[powerpress]
In Revelation five, we saw God give Jesus the scroll with seven seals holding it closed. Now we will watch as Jesus pulls apart the scroll one seal at a time.
First Seal
- John must look
- Jesus is the one who gives authority to this conquerer
- Much debate over the identity of this conquerer because of his white horse
- Seals 1-4 are four aspects of this conquerer
- This is the antichrist
Second Seal
- Now the conquerer makes use of his bow with ammunition. War breaks out and death begins.
Third Seal
- Now this conquerer will have a hand in bringing scarcity
- Could be intentional or a consequence of his wars from the second seal
- This increases the hatred on earth as Paul references in 2 Thessalonians 2:7-8
Fourth Seal
- This next horse represents the color of dead flesh.
- The amount of dead from this would amount to 1.75 billion people if it were to occur today
- This will happen in a very short period of time, possibly two years or less
Fifth Seal
- Each set of judgments change with #5
- These saints are asking for the vengeance God promised He would provide in Deuteronomy
- They are right in asking for this
- This is a far worse judgment than the first four, because God always hears the cries of His people and He responds.
- This will cause God to release His wrath on those on earth who have killed and mistreated His beloved people
Sixth Seal
- The drama ramps up with the sixth seal
- We move from natural to supernatural judgments
- The people of earth know who is doing all this – there is no confusion
- They will henceforth openly rebel against God – they are not ignorant or innocent
Parenthetical Section on Divine Protection
- 144,000 Actual Jews, not “figurative” Jews
- The list Excludes Dan and Ephraim but includes Joseph and Manasseh
- Sovereign protection amidst catastrophic calamity
Innumerable Saints
- People from every tribe, tongue and nation
- Fulfillment of Matthew 24:14 and Acts 1
- They have suffered in the great tribulation—first reference in Revelation