THE SEVEN SEALS
CHAPTER 6
1. And I [the John Class] saw when the Lamb
[the meek and humble One] opened one of the seals [phase of obscure
prophecies], and I [the John Class] heard, as it were the noise
of thunder [sound of a great controversy], one of the four beasts
[living creatures, attributes, namely power], saying, Come [and see,
not in older MSS].
2. And I [the John Class] saw, and behold a white horse
[pure doctrine of Ephesus period—the first or principle, covering from CE 33-70, pictured
as white in pureness of the early church]: and he that sat on him had a bow
[the ambitious class that had pure teachings had evil devices to forward their conquests];
and a crown [authority] was given unto him [the apostate
element]: and he [the apostate element in the church] went forth
conquering, and to conquer [using many of the pure doctrines while at the same
time bringing in errors].
3. And when he [the meek and humble One] had
opened the second seal [of obscure prophecies in the Smyrna
period—"bitter," covering from CE 70-313], I [the John Class] heard
the second beast [living creature, namely, love], say, Come [and
see, not in older MSS].
4. And there went out another horse [doctrine] that was red
[polluted with sinful heresies]: and power was given to him [the apostate
element in the church] that sat thereon to take peace from the earth
[society], and that they should kill [expel or ostracize] one
another [from the church]: and there [to this apostate element] was
given unto him a great sword [power to misuse the Scriptures greatly].
5. And when he [the meek and humble One] had opened the third
seal [of obscure prophecies in the Pergamum period
— "heighth,"
Diaglott,
covering from CE 313-1160], I [the John Class] heard the third
beast [living creature, the third attribute of wisdom] say, Come
[and see, not in older MSS]. And I [the John Class] beheld,
and lo a black horse [doctrine of darkness on the nature of God and Christ];
and he [the apostate element] that sat on him had a pair of balances in
his hand [not only to suppress the truth but also to ration the truth to others].
6. And I [the John Class] heard a voice
[proclamation from the Lord Jesus] in the midst of the four beasts
[living creatures, attributes of God] say, A measure [quart] of
wheat for a penny [a day’s wages, starvation rations of spiritual truths
were all that could be gotten from day to day], and three measures
[quarts] of barley [(Leviticus 23:11; Numbers 5:15; Hosea 3:2; John
6:9-15). Barley was a symbol of Christ’s resurrection.] for a penny
[a day’s wages, greater proportions of dimly perceived truth were to be had. Possibly
the wheat—the bread of life—the ransom truths were in short supply while the barley
truths of Christ’s person and resurrection were in better supply]; and see
thou hurt not the oil [the holy Spirit and the true doctrines] and the
wine [truths of Christ’s suffering and death, the apostate element was
somewhat restrained here in this period].
7. And when he [the meek and humble One] had opened the fourth
seal [of obscure prophecies in the Thyatira period— Diaglott, "sacrifice
of labor," covering from CE 1160-1378], I [the John Class] heard
the voice of the fourth beast [living creature, namely, justice] say,
Come and see.
8. And I [the John Class] looked, and behold a
pale horse [doctrine devoid of any life-giving qualities]: and his name
[the name of those using this doctrine] that sat on him was Death
[showing how the apostate element so perverted the truth that nothing was left to sustain
spiritual life and death resulted], and Hell
[spiritual lifelessness] followed
with him [in a false ministry]. And power was given unto them
[the apostate element] over the fourth part of the earth [over the Roman
Empire], to kill with sword [destroy true Christians by the misuse of
the Scriptures], and with hunger [by limiting spiritual food],
and with death [ostracism and persecution], and with the beasts of the
earth [by uniting with the civil powers and persecuting the saints].
9. And when he [the meek and humble One]
had opened
the fifth seal [of obscure prophecies in the Sardis period—"that which
remains" is a traditional reading hard to confirm but, Diaglott
defines as "Prince
of joy," covering from CE 1378-1518-28], I [the John Class] saw
under the altar [of those who were offered in sacrifice and whose memory were in
the ashes under the brazen altar in the court] the souls of them who were slain
[ostracized and persecuted some even unto death] for the word of God, and for the
testimony which they held:
10. And they [the souls under the altar] cried
with a loud voice [proclamation], saying, How long, O Lord, holy and
true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth
[society]? [For the answer see Revelation 16:5-7.]
11. And white robes [worthiness and righteousness] were
given [accredited] unto every one of them; and it was said unto them,
that they should rest [in death] yet for a little season [360
years covering from CE 1518-1878 and extending through the period of the next seal], until
their fellow-servants also and their brethren, should be killed [ostracized and
persecuted] as they were, should be fulfilled.
12. And I [the John Class] beheld when he
[the meek and humble One] had opened the sixth seal [of obscure
prophecies in the Philadelphia period—"love of a brother," Diaglott, from
CE 1518-1874-28], and, lo, there was a great earthquake [the French
Revolution]; and the sun [Gospel light] became black as sackcloth
[obscure] of hair, and the moon [the Mosaic Law] became as blood
[appeared bloody or barbaric];
13. And the stars of heaven [the ecclesiastical
leaders] fell unto the earth [came down to a worldly level of philosophy
and the Christian—citizenship—politics level], even as a fig tree [the
Jewish nation] casteth her untimely figs [threw off its immature show of
character], when she is shaken of a mighty wind [surrounded by the armies
of Titus, CE 70, and as it shall also throw off its immature show of character when
surrounded in the very end by "Gog"].
14. And the heaven [ecclesiastical powers] departed
as a scroll [separated into two parts just as a scroll when it is rolled together
has two parts] when it is rolled together; and every mountain [kingdom] and
island [republic] were moved out of their places.
15. And the kings [political rulers] of the
earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains [military
leaders], and the mighty men [leaders of labor], and every bondman [laboring man], and every free man [small business man and
professional man], hid themselves [sought refuge] in the dens
[secret societies, such as, Free Masonry, Odd Fellowship, guilds, etc., Vol. 2, p. 139
; Vol. 4, p. 45] and in the rocks
[fortresses] of the mountains [kingdoms, leagues, military alliances, and
ecclesiastical alliances];
16. And said to the mountains [kingdoms] and
rocks [fortresses of the earth, society], Fall on us,
and hide us [shelter us] from the face of him [presence of him] that
sitteth on the throne [the divine government], and from the wrath of
the Lamb
[the meek and humble One—please note a lamb is not usually a wrathful animal,
but it is here]:
17. For the great day of his wrath [trouble] is
come; and who shall be able to stand [abide]?
