‘And I saw when the lamb broke one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, “Come.” And I looked, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him; and he went out conquering, and to conquer’ (Rev 6:1,2).

“And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached throughout the whole world for a witness to all nations, and then the end shall come” (Mt 24:14).

‘And when He broke the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come.” And another, a red horse went out; and to him who sat on it, it was granted to take peace from the earth, and that men should slay one another; and a great sword was given to him’ (Rev 6:3,4).

“And you will be hearing of wars of rumors of wars; see that you are not frightened, for those things must take place.” “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom” (Mt 24:6,7).

‘And when He broke the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, “Come.” And I looked, and behold, a black horse; and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard as it were a voice in the center of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine” ’ (Rev 6:5,6).

“And in various place there will be famines” (Mt 24:7).

‘And when He broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come.” And I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name “Death”; and Hades was following with him. And authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth’ (Rev 6:7,8).

“Wars and disturbances” (Lk 21:9); “Plagues and famines” (Lk 21:11).

“But you will be betrayed even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death” (Lk 21:16).

‘And when He broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, wilt Thou refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, should be completed also’ (Rev 6:9-11).

You will be brought “before kings and governors for My name’s sake. It will lead to an opportunity for your testimony” (Lk 21:12-13). “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations on account of My name” (Mt 24:9). “Yet not a hair of your head will perish. By your perseverance you will win your souls” (Lk 21:17-18).

'And I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. And the sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come; and who is able to stand?” ’ (Rev 6:12-17).

“But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken, and then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory” (Mt 24:29,30).

Then the seventh and final seal is broken (Rev 8:1).

The meaning of this seal is often misunderstood. Later on, we will study the matter in greater detail, but for now, can you guess what the conclusion to this scenario must be? Let me supply three hints from Scripture:

“But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up you heads, because your redemption is drawing near” (Lk 21:28).

“Even so you, too, when you see these things happening, recognize that the kingdom of God is near” (Lk 21:30).

“But keep on the alert at all times, praying in order that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man” (Lk 21:36).

It is the day of judgment, the time of redemption, and the coming of the kingdom of God. Please read Matthew 25.

Additional Notes

The First Seal

In defense of the Olivet Discourse being the basis of the seals, let’s compare the language of Zechariah 10:3-5 with the first seal of Revelation 6.

My anger is kindled against the shepherds,
And I will punish the male goats;
For the LORD of hosts has visited His flock, the house of Judah,
And will make them like His majestic horse in battle.

From them will come the cornerstone,
From them the tent peg,
From them the bow of battle,
From them every ruler, all of them together.

They will be as mighty men,
Treading down the enemy in the mire of the streets in battle;
And they will fight, for the LORD will be with them;
And the riders on horses will be put to shame.

From these verses it’s clear that God’s people have been compared to God’s majestic horse in battle. If you turn to Rev 19:11 you’ll see that the horse Jesus rides into battle is white. Every ruler wears a crown so that much is understood in the Zechariah reference. It also mentions the bow of battle. If you look again at the white horse and rider in Rev 6 you would see a remarkable connection with the 3 verses just quoted, Zechariah 10:3-5.

The Second Seal

War between nations follows the great spiritual warfare and conquests of Christ.

The Third Seal

The cost of wheat and barley here are at famine prices. Famine commonly follows war. Notice that famines were to appear in various places (Mt 24:7), but here they are global.

The Fourth Seal

This summarizes the death due to sword and famine in the previous two seals, adds pestilence (Lk 21:11), plus a new element, wild beasts. Wild beasts are not mentioned in the Olivet discourse (if taken literally) but they do fit naturally into this account of the great tribulation. The imagery is taken from Jer 15:2,3 and Jer 24:10.

The Fifth Seal

Martyrdom on a larger scale now seems to replace a milder account of the great tribulation: Luke 21:12,16. When the souls cried out, “How long O Lord?”, they were told to go back to sleep for a little while longer, until the number of martyrs reached the full number. The delay seems reminiscent of Christ’s words: “The end is not yet” (Mt 24:6).

The Sixth Seal

This seal blends the signs of the end (Lk 21: 25-30; Mt 24:29) with the regret and terror of those who are found guilty at His second coming (Mt 24:30). This event clearly echoes Lk 23:26-31 which was to have been fulfilled in Christ’s generation.

In this seal, Christ is seen coming, the world has ended “for the great day of God’s wrath has come.” This verse ends chapter 6 with the question: “and who is able to stand?” Chapter 7 answers: ... those who are sealed of God, the one hundred and forty-four thousand (7:1-8).

We see here yet another reference to the Olivet discourse. Four winds of destruction are about to be released by four angels (7:1). In Mt 24:31, the elect are gathered out of four winds.

The Author | The Seven Faces of Seventh-day Adventism | Christian Court

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