Why Many Struggle With Revelation: Understanding Chapters 5–7
- Kareem Flowers
- 2 hours ago
- 12 min read
Many people fear studying the book of Revelation - not simply because it contains frightening or troubling imagery, but also because it can be confusing at times. However, once the structure of the book is understood, Revelation becomes surprisingly simple to read.
From my experience teaching the book of Revelation, chapters 5 through 7 are the area that often stumps readers before they even realize it. Yet if you can understand the structure of these three chapters, you will be able to grasp the structure of the entire book of Revelation as it unfolds.
To fully understand these chapters, there are certain truths that cannot be overlooked. These concepts are extremely important, and they will completely transform how you view the book of Revelation - if you do not already understand them. Therefore, before we go any further, let us invite the Lord to grant us wisdom and the Spirit of enlightenment, so that we may truly comprehend His Word.
Prayer
Lord, we thank You for Your Word. We thank You for giving it to us, and we know that You desire for us to understand it. Open our eyes to see what You are saying, and grant us the wisdom to understand.
Father, I, Kareem, ask for the grace to teach and the clarity of articulation to explain Your Word simply and faithfully. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Understanding the Book in God’s Hand
Revelation 5:1 - And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.
In order to fully understand these three chapters, the first thing you must comprehend is the book that is in God’s hand in Revelation 5:1. To help us understand this, we must go to the book of Daniel.
Daniel 12:1-4 - 1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. 2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever. 4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.
In Daniel 12:1-3, Daniel was receiving revelations of things to come concerning the end. Nevertheless, He was instructed to shut up the words and seal the book - meaning stop documenting everything He was hearing and seeing. Why? Because there was an appointed time for the revelation of things to come in the end to be given to the world.
…seal the book, even to the time of the end:…
So Daniel was instructed to seal the book until the time of the end, which simply means that the revelation was concealed from all creation until the appointed time.
When was the appointed time for this revelation to be revealed to the world? Around A.D. 96, when John was receiving the same revelation of things to come that Daniel had received - but in far greater detail.
Thus, as Daniel was told to seal up the book, in Revelation 5:1 we see a sealed book in God’s hand. Therefore, the book in God’s hand is the documented (written) revelation of things to come in the time of the end.
The Truth About the Book of Seals.
I am going to say something that may be confusing at first, but it will serve as a guide to understanding the Book of Seals. The book in God’s hand was simply a heavenly, written version of the book of Revelation - but more specifically, it was Revelation chapters 6 through 22, sealed shut with seven seals. In other words, before we had the book of Revelation in our Bibles, it was first sealed in God’s hand.
Through this great visitation, John was invited to make his own copy of the book by writing all the things he witnessed. This transcript was then sent out to all the churches in Asia and, by extension, to the world.
Why Is the Book in God’s Hand Only Revelation 6–22?
The book in God’s hand was the concealed revelation of things to come in the time of the end. In Revelation 1:19, John was instructed:
“Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter.”
This instruction provides the structural framework of the book of Revelation.
Structure of Revelation According to Revelation 1:19
Chapters | Section of Revelation 1:19 | What They Entail | How the Revelation Was Given |
Revelation 1 | The things which thou hast seen | John sees the glorified Christ, along with the seven stars and the seven candlesticks, representing church leadership and the churches. | Jesus personally appeared to John in a vision and revealed Himself and these symbols. |
Revelation 2-3 | The things which are (during John’s time) | The spiritual condition of the seven churches and leaders of that time, including rebuke, correction, exhortation, and promises. | Jesus spoke directly to John, who recorded Christ’s messages to each church. |
Revelation 4-5 | Transition into the things which shall be hereafter | John is brought into the heavenly throne room to witness the Lamb (Jesus) receive the sealed book from God, preparing to reveal its contents. | John was summoned into the vision by a heavenly voice and guided through the scene. |
Revelation 6-22 | The things which shall be hereafter | A visionary disclosure of the full contents of the sealed book - everything written within and on the outside - unfolded through literal and symbolic imagery. | The revelation was given as the Lamb opened the seals and the heavenly book was revealed to John through vision and narration. |
Thus, the book in God’s hand is a heavenly version of Revelation chapters 6-22, bound with seven seals and about to be opened and read.
However, Revelation 5:1 lets us know that the book contained writing on both the inside and the outside.
The writing on the outside of the book is Revelation chapters 6-7, and the writing on the inside of the book is Revelation chapters 8-22.
What the Book Is Not
The part that causes many people to stumble is how they perceive the Book and its seals. They see both as spiritual instruments of power that cause things and events to happen on the earth. Since their contents are futuristic, many await the day when the seals and the book will finally be opened so that they can unleash events upon the earth. Some even believe that a few of the seals may have already been opened, and are waiting for the remaining ones. As a result, they remain confused, trying to match the prophetic timeline given in Scripture with present-day events.
However, this is an extremely erroneous view of the book and its seals and only leads to further confusion.
Neither the book nor the opening of the seals has any power at all. I repeat: neither causes anything to happen on the earth. Their purpose is not to initiate or execute events on the earth. So then, what is their purpose?
The purpose of the book - to have the revelation documented.
The purpose of the seals - to bind the book shut and to conceal the writing on the outside.
The book and the seals have no power beyond these two purposes.
As stated earlier, the book is simply a heavenly version of our own book of Revelation. Just as we can open and read the book of Revelation every day, opening our Bible does not cause anything to happen on the earthly timeline. Reading the book does not trigger events on the earth. In the same way, the book in God’s hand was a heavenly repository of stored information, and that information concerned things to come in the time of the end.
Why Do the Seals and the Book Appear to Trigger Events?
When reading the chapters that follow - especially Revelation 6–7, which describe the opening of the seals - the language appears, at first glance, to describe action:
Revelation 6:1-2 - And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals… and behold a white horse…
To many readers, this sounds like a cause-and-effect sequence:
A seal is opened
A horse is released
Something begins on the earth
This reading has led many to believe that the seals themselves are prophetic events and that humanity is currently living within one of them.
However, this impression does not come from what the seals do, but from how the revelation is being shown to John.
Seeing What Is Written
Revelation 5:1 tells us plainly that there was writing on the inside and the outside of the book. Yet, nowhere in the book of Revelation do we read, “And the Lamb read what was written, saying…” Even so, it was the written contents of the book that were unveiled to John. Rather than hearing the book read aloud, John received its contents visually. This explains why, throughout chapter 6, the four living creatures repeatedly tell John, “Come and see.” instead of “Come and hear”.
Because a vision is tied to seeing, the Lamb did not read the book verse by verse to John; instead, its contents were communicated through visual revelation. Though the book contained written prophecy, its message was disclosed to John through what he saw rather than through spoken narration. God did not merely tell John what was written in the book—He showed it to him.
In simple terms:
John saw what was written instead of hearing it read.
This distinction is crucial.
When a seal is opened, John is not watching something occur in real time on the earth. He is watching a visual representation of concealed information being revealed to him. The movement, sound, and imagery are part of how the message is shown, not actions actually happening. This means they are not actually taking place as events.
The opening of the seals does not release horses or events.
They release knowledge.
Having witnessed the contents of the book, John transcribed them, making his own copy. This is what was later distributed to the churches.
What the Seals Actually Reveal
As established in the previous article, the seals concealed the outside writing of the book. That outside writing functioned like a table of contents—summarizing the themes, forces, and major figures that would appear once the book was opened and read.
Therefore, when a seal is removed:
Hidden writing becomes visible
Information is disclosed
That information is presented to John as a living image
This is why Revelation 6 feels like action, even though it is not.
Revelation chapters 6–7 span the entirety of the writing on the outside of the book. As each seal was opened, the writing was revealed and presented to John in visual form. As with the cover or outer material of any modern book, the outside often summarizes or informs the reader of key elements before the book itself is ever opened. In the same way, the seals concealed this information on the outside of the book.
Thus, the purpose of the writing concealed by each seal is to inform the reader of either:
A major agent - a living entity that will have a significant role in how events unfold within the book
A major theme - a consistent theme that appears throughout the book once it is opened
Major events - a foreshadowing of events later mentioned or detailed within the book
Therefore, the seals do nothing more than give us glimpses of what is contained in the book. However, it is what is written inside the book - beginning in Revelation 8 - that truly contributes to the prophetic timeline.
Layout of Revelation 6-7
Opening of the Seals | What was written on the Book in God’s Hand | How what was written was revealed to John. | Purpose of the Seal |
Seal 1 | A white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer. (Revelation 6:2) Notice that I did not include the opening phrase, “And I saw, and behold…,” because it simply describes John’s reaction to what was being revealed, not the content of what was written. | John saw a white horse and its rider appear before him. The rider had a bow and was given a crown, and went forth into the world conquering. | The purpose of this seal is to inform the reader of one of the agents that will be at work in the book- the white horse rider - and to show beforehand how he influences events. We should either see him or see his power at work again throughout the contents of the book once it is opened. |
Seal 2 | Another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword. (Revelation 6:4) | A red horse and its rider appeared before John. He witnessed power being given to the rider, along with a great sword, to take peace from the earth and to cause death through violence. | The purpose of this seal is to inform the reader of one of the agents that will be at work in the book - the red horse rider - and to show beforehand how he influences events. We should either see him or see his power at work again, preparing the reader for the recurring theme of war once the book is opened. |
Seal 3 | A black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. (Revelation 6:5) | John saw a black horse and its rider appear before him, holding balances in his hand, indicating control over famine, trade, and economic conditions. | The purpose of this seal is to inform the reader of one of the agents that will be at work in the book - the black horse rider - and to show beforehand how he influences events. We should either see him or see his power at work again, preparing us for the themes of famine and economic pressure once the book is opened. |
Seal 4 | 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. (Revelation 6:8) | John saw a pale horse and its rider appear before him. The rider was named Death. Another rider named Hell followed with him, and power was given unto them to bring death through multiple means. | The purpose of this seal is to inform the reader of two agents that will be at work in the book—Death and Hell—and to show beforehand how they influence events. We should either see them or see their power at work again, preparing us for the themes of widespread death and the release of forces from hell once the book is opened. |
Seal 5 | Revelation 6:9-11 | John saw the souls of those who were slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held, crying out from under the altar for vindication. | The purpose of this seal is to inform the reader beforehand concerning the theme of violence and martyrdom as it relates to the saints of God, which will be addressed again in the book. |
Seal 6 | Revelation 6:12–17; Revelation 7:1–17 | John saw a great earthquake, cosmic disturbances, terror among the inhabitants of the earth, the sealing of the servants of God, and the vision of a great multitude standing before the throne. | The purpose of this seal is to provide a sweeping preview or summary of the scope and intensity of the events contained in the entire book, revealing the ultimate consequences of divine judgment, deliverance, and the establishment of God’s kingdom. |
Seal 7 | No writing was concealed by seal 7. | Not applicable | Seal 7 was the final seal keeping the book closed; once it was opened, the book itself could now be opened and read. Hence the silence in heaven (Revelation 8:1), given in reverence, because the time had come for the once-sealed secrets of God concerning the end to be revealed to all. |
What Have We Learned?
Neither the book in God’s hand nor its seals have any power to do anything as it relates to the prophetic timeline. Rather, they simply reveal information about the prophetic timeline - much like our Bible does for us today. As we learned in the previous article, all the seals and the book have already been opened. The entire book has been revealed to us, and John made his own transcript and dispensed it to the Body of Christ and to the world.
Remember, the contents written on the outside of the book are simply references to what is written inside the book. It is what is written inside the book that reveals the prophetic timeline of how things will unfold on the earth. Therefore, we are not awaiting a seal or a book to be opened. We are awaiting the first thing mentioned after the book is opened - the alignment of the seven angels with trumpets, and the first angel preparing to sound.
Thus, here is the final overview of the book of Revelation:
Revelation 1 - Introduction and the things John saw
Revelation 2–3 - The things which are
Revelation 4–5 - Transition into the things which shall be hereafter
Revelation 6–7 - The things which shall be hereafter (Part 1): the outside of the book - the opening of the seven seals
Revelation 8–22 - The things which shall be hereafter (Part 2): the inside of the book - the prophetic timeline
In our next post, we will review Revelation chapter 6 and provide proof that each seal serves as a foreshadowing - revealing agents, themes, and/or events that appear later in the book.
Blog Title: Why Many Struggle With Revelation: Understanding Chapters 5–7
Keyword: Why many struggle with Revelation
Previous Post in the Series: Understanding the Book With Seven Seals: What Revelation 5-7 Is Really Revealing
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I’m so blessed by this, I understand the Book of Seals way better now. I’m used to the table of contents being inside a book, but this one had it on the outside, under each seal. My God is something else. 😂
This is so simple to understand due to the methodical way God has revealed it to Apostle Kareem Flowers. 😀