End Times Study (1)

Essay

The reason for studying the end times is not to instill fear in people. It is to understand the major biblical themes that repeat throughout Scripture and to see how I must obey within that framework today. Therefore, Revelation 6 should not be read in isolation; it must be connected with the core passages of Daniel, Matthew 24, and Zechariah 14 as one integrated structure.

The starting point here is Revelation 6. Within the 7-7-7 structure of Revelation, the first set of seven—the seven seals—shows how the stage of the end times unfolds. The reason you cannot simply listen to the passage once and move on, but must review it and organize your own notes, is that the picture of the end times is not fragmented information. It is a storyline the entire Bible repeatedly presents.

The first rider appears on a white horse, and at a glance, this seems positive. White suggests victory and peace. The rider wears a crown and is described as going out to conquer again and again, implying powerful triumph. But the crucial detail is that he carries a bow. Unlike a sword used for close combat, the bow represents conquering from a distance. The Antichrist does not initially present himself with the face of blatant violence. Instead, he may come persuading and dominating people through images of peace, order, and victory.

However, this trajectory suddenly changes. Behind the white horse comes the red horse, which represents war—peace disappears from the earth and people kill one another. Next appears the black horse, carrying scales. War reduces resources; food shortages become a severe issue. Actual sustenance becomes more urgent than wealth or gold. The pale horse follows, symbolizing a deepening crisis culminating in death, famine, and pestilence. The four horses—white, red, black, and pale—are not separate scenes but a continuous sequence of conquest, war, scarcity, and death.

It is important to distinguish these first seals from the trumpet and bowl judgments that follow. The trumpets and bowls strongly represent divine judgments coming directly from heaven. In contrast, the first seals primarily depict the historical disasters caused by the Antichrist and his earthly reign. For example, the passage where a fourth of the earth dies under the pale horse differs in nature from the judgments descending from heaven later. We must recognize the flow of a rider given authority to kill on earth.

This sequence connects directly with the book of Daniel. Daniel’s vision of the statue and the succession of kingdoms shows how earthly empires progress toward greater power and wider conquest. After the age of conquerors like Alexander, larger empires arise, followed by even stronger authorities. The Antichrist of the last days appears as the ultimate culmination of this imperial ambition. He is not a figure who emerges out of nowhere but must be understood in the context of the Bible’s overarching narrative.

Daniel 9:27 serves as a crucial foundation for understanding the seven-year tribulation period. It describes a covenant made for one 'week,' or seven years, during which halfway through, Temple sacrifices and offerings cease. This establishes the division of the period into two halves of three and a half years each. Initially, the Antichrist seems to confirm a covenant and project an image of peace, but in the middle, he betrays that covenant, forbids sacrifices, and initiates an invasion of Israel.

This makes the issue of the temple and sacrifices in the last days critically important. The talk about Jews preparing a third temple is not just an interesting religious news story. The site of the Jerusalem temple, where Solomon’s temple once stood and where Abraham offered Isaac on Mount Moriah, remains a highly sensitive and contested location. If a temple is built there again and sacrifices are resumed, it will be a significant sign within the flow of biblical prophecy.

At the same time, the resumption of sacrifices reveals Israel’s stubbornness. Jesus has already come, and the true sacrifice was completed in Christ. Yet if a temple is rebuilt and sacrifices are offered again, it shows that the rejection of Jesus persists. However, Scripture does not end Israel’s story with hardness of heart. Ultimately, they will see the one they pierced, mourn, and repent.

That repentance is deeply connected to the second coming of Jesus. The Bible emphasizes the moment when Jesus returns to rescue Israel, who is in the grasp of the Antichrist. Scenes in the Old Testament where judges and deliverers free captive people point toward the ultimate King, Jesus. He is not someone who visits briefly and then departs. Jesus comes as King to judge the Antichrist, save His people, and enter Jerusalem as the glorious King.

Zechariah 14 clarifies this vision even more. When the Lord stands on the Mount of Olives and the mountain splits, creating a valley, it is not just symbolic—it connects to the image of people fleeing and being saved. A way opens to escape the Antichrist, and Jesus returns to rescue His people. The end-times picture in the Bible is not about a brief appearance from heaven, but about the King coming into history on earth.

We should not make hasty conclusions about the fate of nations. The Bible does not say the Antichrist will control everyone everywhere in exactly the same way. Daniel describes leaders from Edom, Moab, and Ammon escaping his control. This area corresponds to modern Jordan. Therefore, we cannot claim to fully know how any nation—whether Korea or Country A—will be used until the end. Regardless of political situations, God’s focus is on whether there are people in that land who humbly follow His will.

The millstone parable in Matthew 24 ties into this application. Two grind grain at the same millstone; one is taken, one is left. Outwardly, they live the same daily life. What matters is not flashy ministry appearances. Even if someone is called a minister, if they persist in their own will and misuse spiritual gifts, that is not true obedience pleasing to God. Conversely, someone living an ordinary life but sincerely following God’s will in all things is considered righteous in God’s eyes.

The final application is very practical. When anger, irritation, hatred, or hurt suddenly rise within us, holding onto those emotions makes obedience difficult. We need to remain in our God-ordained place within the community, but sometimes hurt causes us to leave. Knowing the last days cannot stop at analyzing prophecy. You must pour out your heart before God, deal with rising selfishness, and become a person who truly obeys.

Ultimately, the direction is not fear but obedience and prayer. Understand the end-time scenario presented in the Bible so vividly it plays out like a drama in your mind, then ask yourself how you should live before that vision today. The conclusion is to long for God’s kingdom, bless the community, and pray that countries like Korea and Country A will be used by God’s will until the very end.

Content Notes

1. The Framework of End-Time Study

Revelation 6, Daniel, Matthew 24, and Zechariah 14 form the fundamental framework for understanding the end times. Revelation 6 presents the seven seals, Daniel reveals the flow of the Antichrist and kingdoms, Matthew 24 contains Jesus’ direct warnings about the last days, and Zechariah 14 shows the day of the Lord and the scene of His second coming.

These passages are not separate pieces to memorize independently. They must be reviewed repeatedly and connected in your mind into one cohesive picture. End-time events are not fragmented information; they unfold within a storyline that the entire Bible consistently reveals.

2. Revelation 6 and the First White Horse

The first white horse depicts the early phase of the Antichrist. The white horse carries a positive image, evoking victory, peace, order, and stability.

However, the rider carries a bow. Unlike a sword, which engages at close range, the bow conquers and controls from a distance. The Antichrist does not initially appear as outright violence; instead, he wins people over with the image of peace and triumph.

3. The Flow of the Red Horse, Black Horse, and Pale Horse

The red horse represents a time when peace disappears from the earth, and wars erupt where people kill each other. The black horse signifies the period following war, marked by scarcity and inflation, where food is measured by scales. When survival becomes critical, actual food becomes more valuable than gold.

The pale horse signals a deeper progression, leading to death, famine, and widespread mortality. Conquest, war, scarcity, and death are not isolated events but part of a continuous sequence of disasters.

4. Differences Between the First Seven Seals and the Trumpet and Bowl Judgments

The first seven seals differ in nature from the later trumpet and bowl judgments. The trumpets and bowls are direct judgments coming from heaven. In contrast, the first seals reveal the rise and actions of the Antichrist and the disasters he causes on earth.

The scene where a fourth of the earth dies under the pale horse should be understood not as a simple heavenly plague but as a process driven by the rider gaining authority to kill. Therefore, the first seals reveal how the stage for the end times is set.

5. The Book of Daniel and the Global Empire of the Antichrist

Daniel is central to understanding the last days. His vision of the statue and the flow of empires illustrate how earthly powers increasingly move toward stronger conquest and unification. Even after conquerors like Alexander, larger empires and more powerful authorities continue to emerge.

The Antichrist in the last days appears as the ultimate expression of this imperial ambition. Without grasping the flow in Daniel, the imagery in Revelation remains unclear.

6. The Seven-Year Week and the Midpoint Betrayal in Daniel 9

Daniel 9:27 is a crucial foundation for understanding the seven-year tribulation. It describes a covenant confirmed for one 'seven'—meaning seven years—during which sacrifices and offerings are halted halfway through.

This explains the division into two periods of three and a half years each. The Antichrist initially appears to offer a covenant and peace but ultimately betrays it at the midpoint, stopping the sacrifices and invading Israel.

7. The Temple Mount, Mount Moriah, and the Third Temple

The preparation by the Jewish people for the third temple is a pivotal point in the end times. The desired location is the site of the Jerusalem temple—the place of Solomon's temple and Mt. Moriah, where Abraham offered Isaac.

That site remains an intensely sensitive center of conflict today. So, the rebuilding of the temple and the resumption of sacrifices would not just be religious news but a significant sign connected to the flow described in Daniel 9.

8. Temple Sacrifices and Israel's Stubbornness

The reinstatement of temple sacrifices also signals that Israel’s stubbornness still persists. Even though true sacrifice was fulfilled in Jesus, clinging to the temple sacrifices indicates that rejection of Jesus remains.

But Israel's story does not end in stubbornness. The Bible shows them weeping and repenting when they finally see the one they pierced. That restoration is closely connected to Jesus' return.

9. Jesus the King Who Returns

Jesus' return is not just a brief descent from heaven. He comes as a king to judge the Antichrist and rescue Israel from his grasp.

The scenes of judges and deliverers freeing captive people in the Old Testament point toward the perfect King, Jesus. He will come again to deliver His people and enter Jerusalem as the glorious King.

10. Zechariah 14 and the Mount of Olives

Zechariah 14 describes the Lord standing on the Mount of Olives, causing the mountain to split and a valley to form. This valley symbolizes the people who flee and are saved.

The returning Jesus will crush the Antichrist and rescue Israel. The image of the last days is not abstract comfort but a king entering into the real history of the land.

11. The Destiny of the Nation and God's People

I do not make definitive predictions about the future of any specific country. The Bible does not say that the Antichrist will dominate the entire world in exactly the same way. In the book of Daniel, there is a scene where the leaders of the descendants of Edom, Moab, and Ammon escape from his control. These regions can be associated with what is today Jordan.

Whether it is Korea or Country A, we cannot fully know how any nation will be used in the end times. What matters is whether there are people in that land who sincerely follow God's will. In God's eyes, the righteous are not those who appear impressive outwardly, but those who follow His will in everyday life.

12. Practical Obedience of Those Who Understand the End Times

Like the parable of the millstone in Matthew 24, outwardly people may live the same daily lives, but their standing before God can be very different. Some may carry the title of minister yet live according to their own desires, while others in ordinary positions may obey God deeply.

Knowing the end times should not end with accumulating prophetic knowledge. When anger, frustration, hatred, and hurt arise, holding onto these emotions makes it difficult to follow God sincerely. Therefore, those who study the end times must not just analyze more but learn to manage their hearts and obey more deeply.

13. Conclusion: Prayer Over Fear

The conclusion is prayer, not fear. It is about knowing the vision of the end times, understanding the broad flow of Scripture, and living the present life in obedience while focusing on God's kingdom.

We need an attitude that blesses the community, prays for nations, and asks that lands like Korea and Country A be used within God's will until the very end. Knowledge of the end times is not information that makes people anxious but an invitation to be more alert and prayerful.