That evening at her apartment, Jill Steiner has the news running in the background while she also reads a book she found on the internet called "The Future Times." It was the book mentioned in the online video which was aired on her news show earlier in the day. She reads to herself from the book:
"The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, which are Dictatorship, War, Economic Disaster, and Death, will now begin to unfold. These first four of seven Seals will reveal historical trends which will be pervasive throughout the entire seven year period of the Tribulation, which has just begun. They reveal the trends which will occur in a very intense and sustained manner throughout the entirety of the Tribulation. Later there will be specific Bowl and Trumpet judgments unsealed throughout the course of the Tribulation. The Lord Himself, as Judge of the world, has broken open the 1st Seal."
Revelation 6:1 “I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, “Come!”
"Thunder in the distance warns of the coming storm. The gathering storm early during the Tribulation will be a set of extreme judgments on the earth, and the time for those judgments has arrived."
Revelation 6:2 “I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.”
"Seal #1 is the White Horse of dictatorship under the Antichrist who will strip mankind of their personal freedoms and force upon them a false satanic religion. So-called “democratic” forms of government will be pushed aside and replaced by strong-armed dictators around the world. The strongest of them will be the Antichrist, also called the Beast, or the Antichrist. This man of Satan will appear very early during the Tribulation and deceive the masses into giving up personal liberties in exchange for a promise of collective security under his dictatorship. The Antichrist will appear to be a leader on a white horse coming to the rescue, but instead he will be a force for great evil who enslaves millions of people. Early during the Tribulation he will not be seen as a force for evil, and will use cunning speeches and selective warfare to gain his position, and then will assume dictatorship rule over a ten nation confederation. Revelation 6:2 means “he conquers, so that he may conquer”. This demon-possessed Antichrist conquers so Satan might gain power through him, and Satan will set him up as an idol to be worshiped by mankind. So the white horse is dictatorship and loss of personal freedoms as a result of the Antichrist seizing power through conquest, which will continue and intensify throughout the entire Tribulation. Once these first Seals are opened they reveal ongoing historical trend judgments, so once they begin, they continue throughout the entire Tribulation."
Jill puts down her book and thinks to herself about what happened today, as she tries to make sense of it all. So many horrible things occurred, and all at the same time. "What is the meaning of it, was this really the Rapture of the Church? Or some type of unexplained Vanishment as national leaders are now calling it? Can it really be the beginning of a period of Great Tribulation?" she asks of herself, with no answers.
As the day finally ends Jill is endlessly searching through internet news feeds and blogs. A website has been set up to help those searching for loved ones who vanished, and she looks at the faces of those who were alive this morning, but now are gone. The numbers are staggering, and estimated to be well over 100 million. She falls asleep still wondering what it is all about...
In Jerusalem it is early morning, and the group of nearly a hundred young men have re-gathered on the Temple Mount to continue their discussion from the previous day. Shem Kolb, their de facto leader, asks for their attention as they draw near to listen to him. "Fellow Jews, we are at a crossroads. The issue has been made clear to us that we missed our Messiah Jesus Christ the first time around. We will not make that same mistake again. I ask you to join with me as new believers who will carry forth the message of the Messiah to our own nation Israel and also the entire world. The message of the Messiah must be proclaimed, and time is very short. All believers were removed from the earth by the Rapture, and now new believers must learn how to evangelize. The Bible says the Messiah will return to earth seven years after the Rapture, and says there will be a core group of Jewish believers who must perform the task of evangelization. We are the beginning of the 144,000 who will perform that task. Are you ready?" Cheers of agreement erupt among the group as these new Jewish believers eagerly await direction from Shem regarding their assignments. As they prepare to depart, Shem asks them to quickly spread the message about what has really happened, and what it means.
Back at home on the outskirts of Jerusalem, Shem talks with his wife about what he has come to believe.
The morning alarm awakens Jill Steiner and her first thought is "Was it all a dream?" She turns on the news. No, it was real. Day 2 is beginning. She wonders to herself what today will bring as she hurries off to the studio.
Back at the anchor desk Jill begins her broadcast. She had only recently been promoted to the position as news anchor of the LANX Morning Show. It was quite a jump for someone only 27 years old. Now she is reporting the biggest news in years, maybe decades. It is only 24 hours after the Vanishment occurred.
Jill: "Good morning LA. We continue with news coverage of the Vanishment. There is a lot to cover but here is a very quick rundown on what we have learned so far:
1) At approximately 10:20 AM yesterday the Vanishment occurred. People just disappeared. The numbers from around the world are estimated to be more than 100 million people.
2) The US was hardest hit by the Vanishment, while it was virtually a non-event in the Middle East, Far East, and some portions of Africa. The numbers are highest in the south and southeastern United States.
3) The cause is listed officially by government leaders as "an undefined Vanishment"
4) The US President and VP vanished. The Speaker of the House was sworn in as Acting President.
5) The people who vanished left behind their personal effects, namely clothing they were wearing, jewelry, glasses, phones, and so on at the point where they vanished.
6) Nationwide, there were huge numbers of traffic accidents, a large number of airplane and train accidents, numerous industrial accidents, unattended critical infrastructure incidents resulting in power outages and countless other accidents, incidents and disruptions.
7) Many people did not show up where they were expected. People on airplanes vanished and their clothing was left in the seat they had occupied. Numerous small stores were left unattended as owners or clerks did not return to close the shops. And other cases where people should have been in certain places but they were not, however their clothing was there in a pile.
8) Some eyewitnesses saw people vanish and their clothing fall to the ground as they were talking to them. One person reported: "We were talking and suddenly there was only a pile of clothing where he was standing." Another eyewitness who was a passenger in a car which crashed said the driver was talking and in mid-sentence there was only a pile of clothing in the car seat, and then the car crashed."
9) Most of those who vanished appeared to be Christians, however some clergy and high level church leaders remain. These are often from certain progressive denominations, but also some long established ones.
10) The US Congress is in disarray as many Members are missing. There are not enough Senators to have a quorum for many types of voting. The balance of power in the Senate has also changed as the former President's party no longer has a majority of seats since it lost more Members to the Vanishment. This will likely allow Acting President Antivon to secure his power base more quickly.
There is much more, but that is a very quick rundown on what happened yesterday."
Jill continues: "So this is where we are just 24 hours into this phenomena, a Vanishment, or whatever it was. We go now to where we began the reporting just 24 hours ago, to SkyCopter News reporter Sean Thompson who broke the story yesterday morning in the skies over the LA Basin. Over to you, Sean:"
"Jill, that's right, just 24 hours ago our helicopter emerged over the San Gabriel mountain range to unveil a sea of chaos in the LA basin." Sean reminds himself not to be overly dramatic. "We witnessed clogged freeways. We saw multiple burning locations, mostly traffic accidents, one airplane crash site, and some industrial accidents. Now just 24 hours later, with the wrecker trucks having worked non-stop through the night, most freeways are at least minimally passable, although some bridges are closed for inspection. Most people have stayed home at the request of the Mayor, and the new President has declared a state of emergency, both of which have helped ease the chaos. Essential services are getting back into operation, although slowly. Power outages remain a big problem. The city is returning to a minimally functional state, but only because most people have remained at home. From what we can see from the air, the city seems to have a surreal calm about it." Skip the drama, Sean reminds himself. "Reporting from Sky News, Sean Thompson reporting. Jill, back to you." Sean turns to pilot Tommy Jackson and says "I was a bit dramatic there." "Don't worry" Tommy replied, "for a newbie who was thrust into this yesterday on his first day, you have done just fine. It's not as though we were simply reporting on a fender-bender on the I-5 freeway and then went back to have donuts at the airport."
Jill: "We go now to our reporter Phil Stewart on the street in downtown LA for a walking view of the aftermath of the Vanishment. Phil, what do you see down there?"
"Jill, I have been out walking the streets of downtown LA, both yesterday and this morning. Yesterday I saw chaos as people were screaming that their loved ones, friends, co-workers, and other people had vanished. People were running and screaming in sheer terror and confusion. They had seen something normally reserved for a bad movie. Today it is much calmer, as the streets are mainly empty as people have generally remained home. A few homeless people have formed crude signs with the words "REPENT, THE END IS NEAR" on them. Nothing really new about that. But I have also seen several stores which were never locked up yesterday, and they remain open. A pile of clothes is generally found behind the counter, or elsewhere in those small stores. Very eerie. Some of those stores have been looted, and looting is a real problem down here today. Police can't do much about it as they are overwhelmed. Just now I see several people running down the street with piles of stuff in their hands, yelling gleefully. I can tell you that I don't feel safe down here myself. The loss of order is just one of the disturbing issues we will need to consider as we move about the city. Otherwise, given what we have been through during the past 24 hours, I can say that at least no additional people seem to have vanished today. Jill."
Jill: "Thanks, Phil. We will continue to keep our viewers updated on events as they unfold. Back in just a minute..."
Over the next week, events continue to unfold on the world stage. Overall, the disruptions were confined to mostly Christian areas of the world, such as the US, Europe, and a few other regions. A couple small nations in central Africa were also hit hard. But the US was most severely affected, and was in a chaotic state. President Antivon was confirmed by Congress as President, which ended the "Acting" President issue. He appointed a political unknown as his VP who was previously the head of an environmental activist group. Martial Law continues in effect as President Antivon uses it as a means to implement aggressive political moves, and he signs numerous Executive orders putting controversial and far-reaching polices into effect without the consent of Congress. There is internal tension in the US due to the extreme measures being put in place by the new President. Dissent steadily grows as people see a loss of freedom setting in.
Jill Steiner is at home continuing to read "The Future Times." She does not yet know what to think about that issue. She never had any belief system outside of getting ahead as a reporter. It is what she had always wanted to do with her life. But she finds the book interesting, at least. She reads about what the Bible says will happen during the first half of the Tribulation:
"Now the Lord opens the 2nd Seal, the Fiery Red Horse of war.
Revelation 6:3 “When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” 4 Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make people kill each other. To him was given a large sword.”
Seal #2 is the Fiery Red Horse and its rider. This signifies four great armies which will engage in nearly constant worldwide war during the Tribulation, including the army of the Antichrist. Despots seeking power will take peace from the earth, meaning a continuous world war affecting the entire earth. The four spheres of power on the earth are the Kings of the North, South, East, and West, who will battle each other. The resulting wars will include conventional, guerrilla, terrorism, and even nuclear war. This is what was prophesied by Jesus just days before the cross: “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end [Second Advent] is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.” (Matthew 24: 6-7)
This horseman of war will be an historical trend, not a single event. There will be specific battles during later judgments, but the Fiery Red Horse means a world war will start almost immediately and wage during the remainder of the Tribulation. The Rapture will lead to great instability among the nations, and dictators will rush in to take advantage of the chaotic situation."
Jill did not realize it yet, but the world would soon see that the Four Horsemen had just arrived. Global war was at the doorstep. The first installment came quickly and unexpectedly.