Thematic Bible: The seven seals
Thematic Bible
Seals » The seven seals
In my vision, when the Lamb broke the first of the seven seals, I heard the first of the four animals say with a voice like thunder, "Come!" Then I saw a white horse, and its rider carried a bow. He was given a crown, and he rode forth as a victor to conquer. When he broke the second seal, I heard the second animal say, "Come!" read more.
And another horse came forth, bright red, and its rider was given power to take peace away from the earth, and make men slaughter one another; he was given a great sword. When he broke the third seal, I heard the third animal say, "Come!" And there I saw a black horse, and its rider had a pair of scales in his hand, and I heard a voice which seemed to come from the midst of the four animals say, "Wheat at a dollar a quart, and barley three quarts for a dollar, but you must not injure the oil and wine!" When he broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth animal say, "Come!" And there I saw a horse the color of ashes, and its rider's name was Death, and Hades followed him. They were given power over one quarter of the earth, to kill the people with sword, famine, death, and the wild animals of the earth. When he broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who have been slaughtered on account of God's message and for adhering to the testimony. They cried out in a loud voice, "Holy and true Master, how long is it to be before you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?" Then each of them was given a white robe and they were told to be quiet a little while longer, until the number of their fellow-slaves and their brothers, who were to be killed as they had been, should be complete. When he broke the sixth seal I saw that there was a great earthquake. The sun turned black as sackcloth; the full moon became like blood; the stars of the sky fell upon the earth just as a fig tree drops its unripe figs when it is shaken by a strong wind; the sky was torn apart and rolled up like a roll; and every mountain and island was dislodged from its place. The kings of the earth, the nobles, the officers, the rich, the strong??verybody, slave and free??id themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. And they said to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us, and conceal us from the sight of him who is seated on the throne, and from the anger of the Lamb, for the great day of their anger has come, and who can escape?"
And another horse came forth, bright red, and its rider was given power to take peace away from the earth, and make men slaughter one another; he was given a great sword. When he broke the third seal, I heard the third animal say, "Come!" And there I saw a black horse, and its rider had a pair of scales in his hand, and I heard a voice which seemed to come from the midst of the four animals say, "Wheat at a dollar a quart, and barley three quarts for a dollar, but you must not injure the oil and wine!" When he broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth animal say, "Come!" And there I saw a horse the color of ashes, and its rider's name was Death, and Hades followed him. They were given power over one quarter of the earth, to kill the people with sword, famine, death, and the wild animals of the earth. When he broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who have been slaughtered on account of God's message and for adhering to the testimony. They cried out in a loud voice, "Holy and true Master, how long is it to be before you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?" Then each of them was given a white robe and they were told to be quiet a little while longer, until the number of their fellow-slaves and their brothers, who were to be killed as they had been, should be complete. When he broke the sixth seal I saw that there was a great earthquake. The sun turned black as sackcloth; the full moon became like blood; the stars of the sky fell upon the earth just as a fig tree drops its unripe figs when it is shaken by a strong wind; the sky was torn apart and rolled up like a roll; and every mountain and island was dislodged from its place. The kings of the earth, the nobles, the officers, the rich, the strong??verybody, slave and free??id themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. And they said to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us, and conceal us from the sight of him who is seated on the throne, and from the anger of the Lamb, for the great day of their anger has come, and who can escape?"
When he broke the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. Then I saw the seven angels who stood before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. Then another angel with a gold censer came and stood at the altar, and he was given a great quantity of incense so that he might mingle it with the prayers of all the saints on the altar of gold that stood before the throne. read more.
So the smoke of the incense went up before God from the angel's hand for the prayers of his people. Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar, and emptied it upon the earth, and there followed peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake. Then the seven angels with the seven trumpets prepared to blow them. The first blew his trumpet, and there was a storm of hail and fire mixed with blood, and it fell upon the earth, and one third of the earth was burned up, and one third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up. Then the second angel blew his trumpet, and what looked like a great mountain ablaze with fire was thrown into the sea, and one third of the sea turned into blood, and one third of all the live creatures in the sea perished, and one third of the ships were destroyed. Then the third angel blew his trumpet, and there fell from the sky a great star blazing like a torch, and it fell upon one third of the streams and the springs of water. The star is called Apsinthus, that is, Wormwood. Then one third of the waters turned to wormwood, and numbers of people died of the waters, for they had turned bitter. Then the fourth angel blew his trumpet, and one third of the sun was blasted, and one third of the moon and one third of the stars, so that one third of them were darkened, and there was no light for one third of the day and of the night. Then in my vision I heard an eagle flying in midair say in a loud voice, "Alas! Alas! Alas for the inhabitants of the earth, because of the other blasts of the three angels who are going to blow their trumpets!"
So the smoke of the incense went up before God from the angel's hand for the prayers of his people. Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar, and emptied it upon the earth, and there followed peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake. Then the seven angels with the seven trumpets prepared to blow them. The first blew his trumpet, and there was a storm of hail and fire mixed with blood, and it fell upon the earth, and one third of the earth was burned up, and one third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up. Then the second angel blew his trumpet, and what looked like a great mountain ablaze with fire was thrown into the sea, and one third of the sea turned into blood, and one third of all the live creatures in the sea perished, and one third of the ships were destroyed. Then the third angel blew his trumpet, and there fell from the sky a great star blazing like a torch, and it fell upon one third of the streams and the springs of water. The star is called Apsinthus, that is, Wormwood. Then one third of the waters turned to wormwood, and numbers of people died of the waters, for they had turned bitter. Then the fourth angel blew his trumpet, and one third of the sun was blasted, and one third of the moon and one third of the stars, so that one third of them were darkened, and there was no light for one third of the day and of the night. Then in my vision I heard an eagle flying in midair say in a loud voice, "Alas! Alas! Alas for the inhabitants of the earth, because of the other blasts of the three angels who are going to blow their trumpets!"
Then the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen on the earth from the sky. He was given the key to the pit of the abyss, and he opened the pit of the abyss, and smoke like the smoke of a great furnace poured up out of the pit, and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke from the pit. Out of the smoke locusts descended upon the earth, but with powers like those of earthly scorpions. read more.
They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only the men who did not have the mark of God's seal upon their foreheads. They were not allowed to kill anyone, but only to torture them for five months, and the torture they inflicted was like that caused by a scorpion when it stings a man. In those days men will seek death and never find it. They will want to die, but death will fly from them. In appearance the locusts were like war-horses armed for battle; on their heads were what appeared to be crowns like gold; their faces were like human faces; they had hair like a woman's; their teeth were like those of lions; their breasts were like iron breast-plates, and the noise of their wings was like the noise of a great number of chariots and horses rushing into battle. They had tails and stings like scorpions; it was in their tails that their power lay to harm men for five months. They had over them as king the angel of the abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, but in Greek he is called Apollyon. The first woe is past. See! Two woes are yet to come. Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice from the corners of the altar of gold that was before God say to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "Release the four angels that are bound at the great river Euphrates." Then the four angels who were held in readiness for that hour and day and month and year were let loose to kill one third of mankind. The number of the hosts of horsemen was twice 10,000 times 10,000; I heard their number. And this was how the horses and their riders looked in my vision: Their breast-plates were fire red, dark blue, and yellow. The horses' heads were like lions' heads, and fire, smoke, and sulphur poured from their mouths. One third of mankind were killed by these three plagues??he fire, smoke, and sulphur that poured from their mouths. For the power of the horses lay in their mouths and their tails; their tails were like snakes, and they had heads with which they hurt people. Yet what was left of mankind, those who escaped being killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands and give up worshiping demons and gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wooden idols, which cannot either see or hear or move, and they did not repent of their murders, or their magic arts, or their immorality, or their thefts.
They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only the men who did not have the mark of God's seal upon their foreheads. They were not allowed to kill anyone, but only to torture them for five months, and the torture they inflicted was like that caused by a scorpion when it stings a man. In those days men will seek death and never find it. They will want to die, but death will fly from them. In appearance the locusts were like war-horses armed for battle; on their heads were what appeared to be crowns like gold; their faces were like human faces; they had hair like a woman's; their teeth were like those of lions; their breasts were like iron breast-plates, and the noise of their wings was like the noise of a great number of chariots and horses rushing into battle. They had tails and stings like scorpions; it was in their tails that their power lay to harm men for five months. They had over them as king the angel of the abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, but in Greek he is called Apollyon. The first woe is past. See! Two woes are yet to come. Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice from the corners of the altar of gold that was before God say to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "Release the four angels that are bound at the great river Euphrates." Then the four angels who were held in readiness for that hour and day and month and year were let loose to kill one third of mankind. The number of the hosts of horsemen was twice 10,000 times 10,000; I heard their number. And this was how the horses and their riders looked in my vision: Their breast-plates were fire red, dark blue, and yellow. The horses' heads were like lions' heads, and fire, smoke, and sulphur poured from their mouths. One third of mankind were killed by these three plagues??he fire, smoke, and sulphur that poured from their mouths. For the power of the horses lay in their mouths and their tails; their tails were like snakes, and they had heads with which they hurt people. Yet what was left of mankind, those who escaped being killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands and give up worshiping demons and gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wooden idols, which cannot either see or hear or move, and they did not repent of their murders, or their magic arts, or their immorality, or their thefts.
Then I saw another mighty angel descend from heaven. He was clothed in a cloud, and a rainbow encircled his head. His face was like the sun, his legs were like pillars of fire, and he had a little scroll open in his hand. He set his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, and he uttered a great shout like the roar of a lion; and when he shouted, the seven thunders raised their voices. read more.
When the seven thunders had spoken I was going to write it down, but I heard a voice from heaven say, "Seal up what the seven thunders have said! Do not write it down!" Then the angel, whom I had seen standing on the sea and on the land, raised his right hand to heaven, and swore by him who lives forever and ever, who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it, that there should be no more delay, but at the time when the seventh angel spoke, when he should blow his trumpet, then God's mysterious purpose, the good news of which he gave to his slaves the prophets, would be accomplished.
When the seven thunders had spoken I was going to write it down, but I heard a voice from heaven say, "Seal up what the seven thunders have said! Do not write it down!" Then the angel, whom I had seen standing on the sea and on the land, raised his right hand to heaven, and swore by him who lives forever and ever, who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it, that there should be no more delay, but at the time when the seventh angel spoke, when he should blow his trumpet, then God's mysterious purpose, the good news of which he gave to his slaves the prophets, would be accomplished.
Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and loud voices were heard in heaven, saying, "The sovereignty of the world has passed into the possession of our Lord and his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever." Then the twenty-four elders who were seated on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying, "We give you thanks, Lord God Almighty, who are and were, because you have assumed your great power and begun to reign. read more.
The heathen were enraged, but now your anger has come, and the time for the dead to be judged, and for rewarding your slaves the prophets and your people high and low who revere your name, and for destroying the destroyers of the earth!" Then the temple of God in heaven was thrown open, and the chest containing his agreement was seen inside the temple, and there were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and a great storm of hail.
The heathen were enraged, but now your anger has come, and the time for the dead to be judged, and for rewarding your slaves the prophets and your people high and low who revere your name, and for destroying the destroyers of the earth!" Then the temple of God in heaven was thrown open, and the chest containing his agreement was seen inside the temple, and there were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and a great storm of hail.