We first mentioned the seven-seal book and why Jehovah holds the scroll with His right hand instead of His left hand. We also saw why the angel’s propaganda did not conflict with the elders’ words and facts. Then we see that all the saints are new men and sing a new song that reflects the fact. And point out where we can find our previous detailed discussion of who or what the twenty-four elders represent, and why the four living creatures represent the church. Third, we talked about how God and the Lamb are praised. Fourth, we first notice that the first four seals are related to each of the four living creatures. We see that the opening of the seven seals is the beginning of disaster. Especially the one riding the white horse in the first seal is the Antichrist, which isn’t surprising since Satan’s “servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, …”(2 Corinthians 11:15) Fifth, it is only related to the soul in the fifth seal. Thus, we see that the spirit and the soul are separable, which is another evidence that the trichotomy of man is correct. Finally, let’s look at the horrific scene when the sixth seal is opened. Indeed, “for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”(Revelation 6:17)
1. The book sealed with seven seals
”I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a book written inside and on the back, sealed up with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice (G2784), “Who is worthy to open the book and to break its seals?” And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the book or to look into it. Then I began to weep greatly because no one was found worthy to open the book or to look into it; and one of the elders said to me, “Stop weeping; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals.””(Revelation 5:1 -5)
We discussed last time why it is Jehovah who sits on the throne, so we won’t go into details here. We also see that Jehovah holds the book with His right hand instead of His left hand, because the right hand represents victory, authority, high position, etc. in the Bible. For example, “Jesus said to him (Caiaphas the high priest), “You have said it yourself; nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.””(Matthew 26:64) When anointing the priests in the Old Testament, the Lord spoke to Moses: “Now this is what you shall do to them to consecrate them to minister as priests to Me: take one young bull and two rams without blemish, and unleavened bread and unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers spread with oil; you shall make them of fine wheat flour.”(Exodus 29:1-2) Then, among the many things that should be done, include “You shall slaughter the ram, and take some of its blood and put it on the lobe of Aaron’s right ear and on the lobes of his sons’ right ears and on the thumbs of their right hands and on the big toes of their right feet, and sprinkle the rest of the blood around on the altar.”(Exodus 29:20) You see the blood is also on the right side!
Please note that the angel preached (G2784) and did not say that the things he preached would definitely come true. John cried because he believed that what he preached would definitely come true. If so, it conflicts with the words of the elders and the fact that the scriptures clearly state that the Lamb who died and was resurrected in heaven can indeed open the book. This word G2784 appears 63 times in total, but it only appears once in the book of Revelation. Its meaning can be seen from some typical examples, such as:
“From that time Jesus began to preach (G2784) and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.””(Matthew 4:17) Jesus preached, but not everyone repented!
2. The Lamb who opens the seven seals of the book
“And I saw between the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders a Lamb standing, as if slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth. And He came and took the book out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. When He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. “You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.””(Revelation 5:6-10)
We have discussed before that the Lamb refers to the Lord Jesus, and the seven spirits that are sent out into all the earth refer to the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit is omnipresent. We see that the book is sealed with seven seals. Regarding those seven seals, some people discuss how they are on the book. Is this important? It is really not worth spending time to look at this kind of matter from a human perspective, for which the Bible does not say anything clearly and there is no unique conclusion. This is different from “Trinity”. Although the Bible does not explicitly mention this term, from the logic based on the biblical words, we can get the only conclusion that God is a Trinity. We should really look at it from God’s perspective. The Bible is inspired by God. To look at it from the perspective of the Bible is to look at it from God’s perspective. The reverse isn’t true, and there cannot be an equal sign.
We see that all the saints are new men, because the Lord Jesus “by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace.”(Ephesians 2:15) The scripture also says, “and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.”(Ephesians 4:24) They are all new people, and they sing this new song that reflects the reality.
The last time in “2. The throne in heaven” of “1093 Look at heavens opened, throne and four living creatures – Revelation (4),” we discussed in detail who the twenty-four elders are. And in “3. What are the four living creatures?”, this scripture was discussed in detail. If you look at the original text, you will know why this scripture says that the four living creatures represent the church. Because these four different living creatures represent the church, they represent four different aspects of the church. There are exactly four gospels, talking about Jesus from four different perspectives, and we are to be conformed to the image of Jesus, “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren.”(Romans 8:29) How consistent the Bible is here! We won’t talk much about these scriptures here. Those who are interested can go to this website “https://a-christian-voice.com/,” and then click “Understanding of Spiritual Life” to find this article. article.
3. Praise God and the Lamb
”Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.” And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, “To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.” And the four living creatures kept saying, “Amen.” And the elders fell down and worshiped.”(Revelation 5:11-14)
Here it is specifically explained that the angels praised the Lamb who completed the salvation. As we mentioned before, the plan of salvation cannot be known by Satan in advance. Otherwise, Satan would not have intervened in Jesus’ crucifixion, as the scripture says, “And Satan entered into Judas who was called Iscariot, belonging to the number of the twelve.”(Luke 22:3) The angels did not know it in advance either, which is why it is said, “By common confession, great is the mystery of godliness: He who was revealed in the flesh, Was vindicated in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Proclaimed among the nations, Believed on in the world, Taken up in glory.”(1 Timothy 3:16) The Lord Jesus Christ clearly conforms to what is said here, so the verse are talking about Him here. But a Christian is to be conformed to the image of Jesus, as the scripture says, “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren.”(Romans 8:29) For a person who is completely conformed to the image of Jesus, the description is also fitted to such a person. Therefore, this scripture refers to both, Jesus Himself and the perfect conformity of Jesus in the eyes of the Lord.
Angels are also created, and are naturally included in all creation, praising God and the Lamb together with all creation. The four living creatures and the twenty-four elders who represent the church are specifically mentioned here. They will naturally as it is said in the Bible, “And when the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, to Him who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying, “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.””(Revelation 4:9-11)
Last time we listed all the scripture of four living creatures and the twenty-four elders appear together. When they appear alone, it indicates that action has nothing to do with others. Those who are interested can read that article ‘1093’ the same way as mentioned before.
4. The opening of the first four seals and the four living creatures
“Then I saw when the Lamb broke one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, “Come.” I looked, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer. When He broke the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come.” And another, a red horse, went out; and to him who sat on it, it was granted to take peace from the earth, and that men would slay one another; and a great sword was given to him. When He broke the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, “Come.” I looked, and behold, a black horse; and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard something like a voice in the center of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not damage the oil and the wine.” When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come.” I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name Death; and Hades was following with him. Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth.”(Revelation 6:1-8)
We first notice that these four seals are related to each of the four living creatures, but they do not specify which seal corresponds to a certain living creature. Looking at the opening of the second seal and other seals, we know that it is about disaster, so the first seal should also be about disaster. In fact, the Bible says very clearly that these all come from the wrath of God, “Then I (John) saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels who had seven plagues, which are the last, because in them the wrath of God is finished.”(Revelation 15:1)
Although the one rode on a white horse and wear a crown when the first seal was opened, but we notice that “His (Jesus’) eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself.”(Revelation 19:12) Among them, “And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.””(Revelation 19:16) Although the one riding on the white horse when the first seal was opened, it is the Antichrist. It is not surprising so, since Satan’s “…servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, …”(2 Corinthians 11:15) And the scripture says clearly, “Children, it is the last hour; …even now many antichrists have appeared; …”(1 John 2:18) This was true then, and it will be true in the future. And God allows such antichrists to temporarily conquer again and again, just like what is said in the book of Revelation, “It was also given to him (the beast) to make war with the saints and to overcome them, and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him. All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain.”(Revelation 13:7-8)
We also see from this scripture that there is foreknowledge. It is clear that there is also predestination in Romans 8:29 mentioned earlier. There are many more scriptures that talk about predestination. We will not discuss them here. So some people may ask, is there only foreknowledge or only predestination? According to the Bible, there is both, and there is no contradiction, because they are two sides of the same coin, just like a coin has a head and a tail, but it is still the same coin. We can accept that a person is composed of more than one component. Why is it so difficult for some people to accept that foreknowledge and predestination are two sides of the same coin?
In the other second to fourth seals, disasters are clearly written. Some people may think that colors have their own representations, but it isn’t correct. For example, we cannot say that the color represents correctness just by thinking what happened when the first seal was open. This is just like someone discussing how the seven seals are on the book. The Bible does not say anything about this, and there is no unique conclusion. Such a thing is really not worth the time to look at it from a human perspective. We should look at things from a biblical perspective. Some Christians often say something that seems very reasonable, “My opinion is different from your opinion.” However, such people rarely say or even may not say what said in the Bible, so they have a subjective view. At least one person does not consistent with the objective logic based on biblical words, or neither.
Of course, gray only appears this time. We can know from the scriptures here that the two gray horses riding on them are death and Hades. So what do the red horse and the person riding on it represent? The Bible actually says very clearly, “…it was granted to take peace from the earth, and that men would slay one another; and a great sword was given to him.”(Revelation 6:4) Likewise, the disaster represented by the one riding on the black horse is related to the lack of food.
5. The Fifth Seal and Soul
“When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also.”(Revelation 6:9-11)
The verse here clearly state that at that time only the human soul existed, not the human spirit, because when a person dies, “then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.”(Ecclesiastes 12:7) This is true for whether the dead old spirit of non-Christians or the new spirit that Christians have. Therefore the spirit and soul are to be separated, and therefore it is said in the Bible, “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, …”(1 Thessalonians 5:23) This is what the Bible so called the trichotomy of man.
6. What Happened in the Sixth Seal
“I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the presence 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 is able to stand?””(Revelation 6:12-17)
This clearly describes the terrible scene after the sixth seal is opened. It reminds me of these verses where Jesus once predicted that the temple in Jerusalem would be destroyed, “Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ For if they do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?””(Luke 23:30-31) Indeed, “for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”(Revelation 6:17) No matter what, Christians should be conformed to the image of Jesus in Christ.
(Verses refer to those in NASB95 unless otherwise specified.)
(You can get all articles in “https://a-christian-voice.com/” under “On spiritual understanding about life.”)
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