upgraded March 9, 2010
John 10:10 (NIV) "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."
The Antichrist will steer the world into a train wreck that is going to kill ONE HALF of the people that are on the train, and there is not any way that anyone can stop it!
IF THE DESTRUCTION OF THE ANTICHRIST WAS NOT STOPPED BY THE RETURN OF JESUS CHRIST, THE ANTICHRIST WOULD PHYSICALLY DESTROY EVERY SINGLE PERSON IN THE ENTIRE WORLD, INCLUDING HIMSELF!
There are currently six billion people alive on the earth. The fourth seal will result in the death of one fourth of the people on the earth, or 1.5 BILLION people by murder, famine, plagues, and wild animals.
Revelation 6:7-8 (NIV) When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, "Come!" I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.
The A. I. D. S. virus is a fore-glimpse of the plagues that will be released on the earth because of man's sin. The A. I. D. S. virus was introduced into the human bloodstream, when a human became involved in bestiality with a monkey. In this way, the virus that came from, "the wild beasts of the earth" - Revelation 6:8, is biologically killing man. The A. I. D. S. virus was spread within the human bloodstream pool, essentially through homosexuality and fornication. There is an effort on the part of sinful people to make bestiality socially acceptable, as Robert Redford's Sundance Film Festival recently promoted a film depicting bestiality. At creation, wild animals were given a fear of man because man was given dominion over them. In committing sin, man deserts his place of dominion in God's order, and lowers himself to simply existing as another animal within the food chain. Because of man's sin, "the wild beasts of the earth" are losing their fear of man. Consequently, "the wild beasts of the earth" will begin physically killing and eating man.
The sixth trumpet and the sixth bowl will prepare the world for the Battle of Armageddon. After the destruction of 1.5 BILLION people because of the fourth seal, the four angels released because of the sixth trumpet will result in one third of the 4 1/2 billion people that survived the destruction of the fourth seal being killed. That amounts to another 1.5 BILLION people.
Revelation 9:13-20 (NIV) The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the horns of the golden altar that is before God. 14 It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates." 15 And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind. 16 The number of the mounted troops was two hundred million. I heard their number. 17 The horses and riders I saw in my vision looked like this: Their breastplates were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulfur. The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke and sulfur. 18 A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur that came out of their mouths. 19 The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails were like snakes, having heads with which they inflict injury. 20 The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood--idols that cannot see or hear or walk.
Revelation 16:12-16 (NIV) The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East. 13 Then I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs; they came out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14 They are spirits of demons performing miraculous signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty. 15 "Behold, I come like a thief! Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed." 16 Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.
Because of the 1.5 BILLION people killed at the opening of the fourth seal, and the1.5 BILLION people killed at the sounding of the sixth trumpet, three BILLION people, or ONE HALF of the six billion people that are alive at the beginning of the "great tribulation" Period will be killed during the three and one-half year "great tribulation" Period!
Those people who are committing sin will be weakened by their sin, and they will be the first, and the ones most likely to die. As an example, a large percentage of people who are practicing homosexuality or are sexually permissive will die of AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. Those people addicted to drugs, tobacco, alcohol, or overeating will have weakened their bodies and be less able to combat the pandemic diseases that the wickedness of man, and the wickedness of the Antichrist will effect.
Because of Matthew 7:13-14 and many other Holy Scriptures, we know that certainly not ONE HALF of the population, but "only a few" people will go to Heaven.
Matthew 7:13-14 (NIV) "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Two Holy Scriptures that are widely misunderstood are Matthew 24:37-41 and Luke 17:26-37 printed below:
Matthew 24:37-41 (NIV) "As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left."
Prior to the flood and, "up to the day Noah entered the ark", the wicked people, "knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away." Noah knew what was going to happen. In Matthew 24:39, referencing Genesis chapters 6-9, it was those people who, "knew nothing about what would happen", that the flood came and took away. It was not Noah that the flood took away, it was the wicked people that the flood took away TO DEATH. THE DAY that Noah entered into the ark, total destruction began on the wicked people.
It is the exact same occurrence that is referenced in Luke 17:26-37 printed below.
Luke 17:26-37 (NIV) "Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 27 People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all. 28 It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. 29 But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. 30 It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. 31 On that day no one who is on the roof of his house, with his goods inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. 32 Remember Lot's wife! 33 Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. 34 I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. 35 Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left." 37 "Where, Lord?" they asked. He replied, "Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather."
In Luke 17:27 printed above, "the flood" did not destroy Noah, "the flood" destroyed the wicked people. In Luke 17:28 printed above, "It was the same in the days of Lot." Fire and sulfur did not destroy Lot. "the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all." Fire and sulfur destroyed the wicked people.
In Matthew 24:37-41 and Luke 17:26-37 printed above, we can see that it was not Noah or Lot that the flood took away, it was the wicked people that the flood took away TO DEATH. This is an identical situation to what will occur during the "great tribulation" Period. The wicked people will be unaware of what is going to happen to them, until DEATH comes and takes the wicked people away.
Because of the fourth seal and the sixth trumpet, three billion people, or ONE HALF of the six billion people in all of mankind living at the beginning of the "great tribulation" Period will be killed during the three and one-half year "great tribulation" Period. Matthew 24:40-41 and Luke 17:34-35 printed below reflect that ONE HALF of the people, or 50% of the people will be taken by Death during the "great tribulation" Period.
Matthew 24:40-41 (NIV) "Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left."
Luke 17:34-35 (NIV) "two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left."37 "Where, Lord?" they asked. He replied, "Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather."
Matthew 24:40-41 and Luke 17:34-35 printed above are NOT-NOT-NOT referring to the "Rapture", or when the righteous people are taken to be with the Lord. Matthew 24:40-41 and Luke 17:34-35 are referring to ONE HALF OF THE WICKED PEOPLE being taken to DEATH, - hence Jesus Christ commented in Luke 17:37 printed above: "Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather."
The living "Born Again" Children of God are NOT going to be taken anywhere. After meeting Jesus Christ in the air, the Bride of Christ will return to the earth for the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.