Tribulation Special Lesson 7 The Seal Judgments

	Introduction:

	The following is how I picture the near coming events.

	It is difficult to determine the precise order of events because some happen near simultaneously and quickly. So take this as an approximation and be flexible.  

	Pre-tribulation Events

	The time-clock of the Tribulation is about to start up again.
	Babylon is in place. 
	The antichrist is about to make his moves to take control of 	Babylon. 
	Regional powers form into Rome II.
	Israel is about move back to center stage in history.
	Preparations to build the temple are made. 
	
	The Tribulation Begins
	The antichrist makes an alliance with Israel. 
	The time-clock of the Tribulation begins.
	The antichrist moves to take control over Rome II.
	The Two Witnesses and 144,000 come on the scene and 		begin their ministry.
	The construction of the temple begins. 
	Israel is back on center stage.
	
	The Judgments Begin   

	We go to the book of Revelation for --

	The Heavenly Scene (Rev. 4-5)
	
	After John finishes writing to the seven churches (Rev. 2-3), he is called up to heaven where he sees the throne room with someone seated on the throne in all his magnificence with an entourage of high ranking worshippers, giving praise. 
The one on the throne has a scroll in his hand sealed with seven seals. 
	It is announced that no one was worthy to break the seals and open the scroll. Without the breaking of the seals and the playing out of what was in the scroll, the final redemption of mankind, his judgment, the restoration of all things (Acts 3:21) could not take place. John’s reaction is to weep. Indeed, no creature was worthy to break the seals of the scroll. 
	But one was actually worthy, the very one who was slain, the Lamb, Jesus Christ who paid the price of redemption and who above all was qualified to judge. 
	The slain lamb, called the Lion  of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, who has conquered, takes the scroll from the one on the throne. The entourage in heaven and every creature in heaven and earth begin to worship singing a new song. 	

	The Opening of the Seals 

	The Lamb begins to open the scroll by breaking the seals.
A pattern begins with one of the four living creatures commanding “come,” calling forth horses with their riders with the breaking of each seal. Each horse and rider symbolically portrays what this judgment brings. 
	Each seal presents a preview of what will happen when the events of the seal starts.  

	The First Seal: Conqueror on a White Horse

	6:2  And I looked, and behold came a white horse and the 		one who rode upon it had a bow, and a crown was given 		to him and he rode out as a conqueror in order that he 			might conquer.

	The first seal pictures war, instigated by a conqueror on 	a white horse. We know from Daniel that the antichrist will bring war to gain control over Rome II. As a conqueror he will militarily gain control over lands and people consolidating his empire, while accumulating immense wealth. 
	Some interpreters say that the rider is the antichrist imitating Christ’s coming but that is beyond what the text means. One of the problems with this interpretation is then who are the other riders imitating. 
	The rider has a bow. The bow was a formidable weapon. In John’s day the Parthians were known to be able to shoot their arrows while mounted while riding away from their targets. 
	So this first seal portrays a time of war, when there is some  rapid and successful conquests using tactical weapons for  strategic purposes. This is true of the antichrist. 

	The Second Seal: World Unrest— Mass killing 

	6:4  And another horse came out, fiery red, and the one 		who rode upon it, it was granted to take peace from the 		earth, and that people would slaughter one another, and a 	great sword was given to him. 

	This rather descriptive verse speaks of how this next wave of judgment is a bloody one. There is world unrest and widespread violence. One need not be specific here. Just picture people carrying out the hate they have for one another with violent means. The Greek word for “slaughter” is sphazo and is used for the butchering a fattened calf (Lu. 15:23).
	This activity would play into the hands of the antichrist. 

	When you think of this type of turmoil, think of all the other things that come with it. Economic instability, lack of justice on the streets and the courts, political instability, rioting, looting--- laws passed that add to greater control by the government. 

	The Third Seal: Famine

	6:5  Then when he opened the third seal, I heard the third 	living 	creature saying, “Come!” And I looked, and behold, a 	black horse and the one who rode upon it had a balance 		scale in his hand.

	6:6  And I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst 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 wine!”

	The scale and the prices of wheat and barley indicate extreme inflation and economic disaster. A denarius was a day’s work. That is 8 to 16 times more than the regular price in Roman days.  To not harm the oil and wine is a way of saying to let people still have some basic necessities and not starve to death. 

	The Fourth Seal: Death and Hades

	6:7  When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of 		the fourth living creature saying, “Come!”

	6:8  And I looked, and behold, a pale horse! And he who 
	rode upon it, his name was 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 wild beasts of the earth.

	The way is opened for wide-spread misery and death. 
Hades is following, not walking or riding indicating large scale death towards unbelievers. Believers do not go to Hades but heaven. Christ has power (the keys) over “death and of Hades!” (Rev. 1:18).
	
	And authority was given to them over a fourth of the 	earth, gē —  the ground, land — The earth as a whole. 			One-fourth of earth’s surface where people are, experience 
	Death and Hades.

	It makes sense that this one-fourth of the earth is where 		the antichrist is conquering as he moves to take control 		over Rome II. That would include the European continent, 	part of Asia including at least the western portion of 			Russia then on down into the Middle-East and at least 		northern Africa.

	To the war, world-wide unrest and famine, add pestilence and wild beasts of the earth. As devastation widens and grows, society breaks down, people die from disease and are scraping for food. We can expect with large scale chaos, animals that are starving or threatened will become more dangerous than usual and be roaming the streets and battlefields. 
	Wild beasts were also a typical penalty for divine judgment (Lev. 26:22; Deut. 28:26 Deut. 32:24).                                        4
	
	Duration of the First Four Seals

	There is no mention of the duration or length of time for these first four seals. Yet, they are central to the launch of the judgments of the tribulation. 
	
	War, world-wide unrest, famine and large scale death increase and continue on through the tribulation starting with the antichrist and his conquests. 
	
	The Fifth Seal: The Faithful 

	The fifth seal is different in nature and changes the scene to heaven. We go from the four horseman of bringing their judgments on the earth-dwellers to deceased martyrs in heaven. 
	
	6:9  When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar
	the souls [psuche inner real self] of those who had been 		slain for the 	word of God and for the testimony they had 		maintained.

	There is a question as to which altar this refers to.

	There were two altars in the worship system in the earthly temples. The same Greek word thusiastērion is used for both. Both were used for sacrifice. Both involved blood. The blood of the animal sacrifices was put on the four corner horns of the altar of incense and blood was poured out at the larger altar  for sacrifice (Lev. 4:7). 
	The altar of incense was two cubits high (36”) and was set in front of the curtain of the holies of holies, near the Lord’s presence and the ark (Cf. Is. 6:1-6; Rev. 8:3,5). The much larger bronze altar was outside the sanctuary in the courtyard and high enough to need steps to get to. In Solomon’s temple it was 15’ high.    
	The saints are also said to be under the altar in a place near the base where the blood was poured out at the OT sacrificial altar (Lev. 4:7). That would be symbolic of the sacrifice of the martyrs and their blood. 
	So these souls/saints stood under the altar as if they had been slain as saints but there are also prayers being offered—combining two OT operations — The point being that the martyred are offering prayers. 
	
	These saints had been slain (perf. pass. part.). This had happened in the past. 
	for the word of God and for the testimony they had maintained (imperf.). Imperfect indicates they kept on 
bearing their testimony till death. 

	They cry for justice.

	6:10 They cried out with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O 	Lord [Master], holy and true, before you will judge and 		avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”

	How long indicates that they are waiting for justice to be done for their suffering and martyrdom towards the earth dwellers.  

	6:11 Then they were each given a white robe and it was 		told to them rest a little longer, until the number of their 		fellow slaves and their brothers should be complete, who 		were to be killed as they had been.	

	Each were give a white robe symbolic for purity, victory, and rank. They were to rest-- wait until the remaining number of saints to be martyred was completed. 

	So these martyred saints in heaven are all the saints who had been martyred before this time, throughout history.        6

	But this also sets the trend from this point here forward for further martyrdom of faithful saints including the 144,000 and the Two Witness. 

	As we come to the sixth seal--Here is where it can get confusing. 

	The Sixth Seal: Supernatural Cosmic and 					Terrestrial Events

	This sixth seal is in response to the martyrs cry for justice in the previous seal. 

	The sixth seal take the judgments to another level — supernatural cosmic signs with the judgments, clearly showing that the sufferings on earth are beyond man’s doing and the wrath of God and the Lamb are being poured out. 

	Though the seal is opened now, the actions it prophesies  do not take place until after the tribulation ends (Matt. 24:29). 

	6:12 And I looked when he opened the  sixth seal and there 	was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as 			sackcloth made of hair, the full moon became like blood,
	
	6:13 and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree 	dropping its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind.

	This description takes us forward to the Day of the Lord, signaling that the Lord himself is about to return. Cf. Joel 2:30-32;

	There is a world-wide cosmic earthquake. The sun became black melas -the color black; the full moon became like blood.
	The falling stars are meteors. When they hit the earth, they are meteorites. These hit the earth. 
											                                          7
	This scares the will to live out of these people. Listen to their reaction. 

	6:15 Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and 		the generals and the rich and the powerful, and every slave	and free person, hid themselves in the caves and among 		the rocks of the mountains, (16) calling to the mountains 		and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who 	is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb,
	(17) for the great day of their wrath has come, and who 		can stand?”
	
	This terrifies everyone on earth, from kings to slaves. They are so desperate to hide, they are willing to be buried with rocks in caves because they now know they are about to face the wrath of the Lamb. 

	Before the seventh seal, there is an interlude. This is where we learned of the 144,000 in Rev. 7:1-8. Then the multitude in heaven Rev. 7:9-17 speaking of a large number of tribulational believers (7:14) from from every nation, tribe, etc., clothed in white robes, with palm branches worshipping the Lord along with the entourage of angels, elders and four living creatures in heaven. 

	After this interlude, chapter 8 opens with the seventh seal being broken. 

	The Seventh Seal: Silence -- Seven Trumpets Given

	Instead of high action, there is silence. 

	8:1  And when he opened the seventh seal, there was 			silence in heaven for about half an hour.

	The silence anticipates something is going to happen, a shift in the pattern from what we have been seeing. A solemn half an hour causes one to pause from the high action of the first six seals to focus in on what happens in heaven to bring on the next set of more severe judgments 

	During this time, seven angels are given seven trumpets. They are on stand by while another angel receives incense from the altar and adds it to the prayers of the saints. This symbolizes the prayers are ascending to God. Then the angel takes fire from the altar and hurls it to the earth. There are  sounds, thunderings, lightening and an earthquake. This with the fire indicates judgment is coming to the earth. Then the angels prepare to sound their trumpets.
	This signifies that the trumpet judgments are in response to the prayers of the saints. 
	
	That is the seventh seal opened which brings us to the trumpet judgments. 

					Sequence of the Seals  

	Though the seals are opened in order right after another, the action of the seals differ somewhat.  The seventh seal shows us that. 

	The first four seals, the four horseman are presented as if one follows the next but the action runs in large part concurrently.  
			                  Tribulation 
	start					   mid                  end
		__________________|______________

		1 ------------------------------->
		2 ------------------------------->
		3 ------------------------------->
           4 ------------------------------->
		
	The 5th seal pictures previously martyred saints waiting for the number of the rest of the martyrs to be completed. This 5th seal is not a judgment. 

		5 ----------------------->

		The 6th seal jumps way forward to after the tribulation.

		6                                                            ---

		7  Introduces the trumpet judgments
                
								Chart

			               		 The Seals 

					   Seven  Year Tribulation Period
					      F= Fall      S=Spring  	  Y= Year
											                                                                                    						   				                                         Second
				                 					                                                                      Coming      
	   Y1	      Y2		      Y3		      Y4                Y5        Y6            Y7   
F1         S1       F2	S2	    F3         S3        F4           S4           F5       S5   F6    S6      F7       S7     F                       
|_______|_______|_______|___Mid___|_____|_____|____
S1 White horse conquering with force--rides —> 
S2 Red horse- Unrest ——————-————— >
S3 Black horse -famine, food shortage ————>
S4 Pale horse- Death/Hades,1/4 mankind ——-> 
S5 Saints Martyred ———————————— >
                                                                                           S6 Wrath: 
144,000 and Great Multitude start									cosmic																                            
Temple built    Two Witnesses				                                                earthquake 																  	
           	S7 1/2 hour Silence							                            darkness,                                               
		Trumpets Introduced                                                                          fear