reply to post by spy66
I'm missing the point?
You'll be able to page back in this thread where I wrote the historical parallel with the four horses. I contend that this was describing the Roman
Empire, what was, and was to come at the time it was written.
Don't think it fits? Let's have a look. If you don't have a basic grasp of history, you'll never get it. And that's OK. Many folks like to
tear into Revelation and chase after some wild concept that reflects some personal belief, but has no consistency. No perspective.
Read what I wrote about the other seals, and we'll pick it up with the Fifth.
THE FIFTH SEAL
9-11: These are clearly the Christians who had suffered martyrdom. Their cry denotes that the Church had suffered long and severely, and they raise
a cry for deliverance. The White Robes are robes of justification and victory. They must wait a little longer as the persecution is determined to
stamp out Christianity.
The ninety-two years of civil turmoil began AD 192 with the death of Commodus. They ended in AD 284. In that year Diocletian ascended the throne of
Rome, and his reign was the most terrible, prolonged, and most general persecution known in the ancient history of the Church. While Diocletian was
not the chief protagonist, great men of the Empire, such as Galerius, became alarmed at the growth of the Christian faith, and Diocletian yielded,
forcing the effort to stamp out Christianity.
In 303AD, the secret councils were held at Nicomedia concerning the destruction of Christianity, and on the 23rd of February, an armed force was sent
to the great church of Nicomedia, burned the sacred texts, and began the most general, fierce, persecution that has been called "the era of martyrs.
Churches were surrounded, doors locked, and set on fire. This great persecution lasted 25 years. The 'little season' was by God's perception, not
ours.
THE SIXTH SEAL
The sun, moon, and stars are symbols of earthly dignitaries, great lights in the political or religious heavens. Even in sports and Hollywood today,
we have our own "stars."
The blackness of the sun, and the bloody hue of the moon point out scenes of mourning and bloodshed among rulers and princes. The falling of the
stars would indicate the downfall of those who had high stations on earth, or rather, within the Empire. Mountain and Island are used to denote
earthly rulers and kingdoms, the latter referring more especially to European provinces which are often called the "isles of the sea" in the Bible.
From the period of Diocletian, the great persecutor, the title, "Your Eminence," or in other words, "mountain," was bestowed upon princes. As a
mountain stands above the plain, so the rulers of earth were elevated and exalted. The earth in this circumstance must in the mind of John mean the
civilized world of the Roman Empire. It is within these boundaries that we must look for fulfillment.
The time: It follows immediately after the great persecution found in the fifth seal, which closed in AD 311. These events occur near the end of
that time. It is a time of mourning. Who are the mourners? Kings. Great men, princes, rich men, bondmen, and freemen.
Do we have, near the end of 311 after the great persecution, a mighty revolution, filled with mourning, and followed by a time of triumph, prosperity,
and glory to the Church of Christ?
We do.
In the year 312, Constantine left Britain, marching through Gaul, and launched his armies on Italy. His mother was Christian, and the Italian emperor
opposed to him was Maxentius, a confirmed pagan who swore an oath to Jupiter to eradicate the Christian faith. In three great battles, Maxentius was
defeated and in the last, slain, making Constantine the Emperor of Rome. In the east, another emperor, Licinius, another pagan persecutor, still held
the reins of power. War, truces, an battles spread ove 16 years saw six emperors strive for dominance, of whom Constantine remained the sole
survivor.
When Constantine was seated on the six pagan thrones, there was great mourning for the enemies of the Cross. In 319, Constantine decreed his
mother's religion should be tolerated as an acknowledged faith of the empire. In 321, he decreed that Sunday be observed in all cities by cessation
of trade and labor. In 325, the abolished the bloody entertainment provided by Gladiators. He convoked the Council of Nicea to address the heresy of
Arianism. While he did away with pagan beliefs and customs, he transformed the Empire into and empire of the Christian faith, which enabled its
spread to the far reaches of the empire, including Europe. He then did the unthinkable. He relocated the center of power from the imperial city of
Rome.
Those who insist that the opening of the sixth seal portrays the end of the world should bear in mind that the chain of events continues on through
the 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, and 11th Chapters, and it is only when the Seventh Angel sounds his trumpet in 11:15, that the proclamation is made that
"the kindom of the world is become the kingdom of our Lord and his Christ," but that they should keep in mind also that the scenes beheld by John
are not literal pictures of the events, but symbolic visions.
The interpreter should ask himself not, "what would be the literal fulfillment of the visions?" but what do the symbols mean and signify? The
earthquake, the blackened sun, the falling stars, the moving mountains, and islands of the sixth seal are not to be regarded as literal any more than
the pale horse of the fourth seal.
If you guys want to continue this, we can always go a bit further. It really starts to get interesting from now on.
