What Seal Are We In?

The Question Everyone Gets Wrong

Ihave had this conversation numerous times with members of the Church, and it always goes the same way. Let me walk you through it exactly as it unfolds, because watching the realization dawn is one of the most powerful teaching moments I have experienced.

I start by asking a simple question: “What seal do you think we’re in right now? The sixth or the seventh?”

Almost without exception, people answer confidently: “Oh, we’re in the seventh.”

I ask them why they believe that, and they point me to Doctrine and Covenants 77, which states that each seal contains the things of its corresponding thousand-year period. Their reasoning goes like this: four thousand years from Adam to Christ, two thousand years from Christ to today, so we are in the sixth or seventh thousand years. Therefore we must be in the sixth or seventh seal. The reasoning seems sound. The conclusion seems obvious.

But it is completely wrong. And I can show them why in about five minutes.

Why the Common Interpretation Fails

Here is how the conversation goes. I open Revelation chapter 6 to the sixth seal, and I start walking through the events one at a time.

I read them the first event: “There was a great earthquake.” I ask, “When have we experienced a great earthquake that shook the entire earth?” They usually point to a specific historical earthquake. “There was a big one in Syria in 1260 AD that killed millions,” they might say. “Or the one in Turkey.” I tell them I do not agree, but let’s keep moving forward.

Next: “The sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood.” I ask, “When have we seen that?” They get a little more animated here. “The eclipses!” they say. “Remember the two eclipses that made the big X across the United States? One in 2017, the other in 2024?” I tell them I do remember them, but I don’t think that is the answer either. Let’s keep moving forward.

Next: “The stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs.” I ask, “When have we seen the stars fall from heaven?” They think for a moment. Some point to the great meteor shower that Joseph Smith witnessed during Zion’s Camp. I tell them I do not agree with that either, but let’s keep moving forward.

Next: “The heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.” I ask, “When have we seen the heavens open like a scroll? When has every mountain and island been moved out of its place?”

This is where the conversation starts to shift. They pause. They do not have an answer for this one. The heavens have not departed as a scroll. The mountains and islands have not moved. They know it. I know it. But we keep moving forward.

Next: “The kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains.” I ask, “Have the rich and powerful fled to their bunkers yet?”

Now, they know that bunkers exist. Mark Zuckerberg is building a $270 million bunker in Hawaii. The world’s wealthiest people have been constructing underground shelters for years. Thousands of them, all over the world. They know something is coming. But have they gone into them? Have they fled there in terror? No. Not yet.

And then the final verse: “And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and 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?”

I ask, “When have we seen that? When have the kings and rulers of the earth cried out for the mountains to crush them rather than face God?”

They have no answer. Because it has not happened.

And that is when I walk it backward.

“Now,” I say, “let’s go back through those events you gave me answers for. You said the eclipses over the United States were the sun becoming black. But those eclipses were only seen in the United States. This is a prophecy for the whole world. The sun will become black for days, possibly weeks. The moon will turn to blood for days, possibly weeks. These are not brief celestial events that make the news for an afternoon. These are massive, sustained, global phenomena that will terrify every person on earth.”

“You said the stars fell during a meteor shower in the 1830s. But this prophecy describes the stars falling like figs shaken from a tree in a mighty wind. This is not a meteor shower that a few people witness in one location 200 years ago. This is something the entire world sees during the day and the night and cannot explain.”

“You said there was a great earthquake in Syria or Turkey. But this prophecy describes an earthquake so massive it moves every mountain and island out of its place. Not one region. Not one country. Every mountain and every island on the entire earth, moved.”

By this point in the conversation, the realization has set in. We have not seen any of these events. Not the earthquake. Not the sun going dark. Not the stars falling. Not the heavens rolling up like a scroll. Not the mountains and islands moving. Not the kings and rulers fleeing to their bunkers and begging for the rocks to fall on them. None of it has happened.

Here is the full passage so you can read it for yourself:

“And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and 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?” (Revelation 6:12–17)

Isaiah described the same event in language that matches perfectly:

“And the idols he shall utterly abolish. And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth. In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats.” (Isaiah 2:18–20)

Think about that image. The Oscars. The trophies. The awards. The symbols of status that powerful people display so proudly on their shelves. In that day they will throw them to the moles and the bats, creatures that are blind and cannot even see what has been thrown to them. The rich and powerful will be so consumed with guilt and terror at the presence of God that they would rather be crushed by a mountain than stand before Him. They will throw away everything they spent their lives accumulating because none of it matters anymore.

If we have not seen the events of the sixth seal, then we certainly cannot be in the seventh seal. We are not even in the sixth seal. As I will demonstrate in this chapter, none of the seals has yet been opened.

What the Scriptures Actually Teach

This realization forces us to reconsider what we think we know about the seven seals. In Doctrine and Covenants 77, the Prophet Joseph Smith received direct revelation explaining the symbolism in Revelation, including specific clarification about the sealed book and its seals:

“Q. What are we to understand by the book which John saw, which was sealed on the back with seven seals? A. We are to understand that it contains the revealed will, mysteries, and the works of God; the hidden things of his economy concerning this earth during the seven thousand years of its continuance, or its temporal existence. Q. What are we to understand by the seven seals with which it was sealed? A. We are to understand that the first seal contains the things of the first thousand years, and the second also of the second thousand years, and so on until the seventh.” (D&C 77:6–7)

This revelation seems straightforward: seven seals, seven thousand years, each seal containing the record of one thousand-year period. Based on this, many have concluded that we must be approaching or already in the seventh seal.

But look carefully at what the revelation actually says. It describes what the sealed book contains. The book is sealed with seven seals. Inside the book is the record of seven thousand years. But nowhere does this revelation say that opening a seal IS that thousand-year period, or that we are living THROUGH the seals as time periods. There is a critical distinction between what is inside the book and what happens when the seals are opened.

The Problem with How Many Interpret D&C 77:10

Now consider verse 10 of the same section:

“Q. What time are the things spoken of in this chapter to be accomplished? A. They are to be accomplished in the sixth thousand years, or the opening of the sixth seal.” (D&C 77:10)

This verse refers to the events described in Revelation chapter 7, which occur during the sixth seal. But here is the key question: when does the sixth seal open? According to a literal reading of this verse, the sixth seal opens at the beginning of the sixth thousand years. That would be approximately 1000 AD.

Did the events of Revelation chapter 7 occur in 1000 AD? Were the 144,000 sealed at that time? Was there a great multitude standing before the throne in white robes? Were these people who came out of the great tribulation?

No. None of these events occurred in 1000 AD. This did not happen then. It has not happened yet, because the sixth seal has not been opened yet.

This should alert us that something is wrong with the common interpretation. Either the revelation is false, which we know it is not, or we are misunderstanding what it means.

A Crucial Revelation

Several years ago, as I was pondering this very problem, I received a clear spiritual impression. The answer came distinctly, heard in my right ear as if someone were standing beside me speaking:

“The seven seals are events that occur before the opening of the book containing the 7,000-year history of the earth.”

I stopped what I was doing. This single statement changed everything.

The sealed book that John saw is not time itself. It is not the unfolding of history as we experience it. The book is a record, a history that will be revealed when Christ opens it. Inside are the “hidden things” of God’s dealings with this earth for seven thousand years. According to Latter-day Saint tradition, this book is understood to be the sealed portion of the Brother of Jared’s record, which contains the complete history of the earth from the beginning to the end.

The seven seals that bind this book shut are not the seven thousand years themselves. The seals are events. Specific occurrences that must take place before the book can be opened and its contents revealed.

The Treasure Chest Analogy

Think of it this way. Imagine a treasure chest sealed with seven locks. Each lock must be opened in sequence before you can access what is inside. Opening the locks is not the same thing as the treasure. The locks are obstacles that must be overcome. They are tests, trials, events that must occur before the treasure can be claimed.

The seven seals work the same way. They are seven events, seven dramatic occurrences that must take place before the sealed record can be opened. Each seal, when opened, triggers specific events in our world. These are the things John saw: horsemen riding forth, martyrs crying out, cosmic upheavals shaking the earth.

These are not descriptions of ordinary time passing. These are not chronicles of centuries slowly unfolding. These are sudden, dramatic events that will dramatically impact all of humanity.

The treasure inside the chest is the complete record of seven thousand years. The seven locks on the outside are events that must happen before that treasure becomes accessible. The number seven is the same in both cases, but what that number represents is different. Only the Lamb, Jesus Christ, is worthy to open these seals. As He opens each one in Revelation chapter 6, John witnesses specific dramatic events: the Four Horsemen ride forth, martyrs cry out from under the altar, and cosmic upheavals shake the earth.

The Harmony of D&C 77:10

With this understanding, D&C 77:10 falls into place. It asks when the events of Revelation chapter 7 will be accomplished:

“Q. What time are the things spoken of in this chapter to be accomplished? A. They are to be accomplished in the sixth thousand years, or the opening of the sixth seal.” (D&C 77:10)

The arithmetic most members use is sound. Four thousand years from Adam to Christ, two thousand years from Christ to our day. By that reckoning we are living in the seventh thousand-year period of the earth’s temporal existence. What fails is the conclusion drawn from the arithmetic. The thousand-year periods are the contents of the book. The seals are the locks on the outside of it. Six thousand years of that record have already been written, and not one lock has been broken.

Verse 12 of the same section tells us where on the calendar to look:

“…the sounding of the trumpets of the seven angels are the preparing and finishing of his work, in the beginning of the seventh thousand years—the preparing of the way before the time of his coming.” (D&C 77:12)

The trumpets belong to the seventh seal. The Lord places them in the beginning of the seventh thousand years, and He places them before His coming. That is where we are standing right now. All seven seals will open in the years just ahead of us, not across the centuries behind us.

The events of the sixth seal are not abstract representations of a millennium. They are specific, unmistakable catastrophes: a great earthquake that moves every mountain and island, the sun turning black, the moon becoming as blood, stars falling from heaven.

When these events begin to unfold, the 144,000 high priests spoken of in Revelation chapter 7 will be gathered and ordained to their sacred missions. They are sealed at the opening of the sixth seal, precisely as the scripture states. Everything aligns perfectly when we understand that the seals are future events, not historical time periods we have already lived through.

The Pattern of the Seals

Once we understand that the seals are events rather than time periods, the pattern becomes clear. Each seal represents a specific development that must occur in sequence.

The First Seal brings forth a white horse and its rider, going forth conquering and to conquer. The white horse represents someone coming in the name of righteousness, bearing authority from God. This servant will challenge the existing order and begin the process of establishing God’s kingdom on earth.

The Second Seal brings forth a red horse, taking peace from the earth and causing men to kill one another. This is the natural consequence of the first seal. When corruption is exposed and evil systems are threatened, the reaction is violent.

The Third Seal brings forth a black horse, representing famine and economic devastation. When war breaks out, the economic systems that sustain billions of people begin to fail. Food becomes scarce. Resources become weapons.

The Fourth Seal brings forth a pale horse, and Death rides upon it. Following war and famine come plague and pestilence, the breakdown of public health and the collapse of medical systems on a massive scale.

The Fifth Seal reveals the martyrs under the altar, crying out for justice. As the world descends into chaos, the righteous suffer. Those who stand for truth and refuse to compromise with evil pay the ultimate price. But their sacrifice is not forgotten. God hears their cry.

The Sixth Seal brings cosmic and geological catastrophes unlike anything humanity has witnessed. The earth itself convulses. The heavens display terrifying signs. Every person on earth recognizes that something unprecedented is happening.

The Seventh Seal opens to reveal the seven trumpets of judgment, God’s direct intervention in human affairs. The trumpets sound warnings that the wicked ignore at their peril. The vials of wrath are poured out. And ultimately, the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ.

The Four Horsemen and the Compass Directions

The first four seals, which bring forth the Four Horsemen, represent something additional. They symbolize the four compass directions: North, South, East, and West. This is significant because it shows that the events triggered by the first seal will spread across the entire earth. The establishment of God’s kingdom will be met with worldwide opposition from the beast system that currently controls the nations. The battle between good and evil will be fought on every continent, in every nation, touching every human being.

We Stand at the Threshold

We have not yet experienced any of these seals. We stand at the threshold, living in the season when the seals will soon begin to open.

How do I know this? Because the First Horseman has not yet ridden forth. The opening of the first seal will be unmistakable. It will not be subtle or subject to interpretation. When that white horse and its rider appear, when that servant of God begins his work, the entire world will take notice. Events will be set in motion that cannot be stopped. Each seal will follow in rapid succession, building upon the one before it.

The question is not “What seal are we in?” The question is whether we are prepared for what happens when the first seal is opened.

For Further Study

• The Sealed Book: Revelation 5:1–14; Ether 3:21–28; Ether 4:4–7; 2 Nephi 27:6–11
• The Seven Seals Explained: D&C 77:6–7; D&C 77:10; Revelation 6:1–17; Revelation 8:1
• The Four Horsemen: Revelation 6:1–8; Zechariah 6:1–8
• The 144,000: Revelation 7:1–8; Revelation 14:1–5; D&C 77:11
• The Sealed Record: Ether 3:21–28; Ether 4:1–7; 2 Nephi 27:6–11; D&C 35:18
• Preparation for the Last Days: D&C 38:30; D&C 45:56–57; Matthew 25:1–13; 1 Nephi 22:17
• Christ Opens the Seals: Revelation 5:5–14; Revelation 6:1; D&C 77:6–7