Ways of Christ

The subsequent vision describes, first of all, the "24 Elders", the "7 spirits before the throne of God", and the "four living creatures" worshipping God - as an expression of various original qualities and creation. Then only the "Lamb" - with qualities of the Christ - could open the book with the seven seals (Revelation 4 - 8, 1). This vision is set in "Heaven" - in this context the divine field. The contents of the seals are described, first of all, on a level, the powers of which are characterized by symbols - the four variously coloured horses and riders. Modifications on this level, like images in dreams, have only indirect effects on the events on earth. 

In spite of the nature of these levels, directed primarily towards the development of the psychical realm on the large scale, it is said in the beginning: "I will show You, what is to happen after this" (after the 7 communities.) Correspondingly, R. Steiner and Arthur Schult suggested 7 further "cultures of the seals" on earth, that associate with that cleaning of the appropriate level of consciousness. The Christian-inspired "Book of true life" from Mexico explains the seals as starting from the earliest times of "Cain and Abel" up to the coming time of completion.

Anyway, this text does not make it possible to identify the seals clearly with the physical earth of today. If we thought in the same way as some of the free churches, then at best weak echoes of the first four seals might correspond to the two world wars, the subsequent balance of power between east and west and hunger and epidemics. Persecutions of religions and disasters of cosmic origin might follow: meteorites, earthquakes, possibly polar changes - see chapter: "The seven bowls of wrath" too.

Between the 6th and 7th seal the text names the "sealed ones" and the "great multitude in white robes in heaven".

That scene in John's Gospel 2: the wedding at Cana and Jesus driving out the traders and money-changers from the temple - with its uniting and engaged nature – already remind us of these chapters of the revelation (cf. our chapters "The wedding at Cana" and "The holy zeal...", and John 2)

While in John's Gospel 5 Jesus prophesied the separation of the spirits which have done good from those who have done evil, the description of the seven seals goes on to describe the "Sealing of the souls of the chosen ones from twelve tribes".