SUMMARY EXPLANATION OF THE SEVEN JUDGMENTS OF REVELATION

Revelation presents three sets of seven judgments, referred to as seal, trumpet and bowl judgments. The seven seal judgments do not appear to be judgments at all, but are a description of the means for accomplishing the other sets of judgments. The seven trumpet judgments are the initial application of the means of judgment given in the seven seal judgments. The bowl judgments represent the continuing effects of the trumpet judgments over the course of the seven year tribulation period. The bowl judgments also appear to be a reapplication of the first six trumpet judgments in the seventh trumpet judgment. The analysis that I went through to arrive at these conclusions is given in the section, the Revelation Judgments, a detailed commentary. Chapter six presents the first six seal judgments.

FIRST SEAL OPENED; JUDGMENT ADMINISTERED BY A RIDER ON A WHITE HORSE

(Rev 6:1-2)

Again the riders of the horses are apparently very powerful angels who will administer God’s judgment through various means and methods. It is very clear from scripture that it is God who is behind the judgments. Ezek 14:21-23 is one of the places that makes it very clear that God judges people on earth when they turn their backs on him and worship other gods; which God refers to as prostitution or adultery with other gods (Ezek 16:35-42). Let’s take a look at it.

Ezek 14:21-23 (21) "For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: How much worse will it be when I send against Jerusalem my four dreadful judgments-- sword and famine and wild beasts and plague-- to kill its men and their animals! (22)Yet there will be some survivors-- sons and daughters who will be brought out of it. They will come to you, and when you see their conduct and their actions, you will be consoled regarding the disaster I have brought upon Jerusalem-- every disaster I have brought upon it. (23)You will be consoled when you see their conduct and their actions, for you will know that I have done nothing in it without cause, declares the Sovereign LORD."

 So we see that it is God who is behind the judgments that we are starting to study. An extensive list of the purposes that God gives for the judgments is presented in the Revelation Judgments, a detailed commentary. God is using angels to administer the means of the judgments, Zech 6:1-8. These angels in turn use everything at their disposal including what seem to be natural disasters (really supernatural God created disasters), the forces of nature, pandemics, mean spirited Satanic men including the antichrist and false prophet, evil angels and possibly even Nephilim. God tells us that he has just cause for what he is doing and he is using it to bring about his ultimate purpose for his chosen people, for Jesus and for his bride. Also see Isa 13:3-13 and Joel 2:11.

Horses often symbolically represent judgment in the Bible (2 Kings 6:15-18, Jer 46:9-10, Joel 2:3-11, Zech 1:8-11, 6:1-7.). In verses 1-2, the rider on the white horse accomplishes his work through use of a bow and conquest. The bow is the same word used in Gen 9:12-16 for rainbow, which God used to seal his covenant with man to never again destroy the earth with water. The use of the word bow here may signify two things. First God will keep his covenant and will not destroy the world this time with water; he will accomplish it this time with fire (2 Pet 3:19). Second, the bow may represent a covenant, the seven year covenant of peace that the antichrist makes with Israel (Dan 8:25, 9:26-27). Since this is seen with the first rider, it obviously happens at the very beginning of the seven year tribulation to bring about the seven year peace treaty spoken of in Daniel.

This rider is also given a crown, a stephanos or victor’s crown. This crown is described in 2 Tim 2:5 and 1 Cor 9:24-25. It is the crown given to the one who achieves victory through Jesus. It is an everlasting crown. The one who achieves victory through Jesus is seen as pure, represented as white in Rev 7:14, 22:14. That may be why the rider is on a “white” horse and possesses a victor’s crown. This first rider on the white horse begins the process whereby Jesus and his faithful followers achieve the ultimate victory. In Zech 6, which describes the four chariots pulled by the four different colored horses, we see Jews who had been exiled returning to their homeland with precious materials with which a crown could be made. The crown was made and placed upon the head of the high priest, Joshua (Hebrew for the Greek word Jesus). Could this passage mean that those returning to Israel in the end times will be the means through which Jesus is able to return to Israel and be crowned King of Kings forever? It is a beautiful model of what we understand will happen. Zech 6:9-15 describes Joshua being crowned and sitting in majesty on the throne in Jerusalem as both king and priest. Verse 12 tells us very plainly that this represents the one called the Branch, or Jesus. Also we see the rider on the white horse approaching Jerusalem from the east, which is the very direction from which Jesus will come when he returns at the Second Coming (Ezek 43:1-5, 44:1-3).

SECOND SEAL OPENED; JUDGMENT ADMINISTERED BY A RIDER ON A RED HORSE

(Rev 6:3-4)

The second rider was on a fiery red horse. He was given power to create friction between nations and cause men to want to kill one another. He was also given a large sword. We will next look into what the symbolism involving the sword might be.

In Gen 3:24 a fiery sword was what God used to keep man from being able to come into the presence of the tree of life (Jesus Christ). This fits with 2 Thess 2:9-12 and Matt 24:24 which say that God sends a powerful delusion that keeps those who have not accepted Jesus from seeing and believing the truth. Job 5:12-24 speaks to this, especially starting with verse 19. It speaks of God saving the righteous from the sword and from seven calamities. They are rescued from them. Job 19:25-29 speaks of the Second Coming and those who die by the sword. It says that wrath will bring punishment by the sword. This passage also tells us that Job knew that he would be resurrected, again have a soul and live upon the earth. Job 20 also speaks of the wrath that will come upon the wicked, those who have evil spirits (serpents) within them, and says they will have to give up their worldly wealth. Ps 57:4 refers to the tongue as a sharp sword. In Rev 13:5-6 we see that the antichrist was a great orator. Prov 25:18 says that a liar is a sword; this also certainly speaks to the antichrist. Zech 11:15-17 may be speaking of the antichrist who will be wounded by the sword. It also says that he is a shepherd who deserts the flock, which may mean that he is a Christian who deserts Christ. It may also refer to the antichrist making a peace treaty with Israel and taking Israel into his flock, so to speak, and then later turning on them. In Matt 10:34 Jesus says that he did not come to bring peace, but to bring a sword. Here the sword seems to mean that his Word will cause families to split, nations to split, people to become enemies because of belief in him. This is certainly happening today. In Luke 22:36 Jesus told the disciples that they needed to keep a sword with them for protection as they went out into the world. Eph 6:17 refers to the Word as the sword of the Spirit. Jesus is described in Rev 1, 2 and 19 as having a sharp two-edged sword which came out of his mouth and with which he struck down the nations. Isa 11:4 says that Jesus will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. The rod can be either a shepherds staff or scepter, which is a sign of authority. Heb 4:12 says that the word is quick, powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword; it can even divide the soul and spirit, and discern the real intent of the heart. Physical death occurs when the soul and spirit are divided.

 What does all of this discussion of the sword mean? I’m not sure, but all of it may apply in some way as we alluded to above. The bottom line is that in Rev 19:11-21 Jesus conquers all of his adversaries including Satan, the antichrist and the false prophet using simply the words coming out of his mouth. It seems that he speaks and it happens. Certainly the sword that the rider on the red horse is given is a means to cause a large amount of death on earth.

In Zech 6 the red horses are the only horses for which we are not told the direction in which they are heading. The other three horses are headed north, south and east. Does that imply that these red horses are headed west? You can’t go far west on horses from Jerusalem until you go into the sea. I don’t know whether or not there is any meaning in this symbolism. Could it mean that the wrath will only be inflicted on those in the three directions in which we see horses headed? Might that spare America? We also see the riders on various colored horses in Zech 1. Here the only horse described with a rider is the red horse. Again we are told that these horses and riders were those the Lord has sent to go throughout the world. We also see that they had just come back from going throughout the world and they had found only rest and peace. The rider of the red horse in Rev 6:4 is given power to take peace away from the world. The world has not had peace since the book of Revelation was written so this time of peace must be referring to One of two possible short times of peace surrounding the beginning of the tribulation period. The first is mentioned in Ezek 38:7-8 and indicates that when the tribulation period begins that Israel will be living in peace. This is discussed in the section Summaries of the end times and the Revelation in a table titled the events leading up to the seven year tribulation period and also in the section titled pre-tribulation events. You might want to review those sections to get a picture of how this period of peace comes about. The second possibility is the extremely short period of peace that the antichrist brings about with his seven year peace treaty at the beginning of the tribulation period. The rider on the red horse is given the means to disrupt this peace and bring about war. This is prophesized in Isa 19:2 where God says that he will bring brother against brother, neighbor against neighbor, etc., in that day.

The chariots are seen coming out from between two mountains of bronze. A mountain in the Bible usually stands for a government. Could the bronze stand for Muslim countries since the Dome of the Rock is bronze in color? Could this mean that God will use Muslims to inflict much of his wrath on Israel? The converse may also be true.

THIRD SEAL OPENED; JUDGMENT ADMINISTERED BY A RIDER ON A BLACK HORSE

(Rev 6:5-6)

The third rider was on a black horse. He was given power to create famine and runaway inflation. The rider on the black horse in Rev 6:5 has a pair of scales with which to measure out food which will be rationed because it is in such short supply. Famine is prophesized in the Bible in that day. Joel 2:14-20 says that there will be drought and famine in the day of the Lord. Isa 15:6-9 says that the grass and vegetation will wither and be gone, the waters will turn to blood. We see that wine will become a precious commodity because of the water shortage due to drought conditions and the fact that the waters of earth will become severely polluted and undrinkable.

FOURTH SEAL OPENED; JUDGMENT ADMINISTERED BY A RIDER ON A PALE HORSE

(Rev 6:7-8)

The fourth rider was on a pale horse. Research will reveal that this is a pale green horse. The rider was given power over one fourth of the earth to kill by the sword, famine, plague and by the wild beasts of the earth. God tells us in Ezek 14:21 that he will send these four dreadful judgments against Jerusalem. We have discussed the sword and famine so we will next research how plague will be used as a judgment. Zech 14:12 says “And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.” This sounds like the result of radiation in a nuclear war, and the effects of neutron bombs in particular. Zech also tells us that this same affliction affects animals, which we would expect in a nuclear war. Zech 14:16-19 tells us that even after the Second coming that Jesus will send plagues upon nations that do not follow his commands in the millennium. This will include withholding rain so that crops do not grow.

Finally, what are the wild beasts of the earth. Wild beasts seem to represent the animal kingdom. But how can animals be a significant killer of humans in a modern society? There is certainly a way and it is with us already today. How about a flu pandemic caused by bird flu spreading from infected chickens? How about swine flu from pigs? How about the West Nile virus spread by mosquitoes? How about mad cow disease? Who knows what lies in the future and how it might be manifested in the tribulation. Also, as civilization has been crumbling due to the judgments which have occurred up to this time some of the expected effects would be poor sanitization, polluted drinking water, and all sorts of diseases as mankind’s defenses against them have crumbled.

The rider of the pale horse in this judgment is called “death” and we are told that Hades followed close behind him. He is called death because he brings death to over one fourth of the people of earth. Hades follows close behind implies that Hades is a close partner with the death being mentioned here. That means that those who are killed will be sent to Hades because they are unbelievers. We will discover in chapter 7 that believers are protected in the first half of the tribulation so those dying are very likely unbelievers and headed to Hades.

The end of the fourth seal signifies the end of the first half of the seven year tribulation period. God had been using special angels to administer the judgments upon the earth. In the second half of the tribulation period we will see that Satan and his evil angels play a major part in administering the judgments. Five months after the mid-point there seems to be a rapture to heaven of all of those who had become believers in the first half of the tribulation period and had been killed. This is described in the fifth seal judgment.

FIFTH SEAL OPENED: NEWCOMERS IN HEAVEN; WERE THEY RAPTURED?

(Rev 6:9-11)

There is no judgment described when the fifth seal is opened. Instead we see John describing a scene in heaven where those who had been killed in the tribulation “because of the word of God and their testimony” were seen “under” the alter in heaven. From the Greek it seems that these had been witnesses for Christ during the first half of the tribulation period. Why were they under the alter? Possibly because that is where the blood of the sacrifice was poured in the Old Testament tabernacle. These had sacrificed their blood for Christ as they had been slain as witnesses for him in the tribulation. It was not just their spirits which were seen under the alter, but their souls as well. What does this imply? We know that a soul is a combination of a spirit indwelling a body. That means that these people had died, been given resurrected bodies and raptured to heaven. They were part of the first resurrection. I know of no other explanation. Each of them was given a white robe, which signified that they had been washed in the blood of the lamb and made pure; this is described in Rev 7:14. They may also be under the alter because the sea of glass which represents those ruptured to heaven earlier were like a floor in heaven surrounding the throne of God. Those raptured to heaven four years later may be seen joining them as the sea of glass expands.

This event must have happened near mid-tribulation because they had already endured much of the tribulation and were concerned about when Jesus was going to judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge their blood. We know that this judgment and avenging is described as happening at the end of the tribulation period. They are told that this will not happen for a little while. They were also told that a number of their “fellow servants and brothers” would also be killed as they had been. This means that this was a rapture of the dead only and not of living new believers. Who could this have been? We will see in the next chapter that the 144,000 appear to be taken to heaven at the end of the fifth judgment. We will also see later in chapter 11 that the two witnesses were resurrected and raptured to heaven. That means that they would have been souls, since we know that a soul is a spirit in a body; resurrection means that a spirit receives a new body. It is very likely that those seen in heaven in the fifth judgment are the two witnesses. It is my suspicion that the 144,000 are a part of the two witnesses. Again, these who had been raptured are referred to as servants and brothers. The 144,000 are also referred to as servants and we could also infer that they are brothers. We know that the term brothers often refers to the Jewish people and the 144,000 are clearly Jewish since they are from the twelve tribes of Israel. The evidence that those raptured to heaven in the fifth judgment are the two witnesses is very compelling. When we study the two witnesses later in chapter 11 we will conclude that they include all of those who will be become believers in Jesus during the first half of the tribulation period, both Jews and gentiles. A large percentage, if not all of them are killed and then raptured to heaven in the fifth judgment. See “144,000” and “two witnesses” for more detail.

SIXTH SEAL OPENED: THE GREAT DAY OF WRATH HAS COME

(Rev 6:12-17)

Rev 6:12-17 describes the means for administering the sixth judgment. It is described as an earthquake. Whatever this earthquake is and whatever causes it is so severe that the whole earth seems to be affected. By the description it seems that the event that causes the “earthquake” is so powerful that it may cause the earth’s axis to shift. We see a description of the sky “rolling up like a scroll,” mountains and islands being moved out of position, etc. We know that the climate is changed during the millennium so this may be part of God’s plan for accomplishing that. I also understand that Russia has several nuclear weapons that are so powerful that they could affect the earth’s rotation, axis and orbit. This judgment is so bad that people all over the world, rich and poor, powerful and weak, without prejudice all seek safety from the wrath of the Lamb. Rev 6:17 says, “For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand.” This is described in Zech 14. It sounds like a nuclear war because the effects on humans and animals in verses 12-15 sound like the effects of radiation. This earthquake is also discussed in Rev 11:13 as part of the 6th trumpet judgment. There is also a great earthquake as part of the seventh judgment, the seventh trumpet in Rev 11:19 and the seventh bowl in Rev 16:19.