No doubt, He is coming to judge and make war, but this is NOT the final judgment. Revelation 20:4.

On 10/08/25, the wife and I watched one of the assistant pastors at Calvary Chapel Chino Hills take the microphone and preach a sermon called The Millennium of the Messiah.

I suspect he went this direction because Pastor Jack was not there to personally squelch it, as this young man is a trusted High School Pastor and does not usually preach to the middle-aged crowd.

As I listened, I believe there were at least three times I said, " That is NOT in the Bible. Only one now stands out distinctly in my mind, the day after the false teaching, and it goes something like this.

“The sheep and the goats will be among those judged by Jesus shortly after the end of the seven-years of God's wrath. The sheep, being found righteous, will gain entrance into the millennial kingdom, while the goats will go off directly to hell.”

The sheep and goat judgment can be found in Matthew 25:31-46.

I have no intention of going into a deep conversation about the sheep, but I am going to talk about judgment. Pay attention to what Jesus said to the disciples as He was defining the eschatology and end times chronology.

“He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.”

If Jesus, and I can say that because Jesus is God and the judge, is sitting, then this is the final, great, white throne judgment. This only happens once, at one place, at the end of the Revelation narrative.

All nations?

Huge overview, there are only three people groups detailed in the Bible: the Jews, the nations, and the church.

The church, prior to the wrath being poured out, is removed from earth. This theme is all over the Bible. The Jews who have a relationship with Jesus Christ, the Messiah, will leave with the church; therefore, we can include some within the church.

The next group, minus the followers of Christ, is the Jews. The wrath is meant to drive the Jews into a knowledge, love, and acceptance of Jesus as the Messiah. Many will come into a relationship, and we see Jesus, after He does battle with the word of His mouth, acknowledging the Jews who now see Him. After this battle, the only two who are included among the combatants and yet NOT killed are taken alive and thrown into the lake of fire. These are the first humans to be thrown into the lake of fire.

The last group is the nations; this is a vast and mixed group. All this happens at the end of time. Are there Christians included in this group? No, as they went up in the rapture, 1007 years before. How about the slaughtered saints from the time of wrath? No, because even they are given a resurrection that happens during the time of wrath. Revelation tells us that there is a specific number, which we are not privy to. So the only other consideration is all those people that we quickly assign to hell. Jesus, the good shepherd, gives the vast number an opportunity to enter the kingdom of peace based upon some of the simplest of kind acts.

Back to the topic.

I immediately said to my wife that what he said is NOT in the Bible.

I was not in a position to check and see if there was a transcript, and so I am having to go slowly through the playback of the video.

The young pastor's introduction continued with these statements.

“We must understand something, He is coming to judge and make war.”

Is this an appropriate statement?

The answer is yes; however, … The Revelation is a Revealing of Jesus; therefore, the seven years are Jesus pouring out the Father's wrath, in other words, judgment.

In the chronology of events, since Jesus just came riding back to earth on the white horse, then we must understand that He is not quite finished with the seven years, and all seven years are an aspect of His judgment. You surely realize that none of those who died as a result of God's wrath/judgment have gone on to eternal judgment as yet.

Where are they then?

Lying in the dust with no thought. Judgment will not happen until the end of the thousand years, and that is all. Yes, that means that those who die after the rapture, aside from the tribulation saints, will have to wait until the final judgment.

So, who dies when Revelation tells us that He is come to fight with the nations?

He is only coming to kill those who have come to fight with Him.

No doubt, He is coming to judge and make war, but this is NOT the final judgment.

Judge(s) is the Greek word krínō, which means “to separate, distinguish, discriminate between good and evil, select, choose out the good.

In the NT, it also means to form or give an opinion after separating and considering the particulars of a case.” While the details are masked from us, this is exactly what we see in Matthew's retelling of the sheep and goat judgment.

Are you telling me that God will continue to show mercy to some?

Absolutely. The problem we have is that, for some reason, we seem to relish the idea that God will bring about some horrific punishment at the drop of a hat. Again, you have a problem, because we don't see this horrific punishment in the end times events.

Perhaps a word picture will help. I picture King Solomon, who listened to the legal proceedings from two harlots, about a baby, which belonged to one of them. (One woman had unknowingly suffocated her baby during the night and chose to swap her dead baby for the other lady's live one.)
Solomon, after considering the particulars of the case, gave an opinion and returned the baby to the correct woman because she had compassion and could not allow the baby to be cut in half just to satisfy the selfish and foolish desires of the other woman. (Read about this in 1 Kings 3:16-28)

The young pastor continued to imply that He (Jesus) judges: “against all of His enemies and slays them.”
If you are going to advocate for an action that implies the eradication of an entire class of people that hold to a particular ideology, like Islam, and you deem them unworthy of God's salvation, then you need to back your false and confusing teaching with scripture. The young pastor could not do that.

This next paragraph is here to inform you that false teachers come in every shape and size.

Encouraged by my late father, I joined my mom and dad for dinner at a restaurant with an old friend of his. This friend, whom I will call Bob, would constantly rant about semi-biblical events. On this particular evening, my dad says, Bob (this is not his name), tell my son about your latest theory. Bob immediately tries to tell me that Satan had intercourse with Eve in the garden. This, according to Bob, allegedly created dark-skinned people and was associated with the entrance of sin into the world. I immediately lashed out at this man and said, " Show me in scripture where you got this rubbish! Bob could not provide “evidence” for such an outlandish assertion. He did, however, angrily lash back with, " You look it up! I tried to look it up, but not while sitting there that evening. I found NOTHING in scripture to validate such an outlandish claim, but I did find that this hideous theme has been around since the mid 1800s and had its roots in some very ugly racism, and was integrated into a religious sect. This is only coming, at the moment, from my memory, but when I came back to confront Bob, I came back with specifics. I told him that lashing out with “look it up,” only adds to the fact that advocating for something so in conflict with the scriptural narrative makes you a vile, false teacher who should keep his mouth shut. Any future meetings with Dad and Bob came with instructions to NOT fight with him. So I stayed away from Bob after that.

Let's look at Revelation 19, where we see a definition of those who are about to cease to breathe.

Revelation 19:15 NASB “From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty.”

If you develop a doctrine of destruction, based upon Revelation 19:15 alone, you are going to be sadly lacking in an understanding of God's nature and character. For one, God is love, and denouncing God as a psychopathic mass murderer is so far removed from who God is. Consider that these people, having somehow made it through seven years of God's wrath being poured out upon the people of the earth, have now (once again) rallied a fighting force against Jesus/God.

Questions?

• How did they know where to come, so that they could attempt to fight against God?

• What would possess them to think that they could prevail against the same God that had been pouring out His wrath, in multiple forms, against those on the earth?

• How do we define the combatants?

  This last one may be the hardest to define because the Quran teaches its followers to teach their children, to hate those in opposition to the Quran, up to and including killing the unbelievers; and that giving their lives in death is the closest thing to an assurance of eternity, virgins and all.

God does not leave it at merely striking down the nations. John is shown armies gathered to fight against Jesus, and no more.

Revelation 19:19 NASB And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army.

I say it like that because that is what will happen. The passage below only shows us two beings thrown into the lake of fire, although we know that Satan is also thrown there for a thousand years.

“And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone. And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh.” Revelation 19:19-21 NASB)

So the beast (the Antichrist) and the false prophet are the only humans that are thrown into the lake of fire. The rest of the dead – non air-breathers- lie in a state of inactivity awaiting the judgment that only happens at the final throne, which Revelation 20 describes as a great white throne, 1007 years later.

Who is seated upon the horse in Revelation 19?

Jesus.

Who is assembled to make war?

While the armies of the nations are NOT defined, it is easy to assume that they are primarily Islamic nations that are currently rising up against Israel. So, if you noticed, we have the beast, the false prophet, the kings of the earth, and their armies, which were assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His armies.

If the Islamic male, head of household, follows their leader and comes to fight against Jesus, are those that he left at home supporters of Jesus?

It is probably safe to say, NOT A CHANCE. So, it is clear that NOT everyone is killed and denied entrance into the 1000-year reign.

If, as some would say, only “Christians” go into the millennial kingdom, then why would God see a need to point this next passage out?

With Satan put away for 1000 years, there is nothing spiritually evil to influence people to sin. Lacking a death that would kill the body, and therefore, the sin that lives within the human body, through Adam, these people are still carriers of this sin disease.

Revelation 21:7-8 defines who will eventually end up in the lake of fire.

Revelation 21:7-8 NASB "He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God, and he will be My son. (8) "But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."

This branch off his notes focused upon Revelation 20:4.

Revelation 20:4 BSB “Then I saw the thrones, and those seated on them had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image, and had not received its mark on their foreheads or hands. And they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.”

The young pastor centered on these words for a moment.

“I saw the thrones, and those seated on them had been given authority to judge.” Some translations will say “they” instead of those. It seems to me that we need to find the context of who is being referred to when it says those or they. Further evidence as to who will be seated on those thrones with Jesus can be extracted from Revelation 19. So, we see the saints in Revelation 19:14, and we see the martyred saints in Revelation 20:4.

This young pastor said, they won't simply be lying back in a recliner, they will be given a job to do, and this is where he took us to 1 Corinthians 6:2.

1 Corinthians 6:2(a) “Do you not know that the saints will judge the world?”

The young pastor added, with Christ – that is.

Daniel's words seem to say it all.

Daniel 7:27 NKJV “Then the kingdom and dominion, And the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, Shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And all dominions shall serve and obey Him.”

His name is called The Word of God. Revelation 19:12-21.

 

"I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named …"

Where else have we seen a white horse?

And I saw: and behold, a white horse, and he that sat upon it having a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went forth conquering and that he might conquer. (Revelation 6:2 Darby)

This rider on a white horse, which we see in Revelation 6, is the antichrist.

How do I know this?

• Primarily, I follow the context of Revelation 6. Everything we see in chapter six is the result of the first of seven seals being opened; this is important because the seals, the trumpets, and the bowl judgments are God's wrath being poured out on this earth. So this rider on the white horse is an aspect of God's wrath and helps to explain why he has a bow in his hand with no arrows. The key takeaways from this is that this man brings deception and death.

• Secondly, it is The Lamb, the Messiah, the Son of God, the firstborn from the dead opening the seals, so He is certainly not going to be the rider of chapter six. When John was looking into heaven he saw the scrolls and heard a strong angel crying out, who is worthy to open the seals? The answer came quickly.

  And I saw a powerful angel, who called in a loud voice, "Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?" But there was no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth who could open the scroll or look inside it. I cried and cried because there was no one who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. But one of the elders said to me, "Don't cry! The Lion from the tribe of Judah has won the victory. He is David's descendant. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals." Then I saw a Lamb standing in the center near the throne with the four living beings around it. The elders were also around the Lamb. The Lamb looked as if it had been killed. It had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God that were sent into all the world. (Revelation 5:2-6 ERV)

• And finally, I will end this testimony on this note. The rider on the white horse, that we see in Revelation 6, has many names. Here are a few.

  • The insolent king.

  • A king of fierce countenance.

  • The one who sets forth the covenant of peace and breaks it.

  • The little horn.

  • The mouth uttering great things.

  • The Assyrian.

“And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems, and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the winepress of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, "KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS."” (Revelation 19:11-16 NASB)

To give you a contrast to the rider we see in Revelation 6, here are a few of the attributes of Jesus, the rider on the white horse of Revelation 19. The differences are many and distinct.

• In Rev 19:11 He is called Faithful and True.

• Rev 19:12 “His eyes were like flames of fire.”

• Rev 19:12, on his head, were many crowns.

• Rev 19:13 “He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood.”

• Rev 19:13 “His name is called The Word of God.”

• Rev 19:15 “From His mouth comes a sharp sword ,,,,”

• Rev 19:16 “And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, "KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

This makes me chuckle because the believer will look at these attributes and see the blinding glory of the Father; it is so overwhelming when I think about it that I wonder why the antichrist is not merely consumed by that light. There is no doubt that day will come but not now.

If you need convincing about God's mercy to save the nations, then look at this.

"On this mountain, he will destroy the veil which covers the face of all peoples, the veil enshrouding all the nations." (Isaiah 25:7 CJB)

At the end of the tine of wrath, the veil will be lifted from all peoples, including the Jews. It is this veil that prevents them from seeing the truth. That sounds so hopeless but it's not, for even today the veil is lifted when “they” read the Word of God and believe.

The great feast.

Few ever explain it, fewer still, explain it well – this great feast, the marriage supper of the Lamb.

The only place you will find the phrase, the marriage supper of the Lamb is here in Revelation 19.

Then he *said to me, "Write, 'Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.'" And he *said to me, "These are true words of God."

(Revelation 19:9 NASB)

Almost everyone pictures a great festival associated with marriage, especially one in which the groom is the Son of God. But look at what Revelation 19 seems to describe as the menu.

Revelation 19:17-18 NASB (17) “Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud voice, saying to all the birds which fly in mid heaven, "Come, assemble for the great supper of God, (18) so that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them and the flesh of all men, both free men and slaves and small and great."

I, too, struggled with this marriage supper of the Lamb; not because I did not think it would happen, I of all people, wanted it to happen, but verse 18 certainly slaps me in the face. When the bible teacher would not and could not explain when or where this supper takes place, I turned verses 17 and 18 against him. Years later I found the answer.

The LORD of hosts will prepare a lavish banquet for all peoples on this mountain; A banquet of aged wine, choice pieces with marrow, And refined, aged wine. (Isaiah 25:6 NASB)

Wine, meats, and cheese, not the flesh of kings. To add to the importance, Jesus spoke of this time with the disciples the night before His crucifixion.

"But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's kingdom." (Matthew 26:29 NASB)

The seven years are finished, the time in which the marriage supper of the Lamb has come. Everyone has been invited, and that includes the nations. All fighting has come to an end. Weapons will now be burned or made into garden implements. Jesus rules over the earth as a righteous judge, and Satan and the antichrist and the false prophet (you may recognize this person as Isa ben Maryiam,) will all three be thrown into the lake of fire.

Revelation 19:20 NASB “And the beast was seized, and with him, the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone.

Surprise, they are the only ones there at this point.

Someone will read this and say I only see two persons, so the Bible is not true. Oh, spare me. This lake of fire is eternal and the only one who will get back out will be Satan, for at the end of the thousand years he will be allowed to deceive the nations, once again.

“When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison,” (Revelation 20:7 NASB)

You cannot be released from prison unless you had just served time there. Once the deception is done, guess where he returns to? Yes, back to his eternal torment.

“And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” (Revelation 20:10 NASB)

That idea of only three persons being in hell is hard to receive for many religious folks because of false teachings. Some of those false teachings include the incorrect teaching that no Jews will enter the kingdom, nor will the nations. If you have bought into those beliefs my heart grieves for you, as you need to be freed by reading the Word of God. My suggestion for you is to read it as though you have never read it before and your life depended upon what it says.

Pardon the pun, but I have a burning question – this is a fairly common subject brought up in Bible studies.

Revelation 19:21 NASB “And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh.”

Who is Jesus fighting with?

"For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city will be captured, the houses plundered, the women ravished and half of the city exiled, but the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city. Then the LORD will go forth and fight against those nations, as when He fights on a day of battle. In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley, so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south." (Zechariah 14:2-4 NASB)

The nations have always been those outside of Judaism; this includes the Christian community to the Jew mindset. Believers, although we came out of the nations, are NOT the nations, we are the body of Christ, as is any believing Jew.

So those, called the nations, are non-believers. You might think the term non-believer automatically qualifies them to go straight to hell. Sorry, but NO. How quickly we forget that ALL SIN was forgiven on the cross. That should have been a game-changer, possibly to the point that all would gain entrance into heaven, but it had a stipulation, you must believe in God's Son, Jesus Christ, and the fact that He did all that for you.

Alright, let's assume that in theory they are forgiven, but it still does not tell me where they go.

Where do all these dead folk go?

King Solomon tells us,

For the living know they will die; but the dead do not know anything, nor have they any longer a reward, for their memory is forgotten. (Ecclesiastes 9:5 NASB)

Well, it is quite obvious that it is NOT straight to hell. The soul, though still alive, lies in inactivity until God calls them back for judgment. The entirety of this statement can only be defined as God's mercy and truly beyond my ability to explain the process, but I will try.

“The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. ...” (Revelation 20:5 TLV)

You cannot simply say the “rest” of the dead unless there was a previous awakening of the dead, and there was – the martyred saints, which we see in Revelation 20:4. That verse goes to tell us that they reign as judges during the millennial kingdom. How appropriate, the “nations,” and that includes a wide variety of people, and dictators will now be subject to those they brutalized and murdered.

Who is this being called before the Great White Throne?

I must first remind you that ALL judgment was given over to the Son, so this is Jesus sitting here, but pay attention to what He is being called.

“Then I saw a great white throne, and the One seated on it. The earth and heaven fled from His presence, but no place was found for them.”
(Revelation 20:11 TLV)

Yes, this is that feared throne, where allegedly no one obtains mercy.

“And I saw the dead—the great and the small—standing before the throne. The books were opened, and another book was opened—the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what was written in the books, according to their deeds.”
(Revelation 20:12 TLV)

As I have talked about this with my friends, I have pointed out the futility of the judge bringing the book of Life, especially if the assumption is that no one obtains mercy. An action like this only makes the punishment crueler as you taunt those being flung toward hell. We don't know how many books there are as there is only one that is important, the Book of Life. But verse 12 tells us that the dead were judged according to what was written in the books, ACCORDING TO THEIR DEEDS.

“The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Sheol gave up the dead in them. Then they were each judged, each one of them, according to their deeds.”
(Revelation 20:13 TLV)

When the gathering of the church happens, the dead in Christ will rise first, and then those that remain will be caught up together with them. Notice that it says the dead. Now the assumption is that the dead in Christ are written in the book of Life. Ah, and yet in verse twelve above we see God continuing to scour the Book of Life to see if any of those now standing before Him can be shown mercy.

What is the distinction here?

This may seem pretentious, but obviously, I am still here, writing. I am a part of the body of Christ and it is the Apostle Paul's words in the New Testament that have promoted that understanding. Paul put forth that the Law of God is written upon our hearts, and this is true for everyone, but does everyone follow that law. Speaking for myself, it is often a daily struggle. Having the law merely conveys the truth that we all have the same moral standard to live by.

I get it, you are an atheist and are willing to scream loudly to prove it, but your words do not change the truth. The law of God is that moral standard that allows God to be the righteous judge, and everyone will be judged upon the same value system; but, not for sin, as that was destroyed on the cross.

“Then death and Sheol were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death—the lake of fire”
(Revelation 20:14 TLV)

It seems as if this should have been the last statement made as punishment has fear and torment attached to it, and with the last person thrown into the lake of fire, having chosen to ignore the inset moral standard and follow after Satan, there is no longer any need of death and Sheol. Where they go I do not know, nor do I care as we, in the loving arms of the Father, never have to concern ourselves with any aspect of that again.

“And if anyone was not found written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”
(Revelation 20:15 TLV)

The end. Are you kidding me, I know less about what happens next than I do about the millennial kingdom. One preacher said we will all have jobs there. Great, more corporate leadership, gestapo-like managers, and deadly pollution. Get real, that is NOT happening. Those who are a part of the body of Christ might just be hanging around with Jesus all the time. Honestly, I don't know. I just know that finally, my head will have peace and I will know love as I have never known it.
God is Love and heaven is beyond our wildest imaginations – and I have seen the movie Avatar, so I get to be dazzled.

Someone worthy to open the seals. Revelation 6:1-2.

 In chapter five, the Apostle John saw the sealed scroll in the hand of God. He understood the serious nature of the information in the scroll, but NO ONE under the earth, on the earth, or in heaven was worthy to open the scrolls. 

As a follower of Christ, this last statement puzzles me – because I find myself asking, where is Jesus?

John begins to weep as there is none worthy. If there is none worthy, how will we ever find out what is in the scroll? This might lead to another assumption, as there was no one closer to Jesus on earth besides John, and in his vision, he does not see Jesus anywhere.

An elder comes to John, stops him from weeping, and affirms that there is one worthy - the lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David. This description is distinctly speaking of Jesus Christ, and it is so because Jesus alone paid the price for our redemption.

However, when John turns to see his best friend, Jesus, the majestic and conquering lion, he sees a lamb, as if it had been slaughtered.

Is this cause for dismay? Not at all, for He is the Lion of Judah; the Lamb that was slain – the final sacrifice; and, He is God.

Having someone worthy to open the seals, we begin our look into chapter six.

Revelation 6:1 NASB “Then I saw when the Lamb broke one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, "Come."

The opening of this first seal is, according to Dake's commentary, “one of 62 events of Rev. 6:1-20:3 that will be fulfilled during Daniel’s 70th week.”

Daniel's 70th week refers to Daniel 9:26-27, where the Antichrist establishes or makes an existing peace treaty better. The treaty or covenant, made by the Antichrist, is broken halfway through the seven-year treaty period.

[By the way, Israel is NOT mentioned when this peace treaty is made and, therefore may not be the recipient of its benefits.]

Most translations read something like what we see in the NASB version of Daniel 11:23, (After an alliance is made with him he will practice deception, and he will go up and gain power with a small force of people,) but look at how the NIRV [New International Reader's Version] states this same verse, “The king of Syria will make an agreement with that prince. But then he will not keep his word. He will rise to power with the help of only a few people.” 

When I read something like this my first question is, how did the contributors to this translation come to this conclusion? 

If I treated my statement as a question, then the legitimate response is that Daniel 11:23, is a very concise history lesson; a history lesson that is a reference to a future event. Fortunately, God is not random as we are, therefore, we can look at the history of Daniel 11 as a pattern for what is to come and that means that we could be looking for one that is of Assyrian descent to bring about this covenant with the many. (Yes, I changed it from Syrian to Assyrian as the entire region falls under the appropriate category because they are all descendants of Esau and Ishmael.)

The first seal is now broken, and immediately a living creature, who speaks with a voice like thunder, says, come. John is meant to see this.

Revelation 6:2 CJB “I looked, and there in front of me was a white horse; its rider had a bow and was given a crown and he rode off as a conqueror to conquer.”

In most cowboy movies, the rider on the white horse was the good guy,  the hero; that is not the case here. An intriguing piece of information is that Islam also puts their hopes in Revelation 6:2, as they believe that this is the only scripture in the Bible that is valid, as, for them, the rider on the white horse is their Messiah.

To the Jews reading or hearing this talk about the rider on the white horse, it is not something new to them. Zechariah 6:7 speaks of horses similar to what we will soon see. The difference is that the Lord sends those in Zechariah. Their mission is to be revealed at a prescribed time; perhaps that time is now. Zechariah 1:7-11 also speaks of horses similarly colored; they report back to the Lord that all is at rest.

End Page one.

It seems that prophecy is validated in the mind of the Jewish audience through repetition. Seeing as we DO NOT know the entirety of these riders' mission in Zechariah, it leaves a door open to God using them for His purposes, even if it is troublesome.

Dake's commentary declares that this is the Antichrist and gives us seven proofs.

What follows is taken from Dake's commentary, and he provides scriptural references. When I see something like this coming from someone so adept at Eschatology, you might think I could merely take the man's word for it. I have learned otherwise, and therefore, always attempt to validate the information given. Many of the references given DO NOT seem to define what Dake is saying; because of things like what I found with Dake my strong suggestion is to be cautious in your studies and who you pay attention to. Along this line of reasoning, one dear sister that I listen to recently asserted that 1 Thessalonians and 2 Thessalonians are depicting sequential events; she went on to explain that the events in 1 Thessalonians must happen before anything in 2 Thessalonians can happen, and she made a bit of a scene, saying, see! One is named as the first and then the second. I put my head in my hands and said dear Lord help her.

I said all this because we are going to examine Dake's seven points.

“Seven proofs that this rider is the antichrist:”

1. “An individual is referred to.” (Rev_6:2) Many translations use the terminology “he that sat,” to describe this rider on the first white horse.

   The terminology “its rider,” as seen in Revelation 6:2, directs us to look for an individual, in contrast to a multi-headed beast, which is representative of kingdoms. See Daniel 7:6-7 for descriptions of some of the beasts.

   Isaiah 41:2 speaks of one from the east. It is obvious to me that it is God who has called this “one.” "Who has aroused one from the east Whom He calls in righteousness to His feet? He delivers up nations before him And subdues kings. He makes them like dust with his sword, As the wind-driven chaff with his bow.” (NASB )

   Since I am looking for at least two witnesses to validate Dakes's assertion, then perhaps Ezekiel 25:4 will help us to understand this individual.

   Ezekiel 25:4 CJB I will let the people from the east take possession of you. They will set up camps and build their homes among you; they will eat your fruit and drink your milk.

   I would think that the people from the East would have a leader. 

   If this is a definition of this rider, the Antichrist, then why would we be looking to the Roman Catholic Church?

2. “he comes on a white horse, imitating Christ and claiming to be Him.” (Rev_6:2; Mat_24:4-5; Joh_5:43; Dan_9:27; Dan_11:37).

   Let me interject something here; it is obvious that he has a bow and he is on a mission, but the passage does not say anything about him claiming to be Christ. If we pursue the parallels in Daniel, then we have a chance at validating the claims that Dake makes.

   Daniel 11 has the strongest correlation to him claiming to be God when it says “he will magnify himself above them all.” The reference is to all gods.

   Daniel 11:36-37 NASB "Then the king will do as he pleases, and he will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will speak monstrous things against the God of gods; and he will prosper until the indignation is finished, for that which is decreed will be done. (37) "He will show no regard for the gods of his fathers or for the desire of women, nor will he show regard for any other god; for he will magnify himself above them all.

   
   

   Notice how the Psalm defines the way the wicked act. All these descriptions fit the man, but they do not exactly say that he will set himself above God.

   Psalms 94:3-4 NASB How long shall the wicked, O LORD, How long shall the wicked exult? (4) They pour forth words, they speak arrogantly; All who do wickedness vaunt themselves.

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The (Ultimate Cross-Reference Treasury) states, “This seems to be a representation of the person and dignity of Christ, and the mild and beneficent triumphs of his Gospel ...” 

Unless you pay attention and look at the context, you might be deluded into thinking this is Christ as well.

Revelation 19 gives us a clarifying parallel when it shows us, Jesus upon the white horse coming to close out the seven-years, kill off those who choose to fight with Him, and begin the millennial reign.

It seems like a stretch to say, “he comes on a white horse, imitating Christ and claiming to be Him,” as we do not see an intentional act of imitation. What we do see, is this rider going on a mission in which he goes “out conquering and to conquer.” Revelation 19 on the other hand, speaks of His faithfulness. 

Revelation 19:11 NLT Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war.

Isaiah 41:2 speaks of a king and it is apparent the God has helped him win his battles.

Isaiah 41:2 NIrV "Who has stirred up a king from the east? Who has helped him win his battles? I hand nations over to him. I bring kings under his control. He turns them into dust with his sword. With his bow, he turns them into straw blowing in the wind.




Keep in mind that scripture tells us that God used Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian empire, to bring about God's judgment and punishment upon Israel. Jeremiah 21:7 and 22:25 both speak of God giving over Judah into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon and into the hand of the Chaldeans.




Habakkuk 3:8,9 also speaks of a horse and a bow. I point this out because of the prophetic symbolism and familiarity to the Jewish community. 

Habakkuk 3:8-9 NIrV LORD, did your anger burn against the rivers? Were you angry with the streams? Were you angry with the Red Sea? You rode your horses and chariots to overcome it. (9) You got your bow ready to use. You asked for many arrows. Selah You broke up the surface of the earth with rivers.




In Dake's reference to Matthew 24:5 (NASB) , where it tells us, "For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will mislead many,” there is NO specific reference to who will make this claim. 

It is ludicrous to think that someone would claim to be Jesus. The more reasonable claim would be for someone to declare that they represent god, which the Mahdi of Islam does.




Revelation 14:14 speaks of the crown.

Revelation 14:14 NLT Then I saw a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was someone like the Son of Man. He had a gold crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand.

3. “A bow in symbolic language in connection with man pictures evil designs and conquests (Psa_7:12; Psa_11:2; Psa_37:14; Psa_46:9; Psa_58:7; Jer_49:35). Christ is always symbolized as having a sword, not a bow.” (Rev_1:16; Rev_19:15, Rev_19:21).

Psalm 37 defines the evil designs and conquests. We are experiencing the evil designs and conquests with the advent of the Covid 19 virus and ensuing "Vaccine."


 Psalms 37:14 NLT The wicked draw their swords and string their bows to kill the poor and the oppressed, to slaughter those who do right.

Note how this rider has no arrows; however, the intent to harm is there.




4. “Scripture makes it clear that Satan is the one who gives Antichrist a crown.” (Dan_8:24; Dan_11:38-39; 2Th_2:8-12; Rev_13:2, Rev_13:4).

                                Daniel 8:24a NLT He will become very strong, but not by his own power

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Daniel 11 gives us a clue when it says he will honor "a god of fortresses."

Daniel 11:37-39 NASB "He will show no regard for the gods of his fathers or for the desire of women, nor will he show regard for any other god; for he will magnify himself above them all. (38) "But instead, he will honor a god of fortresses, a god whom his fathers did not know; he will honor him with gold, silver, costly stones, and treasures. (39) "He will take action against the strongest of fortresses with the help of a foreign god; he will give great honor to those who acknowledge him and will cause them to rule over the many and will parcel out land for a price.




Fortresses is an English transliteration of the Hebrew word mâ‛ôz. This word is most commonly defined as strength. 

So he is worshiping a god of strength. If this man is a Muslim, then it is no coincidence that Muslims say, Allahu Akbar as the phrase means Allah is greater. 

Couldn't I perceive that they believe that their god is strength?




2 Thessalonians distinctly conveys that it is Satan empowering the one who is coming.

2 Thessalonians 2:8-10 NASB (8) Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; (9) that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, (10) and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved.




If you understand that the Dragon of Revelation 13 is Satan, this verse makes sense.

Revelation 13:2 NASB And the beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority.

5. “Antichrist is the only person predicted in Scripture as going forth "conquering and to conquer" at this particular time, beginning Daniel’s 70th week....” (Dan_7:7-8, Dan_7:20-21, Dan_7:23-24; Dan_8:23-25; Dan_9:27; Dan_11:36-45; Rev_6:1).

Daniel 7:7 speaks of "the fourth beast." This beast devours, crushes, and tramples down; this describes the Antichrist as well. We have been clinging to Rome and the Catholic church as the fourth beast, in doing that we have prevented ourselves from considering Islam as the fourth beast.

Daniel 7:7-8 NASB "After this I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrifying and extremely strong; and it had large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed and trampled down the remainder with its feet; and it was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. (8) "While I was contemplating the horns, behold, another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were pulled out by the roots before it; and behold, this horn possessed eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth uttering great boasts.

This horn that we see in verse eight is the only thing here that identifies a person.

Verse eight, however, speaks of a mouth uttering great boasts. You can't have a mouth without having a body, but this does not mean that the “little horn” and the mouth uttering great boasts are the same person. We are looking for a false prophet as well, and this mouth may well fit that description. I say that, but in reading other translations I can see how this might be a descriptive of the Antichrist.

 

Daniel, desirous to understand the meaning of the fourth beast, just as we all do, prayed for an answer; this is what he received.

Daniel 7:23-25 NASB "Thus he said: 'The fourth beast will be a fourth kingdom on the earth, which will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth and tread it down and crush it. (24) 'As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings will arise; and another will arise after them, and he will be different from the previous ones and will subdue three kings.

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(25) 'He will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law; and they will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time.

• “The fourth beast will be a fourth kingdom on the earth,”

  Unlike the first three empires, this does not have to be sequential, and even if you must insist that we should be looking for the Roman empire, it too was non-sequential. If you consider the Grecian empire's end, it ended under the rule of two generals Ptolemy and Seleucus.

  The Seleucid Empire, which was most anything North of Egypt, encompassed many kingdoms, one of which was the massive Assyrian empire. When you think about the Assyrian empire, think about the Persians or the Islamic world.

  In terms of being different, most conquering kingdoms/empires did not try to change the people's religion; they sought to dominate those captured and do away with their faith if necessary. 

  Daniel 8:23-24 is another reference Dake gives us. This one is quite specific.

  Daniel 8:23-24 NASB "In the latter period of their rule, When the transgressors have run their course, A king will arise, Insolent and skilled in intrigue. (24) "His power will be mighty, but not by his own power, And he will destroy to an extraordinary degree And prosper and perform his will; He will destroy mighty men and the holy people.

  While the terms “going forth, conquering and to conquer,” are not explicitly mentioned, we do have the phrase “destroy to an extraordinary degree.”

  Destroy is the Hebrew word shâchath and means to ruin.

  An extraordinary degree is the Hebrew word pâlâ and means a surpassing action. It does not carry the violence we have come to expect and perfectly fits this global vaccination scheme.

What does Islam do? It forces all captured nations to bow their knee to Allah.

6. “This rider will cause the wars, famines, pestilences, death, and the horrors of the following three seals.” (Rev_6:3-8).

   Revelation 6:3-8 NASB When He broke the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, "Come." (4) And another, a red horse, went out; and to him who sat on it, it was granted to take peace from the earth, and that men would slay one another, and a great sword was given to him. (5) When He broke the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, "Come." I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. (6) And I heard something like a voice in the center of the four living creatures saying, "A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not damage the oil and the wine." (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, and he who sat on it had the name Death; and Hades was following with him. Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth.

   The reference to He is to the Lamb, not the rider on the white horse. Keep in mind, “He” is opening the seals. There are other horses, but these are independent of the white horse rider.

   The rider on the red horse removes peace from the earth.

   The rider on the black horse causes astronomical inflation.

   The rider on the ashen horse has the name Death. This rider has the power to kill with sword, famine, pestilence, and wild beasts of the earth.

   Go back to Revelation 6:2, and you will see this, “he went out conquering and to conquer.” Conquer is the Greek word nikaō and means to subdue.

End page five.

How he subdues people is not defined, although many will see the word bow and say, see, he subdues through archery.

What if this "vaccine" is how he subdues?

7. “If this is not Antichrist, then we do not have him mentioned in Revelation before the middle of the week (Rev_13:1-18). Were that the case, we should have two men going forth to conquer at the beginning of the week—one is clearly pictured in Dan_7:23-24; Dan_8:23-25; Dan_9:27; Dan_11:36-45, and one here. Without these passages in Daniel, the sphere of conquest, the number of nations conquered, the conqueror's identity, his rise to power, and other facts could not be defined. But putting these passages with Rev_6:1-2; Rev_13:1-18; Rev_14:9-11; Rev_16:13-16; Rev_17:1-17; Rev_19:19-20 we have the complete revelation of the one man. If we do not take the one in Daniel and the one here as being identical, then we can know nothing regarding the identity of the white horse rider.”

Allow me to restate this opening assertion that Dake makes; If this rider on the white horse is not the Antichrist, then we DO NOT see him until we get to Revelation 13:1-18.

 42 months is a key to understanding the Antichrist as it is three and one-half years into the time of God's wrath.

Revelation 13:5 NASB There was given to him a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies, and authority to act for forty-two months was given to him.

A logical question, if you have been following the chain of events, is where does the Antichrist go to at this point, or perhaps a better question is, what becomes of him? 

This is where we will take a momentary break, for the next thing I want you to see is Revelation 13:1-18, and I will post this shortly.