The first five seals have outlined the height of Imperial Rome's power, the subsequent causes of its decline, and its final desperate attack on Christianity. These eras in history began a year or two after John was shown those things “which must shortly come to pass”.

The next vision is extended in length, but its primary subject is that of a great convulsion in the earth (the land of the Empire) and the heavens (the ruling powers and influence). The period immediately following the persecution of the Christians, is one of the great eras of history, and witnesses the overturning of the entire system of paganism throughout the empire. It is the era that Rome became “Christian”.

This primary vision of the Sixth Seal needs care in interpretation. It is important to remember that we are dealing with symbols, as we have been in the other visions, not literal convulsions of the earth and heavens. Care is also needed because this vision is easily mistaken for the return of Jesus Christ. While it certainly, and no doubt intentionally, has an echo and foretaste of that event, a comparison of other prophecies that have similar language and their own history will show that this vision can have a completely separate historical fulfilment.

To demonstrate this we will note the phrases used here and compare them with the other scripture prophecies to follow.

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In the next four passages of scripture, we will see examples of the same imagery and phrasing applied to historical events and overthrows of the past. The symbols were clearly symbols and did not all take place literally. They also echo the language used of the Lord’s return even though they had their own historical fulfilments at the time. Understanding this will help us to understand the local application of the Sixth Seal vision to the history of the Roman Empire at the time immediately after Diocletian, while recognising that the language foreshadows the similar convulsions in the order of things when Christ returns. Great revolutions and overthrows are naturally described in similar language to the greatest revolution and overthrow of all.

In this passage the King of Egypt and Egypt’s downfall is prophesied in terms of the “ruling” heavenly bodies being darkened and authority being put out.

The glory of Egypt and its rulers, symbolised by the sun, moon and stars, will be destroyed by the sword of the king of Babylon. The prophecy speaks in symbolic imagery of a literal war and overthrow.

Here in another prophecy against Idumea or Edom the language is identical to that of the Sixth Seal, even to the mention of the stars falling as the figs from a fig tree, and the heavens rolled together as a scroll. The host of heaven represents the ruling powers of the land. God’s sword comes against their glory.

Again, in the same prophecy, the phrase “the day of the Lord’s vengeance” has a foreshadowing of the ultimate day at the end of this age, but refers also here to the historical destruction of Idumea, which was broken as a kingdom and disappeared from history.

Another example is seen in this prophecy, spoken against the House of Jacob. They had become idolatrous in their own land. As a result, they were cast out of their land and sent into captivity. Again the reference to the “day of the Lord” shows that it is a phrase sometimes used to refer to a time of judgment in history, not only the final and greatest “day of the Lord”.

The imagery again is identical to that of the Sixth Seal, of the people of the land hiding themselves in the holes and caves out of fear of the Lord and his wrath, yet it has a historical fulfilment in the overthrow of Israel.

This passage speaks of the destruction of ancient Babylon at the hands of the Medes, showing again that the phrasing used often has a local historical fulfilment, without denying the foreshadowing of a fulfilment against the spiritual Babylon (Rome) of the future. (Compare Jeremiah’s prophecy of the destruction of ancient Babylon in Jeremiah 50 and 51 with the destruction of the spiritual Babylon in Revelation 17 and 18. A comparison of the two shows clearly that the prophecy in Jeremiah speaks of the destruction of ancient Babylon, yet at the same time foreshadows the destruction of Rome.)

Again we see the imagery of the heavenly ruling bodies losing their glory and power, and the earth moving out of her place, just as “every mountain and island were moved out of their places” in the vision of the Sixth Seal. The mountains and islands symbolise the strong places and the isolated places. Nothing is unaffected.

Again, though there is a foreshadowing of the future in these prophecies, the mention of the Medes here makes clear the application in a local historical sense. And history confirms the truth of it.

(There is a principle in music called harmonics that seems to me to echo quite well how one prophecy can strike two “notes” at, in a sense, different frequencies – just as the same length of tubing in a trumpet can produce more than one note at different frequencies. The notes however are strictly related to each other and the particular length of the tube. Each length of tube can only produce a certain limited set of related notes. It is likely that prophecies that have more than one fulfilment work the same way – they must be related, not pick-and-choose-for-convenience fulfilments. The fact that Babylon was the head of Nebuchadnezzar’s image, and the head represents and controls the whole body, including the legs and feet of Rome, is a good reason for the prophecies of Babylon in Jeremiah to be related to spiritual Babylon or Rome in Revelation. In the same way, the vision of the Sixth Seal deals with the revolution caused by the “Christianising” of the then world – a revolution that reflects the change in the world at the return of Jesus Christ.)

With the coming to power of Constantine, the Empire underwent a major revolution. Constantine became a “nominal” Christian and in a military struggle which developed into a war between pagan and “Christian” armies, took control. The tables were turned on the pagans who had persecuted the Christians. Christianity went from being persecuted almost to extinction, to ultimately becoming the official religion of the Empire. The entire Roman/Greek system of pagan worship was overturned in the era that followed as a series of nominally Christian emperors continued until the partition of the empire into East and West. The brief exception to this in the time of Julian, who tried to reinstate the pagan gods, was not able to change the Empire’s direction. By the time of Theodosius, and through his efforts also, the old Roman pagan worship passed completely away.

Constantine also removed the seat of power from Rome to a new city in the East which he built and called Constantinople, opening the way in the future for the Papacy in Rome to rise to power. (This was part of the fulfilment of the “let” or hindrance that the apostle Paul said was to be taken out of the way). While the persecution in Diocletian’s time had no doubt weeded out the insincere, the acceptance of Christianity in Constantine’s era caused many to join themselves to the Christians merely for the sake of political expediency. This period, as a result, saw great corruption creep into the church, out of which grew the many false and pagan doctrines of what became the “Catholic Church”.

Diocletian’s first edict of persecution was issued in AD 303. This Edict of Milan in AD 313 made 10 years of official persecution.

This period is again a major historical era, and as one of the “most decisive moments in world history” deserves the imagery of great convulsions depicted in the Sixth Seal.

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The prophecy speaks clearly of the fear of the wrath of the Lamb among the people of the land. The convulsions in the Empire and its ruling powers are thus clearly marked in the prophecy as being associated with Jesus Christ. The fear was a natural result of seeing Christianity rise to power by the people who had recently persecuted the Christians even unto death.

The war became a battle for the dominance of either paganism or Christianity. The historian notes the fear and dismay of those who fought against this “Jesus Christ” they had persecuted. As the prophecy said, “hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?”

The coins here show the head of Constantine on the front, and on the back, a dragon, or serpent, representing pagan Rome, speared by Constantine's military standard, the Labarum, with the Chi-Rho on top of it. The Chi Rho was formed of the first two Greek letters of the word “Christ” (looking like our X and P).

More coins of Constantine and Magnetius (a later “Christian” emperor of the era). Note that on either side of the Chi Rho (XP) are the Greek letters Alpha and Omega, signifying Christ as he names himself in the very book of Revelation. The context of this title later in Revelation 22 and its appearance here at this time in history shows that the prophecy indeed has a foreshadowing of Christ’s return and the upheaval he will bring. It is, after all, the Roman kingdom ultimately, that his Kingdom of Stone will eternally replace.

Revelation 22:12-13
12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

Theodosius was the last of the emperors in the time of the Sixth Seal. With his death came the division of the Empire into East and West and the opening of the Seventh Seal, and the sounding of the First Trumpet. Within the decades between Constantine and Theodosius, the old Roman paganism passed away, slowly being replaced by a more dangerous and subtle form of “Christian” paganism.

Theodosius, along with Constantine, was one of the most important of the “Christian” emperors associated with the total overthrow of paganism. But his reign, which is clearly associated with the Sixth Seal, is clearly also the last moment before the sounding of the first four Trumpets. Those visions symbolise the barbarian invasions which brought about the fall of the Western Roman Empire. Note the reference to the “continued barbarian pressure upon its frontiers”. This holding back and build-up of pressure is noted immediately before the opening of the Seventh Seal.

The fall of paganism from its place in the ruling power of Rome is a major historical wonder. The old Roman (and Greek) gods, after which the heavenly bodies were named, have fallen from their lofty authority and their glory is put out.

The historian uses the term “deadly wound” for the effect of the fall of paganism. The Bible speaks of the “deadly wound” suffered by the imperial power of Rome, and of its healing in the rise of papal Rome. The fall of paganism played a part in this “deadly wound”.

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This overthrow of paganism is likened in history, as it is in the vision, to a darkening of the heavenly bodies.

The primary visions of the first six Seals deal with the glory and decline of the Roman Empire. Seals five and six have particular focus on the clash between Christianity and Rome.

The first Six Seal visions cover the most important events and causes in both the height and decline of the Roman Empire until its division at the death of Theodosius. The era between Constantine and Theodosius, while cementing the fall of the pagan religion of Rome, also saw the corruption of the historical movement of Christianity. Rome revived in a new and more sinister idolatrous form – as a pseudo kingdom of God.