The Six Seals (the Suffering Church) This chapter reveals to us "God's work in His Suffering Church." 1- The Suffering Church (under the care of the horseman)- The first four seals. 2- The Church in Paradise (under the altar)- The fifth seal 3- The coming of the Groom of the Church as a judge of the wicked- The sixth seal 1. THE SUFFERING CHURCH "Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of the four Living Creatures saying with a voice like thunder, Come and see. And I looked, and behold, a white horse. And he who sat on it had a bow, and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer" [2]. The Lord, Groom of the Church, saw three horsemen going out to oppose His bride. Hence the modest Lamb; the victorious Lion appears as a conquering horseman and to conquer... When He sees Satan as a lion, He goes out towards him as a Lion, likewise when He sees him as a horseman, He goes out towards him as a cavalier to fight him. The Groom opened the first seal, and the Apostle heard the first Living Creature who is like a lion, roaring as thunder saying, "Come and see1.” The Lamb Himself came out as a horseman sitting on a white horse, "conquering" by nature, for He bears no defeat at all. And to conquer, for... He conquers by Himself in His Church and in His children. For through Him we conquer Satan, and Christ conquers through us. Any of our victories is related to Him, for it is fulfilled by Him and on His account. The Lord came out sitting on a white horse. The two martyrs Ignatius and Polycarb, Pope Dionysius and Irenaeus agreed that the white horse is the group of prophets and preachers of the Good News, carrying the Person of the Lord, conquering over the forces of darkness through Him. They compare the horse to their courage, their fearlessness of death (Zec. 10:3), and their total obedience to their horseman. By their fast movement their voices go to the ends of the earth (Ps. 18:5). They are compared to a white horse for it is pleasant to see. As well, they are pleasant to see, for they are full of happiness and joy. They call to rejoice in the Savior, in moments of their most weakness, and He accompanies them with joy even with their tears of repentance. They are filled with inner peace, in times of tribulations. The secret of all this is God's promise to us, "but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world." This conqueror has a "bow," which is preaching of the word of the Gospel which the preacher aims at the heart of the listeners, that it might destroy the power of evil, and cut from him all that is from Satan. 1 In the Sinai script, “Come and see,” is addressed to John, to see and comprehend what happens, while in the Alexandrian script, “Come,” refers to the horse man to come out. 8 "And a crown was given to him,” as He is king of kings He does not cease to reign over every heart and granting crowns to the human race who is victorious through Him. The Three Horses "When he opened the second seal, I heard the second Living Creature saying, “Come and see. And another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword. When He opened the third seal, I heard the third Living Creature say, "Come and see.” And I looked and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the fourth living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine. When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth Living Creature saying, "Come and see.” And I looked and behold a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth” [3-8]. These are the sufferings that God allows His Church to go through in the world. It is like a storm that shakes the vine tree until it looks about to die. Yet the truth is that only the yellow leaves that are not attached to it fall down, while the trunk grows stronger, and the roots deeper. The order of the three horses, is according to what the Lord told us, how it was going to happen in (Matt. 24, Mark 13). The following is the summery of the interpretation of the three horses presented by some Church Fathers. The Red horse: Wars (Matt. 24:7, Luke 21:9-14), besides it points out to blood shed (The Jews’ and gentiles’ persecution of the Church). The Black horse: Famines (Mark 13:8), besides it points out to the appearance of heresy and occurrence of famine in knowledge. The Green horse1: Death (Matt. 24:5), besides it points out to the appearance of the impostor who was the cause of the souls’ death. a- The Red Horse Bishop Victorianus says that it points out to the happenings of trouble and wars, preceded by humiliation and dismissal of the preachers of the truth (Luke 21:9-14). The Church endured bitterness from both, the Jews and the Roman state. In all that, the Church did not lose her inner peace nor her joy and hope. God only allowed Satan to take away the outer peace, and to kill many of her children through their brothers in humanity. Truly it was a strong hit. b- The Black Horse It is the famines that God allows, and it points out to the period of heresies, which 1 In some scripts, “The Yellow horse.” 9 cause famines in knowledge and the taste of truth. Bishop Victorianus thinks that this famine is a true fact happening in the time of the "Antichrist," for disciplinary reasons. We notice that the horseman holds a balance, which is an indication of the severe drought, as the scripture says, "I will cut off the supply of bread in Jerusalem; they shall eat bread by weight and with anxiety, and shall drink water by measure and with dread" (Ez. 4:16). A quart of wheat which is less than a kilogram is not enough for a man's daily bread, which costs one dinaruis, i.e. a day's wages (Matt. 20:2). How can he eat and support his wife and children?! As for "the wine and the oil," he does not hurt, and that points out to the delight which prevails on feast days (Ps. 23:5). This is an indication of the inner peace and delight kept by the Church, in spite of the bitterness she suffers from the heretics, and the need of ordinary matters, even of her daily bread. The "oil" points to the Holy Spirit, and the "wine," to love. As though God's children in whom the Holy Spirit work, and who are filled with love, are not hurt by poverty or hunger, no matter how severe they are. c- The Green Horse As Ibn-el-Assal says, that it is the angel of the impostor’s state, or the angel of death. His rider is death and hell. He is given authority to kill by the sword, by hunger, and by the beasts of the earth. He does not stop using every means to kill every soul, by repudiating her from God, the source of her life. The Church will flee to the mountains and the wilderness, and there she will meet the beasts of the desert, as she is followed by the impostor's followers, even on the mountains and in the wilderness. As if she falls down on the ground, reproaching her Groom with Elijah who says, "They have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life..." (1 kings 19:10). The Lord Himself says, "For false christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders, so as to deceive, if possible even the elect" (Matt. 24:24). The Book of Revelation will come back to consecrate many chapters, to reveal the danger of the impostor and his works, his deceit and his war against the Church etc. 2- THE CHURCH IN PARADISE "When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been 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, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth. And a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed” [9-11]. After the Lord had revealed to His Church, through the first four seals what He allows her to suffer from the Jews, the Gentiles, the heretics and the impostors, it was necessary for Him to reveal to her the state of the departed believers, and the witnesses of the truth, during the period of our expatriation on earth. And that is what we got to know: 10 1- Who are they? "Those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held." It is enough for them, to be counted as witnesses to the word of God. They carried His sufferings, and accepted to bear His mark in their bodies, witnessing to Him. Even if we do not know them by their names, they know each other in Paradise. And as Tertullian1 says, that when John was in the Spirit, he saw clearly the souls of the martyrs, and he was sure that they got to know each other in Paradise. 2- Where are they?..."Under the altar"! They are in Paradise, they did not go yet to the eternal glories, in its perfection and completeness, but they obtained a blessed share, as "a white robe was given to each of them and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer." They are resting under the altar, for the altar does not depart from the saints, and they do not depart from it. They see the true Sacrifice through Paradise, as they enjoy the Crucified Christ and they offer Him sacrifices of thanks and praise, as the Psalmist says, "my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness" (Ps. 50:14). "I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving" (Ps. 116:17). Sacrifices will never stop, neither by our departure from this world to Paradise, nor by our entrance to the eternal wedding, offering Him eternal praise. The martyr Justin2 says, [I consider praise and thanksgiving offered by considerable persons as alone, the complete and acceptable sacrifices to God.] 3- What is their state? They want to revenge for their blood, as Abel’s blood cried out to God; it is not spite or rage, but submission to the just judgment of God, and longing for the coming of the Lord. They are like the widow who asked the judge to avenge her on her adversary (Luke 18:3). He asked them to be patient for a while till judgment day, and St. Cyprian3 says; it is also appropriate for the militants on earth to be patient with the wicked, until judgment day. 3. THE COMING OF THE CHURCH GROOM AS THE JUDGE OF THE WICKED After God has reassured us about the departed sufferers, that they are dressed in white robes, resting under the altar until doomsday, to enjoy the eternal crowns; He came back to reassure those who are on earth, particularly at the time of the impostor, that He is coming no doubt, to judge the wicked. His strong anger appears in the revolt of nature itself before His coming, as the Apostle describes: "I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. 1 A Treatise on the Soul, 8. 2 Dialogue 117. 3 On the Advantage of Patience. 11 And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mightily wind. Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?’” [12-17] By studying Matthew, chapter 24, we find that these events conform to the signs concerning His coming for judgment, and the end of age that God had clarified. As Ibn-el-Assal and many of the early Fathers, such as St. Augustine, say, that these events are accomplished in the period post Antichrist and during his misleading (three and half years), and immediately after him... and all that for discipline, so that the believers do not deviate. So those are true and actual events, of which the Holy Bible prophesied in more than one place. 1. “And there shall be....earthquakes in places” (Matt. 24:7), and as the prophet says, "Behold, the day of the Lord comes, cruel, with both wrath and fierce anger... Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth will move out of her place, in the wrath of the Lord of hosts, and in the day of His fierce wrath (Isa. 13:9-13). 2. The sun shall be darkened, and the moon becomes as blood, and the stars fall, as the Lord says, "The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken" (Matt. 24:29). The Lord had clearly revealed in Matthew 24, that these events will be accomplished immediately before His coming for the judgment, as He continues saying, "and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect..." As if all the talk is an answer, concerning the sign of His coming and the end of age. The apostle assures that, "The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and notable day of the Lord" (Acts 2:20). 3. The enclosure of heaven as rolled scroll. This is explained by Tertullian,1 as he says, [It becomes as nothing, together with the earth which was created with it in the beginning, "Heaven and earth will pass away" (Matt. 24:35), "for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away" (Rev. 21:1). "And there was found no place for them" (Rev. 20:11), as they come to an end.] Interpretation by Bishop Victorianus: That Bishop, in association with St. Augustine2 and others, consider another interpretation which completes but does not replace the first one. It says that these events, 1 Against Hermogenes, 34. 2 Letter, 80. 12 will in fact be accomplished in the period before the advent of the Lord. But it will also be fulfilled in a symbolic way, in the time of the Antichrist before the Lord's coming. For example Bishop Victorianus says, [The sun darkens as sackcloth; that is to say the brightness of the teaching becomes obscure, because of the unbelievers. The stars will fall down, i.e. some will depart from the Church because of the great tribulation.] St. Augustine says, that the moon or the Church becomes as blood, because of the shedding of blood which occurs to her children, by the hand of the Antichrist and his followers. The falling of the stars to the earth is an indication of the great number of apostate, and the falling of the believers, who were as stars in the Church. Interpretation of St. Augustine: St. Augustine sees a third interpretation, which is not third, but in agreement with the preceding interpretations as this saint adopts the three together. This interpretation announces that these events are actually real, but they bear foldings of what will happen to the state of the Antichrist, that is devastation before the coming of the Lord, to incite people to repentance. As an example: the earthquake indicates the shaking of the kingdom of Satan, the destruction of the state of the impostor and fear in the heart of his followers. For the Lord says, "I will shake heaven and earth. I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms; I will destroy the strength of the Gentile Kingdoms" (Hag. 2:21). Also the dislodging of every mountain and island is an indication of the falling of the giants and the great, and their loss of power, reputation and wealth. They will escape, but where to go from the face of the Lamb? They will cry in front of His solemnity, and "say to the mountains, "Cover us." And to the hills, "Fall on us!" (Hos. 10:8). “But who can endure the day of his coming?! And who can stand firm when he appears?" "Who can stand before His indignation?(Mal3: 2) And who can endure the fierceness of His anger? His fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by Him" (Nah. 1:6).
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