Posted by Elana Janson on June 19, 2004 at 06:34:48:
The sixth seal
In How Near Armageddon I illustrated how the chapters of Revelation correlated with the history of certain aspects of the spread and development of the Christian faith through the past two thousand years.
I mentioned that the opening of the sixth and seventh seals seem to measure time back from certain points in about 2004 or beyond. I knew that certain signs of the end would ultimately have to reveal these times.
The sequence of events that took place from July to December 2003 that was set out in a previous post (The earthquake in Bam) to reveal the opening of the sixth seal is of the greatest significance in the final understanding of Revelation. I say this for a number of reasons. Firstly, no one could have predicted that the sequence of events that were correlated with the opening of the sixth seal, would take place between July to December 2003. To refresh memory I shall give a short summary here. In the opening of the sixth seal Revelation measures time back from December 2003. Revelation 6:12 starts in December 2003 and moves back month by month.
Rev 6:12 “And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and lo, there was a great earthquake…..” Earthquake in Bam 26 -12- 2003.
“and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood”. In November 2003 there was a total eclipse of the sun 23-11-2003, seen in Antarctica and Australia, and a total eclipse of the moon 9-11-2003. Violence reached a peak in countries like Turkey and Iraq during November 2003
.
Rev 6:13 “and the stars of heaven fell unto the earth” One of the largest known solar flares (third largest on record) erupted from the sun on Tuesday 29 October 2003. In the previous week two solar storms were registered. This spate of solar flares was unusual because it does not follow the normal pattern of solar behaviour. These emissions ultimately penetrate the earth’s magnetic field and cause the picturesque atmospheric lights called aurorae. The sun follows an 11 year cycle and the last peak took place in 2000. “even as the fig tree casteth her untimely figs,” As a result of unusual high pressure systems during the summer of 2003 (July and August) that seemed to linger for days over almost the entire Europe and cause intensive heat, fruits from trees were picked untimely (grapes). Some fruits were small or fell to the earth at an unusual time.
“when she is shaken of a mighty wind”. September 2003 was the month of unusually strong hurricanes and typhoons. Typhoon Maemi was the worst typhoon to hit Korea since records began. It was also the worst typhoon to hit Okinawa in southern Japan in thirty years. It was the time of the hurricane, Isabel that over the Atlantic ocean reached wind speeds of a category 5 storm, though it subdued before it reached the American coast.
Rev 6:14 “And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together” Those readers who have read the post on this Forum concerning the time at which Mars was closest to the earth will know that 28 August 2003 is of importance as it indicates the length of a “day” in Revelation. The planet appeared as a very bright star in the heavens. It seemed with a naked eye, on a clear night in South Africa, as if it were hanging between heaven and earth. At the beginning of the twenty-first century it could be calculated that the planet Mars was closest to the earth (on 28 August 2003) in some 60 000 years and would again be as close in the year 2287. This information was of significance because 287 years is about the time of a “day” in Revelation. Revelation links “heaven” to the “scroll”, “rolled together” - that is closing.
As I said, no one could have predicted this sequence of events. Of course, the position of Mars could have been predicted to be at its nearest point to the earth on 28 August 2003, also the total eclipses of the sun and the moon in November 2003, but no one could have predicted the “mighty wind” in September 2003, nor the high pressure system over Europe in July 2003, nor the unusual emissions from the sun in October 2003. We should take particular notice of the words : Rev 8:5 “and thunderings, and lightenings and an earthquake” that is repeated in very specific places in Revelation. Through the centuries no one could understand how a ‘thundering’ or a ‘lightening’ could be of particular significance in the understanding of Revelation. Now, with the knowledge of the sequence of events in 2003, that could only be established through knowledge of time measurements in Revelation (“thunderings” relating to the “seven thunders”, that is, knowledge of the time measurements) we have new insight. The sequence of events of 2003 also include a ‘lightening’ such as the northern lights, therefore, where Revelation repeats the words, “thunders, and lightnings and there was a great earthquake” in Rev 16:18, it may be referring back, to the time of the end of 2003, or a similar type of sequence of events in future.
The second significance of this sequence of events is that the only way that a correlation could be made between the opening of the sixth seal and the events described above at the end of 2003 is through the knowledge of the time measurements of Revelation made known to me through the Devine intervention and the knowledge that we are near the end time. If I was not looking out for some events that correlated with the last time measures of Revelation, 2003 would have seemed just as a year of some extreme weather conditions. Without the time measures of Revelation, the appearance of Mars at a specific time would have seemed to be just another planet following its course in its solar system or just a bright star in a seemingly endless universe.
Rev 6:14 says: “And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together. At that point (August 2003) we reached the end of the time that Revelation measures time through history. The appearance of that star (that was the planet Mars) indicated that time that we no longer have to measure periods of time back from the end time, but that certain verses in Revelation would now follow a logical forward sequence in order to reveal the progress of the signs of the end. These verses are at the beginning of chapters or sections of chapters in Revelation, from which Revelation measured time back in history. It was the time of the ‘Day of the Lord’ often mentioned in Scripture, also the time of the ‘wrath of the Lord’ and the time that certain events described in Revelation will follow.
It seems that the 2003 sequence of events indicates that the ‘history’ of the Christian nations linked to the words of Revelation has come to an end, and certain symbols of the end time are now being revealed. I say this for Revelation proceeds, in the chapters that follow the opening of the sixth seal, to repeat the symbolism of these events in relation to other symbols. This seems to be the way that Revelation brings its total meaning together. I will illustrate this aspect.
The first example concerns the symbolism of the darkening of the sun.
Note the words of Rev 6:12 “and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood”. It seems that this may be the end point of the sounding of the fourth trumpet (Rev 8:12 “the sun was smitten”). In Rev 8:6 we are told that “the seven angels which had seven trumpets prepared to sound”. The word “prepared” indicates that they prepared over a long period of time to sound in the time 2003 or beyond. In Rev 8:12 , as was seen in How near Armageddon, Revelation moved back into history to reveal how through time measurement and symbolism, the earth “darkened”. This was a symbolic ‘darkening’ over a specific period of time, to show how the nations, either discarded or undermined the message of salvation through Jesus Christ (sun). Through the repetition of the symbol of the ‘darkening of the sun’ in the opening of the sixth seal Revelation reveals that in 2003, the point was reached symbolically that the “sun” (the message of Jesus Christ ) “became black” (the same time as was shown in the previous post, that the Lamb was slain). [The repetition of the word “black” shows a connection to the symbolism of the rider on the black horse carrying the balances in his hand (Rev 6:5).]
The second example is the stars that fall to earth.
In Rev 6:13 it is said “And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth”. The time of this verse is October 2003. In Chapter 9:1, in the chapter dealing with the sounding of the sounding of the fifth trumpet, it is said “And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key to the bottomless pit.” [Revelation is again using the same words “star of heaven fell unto the earth”, as in the opening of the sixth seal, Rev 6:13 “stars of heaven fell unto the earth”. Through the repetition of the words “bottomless pit” in Rev 20:1 and 3, the end of 2003 is therefore also the beginning of the time mentioned in Rev 20:3, the “short season”. This aspect will be discussed in a following post.] Revelation at the end of 2003, regards the scroll as ‘closed’ and is now indicating that the points in time that the first five trumpets (and the sixth trumpet with regard to the words of Rev 9:15, “hour, day, month and a year” as being the time of the Mars being at its nearest point to the earth) are sounded. I believe Revelation is confirming that the time of the sounding of the trumpets are at the same point in time through the words of Rev 9:14 “loose the four angels that are bound in the great river Euphrates.”
This insight brings with it another astounding revelation. If Revelation is now going to link the symbolism ( sounding of the trumpets), which are the points from which time is measured back in history , to its symbolism to the events of the end of 2003, then Revelation verifies its words, that the end is “coming soon”.
This repetition of words and symbols that relate to the end of 2003, means that a number of the end points of Revelation are the time July to December 2003. This will be discussed in greater detail in the a following post on the sounding of the trumpets.
We can now better understand the construction of the chapters of Revelation.
Why does Revelation 6:17 say “For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand” and then chapter 7 begins, “And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor the sea nor any tree?” I believe that we can understand this now.
In Revelation 7:1 it is said: “And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the winds should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor any tree.” This verse seems to show that Chapter 7 begins at the same time as Rev 6:14. I shall explain how this verse seems to indicate the same time as the time of the words of Rev 6:14 “And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together….”
Revelation 6:14 is preceded in Rev 6:13 by the words “even as a fig tree casts her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.” In the understanding of the opening of the sixth seal, September 2003 was the month of the strong winds that blew over the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. I believe that through the opening words of Revelation, chapter 7: “four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth”, Revelation is indicating through the words “four corners of the earth” and “four winds of the earth”, winds ‘mighty’ in relation to the entire globe. Revelation, through the words “holding the four winds of the earth” is actually confirming the time of the appearance of Mars on 28 August 2003. At that time, in August 2003, the four angels were “holding the four winds of the earth” that were about to blow. In the following month “the mighty wind” would blow as indicated in Revelation 6:13. You will remember that the reverse sequence of events of the opening of the sixth seal started with Revelation 6:14.
I believe that the sequence of events from July to December 2003, that are in themselves outstanding to a degree, are only of significance because they follow a sequence linked to Rev 6:12 to 14 and the understanding of Revelation. They become astounding in that respect, but because this insight comes at a time that all the attention of men is on trying to go to Mars - and because mankind remains, and if we are so near to the end time, will remain ignorant of the deception brought about by the symbols of the “beast out of the sea” and the “beast out of the earth” in Revelation, the end of our civilization will come “as a thief” (Rev 16:15).