Bob, In post #96, I shared insight on the exaltation of Christ in 1798, and why at that time He was given sovereign power. In this post I will share what prophecy reveals Christ was orchestrating between 1798 and 1844, to prepare mankind to comprehend that in 1844 He would begin cleansing the heavenly sanctuary. Note too, that historical events confirm their fulfillment.
Too, in post #90, I mentioned that (Rev. 4&5) are actually describing the same court room event as (Dan. 7:9,10) with expanded details. Christ was found worthy to received the book of Life, having the seven seals. Chapter six describes Christ opening these seals, after He received the book in 1798. Christ needed sovereign power to guide His church after the “Dark Ages” into greater truths and the seven seals explain this process.
The seven seals represent a seven step process that will, at the end of the 1,000 years, reveal everything about the love and full identity of Jesus Christ. The Father has ordained that everyone in the universe should know that Jesus Christ is Almighty God, just like Himself. Jesus is made of the same eternal substance as the Father and He has the same powers and prerogatives as the Father. Jesus is a separate, distinct, co-eternal member of the Godhead. Yet, Jesus was willing to lay aside His powers and prerogatives and surrender Himself to the will of the Father in order to save mankind.
The seven seals can be compared to seven political campaigns in the sense that the purpose of a political campaign is the exposure of a candidate with his or her ideas on “the way government should run.” The purpose of the seven seals is a seven- step exposure of Jesus as the savior of sinners, Almighty God, Prince of Peace, King of kings, and Lord of lords.
The seven seals reveal Jesus:
Seal 1: The salvation of Jesus
Seal 2: The teachings of Jesus
Seal 3: The judgment of Jesus
Seal 4: The sovereign authority of Jesus
Seal 5: The faith of Jesus
Seal 6: The glory of Jesus
Seal 7: The deity of Jesus
I will address the first three seals in this post. However, keep in mind that Jesus is sitting on the Fathers throne in heaven while directing the Holy Spirit, who is invisible, and can be in all places at the same time, to accomplish the work Jesus directs Him to do.
First seal: The Salvation of Jesus.
(Rev.6:1,2) The four horsemen in Revelation 5 represent four campaigns which the four living creatures (the Holy Spirit) conduct. Each mission is associated with one of the four faces that John saw. Each campaign builds upon the accomplishments of the previous campaign and when the final campaign is completed, the whole world will not only know about Jesus, but it will also know who Jesus really is.
After the power of the papacy was wounded in 1798, and the “Dark Ages” ended, the Holy Spirit put a compelling desire within Protestants to broadcast salvation through faith in Christ around the world. When it comes to revealing all that Jesus Christ is, the doctrine of salvation through faith in Christ (justification and sanctification) is the first and greatest teaching of Christ. The bow carried in the rider’s hand is not a weapon of war as artists commonly portray it. The Greek word toxon indicates the bow is made of fabric which indicates the bow carried in the rider’s hand is a winner’s ribbon. This bow indicates the victory that is given to everyone who abides in Christ. (See Appendix B.) In fact, victory over the carnal nature is only possible through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. The gospel of Jesus always produces division and conflict when it is proclaimed with clarity and power. Lucifer and his demons will be sure of that!
The first living creature (the one having a face like a lion) went throughout the Earth searching for souls. The Holy Spirit caused a great awakening in the United States and Europe and many people rejoiced to learn that salvation comes through faith in Christ alone. After breaking the first seal, the work of the Holy Spirit took off and the gospel of Jesus began to grow. This work will continue until the seventh trumpet occurs.
Seal Two: The Teachings of Jesus
(Rev. 6:3) The Lamb spoke to the second living creature, the one who had the face like an ox. (Oxen are known for their great strength.) The Holy Spirit spoke in a loud voice, “Come and see the assignment the Lamb has given me!”
{4} With this, the Holy Spirit transformed Himself into a rider on a red horse. He left Heaven’s throne room on a mission to empower and expand the spiritual revival that had just begun on Earth. The Holy Spirit carried with Him a great sword which represents the Word of God. This campaign centered on the translation, printing and distribution of God’s great sword, the Bible.
In the early 1800s, the Holy Spirit began prompting Protestants to establish Bible societies in Europe and the United States. The result has been impressive: The British and Foreign Bible Society (1804), the Basel Bible Society (1804), the Berlin (later Prussian) Bible Society (1805), the Pennsylvania Bible Society (1808), the Connecticut Bible Society (1809), the Massachusetts Bible Society (1809), the International Bible Society (1809), the Bible Society of India (1811), the Russian Bible Society (1812), the Swedish Bible Society (1814), the Netherlands Bible Society (1814), the Icelandic Bible Society (1815), the Norwegian Bible Society (1816), the American Bible Society (1816), the Bible Society in Australia (1817), and the Protestant Biblical Society of Paris (1818). When viewed as a whole, the task has been laborious and expensive and many people have given sacrificially to this cause. The Bible (or portions of it) now exists in more than 2,572 languages and dialects. Since 1908, Gideons International has distributed about 1.7 billion Bibles. Since 1942, Wycliff Bible translators have helped to complete more than 700 translations. This enormous project, spanning the globe, could not have been possible if it were not through the persistent ministry of the Holy Spirit. No book has outsold the Bible and no other book comes close in terms of exposure and distribution.
Note: The sword of truth always brings conflict. When Jesus lived on Earth, He made people angry by speaking the truth. Jesus said the problem is that men love darkness and they are afraid of the light of truth. The Jews killed Jesus because they did not want the light of truth to expose their evil ways. Evil people will do whatever it takes to keep the truth from being known. During the Great Tribulation, a time will come when speaking Bible truth will be very inflammatory. Evil men will persecute and kill those who love God’s Word thinking they can eliminate the light of truth that shines from God’s Word, but God’s truth cannot be stopped. God will endure forever and so will His truth. The campaign of the second seal will end when Lucifer sets up his theocracy (sixth trumpet).
Seal Three – The Judgment of Jesus
{Rev. 6:5} The third living creature said to the assembled host, “Come and see the assignment the Lamb has given me!” I watched as the Holy Spirit transformed Himself into a rider on a black horse! He left Heaven with a pair of balancing scales in His hand. The Holy Spirit carried a solemn message to the people on Earth that Jesus had begun to cleanse Heaven’s temple.
Because the third seal indicates judgment and the third seal follows the formation of Bible societies in the second seal, the third seal had to have been broken after the formation of the Bible societies. I believe the third seal was broken in 1844. This seal perfectly aligns with the scene in Daniel 7:9,10 where the court was seated and “the books were opened.” The third seal aligns with the cleansing of Heaven’s temple mentioned in Daniel 8:14. Consider this: We know from the earthly temple services that the cleansing of the temple was a judicial process. The earthly temple became de filed by the record of sin and this necessitated an annual cleaning on the Day of Atonement. Similarly, Heaven’s temple has been defiled by the record of our sins and the assignment of guilt is determined during judgment. When all of the guilt is removed from Heaven’s temple and placed on the heads of sinners or the scapegoat, this will leave Heaven’s temple cleansed. Furthermore, Revelation 5:5 aligns with the exaltation of Jesus in Daniel 7:13,14. Jesus received the book sealed with seven seals and was given sovereign power in 1798 to conclude the sin problem and to exonerate the Father’s government. As each seal is broken, the events associated with it provide us a brighter revelation of all that Jesus is.
The pre-advent judgment illuminates the ministry of Jesus as the Judge of mankind. After Jesus broke open the third seal in 1844, He opened the Books of Record in Heaven and began to investigate the lives and deeds of men and women who have died throughout Earth’s history. The Holy Spirit led people into this timely understanding of truth around 1844. Unfortunately, the nature and importance of 1844 remains largely misunderstood by most Christians today. This darkness will evaporate when the next seal is broken because the judgment of the living begins with the fourth seal.
Now that we have investigated the first three campaigns, notice that the first three seals are additive in nature. This means that the activity generated by each campaign builds on the accomplishments of the preceding seal. The first three seals were carefully designed to prepare the world for the horrific events that will occur when the fourth seal is broken.