The scriptural evidence for believing that the first five seals have already been opened is extensive and convincing, in my view. Here are a few reasons:
a. I believe in Rev. 4-5, John was given a vision of the first century ascension of Christ to the right hand of God. This place the opening of the scroll with the seven seals in the same time frame as that event, not 2000+ years into the future.What scriptural evidence is there that the four horses and riders of Rev. 6 are spiritual beings that were unleashed in the first century?
b. The first five seals very closely resemble the "birth pains" that Jesus said would take place before the end would come.
c. I believe the four horses and riders are spiritual beings who have influence in the natural world, and that this began in the first century and continues to the present. They are progressive and current up to the present time. John was simply shown, by Jesus opening the seals on the scroll, what would have to take place from the first century until the present on the earth before the wrath of God would be unleashed after the opening of the seventh seal.
1. Job 2:1 Again the day came when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also arrived among them to present himself before the LORD.
Job 2:6 So the LORD said to Satan, "All right, he [Job] is in your power; only preserve his life."
Job 2:7 So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD, and he afflicted Job with a malignant ulcer from the sole of his feet to the top of his head.
Satan and the sons of God (b'nai elohim) requested of God that he could persecute Job. God allowed it. Granted this isn't all humanity, but an example.
2. Zec 6:5 The messenger replied, “These are the four spirits of heaven that have been presenting themselves [yatsab] before the Lord of all the earth.
Zec 6:6 The chariot with the black horses is going to the north country and the white ones are going after them, but the spotted ones are going to the south country.
Zec 6:7 All these strong ones are scattering; they have sought permission to go and walk about [halak] over the earth.” The Lord had said, “Go! Walk about over the earth!” So they are doing so.
In this passage, the "strong ones that scatter" were granted permission by God to do what they requested to do. Notice verse 5 calls the riders of these verses the "four spirits"? Spirits, not men. And four of them.
3. Eph 6:12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens.
Believers and nonbelievers struggle against the spiritual realm.
4. Eph 2:2 in which you formerly lived according to this world's present path, according to the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the ruler of the spirit that is now energizing the sons of disobedience,
The sons of disobedience (unbelievers) are energized (influenced) by an unseen spirit being, what the KJV calls the prince of the power of the air.
What I'm proposing in these first four seals of Rev. 6 is that evil spirit beings are influencing/energizing humans to deceive/kill/oppress, etc., and human beings are carrying out the deception/murder/oppression. This is what was going on in Zech. chapter 6...four spirits allowed by God to go to different parts of the earth and carry out whatever it is that they wanted to do. God granted their request.
What I believe scripture does clearly teach in Zech 6:5-7 (see previous post) is that there were four spirits that God allowed to go forth into the earth and do...whatever it is they did. They were also riding colored horses, not the exact same colors to the ones in Rev. 6, but very close.
The point is that there is scripture to support the belief that the white horse rider, and the other three horse riders, are spiritual beings who influence humanity to do bad things to each other. But there isn't any scriptural evidence that these riders are actual human beings. Clearly, there is sound scriptural evidence that the AC will be a human being in the future, but it does not follow that the white horse rider is that human being, especially when Zech 6:5-7 provides a much better alternative understanding.
In Christ,
Dave
