I have a friend who thinks we’re already experiencing the seal judgments. I told him that the Tribulation can’t officially start until the covenant is signed and confirmed between Israel and the Antichrist, and that has not happened yet. So the four seals are not in the process of being opened. Nor will they be, until we, the Church, are out of here. I said what we are experiencing now are birth pangs. The seal, trumpet, and bowl judgments won’t commence until the Age of Grace is finished and the last 7 years of the Age of the Law begin. We’ll be in Heaven with Jesus by then. He asked me for the scripture references for the points I made. Any aid you can give me on this will be greatly appreciated.
The confirmation of a seven-year covenant is mentioned in Daniel 9:27. It begins Daniel’s 70th Week the last half of which is the Great Tribulation. 2 Thes. 2:4 and Matt. 24:15-21 confirm this.
The church is raptured in Rev. 4 as symbolized by the 24 elders, and is visible in Heaven in Rev. 5:9-10 as the kings and priests who will reign on Earth. (Make sure you study these passages before you try to teach them to your friend, and use a King James as many of the modern translations try to fudge this.) The seals are opened in Rev. 6 and the Trumpets and Bowls follow in Rev. 8 & 15 respectively.