Prestoncrest Church of Christ
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THE SEVEN SEALS
Revelation 6-8
FIRST SEAL: The rider on the white horse.
Revelation 6.2 (ESV) And I looked, and behold, a white horse! And its rider had a bow, and a crown was given to him, and he came out conquering, and to conquer.
SECOND SEAL: The rider on the red horse.
Revelation 6.4 (ESV) Out came another horse, bright red. Its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that people should slay one another, and he was given a great sword.
THIRD SEAL: The rider on the black horse.
Revelation 6.5-6 (ESV) I looked, and behold, a black horse! And its rider had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures, saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not harm the oil and wine!”
FOURTH SEAL: The rider on the pale horse.
Revelation 6.8 (ESV) I looked, and behold, a pale horse! And its rider's name was Death, and Hades followed him. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth.
FIFTH SEAL: Martyred souls cry out from under the altar.
Revelation 6.9-11 (ESV) I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.
SIXTH SEAL: Earthquake, sun, moon, and stars fall.
Revelation 6.12-17 (ESV) When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”
SEVENTH SEAL: Silence in heaven.
Revelation 8.1-5 (ESV) When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel. Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth, and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.
Early Church Context of Revelation: Revelation 1.1 (ESV) The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place.
· All people, even God’s people, go through unpleasant and unwanted circumstances in this fallen world. EVERYDAY THEOLOGY: LEAN IN TO YOUR CHURCH FAMILY IN TIMES OF STRUGGLE AND KNOW THAT PRESENT STRUGGLES WILL GIVE WAY TO ETERNAL GLORIES.
· There are a lot of counterfeit Christs, but there is only One Jesus. EVERYDAY THEOLOGY: NEVER EVER TURN LOOSE OF JESUS.
Revelation 7.10 (ESV) “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
· In a bad news world, we have a better story. EVERYDAY THEOLOGY: FIND A WAY TO BE A WITNESS FOR JESUS THIS WEEK.
Revelation 6.9 (NLT) When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of all who had been martyred for the word of God and for being faithful in their testimony.