7 Seals

[Rev. 6:1] 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 first four seals will be opened at once, and will together make up one picture.
The Jews and believers of Judea during the first century knew well the predictions of the approaching hoof beats of this battle as detailed in the Dead Sea Scrolls, which sounded the alarm. Revelation listed the mysterious seven seals to look for as this battle; of good and evil began, known as the Armageddon in Megiddo. The four horsemen were symbols of conquest, war, famine and death killing 1/3 of the earth’s (Israel’s world) population during this tribulation. John does not actually mention this battle, but considers it already over since Y’Shua obtained victory over evil by His death. The word Megiddo in Hebrew is called Har Megiddo and means the hill or mountain of Megiddo known as Armageddon. The Scriptures never actually mentions a battle at Megiddo, but rather describes it as the meeting place of the armies for the final battle as they march to Jerusalem just before the coming of Y’Shua. By the time John in 68 A.D. wrote of Megiddo it had already been in existence some 4000 years as a major crossroad of ancient armies and trade routes. Pharoah Thutmose III (1468
AD.) Declared that whoever captured Megiddo would control a 1000 towns, Megiddo by then had already been destroyed and rebuilt 11 times. When Megiddo was finally abandoned in the fourth century it had already been inhabited some 3000 years and had been rebuilt 20 times. The Essens at Qumran looked for and prepared to fight the evil rulers of the earth (Jerusalem), in this final battle, to save the Temple. The War Scroll, a part of the Dead Sea Scrolls, gives great details of this battle plans; they were the ones who wrote the Scrolls. They believed that through supernatural agency they would come out victors. Y’Shua told the Messianic Believers to flee when these signs were heard (Matt. 24:16). A similar concept to that held by the ancient Essens is seen in the Messiahian belief of what would happen at the end of time when the L-rd would return on a white horse in victory with the redeem.]
[Rev. 6:2] 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 breaking of the first seal involved the white horse, a picture of the Roman Empire, that was going forth conquering and to conquer.
A career of conquest, the key to the meaning of this lies in the bow. It was the characteristic weapon of mounted Parthian warriors, to whom also white was a sacred color. Parthia was a formidable neighbor on the eastern border of the Roman Empire. What is suggested here is a Parthian invasion that meets with success.]
[3] And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see.
[4] And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.
[The breaking of the second seal spoke of the red horse released, indicating the familiar concept of red as the color of the plant Mars, the idol of war and bloodshed. In the year 66-73 A.D. the wicked Roman procurators proved to be a disaster in Judea showing little mercy for the Jewish way of life or beliefs. In Galilee and Judea a radical arose known as the Ziolest freedom fighters arose whose ideas were to serve G-d only and remove their Roman over L-rds. With underground guerrilla resistance they started a problem greater than they were able to handle. Josephus tells that the Roman procurator Florus, determined to drive the Jewish people to revolt, extracted seventeen talents from the Temple Treasury, claiming he had a government necessity. The Jewish people rebelled and stormed the Temple shouting their contempt for Florus with such actions as holding out beggar cups and saying “coppers for the poor Florus, coppers for poor Florus”. In response, Florus marched on Jerusalem with the intent to pillage the city. Florus shouted to his soldiers: “plunder the upper market and kill anyone you meet”, the troops massacred the occupants and the city ran with blood and 3600 men, women and children were cruelly slaughtered and crucified. The dead Sea Scrolls had predicted: “the Romans shall cause many to perish by the sword, youths, grown men, the aged women, and children…and they shall take no pity on the fruit of the womb (Hab. Com.) “The infantry are armed with breastplate, helmet bearing horse hair tails, a sword on the left, and a long dagger on the right. The cavalry all carries a pike as well as a quiver full of arrows, called scorpions. With their perfect discipline and order they cause fear to arise at the sight of them.” (Psalm Scroll). Josephus gives us some details of the Jewish reaction against Florus: “The people now pressured King Agrippa (great grandson of Herod the Great) to send ambassadors to accuse Florus before Nero. Agrippa (1/2 Jew, Acts 12), wanting to discourage the people from war did not encourage this action.”]
[5] And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.
[As Vespasian became emperor, he left his son Titus in Jerusalem to continue the siege of Jerusalem. There were other problems besides the Romans for those defending Jerusalem including at least three Zealots groups battling each other within the walls. Josephus describes it: “The missiles shot by catapults, stone towers, and quick-fires flew all over the Temple, killing priests and worshippers at the very altar itself. For despite war, the sacrifices went on, and those who journeyed from all over the world to worship there sprinkled the altar with their own blood. The three warring camps (Zealots) regularly rushed out and burned each other’s food supplies. This area around the Temple became a mass of ruins, and great stores of grain, which would supply the besieged for years, were destroyed, and the city would fall to self-imposed famine. The black horse is often an image of famine, hunger and deprivation, as these conditions befell Jerusalem, symbolizing death, perhaps because of the darkness of the underworld. The different Zealots groups fighting against each other constantly weakened their forces until the arrival of the Romans at their door dashed the last hope. Josephus comments: “Day after day the factions fought, each party devising new ways to destroy the other (then suddenly) the Romans appeared at the walls of Jerusalem.” As this famine and torture continued, Josephus writes about many deserters who fled from the city in search of scraps of food and: “When caught (some 500 were captured daily) they were tortured and crucified before the walls as a terrible warning to the people within. Out of rage and hatred, the soldiers nailed their prisoners in different postures, and so great was their number that space could not be found for the crosses - all hope of escape and all food supplies were cut off from the Jews, and famine devoured thousands upon thousands. The alleys were choked with bodies, the survivors not having enough strength to bury the dead and even falling into the graves with them. No mourning was heard in Jerusalem, for famine stifled all emotions, and an awful silence shrouded the city.]
[6] And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.
[A penny was the customary wage of a laborer for one day. Usually a penny could purchase eight to sixteen times more grain than the amounts mentioned here. In other words, warfare is followed by inflation and famine.
Josephus said that “one refugee, who had been in charge of a single gate, reported to Titus that 15,880 corpses had been carried out in an eleven week period, while other leaders reported that 6000,000 bodies of the lover classes had been thrown out, and it was impossible to number the rest. A measure of wheat was sold for a talent, and when it was not longer possible to gather herbs after the city was walled in, some searched the sewers for offal (animal waste) or ate old cow dung. Yet the rebels were relentless.” Josephus reports “thousands of Jews died of hunger. In every house where there was the least morsel of food, relatives fought over it. Gaping with hunger, the outlaws prowled around like mad dogs, gnawing at anything: belts, shoes, and even the leather from their shields. Others devoured wisps of hay, and then there was the incredible sorrow of Mary of Bethezuba - madding by hunger, she seized the infant at her breast and said, poor baby, why should I preserve you for war, famine, and rebellion? Come, be my food - vengeance against the rebels, and the climax of Jewish tragedy for the world. With that, she killed her infant son, roasted his body, and devoured half of it, hiding the remainder - the whole city rocked with this abomination.” See 8:13. This concern for oil and wine had to do with the fact that the Temple sacrifices were continuing and this oil and wine were necessary libations for the Temple ritual. This also dates these events to before 70 A.D. and the destruction of the Temple. Josephus tells us that the Zealots lost control and one Zealot leader named John of Gischala, began to plunder the Temple itself “taking its golden vessels, bowls, tables, and even the sacred wine and oil and gave them to his followers to use. As things reached its worst part, the Romans set fire to the gates of the Temple court and rushed onto the broad plateau on which the Temple stood. There they had hand-to-hand fighting in the holy courts, as thousands more fell by the sword. On August 6, in 70 A.D., the sacrifices ceased in the Temple and Josephus reported that: “Around the altar were heaps of corpses, while streams of blood flowed down the steps of the sanctuary.]
[7] And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
[8] And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.
[The fourth horseman is death, riding a horse the color of decaying flesh. Hades, the ruler of the dead, follows close behind. We have here all the appalling aftermath of war – famine, pestilence, and the final devastation when wild animals overrun what was once the habitat of people.
What is the consequence of ignoring physical laws, like stepping off a cliff, and disaster follows. Neglect moral laws, and disaster ensures just as surely. The woes described here are the result of not taking seriously G-d’s command to achieve community and justice. G-d does not will the woes, but as long as we are free agents G-d allows them.
Sword - showing it was the first century.
1-8 are the first four seals which are unified by their common image, the vision of the four horsemen of Apocalypse. The description of this vision has features borrowed from Zech. 6:1-5, which also involves horses and their colors, and instead of yoking the horses to chariots he sets on each of them a rider in whom the interest of the vision is centered.
The vision of the four horsemen begins when the Lamb, who has already taken the scroll from the right hand of the one seated on the throne, begins to open the seven seals one by one. Common features mark the first four openings. Each is preceded by an utterance from one of the four living creatures, and followed by the appearance of a horse and its rider, whose significance is partly explained.
None of the four horsemen days a single word, each rides forth in silence. We do not know in which direction they ride, because the Greek word that has been traditionally translated ‘come’ may also be translated ‘go.’
John begins with the belief that all power comes from G-d. G-d is the absolute ruler of the world. But because G-d gave humankind free will, there is always the possibility that we might misuse the portion of power entrusted to us.
The way that G-d’s power is manifested in the world is that the misuse of power brings on suffering and disaster. Wars, starvation, and devastation – these are the means by which it is made plain that power abused is still under G-d’s control. These are the ‘judgments’ of G-d, being worked out on the plane of history.]
[9] And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of G-d, and for the testimony which they held:
[The fifth and sixth seals will be opened, together making one picture, and the action shifts from earth to heaven.]
[10] And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O L-rd, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
[11] And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.
[Wait until G-d’s appointed time; persecution must first run its course. Then all those who have suffered on the Messiah’s account will be vindicated together. Meanwhile the martyrs can already enjoy their rightful place in heaven; they were each given their white robe of purity, victory, and service.]
[12] And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;
[Revelation as well as the words of Y’Shua in Matthew 24:29-34 predicted supernatural portents or signs that the end was near. 12-14.
With the breaking of the sixth seal by the Lamb, G-d’s punishments of the wicked are resumed. In his description of these John makes use of symbolism drawn from many parts of the OT: the earthquake from Hag. 2:6, the sun turned black and the moon turned to blood from Joel 2:31, the stars fallen from heaven like figs from a fig tree in Isa. 34:4, and the sky rolled up like a scroll in Isa. 34:4. the use of cosmic convulsions to describe social and political upheaval is well established in biblical prophecy.]
[8:1] And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.
[The seventh seal is really the introduction to a new series of visions.
Silence it is like the solemn hush before the bursting of a hurricane. The effect of the pause is to heighten the horror of the next series of G-d’s judgments, each to be announced by the sounding of a trumpet. However, this silence in heaven may be more than merely a dramatic interlude, for John notices that the prayers of the saints are about to ascend to G-d. Everything is heaven halts so that the prayers of the saints may be heard.]