Bible Studies

Some Comments on Mike Bickle's End Time Teaching, Part 6

by Karl Kemp
08/30/15
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We continue the discussion of the first six seals of the book of Revelation here in Part 6, starting with Rev. 6:7 and the fourth seal. 

(7) When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, 'Come.' (8) I looked, and behold, an ashen horse [In the margin the NASB has, "or, sickly pale," which can be considered the color of death.]; and he who sat on it had the name Death; and Hades was following with him. [[On Death and Hades, compare Rev. 1:18; 20:13. It isn't surprising that Hades would follow Death. Hades is the abode for the dead, excluding true Christians who go directly to be with the Lord at death (cf. Phil. 1:21-23; 2 Cor. 5:8; 1 Thess. 4:14; and Heb. 12:22, 23). The departed saints are with God now (but most of them have not yet received their resurrection/glorified bodies [cf. Matt. 27:52, 53]); when Christ returns (in the middle of the seven years) they will come with Him (cf., e.g., 1 Thess. 4:13-18).]] Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence [including plagues (cf. Luke 21:11)] and by the wild beasts of the earth. [[I understand these words to teach that throughout this age, up until about the time of the sounding of the sixth trumpet, the total number of premature deaths from all causes will be limited to a maximum of a fourth of the population.  

Much of the popular end-time teaching of our day understands this verse to teach that at some time during the first half of Daniel's 70^th week, within a very short period of time, one quarter of the entire population of the earth will be killed. Mike agrees, but he locates the fourth seal (and all of the seven seals) in the first half of the second half of Daniel's 70^th week. With the present population of the earth, which is now 7.3 billion, that would be more than 1.8 billion people. For that many people to be killed within a short period of time would be a very big deal. During World War II, which lasted more than five years, the total number of deaths, including civilian deaths, was estimated to be some fifty to sixty million. Fifty million people is only some 2.8 percent of 1.8 billion 

I expect an increase in birth pangs (an increase in frequency and in intensity) in the last years of the "beginning of birth-pangs" (Matt. 24:8), in the years before the transition beyond the beginning of birth pangs at the abomination of desolation, which will be initiated about a month before the middle of Daniel's 70^th week, about the time of the sounding of the sixth trumpet of the book of Revelation. But I don't expect a gigantic number of deaths during the first half of Daniel's 70^th week before the abomination of desolation. Even under the warfare of the sixth trumpet, which equals the warfare of the short great tribulation that will start shortly after the abomination of desolation (cf. Matt. 24:15, 21, 22) and be over before the Lord Jesus returns in the middle of the seven years (cf. Matt. 24:29-31), where one-third of mankind will be killed (Rev. 9:15, 18), I don't expect the loss of life to be close 2.4 billion, which is one third of 7.3 billion, because I don't expect the short great tribulation will fully involve mankind worldwide. (See above under Rev. 9:13-21, where we discussed the warfare of the sixth trumpet; see under Rev. 9:15. I'm not being dogmatic on this point, just giving my opinion.) The loss of life under the sounding of the first five trumpets, which will apparently all sound during the first half of Daniel's 70^th week, will apparently be quite limited. It is significant that no people will die under the fourth and fifth trumpets. (The first six trumpets are discussed in chapters 8 and 9 of my paper on Revelation chapters 1-10 on my internet site.)]] (9) [On Rev. 6:9-11 also see pages 21-23 of "The Mid-Week Rapture."] When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar [On the sacrificial "altar," which is to be distinguished from the golden altar before the throne of Rev. 8:3, see Rev. 8:3, 5; 14:18; and 16:4-7.] the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained [[The emphasis here is undoubtedly on Christian martyrs, but I assume the martyrs for God from Old Testament days (starting with Abel) are included too. The apostle Paul was one of many saints who was sacrificed on this altar for God (cf. Phil. 2:17; 2 Tim. 4:6-8). In Rev. 20:4 John saw the souls of Christian martyrs, and he saw them come to life, which includes their receiving glorified bodies. The difference is that the martyrs of Rev. 6:9-11 refers to those martyred in the days preceding Christ's mid-week return, whereas the martyrs of Rev. 20:4 are those who will be martyred during the three and one-half year super-evil reign of Antichrist; they will not become Christians until after Christ's mid-week return and the rapture. (See under Rev. 20:4 in my paper on Revelation chapters 20-22 on my internet site.)]]; (10) and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, 'How long, O Lord [[The Greek noun normally translated "Lord" ("kurios") isn't used here. In the margin the NASB has "or, Master." The NIV has "Sovereign Lord." I assume these words were addressed to God the Father, the Person on the throne in Revelation chapters 4 and 5, the Person with the preeminent role in the Trinity. (I have four articles on my internet site that deal with the Trinity: "Who Do We Worship?