Whenever you think about the Apostle John's Revelation and the seal judgments, what comes to mind? Do you picture destruction, wild and horrific?
As a brief reminder, the scroll in question with the seven seals is the Title Deed to the earth, God's Creation. Adam gave Satan complete control of the earth when he rebelled against God in the Garden. Now Jesus begins the task of bringing the title back to the rightful owner.
It's important to keep in mind the purpose behind the judgments as you begin to look at the seal judgments. John writes about the destruction of 1/4th of the earth's population. That's a heap of people killed, folks!
Look at the things that take place as Jesus, the Lamb of God, opens the individual seals. The reason I want to look at the first six seals is because the seventh seal ushers in the seven Trumpet Judgments.
So let's get started.
The church is gone, but on earth I want
you to see what is going to happen.
a. The tribulation period, Chapters 6-18,
occupies about two-thirds of the book.
b. It only covers a 7 year period, so lots
of things happen very fast.
1) Jeremiah 30:7.
2) Daniel 12:1.
3) Matthew 24:21.
c. It’s earth’s bloodiest hour.
1) Never has been anything like it.
2) Never ever will be anything like it again.
d. These horrendous judgments come in 21
different sets of judgments.
1)
Seven seal judgments.
2) Seven trumpet judgments.
3) Seven bowl judgments.
e. If seven is God’s number of perfection,
3 sevens must be perfection plus.
At the breaking of each seal, the blowing
of each trumpet and the pouring out of each
bowl, a new judgment is unleashed.
a. Six of the seal judgments are in Chapter
6, Chapter 7 represents a lull and the 7th seal
is in Chapter 8.
Jesus breaks the first seal. One of the created beings around the throne thunders with a loud voice,
COME! The living creature is giving a command to the Rider on the white horse to begin his appointed time in history.
The First Seal
Judgment
The first
seal judgment is found in Revelation 6:1. Here the rider on the white horse,
the anti-christ comes on the tribulation scene.
His advent comes on the heels of the rapture of the church. He comes to
conquer, and he does conquer the world. He takes complete control, world dominance, during the
first 3-1/2 years of the tribulation.
Notice that he has a bow but no arrows; therefore, his making war isn't done in a conventional way. One way he can conquer is through some economical fix.
The 2nd Seal Judgment
When you
begin to compare these judgments, you begin to see how they can go on at or
nearly at the same time. It looks as though all these judgments take place at
or near the middle of the tribulation period.
When the
second Seal Judgment is broken, the rider on the red horse takes peace from the
world. Daniel 9 says that the anti-christ will break the covenant “in the
middle of the week” or after 3-1/2 years.
Once again, the command to
the next rider to arise.
1. Here peace is taken out, and the last
3-and-1/2 years of the tribulation begins.
2. Notice John writes, When He broke the seal,. . . There could be time between the
breaking of the seals.
V 4 And another, a red horse, went out; and to him who sat on it, it was
granted to take
peace
from the earth, and that men would slay one another; and a great sword
was
given to him.
It is possible that Russia could be
this rider.
1. Ezekiel 38:2, 3 lists the names of Magog,
Meshech, Rosh and Tubal.
2. All these Old Testament countries can be
found inside the Soviet Union.
a. The area of Russia where Tubal was located is
the eastern part that lies south west of
Siberia. The exact area
where U-2 pilot, Gary Powers was shot down.
b. Meshech is Moscow.
c. Rosh is Russia, herself.
3. The Great Bear invades Israel from the
north according to Ezekiel 38:15, 16.
a. The country lies north of Israel.
b. She invades Israel in the latter years and days
of the tribulation, Ezekiel 38:16.
c. The attack centers around the Holy Land.
d. In fact you find Israel
mentioned 18 times in Ezekiel 38 and 39.
Remember, there was no nation called Israel until
1948.
3rd Seal
Judgment
When the
third Seal Judgment is broken, the rider on the black horse causes famine. Most
likely this is a result of the war from the previous judgments. Famine and
inflation usually follow war.
V 5. When He broke the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying,
"Come. " I
looked,
and behold, a black horse; and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his
hand
Once again the third
living creature cried out, “come!”
1. What does the pair of scales represent?
2. Something is about to be weighed.
3. Scales usually refer to the weighing of
grain, i.e. wheat, barley: therefore, a bread
scarcity is in the balance.
V 6 And I heard something like a voice in the center of the four living
creatures saying, A
quart
of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do
not
damage the oil and the wine.
Famine and inflation
usually follow war.
1. C. F. 2 Kings 7:1.
2. The rider on the black horse brings these
two destructive twin sorrows to the earth.
a. Ezekiel prophesied this hour 4:11-16.
b. Although this prophesy was for Jerusalem prior to 586
B.C., it can be a long term
prophesy for Jerusalem
during the tribulation, too.
c. This is pictured by the pair of balances
of verse 5.
1) One pair was accurate.
2) The other pair was tampered with so it would weigh
heavier.
3. Let’s have some fun, let’s compare prices
from then until now.
a. A denarius was the wages for a days work
for a laborer.
b. Today, the minimum wage is $7.25 per
hour.
c. Two measures = 16 oz or 1 loaf of bread.
d. Therefore, a loaf of bread today would
cost, $58.00 – 8 X $7.25 = $58,00.
e. Bread will really be scarce during this
time.
4. Oil and wine have always been luxury
items.
a. Therefore the command is not to harm
them.
b. The rich will still be able to enjoy
themselves even during world famine.
5. How rich are we today?
a. I did this survey over 20 years ago.
b. At that time, out of 133 countries, the
per capita income for 25 of them was $1000.
c. 17 of these 25 countries had a per
capita income less than $500 per year.
6. The general picture is that of hunger
stalking the world, and inflation being the
culprit.
a. We’re experiencing some of this today.
b.
Inflation is at record highs.
c. The poor and the aged are having a tough
time making it today.
d. The people of the U.S. spend 50
billion on diet pills and diet supplements a year.
e. While millions in our country are
starving. Go figure!
7. Inflation and the anti-Christ’s numerical
program 666 will have become so successful
that gold, silver and paper money will be useless.
a. Ezekiel 7:19.
b. Matthew 6:19, 20.
c. Isaiah 55:1, 2
4th Seal Judgment
The rider on the pale (the word used for pale is chloros or green) horse
rides out. One-fourth of the earth’s population is killed. This takes place
during the 5th year of the tribulation period. It is possible that the "green" horse represents chlorine gas or warfare conducted by using chemicals. Since such a large portion of world population is destroyed it makes sense.
V 7 When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth
living creature
saying,
Come.
Again the command to
“come” is given by the fourth living creature.
1. Something to think about the command to
“come.”
a. It is given by one of the creatures that
guards God’s holiness.
b. Therefore, it is a holy command that
must be followed.
2. Get out there and do your thing, the next
demon is instructed.
3. I want you to notice something.
a. On earth, the anti-Christ is given
credit for the power to do these things, isn’t he?
b. But where is the power for him to
accomplish his tasks coming from? The Lamb in
heaven.
V 8 I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name
Death; and
Hades
was following with him Authority was given to them over a fourth of the
earth,
to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild
beasts
of the earth.
The rider on the next
horse aggravates the conditions set by the rider on the black
horse.
1. The rider on the black horse introduced
famine and inflation.
a. If the rider on the black horse were
bad, look at what this rider does.
b. Ashen or pale in Greek is chlorous = green.
1) Mark 6:39, Jesus commands them to sit on the green
(chlorous) grass.
2) Revelation 9:4, commands them not to hurt the green
(chlorous) things.
3) Our word chlorine comes from this Greek word.
4) Chlorine is a deadly gas.
2. That’s why the name
“death” is on this rider and “hell follows.”
a. The use of gas and bacteriological
elements destroys them
b. Death and hell follow and swallow them
up.
c. He kills with hunger, sword and the
beasts of the fields.
d. One/fourth of the earth’s population is
killed by this rider.
e. At the current population of the earth,
that’s over 1 billion people killed by this
rider using chemical and bacteriological warfare.
f. That’s why I think that there is a
connection between chlorous and this
rider.
1) Does he use chemical warfare to destroy?
2) The armies of today have the power through atomic
energy, gasses and
bacteriological warfare to reduce the
population of the world by this
amount in a matter of a few hours.
5th Seal Judgment
When the fifth seal is broken we find the saints from the
tribulation martyred and in heaven. The stellar heavens are smitten and the sun
begins to novae. This happens during the 6th and into the 7th
year of the tribulation. One-third of the lights are darkened, and soon the
rest will follow.
V 9 When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls
of those who
had
been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which
they
had maintained;
The opening of the fifth
seal gives us a picture of the first victims or martyrs of the
tribulation.
1. It’s important to remember that those
tribulation saints are not part of the church.
2. The church is gone already.
a. The church age or dispensation is over,
4:4.
b. These saints are seen under the altar.
c. Since the altar of Old Testament times
was a place where blood of the sacrifice was
placed (Exodus 29:12; Leviticus 4:7; John 16:2 --read--).
d. This could indicate that the blood of
these saints has been poured out as a
sacrifice, i.e. they gave up their life-blood for the
Lamb.
d. Souls are saved during the tribulation
period the same way you and I were saved: the
shed blood of Jesus Christ.
3. These saints were believers who have lost
their lives because of:
a. Their belief in the word of God (Rev.
14:18, 16:7).
b. Their testimony which they held firm to
the end.
V 10 and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy
and true, will
You
refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the
earth?
Notice, they are not
asleep.
1. They are crying.
2. When you die, your spirit and soul go to
heaven or v 8 to hell.
a. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:8, To be
absent from the body is to be present
with the Lord.
b. Paul again writes, To die is gain. . .” (Philippians 1:21).
3. When Christ returns, He brings those that sleep with Him (1 Thessalonians 4:14).
a. These are the armies of heaven.
b. Sleep here is a reference to the grave.
c. Those that are with him have died and
have been placed in the grave.
d. We think of them as sleeping.
e. The old song, Mother’s not dead. She’s
only a sleeping. Patiently waiting, for Jesus
to come.
4. Therefore, being in spirit form does not
mean being unconscious or comatose.
V 11 And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told
that they
should
rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and
their
brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed
also.
God tells the tribulation
saints that his judgment will take place, but there are more
saints that need to be brought home, so be patient.
1. The tribulation saints will be mentioned
later as we unravel the contents of this book.
2. These saints are not the church saints,
and they will have a different role in Heaven
than does the church.
6th Seal Judgment
There’s a huge earthquake and there is no light on the
earth. The stars have fallen from the sky and the sun does not give here light.
This happens during the 7
th year of the tribulation period.
V 12 I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great
earthquake; and the
sun became black as sackcloth made of hair,
and the whole moon became like
blood;
When the sixth seal is
broken, a huge earthquake happens.
1. Does it surprise you that God uses natural
events as part of his judgment?
2. Three quakes are mentioned in Revelation.
a. here.
b. 11:13.
c. 16:18, 19.
3. Another important thing to notice, the
first five seals gave power to anti-Christ.
a. The sixth seal does not.
b. The anti-Christ can’t make earthquakes
happen.
c. I think the earthquakes are literal as
they are in other places in the Bible.
d. God used earthquakes during other
periods of judgment.
1)
Exodus 19:18, Mt.
Sinai quaked when the
Lord ascended upon it.
2) 1 Kings 19:11, rocks were smashed during Elijah’s day.
3) One you will remember is? That’s right, the day Jesus
died. There was a great
earthquake that was so powerful that tombs
were opened and people who
had died before moved about the streets of Jerusalem
(Matthew 27:51, 52).
V 13 and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its
unripe figs when
shaken
by a great wind.
This will be a powerful
quake!
1. What other effects do you think a quake of
this magnitude will have on planet earth?
a. Tsunamis will occur.
b. Those living near the ocean and on
islands in the oceans will be devastated.
c. Those near the epicenter will suffer
great loss as in Haiti.
2. Stars will fall like defective fruit falls
from trees.
a. Have you noticed how apples or peaches
fall from a tree before it gets ripe?
b. Most often if you examine the fruit
closely, there’s a worm in or a blight on it.
c. Can you imagine stars – we’re not
talking little twinkling things out in the sky
hitting the earth!
1) The sun is a star, our closest one.
2)
It is huge!
3) Can you imagine what the earth’s inhabitants will be
thinking as they watch
these brilliant streams of light coming
towards the earth at great speeds!
3. And the winds will blow horrifically!
4. Some want to interpret these signs
figuratively.
5. I think they will be literal.
6. I want you to turn with me to Isaiah
24:18-20. Here Isaiah writes, Then it
will be that
he
who flees the report of disaster will fall into the pit, and he who climbs out
of
the
pit will be caught in the snare; for the windows above are opened, and the
foundations
of the earth shake. (19) The earth is broken asunder, the earth is split
through,
the earth is shaken violently. (20) The earth reels to and fro like a
drunkard
and it totters like a shack, for its transgressions is heavy upon it, and it
will
fall, never to rise again.
7. What devastation this one earthquake will
bring, and the other quakes will make the
prophesy of Isaiah come true.
V 14 The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every
mountain and
island
were moved out of their places.
How very powerful are
these earthquakes?
1. The stellar heavens will be split!
2. Mountains will become plains and valleys
will be lifted up level.
3. Read Isaiah 40:3-5, A voice is calling, clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness;
make
smooth in the dessert a highway for our God. (4) Let every valley be lifted
up,
and every mountain and hill be made low; and let the rough ground become a
plain,
and the rugged terrain a broad valley; (5) Then the glory of the Lord will
be
revealed, and all flesh will see it together; for the mouth of the Lord has
spoken.
4. The force of this and the other quakes
will cause the mountains to come tumbling
down.
5. I believe this seal, along with the
trumpet and bowl judgments, will be very near the
end of the tribulation.
a. All these events are happening
simultaneously!
b. John can only write them as he sees
them.
c. He doesn’t have a video camera to record
them all at once.
d. And he has to write them in some kind of
chronological order.
e. Therefore, we have three separate events
taking place, i.e. the seal, trumpet and bowl
judgments.
6. Here’s another reason I believe these
quakes happen near the end of the tribulation
period.
a. Matthew 24:29 has Jesus speaking, But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and
the powers of heavens will be shaken.
b. How? Great earthquakes!
7. Another reason for me thinking these
events will occur near the end.
a. Zechariah 14:4, 5.
b. In
that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives,
which is in front of Jerusalem
on the east; and the Mount
of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west
by a
very large valley, so that half of the mountain will move toward the north
and
the other half toward the south. (5) You will flee by the valley of My
mountains,
for the valley of the mountains will reach to Azel; yes, you will flee
just
as you fled before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then
the
Lord, my God, will come, and all the holy ones with Him.
c. The prophet Zechariah alludes to the
fact that an “earthquake” causes the Mount of
Olives to split, doesn’t he?
8. Let’s look at more evidence!
V 15 Then the kings of the earth and the great
men and the commanders and the rich and
the
strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among
the
rocks of the mountains; (16) and they said to the mountains and to the rocks,
Fall
on us and hide us from the presence 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 is
able
to stand?"
This is going to be a
terrible time in history.
1. That’s why I think the 6th and
7th seal, trumpet and bowl judgments occur very near
the end of the tribulation period.
2. The inhabitants of the earth cry out for
the rocks to fall on them – a reasonable
request since that’s exactly what is happening!
3. Why?
a. They know it’s over.
b. Jesus says in Luke 21:25, 26, Men’s
hearts fail them for fear of the things they see
coming
on the earth.
c. Micah 1: 4, 5 says, The mountains will melt under Him and the valleys will be split,
like
wax before the fire, like water poured down a steep place. All this is for the
rebellion
of Jacob and for the sins of the house of Israel. . .
4. Why are the nations crying? For the great day of their wrath has come.
. .
I have shared much information in this post--maybe too much. However, much of the information comes from my commentaries on Revelation. You can get a free copy of the entire book of Revelation
here!
Please leave questions or comments below. I'll get back real soon.
Blessings,
Howard
PS: To get your copy of my first novel,
The Red-Haired Master Shepherd,
Go here.
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