Listen to this articleIntroduction
Before going through this presentation please make sure you have read Revelation 6 and Part one of this series.
A lot of people rush to try and interpret the seven seals without first grasping the meaning of all the imagery that John is seeing. What are the horses? What is their link to the living creatures and why do they come out when the first four seals are broken? This Part 2 of the seven seals series, will equip you with the tools necessary, such that by the time we get to part 3, where we shall interpret the seven seals, it will all be obvious and simple.
In part one we looked at what the seals are, how Jesus opened them and why they are seven seals. Now we want to interpret the Seven Seals.
If you look at my teaching on the Seven Beasts of the Bible you will notice that they are broken into two, the first four beasts seen by Daniel and the last three beasts seen by John. The Seven Seals are also broken into two sections. The first four seals with the four horsemen revealed by the four living creatures and the last 3 seals.
The Four Horses are The Four Winds
Another thing you will notice is that the first four beasts that Daniel sees come from the four winds of heaven.
Daniel 7:2 New International Version (NIV)
2 Daniel said: “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me were the *four winds of heaven* churning up the great sea. 3 Four great beasts, each different from the others, came up out of the sea.
The four winds of heaven stirred up the sea to bring up the four beasts. Now, I mention this because the breaking of the first four seals releases the four winds of heaven. When the first four seals are opened, we sea a horse being released and sent to the earth, these four horses are actually the four winds of heaven.
Zechariah is given this revelation.
Zechariah 6:1-5 American Standard Version (ASV)
And again I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, there came four chariots out from between two mountains; and the mountains were mountains of brass.
2 In the first chariot were red horses; and in the second chariot black horses;
3 and in the third chariot white horses; and in the fourth chariot grizzled strong horses.
4 Then I answered and said unto the angel that talked with me, What are these, my lord?
5 And the angel answered and said unto me, These are the four winds of heaven, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth.
In Hebrew, the same word for wind is the same word for spirit. So you can call them the four winds or the four spirits of heaven.
Zechariah sees the four winds which had been sent forth by the Lord of all the Earth, but now John who now has a revelation that Jesus is the Lord of all the Earth, sees how Jesus actually sends the four winds from heaven to earth. Understanding this point about the four winds will help make things easier in the rest of the book of revelation.
The four Directions of the Four Horses
So the four horses are the black, the white, the red and the gray. These go in different directions. Zechariah was told which directions they go.
Zechariah 6:6 New International Version (NIV)
6 The one with the black horses is going toward the north country, the one with the white horses toward the west, and the one with the dappled horses toward the south.”
So from this scripture we learn that the Black horse is the NORTH WIND, The White horse is the WEST WIND, the dappled-gray horse is the SOUTH WIND an therefore the Red horse is the EAST WIND.
The four winds and the Four Living Creatures
As you go through the first four seals, you realize that each of the four horses is commanded by a corresponding living creature. So each of the four living creatures corresponds to each of the four winds.
Here are the four living creatures.
*Revelation 4:6-7 New International Version (NIV)*
6 Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back.
7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle.
So when Jesus opens the first four seals you realize that The First Living creature which is like a LION commands the WHITE horse which is the WEST WIND.
The second living creature like an OX commands the RED horse which is the EAST WIND.
The Third living creature is like a MAN and commands the BLACK horse which is NORTH WIND.
The Fourth Living Creature is like a flying Eagle and commands the PALE horse which is THE SOUTH WIND.
As you can see that all these things are connected and all the answers are given already in the Bible. We don’t need to guess. These four living creatures are also seen by Ezekiel and Isaiah, but I shall not get into that for now.
The Four winds and the Four Spirits of God
As I said before, the Hebrew word for wind, is the same as the Hebrew word for spirit. So some version will say the four winds, but others will say the four spirits. Now for us to understand what is happening in the first four seals, we have to understand the fullness of the meaning of the four horses. The Seven Spirits of God are grouped into four divisions which can be seen as the four winds or spirits of God.
Look at this scripture.
Isaiah 11:2 New International Version (NIV)
2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of might,
the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—
`SO you see there are seven workings of the spirit, grouped into four. The word spirit there, can also equally be translated wind.
The Four Winds and the Four-fold Ministry of the Holy Spirit in the Church
The Lord Jesus left us four ministries by which the Holy Spirit operates in the church.
Ephesians 4:11 New International Version (NIV)
11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers,
According to my understanding
The Apostles = the Spirit of the Lord = The face of a man
The Prophets = The Spirit of Counsel and Might = The Face of an Eagle
The Evangelists = The Knowledge and Fear of the Lord = The face of a Lion
The Pastors and Teachers = Wisdom and Understanding = The face of an Ox
The Man has dominion which is Apostolic, The eagle has sight which is prophetic, The lion conquers the wild which is evangelism, the Ox is the tamed animal which is pastoral.
Now let’s get into the actual interpretation
The Jesus Interpretation
The Interpretation of the seven seals is already found in the Bible. It was actually given by Jesus himself. It is fitting that the very person who opened the seal is the very person who interpreted them. The interpretation of the seven seals is found in Mathew 24 and Luke 21. Before proceeding, make sure you are familiar with those chapters.
Matthew 24:3 New International Version (NIV)
3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
In Mathew 24 and Luke 21 Jesus outlines a series of events that lead to his coming. This series of events actually perfectly aligns with the seven seals. As we go through them, you will actually be pleasantly surprised.
Jesus gives the list of events in this way: Please read this.
Matthew 24:5-9 New King James Version (NKJV)
5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.
6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for [a]all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake.
29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
31 And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
Okay so let me break it down. As Jesus is giving the list of events leading to his coming and to the end of the age, he is actually revealing the seven seals. Let me break down the events against the seals so that when we start looking into each seal, it will be so clear.
Jesus Interpretation against the seals
First Seal
Mat24:5: Many will come in my name and shall deceive many
Second Seal
Mat 24:6-7, there will be wars and roumers of wars, nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom
Third Seal
Mat 24:7 There will be famines
Fourth Seal
Mat 24:7-8 Pestilences, Earthquakes and Sorrows
Fifth Seal
Mat 24:9 Tribulation of the Church saints
Sixth Seal
Mat 24:29-51 Coming of the son of Man (Sun darkened, moon like blood, stars fall, heavens shaken)
Seventh Seal
Mathew 25: Preparing For A time of God’s wrath
Those are the seven seals revealed in the book of Mathew. Now let’s get into the book of Revelation and see how it all fits. We shall do that in Part 3
