The seals have to do with government. More of a social outlook of what would happen to the Christian church. The churches had to do more with Bible truth, the seals more with social conditions. Between the two, we get a more complete picture of what would be happening to the church of God.
FIRST SEAL: AD 31 to AD 100
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- White horse
- Given crown, bow and rode out to conquer
The white horse represents the purity of the early Christian church. Under the direction and leadership of Christ, through the apostles, the church remained pure. It went out and conquered the world.
SECOND SEAL: AD 100 to AD 313
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- Fiery red horse
- Power to take peace from the earth
- Make men slay each other
During this time there was persecution and great turmoil among the nations. Rome was in constant strife, and great persecution was directed at the church from the government.
THIRD SEAL: AD 313 to AD 538
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- Black horse
- Rider holding pair of scales
- Selling wheat and barley, oil and wine
It was during this time that the church was beginning to fall away from the truth. The black horse represented the state of the church. The church was selling the truth of God and mixing it with paganism. Introducing pagan idolatry and sun-god worship through Sunday worship.
FOURTH SEAL: AD 538 to AD 1517
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- Pale horse
- Rider named death
- Power to kill by sword, famine and plague and wild beasts
The “Christian” church was dead. It no longer taught the teachings of Christ. It had accepted paganism. It was killing the people of God by a famine of the Word. The Bible was outlawed and only through the church could you get the “message” of God.
FIFTH SEAL: AD 1517 to 1755
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- Souls under the altar slain because of the Word of God
- How long before judgment?
- Wait a little longer
The altar of the temple represented the prayers of the saints. Men and women who had died as martyrs for the faith are represented as souls under the altar of prayer. Their blood, like Abel’s (Genesis 4:10) calls out for justice. The judgment is about to begin.
SIXTH SEAL: AD 1755 to present and beyond
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- A great earthquake: November 1, 1755 was the greatest earthquake ever recorded or known to man. “In 1755 much of Lisbon was destroyed in one of the most disastrous earthquakes known in Europe.”* This earthquake shook a third of the earth. It was felt as far away as England and into Africa and Eastern Europe.
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- The sun turned black and the moon turned blood red: May 19, 1780 is what is known in the encyclopedias as the Great Dark Day. Along the Eastern Seaboard in New England, by 11 a.m. it was so dark you could not see candlelight in front of your nose. At about 11 p.m. that night, it cleared up and the moon was blood red.
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- Stars fell to Earth: November 13, 1833 was the greatest meteoric shower ever to be seen from Earth. For hours the stars by the billions fell to the Earth. You can read about these in the encyclopedias and newspaper accounts.
We live between verses 13 and 14. In verse 14 the “sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.” This is the Second Coming of Jesus. That is how close we are to His coming back to take the righteous home with Him. Are you ready?
SEVENTH SEAL: This describes the plagues that will fall after the close of probation. When the world, as you will learn in Revelation 13, makes an international Sunday law forcing all to keep Sunday holy, probation closes and the seven last plagues will fall. They will last 7 months, from Passover until Feast of trumpets. Then Jesus will come.