Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a
scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. 2 And
I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the
seals and open the scroll?” 3 But
no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even
look inside it. 4 I wept and
wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside.
5 Then one of the elders said to me,
“Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has
triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.” Revelation 5:1-5
A scroll with
7 seals (wax imprints that seal the scroll shut) is handed to the Lamb, Jesus
Christ in Revelation 6. As each one is opened, something dramatic happens.
Seal One
- a rider on a white horse conquering other leaders
Seal Two
- a rider on a red horse bringing war
Seal
Three - a rider on a black horse bringing economic instability
Seal Four
- a rider on a pale horse bringing disease
Seal Five
- martyrs cry out for justice.
Seal Six - a great physical
devastation of the earth:
Earthquake
Sun
turns black
Moon
turns red
Stars
fall from the sky
Sky
rolls up
Every
mountain and island removed
Kings of the earth go into
hiding, yelling at the mountains and rocks.
Seal Seven -
silence, rest.
Interesting
that after six days of creation, on the seventh God rested. It’s like God is undoing all that he created
and then rested.
At each seal,
something specific is destroyed:
Seal 1 -
political leaders
Seal 2 -
war
Seal 3 -
economy
Seal 4 -
health
Seal 5 -
injustice
Seal 6 - the physical earth
Question:
Could these events really, literally happen to such a degree? Could the sun
turn black and anything survive on the earth? Could the stars fall from the
sky? Could every mountain and island be removed?
The seals
represent a dramatic prelude to a dramatic conclusion. Most likely they represent a
"judgment" on different areas of our world and could not be specific
events that happened, or will happen.
These judgments happen all the time.