Overview
While the first four seals in Revelation 6 describe the timeless realities of the church age, the fifth is a point in history. The purpose of this article is to determine what this important point in history is.
The Sealing of the 144,000 (7:1-4) also refers to a point in history, namely, when the angel brings the Seal of God from heaven. This is the same point in time as in the Fifth Seal.
Revelation 10 describes another event at a specific point in history, namely, an angel brings a Little Open Book from heaven, meaning that the church receives a special message. This is also the same point in time as in the Sealing and, therefore, in the Fifth Seal.
Daniel prophecied a period, called the Time of the End. Daniel’s prophecies were ‘sealed,’ meaning they were not understood. But, during the Time of the End, God’s people would understand Daniel’s prophecies.
The many allusions in Revelation 10 to Daniel 12 means that the Little Open Book in Revelation 10 is the promised understanding of Daniel’s prophecies, which God’s people would receive in the Time of the End.
Conclusion
The Fifth Seal describes Daniel’s End Time, and both the Seal of God and the Little Open Book are brought from heaven during that period.
The Fifth Seal
| The fifth seal implies a specific point in history. |
The first four seals (6:1-8) describe the timeless realities of the Church Age:
The first horseman (the first seal) symbolizes the gospel going out.
The bloodshed, famine, and pestilence of the next three horsemen are the consequences of preaching the gospel.
In contrast, the fifth seal points to a specific time in history after many of God’s people have been killed for their faith but before many more will be killed. At that point in history, white robes are given to those who have already been killed, and they are told to “rest” for a little while longer until the number of their brethren, who were to be killed even as they had been, was completed (Rev 6:9-11).
| The purpose of this article is to determine what this important point in history is. |
To be identified so specifically, it must be very important. It must be close to the End because it is followed by the signs of Christ’s return (Rev 6:12-17; cf. Matt 24:29). It must be much later than Christ’s ascension because there are four seals between Christ’s ascension and enthronement (as described in Revelation 5 – Read Article) and the fifth seal.
The Sealing
A Point in History
| The sealing of the 144,000 (7:1-4) also refers to a point in history. |
The Seal of God is not always available. Revelation 7:1-4 describes a point in history when it becomes available. After four angels have been holding back the four winds of destruction, a fifth angel brings the Seal of the living God to Earth. While the four angels continue to hold back the four winds, the fifth angel seals the 144,000.
Parallel to the Fifth Seal
For the following reasons, the Sealing (7:1-4) is parallel to the fifth seal:
| 1) As stated, both describe a point in history. |
Both describe a specific point in history that divides time into the past, the present, and the future. In both, what happened before that point continues afterward. [Show More]
| 2) Both announce a delay until God’s people are ready. |
Both announce a delay. In the fifth seal, the souls must “rest a little while longer, and in the Sealing, the release of the winds is delayed.
In both, the purpose of the delay is to allow God’s people to become ready:
Fifth seal: The delay is required to ‘complete’ their brethren (Rev 6:11). This has been interpreted as completion in character, not in literal number. [Show More]
Sealing: The delay is required to seal God’s people (Rev 7:3). 144000 are sealed (Rev 7:4-8). This number must be understood qualitatively, symbolizing the perfection of God’s end-time people, not as a literal number. [Show More]
| 4) In both, a token of salvation is given to God’s people. |
Namely, white robes in the Fifth Seal and the Seal of God in the Sealing (Rev 6:11; 7:3). [Show More]
| 5) Both precede the Sixth Seal. |
Since the Sixth Seal begins with the signs of Christ’s return (Rev 6:12-14) and ends with Judgment Day (Rev 6:15-17) (Read Article), the sealing of God’s people, like the fifth seal, logically precede the Sixth Seal.
| 6) Both are followed by the Seven Last Plagues. |
This point is very reliant on previous articles but is as follows:
In the first part of the sixth seal, a great earthquake displaces all mountains and islands (Rev 6:12-14). A previous article concluded that this is the Seven Last Plagues (Read Article). Therefore, since the fifth seal precedes the sixth, it precedes the Seven Last Plagues.
Another previous article concluded that the “winds” of Rev 7:1, which will “harm” the earth and sea (Rev 7:3), are another symbol for the Seven Last Plagues (Read Article). Since the Sealing precedes the release of the winds, it also precedes the Seven Last Plagues.
Conclusions
Given these similarities, the Sealing and the Fifth Seal describe the same event from different perspectives. In particular:
1) The Fifth Seal is the point in history when the angel brings the Seal of God from heaven.
2) The ‘completion’ of their “fellow servants” after this point (Rev 6:11) is the same as the Sealing of the 144,000 (Rev 7:3-4).
The Little Open Book
| Revelation 10 describes another event at a specific point in history. |
In this chapter, an angel brings something else out of heaven at a specific time, namely a Little Open Book (Rev 10:1-2), meaning that the church receives a special message from heaven. He gives it to John to eat and tells John to “prophesy again” (Rev 10:9-11).
| This is the same point in time as in the Sealing and, therefore, in the Fifth Seal. |
For the following reasons, the Sealing (Rev 7:1-4) is parallel to the Little Open Book in Revelation 10:
In both, something is brought down from heaven. In the Sealing, it is the Seal. In Rev 10, it is the little open book (Rev 10:1-2).
Both the Sealing and the Little Book are the first of a two-part interlude between the sixth and seventh elements of their respective series. [Show More]
Both describe a point in history, with things happening before that time and continuing after that time. [Show More]
Daniel’s End Time
| We expect to find this important point in time also in Daniel’s prophecies. |
Since the Book of Daniel is the foundation on which Revelation rests, and since this point in history is so important in Revelation, we should expect to find it also in Daniel.
| Daniel prophecied a period, called the Time of the End, which will conclude with the End of Time. |
Daniel’s prophecies were ‘sealed’ (Dan 12:4), meaning they were not understood. But, during the Time of the End, the church would learn the meaning of Daniel’s prophecies (Dan 12:4, 9). Therefore, the End Time is a period and not a point in time. [Show More]
The End Time will conclude with the “End of the Age” (Dan 12:13) when God’s people will be rescued during a period of great distress (Dan 12:1), and the dead will be raised (Dan 12:2, 13).
| Daniel also prophecies a “time, times, and a half” preceding the Time of the End. |
Daniel 12 mentions the “time, times, and a half” (3½ times) in the context of the End Time but it is first mentioned as the period when the 11th Horn of the fourth animal in Daniel 7 would persecute God’s people (Dan 7:25). Since the 11th Horn has been identified as the Church of the Roman Empire that survived as a distinct organization after the Roman Empire fragmented and which grew in power to become the Church of the Middle Ages (Read Article), the 3½ times possibly refers to the Middle Ages when the Church reigned over the kings and nations of Europe. That would mean that the 3½ times precede the End Time.
| The Little Open Book was brought to Earth in Daniel’s Time of the End. |
The Little Book (Rev 10) symbolizes the understanding of Daniel’s prophecies which Daniel 12:4 and 9 promised would be received in the Time of the End. This is made clear by the many allusions in Revelation 10 to Daniel 12. In brief summary, the allusions include the following:
(a) Both Dan 12 and Rev 10 include an oath made by a supernatural being, standing above the waters, symbolizing the people of the world (Dan 12:7; Rev 10:1, 2, 6).
(b) Both lift their hands to heaven and swear by Him who lives forever and ever (Dan 12:7; Rev 10:5, 6).
(c) Both oaths are about “when the end will come” (Dan 12:6-7; Rev 10:7) and are made in the context of a book that is first sealed and later opened. [Show More]
(d) In both chapters, there are two other beings in the context, namely, the two witnesses in Revelation (Rev 11:3) and one on each side of the river in Daniel (Dan 12:5).
(e) John has to preach about kings, which fits the book of Daniel (Rev 10:11). [Show More]
| The Time of the End begins when the angel brings the little book from heaven. |
These similarities imply that the book in Rev 10 is the same as the book in Dan 12, which symbolizes understanding of Daniel’s prophecies. Consequently, John’s eating of the little book (Rev 10:10) symbolizes acceptance of the message from heaven, and the “prophesy again” (Rev 10:11) is the preaching of that understanding.
Since Daniel 12 promised that the book of Daniel would be understood in the Time of the End (Dan 12:4), the End Time begins when the angel brings the little book from heaven.
Conclusions
(1) These four prophecies – the Fifth Seal, the Sealing, the Little Open Book, and Daniel’s Time of the End – describe the same period.
(2) Both the Seal of the living God and the Little Open Book are brought from heaven at the beginning of Daniel’s End Time. In other words, God’s people will be sealed during Daniel’s End Time.
(3) The Fifth Seal begins Daniel’s End Time. [Show More]
I am follower for the fact
Thank you for “revealing“ Revelation.