“Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches.” (Rev 16:15)
Matthew 24:3 describes a scene where Jesus’ disciples ask Him two extraordinary questions about the end times: “When will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age?”
The Lord wisely answers their second question first, using a literary device called “chiasm.” To understand when the end of the age will be, we must first understand the signs of its coming. First, we must briefly back up to Matthew 23.
At the end of Matthew 23, Jesus criticizes the Pharisees for their ungodly behavior and laments Jerusalem’s future destruction in 70 A.D. He also regrets the people’s unwillingness to believe His message of salvation.
“How often I wanted to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! See! Your house is left to you desolate; for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’” (Mt 23:37-38)
Moving into Matthew 24, Jesus leaves the temple, removing His glory from it (v1). His words and actions confuse His disciples, but Jesus assures them of Jerusalem’s coming destruction.
“Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another that shall not be thrown down.” (v2)
Now feeling more confused and perhaps concerned, the disciples ask Jesus their two questions. The remainder of Matthew 24 plus chapter 25 is filled with Jesus’ description of the coming Tribulation and His second coming. These events are linked to Revelation 6-8, describing their fulfillment at the opening of the seven seals.
As we study these Scriptures, note that Jesus describes the events in Matthew 24 from an earthly perspective, while Revelation describes them from a heavenly perspective.
The First Two Seals
Beginning in Matthew 24:4-6, Jesus describes a future time of conflict, false messiahs, and rumors of war.
“Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled, for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.”
Revelation 6:1-2 describes Jesus’ opening of the first two of seven seals, which are the beginning fulfillment of His prophecy.
“Now, I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, ‘Come and see.’ And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow, and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.”
Opening the first seal begins God’s judgment of the earth, starting with a man on a white horse. A white horse indicates a time of peace, but the man sitting on it has a bow and a crown, indicating he will be a world leader seeking to conquer other nations. Sadly, he will be successful at the opening of the second seal (verses 3-4).
Most scholars conclude that the man on the white horse is the future Antichrist, and many people will follow him, believing he is a man of peace. However, he will eventually proclaim himself to be Christ (Rev 13) and commit the “abomination of desolation (Mt 24:15; Dan 11:31, 12:11) as Jesus predicted.
Yet Jesus tells us not to be troubled (Mt 24:6). It will be a terrible time for believers, but these things must happen to complete God’s plan of redemption.
The Third Seal: Famine and Economic Ruin
Jesus calls this future time the “beginning of sorrows.”
“For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.” (Mt 24:7)
Revelation 6:5-6 describes the fulfillment of this verse at the opening of the third seal.
“So I looked and, behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, ‘A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not harm the oil and the wine.’”
The black horse signifies famine, and the rider holding the scales indicates the state of the economy at that time. Food will be costly and scarce. A denarius is one day’s wages, signifying it will cost one day’s wages to buy enough food to eat for one day.
Note that Jesus instructed us not to harm the oil and wine, which were everyday staples in the first century, to prepare food and purify water. During the Tribulation, oil and wine will be luxuries that one should carefully protect to survive.
The Day is At-hand
The fourth and sixth seals describe the rest of Jesus’ prophecy concerning pestilences and earthquakes. The fourth seal illustrates a pale horse whose rider’s name is Death. God will grant him power over one-fourth of the earth’s population “to kill with sword, with hunger, [and] with death.” “Beasts of the earth” seems to denote a pestilence that will also cause widespread death, perhaps by disease.
The sixth seal announces a “great earthquake,” which many scholars believe will be cataclysmic and global. The resulting volcanic activity will cause the sun to turn black and the moon to turn red like blood.
These events will drive people to hide in caves and beg for death in the fearful acknowledgment that the Day of the Lord is at hand.
“Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” (Rev 6:16-17)
Continuing Matthew 24
Jesus continues in Matthew 24:9, prophesying a persecution of Christians.
“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake.”
Revelation 6:9-11 describes this event with the opening of the fifth seal.
“When He opened the fifth seal, I saw the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, ‘How long, O Lord, holy and true, until you judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?’” (v9-10)
Believers will be persecuted and martyred for their faith in the end times. Lawlessness and selfishness will be rampant. Compassion will be almost non-existent. But Jesus promises us that “he who endures to the end will be saved.”
It does not mean their salvation will come from enduring; only faith in Jesus secures our salvation. But He will grant them the power to endure, according to 1 Peter 1:3, 5. They “are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
Revelation 7: Hope of Heaven
Despite the widespread chaos and evil, Jesus promises that people will still preach the gospel, including a remnant of believing Jews.
“And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations.”
Revelation 7:4-8 describes the preserved Jewish remnant will number 144,000 people—12,000 from each of Israel’s twelve tribes. They will lead many people—Jews and Gentiles—to salvation, who will be the firstfruits of the newly redeemed Israel (Zech 12:10).
Verses 9-17 describe these new saints wearing white robes and carrying palm branches, crying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” They will serve God’s throne “day and night,” and God “will dwell among them.”
“They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them nor any heat. For the Lamb, who is in the midst of the throne, will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” (v16-17)
These promises are not reserved only for Jesus’ martyrs. They are for all those who put their faith in Him. They will enjoy “living fountains of water” (heaven) and everlasting life far removed from the Tribulation and the Antichrist’s evil strategies.
But then Jesus assures us in Matthew 24:14 that the end will come for those left behind.
Opening the Sixth Seal
Earthquakes, famine, economic ruin, death, and lawlessness will pervade the earth even as the Jewish remnant preaches the gospel. Celestial signs will then appear.
“The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light. The stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.”
These signs, along with the earthquakes mentioned, will occur at the opening of the sixth seal in Revelation 6:12-14.
“And the stars of heaven fell to the earth as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place.” (v13-14)
In the middle of the chaos, Jesus will then return in glory and gather His army for the final battle at Armageddon.
“Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” (Mt 24:30-31)
“And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon.” (Rev 16:16)
The Seventh Seal: Presentation of Our Prayers
To further illustrate His return, Jesus tells a series of parables to emphasize the importance of being ready and spreading the gospel—those of the fig tree, the two servants, the ten virgins, and the talents (Mt 24:32- Mt 25:30).
Jesus also includes the magnitude of watching for the signs and maintaining our faith during the Tribulation. He uses Noah as an illustration. Noah did not know the day or hour of the flood, and neither do we about Jesus’ return. Therefore, we, too, must be watchful (Mt 24:42-44).
A strong faith, especially a prayer life, will be essential in those days because God promises to capture our prayers in a bowl.
“Let my prayer be set before You as incense.” (Ps 141:2)
“Now, when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.” (Rev 5:8)
At the opening of the seventh seal, an angel will take our incense of prayers with its rising smoke and offer them on a golden altar placed before the throne of God (Rev 8:4). Having heard our prayers, God will then direct seven other angels to sound their trumpets, proclaiming the permanent establishment of God’s glorious kingdom.
Matthew 24 and 25 assure us that Jesus will return to judge the earth one day. He will open the seven seals, one by one, each one a final appeal to convince unbelievers that He is the only way to eternal life.
Those who already believe in Jesus must heed His warnings and be on guard, for we do not know the hour of His return. We must be familiar with the Scriptures, pray, and watch for the signs given in Matthew 24. We must be ready and waiting because He will come like a thief in the night. If we are not, we will face unimaginable consequences.
“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.” (2 Peter 3:10; see also 1 Thess 5:2)
“Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches.” (Rev 16:15)
READ MORE: Pastor David Jeremiah’s Revelation Prophecy Chart
