The Book of The Revelation – Chapter 6 – The Seven Seals of The Scroll – Episode 8

 

The Book of The Revelation – The Seven Seals of The Scroll – Chapter 6

EPISODE EIGHT.

(These Episodes are meant to not only ask and answer the questions, “When, Where, How and What?”, but also the question, “SO WHAT?”)

 I said in episode one, the Book of the Revelation cannot and should not be studied and interpreted as a standalone book. Even by cross-referencing other specific prophetic books and verses, it is not possible to get an accurate, complete understanding of the purpose of this Book unless it is seen within the context of the entire Bible.

 We must consider the nature of God when considering His Word. God is omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent. He knows all things – even before they exist. He is present in all places at all times. He is all powerful and can accomplish all things. God’s plan is in His mind before, during and after He spoke it into existence.

 In the beginning, God created. He began with the imperfect and created His Masterpiece. First in the heavens and then on the earth. His work completed in just seven days; He would allow His Masterpiece to mature for millennia until it became His Perfection. A journey of discovery and Revelation of God’s Grand Plan and Design, from creation through the End of the Age, then into a New Heaven and a New Earth.

The Purpose of God’s Eternal Plan is “Perfection”.  He is maturing and perfecting His people into His image, ultimately to live in Perfect harmony with Him and with one another, in a New and Perfect heaven and earth.

And, “Because by a single offering He has made perfect for all time those who are being sanctified.” Hebrews 10:14

Each and every chapter, verse and word in the Bible, when viewed within this context of  God’s Eternal Plan of Perfection, begins to make perfect sense.

God’s plan is unfolding exactly as He purposed; from The Creation, through the Garden of Eden and the Fall of Man to the Great Flood, the Tower of Babel, the Exodus from Egypt, the possessing of The Promised Land, the Destruction of the First Temple and the Jewish Captivity in Babylon, the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus, the Destruction of the Second Temple, our steady march through time has been exactly as Bible prophecy has foretold.  We have entered an era leading to the destruction and, eventually, a rebirth of the heavens and the earth.

Beginning with the book of Genesis and proceeding through all the books up to and including the book of Daniel. Then, continuing from Daniel,  to Malachi, and Matthew, Mark, Luke and finally to The Book of the Revelation we trace and discover the grand purpose, design and plan of God woven throughout the scriptures, as His one cohesive, continuous and comprehensive Plan for His creation.

The Book of The Revelation, although placed as the final book of the Bible, is in reality the prologue, the body and the epilogue of all things.

These things are particularly true when studying and discussing the tribulation Seal, Trumpet, and Bowl Judgements.

NOTE: There are no ‘time-markers’ or indications of when each of these seven Seal events begin, except that they are in a chronological series. It has usually been assumed that each tribulation Seal is to be considered a future event. But a careful but simple review of history tells another story.

The Book of the Revelation – The Seven Scroll Seals – The text.

The First Seal – Political Intrigue.

Revelation 1:1, Then I saw as the Lamb (Christ) broke one of the seven, [footnote ‘a’], seals [of the scroll [initiating the judgments], and I heard one of the four living creatures call out as with a voice of thunder, “[footnote ‘b’], Come.” Verse 2. I looked, and behold, a, [footnote ‘c’], white horse [of victory] whose rider carried a, [footnote ‘d’], bow; and a crown [of victory] was given to him, and he rode forth conquering and to conquer.

(Commentary break: The important attributes of the First Seal are that it mentions a white horse, which would normally indicate peace, especially when contrasted with the following horses of red, (bloodshed), black, (famine), ashen, (death and pestilence). However, the rider is carrying a bow, an instrument of war, and a crown, a symbol of victory and he is riding forth conquering and to conquer, but without arrows. Probably suggesting a time of political intrigue or  of a ‘cold-war’. Interestingly and importantly, there have been episodes of political intrigue, cold-wars and hundreds upon hundreds of ‘wars and rumors of war’, and conflicts since the time of Christ. Most notable for their scope and breadth are the

• • • Religious Crusades (1095 – 1291, Muslims vs Latin Church, almost 2 million dead),
    • World War 1. (1914 – 1918, 17 million dead), and,
    • World War 2. (1939 – 1945, over 70 million dead).

So, how can we know ‘which wars and rumors of wars‘ Jesus is referring to, WHICH WILL MARK THE ‘END OF THE AGE’? We can know by when they were spoken and the language of the Apostle who made these announcements.

And, finally notice, that although the first Seal is the beginning of God’s Seal Judgments, it is not as severe a Judgment as those to  come, as it is the beginning of events leading up to Judgments. The second Seal is the preparation to apply the coming and more severe Judgments of God. Also notice the progressive intensification. End this commentary).

The Second Seal – War.

Verse 3. When He (the Lamb) broke the second seal, I heard the second living creature call out, “Come.” Verse 4. And another, a, [footnote ‘e’], fiery red horse [of bloodshed], came out; and its rider was empowered to take peace from the earth, so that men would slaughter one another; and a great sword [of war and violent death] was given to him.

(Commentary break: Now notice, not only the intensification of the Seals effects, but that the Third Seal through the Sixth Seal have everything to do with the Judgments of God. End this commentary).

The Third Seal – Famine.

Verse 5. 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). Verse 6. 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, [footnote ‘f’], damage the oil and the wine.”

The Fourth Seal – Death.

Verse 7. When He (the Lamb) broke open the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature call out, “Come.” Verse 8. So I looked, and behold, an ashen (pale greenish gray) horse [like a corpse, representing death and pestilence]; and its rider’s name was Death; and Hades (the realm of the dead) was following with him. They were given authority and power over a fourth part of the earth, to kill with the sword and with famine and with, [footnote ‘g’], plague (pestilence, disease) and by the wild beasts of the earth.

The Fifth Seal – Martyrs

Verse 9. When He (the Lamb) broke open the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slaughtered because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained [out of loyalty to Christ]. Verse 10. They cried in a loud voice, saying, “O Lord, holy and true, how long now before You will sit in judgment and avenge our blood on those [unregenerate ones] who dwell on the earth?” Verse 11. Then they were each given a white robe; and they were told to rest and wait quietly for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers and sisters who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed.

(Commentary break: So, how are we to place these first Five Seals in our timeline and chronology?

When considering this question, we must, once again look at the words and testimonies of Jesus and the Apostles who referred to these periods and to those days as:  ‘The Last Days’, ‘The Last Times’, ‘The End of All Things’, ‘The End of The Ages’, and “Jesus has appeared, once for all, at the End of The Ages’. To Wit:

Acts 2:14-17, (the Apostle Peter), saying, “let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: ‘And in the last days it shall be…’

1 Peter 1:20, (the Apostle Peter), saying, “ He, (Jesus), was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you.”

 1 Peter 4:7, (the Apostle Peter), saying, “The end of all things is at hand.”

 2 Peter 3:3. (the Apostle Peter), saying, “knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days.”

 1 Corinthians 10:11, (the Apostle Paul), saying, “Now these things happened to them as an example and warning [to us]; they were written for our instruction [to admonish and equip us], upon whom the ends of the ages have come.”

Hebrews 1:2, (the Apostle Paul), saying, “but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son.”

Hebrews 9:26, (the Apostle Paul), saying, “But as it is, Jesus has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.”

 2 Timothy 3:1, (the Apostle Timothy), saying, “But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty.”

 

 

 1 John 2:18. (the Apostle John), saying, “Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour.”

 Revelation 1:9, (The Apostle John), saying, “I, John, your brother and fellow participant in the tribulation.”

Matthew 24:4-31, (Jesus), describing a panorama of the tribulation and the Last Days.

From these verses, we can plainly see that the first 5 tribulation Seals were broken and the effects had begun between the time of the birth of Jesus and A.D 95. End this commentary)

The Sixth Seal – Terror

Verse 12. I looked when He (the Lamb) broke open the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as, [footnote ‘h’], sackcloth [made] of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; verse 13, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, like a fig tree shedding its late [summer] figs when shaken by a strong wind. Verse 14. The sky was split, [separated from the land], and rolled up like a scroll, and every mountain and island were dislodged and moved out of their places. Verse 15. Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the, [footnote ‘i’], military commanders and the wealthy and the strong and everyone, [whether] slave or free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; verse 16, and they called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne, and from the [righteous] wrath and indignation of the Lamb; verse 17, for the great day of their wrath and vengeance and retribution has come, and who is able to [face God and] stand [before the wrath of the Lamb]?”

(Commentary Break: It is clear from history, that the events describing the 6^th Tribulation Seal have not yet occurred. Furthermore, it could be said that the Seal Judgments actually come in 2 stages: The first five Seals could be referred to as the first stage of seals, known as the “birth pains” , which “are not yet the end” – as they have been described by Jesus in Matthew 24:6.

 These are followed by what we could call the second stage of tribulation Seals, 6^th and 7^th,, also known as the Great Tribulation Seals and The Day of Wrath.

 It is plain to see that the intensity of the 6^th Seal increases exponentially over the previous five Seals. This period is rightly named “The Great Tribulation” period. There is a continuing escalation of intensity as we approach the Trumpet Judgments, (The Great and Terrible Day of the Lord), and the Bowl Judgments, (The Wrath of the Lamb.)

 Additionally, these three events occur during the 6^th Tribulation Seal: (#1). An interlude for the sealing of the 144,000. (#2). The sealing of the 144,000 from the 12 Tribes of Israel, (see Revelation chapter 7), and (#3). The gathering of the ‘multitudes from the tribulation – also known as the Rapture. (also read Matthew 24:20-31). (End this commentary).

 NEXT: (coming soon). The Book of The Revelation – Chapter 7 – The Interlude, The 144,000, The Rapture – Episode 8.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

PREVIOUS:  THE BOOK OF THE REVELATION – Chapter 5 – The Scrolls – Episode 7.