--Intro
--First Seal
--Second Seal
--Third Seal
--Fourth Seal
--Fifth Seal
--Sixth Seal
--144,000 Interlude
--Seventh Seal
Intro
And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll [biblíon] written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals. Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals? And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at it. So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll, or to look at it.Revelation 5:1-4
The Sealed Book.--The books in use at the time the Revelation was given were not in the form of books as now made. They did not consist of a series of leaves bound together, but were composed of strips of parchment or other material, rolled up. On this point, John Wesley remarks:
"The usual books of the ancients were not like ours, but were volumes, or long pieces of parchment, rolled upon a long stick, as we frequently roll silks. Such was this represented, which was sealed with seven seals. Not as if the apostle saw all the seals at once: for there were seven volumes wrapped up on within another, each of which was sealed: so that upon opening and and unrolling the first, the second appeared to be sealed up till that was opened, and so on to the seventh."
Note: The word “worthy” means qualified.
Note: The worthy person could open the book and read its contents until all seven seals had been broken. A crisis of universal proportions ensued because there was no one in heaven, on earth or under the earth who was qualified to break the seals, open the book and read its contents.
John was not so much concerned with the breaking of the seals as he was with the contents of the scroll. John’s tears were not tears of curiosity; they were tears of desperation and supreme agony.
But one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed [past, “has
overcome” John 16:33 refers to the overcoming of Jesus] to open [future tense] the scroll and to loose [future tense] its seven seals. And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes which are the seven Spirits of God; sent out into all the earth.
Revelation 1:5,6
But one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed [past, “has
Revelation 1:5,6
The Lion of the tribe of Juda - Jesus Christ, who sprang from this tribe, as his genealogy proves.
The Root of David - Christ was the root of David as to his Divine nature; he was a branch out of the stem of Jesse as to his human nature.
The Root of David - Christ was the root of David as to his Divine nature; he was a branch out of the stem of Jesse as to his human nature.
“The Savior is presented before John under the symbols of the Lion of the tribe of Judah and of "a Lamb as it had been slain." (Revelation 5:5, 6) These symbols represent the union of omnipotent power and self-sacrificing love. The Lion of Judah, so terrible to the rejectors of His grace, will be the Lamb of God to the obedient and faithful. The pillar of fire that speaks terror and wrath to the transgressor of God's law is a token of light and mercy and deliverance to those who have kept His commandments. The arm strong to smite the rebellious will be strong to deliver the loyal. Everyone who is faithful will be saved.”
Acts of the Apostles, p. 589
Note: When John saw the Lamb, the wounds on His body were still fresh. He had just come from the battlefield and had the wounds to prove it. He was standing in the midst of the throne because kings and priests stood at their anointing.
Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures [the cherubim and seraphim] and the twenty-four elders [the representatives of the sinless worlds of the universe] fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.
Revelation 5:7,8
Note: When John saw the Lamb, the wounds on His body were still fresh. He had just come from the battlefield and had the wounds to prove it. He was standing in the midst of the throne because kings and priests stood at their anointing.
Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures [the cherubim and seraphim] and the twenty-four elders [the representatives of the sinless worlds of the universe] fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.
Revelation 5:7,8
Here observe, (1.) The object of their worship - the Lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ; it is the declared will of God that all men should honor the Son as they honor the Father; for He has the same nature.
(2.) Their posture: They fell down before Him, gave Him not an inferior sort of worship, but the most profound adoration.
(3.) The instruments used in their adorations - harps and vials; the harps were the instruments of praise, the vials were full of odours or incense, which signify the prayers of the saints: prayer and praise should always go together.
And they sang a new song, saying: You are worthy [qualified] to take the scroll and to open its seals; for You were [past] slain, and have redeemed [past] us [people] to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and have made [past] us [them] kings and priests to our God; and we [they] shall [future] reign on the earth.
Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne [they stand on the outer circle of the throne, the creatures and the elders], the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice: Worthy is the Lamb who was [past] slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honor and glory and blessing! And every creature that is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: Blessing and honor and glory and power Be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever! Then the four living creatures said, "Amen!" And the twenty four elders fell down and worshiped Him who lives forever and ever.
Revelation 5:9-14
Revelation 5:9-14
The matter of their song: In this new song,
[1.] They acknowledge the infinite fitness and worthiness of the Lord Jesus for this great work of opening and executing the counsel and purposes of God:
[2.] They mention the grounds and reasons of this worthiness; and though they do not exclude the dignity of His person as God, without which He had not been sufficient for it, yet they chiefly insist upon the merit of His sufferings, which He had endured for them; these more sensibly struck their souls with thankfulness and joy.
Here, First, They mention His suffering: "Thou wast slain, slain as a sacrifice, thy blood was shed."
Secondly, The fruits of His sufferings.
1. Redemption to God; Christ has redeemed His people from the bondage of sin, guilt, and Satan, redeemed them to God, set them at liberty to serve Him.
2. High exaltation: Thou hast made us to our God kings and priests, and we shall reign on the earth.
Note: The mighty angel’s two-fold question will now receive an answer.
Q: Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll and why?
A: The Lamb can do it because he overcame and shed His blood to redeem or buy back the inheritance that Adam lost.
The word ‘redeem’ in Revelation 5:9 means ‘to buy something back by paying a price’. It translates the Greek word hagorazo.
This passage explains the reason why Jesus, and only Jesus,
was qualified to break the seals and open the scroll:
Because He shed His blood.
First Seal
Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, Come and see. And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer. Revelation 6:1, 2
The rider upon this horse went forth--where? His commission was unlimited. The gospel was to all the world.
The first seal is parallel to the first church, Ephesus.
The white horse represents the conquests of the Apostolic Church and its rider symbolizes Jesus. The whiteness of the horse denotes the purity of faith in that age.
Revelation 19:11, 12: Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself.
In Zechariah 10:3-6, compares God’s people, Judah, to a conquering horse:
The white horse stands in contrast to the black horse of darkness. When the church loses its purity of doctrine and lifestyle it becomes a black horse. "Clad in the armor of Christ’s righteousness, the church is to enter upon her final conflict. ‘Fair as the moon, clear as the sun [Revelation 12:1] and terrible as an army with banners’ [Song of Solomon 6:10], she [the church] is to go forth into all the world conquering and to conquer [Revelation 6:1, 2]." E.G.W.
*2 Kings 13:17 (... And he opened it. Then Elisha said, Shoot. And he shot. And he said, The arrow of the LORD'S deliverance,...) underlines that the bow and arrow represent God’s deliverance in battle.
*The word for crown here is stephanos. With few exceptions, the stephanos is the crown that is given to one who has gained the victory after a struggle.James 1:12: Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.
*Conquering and to conquer - The literal translation of the phrase is “overcoming in order that he might overcome.” We must link this phrase with the messages to the seven churches where at the end of each message we find the dictum: “to him that overcomes.”
During the Christian Dispensation, the faithful church fights a spiritual war against spiritual enemies in the enemy’s spiritual territory with a spiritual armor and spiritual weapons. The purpose of the war is to conquer human hearts (Ephesians 6:10-18; Romans 13:11-14; 2 Corinthians 10:1-6; 1 Timothy 6:12; 2 Timothy 4:7, 8).
Christ's work is not all done at once. We are ready to think, when the gospel goes forth, it should carry all the world before it, but it often meets with opposition, and moves slowly; however, Christ will do His own work effectually, in His own time and way. It involves God’s people attempting to convince the devil’s soldiers to desert his army and join Christ’s army.
Second Seal
When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, Come and see. Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the
one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one
another; and there was given to him a great sword.
Revelation 6:3, 4
The Red Horse represents the persecutions against the church by the pagan Roman emperors until Constantine’s Edict of Toleration ended the persecution in the year 313 AD. The red horse is parallel to the second church, Smyrna.
It is the natural transition from the apostolic age to the Nicene age, yet leaving behind many important truths of the former (especially the Pauline doctrines) which were to be derived and explored in future ages. We can trace in it the elementary forms of the Catholic creed, organization, and worship, and also the germs of nearly all the corruptions of Greek and Roman Christianity.
*The sword symbolizes the Bible:
Hebrews 4:12, 13: For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
*Repeatedly, the Bible emphasizes that the preaching of the gospel brings peace to those who accept its message:
Ephesians 6:14, 15: Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace.
As mentioned before this is the period of the church of Smyrna. There is much ‘death language’ in the message to the church of Smyrna.
In fact, the name means “bittersweet myrrh”, a substance used to embalm the dead. Jesus presented Himself to this church as “the one who was dead and is alive forevermore (Revelation 2:8). Jesus encouraged the members of Smyrna to be faithful unto death (Revelation 2:10) and promised that the faithful would not be hurt by the second death (Revelation 2:11). The ten days of Smyrna are the ten years of Diocletian’s persecution from 303-313 AD.
In the Bible the color red represents bloodshed When the sword takes away peace from the earth the result is war and bloodshed (Isaiah 63:2; Nahum 2:3; Revelation 17:1-6).*The sword symbolizes the Bible:
Hebrews 4:12, 13: For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
*Repeatedly, the Bible emphasizes that the preaching of the gospel brings peace to those who accept its message:
Ephesians 6:14, 15: Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace.
--The big question at this point is this, if the sword here is the Bible, why does it take away peace from the earth.
The answer is simple.
When sinners heed the message of the Bible, it brings personal peace. However, when sinners reject its message they rise to take away the peace of those who proclaim it.
“The gospel is a message of peace. Christianity is a system that, received and obeyed, would spread peace [key word in the second seal], harmony, and happiness throughout the earth. The gospel presents to them principles of life that are wholly at variance with their habits and desires, and they rise in rebellion against it. They hate the purity [first seal] that reveals and condemns their sins, and they persecute and destroy those who would urge upon them its just and holy claims. It is in this sense—because the exalted truths it brings occasion hatred and strife—that the gospel is called a sword [key word in the second seal]." E.G.W.
*The conquests of the first horse led to persecution under the second.
The devil, deeply concerned about the many defections from his army launched a deadly persecution against those who were conquering the subjects of his kingdom through the preaching of the gospel.
Third Seal
When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, Come and see. So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine. Revelation 6:5, 6
The third seal represents the period when Constantine favored the Christian church and as a result persecution ceased and the world entered the church.
*An Era of Spiritual Darkness -- the darkness grew ever deeper because the papacy undertook a war against the Bible.
Proverbs 4:18, 19: But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.*An Era of Spiritual Darkness -- the darkness grew ever deeper because the papacy undertook a war against the Bible.
The black horse represents darkness that came in from a rejection of God’s word. Where God’s word is not, there is darkness or blackness. Black represents sin, apostasy, error, heresy and human traditions.
“The accession of the Roman Church to power marked the beginning of the Dark Ages. As her power increased, the darkness deepened.” E.G.W.
Mosheim says:"Those vain fictions, which an attachment to the Platonic philosophy
From hence arose that extravagant veneration for departed saints, and those absurd notions of a certain fire destined to purify separate souls, that now prevailed, and of which the public marks were everywhere to be seen. Hence also the celibacy of priests, the worship of images and relics, which in process of time almost utterly destroyed the Christian religion, or at least eclipsed its luster, and corrupted its very essence in the most deplorable manner. An enormous train of different superstitions were gradually substituted in the place of true religion and genuine piety."
*Another symbol for God’s Word is bread (Deuteronomy 8:3, 4; Matthew 4:4). During the third seal, there was not only a scarcity of light but also of bread. This is the reason why wheat and barley during this period were extremely expensive.
In short, both light and bread symbolize the Word of God (Matthew 4:4; Isaiah 55:2, 3, 10, 11; John 6:48-58, 63. Where there is no light and no bread there is death. Amos 8:11, 12 predicts a time when there will be famine in the land, not for bread but for the Word of God. Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.
*The wine was a symbol of the blood of Jesus and the oil is a symbol of the Holy Spirit.
*The wine was a symbol of the blood of Jesus and the oil is a symbol of the Holy Spirit.
To hurt God’s people is to despise the blood of Jesus and to offend the Holy Spirit (Zechariah 2:8; Matthew 25:40; Mark 9:41; Acts 9:4, 5).
"The apostle Paul declares that ‘all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.’ 2 Timothy 3:12.
Why is it, then, that persecution seems in a great degree to slumber? The only reason is that the church has conformed to the world's standard and therefore awakens no opposition." E.G.W.
Here observe, 1. When a people loathe their spiritual food, God may justly deprive them of their daily bread. 2. One judgment seldom comes alone; the judgment of war naturally draws after it that of famine; and those who will not humble themselves under one judgment must expect another and yet greater, for when God contends he will prevail.
The professed ministers of Christ, had no care for the flock, yet the Lord was not unmindful of them in this period of darkness.
A voice comes from heaven.
He takes care that the spirit of worldliness does not prevail to such a degree that Christianity should be entirely lost, or that the oil and the wine--should perish from the earth.
Fourth Seal
When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature
saying, Come and see. So I looked, and behold, a pale horse and the name of
him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given
to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death
[pestilence], and by the beasts of the earth.
Revelation 6:7, 8
The period of the fourth horse is parallel to the period of the fourth church, Thyatira. The fourth seal represents the period of papal dominion during the ‘dark ages’. The scarcity of God’s Word and of rain led to spiritual famine, pestilence and death. In addition, the apostate church literally killed the martyrs who did not agree with the traditions of men.
*Color pale (chloros: The color of this horse is really a greenish pale as when a young shoot comes out of a tree. It is the paleness of death).
*Death and Hades (when a person dies, the grave follows).
*Fourth part of the earth (the devastating power of the fourth horse and its rider is not universal).
*Famine (scarcity because of a scarcity of God’s word).
*Pestilence (in New Testament Greek the word thánatos technically means ‘death’. However, in 30 of the 50 times it appears in the Greek Old Testament (LXX) the Hebrew word deber is translated “pestilence”. To say that the fourth horse kills with death would be redundant. Death by the sword and famine brings pestilence or disease in its train and ultimately leads to death and the grave.
*Pestilence (in New Testament Greek the word thánatos technically means ‘death’. However, in 30 of the 50 times it appears in the Greek Old Testament (LXX) the Hebrew word deber is translated “pestilence”. To say that the fourth horse kills with death would be redundant. Death by the sword and famine brings pestilence or disease in its train and ultimately leads to death and the grave.
*Wild beasts (wicked leaders and nations who were inimical to God’s people and behaved like wild beasts).
Psalm 74:18, 19: Remember this, that the enemy has reproached, O LORD, and that a foolish people has blasphemed Your name. Oh, do not deliver the life of Your turtledove to the wild beast! Do not forget the life of Your poor forever.“The symbols of earthly governments are wild beasts, but in the kingdom of Christ, men are called upon to behold, not a ferocious beast, but the Lamb of God.” E.G.W.
--The immediate aftermath of death is the place where the dead go, the grave. The word hades is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word Sheol and it should consistently be translated “the grave”.
Hosea 13:14: I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. O Death, I will be your plagues! O Grave, I will be your destruction!
*The New King James Version of Revelation 6:8 tells us that power [the proper translation of exousia is ‘authority’] ‘was given’ to death and the grave to kill with the sword. It is hardly a coincidence that the little horn ‘was given’ power to make war against the saints and to overcome them for time, times and the dividing of time (Daniel 7:25). Likewise Revelation 13: 7 tells us that the beast ‘was given’ power to make war against the saints and to overcome them. The expression ‘was given’ connects the fourth rider with the Papal church.
*In symbolic terms, famine comes when the Holy Spirit, speaking through the Word of God is scarce. --During the Dark Ages, there was no rain (Revelation 11:6), and therefore bread (the Word of God) was scarce.
--The result was famine (spiritual hunger). Famine, in turn, led to malnutrition and malnutrition led to pestilence and ultimately to spiritual death.
By the fourth part of the earth is doubtless meant the territory over which this power had jurisdiction; and the words "sword," and beasts of the earth, are figures denoting the means by which it has put to death millions of martyrs.
Fifth Seal
When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held and they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth? Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.Revelation 6:9-11
The blood of the martyrs that the papacy killed during her reign now cry out for justice. God gives these martyrs a white robe and tells them to rest for a while until the number of the end time martyrs is complete.
Following the period of papal persecution, the time covered by this seal would begin when the Reformation began to undermine the papal fabrication, and restrain the persecuting power of the Roman Catholic Church.Here observe, (1.) Where he saw them - under the altar; at the foot of the altar of incense, in the most holy place; (2.) What was the cause in which they suffered - the word of God and the testimony which they held, for believing the word of God, and attesting or confessing the truth of it; this profession of their faith they held fast without wavering, even though they died for it.
Revelation 6:12-17Q: How can dead souls cry out?
Genesis 4:3, 4: And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering.
Genesis 4:3, 4: And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering.
Note: Both Cain and Abel brought an offering to place on the altar of sacrifice. Besides bringing a grain offering, Abel also offered an animal sacrifice. Thus, Abel obeyed God and worshiped Him as He had commanded. Abel was righteous. The central issue of the story of Cain and Abel was obedience and worship.
Hebrews 11:4: By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness [marturía] that he was righteous, God testifying [marturía] of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks.
Note: Abel’s sacrifice gave witness. Remarkably, the word ‘witness’, used twice in this verse, is marturía from where we get the word ‘martyr’. Even after his death, Abel’s sacrifice gives witness or testimony of his faithfulness to God.
Genesis 4:8: Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.
Genesis 4:10: And He said, What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood cries out to Me from the ground.
Genesis 4:10: And He said, What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood cries out to Me from the ground.
Note: Satan was the ringleader in Abel’s death: not as Cain who was
of the wicked one and murdered his brother, and why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother's righteous. 1 John 3:12. The death of Abel was a great travesty in justice.
Abel’s blood cried out for vindication and justice. To all appearances, the unrighteous won and righteous lost. At some point, the record needed to be rectified. The blood of Abel symbolically cried out for reparation.
Hebrews 12:24: To Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel. Note: The blood of Jesus speaks more powerfully than that of Abel. Abel’s blood cried out for justice, however, the blood of Jesus provides justice.
Leviticus 17:11: For the life [nephesh] of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.Note: The Bible describes the death of the righteous at the hands of the wicked as an oblation or offering. In John 16:2 Jesus explained that those who would slay His followers would actually believe that they were offering God an act of worship. The word “service” in this text is latrein (where we get the word idolatry from) which is generally translated ‘service’ in the King James Version but actually means ‘worship’.
Significantly, Paul refers to his martyr’s death as a pouring out of sacrifice (2 Timothy 4:6-8). The death of the righteous at the hands of the wicked was a sweet savor unto God because it revealed the faithfulness of His people (Ephesians 5:2)“In the thirteenth century was established that most terrible of all the engines of the papacy—the Inquisition. The prince of darkness wrought with the leaders of the papal hierarchy. In their secret councils Satan and his angels controlled the minds of evil men, while unseen in the midst stood an angel of God, taking the fearful record of their iniquitous decrees and writing the history of deeds too horrible to appear to human eyes. “Babylon the great” was “drunken with the blood of the saints.” The mangled forms of millions of martyrs cried to God for vengeance [notice the allusion to the fifth seal] upon that apostate power.” E.G.W.
*The fifth seal makes it clear that the crying out of the martyrs has two distinct historical stages—the martyrs of the past (those that the papacy killed during the fourth seal) and the martyrs of the future (those whom the papacy will kill when it resurrects from its deadly wound).
*The conferral of the white robe is another way of expressing that the martyrs formed a character fit for heaven. In the investigative judgment, God will vindicate before the universe the martyrs who were faithful to Jesus and died for Him.*The Second Stage of Martyrs Revelation 13:3: And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed and all the world marveled and followed the beast. After the deadly wound heals, the papacy will persecute a future group of martyrs as it did the martyrs of the past.
Summarizing: The papacy slew the saints of the Most High during the 1260 years and therefore their innocent blood symbolically cried out for justice and vindication. In 1844, God began to examine the case of each one. God assigned to the faithful martyrs white robes and told them to rest (in the grave) until the number of the future martyrs is complete. The Roman Catholic papacy, in union with apostate Protestantism during the little time of trouble preceding probation will slay the rest of the martyrs when the land beast heals the wound of the sea beast. Those who refuse to worship the beast and his image and to receive the mark will be slain (Revelation 20:4). God will then vindicate the end time martyrs and assign them white robes in the final stages of the judgment of the living.
The Protestant Reformation began its work. It began to be seen that the church was corrupt and disreputable, and those against whom it vented its rage were the good, the pure, and the true.
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 [not darkened]. And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs [unripe] 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 [rulers who govern the nations of the world], the great men [high officers of the state], the rich men [the socially wealthy], the commanders [commanders of armies], the mighty men [the great men in battle], every slave and every free man [regular everyday citizens], hid themselves [they are found naked according to Genesis 3:8; Revelation 16:15 and hide like Adam and Eve after sin] in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us and hide us [Hosea 10:8; Luke 23:30] from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand? [Ephesians 6:14; I Peter 5:12; Luke 11:18].
....the great earthquake and the signs in the sun, the moon were literal events.
Q: Why?
A: We find the reason in the meaning of a Greek word that appears four times in Revelation 6:12, 13, the word “as” (hos). Ranko Stefanovic explained the meaning of this word: “. . . the repeated usage of the word ‘as’ or ‘like’ (Gr. hos) in the text appears to be very significant. The sun becomes black as sackcloth, the moon as blood, the stars of the sky fall as do the figs of the fig tree, and heaven splits as the papyrus scroll. In Greek, this word ‘introduces a figurative analogy to an actual event’ that is compared with something figurative. This suggests that these heavenly signs are intended to be taken literally.” (Ranko Stefanovic, Revelation of Jesus Christ, p. 244).
*The plea of the martyrs of the dark ages (“how long until you judge and avenge?”) in Revelation 6:10 finds its answer in Daniel 7:8-10; 8:13, 14 where the process of judgment begins to exonerate them from the faulty verdicts of earthly courts.
*According to these passages in Daniel, the trampling of the sanctuary and of God’s people would last until the conclusion of the 2300 days where the process of vindicating the sanctuary and its worshipers would begin.
*The signs in Revelation 6:12, 13 are the earthly announcement that the vindicating judgment is about to begin.
--It is noteworthy that the sixth church (the open door to the most holy place), the sixth seal (the sealing the 144,000) and the sixth trumpet (the vision of the Ark of the Covenant) all point to the events connected with the investigative judgment in the most holy place of the sanctuary.The signs of Revelation 6:12, 13 play several specific functions.
First, they announce that the great tribulation is about to end (Matthew 24:29).
Second, they serve as an omen of the fall of the papal power.
Third, they serve to draw attention to the approaching judgment in 1844.
Fourth, they serve as indicators of the beginning of the time of the end.
Finally, they announce the soon coming of Jesus.
C. Mervyn Maxwell well explained: “The location of the classic signs was highly significant. They happened in Europe and America primarily, where people were studying the Bible and pondering the prophecies. A dark day in the Sahara Desert or a star shower over New Guinea would have said little in those days about the second coming of Christ to cannibal headhunters or Muslim nomads.
Events need not be universal to deliver a global message. A few square miles at Hiroshima and Nagasaki were sufficient to announce the atomic age. A stable in Bethlehem ushered in the Christian era. Only a few hundred people saw Jesus after His resurrection—but they told others.” Magnificent Disappointment, pp. 93, 94.
Revelation 6 describes the signs in the very order in which they historically occurred: The great earthquake (1755)
The darkening of the sun (1780)
The moon becoming like blood (1780)
The stars falling from heaven (1833)
Lisbon Earthquake:
Charles Lyell wrote the following graphic description of the event: "In no part of the volcanic region of Southern Europe has so tremendous an earthquake occurred in modern times as that which began on the 1st of November, 1755, at Lisbon. A sound of thunder was heard underground and immediately afterwards a violent shock threw down the greater part of that city. In the course of about six minutes, sixty thousand persons perished. The sea retired, and laid the bar dry; it then rolled in, rising fifty feet above ordinary level. ... Among other extraordinary events related to have occurred at Lisbon during the catastrophe was the subsidence of a new quay, built entirely of marble, at an immense expense. A great concourse of people had collected there for safety, at a spot where they might be beyond the reach of falling ruins; but suddenly the quay sank down with all the people on it, and not one of the dead bodies ever floated to the surface." Sir Charles Lyell, Principles of Geology, p. 495.
The Dark Day:
"May 19, 1780, stands in history as "The Dark Day." Since the time of Moses no period of darkness of equal density, extent, and duration, has ever been recorded. The description of this event, as given by eyewitnesses, is but an echo of the words of the Lord, recorded by the prophet Joel, twenty-five hundred years previous to their fulfillment: "The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord come." Joel 2:31." E.G.W.
"Though at nine o'clock that night the moon rose to the full, "it had not the least effect to dispel the deathlike shadows." After midnight the darkness disappeared, and the moon, when first visible, had the appearance of blood." Letter by Dr. Samuel Tenney, of Exeter, New Hampshire, December, 1785 (in Massachusetts Historical Society Collections, 1792, 1st series, vol. 1, p. 97).Whittier, in a well-known poem, pictures it thus:
"Twas on a May-day of the far old year
Seventeen hundred eighty, that there fell
Over the bloom and sweet life of the Spring,
Over the fresh earth and the heaven of noon,
A horror of great darkness, like the night
In day of which the Norland sagas tell,--
The Twilight of the Gods. The low-hung sky
Was black with ominous clouds, save where its rim
Was fringed with a dull glow, like that which climbs
The crater's sides from the red hell below.
Birds ceased to sing, and all the barnyard fowls
Roosted; the cattle at the pasture bars
Lowed, and looked homeward; bats on leathern wings
Flitted abroad; the sounds of labor died;
Men prayed, and women wept; all ears grew sharp
To hear the doom-blast of the trumpet shatter
The black sky, that the dreadful face of Christ
Might look from the rent clouds, not as He looked
A loving guest at Bethany, but stern
As Justice and inexorable Law."
Samuel Williams who did extensive scientific research of the dark day had this to say:
--As men have their day of opportunity, and their seasons of grace, so God has His day of righteous wrath; and, when that day shall come, the most stout-hearted sinners will not be able to stand before Him: “The time of this extraordinary darkness was May 19, 1780. It came on between the hours of ten and eleven A. M., and continued until the middle of the next night, but with different appearances at different places. . . The degree to which the darkness arose was different in different places. In most parts of the country, it was so great that people were unable to read common print, determine the time of day by their clocks or watches, dine, or manage their domestic business, without the light of candles. In some places, the darkness was so great that persons could not see to read common print in the open air, for several hours together; but I believe this was not generally the case. The extent of this darkness was very remarkable. Our intelligence in this respect is not so particular as I could wish; but from the accounts that have been received, it seems to have extended all over the New England States. It was observed as far east as Falmouth [Portland, Maine]. To the westward, we hear of its reaching to the furthest parts of Connecticut, and Albany. To the southward, it was observed all along the seacoasts, and to the north as far as our settlements extend. It is probable it extended much beyond these limits in some directions, but the exact boundaries cannot be ascertained by any observations that I have been able to collect."
Falling of the Stars:
It began between two and four o’clock in the morning and continued until daybreak. It extended all over North America and as far south as Mexico and the Island of Jamaica.
“After collecting and collating the accounts given in all the periodicals of the country, and also in numerous letters addressed either to my scientific friends or to myself, the following appeared to be the leading facts attending the phenomenon. The shower pervaded nearly the whole of North America, having appeared in nearly equal splendor from the British possessions on the north, to the West India Islands and Mexico on the south, and from sixty one degrees of longitude east of the American coast, quite to the Pacific Ocean on the west. Throughout this immense region, the duration was nearly the same. The meteors began to attract attention by their unusual frequency and brilliancy, from nine to twelve o’clock in the evening; were most striking in their appearance from two to five; arrived at their maximum, in many places, about four o’clock; and continued until rendered invisible by the light of day.” Denison Olmstead, The Mechanism of the Heavens, p. 328Lucy Reese lived in Lookout Georgia on November 13, 1833. She says: “I was fourteen years old at the time the stars fell. It seemed to me like a shower of rain. The people were greatly frightened, and there was much reading of the Bible because they thought the judgment had come.”
Rose Grace was living in Marion, Alabama: “I was seventeen years old when the stars fell. I watched them a long time. They appeared to go out when they were about ten feet from the ground. Everybody thought that the judgment day had come. I told them if that was so it was too late to pray.”
Henry Lewis, a slave of Harrisburg, Kentucky was nineteen years old at the time: “It seemed as if the starry heavens were coming down. I was about twelve miles from home with a horse I had stolen from my master, but when I returned they were all so excited and engaged in prayer that I slipped the house into the stable and escaped detection.”
Said to the mountains and rocks - Expressions which denote the strongest perturbation and alarm. They preferred any kind of death to that which they apprehended from this most awful revolution.
From the face of Him that sitteth on the throne - They now saw that all these terrible judgments came from the Almighty; and that Christ, the author of Christianity, was now judging, condemning, and destroying them for their cruel persecutions of his followers.
***Revelation 6:17 ends with a question “For the great day of His wrath has come and who shall be able to stand?”
--Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Ephesians 6:11
--Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: "The Lord knows those who are His," and, Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity. 2 Timothy 2:19
--Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man. Luke 21:36
--Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Ephesians 6:11
--Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: "The Lord knows those who are His," and, Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity. 2 Timothy 2:19
--Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man. Luke 21:36
For the day of the LORD is great and very terrible,
who can endure it?
Joel 2:11
The 144,000 Interlude
The account given to the apostle concerning that noble army of martyrs who stood before the throne of God in white robes, with palms of victory in their hands.Revelation has four portraits of the 144,000 each with its own emphasis:
Revelation 7:1-8: Emphasis falls on the sealing of the 144,000 for
their protection during the time of trouble and at the second coming followed by the jubilatory singing after victory has been gained. (Revelation 7:9 17).
Revelation 14:1-5: Emphasis on the character of the 144,000.
Revelation 15:2-4: Emphasis on the victory of the 144,000 over the beast, his image and his mark.
Revelation 19:1-8: Emphasis on the jubilatory singing of the 144,000 because the harlot has been judged and God’s people have been avenged.
***The 144,000 sealed ones from the twelve tribes of Israel are not literal Jews.
“The message of the renewing power of God's grace will be carried to every country and clime, until the truth shall belt the world. Of the number of them that shall be sealed [Revelation 14:1] will be those who have come from every nation and kindred and tongue and people. From every country will be gathered men and women who will stand before the throne of God and before the Lamb, crying, "Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb." [Revelation 7:10]. But before this work can be accomplished, we must experience here in our own country the work of the Holy Spirit upon our hearts.” E.G.W.
For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God. Romans 2:28, 29
Q: If God stamps His seal only on literal Jews, then why would God warn every nation, kindred tongue and people about the dangers of worshiping the beast and his image and receiving his mark? For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Galatians 3:26-29
But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, In Isaac your seed shall be called. That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed.
But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, In Isaac your seed shall be called. That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed.
Romans 9:6-8
A: The fact that God warns all nations, kindreds, tongues and peoples about the seal of God and the mark of the beast clearly indicates that it is possible for people from every nation, kindred, tongue and people to receive the seal of God or the mark of the beast. Clearly, then, the sealed ones from the twelve tribes of Israel cannot be literal Jews only!
Literal or Symbolic Number?
Q: Are we to understand that there will be only 144,000 living saints when Jesus comes?
A: First, the book of Revelation presents its message in symbolic language. Persons, names, places and numbers are all symbolic. Numbers such as seven, three and a half times, three and a half days, 42 months, 1260 days, 666, two hundred million, are all symbolic. Revelation 7 and 14 (where the 144,000 appear) are saturated with symbols such as the Lamb, winds, trees, tribes of Israel, seal, four corners of the earth, earth, sea, white robes, virgins, first-fruits, etc.
A: First, the book of Revelation presents its message in symbolic language. Persons, names, places and numbers are all symbolic. Numbers such as seven, three and a half times, three and a half days, 42 months, 1260 days, 666, two hundred million, are all symbolic. Revelation 7 and 14 (where the 144,000 appear) are saturated with symbols such as the Lamb, winds, trees, tribes of Israel, seal, four corners of the earth, earth, sea, white robes, virgins, first-fruits, etc.
Second, if there will only be 144,000 faithful living saints when Jesus comes (not one more and not one less!) then we would have to conclude that God pre determined, pre-chose or hand-picked them. It is very unlikely that exactly 144,000 would exercise their freedom of choice to be among the living righteous when Jesus comes.
***The 144,000 who in the chapter before us are said to be sealed with the seal of God in their foreheads, are again brought to view in Revelation 14:1, where they are said to have the Father's name written in their foreheads.
Q: What Is the Seal of God?
Q: What Is the Seal of God?
A: From the foregoing reasoning, facts, and declarations of Scripture, two conclusions inevitably follow:
1. The seal of God is found in the law.
2. The seal of God is that part of His law which contains His name, or descriptive title, showing who He is, the extent of His dominion, and His right to rule.
The law of God is admitted by all the leading evangelical denominations to be summarily contained in the decalogue, or ten commandments.
1. The seal of God is found in the law.
2. The seal of God is that part of His law which contains His name, or descriptive title, showing who He is, the extent of His dominion, and His right to rule.
The law of God is admitted by all the leading evangelical denominations to be summarily contained in the decalogue, or ten commandments.
We have, then, but to examine these commandments to see which one it is that constitutes the seal of the law, or in other words, makes known the true God, the lawmaking power.
The first three commandments mention the word "God," but we cannot tell from these who is meant, for there are multitudes of objects to which this name is applied.
We pass over the fourth commandment for the time being.
The fifth contains the words "Lord" and "God," but does not define them, and the remaining five precepts do not contain the name of God at all.
With that part of the law which we have examined, it would be impossible to convict the grossest idolater of sin. The worshiper of images could say, This idol before me is my god, and I worship him according to this law.
Thus without the fourth commandment the decalogue is null and void, as far as it pertains to the definition of the worship of the true God.
But let us now add the fourth commandment. As we examine this commandment, which contains the declaration, "For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is," we see at once that we are reading the requirements of Him who created all things.
---The Author of this law has declared who He is, the extent of His dominion, and His right to rule; for every created intelligence must at once assent that He who is the Creator of all has a right to demand obedience from all His creatures.
Thus the fourth commandment in its place, this wonderful document, the decalogue, the only document among men which God ever wrote with His own finger, has a signature, it has that which renders it intelligible and authentic, it has a seal.
But without the fourth commandment, the law is incomplete and unauthoritative.
From the foregoing logic it is evident that the fourth commandment constitutes the seal of the law of God, or the seal of God.
And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.
Revelation 8:1
*The prelude to the sounding of the trumpets in several parts.
The opening of the last seal. This was to introduce a new set of prophetical iconisms and events; there is a continued chain of providence, one part linked to another (where one ends another begins), and, though they may differ in nature and in time, they all make up one wise, well-connected, uniform design in the hand of God.
The opening of the last seal. This was to introduce a new set of prophetical iconisms and events; there is a continued chain of providence, one part linked to another (where one ends another begins), and, though they may differ in nature and in time, they all make up one wise, well-connected, uniform design in the hand of God.
The description of the seventh seal is the shortest and mentions a period of silence in Heaven for about half an hour.
A half hour in symbolic prophetic time is approximately seven and a half days. Some interpreters round off the ‘about’ to seven days and affirm that the second coming of Jesus will take seven days. The silence will presumably ensue because heaven will be empty (see Habakkuk 2:20; Zephaniah 1:7; Zechariah 2:13).
A half hour in symbolic prophetic time is approximately seven and a half days. Some interpreters round off the ‘about’ to seven days and affirm that the second coming of Jesus will take seven days. The silence will presumably ensue because heaven will be empty (see Habakkuk 2:20; Zephaniah 1:7; Zechariah 2:13).
The silence in heaven must bear some relationship to the question in the last part of the sixth seal.
The second part of the sixth seal is the avenging portion of the fifth seal. Now God will turn the tables on those who oppressed, persecuted and killed His people. As Jesus descends from heaven the living saints along with those who died in the faith of the third angel’s message ask the question, ‘who shall be able to stand?’ Following the question there is a period of awful silence in heaven.
The question at the end of the sixth seal is followed by silence in heaven in the seventh.
