The Seven Seals of Revelation

By Roland S. ACHIRI

The Seven Seals of Revelation

In the book of Revelation we have the story of another book. Seven chapters of the book of Revelation are dedicated to it. It is in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. Not only is this book in the right hand of God seated on the throne, but it is sealed with seven seals. No one in heaven, or on earth, or under the earth was worthy to open or look at it. Only the Lamb was worthy to do so. This must therefore be a book of utmost importance, whose content are jealously guarded. Prophecy is the ability to write history in advance. God, in the book, or scroll as you may prefer, is declaring the future before it commences. God is not responsible for evil, or the actions of sinful man, but through His foreknowledge, He declares them and takes appropriate measures to enhance the divine will. If you are a good Bible student, you shall realize that the events described in the seals are also presented in other parts of the Bible. It is through the seals that we see where they are located. The seals not only present the major events ahead of humanity, but present them chronologically. Jesus is the main actor in opening the seals. He is giving us advance knowledge not to be taken by surprise or be on the wrong side. It is time for each reader of this document to seek God and make peace with Him. Jesus has paid the full price for our salvation and there is no reason why anyone should be lost. As each seal is opened, the events contained within begin manifesting. We are very close to seeing the seals broken in the months or years ahead. The reason Im so confident we are already in the vicinity of witnessing the fulfillment of biblical prophecies relating to the end time is because we just four years to 2017. This year shall mark the golden jubilee of the capture of Jerusalem by the Jews in 1967. Remember that before Christ was taken up, He had declared the destruction of Jerusalem and the dispersion of the Jews, saying that generation would not pass until those prophecies were fulfilled. It happened exactly 40 years later in 70 AD for the events to occur as He had declared them. In like manner, He spoke about the return of the Jews and the fulfillment of end time prophecy. The blooming of the fig tree, which symbolizes the creation of the modern state of Israel, is a clear indicator to the nearness of the coming of Christ. He said the generation in question shall not pass until everything takes place. Although the modern state of Israel was created in 1948, its capital, Jerusalem came under Jewish control only in 1967. It is therefore the generation from 1967 that shall witness the fulfillment of major biblical prophecies relating to end time events and the coming of Christ (Luke 21: 24-32). We are in the period of this timeframe; and from now onward, anything can happen. The seals shall be opened chronologically. This means seal five shall not be opened before seal two; and seal six shall not be opened before seal five. From the time the first seal is broken, it shall be like a marathon of changing global experiences that shall continue until Christ physically returns. Lets take a look at the seals one after the other though in summarized form.

Seal # One: The Seal of Revival Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a loud voice like thunder, Come and see. And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer (Rev.6:1, 2). While most have interpreted the image of the white horse and its rider to symbolize war, I rather see it to represent the end time revival and a new thrust in the preaching of the gospel. God does not open the seals on a negative footing. Many things have been said about the end times, most negative. But the Bible also speaks of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon all flesh for a witness and testimony before the end comes. The gospel of Jesus as Savior shall still penetrate the world in a new and powerful way. As God empowers His children to preach, they shall be calling the attention of the world to the imminent judgment that is ahead of humanity. Witness and testimony has to do with gospel and prophecy. Not only is God raising new evangelists, but He is also giving new prophecies and revelations. This is the special combination for the end time anointing. The purpose of this kind of anointing is both to bring the world to the Savior and prepare the church for the rapture. The sad thing about this revival is that it shall be short lived. While events in the first seal are still taking place, the second seal shall be opened. This shall however not stop the gospel from being preached. We should remember that the gospel message shall continue to be preached on earth in all circumstances even after the church would have been taken out. At that time, the compromising believers shall discover their plight and rededicate themselves to God and serve Him even in the worst of circumstances. The preaching of the everlasting gospel shall still be done openly and secretly and many shall turn to God. Most shall have to pay with their blood to get saved. To the Laodicean church to exist during the tribulation, the Lord says, I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich (Rev.3:18). In other words, they shall go through the fire and be refined like gold. Seal # Two: The Seal of War When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, Come and see. Another horse, fiery red, went out. and it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another ; and there was given to him a great sword (Rev. 6 :3,4). The red horse represents the outbreak of war and bloodshed on a great scale. It is true that the world has already experienced great wars with huge loss of lives several times in its history. But the experiences the world shall go through in the few years leading to the physical return of Christ shall uncontestedly be overwhelming and umparalled in human history. These dark clouds shall gather and produce great flashes in two phases. The first shall be the northern aggression against Israel and her powerful ally, America. The king of the North, also referred to as Gog, alongside several allies shall invade

Israel. To succeed in their plan, they shall have to attack America. This war is described in Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39, Joel chapters 1 and 2, and other books in the Bible. The church shall still be here when the Northern aggression takes place. The enemies of Israel shall be neutralized and dealt with accordingly, but the human and economic consequences shall be seriously felt by even the victors. America shall lose her super power status as her economy shall suffer a heavy blow. In a bid to maintain western dominance on the world, America shall then align herself with Europe and be ruled by her. We should remember that the West is currently leading the world economically. Wall Street, The World Bank and IMF are all hosted and controlled by the West. In a frantic effort to maintain this economic edge above the others, notably the East, the West shall thus fuse to form a more solid block. The EU shall then take over matters and bring urgent reforms under the leadership of the man which he Bible calls, the man of sin. He shall then go to the Middle East to implement a Two State Solution in the Middle East crisis between Israel and the Palestinians. The second phase of global crisis shall take place after the rapture of the church. It shall be the worst planet earth shall ever experience. It is called the Battle of Armageddon, and shall bring about a total global melt down. After the world would have agreed to split Gods territory, the Holy Land into two separate states, God shall act in fury. After the sins of man in homosexuality, abortion, the occult, corruption, materialism would have peaked, God shall bring in judgment. This final battle that is partly a judgment from God shall be coming from a combination of several factors. The urgent reforms in the West after the Northern aggression shall not please Eastern powers whose interests would be compromised. They shall want to take over the world themselves. The East-West conflict of interest shall result in the greatest conflict of all times. This war shall be fought on a global scale. The person to end it shall be the Christ who shall appear to save His people, Israel and the world at large. Seal # Three: The Seal of Economic Scarcity When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, Come and see. So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creature saying, A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine (Rev.6:5, 6). The black horse and its rider holding a pair of scales represent economic scarcity and rationing that shall be prescribed for all. Following the first phase of the end time war as described under seal two, the economic devastation shall be great. The enemy shall target the economic strongholds to destroy. This shall mean a destruction of existing investments and the huge loss of capital. The economy shall slump with loss of jobs and revenue. The state shall then take urgent measures to redress the situation. One of them shall be to grant universal social security. The state shall assume to take matters under control to curb inflation, shortage of basic necessities, insecurity and others. By so

doing socialism shall be enforced with intolerance. Each citizen shall be granted a minimum package for survival. This shall see the implementation of a digital system where people receive digital implantations in their hands or forehead for identification and government support. The measure shall be for security as well as for support. With it, a citizen shall be able to walk into a super market and get the minimum required for his survival for the month. This is the measure condemned in the Bible in Rev. 13: 16, 17. It shall have a spiritual undertone which shall mean denying God and paying allegiance to a man in place of God. People of God are warned against this measure and encouraged to trust God to see them through the short period of hardship they shall endure. The greatest security is soul security. Seal # Four: The Seal of Death When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, Come and see. So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth (Rev. 6: 7, 8). As a consequence of the action of war in seal # 2, death shall continue to wreck havoc on the earth in a post traumatic situation. It is alarming when the Bible says the pale horse and its rider are given up to a fourth of the earth! As they kill, hell is receiving the souls of the lost. It becomes evident that humanity outside Christ shall be at the mercy of wicked forces. Not knowing what is happening, and remaining obstinate to the call for salvation in Jesus; the forces of evil shall have the right to destroy as much as they can. Millions shall continue to die in the outbreak of epidemics, social unrest and famine. You have a better commentary to make about post war traumatic situations than I do. It shall be imperative for everyone to seek the Savior and live for Him. Seal # Five: The Seal of Martyrdom When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. 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? Then a white robe was given to each of them that they should rest a little longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed (Rev.6:9-11). There is going to be another great persecution of the church before the rapture. While the souls of the martyrs in heaven are yearning for judgment, God tells them to be patient for their number to be complete. Even though the rapture shall take away His people from His impending judgment on the world, He shall however allow His people to pay a great price in a

short moment of suffering before they are taken up. This persecution shall awaken and purify the church as well as provide more grounds for God to punish the world when the judgment trumpets start blowing. Christians shall not conform to the new world order in the measures to be taken under seal three. They shall reject and condemn the universal social security measures and the receiving of the digital implantations in the forehead and right hand for identification and sustenance. Since the measures shall also have a security undertone, Christians shall therefore be considered lawless by the lawless. Going by the heavy security measures that shall be taken leading to excesses and dictatorship, Christians shall be brutalized, rounded up and taken to detention centers, tortured, killed, and you can name the rest. Knowing that the leader of the West at this time shall be the anti Christ, the church shall be particularly targeted. Normal Christian life in church activities shall be disrupted. Christ shall be rupturing a church that shall be living mostly outside of the four walls of church buildings with denominational identities. If you find yourself in a part of the world where the persecution is less or absent, identify yourself with the other brethren by praying for them and seeking to help them as much as you can. It shall ironically be at this time that Babylon, the apostate church shall fall. They shall be targeted and the huge wealth they hold shall be confiscated for state use. It has been revealed that the multiple billions of dollars held by the Roman Catholic Church were inherited from as far as the time of the old Roman Empire. The revived Roman Empire in the EU shall come for it in times of economic scarcity. God shall speak to His people in their midst, Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plaques (Rev. 18:4). Many shall turn to God and identify themselves with the true church of born again believers. The persecution and killing of Christians shall show that the virgins have neared midnight and the Bridegroom is about to come. At exactly midnight, the trumpet shall sound and the Bridegroom shall come in the rapture. But more than 90% of Christians are not aware or ready for this hour of darkness. In the parable of the ten virgins, all ten had regular oil. This shall be the regular oil of revival during peace time. But five dared to take the extra oil. This extra oil is the knowledge and preparedness to be burning during the dark hour until midnight. After that short period of revival, everyone shall expect the Bridegroom to come and take them for the marriage. But the Bridegroom shall be delayed by a sovereign act of God. The convocation of the virgins shall be made only in the middle of the night. The night again is the seven year prophetic week of Daniel when a western leader (anti Christ) signs a protectorate treaty with Israel and brings Gods land under pagan domination. In the middle of this seven year period, two things shall happen. The anti Christ shall cause the abomination that causes desolations by declaring that he is God in Gods temple in Jerusalem. It shall also be at this time (middle of the night) that the rapture of the church shall take place. It then becomes urgent to educate the church to be prepared to enter that short hour of darkness to last three and a half years. We shall all need that extra oil in patience, endurance, prayers, continuous witnessing, love, mutual support and righteousness even when everything seems dark before us. This is the light that shall qualify us for the rapture. To the Philadelphian church at this hour that shall be

ruptured, this is what the Lord has to say to her, Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth (Rev. 3:9). Because the church shall endure that short moment of difficulty, Christ shall take us up in the rapture and protect us from the trumpet judgments. Seal # Six: The Seal of the Rapture 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, and crying with a loud voice, saying, Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb! (Rev. 7:9, 10). Three things happen when the sixth seal is opened. The events included in the sixth seal span from Rev.6: 12-17, and all of Rev.7. There is firstly the manifestation of Gods power on nature to announce pending judgment. There is a great earthquake, the sun becomes black as sackcloth, and the moon becomes red like blood. There are great and frightful sights in the sky and on the land. This frightens the world and people seek refuge knowing God is about to judge the world. The Lord informed us that those signs would also be indicative of imminent salvation for His people. They shall point that the rapture is already at hand. He said this: And there will be signs in sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on earth distress of nations Now when these begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near (Luke 21: 25-28). Secondly, there is the sealing of the 144 thousand, and lastly the rapture of the church. The 144 thousand is an army God is going to raise among the Jews for special operations during the second half of the tribulation after the church shall have been taken up. This shall be the time God shall be pouring judgments on this sinful world. The sealing shall take place just as the rapture is about to take place, but their ministry shall take effect after the rapture of the church. We should remember that the period of grace when Gods covenant is with the gentiles in the preaching of the gospel shall come to an official end with the rapture of the church. God shall then take the mantle back to the Jews. God shall then raise an army among the Jewish descendants who shall prepare the hearts of the Jews and the rest of the world to the nearness of the coming of the long awaited glorious Messiah. The seal on their forehead shall mean they shall have a special anointing and protection from all the evil forces that shall be in operation during the second half of the tribulation period. They shall be followers of the Lamb, and thus witnesses of Jesus in the world (Rev. 14: 1-5). They shall go all over the world and nothing shall hurt them. The righteous die and their souls go to rest in heaven. But the event described in Rev. 7: 9-17 goes beyond showing people living in heaven. For the first time, the saints of all ages are officially present before the throne of God. They are presented as dressed in white robes and carrying palm branches in their hands, a symbol of victory. As for their number and origin, the Bible presents it as, a great multitude which no

one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues This is the resurrection and rapture of the church. All the dead in Christ shall rise, and all the living that is in Christ shall be physically and practically taken up to heaven. Our bodies shall be transformed, and we shall receive new glorious ones. It shall be the greatest gathering and reunion of all times. This is the event described in Rev. 19:5-9 as the marriage of the Lamb. There shall be a feast in heaven with the church before the Lord descends to fight in the last battle to take over the world. The church shall be rewarded and prepared to reign with Christ in the millennium. The reason God is evacuating His children shall not be to protect them from the devil or anti Christ. He shall be taking us away to protect us from His own very judgment to fall on sinful humanity. It is the last event to take place before the judgments of God start pouring on the world. Seal # Seven: The Seal of Judgment When He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets (Rev. 8:1, 2). When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there is silence in heaven for about half an hour. Everyone is holding his breath because of what is going to happen. It is the time for Gods judgment on the world. By now, the laws and statutes of God would have been completely trampled upon. Abortion, homosexuality and gay marriages would be legal and widely practiced. Gross sins in occultism, materialism and corruption would be widespread. The anti Christ and his system would have blasphemed God enough for Him to respond. Gods land, Israel would have been partitioned. Gods people, the Jews would have been subjected to indecent international laws and treatments. Christians would have just been persecuted and killed. The abomination that causes desolation has just taken place. Consequent on these crimes and those not mentioned, the righteous God shall have no other option but pour judgment on this world. He just removed His people through the rapture for that purpose. If you read Rev 15 and 16, you shall get further highlight on the judgments on God. The last vials only reinforce the message of the seven trumpets. You shall find the message repeated with more details given in some cases. It justifies the fact that the church shall pass through persecution, be taken up in the rapture, then God begins pouring judgments on the world. The judgment of God upon the world shall come in phases of seven trumpets to be blown by the seven angels that stand before God. Each trumpet brings in a new punishment upon the world with the only exception being the seventh trumpet that brings in Christ. It is however still a judgment because it a final condemnation of the present system and a bringing of its end. The occurrences under the seventh seal shall be a combination of natural and supernatural phenomena. Trumpets 1 to 4 carry the same judgment nuclear war and its consequences on the land, sea, air and water sources. They shall be blown in close succession. This

means there shall be an outbreak of nuclear war that shall affect a third of the world with devastating consequences. God is not going to directly strike the world with nuclear bombs from heaven, but the withdrawal of His protection from the world shall mean dark forces shall be able to manipulate mankind to self destruction. Let me take a quick look at each of the trumpets and the punishment attached to them. Trumpet # 1: The first angel sounded: and hail and fire followed, mingled with blood, and they were thrown to the earth. And a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up (Rev. 8:7). This trumpet describes the effects of nuclear blasts on the land. The vegetation is burned, people die (blood), and the weather is affected with hail storms. Trumpet # 2: The second angel sounded: and something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood. And a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed (Rev. 8:9, 9). This trumpet describes the effects of nuclear blasts on the sea. A mountain of fire crashes into the sea and destroys a third of marine life and ships. This third of sea water becomes red with blood. Trumpet # 3: Then the third angel sounded: and a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died from the water, because it was made bitter (Rev. 8:10, 11). The third trumpet describes the effects of nuclear blasts on fresh water sources like rivers and springs. The waters become bitter (poisoned) and people who drink it die. This shows how fresh water sources shall be contaminated by radioactive material, resulting to people dying from its poisoning. Trumpet # 4: Then the fourth angel sounded: and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them were darkened. A third of the day did not shine, and likewise the night (Rev. 8:12). The fourth trumpet describes the effects of nuclear blasts on the air. It causes severe pollutions so that a third of the sun, moon and stars do not shine. In other words, their light doesnt reach a third of the earth. After the fourth trumpet is blown, there is an interlude during which an angel announces worst things to happen when the remaining trumpets are blown. Trumpet # 5: Then the fifth angel sounded: And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth. To him was given the key to the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace. So the sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit (Rev. 9: 1-12). The sounding of the fifth trumpet brings in supernatural occurrences. Firstly, a fallen star (fallen angel) opens the bottomless pit. Then smoke from the pit darkens the sun and air. This shall also mean a great pollution. Out of the smoke comes a severe plaque described as locusts upon humanity. It inflicts severe pain on all except those who have the seal of God on their forehead. The fact that this plaque attacks only the world of sinners

means it shall have a supernatural undertone. For five months, people shall agonize under its pain wishing to die, but death shall flee from them. In Gods wrath, we still see mercy. The fact that God only allows people to be tormented but not killed is an act of kindness. Being a supernatural occurrence, God would have allowed many to be killed by it. But He still hopes people shall see their waywardness and turn to Him in repentance. Trumpet # 6: Then the sixth angel sounded: and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates. So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released to kill a third of mankind. Now the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them (Rev.9:13-19). The sixth trumpet announces the Armageddon war. This shall be the greatest conflict human history shall ever experience. The Bible still talks of another third of mankind dying during this. We can understand that if the Lord doesnt intervene, no flesh shall truly survive. We still see the use of nuclear weapons during this war as people are said to be killed by, the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which came out of their mouths. As said earlier, the East-West conflict of interest shall result in the greatest conflict in human history. As God withdraws His protection from the world, mankind shall not be able to keep the peace by himself. The Armageddon war shall be fought on two fronts. Physically, the nations shall in two camps fighting each other. But spiritually, a greater battle shall be raging. Christ and His heavenly army shall be fighting the powers of darkness that have been having their stranglehold on the world. The spiritual Armageddon is described in Rev.19: 11-21. It shall be from these powers of darkness to be physically represented in the beast and false prophet that Christ shall seize the world and rule it. When Satan shall lose this battle, of course we know he and all his demons shall be bound and sent to the prison of the bottomless pit for the next millennium. Trumpet # 7: Then the seventh angel sounded: and there were loud voices in heaven saying, The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever! And the twenty four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshipped God (Rev. 11:15-18). The seventh trumpet, which is the last announces the millennial reign of Christ on earth. The battle of Armageddon ends with the victory of Christ over Satan. Consequently, Christ takes over the world physically. It is the judgment and termination of the current corrupt system controlled by Satan. As Christ intervenes in the raging battle, He shall set His feet on the Mount of Olives which shall split into two. The remnants of the Jews shall recognize Him as the Messiah. They shall run into the valley and follow Him as He leads them into the Holy City. But dont forget, He shall be coming with the clouds of believers to constitute His government on earth. His appearance shall terminate the war which would have wearied everyone out. No nation shall be standing by the time Christ comes to save the world.

The millennial reign of Christ shall be one characterized by peace and righteousness. For the first time people shall experience true peace and justice. It shall also be a time of prosperity. Many have criticized God for not having an economic plan for His people. During that time, the economy shall be in the hands of the saints in addition to the rewards they would have received. I elaborated more on the millennial reign of Christ in my short e-book titled, Understanding the Prophetic Timetable. You can read it freely on this website. As you must have understood, the end is close. If you are in Christ, draw closer to Him. If you are a double minded Christian, make your way right before God. If you are not yet in Christ, make peace with Him right now and receive salvation freely today. God wants everyone to be saved. The changes you shall see in the world should not come as a surprise to you. Stay connected to God. Amen.