Prophecy 6

The Six Seals –
Revelation 4:1-6:17

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Revelation 4:8

And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.{8} Each of the four living creatures had six wings – a total of twenty-four wings. This large number of wings indicates instantaneous flight. The Holy Spirit is instantly everywhere or anywhere He wants to be. The four living creatures were covered with eyes, even under their wings. He never stops saying: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was present before anything existed, who lives today and who will eternally exist.”

The eyes covering the four living creatures represent a prerogative that belongs only to deity. The Holy Spirit is omniscient. He sees and comprehends everything occurring in God’s vast universe. He can read the minds and thoughts of created beings and He can read the mind and thoughts of the Father because He is a member of the Godhead. Generally speaking, the Holy Spirit serves as a divine conduit. Information flows instantaneously between God’s children and the Godhead through the Holy Spirit.[12] He also serves as an infallible reporter to the Father and the Son. He instantly sees and understands the state and condition of every being in the universe and He relays this information to them.[13] The Holy Spirit observes every sparrow that falls on Earth and instantly reports it to the Father. On the other hand, the Holy Spirit is an infallible messenger sent from the Father to all of His children. The Holy Spirit relays blessings and gifts of grace, courage, strength, wisdom, and truth as the Father determines. The Holy Spirit does not speak to God’s subjects from His own wisdom. He speaks only what He hears from the throne of the Father.[14]Day and night, the Holy Spirit constantly brings glory and honor to the Father because He loves and worships (submits to) the Father as Jesus submits to the will of the Father.[15]

It is impossible for humans to understand how the Holy Spirit can be in innumerable places at the same time. It is also impossible to understand how He can see everything going on in the universe at the same instant. The Holy Spirit is the only member of the Godhead who exercises the power of omnipresence. This explains why rejecting the Holy Spirit is the only sin that is an unpardonable sin.[16] He is the only means through which angels and human beings can connect with the Father and the Son. The Holy Spirit brings truth, peace, and joy to every willing soul and in turn, He presents our petitions and prayers to the Father with expressions that we cannot understand.[17] The Holy Spirit enables the Father and the Son to be in constant touch with their children wherever they are. As a member of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit understands the mind and thoughts of the Father. Therefore, His greatest joy is to lead God’s subjects into endless discoveries about God’s truth and love. The Holy Spirit wants everyone in the universe to appreciate and radiate God’s love and character. The members of the Godhead love each other more deeply than we can possibly understand and the Holy Spirit never stops giving glory and honor to the Father and the Son.[18]

Revelation 4:9-11

And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.{9} The Father does incredible things throughout His expanding universe every day. Whenever the Holy Spirit reports another one of the Father’s wonderful acts,
{10} the twenty-four elders fall down before the Father, amazed and humbled by His infinite goodness. The elders remove their golden crowns and prostrate themselves on their faces before the Father saying,
{11} “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things and only through your sustaining power do they exist.”

Revelation 5:1

And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.{1} While I was studying the four living creatures, there was a transition in the temple. The thrones of the twenty-four elders were rearranged for a special convocation.[19] A trumpet blast sounded and a hush fell over the vast assembly. One of the seven angels who stand before God spoke in a loud voice. He called a meeting to order. Billions of angels stood reverently as the Ancient of Days took His seat. The host was seated and the meeting began.[20] I was nearly blinded by the dazzling presence of the Father. I could barely see His right hand extending out of incredible glory. In his hand was a book sealed with seven seals.

The book sealed with seven seals is also called “The Lamb’s Book of Life.”[21] The Father wrote this book before the creation of the universe, even before the angels were created. The book is sealed with seven seals because the Father does not want anyone to see what He has written until the appropriate time arrives. The Book of Life has been securely stored ever since it was written. Everyone in Heaven knows about the existence of this book, but no one knows the details that are written in it.

The Book of Life contains a complete history of life. Everyone (angels and human beings) involved in the drama of sin is included – past, present, and future. Using His perfect foreknowledge, the Father wrote the book and sealed it for at least two reasons applicable to this study. First, at the appointed time, the contents of this book will be revealed to everyone who has ever lived. The Father wants to prove to the universe that even though He has perfect foreknowledge, He loves everyone without reservation. He will not use His foreknowledge to manipulate His subjects or protect Himself from sin and rebellion. In other words, the Father will prove that even though He foreknew the enormous cost of sin, even though He foreknew that Lucifer would become His greatest adversary and cause great harm in His house, He created and loved him anyway. The Father also used this same foreknowledge and love on Adam and Eve and their descendants.

The Father does not deal with His children on the basis of His foreknowledge. Instead, He deals with us on the basis of His love. Even though He knows every future decision that every being will make, He allows each being to exercise his power of choice. He will not force anyone into performing any action for personal advantage. The Father sealed up the book because, at the appointed time, He wants the universe to see that His foreknowledge does not affect or alter His love for His subjects. He respects the free will of His children to the point that He would rather die than violate our will.

The Father had a second reason for writing The Book of Life. At the appointed time, He will prove to the universe that one of Heaven’s most intriguing laws is righteous and it is thoughtfully based on infinite love and wisdom.

The Bible indicates that Bible writers knew about the existence of the book which the Father had written,[22] but again, only the Father knows the details written in it. The Son and the Holy Spirit do not know what is in the book.[23] The Godhead planned it this way because if the Son and the Holy Spirit knew what was written in The Book of Life, the Godhead could be accused of conspiracy once the book is opened. To keep the charge of conspiracy from having any validity, special angels have recorded the history of sin’s drama in real time, that is, as life transpires. Recording angels chronicle every thought, word, and action. Their record books are used to judge mankind[24] because the contents of The Book of Life are not exposed until sin’s drama is completed. At the end of the 1,000 years, the seventh seal will be broken and everyone will see that the Books of Record (made by angels) are identical with The Book of Life.

Because the Books of Record were recorded in real time and a record of each person’s choices is faithfully recorded, there can be no charge that the Godhead conspired to save some people and destroy others. Actually, just the opposite will prove true. The Books of Record will prove that each child of God freely made his or her choices. The record will clearly prove that He loved everyone the same regardless of their choices and their eternal destiny!

Revelation 5:2

And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?{2} The angel who called the meeting to order spoke in a loud voice. “Who is worthy to break the seven seals and open The Book of Life?

This question has no introduction or explanation. Suddenly, John learns that the Father is looking for someone who is worthy to break open the seven seals and expose the contents of The Book of Life. Although the qualifications necessary to break open the seals are not stated at this point, this announcement does indicate that the time has come to begin breaking open the seven seals. We will learn later in this study that the seven seals contain seven secrets about the Lamb. These secrets are revealed as each seal is broken. Therefore, whoever exposes these seven secrets must meet certain qualifications to insure that the seven secrets are properly revealed and understood.

Revelation 5:3

And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.{3} Curiosity settled like a cloud over the vast assembly. Everyone was focused on the book sealed with seven seals. The angels knew this was an unusual meeting and certainly not a routine question or offer. As I watched the process, no one in Heaven, on Earth or even under the Earth (that is, among the dead), was found worthy to open The Book of Life and look inside it.

The question of worthiness is paramount to breaking the seals because each broken seal launches a new campaign on Earth. When He wrote the book, the Father predetermined that seven campaigns would be necessary to explain who Jesus really is and all that He represents. This exposure is necessary because Jesus, the Creator, so closely identifies with His creation that no one can tell who He really is unless there is a revelation. The Father wants the universe to know that Jesus, in substance, is His equal. The Father wants everyone to know that man’s redeemer is a co-eternal, Almighty member of the Godhead just like Himself. Even though they are distinct and separate beings, they are like twins, having no difference in substance, powers, or prerogatives. The seven campaigns will be completed when the seventh seal is broken at the end of the 1,000 years. Then, the revelation of Jesus Christ will be completed at the end of sin’s drama. Everyone will then know His full identity. After everyone knows who He is, Jesus will do an amazing thing:

“Then the end will come, when he [Jesus] hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For he ‘has put everything under his feet.’ Now when it says that ‘everything’ has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.”[25]

When The Book of Life is opened and the information inside is exposed, the Father will be exonerated. Lucifer’s lies and sophisticated logic will be proven false and no argument can be made against God’s love for His creation. John did not know at the beginning of this vision what the seven seals represented, but he evidently understood that the contents of the book had to do with freeing the Father from a cloud of doubts and suspicions. This is why he wept when no one was found worthy to break the seven seals. What is more grievous and heartbreaking than to see someone you love falsely accused?

God has given His children reasoning powers and the Father is looking forward to a day when everyone in His universe will understand the foundations and operation of His government. When the contents of His book are revealed, everyone in the universe will know that God is love. The Father does not require submission because He is Almighty God. Instead, the Father wants everyone to understand that He is the “servant leader” of the universe. He has every divine power necessary to provide for the welfare of His children and there is no better way through the corridors of eternity than trusting in His infinite wisdom. The Father wants His children to know that He does not use divine power to manipulate His children, instead He uses His divine power to ensure that the laws of love will be forever exalted and enforced. God is called a God of love because His actions are always consistent with love. God is called Almighty God because He insures that nothing will overrule the two laws of love that govern the universe (love God first and your neighbor as yourself). His actions are in perfect harmony with the laws of love because He never steps outside the laws of love!

The Father is a cheerful giver and He loves a cheerful giver.[26] He will accept nothing less than a cheerful decision to trust Him, love Him, and obey Him. Even though He is Almighty God and has incredible powers, He will prove at the appointed time that He has not and will not ever use these powers to control the choices of His children.

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