Revelation 6:
Chapter 6 begins John’s master plan; John lays out three distinct cycles -- concepts that all add up to the number 7. John will go through a series of 7 seals, 7 trumpets, and 7 bowls. Each cycle is a part of the overall picture of how God’s justice and kingdom will ultimately be established on the earth. But here is where interpretation gets a little wonky. We need to reconsider what I said earlier about the 4 ways to interpret Revelation. There are some who interpret the 3 sets of the divine judgments of God, with 7 components to each set, laid out in Revelation chapters 6 through 16 as a literal sequence of events that either happened in the past (Preterists), could be happening in the present (literal Historicists), or yet to happen in the future when Jesus returns (futurists).
Yet, John’s narrative implies that the 3 sets of judgments are happening together. The 7 bowls come from the 7thtrumpet (see Revelation 11: 15-19 and 16:1 — the events of Revelation 12-15 are occurring on earth at what appears to be a different timeline than the events of chapter 11) and the 7 trumpets come out of the 7th seal (Revelation 8:1-2). Sort of like Russian nesting dolls, each group of 7 seem to contain the next 7. Also, each of the groups of 7 end with the final judgment of God (see Revelation 7:14 through 8:5, and11:15-19), that is, they each have the same conclusion. It is therefore logical to interpret each of the 3 sets of 7 as applying to the same time period — a time that began with the ascension of Christ and will conclude with His return at the end of the age. They are simply three different perspectives on the same thing.
So, at the outset of Chapter 6, the lamb opens the first 4 seals (verses 1-7), one at a time. Each of these seals release a horseman, an image also seen in Zechariah 1. The horsemen have traditionally represented times of war, conquest, famine, and death. One scholar summed up the first 4 seals as “a tragically average day in human history.”
In verse 9, the opening of the 5th seal allows John to see “under the altar,” all of those who were martyred for their faith. This also connects to Old Testament imagery, because the blood of the animal sacrifices was poured out at the base of the temple’s altar (see Exodus 29:12 and Leviticus 4:7). These “souls” cry out to God for justice. God replies by giving them each a white robe, and telling them to wait “a little while,” because there are more martyrs coming. To the modern reader, we are not able to discern a reason for the concept of “a little while” and that “the full number” of other martyrs need to be met (v. 11). John is possibly referencing some of the non-canon Jewish literature of that time (just as Jude did in his book). Jewish religious culture in 90 AD held to the notion that God rules the world according to a predetermined time schedule (a reference for that can be found in the apocryphal book of 2 Esdras 4:35–37) and that the end of the world cannot occur until a certain number of the righteous have died (see the first book of Enoch 47:4). Again, as we discussed when looking at the book of Jude, simply because a popular text was not a part of scripture did not mean it could not convey truth in a relevant manner. Perhaps these kinds of concepts stretch that to a certain limit — as when early Christians interpreted Jesus’ comment in John 21:23 that the apostle John would never die -- or at least would live to see Jesus’ return. But I think this kind of reference and the resulting thought pattern (not a whole lot different from modern efforts to develop a predictive linear and historical timeline from the book of Revelation) would have helped reinforce the concept that God has a purpose in all of history, including the suffering of the saints, and that his justice will ultimately prevail.
The 6th seal is God’s ultimate response to the martyrs’ pleas. The details described coming from the opening of the 6th seal connects back to the concept we have discovered throughout our readings — this is a literal description of the “day of the Lord” as expressed in (for example) Isaiah 2 and Joel 2. Earthquakes, the darkening of the sun, the moon turning blood red, etc. It is such a tremendous calamity that, in v. 17, the people of the earth exclaim, “who can withstand” this great day of the Lord?
Revelation Chapter 7:
Leaving the people who are rocking and rolling in the earthquake, darkness, and other suffering at the end of Chapter 6 in a “cliffhanger” mode, John suddenly segues to a different scene (sort of like the old movie serials: “Meanwhile, back at the ranch . . .”). John sees a vision of an angel with “the seal of the living God.” (This would have likely been in the form of a ring worn on the finger so the person wielding the seal, usually a government official, could use it to stamp the wax that formed the seal on a document). This “seal” was designed to be a mark of protection of the servants of God who are enduring hardship. John hears that the number to be sealed is 144,000. This is also a throwback to imagery from the Old Testament, where, in Numbers 1, the Lord instructed Moses to take a census to determine the number of men who could serve in the military. Here, John notes that the the mark of protection will seal 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes of Israel.
But here, we need to again distinguish between what John heard, and what he saw. Just like in Revelation 5, where John heard the angel identify the one worthy to open the seals as the Lion of Judah and the root of David, and expected to see a vision of the expected messianic and conquering king but instead saw the bloodstained carcass of a sacrificial lamb, this episode is exactly the same. John hears that God will take a census just like in Numbers 1 and mark out an army of believers that is inclusive in that all the tribes of Israel are represented, but exclusive in that only Israelites are included. What he sees, however, is something completely different.
What he sees is indeed an army, but it is made up of people from all the nations of the earth. Plus, its not limited to just 144,000 people! John sees a “great multitude that no one could count!” From “every nation, tribe, people and language.” (Revelation 7:11). Just like the lamb was the only one worthy to open the seals, this army of believers has been redeemed, washed in the lamb’s blood, and will conquer and win the victory not by vanquishing their enemies, but by suffering and bearing witness in the same way the lamb (Jesus) did.
As I mentioned earlier, as we transition into Revelation 8, where the 7th seal will be opened, we see how the closing of the time where the 7 seals are opened reflect the finality of God’s justice and his plans for his people. Revelation 7:15-17 describes how this army — this multitude of diversity — will exist into eternity, serving God through worship, never to suffer again, but to bask in the glory and the peace of God. The last verse of Chapter 7 (verse 17) ties back to our Pastor’s favorite chapter of the Bible, Psalm 23, declaring that this multitude will rest under the crook of the Great Shepherd, lying beside and drinking from “springs of living water,” and the ultimate promise of fulfillment, peace, and joy — “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
