What Are the 7 Seals in Revelation?
The Seven Seals
The seven seals represent events to take place on this earth during seven time periods, beginning with the first coming of Christ to this earth as a baby and continuing until Christ’s second coming. To a large extent, these time periods depict religious affairs in the world.
Seven Seals List:
- White Horse
- Red Horse
- Black Horse
- Pale Horse
- Souls Crying Out From Under the Altar
- Earthquake, Sun & Moon Darkened, Stars Fall
- Silence in Heaven
Jesus, Seals and Prophecy
The book of Revelation, the last book in the New Testament, is “the Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place...” (Revelation 1:1).
A great many of Revelation's prophecies have already been fulfilled, and history bears record of them. Some are now in the process of being fulfilled, and others are still in the future. Most of these important prophecies of the Bible are portrayed in figurative language so that they might be understood equally well in any age of the world.
The seven seals are found in Revelation chapters five, six and eight. As each of the seven seals is broken, a picture or representation of events to take place on the earth is described.
Who Can Open the Seals?
As these prophecies open, we see Christ as the Lamb of God take the scroll and begin to open its seven seals, one by one. The right to break these seven seals belongs to Jesus Christ alone because He died for all humanity of all ages. When He takes the book, the holy ones around God’s throne sing "a new song, saying: ‘You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation’” (Revelation 5:9).
The Lamb Is Worthy
At the center of the whole universe, stands the Lamb of God who died for us. In Him we see infinite power in self-sacrifice. Lucifer in heaven sought power in self-exaltation, but Jesus humbled Himself and was exalted above every name. He came to save the lost and to glorify His Father. The angels bow before Him in loving adoration, declaring Him worthy to open the seven-sealed book.
1. The First Seal: A White Horse
As the Savior breaks the first seal of the scroll, a wondrous scene flashes before the gaze of the apostle John. He says, “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” (Revelation 6:2).
In the first seal we see the rider wearing a victor’s crown. He rides a white horse, a symbol of victory and purity. This prophetic picture shows the triumphant gospel of Christ in its first purity as it conquered the hearts of men and women with the victorious message of salvation in Christ. This seal represents the time period of the early Christian church as the apostles spread the good news of Jesus’ death and resurrection to all people.
One of those apostles, the apostle Paul, exclaimed when he saw the pure gospel transforming human beings:
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek” (Romans. 1:16).
2. The Second Seal: A Red Horse
“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” (Revelation 6:3-4).
The color of the horse changes from white to red—the color of bloodshed. This seal depicts the time of intense persecution suffered by the early church under the Roman Empire.
Many Roman emperors such as Nero, Diocletian, and others used the unpopular Christian sect as a scapegoat for their many ongoing political problems. Many Christians were forced to find refuge in the catacombs or the underground rock quarries of Rome. But other followers of Christ were put to death by the Roman authorities for refusing emperor worship and for holding true to the gospel of Christ. Great numbers of faithful Christians were imprisoned, tortured and killed in wild spectacles in Roman colosseums. These martyrs of Jesus “loved not their lives unto death” (Revelation 12:11).
But, when one Christian was thrown to the hungry lions or burned at the stake to celebrate a Roman holiday, another took her place. The Christian faith, instead of dying out, grew stronger as more and more people found Jesus as their true and eternal Friend.
3. The Third Seal: A Black Horse
“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 creatures 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” (Revelation 6:5-6).
This black horse depicts a departure from the purity of the faith of Jesus, represented by the white horse of the conquering apostolic church. During this time period, the truth of the Bible was cast down as pagan ideas infiltrated the church. Gradually, the church accepted the worship of idols, changed the day of worship from Sabbath to Sunday and instated men as mediators between human beings and God.
The pair of balances in this seal symbolizes the scarcity of bread and spiritual food that would occur during this time. The Bible, the holy Word of God, was disregarded as church leaders turned away from Bible truth and instituted their own ideas and opinions.
The apostle Paul had foretold this apostasy in Acts 20:29, 30: “For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves.”
Just as Paul predicted, for the next two hundred years there was a great departure from pure gospel truth as the widespread absorption of pagan philosophy and forms continued in the Christian church.
But there was hope, even in these tortured times. The oil is not harmed nor the wine. The oil symbolizes the Holy Spirit and the wine symbolizes salvation through Jesus Christ (Plain Revelation by Ranko Stefanović). Even in times of spiritual drought and scarcity of God’s Word, the Spirit still works to bring people to salvation.
4. The Fourth Seal: A Pale Horse
“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” (Revelation 6:7- 8).
The pale horse is the color of death symbolizing the spiritual death of the church during the Dark Ages. During this time God’s truth continued to be trampled underfoot by the religious leaders. Afraid that the people would read the Bible for themselves and discern the errors of the church, leaders outlawed the reading of the Bible in one’s own language and insisted that priests function as its sole interpreters. Political powers united with religious powers to enforce these laws.
Still, there were a few faithful followers of God who refused to bend the knee to pagan practices. These few suffered horribly for their faith, losing sustenance, family and fortune to the agents of papal Rome. Some paid for their faith with their lives.
Many faithful Christians were forced to flee to the mountains, hiding their faith and often preserving small portions of scripture which they carefully passed on to others who hungered for the Word of God. In this way, the truth of God and His written Word were preserved when all hope seemed lost.
5. The Fifth Seal: Souls Crying Out From Under the Altar
“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; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed” (Revelation 6:9-11).
Under the altar in heaven are beings who recognize the injustice done to faithful Christians throughout time. They call out in a rush of emotion, “God, when will all this bloodshed end? When will the atrocities of evil be punished and Your awesome name and character be vindicated?” These beings are eager for the positive side of God’s final judgment. It will be a time of terror for the evil doers who have persecuted the saints of God, but it will be a time of rejoicing for God’s people as they leave the earthly life of toil and sorrow behind and enjoy the blessings of eternal life in heaven with the Lamb who paid their entrance ticket with His blood. The final judgment is also the time when the whole universe will finally see and acknowledge that God is good, His way is perfect, His love is infinite and He alone has the right and sovereignty to rule the universe.
The saints under the altar long for that marvelous day. However, they are told that the time has not yet come. They must wait a little longer. But the hope of the promise is sure. It will happen. They need not worry; the victory of the Lamb is assured!
6. The Sixth Seal: Earthquake, Sun & Moon Darkened, and Stars Fall
“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. 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. Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. 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 and 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! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?'” (Revelation 6:12-17).
The first part of the sixth seal focuses on specific signs in the heavens that show that the coming of Christ is very soon.
The Lisbon Earthquake
A great earthquake, as mentioned in the sixth seal, occurred in Lisbon, Portugal on November 1, 1755. Nelson’s Encyclopedia calls this event “the most notable earthquake of history.” The great city was almost completely destroyed by the quake in six minutes.
The Dark Day
Twenty-five years later an event called the great Dark Day of May 19, 1780 occurred in the New England area. On this day a mysterious darkening of the sun took place which scientists still cannot explain. Darkness began to creep over the earth at 10 am. Birds went to roost, and frogs peeped as if it were nighttime. People reported seeing a moon red as blood rise that night. Many people were convinced that the end of the world was at hand.
Stars Falling
Another event occurred 53 years later on the night of November 13, 1833. This time stars fell over North America in the most gigantic display of celestial fireworks ever seen by the eye of man. Eyewitnesses of the falling stars describe with vivid words that never-to-be-forgotten night when the whole sky seemed to be on fire with blazing stars.
Deeply impressed that these signs in the heavens were a sign of Jesus’ second coming, L.D. Santee wrote the following lines:
“Let your eyes to heaven be turning,
Darkened sun and falling stars,
See the crimson heavens burning,
Earth prepared for final wars;
Hear the scoffer ask with jeering,
‘Where’s the sign that He is nigh?’
Turn your eyes with joy and fearing
To the omens in the sky.”
According to Revelation chapters 18, 19 and 20, these signs will be repeated to a greater degree at the second coming of Christ.
The second part of the sixth seal focuses on the negative side of God’s judgment upon the people who reject God and His Sacrifice for them and who insist on persecuting the faithful followers of the Lamb. These multitudes are pictured as unprepared for His appearing. They have no faith in God's Word or His promise to return.
In fact, when Jesus does appear, they are completely terrified. They do not know the Person who sits on the cloud or have a relationship with Him. Because of this, they are so afraid of this foreign presence that they ask the mountains and the rocks to fall on them and hide them from the awesome, glorious power of the victorious Lamb. Eventually, God will grant their request. They will not be content in heaven with the saints they have persecuted, so God gives them their wish to NOT live in His prescence for eternity.
At the end of the sixth seal, the question is asked, “Who is able to stand?” The ones who stand are the ones who are covered by the blood of Jesus. Jesus has draped them with His pure white robe of righteousness (Revelation 7:14). This is not a righteousness that is earned by hard work, but a righteousness that is freely given, a free gift to the one who requests it. The one who does this is able to stand in the final judgment, not because he is holy on his own account or because she has performed so many righteous acts. No, it is because they both have requested the clean character of Christ to present before God in the judgment. Because Christ allows God to see His own character instead of our own, God can say with confidence, “Welcome, my beloved, to your eternal home with Me.”
7. The Seventh Seal: Silence in Heaven
“When He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour” (Revelation 8:1).
This is the conclusion of the seven time periods in the history of redemption, the completion of God's plan for humanity. It's the end of the story, when God puts a period at the conclusion of human history. The seventh seal marks the return of Jesus in power and great glory.
The songs of the many angels around the throne are stilled. Jesus, and “all the holy angels with Him” (Matthew 25:31), being on the happiest mission of all their blessed ministry for the heirs of salvation: their journey to earth to bring back all God’s faithful followers to live with Him in heaven forever.
When the righteous return with Christ and all the holy angels to the Father’s home above, heaven will be no longer silent. At the final victory of the King of glory (Psalms 24:8), the whole universe will rejoice in glorious song!
You and I may have a part in that song—the song of the redeemed. They praise the Lamb for His victory at the cross, His victory over sin and Satan, and His victory in leading His beloved children home for eternity.
All the saved will unite in the anthem, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain…” (Revelation 5:12) “for you redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation” (Revelation 5:9).
May we all be there!
