“Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof” (Revelation 5:9).

We now come to what is divinely stated to be the prophetic portion of the Apocalypse. As we consider in detail the symbolic occurrences seen by St. John in connection with the breaking of the seals, and their application and fulfillment in the history of the Church, let the reader bear well in mind what has already been observed concerning the significance of the sealed scroll, the writing within and on the outside, its opening, etc. Just as the seals of the scroll were broken in the vision one by one in successive order by the Lamb, so, of course, the occurrences were seen by St. John one after another. This seems plainly to teach that the events symbolized by these occurrences begin to meet their fulfillment at the beginning of the age and continue in successive order until the end. The breaking of six of the seals brings the history to the end of the age. The breaking of the seventh discloses visions that carry us back to the beginning of the age again.

As we are now permitted to look back over eighteen centuries since the Revelation was given to the Apostle — these long centuries disclosing events of tremendous importance to the Church — we surely should be able to see the fulfillment of the seals more clearly than those who lived in former times. We conclude, then, that the opening of the seals, the unfolding of the things contained therein, has progressed during the entire Gospel Age; that it has required all the present age and indeed will require all the next age to complete the Divine Plan — to fulfill everything symbolized by the sealed scroll; and that though the Lord Jesus was made aware of important features of the Divine Plan at his consecration at Jordan, as represented by what was written on the outside of the scroll, yet that which was symbolized by the writing on the inside was not revealed to him until after his resurrection. We are encouraged by the Master’s words wherein he assures us that as the Father revealed these things to him so he will reveal them unto us, his people. Realizing, then, that our Heavenly Father has hitherto counted us worthy to understand certain other features of His Plan, let us continue to be in that attitude of oneness with Him in which He will be pleased to grant us an understanding of the things contained in these wonderful visions.

The First Seal Opened

“And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living ones saying, as with a voice of thunder, ‘Come.’ And I saw, and behold! a white horse, and he who sat on him having a bow; and a crown was given to him; and he came out conquering, and that he might conquer” (Revelation 6:1,2).

Let it be noted first, that whatever connection the “living one” has with the vision, the invitation “Come,” (the words “and see” as in the Common Version not being in the original) is not addressed, as some have taught, to St. John, but rather to the horseman. Understanding that these “living ones” represent the attributes, qualities, or principles upon which the Divine throne or government rests, as also the operation of these in connection with the administration of the Divine government, their acting in this vision would signify that all the events now about to occur would be under the Divine administration and would display the Divine principles operating to the accomplishment of the Divine purpose, in the call, trial, and development of the Church.

The horse and his rider were not to St. John’s vision mere pictures on the scroll; they were the same to the Apostle as though a real living horseman appeared. The scene of the horseman’s action was the earth. In our study of symbolic prophecy we have already learned, from those portions which the Scriptures themselves interpret, that there are two rules to observe: first, we should study the symbol itself before we endeavor to understand its application or fulfillment; second, we should never look for the fulfillment of a symbol in the same phase of life as that from which the symbol is drawn. The only exception to this is where objects are used which from their very nature, nothing could be found to describe, as the Redeemer or the Deity. Where these appear and are clothed in symbols, they always refer to themselves.

Therefore, in seeking to understand the meaning of the vision, let us first study carefully the symbol and discover from what phase of life it is taken. Very evidently the horseman is a warrior, as seen from the “bow,” a common weapon of warfare at that time. This is also manifest from the fact that “he went forth conquering and to conquer.” The symbol, then, is drawn from military life in the Roman Empire, a phase of life with which St. John was very familiar. The fact that a crown was given to him indicates, first, that he was a victorious warrior; second, that he was not a rebel, but warred in the interest of his own rightful king or ruler; and, third, that he was rewarded for his successful service.

The symbol therefore is that of a Roman general or commander who goes forth making conquests in the interests of his own kingdom, bringing into subjection new peoples and provinces, causing them to become subjects of his kingdom. The symbol being taken from the military life of the Roman Empire, we inquire, In what phase of life shall we find its fulfillment? The answer is that there can be but one phase of life that Christians should look for the fulfillment of the symbol, and that is the religious phase. But what was there in the religious world that is similar to a warrior making conquests and bringing peoples to yield submission to his king? The reply is that the warrior upon the white horse is manifestly a representation of the true and faithful servants of Christ of the early Church, as in obedience to his command they went forth on their mission of proclaiming the pure Truth — the Word, causing eventually the overthrow of Pagan idolatry, and bringing many of its adherents to yield willing and glad submission to Christ, their King. It evidently has reference to the rapid spread of Gospel Truth in the first and second centuries during the “Ephesus” and the beginning of the “Smyrna” period. The horse represents truth or doctrine. The horse being “white” symbolizes purity — pure doctrines, and victory. The rider being crowned symbolizes success and reward. It will be well here to notice that in contrast to the horseman of the second seal, this one brought peace to his government. The significance of this will be noted as we consider the opening of the second seal.

The historian has not failed to record the rapid spread of Gospel Truth in the first and second centuries. The words of Origen, who lived 185 AD, in his reply to Celsus, describes the marvelous progress Christianity made at this time:

“Any one who examines the subject will see that Jesus attempted and success- fully accomplished works beyond the reach of human power. For although from the very beginning all things opposed the spread of his doctrine in the world, both the princes of the time, and their chief captains and generals, and all, to speak generally, who were possessed of the smallest influence, and in addition to these the rulers of the different cities, and the soldiers and the people, yet it proved victorious as being the Word of God, the nature of which is such that it cannot be hindered; and becoming more powerful than all its adversaries, it made itself master of the whole of Greece, and a considerable portion of barbarian lands, and converted a countless number of souls to his religion” (Origen Against Celsus).

Tertullian, another Christian writer of the same time, says:

“The outcry is, that the state is filled with Christians; that they are in the fields, in the citadels, in the islands; they, the pagans, make lamentation as for some calamity, that both sexes, every age and condition, even high rank, are passing over to the profession of the Christian faith” (Tertullian’s Apology).

The unbelieving historian, Gibbon, has said:

“While the Roman world was invaded by open violence, or undermined by slow decay, a pure and humble religion quietly insinuated itself into the minds of men; grew up in silence and obscurity; derived new vigor from opposition; and finally erected the triumphal banner of the Cross on the ruins of the Capital. Nor was the influence of Christianity confined to the period or to the limits of the Roman Empire. After a revolution of thirteen or fourteen centuries, that religion is still professed by the nations of Europe, the most distinguished portions of human kind in arts and learning, as well as in arms. It has been most widely diffused in the most distant shores of Asia and Africa; and by the means of Euro- pean Colonies has been firmly established from Canada to Chile, in a world unknown to the ancients” (Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire).

While we recognize the fact that this rapid spread of Christianity ultimately led to a decline in spirituality and developed into a world-wide formal profession, yet wherever it has gone, a few comparatively of the true followers of Christ have been found. In this manner has God’s purpose been accomplished in the gathering, the developing, the testing of the elect class. It must also be remembered that Christianity has exerted a powerful influence for good in holding up a standard of righteousness to the nations — an influence more or less enlightening them. In this wide-spread proclamation of the essential truths of Christianity, there was displayed on the part of Christ’s followers a recognition of the Divine kingly power symbolized by the first living one like a lion. Their trust in this Divine power gave them courage to go forth and conquer. Thus was the administration of the Divine government made manifest.

The Second Seal Opened

“And when he opened the second seal, I heard the second living one saying, ‘Come.’ And there came out another, a red horse; and to the one sitting on him was it given to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill each other; and there was given to him a great sword” (Revelation 6:3,4).

In examining this symbolic horseman, we discover from the great sword that was given him, that he, like the first, was a warrior; the only difference in this respect being that the great sword is suggestive of greater destructiveness than the bow. Like the first horseman he was an aggressive warrior. The result of this second warfare was that peace was taken from the earth. The significance of this is that he makes use of his “great sword” in the endeavor to overthrow the empire he ought to uphold, and thereby destroys the peace he should be striving to promote. This warrior is a usurper, and has turned his hand against his own government. Unlike the first warrior, his conquests were made for selfish ends, and he was not crowned. Civil war is here described.

This symbol, like the other, is drawn from military and political life in the Roman Empire. Familiarity with the history of the decline and fall of the Roman Empire will enable us to call to mind the long line of conspirators and usurpers that rapidly followed each other from the reign of Commodus, 183 AD to Diocletian, 284 AD. These conspirators and their conspiracies made the lives of the rulers insecure, and frequently resulted in strife, bloodshed, and disaster among the people. Of all conflicts among men, civil war is one of the most terrible and cruel in its effects.

Here then we have the symbol; where shall we look for its fulfillment? This also is found in the religious world. The agents symbolized by this horseman are false teachers who usurp the power of Christ. It is what the Savior called, “Nicolaitanism,” which early began to be established in the Church. It refers to the creation of the office of diocesan bishops, which came about in this way: It was the custom of the Lord’s consecrated in each city to meet together for convenience in different assemblies. Necessarily, there would be a bishop or elder (which in the Scriptures are synonymous titles) of each of these assemblies. All were elected by the assemblies, and served as elders or bishops of the congregations that elected them. Before the Second Century closed, disagreement and strife arose concerning the settlement of disputes, either of doctrine or church government. Councils were held, at which certain persons were appointed who were given jurisdiction over a certain number of churches, to whom everything of this kind was referred. These decisions were final. These persons to whom were given the name diocesan bishops after a little time used their offices as a means of carrying out their own selfish purposes, claiming of course that these were of God. It was the beginning of what finally in the early part of the Sixth Century (539 AD) culminated in the usurpation of power by the Bishop of Rome as head of all the churches over the world. This began about the middle of the Second Century and by the powers assumed and exercised by these so-called bishops, discord, strife, and divisions (instead of peace, concord, and unity) were introduced into the Church. We quote the historian:

“In this (second) century the polity of the Church was quietly organized. There was an organized fellowship among the members; bishops had become influential; not in society but among the Christians; dioceses and parishes were established; there was a distinction between city and rural bishops; delegates of churches assembled to discuss points of faith or suppress nascent heresies; the diocesan system was developed, and ecclesiastical centralization commenced; deacons began to be reckoned among the higher clergy; the weapons of excommunication were forged; missionary efforts were carried on; the festivals of the Church were created” (Old Roman World).

The color of the horse, red, denotes that the pure doctrines symbolized by the white horse, had become defiled; false, impure doctrines were substituted and thus peace — that spirit of faithful and harmonious cooperation — was taken away and a state of strife and contention, envy and jealousy among God’s professed people obtained. Thus would be required on the part of Christ’s true followers, the development and exercise of the Divine qualities of firmness, strength, stability, and patient endurance, symbolized by the second living one like an ox.

The Third Seal Opened

“And when he opened the third seal, I heard the third living one saying, ‘Come,’ and I saw, and behold! a black horse, and he who sat on him having a balance in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living ones saying, ‘A chenix of wheat for a denarius, and three chenices of barley for a denarius; and the oil and the wine thou must not injure’ ” (Revelation 6:5,6).

This symbol is that of a civil ruler exercising the authority of a judge as shown by the balance (scales) in his hand; also by the mention of the wheat, barley, oil, and wine, the thought being that he exercised power over these articles. It describes a class of Roman emperors who instituted a series of unjust and excessive taxations, thereby causing poverty and famine among their subjects. A chenix was a little over a quart; a denarius was a day’s wages for the average man. This would in ordinary times buy eight quarts of wheat, and a proportionate quantity of barley. This utterance implies great scarcity, indeed famine, want. This is the symbol.

The fulfillment reveals a still further decline in the professed Church, and evidently refers to those so-called teachers and bishops who, professing to be placed over the flock to feed it, robbed the flock of spirituality and that which supported spiritual life. Discontinuing to preach Christ and the Word, they substituted forms and ceremonies instead. There were introduced at this time into the Church, formal fastings, celibacy, and asceticism as a so-called means of sanctification. The development of these conditions was gradual throughout the Third Century, and has continued ever since in the Romish Church and in some others. We quote again from Lord’s Old Roman World:

“It was not till the Fourth Century — when imperial persecution had stopped; when Constantine [the Roman Emperor] was converted; when the church was allied with the state; when the early faith was itself corrupted; when superstition and vain philosophy had entered the ranks of the faithful; when bishops became courtiers; when churches became both rich and splendid … when monachists [monks] had established a false principle of virtue … that men of rank entered the Church. The Church was not only impregnated with the errors of Pagan philosophy, but it adopted many of the ceremonies of oriental worship. … Communion tables became imposing altars typical of Jewish sacrifices, and the relics of martyrs were preserved as sacred amulets. Monastic life also ripened into a grand system of penance and expiatory rites. Armies of monks retired to gloomy and isolated places, and abandoned themselves to rhapsodies and fastings and self expiation. They were a dismal and fanatical set of men overlooking the practical aims of life. The Emperor decided points of faith.”

Civil war, the symbol of the second seal, generally produces famine, that of the third; and herein we see the close connection between both the symbol and the fulfillment of the second and third seals.

If we are correct in our interpretation of the distinctive feature of the third living one — his having a “face like a man” — as denoting intelligence, wisdom, it would represent that these Divine qualities would need especially to be developed in the Lord’s followers and exercised in carrying forward the Divine purposes in this state of affairs in the professed Church. All the real vital truths of Christianity had at this time been counterfeited by Satanic influences to such an extent as to deceive nearly all of the professed Church, indeed, nearly the whole world. It would, therefore, be only the exercise of Divine wisdom on the part of Christ’s true followers that would enable them to perceive the condition of affairs, and to conduct themselves in harmony with the Divine purpose.

The Fourth Seal Opened

“And when he opened the fourth seal, I heard the fourth living one saying, ‘Come.’ And I saw, and behold! a pale horse, and one was sitting on him, whose name was death, and hades followed after him; and there was given to him authority over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with famine, and with death, and by the wild beasts of the earth” (Revelation 6:7,8).

In this symbolic horseman (personified as death) and his follower, hades (the state of death), we see a combination of the evils of the two preceding seals with the addition — to destroy with wild beasts. As showing that this is a symbolic picture we quote the masterly argument of another:

“It would require a very strong imagination to harmonize this statement with the commonly accepted view that hades is a place of torment of such immense size as to be capable of receiving and torturing the fifty thousand millions of the earth’s population. Nor could any one see the slightest consistency in using a symbol representing such a place of torment riding on horseback. But the reasonableness of the symbols, death and the state of death, destruction … stalking through the earth and sweeping off large proportions of the human family, is entirely consistent” (C. T. Russell).

This symbol is also drawn from the political life of the Roman Empire. It is that of a Roman emperor, who, like the second horseman, causes civil strife and war in the empire, and like the third, reduces his subjects to want and famine by excessive taxation. The significant addition to this is that he causes them to be killed by wild beasts in the arena. The fact that the horseman is personified as “death,” and that “hades” followed him, is designed to add to the force of his inhuman and unspeakable cruelty.

The fulfillment is, like the others, found in the religious world. It portrays the heading up of the Antichrist, the establishment of the great persecuting Papal hierarchy, which claimed and assumed to rule in the place of Christ on the earth. This system commanded and encouraged all the evils of the two preceding symbolic horsemen, namely the substitution of forms and ceremonies for the preaching of the Word of God — the introduction of formal fastings, celibacy, and asceticism (monasticism), as a so-called means of sanctification. This system also introduced many other idolatrous practices into the Church. That, however, which is particularly described in this symbolic horseman is his “killing with the beasts of the earth.” The beasts of the earth represent the governments of the divided Roman Empire. The meaning of the symbol is that the evil religious system, the Papacy, incited these governments, represented in their rulers, to persecute and to put to death, those Christians who refused to submit to its false teachings, its rule and authority. In the loosing of the seals Christ saw the gradual decline and fall of the Church, and the establishment of this wicked false system that had given to it power over the saints until a “time and times and the dividing of time” (Daniel 7:21,25, Revelation 13:1-8).

The doings of the fourth symbolic horseman reaches to 1799, when the “saints were delivered out of his hand” and his power to put to death ceased. He was given authority to kill with the “wild beasts of the earth.” History has for all time decided the meaning of this symbol. Mr. Russell has very ably summed up the account of the historian:

“The persecutions of the Christians under Pagan Rome were not worthy of comparison with those under Papal Rome, being less frequent, more limited in extent and much less severe. It is stated on the authority of the early Christians, that the majority of the Roman magistrates who exercised in the provinces the authority of the emperor, or of the senate, and in whose hands was the power of life and death, behaved like men of polished manners and liberal education, who respected the rules of justice. They frequently declined the odious task of persecution, dismissed charges against the Christians with contempt … or suggested to accused Christians some legal evasion. How different the persecutions of Papacy, which laid hold not only of prominent opposers but of all, and whose persecutions lasted not for a few months only, but incessantly! Kings and princes who trembled for the security of their crowns, if they to any extent incurred the Pope’s displeasure, and whose realms might be laid under a dreaded interdict, should they or their people refuse to render absolute obedience to the Pope’s commands, were sworn to exterminate heresy, and admonished to purify their provinces from heretical perversity, on the pain of having their dominions wrested from them; and those barons who neglected to aid in the work of persecution forfeited their estates. Kings and princes, therefore, were not tardy in their efforts to comply with the mandates of the Papacy as early as the year 630 AD the Council of Toledo compelled the King of Spain, on his accession to the throne, to swear to tolerate no heretical subjects in the Spanish dominions.

… The Council of Oxford in 1160 consigned a company of Waldenses, who had emigrated from Gascony to England, to the secular arm for punishment. Accordingly, King Henry II ordered them, men and women, to be publicly whipped, branded on the cheek with a red hot iron, and driven half-naked out of the city in the dead of winter; and none were permitted to show them pity or to grant them the slightest favor. …

“The Waldenses and Albigenses were the most numerous bodies of Protes- tants against Papacy; and when the literary awakening of the Thirteenth Century came, it was mainly from these that the truth shone out, though reflected and intensified in utterance by Wycliffe, Huss, Luther, and others. And their doctrines, backed by simplicity and morality, shone out with greater lustre in contrast, to the pompous pride and flagrant immoralities of the then exalted Papacy.

“Then it was that popes, councils, theologians, kings, crusaders and inquisitors combined their fiendish powers to exterminate every opponent, and to extinguish the faintest rays of dawning light. Pope Innocent III first sent missionaries to the districts in which the doctrines of the Albigenses had gained foothold, to preach Romanism, work miracles, etc.; but, finding these efforts unavailing, he proclaimed a crusade against them and offered to all who would engage in it the pardon of all sins and an immediate passport to heaven without passing through purgatory. With full faith in the pope’s power to bestow the promised rewards, half a million men — French, German and Italian — rallied around the standard of the cross, for the defense of Catholicism and the extinction of heresy. Then followed a series of battles and sieges covering a space of twenty years. The city of Beziers was stormed and taken in 1209, and the citizens, without regard for age or sex, perished by the sword to the number of sixty thousand, as reported by several historians. The blood of those who fled to churches, and were murdered there by the holy crusaders, drenched the altars and flowed through the streets.”

It will be recalled that the fourth living one was like a flying eagle. The eagle’s power of flight seems to be the quality that constitutes the force of this symbol. In chapter 12 it is stated that the woman, representing the virgin Church, was given “wings like a great eagle.” The symbol in general represents the protecting power of God over His people (Exodus 19:4). It would seem in the symbol under consideration to represent the exercise of the protecting power of God in giving a knowledge of the Holy Scriptures — lifting the Church on eagles’ wings as it were, above the false doctrines and idolatrous rites, thus enabling her to escape the destruction that threatened her through Papacy’s idolatries and persecutions.

Thus did our Lord Jesus, in the breaking of these four seals, have given to him a knowledge of the rise and exaltation of the false, persecuting church system; thus did he have revealed to him the cruel and terribly trying circumstances and conditions which the Heavenly Father in His infinite wisdom saw best to permit in order to develop the Little Flock of joint-heirs of the Kingdom; and he in turn gives to the Church this revelation. The details, the times and seasons, etc., of this history, are more minutely described in succeeding visions.

The Fifth Seal Opened

“And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar 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? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow-servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled” (Revelation 6:9-11).

It will be of special assistance to the student in understanding this and other visions of the book of Revelation, if he will keep in mind that the throne vision of Revelation 4 and 5 is continually before the Apostle’s sight; he is continually beholding the Lamb as he breaks the seals and opens the book. For a time his attention would be diverted from the throne scene to the movements of the horsemen upon the earth; but during this time he would frequently hear voices proceeding from the actors of the throne vision. As an illustration, the four “living ones” say to the horsemen, “Come”; and in connection with the opening of the third seal, he heard a voice proceeding from the midst of the “living ones.” And now in connection with the opening of the fifth seal his attention is taken away from the actions of the horsemen on the earth and turned again to the throne scene. Another object is seemingly for the first time brought to view. It is that of an altar, evidently an altar of sacrifice, as is shown in the symbolic transactions occurring in connection therewith. It was on the altar of sacrifice in the services of the typical tabernacle that the “bullock,” representing the man Christ Jesus, was sacrificed, was consumed. It was also on this altar that the “Lord’s goat,” representing the footstep followers of Christ, was sacrificed. The altar in fact represents Christ’s ransom sacrifice: The believer’s justification is accomplished “by faith in Christ’s ransom sacrifice, represented in the brazen altar.” Here in this vision we have a picture of Christ’s followers, accepted in the merit of his sacrifice, following in his footsteps, faithful unto death — martyrs. The fiery trials and persecutions they encountered in connection with their testimony resulted in numerous instances in their suffering death. We are not to suppose, however, that all who were put to death by the great anti-Christian system were footstep followers of Christ — many of these, while doubtless believers, could not properly have had any claim to membership in this class.

Let us bear in mind again that the faithful martyrs were really not there in person under the altar. While they were to St. John’s vision real enough, yet it was all a vision, a picture of the faithful, suffering souls, pouring out their lives, which in the Levitical type is represented as blood flowing down to the base of the altar. Thus Mr. Russell remarked:

“Some of these martyrs of the past are pictured to us under the fifth seal. … This is a symbolical picture of justice long deferred crying for vengeance, repre- senting those who are actually dead and know not anything, and cannot know anything until the resurrection.”

The “white robes” being given to them, indicates their righteous standing before God and their acceptance through the merit of Christ.

The “little season,” during which they were told that they should rest, is interpreted by one expositor to be three hundred and sixty years. This view does not seem to be well sustained, for there is nothing in the statement to indicate an exact period of time. As expressed by the writer last quoted: “The answer to this query before the seat of Justice is given. We are told that it would be but a little while until others are similarly maltreated, and the intimation is given that then [after the little while] the judgment will come which will compensate for the whole.”

The period covered by the martyr cry would seem to have reached its climax when the twelve hundred and sixty years of Papal dominion over God’s saints ended, about 1799. The “little season” of “rest,” according to this interpretation, covers the period generally understood as the “time of the end.” The language, “till both their fellow-servants and their brethren who were about to be killed even as they,” teaches that others would lay down their lives in sacrifice before the number of the elect ones would be complete.