Among the scriptures in Revelation lies a pivotal prophesy with the Seven Seals, which lead us step-by-step to the second coming of Jesus Christ.
Near the end of his life, John received a vision from the Lord that he transcribed into what we know as the book of Revelation. It contains vivid and colorful descriptions of what is to come and the redeeming promise that awaits to those who treasure and uphold it’s contents which lead us step-by-step to the second coming of Jesus Christ.
The First Seal – False Prophets
Revelation 6 begins with Jesus opening the first of the seven seals and it revealed one of four horsemen of the apocalypse. “I looked, and there before me what a white horse! It’s rider held a bow, and he was given a crown and he rode out as a conqueror bent on a conquest” (Revelation 6:2). Not to be confused with Jesus on the white horse, this first horseman is actually a false prophet and the most destructive of all horseman leading the world into religious deception.
The Second Seal – War
The second seal is opened with the second horseman, “Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. It’s rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make men slay each other. To him was given a large sword.” (Revelation 6:4). The second seal reveals the horseman of war, which will lead the world into a blood bath of lives lost at the hand of man.
The Third Seal – Famine
This third seal reveals the horseman of famine. “I looked, and there before me was a black horse! It’s rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures saying, ‘A quart of wheat for a day’s wages, and three quart of barley for a day’s wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!’” (Revelation 6:6). This seal reveals the horseman of famine. The pair of scales in the rider’s hands indicates a careful need to measure and ration the food supply, as there will be a scarcity of food.
The Fourth Seal – Plague
This fourth seal reveals the horseman of death. “And I looked up and saw a horse whose color was plae green like a corpse. And Death was the name of its rider, who was followed around by the grave. They were given authority over one-fourth the earth, to kill with the sword and famine and disease and wild animals” (Revelation 6:7-8). This horse and its rider will be responsible for further bloodshed, accounting for the death of one-fourth the earth’s population. Those dying at it’s hand will go to Hades–the place where unbelievers go following death. This seems to indicate that the world might not be heavily populated with Christ-followeres at this time.
The Fifth Seal – Tribulation
This fifth seal marks the beginning of the great Tribulation, a period of Satan’s wrath on earth followed by a period of suffering before Christ returns. “I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained” (Revelation 6:9). John sees the souls of the martyred Tribulation saints under the altar and they will be killed for their belief at a distrubing rate.
The Sixth Seal – Heavenly Signs
Once the sixth seal is opened, the earth will transform, perhaps marking the end of Tribulation and the beginning of the year of God’s judgement and wrath. “There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as late figs dropped from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from it’s place” (Revelation 6:12-14). Revelation 6:17 goes on to proclaim this great prophesy, “For the great day of his wrath is come, and who shall be able to stand?”