The seals and trumpets will be alarming to those without spiritual discernment. Reading these chapters remember, God is greater and has the power to protect His people in ways we may not have considered or do not yet know. It is also important to realize; there are and will be those who reject Christ. Some will do it quietly, not making a strong stand for evil. Others will be vivamente, angry, and filled with a spirit that is the completely opposite of the fruits of God’s Spirit. Take a moment to really let the passage below sink in.
16This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 17For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. 18But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. 19Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. 22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. – Galatians 5:16-24 KJV
The fruits of God’s Spirit are completely opposite the ways of the flesh. There is no overlap between the two and we do not want to behave like the lukewarm church, pretending the division is blurred! The sooner we steep ourselves in the Word of God, the more we will be prepared to stand for Christ in what will be increasingly difficult and crazy situations unlike the earth has ever seen. The book of Revelation crystalizes the final battle of these contradicting ways on earth and in the heavens. So, prepare for conflict unlike any seen before.
Seals (Revelation 6:1 to Revelation 8:6)
The Lamb alone is worthy of opening the seals. Christ was God’ ultimate sacrifice on earth and only He is worthy to break the seals of God’s warning to mankind. The hardships of these events will continue deepening division on earth. Some hearts will harden, rejecting God and Christ. Some will soften, seeking mercy and eternal salvation. There will no longer be a place for the lukewarm church to live quietly. Hopefully, the hardship on earth will result in each of us taking a stronger stand for Christ in ways He deserves!
There is great destruction described in the breaking of the seals and the blowing of the trumpets, but we need to remember how great, glorious and powerful our God is! Some may look at the destruction and fear or question God. But think about this, Almighty God knows all and has the power to protect every hair on the head of His children, including those who have chosen Christ and those who will choose Christ! In fact, it would be possible for God to allow only those who have rejected or will reject Christ to be harmed by these events on earth. Scripture tells us that will not be the case, as we are warned to separate ourselves from those conducting themselves in evil ways. That is why patience and discernment to follow the Spirit’s leadings is so vital. Without them, we will not know when God is calling us to minister to the sick and when He is calling us to to shake off the sand. We are called to minster, but it must be in God’s time and in God’s way. So, please be encouraged to take time regularly to read scripture and be in prayer with the Lord to determine where and with whom God wants you to be as you ready your heart for the times to come.
Now back to Revelation. Notice there are elements described at the breaking of the seals and the blowing of the trumpets that are happening on earth, in heaven and in some cases both. The first four seals depict events happening on earth. Each seal is identified in the list below with the elements from scripture describing the event to the right. The bullet points below reference some modern headlines we see on earth that may align.
Seal 1 – Conquer – White horse, bow and crown
- The word “corona” in Latin means crown.
- An injection needle when laid down on a table has the appearance of a mini bow and arrow.
Seal 2 – Sword – Red horse, power to take peace
- The attack on Israel came October 7th, 2023.
- Since that day, every nation and people group have taken a side.
- Iran gaining nuclear power and weapons of mass destruction. – Keeping Iran from becoming a nuclear threat internationally is another battle creating division among nations.
Seal 3 – Pair of Scales – Black horse, cost of wheat and barley.
- There are two elements of destruction here. The financial impact of severely increased costs and the physical sustainability for our food supply.
- The US Dollar, also known as the Petro Dollar, is the currency of exchange used in oil purchases between other nations. This props up the value of the dollar, giving US citizens and our government greater buying power. If this agreement ended without warning, there would be a huge financial ripple effect seen in our nation.
- Each day we learn more about the poisons in pesticides that have been used in farming.
- Cattle are being injected with hormones and vaccines that carry into some of the meats made available for our consumption.
- Organic vegetables are allowed to maintain that label while being sprayed with poisonous substances.
Seal 4 – Power to Kill – Pale horse, power over ¼ the earth to kill, “Death” sits on pale horse and “Hell” follows with power to kill by sword, hunger, death, beasts of the earth
- The Islamic Brotherhood, a muslim terrorist organization, shouts for the death of Christians and non-muslims by the sword. Although the beheadings to this point have primarily occurred in the middle east and African nations, the invasion of western civilization and the charge to serve allah and force others to do the same as being seen on a global scale.
- Hunger may continue to rise based on who is controlling the farmland and production of mass consumed foods, creating false shortages as we have seen done in modern times.
- Abortion and euthanasia continue to be praised as solutions to unplanned pregnancies or unexpected illnesses respectively.
- Technology is being used to create fighting robots, police monitoring systems, and artificial intelligence war games modeling for military, all of which could be considered “beasts of the earth.” This could also include technologies that have been around for some time, including: nuclear bombs and other types of manmade warfare used for mass destruction.
A message that came several years ago was that the seals can spill over one into the next. The Bible calls out a fourth of the earth being given over in power in this seal, but the events of that seal are not necessarily complete before the breaking of the next seal.
There was a time I believed the mark of the beast would be in full swing with the breaking of the fourth seal. Looking at modern day events, we can see that it is not necessary for the level of destruction and persecution detailed with the breaking of this seal.
One final note on the fourth seal. The idea of technology being used for fighting robots, that no human can battle against does not need to instill fear in us. God is sovereign and true. He is consistent and can out create anything evil has planned against His children. Recently, I saw a clip of fighting robots in development by the Elon Musk team at Tesla. God blesses us with knowledge to create whatever is needed on earth. For every evil the devil has planned, there will be a counter, designed by God for His purpose that will stand against that evil. Like Moses and his staff battling and winning against the staffs of Pharoah’s magicians in the book of Exodus, God’s design is and always will be greater! We as followers of Christ just need to continue to say, “yes” to our calling to stand for Him. We don’t need to worry about how or with what, God will tell us at the time, as needed, through Holy Spirit living in each of us.
Seal 5 – Events in heaven – Souls in Heaven ask how much longer before justice. They are given white robes and told to wait a while longer until their number is complete. This passage tells us more saints will die standing for Christ before the number in white robes is complete.
The mark is not mentioned yet with the 5th seal being broken. The rise of the antichrist and the identification of the false prophet are also still unknown, based on Revelation scripture to this point. The technology for the mark exists today and as Christians, we are told to hold out and refuse the mark on our left hand and foreheads. Absolutely a true message to have programmed into our minds!! But we cannot allow that to be the only last days message in our minds. Becoming so laser focused on one element will cause us to lose sight of other signs to come.
Saints are being killed today in the name of Jesus Christ. Persecution will continue to rise and the white robed group will continue to grow. The mark of the beast has not yet been necessary for the persecution of Christians that has been occurring since the beginning of Christianity. We see this persecution all over the world. In the US, these events have been ignored by mainstream media. But, in other nations, Christians are jailed and murdered daily for standing in the name of Jesus Christ.
Those who have lost their lives and continue to lose their lives for the name of Christ will join the white robed souls under the altar of God for some additional period of time, as they wait a little while longer for their number to be complete.
Spiritual warfare in earth has been raging since the Garden of Eden. It is crystalized today with the battle going on right in front of our eyes between Islam and Christianity. We are seeing Americans murdered in our home country in the name of a false religion. Referred to as infidels, those living in the US and in other western cultures are targets. The US has been known by Islam as the “great satan” with Israel being called the “little satan”. Christians and Jews are having their earthly lives taken away daily for refusing to worship and serve a false god.
It is a comfort to know these Christians are resting together under the alter of God. They have peace and at the breaking of the 5th seal, they will all receive white robes.
Seal 6 – Events in heaven and on earth – Great Earthquake
Let’s step through the elements of this seal. The sun and moon are affected, but according to scripture, they are still in a complete state. They are still full size.
Ordering of Events in the 6th Seal:
- Earthquake
- Heaven departs as a scroll
- Free men hid
- Great day of wrath is come
- Four corners of earth with angels holding back winds
- 144k sealed on their foreheads by an angel, 12k from each of the 12 tribes of Israel
- Great multitude stand in front of Christ on the throne in white robes, identified as coming out of the great tribulation
The great earthquake flattens the earth, moving every mountain and island and causing men to hide in caves. Experiencing this seismic activity would cause men to flee, hoping they can hide from God. Four angels are assigned to stand at the four corners of the earth and hold back the winds. A flat version of a world map comes to mind, with the four corners established and an angel at each one. Looking at one of these maps laid out in this way, it is interesting to find Jerusalem at the center.
There are many passages throughout scripture that present various parts of heaven. Some discuss God’s Throne Room, where He sits on a throne with Jesus on a throne to His right. Others call out the section that includes stars we see from earth, at times called “the veil of heaven.” The portion we see containing the stars is what is rolled up at this point, exposing the beauty and power of heaven. When this “veil” is lifted or as scripture says, is rolled up, there will be a new view from earth that will be alarming to those who have rejected Christ.
Next, we are told:
15And 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 – Revelation 6:15 KJV
This passage brings to mind the great dwellings being built underground on earth by the ultra-wealthy, the current rulers of earth. The devil and his spirits know scripture. And they have been trying to hide from God ever since lucifer’s fall. He was once the highest angel and his rebellion sought to take as many angels with him as possible. He was thrown out and has been dodging and weaving ever since. It is no surprise he is telling his followers to build areas under rock, as if that would ever be sufficient to protect them from the one true Almighty God who created the rock!!
This passage calls out “the kings of the earth.” At some point after this, we will see a group of ten, likely from this group, rise to more clearly identified positions over the earth. Scripture tells us this group will evolve, ultimately to be led by the antichrist. More on that later.
17For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? – Revelation 6:17
The earth will know the power of God in this moment and recognize His wrath is coming. The closing question of this verse is beautiful, “who shall be able to stand?” WE WILL!!! We are told time and time again to stand for Christ and remember “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. – 1 John 4:4 KJV. God has plans for us to stand and as we continue to study and learn, we are more equipped to see God moving in the world around us and our hearts are more open to His ways. Repeating scripture in prayer reinforces our trust in God and belief that He will move today as He has done in the past, just as documented in His Word. We can ask God to act in the same ways to protect us where we stand. God will be by our side, working through us, protecting His children, as evil runs to hide in caves!
Chapter 7 opens with 4 angels at the 4 corners of the earth and another being given the seal of the living God. The four angels are told not to hurt earth, sea, or trees until the 144K servants of God, 12K from each of the 12 tribes of Israel, are sealed on their foreheads. Jumping to Ephesians for a moment:
13In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise – Ephesians 1:13 KJV
This verse from Ephesians tells us we as Christians are sealed when we receive Christ as our Lord and Savior. Now, at the time of this seal on earth, there will be 144K more sealed in addition to those of us who have chosen Christ as our Lord and Savior and are still here on earth. More detail about who these 144K is given later.
Let’s continue with more verses regarding the sixth seal:
9After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; 10And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. – Revelation 7:9-10 KJV
Remember, we are not to add or take away a word from Revelation scripture. Those given white robes with the breaking of Seal 5 are now standing in front of the altar. But, nothing in this passage tells us this number is now complete.
The great multitude is also holding palms. The week before Christ was crucified, He was welcomed with followers laying palms at His feet, that He and the colt He rode would not touch the dirt. This group is in front of Christ and the throne. Christ is still in heaven with God the Father at the breaking of the 6th seal.
“Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.” The great multitude knows things are happening. The wrath of all the evil and all the hate that was done to Christ and His saints is about to be avenged with God’s Trumpets.
Based on the rolling up of the veil of heaven, it is possible the white robed saints in front of the alter with God and Jesus may be visible from earth. If this is the case, imagine being a saint on earth at that time. We would see the glory that is waiting for us as we continue to stand for Christ. Those who rejected Christ would be in complete fear and anger, seeing the truth in the sky.
Notice scripture to this point has made no mention of the “man of perdition”.
Seal 7 – Silence in Heaven – Timing is earthly, about half an hour
Christ breaks the final seal. Authority for the next phase is handed back to God the Father. His angels will blow His trumpets for this next phase of events. The window for mercy through repentance remains open, but not for much longer. The first six seals have been warnings for those on earth to turn from their evil ways and choose Christ as their Lord and Savior. Seal six is climactic, pulling back the veil between earth and heaven and placing those who have died for the name of Christ since His crucifixion until this point in time in front of God’s altar with the Father and Christ. The seventh seal is the moment of calm, when there is acknowledgment that the level of turmoil created to this point has not been enough to get everyone off the fence. Some in the lukewarm church may still not have taken a stand. Some may still be trying to hide out from God in some way. This seal is the brief pause before the next phase of the storm kicks off, the trumpets.
Christ accepts the reality that the choices made by some to this point have fallen short. But, there is still hope. He knows there is still some time left to bring them to Him for eternity. It is just going to take more severe activities to push some off the fence toward the choice of salvation. They will have to go through even more hardship to get to the point of making their own individual final choice.
Heaven is quiet. Then 7 angels are given 7 trumpets to be blown for the next phase of events in heaven and on earth. Another angel gathers prayers from all the saints from the golden altar before the Throne of God. These prayers are incense, ascending before God. The brief calm ends when the angel holding the censer of gathered prayers casts the fire to earth with voices, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake.