Evidence for Eras

Chapter IV

The Evidence of
Sevens in Succession

Exhibit 4

Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are,
and the things which shall be hereafter;
Revelation 1:19

          God’s purpose for recording the book of Revelation was to reveal events that would begin during the time of John and continue throughout the course of human history. In fulfilling this purpose, Jesus revealed seven separate categories of prophesy. Within each of these categories are seven related events—all of which would take place in chronological succession.
  
Seven Seals—a Progression through Time
          The apostle John explained that in heaven there exists a scroll with unique seals. As John described his vision, he explained that only Jesus Christ could open these seals to reveal the events concealed by each:

And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof (Revelation 5:1-5).

          Each one of these seals locked a specific prophecy, concealing it from view. As Christ systematically removed each one, the scroll would divulge a new and different calamity destined to take place. Thus, each seal was opened in succession to reveal events that would occur in chronological order.
          The opening of the first seal revealed a white horse whose rider was carried a bow and wore a crown that was given to him. Armed with authority and weapons of war, he went forth conquering. While some have speculated that the white color portrays religious purity, and therefore represents Jesus, this cannot be the case. Although Christ returns on a white horse, He is described as having many crowns and a supernatural sword coming from His mouth, not a man-made weapon of war (Rev. 19:11-15). Instead, this white horse is one of four banes that would befall humanity. As Jesus had previously prophesied, this horse represents a false religion, cloaked with the appearance of righteousness (Mat. 24:4-5).
          When Jesus opened the second seal, a red horse appeared whose rider was given the ability to take peace from the earth. The rider’s great sword and the horse’s blood-red color prefigure wars and rumors of wars (Mat. 24:6).
          The opening of the third seal unleashes a black horse. This dark imagery pictures a war scorched earth—land that is no longer able to produce food. The rider carries a set of balances portraying a world in which famine permeates much of the planet (Mat. 24:7).
          The fourth seal reveals a pale horse whose rider was given the name Death. The original Greek word for pale is chlōros the same root from which we derive our modern word “chlorophyll.” Its greenish hue foreshadows sickness—disease epidemics that commonly follow war and famine. From this we understand that this horse portrays a time of terrible pestilence that is prophesied to ravage the earth and lead to the death of untold numbers.

Seals in Succession
          The fulfillment of these prophetic events that are revealed by each seal began shortly after Christ ascended to heaven. Having the appearance of purity, and claiming that Jesus was the Messiah, false ministers soon arose preaching a false Christ and a false gospel. Posing as ministers of righteousness, their perverted message would continue deceiving people until the very end (Mat. 24:5, 24-26; II Cor. 11:4, 13-15).
          In 70 A.D. war came to Jerusalem and with it terrible famine. The inhabitants of the holy city turned to cannibalism literally eating their own children. As a consequence of war and famine, disease epidemics followed bringing death to many.
          However, the fall of Jerusalem was not the end of these prophecies. It was only the beginning! These terrible events have continued down through time, increasing in scope and frequency. Tragically, they will continue in this same order until the triumphant return of Jesus Christ.
          As the next seals are loosed and their corresponding events are examined, it is impossible to escape the conclusion that they occur in a successive order. The fifth seal becomes more specific to the last days:

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 fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled (Revelation 6:9-11).

          This opening of this seal reveals the martyrdom of God’s saints. Notice that this verse looks back to the faithful people of God who were killed in the past. However, this seal also reveals the future murder of God’s elect. In fact, the worst persecution and martyrdom is yet to come—during the great tribulation!
          As the sixth seal is opened, we see a onetime, event that will only occur at the end of the age. This seal is a dramatic sign to all mankind—a warning that Christ’s return is near:

And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun 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, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens 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 that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? (Revelation 6:12-17).

          This sixth seal serves as a terrifying wake up call. It is a frightening reminder to a rebellious mankind that God’s wrath is about to be inflicted on a hostile, sin-filled world.
          Finally, the seventh seal is opened to conclude this series of traumatic prophetic events. However, the devastation does not end here. This seventh seal begins yet another round of seven even more powerful and destructive plagues that will afflict a defiant humanity:

When he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets (Revelation 8:1-2).

          In times of great tragedy, men sometimes pause for a moment to show respect and reflect on the severity of what has occurred. The following plagues are of such enormity that the entire angelic realm is absolutely silent for half an hour.
          Imagine the entirety of heaven pausing to consider what has brought the world and its inhabitants to this moment. As the Almighty pauses, He ponders the enormous magnitude of the action He must now take against the earth and the people that He has always loved.

Seven Trumpet Plagues
          As the seventh and final seal was opened, John witnessed seven trumpet plagues that will literally blast a defiant earth into submission. Notice again that each trumpet is blown in succession. As each trump sounds, it signals a new and awesome destructive plague hurled at the earth:

The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up. And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed. And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter. And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise (Revelation 8:7-12).

          Terrible as these four plagues are, there is more terror and destruction yet to come. Before the fifth trumpet is blown, an angel flies through the midst of heaven announcing that the next three blasts are so devastating that they are called woes (Rev. 8:13).
          When the fifth angel sounds, the bottomless pit is opened. The symbolism here may signify that demons who have been imprisoned for thousands of years are released in the form of hideous locusts. These supernatural creatures will torture men for five months which is, coincidentally, the normal life-span of one of these insects. The pain inflicted by these demonic creatures will be so great that those who have been stung will wish for death, yet their anguish will be aggravated by the fact that they cannot die (Rev. 9:1-12).
          Next, the sixth trumpet sounds, bringing the second woe upon mankind. An army consisting of two hundred million men will wreak havoc on humanity. The ensuing war will be so devastating that it will destroy one third of the world’s remaining population (Rev. 9:13-21).
          Finally, the seventh trump will sound and the third woe will be unleashed upon a pummeled, yet still defiant, mankind.

The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly. And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever (Revelation 11:14-15).

          The seventh trumpet signals the fulfillment of several prophesied events. As its blast rends the air, the earth is put on notice. The Almighty God is about to reclaim the world that has been ruled by Satan for six thousand years.
           Additionally, this trumpet fulfills the great hope of God’s servants from the beginning of time. Like an alarm clock set to raise the sleeping dead, the sound of this trump will signal the highly anticipated first resurrection. Not only will the dead in Christ be raised, those faithful who are still alive will be miraculously changed (I Thes. 4:16-17).
          Like the trumpet which was sounded at the coronation of Israel’s kings, this last trump will also announce the ordination of those whom God will inaugurate as kings and priests in His government on the earth. God will raise His chosen and crown them as rulers under Jesus Christ (Rev. 5:10). This final blast will also serve as a call to the wedding supper and the marriage of the Lamb. However, this does not fulfill all that this trump portends. The blare of this trumpet is also a sound of war. It is a warning to the world of yet another round of devastating plagues. As John witnessed:

I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God (Revelation 15:1).

          Incredible as they are, and as devastating as they will be, the trumpet plagues do not fill up the wrath of God that has been generated by the iniquity of man! God’s anger will not be fulfilled until another round of seven dreadful plagues has been completed.

The Seven Vials
          After the resurrection, and during the marriage supper, there is yet another series of seven divine punishments that are destined to take place. The apostle John explains that Jesus Christ will direct seven angels to pour out seven vials—the last plagues to rain down upon an unrepentant and rebellious mankind:

And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast… And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea. And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood… And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat… And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain… And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet… And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great… the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great (Revelation 16:2-21).

          The book of Revelation reveals a sequence of seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven vials that are all in successive order. However, these are not the only sevens in this unique book of prophecy. There are four other sets of sevens, and they all occur in succession.

Seven Thunders
          The book of Revelation also speaks of seven thunders. Many have wondered—what could these possibly be? Can we know, or are they destined to remain a mystery until their utterance finally rumbles on this earth? The apostle John writes:

And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire: And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth, And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices. And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not (Revelation 10:1-4).

          Because God commanded that their utterance be sealed, we can only speculate on the meaning of these thunders. However, the Almighty does give us hints. By carefully reading God’s Word and comparing these verses with other related Scriptures, we can discover relevant clues to help us understand what these voices may be.
          First consider that the angel has one foot on the land and the other on the sea. Thus, he is portrayed as being on the earth. It is only after the angel cries that the thunders begin to sound. Therefore, we can conclude that the thunders take place on the earth.
Next, consider that the seven thunders “uttered their voices.” This word “uttered” is the Greek word laleō and it means “to talk, preach, or speak.” The original word for “voices” is phōnē, conveying the idea of disclosing a thing to others by the use of spoken word. This tells us that when John was told not to write what the thunders declared, he must have heard a message that was spoken in a language he could understand. But, exactly who, or what, proclaims these seven thunderous messages?
          The timing of these utterances can help us understand. The Scriptures reveal that the seven thunders take place before the seventh trumpet sounds. Immediately following the command not to write, John explains:

The angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer: But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets (Revelation 10:5-7).

          By these verses, we see that the seven thunders take place during the great tribulation. Understanding that there are powerful messages from God thundering at this time, who is powerfully proclaiming God’s truth during this period of enormous upheaval? The answer is found in the very next chapter. There God reveals two end-time prophets who are called to preach on the earth at that time. They are known as the two witnesses. As John writes:

And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth… And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will (Revelation 11:3-6).

          These two servants of God openly preach the truth with passion and power throughout the three and one-half year tribulation. During their ministry, they indict and warn a rebellious world filled with iniquity. As Moses and Aaron confronted Jannes and Jambres, these two prophets will also courageously confront Satan’s human instruments—the beast and false prophet!          
          As a means of protection, God will give the two witnesses powers similar to those He gave to Moses and Elijah. They will be able to turn rivers to blood, stop and start the rain at will, and call fire down from heaven to strike their enemies. During a rainstorm, and when lightning strikes, it is followed by loud peals of thunder. In this context, it certainly appears that there is a correlation between the miracles performed by the two witnesses and the seven thunders.

Sons of Thunder
          In light of this truth, it is interesting to consider the time when Jesus called the twelve disciples to a mountain alone. There He ordained them as the twelve apostles. A little observed detail also took place on this day that provides another clue to the mystery surrounding the seven thunders. Jesus gave a unique surname to the disciples, James and John:

And James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and he surnamed them Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder (Mark 3:17).

          Why did Jesus give this unique title to James and John? It may well have been that the Savior tagged these two disciples with this term because of a specific experience they shared on a trip through Samaria.
          At this time, the Jews hated the Samaritans. In fact, they would go to great lengths, even traveling many miles out of their way, to avoid any contact with them. Jesus had no such hatred, and He took the natural, shorter, route through Samaria on His way to Jerusalem. Knowing that He was Jewish and that His destination was Jerusalem, the Samaritans refused to accept Him in one of their towns. When these two disciples witnessed this, they suggested an unusual response saying:

…Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did? (Luke 9:54).

          These two disciples wanted Jesus to give them the miraculous power to call fire down from heaven like the prophet Elijah. After this incident, Jesus did not call these two, the sons of fire, sons of lightning, or sons of Elijah. He called them “the sons of thunder.”
          Could it be that when James and John wanted to call fire down from heaven that it reminded Jesus of the power that will be given to the two witnesses? Is it possible that “sons of thunder” is the name used in heaven to refer to the two witnesses, and that is why the request of these two disciples prompted Jesus to affectionately call them by this term?
          With this as a backdrop, could it be that the seven thunders occur at those times when the two witnesses are forced to use their God-given power? When they choose to stop or start the rain, will the ensuing downpour be accompanied by a rumbling roar? When they are attacked, will peals of thunder follow as they call fire down from heaven? Do these turbulent events occur seven times during the tribulation as the two witnesses preach an indicting message to the world? If so, it would make perfect sense for God to command John not to record these profound messages. If the meanings were disclosed, they might reveal the identities and events that were to take place before the appropriate time.
          One thing is certain. If all the thunders were uttered at the same time, their sound would be indistinguishable. If this were the case, John would be confused as to how many thunders there were. However, the seven thunders were separate and clear messages. The apostle John heard them, he understood what they said, and he was about to write their messages before being ordered to stop by God. By this we can be assured that, like all the previous categories of prophecy, the seven thunders will also occur in succession.

Seven Kingdoms of the Beast
          As John’s vision continued to play out, another series of sevens was revealed. This next prophetical category begins by describing a terrifying creature that is empowered by Satan the devil. The apostle John describes his vision saying:

I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority (Revelation 13:1-2).

          John describes the features of this beast as having the likeness of a lion, a bear, and a leopard. Can we know who or what this symbolic monster is? The answer is yes! We can identify this beast by comparing John’s description with the identical features of the beasts found in the book of Daniel. God’s prophet of old saw these same creatures in a dream, and wrote:

And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another. The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it. And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh. After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it. After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns (Daniel 7:3-7).

          The four creatures that Daniel saw represented four specific empires, one of which was split into four separate entities. These beasts correspond to king Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in which Daniel interpreted the image to represent four empires that would rise and fall over time.
          The lion pictured the strong and fierce Babylonian empire. The bear reflects the Persian Empire whose people migrated into Russia, leaving their symbol of the bear as this nation’s logo. The winged leopard pictured the Greek Empire whose first king, Alexander the Great, used blitzkrieg-like speed to attack and bring other nations under his control. The four heads of this leopard represent the four-fold division of Alexander’s empire by his four generals after his death. Finally, this fourth dreadful monstrosity represents the powerful Roman Empire.
          Just as God’s revelation to Daniel foretold, the rise of these empires took place in successive order, culminating in the great Roman Empire. The following graph depicts the seven heads of the beast, and the empires they represent.

         By studying Daniel’s vision, we learn that the beast described in the book of Revelation symbolizes a federation of gentile nations. God often refers to these nations in terms of wild animals because they rip and tear at each other in acts of war. This final beast will be no different. It will be an unholy political, military, and economic system that is a composite of those empires that preceded it. As John’s vision continues, we are informed that this last kingdom would suffer a fatal wound, but that wound would be healed:

I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast (Revelation 13:3).

          This deadly wound occurred when Rome fell in the 476 A.D. Uneducated barbaric tribes consisting of the Vandals, Ostrogoths, and Heruli repeatedly attacked the weakened empire until it finally collapsed in defeat—Rome fell! However, this fourth beast was prophesied to live again, but its restoration would occur in seven separate revivals.

Seven Resurrections of the Roman Empire
            Savage tribes caused Rome to suffer a deadly wound, but the dreadful empire would not be dead for long. Destined to rise again, the kingdom was restored in 554 by Emperor Justinian. However, with this restoration he brought something new—an intimate relationship with a religious entity. From this time forward the kingdom would no longer be known as Rome. It would now be recognized as the “Holy Roman Empire.” This blasphemous relationship of church and state is reflected in John’s vision in which he sees the symbol of a woman riding a beast:

There came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:  With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication (Revelation 17:1-4).

          Who is this woman riding the beast? Prophetically, a woman symbolizes a church (Eph. 5:31-32). In fact, the book of Revelation uses this symbol eighteen times in its twenty-two chapters. In some of these instances, the woman represents God’s Church. In other cases, it reflects a counterfeit faith. In the verse above, it is clear that the woman is a symbol of a great false religious system that rides a beast—the Roman Empire.
          This end-time beast has seven heads and ten horns. The seven heads refer to seven revivals of Holy Roman Empire. The first of these was the imperial restoration by Justinian. The Frankish Kingdom followed, and then came the Empire under Otto the Great. After this, the Hapsburg dynasty arose, followed by Napoleon’s kingdom. Garibaldi’s empire formed next, and it was ruled by the two tyrannical leaders—Hitler and Mussolini. The final revival of the Roman Empire will take place when ten horns, or nations, give their power to a single man. It is this seventh head and this beast that the Church of God understands to be the king who has “not yet come”—the end-time empire of the beast and false prophet (Rev. 16:13, 19:20, 20:10).

The Seven letters to seven Churches
          So far, six categories of prophecy have been presented, and each one included seven events that play out in a chronological sequence. It is clear that God consistently uses this pattern of seven throughout the book of Revelation. Understanding this, we should expect there to be one more category of prophecy consisting of seven sequential events to complete God’s precedent of using sets of seven. There is only one category left in the entire book that can fulfill this pattern—the seven messages to the seven churches!
          Thus, the first set of seven presented in John’s vision is the prophetic category of God’s Church. Understanding that the number seven pictures completion, these churches represent the entire Church throughout time. In addition, the letters to the Churches follow the same pattern as the other six categories of prophecy. The seven letters are related events that play out in chronological succession. The fact that there are seven sets of seven in the book of Revelation is another profound evidence for eras.

Seven Sevens in Succession

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