SUMMARY
The opening of the first six seals results in escalating terror and destruction, but the opening of the seventh seal reveals an anticlimax: silence.
ANALYSIS
The opening of the seven seals by the worthy, slaughtered Lamb is the first of several cycles of disaster in Revelation revolving around the number 7. There are also seven trumpets (8:6-9:21; 11:15-19) and seven bowls (16:1-21). As the first of the three, the seven seals sets the pattern for the others. At first, the opening of each seal results in an escalation of destruction. The first four seals reveal the so-called “four horsemen of the apocalypseAt its root, being derived from a Greek word meaning "unveiling," apocalypse refers to a revelation of a divine or previously unseen reality. Some ancient Jewish and Christian literature used the term to describe destruction or cataclysm. Paul describes his encounter with Jesus Christ as... More.” The first, the rider on the white horse is an ambiguous figure (6:2). He is a conqueror and so associated with the destructive powers of the Empire, but later Christ will be described with similar language (19:11-16). The second, the rider on the red horse (6:4) is unequivocally destructive. He represents civil war, one of the most feared scourges of antiquity. The third rider, on a black horse, is even worse. With his scales and his call for high grain prices, he represents famine (6:5-6). Finally, death himself is revealed, and a quarter of the earth is put under his power (6:8). The fifth seal reveals the slaughtered martyrs and prophecies that many will be added to their number (6:9-11). The sixth seal, the most dreadful of all of them, is accompanied by heavenly portents reminiscent of the prophecyProphecy is the gift, inspired by God, of speaking and interpreting the divine will. Prophets such as Amos, Isaiah, and Ezekiel spoke words of judgment and comfort to the people of Israel on behalf of God. More of the Day of Lord (Joel 2:31).
None of these terrible disasters bring repentance. The worst of them, the heavenly portents of the sixth seal, only lead to increased fear of God and the wrath of the Lamb (6:16-17). Instead of proceeding directly to the seventh seal, John is distracted by a contrasting vision of the great host sealed with the sign of the Lord and praising God and singing (7:1-17). When he returns to the seventh seal, there is an unexpected anticlimax. Instead of another terribly destructive event, the seventh seal reveals silence in heaven. This silence parallels the experience of ElijahA miracle working Israelite prophet who opposed worship of Baal. More at Mount Horeb. Elijah survives a great wind that breaks the mountains, an earthquake, and a fire, but the Lord finally speaks to him after a “sheer silence” (1 Kings 19:11-13). As John will repeat in the vision of the seven trumpets, calamities can increase fear, but they cannot themselves bring people to faith. Faith in God and the Lamb emerges quietly and mysteriously in the midst of those calamities.
