The Mystery of the Seven Seals (Pt. 6b)

THE SIXTH SEAL Cont'd:

And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the land, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. (Rev 7:1)

God completed His work of restoring the physical world in four days giving us the four seasons, four directions etc. Therefore, the number "four" in scripture speaks of the entirety of the physical world.

These "four" angels are holding back a destructive "wind" destined to blow across the entire earth (from the four corners). This "wind" refers to a "doctrine of demons" that Jesus warned would be so insidious as to ensnare "if possible the very elect". This doctrine (wind) is being held back from blowing across the "land", which speaks of the Kingdom of God, the church; the "sea", which speaks of the nations of the world outside the church; or any "tree", which represents the Lord's own planting, the remnant of the sixth church age. Verse three goes on to say that whatever this doctrine of demons is, it cannot be released until...

...we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. (Rev 7:3)

This reveals that the latter part of the sixth church age will be characterized by an unprecedented wave of true evangelism...

You heard and believed the message of truth, the Good News that He has saved you. In Him you were sealed with the Holy Spirit whom He promised. (Eph 1:13)

In the middle of an apostate church age, with judgment poised to blow across the whole earth, God will set His "seal" on His true worshippers, citizens of the true Kingdom, by placing His Holy Spirit in them through the agency of the true, undiluted gospel. This signifies that in the last days of the sixth age of the church, an explosion of passionate evangelism, with an emphasis on the baptism of the Holy Spirit and walking in the intimacy and power of God, will arise.

As Jesus wrote to the church at Philadelphia...

I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door (for global evangelism) and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength (the remnant), and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name (as the rest of the church has done). (Rev 3:8)

Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. (Rev 3:11)

Pt. "6c" to follow...

The Mystery of the Seven Seals (Pt. 6a)

THE SIXTH SEAL:

And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake...

Jesus opens the sixth seal and the first thing John sees is an EARTHQUAKE. This speaks of a great shaking to precede the sixth church age, some event that was to impact every nation on the planet. I believe the shaking referred to here began with WWI and WWII.

This period of world war had the following effect on the church...

The sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; 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. (Rev 6:12-13)

The "sun" speaks of the witness of the Holy Spirit. The "moon" speaks of the witness of the church. And the "stars" speak of the witness of individual believers.

Sackcloth was worn in ancient Israel as a sign of grieving or mourning. Here we see the "sun" (Holy Spirit) in a state of grieving over the result of this "earthquake".

"Blood moon" was a typical expression in the ancient world to describe a lunar eclipse. During such an event, as the earth passes between the sun and moon, the shadow of the earth turns the "moon" blood red. This speaks of the witness of the church (moon) being cut off from the Holy Spirit (sun) by the shadow of the earth (world).

The expression "untimely figs" refers to figs that appear in winter. These figs were inedible and would easily fall from the tree if shaken by a wind. Here John describes the "stars of heaven" falling to the earth like these winter figs. The "stars" speak of individual believers. Their fall to the earth speaks of a fall from the Kingdom into worldliness. The "wind" that shakes them from the Kingdom is a doctrine rooted in worldly not Godly wisdom, specifically, a watered down gospel.

But why was the church effected this way by world wars?

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; 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: (Rev 6:15-16)

John sees men of every station of life suddenly fearing the wrath of God because of this "earthquake" (wars and rumors of wars). He sees these men running into "dens and the rocks of mountains" to hide from God's wrath.

This speaks of the untold thousands of men, women, and children who, out of fear of things to come, flooded into the church (dens, rocks) during this era of world wars. The result was a worldwide church that quickly swelled in numbers. However, for the most part, these were people who wanted Jesus as their savior, but not as their Lord.

With the mainstream church overflowing with carnally minded people, the doctrines of the church gradually became more and more reflective of what the carnal heart would tolerate. Teachings had to become more "user friendly" to maintain the ranks and keep the people coming to church and tithing.

The direct result of this was the grieving (sackcloth) of the Holy Spirit (sun).

Pt. 2 to follow...

The Mystery of the Seven Seals (Pt. 5)

THE FIFTH SEAL:

The First Seal portrays Christ as the "sovereign Lord" (Lion) of Matthew's gospel calling forth the first church age (Ephesus) which appears as a rider on a white horse (purity). This speaks of the "Great Commission".

The Second Seal presents Christ as the "suffering servant" (Calf) of Mark's gospel calling out the second church age (Smyrna) which appears as a rider on a red horse (persecutions).

The Third Seal presents Christ as the "Son of man" (Man) of Luke's gospel calling forth the third church age (Pergamos) which appears as a rider on a black horse (lies).

The Fourth Seal presents Christ as the "Son of God" (Flying Eagle) of John's gospel calling out the fourth church age (Thyatira) which appears as a rider on a pale horse (death).

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: (Rev 6:9)

The fifth church age was the period we know today as the Reformation. Martin Luther and others stood up to the leadership of the Catholic church and openly challenged their traditions and practices declaring them to be unscriptural. As a result the pope declared that all of these "protestants" must be put out of the church.

The protestant reformers now had nowhere to go. They had been cut off from the church (slain) for the "word of God and the testimony they held". Yet they are seen in the above verse as being "under the altar" which means that their actions were covered by the blood of the Lamb.

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. (Rev 6:11)

As Christians began to see the truth behind the Reformation, more and more of them left the Catholic church resulting in a proliferation of Protestant churches formed under the banner of "Sola Scriptura" which means "scripture only".

(It wasn't long before these churches began interpreting "scripture only" in decidedly different ways, resulting in the fracturing of the Protestant church into thousands of denominations, including many that still exist today. This happened because "scripture only" leaves little room for the Holy Spirit.)

The Mystery of the Seven Seals (Pt. 4)

THE FOURTH SEAL:

And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come. (Rev 6:7)

The "fourth beast" of Revelation 4 is described as having the appearance of a “flying eagle”. This image points to the gospel of John which emphasizes the deity of Christ as the “Son of God”, the "Most High". Therefore, what's in view here is Christ, the Son of God, calling for the fourth church age to appear as a representation of the fourth stage of the Lord’s Genesis Plan – WITNESS.

And I looked, and behold a pale horse…


This horse, which began in the First Seal as a white horse (purity), became red (persecutions) in the Second Seal, then black (lies) in the Third, has now in the Fourth Seal turned “pale”. The Greek word here translated “pale” is “chloros” and means green as in gangrene the color of death.

…and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him…

The lies of satan planted in the third church age (Pergamos) are now, in the fourth age (Thyatira), producing a witness of dead works, proving that Christ's warnings about the "Jezebel" spirit that would infest this age fell mostly on deaf ears.

And I (Jesus) will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searches the minds and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works. (Rev 2:23)

This “death” speaks of spiritual death -- being cut off from the only source of life which is God. The Lord is saying here that all who follow the witness of this dead church would be cut off from the very God they were laboring to please. This is the legacy of Catholicism and traditional Orthodoxy which began in the fourth church age.

And authority was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth…


The “fourth part” mentioned here is the “wheat” from the Third Seal. These are the Spirit-led ones, the true Sons of God targeted for destruction by the pale rider.

…to kill with sword, and with famine, with plague, and with the beasts of the earth. (Rev 6:8)


The “sword” speaks of divisions; “famine” points to a scarcity of the true word of God; “plague” refers to infectious false teachings; and “beasts of the earth” indicate the man made traditions prevalent in the Thyatiran church age. All of this ultimately represents the desperate attempts of satan to turn the “wheat” into “weeds” and thus deny Christ His long promised bride.

The Mystery of the Seven Seals (Pt. 3)

THE THIRD SEAL:

And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come ...

The "third beast", as seen in Revelation 4, had the appearance of a man. This creature represents the gospel of Luke where the Lord's humanity is emphasized and he is presented as the "Son of Man". Man was created for intimacy with God. Therefore, it is the "third beast", the humanity of Christ, calling the third church age to, "Come", because this, according to God's Genesis plan, was to be the age of true knowledge and intimacy with Him.

And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. (Rev 6:5)

In part 2 of this series we saw that the white horse (purity) from the First Seal became the red horse (persecutions) in the Second Seal. Now, in the third age of the church (Pergamos) it changes again, this time into a black horse (lies).

I know your works, and where you dwell, even where Satan's seat is: and you hold fast my name, and have not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwells. (Rev 2:13)

Here Christ tells us that by the third church age Satan will have established his throne of lies in God's own house. The Lord goes on to say...

I have a few things against you, because you have there them that hold to the doctrine of Balaam... (Rev 2:14)

The "doctrine of Balaam" refers to the strategy the greedy prophet Balaam used in the old testament to get Israel to fall from grace. He advised the enemy king Balac to send the most attractive of his women into the camps of Israel to entice them into fornication. This act of mixing the holy (Israel) with the profane (worldliness) caused Israel to fall from the favor and protection of God and made them easy prey for Balac and his armies.

And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny...

The balances speak of justification -- meaning the two grains, wheat and barley, represent all that are truly saved in this church age where satan dwells. We also see that the wheat, though being only one fourth of the whole, is given equal weight as the barley which has three times its quantity. Both are assigned the same value - one penny -- which speaks of a full day's wage, or what every working man is due (see the parable of the laborers in Matthew 20).

Barley is a poor man's grain. The bread it produces is far inferior in taste and texture to the bread produced by wheat. Christ rose from the dead on the day called on the Hebrew calendar "The Firstfruits of the Barley Harvest". Barley speaks of those who are saved, but not yet led by the Spirit of God. The blood of Jesus covers them, but not the oil of the Spirit.

Wheat is a far superior grain. The Holy Spirit fell on the 120 in the upper room on the day known on the Hebrew calendar as "The Firstfruits of the Wheat Harvest". Wheat speaks of the saved walking in the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit. Because of satan's lies spreading throughout the third church age, only one fourth of the saved were walking in the Holy Spirit.

...and see that you hurt not the oil and the wine. (Rev 6:6)

This is a call for the preservation of the Spirit-led wheat (oil) and the saved barley (wine) from the lies of satan in the third church age. The Third Seal, then, is a revelation to the church of the third age and to us -- the church has become black with the lies of satan. Discernment is critical.

The Mystery of the Seven Seals (Pt. 2)

THE SECOND SEAL:

And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come. (Rev 6:3)

The "second beast" here refers to the second living creature of the four surrounding the throne of God in Revelation chapter 4. This creature had the face of a calf. As previously discussed, the calf represents the Gospel of Mark where Christ is presented as the "suffering servant".

What's symbolically in view here is Christ as the suffering servant calling the rider to "come" and show himself to John.

And another horse went out, red...

The second rider then appears to John and we see that the white horse (purity) from the first church age (Ephesus - great commission) has now become blood red in the second church age (Smyrna - persecution).

Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. (Rev 2:10)

The great commission sent the apostles "into all the earth to make disciples of every creature." This is depicted by the first rider in the first seal and represents the first church age. The resulting blood bath of persecution that followed in the second church age reveals satan's angry response to the stunning revelation of "the mystery of God kept hidden (from satan) from the foundations of the world." Namely, that Christ's death and resurrection had forever reconciled man to God, and the world that was once satan's by default, now and forever was being redeemed to mankind.

...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. (Rev 6:4)

The red rider represents the persecuted church of the second church age given a commission to "take peace from the earth". As Jesus said of His own commission...

Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household. (Mat 10:36)

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Heb 4:12)


What's in view, as the second seal is opened, is the power and impact of the true, undiluted gospel. Many would receive it and be saved, many others would not, resulting in great divisions (a great sword) even within families. These divisions would become the basis for the persecutions that would follow as satan worked in vain to exterminate the holy seed from the earth.