The Fourth Seal

by G. Prasher | Category: God's Ways With Men | Feb 1932

"But all these things are the beginning of travail" (Matthew 24. 8), and will be followed by a period of fiercest persecution against all who hold the Word of God, and the testimony of Jesus. The pale horse, with Death seated on him, and with Hades following him, will tread the fourth part of the earth, and Death and Hades will use their authority "to kill with sword, and with famine, and with pestilence, and by the wild beasts of the earth" (Revelation 6. 8, R.V.M.). It would seem that the Lord describes this season in Matthew 24. 9-22. The abomination of desolation standing in the holy place will be the sign to enlightened ones to flee unto the mountains, to those places which will be delivered out of the hand of the lawless one-"the man of sin... the son of perdition, he that opposeth and exalteth himself against all that is called God or an object of worship; so that he sitteth in. the temple of God, setting himself forth as God" (2 Thessalonians 2. 3, 4, R.V.M.). Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon are provided as places of refuge, as we read, "but these shall be delivered out of his hand" (Daniel 11. 41). This is the time of the great tribulation, "And except those days had been shortened, no flesh would have been saved : but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened" (Matthew 24. 22).

One feature of importance at that time will be signs and wonders which will be wrought, "so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect" (Matthew 24. 24). Of the second beast, we read, "And he doeth great signs, that he should even make fire to come down out of heaven upon the earth in the sight of men. And he deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by reason of the signs which it was given him to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, who hath the stroke of the sword, and lived. And it was given unto him to give breath to it, even to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as should not worship the image of the beast should be killed" (Revelation 13. 13-15). Here is "the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceit of unrighteousness for them that are perishing; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved" (2 Thessalonians 2. 9, 10). To the elect the Lord says, "Behold I have told you beforehand," and He forewarns that His own may be forearmed. Should not this speak loudly to us, to-day, and cause us to be on our watch tower against being involved in anything which would savour of this coming lawless one? Coming events cast their shadows beforehand, and these shadows may be clearly traced, by discerning disciples of the Lord, in some of the great movements of our times, such as Trades Unionism, and Co-operative Societies.

But count ye the cost, oh count ye the cost,

That ye be not unprepared;

And know ye the strength that alone can stand

In conflict ye have dared.

The trials, which the narrow pathway of the disciple entails, will doubtless be many; but now, as in the day to come, "the people that know their God shall be strong, and do exploits" (Daniel 11. 82).

THE FIFTH SEAL.

At the opening of the fifth seal, and of those that follow, there is no, Come, from the living creatures; and the scene is transferred to heaven, where beneath the altar are seen the souls of them that had been slain for the Word of God, and for the testimony which they held. These are crying for vengeance on them that dwell on the earth. Surely such a passage as this makes it plain that the theory of the sleep of the soul is a fallacy. In respect of the body of the believer the word sleep expresses the state whilst awaiting the blest morn of resurrection; but the soul, though spoken of in Scripture as naked, while the body is in the grave, is far from being asleep, being awake to the surrounding conditions (compare also Luke 16. 19-31). A white robe is given to each one of these souls beneath the altar, "and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little time, until their fellow-servants also and their brethren, which should be killed even as they were, should be fulfilled" (Revelation 6. 11). Others are to refuse to worship the image of the beast, and refuse his mark and number, and so join the number of the overcomers who, with harps of God, shall stand by the glassy sea.

THE SIXTH SEAL.

As we come to the sixth seal we are reminded of the words, "And the LORD uttereth His voice before His great army; for His camp is very great; for He is strong that executeth His word: for the day of the LORD IS great and very terrible; and who can abide it?" (Joel 2. 11). And again, "For thus saith the LORD of hosts: Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; and I will shake all nations" (Haggai 2. 6, 7). "Yet once more will I make to tremble not the earth only, but also the heaven. And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that have been made, that those things which are not shaken may remain" (Hebrews 12. 26, 27). When the Lamb opened the sixth seal "there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the whole moon became as blood.: and the stars of the heaven fell unto the earth, as a fig tree casteth her unripe figs, when she is shaken of a great wind. And the heaven was removed as a scroll when it is rolled up; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places" (Revelation 6. 12-14). Referring to this in the Old Testament the LORD said, "I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the LORD come" (Joel 2. 30, 31). Then if our readers will turn to Matthew 24. 29, 30, it will be seen how the Lord Jesus linked these signs in the heavens with His coming as Son of Man with power and great glory; and also revealed that the signs will immediately follow the great tribulation, with which the fourth and fifth seals are so directly connected. "The powers of the heaven shall be shaken" are words that remind us of the prophecy, "And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall punish the host of the high ones on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth" (Isaiah 24. 21). "The principalities... the powers... the world-rulers of this darkness... the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places " (Ephesians 6. 12), with "the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him that sat upon the horse, and against His army" (Revelation 19. 19), will discover that "the LORD shall rise up as in Mount Perazim, He shall be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon; that He may do His work, His strange work, and bring to pass His act, His strange act" (Isaiah 28. 21). Well may "the kings of the earth, and the princes, and the chief captains, and the rich, and the strong, and every bondman and freeman" hide "themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains; and they say to the mountains and to the rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath is come; and who is able to stand?" (Revelation 6. 16, 17). We therefore gather that the sixth seal brings us to the time when the signs will herald the immediate coming of the Lord as Son of Man. How terribly sad for the dupes of Satan to be awakened thus! The Lamb who bore the wrath to sinners due, will then be the angry Lamb; and what terrible provocation is here indicated! "Oh that they were wise, that they understood this, That they would consider their latter end!" (Deuteronomy 32. 29).

When I hear the wicked call

On the rocks and hills to fall,

When I hear them start and shrink

On the fiery deluge brink;

Then, Lord, shall I fully know,

Not till then, how much I owe.

Having rejected the Rock of Ages, no other rock will be of any avail as a shelter from that awful storm.

THE SEVENTH SEAL.

Before the opening of the seventh seal John heard the number of them that were sealed out of every tribe of the children of Israel, even one hundred and forty-four thousand. These having refused the mark of the beast on their forehead or hand, now have placed upon their foreheads the seal of God. One wonders why the tribe of Dan is omitted from the list in Revelation 7., and feels inclined to the thought that the idolatry of the tribe of Dan (Judges 18.) may have a bearing upon the matter. Levi is included, and Joseph retains his double portion. There would appear to be a connection between the sealing of God's servants thus, and the gathering "together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other" (Matthew 24. 31).

The seer then beheld the innumerable multitude out of every nation, and of all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and the Lamb, arrayed in white robes, and palms in their hands. These had come out of the great tribulation, and they washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. With the Lamb for their Shepherd to guide them to fountains of waters of life, and God, as if with a fatherly hand, wiping away the last teardrops from their eyes, this multitude is seen at rest beneath the tabernacle of God, before the seventh seal is opened; at the opening of which there followed a silence in heaven about the space of half an hour, and the seven angels with seven trumpets come into view.

We judge the seals take us over the period of the seventieth week, and that the trumpets and bowls are connected with events in that same eventful period. Each series of seven seems to lead up to something that is complete; as, "in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then is finished the mystery of God, according to the good tidings which He declared to His servants the prophets" (Revelation 10. 7). "And the seventh poured out his bowl upon the air; and there came forth a great voice out of the temple, from the throne, saying, It is done " (Revelation 16. 17).

May our hearts increasingly long for that time, when "a King shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment. And a Man shall be as an hiding place" (Isaiah 32.); when a kingdom shall be set up, "which shall never be destroyed, nor shall the sovereignty thereof be left to another people" (Daniel 2. 44).

G. Prasher | Feb 1932
God's Ways With Men