The Great Unsealing; “Ready or Not, Here I Come!”

The prophet Daniel was among those from Judah who were taken captive to Babylon, where they spent 70 years in captivity, which was the amount of time previously prophesied by the prophet Jeremiah.  Daniel was in the midst of reviewing God’s promise of release from captivity in the scroll of Jeremiah, when he was given visions and some information about that upcoming release as well as the yet distant arrival of the Kingdom of God on earth.

The “70 weeks prophecy” of Daniel 9 is the summary of the time element of this extended vision into the future.  Daniel was told that a total of 69 X 70 years would lead to the coming of a Messiah who would have nothing (immediately); and then an additional year (the 70th) which would mark the end of the age and the ushering in of righteousness.  We get more information to help fill in many of the blanks, from other chapters within the book of Daniel (notably 2, 7, 11, and 12), but it’s not the purpose of this article to delve into those details.

So the first 69 weeks, or 69 sevens, consist of 483 biblical years (based on the moon, not the sun), which translates (some have calculated) to 476 Gregorian calendar years.  The angel tells Daniel that the calculation begins with a decree for the captives to return to Jerusalem (444 BC) and then concludes the 69th week with the triumphal march of the Messiah into the city and his death (“will have nothing”, Dan. 9:26).  This particular coming of the Messiah has been calculated by some to be 33 AD according to the Gregorian calendar.  The prophecy seems to be impeccable in its timing of events that actually did occur.

There is yet, though, the final 70th week of the prophecy with which to deal (the final 7-year period).  It is marked by someone who will “make a firm covenant with many” (Dan. 9:27), and then break that covenant in the middle of the week (after 3 ½ years, same verse).  Again, further details of the events within this time frame in Daniel 9 are found elsewhere in the book of Daniel and later in the New Testament book of Revelation, and require the connecting of the dots found there.  But the important thing to realize here is that there is a time gap between the 69th and 70th week of an unknown duration.  God puts a pause on his direct dealing with Israel after the crucifixion of His Messiah, until He begins to put them again in the middle of events at the end of the age…the final 7 years (or 70th “week”).  The exact length of this pause is not known by anyone, not even Jesus the Messiah.  It’s the reason he said he did not know the day or time of his return.  Daniel was not given that information.

At the end of all his visions Daniel requests more clarity on the information he had received, but is told this by the angel:

Daniel 12:9-10

“Go your way, Daniel, for these words are concealed and sealed up until the end time. 10 Many will be purged, purified and refined, but the wicked will act wickedly; and none of the wicked will understand, but those who have insight will understand.

Fast forward now to the time of the apostle John and a vision he receives, recorded in the New Testament book of Revelation:

Revelation 5:1-10

I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a book written inside and on the back, sealed up with seven seals. 2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the book and to break its seals?” 3 And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the book or to look into it. 4 Then I began to weep greatly because no one was found worthy to open the book or to look into it; 5 and one of the elders *said to me, “Stop weeping; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals.” 6 And I saw between the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders a Lamb standing, as if slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth. 7 And he came and took the book out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. 8 When he had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the book and to break its seals; for you were slain, and purchased for God with your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. 10 “You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.”

The Messiah Jesus has been found worthy to unseal what has been sealed up from Daniel and all his readers.  But again, we do not know precisely when this “unsealing” will begin to take place.  There are seven seals total, and this matches well to the idea of a seven-year period at the end of this age, resulting in the return of Jesus at the opening of the 7th seal and the 7th trumpet blast within that final seal.  But even though we don’t know when that first seal will be broken to begin the process, we do know that when it is opened, there is no turning back…we will then have entered into the last 7 years of this age.  Notice this from Jesus:

Revelation 22:10-12

And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. 11 Let the one who does wrong, still do wrong; and the one who is filthy, still be filthy; and let the one who is righteous, still practice righteousness; and the one who is holy, still keep himself holy.” 12 “Behold, I am coming quickly, and my reward is with me, to render to every man according to what he has done.

In other words, if I might paraphrase Jesus’ meaning here; when the process of opening the 7 seals begins, Jesus is also encouraging and warning; “Ready or not, here I come”.

So far in this article, I have laid out in summary what is a traditional “futurist” view of prophecy.  There are other views, such as historicism and preterism, but this author is a “futurist”.

At this point though, please indulge me to speculate a bit about the first seal.  Its opening is so important in that it marks the beginning of the end of the age…the “ready-or-not-here-I-come moment”.  Let’s read it:

Revelation 6:1-3

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.” 2 I looked, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.

So we see here someone who is apparently a government leader with a lot of authority (has a crown) who has a bow, going out to conquer.  Commentators have speculated over the symbolism of the “bow” in verse 2, assuming that it simply refers to strength in battle.  However, there is a clue as to what it may represent in Genesis chapter 9, verses 12-13.  There the Hebrew word “qasti” has a been translated as “rainbow” but also can be translated as a bow for battle and hunting,.  The important point is that this “rainbow” (or bow) is a sign of a covenant as it is called in this Genesis 9 occurrence.

This takes on great significance when we remember Daniel, chapter 9 where there is an evil person who will “make a firm covenant with many”, which he later breaks…the breaking of which causes sacrifice and offerings to cease, presumably in Jerusalem.  In Daniel 9 this covenant, remember, marks the beginning of the final 7th year of this age before the return of Christ.  If in Revelation 6, the “bow” of this first seal indicates a covenant as in Daniel 9 (and Genesis 9), then it would be reasonable to also speculate that the first seal involves a covenant that an ultimate antichrist figure and enemy of Israel “will make with many” (even though it would not be seen as nefarious at the time it happens…a deception).

And here’s a further twist to consider.  The rider of the white horse with a covenant in the first seal, is quite probably not the antichrist himself, but is the one who brings the covenant to be ultimately signed by the antichrist and others (the “many” of Daniel 9).  This rider could be totally unaware that anything nefarious is motivating any of the signatories of this covenant/agreement…this apparent peace deal between many.  We know one thing, though…this white horse rider does seem to set out to conquer through the use of covenants, treaties, agreements, etc. Do you know anyone who might be a well-intentioned deal-maker as depicted on a white horse, who is as of this month said to be “conquering” in some reports?  I do, and so do you.  But as of this date, December 30, 2024, there are no such deals officially being made.  So we’ll have to wait and see what, if anything might soon occur along this line.  Thank you for indulging this author’s speculation about the first seal, and an imminent opening of it.

The good news is that after the first seal is opened, whenever that happens, the Kingdom of God will be arriving very soon to planet Earth.  For both those who are looking forward to that day, and also for those who are not, Jesus will be saying, “Ready or not, here I come!”  Are you one of those who will be waiting with great anticipation and hope?