Season 5 Podcast 108 Book of Revelation Ch 6:1-8, “Opening of the Seven Seals A, The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.”

A New Voice of Freedom

Season 5 Podcast 108 Book of Revelation Ch 6:1-8, “Opening of the Seven Seals A, The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.”

Christ begins to open the Seven Seals. It is significant that it is one of the four beasts who speaks. Remember the description of the four beasts.

Revelation 4:6

“6 And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind.”

The sea of glass like a crystal suggests perfect knowledge. It has been degraded into folklore as a crystal ball generally used by witches or fortune tellers or other supernatural beings who pretend to tell the future. The four beasts John saw are all ‘full of eyes before and behind” which suggests that they know the past, the present, and the future, and it is before them all the time.

Revelation 5: 1

“And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.”

The sound of thunder portends war. Indeed, the image is one of war.

Revelation 5:2

“And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.”

The beast is speaking of the past. Each seal represents a period of time in the history of the world. There are Seven Seals, and we can tell, especially by the latter seals what period of time John is Talking about. We can take our cue from the Millennium that each seal represents a period of a thousand years. In Christian theology, the Millennium comes at the beginning of the seven thousand years of the earth’s continuance. Working backward, the first seal represents the first thousand years. The second seal represents the second thousand years, and so on up to and through the Millennium. The above verse suggests that the first thousand years of the Earth’s history was marked by war, or the rise and fall of many nations. With that framework let’s consider the next thousand years as the second period of time from Adam. The second seal is introduced by the first beast. We can assume that the first beast was in the form of a Lion. The second beast is like a calf. Another thing that distinguishes all four beasts is not only are they full of eyes before and behind which represent unlimited knowledge, they also each have six wings, which represent unlimited power.

Notice that during the first thousand years, the seal revealed “a white horse.” White represents purity. The rider had a bow, symbolizing power and a crown symbolizing royalty. Remember the parallelism in Hebrew Poetry. As we jump to Chapter 19 of the Book of Revelation we see a similar image presented in a different light.”

Revelation 19:11-16

“And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS..”

One difference is the image in Chapter 6 represents the first thousand years. The image in Chapter 19 represents time immediately prior to the Millennium. It too is a time of war, but a war of a different kind.