An Adult Sunday School Class On The Revelation to John, Courtesy of Trinity Episcopal Church, Hattiesburg, Mississippi

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The Book of Revelation Session 3:
The Seven Seals (Rev 4:1 - 8:5)
March 18, 2007

Session 1

Session 2

Session 3

Session 4

Session 5

Session 6

Session 7

    On a technical note, each class session will be accompanied by visual aids (slide projections). At Trinity Episcopal Church, these will be projected from a computer using a digital projector. For the on-line sessions, the same slide shows will be linked to the individual lessons. Periodically in the text there will be a button like this one: . If you left click on the button you will be taken to the pertinent slide show for that lesson. You can look at the slide(s), and then use the "Back" button on your browser to bring you back to this page. Try it now on the slide show button above. Also a printable handout is avalable in pdf format that you can read with Adobe Acrobat Reader™.

Themes in this Section of Revelation (Slides 1-3; )

Numerology in the Book of Revelation (Slides 4-5; )

The use of numbers is significant in Revelation. In this section we will encounter the symbolic use of several digits. The principal numbers used in the book and their symbolism are:

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Vision of God's Throne in Heaven (4:1-11) (Slides 7-11; )

John is transported to heaven and describes the heavenly court (this is similar to Ezekiel 1).

Setting: John describes going up to heaven at Jesus' invitation (the trumpet-like voice) and seeing God's throne there. It is in a throne room apparently sitting on top of the firmament. Remember that the cosmic structure of the Hebrew universe involved a separation of the blue-colored heavens from the earth by a dome. The sky was blue because they imagined it to be water which was kept in place by the dome. The "sea of glass like a crystal" is how this appeared to John from the top (heaven) side.

God (the "one") sat on the throne. God is life (the emerald green halo is the eternal symbol of life).

Around God are 24 elders (12 apostles plus 12 patriarchs).

Around the throne are 4 living, winged, multi-eyed creatures (lion, calf, human-like, eagle-like) giving praise to God. These refer to the earth and all living things, indicating that the earth and all of life is subject to God. The symbols for the four Gospels were derived from these depictions:

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Vision of the Divine Scroll and the Lamb (5:1-14) (Slides 12-15; )

Chapter 5 has been termed the pivotal chapter, for it is here that the soteriological significance of Jesus is portrayed as the messiah. Indeed, it is probably more accurate to say that the lamb is a messiah named Jesus rather than the other way around.

Jesus, the Christ, is the lamb who will reveal the prophecy by opening the sealed scrolls. The lamb emerges from the center of the throne being related to the throne, to God, to the elders, to the creatures. This puts Jesus in the "middle." Jesus is the critical victim who turned the world upside down, shown now to have been in the right:

"You are worthy to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
for you were slaughtered and by your blood you ransomed for God
saints from every tribe and language and people and nation;
you have made them to be a kingdom and priests serving our God,
and they will reign on earth."  (5:9-10)

The lamb's slaughter is the redemptive (soteriological) act in the history of all time. The one who was dead, and is now alive, will bridge the gap between heaven and earth, between fallen humankind and God. Note that the sovereignty that Jesus/messiah holds comes to him by his costly witness (willingness to die).

Summary:  The lamb who was slaughtered is vindicated. The violence of humankind is put in its place by the elevation of the victim. (Slide 16; )

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The Opening of the Seals (6:1-17) (Slide 17; )

The worthy messiah opens the six of the seven seals and that provokes a response from the four horsemen of the apocalypse who bring conquest, war, famine, and death (note what was said about John's view in the Class Introduction). The opening of the seals is what reveals the prophecy itself, and sets into motion what is described in the scroll.  John is telling us that his people can expect conquest, war, famine, and death while awaiting final redemption.

The first four seals (see also Zech 1:8; 6:1-3 for inspiration) (Slides 18-21; ):

The Fifth Seal: (Slides 23-24; )

John sees those people who have lost their lives for the Gospel (the saints). They are under the altar. This probably refers to the altar of the Temple in Jerusalem (now destroyed). Chapman believes verse 5:9 influenced the practice of putting relics of saints into church altars.

Note that the saints cry out "How long will it be before the end?" (The answer is in 11:2, but it is an ambiguous one).

The Sixth Seal: (Slides 25-27; )

The day of the wrath of the Lamb dawns with earthquakes, a blackened sun (eclipse ?), blood-red moon, and falling stars. This is similar to the language of other prophets [e.g., Jer 10:22, Eze 32:7, 39:19, Joel 2:10; Isa 13:10, 16:20, 20:11, 34:4].

The blood red moon deserves special mention because it is first encountered in the NT in Luke and Matthew (Mt 24:29; Lk 21:25; Acts 2:20).

The 'falling stars' refer to the churches (discussed in Class 1), that might lose their exalted positions in the hands of the Son of Man. The least prosperous churches (Smyrna and Philadelphia) that are signaled out for commendation, and the most distinguished churches (Sardis and Laodicea) are dead or lukewarm (see Class 1).

Summary:  We, as readers, are caught up in the middle of the penultimate eschatological drama. At this point in John's book, all we can do is watch to see what comes next. We are called, however, to wait and watch with faithful, steadfast witness. (Slide 28;)

Psychologically, Revelation offers us a glimpse into the healing power that comes from acknowledging our the kind of self-righteousness and vindication that comes from rejoicing "when we see vengeance done; [we] will bathe [our] feet in the blood of the wicked" (Ps 58:10). We sometimes feel such things, and Revelation gives us the permission to acknowledge those feelings rather than let them fester until they do real violent damage to our neighbors. This is one of the risks of the Jungian hero archetype who destroys evil out of a sense of righteous indignation. (Slides 29-30; )

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The Fate of Those Sealed; The Great Multitude (Nations) (7:1-17) Slide 31; )

The "seal" motif continues. In the preceding work, the opening of the seals meant the beginning of the judgment of God and the wrath of the Lamb. But in this section we read of hope for those sealed with God's name and who have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb. (Note the contrast between being marked as God's and wearing the mark of the beast - see 13:17, 14:9, and 14:1).

The 144,000 Jews (Slides 32-33; )

Just before the final action, John holds up the action by placing an angel at the four corners of the earth to hold back the winds. This allows time for the servants of God to be marked as God's own. Note that John hears that 144,000 will be marked from the 12 tribes (see 7:5-8).

Remember that the spiritual Israel refers to the church. Chapman argues that "the symbolism of 144,000 is that every single one of God's people who dies for his or her faith from every place on earth will be preserved and brought before God in heaven" (Chapman, 56).

Other commentators see the 144,000 strictly referring to Jews, and the multitude (below) referring to non-Jews.

The Multitude (Slides 34-35; )

John sees a great multitude, clothed in white who have washed their robes in the blood of the lamb, standing before the throne. They are not sealed as were the 144,000. They hold palm branches and sing of God's salvation. Note that they worship God alone – no mention is made of the Lamb. Christopher Rowland writes about the multitude:

The multitude witnessing "against the beast, refusing to compromise, and espousing the way of the Lamb, inside or outside the church, mean inclusion in that great multitude. 'All Saints' means that. The great multitude includes many who never named the name of 'Jesus' but who lived lives that continued in the way of the Lamb: 'Not everyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord," will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven' (MT 7:21)." [1]

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The Seventh Seal (8:1-8:5) (Slide 36; )

When the seventh seal was opened, there was silence in heaven (no praises, no singing). We are reminded to be still and know that God is God. The use of silence in John's narrative may be from 4 Ezra 7:30-31

Seven angels are given seven trumpets, but do not yet blow them. An eighth angel adds incense to the prayers of the saints, making all the prayers pleasing to God.

The angel takes fire from the heavenly altar and casts it toward the earth. This begins a series of downward movements that will link heaven and earth in a chaotic and destructive way.

Next week we shall see the beginning of the end ... (Slide 37; )

The Art of Revelation

A beautiful collection of art by Pat Marvenko Smith inspired by the Book of Revelation can be found on line at http://www.revelationillustrated.com. Her work is for sale and can be ordered on line.

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