The
Seven Seals
Seals 4,5,6,7
Begin
Text:
Today,
we will examine the meaning and the timing of the
last three seals.
Let’s
begin by looking at the diagram of the seven
seals and I want you to specifically notice how
the breaking of each seal produces a brighter
revelation of all that Jesus is.
You
may wondering, “Why is the revelation of
Jesus necessary? Why is this such an important
matter to the Father? Here’s why:
An Almighty God humbled
Himself to the lowest point. He came to Earth as
a child of very poor parents. He came to a nation
whose leaders were arrogant and ignorant of
Truth. He was willing to live among sinners as
one of us. He was willing to obey imperfect human
parents as well as His Father in Heaven. He was
will to be tempted by Lucifer and tested with
extreme suffering. He was will to cease to exist
for the redemption of sinners. He was willing to
die so that the Father’s government could be
exonerated from Lucifer’s lies…
Jesus willingly did all
these things (and much more), and He successfully
fulfilled the Father’s will in these
matters, therefore, the Father has determined
that the whole universe should know who Jesus
really is – that Jesus is identical to
the Father in every way. Jesus is not a
lesser God or a subordinate God, even though He
does not sit on the throne or dwell in
unapproachable light. The Father wants the whole
universe to fully know that Jesus is an
eternal God that has every attribute and every
power that He has.
This
disclosure of Jesus proves that the Father is
just as humble as Jesus. The Father is not
worried about losing His preeminent position once
the universe knows that Jesus is just as powerful
and glorious as He is. The Father is not worried
now that Jesus, since 1798, has Sovereign power
and rules over the universe. By giving Jesus full
control of everything, the Father has
demonstrated that Jesus is equal to Himself.
Actually,
by revealing all that Jesus is to the universe, the
Father is proving that He only sits upon the
throne of the universe because Jesus and the Holy
Spirit surrendered their divine prerogatives to
Him.
What
loving Gods! What humble Gods!
So,
when the seventh and final seal is broken, the
revelation of Jesus will be complete. This event
will occur at the end of the 1,000 years!
I’ll demonstrate this later on.
One
more thing: From an earthy point of view, Jesus
is the “most hated” of all Gods because
he claims to be the Son of God and He claims that
all other testimonies about God are lies. In
other words, Jesus says that His testimony is
true and all others are false. (John 14:6)
When
you realize that 75% of the world is not
Christian, the revealing of all that Jesus is
– that He is the only Savior of mankind
– this revealing will not be easy to
swallow. But, the Father had determined that the
final generation will hear and consider the
gospel of Jesus Christ because the testimony of
Jesus contains the truth about the will and ways
of God the Father.
Quick
overview of the seven seals….
Seal
1 -- The first seal was broken in 1798
and a new revelation of Jesus began in spiritual
darkness: The Christian church had taught for
more than a thousand years that salvation comes
through the church. Not so says the Holy
Spirit: Salvation comes through faith in Jesus
alone!
“Sola
Jesus”
“Sola
Scriptura”
Seal
2 – The second seal was broken in 1800
and a greater revelation of Jesus began. The
teachings of Jesus became known through the translation
and distribution of the Bible. This process has
produced a variety of Christian denominations.
Since 1800, there has been a fracturing of
Protestantism as each church group found
something new about Jesus.
In
God’s sight, the fracturing of Protestantism
is both valuable and necessary because the
fracturing allows new ideas about Jesus to
continue to occur. When it comes to doctrine,
religious systems hate the word “new.”
Fracturing also explains how the Earth helped the
woman in Revelation 12. God set apart a new
nation offering religious freedom because
religious freedom permits religious discovery to
occur!
Seal 3 – The third
seal was broken in 1844 and a greater revelation
of Jesus occurred. Christians discovered that
Jesus began cleansing Heaven’s temple that
year. Because Jesus lived on Earth as one of us,
Jesus has been appointed the judge of mankind
(John 5:22) and at the present time, He is
conducting a pre-Advent judgment by reviewing the
books of record and judging the dead. The
judgment of the living will commence with the
breaking of the next seal.
Seal
4 – A powerful and authoritative
revelation of Jesus Christ is about to occur.
When Jesus releases His wrath against this world,
people are going to hear from the 144,000 that
Jesus rules in Heaven as Sovereign God. At the
present time, the world does not know this truth.
In fact, only a few Christians know!
But, a
“rider named Death” will change all
this. As Almighty God, Jesus will justifiably
send death and destruction to deal with global
degeneracy and decadence. Jesus will use wrath to
get the attention of the whole world – thus
the rulership and authority of Jesus will be
revealed when the fourth seal is broken.
If you
really want to understand how hardheaded the
human race is when it comes to religion, consider
this: A global Tribulation is the only way to
get mankind to thoughtfully consider the truth
about God. How can I say this? The Bible
tells us that a loving God is purposeful and
deliberate in all His actions. And, the book of
Revelation tells us what an infinitely wise God
has to do in order to put His truth before
mankind. The drama told in Revelation’s
story tells us how arrogant and ignorant we
really are!
Seal
5 – When the fifth seal is broken,
millions of people will die as martyrs for
Christ. Why does God permit so many of His people
to die as martyrs? The blood of martyrs can speak
more clearly than words. In other words, during
the time of the fifth seal, most everyone will
have taken a position on whom they will worship:
The Lamb (Jesus) or the lamb-like beast
(Lucifer). A few people will be in the valley of
decision. In order to get these few people to
consider the importance of worshiping Jesus,
Jesus will sacrifice millions of His children.
The blood of martyrs is a testimony that cannot
be silenced. This drama that will unfold during
the Great Tribulation…
Listen
carefully: A martyr’s faith will be given
when a martyr’s faith is needed. The bottom
line in the fifth seal is that the love of Jesus
will be powerfully demonstrated through the faithfulness
of His saints.
Seal
6 – The sixth revelation of Jesus occurs
at the Second Coming. When Jesus appears
with the Father at the Second Coming, the whole
universe will behold the awesome glory of Jesus
that has been hidden from view since the dawn of
time. Words cannot describe the amazing
glory that will attend Jesus on that day.
Matthew
26:63 “But Jesus remained
silent. The high priest said to him, ‘I
charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us
if you are the Christ, the Son of God.’
Matthew
26:64 “Yes, it is as you
say,” Jesus replied. ‘But I say to all
of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man
sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and
coming on the clouds of heaven.’”
The
Father will come with the Son at the Second
Coming and the Holy Spirit will be here too,
sealed within the hearts and minds of the saints!
Seal
7 – The seventh revelation of Jesus
occurs at the end of the 1,000 years. At that
time, everyone who has ever lived on Earth will
be alive and summoned to appear before the great
white throne to behold the full and complete
divinity of Jesus --- that Jesus is fully God and
that Jesus was willing to cease to exist so that
every sinner might have access to eternal life.
Everyone
will behold that Jesus is from everlasting to
everlasting, the Alpha and the Omega. The
universe will behold the love, the character and
faithful work of Jesus --- how He rescued
repentant sinners from the penalty of sin and how
He exonerated the Father’s government from
Lucifer’s lies.
After
showing the world the story of sin and salvation
on a giant panoramic screen in the sky, all of
God’s children will kneel before Jesus
confessing that he is fully God – equal in
every way with the Most High Father – and
the ways of the Godhead are eternal, righteous
and true.
After
watching the Plan of Salvation story, everyone
will marvel at the love of the Godhead. They will
bow before a Jesus who willingly submitted His
divine “rights” to the Father for the
sake of having a large family. (We examined the
Trinity and their subjugation of powers to each
other in our last study.) The point here is that
at the end of sin’s drama the whole story
cannot be summed up! The love and heart of the
Godhead is just too big!
The
best the angels and the redeemed can do is sing
endless praises to the Father, Son and the Holy
Spirit.
Ok,
the breaking of each seal chronologically moves
everyone in the universe toward a brighter and
bigger understanding of who Jesus really is. Now
you know why the last book in the Bible is called
“The Revelation of Jesus Christ!”
Here’s
a thought that I want you to carefully consider:
Most people think the book of Revelation is scary
and foreboding
---
they have heard about the beast that has seven
heads and the mark of the beast
---
they have heard about persecution and Armageddon
---
they have heard about Babylon and the great
harlot
---
but what they haven’t heard about is the
Revelation of Jesus Christ!
Here’s
why: The intended meaning of Revelation cannot be
determined without the four rules that come from
the book of Daniel – the book of Daniel was
sealed up until the appointed time of the end.
This means the intended meaning of Daniel and
Revelation could not be known until the appointed
time of the end!
After
addressing the seven churches of Revelation that
confront all Christians, the apocalyptic portion
of the book of Revelation begins with the seven
seals because the seven seals are the first thing
a person needs to understand about the end-time
story! The seven seals explain the revelation of
Jesus!
If the
seven seals are not properly understood, there is
no revelation of Jesus! If the revealing of Jesus
(all that he is) isn’t first understood, the
rest of Revelation’s story becomes scary and
foreboding – a depressing and scary scenario
about the end-times.
But….
When the revealing of Jesus is properly
understood in the seven seals, the rest of
Revelation’s story becomes a powerful drama
revealing how wonderful Jesus is and how horrible
sin really is.
Man’s
greatest problem is sin.
God’s
greatest problem is sin.
And
only Jesus can resolve both problems!
Revelation’s
story was written in advance because God wants
the final generation to understand how Jesus is
going to bring an end to the sin problem! The
father predetermined long ago that at the end of
sin’s drama, during the judgment of the
living, Jesus would bring about a certain
sequence of events that will cause every honest
person on Earth to consider the curse of sin and
need of a Savior.
This
is a truth that the world will soon experience.
The
book of Revelation explains the revelation of
Jesus because mankind desperately needs a Savior
– but most of the world’s population
does not understand their need of a Savior! And,
to make matters worse, you can’t convince
most people of their need of a Savior because of
arrogance and ignorance.
So,
Jesus will impose His wrath on mankind (when He
breaks the fourth seal) and His 144,000 servants
will inform the world of His truth. And, one of
the most interesting developments in
Revelation’s story is that Jesus will use
the opposing efforts and forces of evil men and
Lucifer to press home man’s need of a
Savior! This explains why the behavior of the
wicked is given so much attention in the book of
Revelation.
Let me
say this again: Jesus will use the behavior of
wicked man and angels to bring about such
desperate circumstances that every honest person
will realize His need of Jesus and His Savior!
The
point here is that Jesus will deliberately impose
His wrath on the whole Earth to get a global
response from the leaders of the world. The
144,000 will be empowered at this point in time
to present the everlasting gospel and the opposing
efforts and forces of wicked people and Lucifer
will put honest hearted people in a situation
where they will be able to realize their need of
a Savior! How clever!
God
News! A numberless multitude will discover
their need for Jesus, and they will accept
his generous terms and conditions for salvation,
and they will rejoice to know and receive Jesus
as their Savior – persecution
notwithstanding.
Fifth Seal
Now
that we have completed our overview of the seven
seals, Let’s examine the fifth seal…
Revelation
6:9 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.
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?”
Revelation
6:11 Then each one 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.
What
is the fifth seal all about?
1.
When the fourth seal is broken, the Great
Tribulation begins. About three years later, the
fifth seal is broken open and there will be a
great slaughter of the saints. Their slaughter
coincides with the sixth trumpet.
“….
I saw under the altar the souls of those who had
been slain because of the word of God [that is,
they were faithful in obeying the Word of God] and
the testimony they had maintained [that is, they
would not surrender nor capitulate].”
What
does this language mean --- “souls under
the altar that had been slain?”
Some
people use this text to demonstrate that when
martyrs die for Jesus, they go to Heaven and live
under the altar. They say, “John heard them
speaking, so these martyrs must be alive.”
If this text was the only text on the topic of
what happens after death, that might be true.
But, look at this text:
Genesis
4:9 Then the Lord said to Cain,
“Where is your brother Abel?” “I
don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my
brother’s keeper?”
Genesis
4:10 The Lord said, “What have
you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries
out to me from the ground.”
Did
Abel’s blood audibly speak? No. The Lord
used personification in the first chapter of the
Bible to describe the justice that Abel’s
innocent blood demanded and the same is true in
the last chapters of the Bible. The innocent
blood of martyr’s cries out for justice
– from beneath the altar of burnt offering
in Heaven.
Personification
is a literary device. It is used to speak
forcibly with few words. When an inanimate object
is given the properties of a human being this is
person-ification. Personification enables an
inanimate object to identify with human feeling.
In this particular case, the blood of martyrs cry
out for justice!
“How
long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you
judge the wicked actions of the inhabitants of
the earth and avenge our blood?”
Since
the souls of the martyrs were seen under the
alter, let’s examine 4 texts that concern
the Altar of Burnt Offering.
Many
people say the Altar of Burnt Offering is not
seen in Heaven’s temple. This is not true.
In fact, the Altar of Burnt Offering is the altar
where these souls are crying out! How do we know
this? Look at these Old Testament references and
notice where the blood of sacrifices was
put:
Leviticus
8:15 “Moses slaughtered the bull
and took some of the blood, and with his finger
he put it on all the horns of the alter to purify
the alter. He poured out the rest of the blood
at the base of the altar. So he consecrated
it to make atonement for it.”
Exodus
29:12 “Take some of the
bull’s blood and put it on the horns of the
altar with your finger, and pour out the rest
of it at the base of the altar.”
Leviticus
4:18 “He is to put some of the
blood on the horns of the altar that is before
the Lord in the Tent of Meeting. The rest of the
blood he shall pour out at the base of the
altar of burnt offering at the entrance to
the Tent of Meeting.”
Leviticus
9:9 “His sons brought the blood
to him, and he dipped his finger into the
blood and put it on the horns of the altar; the
rest of the blood he poured out at the base of
the altar.”
In the
wilderness temple, the blood of animal
sacrifices was poured into a container that
was kept at the base of the Altar of Burnt
Offering. (Animals were not sacrificed nor
was blood poured out at the base of the Altar of
Incense.) When the container at the base of the
altar became full, the blood was removed and
buried in the ground.
The
language, “I saw under the alter the souls
of those who had been slain because of the
word of God and the testimony they
maintained.” Indicates three things:
1.
These martyrs are sacrifices - this is the
reason their souls are represented as being under
the altar (of Burnt Offering) because that is the
only place where the blood of sacrifices was
stored.
2.
These martyrs die after the fourth seal is
broken. In other words, this passage in
Revelation is not concerned with martyrs who died
through the centuries. These saints have not yet
died. They will be martyred when the fifth seal
is broken because they will take a bold and
defiant stand against the demands of Babylon at
that time. They would rather die than to disobey
God and this is why they are killed:
“…. Because of the word of God and the
testimony (of Jesus) they had maintained.”
3.
Those who die under the fifth seal will be given the
grace and faith necessary to take such a bold
stand. This uncommon courage, this holy boldness
will come as an enabling gift from Jesus. Jesus
grants a martyrs faith when a martyrs faith is
needed. What a Savior!
Sixth Trumpet Timing
The
fifth seal will be broken when the sixth trumpet
sounds. In brief, when the sixth trumpet sounds,
the devil will be allowed to kill a third of
mankind. He will do this eliminate opposition to
the establishment of his theocratic government.
Many non-religious wicked people who remain in
opposition to the devil’s power grab and a
large number of saints will perish.
Revelation
9:13 The sixth angel sounded his
trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the
horns of the golden altar that is before God.
Revelation
9:14 It said to the sixth angel who
had the trumpet, “Release the four angels
who are bound at the great river Euphrates.”
Revelation
9:15 And the four angels who had been
kept ready for this very hour and day and month
and year were released to kill a third of
mankind.
During
the sixth trumpet, the final call for salvation
will be given:
Revelation
18:4 Then I heard another voice from
heaven say: “Come out of her (the harlot],
my people, so that you will not share in her
sins, so that you will not receive her plagues;
Revelation
18:5 for her sins are piled up to
heaven, and God has remembered her crimes.
Revelation
18:6 Give back to her (the torture) as
she has given; pay her back double (200%) for
what she has done. Mix her a double portion from
her own cup.”
At
this time, John heard another voice from heaven
say:
Revelation
14:13 “Then I heard a voice from
heaven say, “Write: Blessed are the dead who
die in the Lord from now on.”
“Yes,” says the Spirit, “They will
rest from their labor, for their deeds will
follow them.”
Seals:
Today
4
5 Many Martyrs 6
------------X----------I--------------------I-----------------------I
--1,000 Years >
Trumpets:
1234------5------6-----------7
Bowls:
7 First Plagues
1234567
7 Last Plagues
Martyrdom
will bring rest to the weary saints from the
suffering and travail of the Great Tribulation
and those who die a martyr’s death under the
fifth seal will be specifically blessed. These
martyrs will sleep through the seven last plagues
and they will be resurrected shortly before Jesus
appears in a special resurrection to see Jesus
appear!
Every
martyr will be resurrected shortly before the
Second Coming to behold the victory of Jesus over
His enemies.
Look
at these two texts:
Daniel
12:12 “Blessed is the one who
waits for and reaches the end of the 1,335
days.”
Revelation
14:13 says, “….blessed are those who
die in the Lord from now on.”
So
what is this promised blessing?
Revelation
20:4 “… And I saw the souls
of those who had been beheaded because of their
testimony for Jesus and because of the word of
God. They had not worshiped the beast or his
image and had not received his mark on their
foreheads or their hands. They came to life and
reigned with Christ a thousand years.”
One of
the greatest blessings human beings can receive
is to behold the victorious appearing of Jesus in
the clouds of glory. This display of Jesus’
victory and glory will never happen again for
never again will God have a planet in rebellion.
Those who are resurrected at the Second Coming
will see a revelation of Jesus Christ that has
never occurred! (Sixth seal)
The
martyrs will be resurrected just before the
Second Coming to see “the Paul Harvey” –
the rest of the story and they will behold with
their own eyes the destruction of God’s
enemies! What a reward for remaining faithful!
Let’s
review the fifth seal:
Revelation
6:9 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 [of Jesus] they had maintained.
Revelation
6:10 They called out in a loud voice,
“How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true,
until you judge the [wicked actions of the] inhabitants
of the earth and avenge our [innocent] blood?”
Revelation
6:11 Then each one 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.
Did
you notice: “…. Until the number to
be killed… was completed.”
This
phrase tells us that God has already determined
the number of saints that he will allow to be
sacrificed. If the Father was willing to
sacrifice Jesus for the salvation of one person [and
we but faintly appreciate all that Jesus really
is], how many human beings do you think God would
be willing to sacrifice for the salvation of one
more person? In God’s economy, the martyrdom
of 10,000 people for the salvation of one person
is a reasonable exchange – because God has
the power of life.
God
doesn’t have control over our will. The
power of choice is ours! So, He is prepared to
make a great sacrifice so that, if possible, we
will make the right choice. This is one reason
why He sacrificed a large number of saints.
Also,
did you notice that both prophets and saints will
be killed during the fifth seal?
“…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
servants’ mentions here are the 144,000.
Revelation
7:3 “Do not harm the land or the
sea or the trees until we put a seal on the
foreheads of the servants of our God.”
Revelation
7:4 then I heard the number of those
who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes
Israel.”
Revelation
10:7 But in the days when the seventh
angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery
of God will be accomplished, just as he announced
to his servants the prophets.”
The
apostle John keeps a careful distinction between servants
and non-servants throughout the book of
Revelation. Notice this text:
Revelation
16:4 The third angel poured out his
bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they
became blood.
Revelation
16:5 Then I heard the angel in charge
of the waters say: “You are just in these
judgments, you who are and who were, the Holy
One, because you have so judged;
Revelation
16:6 for they have shed the
blood of your saints and prophets, and you
have given them blood to drink as they
deserve.”
Look
also at this text:
Revelation
18:24 “In her [the great whore] was
found the blood of prophets and of the saints,
and of all who have been killed on the
earth.”
The
point here is twofold. First, a Great Injustice
is coming upon the saints and the 144,000 will be
killed because of the Word of God and the
testimony they maintain.
The
maddening wine [the intoxicating doctrines] of
false religion will cause the leaders of the
world to act irrationally after the fourth seal
is broken.
Insanity
will rule the day. A spirit of confusion and
anxiety will overtake the world. When religious
and political leaders behold the sudden
destruction of 25% of mankind, they will go
bezerk in their efforts to appease God because
they do not know God nor His plans.
In
their misguided efforts to appease God, the
144,000 and the saints will become objects of
hatred because they will refuse to obey the
decrees and laws of Babylon. Religious and
political leaders will arrogantly and ignorantly
interpret this defiance as behavior offensive to
God.
The
defiance of the 144,000 and the saints will
perplex world leaders because they ignorantly
think that God’s wrath will return unless everyone
obeys the laws of Babylon. Therefore, they will
persecute the people of God and think they are
doing God a service! How twisted is this?
Jesus
said:
John
16:1 “All this I have told you
so that you will not go astray.
John
16:2 They will put you out of the
synagogue; in fact, a time is coming when anyone
who kills you will think he is offering a service
to God.
John
16:3 They will do such things because
they have not known the Father or me.”
Remember
this, God has already determined the number of
souls that he will permit to die as sacrifices
for the gospel of Jesus.
Revelation
13:10 If anyone is to go into
captivity, into captivity he will go. If anyone
is to be killed with the sword, with the sword he
will be killed. This calls for patent endurance and
faithfulness on the part of the saints.”
Finally,
what are the primary purposes for human
sacrifices during the fifth seal? I can think of
two:
1.
The death of a martyr is a matter of choice
– the martyr chooses to die rather than to
submit. This defiance is the most powerful
testimony that a person can offer.
Jesus
will enable a large number of His people to die
as martyrs because their humble but powerful
testimony will influence the hearts and minds of
those few people who haven’t made up their
minds.
If
Paul’s heart was touched by Stephen’s
martyrdom, we don’t know. However, we do
know that Paul was converted on the road to
Damascus. He later wrote:
1
Timothy 1:13 “Even though I was
once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violet
man, I was shown mercy because I acted in
ignorance and unbelief.”
The
point here is that many will persecute God’s
people out of ignorance and unbelief. But,
participating in the death of a good and honest
person will be a point of torment through which
the Holy Spirit can do some work.
We
haven’t studied the Two Witnesses at this
point, but I just want to say that the Holy
Spirit will be tormenting people to receive Jesus
as their Savior!
Revelation
14:11 “…. There is no
rest day or night for those who worship the
beast and his image, or for anyone who receives
the mark of the beast.”
Eventually,
the Holy Spirit will conclude His work. Every
decision will have been made.
Revelation
11:10 ”The inhabitants of the
earth will gloat over them [the death of the Two
Witnesses] and will celebrate by sending each
other gifts, because these two prophets had
tormented those who live on the earth.”
The
Holy Spirit is going to torment everyone with
“a whole lot of trouble” until they
either accept Jesus or the Two Witnesses are
killed. Jesus can read our hearts and minds and
He knows how to judge. This is how Jesus could
pray for those who crucified Him: “Father
forgive them, for they don’t know what they
are doing…”
When
the Great Tribulation begins and religious and
political leaders set up a crisis government to
appease God, the persecution of the saints will
begin. Later on, the persecution will become
deadly. A time is coming when millions of
innocent saints will be killed in the name of God
because they defiled the laws of Babylon. In
other words, wicked people will kill innocent
people just like Cain killed Abel and they will
think that they are doing God a service!
The
ultimate deception occurs when right becomes
wrong and wrong becomes right.
Sixth Seal
The
sixth seal is the Second Coming. When this seal
is broken, a glorious revelation of Jesus breaks
out over the whole Earth! Let’s examine the
Second Coming from three points of view:
1.
Revelation 6: 6th
seal – The glory of Jesus revealed
2.
Revelation 19: 144,000 – Victory over the
enemies of love and truth
3.
Revelation 16: 7th Bowl –
Restitution extracted from the wicked
1.
The Glory of Jesus Revealed
Revelation
6:12 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,
Revelation
6:13 and the stars in the sky [meteorites]
fell to earth, as late figs drop form a fig tree
when shaken by a strong wind.
Revelation
6:14 The sky receded like a scroll,
rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed
from its place.
Revelation
6:15 The kings of the earth, the
princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and
every slave and every free man hid in caves among
the rocks of the mountains.
Revelation
6:16 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 [who sits beside Him]!
Revelation
6:17 For the great day of their
wrath has come, and who can stand?”
Now
that we have this descriptive scene in mind,
let’s look at the same scene from
another point of view! This is a good example of
repetition and enlargement.
2.
The victory of Jesus over the enemies of love and
truth
Revelation
19:11 I saw heaven standing open and
there before me was a white horse, whose rider is
called Faithful and True. With justice he judges
and makes war.
Revelation
19:12 His eyes are like blazing fire,
and on his head are many crowns. He has a name
written on him that no one knows but he himself.
Revelation
19:13 He is dressed in a robe dipped
in blood, and his name is the Word of God.
Revelation
19:14 The armies of heaven were
following him, riding on white horses and dresses
in fine linen, white and clean.
Revelation
19:15 Out of his mouth comes a sharp
sword with which to strike down the nations.
“He will rule with an iron scepter.” He
treats the winepress of the fury of the wrath of
God Almighty.
Revelation
19:16 On his robe and on his thigh he
has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF
LORDS.
Revelation
19:17 And I saw an angel standing in
the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the
birds flying in midair, “Come, gather
together for a great supper of God,
Revelation
19:18 so that you may eat the flesh
of all people, free and slave, small and
great.”
Revelation
19:19 Then I saw the beast and the
kings of the earth and their armies gathered
together to make war against the rider of the
horse and his army.
Revelation
19:20 But the [composite] beast was
captured, and with him the false prophet [the
lamb-like beast] who had performed the miraculous
signs on his behalf. With these signs he had
deluded those who had received the mark of the
beast and worshiped his image. The two of them
were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning
sulfur.
Revelation
19:21 The rest of them [the wicked]
were killed with the sword that came out of the
mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the
birds gorged themselves on their flesh.
Not a
soul will be left standing. Now that we have this
scene in mind, there’s one more point of
view that we need to examine. Repetition and
enlargement produces a dimension that would be
otherwise impossible!
3.
Restitution Extracted from the Wicked
Revelation
16:17 The seventh angel poured out
his bowl into the air, and out of the temple came
a loud voice from the throne, saying, “It is
done!”
Revelation
16:18 Then came flashes of
lightening, rumblings, peals of thunder and a
severe earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever
occurred since man has been on earth, so
tremendous was the quake.
Revelation
16:19 The great city split into three
parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed.
God remembered Babylon the Great and gave her the
cup filled with the wine of the fury of his
wrath.
Revelation
16:20 Every island fled away and the
mountains could not be found.
Revelation
16:21 From the sky huge hailstones of
about a hundred pounds each fell upon men. And
they cursed God on account of the plague of hail,
because the plague was so terrible.
Earth
will be left desolate of life when Jesus gets
through with His enemies.
Again,
notice how the sixth seal aligns with Revelation
19 and Revelation 16.
1.
Revelation 6: 6th Seal --
The glory of Jesus revealed
2.
Revelation 19: 144,000 -- Victory
over the enemies of love and truth
3.
Revelation 16: 7th Bowl --
Restitution extracted from the wicked
The Seventh Seal
We now
come to the last seal. After this seal is broken
open, then the contents of the book can be
presented to the universe.
Revelation
8:1 When he opened the seventh seal,
there was silence in heaven for about half an
hour.
Do you
remember Rule One that says that each apocalyptic
prophecy has a beginning point in time and an
ending point in time and the elements within the
prophecy must occur in the order given?
Ok,
here’s a problem for some people. The sixth
seal is located in Revelation 6, but the seventh
seal is located in Revelation 8:1. The problem is
that Revelation 7 is between Revelation 6 and 8.
What does one do about this? The first eight
verses in Revelation 7 concern the 144,000. Are
they sealed AFTER the Second Coming?
No!
Actually, a new apocalyptic prophecy begins
because the chronological order established in
Revelation 6 is broken. The 144,000 are NOT
selected and sealed after the Second Coming; they
are selected and sealed prior to the breaking
open the 4th seal.
So,
according to Rule 1, Revelation 7:1-8:1 is
another apocalyptic prophecy. There are three
prophetic elements in this prophecy. Consider
their location in time and their alignment with
other prophetic elements in the chart below:
Rule
One Produces This Chart:
Today Seal
Martyrdom Second
Coming
Revelation
6:1-17 ---X--------4----------------------------5------------------6—1000
Years
Revelation
7:1-8:1
A--------------------------------------------------------B-------------7
Revelation
8:2-9:21
*1234--------------5------6-------------7
A=The
Selection and empower of the 144,000
B=A
numberless group of saints gathered around the
Throne after Second Coming
7=The
breaking of the seventh seal
*1234=The
seven trumpets
Ok,
Look at the second line above and find the letter
A. The letter represents the selection and
sealing of the 144,000. This process is described
in Revelation 7:1-8 and it happens before the 4th
seal is broken. Now, look again at the second
line and find the letter B. The letter B
represents a glorious gathering of those who went
through the Great Tribulation. As we will see,
this numberless multitude gathers around Jesus
AFTER the Second Coming. Now, look again at the
second line above and find the number 7 at the
end of the line. The “7” represents the
breaking of the seventh seal which occurs at the
end of the 1,000 years.
Now
that you have seen where these elements belong
with respect to each other and timing, let’s
read Revelation 7:9 and onward to prove that
“B” occurs AFTER the Second Coming.
Once we do this, we can then prove that
Revelation 8:1, the 7th seal, has to
happen AFTER the Second Coming because
chronological order is not broken!
Revelation
7:9 After this I looked and there
before me was a great multitude that no one
could count, from every nation, tribe, people
and language, standing before the throne and
in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white
robes and were holding palm branches in their
hands….
Revelation
7:13 Then one of the elders asked me,
“These in white robes—who are they, and
where did they come from?”
Revelation
7:14 I answered, “Sir, you
know.” And he said, “These are they
who have come out of the great tribulation;
they have washed their robes and made them white
in the blood of the Lamb….
Revelation
7:15 Therefore, “they are before
the throne of God and serve him day and night in
his temple; and he who sits on the throne will
spread his tent over them….
Revelation
7:16 Never again will they hunger;
never again will they thirst. The sun will not
beat upon them, or any scorching heat….
Revelation
7:17 For the Lamb at the center of
the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead
them to springs of living waters. And God will
wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
Revelation
8:1 When he opened the seventh seal,
there was silence in heaven for half an hour.
Since
the sixth seal is the Second Coming, the seventh
seal has to occur AFTER the Second Coming, in
fact, it has to occur AFTER the numberless
multitude assemble around the throne. The only
place in the Bible where the Book of Life is
opened up is found in Revelation 20:12. This
verse occurs at the end of the 1,000 years:
Revelation
20:12 And I saw the dead, great and
small, standing before the throne, and books [plural]
were opened. Another book was opened, which is
the book of life. The dead were judged
according to what they had done as recorded in
the books [of record].
At
this point in time, everyone that has ever lived
on Earth will be alive. Jesus will break open the
seventh seal and the Book of Life will be opened.
What is the result?
1.
Everyone will see that the Father has perfect
foreknowledge. (Books of records, recorded in
real time will prove to be identical to the Book
of Life that was written and sealed up before any
life was created.)
2.
Everyone will clearly see that the Father
foreknew the rise and cost of sin, but He will
not, under any circumstances, use His perfect
foreknowledge to manipulate the power of choice
given to His subjects. Everyone will behold and
admit that the power of choice was theirs to
exercise, as they deemed best.
3.
Everyone will realize that because we have been
given the power of choice, we are responsible for
our actions and our eternal destiny.
4.
Everyone will admit that the Father has been more
than fair, more than generous and perfectly
righteous in dealing with the sin problem. The
whole universe will be overwhelmed with all that
Jesus did to resolve the problem of sin once
everyone sees and understands the big picture.
5.
Everyone will behold that Lucifer was nothing
more than a self-seeking liar and he justly
deserves the penalty that is about to be executed
upon him. | 
