CAESAR'S SEVEN SEALS

MFBlume

Revelation 5:1-2 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?

The scroll of Revelation provides many different thoughts to us regarding our salvation and relationship with Jesus Christ. It is important to note that when Jesus took the scroll from the Father's hand, the beasts and elders shouted and sang about the fact that Christ redeemed them by His blood. In one sense, we are the scroll. We are sealed with seven seals which need to be removed. Since we are epistles intended to be read of all men we must see these seals broken so that the people can read the Word in us.

The tomb of Christ was sealed with Caesar's seal and when Jesus resurrected the seal was broken. Being the Word made flesh, and the image of God especially after the resurrection, the breaking of the seal of the tomb meant a revelation to the world of the Word of God made flesh.

The progress God has in breaking our seals is linked with the amount of fiery trials we undergo trypified by the judgments of the scroll's contents. We are written within and without, but the world will not read that epistle of Christ in us until the seals are broken and the words are exposed.

Our flesh must undergo fiery trials. But the spirit cries, "Even so, come Lord Jesus." [Picture the progress in the first four horses. We overcome false religion. Then we experience the battling of warring. Next is the further step of starving the flesh's lusts (famine). And finally we die to self.]

Anyway... We must be manifested to the world as epistles of Christ. Christ writes upon our hearts and only Christ can open the seals. (Rev. 6:1). The opening of the seals seems to see Christ glorified. And there is some kind of connection between this thought and the fact that the Lord is praised for being worthy to be able to take the book and open it, for He has redeemed us! He alone is worthy enough to do it.

Why praise Him for being able to unloose the insolvable mystery of the prophecies of judgment? Partly because on the true One God is able to do so, and possibly because the loosening of the seals in typical judgment upon our fleshly veiling (which hinders the word in our hearts from being exposed to the world) causes the inward Spirit of God made one with our human spirits to flow outward to a dying world.

Paul carried about in his body the dying of Jesus so that the treasure within might be made manifest. The flesh is am earthen vessel in need of "cracking" like Gideon's jars, so the light of the Spirit in us may shine out. Its the combination of the Sword of the Lord AND OF Gideon. God touches this world through us! But we require a breaking so that the word can flow out freely to them. Paul's words in 2 Cor. 4:8-9 describe the events which crack the flesh, but leave us in victory since the cracking only proves to be progressive means by which the inner light can be exposed to the world!

Paul sums it up in verse 10 by saying that the dying of Jesus in our bodies is for the life of Jesus to shine forth from us.

Notice the repetitive note in Revelation about holding the word of His patience? And the reference to the word of God and the testimony of Jesus throughout Revelation seems to be interpreted more clearly by Rev. 3:10 - word of His patience. In order to see the seals fully (all 7) removed from us we must recall the word of Jesus' patience and the lesson to be learned from His experience in enduring the shame for the sake of the joy to be revealed afterwards!!

John was a fellow servant in the tribulation all of us must experience. We must through much tribulation enter the kingdom of God (Acts 14:22; Rev. 1:9). John was a companion in tribulation and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ. Keep John's words of revelation close by our sides - our companions. They will encourage us to hold on. After the seals of judgment are loosed and the Word flows outwardly more freely, is the seal of God then administered? (Rev. 7:1-3).

Why does Jesus say YOU SHALL hear of wars, and YOU SHALL be afflicted and be killed in Matt's account of the 4 horses is we will not be affected by them? Is He restricting His words to Jewish believers in Christ (traditional idea), or to all believers who must experience the breaking of seals so that the glory of Christ can shine forth from us? Then after the six seals, the rapture of Matt. 24:31, the glorification of the sons of God - manifested to all the world? Delivered from the four winds/horses since the effect of braking the seals and fleshly veiling was accomplished?

The tomb of Christ being sealed seems to typify the fleshly veiling that is rent so that the glory of the Spirit in the holiest domain of man - the human spirit - can come forth. The stone needs to be removed from our hearts, so Christ can resurrect from within us! (He's only in us if we have been born of His Spirit.) But the removing of the stony heart requires a breaking of seals of judgment against that which Caesar has power over - carnality. (Caesar's seal was on the tomb of Christ.)

All that is Caesar's must be rendered to him. We must die to self and all the carnality we carried with us from Egypt so that nothing of Caesar's is left, and we rise fully into His image into which He is conforming us right now. Thus Caesar's seal is BROKEN - and God;s seal replaces it - His name! His name, since we are so much His image. They see Him when they see one in His image.

In this sense I see the wilderness journey of Israel as the time in the tomb. They were buried in the Red Sea of typical baptism (1 Cor. 10:1-2) and must experience the separation of soul and spirit (He. 4:12) in the wilderness realm of the cutting Sword of the Word. And we rise from the tomb as we cross Jordan into the land of resurrection- the Kingdom - newness of life as opposed to oldness of Egyptian habits. When the older generation died in the wilderness, the younger crew went into Canaan.

It's like going from the badger-skinned tabernacle into the Temple that glistered in the sun! From Tabernacle to Temple!

We must believe the doctrine of the apostles, but we MUST go on from that point to perfection. So many stay in realms of doctrine! Go on!!

My pastor once said, "It's one thing to feed a baby some milk, but it becomes pretty sickening to have to part the moustache to put the bottle in the mouth!"

Leave the wilderness! We've encompassed this mountain long enough! He wants us to enter the milk and honey!

The seals fully (all 7) break as we pass Jordan, and then God seals us saying, "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased!"

Notice that the seventh seal begins with a silence of half an hour. REST. PEACE. Completion. (It seems we experience the seals but not the trumpets nor vials, as we are not appointed to wrath. Tribulation... - yes. But not wrath).

According to Matt the sixth seal sees a glorification of the saints (rapture?), and thus readies us for the REST of the seventh seal, when we are complete, but when the world is judged. Recall that judgment must begin at the house of God - (Seals?).

The hewing of the stones occurs and we are gathered to make up the temple. After the 6 seals the 144,000 are sealed by the NAME and are next seen on the Zion mount with the Lamb. Christ is in the midst of the lively stones of the temple - signified by the NAME of God in their foreheads - the temple is His name (Deut. 12:21).

No stone is cut in the site - but out in the wilderness. In the tomb.

I like what Joseph W. Gaut once said to me: "He can't live where we haven't died."


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