• Seven sprinkles of blood, and the Seven Seals
• The Four Seals and the Four Horses
• The remaining three Seals
• The Seals and the Trumpets
• More Context
• The Seven Bowls of God’s wrath
• The Jewish Calendar and the Seven Seals
• The Seven letters
• More on the Four Horsemen

Seven sprinkles of blood, and Seven Seals

In Leviticus 16, the Lord warns Aaron against liberally entering into the most Holy space in the Temple behind the curtain. Access into the Holy of Holies was permitted only once annually, on the Day of Atonement. Aaron would enter under the express purpose of sprinkling the blood of a sin offering, seven times on the atonement cover (the cover of the Ark of the Covenant).

According to the author of Hebrews, the responsibilities of the High Priest on this day (as it occurred annually, performed by the High Priest of every generation) would serve as a prophetic rehearsal of what would ultimately happen with Christ. When Jesus became High Priest of heaven, he would pass through the “greater and more perfect” tabernacle of which the tabernacle of earth is but an imperfect copy. Jesus entered the Holy of Holies not with the blood of bulls, but with his own blood. 

In Revelation 5, John’s attention is directed to a scroll with seven seals. An angel inquires “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” No one is worthy, except for the “Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David” –  the Messiah. The scroll containing the seven seals that only the Messiah can open, is reminiscent of the sprinkling of blood that the High Priest would perform specifically seven times on the atonement cover. 

The Holy of Holies of the terrestrial tabernacle contained the Ark of the Covenant, standing as a visible witness of the Old Covenant. In contrast, the act of Jesus entering into the Holy of Holies residing in Heaven would signify the ratification of something new. The opening of the scroll therefore, is synonymous with becoming mediator of the New Covenant. 

The Four Seals and the four Horses

Each seal opened, leads to an expression of God’s wrath on earth. God is intending to use calamity and tribulation to lead the world to repentance. The succession of one seal after the other is a type of countdown, a reminder to choose a side. When the last seal opens, it will be too late for the wicked to escape their fate. The Lord will come to exact vengeance and mete out judgement on the deserving.

The 7,000 year “week” of man yields a pattern of the emphasis of the number 4 and 3. This is because the arrival of the Messiah on the fourth day (a period in-between four thousand years and five thousand years) breaks the week into two parts. Scripture emphasizes this pattern of 4 and 3 in many ways, and this same pattern also reveals itself in the seven seals.  

To review, four Feast days occur in the spring. This is followed by a period of three months of waiting until the arrival of the three Feast days on the seventh month:

In the same way, the arrival of the Messiah on the fourth day of man, leads to three “world” days (three thousand years) of waiting until the conclusion of the 7,000 years and the arrival of the “New heavens and earth.”

Revelation chapter 6 describes four seals without pause. However, on the fifth seal, the martyrs who died for the testimony of Jesus are asking of God: “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” (Revelation 6:10). They are given white robes and they are told to wait. 

Revelation chapter 6

The four Horses are first introduced in the book of the prophet Zechariah. However, Instead of four single horses, Zechariah beholds four chariots of many horses. Each chariot corresponds to a spirit of heaven:

The first chariot had red horses, the second black, the third white, and the fourth dappled—all of them powerful. I asked the angel who was speaking to me, “What are these, my lord?” The angel answered me, “These are the four spirits of heaven, going out from standing in the presence of the Lord of the whole world.” – Zechariah 6:2-5

Zechariah first planted the seed of the notion of four spirits moving throughout the earth. The prophecy of John provides further context. Using the book of Revelation, we now know they are released as a form of judgement corresponding to the breaking of four seals. In addition, each horse/spirit has a unique task to carry out.

The first seal: Rider riding a white horse

• Holds a bow, wears a crown, and moves forward as a conqueror

The Second seal: Rider riding a red horse

• He will take peace away from earth. Inspires people to kill. Wields a large sword.

The Third seal: Rider riding a black horse

• Holds a pair of scales. John hears a declaration, resembling a type of Wall Street report: “Two pounds of wheat for a day’s wages, and six pounds of barley for a day’s wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!”

The fourth seal: Rider riding a “pale” horse

• Rider is “death.” Power is given to kill a fourth of the earth by sword, famine, and plague.

The remaining three Seals

Seal number four is a waiting period. The righteous martyrs await their vindication, when the Lord will avenge their blood.

Seal number six gives way to an earthquake, the darkening of the sun (sun is made black like “Sackcloth made of goat hair”), the moon is turned blood red and the “stars of the sky” fall like figs to earth. In addition, the 144,000 are sealed at this time.

Seal number seven brings a silence in heaven. Seven angels appeared before God, and they were handed seven Trumpets. This kicks off the second count of seven: seven trumpets. The seven trumpets however, are not placed chronologically after the seven seals. The whole point of all this upheaval is to open the scroll. Once the seven seals are broken and the scroll is open, God wins. The battle is over. Satan is imprisoned, all of Israel is saved, and Jesus reigns as king in the Temple in Jerusalem. After the seventh seal, there is no time left for a struggle. 

While John is in heaven, the process appears in linear fashion: first the seven seals, and then the seven trumpets. But on earth, the judgements are cyclical. The seven seals cover the entire period starting from the resurrection of Jesus to the very dawn of the seventh day of man (the “day of the Lord” when the tribulation ends). The four seals provide a broad and large scale look into two thousand years of history. The remaining three seals cover the tail end of the two thousand years (the last seven years of the tribulation).

We return to the pattern of four and three:

• Four seals take place over thousands of years as build up and preparation for the seven year tribulation. 
• Three seals mark the beginning [fifth seal], middle [sixth seal], and end of the seven year tribulation [the seventh seal].

When the first of the seven trumpets is sounded, it’s as if time reverses. John is taken back in time, but this time he is given a much closer look. The seven trumpets will focus on the events surrounding a smaller chunk of time within the two thousand years, specifically taking place between the fifth seal and the seventh seal: the seven year tribulation.

The Seals and the Trumpets

When the seven seals are over, John’s vision goes back in time to the very first year of the tribulation. This takes place on seal number five. The tribulation week begins when the Antichrist “confirms a covenant with many” (Daniel 9:27). Common interpretation is that the Antichrist makes a peace agreement with the Nation of Israel. It will be done under the pretence of “Peace and security” (1 Thessalonians 5) but the Covenant will be broken in the middle of the seven years. Sacrifice will cease, and an “abomination” will be set up in the Temple (Daniel 9:27).

Again, the four and three pattern makes an appearance:

Four trumpets are sounded:

1. Hail and fire mixed with blood. A third of the earth is burned up.
2. A huge mountain is thrown into the sea. A third of living creatures in the sea dies.
3. A great star fell from the sky to make a third of all water bitter.
4. A third of the sun, moon, and stars turn dark.

After the four trumpets, an angel laments the severity of the last three trumpets:

“Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!” – Revelation 8:13

Trumpet 5

Trumpet five takes place on seal six. Remember that seal six gives only a brief description of the darkening of the sun, the moon turning red, and “stars falling like figs.” This is because the seals only gave John general, big picture information. This time, since the Trumpets represent a much closer look, more information into the conditions of seal six is provided. One of the “stars” (symbolic of angelic hosts) that fall from heaven is given a key to open “the abyss.” The opening of this abyss results in smoke rising and completely covering the sky. The smoke obscures light from the sun, and makes the light reflected from the moon appear red. Out of the abyss, Locusts emerge (also described as scorpions) to harm the earth. They were “prepared for battle” and moved as soldiers under the command of a king (the angel of the Abyss).

The Locusts represent the Antichrist army rushing to invade Jerusalem. The first Chapter of the book of Joel is a prophetic glimpse into this attack, and the devastation involved. The vision likens the invading hordes of the Antichrist to a swarm of locusts, bringing swift destruction and leaving nothing in its wake:

“A nation has invaded my land, a mighty army without number; it has the teeth of a lion, the fangs of a lioness. It has laid waste to my vines and ruined my fig trees. It has stripped off their bark and thrown it away, leaving their branches white.” – Joel 1:6,7

When Jerusalem is taken captive, the people of Judah will be sent into a world wide exile for the second time:

“…They scattered my people among the nations and divided up my land.They cast lots for my people and traded boys for prostitutes; they sold girls for wine to drink.” – Joel 3:2-3

“For you took my silver and my gold and carried off my finest treasures to your temples. You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks, that you might send them far from their homeland.” – Joel 3:5-6

This attack is precipitated by an event known as the “abomination that causes desolation”: 

In Mark 13, Jesus gives stern warning to flee without hesitation to the mountains when the abomination is sighted:

 “When you see ‘the abomination that causes desolation’ standing where it does not belong—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 15 Let no one on the housetop go down or enter the house to take anything out. 16 Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. 17 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! – Mark 13:14-17

Trumpet 6

Trumpet 6 is sounded on seal seven; the end of the tribulation. The Antichrist and his allies exercise authority with tyrannical aggression. Jewish captives are held as slaves and prisoners throughout the Empire. Territories provincial to the Beast system have been dismantled, abandoned and left without leadership as former kings and men of power seek shelter in caves and under rocks (Revelation 6:15). The earth is absolutely ravaged and the sky is perpetually black with smoke. These are the conditions that characterise what scripture calls “the day of the Lord.” On this day, the Lord gives full vent to his anger and righteous indignation. 

The Antichrist and his allied nations are led to direct their attention to Jerusalem once again. God’s will is to gather them into Jerusalem. The sixth angel holding the sixth Trumpet announces: “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates” (Revelation 9:14). They are released to kill a third of mankind through inspiring one last military siege. The Apostle John overhears that their number: “ten thousand times ten thousand” (Revelation 9:16).

Trumpet 7

Soon after the sounding of the seventh Trumpet, loud voices announce the annexation of earth into the “Kingdom of our Lord” under the authority of the Messiah (Revelation 11:15). 

Putting it all together:

The Nation of Israel brokers a Covenant with the Antichrist in order to secure peace. This kick starts the tribulation week. After three and a half years the promise of peace between the Nation of Israel and the Antichrist is broken without warning, and with sudden destruction. According to Jesus in Matthew 24, the appearance of the abomination would provide little precious time to escape Jerusalem before it is destroyed. The situation is so dire, Jesus remarks that one should not return home even to grab a coat! 

• Seal Five/Trumpets 1- 4: Martyrs who perished during Seal Four are told to wait until the conclusion of the tribulation. Various natural disasters take place to signal warning of the impending calamity of Seal six.
• Seal Six/Trumpet 5: The opening of the sixth seal triggers the falling of “stars” like figs, representing angels allied with Satan falling to the earth. Trumpet five reveals that soon after the stars fall, one “star” or angel in particular, is granted a key to open the “abyss”. Whatever it is, it releases copious amounts of smoke into the atmosphere. This darkens the sun, and makes the moon appear red. After the abyss is opened, the Antichrist hordes rush like monstrous Locusts to devour the land of Israel, and to set up the abomination. Many Jews resident to the land are taken captive as slaves and subjected to cruelty, and exile.
• Seal Seven/Trumpet 6: Four angels are released from the river Euphrates to gather the Antichrist and his allies for a second attack against Jerusalem.
• Seal Seven/Trumpet 7: The tribulation has ended, the Messiah now reigns in an official capacity as King on earth.

More Context

Even with Seals five through six, and the full gamut of the Trumpet blasts, we are left with more questions than answers. The prophetic elements convey a blurry image; a form is discernible, but definition and clarity is lacking. This is why John’s vision at times will seem to depart from the general flow of the vision to address specific details. Revelation chapters 11-14 will resolve the following questions:

• What is the significance of the falling of “stars” like figs? What causes it?
• What happens during the waiting period between Seal five and Six?
• What is the Kingdom of the Antichrist like? How does it rule? What type of persecution does it subject the world to? 
• Who are the 144,00?
• What happens during the final battle of the Seventh seal?

What is the significance of the falling of “stars” like figs? What causes it?

In Revelation 12, John provides a cryptic description of a woman suffering through the agony of labor. After John writes of the male child she gives birth to, it’s clear the woman represents the Nation of Israel and the son: Jesus. The child is quickly removed from harm’s way, placed into God’s care and “his [God’s] throne” (meaning Jesus inherits the throne). 

A war between angel Michael and the devil rages in heaven (Revelation 12:7-8). The devil and his angels lose the battle and are thrown down to earth. This leads to the event of Seal Six: “The stars in the sky fell to earth, as figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind” (Revelation 6:13). This description is typical of prophecy, conveying in symbolic language the event of Satan and his angelic hosts rapidly descending to earth after a hostile eviction from heaven.

The dragon, as a symbol of the malevolent forces of the Devil, proceeds to attack the woman (The Nation of Israel). Although the attack is largely successful, a small minority is allowed to escape by “flying away” to a place of refuge (Revelation 12:14). The dragon then turns his attention to the Christian world “those who keep God’s commandments and hold fast to their testimony about Jesus.” This marks the beginning of a targeted campaign to persecute and kill Christians worldwide.

What happens during the waiting period between Seal five and Six? 

Two remarkable individuals (known as the “two witnesses”) will emerge at the advent of the tribulation. In a fashion similar to John the Baptist, they will preach repentance and warn of coming calamity. John’s vision seems to suggest their proximity to the Temple, as if their ministry would be specific to Jerusalem. They will be opposed and hated, but for the first half of the tribulation they will move forward with impunity. They’ll have the power to strike their foe with plague, fire and drought if necessary. It seems likely that the disasters that correspond to the first four Trumpets will arrive under their command.

At the conclusion of their testimony, the “beast that comes from the abyss” will kill them. The mention of the “abyss” ties their deaths to the events of Seal six:

• The opening of the “abyss”
• The “abomination of desolation”
• The release of “Locusts” to destroy Jerusalem
• The death of the two witnesses

What is the Kingdom of the Antichrist like? How does it rule? What type of persecution does it subject the world to? 

The Antichrist kingdom will have two phases

John watches as Satan calls forth a “Beast” from the sea. The Beast from the sea is empowered by Satan to accomplish his will. John observes that before this Beast rises to power, it must heal from a “fatal head wound.” It therefore has a period of prominence, followed by what appears to be a complete defeat. Eventually it recovers from the “fatal head wound” more powerful than before. 

A second Beast emerges, coming from the earth. The Beast from the earth is responsible for heralding the First Beast’s return to the world stage. It will function much like a prophet, performing great signs to evoke awe and convince the world to worship the first Beast. Ultimately, it will force the world to take on a “mark” – and without it, buying and selling will not be possible.

When the Beast from the sea returns to power, it is given authority to conquer God’s people. The whole earth is made subject to the rule of the first Beast. 

Who are the 144,000

The event of the sealing of the 144,000 happens during Seal six. It’s important to note that the 144,000 who are sealed, are among the living. Just after mention of the 144,000 – John’s vision takes him to a celebration in heaven. John beholds a multitude without number, from every tribe and nation, wearing white robes and waving palm branches. These two groups (the 144,000 and the great multitude in heaven) are participating in the same one event. The difference however, is that one is taking place on earth and the other is taking place in heaven.

Evidently, there are only two designated places for the Christian after seal six takes place. Christians are either dead, or sealed as members of the 144,000. Although the 144,000 are mentioned first in Revelation 6 (during seal six), the 144,000 make a second appearance in Revelation 14 right after the description of the mark of the Beast. This is because the mark of the Beast is Satan’s counterfeit of the “Seal” that takes place among the 144,000. 

According to John’s vision, the 144,000 are purchased:

Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads… They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among mankind and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb. – Revelation 14:1,4

The analogy of a business transaction serves to emphasise the point of ownership. God now owns and/or possesses the 144,000. There is no question, no struggle between God and Satan for these people. The matter has been settled.

Likewise, those who receive the Mark of the Beast will have offered the ownership of their soul to Satan. 

The time of the implementation of this mark will force all of humanity to choose a side. Either they will die for God, or they will forfeit their eternal soul out of fear of death. 

The three angels

Revelation 11 – 14 addresses four topics:

1. The Two Witnesses
2. The Woman and the Dragon
3. The two Beasts
4. The 144,000

After these four subjects are expounded upon by the vision, three angels appear before John offering three statements of woe:

1. The first woe is a statement of warning: “Fear God and give him glory because the hour of judgement has come.” – Revelation `4:7
2. The Second woe brings up a subject that until this point, has not been discussed: “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great.” – Revelation 14:8
3. The Third woe reveals the eternal consequences for receiving the mark: “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand, they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name. This calls for patient endurance on the part of the people of God who keep his commands and remain faithful to Jesus.” – Revelation 14:9

Statement two provides an essential piece of information necessary for understanding the chronological order of events. According to the three woes, the event of the fall of Babylon (which has not yet been covered by John’s vision) precedes the receiving of the Mark. At this point, we know that the fall of Babylon happens sometime after the recovery of the Beast from the sea (from its wound) and before the Mark of the Beast.

What happens during the final battle of the Seventh seal?

John is offered a glimpse of the second coming of Jesus. Jesus is wearing a crown of gold and holding a sickle in his hand. An angel steps out of the Temple in heaven and shouts: “Take your sickle and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is ripe” (Revelation 14:15). Jesus swung the sickle in his hand to harvest the earth. This is the harvest of the righteous, the calling of saints in the Resurrection.

Another angel shouts: “Take your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from the earth’s vine, because its grapes are ripe.” This time an angel swung a sickle, and gathered grapes to be thrown in the winepress of God. They were trampled and crushed, so that the blood would rise as high as a horse’s bridle. This is the end result of the final battle. The four angels released in Seal seven/Trumpet six gather the armies of the Antichrist for what will become an absolute slaughter.

The Seven Bowls of God’s wrath

After the seventh Trumpet, prophecy takes the Apostle John backwards in time once more. The first Bowl caused festering sores to break out on the people who received the Mark of the Beast. We know that the Mark is enforced only after the Beast from the sea has achieved the full measure of its power. We therefore know one thing for sure, The wrath of the first Bowl cannot land on Seal five. Seal five is a time of calm before the storm. The Beast of the Sea withholds its violence until the middle of the week.

The middle of the week is a big reveal. The Beast exposes itself for what it is, and the reckless ambition it holds to achieve absolute power and even receive worship. As Revelation 12 reveals, the first move is to destroy Jerusalem. After, it sets its fury on Christians worldwide.

I place the first Bowl of wrath on Seal six. Later, when John indulges more, this will make complete sense.

• First Bowl: festering sores on those who received the Mark of the Beast.
• Second Bowl: Sea turned to blood. 
• Third Bowl: rivers and springs turn to blood.
• Fourth Bowl: sun was allowed to scorch people with fire. People refused to repent.
• Fifth Bowl: The Kingdom was plunged into darkness. People refused to repent.

The sixth Bowl is the most notable: “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” (Revelation 16:12). Again, the river of the Euphrates is mentioned. While Trumpet six only divulged that four angels were released to gather the Nations for battle, Bowl six reveals that the water in the river also dries to provide an open path for the gathering. In addition three “impure spirits” are released to essentially accomplish the same job. They “perform signs” to convince the Kings of the world to gather for battle. 

The sixth Bowl therefore lands on the Seventh Seal.

The Seventh Bowl causes an earthquake of such magnitude that the “great city” (most likely a reference to Jerusalem) split into three parts, and the Nations of the earth collapsed. In Revelation 16, something interesting happens to the text. It’s as if John reverses in time again, but right in the middle of a thought. Two scenes merge together as one. The city of Jerusalem is merged with a reference to the fall of Babylon:

The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. God remembered Babylon the Great and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of his wrath. Every island fled away and the mountains could not be found. From the sky huge hailstones, each weighing about a hundred pounds, fell on people. And they cursed God on account of the plague of hail, because the plague was so terrible. – Revelation 16:19-21

Satan is a copy-cat

Revelation 16 is hoping to capture the reader’s attention. It’s bringing to light a principle that is all throughout the entire book of Revelation. Satan’s ambition is to be God. He therefore does as God does, but in a way that benefits him: 

• The Messiah dies and comes back
• The Beast from the Sea “dies” (suffers a ‘fatal head wound’) and comes back to life.

 

• The 144,000 are “sealed”
• The devil seals those who receive the “Mark of the Beast”

 

• Jesus had a ministry of three and a half years
• The Antichrist rules with authority for three and a half years

 

• Jesus is the revealed image of God. We direct worship to God by worshipping Jesus.
• The Beast of the Sea receives worship by creating an “image” and forcing the Nations to worship the image (Revelation 13:14-15)

God has a Holy land. This Holy land provides a home and shelter for the theocratic Nation of Israel, which is founded upon spiritual law (the Torah). 

The “Whore” of Babylon (AKA Mystery Babylon) is Satan’s version of the Holy land. Mystery Babylon is a real city, also residing in the wilderness (desert). It is a centre of spiritual “adultery” (idiom for Idolatry) and yet it is also political – the Kings of the earth commit “adultery” with her. 

The Holy land is a gathering place for Israel and those who revere the God of Abraham. Mystery Babylon is also a gathering place for the nations, and for many peoples: “The waters you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages.” – Revelation 17:15

A plot twist of sorts occurs. God places it in the heart of the Beast to destroy Mystery Babylon: “They will bring her to ruin and leave her naked; they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire” (Revelation 17:16). The roar of a great multitude in heaven shouts: “Hallelujah!

The smoke from her goes up forever and ever.” This is a big reveal. The smoke of Seal six (which darkens the sky and obscures the sun) described as coming from the “abyss” results from a Nuke directed at Mystery Babylon. 

The Destruction opens the “abyss” – releasing the Beast from earth (Revelation 13:11). He is the “angel of the abyss” the king of the Locusts (Revelation 9:11).

The destruction of ‘Mystery Babylon’ jump starts all the essential events of the tribulation. We now have a complete timeline:

• Beast from the sea rises and falls (fatal head wound).
• The Beast rises again [Seal Four].
• A Covenant of peace is made the Nation of Israel [Seal five].
• Satan and his angels fall from heaven [Seal Six].
• Mystery Babylon is destroyed. 
• Beast of the earth emerges from the “abyss” with his Locusts
• The “Abomination Desolation” 
• Locusts are released to destroy Jerusalem.
• The two witnesses are killed
• The Beast of the earth makes the world worship the Beast from the sea
• The Mark of the Beast is enforced 
• 144,000 are sealed
• The two Beasts are granted power for three and a half years
• At the end of three and a half years the Antichrist and his allies are gathered into Jerusalem one more time. This time, the Antichrist will lose [Seal Seven]. 

Satan Defeated

John is granted a vision of Christ coming in the clouds once again. Interestingly, Jesus is riding a white horse. This is reminiscent of the first Seal. However, contrary to the rider of the first seal, Jesus is “Faithful and true” (Revelation 19:11). Jesus advances against the Nations with his own army: the resurrected saints wearing white linen who through Jesus, are made pure and clean. An angel shouts to the birds:  “Come, gather together for the great supper of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and the mighty, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, great and small” (Revelation 19:17-18). John’s vision concludes the matter rapidly. After all, this scene has already been described many times:

“But the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed the signs on its behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshipped its image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. The rest were killed with the sword coming out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh” Rev 19:

The Jewish Calendar and the Seven Seals

The seven seals and the Jewish calendar adhere to the same pattern (broken into two pieces: 4 and 3). When the calendar is superimposed over the seven seals, the “Day of Trumpets” (“Yom Teruah” in Hebrew) aligns with the fifth seal, the “Day of atonement” aligns with the sixth, and “Feast of Tabernacles” aligns with the seventh seal. This will provide further meaning and context to the events that correspond to the last three seals:

Day of Trumpets

The fifth seal is a period of warning; a gracious gift of three and a half years for those who have not turned to God, to finally repent and escape a fate with eternal consequences. The four Trumpet judgements are released at this time.

The sounding of the trumpet in Israel was employed like an alarm; the thundering trumpet call is unsettling, and attention grabbing. It was as a sign of warning, and a call to repentance. The natural disasters associated with each Trumpet will signal warning of the impending calamity of Seal six.

In addition, the “two witnesses” will also announce the urgency of the times.

The fifth letter to the church of Sardis seems to be an exact match with the fifth seal. The letter communicates absolute urgency:

Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. – Revelation 2:2-3

The subject moves to address a few in the church of Sardis who “have not soiled their clothes.” It says “They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy.” This seems to point to the 144,000 who are protected from the torment of the Locusts, and who remain living throughout the seven years. The privilege of becoming sealed is therefore connected to those with unsoiled clothes, who were “awake” at the right time, relative to the others who needed the wake up call.

The letter makes a distinction between “them” and those who are receiving the rebuke to wake up. If those who have been found with an incomplete faith and unfinished deeds take to heart the instruction to wake up, they too will be dressed in white:

“The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white.” – Revelation 3:5

This reinforces what Revelation will seem to imply, later in the description of seal six. There are two groups: the 144,000 and the tribulation martyrs who gather in heaven without number. The tribulation martyrs are victorious in the sense that they remained faithful to resist the Antichrist, and they were indeed dressed in white as John’s vision shows, albeit in heaven.

Day of Atonement

On the Day of Atonement, the High Priest would wear special garb unique to the occasion, made of white linen. The High Priest would wear a linen tunic, undergarments, a linen sash and turban. After donning the attire, the High Priest would enter into the Holy of Holies and perform the sprinkling of the blood to atone for himself, and his “household.”

For repentant Israel, and the “household” of the High Priest, the Day of Atonement will yield forgiveness. Sacrifice is performed to atone for sin, and as the High Priest performs his duties he does so in faith that God will respond by offering mercy.

However, this day is a double edged sword. It is also a day of judgement. One goat is sacrificed to mediate atonement for Israel. The effect of a ceremonial slaughter is that the animal is made “sanctified” and spiritually elevated. The other goat, in contrast, will suffer the indignity of the fate designated to the “scapegoat”. This goat, known as the “scapegoat” takes upon himself the Avon (intentional sins) of Israel, and along with it, the shame and depravity. It is taken to the wilderness and thrown off a cliff to explode upon impact as it lands.

The Day of Atonement is associated with Seal six. Seal six is also characterized in a dual manner: Seal six is triggered by the event of the destruction of the Mystery Babylon. This releases the angel from the abyss and the Locus army to attack and destroy Jerusalem. However, for the “household” of our High Priest, and all those who believe in Jesus, a celebration takes place. The tribulation martyrs are granted white robes:

“After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands…These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” – Revelation 7:9,14

In Revelation 19, a multitude in heaven shouts in jubilee over the destruction of Babylon. In quick succession, just after mentioning the endless billows of smoke rising from the abyss, mention is made of the “wedding of the lamb”:

Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thundering’s, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigned. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God. – Revelation 19:6-9.

A wedding procession is happening in heaven, while on earth the “abyss” is soon to open, releasing the Beast from the earth. The abyss is opened with a key. The sixth letter addressed to the church in Philadelphia also matches with Seal six. Remarkably, it mentions a key and door:

“These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut.” – Revelation 3:7-8

The Seven letters

I’ve already shown two examples that the seven letters, just like the Feast days, correspond to the seven seals. I still have yet to conduct an in depth study. However, I suspect that an abundance of insight/connections can be made by comparing each letter with it’s corresponding “world” day,  Feast Day, and Seal. Here are a few of the most obvious parallels:

• Adam and Eve sin on day one, causing a “fall from grace”. The first letter addressed to the church of Ephesus gives the following rebuke: “Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen!” 
  • After the sin, Adam and Eve lose access to the Tree of life. The first letter also mentions the tree of life: “To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.”
• The fifth Seal lands on the Feast of Trumpets. The time of the fifth Seal represents a time of urgency and warning. The fifth letter also stresses a sense of urgency: “ Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God.”
• The Sixth Seal causes the “abyss” to open. It is opened by an angel with a key. The sixth letter also mentions a key: “These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut.”

More on the Four Horsemen

The prophet Zechariah gives vital information for informing our speculation regarding what world event can be attributed to each horse/seal. Unfortunately the vision only divulges on three of the four horses:

The chariot with black horses travel North:

“The one with the black horses is going toward the north country” 

The chariot with the white horses:

“The one with the white horses toward the west”

The chariot with “dappled” (spotted) horses:

“and the one with the dappled horses toward the south.”

Although the text does not say, since three out of four of the cardinal directions are covered, it’s fair to assume that the red horses would be travelling East.

Matthew 24

In Matthew 24, Jesus expounds on the conditions and signs that will be present at the time of his second coming and at “the end of the age”. Jesus’ response is essentially a condensed version of the seven seals. 

The first thing Jesus mentions is the report of false Messiahs:

Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many.

Second is war:

You will hear of wars and rumours of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.

Jesus combines Seal three and four into one:

There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.

A best guess

Using our resources (Zechariah, Revelation, and Matthew 24) we can piece together a decent “best guess” at what is being communicated, what seals have already happened, and what we can expect to happen in the future. 

We know that the first seal/horse is white. It goes forth with resolute purpose to conquer. It moves westward in its expansion (according to Zechariah’s vision) and it is somehow associated with the report of false Messiahs (Matthew 24). Although many Christians worldwide would not appreciate my conjecture, my best guess is that the white horse is responsible for the rise of the Catholic church. The Catholic church was and is bent on conquering the world. Catholic/Christian presence is strongest in the West compared to other areas of the world. In addition, the Catholic church is engaged in a false presentation of the identity of the Messiah, and a false presentation of the gospel (a gospel of works).

The second seal/horse is red. It takes peace from the earth, and inspires bloodshed and war. The rider wields a sword. Presumably, it moves Eastward (as already discussed earlier). This is obvious. What political movement is associated with dissent, disruption and violence, the color red, and is primarily located in the East? My best guess is that the rise and move of Communism has been inspired by the red horse.

The seal/third horse is black. It holds a pair of scales. The declaration heard from John resembles a Wall Street stock exchange report. The report paints a bleak picture of poverty, and hard economic times. The black horse expands Northward relative to Israel. My best guess is that the black horse represents the rise of banking and capitalism. The end result of predatory economic practices is poverty, and scarcity of resources. This fits with the economic report heard by John. 

The fourth seal/horse is spotted and “pale”. Actually, the greek word indicates a pale green. It is associated with Death personified, and the spirit of Hades. It goes forth intent on eradicating a fourth of humanity through war, famine, and plague. It expands south of Israel. The religion of Islam is most dominant in the South. Interestingly, it is most often associated with a light green color. It promotes “Jihad” – expansion of its religion through martyrdom. Islamic expansion is always followed with aggression, violence and death. My best guess is that the fourth seal/horse is responsible bringing about a worldwide revival of Islam.

If this is true, this places us just after the third seal (arguably, we have passed the peak of what capitalism can offer) and right before the fourth seal. Islam, although steadily rising, has not yet made a full recovery worldwide. If I have peaked your interest regarding this subject (Islam and the end times) I recommend the Joel Richardson, his youtube channel and his books.

Chapter 6 of the gospel of John preserves an account of a miracle involving what our modern eyes are inclined to identify as “the warping of space-time”:

“So when they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs, they saw Jesus walking on the sea, and coming closer to the ship, and they were afraid! But he said to them, ‘It is I, do not be afraid.’ Then they willingly received him into the ship, and immediately the ship was at the land where they were going.” – John 6:20-21

The circumstances of the event are identical to concept in Judaism coined by the phrase “Kefitzat HaDerekh”:

“Translated literally, kefitzat ha-derekh means “the jumping of the road.” It is usually interpreted, however, as “the shortening of the way.” The phenomenon consists of the swift arrival of a person or persons to a distant destination, accomplished by supernatural means. The travelers must break the laws of nature to fit the concept, and the distance cannot be covered as quickly by walking or riding an ordinary horse, mule, or donkey. . . . Kefitzat ha-derekh can happen spontaneously, as a miracle performed for the benefit of a just and good person who is in trouble.” – Ilil Arbel, Ph.D., Kefitzat Ha-Derekh, Encyclopedia Mythica

Jewish Tradition

Rav Ezra Bick likens Kefitzat ha-Derekh to a “miraculous warp of space.” Although the Rabbi is articulating the phenomenon with modern language borrowed from physics, it can be said without doubt that the concept, while only recently known by the secular world, has been known and discussed by Jews since time immemorial. The inclusion of this concept in the New Testament is proof that it goes back as least as far as the 1st Century.

According to the Talmud, only three individuals have ever merited the miracle of “kefizat haderek”:

“Our Rabbis taught: For three did the land contract: Eliezer, Abraham’s servant, our father Jacob, and Abishai the son of Zeruiah.” – Sanhedrin 95a, Soncino Press Edition

The commentary in this exchange elaborates briefly on each individual mentioned. In the case of Eliezer, Kefizat HaDerek is indicated by his statement made in Genesis 24 verse 42: “And I came that day [Ha Yom] unto the well, and said, O Lord God of my master Abraham, if now thou do prosper my way which I go…” Contrary to most English translations, the Hebrew does not refer to “this day” but “that day.” This does make the statement subject to a certain level of ambiguity:

His intention was to say to the members of Rebecca’s family that on that day he left Canaan and on the same day he arrived, to underscore the miraculous nature of his undertaking on behalf of Abraham. – Sanhedrin 95a

Genesis 28 also features a linguistic oddity:

As it is written: “And Jacob departed from Beersheba and went to Haran” (Genesis 28:10), and it is written thereafter, ostensibly after he arrived in Haran: “And he encountered the place, and he slept there, for the sun had set” (Genesis 28:11). – Talmud Sanhedrin 95a

It is clear enough that Jacob would arrive in Haran. Why wouldn’t the text just say: “After he arrived” or “after he encountered Haran”, why the inclusion of “the place” which is ambiguous enough to suggest a place other than Haran? The sages embraced the opportunity to assume a Kefizat Haderek:

This means that when Jacob arrived at Haran, he said: Is it possible that I bypassed a place where my forefathers prayed and I did not pray there? He sought to return to Beit El. Once he contemplated in his mind to return, the land contracted for him, and immediately: “And he encountered the place,” indicating that he arrived there unexpectedly, sooner than he would have arrived without a miracle. – Talmud Sanhedrin 95a

The sages assumed “a place” of prayer, as a result of the word “encounter” as in “he encountered the place.” The prophet Jeremiah links this word with the concept of prayer:

Alternatively, encounter means nothing other than prayer, as it is stated: “And you, do not pray on behalf of this nation, and do not raise on their behalf song and prayer, and do not encounter Me, for I do not hear you” – Jeremiah 7:16).

The third account of Abishai is entirely dependent on oral tradition and not worth discussing at length. In 2 Samuel verse 17, “Abishai son of Zeruiah” rushes to David’s aid after his capture. The Talmud goes on to embellish this verse, by providing a long story which includes the land contracting so that Abishai could arrive just in time to save David.

In comparison to the three accounts, the text known as Numbers Rabbah provides the most solid evidence. It asserts that the Lord caused the land to shrink so that the spies would not have to travel for longer than forty days. An interesting point is raised:

“AND THEY RETURNED FROM SPYING OUT THE LAND AT THE END OF FORTY DAYS (23:25). But do you not find that they walked [only] from the south to the north in forty days? Would they then have walked through the whole of it in forty days? [Certainly not;] but it was clear to the Holy One, blessed be He, that they would come and utter slander concerning the land, and that years of suffering would be decreed against that generation, a year for each day of spying, and so the Holy One, blessed be He, caused the road to shrink for them.”- Numbers Rabbah 16:15, Soncino Press Edition

The Book of Acts

The one other New Testament account of kefizat haderek is found in the Book of Acts. Immediately after baptizing an Ethiopian Eunuch, the Spirit of the Lord is said to carry the Apostle Philip away so that the Eunuch was left alone, yet no less joyful. The Eunuch left the scene rejoicing, while Philip was evidently transported to “Ashdod” which is 19 Miles away from where the Baptism took place (Gaza):

“Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, ‘Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.’ So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch. . . they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he immersed him. And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing. But Philip was found at Ashdod, and passing through he preached in all the cities, until he came to Caesarea.”
Acts 8:26-27, 38-40

The Torah does not directly address intentional sin [Avon] the way that it does with unintentional sin. There is only one procedure in the Torah that does treat Avon in some capacity. The Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16) requires the designation of two goats: one is offered as a sacrifice for sin [Het – unintentional sin]. The second goat is presented before the Lord, but in a manner not seen anywhere else in the Torah. The second goat, known as the “scapegoat” is not slaughtered. Instead, the High Priest is instructed to announce all the Avon [intentional sins] and Pesha [sins of defiance] of the community, as if to transfer it to the goat. The goat is then released into the wilderness. 

The Day of Atonement highlights one important detail. By performing the procedures required, Israel is mercifully spared of the consequences of Avon. Albeit, not by sacrifice – and not by “atonement”, but through the mysterious transfer of Avon to the scapegoat. The scapegoat is then allowed to venture away from the community. The mysterious implication is: Avon cannot be treated under the Torah. Instead, it is resolved somewhere outside the legal parameters of the Torah. This begs the question: “Where does it go?”

The Prophet Jonah

It is Jewish custom to read the Book of Jonah on the Day of Atonement. Although the book is small, consisting of only four chapters, a study into the book of Jonah will yield an amazing amount of insight. In fact, many parallels can be made between the account of Jonah and the various details of the Day of Atonement. 

The Day of Atonement lands on the 10th of Tishri (the 7th month of the calendar). Just 5 days later, on the 15th, the 8 day Festival of Sukkot [tabernacles] will begin. In the fourth chapter of the book of Jonah, the prophet has withdrawn under the shade of a “Sukkah” – a tabernacle:

Jonah had gone out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter [Sukkah], sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city. – Jonah 4:5

This Sukkah/tabernacle would provide a reference point for determining when in the Jewish calendar the events in the book of Jonah take place. Construction of a Sukkah typically takes place a day before Sukkot on the 14th, since the official first day of Sukkot is a day of rest. In addition, the text states that it took three days total for Jonah to cover the entire city of Nineveh. If we were to assume the first day of preaching to Nineveh occurred after the 10th of Tishri (Day of Atonement) it’s a reasonable fit:

• Day of Atonement (10th of Tishri)
• Three days of preaching (11 – 13th of Tishri)
• Construction of Sukkot (14th of Tishri)
• The first day of Sukkot (15th of Tishri – Jonah 4:5)

It’s also possible that the Day of Atonement fell under one of the three days that Jonah spent confronting the Ninevite people. Thanks to the reference point of Sukkot, we know that the three days took place either on the Day of Atonement, or very close to it.

The Day of Atonement required the nation to “afflict” their souls, a Jewish idiom meaning to endure a fast:

“This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month you must afflict yourselves [by fasting] and not do any work.” – Leviticus 16:26

Likewise, in response to Jonah’s word of warning, the Ninevites would proclaim a fast:

The Ninevites believed in God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. When Jonah’s warning reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. This is the proclamation he issued in Nineveh: “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let people or animals, herds or flocks, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. 9 Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.” – Jonah 3:3-9

As a result of their repentance, and contrary to Jonah’s words, God would withhold the wrath he was prepared to unleash on Nineveh. As a result, Jonah would be branded a false prophet. This is why Jonah was so irate with the outcome:

“But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry. He prayed to the Lord, “Isn’t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.” – Jonah 4:1-3

Considering the circumstances, Jonah’s outburst was not unreasonable. Moving forward, Jonah would now wander as a pariah. He couldn’t return home, since it is likely word would spread of his false prediction. In Israel, false prophecy would warrant death.

According to Leviticus, the man who escorted the goat outside the city would become unclean:

“The man who releases the goat as a scapegoat must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water; afterward he may come into the camp.” –  Leviticus 16:26

Like the “scapegoat” sent into the wilderness – bearing the disgrace of the Avon of Israel, Jonah had no choice but to accept his fate as an outcast, to reside in solitude, without hope of ever returning home. Jonah was unclean in heart, bitter and angry at the Lord.

On the Day of Atonement, the High priest determines which goat becomes the “scapegoat” by “casting lots” (Leviticus 16:8). In chapter 1, Jonah attempts to escape his divine task by entering a boat headed for Tarshish. While sailing abroad, the boat was hit with wind and storm. The sailors resolved to “cast lots” in order to find out who was responsible for the bad fortune. After it was clear they were suffering for harboring a fugitive of the Lord, they threw Jonah overboard. Like the “scapegoat”, Jonah was rid of as an object of scorn.

After the two goats were differentiated, the priests would place a scarlet/red thread around the horn of the “scapegoat.” This was to prevent potential mix up between the two goats by accident. In a similar fashion, a “red weed” (symbolizing the scarlet thread) was wrapped around Jonah’s head:

“The waters surrounded me – unto [my] soul; the deep encircled me!  A red weed was wrapped to my head.” – Jonah 2:5

Jesus and Jonah

Jonah was the only prophet that Jesus ever associated with himself. According to Matthew 12, the three days/nights spent in a whale set the template for the only sign Jesus would give to those who challenged him. Jesus would remain three days/nights in the earth, only to be released from death, just as Jonah escaped the whale:

He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. – Matthew 12:39-40

Paul writes that Jesus was buried, and raised on the third day “According to the scriptures” intimating that although the connections between Jesus and Jonah are only inferred, the inferences are so strong it wouldn’t be wrong to regard the insights as “according to scripture”:

“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures… that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures…” – 1 Corithians 15:3-4

• Both are from Galilee.
• Jonah is brought up from the pit (Jonah 2:6) Jesus is brought up from the pit (Matt 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, John 20).
• Just as lots were cast over Jonah, lots were cast over the garments of Jesus (Psalm 22:18, John 19:24). 
• The account of the storm in Mark and Matthew is reminiscent of the book of Jonah:

“On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go over to the other side. Leaving the multitude, they took him with them, even as he was, in the boat. Other small boats were also with him. A big wind storm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so much that the boat was already filled. He himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion, and they woke him up, and told him, “Rabbi, don’t you care that we are dying?!” He awoke, and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, Peace! Be still! The wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, Why are you so afraid? How is it that you have no faith? They were greatly afraid, and said to one another, Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him.” – Mark 4:35-41, cf. Matt 8:24-27

• Jesus would suffer public disgrace, and rejection by his own people. Like Jonah, he would be regarded as a false leader.
• Both are resurrected (1 Kings 17:23; Matthew 28:6).
• Israel would be excluded, as the message of the gospel would become embraced by the gentile world.
• Jonah’s prayer in Jonah chapter 2 is symbolic of resurrection. King David would also write in a similar manner:

“For the waves of death surrounded me. The floods of ungodliness made me afraid. The cords of Sheol were around me. The snares of death caught me. In my distress I called on HaShem. Yes, I called to my God. He heard my voice out of his temple. . He sent from on high and he took me. He drew me out of many waters…” – 2 Samuel 22:1-51

• As the “red reed” wrapped around Jonah’s head, so too did the crown of thorns wrap around the head of Jesus.

Jonah and the Messianic connection

A passage in 2 Kings chapter 14 calls attention to an event the common reader would assume to be trivial. Jeroboam, who would serve as king of Samaria for forty one years, managed to reclaim ownership of land from “Lebo-hamath” to the Sea of Arabah. Under normal circumstances this would be an unremarkable detail. However, the land of Israel is Holy (Zechariah 2:12). The five books of Moses make it unequivocally clear that land ownership is directly tied to faithful observance of the Torah commandments. Therefore scripture intimates that God has a personal hand in failures that result in land lost, and military victories that lead to expansion of territory. In the case of King Jeroboam, land restoration was permitted at the word of the prophet Jonah:

“He restored the border of Israel from Lebo-hamath as far as the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of HaShem, the G-d of Israel, which he spoke by his servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was from Gath-hepher.” – 2 Kings 14:25

The Jewish text “Kol HaTor” links the effort of land expansion (in tandem with a prophetic word of approval) with the Messiah:

“The commandment to expand the borders is the mission of Mashiach ben Yosef as God had told the prophet Jonah, who was on the level of Mashiach ben Yosef, to restore the border of Israel (II Kings 14:25).” – Kol HaTor 2.36

According to the passage of 2 Kings 12, Jonah is from a town called “Gath-Hepher”, located in Galilee, near the city of Nazareth. 

Jewish tradition asserts that the Messiah should come from the land of Galilee:

“The glory of his majesty” refers to the Messiah when he shall reveal himself in the land of Galilee; for in this part of the Holy Land the desolation first began, and therefore he will manifest himself there first . . . and when the Messiah shall have manifested himself, a star shall come forth from the East variegated in hue and shining brilliantly…” – Zohar, Volume II, Shemot 7b, Soncino Press Edition, pg. 21

Jonah is understood to be the son of the widow of Tzarfat who was resurrected by Elijah:

“According to the midrash (Shocher Tov 26:7) Yonah was the son of the widow in Tzarfat, who had died and had Eliyahu HaNavi bring him back to life (see Kings I, chapter 17). This intimate spiritual connection between Yonah and Eliyahu marked the beginning of Yonah’s reception of the spiritual potential to manifest Mashiach ben Yosef in his lifetime; for Eliyahu HaNavi was, and is, among those most connected to the qualities of Mashiach ben Yosef (see Shaar HaGilgulim (הקדמה לב) and Kol HaTor 2:71). In addition to the deep spiritual connection that Yonah and Eliyahu shared, as a result of Eliyahu resurrecting him, Yonah was also his disciple (Pirkei Rabbeinu HaKadosh, Likkutim 3) and is even eventually described as being equal to him (Mishnas R’ Eliezer 8). Elisha, who succeeded Eliyahu and continued his spiritual mission, was a contemporary and teacher of Yonah, who continued, as a result, to be privy to the reception of the spiritual the qualities of Mashiach ben Yosef, from Elisha, who had received them from Eliyahu. This is also the significance of the midrash which says that Elisha “anointed” Yonah (Mishnas R’ Eliezer 8) which expressed that Elisha “anointed” him as “Mashiach ben Yosef”.”  – R’ Daniel Krentzman, Ari Goldwag, Geulah Perspectives, Yonah as MBY

Jonah had a teacher – student relationship with Elijah. In the same way, Jesus was supported and Baptized by John the Baptizer who came “in the spirit of Elijah.”

Like Jonah, the Messiah will lead the nations to repentance:

“The Vilna Gaon teaches (Kol HaTor 2:75) that one of the missions of a respective Mashiach ben Yosef is to be a: “מוכיח לתשובה“, that is, to give rebuke and spur the masses to repent. This furthers the goal of tikun olam by having people remove themselves from tumah and sin and return to serving Hashem and doing good in the world; eventually to the extent that the rectification can be done for the sin of Adam and Chava, in Gan Eden. Therefore many Mashiach ben Yosefs were involved in giving rebuke and encouraging repentance throughout Jewish history. This form of “rebuke” of Mashiach ben Yosef is not limited to the Jewish people alone but can also apply to the nations of the world.”
R’ Daniel Krentzman, Yonah as MBY

Rabbi Daniel Krentzman expounds on prophetic value behind the ordeal of the whale:

“The verse relates: “Hashem designated a large fish to swallow Yonah, and Yonah remained in the fish’s innards for three days and three nights” (Yonah 2:1). The unusual circumstance of G-d causing a giant fish to engulf Yonah is not without deep significance. We see that when Yaakov gave his blessing to Efrayim and Menashe, the children of Yosef HaTzaddik, he blessed them in connection with the quality of fish; as it says (Bereishis 48:16): “…may they proliferate like fish, within the land”. The Vilna Gaon taught (Kol HaTor 2:33) that the content of this blessing to Yosef’s sons essentially reflected the spiritual qualities of Mashiach ben Yosef, stemming from Yosef HaTzaddik. Thus the aspect of “fish” and its conceptual associations are connected to Mashiach ben Yosef. We thus find an example of this, in the gemara (Berachos 20a), where the progeny of Yosef are described as having the protective spiritual quality of fish. It was therefore appropriate that the fish be the medium that Hashem used to deal with Yonah, the Mashiach ben Yosef of the time; and achieve everything that He did, through it specifically.” – R’ Daniel Krentzman, Yonah as MBY [2]

Even in Jewish tradition, the three nights in the whale are regarded as symbolic of resurrection:

“In the story of Jonah we have a representation of the whole of a man’s career in this world. Jonah descending into the ship is symbolic of man’s soul that descends into this world to enter into his body…just as Jonah ‘went down into the innermost part of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep’. . . So ‘the shipmaster came to him’, to wit, the good prompter, who is the general steersman, ‘and said unto him: What do you mean that you are sleeping? Arise, call upon your God’, etc.; it is not a time to sleep, as they are about to take you up to be tried for all that you have done in this world. Repent of your sins . . . For the fish that swallowed him is, in fact, the grave, and so ‘Jonah was in the belly of the fish’, which is identified with ‘the belly of the underworld’ (Sheol), as is proved by the passage, ‘Out of the belly of the underworld (sheol) cried I’. ‘Three days and three nights’: these are the three days that a man lies in his grave . . .After that the soul ascends while the body is being decomposed in the earth, where it will lie until the time when the Holy One, blessed be He, will awaken the dead. A voice will then resound through the graves, proclaiming: ‘Awake and sing, you that dwell in the dust…’He will destroy death for ever, and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces; and the reproach of his people will he take away from off all the earth’ (Ibid. 25:8). It is of that occasion that it is written: ‘And the Lord spoke unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land’ . . . Thus in the narrative of that fish we find words of healing for the whole world…In a similar way the Land of Israel will in the future first be stirred to new life, and afterwards the earth will cast forth the dead.” – Zohar, Volume II, 199a-b, Soncino Press Edition

How Avon is resolved

The process of Avon being transferred to the scapegoat reveals that Avon cannot be resolved within the legal parameters of the Torah. Instead, mysteriously, it must be sent away – dealt with in another manner. The parallels that can be identified between the details of the Day of Atonement, and the story of Jonah, indicate that the circumstances of the book of Jonah, although tragic, are this way by design. Jonah took on the unfortunate role of personifying the “scapegoat” for the purpose of revealing the mystery of Avon. Avon passes from Israel to the Messiah, who willingly offers himself to suffer ridicule, disgrace, pain and impurity for the purpose of cleansing his people, and the world.