Teachinghearts	The Seven Seals (Revelation 4 - 6) "Explore the Word. Change the World"	Lesson 29: Time: 70 minutes Print: 14 pages

Passover		Wavesheaf	Pentecost		Trumpets	Day of Atonement					Tabernacles
1-3		4-5	6	7	8-11	10	11	12-13	14-15	16-19		14, 20-22
Lamb	Church	Accepted	Seals	Sealing	Judgment	Remnant	Legal Case	Satan's empire	Warning	Destruction		Rescued
Lamb		High Priest	King		Judge						Bridegroom

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Revelation 4 - 6 Leviticus 26

Symbols
Revelation 4 and 5 introduces Jesus as the wavesheaf who was accepted by God and found worthy to open the scroll with the seven seals.
Revelation 6 and 7 introduces the work of the Holy Spirit of Pentecost who seals the people of God by writing the laws of God in their heart. This is the promise of the covenant that is revealed when the new king opened the seal.

Revelation 6 is the destiny of those who reject the Holy Spirit and the covenant.
Revelation 7 is the destiny of those who accept the Holy Spirit and the covenant.
The symbols used are from the sanctuary and the blessings and the curses of the covenant. The prophecy of the seven churches in Revelation 1 to 3 shows the status of the church and the counsel of Jesus as their High Priest. The seven seals show why Jesus warns, rewards and punished them, because here He is presented as their King.

The Open Door
Revelation 4 describes Heaven in terms of the Most Holy Place in the Sanctuary.
Revelation 5 describes the acceptance of the wave sheaf offering after the resurrection.
a door was opened in heaven. (Revelation 4: 1). This verse describes an open door in Heaven. This door was opened when the veil to the Most Holy was torn. Jesus entered that door at His ascension when He was accepted as the wavesheaf offering and inaugurated as our High Priest.
Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4: 14-16)

Crucifixion	Veil Torn	Resurrection			Wave Sheaf	Inauguration	High Priest is King and Judge	Holy Spirit	Pentecost
		Jesus	First Fruits		Lamb becomes High Priest				1	2	3	4	5	6	7
Friday Nisan 14		Lamb	24 Elders	Sunday Nisan 16		Nisan 16 - 22	Receives Covenant		Seals Opened
Temple Opened		Revelation 5						Revelation 6

The Throne

• Open Door. At the crucifixion, the curtain between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place was torn. This symbolized His death, the opening of graves and the opening of the door between the two rooms.
  
  Torn Veil. And, look, the veil of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared to many. (Matthew 27: 51-53)
• Throne. Through the open door John saw a throne. This is the Ark of the Covenant which is the throne of God.
• One Sitting on the Throne. This is God surrounded by the glory of God.
• Sea. The throne in heaven has a river that comes out of it. This must be the pool of water that it creates.
• Four Living Creatures. Solomon placed two Cherubim within the Most Holy Place, whose wings covered above the place that the Ark was put. In addition, there were the two "Covering Cherubim" on the Ark. So, there were Four Cherubim in the Sanctuary.
  Four Cherubim And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the Lord to his place, into the oracle of the house, to the most holy place, even under the wings of the cherubim. For the cherubim spread forth their two wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim covered the ark and the staves above it. (1 Kings 8: 6-7)
  
  
• Twenty Four Elders. On the earth, only the priests could enter the sanctuary and only the high priest could see the ark of the covenant. In heaven, we see that it is now open to ordinary people. The twenty four elders represent the people of earth. We know that they are from earth because they are wearing "victory crowns" (stephanos). These are probably from the group of people who were resurrected with Jesus. See Matthew 27: 51-53.
  
  Even on earth, the family of priests were divided into twenty four divisions named after the children of Levi so that they could rotate their schedules when they served in the temple. We know that all the righteous will become priests of God. Therefore the twenty four divisions will probably be named after these twenty four elders.
  24 Divisions of Priests. Now these are the divisions of the sons of Aaron ... And David distributed them ... according to their offices in their service. ... So were they divided by lot, one sort with another; for the governors of the sanctuary, and governors of the house of God ... Now the first lot came forth to Jehoiarib, the second to Jedaiah ... The twenty third to Delaiah, the twenty fourth to Maaziah. (1 Chronicles 24: 1-18.)
  
  The Victory Crown. For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but to all them also that love his appearing. (2 Timothy 4: 6-8)
• Scroll. The scroll is the covenant.
• Lamb. The Lamb becomes the High Priest and then the Lion King. Then He is appointed as Judge of the living and the dead. (Acts 10: 42)

The Sealed Scroll and the Covenant
The crisis in Revelation 5 centers around a Scroll with seven seals. We will show that this scroll is the covenant which was kept at the throne of God.

Two Sets of Laws

Located at the Throne (Ark).
The scroll was ... in the right hand of him that sat on the throne. Revelation 5: 1
The only written documents kept in the sanctuary were the ten commandments and the Torah written by Moses.

• The Ten Commandments ("The Covenant"). These were called the covenant and the testimony and they were put inside the ark.
  And He declared to you His covenant, which He commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and He wrote them upon two tables of stone. (Deuteronomy 4: 13)
  Location. And you shall put into the ark the testimony which I shall give you. (Exodus 25: 16)
• The Torah. (The Laws and The Blessings and Curses). These were put beside the ark. These also legally define the covenant, the consequences for breaking the covenant and the terms to which the people agreed. Life or death. It was the same choice given to Adam.
  Ceremonial Laws and Curses. And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished, That Moses commanded the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord, saying, Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there for a witness against you. (Deuteronomy 31: 24-26)

Written on Both Sides. Both the scroll and the ten commandments were written on both sides.

• The Scroll. .. written within and on the backside ... (Revelation 5: 1)
• The Commandments. And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, and the two tables of the testimony were in his hand: the tables were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were they written. (Exodus 32: 15)
• The Covenant. Then I looked and behold, a hand was extended to me and lo a scroll was in it. When He spread it out before me, it was written on the front and the back, and written on it were lamentations, mourning and woe. (Ezekiel 2: 9-10)
  In the vision of the throne of God, Ezekiel was given a scroll by God on the throne. This must be the copy of the covenant which included the commandments and the blessings and curses. This description of the throne of God places a copy of a document which contained the curses at the throne of God.
• The Curses. Zechariah sees a flying scroll with the curses for breaking the law written on both sides.
  And he said to me, "what do you see?" And I answered, "I see a flying scroll, its length is twenty cubits and its width is ten cubits". Then he said to me, "This is the curse that is going forth over the face of the whole land.
  Sin Against Man. surely everyone who steals will be purged away by the writings written on one side,
  Sin Against God. and everyone who swears will be purged away according to the writing on the other side".
  ... and it will enter the house of the thief and the house of the one who swears falsely by My name ... (Zechariah 5: 2-4)
  The curses are sent for breaking the ten commandments. It specifically mentions stealing and taking the name of the Lord in vain. Stealing is usually an offense against man but the next is an offense against God.

The Paradox Only a Priest could enter the Sanctuary. And only a King could receive the Scroll to Rule. In Ancient Israel, a Priest came from the tribe of Levi. The King came from the tribe of Judah. No one was allowed to serve in both roles.

The King and The Priest.
Two people kept a copy of the law.

• Priest. The priest had a copy in the temple.
• King. A copy of the law was given to the king at his coronation.

The problem was, that since the law was kept in the sanctuary, the king could not get a copy unless there was a legitimate High Priest who could enter the Most Holy Place to retrieve the copy. In addition, no one was allowed to be both a king and a priest.
The Priest Gives A Copy to the King. And it shall be, when he sits upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites: And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them. (Deuteronomy 17: 18-19)
So the king must read and enforce the law.

Who is Worthy?

The Offering When Jesus died He fulfilled the quality and time requirements to become several offerings. The Passover Lamb. The Sin offering. The Ram of Ordination (Inauguration). The Wave offering. The Wavesheaf (First Fruits). The Peace offering. (Free Will).

Therefore we have this dilemma.
Who is worthy to open the book and to break its seals? (Revelation 5: 2).
In other words, who can enter the temple of heaven to retrieve a copy of the covenant? And who has a right to be king and receive the law? For a time no one could be found.
And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the book or to look into it? (Revelation 5: 3).

• Heaven. There was no angel or other creature in heaven.
• Earth. There was no human.
• Under the Earth. There was no one among the dead.

No one was found until Jesus was victorious over sin and death.

The New Priesthood Jesus had to be both a priest and king. But the law forbids a priest from the tribe of Levi or a king from the tribe of Judah to hold any other office. Therefore, to keep this law Jesus became a king from the line of Judah, but He became an eternal priest from the line of Melchisadek David. Because it is still day and night time and there are no other kings of God on earth, He became king from this tribe. Therefore, He was born from Judah so that He could inherit the throne. Melchisadek. Since He was from Judah, he could not be from Levi because He could not legally hold both offices during day and night time. But on earth there was an eternal line of priests of God. He could claim this line. Levi. Therefore there is no need for the priesthood of Levi to continue. It can pass away. According to Jeremiah 33: 20, God has the right to suspend this line of priests at a time when night does not follow day. Under the eternal priesthood, all people could become priests, not just the tribe of Levi. This is what happens in heaven.

The Covenant With David and Levi. If you can break My covenant for the day and My covenant for the night, so that day and night will not come at their appointed time; Then my covenant may also be broken with David my servant so that he will not have a son to reign on his throne, and with the Levitical priests, My ministers. (Jeremiah 33: 20-21).
The eclipse at His crucifixion may have technically broken the covenant with these tribes. During the eclipse day and night were not at their appointed time. This dark sun was a miracle on two levels.

• Duration. Normally, solar eclipses last about eight minutes, this darkness persisted for three hours.
• Timing. Normal solar eclipses only occur during a new moon and are impossible during a full moon. Since this solar eclipse occurred during a full moon, it was a miracle that was not caused by natural forces or natural time cycles. God broke the covenant.

God chose to keep the covenant with David and end the covenant with Levi. According to verse 26, He would restore the fortunes of David and have mercy on him.

The Messiah as Lamb and Lion of Judah. ... Look, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals. (Revelation 5: 5).
Because Jesus was a legitimate heir to the throne of David, He was a king who could receive the scroll. And because He was a high priest, He was able to enter the temple to receive the scroll at the throne.

The Messiah as Priest and King. And speak to him, saying, So speaks the Lord of hosts, saying, Look the man whose name is The Branch; and He shall grow up out of His place, and He shall build the temple of the Lord: Even He shall build the temple of the Lord; and He shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon His throne; and He shall be a priest upon His throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both. (Zechariah 6: 12-13)
For the first time there will be someone who can be both Priest and King. He was the branch.
Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters into that within the veil; Where the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisadek. For this Melchisadek, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him. (Hebrews 6: 19 to 7: 1)

The Blessings and Curses.
Revelation 5 portrays Jesus as the King and Priest of the Order of Melchisadek. Jesus entered the Heavenly Sanctuary at His Ascension, to receive the Heavenly Scroll of the Eternal Covenant. (Revelation 5: 5-10)
We see that after the inauguration ceremony and the events of Revelation 4 and 5, the seals were opened and the terms of the covenant were revealed. God kept His agreement by sending the Holy Spirit at Pentecost as the blessing. He also kept the agreement by sending all the punishments. These are the five curses that are recorded in Leviticus 26.
The Blessing of Pentecost for the Righteous. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days says the Lord; "I will put my laws into their minds and write it on the hearts. And I will be their God and they shall be My people". (Hebrews 8: 10)
The Curses for the Wicked. But if you do not obey Me and do not carry out all these commandments, if instead you reject my statutes, and if your soul abhors my ordinances so as not to carry out all my commandments, and so break my covenant, I in turn will do this to you ... (Leviticus 26: 14-16)

The Seven Seals
Our study of the seven seals looks at the prophetic details that are revealed as each of the Seven Seals on the Scroll that Christ received is opened. (Revelation 5: 1) As Jesus reads the scroll, He does all things that are required by law. He sends the Holy Spirit at Pentecost to write the laws into our hearts and He sends the curses as the church collapses into disobedience.
And it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them. (Deuteronomy 17: 19)

Pentecost		1	2	3	4	5	6					7
Holy Spirit	Blessing		Curse 1	Curse 2	Curse 3 and 4	Curse 5 (The Wrath of God)						Blessing
	White Horse		Red Horse	Black Horse	Pale Horse	Martyrs	Signs					Silence
	Early Church 31-199		Roman Persecution 200-350	Apostasy 350-538	Papal Persecution 538-1740	Martyrs Wait 1740-55	Earthquake 1755	Dark Day 1780	Stars 1833	1844	Sky Splits	Second Coming

The Four Creatures
The Cherubim. And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast was like a calf; and the third beast had a face as a man and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle. (Revelation 4: 7)
Revelation 4 mentions the order of the four beasts who would be sent with each seal. It represents the order in which the work of Christ will be done on behalf of the righteous and the order in which the curses will be applied to the wicked. The same power of God that is salvation for the righteous becomes a curse for the wicked.

4 BC	Son of Man		31 AD	Lamb of God		1844	Righteous Judge		Second Coming	Bridegroom
Lion of the Tribe of Judah			Calf (Sacrifice for Sin)			Man (Judge with a Pair of Scales)			Eagle (Eats the Wicked Dead)

The Symbols of the Seven Seals
The sealed scroll is the covenant. The terms of this covenant includes reward and punishment in the form of the blessings and curses. As the seals are opened either a blessing or curse is applied. Therefore the symbolism comes from the curses in the covenant. A vision of a flying scroll in Zechariah 5 seems to support this view.
Then I lifted up my eyes again and looked and saw there was a flying scroll.
And he said to me, "What do you see?" And I answered, "I see a flying scroll; its length is twenty cubits and its width ten cubits. " then He said to me, "This is the curse that is going out over the face of the whole land". (Zechariah 5: 1-3)
The first four seals were delivered by the creatures from the throne of God. They send the equivalent horses of judgment. All these symbols are associated with the curse. The first seal shows the blessing as the church is obedient to the covenant. They are victorious. As apostasy takes control the five sets of curses are applied. In the fifth curse, the blessings are seen for the righteous as God protects his people of the covenant and sends the final curse on the wicked.
It is not a coincidence that the next prophecy deals exclusively with the people of God who are sealed. They survive the opening of the seals. They are not condemned by a curse. This prophecy shows the selection and rejection of people of the world and the next introduces us to those who are selected.

	Creature		Seal		Symbols	Curse	Period
	1	Lion	The Four Horsemen	White horse	Crown, bow	Blessings	Early church
	2	Calf (Ox)		Red horse	War	1. No peace	Persecution
	3	Face of a Man		Black horse	Scales, wheat, barley. Oil and wine not hurt.	2. Famine	Apostasy
	4	Flying Eagle		Pale horse	Wild beasts, sword, famine, pestilence	3. Wild beasts 4. War, famine, disease	Dark ages
	5	These last judgments are not sent by the creatures. They come from God himself.	The Wrath of God	Souls under the altar ask for justice	White robes	The fifth curse, which is the final wrath of God. It is sent as an answer to the prayers of the saints.	Reformation and Martyrdom
	6			Day of wrath. Earthquake, dark sun, blood moon, stars fall and sky splits			After 1798
	7			Silence in heaven for half hour			End of time
We will note that a Creature is associated with each of the first four seals. Revelation 4: 6-8 tells us that these four living creatures were around the throne. Remember the living creatures around God's chariot throne in Ezekiel's visions. (Ezekiel Chapters 1 and 10):					A color is associated with the horses seen in each of the first four seals. Joel 2: 1-4, Zechariah 1: 8-10 and Zechariah 6: 1-3 describe horses which bring judgment from God.

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
The seals can be divided into two sets.

• The Four Horsemen. These are the first four seals. These are the four horses which bring judgment from God. They are the promised blessing of the Holy Spirit and the first four curses.
• The Wrath of God. These are the last three seals. They are the fifth and final curse, which is the wrath of God.

The Blessing Lion and White Horse There was no curse in the early apostolic period as the church obeyed the king of kings and the word of God.

The First Seal
Then I saw when the Lamb broke one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, "Come". I looked, and saw, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer. (Revelation 6: 1-2)

• The Creature. Jesus is the Lion of the tribe of Judah. (Revelation 5: 5)
• The Horse. The white horse is the spiritual purity of the first church.
• The Blessings. The first part of the covenant lists the blessings, not the curses. Here we see the faithful church being rewarded with the blessings of the covenant. After the inauguration of the lamb as the high priest and the ascension to the throne of the lion king, the Holy Spirit is sent at Pentecost to fulfill the covenant. Therefore, under the first seal, a great blessing occurred.
• The Symbols. Bow and crown. They went to war for God, expecting victory, and they conquered. The crown is a Stephanos, a crown of victory. It was not a Diadema which is a kingly crown.

The Fulfillment of the First Seal (The Early Church) (31-199):
This is the early church during the time of the apostles. The first century through the mid second century. Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the conquering Christ, they had a purity of the faith and the zeal for the work of God through which they conquered the world. Their crown is a victory wreath.
However, as time continued the church became corrupted and as each seal is opened, the king sees that He must apply the punishments written down as curses. So amazingly we find that the rest of the seals bring the five series of curses in the order specified in the covenant.

The Curse Calf and Red Horse The curse brought the Roman persecutions which eventually caused compromise and apostasy and martyrdom.

The Second Seal
When He broke the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, "Come". And another, a red horse, went out; and to him who sat on it, it was granted to take peace from the earth, and that men would slay one another; and a great sword was given to him. (Revelation 6: 3-4)

• The Creature. This was the calf or ox. It was is the only creature among the four living creatures that could be used as a sacrifice. It is also a strong creature. So here we see the sacrifice of Christ next to the work of the red horse. The church would become a sacrifice during times of persecution.
  War and Division. Jesus came to go to war with the kingdom of darkness. Read Matthew 10: 34-39. The battle between good and evil means sacrifice, division and martyrdom.
  Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. (Matthew 10: 34)
  
  The Red Heifer. It may be significant that God symbolizes Himself as the calf for this period of death. The sacrifice of the red heifer was used to cleanse the people from death. It is a reassuring symbol of the resurrection for martyrs.
  God who brings him out of Egypt, is like the horns of a wild ox for him; he shall devour the nations that are his foes and break their bones. He shall strike with his arrows. (Numbers 24: 8 and Numbers 23: 22)
• The Horse. The red horse symbolizes blood and death.
• The Curse. These are the judgments in the first series of curses. There would be no peace because of constant invasion from our enemies.
  No Peace and Safety. I will appoint over you a sudden terror ... you will sow your seed uselessly for your enemies will eat it up. ... those who hate you will rule over you and you will flee when no one is pursuing you. (Leviticus 26: 16-17)
  
• The Symbols. The symbol of a sword and the command to "take peace from the earth" points to an era of war. The symbol of the Great Sword also points to the word of God which is "sharper than a two edged sword."

The Fulfillment of the Second Seal (The Roman Persecutions) (200-350) :
The church suffered many persecutions under the Romans but they were still strong in faith. Here we see the great sword of war fighting against the Great Sword of the Word of God. As they spread their faith, they gave up their lives. Ultimately, the Romans themselves had no peace because of the constant bombardment by the Barbarian hordes. This constant attack led to their breakup in 476 A.D.

The Curse Man and Black Horse The curse brought famine. Specifically lack of human wisdom and a period of famine for the word of God. The blessing would have been to be fed from the table of shewbread with the wine of the fruit harvest and the bread from the wheat and barley harvest under the light of the Menorah and the word of God.

The Third Seal
When He broke the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, "Come" I looked, and saw, a black horse; and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard something like a voice in the center of the four living creatures saying, "A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not damage the oil and the wine." (Revelation 6: 5-6)

• The Creature. This was the man. It is probably Christ. During this period the Antichrist would appear and challenge Him. At the end Jesus appears as the Judge with a pair of scales who rules on behalf of the saints and against the Antichrist. This judgment began in 1844.
• The Horse. The black horse symbolizes spiritual darkness and apostasy.
• The Curse.
  Famine and Drought. I will also make your sky like iron and your earth like bronze ... your land will not yield its produce and the trees of the land will not yield their fruit. (Leviticus 26: 19-20)
  The iron sky and bronze earth lead to drought then famine. No rain can get through the iron sky. No crops can pierce the bronze ground. There is no harvest.
• The Symbols. Scales, wheat, barley, oil and wine.
  • Judgment. God judged the church at this time and gave them over to the little horn because of apostasy.
    And on account of transgression the host will be given over to the little horn along with the continual; and it will fling truth to the ground and perform its will and prosper. (Daniel 8: 12)
    The host or church was given over to the power that they went whoring after. Sadly, the continual or the ministry of the Man, Christ Jesus was also handed over to the little horn. The church was in spiritual darkness.
  • Grain Harvest. They represent the seed that grows. The wheat and barley harvest occurred at the Passover and Pentecost. The work and progress produced by the early church was in jeopardy. The word of God was scarce by the second seal, now the fruits of the harvest are missing because truth and the word was scarce. There was a famine for the word of God because of the curse.
  • Fruit Harvest. The oil and wine were products of the fruit harvest at the feast of tabernacles. These were not damaged in this judgment because their fulfillment would be in the future and it was not time to harvest them.

  Grain Harvest				Fruit Harvest
  Barley	49 Days	Wheat	49 Days	New Wine	1798	49 Days	New Olive Oil	First Born
  Christ		3,000		Martyrs			144,000	General Resurrection
  Passover		Pentecost		Summer Heat			Tabernacles	Second Coming
  First Seal		Seals (2-3)		Fourth Seal		Seals (5-6)		Seventh Seal

The Fulfillment of the Third Seal (Apostasy) (350-538):
This is the period before the church was handed formal power. There was much compromise and the church was looking to the state for power. The light of God was gone. The word of God was gone. During this time the "Man of Sin" would tear the church away from the Man, Christ Jesus. And the church would be given up because they were unfaithful. This represents a period or phase of church history when human authority and "wisdom" is being substituted for the authority of Christ and God.
The Man of Sin Appears. Let no one deceive you in any way; for that day will not come unless the rebellion comes first and the lawless one is revealed, the one destined for destruction. He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, declaring himself to be God. (2 Thessalonians 2: 3-4)
The Little Horn with Human Eyes. I was considering the horns, when another horn appeared, a little one coming up among them; to make room for it, three of the earlier horns were plucked up by the roots. There were eyes like human eyes in this horn, and a mouth speaking arrogantly. (Daniel 7: 8)

The Curse Eagle and Pale Horse The eagle goes to a place of death. This curse brought famine, war, disease (bubonic plague) and Islam

The Fourth Seal
When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, "Come". I looked, and saw, an ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name Death; and Hades was following with him. Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth. (Revelation 6: 7-8)

• The Creature. This creature was the eagle. Whenever it was used in the context of judgment it was always flying over the dead bodies of the wicked. Jesus conquers the wicked at the end of time.
  They are passed away as the swift ships: as the eagle that hastens to the prey. (Job 9: 26.)
• The Horse. Here we see a pale horse in control over death and the grave (Hades).
• The Curse is Doubled. This horse brings the third and fourth series of curses. Events get worse as the curses are doubled. The third brings wild beasts and the fourth brings war, famine and disease.
  » Wild Beasts. I will let loose among your the beasts of the field, which will bereave you of your children and destroy your cattle and reduce your number so that your roads lie desolate. (Leviticus 26: 22)
  » Sword, Pestilence, Famine. I will bring upon you a sword which will execute judgment for the covenant. ... I will send pestilence among you ... when I break your staff of bread ... you will eat and not be satisfied. (Leviticus 26: 25-26)
  
• The Symbols. Darkness, famine. Here we see death caused by the absence of the word and the light of God. While you could find some hope of a survival of part of the truth in the other seals, here we find utter defeat. The word of God is conquered in the first seal. The second seal portrayed an image of clashing swords. The word of God was at war with the sword of persecution. In the third seal, the harvest was scarce and God acted to preserve the future fruit harvest. Here we find no hope except that he did not have authority over all the earth.

The Fulfillment of the Fourth Seal (Papal Persecution) (538-1740-1798):
Days of Darkness (535-546). The period began with a great sign all over the world. The physical destruction pointed to the great spiritual darkness, famine and death that had just begun. People believed that the fourth horseman of the apocalypse had begun. In February 535, a great volcanic eruption split the island of Java and created Sumatra. The sound was heard around the world, even in Mexico. The volcanic ash blotted out the sun totally for 18 months so that the day was as dark as night. The light from the sun was as effective as the light from the moon. It rained red water and yellow ash. 536 was the darkest year and was known as the year without a summer.

• Disease or Pestilence. Justinian's plague ravaged Europe and Africa killing over 25 million. They stopped counting and burying the dead in Constantinople because there were too many.
• Wild Beasts. Animals took over as civilizations and cities collapsed.
• Famine. Drought, constant cold and snow and no sunlight stunted the growth of trees and caused famine.
• Death. Some sources claim that 50% of the global population died.

Dark Ages. The prophecy was fulfilled during the 1260 years of papal domination and mirrored the signs of 535-546.

• Wild Beasts. The curse of the wild beasts specifically brings a loss of children. During this period the church would break apart and the papacy would see the division of the church in the eastern Orthodox schism (1054), the Protestants (1517) and the Anglicans (1529). It lost its children and their numbers were reduced. There was even a Papal schism from 1377-1417 in which there were two popes, one in Rome and the other in Avignon, France.
• The Sword (War). There were many wars of religions which were done to stop heresy. Millions died.
• Disease or Pestilence (1347-1665). The plague also devastated Europe. The worst years were 1347-1351, when 75 million died. One third to half of the population eventually died. There was also a leprosy epidemic.
  » The Great Dying of the Beasts (1319-1327). Even the animals were not immune to a plague.
• Famine. Apostasy had reached so far that there was a famine for the word of God. The word of God was banned.
  » The Great Famine (1315-1317). The beginning of famine. There were rumors of cannibalism. 10-15% died.
  » The Little Ice Age (1320-1850). During the fourteenth to the nineteenth century an unusual cold, damp and bad weather caused famine in Europe because they relied on cereal crops. The grain usually rotted. The worst years were 1545-1750. There were 111 famines in France alone between 1371-1791. Famine led to the French revolution in 1798. Millions died.
  » The Year Without a Summer (1816). The little ice age and the effects of the volcanic eruption on Tambora in 1815 caused snow in July and crops to fail for two years across the globe and triggered famines and epidemics. It mimiced the conditions that existed at the beginning in 535.
  Once again we see local fulfillments at the beginning and end of a long prophecy that copy the real fulfillment.
• Sword of Judgment for the Covenant. This was the fall of the papacy in 1798 during the French Revolution.

This is the same period described during the testimony of the two witnesses. According to these verses, the punishments were sent by them. This is what the fourth seal shows. Because they are legal punishments from God allowed by the terms of the covenant, they are sent by God on the testimony of two witnesses.
And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and three score days, clothed in sackcloth. ... These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will. (Revelation 11: 3, 6)

The Curse Judge and Martyrs They ask for revenge on their enemies and God promises that judgment will come.

The Fifth Seal
When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also. (Revelation 6: 9-11)
The first four seals show the judgement of God against those who deserve the curse. The next three seals show the fifth and final curse as God executes His wrath on the wicked. It begins with the righteous asking for justice and protection that God has promised them.

• The Altar of Sacrifice. Blood was poured out at the base of this altar on the ground. Therefore, it is from this altar that the martyrs blood are crying out for revenge. Similarly, the blood of the innocent man Abel cried out to God.
  Altar. The priest is to take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering. And all the rest of the blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar. (Leviticus 4: 34)
  Abel. And He said, What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood cries to Me from the ground. (Genesis 4: 10)
• The Martyrs. Many martyrs were killed during the last seal. This seal occurs towards the end of the 1260 year period when most of the martyrs were killed.
• The Covenant. According to the covenant, God will be their defender and blood avenger. Therefore, on this basis, they legally cry out to God to keep His promises. They ask, how long will He wait to keep his promises. The first four curses had been sent. They were really asking, "How long until the fifth?"
  They were specifically calling for judgment and the fifth and final curse which brings the vengeance and wrath of God. They were told to wait.
  Their request is granted at the beginning of the third thunder with the fall of Babylon. Then the new martyr's receive their white robes during the Latter Rain and then they have to wait through the persecution and the plagues.

  Old Martyrs	1844	Judgment	Sealing	Babylon Falls	White Robes	New Martyrs	Persecution	Second Coming
  Feast of Trumpets	Day of Atonement					Mark of the Beast
  White Robes	Wait (Rest for the Martyrs)			Judging Request of Martyrs is Granted Avenging
  Seven Thunders	Temple	Three Angel's Message		Freedom	Latter Rain	Exodus from Babylon	Vengeance and Wrath	Rapture

• The Symbols.
  • White Robes. They were given rewards. The white robe is the righteousness of Christ. Notice that they were rewarded and told to rest in their graves a while. Remember that the dead are asleep in the grave and they have no knowledge of anything that is occurring. So this is probably a call for justice from the one who represents them in the judgment. This supports the Adventist view that the judgment of the righteous and the decision to reward them occurs before the Second Coming, while they are still in their graves.
    
    Day of Atonement. You may wonder how can the martyrs be given white robes if the day of atonement in 1844 had not begun? This could reflect the fact that because they will be rewarded, that it is already an accomplished fact. However, remember that the judgment period starts with the Feast of Trumpets ten days before. During these ten days of awe, the people were being sealed. The day of atonement is simply their last chance to keep their names in the Book of Life. So what we learn from this is that at least by this time, the feast of trumpets had started blowing because the sealing was being done.
  • Rest a Little While. The Second Coming and revenge of God in the seven last plagues will not occur yet.
    Promised Resurrection. Your dead shall live, their corpses shall rise. O dwellers in the dust, awake and sing for joy! For your dew is a radiant dew, and the earth will give birth to those long dead.
    Protection of the Righteous. Come, my people, enter your chambers, and shut your doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until the wrath is past.
    Wrath of God. For the Lord comes out from his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity; the earth will disclose the blood shed on it, and will no longer cover its slain." (Isaiah 26: 19-21)
    This is a message of rest to three groups as they wait under the protection of God in the sanctuary.
    • Old Martyrs. Rest in your graves, so that you can escape the final tribulation of the last church.
    • Last Church. The church at the end of time lives through the plagues by faith in the sanctuary.
    • All the Righteous. The final rest in the chambers of heaven during the millennium as the wrath consumes the earth and after the millennium as the New Jerusalem is in the middle of hell fire.
  • Other Martyrs. There are still more martyrs under the fourth seal and other martyrs will be killed during the mark of the beast persecution. Then God will take revenge at one time during the plagues.
  • Judge our Blood. This began in 1798 with the fall of the papacy and in 1844 with our selection.
  • Avenge our Blood. The cup of indignation mentioned by the third angel is the seven last plagues.
    the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of His indignation ... (Revelation 14: 10)

The Fulfillment of the Fifth Seal (A Cry for Justice) (1740-1755):
This is a time shortly before the start of the Investigative Judgment period when the sanctuary will be cleansed. These intense persecutions came to an end in the middle of the eighteenth century, approximately fifty years prior to 1798. They had just experienced the height of the burning times (1550-1650). Many Huguenot persecutions during which Louis XIV slaughters 500,000. Bloody queen Mary lit the fires of Smithfield and the dragonnades terrorized Protestant homes.

The Curse The Wrath of God The final curse brings judgment from God beginning in 1844, the seven last plagues at the Second Coming and hell fire at the end

The Sixth Seal
I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?" (Revelation 6: 12-17)
The signs warn the world that this is the time of the end and that the judgment of the wicked is coming. The sixth seal covers the historical period from approximately 1750 until the Second Advent during the time of the end.
Both the sixth and seventh seal are the fifth and final curse. They are the vengeance of God that was promised to the martyrs in the fifth seal.

• Their Wrath. This is the wrath of both He who is seated and the Lamb who will return. This is the Second Advent of Jesus, and the first of God the Father, coming together in glory to earth. (Mark 14: 62, Luke 9: 26) It is a continuation of their wrath that began with the seven last plagues.
• The Falling Rocks. This is the death penalty execution method. The wicked are stoned to death.
• The Signs. The events of the sixth seal were repeated in the prophecies of Jesus. The signs of His coming and the end of the age were supposed to come immediately after a great tribulation. Christ suffered the same events as He endured the wrath of God on the cross. The fall of Babylon the Great at the end of time is the great political earthquake that triggers the physical and spiritual signs of the great day of wrath. Even on the last day of wrath, the signs are repeated.

  Earthquake		Tribulation	Wrath		Blood moon	Stars Fall	-	Heaven Shaken	Sky Split		Second Coming
  -	Babylon falls	Persecution	Plagues	Sun dark	Church kills	Exodus		Church falls	Cannibalized
  -		Seven Last Plagues			Church falls	Wicked Die		Satan in Prison	Whore torn
  Earthquake		Crucifixion	Wrath		Jesus killed	Disciples fled		Satan falls	Body torn		Raised
  Rome falls		1260 years		1780	Revolution	Papacy falls		Great Disappointment		Prophesy Again

  
  The sun, moon and stars were created to be used as signs.
  Then God said, let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years. (Genesis 1: 14).
  In Matthew 24, Jesus spoke of the signs of Time of the End and His second coming. He said that immediately following a great tribulation period, these signs would occur.
  Immediately after the suffering of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven will be shaken. (Matthew 24: 29)
  And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, fire and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the Lord comes. (Joel 2: 30-31)
• The Mountains and Islands Moved. Here is another spiritual and physical fulfillment. When the mountains are moved the kings and kingdoms of the earth are moved. The islands are like the wealthy, strong and independent.

  The Mourning of the Earth The image of tearing the sky or the worn out garments of the earth, desolating the earth and later of reducing the earth to ashes are the images of sorrow and mourning. A mourner would typically tear his clothes, shave his head and spread ashes on himself. This shaving of his head is like the desolation of the surface of the earth and the death of the people. So the earth enters a state of mourning at the Second Coming because it experiences so much death and destruction.

• The Sky Splits. This sign has not occurred yet. It is possible that it is a separate event occurs just before the day of the Second Coming. But since the skies are a part of the "waters above the heavens" it has the symbolism of other great deliverances through water.
  • Baptism. Baptism is the ultimate deliverance by water. It represents the first death to sin. It is a death that we all must experience.
  • Noah. He was delivered through a great flood.
  • The Red Sea. The sea parted so that Moses could lead Israel from Egypt to the Promised Land.
  • The Jordan River. The river parted for Joshua so that Israel could go to the Promised Land.
  • Jesus. When the body of Jesus was split, blood and water came out and the Spirit also came to wash us clean with a new heart.
  • The Sea of Glass. The righteous will cross over the Sea of Glass on their way to the Promised Land. The splitting of the sky is probably part of that process that will separate "the waters above the earth".
  
  Deliverance:
  Isaiah records the same events.
  All the host of heaven shall rot away, and the skies roll up like a scroll. All their host shall wither like a leaf withering on a vine, or fruit withering on a fig tree. (Isaiah 34: 4)
  And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the Lord has spoken it. (Isaiah 25: 7-8.)
  
  Access to Heaven:
  He shall split the curtain of the heavens that has separated us in the same way that the veil between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place and the veil of His body was split when Christ died. At that time Christ gave us spiritual access to the Most Holy Place. At the Second Coming we have physical access to the Most Holy Place.
  Have you not known? have you not heard? has it not been told you from the beginning? have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is He that sits upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants there are as grasshoppers; that stretches out the heavens as a curtain, and spreads them out as a tent to dwell in. (Isaiah 40: 21-22.)

The Fulfillment of The Signs (1755-End of Time)

Prophesy Again We are proposing an interpretation that the command to prophesy again in Revelation 10: 11 means that we should repeat all the prophecies of the time of the end. We recognized that there will be two falls of the papacy. Both falls will end with the same signs. Therefore, the earthquake on December 24 may be a repeat of the signs of the sixth seal for the last generation. We will probably also experience another dark day, and either another spectacular meteor shower or devastating asteroid which will trigger a movement back to God at any cost. Earthquake Darkness Stars Fall Scroll Fall 1 November 1, 1755 May 19, 1780 November 12, 1833 Judged 1844 Fall 2 December 26, 2004 Future Future Future

A Great Earthquake. A great earthquake was prophesied to occur after the opening of the sixth seal. On November 1, 1755 (All Saints Day), The Great Lisbon Quake occurred. It was the largest ever recorded earthquake. It was felt on four continents. It has been estimated that it would have measured over 9.0 on the current "Richter Scale".

Another Great Earthquake. The December 26, 2004 earthquake of magnitude 9.3 in the Indian Ocean, hit with the force of five million atomic bombs. Normally an earthquake shakes for 30 seconds, but this shook the earth for ten minutes, rupturing the earth for 780 miles (1300 km), raised the surface of the whole earth 0.4 inches (1 cm), and caused the earth to tilt one inch (2.54 cm) on its axis and spin three microseconds faster. 221,000 people were killed and five million were left homeless.
Political Earthquake. The Papacy and Babylon falls.

Black Sun and Blood Moon. This literally occurred on May 19, 1780, when a darkness occurred in mid-day that was unlike anything ever experienced, with the phenomenon centered in the New England area. (See following quotes):

"In some places, the darkness was so great, that persons could not see to read common print in the open air, for several hours together: but I believe this was not generally the case. The extent of this darkness was very remarkable." Samuel Williams, "An Account of a Very Uncommon Darkness in the States of New England, May 19, 1780:'" in Memoirs of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences: to the End of the Year 1783 (Boston: Adams and Nourse, 1785), Volume 1, pages 234, 235.

"The darkness of the following evening was probably as gross as ever has been observed since the Almighty fiat gave birth to light. It wanted only palpability to render it as extraordinary, as that which overspread the land of Egypt in the days of Moses ... If every luminous body in the universe had been shrouded in impenetrable shades, or struck out of existence, the darkness could not have been more complete. A sheet of white paper held within a few inches of the eyes was equally invisible with the blackest velvet. Considering the small quantity of light that was transmitted by the clouds, by day, it is not surprising that, by night, a sufficient quantity of rays should not be able to penetrate the same strata, brought back by the shifting of the winds, to afford the most obscure prospect even of the best reflecting bodies." Letter of Samuel Tenney (an eye-witness of Rowley, [Massachusetts], dated Exeter [N.H.], December, 1785, in Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society, Volume 1, 1792 (Boston: Belknap and Hall, 1792), Pages 97, 98.

"The 19th of May, 1780, was a remarkable dark day. Candles were lighted in many houses; the birds were silent and disappeared, and the fowls retired to roost. The legislature of Connecticut was then in session at Hartford. A very general opinion prevailed, that the day of judgment was at hand. The House of Representatives, being unable to transact their business, adjourned. A proposal to adjourn the Council was under consideration. When the opinion of Colonel Abraham Davenport was asked, he answered, I am against an adjournment. The day of judgment is either approaching, or it is not. If it is not, there is no cause of an adjournment: if it is, I choose to be found doing my duty. I wish therefore that candles may be brought." Timothy Dwight, quoted in Connecticut Historical Collections, compiled by John Warner Barber (Second edition; New Haven: Durrie 8 Peck and J. W. Barber, 1836), page 403.

The Stars Fall. On the night of November 12, 1833, (early morning November 13, 1833), the greatest meteor shower of in history occurred. It had as many a 100,000 or more shooting stars per hour. The intensity and nature of the stars looked like they were shooting past on all sides (going outward from the center in call directions), just like figs being shaken from a fig tree by a mighty wind. The display was so spectacular that it jump started the modern field of astronomy.

"The morning of November 13, 1833, was rendered memorable by an exhibition of the phenomenon called shooting stars, which was probably more extensive and magnificent than any similar one recorded before this ...

"Probably no celestial phenomenon has ever occurred in this country, since its first settlement, which was viewed with so much admiration and delight by one class of spectators, or with so much astonishment and fear by another class ..." Denison Olmsted, "Observations on the Meteors of November 13, 1833," The American Journal of Science and the Arts, 25 ([January ?] 1834), page 363.

"For nearly four hours the sky was literally ablaze ... Careful scientific accounts indicate that more than a billion shooting stars appeared over the United States and Canada alone." Peter M. Millman, "The Falling of the Stars," The Telescope, 7 (May - June, 1940), 57.

The Sky Rolls Up Like a Scroll. The final fulfillment is a future event. But when the judgment began in 1844, a symbolic or spiritual fulfillment occurred. The mountains and islands that were moved were all the principalities and powers that were judged resulting in many colonies gaining independence from the empire and the end of slavery. The scroll that was opened in the heavens was the book that was opened at the judgment.
... the court sat and the books were opened. (Daniel 7: 10)
But the court will sit for judgment, and his dominion will be taken away, annihilated and destroyed forever. (Daniel 7: 26)

The Fifth Curse. This curse has certain elements which are fulfilled in the sixth and seventh seals.

• Earthquake. The Lisbon earthquake in 1755.
• City Destroyed. Paris fell in the French Revolution (1789-1798) when the peasants descended like a flood.
• Sanctuary Destroyed. In 1798, the church of Rome fell. Religion was replaced by atheism and secularism.
• Darkness. The dark day of 1780 was followed by a blood moon.
• Hail. The stars fell in 1833 and the wicked ask for the rocks to fall on them.
• Fear, Judgment and Death. The judgment began in 1844 with the call to "fear God".
• Sword. Two world wars and the threat of global annihilation.
• Cannibalism. Our animal food production has caused animal cannibalism to be the method by which even vegetarian animals are fed. One result is the emergence of mad cow disease and prions.
• Sabbath Kept. Ultimately, the land will keep its Sabbaths during the millennium. But the people started keeping the Sabbath during the sixth seal. After hundreds of years of apostasy, the Sabbath message came to many churches. The Seventh Day Adventists began keeping the Sabbath after it was introduced to them in 1846 by Rachel Oakes Preston, a Seventh Day Baptist. They had been Sabbath keepers since 1683.
• Siege. Babylon the great captures the admiration of the whole world and persecutes the church.
  Star Struck World. ... And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast. (Revelation 13: 3)
  Economic Siege. And he provides that no one will be able to buy or sell except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name. (Revelation 13: 17)
• Deliverance. The exiles of God returned home when the nation of Israel was created on 14 May 1948. Slavery was also abolished in this period after it became popular among the nations of the Roman empire. Many colonial nations became independent in the 1850's. This freedom movement has continued through the 1970's.
• Exile. Economic forces are causing the greatest movement of populations from rural areas to overcrowded cities and across national borders. Economic exploitation is now occurring so that we have a second wave of slavery or slave conditions in our century. The chilling aspect of this new type of slavery is that human beings are now disposable. During the colonial era, slaves were property and investments that must be protected. Now, even children are a highly prized commodity who are used as sexual and industrial slaves.
• Wrath. The seven last plagues will be sent in the last year but the effects of global warming will cause destruction of biblical proportions which will end with the destruction of all cities.

The Three Angel's Message. All the elements of the fifth curse are repeated in the second fall of Babylon. You can also see the major topics of the warnings of the three angel's message in the fifth curse.

1. Sabbath. The Sabbath will again be an issue. There is a call to Sabbath worship from the first angel. Humans are told to "fear God". In this way they will escape judgment and eternal death. Their only alternative is the fear, judgment and death from the wrath.
2. City and Sanctuary Destroyed. Flee from the city and religion of Babylon the Great which has fallen.
3. Wrath. This angel tells us to escape the wrath of God.

Waves of Birth Pains (Prophesy Again). All the elements remind us of the time a child spends in the womb and the birth pain associated with its deliverance through water. Before the birth, the pain is experienced in faster and more intense cycles until the birth. With each cycle the signs of the fifth curse are repeated, requiring that we repeat the prophecies associated with the final curse.

Birth Pains		Birth Pains			Birth Pains		Delivery
183+ Years		? Years (1991-?)			One Year		One Day
Sixth Seal			Time of Trouble		Seven Last Plagues	Seventh Seal			Second Coming

Hurricane Katrina
#	Plague	The Destruction of New Orleans
1	Sores and disease	Large sores and other diseases from the cesspool
2	Blood in the sea	Flooding from the sea with the storm surge
3	Blood in the rivers and springs	Flooding of 80% of the city from the lake and rivers with the broken levees
4	Heat	High heat and humidity. Over 90 degrees
	Famine and drought	Over 70,000 people without food and water in the Superdome and Convention center for five days.
	Cannibalism	There were rumors of cannibalism. Alligators ate people.
5	Darkness	Moonless night. Power outage for over one month
6	Loss of support. Great Loss	The lack of support from the government and FEMA contributed to the loss of the city
7	Disaster from the air	Hurricane Katrina
	Earthquake	Events shook up the Bush Administration
	Exile	One million homeless scattered across 24 states
This was a single disaster that created all the signs of the plagues and the final curse. The disaster happened during a moonless night, in a period of high heat and humidity. We even had animal attacks from alligators, dogs who were once pets were forming viscious packs, large black flies covering the city and stories of cannibalism. Economic disaster from the loss of oil infrastructure and the key ports used for agriculture. There was chaos, despair and lawlessness. The estimated cost of rebuilding is over $300 billion.

These cycles have no clear beginning date. One can only know that a cycle is occurring because of the physical signs, especially wars and natural disasters. We can only distinguish these signs from ordinary calamities by the scale of the tragedy and the presence of other signs in the series. For this reason, we can assume that the 2004 earthquake is another "great earthquake".
The Destruction of New Orleans. We could also assume that the 2005 destruction of New Orleans by hurricane Katrina is a sign of the coming fall of Babylon the Great just as the fall of Paris was a sign. At the fall of Paris it was the peasants who came in like a flood, but a real flood destroyed New Orleans. The city is French, Catholic, full of immorality and demonic practices. Its fall had all the elements of the final curse and some of the characteristics of the French Revolution.

Who is able to stand? The question is asked, "Who is able to stand" at the appearing of God the Father and Jesus Christ, at the Second Advent? It echoes the question asked about the scroll, "who is worthy to open the book?" Jesus was worthy because He overcame. Those who will be able to stand are those who are sealed with the Holy Spirit and overcome with the blood of the Lamb.
This is also the same question we saw in Isaiah 33: 14-17. It asked, "Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire?" These verses in Isaiah tell us those who are righteous will be able to stand.
Revelation Chapter 7 responds with the 144,000. They will stand. So all the events of chapter 7 do not follow chronologically after the sixth seal. It shows all the people who were being sealed during the application of the curses. They have received the Holy Spirit and have the law written in their hearts. They keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus. These are the people who will be able to stand in the Second Coming in the seventh seal.

The Seventh Seal
When the Lamb broke the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. (Revelation 8: 1)

The Curse The Wrath of God The last plague of the last curse punishes the wicked as God returns.

When the Seventh Seal is opened, there is silence in heaven for half an hour. Just moments before, Heaven was celebrating and praising God. So why are they now silent?
Using the prophetic day for a year principle we can calculate this time.
One Day is one prophetic Year. Twelve months is 360 days.
Two hours is one month.
Half hour in real time is one quarter month or one week or seven days.

Silence in Heaven for Seven Days. One could assume that these are events after the arrival of Christ which last for seven days. Then it would be a period of intense agony for the wicked. However, in the following examples, we see that the waiting period is also a time of testing for the righteous.

• Feast of Tabernacles. This was a seven day feast that ended in a high Sabbath. The ceremonies of the feast of tabernacles prophecy is the time in which the people symbolically live with God and they are pleading, "Lord Save Us". They are being persecuted.
• The Flood. Even after the door of the Ark was closed, Noah had to wait seven days before the rain began.
  It came about after the seven days, that the water of the flood came upon the earth. Genesis 7: 10
• Circumcision. A new born son has to wait seven days before he can join in the covenant by circumcision. Circumcision is the cutting off of the outer human body and is a perfect representation of the crucifixion of Christ and the shedding of the old body at the rapture when the church is born into heaven.
• Priests. In the inauguration of the priest, he had to wait seven days at the temple. (Leviticus 8: 33) The church is a family of priests.
• Leper Priests. In the ceremony of the cleansing of the leper, the leper had to wait seven days before joining the rest of the people. We are the former lepers waiting to go to heaven and rejoin the family of God.

Fulfillment: Silence in Heaven for Seven Days
God and Jesus, and the hosts of heaven are coming to gather God's people from the earth. (Revelation 19: 11-14). This is the final week on Earth. The period of the Second Coming. Heaven empties itself to come to earth for the saints.

Repetition and Enlargement
The seven seals parallel the prophecies given by Jesus in Matthew 24.

Seal	Topic	Matthew 24	Mark 13	Luke 21	Comment
2	Wars	6	7-8	9-10	Wars and rumors of wars will increase. But this is not the end
3	False Christs	23-24	21-23	8	Apostasy deceives even the saints
4	Famine	7	8	11	In many places great famines would occur. There was also a famine for the word of God.
5	Persecution	9, 21	19	12	The 1260 day persecution that almost wipes out the church
6	Earthquake	7	8	11	Lisbon earthquake November 1, 1755
	Dark day	29	24	25	May 19, 1780
	Stars fall	29	25	25	November 13, 1833
	Fear, sky splits	-	-	26	Global fear of an astronomical event. Judgment
-	Gospel	14	10	-	The seventh trumpet will cause the end of the world
7	Second Coming	30	26	27	The end

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Study to show yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.   2 Timothy 2: 15 Copyright   Updated : May 2005. August 2006 Credits: Author: Laverna Patterson. Editor: Patterson (January 2008) Thanks to the Holy Spirit for instructing me to write this as a fulfillment of the curses.