It won’t be long at all until we start seeing Biblical prophetic events happen before our very eyes. When the beast rises to power, he will have only a short time to reign before Jesus Christ comes to rescue His people, execute judgment on the unrighteous, and begin reigning over the earth. But at some point during the beast’s reign of terror, the Lord will begin releasing his judgment upon the beast and upon those who worship him and have taken his mark. We are going to briefly (as best as I can) go over several of those judgments.

There are three series of judgments that will strike the earth. As far a timetable, it is assumed that the seven seals must precede the trumpets and bowls of wrath. The seals seem to describe the conditions on earth during the reign of the beast as well as several cosmic events. We will cover the seven seals that are opened by the Lamb (Revelations 6:1-17; 8:1-2) and their effects. The other judgments will be covered in other blogs.

The Seals

The second seal is opened, and there is a red horse whose rider causes constant wars, factions, and unrest among the people. He robs the world of peace and stirs up dissension and hate. This could also represent the beast, but seems to describe the general chaos that has been brewing in the world for decades since many nations have been in and out of war for many years, especially those in the Middle East such as Israel.

The third seal is opened, and there is a black horse. The rider has a set of scales in his hand. An angel says “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius—but do not hurt the olive oil and wine.” A denarius was the typical daily working wage. This seems to describe crushing inflation leading to difficult times and potential starvation. But it also says “do not hurt the olive oil or wine,” which seems to indicate that grains may be wiped out due to diseases or a plague making it expensive.

When the fourth seal is opened a pale (probably grayish) colored horse is seen. Its rider is called Death and another rider following him is Hades.  Together they will kill one-fourth of the earth’s population by starvation, homelessness, violence, and animal attacks. This is the results of the first three horseman’s actions on the people. Mass death, destruction, tyranny, control and suffering will just be the start of this horrible time on the earth.

The fifth seal describes the heavenly scene of martyred believers that were persecuted and killed for their faith in Jesus by the beast system. These souls are “under the altar” in heaven and appeal to the Lord to avenge their blood. The Lord comforts them and tells them there are still more of the fellow brothers and sisters who will die just as they did. This confirms that the beast will persecute believers, some to the death (see Matthew 24:9).

The sixth seal is a judgment on the earth itself.  A strong earthquake combined with signs in the heavens causes great destruction. It says the stars fell to earth which would likely mean asteroids and meteors pummeling and pounding the surface. Also the mountains and islands were moved probably by a combination of large asteroid strikes and the earthquakes. The sun is darkened and the moon glows a faint blood-red. This seems similar to other later judgments. It will be a true apocalypse. Many cities and nations will be burning in ruins, homes destroyed, having no power. 

The people will recognize these plagues as being God’s judgment against them. In terror they will run to the mountains and try to hide from the judgments to come. They will even call out to the rocks to protect them from the wrath of God. Although they understand that judgment has come, they still refuse to repent and accept Christ as Savior.

The seventh and last seal shows a scene in heaven. An angel presents the prayers of the saints along with incense to God. Afterwards the angel scoops up burning coals from the altar and throws them down upon the earth, causing atmospheric disturbances such as thunder, lightning, and another earthquake. These will likely be more intense than normal storms.

Conclusion

The beast and his kingdom will experience a shaking that will probably kill many, especially at the sixth seal. The seals are judgments against the ungodly by giving them an earthly savior that will exploit and enslave them instead of save them. And there are more judgments to come later. It seems that the first five seals are actually satan’s wrath against humanity and the persecution of the saints.

There is still time now to repent and turn to Jesus. There is a Savior who sacrificed himself to forgive you of your sins. He wants to be your savior. If you believe on Him as your savior, and believe that his death on the cross covers your sins, you must repent of your sinful ways and follow Him. He will save you and give you the Holy Spirit to guide you. You will be given eternal life and will avoid eternal punishment. Or, you can continue living for yourself. You will have to bear the punishment alone for your sin against God. “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:13)