The Seven Seals
– Part 1
Begin
Text:
If you
have been following the previous seminar segments
on the Book of Life, then…
You
know why the Book of Life was written.
You know what is in the Book
of Life.
You know when the Book of
Life was written.
You also know when Jesus was
found worthy to receive the Book of Life.
Now, we need to examine the meaning
of each seal and how the breaking of each seal
produces a larger and greater revelation of Jesus
Christ – both in Heaven and on Earth.
In brief, the seven seals
are:
Seal 1: The message:
Salvation through faith in Jesus
Seal 2: The translation and
distribution of the Bible around the world
Seal 3: Message: Judgment of
the dead has begun
Seal 4: Death (25%) and
global destruction – judgment of the living
Seal 5: Martyrdom of the
saints
Seal 6: Second Coming
Seal 7: At the end of the
1,000 years, great white throne judgment, Book of
Life opened for everyone to see.
For now, please consider two
things:
1. The first
three seals relate to the next three seals.
---1----2-------3---------------------------4-----5-----6--
2. The first
three seals have been opened.
1 2
3
4
--+-----+------+--------------x--+--
1798 1800 1844 Today
Let’s review the first
seal:
Revelation 6:1 I
watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven
seals. Then I heard one of the four living
creatures say in a loud voice like thunder,
“Come!”
Revelation 6:2 I
looked, and there before me was a white horse!
Its rider held a bow [a winner’s ribbon], and
he was given a crown [stephanos], and he rode out
as a conqueror bent on conquest.
The English translation of
these verses can mislead readers and artists.
The Greek text indicates the horseman rode out of
Heaven’s temple carrying a toxon that is a
winner’s ribbon, an ornamental bow made of
fabric. [this is not a weapon, that is, a bow for
arrows] The rider also carries a stephanos, a
crown of laurel, a crown of victory like an
athlete would wear (the rider is not carrying a
diadema which denotes authority or dominion). The
Greek syntax also indicates the work of the
horseman takes time and effort. Literally, the
Greek says, “the rider went out overcoming
that he might overcome.”
We established earlier in
our study on the Book of Life that the four
living creatures represent the Holy Spirit. The
point here is that the Holy Spirit is sent
throughout the Earth on a mission. The Holy
Spirit is bent on conquest….
What is the Holy Spirit
attempting to overcome? Would you believe the two
greatest enemies of the truth about Jesus are arrogance
and ignorance? According to Revelation 4:7, the
first living creature has the face of a lion.
As you will see, this face
appropriately describes the Holy Spirit as He
left Heaven’s temple. He went out as “a
relentless hunter.” The Holy Spirit was sent
out to find people willing to learn the truth
about Jesus. (See Numbers 23:24 for the
characteristics of a lion.)
The Holy Spirit is
still-hunting, He continues hunting for people
who are willing to learn about Jesus. It’s
an “uphill” battle. But, the success of
the Holy Spirit will be revealed at the Second
Coming when a large number of saints “go
marching in!”
Listen carefully:
The
first seal is not an event – it is a campaign
– a campaign that began in 1798 and it will
end with the seventh trumpet.
All who receive Jesus, as
Lord and Master will be given this bow and crown!
The Holy Spirit is on a mission to “win”
people over to Jesus – to love and obey Him.
Think of the seven seals as seven
campaigns and each campaign has a set of unique
disclosures, processes, objectives and results:
1. Win souls (overcoming
arrogance and ignorance)
2. Resolve the
sin problem (so that sin will not occur again)
3. Exonerate the
government of God (eliminating all doubts all
doubts about the nature of God’s laws and
governance)
In other words, as Jesus
breaks each seal, He undertakes a new campaign
that adds momentum and information to existing
campaigns and all of these campaigns will
eventually dovetail into a grand finale. All
three objectives will be met.
1. Billions of
people will be saved.
2. The sin
problem will be perfectly resolved.
3. The
government of God will be exonerated.
As these campaigns progress,
the reality of “all that Jesus is”
becomes larger and larger and more important in
the minds of people. Eventually, all of the
honest in heart on Earth will worship Jesus and
Jesus will receive the recognition, honor and
praise He is due from the honest of heart!
When you consider the fact
that Jesus is largely unknown on this planet and
He is greatly hated by non-Christians, this will
be a major achievement!
Bible prophecy teaches that
Jesus has been exalted to the highest position in
the universe. The Father ordained thousands of
years ago that once Jesus was exalted, He must be
exposed for all that He really is – both to
the angels in Heaven and to the people on Earth.
Jesus has a gospel that He wants Earth to hear.
He wants to win the hearts and affections of
people because He alone can save us from the
penalty and consequences of sin!
John 3:14 “Just
as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so
the Son of Man must be lifted up,
John 3:15 that
everyone who believes in him may have eternal
life.”
The “campaign promises”
made by Jesus are written in the Bible. Jesus
invites us to put our faith in Him. Of course,
there are several differences between putting
faith in a politician and putting faith in Jesus.
When we put our faith in a
politician we believe that he will do good
things for us. Most people don’t stop to
think that after the election is over,
politicians become our lawmakers. In other words,
politicians aren’t only asking for our vote,
they are really asking us to exalt them to the
position of “law maker.” It has been
said that Congress enacted more than 10,000 laws
during the past century. When will there be
enough laws? Who can remember 10,000 laws? As I
said, putting faith in Jesus is different than
putting faith in a politician.
When a person puts faith in
Jesus Christ, he believes five things:
(a) that the
wages of sin is death and that all human beings
have sinned
(b) God made a
way for sinners to be saved through Jesus. He was
our perfect substitute. He died in our place.
(c) that Jesus
enables His disciples, through the indwelling
power of the Holy Spirit., to live in harmony
with His strange teachings. [strange, that is,
contrary to the ways of the world.]
(d) that at the
appointed time, Jesus will keep His word. He will
return to Earth and gather up His children and
destroy the wicked.
(e) When we give
our hearts to Jesus, we allow Him to become Lord
and Master of our life. “His
will, not ours, be done.”
The followers of Jesus
believe that His demands are righteous and true
and they must be obeyed at any cost. This is the
meaning of faith in Jesus.
John 3:16 “For
God so loved the world that He gave his one and
only Son, that whosoever believes in him shall
not perish but have eternal life.”
What did “believing in
Jesus” mean to Nicodemus, the Jew, when
Jesus spoke these words?
Jesus meant:
1. You have to
give up your religion. You have to reject what
your leaders say about me.
2. You will have
to abandon your culture, with all the rules and
its regulations.
3. You will be
ostracized for your faith by your family and
friends.
4. You will not
be able to worship in the temple.
The price for believing in
Jesus can be very expensive!
Matthew 10:36 “A
man’s enemies will be members of his own
household.”
Matthew 10:37 “Anyone
who loves his father or mother more than me is
not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or
daughter more than me is not worthy of me;
Matthew 10:38 and
anyone who does not take up his cross and follow
me is not worthy of me.”
Finding people who will put
their faith in Jesus is no small task, but the
Holy Spirit was given the task when the first
seal was broken and a campaign to reveal
Sovereign Jesus to the world in 1798.
As each seal is broken open,
a new campaign begins and more about Jesus
becomes known and understood – both in
Heaven as angels watch and on Earth as humans
learn.
Profound:
The breaking of the seven
seals produces “The revelation of Jesus
Christ.”
A “new aspect of Jesus”
is revealed when each seal is broken.
After
Jesus was found worthy to receive the Book of
Life in 1798, Jesus immediately broke the first
seal and the Holy Spirit went out from Heaven’s
temple carrying a bow and a stephanos. He was
bent on conquest and this conquest and this
conquest continues at the present time.
A few words about religion
on Earth in 1798….
When it comes to the topic
of salvation, Christianity had been “locked
up” in a dungeon of great darkness. For
1,260 years, the Roman Catholic Church had
threatened and controlled kings, prices and
paupers with the doctrine that salvation came
through the sacraments of the church. This
doctrine teaches that the church, the pope
specifically, the authority to determine the
salvation or condemnation of human beings. [The
Catholic Church reaches this self-serving
conclusion by distorting the words of Jesus in
Matthew 16:19]
In other words, the church
took the place of Jesus. [This is blasphemy.]
The
church became man’s Savior and the people
did whatever they could to keep the pope and the
priests happy. Eventually, protestors arose. On
the basis of Scripture, they disagreed with some
of the teachings of the church and conflict
began. The Protestant reformation began with a
conflict over the topic of salvation.
By 1793, the conflict
reached a boiling point and erupted into open
warfare in France. Secular forces joined the
Protestant movement and eventually, the authority
of the papacy over Europe was terminated in 1798.
While the French Revolution
was taking place on Earth, Jesus received the
Book of Life in Heaven and as the dust settled on
Earth; He immediately initiated a campaign on
Earth to overcome the arrogance and ignorance of
this world.
The Holy Spirit did this
through a small number of Protestants who had set
free from the Catholic doctrine. Now that
persecution for disagreeing with the Catholic
clergy was over, the gospel of Jesus could be
preached throughout the Earth with a great deal
of freedom.
For 1,260 years the Catholic
Church did its best to keep the Word of God out
of sight and away from people. The Church exalted
its traditions; Protestors exalted the Bible that
was a forbidden book. But, a change was in the
making. Because the printing press had been
around since 1455, and after religious freedom
was won in 1798, Bibles suddenly became readily
available and many people began to understand
that salvation came through faith in Jesus.
Against all odds, two
things enabled Protestantism to develop prior to
1798. First, the discovery of the doctrine that
salvation comes through faith alone in Jesus
Christ made the traditions of the church
worthless. Second, the luxuriant excesses of the
priests, their heavy handed demands for money and
a callous indifference for the spiritual and
physical needs of the laity produced growing
contempt for the clergy of the church. When the
time came to remove the Catholic Church from
power in 1798, Protestants were primed and ready to
go preach the Word of God throughout the world.
With God, timing is everything!
Let’s review a bit of
history.
Notice how the seed of truth
started growing. Here is a tiny list of notable
men that were raised up by the Holy Spirit to
preach salvation through faith in Christ alone!
1. John Huss
(1369-1415)
2. Martin Luther
(1483-1586)
3. John Calvin
(1509-1564)
4. John Cotton
(1584-1652)
5. John Wesley
(1703-1791)
6. Adam Clark
(1762-1832)
7. Dwight Moody
(1837-1899)
8. Billy Sunday
(1862-1935)
9. Billy Graham
(1918 - ?)
History confirms that these
men were champions of God’s grace; they
openly and widely taught that salvation comes
through faith in Jesus Christ. You might ask,
“How can “salvation through faith in
Jesus Christ” be a new campaign in 1798 if
salvation through faith in Jesus has been
proclaimed ever since Jesus returned to Heaven?”
The answer may surprise you.
The confirming power of religion keeps people
from considering ideas that are religiously
different. Moslems can’t tell Baptists about
God and Mormons can’t tell Episcopalians
about God, etc.
You may say, “But, the
idea that salvation comes through faith in Christ
wasn’t a new revelation in 1798.” Church
history says otherwise. When one surveys the
history of the Christina Church, the doctrine of salvation
through faith in Christ is missing for more than
a thousand years.
As I said, the Catholic
Church substituted “faith in Jesus”
with “faith in the Church.” This subtle
but deadly deflection from the truth began in the
fourth century A.D. For centuries, the truth
about salvation was buried in the traditions and
teachings of the Church and it wasn’t until
the authority of the Catholic Church was broken
by military power in 1798 that the truth about
salvation through faith in Christ could be widely
proclaimed to the world!
You may recall that in 1776,
just twenty-two years earlier, God raised up a
new nation that would eventually be called the
United States of America.
This nation was founded by
sincere and honest men who were seeking religious
liberty and even though they strongly believed in
God, they were deeply committed to founding a
government that would be free of church control.
Thus, the country prospered
because there has been a wall of separation
between church and state. This country was
primarily settled by Protestants. This is the
nation that “helped the woman” in
Revelation 12.
Since 1798, the United
Stated has produced more Christian missionaries,
gospel workers and literature exalting salvation
through faith in Christ than any other nation in
Earth’s history. Of course, the Holy Spirit
is still pushing “the good news” of
salvation through faith in Jesus even though
Protestantism has mutated into a deep and
horrible apostasy. Protestantism has lost its
love for and fidelity to the Word of God. During
the 20th century, Protestantism in the
United States became weak and confused because it
lost its love for Jesus and Bible truth.
Protestantism has largely
displaced the teachings of Jesus with the
traditions and teachings of man. Our nation has
become an idolatrous nation. We have focused on
God’s gifts rather the gift of God’s
Word. We are consumed with the acquisition of
money, wealth and the pursuit of happiness and
pleasure. Sexual immorality is rampant in
America. Perplexities and social problems are on
every horizon. Politicians are speaking evil
against each other. The Spirit of America has
faded because the Spirit of God has been grieved.
In spite of our nation’s
corporate apostasy, the gospel of Jesus is still
alive. Although weak, the cry of the reformation
still rings true:
“Salvation comes
through faith in Jesus Christ alone.”
The devil has corrupted the
Protestant cry. Once again, He has cleverly
disguised the truth about salvation: Today,
millions of people have been led to believe that
salvation comes through an intellectual assent to
the truth: that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the
world.
James 2:9 You
believe there is one God. Good! Even the demons
believe that – and shudder.
But, God’s promise
still stands: There is “a crown of victory
and a winner’s ribbon” for everyone who
OVERCOMES the world.
Soon, during the campaign of
the fourth and fifth seals, the over comers will
be counted and the cry of “salvation through
faith in Jesus Christ” will swell and fill
the whole Earth! Watch for this.
First
Seal
The
breaking of the first seal in 1798 resulted in
the empowerment of the Protestant movement. The
Holy Spirit clarified the gospel and men and
women began to preach it. The first seal was a
great start, but six more campaigns are
necessary! The revelation of all that Jesus is
must become brighter and clearer. And this
process grows as these campaigns unfold and
dovetail together.
Revelation 6:3 When
the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the
second living creature say, “Come!”
Revelation 6:4 Then
another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its
rider was given power to take peace from the
earth and to make men slay each other. To him was
given a large sword.
For reasons that follow, I
believe that Jesus broke the second seal around
the year 1800. Specifically, at that time, Jesus
gave the Holy Spirit the sword of Truth and sent
Him to Earth on a campaign to enlighten the world
with two essential doctrines that will be
presented shortly.
This endeavor takes a lot of
strength. Perhaps this is why the face of the
second living creature looks like an ox.
(Revelation 4:7) As the truth about Jesus becomes
clearer and more powerful, man’s resistance
to it will become more determined and rebellious.
How much “new truth can you stand to hear
until you don’t want to hear anymore?
How much “new truth can you stand to hear
before getting angry and defensive? Eventually,
during the fifth seal, when wicked people will
deliberately kill those who love Jesus and obey
His commandments.
Jesus warned His disciples
about the response and revenge of the carnal
heart saying, “Do not suppose that I have
come to bring peace to the Earth. I did not come
to bring peace, but a sword.” (Matthew
10:34) What kind of sword did Jesus bring? A
physical sword to kill people?
No, His sword of truth will
kill lies and superstitions.
According to Rule Three
(remember, there are four rules governing the
interpretation of prophecy), we have to use
parallel language from other Bible texts to
clarify passages that are cryptic if parallel
language exists. Since the second seal is
somewhat cryptic, consider the following words of
Jesus.
“All this I have told
you so that you will not go astray. 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. They will do such
things because they have not known the
Father or me. I have told you this, so that when
the time comes you will remember that I warned
you….” (John 16:1-4)
Why did Jesus warn His
disciples about their upcoming persecution and
death? Why did Jesus indicate that conservative
religious people would persecute His disciples?
Jesus made these comments because He wanted His
disciples to understand the nature of religion.
When religious people are confronted with the
sword of truth, they react in one of two ways.
If they are honest in heart
and pierced in their hearts with Holy Spirit
driven conviction, they will confess their sins,
repent and rejoice in the Lord. Those who love
truth are happy to submit to truth.
Or, when pricked in their
conscience, they become defiant, angry and
hostile and when circumstances permit, they will
literally pick up a sword of persecution. God’s
truth is called a double-edged sword in Hebrews
4:12 for a reason:
Hebrews 4:12 “For
the word of God is living and active. Sharper
than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even
the dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow;
it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the
heart.
Hebrews 4:13 Nothing
in all creation is hidden from God’s sight.
Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the
eyes of him to whom we must give account.”
The Bible is very clear. It
says that during the Great Tribulation, God’s
saints will be persecuted and put to death
because of their loyalty to the Word of God.
(Revelation 6:9-11; 13:5-7) Therefore, the
campaign of the second seal has something to do
with the death of many saints after 1798.
Revelation 6:4 “….Its
rider was given power to take peace from the
earth and to make men slay each other. To him was
given a large sword.”
Speaking of the Great
Tribulation, John wrote, “I saw that the
woman [the great whore] was drunk with the blood of
the saints, the blood of those who bore testimony
to Jesus. When I saw her, I was greatly
astonished.”
“When he opened the
fifth seal, I saw under the alter the souls of
those who had been slain because of the word
of God and the testimony they had maintained.”
(Revelation 6:9) Notice the relationship between
the second and fifth seals:
Bible
Slain
because of the Bible
I------------------------- I
--1—2—3----------------4—5---6—
These and other texts in
Daniel and Revelation indicate that a time will
come when the Bible will become a matter of
deadly conflict. Lucifer and his wicked followers
will kill those who obey God’s law and the
wicked will think they are doing God’s will
by killing the saints! Before we continue to
examine the second seal, I need to discuss a very
important topic:
Our true Position and
Condition Before God
The
gift of salvation is the best news a person can
hear after he understands his true position and
condition before God. Our true position and
condition before God is revealed through the
teachings of Jesus, there is no other source of
truth on this subject.
Jesus said, “… I
am the way and the truth and the life. No one
comes to the Father except through me.”
Our position before God is
that of a condemned sinner. (Romans 3:23)
Our condition before God is
one of natural hostility. (Romans 8:7,8)
The verdict declared in God’s
Word is clear. We are under the curse of sin and
we cannot save ourselves from it. The good news
is that through the atonement of Jesus, there is
a way of escape from the penalty of sin. We have
to be born again and through the indwelling power
of the Holy Spirit, we can be victorious over our
hostility toward God and man!
Thoughtfully process the
contents of the following sentence because it is
a hard sentence to swallow: When salvation
through faith in Jesus is separated from the
teachings of Jesus, the gift of salvation becomes
“an opiate,” a sweet nothing,”
“a theological fantasy” which may be
wonderful to believe, but practically worthless
for overcoming the temptations and trails of the
human experience.”
On
the other hand, when the doctrine of salvation
through faith in Jesus is aligned with the other
four essential doctrines taught by Jesus, our
receipt of the gift of salvation reflects the
transforming power of the Holy Spirit who lives
within us.
When we surrender our will
to God’s will, we submit to wearing the
armor of God. Paul wrote,
“For our struggle is
not against flesh and blood, but against the
rulers, against the authorities, and against the
powers of the dark world and against the
spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Therefore put on the full
armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes,
you may be able to stand your guard, and after
you have done everything, to stand.”
(Ephesians 6:12,13)
John wrote, “For
everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is
the victory that has overcome the world, even our
faith.” (1 John 5:4)
When the doctrine of
salvation through faith in Christ is separated
from the four essential teaching of Jesus,
discipleship suffers and Christianity
disintegrates. If you don’t believe me,
look at Christianity today.
Many Christians have been
led into idolatry without realizing it. They
worship an icon of Jesus without actually knowing
Jesus! The often asked question, “What
would Jesus do?” is not a search for truth,
it is a smear tactic created by the devil to rob
Jesus of His sovereign authority For what it’s
worth, the bible not only tells what Jesus did
through out the ages of the Old Testament, it
tells us what Jesus is going to do to this Earth
during the Great Tribulation!
Consider this sinister
process: when the assurance of salvation is
separated from or exalted above the importance of
being submissive disciple to the teachings of
Christ, human nature will quickly diminish the
consequences of sin. When sinful behavior is
excused, Christians – people who claim to be
followers of Christ – soon begin doing
the very things that offend God.
Sexual immorality and
idolatry are twin sisters. When you see one, you
know the other identical twin is close by. They
are never far apart. When Christians separate the
salvation of Jesus from the teachings of Jesus,
Jesus becomes a religious icon instead of the
Lord and Master of our lives.
Jesus said that we cannot
receive salvation without giving ourselves over
to His dominion as an obedient disciple. “If
anyone would come after me [for salvation], we
must deny himself and take up his cross [of
responsibilities which I will assign] and follow
me [my teachings].For whoever wants to save his
life [for eternity] will lose it [that is, will
lose control of his life], but whoever loses [gives
up control of] his life for me for the gospel
will save it [for all eternity].” (Mark
8:34,35, insertions mine)
Notice how the apostle Paul
summed up the relationship between faith and
works,
“During the days of
Jesus’ life on Earth, he offered up prayers
and petitions with loud cries and tears to the
one who could save him from death, and he was
heard because of his reverent submission. Although
He was a son, he learned obedience from what he
suffered and, once made perfect, he became the
source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.”
(Hebrews 5:7-9)
When salvation through faith
in Christ costs nothing, it produces nothing. The
problem is that salvation and discipleship are
inseparable. Here is a true paradox:
Salvation is totally free
through faith in Christ, but discipleship will
cost you everything you possess.
Therefore, true discipleship keeps faith alive.
Timing
For
reasons presented earlier, the first seal was
broken in 1798. The second seal has to occur
after the breaking of the first seal, so when
does Jesus break open the second seal? The year
1800 appears to resolve the question of timing.
Here’s why:
When the second seal was
broken, the Holy Spirit “rode out” of
Heaven’s temple. He immediately began a
campaign to translate and distribute the Bible
(the sword of truth) throughout the world. The
Holy Spirit motivated Protestants to form
numerous Bible societies in Europe and in the
United States.
Starting in 1800,
Protestants in Europe and the United States gave
sacrificially and generously toward the
translation and distribution of the Bibles
because they well knew their victory over the
Church of Rome came through the exaltation of
Bible truth.
Because the Bibles became
increasingly accessible, laymen could study
“the Good Book” and as they
investigated the Word of God, they began to
understand the deep apostasy of Rome for
themselves. Prior to the fall of the papacy in
1798, ownership of a Bible was rare in Europe
because of expense, or in some countries, the
possession of it was forbidden by the Church.
Today, this context seems so
foreign. Even the Church of Rome publishes
Bibles, albeit in the archaic Douay Version. What
produced this marvelous transition from the
Bibles to many Bibles? I can find no better
reason than the opening of the second seal. From
1800 to 1844, the Bible (or portions of it) was
translated into approximately 112 translations.
By 1944, one hundred years later, the number of
translations exceeded one thousand. Today, the
number of translations exceeds 1,500. Look again
at the second seal:
Revelation 6:4 Then
another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its
rider was given power to take peace from the
earth and to make men slay each other. To him was
given a large sword.”
As Protestants began to read
the Bible, various ideas about the teachings of
Jesus sprang up. Because nineteenth century
Protestants were a diverse group of people from
many nations of Europe and the United States,
Protestantism fractured into several distinctive
denominations after 1798 under the leadership of
various godly people. This is what Jesus
wanted. He does want one church to rule over
the thinking of mankind again.
The Holy Spirit was sent on
a campaign to see that the Bible was translated
and widely distributed because there is no other
authoritative source on the teachings of Jesus.
For the past two hundred years, the Bible has
been progressing throughout the world, one book
at a time. The Bible tells us what sin is and it
presents our true condition and position before
God. Soon, a time will come when Bible truth will
cause wicked men to slay the saints! And wicked
people will think they are doing a service for
God!
The ultimate deception is to
make people think that wrong is right and right
is wrong. During the Great Tribulation, when the
devil appears on Earth, masquerading as Almighty
God, billions will honor him and obey his evil
commands.
Revelation 13:15
And he [Lucifer] had power to give life unto the
image of the beast, that the image of the beast
should both speak, and cause that as many as
would not worship the image of the beast should
be killed.
And a third of mankind will
be killed. (Revelation 9:15)
Third Seal
Revelation 6:5 When
the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third
living creature say, “Come!” I looked,
and there before me was a black horse! Its rider
was holding a pair of scales in his hand.
Revelation 6:6 Then
I heard what sounded like a voice among the four
living creatures, saying, “A quart of wheat
for a day’s wages, and three quarts of
barley for a day’s wages, and do not damage
the oil and the wine!”
For reasons forthcoming,
this seal was broken in 1844.
At just the right time, the
Holy Spirit was sent from the throne room on a
campaign to inform the world that Jesus had begun
to judge the dead. The face of the third living
creature is like that of a man.
(Revelation 4:7) This faces indicates the Holy
Spirit has an intelligent message from
Jesus that mankind needs to understand.
The scales in the hand of
the rider indicate judgment”… the court
was seated and the books were opened.”
(Daniel 7:10) The breaking of the third seal
marks the beginning of the judgment bar of Christ!
“For we must all appear
before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one
may receive what is due him for the things done
while in the body, whether good or bad.”
(2 Corinthians 5:10)
Remember our discussion
about the cleansing of Heaven’s temple at
the end of the 2,300 days? Remember our earlier
discussions about the doctrine of soul sleep? The
third seal merges soul sleep, the worthiness of
Jesus and the pre-Advent judgment into one
comprehensive prophetic fulfillment.
Of course, if a person does
not understand the doctrine of soul sleep or God’s
use of parallel temples or the four rules of
interpretation, the breaking open of the third
seal in 1844 will make very little sense.
The doctrine of parallel
temples teach that long ago, God set a date, near
the end of the world, for Jesus, our High Priest,
to begin cleansing the temple in Heaven. The
temple in Heaven needs cleansing because a record
of our sins has defiled that temple. We have
discussed the prophetic precision of 1798 and
1844 at length. We have closely examined the date
Jesus was found worthy to receive the Book of
Life and we have examined the breaking of the
first two seals.
The orderly progression of
the historical matrix is unmistakable if you
understand the five essential doctrines and the
four rules of interpretation. The cleansing of
Heaven’s temple is accomplished by
transferring the guilt of each person to its
final destiny. Notice how it works: Upon
investigating the records of each dead person,
Jesus decides if that person is wicked or
righteous. After making this decision, the sinner’s
guilt either remains on the head of that wicked
person, or if that person is found to be
righteous person because of his faith in Christ,
his guilt is transferred onto the head of the
scapegoat. The scapegoat is Lucifer.
Remember the two goats that
were slain on the Day of Atonement? The Lord’s
goat (represented Jesus) because He provided
atonement for the penalty of sin (Leviticus
16:21). The scapegoat represented Lucifer who is
responsible for sin. (Leviticus 16:22)
Jesus said that Lucifer is
the father of sin, as such; he bears full
responsibility for it. (John 8:44) The doctrine
of soul sleep teaches that the dead are not
judged at the time of death, nor do they go to
Heaven of Hell at the time of death. We also know
that the righteous dead will be the first to meet
Jesus in the air at the Second Coming (1
Thessalonians 4:16,17) and we know that the
wicked dead will be resurrected at the end of the
thousand years (Revelation 20:5,6).
So, the remaining question
for the third seal concerns timing. When are the
dead judged? The answer to this question is
resolved by the alignment of two essential
teachings of Jesus (the doctrine of soul sleep
and the parallel temples) and the prophecies of
Daniel and Revelation tell us when the judgment
of mankind begins.
Daniel 8:14 tells us the
judgment bar of Christ began in 1844, and the
breaking open of the third seal in Revelation
6:5,6 perfectly aligns with this date.
The Holy Spirit departed the
throne room around 1844 on a campaign to inform
the world that the judgment of the dead had
begun. The scales in the hand of the rider on the
horse indicate the time for the judgment of
mankind has arrived. “For God will bring
every deed into judgment, including every hidden
thing, whether it is good or evil.”
(Ecclesiastes 12:14)
Remember the mysterious
words written on the walls at Belshazzar’s
feast? Daniel told the Babylonian king,
”…You have been found weighed on the
scales and found wanting.” (Daniel 5:27) God
weighs the actions of nations as well as
individuals. Jesus weighs our actions and our
knowledge of right and wrong in judgment.”
“Anyone, then, who
knows the good that he ought to do and doesn’t
do it, sins…. If we deliberately keep on
sinning after we have received the knowledge of
the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but
only a fearful expectation of judgment and of
raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.”
(James 4:7; Hebrews 10:26,27)
The scales in the hand of
the Holy Spirit indicates the time for judgment
has come, this judgment is not a judgment of
nations, but of individuals. “The court was
seated and the book were opened.” (Daniel
7:9,10)
Perhaps Jesus began with
Abel, the first man to die. For the past 164
years, Jesus has been reviewing and passing
judgment on each dead person. Of course, Jesus
does not need 164 years to judge the records of
the dead, but the angels and the twenty-four
elders need this lengthy period of time. The
ongoing judgment scene in Heaven is for their
studied benefit.
In effect, the angels and
the 24 elders have been getting a “college
education” on the dimensions of God’s
government. They are studying, observing and
learning about God’s constitution, His
branches of government, His grace, wisdom, mercy
and most of all, how love is the balance between
mercy and justice. Their lectures include a
real-time demonstration of God’s justice and
mercy as they observe the judgment bar of Christ.
Every record presented
before Jesus is a unique story. The angels and
the 24 elders are beholding the close and careful
scrutiny that Jesus applies to every record. They
have never seen anything like this and the Father
predetermined long ago that all of Heaven would
benefit from observing this courtroom-classroom
drama.
This is why “thrones
were arranged and the Ancient of Days took His
seat…. And ten thousand times ten thousand
stood before Him….” As billions of
heavenly beings silently observe our High Priest
at work, Jesus decides who shall be saved and who
must be destroyed. Because Jesus knows every
person intimately, this is not very easy for
Jesus to do. Because the angels understand the
incalculable value of eternal life, they watch
with greatest interest.
They also watch closely for
another reason. Those granted eternal life will
become their rulers. The redeemed from Earth will
be elevated above the angels! (Revelation 1:6)
Therefore, the angels are very curious to see who
will rule over them. This is why they have to
attend this special convocation.
Once they understand the
full dimensions of God’s government and
salvation, they know they have nothing to fear
from the exaltation of victorious sinners from
Earth. Each judicial case reveals a unique
expression of God’s justice and mercy.
Will Work For
Food
The commission given to
the Holy Spirit in 1844, at the breaking of the
third seal, consists of a campaign to educate the
world that the judgment bar of Jesus has begun.
Because there are many Bibles (thanks to the
second seal), this campaign is “mission
impossible.”
As the Holy Spirit prepared
to leave the throne room, Jesus spoke these words
to Him, “A quart of wheat for a day’s
wages, and three quarts of barley for a day’s
wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!”
Wages! These words
are a promise of wages. Wages, in the form of
“good” food, oil and wine is promised
to those who will enter God’s service to
promote this special message and I can personally
testify after 20 years of endeavor, that the
Lord’s promise has proven faithful and true.
Rule Three encourages us to
look for parallel passages in the Bible to
determine the intended meaning of apocalyptic
prophecy and there is a very good parallel
in the Old Testament concerning the use of wheat,
barley, oil and wine as wages!
King Solomon offered Hiram,
king of Tyre, an enormous quantity of good food
if Hiram’s servants would gather up
materials for the construction of the Lord’s
temple in Jerusalem.
“I will give your
servants, the woodmen who cut the timber, twenty
thousand cors of ground wheat [125,000 bushels],
twenty thousand cors of barley [125,000 bushels],
twenty thousand baths of wine [115,000 gallons]
and twenty thousand baths of olive oil [115,000
gallons].” (2 Chronicles 2:10, italics mine)
Solomon offered Hiram food
because food was of greater value than silver
or gold. The building of the Lord’s
temple in Jerusalem would be an enormous
undertaking and Solomon did not have the building
materials, but he had much food. So, he was
willing to pay Hiram’s workmen with
something more desirable than gold if they would
do his bidding. At various times in human
history, food has been the currency of choice
between nations.
The parallel here, is that
since 1844, Jesus has been offering wages to
those who are willing to put their shoulder to
the wheel and build up the knowledge of His
heavenly temple on Earth. The Bible is a very
comprehensive book and God’s ways are vast. Teaching
the Word of God, if done well, is not a simple or
easy task. Again, I testify from personal
experience, this is the most difficult assignment
I have ever had. But, the food is good. : - )
An offer of wages goes with
the breaking of the third seal to attract workers
because Jesus wants the world to know that He is
judging the dead and the judgment of the living
is coming soon. Jesus wants the news spread
far and wide and Hw is willing to pay good wages
“in food” to anyone willing to carry
the news!
Thus far:
Seal 1: Salvation
through faith in Jesus
Seal 2: The
translation and distribution of the Bible
Seal 3: Judgment
has begun
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