THE VISION OF THE SEVEN SEALED BOOK

REVELATION REVEALED

THE SEVEN SEALED BOOK

The “book” or scroll is seen in God the Father’s right hand, and it is written on both sides and sealed with seven seals. These seals are not in a row along the outer edge of the scroll, but seem to be progressive seals from the inside of the scroll to the outside, as though each section was sealed after being completed and the scroll rolled up further until the whole scroll was finished. What is the Book? Some believe this is the Title Deed of Jesus Christ as Heir to All Things. Others believe this might be that same “book” of Divine Prophecy which Daniel was told to shut up and seal in Dan. 12:4, 9. The “book” or scroll was to remain sealed “till the time of the end.” We don’t know. But what to know is that no one except the Lamb of God was worthy to open the Book and to loose the Seals! And as Christ took the Book from the Hand of the Father, TEN THOUSANDS of angels cried out, “WORTHY IS THE LAMB THAT WAS SLAIN TO RECEIVE POWER, RICHES, AND WISDOM, AND STRENGTH AND HONOUR, AND GLORY, AND BLESSING!”

REVELATION REVEALED

THE OPENING OF THE SEALS

Many people, for one reason or another, assume that the Great Tribulation Period (Daniel’s 70th Week, Dan. 9: 27) begins with a spectacular outpouring of Heavenly Wrath which continues unabated for 7 years. Christ’s Olivet Discourse, (Matt. 24:1-30) however, which is an exact synoptical prophecy of the period covered by the first 6 seals, clearly shows how the “end-times” will come upon the world, not suddenly, but in a series of progressively worsening political, spiritual and geological situations and events. The onset of Tribulation will be gradual at first, and then rapidly accelerate in deterioration over a period of 7 years, in a literal Earthly Hell. THE FIRST SEAL. THE WHITE HORSE (Rev. 6:1-2) As the First seal is opened, there is a noise of thunder, heralding a coming storm, then the first living creature invites John to “come and see.” A rider on a white horse is seen, carrying a bow (but no arrows). He is given a crown and goes forth “conquering and to conquer.” The fact that he has no arrowed but a bow shows that his conquests will initially be bloodless, but under the threat of arms, he “walks softly but carries a big stick.” This ruler-to-be will bring a FALSE PEACE to a world weary of wars and strife. He will be a brilliant politician and strategist, a wondrous solver of the world’s economic dilemmas. Like Antiochus Epiphanies, his foreshadowed prototype, he will come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries. (Dan.11:21) HE IS “THE PRINCE WHO IS TO COME” mentioned in Dan.9:26 (THE ANTI-CHRIST). (Do not confuse this rider on a white horse with the Other in Rev. 19:11-16 who will be Y’SHUA our Jesus Christ! Jesus will not carry a bow, but the sharp sword of the Spirit will go out of His Mouth!) The rider is identified as the ANTICHRIST, Satan’s “Superman.” The Scriptures are clear regarding the rise to power of a human being embodying all Satanic power. According to Daniel’s “Seventieth Week” (9:27). Anti-Christ will make a pact or covenant with “the many” for seven years. This would seem to include a treaty guaranteeing protection, aid and peace to ISRAEL. But in the middle of that covenant period, he will break his pact and desecrate the newly-erected temple in Jerusalem by erecting his throne in the Holy Place, and thus “exalt himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the GOD of gods” (Dan.11:36-37). It is most important in studying Revelation chapters 7 to 12, to cross-refer to Matt. 24 and to the prophecies of Daniel, to gain a clear idea of what is meant. The Bible provides its own backup references! The return to the First Seal then; we see Antichrist already going forth upon his prophesied world conquest, as the “FRIEND” of ISRAEL and as the hailed “saviour” of the world from CHAOS; POLITICAL, ECONOMICAL and SPIRITUAL. He will represent himself as the Messiah of ISRAEL and as the Christ to Christians – the new Tribulation Christians, that is! (See Matt. 24: 4-5, & 24.) THIS WILL HAVE BEGUN BEFORE THE “FIRST SEAL”, BECAUSE BY THEN HE IS ALREADY RECOGNIZED (he went forth conquering). He is, no doubt, in the world now, today, working behind the scenes (We have already disclosed him in our earliest post in November). THE SECOND SEAL. THE RED HORSE (Rev. 6:3-4) With the breaking of the Second Seal, the second Living Creature of God’s Throne bids John, “Come and see.” Now a red horse is seen, whose rider has power to remove peace from the world and is given a great sword. Red, the colour of the horse, signifies blood, and the sword is symbolic of war. Matt. 24:6 clearly prophesies this period; “And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars.” How true this is of today – and things are not going to improve! Christ added “for all these things must come to pass but the end is not yet.” It appears that, as Antichrist sets up his world governmental system; his autocratic approach will be resented by some of the nations involved, resulting in probably, several wars until their rebellion is quelled. “For nation will rise up against nation and kingdom against kingdom.” (Matt. 24:7). In Daniel’s vision of the 4th beast (Dan. 7:7-8, 19-21, 23-24) Antichrist will first rule over Ten “nations” or “kingdoms” (and later, over ten geographic zones of the earth). Three of these nations will be destroyed by him, or certainly subdued. In1Thess. 5:3, after Paul’s description of the RAPTURE, we read, “for when they (Antichrist’s people) shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.” It is clear, that as long as Antichrist reigns, there will be no peace in the earth. There will be no peace until the “PRINCE OF PEACE” Himself returns. THE THIRD SEAL. THE BLACK HORSE (Rev. 6:5) The breaking of the Third Seal introduces a third horse into John’s vision. When the third Living Creature says, “Come and see” John sees a black horse, whose rider carries a set of balances or scales. John hears a voice from among the four Living Creatures saying, “A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measure of barley for penny, and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.” Obviously the Black Horse represents Famine and his rider is rationer of foodstuffs. This is always the aftermath of war. The land is ravaged, the barns empty and those who till the land, dead or still fighting. The penny mentioned above refers to the “denarius”, a Roman coin which equalled a day’s pay in John’s time. A measure of wheat would equate to a day’s ration for a slave. “Hurt not the oil and the wine,” could be an injuction to spare the victuals of the elite ruling class who seldom go short time of famine!” THE FOURTH SEAL. THE PALE HORSE (Rev.6:7-8) When Christ opens the 4th Seal, the fourth Living Creature tells John to “Come and see”. This time a “pale” horse (the Greek here is “chloros” meaning “green,” so we can imagine a pallid green corpse-like colour of the horse.) The rider on this horse is Death, “and hell followed with him.” The majority of people in those days will be unsaved and therefore will go to Hell to await the White Judgement. Believers receiving Christ during the Tribulation will go to be with the rest of the Tribulation Saints under God’s Altar, (see 5th Seal). These two will have power over a quarter of the earth “to kill with the sword, with hunger and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.” In Ez. 14:21, God, speaking through the prophet, refers to His future intention to visit Jerusalem with these “four sore Judgments,” and in this case; the “beasts” are referred to as “noisesome” a term generally reserved for pestilences or foulness. From this then we may be right in considering the “beasts” to represent diseases in epidemic proportions, following in the wqke of so much wholesale slaughter and starvation. However, let us not overlook the packs of ravening animals that will be roaming this scene of carnage and desolation, feeding upon the carrion of war and famine. Matt. 24:7-8 again cross-refers here … “and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes in divers places … all these are the beginnings of sorrows.” The inference here is that the real Tribulation is yet to come; what is happening thus far is only as it were the “curtain-raiser.” And that this is so, we shall see as the Trumpet Plagues and Vial Judgments are unleashed! THE FIFTH SEAL. THE SOULS OF THE MARTYES (Rev. 6:9-11) When the 5th Seal is opened by Christ, John sees under God’s Sacrificial Altar, “the souls of them that were slain for the Word of God and for the testimony they held.” That they are under the Alter shows that they had been sacrificed. They are martyrs, (not of the Christian Church which had already been Raptured). These are the ones who had not received Christ by the time of the “Catching Away” of Christ’s Church, but have been converted and have accepted the Messiah since then. These souls receive white robes and are comforted and told to “rest yet a little season until their fellow-servants and also their brethren should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.” (Read Matt. 24:9-10 re-persecutions.) (The terms “servants” and ‘brethren’ are mainly applied to the Jews; Christians are referred to usually as “children of God”). The resurrection of these convert/martyrs is seen in Rev. 20:4-6. It should be remembered that the Tribulation is the prophesied, “Time of Jacob’s Trouble,” and is the Third Great Judgment of God. This is a time upon Israel for her rejection of God the Father, (1Sam 8:7). God the Son, (Luke 23:18) and God the Holy Spirit (Acts 7:51-6). THE SIXTH SEAL. GEOPHYSICAL PHENOMENA (Rev. 6:12-17) As the Lord Jesus Christ opens the 6th Seal, John sees a great earthquake and the sun becomes, blackened and the moon becomes “as blood.” He sees the stars of Heaven fall like figs when the tree is shaken by a mighty wind. The sky appears to “roll up like a scroll” and mountains and islands are displaced. Here we see the mighty Hand of God’s Wrath being demonstrated through geophysical upheavals. The earth is shaken by convulsions, and as followed the great explosion of Krakatoa, the clouds of smoke and volcanic ash will blot out the sun and turn the moon red. Doubtless there will be huge tidal waves, and submerging of oceanic islands, whilst the convulsing of the earth’s crust will cause mountains to shift, to rise, and to fall. The “stars” sound like showers of meteorites. There will be amazing effects in the sky as a result of all of this cataclysmic “strike” upon the earth; clouds of ash, smoke, and vapour will be swirled about by the effects of volcanic eruptions, tidal waves, thermal turbulence and so forth: causing the sky to present some terrifying visual phenomena. Great terror will grip even the mightiest of men of earth in that day, and they will cover in caves and shelters. They will recognise this as an outpouring of God’s Wrath, but they will still refuse to repent and call out for Salvation. Instead they will pray to the rocks to fall and hide them from God’s anger! It is interesting to compare Matt. 24:29 with this prophecy of the Sixth Seal. These events were also prophesied by Joel (2:30-31) and Isaiah (13:9-10 and 34:4.) THE SEVENTH SEAL. SILENCE IN HEAVEN (Rev. 8:1) “And when He had opened the 7th Seal, there was silence in Heaven about the space of half an hour.” This Silence following the breaking open of this Seventh Seal, is a time of Heavenly preparation for what is to follow during the sounding of the Seven Trumpets and the outpouring of the Seven Vials for bowls). These Plagues and Judgments are actually contained in the Seventh Seal so it can be said that the final Seal is the climax of the Tribulation. One can imagine the dread portent that this half hour of complete Silence will hold in Heaven! Not an angel speaks, no harp string is touched, nothing stirs. Even God is silent! You have probably seen those old movies of submarines lying silent, whilst ships listen silently above for the tiniest sound to rise from the deep. Recall the tension, the nerve shattering agony of wondering what will happen when the silence is finally broken. This is how it will be in Heaven; WHO CAN GUESS WHAT THE REACTION WILL BE OF EARTH! It will be like the calm before a giant storm, when not even a bird sings. The worst is yet to come! PRELUDE TO WRATH (Rev. 7) Before the 7th Seal is broken, John shows us a quick “inset” vision of an event which will take place on earth followed by its subsequent sequel in heaven. This is the sealing of the 144,000 servants of God “in their fore-head” with God’s special sign. Just as the Beast will require his followers to be “sealed” with his mark in the forehead or the right hand, so will God seal His servants with a protective seal so that they outpouring of God’s Wrath or from the fierce anger of Antichrist. That this is the case, is borne out later in John’s Visions when we see these entire 144,000 preserved intact to a man, translated and standing before Christ upon the Heavenly Mount Zion, “redeemed from among men” and singing before God’s Throne! Who are these 144,000 servants? Rev. 7 shows us that they are Jews – 12,000 from each of twelve tribes. They will be converted Jews, otherwise we would not see them before Christ, redeemed, in Rev. 14:1-5. And why else would God have them sealed, if not to bear witness to Christ as the True Messiah among their brethren and among the Gentiles too, without being harmed or defiled? However, let us consider also that god has marked these people as the nucleus of a New Nation of Messianic Israelites, especially to be preserved for the Millennium of Christ, and the New Earth thereafter. It is interesting to note that in listing the Tribes for sealing, the Tribes of Dan and Ephraim have been omitted and excluded, and those of Levi and Joseph (not normally classed as general “tribes”) substituted. Why? The reason is that both Dan and Ephraim had introduced idolatry into Israel, by allowing Jeroboam to erect two calves of gold, one at Dan and the other at Betel for public worship. The town of Dan and the other at Bethel for public worship. The town of Dan was then in the “tribe of Dan”, and the town of Bethel was then in the “tribe of Ephraim.” Deut. 29:18-21 specifically pronounces upon any man, woman, family or tribe, guilty of bringing in idolatry, the curse of being separated out of all the tribes unto evil. However, even though these two tribes will have to go unprotected through the Tribulation, they are still vouchsafed their ultimate inheritance in the Millennial Land. Possibly the sequel to the testimony of these 144,000 is shown in Rev. 7:9-17 where John beholds a great uncountable multitude standing before God’s Throne, clad in White robes and with palms in their hands, crying “Salvation to God and to the Lamb.” One of the 24 Elders explains to John that these are they which came out of the great Tribulation and have washed their robes white in the Blood of the Lamb.” These are not the Church, which has already been taken out. Neither are they Jews only, since we are told that they are of “All nations, kindreds, people and tongues.” THE SEVENTH SEAL (Continued) Let us now return to the 7th seal. As you will recall, there was an awesome silence in Heaven for half an hour after Christ had broken this final seal; and no wonder! This Seal is the key which opens up the full fury of the outpouring of God’s Wrath upon the world! It includes all that is to come right through to the beginning of the millennium. What does this silence portend? In Rev. 8:2-5, John sees seven angels given seven trumpets, (which herald 7 plagues,) and another angel receives a Golden Censer full of incense, which he fills with fire from God’s Altar and casts into the earth, causing voices, thunderings, lightings and an earthquake. The Incense is the prayers of the Tribulation Saints, who are still alive on the earth, for deliverance from their enemies. The Fire is God’s Anger upon the enemies of the Saints, the Voices, Thunderings and Lightings are what break the terrible half hour of Silence! The Earth quake is an initial “shake-up” prior to the Sounding of the Seven Trumpets.

REVELATION REVEALED

PHOTO AND TOPIC ASSOCIATED WITH page 18

« THE SEVEN SEALS OPENED BY THE CHRIST » relevancy to the title

PRELUDE TO WRATH (Rev. 7).