceding parallel passages prove that the tribulation ends and the Day of the Lord begins at the sixth seal. The passages from Isaiah place the battle of Armageddon on the Day of the Lord. And, Joel three ties together the sun and moon sign, the battle of Armageddon, and the setting up of Christ's Kingdom. This being the case, the trumpets and vials must be a recapitulation of events during the seals.

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