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.