The Real Seven Seals

THE REAL SEVEN SEALS

The prophecy of the Seven Seals is the cornerstone of the Book of Revelation. It is the pivot on which the book turns and the foundation on which it unfolds. The seals give us a historical overview of the fate of the land of Israel and the city of Jerusalem and describe the conditions that would befall Jews and Christians, from the time that the prophecy was given until the second coming of Christ.

In Revelation 5:1-5 the apostle John is shown a vision of a scroll in the right hand of God. He is told that the scroll is "sealed with seven seals” and that only Christ is "worthy" to "loose the seven seals thereof". From Rev 1:3 we gather, and the contents confirm, that this scroll contains written prophecy.

Why is Christ worthy to remove the seals of this prophecy? Revelation 5:9 explains:

“You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; for you were slain, and have redeemed us to God by your blood"

Jesus Christ came to Earth to conquer Satan and thereby qualify to rule on Earth, to establish His Church, and to die for the sins of mankind. Through His victory, He became worthy to unseal the seals of this prophecy.

But what prophecy does the scroll contain?

There is only one set of prophecies in the Old Testament that are said to be sealed. They are the writings of Daniel. In Dan 12:4 Daniel is told to "seal the book" and in verse 9 he is informed that "the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end" (see "Two Important Points" near the end of this article for an explanation of the word "end").

How does Christ's victory qualify Him to unseal the prophecies of Daniel?

The prophecies of Daniel cover a timeline of events from Babylon's conquest of Jerusalem until the second coming of Christ.

Christ's return will coincide with the resurrection of the firstfruits of salvation, and be followed by the removal of Satan and the accession of Christ to the rulership of Earth.

All these are only made possible because Christ succeeded in His mission at His first coming. That's how He qualifies.

Jesus Christ's first coming was according to the timeline given to the prophet Daniel in the Seventy Week Prophecy, found in Dan 9:24-27. See the page "FULFILLED PROPHECIES" for a detailed explanation. It should be noted that in this prophecy a "week" is reckoned as seven years. See the page "DAYS, WEEKS, MONTHS, YEARS AND TIMES" for an explanation of this principle.

This prophecy begins in Dan 9:24 by stating that "Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city" and verse 26 adds that "the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city (Jerusalem) and the sanctuary (the Temple)".

Where does Christ speak of the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, thereby elaborating on the prophecies of Daniel? He does so most notably in His Olivet Prophecy. There He describes conditions and events culminating in the final week, or seven years, which at that time remained to be fulfilled of the Seventy Week Prophecy.

Why was the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple then impending? Throughout their history, whenever the people of Israel went astray, God sent prophets to them with words of rebuke, and a call for them to change their ways. In most cases these warnings went unheeded, and many of the prophets were killed because of their message. Finally, God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, the prophesied Messiah, to teach the people about God and to usher in the New Covenant by His sacrificial death

If the Jews had accepted their Messiah, and repented of their evil ways, they would have become the New Covenant people of God and been greatly blessed. However, most of the Jews rejected their Messiah (Matt 21:33-39). Christ therefore predicted that great punishment was to come upon them (Matt 23:31-38), as had already been foretold in the Seventy Week Prophecy.

It appears that from the beginning of Christ's ministry in 27AD, a forty inclusive year period of grace transpired for the Jews to repent (Jonah 3:4). At the end of this period, in 66AD, the Jews rebelled against their Roman masters. The Roman assault on the nation of Judea then began in the spring of 67AD, reached its climax with the destruction of the city of Jerusalem in 70AD, and continued until the fall of Masada in 73AD, a period of seven inclusive years.

The conditions that would prevail between the conclusion of Christ's ministry and the destruction of Jerusalem, as described by Christ in the Olivet Prophecy, were in keeping with those of the greater period of time that the Holy Land had already been under Gentile occupation.

Israel had become God's nation at Mt Sinai when the Old Covenant was made with them. This covenant stated that God would bless the people of Israel if they obeyed Him, and curse them if they disobeyed. These blessings and curses are recorded in Lev 26 and Deut 28, and the Biblical narrative shows that they occurred in waves. Sometimes, such as in the time of Joshua, Israel was mostly blessed, while at other times, such as in the days of the Judges, it was frequently cursed.

It was also foretold in Lev 26 that if they persisted in their sins God's people would ultimately be conquered and have rulership of their land given over to other nations for a very long period of time. The length of this period was given as "seven times", meaning 2520 years. History clearly bears out that, for Jerusalem and the Jews, this lasted from the capture of the Holy City by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, until the end of World War II. See the chart on the "HOME" page for the timelines involved.

So, because the prophecies of Daniel begin at the time of Nebuchadnezzar's conquest of Jerusalem, and the sealed scroll of Rev 5 is the sealed book of Daniel, it follows that the curses and conditions "unsealed" by Christ in Rev 5-11 are those that began with the Babylonian conquest and continued from that time onward.

This is also borne out in Rev 1:1, where we are told that the prophecies of the book of Revelation concern "things that must shortly take place", and by Rev 1:19, which elaborates somewhat by stating that they relate to "things which are" and "things which will take place after this". Therefore we see that Christ is not just speaking about future conditions, but also about those that had already been present for centuries in the Holy Land, to a greater or lesser degree.

Many different interpretations of the book of Revelation exist, but it is the Historicist explanation that, with the benefit of hindsight, proves to be correct. This is logical because the Scriptures themselves employ this method of interpretation. When Daniel was given the interpretation of the prophecy of the statue of a man made of various metals (Dan 2) and the prophecy of the four beasts (Dan 7) he was told that these referred to empires which would appear successively in history.

It is also logical that God, in His word, having given an overview of man's first 4000 years up until Christ's death and resurrection, would give the next 2000 years in advance, leading up to Christ's return. This way, no matter where in history a person would find themselves, they would have a message and see prophesied conditions pertaining to their time.

The region where the fulfilment of the sealed prophecies must be sought is the Holy Land and especially Jerusalem, because it is the focus of the prophecies of Daniel. Jerusalem is also the focus of Christ's Olivet Prophecy, so maintaining a "Jerusalem focus" is essential to a right understanding.

Earlier prophecies given by God had pertained to all the people of Israel. However, it was mainly people from the Kingdom of Judah who had returned to the Holy Land from the Babylonian captivity. Daniel, himself a Jew, was told that the prophecies given to him concerned "thy people and .... thy holy city" (Dan 9:24), meaning the Jews and Jerusalem. This is why the first "beast" in the prophecies of Daniel is Babylon, which captured Judah and Jerusalem, and why it is not Assyria, which had earlier captured Israel and Samaria.

Let's look at the description of the seals starting in Revelation chapter 6.

I have quoted Christ's Olivet explanations directly under the text of the seals, in gold. These are taken from Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21, which are the three accounts of the Olivet Prophecy given in Scripture.

First Seal: False Religion

Revelation 6:1 Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, “Come and see.”

2 And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.

“For many will come in my name saying I am He” (Lk 21:8) and “false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders” (Mt 24:23-27).

The first condition that would exist in Jerusalem and the Holy Land is the presence of false prophets and false religion.

Two words in the description of the first seal need elaboration: "white" and "bow". In Scripture, the colour white signifies God's righteousness, as seen for instance in Dan 7:9 and Matt 17:2. Many have thought therefore that the white horse of Rev 6 represents Christ. The bow, however, gives us a very interesting clue in regard to this first seal.

In Scripture, a bow is often used as a symbol of deceit. In Hos 7:16 we read "They return, but not to the Most High, They are like a deceitful bow". Jeremiah 9:3 states "And like their bow they have bent their tongues for lies". Psalm 78:56-57 says "Yet they tested and provoked the Most High God, And did not keep His testimonies, But turned back and acted unfaithfully like their fathers; They were turned aside like a deceitful bow".

In the same vein, Ephesians 6:16 reads "In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one" (NIV). Arrows are fired from a bow; in this case figuratively by Satan.

In contrast, Rev 19:11 and 15 show the righteous Christ also riding a white horse, but not holding a bow. Instead, coming from His mouth is a sharp sword, representing the word of God, which is truth (Eph 6:17, Jn 17:17).

So in this first seal we see false religion presenting itself as true religion, i.e. Satan coming as "an angel of light" (II Cor 11:14) to deceive.

Prior to the Babylonian conquest the people of Judah had gradually sunk into idolatry influenced by surrounding nations. This is why God allowed them to be conquered and exiled.

Although the Babylonians, and after them the Persians, did not enforce their own religions on the land of Judah, from the subsequent Greek conquest onward it became the habitual practice of Gentile conquerors of Jerusalem to bring their false religions into the Holy Land.

After their return to Judah from Babylonian captivity, the Jews' religion was restored by Zerubbabel, Ezra and Nehemiah, but during the century or so before Christ's first coming it deteriorated into what became known as Judaism, a mixture of God's truth and "Jewish fables" (Tit 1:14).

Therefore, by the time of Christ's first coming, religious deception, both of Gentile and Jewish origin, had become the norm in the land of Judea.

At that time Jerusalem was under Roman rule, Rome being the sixth head of the overall "Beast" power of Gentile kingdoms to rule the city of God (Rev 17:10). See the page "DANIEL 2 - INTERPRETATION ERRORS" for more on this. The Romans had their own pagan religion, and with their practices defiled the land of Israel.

Additionally, Jewish false prophets arose periodically, of which Josephus disparagingly mentions a number in "Wars of the Jews" 2:13.4-6. The Romans permitted them to preach, as long as their preaching did not lead to insurrection.

One of these prophets was Theudas, of whom Josephus states "Now it came to pass, while Fadus was procurator of Judea (mid 40's AD), that a certain magician, whose name was Theudas, persuaded a great part of the people to take their effects with them, and follow him to the river Jordan. For he told them he was a prophet: and that he would, by his own command, divide the river, and afford them an easy passage over it. And many were deluded by his words" (Ant 20:5:1). Theudas and many of his followers were captured and killed by the Romans.

Of events in the following decade Josephus says that "impostors and deceivers" arose who "persuaded the multitude to follow them into the wilderness: and pretended that they would exhibit manifest wonders and signs, that should be performed by the providence of God" (Ant 20:5:6).

Josephus also relates that "there came out of Egypt, about this time, to Jerusalem, one that said he was a prophet; and advised the multitude of the common people to go along with him to the mount of olives" claiming that "he would shew them from hence how, at his command, the walls of Jerusalem would fall down". Instead, however, the Roman governor Felix ordered his troops to attack these rebels, upon which he "slew four hundred of them" (Ant 20:8:6).

Leading up to their first century demise, the Jews became ever more stricken with false religion; the siege of Jerusalem in 70AD saw three factions of Jews fighting each other more than they fought the Romans. Each faction had its own "false prophet" in charge: John of Gischala, Simon bar Giora and Eleazar ben Simon, as described at length by Josephus in "Wars of the Jews". The people's allegiances to these men were a major factor in their defeat.

In the following century another false Jewish prophet arose called Simon Bar Kokhba, who was, and still is, by some Jews considered to be the Messiah. His war against the Romans, known as the Second Jewish Revolt (132-136AD), resulted in hundreds of thousands of Jewish deaths, and is only eclipsed in the history of the land of Israel by the devastation of the 66-73AD war, known as the First Jewish Revolt, when more than a million Jews died.

In Acts 8 we see the appearance in Samaria of a false prophet known as Simon the Sorcerer, credited as the founder of false Christianity. He is elaborated on at length by the historian Eusebius in his book "Church History". It is hard to overstate the impact Simon has had on history.

In the epistle to the Galatians we read that recipients of this letter were already, in these early days of Christianity, being influenced by "another gospel" (Gal 1:6). The brethren of the first Church era, Ephesus, were commended for identifying supposed "apostles" who in reality were "liars" (Rev 2:2). False Christianity became the dominant religion of the whole Roman Empire in the time of Constantine the Great, and has greatly impacted Jerusalem throughout the millennia.

Christ warned in His Olivet Prophecy about "false christs and false prophets" appearing during the time leading up to the Roman destruction of Jerusalem. Their subsequent rise indeed led to the death of many thousands in Israel.

However, the broader concept of false religion should also be understood in regard to this first seal, because history shows that false Christianity and Islam trampled down Jerusalem for a total of more than sixteen hundred years.

When Christ removed the first seal He unsealed Daniel 2, 7 and 8, thereby showing that Jerusalem would be subjected to a long history of conquest, occupation and influence by the practitioners of false religion.

Second Seal: War and Violence

Revelation 6:3 When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come and see.”

4 Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth (of Israel), and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword.

“Wars and commotions” (Lk 21:9), “nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom" (Lk 21:10) "and you will hear of wars and rumours of wars" (Matt 24:6).

The second condition that would exist in Jerusalem and the Holy Land is war and violence.

Note that the word "earth" in verse 4 denotes Israel. On the third day of Creation God separated the earth from the sea. This foreshadowed God's work in the third millennium when He created the people of Israel and placed them in the land of Israel, separating them from the surrounding Gentile nations. In Rev 17:15 the nations are referred to as "waters" or seas. Please see the page "THE SEVEN DAY BLUEPRINT" for more on this.

Only a few years after the time of Christ, war erupted between Herod Antipas, ruler of the regions of Galilee and Perea (who had beheaded John the Baptist), and King Aretas of Nabatea, the kingdom to the south of Perea and Judea. As quoted from newworldencyclopedia.org:

"....border disputes between Antipas and King Aretas of Nabatea had been slowly moving toward open warfare, exacerbated by Antipas' divorce of Aretas' daughter. In 36 C.E. Antipas' army suffered a serious defeat after fugitives from the former tetrarchy of Philip sided with the Nabateans. Antipas was forced to appeal to (Roman Emperor) Tiberius for help. The emperor ordered Lucius Vitellius, the Roman governor of Syria, to march against Aretas and ensure that he was captured or killed. Vitellius mobilized two legions, sending them on a detour around Judea..." (Article "Herod Antipas").

Emperor Caligula (37AD-41AD), who succeeded Tiberius, began during the course of his reign to view himself as a god. This gave rise to fears of war for a considerable time in the land of Israel. He ordered statues of himself to be erected in all nations the Romans occupied, and so, in 40AD, a general by the name of Petronius was sent to Jerusalem to set up a statue of Caligula in the Temple. However, he was intercepted before he got there and rebuffed by the Jews. The order had been that if he and his army met opposition, they should kill all who stood against them and carry the rest of the nation off into captivity. Instead, the Romans retreated to Syria in defeat and reported the situation to the emperor. From that time forward therefore, the fear of reprisal hung over the nation of Israel, until Caligula's sudden and unexpected death gave the Jews a temporary reprieve. Josephus records this, and a lot more, in his Antiquities from 18:8.2 onwards.

In the decades leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem, the land was terrorised by a rebel group called the "Sicarii" as described by Josephus in War of the Jews 2:13.3. Here is a quote from Wikipedia:

"The Sicarii were a splinter group of the Jewish Zealots who, in the decades preceding Jerusalem's destruction in 70 CE, strongly opposed the Roman occupation of Judea and attempted to expel them and their sympathisers from the area. The Sicarii carried "sicae", or small daggers, concealed in their cloaks. At public gatherings, they pulled out these daggers to attack Romans and alleged Roman sympathisers alike, blending into the crowd after the deed to escape detection" (article "Sicarii").

Josephus says that thousands were killed by the Sicarii, many of them villagers whose towns were raided for supplies (War of the Jews 4:7.2). He also says that as bad as their deeds were, the fear of them that came over the people was even greater.

In 66AD the Jews revolted against the Romans as a response to heavy taxation, but also because of the generally deteriorating relationship between local Roman rulers and the Jews. Violent clashes had occurred in some regions between Jews and non-Jews, leading to many deaths. One Cestius Gallus was dispatched to restore order. He marched on Jerusalem but was driven off just when victory appeared to be his. The following year Vespasian and his armies arrived and began what would be the campaign that brought the Jewish nation to its knees, resulting in the capture of innumerable Jewish towns and the destruction of much of Jerusalem.

Christ foretold this first century war in His Olivet Prophecy, and added that Jerusalem would be "trodden down of the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled" (Lk 21:24), predicting continued conquest and violence for the Holy Land.

This ongoing warfare is elaborated on throughout the account of the seven trumpets of the seventh seal. Please see the page "THE HISTORICAL 7TH SEAL (THE 7 TRUMPETS)".

When Christ removed the second seal He unsealed large portions of the book of Daniel, including chapters 2, 7, 8, 9 and 11, showing that Jerusalem would be subjected to a long history of war, violence and bloodshed.

Third Seal: Famine and Hardship

Revelation 6:5 When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come and see.” So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand.

6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine.”

“Famines” (Matt 24:7 and Lk 21:11)

The third condition that would exist in the Holy Land is famine. The above description in Rev 6:5-6 alludes to economic hardship as well as a scarcity of food. A denarius was a man's daily wage, but the amount of food it is said here to be able to purchase is barely enough for one person, let alone a man's dependants.

In Acts 11:27-30, the prophet Agabus foretells a severe famine. The Greek word oikoumene in verse 28 has been variously translated as "world", "earth" or "land of Israel", but verse 29 says that the location of the famine is specifically "Judea". Verse 28 shows that this famine took place during the reign of Emperor Claudius who ruled from 41AD to 54AD. In I Cor 16:1-3 we see Paul arranging contributions for the Jerusalem brethren; Rom 15:25-28 refers to this as well.

Josephus adds that Queen Helena of Adiabene (part of Assyria) came to Jerusalem to worship around this time and, finding the city in famine, made arrangements for grain and dried figs to be brought from Egypt and Cyprus (Ant 20:2.5). This and the sending of contributions by distant brethren show that surrounding countries were not affected like Judea was.

While Jerusalem was under siege in 70AD, terrible famine resulted when rival groups of Jews destroyed their own grain supply out of spite toward one another.

During Israel's early years in the Holy Land, they were blessed with all the abundance that was foretold in Lev 26 and Deut 28. However, as lawlessness and idolatry became commonplace, curses gradually multiplied, as foretold by these same prophecies, and poverty and hardship became more and more prevalent in the land that was once "flowing with milk and honey".

Eventually they were conquered by Gentile nations and lost control of their land. The 2520 years ("seven times") of Gentile occupation, predicted in Lev 26 and foreshadowed in Daniel 4, then greatly exacerbated the curses on Jerusalem and the Holy Land for most of that entire duration.

Visitors to the Holy Land during its many centuries of occupation would comment at times on how bleak and dismal the countryside looked. Not until Jewish settlers returned in the early 20th century did things begin to change. When they first arrived, they found mainly swamps and marshland, sand dunes and desert. Since the founding of the State of Israel, a total transformation has taken place: vegetation is again flourishing, water is flowing, and much food is being produced. Today when you cross the Jordan River from Jordan into Israel, you see a brown, barren countryside turn into a green one.

When Christ removed the third seal from Daniel's writings He unsealed Dan 9:11, which states that "all Israel has transgressed Your law, and has departed so as not to obey Your voice; therefore the curse and the oath written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out on us", showing that Jerusalem and the Holy Land would be subjected to a long history of famine and hardship, as a result of the protracted Gentile occupation foreshadowed by Daniel 2, 4 and 7.

Fourth Seal: Untimely Death

Revelation 6:7 When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come and see”.

8 So 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 (of Israel) to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth. (NIV)

"Famine, pestilences and earthquakes in various places” (Matt 24:7) "great earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences" (Lk 21:11).

The fourth condition that would exist in Jerusalem and the Holy Land includes all causes of untimely death.

Note that these curses were not new phenomena, as clearly seen in Eze 14:12-21. At the time of Judah's impending fall to Babylon, God threatened to send "My four severe judgments on Jerusalem - the sword and famine and wild beasts and pestilence - to cut off man and beast from it" (Eze 14:21). Together these curses overwhelmed Judah because of their disobedience.

If instead Israel had obeyed God, He promised that "you shall eat your bread to the full" (Lev 26:5) and "I will rid the land of evil beasts, and the sword will not go through the land" (Lev 26:6). In Ex 15:26 He says "I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians". These kinds of promises are repeated in many places in the Bible and were fulfilled as long as Israel was faithful to God.

The reference to "a fourth of the earth" in Rev 6:8 most probably indicates the fraction of the Jews living in the Holy Land throughout the entire period of Gentile occupation who would suffer a premature death as a consequence of their ongoing transgressions against God.

As in the previous seal, when Christ removed the fourth seal He unsealed Dan 9:11, where Daniel in prayer confesses to God that "all Israel has transgressed Your law, and has departed so as not to obey Your voice; therefore the curse and the oath written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out on us", showing that Jerusalem and the Holy Land would be subjected to a long history of curses leading to the untimely death of many, coinciding with the Gentile occupation foreshadowed in Daniel 2, 4 and 7.

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The removal of the first four seals reveals horses and riders. These represent curses on the land of Judea, and specifically Jerusalem, from the time of its Gentile conquest until the return of Christ. The fifth and sixth seals, however, involve curses which started in the Holy Land, but over time spread to affect Jews and true Christians in the various other countries to which they were dispersed.

Fifth Seal: Persecution of God's Faithful People

Revelation 6:9 When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held (those who were persecuted and martyred because of their faithfulness to God).

10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth (of Israel)?”

11 Then a white robe (signifying righteousness) was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.

“They will lay their hands on you and persecute you” (Lk 21:12), “They will put some of you to death” (Lk 21:16) and "Brother will betray brother to death" (Mk 13:12).

The fifth condition is the ongoing persecution of the true worshippers of God.

From the time of Babylon's capture of the "earth" of Israel, those who were faithful to God were often persecuted by the powers that consecutively conquered the Holy Land. God's faithful people were also persecuted by those Jews who collaborated with the occupying powers, as occurred in the period of Seleucid rule as well as during Roman rule.

In New Testament times the Jews instigated Christ's death and persecuted the early Church. The book of Acts records the killing of the deacon Stephen at their hands (Acts 7:59-60). The apostle James was then killed by the Romans who, seeing it pleased the Jews, also arrested Peter and imprisoned him (Acts 12:1-4). Acts 8:1 states that severe persecution broke out against the Church at that time, beginning in Jerusalem. In Mark 13:9 Christ predicts that "they shall deliver you up to councils, and you shall be beaten in the synagogues". Clearly this refers to Jewish persecution of the Church.

Prior to Christ's time this same mindset had already existed, as testified in Luke 13:34 where Christ laments "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her". Those who brought God's reprimand were never popular, and in many cases were martyred (Heb 11).

However, God promises to avenge His faithful people. In Matt 23:35-36 Christ warns the Jewish religious leaders "that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation". Approximately 35 years later John was given the prophecies of Revelation in the decade before the Roman destruction of Jerusalem, so this punishment indeed came upon the generation that Christ addressed, as reiterated in this fifth seal.

For almost two millennia after the Romans destroyed the Jewish nation, the persecution of true Christians was meted out mostly by Beast powers in the areas they controlled, including the "earth" i.e. the Holy Land. For an account of God's vengeance on these powers see the page "THE REAL SEVEN PLAGUES'. As the lives of the Beast powers have been "prolonged for a season and a time" (Dan 7:12), persecution carried out by them persists to this day in many parts of the world.

When Christ removed the fifth seal He unsealed Daniel 3 and 6, indicating that persecution, in one form or another, would be inflicted on all His faithful people throughout the age of man. The events involving Daniel and his friends being subjected to the lions' den and the fiery furnace are well-known examples of such hostility instigated by Satan and his demons.

Sixth Seal: Punishment of the Jews

Revelation 6:12 I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake (the 67-73AD war); and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair (the Jewish nation was eclipsed, as God's light was withdrawn from them), and the moon became like blood (the Jewish people enduring severe punishment).

13 And the stars of heaven (Jerusalem) fell to the earth (the Jews were defeated, and nationhood was taken from them), as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind (Israel is typified as a fig tree - Lk 21:29-30).

14 Then the sky (lit. "heaven") receded as a scroll when it is rolled up (Jerusalem was destroyed), and every mountain and island (the Jews, living in the midst of Gentiles) was moved out of its place (the Jews driven from their homeland, becoming a stateless people, scattered among the nations, "until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled").

15 And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains,

16 and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! (Christ, the Lamb of God, whose sacrifice was rejected by the Jews)

17 For the great day of His wrath has come (the Jewish-Roman War of 67-73AD), and who is able to stand?”

"And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations" (Luke 21:24).

The sixth condition is the ongoing punishment of the Jews.

The people of Israel who had returned to the Holy Land after the Babylonian captivity were predominantly from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin (Ez 4:1, 10:9). They re-occupied Jerusalem and its surrounding territory and were at that time a repentant people, as seen in Neh 9 and 10, where we read of a renewal of the covenant between themselves and God. They promised once again to keep His laws and to walk with Him faithfully. Had they indeed maintained this attitude, God would have certainly continued to bless them.

However, over time their religion descended into what became Judaism, the ultimate sin of which was the rejection and killing of the promised Messiah. This has had serious ongoing consequences for the Jews. Of course, not all the Jews rejected Christ. Some did repent and accept Him and become part of the New Covenant Church (Acts 6:7).

When Christ removed the sixth seal He unsealed the thread running throughout Daniel's writings, i.e. that God's vengeance on the Jews for their wilful rejection of Him would continue for their 2520 year loss of sovereignty over the land of Israel, and in many ways even up until the present day. At the particular stage of history here in Rev 6, just prior to the 70AD devastation, the Jews were about to endure much more suffering and go into captivity once again.

Seventh Seal: Seven Major Historical Events in the Timeline of Jerusalem

Revelation 8:1-2 "And when He had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets".

"And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled" (Lk 21:24)

The seventh seal consists of seven trumpets, which represent seven major events in the history of Jerusalem:

Trumpet 1) The Roman destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD during the First Jewish Revolt.

Trumpet 2) The rebuilding of Jerusalem as a Gentile Roman city in the 2nd century, and the subsequent Second Jewish Revolt a.k.a. the Bar Kokhba War.

Trumpet 3) The "Christianisation" of Jerusalem, begun by Constantine in the 4th century.

Trumpet 4) The Islamisation of Jerusalem, following Omar's conquest in the 7th century.

Trumpet 5) The Crusader conquests and battles over Jerusalem, from the late 11th century until the middle of the 13th century.

Trumpet 6) The period of the two World Wars, the Holocaust, and the subsequent return of the Jews to Israel and Jerusalem in the 20th century.

Trumpet 7) The return of Christ to Jerusalem with all its associated events.

Please see the page "THE HISTORICAL 7TH SEAL (THE 7 TRUMPETS)" for a much more detailed account of the fulfilment of the prophecy of the Seven Trumpets.

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The Olivet Prophecy

Below is Luke's version of the Olivet Prophecy, which contains all the seven seals.

Underlined text identifies the seals. My annotations and additional Scriptures are in (brackets).

Luke 21:5 Then, as some spoke of the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and donations, He said,

6 “These things which you see, the days will come in which not one stone shall be left upon another that shall not be thrown down.”

7 So they asked Him, saying, “Teacher, but when will these things be? And what sign will there be when these things are about to take place?”

8 And He said: “Take heed that you not be deceived. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He’ and ‘The time has drawn near.’ Therefore do not go after them (Seal 1).

9 But when you hear of wars and commotions (Seal 2), do not be terrified; for these things

must come to pass first, but the end will not come immediately.”

10 Then He said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom (Seal 2).

11 And there will be great earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences (Seal 3 and 4 - see the order of events in Matt 24); and there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven.

12 But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons. You will be brought before kings and rulers for My name’s sake (Seal 5).

13 But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony.

14 Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer;

15 for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist (Seal 5).

16 You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death.

17 And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake (Seal 5).

18 But not a hair of your head shall be lost.

19 By your patience possess your souls.

20 But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near ("Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet (in Dan 9:27), standing in the holy place" (Mt 24:15) (Seal 6).

21 Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her.

22 For these are the days of vengeance (on the Jews for rejecting and killing Christ), that all things which are written may be fulfilled (written in the Seventy Week Prophecy of Dan 9:24-27, and in Eze 4 where 40 years of sin by the House of Judah are foretold. Christ died on Passover 31AD; the final siege of Jerusalem began 40 inclusive years later around Passover 70AD) (Seal 6).

23 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! (Lk 23:28-30: "But Jesus, turning to them, said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For indeed the days are coming in which they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts which never nursed!’ Then they will begin to say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!” For there will be great distress in the land (of Israel) and wrath upon this people (the Jews) (Seal 6).

24 And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations (as a consequence of the 67-73AD war) (Seal 6). And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. (Seal 7: Trumpets 1-6) (This is a momentous chronological statement. It takes the prophecy all the way to the 20th century, when Judah's 2520 years of punishment ended).

25 And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars (see the above description of Rev 6:12-13); and on the earth (of Israel) distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring (distress caused by many Gentile invasions and conquests for a period of almost two millennia following the first century destruction by the Romans);

26 men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth (on Israel), for the powers of the heavens (lit. "powers of heaven" i.e. powers that conquer and control Jerusalem) will be shaken (will periodically, violently change) (Seal 7: Trumpets 1-6).

27 Then (after "the times of the Gentiles" are fulfilled and the Jews control Jerusalem again) they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory (the second coming of Christ) (Seal 7: Trumpet 7).

28 Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.

29 Then He spoke to them a parable: Look at the fig tree, and all the trees.

30 When they are already budding, you see and know for yourselves that summer is now near (Israel is in Scripture pictured as a fig tree - see Jer 24, Hos 9:10, Joel 1:6-7 and Lk 13:6-9, which put Mk 11:12-14, where Christ cursed a fig tree, into perspective).

31 So you also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near (the time when the New Covenant will have fully succeeded the Old Covenant, i.e. in 70AD).

32 Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all things (prophesied about it) take place (Luke 17:25 tells us who Christ meant by "this generation". Speaking of His then impending crucifixion, He said "But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation").

33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.

Two Important Points

Two important points need to be made in regard to the Olivet Prophecy. Both have caused much confusion.

The first point concerns the meaning of Matt 24:14. It states "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then will the end come". In our current Church era the word "end" has often been wrongly applied to the time of Christ's second coming. This has had a very blinding effect on our understanding. The meaning of the word "end" in Scripture must always be derived from its context.

The very next verse, Matt 24:15, says "Therefore, when you see the abomination of desolation ....... standing in the holy place". The meaning of this is made clear in Luke 21:20 "but when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near".

Therefore the "end", or "desolation", spoken of in Matt 24:14-15 is the end of everything associated with the Old Covenant: the city of Jerusalem, the Temple, the physical sacrifices, the physical priesthood, even the Jewish nation itself. All these came to an end in 70AD.

This is confirmed by Hebrews 8:13, which says "By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear" (NIV). The book of Hebrews is generally believed to have been written between 60 and 70AD, i.e. in the years leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem.

People of course may object and say that the gospel wasn't preached to "all the nations" by that time, so this can't possibly be the explanation. The Scriptures however, state otherwise:

In Col 1:5-6 Paul writes "the truth of the gospel which has come to you, as it has in all the world". In Rom 10:18 Paul quotes Psalm 19 in regard to the preaching of the gospel: "Their sound has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the end of the world". In Rom 16:25-26 Paul speaks of the "gospel" that has been "made manifest .... to all nations".

Therefore, when God says "this gospel of the Kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come", this simply means that the New Covenant gospel began to go out to all people, both Jews and Gentiles, and then in the 70AD tribulation all things connected with the Old Covenant were destroyed, i.e. brought to an end.

Likewise, when Daniel was told in Dan 12:9 that the prophecies he was given were "sealed till the time of the end", this referred to the same period in history, for it was at this time that Christ unsealed Daniel's prophecies, as recorded in the book of Revelation. This is what Dan 12:4 means by "knowledge shall increase".

The second point concerns the phrase "unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved" found in Matt 24:22, which follows Christ's warning about a coming "great tribulation". Many in our time believe this is speaking about everyone in the whole world.

The parallel account in Luke, however, gives us the correct explanation. Luke 21:23 says "there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people". Verse 21 calls for those "who are in Judea" to "flee to the mountains" to avoid this coming distress. Luke therefore identifies "the land" as the land of Judea, and "this people" as its inhabitants, i.e. the Jews. So we see that the "great tribulation" or "great distress" was not a worldwide phenomenon, but rather one that occurred in the first century AD and was limited to the Holy Land.

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In conclusion, as stated at the outset of this article, the prophecy of the Seven Seals provides the foundation of the book of Revelation. The seals give an overview of the fate of the land of Israel and the city of Jerusalem, as well as the conditions that would befall Jews and Christians, from the time that the prophecy was given, until the second coming of Christ.