Opening the Fifth Seal Via the Law of Moses
Revelation 6:9 And when he 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.
God did "a work, a strange work and an act, a strange act" in the role of the priesthood, Isaiah 28:21. The Spiritual Law of Moses cannot pass away. Like Jesus said, "not one jot or tittle shall pass from the law until all be fulfilled", Matthew 5:18. We embrace the Words of the Shepherd as superior to any "hireling" with "partial knowledge" which is "short of the glory". The natural and carnal allegorical acts of the animal sacrifices which we will consider are now of none effect. Absolutely no perfection or righteousness is gained thereby -nor was any gained then. But obedience was gained by those priests who were given such as "exercise", Ecclesiastes 3:10-11. In the Letter of Aristeas chapter IV we find the sacrificing of the animals was indeed "beautiful in his time (with the eye of understanding of) the world set in their hearts so that no man can find out the work God makes from the beginning unto the end", Ecclesiastes 3:11. As I said in other letters, the "fifth seal" is open to our understanding because God and His Lamb are pleased to show it again from the Spiritual Law of Moses at this time.
Now consider a few appetizers and let them whet your mind as you continue reading:
Hebrew Word Phonetic equivalent Meaning
(1) son ....... son, Ezekiel 34:31; Daniel 7, 9 .......flock Matthew 23:9
(2) phlox......(flowers) and flocks, Isaiah 40:6,8,...flame Daniel 7:22; Matthew; Luke 12:32 18:10-14, John 10:11-16
(3) olam......."Oh Lamb of God I come,"...............perpetual Psalm 149:5-9; Isaiah 63:1-14.
God's sons are a flock of lambs, a perpetual flame after His Eternal Image and likeness. Obviously, human beings only are God's sheep. Now take the MASTER KEY in Psalm 44:11,22 and discover the "spiritual" reference which the carnal sacrifices signified: "Thou hast given us like sheep appointed for meat; and hast scattered us among the (demons, Romans 8:18-22; Revelation 12:12) heathen. Yea FOR THY SAKE ARE WE KILLED all the day long". The MASTER KEY to the spirit unlocking the allegorical meaning of the animals' blood is Genesis 9:4", flesh with the LIFE thereof which is THE BLOOD thereof". And "the SPIRIT IS LIFE because of God", Isaiah 42:5; John 4:24; Wisdom 12:1. A third MASTER KEY is the true significance of the allegorical tent of Moses who was commanded "let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it", Exodus 25:8-9. Isaiah received that key in Isaiah 40:22: "he that sitteth on the circle of the earth...stretcheth out the heavens as curtain (of the tabernacle of Moses) and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in". Therefore the TABERNACLE of Moses represents HEAVEN. Of significance is that all the priests, Aaron and his sons, served physically within the curtain of the tent, but the Levites and the people were beyond the inner court and the common people could not come close, Exodus 40:13-15; Numbers 16:8-11, 18:1-7,20-22. True PRIESTS ARE ANGELS WITHIN HEAVEN, men on earth called by God are Levites who come close by understanding. The average man is no Levite and cannot come close due to ignorance. Summing up these key thoughts:
A. SACRIFICES are MANKIND
B. BLOOD is the SPIRIT OF MAN which LIVES in a clay house
C. TABERNACLE OF MOSES equals HEAVEN
D. PRIESTS (Aaron and his sons) are ANGELS INSIDE HEAVEN
E. LEVITES are God ELECT-MEN on earth who draw near God by understanding in the mind.
Now let us look at the 5th Seal, the mystery of death as it was shown to Moses in the Law. As a lamb of God, every man is sacrificed to the God of heaven through the process of death, Psalm 44:11,22; John 12:24. These offerings of God do indeed come to Him by His drawing power at that time, Ecclesiastes 12:7; John 6:44; Hebrews 12:22-24, 13:11-14. They become the "saints gathered unto God by sacrifice", Psalm 50:5, "brought under the bonds of the Covenant", Ezekiel 2O:33-37. By this means they enter Heaven, so that "the Lord shall come with ten thousands of His Saints" as Enoch prophesied in . Therefore, John saw the "just spirits of men indeed vibrant with life at the foot of the altar truly on the better side of the "curtain" within heaven, Luke 20:37-38; Revelation 6:9-11. Thus, it is the inner portion of the body, the spirit of man, God's son or daughter spirit, who is brought within (blood) and given to the archangels (placed on horns of the altar) as an acceptable sacrifice for the Father..."killed FOR THY SAKE", Leviticus 4:1-12. The bodies of men who are the sin offerings are burnt outside of heaven ("burnt without the camp") and no place is found for them since flesh and natural blood do not inherit the kingdom of heaven, Romans 7:24; I Corinthians 15:44,50; II Corinthians 5:6-8. In other types of sacrifices and offerings various body portions of God's many membered body are eaten by the ANGELS in the sense of the "body" as a collection of people, Numbers 18:8-19. For example, the "wavebreast" (virgins, Virtues) are females who go to the various archangels to become army members (consciences to teach men on earth and battle devils' voices for control of man's life) Exodus 12:17; Numbers 2:2-4, Song of Solomon 6:4-10. These edible "portions" of the consumable flesh for the priests are the words of truth which have become a part of us which we learn in this life. They become our "new man-type" personality qualities. Angels bringing the "raised spirits of just men made perfect" may eat (absorb via the eye and ear by joy and appreciation) our songs of Zion, praise, and words of thanks from us... truly, "a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God!" Romans 12:1.
Every sacrifice must be washed (educated and enlightened) before being placed on the altar (placed in an Archangel's order). Looking at the pattern, we find that the "ten lavers" and the "sea" served to cleanse the burnt offering of flesh (purify the understanding of the new Host member) and also to wash the priests respectively when they come to serve. Read II Chronicles 4:2-6. The "water" of the laver is both (a) the Word of God which educates, John 7:38, 15:3 and (b) men from earth transformed into angels serving as teachers, Isaiah 54:13; Revelation 7:9-11, 17:15. These "anointed" teachers are "a fire" with the educational Word so that God showed John (Solomon's Sea) "a Sea of Glass (Word is our mirror, James 1:23) mingled with fire", . In "manifesting the judgment" these angels enlighten the minds of the "just spirits of men being made perfect", Ephesians 5:13-14; Hebrews 12:22-24 or being "ALTERED". Thus, death serves to cast up the spirits of men (who all will eventually serve as priests, Exodus 19:6; Isaiah 61:6; Revelation 5:9-10) into the (lake) sea of (glass) and fire for educational purposes. The light of those fires makes them understand, Isaiah 25:4 that they are immortal Spirit portions of the Eternal Spirit (God) as their ignorance (veil) which they befriended concerning death and hell is destroyed, Isaiah 28:18-19. Once they are cleansed in the laver and Sea (See) they may serve the archangels (blood on horns of the altar) and the Temple (God), Revelation 21:22. This great white throne judgment is a daily process, Psalm 139:7-8; Isaiah 27:12-13, 60:4-5,11; Revelation 17:15.