The Fourth Seal of Revelation and how it relates to Matthew 24:7?

A closer and in depth look at the Fourth Seal of Revelation (Fourth Horseman of the Apocalypse) mentioned in the Book of Revelation Chapter 6 Verses 7 & 8 and how, if at all it relates to Matthew 24:7 and answering some of those questions that this Fourth Seal raises What is actually being mentioned in those two verses? Has this seal been opened along with the other three or do they become opened some time in the future? Are we in those times now and how do these seals work? Are they instantaneous upon the opening of the seal or are they more creeping in nature? Are they actual events or general forces released on the earth that are more ramping in nature? What are the parallel verses and Prophets from the Old Testament that confirm that these things mentioned in Revelation will actually take place.

Check this video out produced by myself over at The Twelve Gates at You Tube giving in depth analysis of the Bible Prophecy presented in these verses using Bible Software to lift the lid on what is potentially heading our way with cross references to the Prophets from the Old Testament. It's an eye opener and guaranteed to make your hair stand on end. It comes with a WARNING near the beginning of the video.




This video goes into details on our animals will change their behaviour in the last days. Check a previous article that goes into great detail on how those changes will come about.

I don't claim to have all the answers to this, just like everybody else, in reality nobody really knows. The only entities that really have the right answers are St John the Divine who received and penned this vision who is no longer with us and God himself. Anything else is mere speculation but you can only try to understand and interpret what is mentioned.

The Fourth Seal Bible Verse
Here is the infamous 4th Seal verse from the Book of Revelation. Regardless of how long you have been studying this book, how many letters you have after your name, your IQ level or how many copies your Book has sold it really pales into insignifance and means nothing in the scheme of God's word, as in the Bible. He doesn't think like us and his concept of time is different to ours and is timeless!

Revelation 6:7-8
7. And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8. And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.

This is one of the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse and I would say it is the blending of the first three to combine and create this fourth one. The first many agree is the Anti Christ, the second is War or Wars and some say World War 3. The third is famine or hunger which could be sparked by food shortages some say as a result of global crop failures or the collapse of a currency sparking hyper inflation and the "days wages for a daily meal" Think of the recent Venezuela crisis and you will get the idea, but this would affect 25% of the planet, not just one country in isolation.

The Analysis
The key words here in these Revelation verses I think are "sword", "hunger", "death" and "beasts". Let's take a closer look at each one of these.
1. Sword The sword is mentioned many times in the Bible and is used in combination with famine and animals on numerous occassions throughout the Old Testament (see the video for examples) The sword is referencing war, warfare, fighting, violence and probably terrorist style activites as well. We are seeing these in our current times.
2. Hunger is normally associated with famine and this is normally caused by food shortages which are normally caused by a failed crop or harvest. It could also be the result of extreme economic problems making money worthless and food costing a weeks wages. Different cause, same result as in famine. See Yemen, Venezuela and East Africa and this is happening in our times.
3. Death could be the reult of the previous two mentioned here as in The Sword and Hunger but personally I think it relates to Pestilence as in disease. Think Bird Flu, Ebola, Zika and other such Biblical style diseases with at present no cure and this again is happening in our times.
4. Beasts would equate to animals. At present man enjoys a Post Flood scenario of dominion over all animals that fear man but recent headlines and evidence are starting to show a shift in not only wild animal behaviour but also domesticated and captive animals such as those in zoos and safari parks. Recent attacks seem to suggest that fear seems to be fading gradually at present

If we go over to Matthew 24 for a Comparison especially Verses 6 and 7, there are differences here, but also a lot of similarities. These are the words of Jesus talking to his disciples warning them of what will happen when his return is close. Here's the infamous verses known off by heart by all Christians.

Matthew 24:6-7
6. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
7. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.

The Analysis
Verse 6. Wars and Rumours of Wars. The recent Iran missile Test, North Korea missile tests, The Middle East troubles and more, recently The South China Seas and the list goes on. This is the Sword mentioned in the Fourth Seal of Revelation.
Verse 7 Nation v Nation and Kingdom v Kingdom again is the Sword mentioned in the Fourth Seal. Famine is the Hunger. Pestilences I think relates to Disease and "Death" mentioned in Revelation 6:8

The Earthquakes in Diverse Places mentioned in Matthew 24:7 is certainly happening now in our times but this is missing from The Fourth Seal of Revelation but it is mentioned as "The Great Earthquake" in the Sixth Seal of Revelation.

The connection between Matthew 24:6-7 and Revelation 6:7-8 isn't 100%, but it is very close and shows that the words of St John the Divine echo what was said by Jesus when he was running his ministry.

Summary
Have the first 3 Seals of Revelation been opened as of today 3 Feb 2017? Yes I think they have. These Seals when opened will not produce a flick of the light switch occurrence or an actual event, they are more creeping in nature and gradually ramping in their tendencies. That's just my interpretation of the scripture and is open to debate. They are forces released onto the earth, not cataclysmic events initially.

Seal 1 is the Anti Christ. Yes I think he is here but is yet to reveal himself in an offical capacity.
Seal 2 is War or World War and we are definitely in those times. As mentioned in Matthew 24:7 Wars and Rumours of Wars are the buzzwords of our time with World War 3 always perpetually raising it's ugly head but never materialising YET!
Seal 3 is Famine or Hunger and we are starting to see this manifest itself in places like East Africa, Venezuela (economic famine producing food shortages) and Yemen and more will be emerging with the extreme global weather we have been experiencing which will affect future crops and produce a famine type scenario.
Seal 4 is a combination of all of these with Death in addition which I think takes the form of Pestilence and again this is here in the form of Ebola, Zika, Bird Flu, Super Bugs and at present they are not at Pandemic levels but they have no known cures at present and have the potential to go global in a Biblical way.

If you watch the video related to this article the conclusion that was reached which as always is widely open to debate is we are staring at this Fourth Seal or Fourth Horseman of the Apocalypse in the face NOW. The seal has been opened, but we are seeing just the beginnings or seeds being sown in our world and the forces that have been released are yet to reach full force or potential but are there. They will escalate in some future time which I think is very close.