NOTES ON THE BOOK OF REVELATION
Submitted by Phil Edmonds - November 2000
Overall Summary
The six seals in Revelation chapter 6 primarily describe the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 and things which happened to the jews prior to this.
However, the sixth seal also uses language which is taken from prophecies to do with the capture of Jerusalem prior to Christ's return. The sixth seal can be regarded as a pattern for God's destruction of the wicked, which can be applied both to Jerusalem in AD 70 and to its capture prior to when Christ returns.
These notes suggest that the first 5 seals do not describe a chronological sequence of events (although the sixth seal does seem to occur after the previous 5), but describe different aspects of the time leading up to the fall of Jerusalem.
Verses 1/2
The first
seal is a white horse, which is what Christ rides in Revelation
19 v 11. The one who sits on it conquers or overcomes (gk nikao)
and wears a crown. From Revelation
2 v 10, 11 it is seen that saints overcome and receive a crown. In addition,
the horseman has a bow. The hebrew word which describes arrows being shot from
a bow is YaRaH, from which the word translated law (ToRaH) comes.
God's word shoots forth like arrows (a similar analogy is used of the words
of the wicked in
Psalm 64 v 3,4.)
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It is concluded that the first seal represents Christ going forth to preach
the gospel through his disciples, who overcome the effects of sin through the
word.
3/4
The second seal is a red horse, symbolising bloodshed (e.g. 2 Kings 3 v 22), which "takes peace from the earth" (or land).
5/6�
The third seal is a� black horse, symbolising famine (see the association of blackness with famine in Lamentations 5 v 10).
7/8
The fourth seal is a pale or green horse (the greek word translated "pale" is chloros, translated green in Revelation 8 v 7 and 9 v 4). It kills with sword, hunger, death and with the beasts of the earth. The last part of the verse comes from Ezekiel 14 v 21, which describes the punishment of Jerusalem.
9/11
The fifth seal contains a vision of souls under the altar. These were slain for the testimony they held, like the two witnesses of Revelation 11 (v 7 - "testimony ... kill"). These can be considered to be the faithful who are killed prior to the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70. They have to wait for their fellowservants, who are yet to be killed prior to the establishment of the kingdom, before receiving eternal life.
�12/17� Sixth seal:
�This describes the destruction of Jerusalem -
Verse 12 contains a reference to Joel 2 v 31 ("the sun became ... black and the moon became as blood" - see also Joel 2 v10; these passages are to do with Zion and "my holy mountain" (v 1)).
Verse
12 contains a reference to Isaiah
50 v 3 ("black ... sackcloth"), in the context of "putting away" Zion (Isaiah
50 v 1) for the transgressions of her children. Also, in Isaiah
50 v 9 those who condemn the one who speaks the word of Yahweh (the Lord
Jesus Christ) �shall wax old as a garment; the moth shall eat them up� (see
note on Revelation
6 v 14).
�
Verse
13 has a reference to a fig tree - see Luke
13 v 6 - 9, Mark 11 v 13, 14, Isaiah 34 v 4. There is also a reference to
the fig� tree in Matthew
24 v 32, when describing events prior to Christ's return.
The expression in v13 "Stars of heaven fell unto the earth" is a reference to Israelites (Daniel 8 v 10) who are overcome by a little horn which came out of one of the four horns arising from the greek goat. The little horn� represents� Rome. Daniel 8 v 13 is quoted in Matthew 24 v 15 (Jesus� prophecy on the Mount of Olives).
Verses
13 - 14 can also be considered to contain references and allusions to Isaiah
34. In verse 13 the expression "stars of heaven" can be compared to "all their
host shall fall down" in Isaiah
34 v 4. Then in verse 14 the expression� "heavens as a scroll" comes
from
Isaiah 34 v 4.
�
In
verse 15 the expression "hide in the caves" can be traced to Isaiah
2 v 19 (the punishment of Judah/Jerusalem - v1)
The reference to �kings, great men, mighty men� can be linked to Mark 6 v 21 (which makes reference to king Herod,���� lords (gk "megistanes") = great men, high captains (gk "chiliarchos") = mighty men). These terms identify the rulers in Israel.
In verse 16, where it says "Mountains and rocks - Fall on us", see Luke 23 v 30, where Jesus speaks about destruction coming upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem. However, both Revelation 6 v 16 and Luke 23 v 30 quote from Hosea 10 v 8. The context of this passage is punishment coming upon Israel because of their idolatry, and destruction coming upon "the high places of Aven". "Aven" means "iniquity" in hebrew and the expression "high places of iniquity" can be considered in both a general and specific sense. In Jeremiah 18 v 23 it speaks of Jerusalem's iniquity (hebrew aven) , with Jeremiah 19 v 5 speaking of the inhabitants of Jerusalem building "high places" (of Baal). It can be seen from� Jeremiah 18 and 19 why "The high places of iniquity" or "Aven" is an expression that Jesus felt could be applied to Jerusalem.
The words of Isaiah 34 v 4 appear in the context of God's punishment on "all the nations" (v 2), an expression that occurs in Jeremiah 25 v 17 as well. These nations consist of �Jerusalem, the cities of Judah, and the kings thereof, and the princes thereof� (v 18), as well as other peoples. Similarly in Isaiah 34, God's indignation is against the wicked in Israel (described in verse 4), and upon the other nations (v 5, 6).
Isaiah 34 primarily describes God's judgement against all nations at the return of Christ, however its language relating to the punishment of Judah and Jerusalem is equally applicable to the judgement on them in AD 70 and at the time of Christ's return.
One reason for assigning a fulfilment of the seals to the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70 are the links between the Book of Revelation and Jesus' words in Matthew 24/Luke 21, spoken on the Mount of Olives and describing the events leading up to the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70.
The following lists similarities between Jesus' words on the Mount of Olives and the Book of Revelation. The similarities between the seals and Jesus' words on Olivet leads to the conclusion that they are describing the same events.
This list
also points out some similarities between Jesus' words on Olivet and the trumpets
(especially the reference in Revelation
11 v 2 to Luke 21 v 24). It will be seen later in these notes that the trumpets
describe events which happen to Jerusalem immediately prior to the return of
Christ, which is the last phase of treading down of Jerusalem by the Gentiles
prior to the kingdom.
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Rev | Other ref� | Similarity & Context� |
1 v 7 | Mt 24 v 30� | �all the tribes of the earth shall mourn/wail� - the context in both cases is�� the return of Jesus Christ� |
3 v 3� | Mt 24 v 42, 43 | �thief / watch / come� - the context in Matthew is a general warning, the context in Revelation is� the ekklesia at Sardis� |
3 v 10� | Lk 21 v 26 | �coming upon ... the world� - the context in Luke is a general statement, the context in Revelation is the ekklesia at Philadelphia� |
6 v 2 | Mt 24 v 14� | Preaching of the word of God - the context in Matthew is of the gospel being preached to the inhabited world before the end of the age (v 3) comes , the context in Revelation is the first� seal.� |
6 v 4 | Mt 24 v 6, 7� | Warfare - the context in Matthew� is �the beginning of sorrows� (v 8), the context in Revelation is the� second seal.� |
6 v 5 - 6 | Mt 24 v 7� | Famine - the context in Matthew� is �the beginning of sorrows� (v 8), the context in Revelation is third seal.� |
6 v 8 | Mt 24 v 7 | �hunger / famine� - the context in Matthew is �the beginning of sorrows� (v 8), the context in Revelation is the fourth seal.� |
6 v 9 - 11 | Mt 24 v 9� | The affliction of the faithful - the context in Matthew is of being hated by all nations (v 9), the context in Revelation� is the fifth seal.� |
6 v 12, 13� | Mt 24 v 29 | Sun, Moon, Stars - the context in Matthew seems to be closely preceding the return of Christ, the context in Revelation is the sixth seal and the great day of the wrath of the lamb.� |
6 v 12� | Mt 24 v 7 | Earthquake - the context in Matthew is �the beginning of sorrows� (v8), the context in Revelation is the sixth seal.� |
6 v 13� | Mt 24 v 32 | Fig Tree - the context in Matthew is of� the fig tree producing leaves and seems to be closely preceding the return of Christ, the context of Revelation is the sixth seal and refers to stars falling like untimely figs. |
6 v 13� | Mt 24 v 15 | In Revelation the �Stars of heaven fall to the earth�� (6th seal), in� Matthew it speaks of the �abomination of desolation�. Both are quotes from Daniel 8 (vs 10 and 13 respectively). The context in Daniel is to do with the little horn which arises out of the Greek goat (represents the Roman Empire).� |
6 v 14� | Mt 24 v 35� | Heaven departed / pass away - the context in Matthew seems to be to do with the coming of Christ, the context in Revelation is the sixth seal and the great day of the wrath of the lamb. In Matthew 24 v 35 the greek word translated �pass away� is parerchomai, whereas in Revelation 6 v 14 the greek word translated �departed� is apochorizo. In Revelation 6 v 14 the heaven departed as �a scroll when it is rolled together�, which is what happens to the heavens and earth in Hebrews 1 v 12. This heavens and earth "waxes old (gk palaioo) as a garment" (v 11), which is what happens to the covenant� made with Moses when the new covenant replaces it (Hebrews 8 v 13). [Note also the reference to those condemning Christ waxing old as a garment in Isaiah 50 v 9, Isaiah 50 v 3 is quoted in Revelation 6 v 12 when describing the sixth seal.] If anyone� is �in Christ, he is a new creation: old things (gk archaios) are passed away (gk parerchomai)� - 2 Corinthians 5 v17. Heaven and earth pass away in Matthew 24 v 35 because they are made old by the effects of the new covenant. For Israel, this will finally happen when the kingdom is established. Similarly, the departing and rolling up of the Heaven in Revelation 6 v 14 has its ultimate fulfilment when the kingdom is established.� |
6 v 16, 17 | Lk 21 v 23 | �Wrath� - the context in Luke is wrath upon the people of Jerusalem, the context in Revelation is the sixth seal and the great day of the wrath of the lamb. |
6 v 17 | Lk 21 v 36 | �To stand� - the context in Luke is to do with those who will be able to stand before the son of man, the context in Revelation is the sixth seal and the question �who shall be able to stand�?� |
7 v 9 | Lk 21 v 36� | �To stand� - the context in Luke is as the previous reference, the context in Revelation� is the sixth seal and the answer to the question of Revelation 6 v 17 (see above).� |
7 v 14� | Mt 24 v 9, 29 | �Tribulation� - the context in Matthew� is the affliction of the saints and possibly Jerusalem in general, the context in Revelation� is the sixth seal and those who �came out of great tribulation�.� |
chptr 8, 9 | Lk 21 v 23 | ��Woe� - the context in Luke is the suffering of those in the land, the context in Revelation is the fifth - seventh trumpets.� |
9 v 16 | Lk 21 v 20� | �Army/armies� - the context in Luke is �the desolation is nigh�, the context in Revelation� is the sixth trumpet.� |
11 v 2 | Lk 21 v 24 | �trodden by Gentiles� - the context in Luke is Jerusalem, the context in Revelation is the sixth trumpet and �the holy city�.� |
12
v 6,14; 17 v 16 |
Mt 24 v 15 | �desolation
/ wilderness� (related greek words) - the context in Matthew is �the
abomination of
desolation�, the context in Revelation is where the woman flees for
�a time, times and half a� time� (Revelation 12) and
when
the 10 horns of the beast make the whore desolate. �������������������������������������������������������������������������� |
17 v 4, 5� | Mt 24 v 15 | �Abomination� - the context in Matthew is �the abomination of desolation�, the context in Revelation is a description of the whore.� |