7 Sellos

In the seven seals of Revelation, as in the seven churches and seven trumpets, John was shown
a delineation of conditions which would characterize the successive stages of the Christian era. By
studying the outline given in these prophecies, we are able to see where we stand in the stream of time.
As the first seal is opened (Revelation 6:1, 2), a white horse appears, “and he that sat on himhad
a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.” This is a
description of the advance of the gospel in the first century. Through the missionary zeal of the early
church the gospel “was preached to every creature which is under heaven” (Colossians 1:23). The white
horse indicates the church in its original purity. The crown, or victory wreath, showsits conquest over
the power of the enemy through the direction and leadership of Christ.
The second seal (Revelation 6:3, 4) reveals a red horse. In this bloody scene, peace is taken from
the earth, and many are killed with a great sword. From the beginning of the second century until
Constantine’s edict of A.D. 313, Christianity was illegal throughout the pagan Roman empire, and
Christianswere terribly persecuted.
The opening of the third seal (Revelation 6:5, 6) provides us a view of Christianity’s status for
the 200 years following A.D. 313. The horse, now black, reveals that the church had lost its original
purity. Its rider holds a pair of balances. A voice is heard declaring that the amount of money which
previously was equivalent to a full day’s wage (Matthew 20:2), is nowonly worth a quart of wheat.
What an appropriate illustration of how, through Constantine’s efforts to blend it with paganism,
Christianity had been cheapened. Previously, to declare yourself a “Christian” might cost you your life.
Now the word had so lost its value that every vile pagan walking the street was a member of the church.
The opening of the fourth seal (Revelation 6:7, 8) ushersin a pale horse. Here is a church that
is lifeless and pale, its religion a mixture of truth and error. Its rider is Death, and the Grave follows
closely behind. This represents the period of the Dark Ages during which the spark of true godliness was
almost entirely extinguished by the high hand of church representatives. “And Power was given unto
them over the fourth part of the earth, tokill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the
beasts of the earth.” The tribulation of those days was so terrible that Jesus said, “Except those days
should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved” (Matthew 24:22).
When the fifth seal is opened (Revelation 6:9-11), the figure changes. The cumulative deaths
of millions of God’s people through centuries of oppression are nowpictured as crying out to God,
calling for justice. “How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them
that dwell on the earth?” The answer is given that the dead must “rest yet for a little season.”
The first five seals have brought us down from the first century to the mid 1700’s. We now turn
our attention to the signs of the end which would then appearunder the opening of the sixth seal
(Revelation 6:12, 13).
Sign #1: November 1, 1755, “Lo, there was a great earthquake.”
“Probably the most famous of all earthquakes is that which destroyed Lisbon on Nov. 1, 1755.
There were three great earthquakes (the first was the largest) at 9:40 A.M., 10 A.M. and at noon. The
main shock lasted six to seven minutes, an unusually long duration. Within sixminutes at least 30,000
people were killed, all large public buildings and 12,000 dwellings were demolished. It was a church
day, and great loss of life occurred in the churches. A fire followed which burned for six days. A marble
quay at the riverside disappeared into the river bottom laden with people. Alexander von Humboldt
stated that the total area shaken was four times that of Europe.”...