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[[File:Ottheinrich Folio287r Rev4-5.jpg|thumb|300px|The [[Lamb of God|Lamb]] opening the book/scroll with seven seals]]

The '''Seven Seals of God''' from the Bible's [[Book of Revelation]] are the seven symbolic [[Seal (emblem)#Impression|seals]] ({{Langx|el|σφραγῖδα}}, ''sphragida'') that secure the book or scroll that [[John of Patmos]] saw in an [[Apocalypticism|apocalyptic]] vision. The opening of the seals of the document occurs in Rev Ch 5–8 and marks the [[Second Coming]] of the [[Christ]] and the beginning of [[The Apocalypse]]/Revelation. Upon the [[Lamb of God]]/[[Lion of Judah]] opening a seal on the cover of the book/scroll, a judgment is released or an apocalyptic event occurs. The opening of the first four Seals releases the [[Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse|Four Horsemen]], each with his own specific mission.<ref>{{bibleverse|Revelation|6:1–8|KJV|6:1–8}}</ref> The opening of the fifth Seal releases the cries of martyrs for the ''"Word/Wrath of God"''.<ref>{{bibleverse|Revelation|6:9-11|KJV|6:9-11}}</ref> The sixth Seal prompts plagues, storms and other cataclysmic events.<ref>''"And I saw when he opened the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake" (Rev. 6:12)''</ref><ref>{{bibleverse|Revelation|6:12–17|KJV|6:12–17}}</ref> The seventh Seal cues [[Seven trumpets|seven angelic trumpeters]] who in turn cue the [[Seven bowls|seven bowl]] judgments and more cataclysmic events.<ref>{{bibleverse|Revelation|8:1–13|KJV|8:1–13}}</ref>
[[File:Schnorr von Carolsfeld Bibel in Bildern 1860 238.png|thumb|Lamb opening the seven seals, by [[Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld]], 1860]]

== Christian interpretations ==
{{Christian Eschatology}}

Certain words and phrases used in The Revelation had a clearer meaning to ancient readers familiar with objects of their time. For example, important documents were sent written on a [[papyrus]] scroll sealed with several [[seal (emblem)|wax seal]]s.<ref name ="TSB">{{cite book |last=Yancey |first=notes by Philip |title=The student Bible|url=https://archive.org/details/nivstudentbiblec00 |url-access=registration |year=1996|publisher=[[Zondervan|Zondervan Pub. House]]|location=Grand Rapids, Mich.|isbn=978-0-310-92664-1|edition=New International Version.|author2=Stafford, Tim |page=[https://archive.org/details/nivstudentbiblec00/page/1322 1322]}}</ref> Wax seals were typically placed across the opening of a scroll,<ref>{{cite book |author=Michael Counsell |title=A basic Bible dictionary |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6UWO9Sy9lqwC|edition=null |date=August 2004 |publisher=Canterbury Press |location=Norwich |isbn=978-1-85311-475-5 |pages=107, Seal #3}}</ref> so that it was known to be authored by the proper person, when the document was opened in the presence of witnesses.<ref name ="TSB"/> This type of "seal" is frequently used in a figurative sense, in the book of Revelation,<ref>{{cite book |editor1=Ronald F. Youngblood |editor2=Frederick Fyvie Bruce |editor3=Roland Kenneth Harrison |author=Thomas Nelson Publishers |title=Nelson's new illustrated Bible dictionary |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jEIAAAAACAAJ |edition=null |date=1995-08-15 |publisher=T. Nelson |location=Nashville |isbn=978-0-8407-2071-9 |pages=1140–1141}}</ref> and only the Lamb is worthy to break off these seals.<ref name ="TSB"/>

From the [[Reformation]] to the middle of the 19th century, the seals in Revelation have been interpreted through various methods, such as the [[historicist]] view that most [[Protestant]]s adopted and the views of [[preterism]] and [[Futurism (Christianity)|futurism]] that post-Reformation [[Catholic]] circles promoted. [[Idealism]] was also a fairly major view that became realized since the time of [[Bishop of Hippo|Augustine, Bishop of Hippo]] (AD 345–430).<ref name="Newport, 15">{{cite book| last = Newport| first = Kenneth G. C.| title = Apocalypse and millennium : studies in biblical eisegesis| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=f3Cm9ALJbe0C| edition = 1. publ.| date = 2000-08-28| publisher = Cambridge Univ. Press| location = Cambridge [u.a.]| isbn = 978-0-521-77334-8| page = 15 }}</ref>

===Preterist views===
The [[Preterism|preterist]] usually views that John was given an accurate vision of a course of events that would occur over the next several centuries to fulfill the prophetic seals.<ref name="Newport, 16">{{cite book| last = Newport| first = Kenneth G. C.| title = Apocalypse and millennium: studies in biblical eisegesis| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=f3Cm9ALJbe0C| date = 2000-08-28| publisher = Cambridge University Press| isbn = 978-0-521-77334-8| page = 16 }}</ref>

[[Robert Witham]], an 18th-century Catholic commentator, offers a preterist view for the period that spans the length of the opening of the seals;<ref name="Newport, 86">{{cite book| last = Newport| first = Kenneth G. C.| title = Apocalypse and millennium: studies in biblical eisegesis| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=f3Cm9ALJbe0C| date = 2000-08-28| publisher = Cambridge University Press| isbn = 978-0-521-77334-8| page = 86 }}</ref> it being the period from Christ to the establishment of the Church under [[Constantine I|Constantine]] in 325.<ref>R. Witham. (1733), ''Annotations'', vol. II, p. 472</ref>

[[Johann Jakob Wettstein]] (18th century) places the date of the ''Apocalypse'' as written before A. D. 70. He assumed that the first part of the Book was in respect to Judea and the Jews, and the second part about the Roman Empire. The “Sealed Book” is the book of divorcement sent to the Jewish nation from God.<ref name="Cook, 583">{{cite book|last=Cook|first=Frederick Charles|author-link=Frederic Charles Cook|title=The holy Bible, authorized version|publisher=Oxford University|url=https://archive.org/details/holybible01cookgoog|edition=comm. and a revision of the tr. by bishops and other clergy of the Anglican Church|editor=Frederick Charles Cook|page=[https://archive.org/details/holybible01cookgoog/page/n603 583]|year=1881}}</ref>

[[Isaac Williams (writer)|Isaac Williams]] (19th century) associated the first six Seals with the ''discourse on the [[Mount of Olives]]'' and stated that, “The seventh Seal contains the Seven Trumpets within it… the judgments and sufferings of the Church.”<ref name="Cook, 584">{{cite book|last=Cook|first=Frederick Charles|year=1881|title=page 584|page=[https://archive.org/details/holybible01cookgoog/page/n604 584]|url=https://archive.org/details/holybible01cookgoog}}</ref>

===Historicist views===
{{further|Historicism (Christianity)#Book of Revelation|l1=Historicist interpretations of the Book of Revelation}}

Traditionally, the ''[[Historicism (Christianity)|historicist]]'' view of the ''Seven Seals'' in ''The Apocalypse'' spanned the time period from [[John of Patmos]] to [[Christendom#Early Christendom|Early Christendom]]. Scholars such as [[Campegius Vitringa]],<ref name = "Eijnatten, 84-5">{{cite book| last = Eijnatten| first = Joris van| title = Liberty and concord in the United Provinces: religious toleration and the public in the eighteenth-century Netherlands| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=pqYTE0KSg0wC| edition = null| year = 2003| publisher = Brill| location = Leiden| isbn = 978-90-04-12843-9| pages = 84–5 }}</ref> [[Alexander Keith (Free Church minister)|Alexander Keith]], and [[Christopher Wordsworth]] did not limit the timeframe to the 4th century. Some have even viewed the opening of the ''Seals'' right into the [[early modern period]].<ref name = "Tyso's table">{{cite book|last=Cook|first=Frederick Charles|year=1881|title=See Joseph Tyso's table from "An Exposition of the Books of Daniel and the Revelation"|page=583|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zKcGAAAAQAAJ&q=f.%20c.%20cook%201881&pg=PA583}}</ref> However, ''Contemporary-historicists'' view all of Revelation as it relates to John's own time (with the allowance of making some guesses as to the future).<ref name = "Newport, 16"/>

According to E.B. Elliott, the first seal, as revealed to John by the angel, was to signify what was to happen soon after John seeing the visions in Patmos. The general subject of the first six seals is the decline and fall, after a previous prosperous era, of the Empire of Pagan Rome.<ref name = "ElliottV1">{{Citation | first = Edward Bishop | last = Elliott | author-link = Edward Bishop Elliott | title = [[Horae Apocalypticae]] | publisher = Seely, Jackson and Halliday | place = London | edition = 5th | volume = I | year = 1862}}</ref>{{rp|119,121,122}}

===Futurist views===
''Moderate futurists'' typically interpret the opening of the seals as representing forces in history, however long they last, by which God carries out His redemptive and judicial purposes leading up to “the end”.<ref>{{cite book |editor=Geoffrey W. Bromiley |title=Q – Z. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6OJvO2jMCr8C |edition=Fully rev., [Nachdr.] |date=June 1995 |publisher=Eerdmans |location=Grand Rapids, Mich. |isbn=978-0-8028-3784-4 |page=174}}</ref>

===Idealist views===
The ''idealist'' view does not take the book of ''Revelation'' literally. The interpretation of ''Revelation’s'' symbolism and imagery is defined by the struggles between good and evil.<ref name="Newport, 15"/>

==Opening the seven seals==

=== First seal ===
The returned Christ opening the ''"7 Seals"'' has its consequences. The first 4 Seals result in the [[Four Horsemen]]. 

[[File:Apocalypse vasnetsov.jpg|thumb|450px|right|''Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse'', an 1887 painting by [[Victor Vasnetsov]]. The [[Lamb of God|Lamb]] is visible at the top.]]
;Preterist view
[[Johann Jakob Wettstein]] (18th century) identified the first Horseman as [[Please help identify which Artabanus|Artabanus]], king of the [[Parthian Empire|Parthians]] who slaughtered the Jews in Babylon.<ref name="Cook, 583" /> However, [[Ernest Renan]], a 19th-century ''modern rationalist preterist,'' interpreted the ''First Horseman'' to be symbolic of the [[Roman Empire]], with [[Nero]] as the [[Antichrist]].<ref name="Cook, 584" /> This rider who "went forth conquering" was Rome's march toward Jerusalem in the year 67, to suppress ''[[First Jewish–Roman War|The Great Jewish Revolt]]''.<ref name="Pate, 2009">{{cite book| last = Pate| first = C. Marvin| title = Reading Revelation : a comparison of four interpretive translations of the Apocalypse| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=CCSt9SGdCgEC| edition = null| date = 2009-05-31| publisher = Kregel Academic & Professional| location = Grand Rapids, Mich.| isbn = 978-0-8254-3367-2| pages = 19–32 }}</ref>

;Historicist view
In the ''historicist'' views of [[Nicholas de Lyra]] (14th century), [[Robert Fleming, Minister|Robert Fleming]] (17th century), [[Charles Daubuz]] (c. 1720), [[Thomas Scott (commentator)|Thomas Scott]] (18th century), and [[William Cuninghame of Lainshaw|Cuninghame]], they agreed that the ''First Seal'' opened there upon the death of Christ.<ref name = "Tyso's table"/> 

Puritan [[Joseph Mede]] (1627) associated the opening of the ''First Seal'' to year 73, during the reign of [[Vespasian]], just after ''The Great Jewish Revolt''.

[[Campegius Vitringa]] (c. 1700), [[Alexander Keith (Free Church minister)|Alexander Keith]] (1832), and [[Edward Bishop Elliott]] (1837) considered this period to have started with the death of [[Domitian]] and [[Nerva]]’s rise to power in the year 96. This began Rome’s ''[[Opimian vintage|Golden age]]'' where the spread of the Gospel and Christianity flourished.<ref>{{cite book|last=Cook|first=Frederick Charles|year=1881|title=pages 582–3|url=https://archive.org/details/holybible01cookgoog|page=[https://archive.org/details/holybible01cookgoog/page/n602 582]|quote=f. c. cook 1881.}}</ref> To 17th-century Dutch Protestant theologian, Vitringa, it lasted up until [[Decius]] (249).<ref name="Cook, 582">{{cite book|last=Cook|first=Frederick Charles|year=1881|title=page 582|url=https://archive.org/details/holybible01cookgoog|page=[https://archive.org/details/holybible01cookgoog/page/n602 582]|quote=f. c. cook 1881.}}</ref> However, a more common ''historicist'' view is that the ''Golden age'' ended with [[Commodus]] making peace with the Germans in year 180.<ref name = "Pate, 2009"/>

;Futurist view
This rider represents the [[antichrist]] who will head the revived Roman Empire at the end of history.<ref name = "Pate, 2009"/>

;Idealist view
This rider is a symbol of the progress of the gospel of the conquering Christ mentioned in Rev. 5:5; 19:11–16.<ref name = "Pate, 2009"/>

;Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints view
The period involved is from 4000 B. C. to 3000 B. C. "It extends from after the fall of Adam, which according to the [[Ussher chronology]] was 4004 B.C., to shortly after the translation of [[Enoch]] and his city in 3017 B.C."<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=McConkie|first=Bruce R.|title=Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, Vol. III|publisher=Bookcraft Publishers|year=1981|location=Salt Lake City, Utah|pages=476–497}}</ref> The white horse is an emblem of victory. The bow is an emblem of war, and the crown is the emblem of a conqueror. Enoch is understood to be a kind of general, who led God's saints to war and "went forth conquering and to conquer." Of these wars, the revelations recite:<blockquote>"And so great was the faith of Enoch that he led the people of God, and their enemies came to battle against them; and he spake the word of the Lord, and the earth trembled, and the mountains fled, even according to his command; and the rivers of water were turned out of their course; and the roar of the lions was heard out of the wilderness; and all nations feared greatly, so powerful was the word of Enoch, and so great was the power of the language which God had given him. There also came up a land out of the depth of the sea, and so great was the fear of the enemies of the people of God, that they fled and stood afar off and went upon the land which came up out of the depth of the sea. And the giants of the land, also, stood afar off; and there went forth a curse upon all people that fought against God; And from that time forth there were wars and bloodshed among them; but the Lord came and dwelt with his people, and they dwelt in righteousness. The fear of the Lord was upon all nations, so great was the glory of the Lord, which was upon his people."<ref>{{Cite web|date=1851|title=The Pearl of Great Price, Moses chapter 7, verses 13–17|url=https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/pgp/moses/7?lang=eng|access-date=23 June 2020|website=Church of Jesus Christ – scriptures}}</ref></blockquote>

Precious little is known about Enoch and his city, but a few verses later, it stated that "the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them" and later Zion was "taken up to heaven". Some{{Who|date=November 2020}} believe it was literally lifted up to the sky, which creates interesting parallels to the Vimana or "flying cities" which are found in Hindu texts.{{cn|date=November 2020}}

=== Second seal ===


;Preterist view
[[Ernest Renan]] (19th century) interpreted the ''Second Horseman'' to be symbolic of [[First Jewish–Roman War|The Great Jewish Revolt]] and the insurrection of [[Vindex]].<ref name = "Cook, 584"/> During ''The Great Revolt'', civil war broke out amongst the Jews. The civil war not only dissipated their stand against Rome, but also divided the Jewish people into factions that eventually dis-unified [[Jerusalem]].<ref name = "Pate, 2009"/> [[Hugo Grotius]] (17th century), interprets “the earth”, in verse 4, as the ''land of [[Judea]]''. [[Johann Jakob Wettstein]] (18th century), identified the ''Red horse'' as representing the assassins and robbers of Judea in the days of [[Antonius Felix]] and [[Porcius Festus]].<ref name = "Cook, 583"/> [[Please identify this modern day Volkmar|Volkmar]], a ''modern rationalist preterist'', broadened the scope of the ''Second Horseman'' to include major battles that occurred after the year 66: the [[Jewish–Roman wars]], [[Roman–Parthian Wars]], and [[Byzantine–Arab Wars]].<ref name = "Cook, 584"/>

;Historicist view
The common ''historicist'' view of the ''Second Seal'' is associated with the Roman period fraught with civil war between 32 would-be emperors that came and went during that time. It was the beginning of the end for the [[Roman Empire]].<ref name = "Pate, 2009"/> The Puritan [[Joseph Mede]] (1627) captured this timeframe from years 98 to 275.<ref name = "Cook, 582"/> [[Christopher Wordsworth]], in his ''Lectures on the Apocalypse'' (1849), declared a 240-year timespan, from years 64 to 304. During this period, Wordsworth indicated ''Ten persecutions'': First, [[Nero]]; Second, [[Domitian]]; Third, [[Trajan]]; Fourth, [[Marcus Aurelius|Marcus Aurelius Antoninus]]; Fifth, [[Septimius Severus]], Sixth, [[Maximinus II|Maximinus]]; Seventh, [[Decius]]; Eighth, [[Valerian (emperor)|Valerian]]; Ninth, [[Aurelian]]; Tenth, [[Diocletian]].<ref name = "Cook, 583"/> The common ''historicist'' view of the ''Second Seal'' ends with [[Diocletian]] in 305.<ref name = "Pate, 2009"/>

Other 19th-century views were that of [[Edward Bishop Elliott]] who suggested that the ''Second Seal'' opened during the military [[despotism]] under [[Commodus]], in the year 185. While the [[Church of Scotland]] minister, [[Alexander Keith (Free Church minister)|Alexander Keith]] applied the ''Second Seal'' directly to the spread of [[Mohammedanism]], starting in the year 622.<ref name = "Cook, 582"/>

;Futurist view
The Antichrist will unleash World War III, and crush any who claim to be Christians. He allies with the Arab world in an effort to conquer the entire world. (Ezek. 38; Dan. 11) Only Jerusalem will stand in his way to world supremacy.<ref name = "Pate, 2009"/>

;Idealist view
Seal judgments two through four represent the disintegration of both human civilization and creation resulting from their rejection of the Lamb of God. The rider on the red horse represents the slaughter and war that the kingdoms of men perpetrate against each other because they reject the Christ.<ref name = "Pate, 2009"/>

;Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints view
The era, from 3000 B. C. to 2000 B. C. Who rode the red horse? Perhaps it was the devil himself, or perhaps a man of blood or a person representing many warriors, of whom we have no record. During this time, the wickedness and abominations of Noah's day were so great, that God found all men, save eight, worthy of death by drowning.<ref name=":0" />

<blockquote>"And God saw that the wickedness of men had become great in the earth; and every man was lifted up in the imagination of the thoughts of his heart, being only evil continually. ... The earth was corrupt before God, and it was filled with violence. And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth."<ref>{{Cite web|date=1851|title=The Pearl of Great Price, Moses chapter 8, verses 22, 28–29|url=https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/pgp/moses/8?lang=eng|access-date=23 June 2020|website=Church of Jesus Christ – scriptures}}</ref></blockquote>

In our day, "peace has been taken from the earth” and the devil has "power over his own dominion", with the result that soon the vineyard shall be cleansed by fire. Need we suppose it was different in Noah's day, when the devil raging in the hearts of men, caused the Lord in his anger to cleanse the vineyard with water? And so he did in 2348 B.C.<ref name=":0" />

=== Third seal ===



;Preterist view
[[Hugo Grotius]] (17th century) and [[Johann Jakob Wettstein]] (18th century) viewed this rider as corresponding to the famine that occurred during the reign of [[Claudius]],<ref name = "Cook, 583"/> the Roman Emperor from years 41 to 54. [[Please identify this modern day Volkmar|Volkmar]], a ''modern rationalist preterist'', pinpoints the start of the famine at year 44, which kept repeating right into the [[First Jewish–Roman War]] of 66. [[Ernest Renan]] (19th century) viewed year 68 as the most significant year of the famine.<ref name = "Cook, 584"/> The famine was so severe that “mothers ate their children to survive”, while Jewish revolt leader, [[John of Giscala|John of Gischala]], and his men consumed the oil and wine that were luxury items from the Jerusalem temple.<ref name = "Pate, 2009"/>

;Historicist view
The common ''historicist'' view of the ''Third Seal'' is associated with the 3rd century. This was a period of financial oppression imposed on Roman citizenry, created by heavy taxation from the emperors. Taxes could be paid in grain, oil, and wine.<ref name = "Pate, 2009"/> [[Joseph Mede]] (1627) indicated that the ''Third Seal'' had opened from the rule of [[Septimius Severus]] (193) to [[Alexander Severus]] (235).<ref name = "Cook, 582"/> The English clergyman, [[Edward Bishop Elliott]] (1837), also highlighted the significant period of taxation that was imposed under [[Caracalla]]’s edict in the year 212.<ref name = "Cook, 583"/>

[[Alexander Keith (Free Church minister)|Alexander Keith]] (1832) took the opening of the ''Third Seal'' directly to the [[Byzantine Papacy]] in year 606,<ref name = "Cook, 583"/> following [[Pope Boniface III]] as an "Easterner on the papal throne" in 607.<ref>{{cite book| last = Ekonomou| first = Andrew J.| title = Byzantine Rome and the Greek popes : Eastern influences on Rome and the papacy from Gregory the Great to Zacharias, A.D. 590–752| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=DWH3CDxSqpgC| edition = 1st paperback| date = 2008-12-28| publisher = Lexington Books| location = Lanham, MD| isbn = 978-0-7391-1978-5| pages = 48–49 }}</ref>

;Futurist view
Inflation and famine will plague the earth during World War III. Though many will starve, the wealthy will enjoy the luxuries of oil and wine.<ref name = "Pate, 2009"/>

;Idealist view
This rider bespeaks the economic hardship and poverty that follow the unleashing of wars on humankind, while the rich get richer.<ref name = "Pate, 2009"/>

;Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints view
As famine follows the sword, so the pangs of hunger gnawed in the bellies of the Lord's people during the third seal. From 2000 B. C. to 1000 B. C., as never in any other age of the earth's history. In the beginning years of this seal, the famine in Ur of the Chaldees was so severe that Abraham's brother, Haran, starved to death, while Abraham was commanded by God to take his family to Canaan. Of his struggle to gain sufficient food to keep alive, Abraham said:<ref name=":0" />

"Now I, Abraham, built an altar in the land of Jershon, and made an offering unto the Lord, and prayed that the famine might be turned away from my father’s house, that they might not perish." Later he even had to leave Canaan in search of food. "And I, Abraham, journeyed, going on still towards the south; and there was a continuation of a famine in the land; and I, Abraham, concluded to go down into Egypt, to sojourn there, for the famine became very grievous."<ref>{{Cite web|date=1851|title=The Pearl of Great Price, Abraham chapter 2, verses 17 & 21|url=https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/pgp/abr/2?lang=eng|access-date=23 June 2020|website=Church of Jesus Christ – scriptures}}</ref>

Later, Joseph's interpretation of pharaoh's dream, and subsequent construction of granaries, saved the Egyptians and the House of Jacob (Israel) from starving to death. And again, when the people of Israel had escaped bondage in Egypt, God provided them with manna from heaven for 40 years, lest they starve to death in the wilderness.

=== Fourth seal ===


;Preterist view
This rider speaks the widespread death of Jews in their fight against Rome, which happens to be over a million Jewish deaths.<ref name = "Pate, 2009"/> [[Please help identify this modern day Volkmar|Volkmar]], a ''modern rationalist preterist'', points to pestilence striking in year 66.<ref name = "Cook, 584"/>

;Historicist view
This rider signifies twenty years of fighting, famine and disease that plagued the reigns of Emperors [[Decius]], [[Trebonianus Gallus|Gallus]], [[Aemilianus]], [[Valerian (emperor)|Valerian]], and [[Gallienus]] (248–268).<ref name = "Pate, 2009"/>

;Futurist view
Spells death for one-fourth of the earth's inhabitants. The war started by the Antichrist, will reach the finale with the [[seven bowls]] of judgments.<ref name = "Pate, 2009"/>

;Idealist view
This fourth rider symbolizes death that results from war and famine when men turn against men.<ref name = "Pate, 2009"/>

;Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints view
During the 4th seal, from 1000 B. C. to the coming of our Lord, death rode roughshod through the nations of men, and hell was at his heels. ... In 1095 B. C. Saul, the warrior-king assumed the reins of power in Israel; it was in 1063 that David, a man of blood, slew Goliath and soon thereafter that he was recognized as king over all Israel. At Solomon's death in 975 B.C. the kingdom was divided with Israel and Judah for hundreds of years thereafter engaging in wars with each other and their neighboring kingdoms. ... The Assyrian empire held imperial sway over much of the "civilized" world ... taking the tribes and hosts of Israel into captivity some 760 years before Christ and again 40 or so years later.<ref name=":0" />

Then there was the Babylonian empire from 605 to 538 B. C.; the Medo-Persian empire from 538 to 333 B. C. (Alexander the Great conquered Persia in 332); and in 60 B. C., Julius Caesar formed the first Triumvirate, with Imperial Rome rising to dominate the kingdoms of the world.

=== Fifth seal ===



[[File:El Greco, The Vision of Saint John (1608-1614).jpg|thumb|left|225px|''[[Opening of the Fifth Seal]]'' by [[El Greco]]]]

;Preterist view
This is the cry for vindication by the Christian [[martyr]]s who were persecuted by the Jews after Christ's death and leading up to the fall of Jerusalem in the year 70.<ref name = "Pate, 2009"/> Both [[Ernest Renan]] and [[Please help identify this modern day Volkmar|Volkmar]], ''modern rationalist preterists'', marked the year 64 as a significant year for Christian martyrdom.<ref name = "Cook, 584"/> The name “Jerusalem” became synonymous with the persecution of the righteous. But God avenged the deaths of the righteous by allowing the Romans to conquer the “holy city” as retaliation for the Jews handing Jesus over to [[Pilate]].<ref name = "Pate, 2009"/>

;Historicist view
This seal occurred during the rule of martyred Christians who were persecuted by Emperor [[Diocletian]] (284–303). This was the tenth period of the persecution of Christianity and the most severe, because of being on a “worldwide” scale. Then with Constantine's rise to power, Christianity became legalized (313) and the church was thereby vindicated.<ref name = "Pate, 2009"/>

;Futurist view
This judgment encompasses Christians who will be martyred for their faith in Christ during the [[Great Tribulation]] by not bowing down to the Antichrist and by not submitting to the global economic system that forces all people on the earth to receive the [[mark of the beast]]. Their deaths place them in good company of the righteous throughout the ages.<ref name = "Pate, 2009"/>

;Idealist view
The fifth seal is a reminder that, though the Christ inaugurated the "Kingdom of God" through the preaching of the gospels, God's people suffer during the tribulation that starts from the first coming of Christ to the second coming of Christ. This is known as the end-time tribulation that stretches across world history. Thus the “kingdom of God” is in history, but “not yet” triumphant.<ref name = "Pate, 2009"/>

;Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints view
During the fifth seal, the period from our Lord's birth down to 1000 A. D., the following happened:<ref name=":0" />

# The birth into mortality of God's only Son. His ministry among men; and the atoning sacrifice which he wrought by the shedding of his own blood.
# The spread and perfection of the Church which was set up by Him whose Church it is, and the unbelievable fanaticism among unbelievers that made acceptance of martyrdom almost synonymous with acceptance of the gospel.
# The complete falling away from true and perfect Christianity, which ushered in the long night of apostate darkness on all the face of the earth.

Those martyrs, their blood, which was spilled by them who hate the Word of God, will forever condemn Satan and his servants before the Lord.

=== Sixth seal ===



;Preterist view
[[Hugo Grotius]] (17th century) viewed the ''sixth seal'' as it relates to the events during the Siege of Jerusalem by [[Titus]] in year 70.<ref name = "Cook, 583"/> [[Please help identify this modern day Volkmar|Volkmar]], a ''modern rationalist preterist'', marked the beginning of the sixth seal to year 68, with [[Galba]] assuming emperorship.<ref name = "Cook, 584"/> Preterists typically view the [[Symbolic language (literature)|symbolic language]] as having been adapted from the [[Hebrew Bible]], to allude to the environmental disturbances that fell upon Jerusalem before its fall. The mention of hiding in caves alludes to the many Jews who hid in the caves and underground when the Romans finally invaded.

According to [[Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet]] (c. 1704), this was ''Divine vengeance'' that first fell upon the Jews<ref name = "Cook, 583"/> for having the Messiah crucified,<ref name = "Pate, 2009"/> then subsequently upon the persecuting Roman Empire. First, however, vengeance was deferred until a number elect, from the Jewish people, was accomplished. Bossuet viewed the ''great Catastrophe of the Apocalypse'' as the conquest of Pagan Rome by [[Alaric I]].<ref name = "Cook, 583"/>

;Historicist view
Political upheaval and collapse of the Roman Empire brought about invasions of northern hordes of [[Goths]] and [[Vandals]] between 375 and 418.<ref name = "Pate, 2009"/>

;Futurist view
The sixth seal will be the literal cosmic disturbances caused by nuclear war or a global earthquake that causes volcanic debris to pollute the atmosphere, which turns the moon blood red and the sun dark. In addition, there will be massive meteor showers (“the stars… fell”). Thus follows the first half of the Tribulation where God's wrath consumes the earth.

;Idealist view
This is the end of the age when Christ returns, bringing cosmic upheaval on those who oppose God, the ones who persecuted His ''Church''. The unrighteous are damned and the righteous enjoy the presence of God.<ref name = "Pate, 2009"/>

;Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints view
We are now living during the final years of the sixth seal, that thousand-year period which began in 1000 A.D. and will continue through the Saturday night of time and until just before the Sabbatical era when Christ shall reign personally on earth, when all of the blessings of the Great Millennium shall be poured out upon this planet. This, accordingly, is the era when the signs of the times shall be shown forth, and they are in fact everywhere to be seen.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite book|last=McConkie|first=Bruce R.|title=Mormon Doctrine, 2nd ed.|publisher=Bookcraft Company|year=1966|location=Salt Lake City, Utah|pages=715–734}}</ref>

=== Seventh seal ===



[[File:The Seventh Seal- An Angel Censing an Altar and Pouring the Censer over the Earth - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|The Seventh Seal: An Angel Censing an Altar and Pouring the Censer over the Earth]]

;Preterist view
The “silence” is the preparation for the judgment about to fall upon Jerusalem in the year 70. [[Johann Jakob Wettstein]] (18th century) went on to say that the “silence” conceded to the entreaties of King [[Agrippa I]].<ref name = "Cook, 583"/> This judgement was the divine response to the cry for vindication from the martyred Christians, such as Stephen, James the brother of John, and James the brother of Jesus. The preparation of the altar is the preparation for the destruction of apostate Jerusalem as if it were a whole burnt offering. This is in accordance with how scriptures of the [[Hebrew Bible]] declare an apostate city should be destroyed. The priest would burn the city's booty in the middle of the city square with fire from God's altar. (Deut. 13:16, Judges 20:40)<ref name = "Pate, 2009"/> As [[Ernest Renan]] (19th century) noted about the “silence”, it indicates that the first act of the mystery has ended, and another is about to begin.<ref name = "Cook, 584"/>

;Historicist view
The “silence” spans a 70-year period from Emperor [[Constantine I|Constantine]]’s defeat of [[Licinius]] (A.D. 324) to [[Alaric I|Alaric]]’s invasion of the Roman Empire (395). The prayers are those of the Christians martyred by Rome. The seven trumpets represent the seven judgments that God had in store for the Roman Empire.<ref name = "Pate, 2009"/>

;Futurist view
The “silence” is the hush of expectancy for the verdict about to be pronounced on the guilty. The prayers are from the Christians who will be martyred by the Antichrist in the Great Tribulation, the last three and a half years of the “end-time” tribulation. Both the trumpet and bowl judgments will be unleashed on the wicked during the second half of the tribulation, each judgment intensifying to the next.<ref name = "Pate, 2009"/>

;Idealist view
This silence quiets heaven so that it can focus on what is about to be revealed. It is the lull before the storm. The ensuing judgments vindicate Christian martyrs throughout the centuries. The trumpet judgments repeat themselves, again and again, throughout history, just as the seal judgments do, until the second coming of Christ.<ref name = "Pate, 2009"/>

;Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints view
A period of 1000 years known as "The Millennial Kingdom", starting sometime around the year 2000 and lasting until year 3000 or thereabouts. During this time, earth shall see the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and he will reign the nations with peace for a thousand years. The same sociality that exists among people now will exist among people during the Millennium, but everything will be done in complete righteousness. Even animals will seemingly become vegetarians and not hurt each other during the Millennium.

<blockquote>"The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, The lion shall eat straw like the ox, And dust ''shall be'' the serpent’s food. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain,” Says the LORD."<ref>{{Cite web|title=New King James version of The Bible, Book of Isaiah, chapter 65, verse 25|url=https://biblehub.com/isaiah/65-25.htm|access-date=23 June 2020|website=Bible Hub – New King James Version}}</ref></blockquote>

The scriptures also prophesy of earth's final destiny, after the Millennial Kingdom, but these events are beyond the scope of the 7 seals John saw in the Revelation.

==Influence==
* [[D. H. Lawrence]] wrote a poem called ''Seven Seals'' in 1916.
* ''[[The Book with Seven Seals]]'', an oratorio by Austrian composer [[Franz Schmidt (composer)|Franz Schmidt]].
* ''[[The Seventh Seal]]'', a 1957 Swedish film by [[Ingmar Bergman]].
* Greek rock band [[Aphrodite's Child]] released a song called "[[The Four Horsemen (Aphrodite's Child song)|The Four Horsemen]]', which directly references the first four seals.
* ''[[The Fifth Seal]]'', a 1976 Hungarian film by [[Zoltán Fábri]].
* A Russian translation of the sixth of the seven seals is read in [[Andrei Tarkovsky]]'s film ''[[Stalker (1979 film)|Stalker]]''.
* In the 1984 supernatural comedy ''[[Ghostbusters]]'' Ray Stantz recalls and recites a scripture of revelations in The Bible pertaining to the seventh seal after asked by Winston Zeddemore if he remembers anything about The Bible.
* ''[[Come and See]]'', a 1985 Soviet anti-war film.
* ''[[The Seventh Sign]]'', a 1988 film starring [[Demi Moore]] and [[Michael Biehn]] about a woman whose child is tied to the opening of the Seven Seals.
* ''[[The Wheel of Time]]'' series by [[Robert Jordan]].
* The [[Dragons of Heaven]], also known as the Seven Seals, are a team of seven characters in [[Clamp (manga artists)|Clamp]]'s manga series ''X''.
* "The Seventh Seal" is the opening track from [[Van Halen]]'s 1995 album ''[[Balance (Van Halen album)|Balance]]''.
* American heavy metal band [[Avenged Sevenfold]] released an album titled ''[[Sounding the Seventh Trumpet]]'', a reference to the angels playing their trumpets following the removal of the seventh seal.
* ''[[Seven Seals (album)|Seven Seals]]'' is the name of a 2005 album by [[Primal Fear (band)|Primal Fear]] and also a track on that album.
* ''[[The Reaping]]'', a 2007 film starring [[Hilary Swank]].
* The [[Supernatural (season 4)|fourth season]] of ''[[Supernatural (American TV series)|Supernatural]]'' revolved around the breaking of seals as heralds of a coming war between angels and demons.
* ''[[Countdown: Jerusalem]]'', a 2009 direct-to-video film.
* Hip hop musician [[Rakim]] titled an album ''[[The Seventh Seal (Rakim album)|The Seventh Seal]]''.

==See also==
{{Commons category|Book with seven seals}}
{{Portal|Christianity}}
* [[Book of Revelation]]
* [[Events of Revelation#Chapter 5|Events of Revelation]]: [[Revelation 5|chapter 5]][[Revelation 6|, 6]][[Revelation 7|, 7]][[Revelation 8|, and 8]]
* [[Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse]]
* [[Seven trumpets]]
* [[Seven bowls]]
* [[The book with seven seals (oratorio)]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}
{{Doomsday}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Seven Seals}}
[[Category:Book of Revelation]]
[[Category:New Testament words and phrases]]
[[Category:Christian terminology]]
[[Category:Seven in the Book of Revelation]]
[[Category:Seals (insignia)]]