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The Seven Seals
The Seven Seals cover the first 3-1/2 years of the tribulation period.
I watched as the Lamb opened
the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living
creatures say in a voice like thunder, "Come!" I looked, and
there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was
given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.
Revelation 6:1-2
The first seal reveals a false peace established by a conqueror on a
white horse. We will see later that this is the Antichrist.
When the Lamb
opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, "Come!"
Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. 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.
Revelation 6:3-4
Then the peace is overcome with wars, proving that the peace in the first seal was only a false peace. Many will die in wars.
When the Lamb opened the
third seal, I heard the third living creature say, "Come!" I looked,
and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. Then I heard what sounded
like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, "A quart of wheat for a day's wages, and three quarts of barley
for a day's wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!" Revelation 6:5-6
The third seal reveals a major food shortage, widespread poverty, and
rampant inflation. Oddly enough, certain luxury items (oil
and wine) will be plentiful for those who can afford them. This
suggests a major inequity in the distribution of wealth. While
most of the people of the world are suffering extreme poverty, a few wealthy people will continue to live in luxury.
When the Lamb opened the
fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say,
"Come!" I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was
named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. 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. Revelation 6:7-8
The fourth seal brings death to over one billion people through wars,
famines, plagues, and animal attacks. One of every four
people will die from being a casualty of war, starvation, or disease.
When he opened the fifth
seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain
because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They
called out in a loud voice, "How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true,
until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our
blood?" Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to
wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and
brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed. Revelation 6:9-11
The fifth seal refers to the martyrs of the tribulation period. Although all believers are removed from the earth at the
time of the rapture, some people will become believers during the tribulation. This will probably be made possible through the Bible study
literature and tapes left behind by the Christians. However, the tribulation saints will be persecuted by the vast majority of the
population. Many will be martyred for their faith.
I watched as he opened the
sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like
sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, and the
stars in the sky fell to earth, as late figs drop from a fig tree when
shaken by a strong wind. The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and
every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of
the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every
slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the
mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us and
hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath
of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?" Revelation 6:1-17
The sixth seal reveals a series of unprecedented natural disasters.
Earthquakes will be accompanied by disruptions in the atmosphere that
will darken the effects of the sun and make the moon appear red. Stars
and asteroids will fall from the sky. The whole topology of
the earth will be altered. These natural disasters will stir
fear throughout the world, even for those in leadership positions.
During this chaotic time, the political and military forces of the
world begin to align certain nations with other nations. As a
prelude for the coming Armageddon, there will be confederacies of
nations formed in every direction from the nation of Israel.
Owen Weber 2009 |
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