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Revelation's Sixth Seal -- Cosmic Cataclysm

Below is the 15th of multiple excerpts of commentary on the Book of Revelation from  The Parousia , the late 19th-century masterpiece on the Second Coming by James Stuart Russell:  " OPENING OF THE SIXTH SEAL [COSMIC CATACLYSM] . "Chap. vi. 12-17 [Rev. 6:12-17].--- ‘And I beheld when he [the Lamb] opened the sixth seal, and lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; and the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig-tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth (land [Greek:  tes ges ]), and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; and said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide u...
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Revelation's Fifth Seal -- Martyrs under the Altar

Below is the 14th of multiple excerpts of commentary on the Book of Revelation from   The Parousia , the late 19th-century masterpiece on the Second Coming by James Stuart Russell: " OPENING OF THE FIFTH SEAL [MARTYRS UNDER THE ALTAR] .  "Chap. vi. 9-11 [Rev. 6:9-11]--- ‘And when he [the Lamb] had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were 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, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell in [on] the earth (land [Greek: epi  tes ges ] )? And a white robe was given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow-servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.’   "This passage may be regarded as a crucial test of [the validity of] any interpretation of the Apocalypse [Revelat...
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Revelation's Fourth Seal -- Death and Hades

Below is the 13th of multiple excerpts of commentary on the Book of Revelation from  The   Parousia , the late 19th-century masterpiece on the Second Coming by James Stuart Russell:  " OPENING OF THE FOURTH SEAL [PALE HORSE: DEATH AND HADES] [JOSEPHUS RECORDS THE GLUT OF MORTALITY IN THE JEWISH-ROMAN WAR]  "Chap. vi. 7, 8. [chapter 6:7-8]--- ‘And when he [the Lamb] had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, Come.  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 (land [Greek: tes ges ]), to kill with sword, and with famine, and with death, and by the beasts of the earth [land].'  "The scene here is evidently the same [as that of the previous seals], only with all the horrors and miseries of the war intensified.  The ghastly spectres of Death and Hades now follow in the train of famine and wa...
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Revelation's Third Seal -- Famine

Below is the 12th of multiple excerpts of commentary on the Book of Revelation from  The Parousia , the late 19th-century masterpiece on the Second Coming by James Stuart Russell: " THE OPENING OF THE THIRD SEAL [BLACK HORSE: FAMINE] "Chap. vi. 5, 6. [Rev. 6:5-6]--- ‘And when he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, Come. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. And I heard as it were a voice in the midst of the four living creatures, saying, A measure of wheat for a denarius, and three measures of barley for a denarius; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.’ [DEEPENING EFFECTS OF THE FAMINE] " This [third] symbol also is not difficult of interpretation. It signifies the deepening horrors of the [Jewish-Roman] war [of A.D. 66-70]. Famine follows on the heels of war and slaughter. Food is now scarce in Judea, especially in the beleaguered cities, and most of all in Jerusalem, after its inv...
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Revelation's First and Second Seals -- Conquest and War

Below is the 11th of multiple excerpts of commentary on the Book of Revelation from   The Parousia , the late 19th-century masterpiece on the Second Coming by James Stuart Russell:  " OPENING OF THE FIRST SEAL [WHITE HORSE: CONQUEST] [ROMAN INVADER UNDER NERO ADVANCES TO COMBAT ON WHITE HORSE]    "Chap. vi. 1, 2 [Rev. 6:1-2] --- ‘And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying, as (with) a voice of thunder, Come. And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given to him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.’   " It will be seen that we regard this vision as emblematic of the Jewish[-Roman] war [that ultimately resulted in the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in A.D. 70], which was introductory to the great final event of the Parousia [Second Coming] .  Upon the opening of the first seal we behold the first act in the tragic drama. It is annou...
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The Seven Seals: Symbols of Jerusalem's Fall in A.D. 70

Below is the 10th of multiple excerpts of commentary on the Book of Revelation from  The   Parousia , the late 19th-century masterpiece on the Second Coming by James Stuart Russell:  "The Second Vision " THE SEVEN SEALS , CHAPS. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. 1. [Rev. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8:1] " Introduction to the vision , chaps. iv. v. [Rev. 4, 5] [OPENING OF THE SEVEN SEALS: WAR AND ITS  ACCOMPANIMENTS] ... " Nothing can be more vivid and dramatic than the scenes which are successively exhibited as the Lamb opens the seals . The four cherubs that guard the throne, one after another announce the breaking of the first four seals, with a loud cry of ‘Come!’ And as each is opened the Seer [John] beholds a visionary figure pass across the field of view, emblematic of the contents of that portion of the scroll which is unrolled.  ...   " What, then, do these symbols represent? It needs only a glance to see their general nature and character. Everywhere it is WAR, and the concom...
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