"And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come [and see—Alexandrine omits]."

"And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. "And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine." Revelation 6:5, 6

 

"He opened"	The Lamb opened.
"I heard"	Literally, John, who represents the John Class at the end of the age.
"Third seal"	The period is approximately from CE 313-1160. The "angel" is Arius who nobly struggled to hold the truth on the nature of Christ.
"Third beast," "living creature"	The attribute of Wisdom.
"Come"	Action instructions for the vision to unfold.
"Black horse"	Doctrine of darkness on the nature of God and Christ.
"He that sat on him"	The apostate leaders.
"Pair of balances in his hand"	To suppress the truth and also to ration it to others.
"Voice in the midst of the four beasts," "living creatures"	Our Lord.
"A measure of wheat [about a quart] for a penny"	A day’s wages, starvation for bread of life. The ransom truths were in short supply and greatly misrepresented.
"Three measures [quarts] of barley"	A day’s wages for barley, truths on Christ resurrection and person were in better supply. (Leviticus 23:11, 15-17)
"Hurt not the oil"	The holy Spirit, which still preserved the truth itself to the faithful.
"Wine"	The "wine" doctrine of Christ’s suffering and death could not be denied.

     The "third seal" witnessed a "black horse" riding forth in the Pergamos period, which covered approximately from CE 313-1160. In this period the "black horse" doctrine beclouded the truth on the nature of God and Christ, finally leading to the trinity and the mean spirited tendency that went with it.
     We cannot help but observe that most departure from the truth was attended by a vicious spirit bent on persecuting all those who would not submit to false doctrine. Love is always kind. Love may be firm without being malicious.
    The antichrist element never worried about being kind. A mean spirit attended the rise of antichrist. One needs only to open the pages of history to see what horror followed the "grab" for power as the antichrist rode roughshod over those who stood in its way.

The Doctrine of the Mass Replaced the Doctrine of the Ransom

     We note that the "wheat" truth that denoted the ransom was in extremely short supply. The doctrine of the mass had taken away the base of the sanctuary, the doctrine of the ransom, from the knowledge of the people.
     The "barley" truth, the teaching of the resurrection of Christ, was in better supply. God’s Justice decreed that the "oil" of the holy Spirit should not be "hurt" and its influence on the faithful should not be interfered with. Also, the "wine" doctrine of Christ’s suffering and death was not to be hurt or hindered.
    When Constantine accepted Christianity, the once persecuted church ascended to power in the Roman Empire. Many church fathers became intoxicated with power and were gradually corrupted by it. The saying, "Power corrupts—absolute power corrupts absolutely," seems to characterize the rise of antichrist.

The Trinity Three Gods in One

 

    What started out as confusion on the natures of God and Jesus added more confusion with the doctrine of the mass, the immortal soul, burning hellfire and ruthless persecution for those who might question these doctrines. The kingdom that was to come at Christ’s return was transmuted into the "kingdom now."
    The church began its reign without the Lord. See what they had wrought—nothing but havoc. Oh, how the antichrist sought for power. When Satan rewarded his followers with power, they behaved like children of the "wicked one."
    Arius, the "angel" of this third seal, strove to keep purity of doctrine on the nature of God and Christ, but he was banished. When Constantine became impressed with Arius’ later presentations and was about to restore him to power, Arius died suddenly! Many believed he was poisoned.
    Constantine wanted a united Christian religion to strengthen his Empire. The antichrist elements feared Arius threatened the unity they were offering. Power-lust will accept any conduct that guarantees staying in power. We see how religious politics led to the crucifixion of our Lord.

Click to go to the following:

         TOPICAL STUDY ON THE SEVEN SEALS:
Seven Seals Part I - Part 2
1st Seal - 2nd Seal - 3rd Seal - 4th Seal - 5th Seal - 6th Seal - 7th Seal

CHAPTER/VERSE BY VERSE STUDY ON THE SEVEN SEALS:
1st to 6th Seal [Revelation 6] - 7th Seal [Revelation 8:1]

 

TOPICAL STUDY ON THE SEVEN TRUMPETS:
Prelude to the Trumpets - 1st Trumpet - 2nd Trumpet - 3rd Trumpet
4th Trumpet - 5th Trumpet - 6th Trumpet - 7th Trumpet

CHAPTER/VERSE BY VERSE STUDY ON THE SEVEN TRUMPETS:
1st through 6th Trumpet [Revelation 8,9] - 7th Trumpet [ Revelation 11:15-19]

 

TOPICAL STUDY ON THE SEVEN CHURCHES:
7 Churches Topical Study Home Page
Ephesus - Smyrna - Pergamos - Thyatira - Sardis - Philadelphia - Laodicea

CHAPTER/VERSE BY VERSE STUDY ON THE SEVEN CHURCHES:
7 Churches Verse by Verse Home Page
Ephesus - Smyrna - Pergamos - Thyatira - Sardis - Philadelphia - Laodicea

 

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