| Wars | v 6 | v 7 | v9 | v 2,8 |
| Intern'l strife | v 7 | v 8 | v10 | v 4 |
| Famines | v 7 | v 8 | v11 | v 5,6,8 |
| Earthquakes | v 7 | v 8 | v11 | v12 |
| Persecutions | v 9 | v 9 | v12 | v11 |
| Sun affected | v29 | v24 | v25 | v12 |
| Moon affected | v29 | v24 | v25 | v12 |
| Stars affected | v29 | v25 | v25 | v13 |
| Shake heavens | v29 | v25 | v26 | v14 |
| Men in fear | - | - | v26 | v15,16 |
These verses describe events from the start of the tribulation to its mid-point. The first five seals:
THE OPENING OF FIRST SEAL
"lion":
Not much commentary here. We know these open the 70th week just by reading Mattehw 24. The anti-Christ comes forth as Daniel said, starting small and as a man of flatteries to conquer by peace in his beginnings, signified here by the white horse and the arrowless bow. He gives Israel integrity among the nations and his purpose is also to portray the satanic counterfeit of the fulfillment of the Abrahamic covenant which gave Israel the deed to the land. The "conquering and to conquer," I believe, has to do with the antichrist's desire to bring about the final destruction of Israel, first through flatteries and then turning to his military power in the middle of tribulation to accomplish his desire. The first seal, then is a movement of peace by the antichrist in regards to Palestine.
Out of the many false christs at this time, antichrist shall come forth. This seal parallels these verses from Matthew 24:
"ox"
Wars and rumors of wars. Maybe a foreshadowing of anti-Christ's military strength or just his power to wage war against the Church and the world as he advances his agenda. The sword is one of four dreadful judgements God brings against Jerusalem.
These verses are paralleled in Matthew 24 also:
THE OPENING OF THE THIRD SEAL
"man"
Matthew 24 shows there will be famines and food shortages during this the first half of the week:
Famine is also one of four dreadful judgements God
brings against Jerusalem.
"quart" = means 2 pints.
"day's wages" = denarius. In normal times, the denarius' purchasing power was 8,12,16 times higher. This verse speaks of very great dearth, but not absolute famine that was to come upon the world. Part of the birth pangs in Matt 24.
In "Cities of Paul," Ramsay says,
THE OPENING OF THE FOURTH SEAL
"eagle"
See Leviticus 26, Ezekiel 5, and Ezekiel 14 for a description of the contents of the fourth seal. These are God's four plagues or "sore judgments" He sends upon Israel when they break their covenant with Him and WORSHIP OTHER GODS. In this case, the "other god" is most likely the abomination anti-Christ sets up in the temple. The scriptures in Leviticus show an escalation of events 7 times worse, in this case the trumpets, when Israel refuses to repent under God's discipline. Thus, the trumpets start when this fourth seal is well under way because there is no forthcoming repentance. Part of that escalation is God allowing anti-Christ to turn on Israel. Hell follows after death in this seal, "hell" being defined as hades by Strong's. Also defined as "hades" is the bottomless "pit" which is vitally connected to Apollyon. This may be WHEN Apollyon comes forth from the pit regarding Israel. The fact that Apollyon is described as the beast with ten heads and seven horns in Revelation 17 indicates that this is the same beast of Revelation 12 and 13. See The Fourth Seal As Found In the Old Testament
Here are some of my old notes on these verses:
The four seals are present in the language of Ezk. 14:21, but also CAPSULIZED in the fourth seal:
The 4 seals are the beginning of the great tribulation (Daniel's 70th week). The purpose of these judgements in Ezekiel (and in Revelation) is to make the land desolate, to cut off from it man and beast because Israel as a nation sinned against him (14:13), but out of it would come a remnant (v. 14), symbolized by Noah, Daniel and Job, which is in line with the remnant 144,000 in Revelation 14:
In this verse, we also have the promise of comfort of Revelation 21:4.
Pale horse = corpse-like color; symbolizes death:
The significance of this observation is that if the seals are God's four judgements against Jerusalem and verse 10 of Revelation 13 is the beginnings of the blasphemies of the Antichrist and his war on the saints (v. 7) who won't worship him (v. 8), then this seal takes us to the middle of the tribulation. This is supported by language of the 4th seal. The fourth seal, then, is most likely the period of time when antichrist sets up his abomination in the temple in Jerusalem.
This seals then leads to the cry of the martyrs under the altar in the next verse, the 5th seal, in Revelation 6:9-11.
TIME SHOULD BE NO MORE BECAUSE THE TIME OF FULFILLMENT IS AT HAND
Both the man in Dan 12:7 and Rev 10:5-6 lift their hand to heaven and swore by "him that liveth forever and ever":
Lifting up the hand to heaven is also mentioned by Moses concerning the latter days. First Moses says:
In chapter 32, Moses then continues with a description of the latter days:
Verse 29 - the latter days
Verse 40 - with the right hand lifted to heaven, God is declared to live forever - this is synonymous with the angel with the little book in Daniel 12:7 and Revelation 10:5.
Verse 41-42 - God's sword of vengeance is unsheathed with the return of Christ in Revelation 19:13,15-16.
Verse 43 - perfectly describes the purpose for the coming of Christ to deliver God's people for the last time in the latter times.
In Daniel 12, the man in linen was asked this question:
And the man in linen replied,
This is the same scene in Revelation 10, with the question being answered: "there should be time no longer" (Rev 10:6). "that there should be time no longer" means for these things to be fulfilled, and this is synonymous with "that it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished." The angel in Revelation 10 is basically saying that the time of Jacob's trouble will now come upon Israel but that he shall be saved from it. Both Daniel and these verses point to the beginning of the end being in the middle of Daniel's 70th week.
The mystery Paul is speaking of here given in:
In other words, at the end of the 70th week, at the seventh trumpet, Christ will unite the dead, the living Church and the Jewish remnant into one body. The mystery of God will be finished.
A VOICE DIRECTS THE APOSTLE TO EAT THE BOOK
I place these verses here because of the statement, "Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings." To place them later would tend to detract from what Daniel prophesied concerning the end and all the people it will affect. I've also placed these verses here because in the like scene from Daniel, the man spoke of three and a half years to scatter the power of the holy people (Daniel 12:6-7), so I've placed these verses here because of that timeframe.
THE BEAST THAT COMES OUT OF THE SEA
THE BEAST THAT COMES OUT OF THE LAND
I placed these verses here because this is when anti-Christ begins persecuting Israel, though the false prophet will most likely be very active promoting antichrist as a hero during the first half of Daniel's 70th week. As I stated earlier, this Beast, antichrist, is Apollyon, i.e., Abaddon, who later slays the two witnesses and burns the whore with fire. When he turns on Israel and sets up the abomination in the temple, declares he is God and stops the daily sacrifice, the woman, faithful Israel, flees to the mountains as Jesus warns she should.
Cook = economic control of the earth's setup. People of all nations will be sealed with a mark. The practice is prevelent in heathenism. Slaves were branded, and soldiers branded themselves to show they were servants and under a lord's protection. A true analogy of our text shows the practice of slaves attached to some temple or individuals devoted to some deity, whose persons are so branded. The practice of a seal was frequent among the Jews and early Christians.
GOD WILL SEND TWO WITNESSES TO JERUSALEM
In Daniel 12, the man in linen is accompanied by two men on either side of the river. In Jesus' transfiguration, Moses and Elijah appeared on each of His sides. Here, there are no men on either side, possibly indicating that these two men usually accompanying the man in linen (for real or by type) have gone to do what they are sent for as the two wtiness, Moses and Elijah, the law and prophets.
God, though, does not leave the Jewish people, or the world, without reason and a chance for repentance. In endtime Israel's case, He sends two witnesses to warn all of the impending doom in the day of His wrath, as well as the good news that salvation will be available to them till the end. I place the beginning of their ministry here just after the fourth seal after God has called Israel to repentance by its plagues (first four seals), but they refused. In Leviticus, God says if they don't repent when Israel abhors His covenant and they set up idols, He will send seven more severe punishments. It is at or after the fourth seal that antichrist sets up the idol in the temple and the plagues are increased. An interesting comparison to show this increase is the first four seals which escalate when antichrist turns beast at the midpoint and the false prophet encourages idolatry. Thus, this eventually starts the trumpet plagues as an escalation of God punishing Israel to bring her to repentance. Because of verses 5 and 6 of Revelation 11, it is quite possible that the trumpets are blown in connection with the two witnesses, i.e., "they have power over waters to turn them to blood," and the trumpets are possibly connected to these manifestations.
THE WOMAN FLEES FOR SAFETY TO THE WILDERNESS
Verses 6 of this chapter is most likely not another event that happens before the finishing verses of chapter 12, but the same event. It may be there simply to introduce the events of the end of the chapter and what happens at mid-point in the tribulation. If so, they would make the point that Satan has not given up after his defeat at the cross, the war in heaven and events following it, i.e., the scattering of the remnant and the persecution of Israel and the Church.
OPENING OF THE FIFTH SEAL
After abhorring God's covenant, refusing to repent through the four judgments in the fourth seal, allowing the idol to be set up, seeing the daily sacrifice stopped, following anti-Christ and his beginning to murder Christians and Jews, those who were slain cry out from under the altar of incense in heaven: "How Long, O Lord?" This cry complements the verse in Daniel 8:13:
At this time, God prepares His own for the second half of the 70th week as He increases His call to repentance by the trumpets. Notes on The Golden Altar Of Incense. Use Back To Return.
Rev 6:1 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 6:2 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.4:7 first beast was like a lion.
6:1 the first beast calls forth the rider with bow & crown on the
white horse4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
THE OPENING OF THE SECOND SEAL
5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. . . .
11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.Rev 6:3 And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see.
Rev 6:4 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.4:7 second beast was like an ox
6:3 second calls forth the fiery red horse with large swordEzk. 14:21 For thus saith the Lord GOD; How much more when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the noisome beast, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast?
6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: . . . .
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.
10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. . . .
12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.Rev 6:5 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.
Rev 6:6 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; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.4:7 third beast was like a man
6:5 third calls forth black horse with rider who has scale7 and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
"The annual crops may be destroyed, but that only means scarcity and high prices....the wine and the olive must not be destroyed in any year because it means lasting ruin. New olive trees take 17 years to mature; grape vines also need a number of years."
Rev 6:7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
Rev 6:8 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.4:7 fourth beast was like an eagle
6:7 voice called out Death on pale
horse and Hades followed
8:13 flying eagle warned of three woes coming with
the last 3
trumpetsEzk 14:21 "How much more when I send My four severe judgements against Jerusalem: sword, famine, wild beasts and plague to cut off man and beast from it!"
Ezk 14:22 (KJV) Yet, behold, therein shall be left a remnant that shall be brought forth . . . and ye shall be comforted concerning the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem . . .
Ezk 5:12-17 (KJV) A third part of thee [Jerusalem] shall die with the pestilence, and with famine shall they be consumed in the midst of thee, and a third part shall fall by the sword round about thee, and I will scatter a third part into all the winds, and I will draw out a sword after them.
Rev 10:5 And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven,
Dan 12:7 (KJV) And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever . . . . (See next verse - Rev. 10:6).
Deuteronomy 31:28 Gather unto me [Moses] all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, that I may speak these words in their ears, and call heaven and earth to record against them. 29 For I know that after my death ye will utterly corrupt yourselves, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you: and evil will befall you IN THE LATTER DAYS: because ye will do evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger through the work of your hands.
39 See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive: I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand. 40 FOR I LIFT UP MY HAND TO HEAVEN, AND SAY, I LIVE FOR EVER. 41 If I whet my glittering sword, and mine hand take hold on judgement, I will render vengeance to mine enemies, and will reward [negative] those that hate me. 42 I will make my arrows drunk with blood, and my sword shall devour flesh, and that with blood of the slain and the captives, from the beginning of revengers upon the enemy. 43 Rejoice, O ye nations, with his people: for he will avenge the blood of his servants, and will render vengeance to his adversaries, and will BE MERCIFUL UNTO HIS LAND, AND TO HIS PEOPLE.
Rev 10:6 And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer:
Rev 10:7 But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.6 And one said to the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, How long shall it be to the end of these wonders?
Dan 12:7 (KJV) . . . it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.
Ephesians 3:4 Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)
5 Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;
6 That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:Rev 10:8 And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth.
Rev 10:9 And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey.
Rev 10:10 And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter.
Rev 10:11 And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.
THE FLATTERIES OF ANTI-CHRIST TURNS TO VENOM AT MID-WEEK
Rev 13:1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
This is the antichrist as he turns on Israel at the midpoint of Daniel's 70th week. I don't believe antichrist will suffer harm or assasination or like scenarios. I believe the beast, when he rises, will have had the wounded head, indicating the beast extremely resembles a person out of history or a kingdom once existing but now fallen. There is nothing in chapter 12 or 13 that indicate that such an attempt on antichrist's life becomes a reality.
Rev 13:2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
Rev 13:3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.Rev 13:4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?
In the fourth seal, Death and hell are personified, and the description of the beast rising out of the sea may be associated with or immediately follow the fourth seal. Verse 6 may be when the man of sin enters the temple and declares himself to be God (supposedly). The time frame of these verses is the midpoint of Daniel's 70th week.
Rev 13:5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.
Rev 13:6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.
Rev 13:7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
Rev 13:8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
Rev 13:9 If any man have an ear, let him hear.
Rev 13:10 He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.
Rev 13:11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
Rev 13:12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
Rev 13:13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
Rev 13:14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
Rev 13:15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
Rev 13:16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
Rev 13:17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
Rev 13:18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.Rev 11:3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
Paraphrase Gundry = John the Baptist did not exhaust Malachi's prophecy. Gabriel explained that John was Elijah in the sense that he came in the "spirit and power of Elijah" (Lk. 1:17). After the Baptist's death, Jesus confirmed that Elijah would come "and restore all things" (Mt. 17:11). The prophecy of Malachi, the reiteration of that prophecy by Jesus, the appearance of Elijah with Christ at the transfiguration, and the likeness of Elijah's miracles in the OT to the ones in Rev. 11:1-13 all unite to identify Elijah as one of the two witnesses. The early Church almost universally accepted the identification. John writes that the witnesses will prophesy 1,260 days, apparently the latter half of Daniel's 70th week, for the Gentiles will surely not tread underfoot the holy city until antichrist breaks his covenant with Israel (Rev. 11:2,3).
Rev 11:4 These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.
Rev 11:5 And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.
Rev 11:6 These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.Rev 12:6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days. . . . . . .
Rev 12:14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.
Rev 12:15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.
Rev 12:16 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.
Rev 12:17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
THE SOULS UNDER THE ALTAR
Rev 6:9 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:
The souls under the altar are OT saints who are at this time given white robes and told to wait "yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled." "Fellowservants and brethren" would seem to indicate the Jewish remnant and the Christians. There are verses later in Revelation that support this idea. There is no reason not to believe that included in these souls under the altar are the souls of the Old Testament saints who would have been freed from hades and taken to heaven when Jesus preached to those in "prison."
Rev 6:10 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?
Rev 6:11 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.
Dan 8:13 Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot?
