The Book of Revelation has been a book hard to understand, with all of its symbolism, especially in regards to future events. The revelation given to John, however, is much clearer if we look at it in relationship to the future roles of Jesus Christ.
The Jews were expecting a Messiah that would save them from their enemies. Hence, many did not recognize Jesus Christ as the promised Messiah, when he preached such doctrines as “love thy enemy…do good to those who hate you…forgive seventy times seventy,” and rode on a lowly donkey during His triumphal entry into Jerusalem.
When Christ returns again to the earth, however, He will, come as the all-powerful Messiah the Jews have been anticipating for many generations. He will be coming, not on a lowly donkey, but as the Conquering Warrior King, in full regalia upon a white horse, followed by the armies of heaven. [Revelation 19:11-16] The book of Revelation also reveals Christ’s role as the Righteous Judge of the nations and as the Avenger of innocent blood that has been spilt by the wicked from the beginning.
Richard D. Draper, author of the book, The Opening of the Seven Seals, wrote, “The first chapter of Revelation, indeed the first sentence, introduces the theme of the entire vision. It is the revelation of Jesus Christ. But the genitive form of the Greek verb can be taken two ways: either as the revelation the Lord gives, or as the revelation that unveils him. The first interpretation emphasizes the purpose of the vision, the second emphasizes the importance, the work, and the role of the Savior….that is, the revelation proclaims the mission, ministry, and importance of the Lord and Savior.” [pg. 25]
This article focuses on the roles and mission of the Savior at His second coming as revealed to John. John first sees Jesus Christ in a vision, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt with a golden girdle standing in the midst of seven candlesticks. “His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; and his feet like unto fine brass…and his voice as the sound of many waters…and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.” [Revelation 1:13-16] In the Lord’s hand were seven stars, which John explains as the angels/servants of the seven churches and the candlesticks as the seven churches. Seven is symbolic of complete/perfection and I believe the seven stars and churches represent the leaders and membership of Christ’s church, not only in John’s time period, but throughout the dispensations where the Gospel has been on the earth.
Christ then gives this introduction of Himself, “I am the first and the last; I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive forevermore…and have the keys of hell and of death.” [Revelations 1:17-18] In chapters two and three, John is instructed to write to the servants of the seven churches. Each epistle begins with “These things saith” and then there is a small portion of the description of the Lord as seen in John’s vision. For example, to the church in Thyatira, the epistles says, “These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass“. [Revelation 2:18] The church at Laodicea received additional information. The epistle reads, “These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God“. [Rev. 3:14] Each church receives admonition and a blessing. It is noteworthy that the blessings of the seven churches have temple imagery. Paul has said that we, the church, make up the body of Christ, each with different roles or parts. [1 Corinthians 12:27] With that in mind, it makes sense to have different aspects of Christ introduced to each of the seven churches.
John was then shown a book that contained seven seals that only the “Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes” had the power to open the book. It was because of His atoning sacrifice, that Jesus Christ had the power to open the book, and to assume the right, powers, and role of the Avenging Warrior King and Righteous Judge who will rule the nations with a rod of iron, [Rev. 19:15] instead of simply opening a time frame of history.
The number seven and the horns represent perfect power, thus showing Christ’s omnipotence and the seven eyes represent His omnipresence. Thus, it makes sense to have each of the seven seals represent the perfect, the powerful, and the omnipotent Christ.
The First Seal [Rev. 6:1-2]
The vision opens with a rider upon a white horse, carrying a bow and wearing a crown and he went forth conquering. I believe this is representative of Jesus Christ as the Conquering Warrior King. Further in the revelation, John records, “And I saw heaven opened, and beheld a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns…” [Rev. 19:12] Evil has been permitted to wreak havoc, ruin and misery from the beginning, but at the last day, Jesus Christ will no longer permit the “Prince of Darkness” to exercise his powers over the children of men. The wicked and wickedness will be destroyed and Satan and his evil army will be bound. It is very fitting that the first seal opened with Christ as the Conquering Warrior King, with the white horse representing the purity of Christ and the rider is crowned, representing Christ as the King of Kings.
The Second Seal [Rev. 6:3-4]
In this seal, John was shown a red horse and “power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.” Jesus said, “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.” [Matthew 10:34-35] The sword of Christ has been equated with truth. It is the truth that Satan, “the father of all lies” fights against. [2 Nephi 2:18] The battle between truth and deception has waged a long war and continues to do so.
Further in the vision, John saw that the Conquering Warrior King, “was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood” [Rev. 19:13]. Likewise Joseph Smith saw, “And the Lord shall be red in his apparel, and his garments like him that treadeth in the wine-vat“. [Doc. & Cov. 133:48] Jesus, like the horse, will be red in His apparel at the second coming.
Jesus bled from every pore in Gethsemane, and was also flogged and crucified. His garments were stained with his blood as He paid the price for mankind’s sins. Perhaps he will wear the garments that testify of His atonement at His coming.
The Third Seal [Rev. 6:5-6]
In this seal, John was shown a black horse and the rider had a pair of balances in his hand and said, “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.” This rider could be symbolic of Jesus Christ as the Righteous Judge. It is interesting that our judges wear black robes. In Psalms 67:4, David declares that Christ “shalt judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon earth.” Paul testified that “we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.” [Romans 14:10] Mormon likewise testified, “And for this cause I write unto you, that ye may know that ye must all stand before the judgment seat of Christ, yea, every soul who belongs to the whole human family of Adam; and ye must stand to be judged of your works, whether they be good or evil.” [Mormon 3:20]
The wheat and barley that were measured out equaled about a quart for the wheat and three quarts for the barley. The price was a penny, which was a man’s daily wages at John’s time period. A day’s wages for a quart of wheat would have been indicative of a famine where the prices were greatly inflated. Some biblical scholars think that this fourth period represented a famine, however, I think it represents those who are the “harvest” of Christ. The Lord has used wheat as a metaphor for the righteous. In the parable of the sower, the tares were allowed to grow among the wheat until the harvest. [Matthew 13:24-30] At the harvest, the tares were gathered and bound in bundles, ready to be burned. The amount or ratio of grain that was harvested was not mentioned, however, Jesus said, “Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, few there be that find it.“ [Matthew 7:14]
Perhaps the tithe, representative of the Lord’s portion, is indicative of the “harvest of good wheat.“ Hence the scripture that says, “He that is tithed shall not be burned at his coming“. [Doc. & Cov. 64:23] refers to the righteous who really are the Lord’s portion. Simply paying tithing as “fire insurance” does not guarantee worthiness. The quart of wheat could represent those who are of Celestial quality, and the three quarts of barley could be those of Terrestrial.
Wine and oil were an integral part of the Old Testament sacrifices as well as an important staple of ancient Israel’s diet. The oil and wine are symbolic of the healing powers of the Lord’s Spirit and His atoning blood. In the parable of the Good Samaritan, the Samaritan [representative of Christ] heals with oil and wine. The Lord has taught his disciples to anoint with oil in their healing blessings. “And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them.” [Mark 6:13] Jesus used wine to represent His atoning blood.
The Fourth Seal [Rev. 6:7-8]
In this seal, John was shown a pale horse and the rider’s name was Death and hell followed him. Christ declared that He held the keys of death and hell early in the revelation. John also saw that “the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse…and the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet and …were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse…and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.” [Rev. 19: 19-21] This rider can also represent Christ, as He destroys the wicked and they are cast into hell. “Yea, they are grasped with death, and hell; and death, and hell, and the devil, and all that have been seized therewith must stand before the throne of God, and be judged according to their works, from whence they must go into the place prepared for them, even a lake of fire and brimstone, which is endless torment.” [2 Nephi 28:23]
The Fifth Seal [6:9-11]
In this seal, John was shown the souls of “them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice saying, How long, O lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?” [vs. 9-10] The righteous from Abel to the present day, have been slain by the wicked and their blood cries from the ground. Luke records, “Shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily.” [Luke 18:7]
Christ said that He would come “in the last days, in the days of wickedness and vengeance” [Moses 7:60]. The vengeance is Christ’s upon the wicked. “Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate; and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light; the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. And I will punish the world for evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay down the haughtiness of the terrible.” [2 Nephi 23:9-11]
Isaiah wrote, “…and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloke. According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, fury to his adversaries, recompence to his enemies; to the islands he will repay recompence.” [Isaiah 59:17-18]
The Sixth Seal [Rev. 6:12-7:17]
When this seal opened, John was shown a great earthquake, the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood and the stars of heaven fell unto the earth. [Rev. 6:12] This is the great sign of the coming of the Lord. The wicked shall say to the mountains, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb.” [vs. 16]
The Lord has been “long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” [Peter 3:9-10] The Lord has extended His “voice of mercy all the day long“, and would have saved us with an everlasting salvation, but we would not! The Lord says, “Behold, the day has come, when the cup of the wrath of mine indignation is full.” [Doc. & Cov. 43:25-26] That day of justice has come.
Then, as an interlude, John saw that the righteous from all the tribes of Israel [Why Dan is not mentioned, is not known] were sealed against the destruction and he also saw “a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues…which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” [Revelations 7:9, 14]
Enoch saw that the righteous would be gathered upon the face of the earth. He recorded, “And righteousness will I send down out of heaven; and truth will I send forth out of the earth, to bear testimony of mine Only Begotten…and righteousness and truth will I cause to sweep the earth as with a flood, to gather out mine elect from the four quarters of the earth, unto a place which I shall prepare, a Holy City, that my people may gird up their loins and be looking forth for the time of my coming…” [Moses 7:62]
The Seventh Seal [Rev. 8 – 9:21]
The seventh seal opens with silence. Prior to the Lord’s visit, the Nephites/Lamanites experienced three days of darkness. In the darkness, they heard the voice of the Lord explaining why He destroyed their cities. Their response was silence. “And now behold, it came to pass that all the people of the land did hear these sayings, and did witness of it. And after these sayings, there was silence in the land for the space of many hours; For so great was the astonishment of the people that they did cease lamenting and howling for the loss of their kindred which had been slain; therefore there was silence in all the land for the space of many hours.” [3 Nephi 10:1-2]
The sixth seal had opened with great destructions. Perhaps the Lord will, as He did with the Nephites, explain the reason for the destruction and the heavens will mourn in silence and the world will be stunned into silence.
Joseph Smith recorded that after the silence, the face of the Lord shall be unveiled. [Doc. & Cov. 88:94-95] John then sees seven angels which stood before God with seven trumpets. Then another angel, having a censer full of incense, along with the prayers of the Saints, places it on the altar before the throne of God and the smoke ascended up before God. It seems like those prayers will be avenged, according to the rest of chapter eight in Revelations and all of chapter nine.
The seven angels sound and 1/3 of things and men are destroyed in Revelations chapter eight. One-third of the hosts of heaven were cast out during the war in heaven. Perhaps 1/3 is a symbolic fraction, representing the wicked. Note that the tabernacle/temple commanded by the Lord contained three areas–the Holy of Holies, the Holy Place and the outer courtyard, symbolic of the Celestial, Terrestrial and Telestial Kingdoms. Even though animal sacrifice was performed in the outer courtyard, it was not sacred space like the inner sanctum of the temple. Perhaps the 1/3 is symbolic of the “outer” third or the ones who are cast out and cannot dwell with the righteous during the Millennium. These are those who will have the “animal” in them destroyed as they suffer for their sins during the Millennium before they can inherit the Telestial Kingdom.
Chapter nine describes some fierce looking locusts that have power to torment the wicked five months. They come from the “bottomless pit” and because of their torment, the wicked shall desire to die and seek death, but “death shall flee from them.” [Rev. 9:6] It seems like John is seeing the torment of the damned souls by the hosts of Satan, seeing that they come from the “bottomless pit”. In the parable of the servant who owed the Lord ten thousand talents, in which the Lord forgave, and then turns around and does not forgive someone who owes him a hundred pence, Jesus made this comment; “O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desirest me: Shouldest not thou also have compassion on they fellow servant, even as I had pity on thee? And his Lord was wroth and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.” [Matthew 18:32-34] Alma the younger described his three day visit to hell. “I was racked with eternal torment, for my soul was harrowed up to the greatest degree and racked with all my sins….Oh, thought I, that I could be banished and become extinct, both soul and body…for three days and for three nights was I racked, even with the pains of a damned soul.” [Alma 36:12-16] The number five has been symbolic of “the law” and because the wicked have willfully rebelled against the law, I believe the five months of torture, is symbolic.
Even at the end of the torture, John records that there were those who would not repent of their murders, thefts, fornications, worship of devils and idols of gold and silver. Perhaps these are the sons of perdition who simply will not repent.
It is not clear exactly when the seventh seal ends, whether it ends with chapter nine or continues through the rest of the Book of Revelation. In chapter ten, John is given a book to eat that was sweet to the taste, but bitter to the belly. It was his commission to prophesy again “before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.” [vs. 11] The Book of Revelation, written in many languages throughout the world, helps to fulfill John’s commission. The Book of Revelation testifies of the roles and missions of Jesus Christ at the last days.
