The first half of the Tribulation starts just after the Rapture of the Church (Revelation 4) and the enacting of the 7-year covenant (Peace treaty) Daniel 9:27, Matt 24 made with Israel by the Antichrist.

“And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate

Remember from our discussion in the Seventy-Weeks Prophecy, that the one-week mentioned here is actually 7-years. There are 3.5-Years between the first part of the verse above – the Covenant, and the second part – the Abomination. 

Revelation 4-5:  The Scene in Heaven – The Time has arrived

John is brought up (in the spirit) to the heavenly throne room of God, where God is exalted. We see God the father, the Holy Spirit, the 24 Elders, the Cherubim and other Angels. With the flashes of lightning and thunder, you get the idea that there is an excitement in heaven. This has been coming for thousands of years. Those that have gone on from this life have been waiting.

The Scroll

God the Father holds a Scroll, and it has writing inside (revelation and judgements), but is sealed in Roman fashion with seven seals. The seals need to be loosed by someone that has the special authority to do so. The word used by the Angel is ‘Worthy’, which in context seems to mean standing or authority. (see also John 1:27) where John is not worthy to untie Jesus sandals. 

The Lamb of God, Jesus, is the only one found in heaven that can open the scroll. Not only is the Lamb the King of Kings, he was the sacrificial lamb of God, pictured in the Jewish Passover, who takes away the sin of the world. (John 1:29) Accordingly, He has the authority to pronounce judgement on the Earth and Satan, the serpent of Genesis 3.

“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. “You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.” (Revelation 5:9-10 )

Revelation 6 – The Seal Judgements

Birth Pangs

This metaphor (Birth pangs) that Jesus used in Matthew 24 should be understood not just as a sign of things to come just before the Tribulation, but more so as a component of the whole Tribulation period. When we are introduced to the Seal judgements, they may seem like things that pass very quickly, but being early in the Tribulation period, they seem to happen more slowly, over 3.5 years. At the end of the Seal judgments, Jesus says But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs”. That is horrible, but the worst is yet to come.

Tribulation Judgements are from God alone

Important to note: From the first seal judgement through the end of the Tribulation, all judgements are initiated by God through the Lamb, for him and his purposes.

Seal One – Antichrist

The First Seal is broken, and a character is released to conquer the earth. (When the Restrainer is no longer restraining) He comes on a horse (military), deceptively a white horse (unlike Rev 19:11) and a bow with no arrows. This is the Antichrist, and he is first in the timeline because he will quickly make a peace treaty with Israel, (Dan 9:27) which we equate basically with the start of the 7-year Tribulation. He starts as Peacemaker. The crown given to him may represent his ascendancy to leader of the world empire (Revived Roman Empire) of the Tribulation period.

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.” ²I 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.

Seal Two – War

The next horse is blood red, and causes the world to break out in war, evidently for the entire 3.5 years.

When He broke the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come.” ⁴And 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

Seal Three – Famine

The endless world wars leads to famine represented by scales measuring out food. This is what the survivalists have been prepping for. 

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

This is like paying a days wages for a loaf of bread.

Seal Four – Death

Angelic beings are sent to the earth to bring death to 1/4th of the earth, 2 Billion people.

When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come.” ⁸I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name Death

Seal Five – Martyrdom

Many believers during the first half of the Tribulation are killed for their testimony.

When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained

Seal Six – Culmination of the First Half or 3.5 years

At this point, around the end of the first 3.5 years, Jesus breaks the sixth seal, and supernatural judgements are executed from God focused on the earth and the universe (earthquakes, astronomical cataclysmic events). These things begin to kick off the Great Tribulation. Tricky to understand, but the events still leave people alive and gathering in caves to avoid the cataclysmic events.

We will pick this up in the Tribulation: Second Half page