Breaking the Seals
REVELATION 6:1-17
(December 15)
The end of human history ... have you ever contemplated how that will all come to pass? Will we be here? What will it look like to those who experience it? What will it feel like?
So many questions in our minds, but the answer is truly found in Revelation. John gets this bird's eye glimpse into the future and what is to come.
Chapter six starts with Christ unrolling the scroll. This is a significant act. It is the first of three seven-part judgments. As each seal is opened, Christ the Lamb sets in motion the things that will cause the end of history as we know it. Remember, the scroll is not COMPLETELY opened until all seven seals have been broken.
What is written in this scroll? What does it hold? The scroll shows the depravity of humans and how God is the one who stands in authority over all that happens in human history.
As the first four seals are opened, horses of different colors appear. First, John sees a white horse. The rider has a bow and a crown, and he rode off to be victorious in many battles. The second horse was red, and its rider had a mighty sword and was given the ability to remove the peace from the earth. Of course, once done, war and slaughter followed.
A black horse appeared upon the breaking of the third seal. The rider, holding a pair of scales in his hand, he was to measure and charge.
The fourth seal brought a pale green horse with a rider named Death. This rider had a companion which was the Grave. To these two, authority was given to kill 1/4 of the earth. They could do this by sword, or by starvation and disease. Or they could have the people killed by wild animals.
But why only 1/4 of the earth? This indicates that God limited his judgement, it is not yet complete. There is still time for those who don't believe to turn to Christ and repent of their lives of sin. The limited punishment demonstrated the wrath God has over sin, but also showed that he is merciful and loving, giving people another chance to turn to him before he imposes final judgement upon the earth.
At the fifth seal, John stopped seeing horses. Instead, he saw all the souls of those who had died for the word of God. They were the faithful ones who never backed away from their testimony. They were crying out for judgement over the people who had caused them to suffer. They were given white robes and asked to be patient until all their brothers and sisters could join them.
The breaking of the sixth seal caused a huge earthquake. The sun turned dark, and the moon turned red. The stars fell from the sky, while all the mountains and islands moved from where they had stood. Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, hid themselves in caves and among the big rocks of the mountains. They were trying to hide from the coming judgement.
Do these folks hiding include believers who are still living on earth? While the sight might have been terrifying to see, for believers it will not be a day of judgement, but a day of reward. Those who are not believers will be the ones that have to face God's wrath on that day of judgement.
John witnessed the breaking of six seals in this part of his vision. Remember, it is only when all seven seals are COMPLETELY broken that the scroll will be completely open. John still has much more to see.