This emphasizes that John's reaction was also not a brief 'sob' for a minute or two, but was an extended period of weeping because his tears were great in number and this takes time, that is all added to the time of the search. The bible is precise with its words and clearly this is all meant to convey to the reader that Jesus was not in Heaven, at the precise moment when John's vision began, because while the one seated on the throne was clearly worthy to receive Glory and Honor and Power, as the Father is (Revelation 4:10-11) He was not, in respect to the Scroll, worthy to open or loose its Seals.

So where was Jesus, the Lamb of God

At this point, while John was still weeping, one of the elders told him to stop because the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Root of David had prevailed to loose the Seals and open the Scroll (the word for Book or Scroll is the same):

^"5 And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof." Revelation 5:5 (KJV)

At this moment, the text emphasizes the intensity of John's engagement in the scene before him by saying that John "... beheld, and lo". The Greek word here for 'beheld' is εἶδον that comes from the root word ὁράω (horaō), which Strongs states carries the primary meaning "to stare at, i.e. (by implication) to discern clearly (physically or mentally); by extension, to attend to; by Hebraism, to experience". Then it is followed by the Greek word for 'lo' ἰδού, that comes from the root word ειδος which Greek Dictionaries, such as those by Mounce and Strong's, say is used here as both an interjection and an imperative, which is a command to “Look at this!” or “Pay attention to this!”. So, John is now fully staring and is totally engrossed in the scene unfolding before him. In a moment of time, it has changed, and he now sees a new figure standing in the midst of the Throne and the 24 Elders, "a Lamb standing as though it had been slain", that had 7 horns and 7 eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God:

^"6 And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth." Revelation 5:6

Jesus full of the Holy Spirit, as the Lamb of God, who had been slain, is now in Heaven standing in the midst of the Throne.

This all begs the question - where was Jesus prior to this moment?

If He was not in Heaven, or on the Earth, or under the Earth, because a search of all these locations had not found anyone worthy to open the Scroll, or even look at it, as it says in verse 4 of chapter 5; but in a moment of time Jesus as the lamb of God had just appeared in Heaven, where was He prior to this and where had He come from?

Fortunately, we do not need to guess, as the bible answers this for us in Daniel 7, where Daniel received both a Dream and a Vision while lying on his bed. It states the following in Daniel 7:13-14:

^"13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. ¹⁴ And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed." Daniel 7:13-14

The 'Son of Man' is literally Jesus favorite messianic title for Himself, being recorded 84 time in the Gospels. And then in Acts 1:9-11, we see Jesus, after finishing His ministry on Earth, being taken up until a Cloud took him out of their sight:

^"9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. ¹⁰ And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men -- stood by them in white apparel; ¹¹ Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven." Acts 1:9-11

Clearly, Daniel 7 is showing what happened after Jesus disappeared into a cloud out of the sight of the disciples during His 'Ascension', with Him shortly appearing in Heaven, coming with the Clouds, before coming up to the Ancient of Days, or God the Father:

^"13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him." Daniel 7:13

Using the Bible to interpret the Bible, we can now re-examine John’s vision where he stated that:

 “³ And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon." Revelation 5:3(NKJV)

We now know that while He was not 'in' Heaven and was not 'on' the earth or 'under' the earth, there was actually one place associated with the event of His 'Ascension' that is not listed here and that is in the Clouds 'above' the earth, coming through the 1^st and 2^nd heavens.

The Apostle Paul affirms that there are 3 Heavens, with the 3^rd Heaven being where God is:

^"2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a one was caught up to the third heaven." 2 Corinthians 12:2

So, the 1^st and 2^nd heavens are respectively related to the atmosphere where the birds fly and to the clouds and space above, where some of the 'powers of darkness' reside. This is confirmed by Ephesians 2:2 and other verses, that refer to the 'prince of the power of the air':

^"2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:" Ephesians 2:2

Therefore, Jesus was literally coming on the clouds in-between heaven and earth when John’s vision began in Heaven. That is why He was not seen in Heaven, or on the earth, or under the earth, because He was actually above it, ascending into Heaven.

Jesus was making a Show of the Enemy

Why did Jesus ascend this way when clearly He could have transported Himself there in a nanosecond. This is important to understand because God clearly wants to emphasize His authority over the enemy, who as Ephesians 2:2 stated, resides in the air (which contextually is the 2^nd heaven). He said in Colossians 2:14-15 that after completing the work of salvation on the cross, He made a spectacle of them.

¹⁴ Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; ¹⁵ And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it. Colossians 2:14-15

He did this by rising from the dead and then at His Ascension by passing through the territory they occupy in the air. As Acts 2:24 states in relation to Jesus' Resurrection:

^"24 whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it." Acts 2:24

And then in relation to His Ascension:

¹⁴ Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. Hebrews 4:14 (NIV)

Additionally, Jesus leaving in this fashion, helps us to make a clear distinction between the Rapture and the Second Coming because the Angels who spoke to the disciples that were watching Jesus rise slowly up into the Clouds said to them that His return would occur in the same manner as they were now seeing:

¹⁰ And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men -- stood by them in white apparel; ¹¹ Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. Acts 1:10-11

Therefore, they were affirming that the Rapture of the Church, which is the next major event in God's Timeline, would involve Jesus coming back in the Clouds, as opposed to the Second Physical Coming that involves Heaven opening up and Jesus and the Armies of Heaven all riding White Horses, before engaging in what is often referred to as the battle of Armageddon. Revelation 19 describes the scene and nowhere in the Second Coming is there any reference to clouds at all, this is only for the Rapture. 

¹¹ And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. ¹² -- His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. ¹³ And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
¹⁴ And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. ¹⁵ And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. ¹⁶ And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.¹⁷ And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;¹⁸ That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.¹⁹ And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. Revelation 19:11-19

The way that Jesus ascended to Heaven is meant to bring us comfort and not only help us to understand that He is close to us (just above the clouds); but that we can trust Him to rescue us when He comes back to receive us unto Himself (John 14:3) and we are caught up to meet with Him in the Clouds before going back to Heaven with him:

¹⁶ For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: ¹⁷ Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.   ¹⁸ Wherefore comfort one another with these words. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18

And

² In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. John 14:2-3

The True Events of Rev 4 and 5 - Jesus Coronation as King

The Importance of all this is that we can now see the connection between Jesus' Ascension and the events that followed it because in Daniel 7:14, following on from His Ascension (in verse 13), we see Jesus being given a kingdom as follows:

^"13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. ¹⁴ And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed." Daniel 7:13-14

He was being given a Dominion and Glory and a Kingdom – so this is describing Jesus' Coronation as King. This is critical to understand as it puts the next action, described in the parallel passage in Revelation, into its proper context.

After Jesus appeared in Heaven, as stated in Revelation 5:6 we then see Him taking the Book or Scroll (the Greek word is βιβλίον which means either book or scroll) out of the right hand of Him that is seated on the Throne, which Daniel 7 tells us is the 'Ancient of Days', or God the Father.

⁶ And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth. ⁷ Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. Revelation 5:6-7

So, Jesus after ascending on the clouds came up to the Ancient of Days and took the Scroll out of His right Hand. He was doing this, as Daniel 7 said, as part of being made King. What needs to be understood is that this was the Jewish tradition that was outlined under Moses, centuries before Saul (Israel's first King) was even born. The idea is that when someone was anointed and coronated as a King, they were also required to be given a copy of the Law from which they could make their own copy, to ensure that they would live and rule the people in accordance with the Law and would learn to revere God all the days of their life. 

This can be seen in Deuteronomy 17:18-20:

"¹⁸ And it shall be, when he sitteth 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: ¹⁹ 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: ²⁰ That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel. Deuteronomy 17:18-20

An example of this process can be seen in 2 Kings11: 12, in relation to the coronation of Joash as King, noting that the reference to “testimony”, which is a translation of the Hebrew word עֵד֔וּת, is contextually referring here to a 'written copy' of the regulations of the covenant, that were originally written on stone and given to Moses. As such, 'testimony' is another word for the Law.

¹² And he brought forth -- the king’s son, and put -- the crown upon him, and gave him -- the testimony; and they made him king, and anointed him; and they clapped their hands, and said, God save the king. 2 Kings 11:12

In the same way, when Jesus ascended to be crowned as King, He was also given the sealed Scroll. This was a copy of the Law being given to Him at his Coronation. As it says in Daniel 7, He was being given Dominion; Glory and a Kingdom; and as it says in Revelation 5:5 He was the only one that was worthy to open it because He had prevailed as the 'Lion of the Tribe of Judah' and 'the Root of David'.

^"5 And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof." Revelation 5:5

Jesus - the Holy Spirit and Pentecost

Further evidence that this is all taking place just after Jesus' Ascension can be seen by noting that in Revelation 4, while Jesus is not yet seen in Heaven, the Holy Spirit is seen there, being described by John as follows:

⁵ And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. Revelation 4:5

However, when Jesus as the Son of Man arrives on the Clouds, as stated in Daniel 7:14, the parallel passage in Revelation 5:6 shows that now that Jesus is in Heaven, the Holy Spirit is being sent forth into all the earth:

⁶ And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. Revelation 5:6

This aligns with John 16:7 where Jesus was talking to His disciples on earth about the Holy Spirit saying that He needed to go away (to heaven) so that He could send the Holy Spirit:

⁷ Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. John 16:7

This was to occur about 9 days after Jesus ascended, noting that He was with them after His Resurrection for 40 days and then He Ascended on the 41st day and so it occurred 50 days after the Resurrection, occurring on the day of Pentecost, as described in the book of Acts.

The important point here is that we see in Revelation chapters 4 and 5 the sequence of the Holy Spirit firstly being in Heaven before the Throne, while Jesus as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah and the Son of Man (Daniel 7) was coming on a cloud to be made King and to be given Dominion; Glory and a Kingdom (Dan 7). Then, as part of this coronation ceremony, while Jesus was receiving the 7 Sealed Scroll (a copy of the Law or Testimony), the Holy Spirit was being sent forth, 9 days after the ascension, into all the earth.

Timing of the 7 Seals on the Scroll being Opened

All of the preceding confirms that John in his vision was seeing all the events, starting from a point in time that just preceded the Ascension. As such, he is not describing events in the 21^st century, at that point in his vision, rather the text takes us up to the Day of Pentecost in His vision by its reference to the Holy Spirit being sent forth into all the earth in Revelation 5:6.

Importantly, at this time, on the day of Pentecost, Jesus’ disciple Peter stood up and declared to the thousands of people listening that the pouring out of God’s Spirit was the sign that the 'Last Days' had begun and then he connected the 'Last Days' to the ‘Day of the Lord’, which is another biblical term for the Tribulation, the last 7 years of Daniels 70 weeks (490 years) prophecy, also known as the Time of Jacob’s Trouble (see further information in a related article here):

¹⁴ But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:¹⁵ For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. ¹⁶ But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; ¹⁷ And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: ¹⁸ And -- on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: ¹⁹ And I will show wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke: ²⁰ The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:   ²¹ And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Acts 2:14-21

Given that this was the beginning of the 'Last Days' and that there is absolutely nothing in the text to indicate that there was any delay after Jesus was given the Scroll to when he began to open them, we can reasonably deduce that the 1st Seal had to be opened shortly after Jesus ascended to Heaven and shortly after Pentecost in the 1^st Century.

Understanding this, puts the well-known end-time passage of Matthew 24 into its proper context. In this passage, that occurred as part of what is called the Olivet Discourse, that occurred shortly (approximately 1 week) before Jesus' Death; Burial; Resurrection; and Ascension, the Disciples of Jesus were saying to Him how wonderful the buildings of the Temple were and Jesus had responded that the time was coming when not one stone would be left upon another (fulfilled by Titus in 70 AD). This prompted the disciples to ask Jesus the following questions, recorded in Matthew 24:3:

³ And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? Matthew 24:3

Significantly, Jesus answered them and said:

^“4 …Take heed that no man deceive you. ⁵ For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. ⁶ And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. ⁷ For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. ⁸ -- All these are the beginning of sorrows.” Matthew 24:4-8

Given that the text supports the perspective that the Seals on the Scroll were opened shortly after this discussion, which took place in Matthew 24, and that Jesus says about all of these things, that they are NOT the End, which clearly suggests that they are not specifically occurring during the Tribulation, but prior to it, we will now consider how Jesus' response here correlates with both the 7 Seals of the Scroll and the events of history (throughout the last nearly 2,000 years). In this way, we can try to determine what God is really trying to convey to us about all of the end-time events. 

The 7 Seals and the Events of History

Given the goal of this article is to show a correlation between the events of history and the opening of some of the Seals on the Scroll, the following section will only consider Seals 1-6, as it is my contention that the 6th Seal is a description of the Rapture of the Church, that is yet to occur. When it does it will be the culmination of the Church Age and the fulfilment of many of Jesus' promises to believers currently alive, such as the one recorded in John 14:1-6:

¹ “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. ² In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. ⁴ And where I go you know, and the way you know.” ⁵ Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?” ⁶ Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. John 14:1-6

Firstly, though it is important to note that the first 4 Seals are in a category of their own, in that each is represented by a Horse and its Rider, and as such represent aspects of God dealing with the World, which symbolically is represented by the number 4 because of things such as:

• Four Seasons: Spring, summer, autumn, and winter.

• Four Cardinal Directions: North, South, East, and West.

• Four Winds of Heaven: North, South, East and West.

• Four Elements: Earth, water, air, and fire.

• Four Major Phases of the Moon: New moon, first quarter, full moon, and last quarter.

• Four Major Time Divisions of a 'Day': Morning, Day, Evening, Night.

Notably also, God finished creating the World in 4 days, but then began to fill it with living creations, such as plants, animals and mankind over then next 2 days (days 5 and 6) before resting on the 7th.

Therefore, we will discuss Seals 1 - 4 first, along with their significance, before considering other aspects of the Scroll, including what it actually represents and why it is Sealed with 7 Seals. Following that, the 5th and 6th Seals will be examined with reference to how they tie into the Last Days and what Timing Clues they are possibly related to.

1st Seal - White Horse – Deception and Anti-Christ:

Matthew 24:4

^“4 …Take heed that no man deceive you."

Revelation 6

​¹ And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. ² And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer. Revelation 6:1-2

Firstly, many associate the rider of the White Horse with the Anti-Christ because, as stated above, they believe that the opening of the Seals and the start of the Tribulation are synonymous events. However, by understanding that this is occurring just after Jesus’ Ascension, we can now understand it as contextually being associated with the ‘Spirit of the Anti-Christ’, which the apostle John wrote about in 1 John 4:3:

³ And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. 1 John 4:3

Importantly, it was already in the world by the time John wrote the Book of Revelation and by the time he had his vision. Clearly, there could not be an Anti-Christ until there was a Christ and until Jesus, as the Christ / Messiah, had completed His work of Redemption by returning to the Father at the Ascension. And so almost immediately, when Jesus loosed the first Seal, the result was that the 'spirit of the anti-christ' was able to ride out into the world, to come against the finished work of Jesus Christ. In this regard, it is undisputed that both the 'spirit of the Anti-Christ’ and the 'person of the Anti-Christ' (yet to be revealed), both involve Deception, so ultimately carry the same meaning.

2nd Seal – Red Horse – War and end of Peace

Matthew 24

⁶ And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars:"

Revelation 6

³ And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. ⁴ And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword. Revelation 6:3-4

It is important to understand that in the 1^st Century the Roman Empire (The 4^th Beast of Daniel) that controlled most of the known world was characterized by what is called Pax Romana (Latin for 'Roman peace') and as Wikipedia states “ The Pax Romana, spanning from 27 BC to 180 AD, stands as one of the most enduring periods of peace in the annals of civilization.” The full article discussing this can be accessed via the following link: Pax Romana - Wikipedia

So, in relation to the 2nd Seal and the Red Horse, as Revelation 6 states, it was about taking away the world-wide Peace that existing during the life of Jesus and the birth of the Church and beyond. As such, this Seal accounts historically for this and for all the wars that have occurred in history since then, including two World Wars. It is not limited to any wars that may occur in the Tribulation, or just prior to it, rather it seems a clear reference to all wars that started once the Peace associated with Pax Romana was taken from the earth, nearly two thousand years ago.

3rd Seal – Black Horse – Famine

Matthew 24

"7 ... and there shall be famines"

 Revelation 6

^"5 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. ⁶ 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

Again, Wikipedia includes a very detailed list of 311 significant famines down throughout history, starting in 2200 BC, down to the present day. It can be accessed at the following link: List of famines - Wikipedia

Importantly, while it does not include the Famines that were recorded in the Bible, such as those in the times of the Patriarchs (Abraham; Isaac and Jacob) and Joseph, it is worth noting that its record of major famines throughout the world only includes 5 prior to the time of Jesus, but another 306 since that time. So again, it seems clear that this seal was opened during the days of the Roman Empire, nearly two thousand years ago, following Jesus Ascension.

4th Seal – Death from War, Hunger and Beasts of the Earth

Matthew 24

⁶ And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. ⁷ For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. ⁸ -- All these are the beginning of sorrows.”

Revelation 6

⁷ And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. ⁸ And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.? Revelation 6:7-8

The emphasis of the 4th Seal is on Death from various means, with again War featuring along with Hunger from Famine because the Wars and Famines also associated with the Second and Third Seals do not always result in death. So, this Seal shows that the previous shift from Peace to Death and Suffering was now beginning to intensify to the degree that now a quarter of the population of the world would be lost.

Estimating the number of deaths from the 1st century to the year 2025 is quite challenging due to the lack of comprehensive historical records. However, some sources provide estimates for major pandemics and events that have significantly impacted human populations. For example, the Black Death (1346-1353) is estimated to have killed 25-50 million people, which was about 30-60% of the European population at the time. The Plague of Justinian (541-549) is estimated to have caused 15-100 million deaths, impacting 25-60% of the European population. In terms of Wars, just the two World Wars of the 20th Century only resulted in a loss of life of over 100 million people as follows:

World War I (1914-1918)

Casualties: Around 17 million military and civilian deaths

World War II (1939-1945)

Casualties: Around 70-85 million military and civilian deaths

See some related links below:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_epidemics_and_pandemics?form=MG0AV3

https://ourworldindata.org/historical-pandemics?form=MG0AV3

https://www.statista.com/statistics/1351638/second-world-war-share-total-population-loss/

https://www.statista.com/statistics/1342260/wwii-mobilization-by-country/?form=MG0AV3

https://brilliantmaps.com/ww1-casualties/?form=MG0AV3

So, in respect to the 4th Seal, there is no doubt that down through History significant portions of the world's population have had their natural life spans shortened by various forms of death.

Then in relation to the expression "...and with death and with the beasts of the earth", this is variably dealt with by Commentators, with some seeing it as symbolic and others seeing it as being directly connected with the “Four Sore or Severe Judgements”  of Ezekiel 14:21 -See Link Here  and see below for two versions of this text with the 4 Judgements underlined:

²¹ For thus saith the Lord GOD; How much more when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the noisome beast, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast? Ezekiel 14:21 (KJV)

And

²¹ For thus says the Lord GOD: “How much more it shall be when I send My four severe judgments on Jerusalem—the sword and famine and wild beasts and pestilence—to cut off man and beast from it? Ezekiel 14:21(NKJV)

If this connection between the Judgements of the 4th Seal and Ezekiel's 4 Sore Judgements is valid then we should expect to see a correlation between the 4 Judgements associated with each, and interestingly this is exactly what we see, as follows:

Ezekiel 14:21            Revelation 6:8

Sword                        Sword

Famine                      Hunger

Wild Beasts              Beasts of the Earth          

Pestilence                Death

While the first 3 Judgements have a clear equivalence, the idea here is that all 4 should be related. As such, there should also be an equivalence in meaning between the Judgment of Pestilence (in Hebrew דֶּבֶר) in Ezekiel and Revelation's word for Death (in Greek θάνατος) and in fact this is what we see when we look at some of the modern translations including:

ESV (English Standard Bible) - translates θάνατος in Revelation 6:8 as Pestilence

NIV (New Internation Bible) - translates θάνατος in Revelation 6:8 as Plague

NASB (New American Standard Bible) - translates θάνατος in Revelation 6:8 as Plague

On this basis, it is worth noting that Ezekiel 14 also suggests that the Judgements would come against both Man and Beast as recipients, not just that Wild Beasts would be involved in the delivery of the judgment. Additionally, the 'noisome beast' or wild beasts being referenced here is the Hebrew word חַיָּה which also includes the meaning of anything living, as the following information taken from Logos Software shows:

As such, it all seems to be suggesting that God will be allowing any living creatures to not only cut off Man, but to also cut off Beasts. In this way, Ezekiel 14 could prophetically be involved in some of the stranger deaths of Fish and Birds etc., that often have no clear explanation and have been increasingly occurring across the earth, in recent years. The following is a short Youtube video by 'End Times Research Ministry' containing some examples of this type of thing:

In relation to the deaths caused by wild animals, it is also worth considering that this could be talking of the cumulative deaths that have occurred over the centuries since the 4th Seal was opened. Some commentators have made the connection between this judgement and the many Christians that would lose their lives in the Amphitheaters of Rome, being fed to the Lions for entertainment etc.

Either way, we can see the first Four Seals that all involve Horses and their Riders being released into the World have been a source of Judgement by God upon a world that has largely rejected Him.

The Four Seals and the Genesis Connection

One intriguing aspect about studying this subject is that it has revealed that there is also a connection that can be seen between the Judgements associated with these 4 Horses and the Events of the Fall in the Garden of Eden, along with its consequences.

Essentially, the genesis of the judgements associated with the Seals and the Horses occurs in the book of Genesis (pun intended). To show this, I will firstly summarize the nature of each of the Horses below:

White Horse - Deception
Red Horse - Removal of Peace and Killing
Black Horse - Famine and Hunger
Pale Horse - Death and Hell

And now I will make the comparison with the fall of Adam (the first Adam) and Eve in the Garden and the spiritual nature of the judgements that followed before looking at the parallels with Jesus (the second or last Adam) and the spiritual nature of the Judgements that followed when He began to open or loose the Seals:

First Adam

White Horse - Deception - There was a spirit of Deception in the Garden, in the form of a Serpent. It tempted Eve, who was deceived, and because Adam listened to his wife and allowed the deception to bear fruit, Sin entered the world that God had given to Adam to rule over.

Red Horse - Removal of Peace and Killing - Once Sin entered, man no longer had Peace with God. It had been removed, and they knew they were naked and so they Hid from God. Once Peace was removed Anger and Hatred also entered in and this resulted in Cain Killing Able because Cain would not accept the counselling of God and deal with it.

Black Horse - Famine and Hunger - due to Adam's Sin, God told him that the Ground would now be cursed, and it would produce Thorns and Thistles and only in sorrow and hard labor (with the sweat of his brow) would he get any food from it. This was ultimately the pre-cursor of all Famines.

Pale Horse - Death and Hell - the Wages of Sin is death, starting with Able (being murdered) and Adam and Eve (dying within the first 1,000 years, or 'first day' of creation - where 2 Pet3:8 states a thousand years is as a day to the Lord) and billions since. Immediately, in the Garden God provided a sacrifice that looked forward to the ultimate sacrifice in Jesus, but those who reject the Grace of God would become separated in Hell.

So, we see the Judgements associated with the Horses of the first 4 Seals all appearing in the Garden of Eden following the Fall. They were all part of defining the nature of the Curse of Sin, but as devastating as they were God's redemptive plans were already underway. As Rev 13:8 states, the Lamb of God was slain from the foundation of the world:

^"8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." Revelation 13:8

The Last or Second Adam (Jesus)

As will be seen - Jesus, in His incarnation in the first century, was the answer for all of these spiritual judgements that flowed out originally from the curse:

White Horse - Deception was countered by Jesus who was the Light of the World. He overcame the Darkness and defeated the Father of Lies from whom all the Deception that was birthed. Jesus was the Way; the Truth and the Life and He offered people, who had been deceived by Satan's lies, a new beginning founded on Grace, Love and Truth.

Red Horse - Removal of Peace and Killing was countered by Jesus who said things such as: My Peace I give unto You (John 14:27) and in Ephesians 2:14 it says that "...He Himself is our peace because He has broken down the middle wall of separation between us and God". Killing was also countered by Him giving us His Spirit. The Holy Spirit would enable us to love others as ourselves and cause us to be willing to lay down our own life for another. In Him, we could choose to no longer operate from a place of fear and anger that can result in the killing or murder of another.

Black Horse - Famine and Hunger were countered by Jesus who showed us that He was the God of the Harvest and could feed 5,000 from a few loaves and fishes with 12 baskets left over. Importantly though, He also reminded us that we do not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God and that whoever comes to Him will never Hunger or Thirst again (John 6:35)

Pale Horse - Death and Hell were countered by Jesus who brought the dead back to life (Lazarus of Bethany; the unnamed daughter of the synagogue leader Jairus; the unnamed son of the widow at Nain) and to life eternal. As Jesus declared in John 11:25-26 "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me will live, even though he dies. And everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die." Hell was never meant as a destiny for mankind.

However, Sinful Man Rejected and Crucified Jesus, cutting Him off, as it says in Daniel 9:26:

²⁶ And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. Daniel 9:26

This was after Jesus, who like Adam was confronted with a choice in a Garden, but unlike the first Adam, Jesus as the second Adam was sinless and He chose to lay down His life and receive the penalty of death that was meant for all of us (as the sons of Adam), under the law. After this, Jesus rose again and ascended into Heaven and received a copy of the Law, as part of His Coronation as King.

The Horses and the Flying Scroll in Zechariah

Having just looked briefly at the first 4 Seals, which saw the release of 4 horses, I will now give further details on some aspects that will help to throw further light on these 'Four Horses of the Apocalypse' and the nature of the Scroll itself, before dealing with the 5th and 6th Seals.

The Four Horses of Zechariah

Noting that God always uses Judgment to encourage people to repent and turn back to Him, we see a parallel between the horses in Revelation with the horses in Zechariah, which were described as being Four spirits of Heaven:

^"5 And the angel answered and said unto me, These are the four spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth." Zechariah 6:5 (KJV)

The ESV puts it like this...

^"5 And the angel answered and said to me, “These are going out to the four winds of heaven, after presenting themselves before the Lord of all the earth." Zechariah 6:5

This emphasizes that the Lord is in Control and that these Spirits are doing the bidding of God, while the preceding verses of chapter 6 also shows the connection with the Horses seen in Revelation - ie. both have White, Black, Red and either Dappled or Pale Horses, as follows: 

^"2 With the first chariot were red horses, with the second chariot black horses, ³ with the third chariot white horses, and with the fourth chariot dappled horses—strong steeds. ⁴ Then I answered and said to the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?” Zechariah 6:2-4

The Significance of the Mountains

Seeing this back story of the spirits that go out into the world, at the Lords Command, is important because the symbolic parallels between Zechariah and Revelation are deliberate and we not only see the authority behind the judgements that are released in the Revelation account, but here in Zechariah, we can also see the source of this authority, with the horses coming out from between two mountains of Bronze.

​"¹Then I turned and raised my eyes and looked, and behold, four chariots were coming from between two mountains, and the mountains were mountains of bronze." Zechariah 6:2-4

The significance of the bronze mountains can be seen in the wilderness, after the Exodus. Here the Israelites, following on from the sacrifice of the Passover that set them free from their Egyptian Slave masters, the people came to the Mountain of God (Mt Sinai) and prepared to meet and worship Him. However, when God came down on the third day, the power of His Presence that shook the whole mountain caused them great fear and for the first time they were confronted with the understanding that before they could come into the presence of a Holy God, there first needed to be a sacrifice for their sins.

Ultimately, this would result in Moses and the people constructing the Tabernacle, as per God's instructions, and the Sacrificial system was instituted. Importantly, these sacrifices were always of an innocent animal, that was really a picture or foreshadow of Jesus (as the Lamb of God) who was yet to come. Significantly, both the Altar on which the sacrifices were made and the instruments that were used during the ceremony were all made of Bronze. It was the metal that would always be associated with their Atonement and notably when one recalls John's vision of the risen Jesus, he describes seeing His feet saying:

¹⁵ His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. Revelation 1:15

Here we see that Jesus was not only the sacrifice for our sins, but His very body was the Altar on which the sacrifice was made. This is why there are many instances in scripture where God instructed the Israelites to make an altar with uncut stones, in the days of the Patriarchs - it was literally representing Jesus' body.

In this way, we can now see the connection between Jesus and the Mountains of Bronze, the source of Zechariah's horses and ultimately the source of the four horses in Revelation. They are coming from the Lord, who made the ultimate sacrifice for mankind's sin and as such, He and only He was worthy to open the Seals and to receive Glory and Honour and a Kingdom; and He is worthy to bring judgement against a wicked world that has rejected His Love and Sacrifice, just as it says in many passages in scripture including Isaiah 26:

²⁰ Go, my people, enter your rooms and shut the doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until his wrath has passed by.
²¹ See, the LORD is coming out of his dwelling to punish the people of the earth for their sins. The earth will disclose the blood shed on it;
the earth will conceal its slain no longer. Isaiah 26:20-21

One final thing that is worth noting in relation to this, and the numbers of God, is that Bronze is typically acknowledged as being comprised of 88% Copper and 12% Tin and both of these numbers are directly related to Jesus:

8 is the number of Jesus (see here) and 11 is the Anti-Christ because he is the 11th horn of Daniel and Jesus became sin for us - 8 *11= 88

12 is the Seed of Woman (see here) who came to destroy the works of Satan by bruising his head

Additionally, Tin has an Atomic number of 50, which is a number that points to the Jubilee when everything the 'Seed of the Woman' came to accomplish will be achieved and everything lost due to the fall will be redeemed and restored, noting that God put a limit on striving with sinful mankind of 120 and 120 Jubilees = 120 x 50 - 6,000 years of human history. According to bible Chronology, we are getting close to that (see here for more on 120) and (and here for more on genealogies) and so Jesus is close to returning, a fact which is amazingly hidden in the chemical composition of the metal that represents our Atonement (Bronze), that was purchased for us by Jesus. 

Zechariah's Flying Scroll

In another parallel, Zechariah also has a vision of a Flying Scroll that will be seen as being directly related to the Sealed Scroll in Revelation. Interestingly this Scroll is discussed in chapter 5, the same chapter as the Scroll in Revelation and the Horses that follow the opening of the Scroll in Revelation are discussed in chapter 6, the same chapter as the horses in Zechariah. Now while the chapter numbers are a modern addition, God was still sovereign over the formation of His word into the book that we know as the Bible, and it is clear that the reader is meant to connect the content of the two books to help us understand more about the Scroll that is bringing God's judgement.

 As such, the flying nature of the Scroll would seem to indicate that God's judgment will be swift and unavoidable, which highlights the urgency and immediacy of addressing sin and wrongdoing, once it is released. Its ability to fly also symbolizes its supernatural origin and the divine authority behind the judgment. It signifies that the message comes directly from God and carries His power and authority. So as the Seals are being loosed by Jesus in Revelation, there are Spirits being released from Heaven, like those pictured by the Horses in Zechariah, that are going into all the Earth, as a Judgement to cause people to Cry out and turn back to God.

Zechariah 5 gives us some important details about this Scroll:

​¹ Then I turned and raised my eyes, and saw there a flying scroll.  ² And he said to me, “What do you see?” So I answered, “I see a flying scroll. Its length is twenty cubits and its width ten cubits.” ³ Then he said to me, “This is the curse that goes out over the face of the whole earth: ‘Every thief shall be expelled,’ according to this side of the scroll; and, ‘Every perjurer shall be expelled,’ according to that side of it.” ⁴ “I will send out the curse,” says the LORD of hosts; “It shall enter the house of the thief And the house of the one who swears falsely by My name. It shall remain in the midst of his house And consume it, with its timber and stones.” Zechariah 5:1-4

This passage helps us to begin to understand what the Scroll in Revelation is all about. The word translated “Curse” is the Hebrew word אָלָה which according to numerous Language resources is to be understood as an Oath; or a Covenant that is confirmed by an Oath; an Imprecation; a Sworn Agreement, as the following portion of “Gesenius’ Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament’ shows:

Hiphil, to cause any one to swear, to bind him by an oath, construed with acc., 1 Ki. 8:31; 2 Ch. 6:22; 1 Sa. 14:24. Fut. apoc. וַיֹּאֶל from יֹאלֶה for יַאֲלֶה 1 Sa. l. cit. Derivatives אָלָה and תַּאֲלָה.

אָלָה f. (with Kametz impure, from אָלָה No. II., for אָאלָה and that for אַלְאָה, אַלְוָה; Arab. أَلْوَةُ, see Lehrg. 509.

(1) an oath. בּוֹא בְּאָלָה to enter into an oath, i.e. to bind oneself by oath, Neh. 10:30; hence הֵבִיא בְּאָלָה to bind any one by an oath, Eze. 17:13. Compare Virg Æn. iv. 339, hœe in fœdera veni. אָלָתִי “an oath imposed on me,” Gen. 24:41.

(2) a covenant confirmed by an oath, Gen. 26:28; Deu. 29:11, 13; Ez. 16:59.

(3) imprecation, curse, Nu. 5:21; Isa. 24:6, שְׁבֻעַת־אָלָה an oath joined with imprecations; Nu. 5:21. הָיָה לְאָלָה to become a curse, Jer. 44:12. נָהַן לְאָלָה to make to be an execration, Jer. 42:18. Plur. אָלוֹת curses, Nu. 5:23; Deu. 29:11.^[1]

This clearly shows the Scroll's connection to the Testimony or the 'Old Covenant', that is better known to many readers as the 'Law', which was kept in the 'Ark of the Covenant' that rested in the Holy of Holies in the Wilderness Tabernacle built by Moses; and then later in Solomon’s Temple. This connection between the Law and the Scroll was already seen from our previous discussion about when a King was being coronated, in that they were to be given a copy of the Law (or Testimony) by which they were to rule.

However, when we look closely to the text of Zechariah 5:2, we also note another hidden confirmation that the Law and the Scroll are connected because it states that the size of the Scroll was 20 cubits x 10 cubits:

^"2 And he said to me, “What do you see?” I answered, “I see a flying scroll. Its length is twenty cubits, and its width ten cubits.” Zechariah 5:2

Then 1Kings 6:3 shows that this is the exact size of Solomon’s Porch on the front of the Temple:

^"3 And the porch before the temple of the house, twenty cubits was the length thereof, according to the breadth of the house; and ten cubits was the breadth thereof before the house." 1 Kings 6:3

This is important because according to 1 Kings 7:7, Solomon built the porch for a throne, where he might judge. It was known as the "porch of judgment".

^"7 Then he made a porch for the throne where he might judge, even the porch of judgment: and it was covered with cedar from one side of the floor to the other." 1 Kings 7:7

So, the Scroll is all about God’s Judgments through the application of His Law / Testimony / Old Covenant and this is exactly what we are seeing as Jesus unseals the Scroll – Gods Judgements are being unleashed.

In this respect, it is important to take a closer look at the nature of the Judgements that are described in Zechariah. This will help us to understand the judgements of Revelation.

Firstly, Zechariah says:

³ Then he said to me, “This is the curse that goes out over the face of the whole land. For everyone who steals shall be cleaned out according to what is on one side, and everyone who swears falsely shall be cleaned out according to what is on the other side. ⁴ I will send it out, declares the LORD of hosts, and it shall enter the house of the thief, and the house of him who swears falsely by my name. And it shall remain in his house and consume it, both timber and stones.” Zechariah 5:3-4

From this, we see there are two sides to the Scroll and two aspects to God’s Judgement - symbolically, it is actually a picture of the Cross, with its Horizontal beam relating to how we treat others, and the Vertical upright being about our relationship with God.

1) One side of the Scroll refers to Thieves – which is essentially about the way that humans interact, or how we treat each other - it is about our actions. If we put ourselves before others, we are like thieves stealing their blessings because God commands that we are to love others as we love ourselves, and are to put others first, in all we do. As He says in Matthew 6:33:

³³ But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Matthew 6:33

2) The second side relates to Purjurers – which is about our Hearts and our commitment to Love God with all of our Heart and to turn away from Sin and Iniquity. God literally saves us through Jesus, who came to fulfil the Law and made an Oath to fulfil His Covenant to redeem us. So, the second side of the Law is about our Oath to accept the terms of God's Covenant demonstrated by our ongoing Repentance where we daily turn to God asking for forgiveness and seeking His will with our whole Heart.

At this point it is worth discussing the nature of an Oath and its connection with the number 7 before we further expound on the two-sided nature of the law.

The Significance of the Number 7 and its connection to an Oath

What many do not realize is that God's Oath is woven all the way through the Bible because it is associated with God’s favorite number 7.

This can be seen by looking at the Hebrew and understanding that every Hebrew Word is based upon a '3 Consonant Root Word'. In this instance, the Root word involves the following 3 consonants  שׁבע, which are the letters Sin/Shin (ש); Beth (ב); and Ayin (ע), noting that Hebrew is read from left to right. Putting these together with different vowels, that are only there to help us understand how to pronounce the words, we can get the following 3 separate, but completely related words, that all have a related meaning:

שֶׁבַע – means the ordinal number 7

שָׂבַע – means to have enough; plenty of; full of; satisfy with; satiate

שָׁבַע – means to take an Oath; or to Swear

Importantly, 7 is not some random number that God has associated His Promises / and His Oath with, as He has revealed in Isaiah that He has a 7-fold Spiritual Nature, as follows:

​¹ And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: ² And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; Isaiah 11:1-2

So, 7 is part of the very nature of God and as such becomes integral to the establishment of His Covenants.

An example of this connection between 7 and a Covenant can be seen as follows:

in Genesis 21:27-32, we see Abraham and Abimelech make a covenant, and the place is named Beersheba (בְּאֵר שֶׁבַע), which means "Well of the Oath" or "Well of the Seven."  - Well (בְּאֵר)of the Oath (שֶׁבַע).

The significance of the number 7 can be seen here because Abraham sets aside seven ewe lambs, as part of the Covenant ceremony.

^"27 And Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave them unto Abimelech; and both of them made a covenant. ²⁸ And Abraham set -- seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves. ²⁹ And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What mean -- these seven ewe lambs which thou hast set by themselves? ³⁰ And he said, For these -- seven ewe lambs shalt thou take of my hand, that they may be a witness unto me, that I have digged -- this well. ³¹ Wherefore he called that place Beer-sheba; because there they swore both of them. ³² Thus they made a covenant at Beer-sheba:" Genesis 21:22-32

In this passage, where Abraham and Abimelech are making a covenant, it is also known as "sevening" or being "sevened" because Abraham set aside seven ewe lambs and the word for "swearing" is in this context the word "swore" or  נִשְׁבְּע֖וּ which is a passive verb (Niphal), meaning "to be sevened". Essentially, it signifies the act of confirming, or making the Covenant binding, by the number 7.

Importantly, ancient Covenants were generally established through a blood sacrifice, where animals of value would be slaughtered and then cut in half and both parties that were establishing the Covenant would walk between the divided animal carcasses and effectively say “May this be done to me if I do not keep my oath". An example of the consequences of failing to keep the terms of the covenant can be seen in Jeremiah 34:

⁸ And I will give the men who have transgressed My covenant, who have not performed the words of the covenant which they made before Me, when they cut the calf in two and passed between the parts of it— ¹⁹ the princes of Judah, the princes of Jerusalem, the eunuchs, the priests, and all the people of the land who passed between the parts of the calf— ²⁰ I will give them into the hand of their enemies and into the hand of those who seek their life. Their dead bodies shall be for meat for the birds of the heaven and the beasts of the earth. Jeremiah 34:18-20

And an example of this cutting of a Covenant can be seen when God establishes a Covenant with Abraham in Genesis 15. He says to him:

⁷ Then He said to him, “I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to inherit it.” Genesis 15:7

Then Abraham says:

⁸ And he said, “Lord GOD, how shall I know that I will inherit it?” Genesis 15:8

So, God establishes a blood Covenant:

⁹ So He said to him, “Bring Me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” ¹⁰ Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, down the middle, and placed each piece opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds in two. ¹¹ And when the vultures came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.
¹² Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him. ¹³ Then He said to Abram: “Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. ¹⁴ And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions. ¹⁵ Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age. ¹⁶ But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.” ¹⁷ And it came to pass, when the sun went down and it was dark, that behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a burning torch that passed between those pieces. ¹⁸ On the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying: “To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates— ¹⁹ the Kenites, the Kenezzites, the Kadmonites, ²⁰ the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, ²¹ the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.” Genesis 15:9-21

One of the most important things to note about this Covenant is that unlike a Covenant between two men, where both parties passed between the carcasses, this was an agreement between a man (Abraham) and God and it was unconditional, so God put Abram to sleep and passed between the pieces by Himself, appearing in the form of a smoking oven and a burning Torch.

IMPORTANT - In context we can now understand why Creation occurred over 7 days; and every Sabbath was based upon multiples of 7 and also why there are 7 Churches in Revelation, along with a 7 sealed Scroll that also involves 7 Trumpets; 7 vials and that contain 7 plagues that are filled with the wrath of God. It is literally God saying I have given my Oath to establish and Fulfill my Covenant to redeem mankind, who will all become part of the Church, as the Bride of Christ, if they accept the Covenant of Grace.

As the establishment of God's Covenant with mankind ultimately involves the Law, it is important to note that God said that He would replace the Old Covenant based upon the ongoing Sacrifices for Sin (required by the Law) with a new Covenant where His Law was written into people's hearts:

¹⁶ This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; ¹⁷ And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. Hebrews 10:16-17

So, from this perspective, it is worth now returning to our consideration of the 2-fold nature of the Law that connects with the 2 sides of the Scrolls that are seen in both Revelation and Zechariah:

​¹ Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. Revelation 5:1

AND

³Then he said to me, “This is the curse that goes out over the face of the whole earth: ‘Every thief shall be expelled,’ according to this side of the scroll; and,‘Every perjurer shall be expelled,’ according to that side of it.” Zechariah 5:3

This will help us to understand how the fate of people is determined going forward.

The 2-fold Nature of the Law

To help us understand the two-fold nature of the law, we can see it expounded in Psalm 24 as follows:

³ Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who may stand in His holy place? ⁴ He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, Nor sworn deceitfully.⁵ He shall receive blessing from the LORD, And righteousness from the God of his salvation. ⁶ This is Jacob, the generation of those who seek Him, Who seek Your face. Psalms 24:3-6

Essentially King David is asking who will be saved, enabling them to be with God in eternity, and the answer is two-fold:

1) He that has clean hands and

2) He that has a pure heart, that has not been lifted up to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully

These directly relate to the two-sided Curse or Imprecation detailed on the two sided Flying Scroll in Zechariah. Clean hands again relate to all that we do in relation to others – if we act as a thief then our hands are not clean. And if we falsely swear to God, such that the Repentance in our heart is not real and we make other things (idols) to be more important than God, then the ultimate conclusion of the Psalm is that we are not saved; and we will not get to Ascend into the Hill of the Lord, or Stand in His Holy Place for eternity.

Finally, on this particular issue, it is worth noting that this 2-fold nature to the Law is essentially summarized by Jesus in Matthew 22 where He said in response to a question from a lawyer about what the great commandment in the Law was:

^"37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ ³⁸ This is the first and great commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ⁴⁰ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:35-40

Loving God with all your heart; soul and mind is the Law on one side of the Scroll. It is about not swearing falsely in our heart to God, who as we have seen has sworn to redeem us, which is symbolized by all the Sevens in the bible. AND loving your Neighbour as yourself is the Law on the second side of the Scroll. That is about having Clean Hands in all our actions with our Neighbours and not being a Thief and stealing their blessings, or what belongs to them.

The Significance of the Seals

We have seen that the Scroll is directly related to the Law and the Judgements of God against Sin and that it was sealed or secured with 7 Seals. So, at this point, it also worth touching on the significance of the Seals themselves.

Firstly, because there are 7 of them, we note that they are directly related to God's Oath and the establishment of a Covenant, which in context was the cutting of His new Covenant (through the blood sacrifice of Jesus) with mankind in relation to Redemption. Jeremiah was originally the one who prophesied of this new Covenant that was later referenced in the book of Hebrews as above:

³¹ “Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— ³² not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD. ³³ But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. Jeremiah 31:31-33

Also, it is also worth noting that scripture clearly shows us that the Holy Spirit is the Seal of God in verses such as Ephesians 1:13-14:

¹³ In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, ¹⁴ who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory. Ephesians 1:13-14

and 2 Corinthians 1:21-22. 

²¹ Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, ²² set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. 2 Corinthians 1:21-22

This is the same Spirit of God that both Revelation 4-5 and Isaiah 11 show has a 7-fold Nature and so His connection to the Scroll with 7 Seals becomes clear. The Scroll is effectively the law of God that brings Judgement upon the world following its rejection of the one and only Saviour, the last Adam (1 Cor 15 45), Jesus Christ and essentially, the Holy Spirit is described as a Seal, guaranteeing the believer's inheritance and marking them as God's own.

As such, this spiritual Seal signifies ownership, security, and authenticity, much like a king's seal on a document. In essence, the Seals of Revelation's Scroll signify God's sovereign plan and the unfolding of divine judgments, while the Holy Spirit's Seal on believers represents divine ownership and the promise of eternal life. Together, they underscore the themes of divine authority, judgment, and salvation.

Who was Worthy or Authorised to open a Seal

However, it is also important to note that there was and still is only one who is worthy to loose the Seals and open the Scroll fully. This is consistent with other Seals in ancient times that were used to secure documents and ensure their authenticity. Only the person whose Seal was on the document could open it, as breaking the Seal would indicate tampering. This practice was common in various ancient civilizations, including the Babylonians, Greeks, Romans, and Israelites. Seals were often made of clay, wax, or metal and carried unique designs or inscriptions that identified the owner.

In this respect, Revelation 5 shows that only Jesus the Lamb of God, who became the sacrifice to establish the New Covenant in His blood and was raised to life again by the Power of the Holy Spirit, was worthy to open or loose the Seals. Importantly, in this respect, Jesus is described as a Lamb with "... seven eyes which are the seven spirits of God", showing He Was and Is full of the Holy Spirit and Is the only one authorized to open the Seals:

⁶ Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. Revelation 5:6

Effectively, this sealing of the Scroll held back the Judgements of God. These were originally released into the earth after man's fall in the Garden of Eden, but were reigned back in when Jesus came in His first Coming; before being released again following the people's Rejection, that resulted in His death; burial and resurrection; and finally, His Ascension.

In all of this, it is important to note that the Holy Spirit, who is called the Restrainer in Thessalonians (in reference to holding back evil and the Lawless one), was essentially also holding back Judgements in the day of Jesus' Incarnation, until Jesus, the Lamb of God and the Last Adam, began to loose the Seals, following His Ascension and Coronation as King. As He did so, the 4 Spirits represented by the Horses, began to ride out into the World again, as a judgement against man's ongoing Sin.

The difference this time is that each of the 7 Seals were part of cutting the New Covenant in the Blood of the Sacrifice of Jesus. So, as each Spirit was released, it was simultaneously countered by Jesus' sacrifice, that was the foundation of the new Covenant. As such, those whose lives are hidden with Christ (Colossians 3:1-3) have become a part of that Covenant, that has been cut (or sevened) in His blood, and as such have received protection against the Judgements associated with those Spirits.

¹ Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ² Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. ³ For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. ⁴ When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Colossians 3:1-4

This promise in Colossians is quite significant because by stating that it is 'with-Christ' that we are hidden, it is confirming the work of the Holy Spirit in this. This is because the word Christ directly relates to the Hebrew word Mashiach (מָשִׁיחַ or Messiah in English), which means the 'anointed one' and being anointed involved a ceremony where Oil was poured upon the person's head, as a symbol of having the 'Holy Spirit' come upon you, to empower you as a prophet, or a King.

5th Seal – The Martyrs

I will now consider the Fifth and Six Seals, which I believe will bring us up to where we are right now in history.

Firstly, while the first four seals were represented by Horses and their Riders, the Fifth seal departs from this, showing that it is not a Spirit riding out into the World, which was symbolically represented by the number 4 and by the Horses. Rather, the 5th Seal is about God giving authority for the consequence of Martyrs (the death of Christian Believers) to be among those who are killed, as a result of the 'Red Horse' Judgement that allowed for killing and for murder.

Essentially, the text supports the understanding that the 5th Seal was opened just prior to the Stoning of Steven in the first century, and its opening reflects the same level of authority that Satan had to be given, in relation to his attacks on Job, in the Old Testament. From that narrative, it is clear that Satan (who was standing quietly among the Sons of God in Heaven) had to be given permission to attack Job, once God had brought Satan's attention to him. This was because of Job's Righteousness, as a servant of God, who both reverenced Him and shunned evil:

​¹ There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil. Job 1:1

Similarly, I do not believe that Satan would have had the authority to murder Stephen, as recorded in the book of Acts, if it were not for the 5th Seal being loosed by Jesus because otherwise (as stated above) Stephen, as a Believer, would have been hidden 'with Christ' and protected. Only God as our sovereign Lord, who loves us and died for us, knows the reasons why He would allow this. We just know that He can be trusted in all things and understand it is for His glory and that He will bring good out of evil for those that love Him. Perhaps just the fact that millions around the world are still speaking about Stephen's sacrifice and the way that this may have encouraged so many Martyrs since, who have faced the same persecution, is reason enough. Either way, we know that the Lord can be trusted and as Paul said:

¹⁸ For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Romans 8:18

It also seems clear, given both the references in Daniel and Revelation, related to the length of the Tribulation being 2520 days (comprised of two-halves of 1260 days each), that there is absolutely no logical reason for those who think that the Opening of the Seals is at the start of the Tribulation to believe that if all of these Martyrs that are crying out to the Lord, about how long it will be before they receive justice, that they would not know that they only had a very short time left before their blood is avenged:

¹⁰ And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Revelation 6:10

Essentially, if they died after the 7-year Tribulation started, they should know to the day when Justice for their blood being shed would come. But their cry tells us that they do not know, so again it is logical if they are the martyrs that have been killed down through the ages starting in the first Century, starting when Steven became the first martyr, then they would not know, and the words of comfort to rest a little while longer until the full number of their fellow servants and brethren are also killed, would make sense.

Additionally, it is worth noting that when John’s vision first begins in Chapters 4 and 5, there is no mention of any martyrs because if He was literally seeing the moment that Jesus arrived in Heaven during the Ascension, then at that very moment there would not have been any Christian Martyrs yet. However, if John's vision did begin with events future to John, beginning in the 21st century, then we would certainly have expected John in his very first description of the Throne room in Chapter 4, prior to the opening of the Seals, to have included a description of Martyrs that would have died during the previous two centuries, but this is again not what we seen.

The Great Multitude

In this regard, those who place the opening of the Seals at the start of the Tribulation also have to make the "great multitude which no one could number", that John sees after opening the 6th Seal, as happening in the first half of the Tribulation.

⁹ After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, ¹⁰ and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” Revelation 7:9-10

This is extremely problematic because it amounts to a major genocide of every nation on earth before the Great Tribulation (which Jesus says is the final half of the Tribulation) has even begun and all this while Israel is still covered by a 7 year peace deal that has not been broken yet. This does not occur until the 'Abomination of Desolation' occurs, which is in the middle of the Tribulation, when the Great Tribulation starts. Clearly, those holding to this view, would also have to believe that most of these people would be Christian Martyrs because even when Satan is cast out of Heaven and comes down, knowing his time is short (which is after the 6th Seal), he first goes after the Jews and then after the Christians, not unbelievers, as stated in Revelation 12:

¹³ Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child. ¹⁴ But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. ¹⁵ So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. ¹⁶ But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. ¹⁷ And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. Revelation 12:13-17

As such, there are a number of problems and inconsistencies with placing the opening of all the Seals at the start of the Tribulation. It would also mean that the appearance of all those people in Heaven, following the opening of the 6th Seal, would also result in a significant increase in the number of martyrs seen in connection with the 5^th seal, who were all described as being under the Altar. However, these people are not stated as being under the altar as well, rather they are simply described as standing before the Throne, which is where the Sea of Glass is described as being, in Revelation 4:6

⁶ Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back Revelation 4:6

Later, Revelation 15:2 talks about those who had victory over the beast and over his image and over his mark - they were all standing on the Sea of Glass, not under the altar:

² And I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those who have the victory over the beast, over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having harps of God. Revelation 15:2

These would have also been Martyrs because prior to this passage, the fate of all people who will be under the rule of the Anti-Christ is declared in Revelation 13 and 14, as follows:

⁷ It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation. ⁸ All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. ⁹ If anyone has an ear, let him hear. ¹⁰ He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity; he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints. Revelation 13:4-10

And

¹² Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. ¹³ Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, “Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’ ” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them.” Revelation 14:12-13

So, the Martyrs who are under the altar after the 5th Seal, and those who died after the opening of the 7th Seal and the event associated with the middle of the Tribulation, that are all standing on the Sea of Glass, clearly belong to a different class of believers - the Bible makes the distinction, even if we don't want to.

² And I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those who have the victory over the beast, over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having harps of God. Revelation 15:2

Essentially, given that Revelation 15 belongs to events that occur around the middle of the Tribulation, prior to the Bowls of Wrath being poured out, this is obviously nearly two thousand years since John had his vision, which the bible supports began around the Ascension of Jesus. Therefore, this difference in timing also accounts for why John did not describe anyone standing on the Sea of Glass at the beginning of his vision in Chapters 4 and 5 but does now - basically as the Seals are not being opened at the beginning of the Tribulation, or just after the Rapture of the Church, the Believers were not there yet.

6th Seal - and the Rapture

So why does this all matter?

As stated above, determining when the Seals began to be opened affects both the Timing and the Nature of the events in the Tribulation. God gave us a lot of information because He did not want us to be Deceived or Fearful. Rather than looking at every war and rumour of war and every famine and plague as potentially being the trigger for the Tribulation, we can know that Jesus said these things would all happen down through history, but that they would all just be part of the birth pains of the last days that Peter said in Acts 2:16-21 had begun on the day of Pentecost nearly 2,000 years ago: 

¹⁶ But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: ¹⁷ ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams. ¹⁸ And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy. ¹⁹ I will show wonders in heaven above And signs in the earth beneath: Blood and fire and vapor of smoke. ²⁰ The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD. ²¹ And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be saved.’ Acts 2:16-21

Understanding this, as well as knowing that the first Seals relate to events that began just after Jesus' Ascension and continue to this day, all helps us to put the prophetic events of Revelation into their proper perspective and understand the true Timeline of God's Last days.

In this respect, it is clear from history that none of the major events of the 6th Seal have yet occurred:

¹² I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. ¹³ And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. ¹⁴ Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. ¹⁵ And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, ¹⁶and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! ¹⁷ For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” Revelation 6:12-17

Some notable highlights from this are:

 - "the stars of heaven fell to the earth"

 - "there was a great earthquake" such that "every mountain and island was moved out of its place".

 - "the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains,"

The Ezekiel 38 - Gog- Magog War Connection

Not only have none of these highlighted specific events happened yet, but there is also something quite intriguing about them that helps us to place the timing of the Rapture and Tribulation. Essentially, three of the key events in the 6th Seal appear to match events of Ezekiel 38 as follows:

Also noteworthy, is God's comment in relation to what is commonly referred to as the 'War of Gog and Magog' in that He confirms that it will occur in the "Latter Days"

¹⁶ You will come up against My people Israel like a cloud, to cover the land. It will be in the latter days that I will bring you against My land, so that the nations may know Me, when I am hallowed in you, O Gog, before their eyes.” Ezekiel 38:16

So, the events of Ezekiel 38 are to occur in the Last Days, and they are to involve an Earthquake with an epicenter in Israel, but it will be so large that it will affect every living thing on earth:

¹⁹ For in My jealousy and in the fire of My wrath I have spoken: Surely in that day there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel, ²⁰ so that the fish of the sea, the birds of the heavens, the beasts of the field, all creeping things that creep on the earth, and all men who are on the face of the earth shall shake at My presence. The mountains shall be thrown down, the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.’ Ezekiel 38:19-20

Of significance is its impact upon mankind with the verse saying that it will cause all men on earth to shake at God's presence. The Hebrew word translated here as 'Shake' is רעשׁ, which also carries the meaning to be 'Afraid'.

Clearly, men are not afraid at the end of the Tribulation during the Second Coming of Jesus because Revelation 19:19 says that they are actually gathering to make war with Him:

¹⁹ And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. Revelation 19:19

and this does not occur during the Tribulation either because in the first half of the Tribulation, Israel are living in the Land under the terms of a Peace Deal, and the ministry of the Two Witnesses and the 144,000 servants of God is taking place. Rather this event must be the trigger of the Tribulation and it will occur suddenly, like 1Thessalonians 5 states:

³ For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. 1Thessalonians 5:3

So, the destruction comes suddenly and without warning and it causes men to shake at God's Presence. This is a reaction of tremendous fear and awe and seems likely to be the prime factor that also drives men to hide in the caves and rocks of the Mountains, as described in the 6th Seal in Revelation. Interestingly, the world's Billionaires and Power Players have been preparing for this eventuality for quite some time, as the following link and many other sources show:

Tech billionaires are poised to make their escape from a 'possible apocalypse' through luxury bunkers

While this currently remains a future event, as many Commentators have noted, it is now considered to be imminent in that the main players in the Ezekiel 38 'Gog and Magog' war are already in place. In this respect, it is important to note that never in history have Russia Iran and Turkey had any alliances, yet today, just as predicted in Ezekiel 38, they do.

In 2022, Ebrahim Raisi, Vladimir Putin, and Recep Tayyip Erdogan were photographed together as they established political, economic, and military alliances. The agreements were signed on July 19, 2022, during a tri-lateral meeting held in Tehran, Iran, in relation to Syria. They were part of the Astana process to facilitate the Syrian settlement - see image below:

While much has occurred in the middle-east since then, including the death of Ebrahim Raisi, who passed away on May 19, 2024, in a helicopter crash in East Azerbaijan in Iran, the alliances are still in place.

Significantly, as the following summary of the major players will show, this triple alliance is an integral part of the attack yet to occur on Israel:

¹ The word of the LORD came to me: ² “Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshek and Tubal; prophesy against him ³ and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am against you, Gog, chief prince of Meshek and Tubal. ⁴ I will turn you around, put hooks in your jaws and bring you out with your whole army—your horses, your horsemen fully armed, and a great horde with large and small shields, all of them brandishing their swords. ⁵ Persia, Cush and Put will be with them, all with shields and helmets, ⁶ also Gomer with all its troops, and Beth Togarmah from the far north with all its troops—the many nations with you. Ezekiel 38:1-6 (KJV) 

Firstly, in relation to this passage, it should be noted that the KJV Bible consistently translates the Hebrew Word רֹ֖אשׁ in Ezekiel in 38 as Chief, while some other translations transliterate it as "Rosh", which has caused some commentators to connect Gog with Russia. However, while there seems to be no textual reason for doing this with the word in the Masoretic Text always being related to the head or beginning of something, as the following graphic from Logos Bible Software shows, there is also an alternative argument based upon the Septuagint that will be touched on later:

Secondly, since Gog is associated with the Land of Magog it is important to consider where this is located. Notably, biblical references, such as those in the Book of Ezekiel and Genesis, associate Magog with the descendants of Japheth and the Scythians. The first-century Jewish historian Josephus stated that the Scythians lived throughout Central Asia. This indicates that the land of Magog could be associated with such modern nations as Kazakhstan, Kirghizia, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Tajikistan. As all of these nations were once part of the USSR - Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, which was centered, or controlled from Russia, this is seen as a major reason that Russia will be one of the leaders in the Gog-Magog war. Additionally, some interpretations also include parts of Turkey and other surrounding regions as part of Magog.

With this in mind, the nations, as detailed in Ezekiel 38, can be summarized with the most commonly accepted modern equivalents, as follows:

Land of Magog - Russia

Meshek - Turkey

Tubal -  Turkey

Persia - Iran

Cush - Ethiopia

Put - Libya

Gomer - Turkey (Asia Minor)

Beth Togarmah - Turkey

What should become immediately obvious from the list above is that out of the list of 8 nations to be involved in the coming attack on Israel, Turkey is essentially the modern equivalent of half of them. As such, it extremely likely that Turkey will either be the primary leader of this war, or in conjunction with Russia, it will be a major force. That this is becoming more and more likely can be seen in how Erdogan of Turkey is becoming increasingly aggressive towards Israel as the following Links show:

War of words as Erdogan says Turkey could intervene in Israel’s war on Gaza | Israel-Palestine conflict News | Al Jazeera

Erdogan threatens to invade Israel to defend Palestinians | Fox News

Turkey and Israel closer to confrontation with Erdogan - The Jerusalem Post

Additionally, since the collapse of Syria, with Basher Al-Assad fleeing to Russia, the Turkish backed Rebels in Syria have essentially empowered Turkey, which has fed into Erdogan's expansionist plans, in-line with his desire to reestablish the Ottoman Empire with himself as the Caliph.

Also, while Russia withdrew much of its armaments from Syria, during the nation's collapse, it has also moved a lot of it to Libya, which effective strengthens Libya's (ancient Put) role in the upcoming attack - see links below:

After Syria Retreat, Russia Turns to Libya - Africa Defense Forum

Russia Moves Air-Defense Systems, Other Advanced Weaponry From Syria to Libya

Importantly, the following passage in Ezekiel 38 shows some links between this attack and the Rapture:

⁸ After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them. ⁹ Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee. Ezekiel 38:8-9

Verse 8 - emphasizes that this attack is against a modern Israel that has been brought forth from the nations and that it will occur when Israel is at Peace. Amazingly, since its modern rebirth on May 14, 1948, Israel has been constantly fighting against its Arab and Islamic neighbors (such as Iran), and so while the first part of that verse was fulfilled, the second part that says that Israel would be dwelling safely has seemed like a distant reality. However, since October 7th 2023, when HAMAS invaded Israel, it has been slowly dealing with all of its enemies and now that the United States of America has a new leader at the helm, in President Trump, who is a strong supporter of Israel and the originator of the Abraham Accords (a peace treaty that is still in play in the middle -east), there is for the first time in modern history a very real possibility that we could see Israel reach a point where the part of verse 8, that says that all of them will be dwelling safely, could become a reality.

Then we would be waiting for some event to fulfill 1Thessalonians 5 that references both the Peace that will exist prior to the event and then the suddenness of it that will take them without warning:

³ For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. 1Thessalonians 5:3

This event and its suddenness are described in Ezekiel 38:18 as essentially being God's fury that will come up into His face when Gog comes against His people in Israel: 

¹⁸ And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, that my fury shall come up in my face. Ezekiel 38:18

Identity of Gog

At this point we also need to consider who Gog actually is. Significantly, in this regard, God states in verse 17 of Ezekiel 38, what appears to be a rhetorical question about the identity of Gog:

¹⁷ Thus saith the Lord GOD; Art thou he of whom I have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, which prophesied in those days many years that I would bring -- thee against them? Ezekiel 38:17

Clearly, He is characterizing him here as an arch enemy, not just one of the minor characters in history, because this verse indicates that God has spoken of him multiple times through His servants, the prophets of Israel. Given that this passage is prophetic and still future, it is highly suggestive that Gog is being described as a title for the Anti-Christ. In this regard, it is interesting to note that there is support for this idea in the Septuagint. It is based on several interpretations and connections between biblical texts, as follows:

Agag Reference - Firstly, in the Septuagint, the name "Agag" is associated with Gog. Notably, in Numbers 24:7 the Masoretic Text is recording Baalam's prophetic vision about Israel and it speaks about a future King of Israel stating that he will be greater than Agag, who was the king of the Amalekites:

⁷ He shall pour the water out of his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters, and his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted. Numbers 24:7

While the reference here to the King is a prophecy about Israel's Messiah and King, Agag's story appears elsewhere in 1Samuel 15, where Saul was commissioned by God to rout the Amalekites, due to them attacking Israel when they were coming out of Egypt. Saul did this, except contrary to God's instructions, he spared Agag and the best of his flocks, which saddened God, who said that He repented that He had set Saul up as King. 

Significantly, in all of this, it seems unlikely that God would be prophetically suggesting that Israel's future King, who is clearly a reference to Jesus, would be greater than this Amalekite King, who was so easily dispatched by Saul. This would seem to be of little significance, which is why the Septuagint's treatment of this passage is so important [noting also that it can be demonstrated that Jesus actually quoted from the Septuagint, which clearly gives its translation some credibility].

See below for the Greek and English versions of Numbers 24:2 as rendered by the Septuagint:

Greek

⁷ ἐξελεύσεται ἄνθρωπος ἐκ τοῦ σπέρματος αὐτοῦ καὶ κυριεύσει ἐθνῶν πολλῶν, καὶ ὑψωθήσεται ἢ Γωγ βασιλεία αὐτοῦ, καὶ αὐξηθήσεται ἡ βασιλεία αὐτοῦ.

English

will come forth* A man from — seed ₂ his ₁ and prevail over* peoples, ₂ many ₁, and will be raised up higher ₃* than  ₄ Gog, ₅* kingdom ₂ his ₁, and will increase. ₃* — kingdom ₂ his ₁ [Translated by Randall Tan and David A. deSilva, Logos Bible Software, The Lexham Greek-English Interlinear Septuagint (Logos Bible Software, 2009)], Numbers 24:7

As seen here, the Septuagint translates Agag (Hebrew אֲגַג in the Masoretic Text) as Gog (Greek Γωγ). This makes more sense because of the later reference to Gog in Ezekiel 38 and in context he would obviously be a more significant adversary, who would warrant God's question about him in verse 17.

Additionally, Gog appears to be a Title, rather than the name of one specific person, since the name clearly transcends time, being seen in Ezekiel 38 and then later in connection with both the end of the Tribulation and the end of the Millenium, prior to the new Heaven and Earth. In relation to the later context, Revelation 20 states that Satan will be loosed for a short time, prior to being cast into the Lake of Fire, and in connection with this, Gog and Magog are mentioned again.

⁷ And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, ⁸ And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, -- Gog and -- Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. Revelation 20:7-8

Due to the connection in the Septuagint, some suggest that Gog could be a descendant or representative of Agag, but it is impossible to prove this one way or another, as historical records and sources are lacking in this regard. And it does seem unlikely because in each of the later references to Gog, he is always associated with the land of Magog, which would seemingly be unrelated to the Amalekites who were descended from Amalek, the grandson of Esau  and always lived in the Southern areas, near Edom.

Either way, because Gog does appear to be a title, it fits that this would simply be the first occurrence of the title. As such, Gog in Numbers 24:7, as translated by the Septuagint, does appear to be an early reference to the Anti-Christ, who the King of the Seed of Israel (being Christ), will raise higher than (defeat) during the days of the Tribulation. Ultimately, if Gog is the Anti-Christ, then it is perfectly reasonable to see Ezekiel 38 as describing the rise of the Anti-Christ coming at the same time as a coalition of forces come against Israel, as Ezekiel 38:17 hints at.

In this regard, unlike the KJV that is based upon the Masoretic Text, the Greek Septuagint translates the Hebrew words רֹ֖אשׁ (Rosh) and נְשִׂ֕יא (Ruler) in Ezekiel 38:2 as "ἄρχοντα Ρως" with the Ρως in the form of a Noun, Accusative, Singular, Feminine. Interestingly, this could be short for Ρωσία (the Greek word for Russia). As such, while the KJV renders רֹ֖אשׁ as "chief" or "head" and נְשִׂ֕יא as "Ruler" or "Prince" giving us 'Chief Prince", the Septuagint renders the words "ἄρχοντα Ρως" as Chief of Rosh, indicating that Gog is the leader of a place called Rosh, which as above could be short for Russia.

³ and speak to him: These things says the Master, the LORD: Behold, I (am) against you, Gog ruler of Rosh,*, Meshech and Thubal.

Randall Tan and David A. deSilva, Logos Bible Software, The Lexham Greek-English Interlinear Septuagint (Logos Bible Software, 2009), Eze 38:3.

This has led some to associate Gog with a specific individual in Russia instead of Turkey. Similarly, the Septuagint's word for Meschech is Μοσόχ which some see to be a close approximation to Μόσχα, which is the modern name for Russia's Capital Moscow.

However, regardless of whether it is Russia or Turkey that leads the alliance, they both currently have military, political and economic alliances with each other, and so both will be involved in the war of Gog and Magog, which as of 2025 is clearly imminent.

After this attack occurs and after God's Fury comes up into His face and He gives Israel another victory, the 7-year Peace deal that Daniel 9:27 speaks about will be confirmed to begin the Tribulation.

²⁷ And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. Daniel 9:27

SUMMARY

Ultimately the Judgements that come forth from the 7 Sealed Scroll, as seen in Revelation 4 and 5, do not originate with the events of Revelation, that point to both the Rapture of the Church and the Time of Jacob's Trouble, otherwise known as the Tribulation. Rather they owe their origin to the events associated with the fall of mankind in the Garden of Eden.

It was here, in God's perfect paradise for his special creation (man), that God needed to enable Free Will because only then would true Love be possible. While Free Will would allow the possibility of Evil, God would only allow this for a limited time, to enable those, who He foreknew would be His, to freely choose to give their hearts to Him.

So, into His perfect world, God allowed the Spirit of Deception (White Horse) to ride in to give mankind a Choice. Importantly, prior to this, He gave Mankind (in Adam) the Truth about His Creation by telling him that he may eat of every tree except one, the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, warning Him that if he did so, he would surely die.

¹⁵ And the LORD God took -- the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.¹⁶ And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: ¹⁷ But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. Genesis 2:15-17

So, mankind in Adam, now had a chance to exercise free will, knowing that the God who gave him everything in abundance had only one very small restriction. However, it was this tiny restriction that became the focus of the spirit of Deception, in the form of the Serpent. This Spirit being cunning went to the woman, who had only heard about God's law, in relation to this restricted tree, indirectly or second-hand from Adam. She had not heard it directly from God and in having a conversation with this Deceptive Spirit, that the Bible later reveals to be Satan, Eve allowed his lies to take hold in her mind and reasoned, contrary to God's warning, that eating it would be a good thing. Eve then gave the fruit to Adam, who knowingly chose to ignore God's warning also, no doubt influenced by the beautiful woman before him, and so he also ate.   

Essentially, the bible uses the Hebrew word דַּעַת for 'knowledge', in relation to the Tree, and this word comes from the root word יָדַע (know), which is also the word that is used when Adam had sexual intercourse with Eve, saying that "Now Adam knew Eve his wife" Genesis 4:1. As such, it is a word that describes both an intimacy and an understanding of something, that only comes by experiencing it. In this way, Adam and Eve were now both going to experience Good (all that God is toward them) and Evil (the Curse of their Sin and Death).

Immediately, the moment that Adam ate, Sin and Death entered the world and the experiential 'knowledge of Good and Evil' took a hold of their lives, as the Spirit of the Red Horse (Removal of Peace and Killing) rode in to take away their Peace. This in turn allowed fear and anger to enter; causing Adam and Eve to both know that they were naked, which in turn caused them to be afraid and to hide from God. Subsequently, it caused the firstborn son Cain to struggle with anger and jealousy against his brother Able, who he would eventually Kill.

God would then allow the Spirit of the Black Horse (Famine) to ride in to make food more scarce and harder to source because the Ground was now cursed for Adam's sake, and it would produce Thorns and Thistles in abundance and Adam would have to work hard to obtain food that had previously been both plentiful and freely available. 

Ultimately, Adam's Sin, just as God said it would, led to Death - the Spirit of the Fourth Horse (Death and Hell). Adam died 930 years after being created and all of mankind would be appointed to die as Hebrews 9:27 states:

²⁷ And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment Hebrews 9:27

and Romans 6:23

²³ For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 6:23

All who came after Adam, would be appointed to die, but God in His great mercy provided a way of redemption which was revealed in the first blood sacrifice, the very first death by an innocent party (a foreshadow of Jesus' sacrifice), that was killed to provide Adam and Eve with some coats to cover their nakedness, a sign of the Fall and a pointer to how our Saviour would one day become our covering for Sin:

²¹ Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them. Genesis 3:21

From that point onwards, only those  who would totally reject God and His offer of Salvation, would become separated from Him in Hell.

God's Solution

It was a 'But God' moment - in an amazing act of Grace and Love, God would, as Abraham would later say, " Provide Himself a Sacrifice" for man's sin. The redemptive power of the blood of Jesus, the only begotten son of the Father, would be available to all, who would use their Free Will to call upon His name to be Saved. In this way, God Himself, in Jesus, came into the world, as the Lamb of God, to lay down His life as a sacrifice for man. His very presence in the world countered the spirits represented by the Horses, that had ridden into all the earth so long ago:

White Horse - Deception - was countered by Jesus who was the Way; the Truth; and the Life.

Red Horse  - Removal of Peace and Killing - Jesus was the Prince of Peace and the Way, the Truth; and the Life

Black Horse - Famine - Jesus said "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger..."

Pale Horse - Death and Hell - Jesus was the Resurrection and the Life; and the Way to the Father (not to Hell)

Ultimately, mankind would reject God's offer of Salvation and so Jesus after dying on the Cross; being buried for 3 days; raising to life again; and then ascending back to the Father; would after being crowned as King of Kings, receive Power, Glory and Dominion, just as Revelation 4 and 5 show.

He would then take a copy of the Law that had been Sealed with 7 Seals as a sign of the New Covenant, founded on the blood of His Sacrifice and He would begin to reign. His first acts would involve the unsealing of the Scroll, which would again release the 4 spirits that had first entered the world at the fall of mankind, in the garden of Eden. However, this time, because there were now believers in Christ, and evil still existed in the world, a new judgement would occur with the opening of the 5th Seal, in that there would for the first time be Martyrs of Christ. Essentially, God would allow the enemy to take the life of some believers because He could bring great good from their sacrifice and expand the kingdom, which would draw many more in. All of this brings us to where we are today, waiting for the 6th Seal, that I believe Scripture clearly shows is the Rapture of the Church.

Final Thoughts

Clearly, it is important to understand the proper setting of Revelation 4 and 5 and rather than seeing these chapters as describing the initiation of the Rapture and then seeing all of the 7 Seals as related to events in the Tribulation, we can see them as triggering many of the events that followed the Coronation of the King, after Jesus' Ascension, nearly two thousand years ago. In this way, we can understand that the opening of the first 4 Seals of the double-sided Scroll that represents the Law of God, released spirits into the world, that were symbolized by horses swiftly carrying God's judgement to the earth. This allowed the continuation of the Curse that originally entered the world in the garden of Eden, at the fall of man. Essentially, since Jesus completed the work of Redemption and had risen to be seated at the Right-hand of Power, at the Right-Hand of the Father and had been coronated as the King and had received Dominion and an Everlasting Kingdom, Satan, like in the Days of Job, had to get authority again to do anything in God's world, which as it says in Psalm 24, belongs to the Lord:

¹ The earth is the LORD’s, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. ² For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods. Psalms 24:1-2

So, after the events of the Cross, where the enemy had been defeated, the first four Seals that held back God's four Sore Judgements (described in Ezekiel) against the fallen world that is represented by the number 4, had to be opened before Satan could both tempt and attack mankind again. However, this time, because the latter days had begun, the 5th Seal of the Scroll was also opened. This allowed for many of those who would be killed to be Martyrs of Christ. Significantly, their deaths would be a marker in God's timeline that would lead to the Rapture of the Church, in that their sacrifice would be a witness to the Gospel that would define the 'Age of Grace', or the 'Church Age' that according to Luke 21:24 would continue until "... the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled":

²⁴ And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. Luke 21:24

Since everything that God does is at an appointed time, Jesus would say to them:

¹¹ And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto 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:

Then at the appointed time, the Rapture will take place at the 6th Seal - the number of Man. This results in the appearance of the Raptured Church in Heaven, with it being described as a great multitude that no one could number from every nation:

⁹ After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; ¹⁰ And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. ¹¹ And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshiped God, ¹² Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might, be unto our God forever and ever. Amen. Revelation 7:9-12

Translation Nuances

This event highlights the importance of understanding the proper context and meaning of Revelation 4 and 5 because those who believe the Rapture has already occurred at the beginning of Chapter 4 see these people as Tribulation Saints, martyred for their faith while simultaneously believing that the appearance of the Church is represented by 24 Elders, even though the Bible gives them no authority to do so. Significantly, whenever the bible uses a symbol, it will give an explanation of that symbol elsewhere such that the bible interprets the bible. It does not rely on people having a secret knowledge to decode what God actually calls a Revelation. For example, Revelation 13 describes a beast with seven heads and ten horns:

¹ And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. Revelation 13:1

then later Revelation 17 describes a woman riding on this Beast

³ So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. Revelation 17:3

Clearly this is all symbolic, but at no point does God want people inventing their own interpretations, so He explains it Himself by getting an Angel to provide the interpretation in Revelation 17:7-18, effectively allowing the Bible to interpret the Bible: 

⁷ And the angel said unto me, wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns. ⁸ The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. ⁹ And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. ¹⁰ And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. ¹¹ And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition. ¹² And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. ¹³ These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. ¹⁴ These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful. ¹⁵ And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. ¹⁶ And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. ¹⁷ For God hath put in their hearts to fulfill his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled. ¹⁸ And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth. Revelation 17:7-18

So, the point here is that the 24 Elders are exactly that, 24 Elders, because they are not revealed as being a symbol of anything else and the 'Great Multitude' seen in Heaven in chapter 2 are the 'Raptured Church', not martyred saints.

For those who still want to believe the Rapture occurred prior to John's Vision in Chapter 4 and want to refer to the following verse as a proof to suggest that this multitude are Tribulational Martyrs because they are seen as coming "out of" the Tribulation in the following verse, please note the following in relation to this translation:

¹³ Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?”
¹⁴ And I said to him, “Sir, you know.” So, he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. ¹⁵ Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them. Revelation 7:13-15

Firstly, the Greek Word being translated here as 'out of' is ἐκ and this word has a wide range of meanings that include the following, as shown in the Logos Bible Software: