Dear John and Doves:
As we know, Paul wrote in
Romans 11 that
...hardening in part has happened to Israel until the
fullness of the Gentiles has come in...
...the Greek word translated
full number (fullness) was a nautical term referring
to the number of sailors necessary for a commercial
ship to set sail.
F.M. Riley recently
pointed out (as have many others) that the upcoming Iyyar 17
(Wed. May 9th) is the anniversary of the day Noah
entered the ark (see Genesis 7:7-11).
Of interest to me is
how this may connect with the 5th seal in Revelation.
I am strongly persuaded that the first four seals have
already opened and that they are the spiritual forces behind
the escalating unpleasantness we are seeing worldwide; a
period referred to by Jesus as "the beginning of sorrows" in
Matthew 24. If the Four Horsemen are already riding,
what might we expect to see as the physical manifestion of
the opening of the 5th seal?
When He opened the fifth seal, I
saw under the altar the souls of those who had been
slain for the word of God and for the testimony which
they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, "How
long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge
our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" Then a
white robe was given to each of them; and it was said
to them that they should rest a little while longer,
until both the number of their fellow servants and
their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was
completed.
I'm not certain we
would see any physical manifestation.
Clearly, the time of vengeance from their perspective is yet
future. However, the final thought is provoking:
they are waiting for a number to be completed. "Until
the full number of the martyrs has come in."
I would suggest, for
your prayerful study, that you consider that the fullness in
view is the Gentile believers. We're looking at the
same spiritual reality from three
perspectives. Noah's experience is a historical
perspective ("as it was in the days of Noah"), the
constraint in Romans 11 is parabolic and covenantal, and the
5th seal is an event in heaven. All three are
prophetic.
If this is correct,
the next seal is the 6th, which we read is the coming "day
of His wrath" (Rev. 6:17) - a "down payment" perhaps - which
will find its fullness or completion with the seven vials
(see Rev. 15:1). I am expecting our departure on
Ascension Thursday, with "sudden destruction" immediately
following. Pentecost will see the sealing of the
144,000 (Rev. 7:1-8).
Speculative, to be
sure, but I believe consistent with current events and
biblical prophecy. We won't have long to wait to find
out how close this may be.
Best,
Steve