Are the Sixth Seal events at the very end of the 70th Week?

Ted’s Response:

There are those (such as many who embrace the "Pre-tribulation" and "Post-tribulation" Rapture views) who believe that the cosmic disturbances, and other events of the Sixth Seal (Revelation 6:12-17), will occur at the very end of the 70th Week. Thus, those of the "Pre-Trib" persuasion believe that Matthew 24:30,31 must be a picture of Jesus’ return to earth, while those of the "Post-Trib" persuasion believe that the same passage is a picture of both the Rapture and Jesus’ return to earth, concurrently.

Some also believe that the Sixth Seal, Sixth Trumpet, and Sixth Bowl are the same things and describe the same events. I agree with none of these views because, in fact:

1. Matthew 24:30,31 says nothing about Jesus’ returning to earth—only about His appearance on the clouds of the sky, at which time He will send His angels to gather His elect (at the Rapture), and
2. the Sixth Seal events do not occur at the very end of the 70th Week and are not the same as the Sixth Bowl events (see Sixth Seal and Seventh Bowl); after the Sixth Seal, the events of the Seventh Seal will still have yet to transpire before Jesus returns to earth, at the blowing of the Seventh Trumpet, which will be at the end of the 70th Week.

The first usage of the word "wrath" is in Revelation 6:16,17, at which time the wrath of God will be clearly imminent to those on the earth. This will be known to them soon after the opening of the Sixth Seal (Revelation 6:12,13), which directly parallels Jesus' description in His Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24:29). Jesus described the (unbelieving) nations of the earth as mourning (24:30), which I believe will be intense regret that they are about to be left behind to face the wrath of God.

After writing about the Sixth Seal events, John briefly described how the 144,000 Israelites will be sealed for protection. This is followed immediately by his observation of the "great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb" (Revelation 7:9). Here is a picture of the raptured saints in front of the Lamb (Jesus), seated on His throne.

Similarly, after Jesus' Sixth Seal depiction, He described how He (the Son of Man) will appear in the clouds, and His angels will gather (rapture) the elect (saints) to be with Him. There is no indication here that Jesus will have come to earth at that point, but merely that He will be seen in the clouds.

Therefore, this will be the sequence of events:

1. the Sixth Seal will be opened, and the disturbances in the sun, moon, and stars will be observed by all the people of the earth (Matthew 24:29; Revelation 6:12,13);
2. Jesus will be seen on His throne (Revelation 6:16) as He appears in the clouds of the sky (Matthew 24:30);
3. the Rapture will take place (Matthew 24:31);
4. the unbelievers will realize that God's wrath is imminent (Revelation 6:16,17); they will mourn, with intense regret, that they have been left behind to face this wrath; and then
5. the great multitude of raptured saints will be seen in front of Jesus on His throne, in heaven, praising God along with the angels, elders, and other creatures there (Revelation 7:9-11).

Until it is understood that Revelation 6:1 through 10:7 (the complete chain of events from seal 1 through seal 7) is a chronological, uninterrupted sequence of events, errors can be made in the timing of the primary (that is, the main) Rapture event, which will encompass the resurrection of the dead believers as well (1 Corinthians 15:52; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17). As Jesus described, His appearance in the clouds and the Rapture (Matthew 24:30,31) will occur soon after the cosmic disturbances of the Sixth Seal (Matthew 24:29) have begun. The latter will be the sign to everyone on earth of His materialization in the clouds (and of God's wrath to follow), not of His second advent to earth.

Thus, Jesus ended that portion of His discourse with what will happen after the Sixth Seal is opened, but He described nothing about the Seventh Seal, which will entail the first wave of God's wrath (via the trumpet judgments). This is because His disciples asked Him what would be the sign of His coming, and He told them about the end of the age up to the signs of the Sixth Seal, since that is the next appearance or "coming" of Jesus that they, as believers exempt from God's wrath, would be most concerned about.