The Seven Seals

The glorified Christ we met in chapter 1 led to the writing of the seven letters. The throne scene in chapter 4 and 5 now sets the stage for the opening of the scroll. We need to keep in mind that the scroll is not opened until the seventh seal is broken. Thus the contents of the scroll remain hidden until we get to chapter 8. The seals are preliminary judgments that represent forces that have operated throughout history.

The Seven Seals One of the problems we have when we read the next few sections of Revelation is the desire by the Western mind to read events chronologically. John, on the other hand, is the product of a Semitic mind. Stories are told to emphasize points, solidify ideas, and present concepts in a manner easily remembered by an illiterate audience. The three judgment scenes (seals, trumpets and bowls) are intricately woven together. I prefer not to see them run consecutively, as we shall see shortly.

Let’s talk a little bit about sequence Remember when we began our study, one of the points made about apocalyptic literature was that the author was more concerned with making a point than (s)he was about keeping to a chronological sequence. Very few modern scholars understand the events portrayed in Revelation to run sequentially from chapter one through chapter twenty-two. Most see the seals, trumpets and bowls as being varied aspects of the same time period.

Let’s talk a little bit about sequence SealsTrumpets White horse, bow, conqueror Hail, fire and blood Red horse, sword, warFiery mtn. in sea, 1/3 becomes blood Black horse, inflationStar falls on 1/3 of rivers, wormwood Pale horse, death, wild animals 1/3 of sun, moon and stars Martyrs under the altarDemon locusts from the dark pit EarthquakeDemon cavalry from beyond the Euphrates Sealing of the 144,000 and the great multitude Eating the scroll, two witnesses SilenceEnd announced, celebrated but not described Bowls Sores Sea turned to blood and all sea creatures die Rivers and springs turned to blood Sun scorches the people of the earth Kingdom of the beast plunged into darkness Kings of the east cross Euphrates, prepare for war PATTERN BROKEN The beginning of the end which is elaborated in chaps :5 The Great Intermission

The Seven Seals Let’s look at the pattern: SealsTrumpetsBowls White horseHail and FirePlague of sores Red HorseMtn. tossed intoSea turned to the seablood Black HorseWormwoodRiver becomes blood Pale HorseSun and StarsSun scorches Cries of the MartyrsPlague of locustsDarkness Cosmic DisturbanceFour angels fromEuphrates dries the EuphratesIntermission SilenceTemple visionEarthquake

The Seven Seals Let’s look at the pattern: SealsTrumpetsBowls White horseHail and FirePlague of sores Red HorseMtn. tossed intoSea turned to the seablood Black HorseWormwoodRiver becomes blood Pale HorseSun and StarsSun scorches Cries of the MartyrsPlague of locustsDarkness Cosmic DisturbanceFour angels fromEuphrates dries the EuphratesIntermission SilenceTemple visionEarthquake God’s judgments working out in history Humanity affected only indirectly Direct attacks on people

The Seven Seals Let’s look at the pattern: SealsTrumpetsBowls White horseHail and FirePlague of sores Red HorseMtn. tossed intoSea turned to the seablood Black HorseWormwoodRiver becomes blood Pale HorseSun and StarsSun scorches Cries of the MartyrsPlague of locustsDarkness Cosmic DisturbanceFour angels fromEuphrates dries the EuphratesIntermission SilenceTemple visionEarthquake Earth Sea Inland Seas Heavenly Bodies Demonic assaults

The First Four Seals Revelation 6:1-2 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!" 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. It is important that we understand the four horsemen (and the whole book itself) as an attempt by John to teach us how power fits into the divine scheme of things. John understands that all power originates with God Humanity is given free will with the understanding that there is the possibility that this power will be misused. Misuse of power brings on suffering and disaster.

The First Four Seals Revelation 6:1-2 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!" 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. Therefore as we study this part of Revelation, notice the tenses and voices of the verbs. (I know no one wants a grammar lesson). But they are key to understanding the message of the text. For example:

The First Four Seals Revelation 6:1-2 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!" 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. Therefore as we study this part of Revelation, notice the tenses and voices of the verbs. (I know no one wants a grammar lesson). But they are key to understanding the message of the text. For example: This is passive voice. It means the subject (the rider) receives the action of the verb (to give). Thus, the crown (signifying power) originates with God!

The First Four Seals Revelation 6:1-2 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!" 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. The bow is a symbol of conquest. It was the favored weapon of the Parthians to the east to whom white was also a sacred color. Perhaps John is playing to his audience’s fear of a Parthian invasion. The Romans were defeated by the Parthians more than 100 years earlier at the battle of Carrhae. Since that time the Parthians were thought to be mighty and invincible warriors – a people to be feared. The Euphrates river formed the boundary between the Roman Empire and that of Parthia.

The First Four Seals Revelation 6:3-4 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 men slay each other. To him was given a large sword. The color red is the color of war and bloodshed.

The First Four Seals Revelation 6:3-4 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 men slay each other. To him was given a large sword. The color red is the color of war and bloodshed. Notice the voice of the verb: PASSIVE The rider does not “take up” the sword, instead it is given to him by God.

The First Four Seals Revelation 6:5-6 When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, "Come!" I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. 6 Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, "A quart of wheat for a day's wages, and three quarts of barley for a day's wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!" The price of basic food items skyrockets to 8 or 16 times its normal cost. Only the luxury items remain untouched. This is inflation which is a natural consequence of war and conquest.

The First Four Seals Revelation 6:7-8 When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, "Come!" 8 I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.

The First Four Seals Revelation 6:7-8 When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, "Come!" 8 I looked, and there before me was a pale [green] horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth. The fourth horseman is death riding a horse the color of decaying flesh.

The First Four Seals Revelation 6:7-8 When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, "Come!" 8 I looked, and there before me was a pale [green] horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth. The fourth horseman is death riding a horse the color of decaying flesh. Here we see the appalling aftermath of war – famine, pestilence and wild animals overrunning the habitat of humanity.

The First Four Seals Revelation 6:7-8 When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, "Come!" 8 I looked, and there before me was a pale [green] horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth. The fourth horseman is death riding a horse the color of decaying flesh. Here we see the appalling aftermath of war – famine, pestilence and wild animals overrunning the habitat of humanity. The key to this vision is the idea that only one-fourth of the earth is affected. At this point God has limited the effects of judgment. This limitation implies that there is time for repentance.

The First Four Seals John draws his imagery directly from the Old Testament. The whole image of the four horsemen was “borrowed” from Zechariah. Zechariah 6:1-3 - I looked up again-- and there before me were four chariots coming out from between two mountains-- mountains of bronze! 2 The first chariot had red horses, the second black, 3 the third white, and the fourth dappled-- all of them powerful. Mark 13:7-8 - When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 8 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.

The First Four Seals John draws his imagery directly from the Old Testament. Consider the last sentence above: They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth. Ezekiel 14:21 - For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: How much worse will it be when I send against Jerusalem my four dreadful judgments-- sword and famine and wild beasts and plague-- to kill its men and their animals! See also Leviticus 26:18-28

This is a very tragic vision that describes the situation of John’s audience. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse is a fitting description of God’s judgments being worked out in history. This is what happens when we oppose the will of God. Political instability Economic turmoil Societal breakdown Disaster with a capital “D” These judgments serve two purposes: 1. Judge the unfaithful 2. Purify the faithful

The Fifth Seal Revelation 6:9-11 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. 10 They called out in a loud voice, "How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?" 11 Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed. The scene now shifts from the earth to heaven.

The Fifth Seal Revelation 6:9-11 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. 10 They called out in a loud voice, "How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?" 11 Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed. We know that the persecution is already active (2:13 and 6:8) The keyword here is “ALTAR”. The altar was a place of sacrifice. One didn’t go to the altar to eat popcorn.

The Fifth Seal Revelation 6:9-11 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. 10 They called out in a loud voice, "How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?" 11 Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed. The keyword here is ALTAR - It was a place of blood sacrifice. It’s a powerful allusion to the Old Testament sacrificial system. Leviticus 4:7 - The priest shall then put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of fragrant incense that is before the LORD in the Tent of Meeting. The rest of the bull's blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.

The Fifth Seal Revelation 6:10 They called out in a loud voice, "How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?“ Almost uniformly, this phrase is used of those who oppose God. The inhabitants of the earth will: Rejoice over the death of the two witnesses (11:10) Worship the beast (13:8, 12) Become drunk on the wine of the great prostitute's adulteries (17:12) Omitted from the book of life (17:8)

The Fifth Seal Revelation 6:9-11 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. 10 They called out in a loud voice, "How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?" 11 Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed. This is a cry for vindication – not vengeance. Psalm 13:1 - How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? This is the cry of the saints for thousands of years. How long will it be until our lives and deaths have meaning. The one thing we fear most of all is meaningless suffering.

The Fifth Seal Revelation 6:11 Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed. The command is to wait. This is not to control impatience rather to allow the saints to enjoy their blessedness (white robes).

The Sixth Seal Revelation 6:12-17 I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, 13 and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as late figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. 14 The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. 15 Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. 16 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 wrath of the Lamb! 17 For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?“ God resumes His punishments of the wicked!

The Sixth Seal Revelation 6:12-17 I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, 13 and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as late figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. 14 The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. 15 Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. 16 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 wrath of the Lamb! 17 For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?“ As before, John “borrows” his imagery from various parts of the OT. Earthquake – Haggai 2:6 - This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land.

The Sixth Seal Revelation 6:12-17 I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, 13 and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as late figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. 14 The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. 15 Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. 16 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 wrath of the Lamb! 17 For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?“ As before, John “borrows” his imagery from various parts of the OT. Joel 2:31 - The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD.

The Sixth Seal Revelation 6:12-17 I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, 13 and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as late figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. 14 The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. 15 Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. 16 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 wrath of the Lamb! 17 For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?“ As before, John “borrows” his imagery from various parts of the OT. Isaiah 34:4 - All the stars of the heavens will be dissolved and the sky rolled up like a scroll; all the starry host will fall like withered leaves from the vine, like shriveled figs from the fig tree.

The Sixth Seal Revelation 6:12-17 I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, 13 and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as late figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. 14 The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. 15 Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. 16 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 wrath of the Lamb! 17 For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?“ For a people who understood the movements of the heavenly bodies as tokens of God’s providential care and control, the breakdown of this order was a grim announcement that the end had come! John’s audience read this to mean the “end.”

Next Week The first intermission - The sealing of God’s people Chapter 7