ACT II — THE VISION OF THE SEVEN SEALS
I. OVERVIEW SEALS (Chapters 4-7, 8:1):
. . A. This vision introduces the entire remainder of the Book of Revelation and links it to the first vision of the Seven Churches.
. . . . 1. It establishes the throne of God as the true source of all history (nothing happens except as God decrees it).
. . . . 2. It introduces the great war in Heaven between Christ and Satan, with its counterpart on earth between the Church
. . . . . . and the World.
. . . . 3. It shows how God will deal with His redeemed people and also how He will deal with the unrepentant.
. . B. This vision is pivotal to the understanding of the symbolism in the Book of Revelation. (Interpretations in parentheses
. . . . . . are those of Hendriksen.)
. . . . 1. The scroll in God’s hand (God’s plaj, of the ages — how He will deal with the redeemed and v4th the unrepentant).
. . . . 2. The “Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse”
. . . . . . a. The rider on the white horse (Christ conquering Satan’s kingdom through the promulgation of the Gospel by the
. . . . . . . . Church).
. . . . . . b. The rider on the red horse (anti-Christian persecution of the church by the governments of the world — confiscation,
. . . . . . . . imprisonment, and execution).
. . . . . . c. The rider on the black horse (anti-Christian persecution of the Church by the World through economic deprivation
. . . . . . . . and discrimination).
. . . . . . d. The rider on the pale horse (calamities of war, famine, pestilence, and natural disasters falling on all mankind —
. . . . . . . . "saints and “sinners” alike).
. . . . 3. God’s dealing with His people (the martyrs “under the altar”, the “sealing” of the 144,000, and the “great multitude in
. . . . . . white robes”).
. . . . 4. God’s dealing with the unrepentant (the woes of the seals, the trumpets, and the bowls, followed by the destruction
. . . . . . of the world as it now is, and the final judgment).
. . C. Christ’s role in God’s “Plan of the Ages”
. . . . 1. Christ is the only one “in heaven, on earth, or under the earth” able to break the seven seals and open the scroll
. . . . . . (execute God’s plan for the redeemed).
. . . . 2. His qualification (His redemptive death on the cross).
. . . . 3. His method (promulgation of the Gospel by the Church, in His strength and by His direction).
. . . . 4. His victory (the great multitude in white robes who come through the great tribulation).
. . D. The vision spans the whole Christian era from the death of Christ to the coming of the New Heavens and the New Earth.
. . . . 1. Chapter XV sets the scene of God’s throne in Heaven.
. . . . 2. Chapter V describes the coronation of Christ as “King of kings and Lord of lords” after His crucifixion and ascension.
. . . . 3. Chapter V describes the whole history of the Christian era as initiated and controlled by God through the four horsemen,
. . . . . . . His provision for the martyred, and culminated by the end of the world and the final judgment.
. . . . 4. Chapter VII describes God’s provision for His redeemed people both before and after the great tribulation.
II. GOD'S THRONE IN HEAVEN (Chapter 4):
. . A. Imagery drawn from Old Testament, largely Ezekiel 1, 10, and Isaiah 6.
. . . . 1. Throne (symbol of authority and power throughout Bible) mentioned in all three references.
. . . . 2. Throne occupant (resembles a man, but without clear definition in Revelation and Ezekiel; called “the Lord” in Isaiah.
. . . . 3. Twenty—four elders seated on thrones surrounding God’s throne (may represent the 12 patriarchs and the 12 apostles;
. . . . . . or may represent the 24 divisions of priests and levites in the temple worship instituted by David).
. . . . 4. Seven lamps which are the seven Spirits of God (Isa.11:2).
. . . . 5. Sea of glass (Ezek.1:5 or Ex.24:10)
. . . . 6. Four living creatures (called cherubim in Ezek.10, seraphim in Isa.6). There are many similarities with those of
. . . . . . Ezekiel and Isaiah
. . . . . . a. Four in number (4 in Ezekiel, no number given in Isaiah).
. . . . . . b. Winged (6 pairs in Revelation and Isaiah, 4 in Ezekiel).
. . . . . . c. Full of eyes (Revelation and Ezekiel).
. . . . . . d. Faces of man, lion, ox, eagle (each cherub having all four in Ezekiel, only one in Revelation).
. . . . . . e. Song of praise (first line same in both Revelation and Isaiah).
. . B. Whole scene calculated to enhance the power, majesty, and glory of God.
. . . . 1. The awesomeneis and beauty of the throne environment.
. . . . 2. The song of the cherubim.
. . . . 3. The song and obeisance of the elders.
. . C. One of the basic themes of Revelation is introduced in this chapter: Whatever plans may be made by kings and rulers of
. . . . . . the earth are subject to the authority of “Him who sits on the throne and who lives forever and ever.”Nothing happens
. . . . . . anywhere in God’s created universe without His sanction.
III. CHRIST'S CORONATION AS KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS (Chapter 5):
. . A. The scroll with the seven seals in God’s right hand (see Ezekiel 2:9).
. . . . 1. Seen to be God’s plan for dealing with mankind throughout the Christian Era by events in this and subsequent chapters.
. . . . 2. Everyone in all creation is challenged to take the scroll and open its seals (execute its provisions).
. . . . 3. No one responds to the challenge, causing John to weep (perhaps thinking that God’s plan of redemption will not be
. . . . . . carried out, and Satan will triumph).
. . . . 4. An elder tells John that the Lion of Judah (Gen.49:10) the Root of David (Jesse — Samuel 11:1, 10; Rom.15:12) has
. . . . . . triumphed and is worthy to take the scroll and open its seals.
. . B. Christ, the Lamb looking as if it had been slain, takes the scroll.
. . . . 1. Christ is portrayed to John in the opening chapter as a powerful and majestic being, but is portrayed to the hosts of
. . . . . . Heaven as the scrificial Lamb of God.
. . . . 2. Man looks on Christ as Conqueror of sin, death, and Satan; Heaven looks on Christ as the redeemer of lost humanity.
. . . . 3. New song of the 24 elders:
. . . . . . a. Christ worthy because of His sacrificial death.
. . . . . . b. Christ purchased men for god from every human category.
. . . . . . c. Christ made these fit to be citizens and priests in God’s heavenly kingdom, and to reign on earth (see Rev. 2:26-27;
. . . . . . . . 20:4, 6; 22:5).
. . . . 4. Song of the hosts of Heaven:
. . . . . . a. Participated in by all the angels in Heaven.
. . . . . . b. Christ’s seven-fold worthiness: pàwer, wealth, wisdom, strength, honor, glory, and praise.
. . . . . . c. Worthy because He is the Lamb that was slain.
. . . . 5. Song of all creatures throughout the created universe:
. . . . . . a. Ascribed to God and Christ as co-equal.
. . . . . . b. Four-fold ascription: praise, glory, honor, and power forever and ever.
. . . . . . c. Not yet consummated, since evil men on earth neither praise nor honor God or Christ.
. . . . 6. Living creatures say “Amen” and elders fall down and worship.
IV. THE FIRST SIX SEALS (Chapter 6):
. . A. The scroll (God’s plan for the future of mankind) is opened (executed) by the breaking of the seals by the Lamb (Jesus
. . . . Christ).
. . . . 1. The whole New Testament clearly sets forth God’s plan fcW mankind as envisioning the evangelization of every nation,
. . . . . . people, language, and tribe of every generation Prom the first coming to the second coming of Jesus Christ.
. . . . 2. The plan must also include the santification of those who are evangelized (redeemed). Sanctification flourishes best
. . . . . . under persecution and adversity.
. . . . 3. God does not condone sin, and will punish unrepentant sinners. He does this (on earth) by a combinatiuon of natural
. . . . . . and man-made calamities, some of which fall on the unrepentant and the redeemed alike.
. . B. The four horsemen of the first four seals symbolize four aspects of God’s plan:
. . . . 1. The rider on the white horse symbolizes Christ conquering the strongholds of Satan by means of the Church of the
. . . . . . Redeemed on earth.
. . . . 2. The rider on the red horse symbolizes the reaction of the world (through governmental persecution) to the
. . . . . . promulgation of the Gospel.
. . . . 3. The rider on the black horse symbolizes the reaction of the world (through economic persecution) against the
. . . . . . evangelists and witnesses of Christ.
. . . . 4. The rider on the pale horse symbolizes the punitive action of God upon mankind for its sins against Him and
. . . . . . against each other.
. . . . 5. God thus uses persecution, economic adversity, and natural and man-made calamities to strengthen His Church and
. . . . . . sharpen the distinction between those who are loyal to Him and those who persist in rebellion against Him.
. . . . 6. These interpretations are in harmony with many Scriptures in both the Old and New Testaments (Zechariah 1:8 ff,
. . . . . . 6:l ff; Matthew 24; Mark 13; Luke 21; Matthew 1O:24).
. . . . 7. These interpretations are also in harmony with the remaining visions in the Book of Revelation.
. . C. The souls of the martyred under the altar (the fifth seal) symbolize the price the Church must pay for the redemption
. . . . . . of mankind. Christ said that those that are willing to lose their lives for His sake would find eternal life. This
. . . . . . willingness must be demonstrated by some actually suffering martyrdom.
. . D. The opening of the sixth seal ushers in the Day of the Lord — the time when God destroys the first heaven and the
. . . . first earth (along with its unrepentant sinners) prior to creating the New Heaven and the New Earth (as depicted in
. . . . Chapters 21 and 22 of the Final Vision).
V. GOD'S PROVISIONS FOR THE REDEEMED (Chapter 7):
. . A. The sealing of the 144,000 symbolizes God’s protection of all the redeemed throughout the Christian Era from Satan’s
. . . . . . attempts to lure them back into his kingdom of darkness.
. . . . 1. The “four winds of the earth” are the destructive forces upon natural and man-made objects on the earth’s surface.
. . . . . . Thus they symbolize the attempts of Satan to destroy the works of the Christian Church (both spiritual and temporal).
. . . . 2. The imagery of the 144,000 consisting of exactly 12,000 from each of the named tribes of Israel cannot be taken
. . . . . . literally. It must represent the perfect number of all believers; else why are the tribes of Dan and Ephraim omitted,
. . . . . . and why exactly 12,000 from each tribe; and what about the Gentile Christians? Furthermore this number appears
. . . . . . again in Chapter 14 in a somewhat different context . . . . . . (see also Ezekiel 9:4).
. . B. The reception of the “great multitude which no one could count” before the Throne and before the Lamb must represent
. . . . . . the gathering of the elect (redeemed) from all ages and from all nations, peoples, languages, and tribes. They stand
. . . . . . at the threshold of the New Jerusalem and the Wedding Feast of the Lamb. The explanation of the elder to John
. . . . . . clearly identifies this multitude with the inhabitants of the New Jerusalem described in Chapter 21.
VI. THE SEVENTH SEAL (Chapter 8:1):
. . A. The opening of the seventh seal now allows more details of God’s Plan to be revealed.
. . B. This seal opening simply introduces the next vision of the seven trumpets and, by implication, the remaining visions
. . . . . . which further reveal God’s plans for the future of mankind.
Go to Act 3 (Chapters 8-11)
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