6.17 The Seven Seals                                             

 

1. What did John, the revelator, see in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne?
Revelation 5:1 And I saw in the right hand of Him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.

 

2. What did the Lamb do with this book?
Revelation 5:7 And He came and took the book out of the right hand of Him that sat upon the throne.

 

3. Why was Christ declared worthy to open these seals?
Revelation 5:9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by Thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;

 

4. What was revealed upon the opening of the first seal?
Revelation 6:1-2
1 And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.
2 And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.
Note: The number seven indicates completeness or perfection in Scripture. The seven seals conclude an entire class of events in which the history of the church is recounted from the beginning of the Christian era to the Second Coming of Christ. The white horse with its rider, going out to conquer, aptly represents the first Christian church in its purity, which went to the whole world with the gospel message of salvation.

 

5. What appears upon the opening of the second seal?
Revelation 6:3-4
3 And when He had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see.
4 And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.
Note: While the white color of the first horse represents the purity of the gospel that its rider spread, so the color of the second horse demonstrates that corruption had crept in when this symbol was applicable. Christianity wore the robe of paganism. The seed of most of those errors that in later times permeated the church completely harmed the purity of the gospel. The church sought union with worldly power, and trouble and unrest were the result. This symbol extends from the end of the first century to the time of Constantine, when a complete union of church and state was brought about.

 

6. What was the color of the symbol under the third seal?
Revelation 6:5 And when He had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.
Note: The black horse aptly represents the spiritual darkness that characterized the church from the time of Constantinople until the establishment of papal supremacy in 538 AD. Christianity had now become popular, and a large portion, perhaps a great majority of those who adopted it, merely took the name, were baptized, and observed some of the outward ceremonies of the church, while in their hearts and in their moral character they remained just as much pagans as they had been before. Error and corruption entered the church like a flood.

 

7. What was the color and character of the fourth symbol?
Revelation 6:7-8
7 And when He had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.
Note: This is an unnatural color for a horse. The original word points to the pale and yellowish color of plants containing a plague. The symbol apparently refers to the persecution and extermination directed against the people of God by the Roman Church, from the time of the beginning of papal power in 538 AD until the time when the Reformers began to expose the true character of the Papacy and this work of killing was kept in check.

 

8. What was seen under the altar upon the opening of the fifth seal?
Revelation 6:9 And when He had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:
Note: When the Reformers exposed the work of the Papacy, it was considered how many martyrs had been put to death for the sake of their faith.

 

9. What were these martyrs represented as doing?
Revelation 6:10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
Note: The cruel treatment they had suffered called for vengeance, just as the blood of Abel cried out to God from the ground. (Genesis 4:10) These souls were not in heaven, but under the altar on which they were killed. The altar is on earth and not in heaven. Here the image of personification is used, in which inanimate objects are represented as living and speak as if they were. (see Judges 9:8–15).

 

10. What was given these martyrs?
Revelation 6:11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.
Note: These martyrs had perished as heretics under darkness and superstition. Laden with dishonor and shame. Now, in the light of the Reformation, their true character is revealed and it is seen that they were righteous, and hence they were given white robes, which represented righteousness. That righteousness is granted to them by Christ as indicated in Revelation 19:8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. They must rest a little longer on the altar until all the others, who are yet to be killed for their faith, have followed them. Then they will be raised together to life and immortality.

 

11. What was seen first on the opening of the sixth seal?
Revelation 6:12 And I beheld when He had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;
Note: This undoubtedly refers to the great earthquake of November 1, 1755, which is usually known as the Lisbon earthquake. Lisbon in Portugal was almost completely destroyed. The earthquake, says Mr. Sears in his book *Wonders of the World*, was immediately followed by the collapse of every church and every monastery, almost all the great public buildings, and a quarter of the houses. About two hours later, fires broke out in various parts of the city, which raged so fiercely for almost three days that the city was completely destroyed. The earthquake took place on a holy day, when the churches and monasteries were full of people, of whom very few escaped. The fear of the people was indescribable. No one wept; it was too terrible for tears. They ran back and forth, mad with fright and horror, and struck their faces and chests, crying out: “Misericordia! The end of the world has come!” Mothers forgot their children and ran around, laden with images of the crucified Savior. Unhappily, many ran to the churches for safety; but in vain was the holy wafer shown; In vain the poor creatures wrapped their arms around the altars; images, priests, and people were buried in a general heap of rubble. It was assumed that ninety thousand people perished on that fateful day.

 

12. What was to follow the great earthquake?
Revelation 6:12 And I beheld when He had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;
Note: This refers to the dark day of May 19, 1780, when the darkness and gloom were so terrible that the general impression was that the Day of Judgment had arrived. This day is known in history as “the dark day.” On that day, over a large part of the New World, upon which the eyes of the whole world were cast at that time, a strange eclipse came at noon. In many houses the candles were lit. The birds fell silent and vanished. The hens went to roost. In accordance with the impression God wanted this sign to make, many thought that the Day of Judgment had arrived. Although the moon had only been full the evening before, the darkness of that night was so dense that for a time not a single luminous sphere could be seen in the firmament, and one could not discern a sheet of white paper held a few inches away from the eyes.

 

13. What other event is mentioned under this seal?
Revelation 6:13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.
Note: This was fulfilled on November 13, 1833.

 

14. What is the next event mentioned in the prophecy?
Revelation 6:14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
Note: This event lies in the future and will take place in connection with the Second Coming of Christ. We currently stand between the two events. The signs mentioned in this study show the approaching of the Second Coming of Christ and the ending of all earthly kingdoms.

 

15. How will this great event affect the world?
Revelation 6:15-17
15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;
16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
17 For the great day of His wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

 

16. How is the seventh seal introduced?
Revelation 8:1 And when He had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.
Note: The sixth seal introduced the events in connection with the Second Coming of Christ. The seventh seal must therefore refer to that event or to a consequence thereof. When Christ comes, all the holy angels will accompany Him (Matthew 25:31). It follows from this that during their absence, silence will naturally prevail in heaven. Half an hour in prophetic time must be approximately seven days. The seven seals therefore bring us to the Second Coming of Christ.