It seems the more I study from the Old Testament the more my attention seems to be drawn to the book of Revelation. I do not necessarily believe the images presented in the final apocalyptic book of the Bible are literal. Much of the book is symbolic in nature, but that is no surprise. The seven seals have been of particular interest to me at this moment, probably because in them I have been seeing the symbols presented in OT Israel, Babylon and Canaan. Here are my thoughts so far.
For anyone who would like to see some of the images I see you can download Stellarium, a free planetarium that you can install on your computer. It is actually a very nice one with several settings, including the ability to view the sky from anywhere in the world. And don't forget e-Sword, a free searchable bible program that you can place on your computer. I use it almost daily.
Of course the typical modern view is that these seven seals are released during the end time, the 7 final years of the tribulation. I do not believe this view makes a lot of sense because it does not truly tie the book to the whole of history, to the basics of the gospel laid down in the OT or the work of Christ. Instead it tries to bring everything to the end in an attempt to explain 7 years of human history, a very linear view of time which the cultures of the near east did not share. They saw time as circular, not linear. Often they would depict it as coils on a snake, or as a snake eating itself, cycling through the seasons of the year or the other calculated times and seasons from the calendar that appear and reappear on a regular basis, birth, death and rebirth. Christ appears here as the lamb, in the midst of the throne of God, the Council of El gathered in His tabernacle. The lamb of God is a very ancient idea going back much further than written history can record. It was a spring-time ritual sacrifice known in Akkadian as the "sacrifice of righteousness" asking in humility for removal of the guilt of sin. It is no coincidence that Christ appeared at the end of the astrological age of Aries (the Ram).
Seal 1 - This one is particularly interesting. A rider on a white horse, given a crown and a bow. It has been suggested that this represents Christ, conquering in victory at the end time. It has also been suggested that this is the antichrist, beginning his campaign at the end time. The image certainly represents the constellation Sagittarius, a centaur (horse and rider) holding a bow, next to him is the crown, Corona Australis. His bow is drawn and his arrow pointed at the heart of scorpio, the sign of evil. In other nearby cultures this image specifically represents the power of the King under the authority of the state god. Kings of the near east generally served a double purpose. They were the ruler and leader of the people and also the high priest of the local cult. This only made sense because it through the King that the god(s) rule, bringing order from chaos, fighting the natural manifestation of evil, establishing justice. In Babylon, the king was often depicted as a centaur, a bull or horse with a human head, sometimes with wings. In Assyria, the god Asshur (known to the Medes as Ahura Mazda) was depicted with wings, holding either a drawn bow or a ring, the crown of authority. The Egyptian King Narmer who united upper and lower Egypt, has been dubbed the Scorpion King. And because the King was also the high priest he was expected to participate in the central ritual of the cultus. His god(s) held him to a higher standard and he was often depicted as worthy of the blessings of the god(s), including elevation to the place of a god. Therefore he was often dressed in white, representing his purity. Images also appear of centaurs in war, standing over the enemy delivering deadly blows with all manner of deadly weapons. They may appear with or without wings, they may also appear with scorpion tails. But they always symbolize the authority of the king, ruling in the power of his god(s). From this background comes the meaning of the first seal. I believe it has its roots in Genesis 3.15, the deliverer, and Genesis 6, the sons of God. Adam had released, through his sin, the devastation that results from men following their own will and passions. To stem the flood of destruction God placed kings over men, to rule with an iron rod, to make laws regarding proper behavior and to punish those who sin. We see the rise of kings and empires about 4000 BC, the dawning of the age of Taurus in astrological terms. Standing in opposition to Taurus is the constellation Scorpio. Kings were an obvious choice in the face of marauders from nearby tribes looking for easy sources of food and wealth and were an answer to the growing problems inherent in civilizations. The King was able to represent many smaller groups under a single banner, establishing and enforcing a common moral and civil law, acting as high priest of the Temple cultus, serving as judge and maintaining a standing army. In Biblical terms these Kings were to sit under the authority of the Righteous One who would come. This first rider represents both a curse and a blessing. A curse because men were not meant to be ruled over by anyone, but they were to be rulers of the natural realm, living in love and the fruit of the holy spirit toward one another, but because of their destructive passions they must be ruled. It is shameful that men must be ruled (1 Samuel 8). At the same time though it answers the problem of man's destructive nature, giving hope to the righteous of justice and order.
It is my belief that the first four riders were released at the sin of Adam in the garden. And that these seals represent the identification of the one who has the power to reverse what has been done. Because men require a King there is one who is King of Kings. The rider is an angel of power sent to establish earthly kings over men until the Righteous King would come. It is a shameful curse on men meant to control the evil that has been unleashed on this earth, like a flood of darkness. But Christ will replace this angel as King and Judge and those whom He has redeemed will sit with Him on thrones as those will rule with Him, as the sons of God fulfilling their proper destiny and maintaining the purpose of this natural world. It is interesting that the image here is so similar to the description of the locusts released at the blast of the 5th trumpet. At this time I am not sure if there is a correlation but I am thinking there probably is.
Looks like I will have to break this up into pieces so I will do separate posts for the other seals.
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