The seals (Ch. 6)

Chapter 6

The four horseman

After Jesus is shown as worthy to open the scroll there is first one important thig to do: To expose the one that claims the same - Satan.

Jesus exposes him in the first four seals. First he shows up as victorious and with great promises. But as Jesus forces him to show more, it turns into war and persecution, later to starving (of the poor) and finally to death and desctruction. These are the four horseman.

They are assembled based on the four plagues that God sends: wild animals, sword, hunger and the plague. They map directly the order of the horseman, while the first one represents the wild animals it already points to the link between Satan and the beast that show up later.

Satan has nothing to offer but empty promises. So he does the only thing he can do: He imitates Christ, but he is now exposed.

This picture of the trinity (here the forth horseman is just a summary of the oher three) continues in the book:

• In chapter 13 we see also a trinity with with the two beasts and Satan as the dragon in the background
• Also chapter 17 with the harlot and the beast (first beast of chapter 13) reflects this topic. Here Satan is even more hidden.

The souls under the altar

This results in the cry of the souls under the altar. Who are these? This is the church that is suffering on the exposure of Satan. They understood the nature ofthe beast and they live accordingly. They want that this stops and they get white robes because Jesus agrees, that they are righteous. But other have not understood it yet.

And this is the tension of the book: As longer it takes, as more people might understand it and decide to be with Jesus. But as longer it take to expose Satan as longer there is suffering of the righteous.

It’s over

But they time will come when its all over. Jesus comes and makes an end. This is not a fight forth and back but a very dramatic picture of how resolute Jesus ends this.

All the people on earth are scared of the wrath of the lamb. But it is left a bit open what is really the cause

• Their own consciousness about the unrigtheousness?
• Their fear of Jesus because he is so powerful
• Their reflection of the horseman as the false representation of Jesus and assuming that Jesus will deal with them as Satan did.