By
Garrick D. Augustus
6/21/2001
Amongst the various church and bible study groups, the subject of the seven seals has had much discussion, and perhaps this subject has reached international recognition through the work of the false teacher, David Koresh. Notwithstanding the publicity given the seven seals during the 51-day armed standoff which ended in a ball of fire and a terrible loss of life, we are still obligated before Heaven to obtain a correct understanding of this most important of bible subject. The Spirit of Prophecy in our day admonishes that: “The fifth chapter of Revelation needs to be closely studied. It is of great importance to those who shall act a part in the work of God for these last days…Unless they make a decided change they will be found wanting when God pronounces judgment upon the children of men.” Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 9, p. 267.
While to many Christian organizations, including the Seventh-day Adventist Denomination, the seals see their fulfillment in the Christian dispensation, it will be shown in this study that the seven seals comprehend the entire history of the earth–beginning with Adam and ending with the living in the end of this world. A correct understanding of the seals, however, requires a working knowledge of the earthly Sanctuary, the master pattern and great original of which is in Heaven.
The Levitical Sanctuary and its Services
It has ever been the purpose of the Eternal, since the dawn of sin, to re-establish His dwelling place in the human heart (mind). Indeed, the Apostle to the gentiles declares that our bodies are “the temple of the living God” (2 Cor. 6: 16 ), and He longs to make His eternal habitation with man. When He sent the Son into the world, He was called Immanuel–”God with us,” or “the tabernacle of God with men,” because he was Eternal God dwelling in human body–us. This desire of the Eternal to make His abode with the children of men, brought from his lips the divine invitation, “Let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell [tabernacle] among them” (Ex. 25:8).
Let’s now look at the earthly sanctuary, under the Levitical priesthood, with its attendant services. We shall first look at the sanctuary as to its furniture, and compartments, then look on it as to its services in both compartments.
Speaking of the earthly sanctuary, the Spirit of Prophecy in our day declares:
Arrangement and furnishing of the earthly sanctuary: “Its walls consisted of upright boards heavily plated with gold and set in sockets of silver, while the roof was formed of a series of curtains, or coverings, the outer of skins, the innermost of fine linen beautifully wrought with figures of cherubim. Besides the outer court, which contained the altar of burnt offering, the tabernacle itself consisted of two apartments called the holy and the most holy place, separated by a rich and beautiful curtain, or veil; a similar veil closed the entrance to the first apartment.
“In the holy place was the candlestick, on the south, with its seven lamps giving light to the sanctuary both by day and by night; on the north stood the table of shewbread; and before the veil separating the holy from the most holy was the golden altar of incense, from which the cloud of fragrance, with the prayers of Israel, was daily ascending before God.
“In the most holy place stood the ark, a chest of precious wood overlaid with gold, the depository of the two tables of stone upon which God had inscribed the law of Ten Commandments. Above the ark, and forming the cover to the sacred chest, was the mercy seat, a magnificent piece of workmanship, surmounted by two cherubim, one at each end, and all wrought of solid gold. In this apartment the divine presence was manifested in the cloud of glory between the cherubim.” The Great Controversy, EG White, 1911 Ed., R&H Publishing Assn., p. 412.
The ministration in the earthly sanctuary: “The ministration of the earthly sanctuary consisted of two divisions; the priests ministered daily in the holy place, while once a year the high priest performed a special work of atonement in the most holy, for the cleansing of the sanctuary. Day by day the repentant sinner brought his offering to the door of the tabernacle and, placing his hand upon the victim’s head, confessed his sins, thus in figure transferring them from himself to the innocent sacrifice. The animal was then slain. ‘Without shedding of blood,’ says the apostle, there is no remission of sin. ‘The life of the flesh is in the blood.’ Leviticus 17:11. The broken law of God demanded the life of the transgressor. The blood, representing the forfeited life of the sinner, whose guilt the victim bore, was carried by the priest into the holy place and sprinkled before the veil, behind which was the ark containing the law that the sinner had transgressed. By this ceremony the sin was, through the blood, transferred in figure to the sanctuary. In some cases the blood was not taken into the holy place; but the flesh was then to be eaten by the priest, as Moses directed the sons of Aaron, saying: ‘God hath given it you to bear the iniquity of the congregation.’ Leviticus 10:17. Both ceremonies alike symbolized the transfer of the sin from the penitent to the sanctuary.
“Such was the work that went on, day by day, throughout the year. The sins of Israel were thus transferred to the sanctuary, and a special work became necessary for their removal. God commanded that an atonement be made for each of the sacred apartments. ‘He shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel , and because of their transgressions in all their sins: and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness.’ An atonement was also to be made for the altar, to ‘cleanse it, and hallow if from the uncleanness of the children of Israel .’ Leviticus 16:16, 19.
“Once a year, on the great Day of Atonement, the priest entered the most holy place for the cleansing of the sanctuary. The work there performed completed the yearly round of ministration. On the Day of Atonement two kids of the goats were brought to the door of the tabernacle, and lots were cast upon them, ‘one lot for the Lord, and the other lot for the scapegoat.’ Verse 8. The goat upon which fell the lot for the Lord was to be slain as a sin offering for the people. And the priest was to bring his blood within the veil and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat and before the mercy seat. The blood was also to be sprinkled upon the altar of incense that was before the veil.
“And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness: and the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited.’ Verses 21, 22. The scapegoat came no more into the camp of Israel , and the man who led him away was required to wash himself and his clothing with water before returning to the camp.” The Great Controversy, EG White, 1911 Ed., R&H Publishing Assn., p. 418-419.
The Heavenly Sanctuary
With this snapshot view of the earthly sanctuary, we are now poised to peer into the heavenly. The fact that Moses was instructed to build the earthly sanctuary “according to the pattern shewed to [him] in the mount” (Heb. 8:5), establishes the truth that the earthly tabernacle was merely a “shadow” of the great original which resides in heaven itself, a sanctuary “which the Lord pitched, and not man” (Heb. 8:2). As in the earthly sanctuary there was a necessity for it to be cleansed of sins, so too with the heavenly. This thought necessarily gives rise to the question: If the heavenly sanctuary needs cleansing, what polluted it? We answer in the next several paragraphs:
Though the sanctuary in heaven and the one on earth are in two different locations, yet the one necessarily involves the other, for both deal with the same sins and sinners. Hence, for one sanctuary to become polluted will as a consequence affect the other. For instance, if some of the members of the church on earth should backslide after once being engaged in the ministry of righteousness (as did Achan, King Saul, Judas, Annanias and Sapphira, and many others whose names were once written in the Book of Life but who through failing to continue in the faith became unworthy of life eternal), they would of course at the same time pollute both sanctuaries. The earthly they pollute by their actual deeds and influence; the heavenly, having their unworthy names in its books; for while the earthly sanctuary harbors the people, the heavenly houses their life records.
So while there is need for cleansing the earthly sanctuary from backsliders and hypocrites, there is need of cleansing the heavenly sanctuary from the sinners’ name sin its books. And the proper term for such a work is Investigative Judgment–the work portrayed in Daniel’s prophecy (Dan. 7:9-10) and in Christ’s parables of the harvest, net, talents, wedding garment, and the sheep and goats.
To further illustrate: At the moment we accept Christ as our personal Saviour from sin through the Word of Truth,–at that supreme moment God, for Christ’s sake, forgives us our sins, and the hands bloodstained by Calvary inscribe our names in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Then simultaneously the pan of angels begins in the heavenly ledger the life or death chronicle of our Christian experience, separate from our past. Even “the very hairs of your head are all numbered.” Matt. 10:30. Therefore “suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error.” Eccles. 5:6. For in the investigative judgment the books are opened and the deeds done in the flesh are brought to light for a final reckoning before the Ancient of days. All who have stood fast to the end will then forever have their sins blotted from the books and their names retained therein; while all who are not overcomers will then forever have their sins retained in the books and their names blotted therefrom.
Think not that the sins of sinners were actually paid for, in verity, under the sacrificial system and its services, they were only symbolically cleansed. That is they had a cleansing of body–they “sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh” (Heb. 9:13 ), “for it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins” (Heb. 10:4), for only Jesus can satisfy our soul. If sins were actually paid for under the sacrificial services, then Christ verily died in vain, but because sin originated in heaven, it has to be settled in heaven. And since none other than an eternal sacrifice is required for the transgression of an eternal law, it required eternal God to offer Himself as that eternal sacrifice, in the person of His son Yahshuah (Jesus).
As the earthly sanctuary had holy places,– the holy and the most holy apartments, so too does the heavenly. Says Paul, “Christ is not entered into holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true, but into heaven itself now to appear in the presence of God for us (Heb. 9:24).
The Judgment is Set and the Books are Opened
In the earthly sanctuary the high priest (typifying Christ our High Priest) officiated first in the holy apartment throughout the year, then upon the day of atonement, the day of cleansing the sanctuary and judging the people, he officiated in the Most Holy for one day only. This twofold service signifies that in the heavenly sanctuary, the High priest, Christ, must necessarily first officiate in the holy apartment up to the antitypical Day of Atonement, then during that day, He must officiate in the Most Holy apartment, before the throne. Very plainly, then, the ceremonial system reveals that from the time Christ “sat on the right hand of God” (Mark 16:19), where the “river of water of life” is, to the time that He and the Father moved to the throne in the sanctuary, where “the sea of glass” is (Dan. 7:9, 10; Rev. 4:6), He officiated in our behalf as a high priest in “the holy place” (Heb. 9;12); and that at the same time, conjointly with the Father, on the eternal sovereign throne (“the throne of God and the Lamb”), He ruled the sinless universe. The reader can now clearly see that God has more than one throne.
“I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.” Daniel 7:9.
The fact that “the Ancient of Days did sit” after the thrones were “cast down”–set in place, establishes the truth that wherever this throne is, the Ancient of Days was not always sitting on it. Secondly, the prophet further detailed that: “I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him” Dan. 7:13.
The reader should now see that the “Son of man”–Jesus, is not in this judgment scene sitting at the right hand of the Father, but near “before him.” This is the position occupied by the High Priest on the Day of Atonement–judgment. We are now seeing God’s moving throne being brought to a given location in heaven where the judgment scene is set in place, where the books of record are opened for investigation. Furthermore, this judicial tribunal convened sometime after the 1260 years of the career of “little horn” power (papacy) brought to view in Dan. 7-8, 20-25, therefore this judgment session convened sometime after 1798, sometime after the “time and times and the dividing of time.” In another study it will be shown that this judgment actually convened and commenced in executive session in the year 1844.
A Closer Look at the Judgment Scenery in Heaven
“After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne” Rev. 4:1-2.
John writing in between 96 A.D. and 100 A.D., was instructed to write of things, which “must be hereafter–sometime after the first century of the Christian church. The first thing he was “a door” opened in heaven. As the rest of the chapter illustrates the furniture of the sanctuary, it is clear that the only “door” here required to be opened is the door (veil) to the most holy apartment–the throne room of Eternal God. When the judgment is set and the books are opened, the veil (door) too is opened to have access to the most holy place where the Majesty of the universe resides. It is helpful at this time to note that on the typical Day of Atonement (judgment), the earthly High Priest would open the veil (door) to the most holy place of the sanctuary as he officiated on behalf of ancient Israel . Similarly Christ our great High Priest, upon entering the Day of Atonement (judgment) for our times, also opens the door (veil) to the most holy place to appear “before” the very presence of God for the human family.
The throne being set, and the Father (Judge) having “sat on the throne” establishes the truth that the judgment is now in session.
“And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold. And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God” Rev. 4: 3-5.
The Rainbow: The rainbow encircling the throne establishes that God’s covenant, his law, forms the foundation of His throne, He is the only covenant keeping God; His words are true and His promises sure: “I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud: And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth” Gen. 9:13-16.
The four and twenty elders: The four and twenty seats upon which sit the four and twenty elders, are the same “thrones” which Daniel say set in place–”cast down.” He not only saw the throne of the eternal Majesty of the Universe, he also saw the thrones of the twenty four elders and of the four beasts, in all he saw at least twenty-nine thrones, set in place: (one throne for the Father, one for each of the twenty and four elders, and one for each of the four beasts). The elder’s having “crowns of gold” shows that they had obtained victory with God and thus were glorified. The word “crown” carries the Strong’s Greek No. 4735–stefanov stephanos, used as a metaphor for “the eternal blessedness which will be given as a prize to the genuine servants of God and Christ: the crown (wreath) which is the reward of the righteousness,”–the crown of eternal life.
The seven lamps of fire–The Candlestick: The seven lamps of fire are the same as the seven-branched candlestick. The levitical candlestick has “seven branches” each having a lamp of fire. The Lord declared to Moses: “Thou shalt make a candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work shall the candlestick be made: his shaft, and his branches, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, shall be of the same. And six branches shall come out of the sides of it; three branches of the candlestick out of the one side, and three branches of the candlestick out of the other side:…And thou shalt make the seven lamps thereof: and they shall light the lamps thereof, that they may give light over against it” Ex. 25:31-37.
This candlestick was to “give light” to the room in which it resided, thus the candlestick is a symbol of that which gives light to the world–the Church of the Living God. Says Christ of His believers–the Church: “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid” Matthew 5:14. The candlestick in the heavenly sanctuary therefore, represents God’s ever-living church infused with his Holy Spirit–”the seven Spirits of God.” The number seven means completeness or perfection. In this connection, therefore, it represents the fullness of the Holy Spirit of God manifested in His church. Christ Himself deciphering the meaning of the candlestick declares: “and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches” Rev. 1:20
Realizing that we are seeing the seven-branched candlestick as well as the Father seated, the great Judge, establishes what both apartments of the sanctuary was now one big judgment chamber. The candlestick is in the holy place (first apartment), while the Mercy Seat overlaying the Ark of the covenant, having the two cherubims overlooking, is a fitting symbol of the dwelling place of God in the most holy apartment. Thus David exclaimed: “The LORD reigneth; let the people tremble: he sitteth between the cherubims; let the earth be moved” Psalms 99:1.
The Lamb: John further described this judgment scenery declaring: “And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth” Rev. 5:6. Here the reader notes that positionally, the Lamb is standing not at the Father’s right hand, but “in the midst of the throne,” or to borrow the words of Daniel, “before” the throne (Dan. 7:13). This bleeding Lamb could be none other than the Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the bible declares, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” The fact also that this lamb is shown in a “slain” or bleeding condition, certifies that at the time he is seen in the judgment, His blood was efficacious for the sins of the world, thus he was pleading for sin during probationary time.
“And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind. And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle. And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created” Rev. 4: 6-11.
The Throne Scenery: The reader will note that in front of this throne is “a sea of glass like unto crystal” (Rev. 4:6) and not the “river of water of life” where the “tree of life” resides, and “the throne of God and of the Lamb” sits (Rev. 22: 1-2). In other words, we are looking at two different thrones in two different locations. The sanctuary (temporary) and moving throne is there only throughout the duration of sin’s tyranny. When sin and sinners are no more, there will no longer remain the need and the functionality of the sanctuary in heaven, because “the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it” (Rev. 21:22).
The four beasts: These four beasts are of deep interest in this judicial tribunal, for they with the four and twenty elders sand a new song declaring, “Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.” Rev. 5:9.
It must first be noted that the angels cannot sing a lie. The reader will note that both the twenty-four elders and the four beasts sang to the lamb, that his “blood” has “redeemed” them from “every” kindred and people of the earth. In short then, both the elders and the beasts are representations of earth’s “redeemed.” But you may wonder: If the four beasts are earthlings, why are they not identified as humans, such as the four elders? The student of prophecy realizes that when the bible speaks of a large representation of people, such as “kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation,” it uses a “beast” to symbolize them. This is quite clear from the reading of Daniel 7 regarding the four beasts of whom the bible declares, “These great beasts, which are four, are four kings [kingdoms], which shall arise out of the earth” Dan. 7:17.
These beasts in the sanctuary had “six wings” not that they are seraphims, but that they are living under the period of the sixth time period, that is to say, the sixth seal, the time during which the judgment in heaven begins. Although in Isa. 6:2 we read of seraphims having six wings, we cannot upon the strength of the number of the winds of the four beasts, declare them to be angels (seraphims), because their testimony in song contradicts that witness. They declared themselves to be “redeemed” by the “blood” of the Lamb, mark this point with care. OK you may say, then if these are not seraphims, they surely must be the cherubims spoken of in Ezek 1. On this point, the same objection is given: not only are cherubims not “redeemed” by the “blood” of the Lamb, but they each have “four wings” and four faces (Ezek. 1: 6, 8, 10) looking in four different directions simultaneously. Moreover, both the cherubims and the seraphims each have the “likeness [physical form] of a man” (Ezek. 1:5). The compelling reason which separates the four beasts from angels, is that the angels cannot sing a lie, they will not sing a song which is not their experience. Notice that the “angels round about the throne” sang “worthy is the Lamb that was slain” (Rev. 5: 11,12), rather than singing thou hast redeemed us by thy blood, as did the twenty-four elders and the four beasts.
Again, note that the beasts and elders made a total of twenty-eight. It would be impossible for only twenty-eight persons to be redeemed out of every kindred, tongue, and people, and nation: for if there were only one redeemed out of every nation, the number would run into thousands (over the 6,000 years of earth’s history), instead of twenty-eight. Therefore, it is evident that the “four beasts” are symbols, which represent four groups of saints gathered from all ages, and out of every kindred, tongue, people, and nation. In a similar way the world empires after the flood are symbolically represented by beasts. Thus by the beasts are represented those that shall be judged, and redeemed by the blood of the Lamb.
“And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.” (Revelation 4:8.) “Full of eyes.” Eyes are to give light to the body. Therefore, they stand as a symbol, signifying that God’s people have had sufficient light in every age. “Before and behind” denotes prophetic light, revealing to them the past, present and future; this being made possible by the Spirit of God and by holy angels. The number “four” shows that there are four classes of saints to be considered in the judgment. Two of these classes are to be resurrected; namely, those who died naturally, and those who were martyred. The other two are they who shall be translated at the coming of Christ; namely, the 144,000 of Revelation 7:1-8, and the great multitude with palms in their hands, as shown in Rev. 7:9. As the wings of the lion, and also of the four-headed leopard beast (Babylon and Grecia) represent numbers of periods then they must stand for the same on these beasts. They are to point out the seal under which the judgment began – the sixth seal – therefore six wings. “Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.” That is, God before the judgment, in the time of the judgment, and after the judgment.
Rev. 4:7: “And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.” The beasts by nature also represent the four periods of the church. The first beast is like a lion. “Lion” is the king of beasts, and is intended to point out the first period of the church before the ceremonial section, with which the judgment began. The second beast being “like a calf,” it is evident that he represents the sacrificial, or typical section. Thus the beast with the “face of a man” must represent the anti-typical period after the crucifixion. And the fourth beast was like a “flying eagle.” He represents the period in the time of the harvest. The last period is symbolized by the flying eagle to denote the church that shall be translated. A “flying eagle” is king of birds, as the lion is king of beasts, which is a sign of victory, thus making a perfect symbol. As the judgment of the dead began with the beast like a lion, – king of beasts, – just so the judgment of the living begins with the beast like an eagle, – king of birds. The entire truth of these “four beasts” is not yet revealed.
The Book: In the right hand of the great Judge lays a closed book, sealed with seven seals. What book could this be? As only the Lamb “prevailed to open the book and to loose the seven seals thereof” (Rev. 5: 5), this gives clear indication that it is His (the Lamb’s) book, otherwise known as “the Lamb’s book of Life” (Rev. 21: 27). This book contains the life record of all whom have even engaged in the ministry and service of the Lamb. Says the prophetess to the remnant: “The books of record in heaven, in which the names and the deeds of men are registered, are to determine the decisions in the judgment…The book of life contains the names of all who have ever entered the service of God…As the books of record are opened in the judgment, the lives of all who have believed on Jesus come in review before God. Beginning with those who first lived upon the earth, our Advocate presents the cases of each successive generation, and closes with the living.” The Great Controversy, p. 480, 483. Moreover, the fact that the four and twenty elders and the four beasts sang saying thou “hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people and nation” (Rev. 5:9), clearly establishes the truth that those who are being reviewed (investigated) in this judgment are people from every segment of human history, beginning with those who first lived upon the earth. It is rather difficult to imagine the judgment proceeding with “every” nation, and not including those who lived during the first four thousand years of earth’s history before the cross!
“The Book With Seven Seals Contains the History of the World [Revelation 5:1-3 quoted]. There in His open hand lay the book, the roll of the history of God’s providences, the prophetic history of nations and the church. Herein was contained the divine utterances, His authority, His commandments, His laws, the whole symbolic counsel of the Eternal, and the history of all ruling powers in the nations. In symbolic language was contained in that roll the influence of every nation, tongue, and people from the beginning of earth’s history to its close.” Ellen G. White, Manuscript Releases, Volume Nine, p.7.
“Thus the Jewish leaders made their choice. Their decision was registered in the book which John saw in the hand of Him that sat upon the throne, the book which no man could open. In all its vindictiveness this decision will appear before them in the day when this book is unsealed by the Lion of the tribe of Judah.” Ellen G. White, Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 294.
The Spirit of Prophecy continues: “This roll was written within and without. John says: ‘I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon’ [verse 4]. The vision as presented to John made its impression upon his mind. The destiny of every nation was contained in that book. John was distressed at the utter inability of any human being or angelic intelligence to read the words, or even to look thereon. His soul was wrought up to such a point of agony and suspense that one of the strong angels had compassion on him, and laying his hand on him assuringly, said, ‘Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof’ [verse 5].
John continues: [verses 6, 7, quoted]. As the book was unrolled, all who looked upon it were filled with awe. There were no blanks in the book. There was space for no more writing. [Rev. 5:8-14; 6:8-11; 8:1-4, quoted.]” – Manuscript Releases Volume Twelve, page 296-297.
The fact that this book contains “the influence of every nation, tongue, and people from the beginning of earth’s history to its close,” coupled also with the truth that the decisions of “the Jewish leaders” have been inscribed in this book makes doubly clear the impossibility of this book’s ever being the book of Daniel, rather, it is the book of the judgment, the great book of life.
With the judgment scenery clearly established, and the Lamb now standing before the great Judge, we are now ready to look into the book with the Lamb as he loosens the seven seals thereof.
THE SEVEN SEALS
Requisite to a correct understanding of the seven seals, is the ability to correctly determine the beginning of these seals. The Second horse and his rider (the second seal) gives us an important interpretative key for understanding the rest of the seals, for saith the scriptures: “And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. 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” Rev. 6: 3, 4.
The life-work of the second horse’s rider was “to take peace from the earth” with his peace destroying sword, wherewith humans would “kill one another.” The only time that “peace” has ever reigned on this earth has been during the Edenic state of earth’s history. Bloodshed was unknown amongst the human family, and although marred by the curse of sin, the earth remained in its pristine form until the time of the flood when it was radically changed. Since therefore, murders and death occurred in the human family from the time of Cain’s slaying his brother Abel, it is clear that the period of the second seal covers the post-Edenic world. And while the murder of Abel was the first incursion of killing amongst the children of Adam, it would take the post flood world to truly magnify the atrocities indicated under the second seal. When the antediluvians left off from the building of their tower of Babel through the confounding of their language, their quarrels grew to wars, and their wars to rumors of wars, and from that day to this, the systematic killing amongst the human family has not abated.
The word “peace” as herein used carries Strong’s Greek No. 1515, eirhnh, eirene, pronounced i-ray’-nay. It is there defined as “(1) a state of national tranquility; (1a) exemption from the rage and havoc of war, (2) peace between individuals, i.e. harmony, concord; (3) security, safety, prosperity, felicity, (because peace and harmony make and keep things safe and prosperous); (4) of the Messiah’s peace; (4a) the way that leads to peace (salvation); (5) of Christianity, the tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and content with its earthly lot, of whatsoever sort that is; (6) the blessed state of devout and upright men after death.”
The Greek Dictionary’s definition clearly shows what kind of peace is here being taken away–an experience free from the rage and havoc of war. To repeat, the only time when this world has been truly freed from “the rage and havoc of war,” has been in its Edenic state and pristine beauty. Never since then has peace prevailed on this earth, and will never ever again be, until the “Prince of Peace” again establishes His Kingdom of Peace, when “the government shall be upon His shoulder” (Isa. 9: 6).
Realizing further, that the Second Rider’s mission is to “take peace from the earth,” further magnifies the fact that one cannot take away peace if it had not been there before. In the times of Christ and the early Christian Church, peace had long left the earth by nearly four thousand years! The Christian church was founded upon murder and bloodshed, from the murder of John The Baptist, to the crucifixion of Christ, to the stoning of Stephen to the persecution of the early church, peace had never been the lot of the early Christians, in fact it was Jesus who said, “I came not to send peace on the earth, but a sword.” The advent of Christianity, created the wielding of the sword against its disciples. It is totally unbiblical and illogical, therefore, to teach that “The seven seals represent events of a religious character, and contain the history of the church from the opening of the Christian Era to the second coming of Christ.” Daniel and The Revelation, Uriah Smith, 1944 Ed, p. 425. Rather, it should now be clear to the student of Scripture and sacred history, that the seven seals span the entire history of the earth, beginning with those who first lived upon the earth, and closing with the living at the second coming of Christ in power and great glory. Now that the second seal has brought us primarily to the world after the flood, it is clear that it forms the inflection point to understanding the rest of the seals, clearly indicating that the First seal occurred during the first centuries of the earth before the flood, and the remaining six occurred after the flood, thereby spanning the entire world’s history under the tyranny of sin. The very number of the of the seals being “seven” further establishes the truth that they represent the completeness of the sealing work of God–redemption, in saving a people for His future Kingdom of glory. As the number seven means “completeness,” “perfection” or “all,” we further see that there are seven distinct periods (messages) of sealing throughout the history of the world, delivered from heaven to lost mankind.
Another point worthy of notice is that the book sealed with seven seals was unveiled and unsealed during the investigative judgment, an event which commenced at the end of the 2300 days of Dan. 8:14, in the year 1844. As this truth cannot be refuted, it is solidly established that the opening of the book with seven seals occurred in 1844, during the judgment in the heavenly sanctuary. To see this in context, we invite the reader to follow the sequence of events in the following verses: “And, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne… And I saw in the right hand of Him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals…And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, … And He came and took the book out of the right hand of Him that sat upon the throne…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.” Rev. 4:2; 5:1,6,7; 6:1.
The above paragraph makes clear that:
1. The throne being “set” (placed) in heaven was not always there, thus it is the judicial throne of the Eternal God.
2. The Book sealed with seven seals in His right hand, clearly points to the book of records of the nations to be judged in this judgment session.
3. The judgment, covering “every nation” must comprehend the whole human race, from Adam down to the last sinner before Christ returns to earth.
4. The Lamb, worthy to take the book from the right hand of the Eternal Judge, is none other than Christ, our Advocate, seen as a “slain” Lamb.
5. Christ “opened” the book sealed with seven seals, to investigate and defend the cases of those to be judged–the nations and peoples of the earth.
6. Jesus Christ opened the “seals” of the book.
7. A synonymous term for the opening of the seven seals, therefore, is the opening of the investigative judgment.
Let us now systematically study each of the seven seals in their chronological setting.
The Symbolization of The First Seal
“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. 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. ” Revelation 6:1, 2.
We have already established that the “book” here opened, is the “Lamb’s book of Life”–containing the names and life record of every individual and nation who, in one way or another, has ever engaged in the work of salvation.
The White horse and his rider: The horse with the rider represents the creation of God given to man over which he should have dominion. The color white, being purity further shows that the creation of God at the time of the first seal, is seen in its Edenic purity, untarnished by the curse of sin. “White” being a symbol of purity (Isa. 1: 18), denotes that the white horse represents the beginning of our world – sinless, as the earth was in her garb of beauty and perfection, with all the wonders on the land and in the sea.
Naturally, the first seal, the seal with which the Judgment opens, must contain the things at the very inception of the human race. Logically, then, the white horse, the first in the symbolism identifies the world’s first state of being – pure and sinless with a Divinely-crowned ruler (rider), who at first had no goal but to subdue the earth and to fill it with eternal God-like beings. The earth itself was wrapped in a garb of beauty and purity, with all the wonders on land and in sea. Nothing was wanting.
“As the earth came forth from the hand of its Maker, it was exceedingly beautiful. Its surface was diversified with mountains, hills, and plains, interspersed with nobel rivers and lovely lakes; but the hills and mountains were not abrupt and rugged, abounding in terrific steeps and frightful chasms, as they now do; the sharp ragged edges of earth’s rocky framework were buried beneath the fruitful soil, in which everywhere produced a luxuriant growth of verdure…The air, untainted by foul miasma, was clear and healthful. The entire landscape outvied in beauty and decorated grounds of the proudest palace….After the earth with its teeming animal and vegetable life had been called into existence, man, the crowning work of the Creator and the one for whom the beautiful earth had been fitted up, was brought upon the stage of action. To him was given dominion over all that his eye could behold. Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 44.
Thus the earth in its purity is fittingly represented by the “white horse”–a perfect symbol of a clean and untainted earth.
In the Garden of Eden “were trees of every variety, many of them laden with fragrant and delicious fruit. There were lovely vines… presenting a most graceful appearance, with their branches drooping under their load of tempting fruit, of the richest and most varied hues.” – Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 47.
The earth in her youth, filled with delicate flowers and covered with a carpet of living green, spanned by the blue heavens, exhibited natural beauty and elegance such as no language can describe. A living wonder without a flaw, which only the great Master Artist could bring forth.
The rider and his white horse (God’s crowned king, Adam, and his peaceful government, his white horse) are, therefore, the first to be weighed on the balances, the first to come in review before the Judicial Throne. Hence, we are again reminded that this character-searching event, the Judgment, is the very thing that was to take place “hereafter” from John’s time, years after the first century of the Christian era.
The rider’s crown and his bow call to mind the office which man first filled the instant God said, “Let us make man in Our image, after Our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.” Gen. 1:26. And God blessed Adam and Eve, and God said unto them, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it,” conquer it. Gen. 1:28.
Plain it is that at the Throne of Judgment, the white horse, the rider, and his crown, figuratively identify Adam, God’s created king, and his kingdom. And if the only thing which he was commanded to conquer was the earth, by replenishing and subduing it, then what else in the field of symbolism can the “bow,” the instrument to conquer with logically represent but Eve? As bows naturally delivers arrows, the bible likens arrows to “children” (Ps. 127: 5), then eve becomes in this connection, Adam’s bow–his child bearing delivering agency.
The Bow in his hand: The Greek word used to define “bow” bears Strong’s Greek No.5115, toxon, toxon, pronounced “tox’-on” from the base of 5088 AV-bow, “a bow.” Strong’s Gr. #5088 tiktw, tikto, pronounced “tik’-to.” That Dictionary defines it thusly: ” (1) to bring forth, bear, produce (fruit from the seed); (1a) of a woman giving birth; (1b) of the earth bringing forth its fruits; (1c) metaphor to bear, bring forth.” This word “bow” is used only one time in the Greek New Testament, and its only occurrence renders it as “of a woman giving birth.” When the Creator made the man and the woman, he commissioned them to have “dominion,” or kingly authority over the fish of the sea, over the fowl of the air, and over everything that moves on the earth or in the waters, and they were to “subdue” the earth. (See Gen. 1:26-28). The only means by which Adam could replenish the earth, was through his wife Eve. Thus the bow is a fitting symbol of his bow, his spouse, Eve.
It is also of further interest to note that the Hebrew word for “subdue” as in subduing the earth is the word meaning to conquer. No. 3533, kabash, pronounced “kaw-bash’,” means “to conquer, subjegate, violate, bring into bondage, force, keep under, subdue, bring into subjection.” As clear as language can describe it, Adam and his wife Eve, were to conquer the earth, by bringing it under “subjection” to their kingly authority. The word conquer (subdue) herein used does not have the slightest indication of tyranny and bloodshed, rather it shows possession and ownership on the part of the appointed custodians. It was the purpose of the Creator to populate this earth with godly beings, who would eventually replace the third part of angels who fell with Lucifer at the time of his titanic rebellion against the Government of Heaven.
“And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow.” The bow is an implement used to conquer with (replenish). Therefore, Adam was given a bow (Eve) corresponding with the words: “And the Lord God said, It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof: And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” (Gen. 2:18, 21-23.) “And Adam called his wife’s name Eve: because she was the mother of all living.” (Gen. 3:20.) Thus this sacred institution was originated by the Creator of the universe. ” ‘Marriage is honorable’; it was one of the first gifts of God to man, and it is one of the two institutions that, after the fall, Adam brought with him beyond the gates of Paradise.” – “Patriarchs and Prophets,” p. 46. Thus Adam conquered (inhabited the earth) with the bow (Eve).
The Symbolization of The Second Seal
“And when He had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. 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.” Rev. 6:3, 4.
If the white horse represents the first period of earth’s history–Adam’s dominion, then the red horse must stand for the one that followed. “Red” is the same as scarlet, which is a symbol of sin (Isa. 1: 18) and condemnation.
After Adam sinned, the earth was cursed, and its perfect beauty marred. Thus the white horse passed away, and a red one took its place. Said God, “Cursed is the ground for thy sake, in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life.” But this symbol applies more directly after the flood, for the entire surface of the earth was changed by the deluge. “A third dreadful curse rested upon it in consequence of sin. As the water began to subside, the hills and mountains were surrounded by a vast, turbid sea…. The earth presented an appearance of confusion and desolation impossible to describe. The mountains, once so beautiful in their perfect symmetry, had become broken and irregular. Stone, ledges, and ragged rocks were now scattered upon the surface of the earth. In many places, hills and mountains had disappeared, leaving no trace where they once stood; and plains had given place to mountain ranges. These changes were more marked in some places than in others. Where once had been earth’s richest treasures of gold, silver, and precious stones, were seen the heaviest marks of the curse. And upon the countries that were not inhabited, and those where there had been the least crime, the curse rested more lightly.” – Patriarchs and Prophets, page 108. Thus the red horse represents the period after the flood.
What a mystery sin indeed is! First the antediluvians did not believe in even the possibility of a flood, and next they did not believe in the impossibility of one!
Rather than to set them free from fear, the Word of God spoken through Noah impelled the post-diluvians to feel that there was an unavoidable necessity to build the tower of Babel as a defense against a second flood. Disapproving of their unbelief and false alarm, however, the Lord demonstrated His displeasure by interfering with their wicked and foolish project: He destroyed their tower and confounded their language. Thus it was that the confusion at Babel (Gen. 11:8, 9) gave birth to the existing races and languages.
Finally, as the confused builders parted in groups, the neighboring ones began to quarrel one with another. And as they at length grew into nations, their quarrels grew into wars. Hence, the historical truth that wars for the first time broke out after the confusion of tongues, shows that the red horse and, in particular, its rider, depict the period in which the tower of Babel was annihilated, and in which peace gave way to wars.
Moreover, another anchor to the proof, is the phrase, “To take peace from the earth,” for it obviously implies that there was peace before that time. Thus the period under the “red horse” gave birth to the existing unrest among the nations. Therefore, power was given him “to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.” Thus the evidence proves that the red horse represents the period after the flood; and the rider, its inhabitants, corresponding with the “lion” (Babylon), and later with the “bear” (Medo-Persia). At the commencement of the Persian government, the previous quarrels broke out in bloody wars, thus the words by the ribs in the mouth of the bear, “Arise, devour much flesh” (Dan. 7:5) met a perfect fulfillment. Therefore, peace was taken from the earth by the great sword in the hand of the rider on the red horse.
The Symbolization Of The Third Seal
The white horse is a symbol of purity, being submerged by the red, which is a symbol of sin, and the red being succeeded by the “black,” denotes spiritual darkness, or mental blindness. Therefore, the color (black), signifies misconception of God’s character and personality–spiritual darkness and bondage.
As man plunged into sin, his moral and spiritual powers were weakened to the extent that his vision of God’s invisible presence was blotted out. The sinner’s spiritual corruption and immoral inclinations demanded a visible deity to redeem him from everlasting ruin. Thus the worship of the unseen and omnipresent One was forsaken, and the adoration of idols substituted. This state of spiritual darkness had overwhelmed the inhabitants of our world in the days of Abram, only about three hundred years after the flood.
The black horse must represent the period from Abraham’s time to the Christian era. Evidently Israel after the flesh comes under the period of the black horse. In each instance, when the world reached the climax of Satanic deception, God, in His mercy and love for sinners, was compelled to make certain moves to preserve human probation. At that time He could not destroy the sinners from the face of the earth and yet keep His promise to Noah. To assure the preservation of the covenant He called out Abram from idolatrous Babylon to the worship of the true God, starting out a separate nation by one family similar to that of Adam and Noah; and the result was that the twelve Patriarchs of Israel came forth, of whom God made one great nation.
It was of this postdiluvian generation to which Paul had reference when he declared: “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them” Rom. 1:21-32.
The Balances In The Rider’s Hand: Rev. 6:5, last part, “And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.” As the white horse rider’s crown and bow refer to his privileges, and the great sword in the hand of the red horse’s rider shows his prerogative, just so the balances in the hand of the rider of the black horse must have reference to the people and their characteristics, in that period.
Balances are used for commercial purposes–weighing, trading, buying and selling. Therefore, the symbol denotes the first introduction of a commercialistic idea. Prior to, or about Abram’s time, commercial trading between nations was unknown. But in the period represented by the black horse this idea was born. The Phoenician-Semitic race are credited with the ever-increasing discovery, with Sidon and Tyre as their chief commercial centers. “Who hath taken this counsel against Tyre, the crowning city, whose merchants are princes, whose traffickers are the honorable of the earth?” (Isa. 23:8.)
“We must mention another ‘Little’ people of this Semitic race whose influence upon the world has been more potent than that of Egypt, or Babylonia – the Phoenicians. Their state also was one of the smallest in antiquity…. Their two chief cities were Sidon, and, a short distance away, the queen of Phoenician cities, Tyre. But in time they were to spread their trade-colonies all over the Mediterranean, and up into other lands, ever on the search for new Trade areas and commercial centers. They were the bees of the ancient world carrying the pollen of culture wherever they went. The necessities of trade and commerce drove them to perfect the alphabet and from them the western world obtained it. In some respects they were unique in the ancient world, and this distinction was interred with them. For they were not interested in conquests, save commercial; and they did not mind paying tribute to military powers, as long as those powers did not interfere with their rights of trade. They had a Greek-like capacity for assimilating to themselves whatever Egypt, Babylonia, Assyria, Persia or any other phase of civilization offered; but their chief genius lay in invention, technical skill, business activity, and in industry. In the working of iron, gold, ivory, glass, and purple dyes they stood in the ancient world without a peer.
“We recall from the Old Testament the story of David’s wish to build a temple worthy of the worship of the God of Israel. It is intimated to him that the work had better be left to his son Solomon. So we see Solomon making a treaty with Hiram, King of Tyre. Hiram was to furnish cedar and cypress-wood, together with carpenters and stone-masons for the building, and to ship the materials on rafts to Juda. Much of the external splendor of Solomon’s brilliant and showy rule should be credited to the technical skill of these master-craftsmen of Phoenicia. Through their cities flowed the highly profitable trade of Arabia and the East: and their manufacturers were kept busy turning out their products of metals, glass, and purple. By sea and by land they traveled everywhere– missionaries of trade–the master-bargainers of the Old World. At the time of Homer the Phoenicians were credited with being pirates – robbers – and merchants only by virtue of necessity. Possibly nothing worse than legend, but we are told they brought their trinkets beads, and cheap baubles, which they sold at high prices and kidnapped boys and girls to be sold in the eastern markets as a sideline.” – Essential Knowledge, – The Phoenicians,” Vol. 1, pp. 69, 70.
Hurt Not The Oil And The Wine: Rev. 6:6, “And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say,… and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.” According to Revelation 4:6, the four beasts are round about the throne. Therefore, the throne is in the midst of the beasts. Says John: “And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts.” One of the things he heard was, “See thou hurt not the oil and the wine.” Therefore, whatever is meant by the symbol, it is not of men, but of God, for it was He who commanded, “Hurt not the oil and the wine.”
It is an accepted fact by nearly all Bible students, that “oil” symbolizes prophetic truth as unveiled by the Holy Spirit, truth that throws light on the future, that lightens (gladdens) the traveler’s path (Ps. 45:7; Zech. 4:12); and that “wine” is used as a symbol of the blood of Christ. Wine is also a symbol of God’s words of truth–doctrine (Isa. 55:1). Moreover as the “life is in the blood,” the wine denotes life eternal, found only in “the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world.” Said Jesus, “The words that I speak unto you they are spirit and they are life” – “oil” and “wine.” The words (teachings or doctrine) in the Bible are the “Spirit” and the “Life.” Therefore, the command, “hurt not the oil and the wine,” has reference to the Bible – the Spirit and the Life. But why was the command given to this particular rider? Why not to one of the others? The only answer that can be given is that the period under the black horse and his rider gave birth to the Bible. The command was obeyed and the Bible came. In time of idolatry and dense spiritual darkness, God, in His never failing love, blessed the human family by the gift of His written Word for a “lamp and a Light” to the world (Ps.119:105). The voice from the throne “Hurt not the oil and the wine,” is the voice in the Bible and the words of Jehovah, preserving His words to the lost children of Adam.
It is of further interest to note that the great Lawgiver was at this time protecting His words from being destroyed, and perverted. Realizing that the Phoenicians perfected “the alphabet and from them the western world obtained it,” coupled with the thought that wicked and evil men and women were then seeking to change “the truth of God into a lie” (Rom. 1:25), makes the truth doubly clear that the Eternal One sought to preserve His Word (the Bible) by decreeing not to “hurt” it, in the midst of this most intense spiritual darkness.
To summarize, it is obvious that the command, “Hurt not the oil and the wine,” forbade interference with the writings of the Scriptures, again showing that the breaking of the third seal unveils the period in which the alphabet was invented and in which commercialism was originated; the period in which the Bible was being written, and in which one nation subjugated another; the period that gave birth to Empires.
A Measure of Wheat for a Penny and Three Measures of Barley for a Penny: “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.” (Rev. 6:6.) Again we turn the reader’s attention to the fact that the voice came from the throne. (See chapter 5, verse 11.) Therefore, the price of the cereals is fixed by the Great Judge.
There must be something of great importance in these symbols, for the Great Jehovah Himself is speaking. What could it be? “The penny was the daily pay of a Roman soldier in the time of Christ. In the reign of Edward III. an English penny was a labourer’s day’s wages” Easton’s Revised Bible Dictionary, #25891. We believe the words of Jesus justify this: “For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard.” (Matt. 20:1, 2.) The penny is the fixed days wage by the householder of the vineyard.
Note that the barley is but one third the price of the wheat; in other words, one goes into the field and gathers only one measure of wheat and receives a full day’s pay, but the other who works all day gathers three measures of barley, and receives no more than a day’s wage – “a penny.” The symbols have a very close connection with the parable given by Christ. Therefore, let the reader concentrate on the subject, for here is a truth worth our earnest attention.
“And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the market place, And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way. And again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise. And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle? They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He said unto them Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive.” (Matt. 20:3-7.)
The “householder” in the parable has reference to God the Father, for the parable is to reveal the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, the vineyard is the world and those sent to labor in it are the church. The parable cannot refer to one literal day of twelve hours, into which God has made five calls for laborers in the vineyard (world); for there is no record where God raised five church organizations in one day, and had them operating all at the same time. Therefore, the calls in the parable must extend over a period of world history in connection with the church, and that period Jesus allegorically compares to a twelve-hour day during which He hired laborers on five different occasions. If we can locate the time to which each one of these calls refer, then we shall fully comprehend the lesson and the time in which we are living. We shall endeavor to prove that the parable has reference to the “wheat and barley,” each for a “penny.”
Note that the householder bargained only with those he hired first. Also, note that they went to work in the morning. He hired the laborers at five intervals. Four of them were three hours apart; but the fifth and last call was only two hours later than the fourth, which was at the eleventh hour – just one hour before sunset. “A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny.” (Rev. 6:6.) Why was the wheat mentioned first, and the barley last? Why not the reverse? Why three times as much barley for a penny to one of wheat? Or why not the reverse? The Scriptures are perfect and no flaw can be found in them. Therefore, there must be a reason for this order of arrangement, as well as for the quantity of each cereal. Barley ripens much earlier than wheat. (Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 539) Therefore, those hired first must be represented by the barley, otherwise the symbol could not be perfect. The barley, then, represents the Jewish nation, as they were hired first (Christ’s Object Lessons, pp. 400-401). Naturally the wheat must represent the ones called at the eleventh hour (Selected Messages Book 3, p. 390). It is marvelous how perfect the Scriptures are.
Why only two kinds of cereals brought to view? Why not five? The two cereals are sufficient to illustrate the thought and to clear the lesson. But the chief reason for only two is to draw attention to the first and last calls, because reference is made of but two Israels; namely, Israel after the flesh (the descendants of Abraham), and Israel after the spirit, the 144,000. But the object of the lesson is for the latter, who are hired at the eleventh hour, for the truth of the parable has never been understood by any other company.
Mark that the ones hired first worked all the day, but those hired last labored only one hour. For that reason the voice said, “three measures of barley” as against “one measure of wheat” for a penny – day’s wage. The interval between each call was three hours. The “measures” denote the allegorical hours consumed in labor. The intervals of three hours between each call is a symbol of a full length of time allowed to each movement, or message, without specific meaning as to the numbers of years. Those called last, labored only one hour, but they too received equally as much. The generosity of the Goodman signifies that all God’s servants are equally rewarded, not in proportion to their deeds, but according to the benevolence of the householder. Moreover, the one thing all saints will have in common, is their reward for service, their “penny a day”–eternal life.
Now the question why the voice from the throne said, “One measure of wheat for a penny,” first, and “three measures of barley for a penny,” last, will be answered. Humanly speaking it should have been the reverse, for by the wheat is represented the last message (eleventh hour) and by the barley the first (early in the morning – Israel going out of Egypt). Had the voice reversed the enumeration of the cereals, it would have been wrong, for said Jesus: “So when even was come, the Lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first. And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. But when the first came, they supposed that they should receive more; and they likewise received every man a penny. And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house, Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day. But he answered one of them and said Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny? Take that thine is and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good? So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.” (Matt. 20:8-16.) Thus a measure of wheat for a penny, first, and three measures of barley for a penny, last. They that murmured represent that part of the Jewish nation who were unworthy of eternal life, and the phrase, “Friend, I do thee no wrong…. Take that thine is, and go thy way,” denotes the rejection of the nation.
The Symbolization Of The Fourth Seal
“And when He had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. 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.” Rev. 6:7, 8.
Since the pale horse falls in the same period as does the non-descript beast of Daniel 7:7, 8, the period subsequent to the third seal, they consequently resemble each other. Indeed, its color being faint, wanting, not having a specific or definite hue or character, the horse is in the last analysis non-descript, too. Very evidently the rider of the pale horse is synonymous with him who spake against the Most High, with him who was to wear out the saints, “and think to change times and laws.” Dan. 7:25. He is seen to represent the climax of idolatry. The ancient Roman government is fittingly symbolized by the non-descript beast, because in truth its administration was an admixture of civil and religious laws, of Pagan and Christian doctrines. No one could actually tell whether the Roman government was Pagan or Christian, Jewish or Gentile.
The rider’s name, “death,” also perfectly fits the then persecuting spirit and cruelties of both the Jews and the Romans. History and prophecy alike confirm that the Roman subversive power “devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet.” Dan. 7:19.
The truth concerning the “fourth part of the earth,” over which power was given unto them “to kill with the sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth,” is easily discovered: Dividing 6,000, the years from the fall of Adam into sin to the commencement of the millennium, into four equal parts, gives 1500 years (“the fourth part”), in the end of which time the power was to wane. Again, it being true that the slaying of the saints began with the crucifixion of Christ, this “fourth part of the earth,” therefore, began at that time and ended with the “Augsburg Confession,” a document compiled by Luther and presented at the Diet of Augsburg to the Emperor, Charles V, in 1530, – exactly 1500 years after the resurrection of Christ (considering that the Christian era is 3 1/2 years pre-dated), the time the Roman power did wane.
These deductions become even more impeachable in the light of the historical fact that the Protestant clash against despotism, finally caused the persecution to cease. So it is that this part of the scripture under discussion, was fulfilled in 1530 by the weakening of the Jewish-Pagan and Christian-Pagan powers’ killing with sword, hunger, death, and beasts. (This part of the prophecy, incidentally, overthrows the erroneous idea that the earth has been in existence for longer than 6,000 years.)
At this point it is well to note that while the number of horses, four, represents the four corners of the compass, the number of seals, seven, denotes the completeness of the gospel, the sealing of all the saints.
The Symbolization Of The Fifth Seal
“And when He had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the Word of God and for the testimony which they held: and they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord holy and true, dost Thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? 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.” Rev. 6:9-11.
The certainty that the souls cried from under the altar, the place from which God’s truth is dispensed, makes obvious that they were slain for their firmness in the Word of God, and that for their faithfulness they were given white robes – they were accounted worthy of eternity. That they were the martyrs of the preceding period, the period of the fourth seal, is clear from the fact that they were already dead when the fifth seal opened.
Moreover, an altar denotes renewal of faith, reformation–restoration of true worship. That is what it meant to Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Elijah in the instances they built their altars (Gen. 8:20; 12:8; 26:25; 35:14, 1Kings 18: 30-39). The souls’ being under the altar, indicates that they sacrificed their lives for a cause similar to the cause of the martyrs during the Protestant Reformation. And the question, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost Thou not judge?” Also the answer, “that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled,” concretely prove that the persecution and martyrdom of the fourth seal were to overlap the fifth seal, and that the Judgment of the dead (the martyrs) was not to begin until after the persecution had ceased, but that then it would certainly begin.
The Symbolization Of The Sixth Seal
“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; and the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.” Rev. 6:12, 13.
The sixth seal opens with the Lisbon earthquake of November 1, 1755. Following the earthquake the sun was darkened, May 19, 1780, and the moon appeared as blood the following night. The “falling of the stars,” has reference to the great meteoric shower of November 13, 1833. (See The Great Controversy, pp. 304-309, 333, 334). Jesus, looking forward to the fulfillment of these signs, said: “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken.” (Matt. 24:29.) Therefore, under the sixth seal came the signs of the time of the end – the great earthquake in 1755, the dark day in 1780 the falling stars in 1833, and the beginning of the judgment in 1844.
Let it be noted however, that these geo-physical and celestial events sandwiched between 1755 and 1833 were mere forecasts for the commencement of the judgment for the dead, an event which convened in 1844, at the end of the 2300 days. These signs will again be repeated in preparation for the judgment transferring from the cases of the dead to the judgment for the living in our day. These global disturbances and celestial exhibitions between the years 1755 and 1833, in themselves, however, appear to be forecasts of the things which take place during the great and dreadful day of the Lord”–the judgment for the living. If this be true, then the earthquake foreshadows the forthcoming shaking, sifting, among the nations, as predicted by the prophets:
“Behold, the name of the Lord cometh from far, burning with His anger, and the burden thereof is heavy: His lips are full of indignation, and His tongue as a devouring fire: and His breath, as an overflowing stream, shall reach to the midst of the neck, to sift the nations with the sieve of vanity: and there shall be a bridle in the jaws of the people, causing them to err.” “And the fir trees shall be terribly shaken.” Isa. 30:27, 28; Nah. 2:3.
The darkening of the sun would bespeak the closing of the gospel, the end of probationary time, the time when man “shall run to and fro to seek the Word of the Lord, and shall not find it.” “For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people.” Amos 8:12; Isa. 60:2.
The moon, associated with the sun, makes a fitting symbol of the church, the agency by which the Word of God, the “light” of the world (Ps. 119:105), is reflected. The moon’s becoming as blood immediately following the darkening of the sun, refusing to reflect light, would be an appropriate omen of the church’s having finished her work of salvation, no longer needing to reflect the Light of the gospel. And the church herself is, of course, at that time imbued with eternal life, delivered from destruction as were the firstborn in the dwellings where the door posts had been painted with the sacrificial blood on the evening of the Passover in the land of Egypt.
The falling stars are suggestive of the great and terrible day of the Lord – the day in which “the heavens…pass away” (2 Pet. 3:10), the day in which all their host is dissolved, and in which the Devil and his host, also the wicked in the church and in the world, “shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree.” Isa. 34:4.
All these signs stand as faithful witnesses that the sixth seal, the sixth period of time, brings the great day of God, the wrath of the Lamb, and that the judgment actually commenced in the year 1844, during the sixth seal. That the events which opened the sixth seal (judgment for the dead) will again be repeated in the seventh seal (judgment for the living) is further evidenced in the fact that the Bible repeats them too.
“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions…And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke [tornadoes]. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.” Joel 2: 28-32
From the above scripture we see the Majesty of heaven showing “wonders in the heavens and in the earth,” before He has poured out his Spirit on his church, before “the great and the terrible day of the LORD comes.” It will be noted that probation has not yet closed at this time, for saith the Lord, “whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered [saved]”. There will then be salvation only in the message of “the remnant [144,000, Zeph. 3:13] whom the LORD shall call” Joel 2: 32.
“Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining. The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel. So shall ye know that I am the LORD your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more.” Joel 3: 13-17.
“And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; and said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: for the great day of His wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?” Rev. 6:14-17.
In these verses are pictured the fate, the fear, and the smitten conscience of all who are not able to stand in the day of the Judgment of the living, the great and dreadful day of the Lord – the wrath of the Lamb in the great “time of trouble such as never was” (Dan. 12:1), the day following the appearance of the antitypical “Elijah the prophet” (Mal. 4:5) – yes, the day in which those who have not clad themselves in the wedding garment, are cast into outer darkness, there to gnash their teeth (Matt. 22:11-13). As portrayed in chapter seven, only the 144, 000 and the great multitude from every nation kindred tongue and people, they and only they, “shall be able to stand” (Rev. 6:17).
According to the following testimony, Revelation 6:12-17, has a double application, and it is clear that these verses also refer to the time of the purification of God’s church (the judgment for the living in the house of God), for the servant of the Lord says, “In these scriptures two parties are brought to view. One party permitted themselves to be deceived, and took sides with those with whom the Lord has a controversy. They misinterpreted the message sent them, and clothed themselves in robes of self-righteousness. Sin was not sinful in their eyes. They taught falsehood as truth, and by them many souls were led astray.” – Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 9, page 268.
Thus it is that while the first four seals carry us through the periods of the day in which the works of man are made manifest, the last three seals carry us through the day of God, the day in which His Truth and His works are made manifest.
That there should be a climax of some kind in the Judicial work at this particular point of the Scriptures (Rev. 6:14-17), is not a mystery. Its being stamped with the events which end the reign of sin, and this being realized by even the sinners themselves, is a very good indication that during the sixth seal the Judgment of the dead closes, and the preparations for the Judgment of the living begin. It is the “dreadful day” for the wicked.
Moreover, as the first phase of the Judgment passes with the sixth chapter of Revelation, the second phase begins with the seventh chapter; that is, it begins with the sealing of the living saints, the first fruits. It is the “great day” for the righteous.
The Parenthetical Nature of the Sixth Seal: The reader will note that the events of the sixth seal closes with the “wrath of the Lamb,” the great second advent of our Saviour and King. John, in describing the events which commenced in 1755 AD (Rev. 6: 12-13) did not mention the sealing of the saints of God, the mark of the beast system, Jacob’s time of trouble and the great time of trouble, the seven last plagues and the rise and fall of Babylon, therefore since the end of all things are at hand, and they are not explicitly mentioned in Revelation chapter 6, it is clear that those events must be fulfilled prior to the second advent. This then allows us to see that the events of the sixth seal includes all last day issues, and closes with the coming of Christ in glory.
Who are the One Hundred Forty and Four Thousand: “And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.” Rev. 7:1-4.
From the implication that “the four winds” are to blow and the four angels are to hurt as soon as the servants of God are sealed is seen looming the “time of trouble” (5 Testimonies, p. 152) such as never was (Dan. 12:1).
Moving from the four corners of the compass, the winds must represent a worldwide disturbance of some kind. Very obvious it is, too, that their blowing and the angels’ hurting, represent two armies in conflict. The wind’s blowing is, of course, the anger of the nations against the saints; and the angels’ hurting is doubtless the Lord’s judgment falling upon His enemies. In other words, the angels and the winds together represent a trouble between God and the nations involving both saints and sinners. Indeed, it is the great and dreadful day of the Lord.
The difference between the “great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world” (Matt. 24:21), and the “time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation” (Dan. 12:1), is that during the “great tribulation” the saints are slain (Matt. 24:21, 22), whereas during the “time of trouble” they are delivered (Dan. 12:1).
That the angels’ holding the winds does not denote their restraining the nations from warring among themselves, is made clear by the fact that the winds were not held from clashing wind against wind (nation against nation), but rather from hurting the earth, the sea, and the trees. Moreover, that the nations from the north and from the south, from the east and from the west were engaged in World War I, also in World War II, and in many other wars between although the 144,000 are not yet sealed, is another irrefutable evidence that the trouble which is forecast by the winds’ blowing and the angels’ hurting, is yet future. That it is a global disturbance, is again seen in the fact that the winds on the one hand, and the angels on the other hand, are to trouble both earth and sea.
It being a foregone conclusion that Satan is against the saints, and that the Lord is against the truth-hating and evil-doing multitude, the subject becomes crystal clear: When let loose, the winds are to strike against the faithful “remnant,” against those who are left after the earth has opened her mouth and swallowed up “the flood,” the “tares” (Rev. 12:16, 17); but the angels who are stationed to hurt, are to smite those who make war against the remnant. Those whose names are found in the book, are “delivered.” Dan. 12:1. Seeing that the 144,000, the servants of God, are not as yet sealed (not yet enclosed, protected, guarded, and ready to take their stand with the Lamb on Mt. Sion, but rather are still commingled with the tares) the angels are commanded to forestall the clash.
Consequently, when this sealing work is completed, then the angels who hold the winds, will let the winds blow, and the angels who are to hurt the earth, sea, and trees, will then commence their given work. Otherwise stated, to let the winds blow, is to permit the two-horn beast to decree “that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed” (Rev. 13:15); and to let the angels hurt, is to allow the Lord’s decree to take its course: “If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of His indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb.” Rev. 14:9, 10. This warning is followed by the forecast:
“The four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.” Rev. 9:15. [The seven trumpets will be covered in a separate study].
Both decrees will be in force after the 144,000 are sealed. Here is seen that from among the first fruits of the harvest, come the 144,000, the servants of God for the closing work of the great harvest. These are the first saints ever to have been relieved of the “tares” among them. Get ready, Brother, Sister, for the time is at hand.
We have now seen that the first six seals reveal a phase of truth covering the history of the world from Adam’s time on to our time. This phase of truth reveals the sealing of the first and second fruits: From among the first fruits come the 144,000 – 12,000 out of each of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel. Down through the centuries they have descended first as Jacobites and then as Christians. After these, come the second fruits, the great multitude out “of all nations.” Rev. 7:9-17. [A complete treatment of the 144,000 and the great multitude will be given in another study.] The remainder of The Revelation, is wrapped in the events of the seventh seal.
The Symbolization Of The Seventh Seal.
“And when He had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets. And another angel came and stood at the altar having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand. And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake. And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.” Rev. 8:1-6. We will omit commentary on the second verse, for it has reference to the seven trumpets, a subject which will be given extensive treatment in a separate article. The silence in heaven for about half an hour cannot be the second coming of Christ, as some have thought, for afterward the angel with the golden censer and incense, offered the prayers for the saints from the golden altar.
The Angel With The “Golden Censer”
As in previous discussions, is remains true here as well, that a correct understanding of the book of Revelation requires a correct knowledge of the symbolization, and application of the sanctuary and its services. Here we are introduced to the “golden censer” and the “altar of incense,” items which are strictly used in the Sanctuary for the atonement of sins and the prayer of all saints. The altar is in the holy place, “before the vail,” (Ex. 30:6), just opposite (in front of) the throne that is in the most holy, and it was only to be used by Aaron, the High priest. The two apartments were separated by a vail, and on the day of atonement, the vail or door of the earthly tabernacle was opened, and the high priest went “within the vail,” (Lev. 16:12-14), But let it be remembered that the door (vail) was left open while the high priest officiated, thus the two apartments became one on the day of atonement. For this reason the priests were not permitted in the holy place on that day, as they were at other times, for the vail being lifted, the holy place also became most holy. So while the door to the most holy was open, the entrance to the holy was closed. Therefore, the high priest alone used both apartments on the day of atonement. (See Lev. 16:17.) Thus the golden altar before the throne, from which the angel offered the prayers of the saints, was, and is, used in both periods – before, and in the time of the judgment. As the entire judicial tribunal (Judge, Advocate, Elders, etc.) were in the temple after the seventh seal had been opened, it is evident that the judgment was still in progress, and that probation had not closed at the time of the “silence;” for after the judgment has ceased and probation closed, no man can enter the temple. (See Rev. 15:8.)
As stated above, the golden censer is only used by the High Priest, therefore in this analysis, the “other angel” having the censer (Rev. 8:3), is a clear symbolization of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Great High Priest, offering the “prayers of all saints” “before the [judgment] throne” at the mercy seat. This being truth, clearly sets at naught the remotest possibility that the “half and hour” silence points to Jesus Christ at His second coming, for it would be both illogical and unbiblical for Christ to be offering prayers of saints left on earth after His second advent, and likewise without meaning for the Father to accept these prayers long after probation’s gaping doors have been eternally shut. For said Christ, “he that is unjust, let him be unjust still; and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still; and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still; and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” (Rev. 22:11-12).
Had the “silence” of “half an hour” pointed to the coming of Christ, at which time He takes his saints with Him, there would be no necessity for the angel to offer their prayers. Furthermore, it would be unnecessary to “cast” fire, which is the “Spirit” of God (Acts 2: 1-4), from the golden altar to the earth. Again, if the opening of the seventh seal means the coming of Christ, then only those under the six seals would have been considered in the judgment, and there could be no seventh seal, which would show lack of perfection and completeness of the judgment, and of the gospel. It would also be contrary to the number of seals on the book. As the six seals have reference to six periods in which the saints were sealed, the seventh must also apply to a sealing period; otherwise it cannot be called, the seventh “seal.”
Now let us consider the truth as taught by the last seal. Note carefully the order of each act. The seal is opened, and silence follows, for it reads: “and when he had opened the seventh seal there was silence.” The silence was followed by the angel coming to the altar with the censer, after he offered the prayers of the saints. And then he filled the censer with fire, and cast the fire into the earth and again the voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake. This is the exact order of each event. After a time the Judicial demonstrations – the voices “saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty,” the thunderings and the lightnings, – cease for the space of half an hour, very definitely indicating that the Judicial throng of the first session of the Judgment adjourns.
What made this silence? As the judgment opened, John states: “And out of the throne proceeded lightnings, and thunderings and voices;” and the four beasts “rest not day and night, saying, Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty.” (Rev. 4:5, 8.) The voices are continuous day and night while the judgment is going on. But when the seventh seal was opened these voices were silenced for about half an hour. After the angel offered the prayers of the saints, and cast the fire upon the earth, the voices resumed. “And there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.” Evidently the judgment, for some reason, had stopped, and half an hour later it resumed. It cannot be otherwise, for, if the judgment was going on, and the beasts and the elders kept silent, it would indicate that there was something wrong – something to which they could not say “amen” and praise God. Therefore, the only proper conclusion is, that for some reason the judgment retired for half an hour.
What made the interruption and brought about the change? Let us first determine the length of the prophetic half hour’s time. A day in prophetic time stands for a year. (Ezek. 4:6.) One hour is a twenty-fourth part of a prophetic year, and figuring thirty days to a month, it would be about two weeks. Half an hour would be half of two weeks; therefore, seven literal days. Seven days were used for purification–cleansing. (See Ex. 29:35, 37; Lev. 12:2; 13:4, 5; 1, 9, 11, 12, 14, 15, 21, etc.) From these references we conclude that the “half an hour” or seven days stand for the purification of the church, pointing forward to the fulfillment of Malachi 3:1-6. But there is a more definite proof, which will clear all doubts.
In observance of the Passover, the Lord commanded Israel to celebrate that occasion seven days. (See Lev. 23:5-8.) Surely no one would say that God commanded His people to commemorate that event seven days with no object in view. Israel after the flesh going into Egypt, then out of Egypt to Mount Sinai, the Passover in Egypt on the night when the death angel smote the first born of man and beast at the departure of Israel, are types of the church at the present time – the church going out of Egypt – worldliness, the purification of the church, the separation of the tares form the wheat – the fulfillment of Ezekiel 9. (A complete explanation of this subject will be given in a future study on the 144,000.) The Spirit of Prophecy bears witness of this by the following statement: “The Passover was to be both commemorative and typical, not only pointing back to the deliverance from Egypt, but forward to the greater deliverance which Christ was to accomplish in freeing His people from the bondage of sin.” – Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 277. This work will be “fulfilled in the kingdom of God” (Luke 23:16), an event which is yet future.
Thus the silence of half an hour points forward to this great event for the church of God. Its fulfillment would bring us to the time of the harvest, or as it is called, the Loud Cry of the Third Angel’s Message of Revelation 18 – the last message for the world. Thus, while the five angels with the slaughter weapons are taking away those represented by the tares within the church, there will be silence in heaven for about half an hour (seven days), after which the judgment will resume again for those who shall be sealed in the time of the great harvest–the sealing of the“great multitude,” (Rev. 7:9), which brings the end of the world. Said Jesus: “Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn” – the purified church of God. (Matt. 13:30.)
They who are to be sealed at that time were seen by John as “a great multitude” with palms in their hands. (See Rev. 7:9.) Hence the scroll has made a turn, and the sealing for those whom shall be judged while living, has begun. As stated before, the Passover night in Egypt is a type of the purification of the church, separating the tares from the wheat.
The crossing of the Red Sea by the Israelites pointed forward to the fulfillment of Isaiah 63. Therefore, the prophet declares the words of the Lord: “For the day of vengeance is in mine heart and the year of my redeemed is come.” (Isa. 63:4.) We quote verses 1-3, also 17, 18: “Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in His apparel, traveling in the greatness of His strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat? [He answers] I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment…. O Lord, why hast thou made us to err from thy ways, and hardened our heart from thy fear? Return for thy servant’s sake, the tribes of thine inheritance. The people of thy holiness have possessed it but a little while: our adversaries have trodden down thy sanctuary.”
The prophet saw Christ Himself returning from the slaughter of the Edomites – the class who were deceiving God’s people in the church, the tares, or adversaries who had trodden down His sanctuary. “Bozrah” means “sheepfold” (Micah 2:12) – the church. He saw His garments stained with the blood of the tares, in delivering His people from their hands. The prophet asked: “Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth the winefat?” The purification of the church makes it necessary for Christ to leave the place of judgment and descend to deliver His redeemed (the 144,000), and this is what causes the judgment to cease, and the voices to be silenced for about half an hour – seven days. The Spirit of Prophecy bears witness of the same. “The Lord Jesus shall rise up from His mediatorial work in the heavenly sanctuary, and shall clothe himself with the garments of vengeance, and surprise them at their unholy feast; and they will find themselves unprepared for the marriage supper of the Lamb.” – Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, p. 690. Peter, looking forward to the purification of God’s church, and the commencement of the judgment for the living, says: “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall be the end of them that obey not the gospel of God?” (1 Peter 4:17.)
It is the reception or rejection of the message of the True Witness that will fix the destiny of the two classes as described in the following testimony: “I asked the meaning of the shaking I had seen, and was shown that it would be caused by the straight testimony called forth by the counsel of the true witness to the Laodiceans. This will have its effect upon the heart of the receiver, and will lead him to exalt the standard and pour forth the straight truth. Some will not bear this straight testimony. They will rise up against it, and this is what will cause a shaking among God’s people.” – Early Writings, p. 270.
In the earthly sanctuary, the high priest entered the most holy apartment once a year, and on that particular day every Israelite was to confess his sin. He who neglected to comply with the divine requirements was cut off from his people. (See Lev. 23:29, 30.) Thus the day of anti-typical atonement, judgment, or cleansing of the sanctuary, as set forth in Daniel 8:14, is a day of purification for the camp of Israel, the church – putting away sin and sinners. The earthly sanctuary was a figure of the heavenly. (See Heb. 9:23, 24.) It was instituted with its ceremonial system to point forward to the work of Christ, our High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary during the anti-typical period – New Testament time. As the sanctuary with all its services, was a figure or type of the true, the heavenly, under the administration of Christ, so the typical Day of Atonement must point out the truth in the anti-typical period – our time.
While the judgment for the living is in progress, every sin must be confessed and put away. Those who would neglect this great privilege, will find themselves involved in everlasting ruin – cut off from among their people, the living saints. We now illustrate the difference between the opening of the judgment for the dead as compared with that of the living:
| Event No. | Judgment for the Dead (Rev 4:5; 6:12 | Judgment for the Living (Rev. 8: 5) | Judgment in Seven Last Plagues (Rev. 16: 18) |
| 1. | Earthquake | Voices | Voices |
| 2. | Lightenings | Thunderings | Thunderings |
| 3. | Thunderings | Lightenings | Lightenings |
| 4. | Voices | Earthquake | Earthquake |
A close analysis of the above table will show that both judgment sceneries open in reverse order. While the judgment of the dead opened with an earthquake and ended with voices, the judgment of the living opened with Voices and ended with an earthquake. The same will be seen at the close of the Plagues–the finality of God’s judgments upon the living (Rev. 16: 18).
As we have seen, the silence divides the two pre-millennial Judicial sessions, the one for the dead and the other for the living, and the fire from the heavenly altar, the voices, lightnings, and thunderings, descend to earth. These facts, along with a number of scriptures on the subject, besides the remainder of The Revelation, the chapters after the breaking of the seventh seal, prove that the Judgment of the living, the cleansing of the earthly temple, is something which takes place on earth, not in heaven only!
In summary, therefore, we see that the seals do overlap each other, and that they are not necessarily sequential, thus while the sixth seal brings us up to the second coming of Christ to our world (Rev. 6: 14-17) and the end of sin and sinners, until the final lake of fire burnings, the seventh seal goes back in time and sheds more light on the sealing events under the period of the sixth seal. That the seals overlap each other is not unique to the sixth and seventh seals alone, but is applicable to all seven. Let’s take a closer look: under the second seal we saw the peace destroying sword of the second rider causing killings and bloodshed in the human family, but this experience was more noticeable under the post flood world when not only killings took place, but the beautiful earth was now completely destroyed as it lost its Edenic topography to the destructive waters of the great flood. Likewise the events of the third seal introduced trading amongst the nations, as well as the period of intense spiritual darkness, when even God’s Words were in danger of being meddled with by sinful man (Rom. 1:18-32), but these events continued throughout time, even to our day! The fourth seal and its “death” rider, brought forth destruction to the Christians under Pagan and Papal Rome, similar to the destructive career of the non descript beast in Dan. 7:7-8, but persecution and destruction of Christians is still going on in our day. Next comes the work of the fifth seal which envisioned the “souls” of those slain under the fourth seal, “under the altar,” and the voice declared that the killing should continue until the time of the judgment. All these events have overlapped each other, but their particular time of focus was given divine recognition.
It is a matter of principle with the Bible that the Lord gives amplified light on events already explained. For example, in Daniel 2, the great image and the stone did not completely describe the career of the Papacy and the Catholic church during the dark ages, for while we read of iron mingled with clay, we did not see the career of the little horn, yet it took chapters seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven and twelve, to completely treat this subject in an amplified light. The same is true for the seven seals. Indeed, the rest of the Revelation deals with the events occurring under the sixth and seventh seals, simultaneously. Take for example the Mark of the Beast, the Plagues and the Time of Trouble, these are events affecting the living in our time–the end of the world–under the period designated as the sixth and seventh seals, respectively. Let’s now look on the seven distinct messages of salvation sent from the Eternal to a lost and dying world.
1. The Message to and by Adam Gen. 3:16-Enemity between the woman’s seed and the serpent’s seed, and the promise of the deliverer to come.
2. The Message of Noah, Gen. 6-7, come into the ark and be thou saved–the Patriarchs and the Prophets.
3. The call of Message of Moses, and the Sanctuary with its attendant services–The Law and the Prophets.
4. The Message of Christ and the Early Christian Church–Matt. 28: 19-20 and Acts 4:10-12.
5. The Messages of the Reformation and the Cleansing of the Sanctuary, and the second advent of Christ–the 2300 days of prophecy, Dan. 8:13-14 & Dan.9:22-27, Rev. 10.
6. The Third Angel’s Message–The Judgment of the Dead–Rev. 14: 6-12
7. The Fourth Angel’s Message–The Judgment of the Living–Rev. 18: 1-5
“Behold,” declares the Lord, “I will send My messenger, and he shall prepare the way before Me: and the Lord, Whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His temple,… But who may abide the day of His coming? and who shall stand when He appeareth? for He is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap.” Mal. 3:1.
Yes, the work of the second Judicial session includes the earthly sanctuary, the church. At that time the Lord’s “fire” is “in Zion, and His furnace in Jerusalem.” Isa. 31:9.
“And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
“And He shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the Lord of hosts hath spoken it.” Micah 4:2-4.
“…then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory: and before Him shall be gathered all nations: and He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: and He shall set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on His right hand, Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world ….
“Then shall He say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.” Matt. 25:31-34, 41.
“And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, Whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him. Hitherto is the end of the matter….” Dan. 7:27, 28.
“The great controversy is ended. Sin and sinners are no more. The entire universe is clean. One pulse of harmony and gladness beats through the vast creation. From Him who created all, flow life and light and gladness, throughout the realms of illimitable space. From the minutest atom to the greatest world, all things, animate and inanimate, in their unshadowed beauty and perfect joy, declare that God is love.”–The Great Controversy, p. 678.
(All italics and bold-faced print were supplied. Your comments and critiques are all welcomed)