Revelation 6:1-7:8

Seals

The seals of the marvelous scroll are broken and things start happening. But what does it mean? I will tell you up front that I don’t know for certain what these things mean, and neither does anyone else. The prophecies concerning Christ’s first coming were only completely clear in light of their fulfillment and we should expect no less concerning His second coming. After all, it would never do to spell out the plan so clearly that the enemy could understand it. Nevertheless, I do have some ideas and thoughts about these things and what they could represent.

I used to believe that these seals marked the start of something called the great tribulation but now I’m not so sure they weren’t broken long ago. After all, Jesus is the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world. (Revelation 13:8)

The first four seals are often referred to as the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. The first is a reflection of the true ridder on the white horse who does come to rule and reign. This imitation is bent on conquest and is therefore the Antichrist, or more likely, the spirit of antichrist which is already in the world. The second is war, and he is certainly no stranger. The third is famine, also released in this present world. The fourth is death, and while I’m not sure about the “fourth of the earth” part that could be the totality of those who have been killed in the fashions described.

The fifth seal takes us back to heaven where the voices of the martyrs is heard. This would stretch back to Abel who was not only the first to die, but the first to be “killed” and the first martyr. They are assured that God will avenge them, but first their number must be completed. 

The sixth seal unleashes a set of events reminiscent of the day Christ died on the cross. Perhaps it had partial fulfillment on that day with the completion yet to come? That would not be unprecedented in biblical prophetic literature. 

In chapter seven we see a different kind of seal. Ecological disaster is coming upon the earth but before it can come there are those belonging to the Lord who are sealed for their protection. Who are these 144,000? I’m quite certain they are not members of a particular cult or sect. They could literally be Jews from these various tribes. (God knows which tribe every living Jew belongs to even if they don’t know themselves.) They could be believers in general. They could literally be 144,000 in number though the number sounds highly symbolic. 

The important thing in this 144,000 business is this: God is able to protect those who belong to Him from anything. Why does it seem that at times He doesn’t protect? Who is to say that He doesn’t? But even if He doesn’t it is because of a higher purpose. Safety isn’t always the highest value in the game. Still, He is able. 

It is significant to note that one of the tribes is missing in this list. It is the tribe of Dan. The name “Dan” means “Judge”. (Daniel means “God is my Judge”.) The one thing those who belong to God are not subject to is judgement. That was taken care of on the cross.