revelation6

Revelation Chapter 6

The Seals of the Book are broken.

Revelation 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. (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.�

The Lamb now begins to open the seals and allow the Apostle to see what they contain. John is shown events that will occur beginning with the start of the Christian church and end at the second coming of Christ.

The First Seal. John is shown the first symbol, a white horse, who carries a rider with a bow. This rider has a crown given to him and he goes out �conquering, and to conquer�. Looking at this in relation to the great triumph of the gospel in the first century, we see no better emblem to represent the start of the Christian Era. The color of this horse, white, denotes the purity of the faith in that time period. We look at the crown that was given to this rider and see how he went out as a conqueror with plans to continue to conquer into the future showing the great zeal and success that was used by the early ministers of the gospel. The rider �went forth�, but where was he going? This rider was not limited in his mission, he was going everywhere, as the gospel was to be given to all the world.

Revelation 6:3-4 �And when He had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. (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.

The Second Seal. Since the first major feature of difference we are shown in these horses is their color it is doubtless that they each carry a special significance. If the purity of the first horse was represented by its white color, the red of the second would signify that in it�s period the purity of the gospel, and church itself, began to be corrupted. Even as far back as Paul�s day there problem of corruption in the professed church of Christ and the message of Jesus was being twisted into an unrecognizable theology. Major errors began to creep into the gospel, the members began to live a more worldly lifestyle and claimed that it was all approved by God since they were under �grace� now and had no responsibility to follow any law that they considered completely released from. Ecclesiastical power began to seek out open alliances with the secular world and its rulers and the result was great disturbances among the members and the world.

Look at what some historians have written concerning the Christian church from AD 100 to 311, and see how even now they hold true:
     "We now descend from the primitive apostolic church to the Graeco-Roman; from the scene of creation to the work of preservation; from the fountain of divine revelation to the stream of human development; from the inspirations of the apostles and prophets to the productions of enlightened but fallible teachers. The hand of God has drawn a bold line of demarcation between the century of miracles and the succeeding ages, to show, by the abrupt transition and the striking contrast, the difference between the work of God and the work of man." Phillip Schaff, History of the Christian Church, Vol. II, p. 7.

We move from divine revelation to that of human thinking. We look back to see the Apostles and Prophets who received their words from God, and see how it was replaced by the understandings of fallible men. Schaff points out how it changed from the work of God to the work of men. Further:
     "The second period, from the death of the apostle John to the end of the persecutions, or to the accession of Constantine, the first Christian emperor, is the classic age . . . of heathen persecution, and of Christian martyrdom and heroism. . . . It furnishes a continuous commentary on the Savior's words, 'Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves.' " Ibid., p. 8.

Jesus knew what was happening, and what was going to happen, and gave the warning to His followers. This time period saw great changes in the church, and especially in its doctrine:
     "The ante-Nicene age . . . is . . . the common root out of which both [Catholicism and Protestantism] have sprung, Catholicism (Greek and Roman) first, and Protestantism afterwards. It is the natural transition from the apostolic age to the Nicene age, yet leaving behind many important truths of the former (especially the Pauline doctrines) which were to be derived and explored in future ages. We can trace in it the elementary forms of the Catholic creed, organization, and worship, and also the germs of nearly all the corruptions of Greek and Roman Christianity." Ibid., p. 11.

The changes of this time period reached their climax in the days of Constantine, the first emperor to call himself �Christian�. The conversion of Constantine happened in AD 323, and it brought about a great merging of the Church and the Roman Empire. The Edict of Milan in AD 313, granted great toleration to the Christians and allowed open conversions from Paganism to Christianity throughout the Empire. Looking at the remarks of another historian we see that the acts prior to Edict of Milan:
     "still remain the most significant of the many milestones in the road by which the church and the state moved toward cooperation." Kenneth Scott Latourette, A History of the Expansion of Christianity, Vol. I, The First Five Centuries, page 159.

We don't need to look too far to find details of the church history as it began to blend with the entity that was Pagan Rome:
     "Christianity, by bringing the church into existence, developed an institution which in part was a rival of the state. It created a society within the empire which, so many believed, threatened the very existence of the latter. The conflict was very marked in the century or more before Constantine. . . When Constantine made his peace with the faith, however, it long looked as though the conflict had been resolved by the control of the church by the state. Yet, even in the days of the seeming subordination of the church to the government, ecclesiastics sought to influence the policies of the latter." Ibid., p. 273.

As we look at the melding of the church, with the empire of Rome, is there any wonder why the Apostle John is show how this rider was given the power to, �to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword." History itself speaks volumes about the riders of these horses, and their power, if we only look to it and hear what this book has to say.

Revelation 6:5-6 �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. (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.

The Third Seal. We started out with the White horse of purity, moved rapidly to see how it was corrupted into the Red horse that brought unrest and fighting among the people, and now find ourselves face to face with a Black horse, the complete opposite of the purity we began with a short time ago. It is a sad but true fact that a great period of moral corruption in the church is represented here by this dark symbol. The road was laid wide open by the red horse for the black to follow and bring nothing but damage to the word of God and its purity.

The short amount of time that passed between the reign of Constantine and the establishment of the Papacy, which occurred in AD 538, is rightly noted in history as the time when the darkest and grossest superstitions and errors sprang up in the church. Lets take a few minutes to see what history records happened in this time, and what the church adopted. Speaking of the days of Constantine and the years that followed Mosheim said:
     "Those vain fictions, which an attachment to the Platonic philosophy and to popular opinions had engaged the greatest part of the Christian doctors to adopt before the time of Constantine, were now confirmed, enlarged, and embellished in various ways. From hence arose that extravagant veneration for departed saints, and those absurd notions of a certain fire destined to purify separate souls, that now prevailed, and of which the public marks were everywhere to be seen. Hence also the celibacy of priests, the worship of images and relics, which in process of time almost utterly destroyed the Christian religion, or at least eclipsed its luster, and corrupted its very essence in the most deplorable manner. An enormous train of different superstitions were gradually substituted in the place of true religion and genuine piety. This odious revolution was owing to a variety of causes. A ridiculous precipitation in receiving new opinions, a preposterous desire of imitating the pagan rites, and of blending them with Christian worship, and that idle propensity which the generality of mankind have toward a gaudy and ostentatious religion, all contributed to establish the reign of superstition upon the ruins of Christianity." John L. Mosheim, An Ecclesiastical History, Vol. I, pp. 364, 365.

Later the same author said:
     "A whole volume would be requisite to contain an enumeration of the various frauds which artful knaves practiced, with success, to delude the ignorant, when true religion almost
entirely superseded by horrid superstition." Ibid., p. 368.

The quotes above describe the period of the black horse of the third seal and how it accurately fulfills the prophecy in Revelation. It is clear how paganism was pulled under the �Christian� umbrella of belief. It was in this period that the false system of corrupted beliefs produced the papacy, and it rose to an amazing height of power and influence in a very short time. Almost overnight, almost unnoticed, these false doctrines were given to the people who were searching for something they could touch instead of having the Faith in God we are called to have.

The Balances. These balances are used to show that a power would come in this time that held both religious and civil power and would have the authority to execute it in a government capacity. John was being shown a joining of church and state authority which was fulfilled by the Roman emperors from the days of Constantine through the reign of Justinian when judicial power was given to the bishop of Rome.

I would like to add here that the Dispensational movement (began in the 1820's) today claims that all of these things are future events and that nothing in history has fulfilled any of these points. I have shown, by use of church and secular history, that these things that John was shown have come to pass in the last 2000 years, and we should be looking forward in the book of Revelation to see if any other prophecies have reached fulfillment. This particular movement has based everything on a �pre-tribulation rapture� of the church before any of these things can come to fulfillment. The problem with this view is that the �rapture� of the church is a false doctrine never taught by Christ, the Apostles or any others after them until 1800 years after Christ�s death. During the years that passed there have been uncountable false doctrines that have corrupted the true beliefs that Christ told His people to hold to. History has shown a complete fulfillment of these prophecies and I urge you to study deeper into this fact so you can be ready as things progress closer and closer to Christ�s return. (Study the TRUTH about this man made Rapture theory here)

The Wheat and the Barley. The wheat and barley for a penny are representative of church members that would be eager to gain worldly goods. It is shown to us to warn that the love of money would be the prevailing spirit of the times and that people would be willing to do anything for money.

When was the last time you watched a preacher of a large television ministry preach on the word of God and then spend the last 10 minutes telling you how you need to send money to his church. I watched a pastor on television give a powerful message and then stretch his hand out toward the camera and say, �Send me $100.00 today, and if you do, I will COMMAND God to return that money to you 10 fold�. This man is the pastor of a church here in Orlando Florida that holds three services on Sunday, and each service has 2000 people in attendance. He then went on to proudly boast that there were so many members of his church that he has not even met the majority of them, and he has been there for years. Their ministry is based on money, and though it may come as a surprise to him, he has no power to �COMMAND� God to do anything. Keep this in mind as you seek out the truth among men.

Even in secular culture today we see people crave money to the point that they put their health at risk simply to gain. So called �Reality� Television shows that we let our children watch show people eating raw animal parts, excrement, drinking blood and urine, crawling in sewage and acting out violence, immorality and deception for the sole purpose of gaining money. We allow these things to flood into our homes all week, but its ok because we will be in church one day this week for about 2 hours, and that�s the time we dedicate to God. It is time we refocus on where our time is spent and what our goals are in life, is it the gain of �things�, or is it a closer walk with our risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ?

The Oil and the Wine. These two items denote the graces of the Spirit, faith and love. There was a great danger to these things under the power and influence of worldly spirit. History proves that the great prosperity of the church in this age produced the corruption that ended in a great falling away from the Biblical Truth, and the setting up of pagan abominations in its place.

There is a great uplifting message in verse 6, after the warning of the terrible things that were to come with opening of the 3rd Seal. From the midst of the beasts, where the throne of God sits, we hear a voice declare, "Hurt not the oil and the wine,". Oh rejoice always in the fact that no matter how bad the time is, our God is watching faithfully over His people and not allowing them to be destroyed. While these false teachers and ministers showed no genuine concern for God�s people, God is watching, and protecting. God provided protection in a time that without it would have meant the destruction and total loss of true Christianity. God is good!

Revelation 6:7-8 �And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. (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.

The Fourth Seal. This horse has been the focus of everything from cartoons to westerns where a sole rider is seen on a white horse and someone nearby quotes this passage of scripture. Lets look close at this horse and its rider to see what John was shown.

The Color of The Horse. The color is rendered different ways in different translations of the Bible but when we look at the original Greek words we find that it was described by John as being "pale or yellowish color" like the color see in blighted or sick plants. The church is in a strange condition if they are depicted in this way. The rider is called Death, and Hell (Greek word �hades� which means "the grave") followed with him. The mortality rate in the church is so high during this period that it will not take much research to find the only period of history that fits. The period covered under this seal can only refer to the time in which the papacy ruled without rebuke and went fully unrestrained in its persecution of true believers beginning about the year AD 538, and continuing to the time when the Reformers exposed the corruption of the papal system.

Power was given unto them. Some translations change �them� to �him� showing that the power is focused by the rider, �Death� which was on the horse, and this rider, as was shown above, is fulfilled in whole by the papacy.

Fourth Part of the Earth. It�s authority was limited by the territory it controlled. The words "sword," "hunger," "death", and �beasts of the earth�, are figures showing the means by which this rider will put countless believers to death. Under the command of the papacy, the catholic church has martyred (put to death) more Christians than any other group or government in the history of this world, and that is a historical documented fact, not a personal opinion.

Revelation 6:9-11 �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: (10)and they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, does Thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? (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 fellow servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.

The Fifth Seal. As this seal is opened we see a great cry come out from the martyrs asking for vengeance, and they are given white robes. Many questions are raised here, but don�t let this worry you as you study because where God puts a questions, He has already placed the answer.

Consistent with the prior seals, this one also covers a period of time which can rightly be located following the time of papal persecution. This seal begins at the birth of the Reformation Era, when the lies fabricated by the papal system began to be exposed by these wise men who studied Scripture and not church dogma. At the birth of the Reformation the world began to see the persecuting power of the Roman Catholic Church being restrained.
The Altar. The alter here can not symbolize a heavenly alter and is instead a reference to the place where they were slain for their unwillingness to compromise the word of God, and their testimony of Jesus. Adam Clarke wrote:
     "A symbolical vision was exhibited, in which he saw an altar; and under it the souls of these who had been slain for the word of God martyred for their attachment to Christianity are represented as being newly slain as victims to idolatry and superstition. The altar is upon earth, not in heaven." Adam Clarke, Commentary on the New Testament, Vol. I, p. 994, note on Revelation 6: 9.

Remember that John is viewing scenes as they unfold on the earth, and these souls are represented as being under the alter. They are seen under this alter where they have fallen, just as victims sacrificed on it would have their blood pour out under it.

The Souls Under the Altar. This Scripture has been boldly used as proof for the popular doctrine of disembodied spirits and a conscious state of the dead. Teachers of this view claim that souls seen by John in a disembodied state, and they were conscious and had knowledge of current events. Even further they cried out for vengeance against their persecutors. Looking at what was written we will see how these passages are completely inadmissible as evidence in the support of their doctrine.

The teachers of conscious dead say these souls are in heaven, but they don�t take into account the fact that the alter on which they were sacrificed, and are seen under, can not be placed in heaven by any Biblical passage. The only altar shown in heaven is the altar of incense, but it would be incorrect to say that these victims were slain on the alter of incense since it is never seen as being used for this type of sacrifice.   Can you find anywhere in Scripture that supports the claim that those who finally make it there are kept shut up under an alter? There is no such support.

Another very important part of what John wrote is the fact that these souls �cried with a loud voice� asking for vengeance. These souls are seen asking God to pour out His wrath in response to their deaths. Can anyone truly say that vengeance will dominate the thoughts of these Christians who make it to their eternal reward? If their doctrine is correct, these Christians in their new glorified bodies, free from sin, in the presence of the Creator Himself pass their time in cries for vengeance, and not in praise.

Another point to keep in mind is that they teach those who are wicked are in the lake of fire being tormented in full view of heaven at the same time. The souls seen under the fifth seal are those who had been slain under the previous (fourth) seal, years before. So we find the martyrs under the alter, their persecutors many years dead, and them watching the lake of fire where their enemies are burning in torment.   These under the alter are seemingly not satisfied with this and cry out to God as if He were delaying His vengeance. What greater vengeance could they ask for than those to be thrown into the lake of fire? We are left with one evident fact, the popular theory that the dead are conscious can not be correct, especially in light of this passage because they are mutually exclusive.

For those who continue to argue the consciousness of these martyrs as literal souls under the alter must be shown the figure of speech known as personification. Life, action and intelligence is sometimes attributed to inanimate objects and if we look back to Genesis we see a similar event:
      Genesis 4:9-10 �And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother�s keeper? (10) And He said, What has thou done? The voice of thy brother�s blood crieth unto me from the ground�.

Here is another personifications given in Scripture:
     Habakkuk 2:11 �For the stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it�.

We see that the souls mentioned in this passage could cry, and not be conscious. The incongruity of the popular view is apparent and Albert Barnes makes the following statement:
     "We are not to suppose that this literally occurred, and that John actually saw the souls of the martyrs beneath the altar for the whole representation is symbolical; nor are we to suppose that the injured and the wronged in heaven actually pray for vengeance on those who wronged them, or that the redeemed in heaven will continue to pray with reference to things on earth; but it may be fairly inferred from this that there will be as real a remembrance of the wrongs of the persecuted, the injured, and the oppressed, as if such prayer were offered there; and that the oppressor has as much to dread from the divine vengeance as if those whom he has injured should cry in heaven to the God who hears prayer, and who takes vengeance." Albert Barnes, Notes on Revelation, pp. 190, 191, comment on Revelation 6: 9-11.

With the use of passages like this one, some are mislead to accept the popular definition of the word �soul�. Some teach that this text speaks of an immaterial, invisible, immortal essence in a man, which immediately races toward its eternal reward at the point of death. There is absolutely no passage which supports this definition in the original Hebrew or Greek writings. Most often it means �life� and is sometimes even rendered �person�.
Another point usually ignored is that these souls that pray for their blood to be avenged are considered immaterial and do not possess blood. In this passage the word "souls" is used to indicate the martyrs, and the words "souls of them" is used to indicate the persona of the whole person. They were shown to John as victims from the alter of papal sacrifice, on this earth and are lying dead beneath it, where they will never be forgotten by their God who still hears their blood crying out from the ground.

The White Robes. These martyrs were given deaths that were not only disrespectful and brutal but in some cases, as was Christ�s, the death of a criminal. Uriah Smith wrote:
     �Their lives had been misrepresented, their reputations tarnished, their names defamed, their motives maligned, and their graves covered with shame and reproach, as containing the dishonored dust of the most vile and despicable of characters. Thus the Church of Rome, which then molded the sentiment of the principal nations of the earth, spared no pains to make her victims an abhorrence to all people.� Uriah Smith, Daniel and Revelation, on Revelation chapter 6:9-11.

The start of the Protestant Reformation was a crippling blow to the once all powerful Roman Catholic Church and its deplorable behavior for the past centuries. These reformers pointed out the corrupt church, its flawed leadership, bad doctrines and how it had vented its rage against good, pure and true believers in God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. As the truth was spread the reputation of the Roman Catholic church began to fall and more praise was given to it�s victims. Papal abominations and corruptions were exposed to the light and their false doctrines (praying to saints, consciousness of the dead, purgatory, etc.) were seen for what they truly are. It was clearly seen that those martyrs who had suffered to the point of death were not persecuted for being vile criminals but, "for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held.".   In this they received the white robes of the Saints.

The Little Season. The deplorable work of Roman Catholicism did not completely stop, even after the Protestant Reformation had become well known and established. The true church was not free of its persecution yet and still many more true believers were to be punished as heretics and become martyrs. Full vindication was to come but until it was delayed for a little season. Rome continued to had hundreds of thousands of names to the growing list of martyrs she had killed, but the spirit of persecution was finally restrained and with the martyrs vindicated, the �little season� of the fifth seal came to an end.

Revelation 6:12-17 �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; (13)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. (14)And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. (15)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; (16)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: (17)for the great day of His wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

The Sixth Seal. Things happen under this seal that appear to be God�s final attempt to get the attention of those stumbling in darkness. There is a stark change in the language of this seal verses those before it and this change can not be denied.
     �By no principle of interpretation can the language of the preceding seals be made to be literal, nor can the language of this any more easily be made figurative. We must therefore accept the change, even though we may be unable to explain it. There is a significant fact, however, to which we would here call attention. It was in the period covered by this seal that the prophetic parts of God's word to be unsealed, and many run to and fro, or give their attention to the understanding of these things, and thereby knowledge on this part of God's word was to be greatly increased. We suggest that it may be for this reason that the change in the language here occurs, and that the events of this seal, taking place at a time when these things were to be fully understood, are not couched in figures, but are laid before us in plain and unmistakable language�.   Uriah Smith, Daniel and Revelation, on Revelation chapter 6:12-17, page 172.

The Great Earthquake. This is the first event under the sixth seal and is possibly the one which marks the actual opening the seal. Has there ever been an earthquake that seemed to shake an area so big that it would fit this event listed in the Scriptures? In November 1, 1755, the great Lisbon earthquake hit and shook the earth for over 4 million square miles. Look at how history has recorded this event:
     "The great earthquake of 1755 extended over a tract of at least four millions of square miles. Its effects were even extended to the waters, in many places where the shocks were not perceptible. It pervaded the greater portions of the continents of Europe, Africa, and America; but its extreme violence was exercised on the southwestern part of the former." Robert Sears, Wonders of the World, p. 50.

     "In Africa, this earthquake was felt almost as severely as it had been in Europe. A great part of the city of Algiers was destroyed. Many houses were thrown down at Fez and Mequinez, and multitudes were buried beneath their ruins. Similar effects were realized in Morocco. Its effects were likewise felt at Tangier, at Tetuan, at Funchal in the Island of Madeira; . . . It is probable . . . that all Africa was shaken by this tremendous convulsion. At the North, it extended to Norway and Sweden; Germany, Holland, France, Great Britain, and Ireland were all more or less agitated by the same great and terrible commotion of the elements." Ibid., p. 58.

     "The city of Lisbon . . . previous to that calamity . . . contained about . . . 150,000 inhabitants. . . . Mr. Barretti says, 'that 90,000 persons are supposed to have been lost on that fatal day.' " Ibid., p. 381.

Sir Charles Lyell wrote a graphic description of the earthquake:
     "In no part of the volcanic region of Southern Europe has so tremendous an earthquake occurred in modern times as that which began on the 1st of November, 1755, at Lisbon. A sound of thunder was heard underground, and immediately afterwards a violent shock threw down the greater part of that city. In the course of about six minutes, sixty thousand persons perished. The sea first retired and laid the bar dry; it then rolled in, rising fifty feet above its ordinary level. The mountains of Arrabida, Estrella, Julio, Maravan, and Cintra, being some of the largest in Portugal, were impetuously shaken, as it were, from their very foundations; and some of them opened at their summits, which were split and rent in a wonderful manner, huge masses of them being thrown down into the subjacent valleys. Flames are related to have issued from these mountains, which are supposed to have been electric; they are also said to have smoked; but vast clouds of dust may have given rise to this appearance..."
The great area over which this Lisbon earthquake extended is very remarkable. The movement was most violent in Spain, Portugal, and the north of Africa; but nearly the whole of Europe, and even the West Indies, felt the shock on the same day. A seaport called St. Ubes, about twenty miles south of Lisbon, was engulfed. At Algiers and Fez, in Africa, the agitation of the earth was equally violent, and at the distance of eight leagues (24 miles) from Morocco, a village, with the inhabitants to the number of about eight or ten thousand persons, together with all their cattle, were [was] swallowed up. Soon after, the earth closed again over them.

Another wrote:
     "The shock was felt at sea, on the deck of a ship to the west of Lisbon, and produced very much the same sensation as on dry land. Off St. Lucar [s], the captain of the ship 'Nancy' felt his vessel shaken so violently that he thought she had struck the ground, but, on heaving the lead, found a great depth of water. Captain Clark, from Denia, in latitude 36 degrees 24' N., between nine and ten in the morning, had his ship shaken and strained as if she had struck upon a rock. Another ship, forty leagues west of St. Vincent, experienced so violent a concussion that the men were thrown a foot and a half perpendicularly up from the deck. In Antigua and Barbadoes, as also in Norway, Sweden, Germany, Holland, Corsica, Switzerland, and Italy, tremors and slight oscillations of the ground were felt.
     "The agitation of lakes, rivers, and springs in Great Britain were remarkable. At Loch Lomond, in Scotland, for example, the water, without the least apparent cause, rose against its banks, and then subsided below its usual level. The greatest perpendicular height of this swell was two feet four inches. It is said that the movement of this earthquake was undulatory, and that it traveled at the rate of twenty miles a minute. A great wave swept over the coast of Spain, and is said to have been sixty feet high in Cadiz. At Tangier, in Africa, it rose and fell eighteen times on the coast; at Funchal, in Madeira, it rose full fifteen feet perpendicular above high-water mark, although the tide, which ebbs and flows there seven feet, was then at half ebb. Besides entering the city and committing great havoc, it overflowed other seaports in the island. At Kinsale, in Ireland, a body of water rushed into the harbor, whirled round several vessels, and poured into the marketplace." A. R. Spofford and Charles Gibbon, The Library of Choice Literature, Vol. VII, pp. 162, 163.

You simply have to look at an atlas and see the great distances between these locations to understand just what a horrific event this must have been for those alive at the time. There is no argument that other earthquakes have been just as severe, or in some cases stronger, in particular location but no other in recorded history supplies all the conditions necessary to fit the event of opening the sixth seal. Seeing this in fulfillment we now look at Scripture to see what is to come next, and then to history after this event in November 1, 1755.

The Darkening of the Sun. Prophecy says that the next event under this sixth seal is that the sun, �became black as sackcloth of hair.� This part of prophecy has also been fulfilled, occurring just under 5 years later. On May 19, 1780 an unexplained, and unexpected, darkening of the sun startled many. Here are several accounts of what happened that day.
     "Dark Day, The. May 19, 1780 so called on account of a remarkable darkness on that day extending over all New England. . . . The obscuration began about ten o'clock in the morning, and continued till the middle of the next night, but with differences of degree and duration in different places. .. . The true cause of this remarkable phenomenon is not known." Noah Webster, "Vocabulary of the Names of Noted . . . Persons and Places," An American

     "In the month of May, 1780, there was a very terrific dark day in New England, when 'all faces seemed to gather blackness,' and the people were filled with fear. There was great distress in the village where Edward Lee lived, 'men's hearts failing them for fear' that the Judgment-day was at hand; and the neighbors all flocked around the holy man, [who] spent the gloomy hours in earnest prayer for the distressed multitude." "Some Memorials of Edward Lee," The Publications of the American Tract Society, Vol. XI, p. 376.

     "The time of this extraordinary darkness was May 19, 1780, It came on between the hours of ten and eleven A.M., and continued until the middle of the next night, but with different appearances at different places. . . .The degree to which the darkness arose was different in different places. In most parts of the country it was so great that people were unable to read common print, determine the time of day by their clocks or watches, dine, or manage their domestic business, without the light of candles. In some places the darkness was so great that persons could not see to read common print in the open air, for several hours together; but I believe this was not generally the case. The extent of this darkness was very remarkable. Our intelligence in this respect is not so particular as I could wish; but from the accounts that have been received, it seems to have extended all over the New England States. It was observed as far east as Falmouth [Portland, Maine]. To the westward we hear of its reaching to the furthest parts of Connecticut, and Albany. To the southward it was observed all along the seacoasts, and to the north as far as our settlements extend. It is probable it extended much beyond these limits in some directions, but the exact boundaries cannot be ascertained by any observations that I have been able to collect. With regard to its duration, it continued in this place at least fourteen hours; but is probable this was not exactly the same in different parts of the country. The appearance and effects were such as tended to make the prospect extremely dull and gloomy. Candles were lighted up in the houses; the birds, having sung their evening songs, disappeared, and became silent; the fowls retired to roost; the cocks were crowing all around, as at break of day; objects could not be distinguished but at very little distance; and everything bore the appearance and gloom of night." Samuel Williams, in Memoirs of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Vol. I, pp. 234, 235.

     "The 19th of May, 1780, was a remarkable dark day. Candles were lighted in many houses; the birds were silent and disappeared, and the fowls retired to roost. . . . A very general opinion prevailed that the day of judgment was at hand." Timothy Dwight, quoted by John W. Barber, Connecticut Historical Collections, p. 403.

Again we see that there was an amazing event in nature of unexplained origin, and it occurs in the order that the prophecy said it would. There have been some that claim there could have been smoke from a forest fire in the area and this mixed with storm clouds that could have been in the area that day to darken the sun like this, but there is no historical record to support this �could have� theory. Smoke this thick would have been recorded by those who would have had significant problems breathing. What we do know is that there was not a solar eclipse that day to darken the sun. Looking forward in Scripture we see the next event to come is the moon will appear as blood. We don�t need to look far from our starting point in history, the day of May19, 1780, to find the next fulfillment.

The Moon Became as Blood. On the night of that great darkening of the sun we find the moon in the very condition that the prophecy said it would be in. The Scriptures give no time-line between events but only the order in which they are to happen. Again I will allow recorded history to speak for itself in the support of the Prophecy:
     "The darkness of the following evening was probably as gross as ever has been observed since the Almighty fiat gave birth to light. . . . I could not help conceiving at the times, that if every luminous body in the universe had been shrouded in impenetrable shades, or struck out of existence, the darkness could not have been more complete. A sheet of white paper held within a few inches of the eyes, was equally invisible with the blackest velvet." Samuel Tenny, in Collections of Massachusetts Historical Society for the year 1792, Vol. I, pp. 97, 98.

     "In the evening . . . perhaps it never was darker since the children of Israel left the house of bondage. This gross darkness help till about one o'clock, although the moon had fulled but the day before." Boston Gazette, May 29, 1780.

This statement about the phase of the moon scientifically proves the impossibility of a solar eclipse on the day in question. When the moon did appear that night it gained the attention of everyone, especially those who are familiar with the Prophecy of Revelation 6, because it appeared blood red. What comes next under this seal sees its fulfillment in 1833.

Stars Fall from Heaven. The great meteoric shower of November 13, 1833 provides us with the next fulfillment of the seal, and here is history�s record:
      "At the cry, 'Look out of the window,' I sprang from a deep sleep, and with wonder saw the east lighted up with the dawn and meteors. . . . I called to my wife to behold; and while robing, she exclaimed, 'See how the stars fall!' I replied, 'That is the wonder:' and felt in our hearts that it was a sign of the last days. For truly '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.' Revelation 6: 13. . . . And how did they fall? Neither myself nor one of the family heard any report; and were I to hunt through nature for a simile, I could not find one so apt to illustrate the appearance of the heavens, as that which St. John uses in the prophecy before quoted. 'It rained fire!' says one. Another, 'It was like a shower of fire.' Another, 'It was like the large flakes of falling snow, before a coming storm, or large drops of rain before a shower.' I admit the fitness of these for common accuracy; but they come far short of the accuracy of the figure used by the prophet. 'The stars of heaven fell upon the earth;' they were not sheets, or flakes, or drops of fire; but they were what the world understands by the name 'falling stars;' and one speaking to his fellow in the midst of the scene, would say, 'See how the stars fall!' and he who heard, would not pause to correct the astronomy of the speaker, any more than he would reply, 'The sun does not move,' to one who should tell him, 'The sun is rising.' The stars fell 'even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.' Here is the exactness of the prophet. The falling stars did not come, as if from several trees shaken, but from one; those which appeared in the north fell toward the north; those which appeared in the west fell toward the west; and those which appeared in the south (for I went out of my residence into the park), fell toward the south; and they fell, not as ripe fruit falls. Far from it. But they flew, they were cast like the unripe fruit, which at first refuses to leave the branch; and, when it does break its hold, flies swiftly straight off, descending; and in the multitude falling, some cross the track of others, as they are thrown with more or less force." New York Journal of Commerce, Nov. 14, 1833, Vol. VIII, No. 534, p. 2.

     "The most sublime phenomenon of shooting stars, of which the world has furnished any record, was witnessed throughout the United States on the morning of the 13th of November, 1833. The entire extent of this astonishing exhibition has not been precisely ascertained, but it covered no inconsiderable portion of the earth's surface. . . . The first appearance was that of fireworks of the most imposing grandeur, covering the entire vault of heaven with myriads of fireballs, resembling skyrockets. Their coruscations were bright, gleaming, and incessant, and they fell thick as the flakes in the early snows of December. To the splendors of this celestial exhibition the most brilliant skyrockets and fireworks of art bear less relation than the twinkling of the most tiny star to the broad glare of the sun. The whole heavens seemed in motion, and suggested to some the awful grandeur of the image employed in the Apocalypse, upon the opening of the sixth seal, when '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.' " Elijah H. Burritt, The Geography of the Heavens, p. 163.

     "After collecting and collating the accounts given in all the periodicals of the country, and also in numerous letters addressed either to my scientific friends or to myself, the following appeared to be the leading facts attending the phenomenon. The shower pervaded nearly the whole of North America, having appeared in nearly equal splendor from the British possessions on the north, to the West India Islands and Mexico on the south, and from sixty-one degrees of longitude east of the American coast, quite to the Pacific Ocean on the west. Throughout this immense region, the duration was nearly the same. The meteors began to attract attention by their unusual frequency and brilliancy, from nine to twelve o'clock in the evening; were most striking in their appearance from two to five; arrived at their maximum, in many places, about four o'clock; and continued until rendered invisible by the light of day." Denison Olmsted, The Mechanism of the Heavens, p. 328.

     "The spectacle must have been of the sublimest order. The apostle John might have had it before him when he indited the passage referring to the opening of the sixth seal: '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.' " Edwin Dunkin, The Heavens and the Earth, p. 186.

The fulfillment of these things is reassuring to some, and to others it will be a startling wake-up call that they are much closer to the end of this earth than they once thought. We must continue looking that the Prophecies under the sixth seal to see what is about to happen next.

The Heavens Departed as a Scroll. For the next part of this prophecy we must look into our future for fulfillment. We have been shown that the past held the fulfillment of many things the Apostle John was shown, and we can be equally assured that the future will play out exactly as our Lord said it would in the next step. Our position in history, and Scripture, is unmistakably defined as we stand between the 13th and 14th verses of this chapter. We are standing on a point in history awaiting the last phase to be completed. These times are of unparalleled importance because even though we know what is to happen next, we are given no time table as to when it will happen.

From Hebrews 12: 25-27; Joel 3: 16; Jeremiah 25: 30-33; Revelation 16: 17, we know that it is the very voice of God, speaking from His throne in heaven, that causes this event to begin in the sky and on earth. The Lord spoke with an audible voice at Sinai as He gave His eternal Law and the earth shook and trembled at the sound of it�s Creator�s voice. Scripture says when He speaks again that not only the earth will shake, but the heavens as well. Isaiah gives us an idea of what it will be like in chapter 24 (read the chapter) when he says the earth will, "reel to and fro like a drunkard." It will be "dissolved" and "utterly broken down." Mountains will move from their foundations and islands will move to other parts of the ocean. Flat lands will spring up mountains and jagged rocks as the earth is broken. God�s voice will reach to every point of the earth and on this day, those who live for Him will rejoice.

Look what Isaiah says about these events:
     Isaiah 24:19-20 "The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly. (20)The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again."

Kings will realize that there is One who reigns as King of kings. Great men find that there is none of greatness equal to Him. Rich men find no amount of money that can save them. The chief captains see their authority is of no importance and mighty men fall weak with fear. Every bondman to sin and every freeman of every social class will wail in despair. Those who denied Him, and His Son�s sacrifice, will now pray for the mountains to fall and hide them from Him. If it were not too late they would take back every wrong, beg forgiveness for every sin but the hour of His wrath is at hand and the time for repentance is past. The day many said would never come is at hand, and �who shall be able to stand?�

Revelation Index

Revelation Chapter 7 ***Coming Soon***

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