Author: Haverland

THE SEVEN SEALS

Readings: Matthew 24:1-14, 26-31
Heidelberg Catechism LD 19 Q 52
Text: Revelation 6-7
Theme and Purpose: To assure us that Christ the Lamb is directing all of history and that he is gathering all his people out of their tribulation. 

In the Lord’s Prayer we pray; “Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done…” (Matt 6:9-10)
The apostle John lived at the end of the first century when it seemed as though God’s name was not honoured, when the Roman Empire appeared to rule the world, and where most people did not obey God’s will. 
Jesus appeared to John and had him write the book of Revelation to show that God’s name was being honoured in heaven, that the kingdom of Christ was growing on earth and that ultimately God’s will would be done. 

This vision of the seven seals assures us that Christ the Lord is directing all of history and that he is gathering all his people out of their their tribulation into the glory of heaven. One day he will return as the Judge of all men. 

This vision of the seven seals will be followed by seven trumpets (8-9) and seven bowls (15-16). These three sections are in parallel, they cover the same ground, looking at the history of the world from different points of view. They also parallel the description Jesus gave in Matthew 24. 

Christ the Lamb opens each of the seals. He is worthy to open the seals because of his death, resurrection and exaltation in heaven. He is in control of all the events of history. He is carrying out God’s plan. The four horses and their riders go forth with his permission. That is why the passive voice is used in each case; the rider “was given a crown…, was given power…, was given a large sword.” (6:2,4,8) Each rider is responsible for his own actions and destruction but they are under the overall authority and power of Christ the King. 

THE FIRST FOUR SEALS form one group. They describe four horses and their riders and the destruction and woe they cause on the earth. This is a picture of what has gone on, and will go on, across the whole world through all of history. These four pictures go on concurrently not consecutively; that is, they are all happening at the same time rather than coming one after the other.

The first horse was white. Verse 2: “Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.”
Some commentators believe this is a picture of Christ and the conquest of the gospel, but that is not consistent with the gruesome images of the other horses and their riders.
Rather, this is a picture of the spirit of conquest through all of history where ambitious rulers strive to conquer the lands of others. Think of Alexander the Great who led his Greek army on many campaigns.
Think of the Roman armies and their conquest of the world. In 70 AD they invaded Palestine, killed tens of thousands of Jews, and destroyed houses, synagogues and the temple in Jerusalem. 350 years later Rome was overrun by the Huns, Goths and Vandals. Later on came the Vikings, Genghis Khan and, in more recent history, Adolf Hitler. The history of the world is one of conquest.

The second horse was red. Verse 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.” The word “slay” can be translated as slaughter or butcher. This is what happens when men go out on conquest – they pillage and plunder, rape and kill. This horse and rider picture the bloodshed and horror of war.

The third horse is black. Verse 5b: “Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand.” Conquest and war often result in poverty and famine. That happened in Israel when the Moabites and the Philistines came raiding their land. This has happened in Africa over the past 50 years. Yet when there are shortages of food there are still some who have good food to eat and wine to drink. Verse 6 is a picture of famine and inequality. 

The fourth horse is pale. The Greek word describes a green grey colour – the ashen appearance of the dead. The rider of the horse “was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him.” (v 8) “Death cuts people down and Hades gathers the slain.” (Hendrickson) 
The controlling power of Christ is evident in the limitation imposed on Death and Hades (v 8b); “They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.” People are dying all the time of old age but this pale horse refers to death from unnatural causes; yet Christ limits the range of their power. 

All of these terrible events are going on through all of history. They are signs of our times, not signs that the end is near. They are the visible and terrible effects of human sin, of pride, greed, selfishness, anger and revenge. In Matthew 24 Jesus said, “All these are the beginning of birth pangs.” (v 8) These are realities in our own time. We see examples of these on the news on TV and we read about them in the papers.  

Yet we must keep in mind that Jesus opens these seals and that he is in control of all of these events. We don’t always understand how he is working all this for the progress of his kingdom but the Bible assures us that Jesus is is the King and that all things work together for the good of those who love him, who are called according to his purpose. (Heb 2:8-9; Rom 8:28) This is the subject of the next seal. 

The opening of the fifth seal (v 9) allowed John to see “under the altar the souls of those who had been slain.” 

This describes Christians who are persecuted for their faith. Many Christians died as martyrs in the persecutions of the Roman Empire, beginning with Emperor Nero. A Christian group called the Waldensians was terribly persecuted by the Roman Catholic Church in the Middle Ages, Many Huguenots were martyred in the French Reformation and many Dutch Protestants under the Spanish rule. Today Christians are being persecuted in many Islamic countries including Malaysia and Indonesia.

These believers are described as souls under the altar. In the Old Testament sacrifices the blood of the animal was poured out at the base of the altar. The believers in heaven sacrificed their blood “because of the Word of God and the testimony they had maintained.” (v 9) 

They are aware that God’s purposes have not been completed, that they are still waiting for the final judgement and their full redemption. So they cry out to God asking, “How long… until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood.” (v 10) 

“Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servant and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed.” (v 11) The white robe could be a symbol of the righteousness of Christ and their justification. But it could also be a symbol of victory. When a Christian is killed for his faith he seems to have been defeated by his enemies. But he has actually been victorious! He has gone home to heaven. He has been spared further suffering in this world. He has gone to be with Christ and with all the saints who have gone before him.

In these first five seals we have seen that the world is full of war, famine and death but Christ the Lamb is in control of all things. Christians are dying for their faith and witness about their Lord but they go to be with God in heaven and receive the white robe of victory. But one day all this war and persecution will come to an end. This is what is revealed in the 6^th seal. 

The Lamb opened the sixth seal. 

John wrote this book for the churches in Asia Minor. There were many earthquakes in that region in the 1^st century AD. As well as that, Mt Vesuvius had erupted in 79AD; the sun turned black under a cloud of volcanic ash and the eruption buried the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. 

In verse 12 Jesus describes how this world as we know it will break up. In his vision John saw a great earthquake. The sun turned black. The full moon turned blood red. The stars in the sky fell to the earth. The sky rolled up like a scroll. These physical events will mark the immediate return of Christ and the final judgement. They picture the terrifying arrival of God as Judge. 

The unbelieving people of the world will be convicted immediately of their unbelief and sin. (v 15f) They will be filled with terror at the prospect of facing the one who sits on the throne and the wrath of the Lamb! But it will be too late to repent. The day of judgement has come. 

At present God is still patient. The door of grace is still open. The invitation of the gospel is still being offered. This is the day of salvation. Now is the time to repent and believe. God the Father calls you to “Come home”. Do this soon, today, before it is too late!

That was the sixth seal marking the return of Christ and the final judgement. 
When the first four seals were opened each of the four living creatures said in a voice like thunder, “Come!” It is possible they were calling on each of the horses to go forward. But one commentator (Wilcock) suggests that they were calling for the Lord Jesus to return. The book of Revelation begins with the promises of his coming; “Look, he is coming with the clouds and every eye will see him.” (1:7) It ends with a prayer for his coming; “Come, Lord Jesus.” (22:20) All that is going on in the world is bringing us closer and closer to the return of our Lord Jesus. He is our Judge, but he is “the very One who has already stood trial in my place before God and so has removed the whole curse from me.” (Heidelberg Catechism Q52) So we too pray for his coming and look forward to it!

The seventh seal is not broken until the beginning of chapter 8; then John was given a vision of the seven trumpets. 

Chapter 7 is therefore a parenthesis, an aside between the seven seals and the seven trumpets.
Chapter 7 does not describe what comes after chapter 6, rather it is an overlay on the six seals; it gives us an inside view on what God is doing with and for all of his people through all of history. 

Chapter 7:1 takes us back before the four horsemen set out on their terror and destruction. It pictures four angels holding back the four winds of heaven. These winds are the destructive agents of God that will go out over the whole earth. 

Before God unleashes these forces we hear another angel saying (v 3); “Do not harm the land or the sea until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of God.” This seal is not a physical or visible mark but rather the seal of the Holy Spirit. (Eph 1:13f) It marks all God’s elect as belonging to him. It does not keep us from sickness or suffering or from death; rather it keeps us spiritually secure, eternally safe in under the protection of God. 

The number of those sealed was 144,000. Chapter 4:4 describes the 24 elders who represented the 12 tribes of Israel plus the twelve apostles; that is, the entire people of God. 
This is the same picture but multiplied. 12x12 is 144. 10 is the number of completeness; but 144 is multiplied by 10x10x10 giving us a picture of all the people of God through all of history. All God’s elect people are his servants (v 3). 

The great multitude John sees in heaven in verse 9 refers to the same people. 
God knows the exact number of those who will be saved and he can count every one. 
But to us it is a vast multitude that no one can count! They come from every nation, tribe, people and language. They stand before the throne and in front of the Lamb and praise the triune God for their salvation. All the angels in heaven join in with this worship. (v 12)

One of the elders explains to John that this vast gathering of people is all the believers who have come out of the great tribulation. (v 14) They have come out of the terrors and trials of this world. He describes them as though they had been on long and difficult journey through the desert and had entered the Promised Land, their eternal rest. This is what God promises to you and me, to all of us who “have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” (v 14) 

Listen to this beautiful description as we close: Read verses 15-17…

Amen

Fitting Psalms and Hymns to sing include Psalm 72, Psalm 91, “Crown him with many crowns”, “For all the saints who from their labours rest”, “By the sea of Crystal”.