1. The 7 Seals of Revelation

2. “The number 7 indicates completeness, and is
p
symbolic of the fact that the messages extend to
the end of time…” (Acts of the Apostles, p. 585).

3. “The Revelation of Jesus Christ which God
The Christ,
gave unto him, to show unto his servants
things which must shortly come to
pass…Blessed is he that readeth, and they
that hear the words of this prophecy and
prophecy,
keep those things which are written therein:
for the time is at hand.” Revelation 1:1-3
hand. 1:1 3

4. HORSE =
STRENGTH/POWER
USED IN WAR

5. HORSE = GOD’S PEOPLE
If thou know not, O thou fairest among
women, go thy way forth by the footsteps
of the flock, and feed thy kids beside the
, y
shepherds' tents. I have compared thee, O
my love to a company of horses in
love,
Pharaoh's chariots. Song of Solomon 1:8-9

6. Revelation 6:2 “And I saw, and behold a
white horse: and he that sat on him had a
horse:
bow; and a crown was given unto him: and
he went forth conquering, and to conquer.”

7. The Color White Represents Purity
Purity,
Worthiness, Righteousness
Daniel 12:10
Revelation 3:4, 5; (ch)19:8
3:4

8. HORSE = GOD’S PEOPLE
“And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse;
and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True,
and in righteousness he doth judge and make war His
war.
eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many
crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew,
but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture
dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of
God.
God And the armies which were in heaven followed
him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and
clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that
g p ,
with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule
them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress
of the fi
f th fierceness and wrath of Al i ht G d ”
d th f Almighty God.”
Revelation 19:11-15

9. “…white horses were rode by conquerors on
y q
the days of their triumph….” (Barnes, 1859,
p
p. 165)
)

10. “White horses are generally refused in war, because
they make the rider a mark for the enemy...” (Henry
& Scott, p. 685)
S

11. “The first symbol is a white horse…a fit emblem of the
triumphs of the g p in the first century of the Christian
p gospel y
Era...The rider upon this horse went forth where? His
commission was unlimited. The gospel was to all the
world.” (Smith, 1885, p. 412)
ld ” (S ith 1885

12. And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the
second beast say, Come and see. And there went out
another horse that was red: and power was given to
him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth,
and that they should kill one another: and there was
given unto him a great sword. Revelation 6:3, 4

13. Red is a Symbol of Blood,
War, Corruption
War
2 Kings 3:22; Isaiah 1:18; Proverbs 23:31-33
23:31-

14. And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the
second beast say, Come and see. And there went out
another horse that was red: and power was given to
him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth,
earth,
and that they should kill one another: and there was
another:
given unto him a great sword. Revelation 6:3, 4
sword.

15. “The
“Th accession of the Emperor Diocletian is the era
i f th E Di l ti i th
…under the name of the ‘Era of Martyrs.’ All former
persecutions of the faith were forgotten in horror with
which men looked back…The fiendish cruelty of Nero,
the jealous fears of Domitian, the unimpassioned
j p
dislike of Marcus, the sweeping purpose of Decius, the
clever devices of Valerian, fell into obscurity when
compared with the concentrated terrors of that fi l
d ih h d f h final
grapple…” (Mason, 1876, p. 1)

16. “Under Diocletian…occurred the last, longest, and
Under Diocletian occurred last longest
harshest persecution. It …endured ten years…In
303…[a]n imperial edict commanded the churches to
[ ] p
‘be razed to the ground, the Scriptures destroyed by
fire,’ Christians officials degraded, Christian servants
enslaved, bishops imprisoned and forced to sacrifice,
and torture [was]employed to compel Christians to
conform.” (Fli k 1909 p. 106)
conform.” (Flick,
f ”

17. Milner (1847) states that “avarice had taken deep root
among them [Christians]; and vast numbers lapsed into
idolatry immediately. Even before men were accused as
Christians, ‘many ran to the forum and sacrificed to the
, y
gods as they were ordered; and the crowds of apostates
were so great that the magistrates wished to delay
numbers of them till the next day; but they were
importuned …to be allowed to prove themselves heathens
that very night” (p 290)
night (p. 290).

18. “So general was the Diocletian persecution, and so
destructive its effect, that at its cessation the Christian
Church was thought to be forever extinct… The
Diocletian
Di l ti oppression was th l t of th great
i the last f the t
persecutions brought by pagan Rome against
Christianity as a whole. A stupendous change,
whole.
amounting to a revolution, now appears in the affairs
of the Church. Constantine, known in history as
Constantine the Great, became emperor of Rome A.D.
Great,
306, and reigned 31 years. Early in his reign he
espoused th hith t unpopular cause of Ch i ti
d the hitherto l f Christians,
and took the Church under official protection…..”
(Talmage, 1909 p. 74 75).
Talmage, 1909, p 74, 75)

19. “The nominal conversion of Constantine, in
the
th early part of th f
l t f the fourth century, caused
th t d
great rejoicing; and the world, cloaked with a
form of righteousness, walked i t th
f f i ht lk d into the
church. Now the work of corruption rapidly
progressed. P
d Paganism, while appearing to be
i hil i t b
vanquished, became the conqueror. Her spirit
controlled the church. H d t i
t ll d th h h Her doctrines,
ceremonies, and superstitions were
incorporated i t the f ith and
i t d into th faith d
worship of the professed
followers of Ch i t ” (GC88 p. 49)
f ll f Christ.” (GC88,

20. “And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third
beast
b t say, CCome and see. A d I b h ld and l a bl k h
d And beheld, d lo black horse;
and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.
And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A
y,
measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley
for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.”
Revelation 6:5, 6
6:5

21. Black symbol of Famine, Desolation,
Sorrow (because of idolatry)
( y)
Lamentations 5:10; Jeremiah 4: 25-28;
Jeremiah 8:19-22

22. “…A black horse th very opposite of white! A period
“ A bl k h the it f hit ! i d
of great darkness and moral corruption in the church
must be denoted by this symbol. By the events of the
second seal the way was fully opened for that state of
things to be brought about which is here presented.
The time that intervened between the reign of
Constantine and the establishment of the papacy in
AD 538 may be justly noted as the ti
b j tl t d th time when th
h the
darkest errors and the grossest superstitions sprang
up in the church Of a period immediately succeeding
church.
the days of Constantine…” (Smith, 1885, p. 414)

23. “An enormous train of different superstitions were
gradually substituted in place of true religion and
genuine piety…” there was a “desire of imitating
the pagan rites, and of blending them with the
Christian worship…” “…true religion was almost
entirely superseded by horrid superstition.”
(Mosheim, 1810
(M h i 1810, p. 355, 358)
355

24. “This
“Thi compromise b t
i between paganism and
i d
Christianity resulted in the development of the ‘man
of sin’ foretold in prophecy as opposing and exalting
sin
himself above God. That gigantic system of false
religion is a masterpiece of Satan's p
g p power,—a
,
monument of his efforts to seat himself upon the
throne to rule the earth according to his will.” (The
Great Controversy 1888, p. 50)

25. “And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third
beast
b t say, CCome and see. A d I b h ld and l a bl k h
d And beheld, d lo black horse;
and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.
And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A
y,
measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for
a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.”
Revelation 6:5, 6
6:5

26. Balances indicate the character of the holder & time
of threatened persecution or oppression, and famine:
Job 31:6; Daniel 5:26; Proverbs 11:1; Hosea 12:7;
Micah 6:11, 12; Leviticus 26:24-26; Ezekiel 4:16, 17

27. The cost of the wheat & barley indicate unjust
y j
balances, and a great famine..
“The black horse typifies a period of famine, when
food would become so scarce that a quart of wheat,
the standard daily ration for one person would
person,
increase to twelve times its normal price. The cost
of even …barley meal would similarly advance to a
denarius [or penny], which was the daily wage of
the workingman…” (Case, 1919, p. 263)

28. The same spirit is seen today that is represented in
Revelation 6:6-8. History is to be reenacted. That which has
been will be again. This spirit works to confuse and to
perplex.
perplex Dissension will be seen in every nation, kindred
nation kindred,
tongue and people, and those who have not had a spirit to
follow the light that God has given through His living oracles,
through His appointed agencies, will become confused. Their
judgment will reveal weakness. Disorder and strife and
confusion will be seen in the church. (4MR, p. 152)

29. And I looked, and behold a pale horse:
p
and his name that sat on him was Death,
and Hell followed with him. And power
was given unto them over the fourth part
of the earth to kill with sword and with
earth, sword,
hunger, and with death, and with the
beasts f the
b t of th earth. th

30. Pale = color of death
“…This horse was of a li id cadaverous h
“ Thi h f livid, d hue, ddenoting
ti
an agent of ghastly, terrible nature...It is fitting that we
notice particularly the agents of destruction employed
by this rider. He possesses a sword with which to kill—
the same instrument wielded by the rider of the red
y
horse—but it is evident that he uses it with more
terrific energy, by reason of which he receives the
name Death, or The Destroyer” (Smith, 2006, p. 84, 86)

31. “And I looked, and behold a pale horse:
p
and his name that sat on him was Death,
and Hell followed with him. And power
was given unto them over the fourth part
of the earth to kill with sword and with
earth, sword,
hunger, and with death, and with the
beasts f the
b t of th earth.” R l ti 6 8
th ” Revelation 6:8

32. Pale = color of death
“…The period during which this seal applies can hardly
be mistaken. It must refer to the time in which the papacy
bore it unrebuked, unrestrained, and persecuting rule,
b its b k d t i d d ti l
beginning about AD 538, and extending to the time when
the Reformers began their work of exposing the
corruptions of the papal system” (Smith, 1845, p. 17)

33. “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
true
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
season
fellowservants also and their brethren, that
should be killed as they were should be
were,
fulfilled.” Revelation 6:9-11

34. “It seems consistent that this seal, like all the others,
should cover a period of time, and that the date of its
application cannot be mistaken if the preceding seals
have rightly located. Following the period of papal
persecution, the time covered by this seal would begin
when the Reformation began to undermine the papal
fabrication, and restrain the persecuting power of the
f b i ti d t i th ti f th
Roman Catholic Church.” (Smith, 1885, p. 418)

35. “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 th
hit b i t f them; and it
d
was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a
little season, until their fellowservants also and their
brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be
fulfilled.” Revelation 6:9-11

36. “By the decree enforcing the institution of the papacy in violation
of the law of God, our nation will disconnect herself fully from
righteousness. When Protestantism shall stretch her hand across
the gulf to grasp the hand of the Roman power, when she shall
reach over the abyss to clasp hands with spiritualism, when,
under the influence of this threefold union, our country shall
repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and
republican government, and shall make provision for the
propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may
know that the time has come for the marvelous working of Satan
and that the end is near
near.

37. “As the approach of the Roman armies was a sign to the disciples
of the impending destruction of Jerusalem, so may this apostasy
be a sign to us that the limit of God's forbearance is reached, that
the measure of our nation's iniquity is full, and that the angel of
mercy is about to take her flight, never to return…” (5T, p. 451)
The people of God will then be plunged into those scenes of
affliction and distress which prophets have described as the time
of Jacob's trouble. The cries of the faithful, persecuted ones
Jacob s
ascend to heaven. And as the blood of Abel cried from the
ground, there are voices also crying to God from martyrs' graves,
from the sepulchers of the sea, from mountain caverns, from
sea caverns
convent vaults: ‘How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost Thou not
judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?’
The L d i d i Hi
Th Lord is doing His work. All h
k heaven i astir. Th J d of
is ti The Judge f
all the earth is soon to arise and vindicate His insulted authority.
The mark of deliverance will be set upon the men who keep God's
commandments, who revere His law, and who refuse the mark of
the beast or of his image.” (5T 451, 452)

38. “But in th
“B t i those ddays, after th t t ib l ti
ft that tribulation, th sun shall
the h ll
be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light,
And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that
fall
are in heaven shall be shaken.” (Mark 13:24, 25)

39. “And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal,
and, l th
d lo, there was a great earthquake; and th sun
th k d the
became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon
became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto
the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely
figs,
figs when she is shaken of a mighty wind ”
wind.
Revelation 6:12, 13

40. There was a great earthquake.

41. November 1, 1755
“…the tremor produced by the great
Lisbon earthquake of 1755 shook a region
earthq ake
four times as big as all Europe put
together” (Littell & Littell 1884 p 310)
Littell, 1884,p.
“The great Lisbon earthquake of 1755, which
The
destroyed over 100,000 lives disturbed an
area of 12,000,000 or 14,000,000 square
miles. It extended entirely across the Atlantic
Ocean, and was felt in New England”
England
(Brewer & Warren, 1890, p. 24)

42. The sun became black

43. The sun became black
“May 19, 1790. At midday near-total
darkness unaccountably d
d k bl descended
d d
upon much of New England. Candles
were lit, fowls went to roost and many
fearful persons believed that doomsday
p y
had arrived….No scientific verifiable
cause for this widespread phenomenon
was ever discovered.” (Editors of
Chase’s, 2009
Ch ’ 2009, p. 275)

44. The sun became black
“On the 19th of May, 1780, an uncommon darkness took
place all over New England, and extended to Canada. It
continued about fourteen hours or from ten o’clock in
hours, o clock
the morning till midnight. The darkness was so great,
that people were unable to read common p
p p print, or tell the
,
time of the day by their watches, or to dine, or transact
their ordinary without the light of candles. They became
dull d l
d ll and gloomy, and some were excessively frightened.
d i l f i ht d
The fowls retired to their roosts. Objects could not be
distinguished but at a very little distance and everything
distance,
bore the appearance of gloom and night…The causes of
these phenomena are unknown..” (Sears, 1844, p. 428)

45. The moon became blood

46. The moon became blood
Speaking of th D k d of M 19
S ki f the Dark day f May 19,
1780, the Independent Chronicle (May
25, 1780) and Pennsylvania Evening Post
(
(June 6, 1780) reported: “ In connection
, ) p
with this extraordinary phenomenon
the moon was reported to appear red ”
red.
(p. 2 & p. 62)

47. The moon became blood
“Though the moon that night rose t th
“Th h th th t i ht to the
full, ‘it had not the least effect to dispel
the death-like shadows.’ After midnight
the darkness disappeared, and the
pp ,
moon, when first visible, had the
appearance of blood.” (GC88 p 307)
blood (GC88, p.

48. The stars of heaven fell

49. The stars of heaven fell
“On the morning of November 13, 1833, there occurred one
of the most wonderful displays of celestial pyrotechnics that
was probably ever witnessed. As observed in the Eastern
United States, it commenced about midnight and continued
for some hours increasing in magnificence until it was lost in
hours,
the light of the rising sun. It was visible probably over the
greater part of North America, and was actually observed at
various points from the West India Islands to Greenland,
and westwardly to the one-hundredth degree of longitude…
the journals of the day were crowded, it seems to have
presented the appearance of a literal shower of fire…”
(Harper’s New Monthly Magazine, December 1875-May
1876,
1876 p. 94)

50. The stars of heaven fell
Speaking of the meteor shower
display November 13, 1833, Ryerson,
Hodgins C k (1866), then
H d i & Crooks (1866) th
editors of the Journal of Education,
stated that: “the number of meteors
was variously estimated at from
10,000 to 30,000 per hour” (p. 169)

51. “And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is
rolled t th and every mountain and i l d
ll d together; d t i d island
were moved out of their places….” Revelation 6:14

52. “Thus was displayed the last of those signs
of his coming, concerning which Jesus bade
his disciples, ‘When ye shall see all these
disciples When
things, know that it is near, even at the
doors.
doors ’ (Matthew 24:33.) After these signs,
24:33 ) signs
John beheld, as the great event next
impending,
impending the heavens departing as a scroll
scroll,
while the earth quaked, mountains and
islands removed out of their places, and the
places
wicked in terror sought to flee from the
presence of the Son of man.” (GC88 p. 334)
man (GC88, p

53. “…For the great day of His wrath is come;
…For
and who shall be able to stand?” Revelation 6:17

54. “Then we all cried out: ‘Who shall be able to
stand? Is my robe spotless?’ Then the angels
y p g
ceased to sing, and there was some time of
awful silence..” (Christian Experience and
Teachings of Ellen G. White, p. 58)

55. “And after these things I saw four angels
g g
standing on the four corners of the earth,
holding the four winds of the earth that
earth,
the wind should not blow on the earth, nor
on the sea nor on any tree And I saw
sea, tree.
another angel ascending from the east,
having the seal of the living God: and he
cried with a loud voice to the four angels,
to whom it was given to hurt the earth and
the sea, Saying...
Saying...”

56. “Hurt not
Hurt
the earth… till
we have sealed
the servants
of our God in
their
foreheads.”
foreheads ”
Revelation 7 1-3

57. “I saw four angels who had a work to do on the
earth, and were on th i way t accomplish it Jesus
th d their to li h it. J
was clothed with priestly garments. He gazed in pity
on the remnant then raised His hands, and with a
remnant, hands
voice of deep pity cried, "My blood, Father, My
blood, My blood, My blood!" Then I saw an
y y
exceeding bright light come from God, who sat upon
the great white throne, and was shed all about Jesus.
Then I saw an angel with a commission from Jesus,
i i i f
swiftly flying to the four angels who had a work to do
on the earth and waving something up and down in
earth,
his hand, and crying with a loud voice, "Hold! Hold!
Hold! Hold! until the servants of God are sealed in
their foreheads…" (Early Writings, p. 38)

58. “I asked my accompanying angel the meaning of what I
I
heard, and what the four angels were about to do. He said
to me that it was God that restrained the powers, and that
He gave His angels charge over things on the earth; that
the four angels had power from God to hold the four
winds,
winds and that they were about to let them go; but while
their hands were loosening, and the four winds were
about to blow, the merciful eye of Jesus gazed on the
remnant that were not sealed, and He raised His hands to
the Father and pleaded with Him that He had spilled His
blood for them Then another angel was commissioned to
them.
fly swiftly to the four angels and bid them hold, until the
servants of God were sealed with the seal of the living
g
God in their foreheads.” (Early Writings, p. 38)

59. Everything in our world is in agitation. Coming
events cast their shadows before The signs of
before.
the times are ominous, indeed. There is
assurance in nothing that is human or earthly.
earthly
The winds are held by the four angels; a
moment of respite has been graciously given us
of God. Every power lent us of God, whether
physical, mental, moral
physical mental or moral, is to be sacredly
cherished to do the work assigned us for our
fellow men who are perishing in their ignorance.
ignorance
The warning is to go forth to all parts of the
world.
world There must be no delay (Special
delay.
Testimonies for Ministers and Workers -- No. 9, p. 21)

60. My dear brethren and sisters, let the
commandments of God and the testimony of
Jesus Christ be in your minds continually and
let them crowd out worldly thoughts and cares.
When you lie down and when you rise up, let
them be your meditation. Live and act wholly in
reference to the coming of the Son of man. The
sealing time is very short, and will soon be over.
Now is the time, while the four angels are
holding the four winds, to make our calling and
election sure. (Early Writings, p. 58)

61. There was silence in heaven about
the space of half an hour.

62. “Soon our eyes were drawn to the east, for a
y
small black cloud had appeared, about half as
large as a man's hand, which we all knew was
the sign of the Son of man. We all in solemn
silence gazed on the cloud as it drew nearer,
and became lighter, glorious, and still more
glorious, till it was a great white cloud. The
bottom appeared like fire; a rainbow was over
the cloud, while around it were ten thousand
angels, singing a most lovely song; and upon it
sat the Son of man. His hair was white and
curly, and lay on His shoulders; and upon His

63. head were many crowns. His feet had the appearance
of fire; in His right hand was a sharp sickle; in His
left, a silver trumpet. His eyes were a flame of fire,
which searched His children through and through.
Then all faces gathered paleness, and those that God
had rejected gathered blackness. Then we all cried
out: "Who shall be able to stand? Is my robe
spotless?" Then the angels ceased to sing, and there
was some ti time of awful silence, when J
f f l il h Jesus spoke:k
"Those who have clean hands and pure hearts shall
be able to stand; My grace is sufficient for you." At
you
this our faces lighted up, and joy filled every heart.
And the angels struck a note higher and sung again,
g g g g
while the cloud drew still nearer the earth. (Christian
Experience and Teachings of Ellen G. White, p. 58)