Page 115 - Eschatology - Masters revised

“You are worthy to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
because you were slain,
and with your blood you purchased for God
persons from every tribe and language and people and nation…
Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and praise!” (verses 9 and 12).

Amid the worship due to Him, the Lamb begins to open the seals (Revelation 6:1). With each seal
opened, the scroll is able to be unrolled a little more, revealing bit by bit the judgments God has in store
during the tribulation period. The first four of the seven seals release what are known as the Four
Horsemen of the Apocalypse, because the judgments appear symbolically as a horse and rider bringing
devastation in their wake.

The first seal. The first seal introduces the
Antichrist (Revelation 6:1–2). From the biblical
description, we gather several details: he rides a
white horse, which speaks of peace; at the
beginning of the tribulation, the Antichrist will
come under the pretense of bringing peace to the
world (cf. Daniel 9:27). He is given a crown, which
indicates that the Antichrist will exercise great
authority (cf. Daniel 7:24–25). He holds a bow,
which shows his true intentions, and he advances
“as a conqueror bent on conquest” (Revelation
6:2).

113