Seven seals and two scenes.

When I was young, we learned in Sunday School that the Hebrew view of history and the Hellenistic view of history were very different. The Jews saw history as a straight line, leading from creation to consummation, and the Hellenists viewed history as circular, or cyclical. We were told that the Hebrews were right, but I always thought the cyclical view had a lot to recommend it.

I don't know if John the pastor/teacher ever wrestled with this issue with any of his flock, but I can tell you, he perfectly married the two views of history by presenting it as a scroll, circular and linear both. Keep the view of the scroll in mind as we work our way through what comes next.

The Lamb takes the scroll with the intention of opening it. No one else in the heavenly scene is able to do so. We need to be clear with what is being done. It is obvious that history, here from the middle of it, is not sealed shut. We see it as moving onward. But the heavenly view of creation is beyond time, transcendent. What is asked is, "Who in this realm can enter history and interact with it?" The Lamb, as we saw in the last chapter, is specially equipped to be in history and still retain power and wisdom during the experience.

So he begins breaking open the seals. There are seven of them, one for each major actor in the heavenly scene where we still are, if we take the elders as a group.

John knew we might miss this point, so he started us out by mentioning the first four seals by name, so to speak. As each of the first four seals are opened, one of the four living creatures says, "Come!" Right away, as we become involved in the linear experience of history, we notice a difference in these powers of creation. In the heavenly scene, they pointed us to the creator, and showed us how and when to worship that one. Now, they are experienced as four very frightening and ominous aspects of earthly experience, conquest, war, inflation and violent death. Whether we have read Revelation or not, we have heard of the four horsemen of the apocalypse.

But hardly anyone has heard of the saints under the altar who are presented when the fifth seal is broken.

Our last experience of humanity were the twenty-four elders. The fifth seal moves us to a less than perfect group of souls who had been slain for their testimony to the word of God. So far so good.

But where are they? UNDER the altar. They are not fit for public viewing.

What are they doing under there? They are crying out for God to hurry up and avenge their deaths. Do you remember in the letters, the churches are urged to have patience and endure? Crying out for vengeance is not an example of patience and endurance. And they have soiled themselves by behaving thus.

They are given fresh linen to wear, and told to be patient. Remember this image of the martyrs being given white robes.

As the sixth seal is broken, we center upon the activity of the Lamb, who has entered history.

The breaking of the seal is described in verses 12 to 17 of chapter six. Creation seems to be breaking up, coming apart at the foundations. We are told that this is the wrath of the Lamb.

What is wrath? Most of us think it means anger. But wrath is only perceived as anger by its recipients, and not by all of us, either. Wrath is God and the Lamb allowing the natural consequences to flow from what we have done. If there is any point of agreement by all of the students of Revelation, I think it will be this. Time and again, we are told in this book that what is happening is because of what we have done - or failed to do in some instances.

But is wrath automatic and instant? Hardly. Throughout scripture we are told that God holds off things that we deserve. Revelation is no different.

Here, at the breaking of the sixth seal, while our attention is turned to the Lamb, who has taken history in grasp and opened it up, we are shown that the wrath is held off. Two scenes are described here to let us know that there is planning and purpose, even in the suffering of consequences. Sort of like a good Montessori school. Chapter seven of Revelation contains these scenes.

First, in case we had not realized yet that the Lamb is Lord of creation, the number four is thrown at us a couple of times. This will happen at the sixth event of the next series, too. Four angels hold back the four winds. The winds are told not to harm the earth until twelve thousand from each of the twelve tribes are sealed. The seal here, harkening back to the Exodus story of the Passover, is a protective device. So, 144,000 are sealed, and we are ready to witness wrath, but it doesn't happen. Not yet.

The second part of chapter seven draws our attention back from history and returns us to the eternal viewpoint. If this return isn't apparent to you, look at verse eleven. We are shown a numberless multitude wearing white robes.

Are they the 144,000? Nope, that is a lot of people, but we can count them. The throng we are seeing is so much larger than 144,000 that we can't even begin to count them.

Are they the martyrs under the altar? Nope, because we are told in verse fourteen who they are. They have come out of the great tribulation, and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Recall that the martyrs had to be given clean clothes.

What is the great tribulation? Weeelllllll, here you have to suspend disbelief again to try on my interpretation. The tribulation is that wrath which was about to begin. With the image of the great throng, John gives us a glimpse of the point of the whole exercise, so we can bear to read what is coming next. You don't think so? You don't think John would do that? I do.

One of my favorite stories is The Plague Dogs by Robert Adams. It is a wonderful story, but few people finish it, because about half way though, it seems that there is no way it can have any kind of good ending. Adams was too good. He should have begun the book by saying, "Hey! Keep reading all the way through, because it has a happy ending." He didn't, so I do. I encourage my friends to finish the book, and the only way I can do so is to tell them that it has a good ending.

Revelation makes The Plague Dogs look like a church picnic. Of course John wanted us to know the end, so we would keep reading, and so we would know how to read what was to come.

Come on, go along with it for a while, and see if it works. Who was going to be experiencing the great tribulation? Everyone except the 144,000. That's you and me, friend. I am personally very comforted to know that at the end I will be among that numberless throng, no matter what kind of tribulation I go through first. And there is no question of escaping it.

Read the last half of Revelation chapter seven. Dwell on it, and let the image, the words sink in to your being. If you only were to study one piece of scripture, this would serve you well as the Good News.

15Therefore, they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. 16Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. 17For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.

I think John intended it thus. I find nothing in Revelation that John did by accident. He was a genius, and he was inspired by the Holy Spirit.

But, we are not yet finished with the opening of the seven seals. We are going slowly through them, so I am certain you noticed that we have seal number seven yet to be opened. But it is interesting to note that when we are just reading through Revelation, even reading carefully, how easy it is to miss the opening of the seventh seal.

Chapter eight, verse one, describes the whole event. "When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour." It is written as a prelude to what follows, and it is overlooked for three reasons I can think of right away.

First, it is so brief when we have had long accounts of the other six seals. Second, nothing happens, just silence. Third, I think John planned us to miss it, and purposely placed it at the beginning of a whole new section. He tells us much by doing so.

Whose position is this, this seventh place at the end of one series; and which serves as the beginning of the next series? The only actor from the heavenly scene who is left is God. In eternity, God is at the center, impossible to miss. All attention is concentrated on the enthroned one in the center.

But in history, God is often last, and often detected only by silence. "Be still and know that I am God," is what Elijah heard. Is this consistent with what we are told in Revelation? Revelation, chapter one, verse eight, asserts that God is the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end.

Is this conclusive proof of the validity of my interpretation? No, but interesting enough to hold you, I hope.

It's time to hear some trumpets.

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