"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. 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." - (REVELATION 6:5-6)

SEAL FOUR - THE PALE HORSE

The scene is the same, the Roman Empire in decay and downfall; the White Emperors with their crowns of victory have passed away, as have the Red Emperors of military might and despotism and the Black Emperors of financial extortion. Now it is death itself, the grim reaper which for a time holds sway over the dominion of the Caesars. The historian Gibbon says of this period:-

"The ruined Empire seemed to approach the last and fatal moment of its dissolution."

During these years, 248-292 A.D., death stalked the Roman Empire by violence, famine and pestilence. At one point it is estimated that 5,000 people were dying each day in Rome from the plague and the territories of the Empire, the Roman earth of prophecy, became so depopulated that it is estimated that a quarter of the entire population the 'fourth-part' of the prophecy died. Gibbon actually says that it was as many as half of the inhabitants whilst Niebuhr makes a more conservative estimate of about one third. Some however including Jerome translate this phrase as being:-

"The four parts of the earth."

This would indeed find confirmation in the historical division of the Roman Empire into four sections in the time of Diocletian. This in no way detracts from the fact that the entire Empire was being ravaged from one end to the other by the forces of Death and Hell. Before passing on to the next Seal, this would be an appropriate point to explain the word

"HELL"

Under no circumstances should Hell be confused with the Lake of Fire and Judgement. The two are not synonymous terms, nor can they he used interchangeably. In fact later in the Book of Revelation we read that:-

"Death and Hell were cast into the Lake of Fire. This is the Second Death." - (REVELATION 20:14)

The word translated Hell comes from four different words used in the original languages in which the Scriptures were written.

In the Old Testament the word 'SHEOL' which was rendered thirty-one times as 'HELL' by the translators; thirty-one times as 'THE GRAVE': and three times as 'THE PIT'.

In the New Testament three different words have all been translated as 'HELL'.

1) GEHENNA - This referred to the rubbish dump in the Valley of Hinnom, outside the walls of Jerusalem, where the bodies of despised criminals and animal carcases were burned in a fire which never went out.

2) TARTAROS - Which is mentioned only once in II PETER 2:4, as being the place where the rebellious angels are held in restraint until the Day of Judgement.

3) HADES - This is the nearest equivalent of the Old Testament word Sheol. It is used less than a dozen times in the New Testament, never in the sense of eternal fire and torment, but always in the context of the GRAVE. An excellent example of this is to be found in the Book of Acts, which states concerning the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus:

"Thou wilt not leave my soul in Hell neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption." - (ACTS 2:27)

There can be no doubt that the Lord Jesus went to the grave for three days and three nights, tasting death for every man, rather than to a prison house of fiery torment.

In fact when our Authorised King James Version was being translated, it was still common everyday language in England to refer to the planting of potatoes in the ground, as putting them in hell or 'helling' them, meaning to bury them beneath the ground.

Thus whilst in no way denying the Judgement of the Wicked, we can now see that the expression in Revelation 6:8 would be much more accurately rendered as "Death and the Grave". This in no way detracts from the sense and context of the passage concerning the plagues, famine, death, destruction and widespread depopulation which came upon the Roman Empire during this period of history.

SEAL FIVE - THE MARTYR THRONG

In a time of crisis and disaster, despots and dictators will always seek to divert the blame for national misfortunes, away from themselves, and transfer it either to an external enemy, or an internal minority. The Emperors of Rome were no exceptions to this rule, and so it was not long before all the calamities described in the proceeding Seals, were being blamed upon the Christians, and the hatred, anger and frustration of the masses was being channelled into an era of vicious persecution which John described in the following words:-

"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: And they cried with a loud voice, 0 Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on earth. And white robes were given unto every one of 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." - (REVELATION 6:9-11)

The first question we must ask ourselves is:-

Throughout the New Testament Scriptures, when an altar is mentioned, it is always the Brazen Altar of Sacrifice where the blood of the sacrificial victims was poured out. Let me give two examples:-

1

"From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the Temple. Verily I say unto you, it shall be required of this generation." - (LUKE 11:51)

2

"They which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar." - (I CORINTHIANS 9:13)

These early Christian martyrs who loved not their lives unto death, and were cruelly slain for the truth of God's Word and the testimony of their saving faith in Jesus Christ, were in fact living sacrifices. Just as the blood of the animals sacrificed in Old Testament days, looked forward to and anticipated, Christ's atoning sacrifice at Calvary, so the martyrs shed their innocent blood, dying for their faith in that once all sufficient sacrifice for sins, to which their own deaths, pointed back in time. They had become what the Apostle Peter calls:-

"Partakers of Christ's sufferings." - (I PETER 4:13)

The first persecutions of the Christians, recorded in the Book of Acts, had generally resulted from the actions of their fanatical Jewish opponents. However under the reign of the insane Nero who blamed them for his own crime of setting ablaze the city of Rome, the Christians suffered their first persecution by the Imperial authorities. In spite of this the new faith spread rapidly throughout the Empire and a new wave of persecution began under the Emperor Domitian, who was actually responsible for having John in exile on the Isle of Patmos. After a brief respite an Imperial Edict was issued by Trajan which whilst it did not order them to be hunted down, did decree that if arrested, the Christians be given the choice of sacrificing or burning incense to the Emperor, who was regarded as a god, or of being put to death. Apart from the reign of Emperor Gallienus who actually issued an Edict of Toleration to the Christians in 261 A.D., the vast throng of martyrs under the symbolic altar continued to grow throughout the period of the Horsemen Seals. The climax of these martyrdoms came during the bloodthirsty reign of Diocletian.

Diocletian

What cruel persecution and death was experienced by these martyrs of Pagan Rome, under the Fifth Seal. Some were crucified, some flayed alive, others boiled in oil or burned at the stake. Nero had the Christians tied upside down to poles and then coated in tar, and set alight as human torches in his Imperial Gardens. Thousands perished for the public entertainment of the howling mobs who crowded arenas like the great Coliseum in Rome, to cheer as the Christians were torn limb from limb by the wild beasts. Even the little children of the believers were placed in the arena covered in sheepskins, and wolves and lions tore them apart. Such was the fate of the Souls under the Altar. Even in these British Isles, the most extreme outpost of the Roman Empire, Alban and others like him sealed their testimony with their blood.

Now let us consider:-

THE CRY OF THE MARTYR THRONG

The symbolic cry of the martyrs -

"How long 0 Lord holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth "

is more than a mere demand for revenge; it is a call for God to vindicate His own truth. Evil may triumph for a time, but good must ultimately have the victory. The greater the evil carried out, the greater the punishment to be executed by a just and holy God. Has He not assured us in the Holy Scriptures:-

"vengeance is mine, I will repay saith the Lord." - (ROMANS 12:19)

So the more the persecution of the Christians grew in severity and savagery, so the more intense became the judgements poured out upon the Roman Empire. Vengeance surely belongeth unto the Lord, and this should give us confidence in our own personal and national conflicts, trials and tribulations, to leave all such matters in His hands. Even as the Creator of the Universe judged Pharaoh's Egypt, Belshazzar's Babylon and Imperial Rome of the Caesars', so in His sovereign will and purpose, the Lord of Hosts will execute judgement not only on Atheistic Communism, but on the modern Babylon, both religious and economic, headed up in the Roman Catholic Church and the International Financial power.

TWO GROUPS OF MARTYRS

In our study of this passage it is important to note the presence of two distinct companies or groups of martyrs. Those of the Pagan Roman era who cry from beneath the altar and are told to "rest for a little season"; after which they are to be joined by another martyr throng, described as their fellow servants and brethren. Undoubtedly this second group of martyrs are those who would seal their testimony in blood under Papal Rome. The arenas of Imperial persecution were to make way for the dungeons of the Inquisition, and the flames of the Auto-de-Fe, where thousands of Protestants were to be burned alive for the Word of God, and for their testimony both for Christ and against the Roman Anti-Christ. It has been estimated that at least sixty million martyrs perished at the hands of Papal Rome. Little wonder that John the Seer of Patmos was to stand back in horrified wonder and amazement, during a subsequent vision, when he beheld the Woman in Scarlet and Purple (the Roman Catholic Church), drunken with the blood of the saints and martyrs of Jesus. (see our books, 'The Scarlet Woman' and 'The Mark of the Beast'). Since these Dark Ages when the Papacy held sway, many more millions martyred at the hands of Marxism have joined the voices which cry for vengeance, and we often wonder how many more will join them before Christ returns to destroy evil religious and political forces and to set up His righteous Kingdom on earth. One more point must be mentioned in relation to this Fifth Seal:

LITERAL AND SYMBOLIC INTERPRETATION

In any study of the Apocalypse or Book of Revelation, we must always remember that it was written in symbols. From the outset John was told that the message would be signified to him, or given in symbolic form. We cannot therefore claim that the First Four Seals are symbolic yet the Fifth literal and that is what some would attempt to do. Those who believe in the immortality of the soul, whilst agreeing with our interpretation thus far, go on to insist that this is a literal vision of the souls of the martyrs even now in heaven. This creates a number of serious problems. In the Kingdom of God, when the martyrs receive their reward, as we shall subsequently see in our study of Chapter 7, all tears are wiped from their eyes, yet the Souls under the Altar in Chapter 5 spend their time crying to God to be avenged. What kind of heavenly bliss is this - where the martyred dead still think on their previous sufferings in this life? Are we expected to believe that these martyrs are under a literal altar in heaven above? Even the white robes are not to be taken literally, they symbolise the purity of the martyr throng.

How then do we explain the symbolism of this passage? First of all remember that these martyrs are specifically told by God to "rest for a little season''. This must surely remind us of another favourite verse from the Apocalypse which states:-

"Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea saith the Spirit that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them." - (REVELATION 14:13)

Also we would do well to note that the symbolic language used of these martyrs under the Fifth Seal is similar to that used in the Book of Genesis when Cain slew Abel:-

"What hast thou done? The voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground." - (GENESIS 4:10)

The New Testament Scriptures explain the meaning of this expression regarding Abel's blood crying from the ground in these words:

"and by it he being dead yet speaketh." - (HEBREWS 11:4)

The symbolism is clear. John saw the martyrs at rest, beneath the altar of sacrifice, whilst their blood, the memory of their cruel deaths symbolically called for vengeance even as did the blood of righteous Abel. Let us not seek to misuse the symbolism either of the Kingdom Parables or of the Apocalypse to attempt to establish the state of the dead. Hear again the words of the great Protestant Reformer and Bible Translator William Tyndale, who was part of the second company of martyrs slain by Papal Rome.

"The true faith putteth (teaches) the resurrection, which we be warned to look for every hour. The heathen philosophers, denying that, did put (teach) that the souls did ever live. And the Pope joineth the spiritual doctrine of Christ and the fleshly doctrine of the philosophers together ... therefore he corrupteth the Scripture ... and again if the souls be in heaven . . . what cause is there of a resurrection?" - (AN ANSWER TO SIR THOMAS MORE'S DIALOGUE by William Tyndale - Book 4 - Chapter 2 Pages 188, 189)

Now let us pass on the Sixth Seal.

SEAL SIX

This is a much lengthier vision which I believe we can more easily understand by breaking it down into three component parts.

A) THE WRATH OF THE LAMB

B) THE SEALING OF THE TRIBES

C) THE REWARD OF THE RIGHTEOUS

Before going on to look at each of these sections I want to try and bring some new light upon this passage by looking briefly at the:-

GEOGRAPHICAL AND GEOLOGICAL NATURE OF THE SYMBOLISM

In order to properly understand the symbolism used in this section of the Apocalypse, we need to know a little about the geographical situation of the Isle of Patmos where John was in exile, and the geological upheavals that took place in that immediate area in John's Day. From the island of Patmos it was possible to see another island called Thera known as the Beast, because in ancient times it was one of a number of volcanic islands in the area, and its arid slopes were made up of black volcanic rocks formed by successive eruptions in the area. According to the historians Pliny and Eusebius, Thera was particularly active in the period when John wrote. An extremely violent eruption had taken place in the area around 60 A.D. resulting in the submersion of some islands and the formation of others. The cliffs of Thera range in height from one hundred to one thousand feet, and the little town which was perched above these stratas of lava could only be reached by a narrow zig-zagging path. At the south of Thera are two mountain peaks some fifteen hundred feet high, and many of the inhabitants had used the naturally formed caves and caverns, at the front of which they had added their own frontage, to make homes. From these veritable dens amidst the rocks and the mountains they could take refuge in times of cataclysmic volcanic upheaval. With these facts in minds I feel we will have a better and clearer understanding of the next few verses which make up the First Section of the Sixth Seal, which I have entitled 'The Wrath of the Lamb'.

THE WRATH OF THE LAMB

"And I beheld when he had opened the Sixth Seal, and lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became as blood; 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. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. 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. 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. For the great day of His wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? - (REVELATION 6:12-17)

IS THIS SEAL HISTORICAL OR FUTURE?

Largely due to the cataclysmic upheavals described in this First Section of the Sixth Seal, and also due to the phrase "The great day of His wrath has come," some students of prophecy have sought to explain this as being an end of the age scene. Such is not the case. We have no grounds in consistent exegesis for doing this, and we shall see there were many eras in history which the prophets described as the Day of the Lord, eras of judgement and destruction, yet they were not the ending of the age nor the return of Christ to judge the earth and to establish His Kingdom. Let us look at some examples.

1) ISAIAH'S DAY OF THE LORD FOR BABYLON

"Behold the Day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath ancl fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and He shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it." - (ISAIAH 13:9)

This is part of a message described as being the "Burden of Babylon" and it undoubtedly had its first fulfilment in the downfall of the ancient city and Empire at the hands of the Medes and Persians.

2) ZEPHANIAH'S DAY OF THE LORD FOR JERUSALEM

"The great Day of the Lord is near, it is near and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the Day of the Lord ... that day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities and against the high towers." - (ZEPHANIAH 1:14-16)

This undoubtedly found its first fulfilment in the judgements which fell upon Judah and Jerusalem by the hands of the Chaldeans (see our forthcoming book, "Light from Zephaniah").
It would also he true to say that 70 A.D. was a Day of the Lord for Jerusalem, when the Roman armies of Titus executed judgement upon it even as the Lord Jesus foretold.
Now whilst all of these may have been types and shadows pointing to the Ultimate Day of the Lord at the end of this age, none of them constituted the Second Coming of Christ, the Great Battle of the Day of God Almighty or the Judgement of the Nations; nor indeed does the Sixth Seal of the Apocalypse, which is in reference to God's Day of Wrath upon the Pagan Roman Empire which is the historical subject and context of the prophecy.
Furthermore, the final and ultimate Day of the Lord marks the beginning of the Kingdom of God on earth, Paradise restored, a time of peace and prosperity lasting throughout the Millennium and into Eternity, whilst on the contrary, the Day of the Lord in the Sixth Seal is followed by the judgements heralded by the Seven Trumpets.
Having established that this is not a Second Advent prophecy, but that it stands with the other Seals in historical continuity, let us look at the

DISTINCTIVE METAPHORS IN THE SIXTH SEAL

This section uses some very distinctive metaphors or symbols: the earthquake, the darkening of the sun and moon, the falling of the stars, the terror upon the rulers of the earth. We have already examined the geographical significance of these, but what do they stand for or represent? Once again the Old Testament Scriptures provide the key to understanding. There we find that such symbolic metaphors always refer to the overthrow of ruling and reigning political and religious powers; to a time of judgement in the lives of nations, kingdoms and empires. Thus Jeremiah spoke of the desolation of Jerusalem in these words:-

"I beheld the earth and lo it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. I beheld the mountains and lo they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly. I beheld, and lo there was no man and all the birds of the heavens were fled." -
(JEREMIAH 4:23-25)

Hosea predicted the judgement of the Northern Kingdom of Israel in similar terms:-

"And they shall say to the mountains, Cover us; and to the hills, Fall on us." -  (HOSEA 10:8)

Foretelling the downfall of Pharaoh and Egypt the prophet Ezekiel wrote:-

"And when I shall put thee out I will cover the heaven and make the stars thereof dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give her light. All the bright lights of heaven will I make dark over thee and set darkness upon thy lands saith the Lord God." - (EZEKIEL 32:7-8)

Isaiah the prophet uses similar metaphorical language to tell of the forthcoming doom of Babylon:-

"For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine." - (ISAIAH 13:10)

Having proved that the symbols used refer to the overthrow and downfall of ruling powers and authorities - on this occasion within the context of Pagan Rome, let us look at:-

THE HISTORICAL FULFILMENT

After the period foreseen under the previous Seals, there had come to the Imperial throne in 285 A.D. a new Emperor named Diocletian. He came from Illyricum (modern Yugoslavia) and was a bitter opponent of the Christians. He launched a renewed campaign of persecution against them, the purpose of which was not merely to subdue or control them, but to totally exterminate them. So confident was he that he would triumph over the Christians that he erected two columns in Spain, hailing him as their destroyer. The inscription on one of these pillars reads:

"Diocietian, Jovius and Maximinian Hercules. The Roman Empire having been enlarged, throughout the East and West; and the name of the Christians who were overthrowing the Roman Republic blotted out."

No less than twenty-six Emperors having come and gone in the previous fifty years, Diocletian introduced his own style of government, whereby four men were given the rulership of the Empire. The original four who constituted the Tetrarcy were:-

DIOCLETIAN

GALERIUS

MAXIMIAN

CONSTANTIUS

The last of these four named died at York in 306 A.D. and was succeeded by his son Constantine, who is referred to by many as the First Christian Emperor. According to tradition, Constantine's mother Helena was a British Princess who traced her bloodline back to Bran the Blessed. Soon a civil war was raging throughout the Empire and the Legions of Constantine were advancing on Rome. It is claimed that Constantine saw a vision of a fiery cross in the sky and was told "In this sign conquer." The alternative tradition says that an angel appeared to Constantine and ordered him to place the Christian insignia on the shields and banners of his legions, and that the use of the sign would give him victory. We have no way of knowing the truth of these stories and it could well have been that knowing the Christians to be a large and growing community within the Empire, whom Diocletian had failed to exterminate, Constantine decided to identify his faction in the Civil War with the God of the Christians.
At this point we must note that the emblem chosen by Constantine was not the Popish or Latin Cross, but rather it was the Labarum, consisting of the Greek initial letters of Jesus Christ's name, as seen on the pictures of the banner and shield produced herewith.

The result was that Constantine defeated Maxentius at the Battle of Milvian Bridge, north of Rome in 312 A.D. and became along with Licinius, co-joint Emperor. In 313 A.D. he issued the Edict of Milan, granting toleration and freedom or worship, not just to the Christians but to all the religions in the Empire. Constantine ruled as sole Emperor from 324 - 337 A.D. and was responsible for convening the Council of Nicea in which he undoubtedly influenced many of the doctrines which were codified. Even though he has been called the First Christian Emperor, Constantine was not in fact baptised until two years prior to his death. There is no doubt that his rise to power marked the downfall of the Pagan Roman Empire, and brought freedom to the Church after centuries of persecution. However now that Christianity was a popular faith enjoying Imperial favour, multitudes of pagans nominally accepted the Christian Faith without genuine repentance or saving faith in Jesus, and soon a flood of Babylonish error was to overwhelm a Church which had withstood the sword and the wild beasts of the arena for three hundred years.
Now how were symbols of this Sixth Seal fulfilled in the era of Constantine?

1) THE DARKENING OF THE SUN

As we have already seen, the sun, moon and stars represented political and religious authorities and their darkening meant their decline and fall - in this case, Roman Paganism. It is also interesting to note that the sun, moon and stars were worshipped alongside the other heathen gods in the Pantheon at Rome; and we read concerning the downfall of Pharaoh's Egypt, by the Plagues that:-

"Upon their gods also, the Lord executed judgements" - (NUMBERS 33:4)

During the persecution of the Church by Diocletian and Maximian, medals were struck depicting the Pagan gods Jupiter and Hercules, destroying the Christians. Constantine himself was a devotee of the Sun-god. The overthrow of Paganism is therefore symbolised by the casting down of the planetary forces which were the objects of worship and idolatry in Rome.

2) THE DISAPPEARANCE OF HEAVEN, ISLANDS ETC.

The Heaven referred to here is the heaven of political authority which now passed from Pagan into nominally Christian hands in the person of Constantine.

3) CRIES OF FEAR AND TERROR FROM THE PAGANS

The collapse of their Pagan world order, before the advance of Constantine's Legions, struck terror into the hearts of those who until then had been in supreme control of the affairs of state and who had used their position and power to persecute the Church. Maximian hanged himself like Judas, whilst his son, the Emperor Maxentius was drowned in the River Tiber whilst fleeing with his troops from their defeat at Milvian Bridge. Diocletian was to die insane in the very year that the Edict of Milan extended freedom to the Christians against whom he had waged a war of genocide.
Thus did the wrath of the Lamb come to pass upon Pagan Rome, the persecutor of His people; and just as surely shall His righteous judgements fall on the latter-day persecuting systems of Catholicism and Marxism, and upon all who deliberately reject His offer of mercy and salvation, choosing instead to reject the Lamb who looks upon them in love but who will one day be their judge.

SEALING THE TRIBES

"And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the East, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, Saying, hurt not the earth neither the sea nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there was a hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel." - (REVELATION 7:1-4)

The passage opens with the expression:-

"AFTER THESE THINGS"

The things referred to must obviously be the events which have already taken place under the first Five Seals, and under the first part of the Sixth Seal. So the Sealing of the Tribes of Israel, must be against a period of judgements which are about to come upon the now Christianised Roman Empire, which we may now term Christendom. Why did such judgements come? As always because of apostasy from Apostolic Truth. The errors of baptismal regeneration, prayers for the dead, worship of the saints and their relics and the development of an unscriptural hierarchy, had all followed the supposed conversion of Constantine. All these and other false teachings too numerous to list here, were now to call forth the judgements of God, which we shall see in detail under the Seventh Seal.
There are now a number of other points from this passage which require explanation.

A) THE ACTIVITY OF THE ANGELS

We find the ministry of angels throughout the Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation. They act as the messengers of Almighty God and are involved not only in personal matters but in national affairs. Let me give some examples of both.

1. An evil angel directing the affairs of the Persian Empire sought to hinder the Angelic Messenger sent to the prophet Daniel. - (DANIEL 10:13 and 20)
   

2. An Angelic Messenger brought the Seventy Weeks Prophecy to Daniel. -  (DANIEL 9:21-27)
   

3. Angelic Messengers brought the news of Christ's birth to both Joseph and Mary. - (MATTHEW 1:20-25; LUKE 1:26-33)
   

4. An Angel rescued Peter from Herod's prison. - (ACTS 12:7-10)
   

Now these Four Angels in the Sixth Seal are described as standing which indicates that they were in a state of unwearied readiness to do the bidding of God. In this instance their task was to restrain or hold back the judgements due to come upon the Roman Earth of the prophecy, until Israel had been sealed by one who is described as

B) ANOTHER ANGEL

This angel who seals the Tribes of Israel is no created angelic being. He is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ, the Angel or Messenger of the New Covenant, referred to in the Old Testament Scriptures as the Angel of the Lord. This is the Angel who wrestled all night with Jacob at the Ford Jabbok on the occasion when his name was changed to Israel. This is the Angel who watched over the Israelites on their journey to the Promised Land, who gave Joshua the battle-plan for the capture of Jericho, who walked with the three Hebrews in Nebuchadnezzar's Fiery Furnace, who shut the lions' mouths for Daniel: this Angel is the pre-incarnate Christ, the pre-Bethlehem manifestation of the Lord Jesus, that which theologians call a Theophany.

C) THE SEAL IDENTIFIES THE SEALER

The New Testament Scriptures clearly state that the Seal of God is the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Thus we read:-

"That we should be the praise of His glory who first trusted in Christ. In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the Gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed (subsequent to conversion), ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise." - (EPHESIANS 1:12 and 13)

"And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God whereby, ye are scaled unto the day of redemption." - (EPHESIANS 4:30)

Now the Scriptures also teach that the Lord Jesus Christ is our Baptiser or Sealer with the Holy Spirit, for we read that John the Baptist declared concerning Jesus:-

"He shall baptise you with the Holy Ghost and fire." - (MATTHEW 3:11)

"He shall baptise you with the Holy Ghost." - (MARK 1:8)

"I indeed baptise you with water but He (Jesus) shall baptise you with the Holy Ghost and fire." - (LUKE 3:16)

"He that sent me to baptise with water, the same said unto me, upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, the same is He which baptiseth with the Holy Ghost. And I saw and bear record that this is the Son of God." - (JOHN 1:33 and 34)

Thus the Angel who seals Israel, is the Lord Jesus Christ, whom John proclaimed to be the Holy Ghost Baptiser, and whom we believe is the same one whom we read in the Old Testament:

"And he called to the man clothed with linen, which had the writers ink horn by his side; and the Lord said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, and set a mark (or seal) upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof." - (EZEKIEL 9:4 and 5)

Having identified the Seal and the Sealer we must now ask the question:-

D) WHO IS ISRAEL?

Perhaps the best way to answer this question is to state who and what Israel is not.

1) ISRAEL DOES NOT MEAN THE JEWS

The descendants of the Patriarch Jacob/lsrael developed into a multitudinous people, consisting of Twelve Tribes, actually Thirteen if we count the priestly Tribe of Levi who received no land inheritance. Upon the death of Solomon there was a major upheaval and revolt in the Nation of Israel against the harsh rule and taxation imposed by his son Rehoboam. Ten Tribes broke away to constitute the Northern Kingdom of Israel, known in prophecy as the House of Ephraim which was initially ruled over by King Jeroboam. Two tribes Judah and Benjamin remained loyal to the Throne of David, and to Solomon's son Rehoboam. They together with the priestly tribe of Levi, constituted the Southern Kingdom of Judah. We read of these events in I Kings 11: 28 - I Kings 12:24. The Lord actually stating of this division of the Kingdom:-

"This thing is from me." - (I KINGS 12:24)

Thereafter the Israel Kingdoms followed different histories and a different prophetic destiny. They are referred to hereafter in Scripture as Two Nations, Two Houses, Two Kingdoms, Two Sisters, and Two Sticks. It would therefore be no more logical to say that all British citizens were Welsh, or that all United States citizens were Virginians, than to say that all Israelites are Jews or of Judah.
We find subsequently that the Ten Tribes, together with some two hundred thousand inhabitants of the fenced cities of the Southern Kingdom of Judah, were taken into Assyrian captivity and placed in Halah and Habor by the river of Gozan and in the cities of the Medes (II Kings 18:11-13). These captives never returned to Canaanland. They are the Israelites who are sealed in this Revelation Vision, and they are most definitely not the Jews.

2) ISRAEL DOES NOT MEAN THE CHURCH

Many to-day follow the Spiritualising Interpretation introduced by Origen, Augustine and the so-called Fathers of the Roman Catholic system. This school of thought teaches that the Church is a new Spiritual Israel, and as such it inherits all the blessings whilst the Jews inherit all the curses. There is no basis in Scripture for such a false and deceptive theory, which can only result in the misapplication of prophecy and to total confusion regarding the plan of God. (This false teaching is refuted in detail in our book "Israel the Bride").

THE CELTO-ANGLO-SAXON AND RACIALLY ALLIED PEOPLES ARE TRUE ISRAEL

History records for us, and the evidence of Prophecy, Archaeology and Heraldry combine to confirm that the supposedly, Lost Tribes of Israel, eventually escaped from Assyrian captivity and began to migrate westwards. They travelled across Europe under many different names; Khumri, Cymri, Massagetae, Cimmerians, Scythians, Celts, Angles, Saxons and Jutes. They eventually settled in the British Isles, in Scandanavia and in pockets across North West Europe, ultimately spreading abroad into the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. They became the Great Nation and Company or Commonwealth of Nations foretold in Bible Prophecy.

SEALING THE TRIBES

The Migrations of Israel from Assyrian Captivity

to the Isles North-West of Palestine

These are the Israel who were sealed in the Revelation Vision, and we must now ask:-

E) WHY WERE THEY SEALED?

There are basically four reasons given for sealing in the Scriptures. These are:-

1) FOR SECRECY

2) FOR OWNERSHIP

3) FOR PROTECTION

4) AS INSTRUMENTS FOR GOD'S USE

All four reasons apply to these Israelites in the Apocalypse.

1) SECRECY

In their captivity and subsequent Seven Times of Punishment, a period of 2,520 years (see our book "The Divine Calculator") Israel were to be blind to their own national identity, and to remain unrecognised by the surrounding nations. They had become as the inspired prophet had foretold:-

"Call his name Loammi: for you are not my people, and I will not be your God." - (HOSEA 1:9)

Thus the prophet Isaiah could say of them:-

"Bring forth the blind people that have eyes, and the deaf that have ears." - (ISAIAH 43:8)

Paul the Apostle confirms this when he states:-

"blindness in part is happened to Israel until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in." - (ROMANS 11:25)

It was only when the British people received the great spiritual blessings of the Protestant Reformation, that they developed into the great Christian Empire, and the revelation of their true identity as Regathered Israel began to be known.

2) OWNERSHIP

The Scriptures declare:-

"Having this Seal, the Lord knoweth them that are His." - (II TIMOTHY 2:19)

Israel belonged to God, they were His specially chosen Covenant People, and even in captivity, dispersion and migration across Europe, He has declared:-

"For lo, I will command, and I will sift the House of Israel among all nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the last grain fall upon the earth." - (AMOS 9:9)

When Paul wrote to the Ephesian Church and referred to the Baptism of the Holy Spirit as a seal of ownership, the symbol would have been especially clear to them, as it was the custom of the timber merchants of Ephesus to mark or put a seal on their logs before leaving them to float in the harbour until they needed them.

3) PROTECTION

When the Seventh Seal would be opened, devastating judgements would fall upon Europe, the Roman Earth of Prophecy, as the Barbarian hordes would sweep down upon the decaying Roman Empire. It was necessary for God to seal those of His Israel people still migrating across Europe, who had not yet reached the appointed place of safety in the Isles of the West.

4) THE SERVICE OF GOD

These Israelites were sealed for service as are all the servants of God, for ultimately their seed were to develop in the earth into God's instrument for literal and spiritual blessing to all mankind; feeding the hungry, freeing the slaves, translating the Scriptures, taking the Gospel of Christ, together with law, justice, schools and hospitals to the very darkest corners of the globe; smashing in pieces tyranny and dictatorship. Truly they were sealed to fulfil the words of the prophet Isaiah.

"But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend." - (ISAIAH 41:8)

"Ye are my witness saith the Lord that I am God." - (ISAIAH 43:12)

"This people have I formed for myself; they shall shew forth my praise." - (ISAIAH 43:21)

"Thou art my servant 0 Israel in whom I will be glorified." - (ISAIAH 49:3)

Now let us see the significance of:-

ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY FOUR THOUSAND

The one hundred and forty four thousand sealed Israelites are not a literal or limited number, for the Apocalypse is a book of symbols; neither does this prophecy apply to the false sect of Jehovah's Witnesses. The number is twelve times, twelve thousand, the perfect symbol of Israel regathered, redeemed and restored, even as the prophet declares of them.

"In the Lord shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory." - (ISAIAH 45:25)

and as the Apostle Paul confirms:-

"And so all Israel shall be saved as it is written, There shall come out of (unto) Zion the Deliverer and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob." - (ROMANS 11:17)

How will this great work of national redemption be accomplished? By the New Covenant, which was foretold by Jeremiah and recalled in the Epistle to the Hebrews. Paul tells us just this in the next part of the verse for he says.

"For this is my covenant unto them when I shall take away their sins." - (ROMANS 11:27)

We must now proceed to examine one of the most difficult questions arising under the Sixth Seal.

WHY IS DAN OMITTED?

From verses 5-8 of Revelation 7, we are given a list of the Tribes of Israel, out of each of which a symbolic twelve thousand are sealed. The Tribes listed are as follows:-

1) JUDAH

2) REUBEN

3) GAD

4) ASHER

5) NAPHTALI

6) MANASSEH

7) SIMEON

8) LEVI

9) ISSACHAR

10) ZEBULON

11) JOSEPH

12) BENJAMIN

This presents a serious problem, for if we assume that Joseph stands for the two tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, while we do find Ephraim omitted from the list, surprisingly both Joseph and Manasseh are included with Dan being excluded. There are two explanations given for this.

1) A SCRIBAL ERROR

Some have suggested that the word Manasseh is an error by the copying scribe. The Speakers Commentary in a note on this passage suggests that Dan was confused with Man, an abbreviation of Manasseh.
However we believe that the Word of God is inspired and unerring and that He has providentially preserved for us a Bible, free from mistakes or errors. Paul writing to Timothy categorically states:-

"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God." - (II TIMOTHY 3:16).

In the original Greek text the words literally mean that:-

"All Scripture is God breathed."

We must therefore look at the second explanation.

DAN WAS NOT IN DANGER

As we have already explained, the Tribes of Israel were sealed for protection as they migrated across Europe to their appointed place of safety in the Isles, North and West of Palestine. However history records that the Tribe of Dan were the pioneers of Israel. They had already taken to the sea in ships at the time of the prophetess Deborah in the Book of judges. By the time the other tribes were receiving their protective seal, and the Roman Empire was collapsing the Tribe of Dan had already been settled for many centuries in what is now Ulster or Northern Ireland, where they were known as the Tuatha de Danaan. They therefore required no protection, their journey was over, and so quite logically they are omitted from the list.