PRÉCIS ON THE STRAITS OF HORMUZ AND THE THIRD SEAL: RELEASE OF THE BLACK HORSE AND ECONOMIC SCARCITY (WITH VIDEO)

1. THEOLOGY

SCRIPTURE. “When He (the Lamb) broke open the third seal, I heard the third living creature call out, ‘Come.’ I looked, and behold, a BLACK HORSE [OF FAMINE]; and the rider had in his hand a pair of scales (a balance). And I heard something like a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, ‘A quart of wheat for a denarius (a day’s wages), and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not damage the oil and the wine.’” – REVELATION 6:5-6, AMP

KEY TERM: “PAIR OF SCALES.” ‘Zugos’ [ζυγὸν]: “A yoke or coupling of servitude [as with a condition or law of restrictive obligation]; also, a beam of the balance (connecting the scales) used for measurement.” NOTE: “The term ζυγός (Strong’s 2218) denotes a wooden beam used to bind two draft animals for plowing or pulling, and by extension any device of binding or weighing, such as a balance beam. ‘In Scripture, the word develops rich symbolic value, representing Bondage, Discipline, or Measured Judgment, depending on context.’”

“STRAIT. “‘A Narrow Pass or Passage,’ either in a mountain or in the ocean, between continents or other portions of land; as the Straits of Gibraltar; the Straits of Magellan; the Straits of Dover [or, the Straits of Hormuz]. Distress; difficulty; distressing necessity; formerly written ‘streight’ … ‘STRAIT is the gate, and narrow is the way that leadeth to life, and few there be that find it.’ – Matthew 7:13.” – NOAH WEBSTER, American Dictionary of the English Language, 1828; edited

QUOTATION. “‘Some 17 million barrels of oil transit the Strait of Hormuz daily, making it the biggest CHOKE POINT in the world’s oil supply.’ The Strait is Narrow — it has only two shipping lanes, and at a little less than two miles wide, it would be relatively easy to disrupt. Any threat of conflict would greatly reduce the flow that passes through it. Closure of the strait would instantly remove 20 percent of the world’s oil from the market, causing an immediate supply shock similar to that of 1973. This would be among the most delicate of possible operations to execute. ‘But as PUTIN [Trump’s close ally and consort, arguably, his Political Master] has repeatedly demonstrated, he is willing to tke great risks to Reshape Global Affairs.’” – ANONYMOUS, ret. Mar. 16, 2026; edited

COMMENTARY. “There is a difference amongst interpreters what should be signified by this BLACK HORSE; some by it understand ‘Famine’, because a Scarcity of Victuals bringeth men to a black and swarthy colour; some understand by it ‘Justice,’ because the Rider is said to have ‘a Pair of Balances in his hand;’ others understand by it ‘Heresies,’ and great sufferings of the Church by Heretics and others.

‘He that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand;’ either to give men their bread by weight, (as is usual in Times of Great Scarcity), or to measure out every one their due.” – MATTHEW POOLE, English Annotations on the Holy Bible, 1685-1700; edited

THIS JUST IN. “‘Donald Trump‘s inner circle is growing alarmed that he may be losing control of the Iran War after allied countries flatly rejected his plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.’ Trump has demanded US allies deploy warships to reopen the critical oil passageway, but France, Japan, Australia, and the United Kingdom have all declined to help protect commercial shipping from Iranian attack. 

Gas prices have surged to an average of $3.80 a gallon from $2.90 before the conflict began three weeks ago, while the ‘Narrow Strait’ – through which a fifth of the world’s oil flows – remains blocked by the threat of Iranian mines and missiles.” [Newt Gingrich: “Drop a dozen nukes,” Mar. 15, 2015; Mediaite]. – PHILLIP NIETO, Daily Mail, Mar. 17, 2026; edited

II. THE SEALS

When I began drafting the First Edition of The Sixth Seal (2017) in May 2015, I was clearly first led to consider the “BIRTH PAINS” Jesus outlined in His Olivet Discourse.

“But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs [of the intolerable anguish and the time of unprecedented trouble].” – MATTHEW 24:8, AMP

It soon became clear to me that to grasp a general sense of the Timing of Last Things, it had to begin there. Just a bit later, it also became apparent to me that there was a THEOLOGICAL INTERSECT between the Olivet and the Lord’s delineation to John at Patmos of the ‘Six Seal Judgments that would lead up to (as with ‘Birthing Pangs’) the “Time of Unprecedented Trouble” which inarguably explodes in “THE SIXTH SEAL.’”

“I looked when He opened THE SIXTH SEAL, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place.

And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the WRATH OF THE LAMB! [‘orgé’ (ὀργῆς)-‘violent indignation, anger, and vengeance’]. For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” – REVELATION 6:12-17, NKJV

FIVE BIRTH PAINS. Leading up to this Earth and History Changing Moment, are the previous Five Seal Judgments as runup to the bursting forth of the Wrath of God and the Time of Jacob’s Troubles.

• SEAL ONE: ANTICHRIST. Without haggling further over the point that I have written two books and over 400 commentaries to argue, President Donald Trump is the Biblical Antichrist. Thus, the Scriptures tell us he rides a White Horse, going out “conquering and to conquer.” At first without force of arms, then later, with military force. His Ultimate Goal: To become King and Redeemer of the entire world. – Revelation 6:1-2

• SEAL TWO: WAR. Since his Second Inauguration on January 20, 2025, the President has militarily intervened domestically on our Southern Border and the new ICE Brigades, internationally in Somalia, the Caribbean, Venezuela, Iraq, Nigeria, Syria, Yemen, and now Iran. The Iran War has expanded to 14 Middle East nations. The Red Horse and Rider are now “taking peace from the earth.” – Revelation 6:3-4

• SEAL THREE: FAMINE. A Black Horse and Rider then advance as Christ rips open the Third Seal instructed to increasingly cause Scarcity of goods and services, hyperinflation, and ultimately worldwide financial collapse. Thus, “a quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius,” an entire day’s wages for a single meal. But also, Divine Protection for “the oil and the wine.” – Revelation 6:5-6

• SEAL FOUR: PESTILENCE. As the fury and force of the sustained release of the First Three Seals, the World Ecosystems begin to crumble, resulting in medical crises in the form of world-wide Pandemic that we got a taste of with the Covid-19 outbreak in 2019. Thus the Pale Horse and Rider bring “Death and Hades” to an Earth reeling from these Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, with even wild beasts desperately foraging for food, begin to attack humans in the cities. – Revelation 6:7-8

• SEAL FIVE: MARTYRDOM. As Antichrist Trump turns his rage against his perceived enemies as with the ICE Raids currently ripping families apart, shooting citizens in the streets and “detaining” thousands in horrific conditions in the newly designed Concentration Camps, he starts to slaughter Christians, in limited numbers, as a primary target. They are “slain for the Word of God and for the testimony which they held.” These are the Remnant Church, as diametrically distinguished from the Conventional White Church in America. – Revelation 6:9-10

III. HORMUZ & THE THIRD SEAL.

Which brings us straight to the point of our Present Analysis. As Disclaimer: I am not a prophet, a geopolitical expert nor an international economist, but as I often say, I can read. As a professional research scholar fueled by a substantially stable Christian Worldview as a lay theologian, I can, with God’s guidance, ‘Synthesize’ a number of studies and run them through the Grid of the Scriptures to give us a reasonable assessment of the topic under study.

Today, that is the bursting open of the THIRD SEAL of Economic Destabilization at the hands of President Donald Trump who desires just that: A RUPTURE in the World Economic Order to further his own Agenda toward Sole Control over it.

“Also he compels all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead [signifying allegiance to the beast], and that no one will be able to buy or sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name. Here is wisdom.

Let the person who has enough insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the [imperfect] number of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six.” – REVELATION 13:16-18, AMP

What better way to bring about that ‘Rupture’ than to choke off the Straits of Hormuz that controls at least 20 percent of the world’s oil reserves that impacts several nations? The world reports this as underestimation and reckless ignorance, but I wonder if there is a Darker Muse’s Plan at work her, beloved.

Selah.

ESCHATOLOGICAL PRESUPPOSITIONS.Because I believe that Donald Trump is the Biblical Man of Sin and that God therefore cannot Bless but rather must Curse all that he does; ‘Because the Law and the Prophets and the Apostles and Jesus Christ Himselfprophesied seamlessly that The Last Days would grow increasingly evil and violently destructive; I propose a WORST CASE SCENARIO for this and all subsequent Wars of the Last Times.’

To take us there, I turn to KERRY BOYD ANDERSON, writer and political risk consultant with more than 18 years of experience as a professional analyst of international security issues and Middle East political and business risk.

Here she writes for War on the Rocks, an online journal specializing in national security issues, founded by Ryan Evans in 2013 as a podcast, a former think tanker and Defense Department civil servant. The title of her essay, “A Worst-Case Scenario for the War with Iran” (Mar. 10, 2026; edited).

JESUS CAUTIONS: “For which one of you, when he wants to build a watchtower [for his guards], does not first sit down and CALCULATE THE COST, to see if he has enough to finish it?” – LUKE 14:28, AMP

• OPEN. “The War with Iran has prompted MANY QUESTIONS about what comes next. Will the Islamic Republic regime survive? What could replace it? Will Iran dissolve into chaos? What does this all mean for the Arab Gulf states, Israel, Iraq, Lebanon, and the rest of the Region? What are the near-term, medium-term, and long-term risks and opportunities? The White House has said that the War will last four to six weeks, but what if it goes well beyond that? [One source was quoted on March 16 that it would go “through September 2026”]. ‘What if the United States and Israel have unleashed a CHAIN OF EVENTS that is beyond their control?’” 

• VALUE. “The War with Iran raises other valid Questions and potential Contingencies. ‘When we are faced with so much Uncertainty, SCENARIO PLANNING provides a helpful tool to think through Multiple Potential Futures.’ Scenario planning can come in many forms, but the Purpose is usually to help an organization — public or private sector — Prepare for a range of possibilities. It provides an opportunity to Testhow well its resources, procedures, and policies would perform in different situations and to assess what changes it might need to make.”

• SCENARIO 1: CIVIL WAR. “U.S. and Israeli strikes early in the War kill or incapacitate most of the Islamic Republic’s top officials and leaders. ‘While the survivors initially attempt to display unity, they quickly lose control of the country and splinter into competing groups.’ Anti-Regime Protests break out across the country to overthrow the Government and succeed in taking over various prisons and government institutions. The Military experiences increasing defections. However, none of these groups coalesce into a movement sufficiently capable of filling the ‘Power Vacuum.’ Soon, Factions of the former regime, different protest movements, and remnants of the military ‘begin fighting each other.’”

• SCENARIO 2: REGIONAL SPILLOVER. “‘The intense instability and violence quickly spill over neighboring states.’ The Iranian Kurdish Uprising immediately creates both opportunities and problems for northern Iraq’s Kurdish Regional Government, where Iranian Kurdish Dissidents have long sought shelter. Prior to Iran’s Civil War [1979], the Turkish Government was working to end its long-running conflict with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, and in March 2025, the group declared a Ceasefire and later said it would disband. However, when the war in Iran began, implementation was moving along slowly and uncertainly. The Resurgent Separatist Movement among Iranian Kurds threatens to breathe new life into Kurdish Nationalism, derailing the fragile deal between Ankara and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party. Similarly, in Syria, the uprising among Iran’s Kurds undermines the efforts of the government in Damascus to reach terms with the Syrian Democratic Forces. As Iran’s Baloch insurgency gains steam, it strengthens Baloch Insurgent Groups [primarily Muslim Separatist militia] in Pakistan and increases insecurity for the Baloch Community in Afghanistan.”

• SCENARIO 3: GLOBAL SPREAD. “‘History suggests that CHAOS in the Middle East risks sparking new terrorist movements or reinvigorating old ones.’ The War in Iraq created fertile ground for the rise of the Islamic State, which also benefitted from the Civil War in Syria [“Arab Spring,” 2011].Instability and war in Yemen has offered space for the Islamic State and al-Qaeda. Lebanon’s Civil War [1975-1990]and Israel’s Invasion gave birth to Hizballah, the 1979 revolution in Iran created a government with the means and interest to support it, and regional instability over the years provided Hizballah with many opportunities to grow its influence. The mass Displacement of Palestinians in 1948 [The Nakba] led to the development of Palestinian Terrorist Groups. Now, the growing Regional Insecurity provides fuel to both Sunni and Shiite Terrorist Movements, with negative consequences in the Region and beyond.”

• PREPARATION FOR THE WORST. “All the elements of [these Scenarios] are debatable. And that’s the point. ‘The process of going through a Worst-Case Scenario — and taking it seriously but not as an inevitability — helps to understand which aspects are more likely than others, and how different actors can PREPARE or what they can do to avoid a terrible outcome.’ There are plausible scenarios that are far more optimistic … But a Civil War in Iran is a plausible scenario, and most of the likely outcomes would have negative consequences for peace, stability, and prosperity in the Middle East and around the world.”

IV. LAST THOUGHTS

Beloved, whatever we may conclude about the IRAN WAR OF 2026, one thing is absolutely certain – for me at least. (1) These are, inarguably, The Last Days Birth Pangs occurring just prior to the Return of Jesus Christ for His Church and His Judgment of the Nations for Seven Years in “The Time of Jacob’s Troubles.” (2) These Days shall be characterized by Antichrist’s Conquests, Wars around the world, Economic Collapse, Pestilence and Death, and increased Persecution of the Saints.

IRAN WAR AS TRIGGER. From all that I have read and observed so far, this War of Choice by President Trump is not only an Unfastening of the Third Seal of Economic Crisis, but also as what in Math and Science is called, “STOCHASTIC PROCESS.”

‘Stochastic processes is any process that produces outcomes based on a distribution of potential outcomes, rather than a predetermined outcome.’ NOTE: Whether in mathematics, physics or political behavior, these processes constitute the dangerous ‘Presence of Chaos and Uncertainty rather than Predictability.’

In such wildly Unpredictable Conditions, both Common Sense and Biblical Wisdom shout at each of us to INFORM ourselves about those Conditions and then PREPARE for them.

PARABLE OF READINESS. “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to TEN VIRGINS who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.

And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and THE DOOR WAS SHUT.

Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ WATCH THEREFORE [‘grégoreó’ (Γρηγορεῖτε)-‘keep awake, be vigilant!’], for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.” – MATTHEW 25:1-13, NKJV

‘FILL YOUR LAMPS!’ So do I close with what I have learned that this means over the past 45 years of Serving Christ.

• COMMIT. Wherever you are in your journey with The Christ, make sure now as never before to give your life to Him 100%, holding nothing back. To Love Him: “With ALL your heart, with ALL your soul, and with ALL your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the

second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 22:37).  Unto life or unto death, holding nothing back from Him whatsoever.

• FILL. Whatever your view of the Infilling of the Holy Spirit, just ask Him to do it, period! As I did in 1981, without sophistication, simply asking: “Lord, if this Gift is of You, FILL ME!” JESUS PROMISES: “Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent?If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” (Matthew 7:9-11).

• READ. The Third Step that revolutionized my life with Christ was when, after 35 years of walking with Jesus at about two-third speed, circumstances forced me to Deep-Dive into His Word. PAUL wrote: “I beseechyou therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:1-2).

• STUDY. Because I am a curious individual by nature, and a professional researcher by training, I love to ‘Find stuff out!’ Now that I know Jesus has all the Answers, I cannot get enough of – Studying beyond the Scriptures – as with the wise SONS OF ISSACHAR “who understood the times in order to tell Israel what they should do.” PAUL writes: “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).

• PREPARE. When I began drafting the First Edition of my book in May 2015, I clearly heard the Lord instruct: “Be ready to survive independently for 30 DAYS off the Grid.” I learned just last year that the late David Wilkerson heard precisely the same Word about 30 years ago. Therefore, make sure you have a Month’s Provisions for finances, heat, food, water, lighting, self-defense, reading and recreation, and a communication device for news. SOLOMON advised: “The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty” (Proverbs 22:3).

CODA. All of this, beloved, is designed to Get Us Ready for the “Perilous Times to come” in these Last Days described by PAUL to his young understudy (2 Timothy 3:1) – not for making America Great Again! All of which comes under a SINGLE COMMAND to each of us:

Get your house in order and BE READY to meet the Soon-Coming King!

MEDIA

YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/sV3tMdbRRbQ