The First Seal
Revelation 6:1-2
Throughout the Old Testament when God moved on the earth it was preceded by thunder, lightning, earthquakes, fire, wind or the tops of mountains melting like wax. With each seal that is broken we see a purpose of the righteous, holy God worked out in the sinful world. We need to understand, no matter how bad we visualize this or see it, it's nothing compared to the reality it will become. At some point it may seem like God is unfair or going overboard. But God has been patient. This wrath has been stored up for some time. It's long overdue. Hebrews says,
It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
The lamb of God opened the first of the seven seals. Many have wondered what this looked like. With the breaking of the seal, it appears part of the scroll could be opened, viewed and read. There is some thought that the vision and what John is looking at is a drawing on the scroll. This might be why such an emphasis was made in chapter five that no one was worthy to open or 'look at' the scroll. John was commanded to 'come and see' We might imagine John looking closer at the scroll to see a white horse with a rider holding a bow. However, some believe when the voice said 'come and see' that it was calling for the white horse and rider, not John. Either way, this horse and rider had been given a crown and went out conquering and to conquer. Whether John was looking at a drawing on a scroll or looking at a vision within his vision, we don't know.
As John speaks of these 4 horses and riders the language is similar to that found in Zechariah 1:7–11 and 6:1–8. This horseman is the first of the four horsemen of the apocalypse unleashed on the world. It is the first response of many to think this must be Jesus, however, the timing is wrong and this rider's purpose and works are not consistent with Christs. We tend to believe that good guys arrive on white horses and bad guys ride black horses. This isn't the movies, though. This rider only resembles Jesus and he does so for the purpose of deception. In reality he is a counterfeit Jesus. The rider of this white horse is the antichrist. This 'instead of christ' will rise to power.
This rider is bent on conquest. He wants to take over the world. He holds a bow in his hand, which is a tool of war. But for now, there are no arrows associated with the bow. He is just a threat. We can see that as the world changes, people are being controlled by instilling fear in them. When the masses fear, they are pliable and open to manipulation and deception. For people living in fear, the threat of war or the idea that there were arrows to go with this bow was enough to lay down all resistance and bow before this power.
18 Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us. (1 John 2:18-19)
5 For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. (Matthew 24:5)
We live in a world where there are many antichrists. They are everywhere. I imagine people will get so used to seeing them and dealing with the junk they deliver to mankind; they will no longer notice when The Antichrist arrives on the scene. This antichrist will arrive on the scene and be praised by the world.
This rider is given a crown, a 'stephanos'. He didn't earn it nor does he deserve it. It is crown of victory, but no victory was won. Power was forfeited to this man. Make no mistake; it is God who gives this authority to him for a time. With his bow and crown this man rides out as a conqueror and is bent on conquest. He won't have to fire an arrow. He will be lifted up and received by the world. They will conquer all for him, silence all opposition; kill and imprison any who speak out.
This man will be revered as a great politician and leader. In the beginning he will form alliances and a great confederation of nations. He will accomplish this through politics and through lies and deceit.
The Second Seal
Revelation 6:3-4
Jesus opened the 2nd seal. The second of the Cherubim attending the throne called 'come and see'. We again, wonder, was John being called forth to the scroll or was the second horseman being called? This fiery red horse and its rider was unleashed on the world. This rider will take peace from the earth. The power and ability to do this was granted by the sovereign God. Now doubt Satan will think he is calling the shots.
The peace that exists on the earth has always been a gift from God. When the day comes that John is previewing, God will unleash a rider that doesn't cause war, but simply remove peace. It's sounds the same and is a subtle difference. But when God removes peace, sinful men will do what they do naturally. They will war against each other by greed and lust for power and money and authority, to be enthroned on the earth and over the earth, seeking to be a god unto themselves.
To this rider was given a large sword. The word translated to 'sword' is really the word for a small sword or a large knife. This specific blade was made for killing and cutting flesh. Instead of a "large" small sword, this should probably be seen as an instrument of death, blood, mayhem. It's a blade used up close and in your face. The "large" is this sword's great ability to bring this carnage to the whole world.
Since WW2 there have been 150 wars. The nations of the earth spend trillions of dollars yearly in military spending. Millions upon millions have been killed in war throughout history. Now we have a conqueror loose on the earth with no restraint as peace is removed and men begin to war. This will be a war the likes of which no man has ever seen.
The Third Seal
Revelation 6:5-6
Jesus broke the 3rd seal. At the breaking of the seal the 3rd Cherubim said, "Come and see." The third horse and rider were unleashed on the earth. This horse was black, the color of evil, darkness and absent of light. Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. The scales indicate the marketplace and economy. Scales would be used in the buying and selling of food, no different than it is today. The voice of the cherubim speaks out as if announcing a sale price but also gives a command or warning.
A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine."
A quart of wheat would be a daily provision for one man. You could make your money go further buying a cheaper grain like barley. A denarius was a day's wages for a common laborer. If all his wages went to feed him, it shows he could not properly feed his family or pay his other bills. What we see here is not just hyperinflation, but famine. Those who used to buy wheat for less than an hour's wage will now work all day for the same. In our day, a loaf of bread is worth about 5-10 minutes of labor. Can you imagine working all day to buy a loaf of bread? That's not even getting anything to put on it.
In the midst of this time of famine and starvation, the oil and wine won't be damaged. For those with money and means, the oil and wine, the finer things will still be available. This is fascinating to consider in our world today. Those who are in power, making the rules and establishing the economy in which we live, don't live by the same means. They tell us we need to sacrifice to give more of what we have to those who have little, yet they sacrifice nothing. We see a ruling class who feel no pain from the damage they've done. This was visible in the year of Covid. It was especially noticeable at thanksgiving when they told us we couldn't gather with our families, we could not travel in the holidays, etc. Yet, those in power traveled and gathered at will. The rules they made for the common man did not apply to them.
Our economy is becoming a one world economy before our eyes. Every day we draw closer to a cashless society. We are all tied closely together. It wasn't that long ago that America stood apart, alone and far above others economically. We thought our economy and wealth could never be held hostage by the world. But here we sit in debt so deep we'll never recover. When any economy begins to teeter, we feel the effects. As America's debt gets larger the world swirls down with us.
The Corona virus relief package is 1.9 trillion dollars. I wasn't that long ago when the entire national debt hit two trillion and the media nearly went into panic. Now, in a single bill we spend this like it is no big deal. We print money, devaluing our currency. Money supply goes up, prices go up and you pay more for less. In addition, our debt requires more and more interest.
If you spend a dollar a second for 24 hrs a day. You would spend:
- $1 million in 11.5 days.
- $1 billion 31.8 years
- $1 trillion 31,800 years.
- The Corona virus package would take you over 60,000 years.
- The national debt would take you 892,000 years.
By the way, your portion of the national debt (Americans) is 85,000 per person. However, since many Americans pay no taxes, your bill as a taxpayer is $223,441.
In our day to day lives it's hard for us to imagine a worldwide famine. However, we saw a run on toilet paper during the virus. No one is quite sure why. It probably says a lot about us as spoiled Americans. Nothing like this had every happened. It was a big deal, not that anyone was doing without, but they didn't have the soft brand and we couldn't get all we wanted. It offended us. We are used to going to another store if one is out of something. Doing without is not an option. Imagine for a moment how long it would take to empty the shelves in the store. Imagine the chaos. People would be shooting each other over the last can of pork and beans. As the end draws near, we seem to be on a razors edge, a few hours away from anarchy and chaos, given the right event or even just fear.
The bible says those days are coming for those left on the earth in the Tribulation.
The Fourth Seal
Revelation 6:7-8
Jesus broke the fourth seal and the 4th Cherubim said, "Come and see." This unleashed the 4th horseman on the world. This horse was a pale horse. The word for 'pale' is chloros. The word is used 3 other times in the bible, two of which refer to the color of the grass and the third green vegetation. This horse being green implies it is sick or unhealthy. On this sick horse was a rider named death and Hades was on his heals. We could say death rides on the back this illness. Wherever the horse and rider go, the grave, or Hades is close behind.
At the onset of the Covid outbreak of 2020 there was mass doom and gloom. There was speculation of incredible widespread death. Hospitals were supposedly going to be overrun, morgues overflowing with shortages of body bags and coffins. None of that happened. What did happen was it created a fear and panic. For the first time in the history of the world, we quarantined healthy people and shut down the world. The effect on our culture was devastating, driving up mental illnesses and suicide rates. On top of everything, the church wasn't prepared. This illness, which was very real, became politicized and remains so as vaccines are being distributed. A virus brought this unbelieving world to its knees. If your hope is in this world only, a virus is to be feared greatly. Many still hope for some return to 'normal' but our 2019 normal is gone forever. The world has been forever changed.
What will happen if, or when, there is a really serious virus? One of the disappointing highlights of Covid 19 is the effect it has had on the church. Statistics say that over 30% of people left the church and will never return. Some churches remain closed, some will never reopen and many will never recover. Pastors have turned on pastors. Divisions formed over whether to open or close; then mask or no mask; abide by government restrictions or not. The church that was seen as a lampstand to hold up the light seemed awfully dim and confused in this dark time. How much worse will it be in a world where the church is gone? When this rider unleashes sickness and death on the world that finds its hope only in this world, it will be devastating.
This horse and rider will spread its plague and feed the grave, joining the first three. Verse 8 seems to be a summary verse of the effects of the four horsemen of the apocalypse. The sword, hunger, pestilence and wild beasts are the tools of judgment God uses. We see these spoken of in several places throughout the bible. Jerimiah spoke of these things:
When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and grain offering, I will not accept them. But I will consume them by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence." (Jeremiah 14:12)
These plagues will bring large scale death upon the earth. This rider was given an allotment of 25% of the population. There are nearly 8 billion people on earth as of 2021; nearly 2 billion will be turned given in the grip of these 4 horsemen.
For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. (Matthew 24:21)
The breaking of the first seal seems to indicate the start of things. Is this first seal then the beginning of the 7 year tribulation? We can't be sure. We've not seen anything else to this point in the book of revelation that indicates these events will occur during the 7 year tribulation period. I believe the scriptures show the church in heaven. But there is nowhere in the bible that says the rapture would be the beginning of the 7 years. There can be no doubt, the devastation brought up on the world by these 4 horsemen is significant, but I don't think we can plot them on a timeline. We don't know the duration of time between the breaking of the first four seals, either.
While all this seems to be evil unleashed on the earth, we would do well to remember this is Jesus breaking the seals and the servants of God that call "come and see". This is happening by God's will.
The Fifth Seal
Revelation 6:9-11
As Jesus opened this fifth seal, we see a response in heaven to the events that happened on earth during the first 4 seals. Why were these souls under the altar? They were people who died for their testimony, who died for the gospel truth. They were 'slain'; a word meaning murdered indiscriminately and without mercy. There has always been martyrdom somewhere in the world. However, it appears it will become more acceptable. Notice the root of the martyrdom is in regards to the word of God, that brings a change that produces a testimony that the world will despise. The word of God is under attack in many ways and it will become more prominent.
This is the first we've seen of these souls under the altar. The picture is that off the brazen altar in which the body of the sacrifice was slaughtered and its blood poured out at the base of the altar as an offering. The life is in the blood and these lives were sacrificed as though upon the altar. These are often considered tribulation saints based on the idea the church was raptured at the end of chapter 4. However, the book isn't written as a timeline with all the events giving in sequential detail. Keep in mind, that there is no reason to believe martyrdom won't be on the rise in the days or years leading up to the tribulation.
If this is after the rapture, which many believe it is, these are believers who came to the Lord during the tribulation and suffered martyrdom. The world will be a dark place, but there will be men and women saved by God during these dark times. These new Christians, their God, and their values will all be despised by the world and many will be killed for their faith.
These souls cry out for vengeance and they ask, how long? It's not a matter of "if" but "when". We can go back to first murder and see the same "crying out" of the blood of one murdered for his faith. When Cain killed able in Genesis 4, God said to Cain, The voice of your brother's blood cries out to Me from the ground. It cried out for vengeance and justice.
Those who spilled the blood of these martyrs were still running lose on the earth. The spilled blood and souls of these murdered saints also cry out for vengeance. Each of these martyrs was given a white robe and told to wait. More blood would be spilled and more souls would cry out. Isn't it interesting that God's plan even involves His own people being killed for His name? God's plan is greater and His work is greater than we could imagine. During this time, God will use the testimony and lives of those who had just been saved in this tribulation period.
Imagine the shock of an unbelieving world when they see a new believer willing to die for their faith. What a testimony to a lost world. How many will see this and wonder if they are missing something?
The Sixth Seal
Revelation 6:12-17
The scroll is nearly open as Jesus breaks the 6th seal at which there was a great earthquake and a shifting of the cosmos. Most of John's audience in Asia had lived through earthquakes in that region as well as the shaking and eruption of Mt Vesuvius. As serious as those were, they pale in comparison to what John describes. John borrows the language of the Old Testament Prophets.
Joel spoke of the day of the Lord:
form Isaiah who spoke of the day of the Lord coming against Babylon:
Jesus spoke of days like these after which the sign of the Son of Man would appear in heaven.
Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. (Matthew 24:29)
There is some thought that the eruption of a volcano would darken the sky and bring about many of the same effects. However, it would be somewhat local. The volcanic eruption they knew of may be the picture they could apply worldwide. The earth seems to be reeling, possibly from the impact of a asteroid. Will the earth be stoned by a meteor shower for its blasphemy? John said the stars of heaven will fall like over ripe figs from a tree. The sky would burst open, as if under pressure. Perhaps the billowing clouds of hot gases and ash from a volcano would give the appearance of the receding sky. However, a nuclear blast or a meteor impact would do the same. Isaiah saw the same:
John notes that every mountain and island will move from its place. It appears that no part of earth will be untouched; no person will go unaffected. Where are the kings, so wise in their ways? Where are the politicians with answers to everything? Where are the media moguls who want to direct our thinking? Where are the rich and famous who believe they control this world? Where are the scoffers and mockers and those filled with hate? The rich and poor, slave and free as well as the powerful and weak will all seek refuge from the wrath of the lamb. John speaks the prophets of old had spoken many times, man would hide themselves from the Lord on that day.
Hosea spoke of the days in which the Lord would move against Samaria for her idolatry. In those days the Lord would bring destruction up on them:
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Prior to the breaking of the seals, all eyes were on heaven, upon the throne and the lamb that was before. It is the throne of the creator, the Almighty, Sovereign over all the heaven and earth. There are many small thrones and supposed thrones, but none will compare and only one will stand and only one will matter on that day. In great contrast, the attention is shifted to the earth as the first four seals are broken. As the scroll is unveiled in the heavens, the effect on earth drastic and devastating.
- 1st seal: Conquest.
- 2nd seal: War, but also peace is taken
- 3rd seal: Famine
- 4th seal: Plague or Pestilence
At the opening of the 5th seal, our attention is drawn back to the throne to see the response in heaven to the first 4 seals.
- 5th seal: Martyrdom of saints
At the breaking of the 6th seal, our attention is drawn back to earth once again. While the martyrs were crying "avenge us" to God, those on earth were hiding from this cataclysmic event. Suddenly, money and class make no difference. Slave and free, rich and pour, the mighty and the humble are hidden together in caves. In the beginning they will believe they are hiding from the forces of nature but they are hiding from the wrath of God. They are hiding from being exposed to God's judgment.
- 6th seal: The Earth is Rocked.
It's a stubborn and rebellious heart that cries out to a mountain and rocks during calamity instead of crying out to God. This may be the first time they've ever acknowledged God in their life. This is the response of a sinful man exposed to God's holiness. This has been happening since the beginning of time. Adam and Eve hid themselves from the presence of the Lord.
Men and women will choose to protect their own pride and their life by hiding from God. In doing so, they are choosing an eternal separation from God. Because they choose sin and separation from an eternal God, they will receive an eternal punishment.
Who can withstand the wrath to come? How can anyone stand in the presence of the lamb? How can anyone stand to the judgments of God? In our flesh, in our natural state, we can't. But, in our redeemed state, by the blood of the lamb, we are saved and can stand before God. And not just stand, but be welcomed, be clothed and seated at the table. The redeemed will dine with the Lord in a great celebration. Those who are found in Christ will enter in to their inheritance.
The faithful church, the Lord said:
10 Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. (Rev 3:10)
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. (Romans 5:1-2)
©2021 Doug Ford
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