According to E.B. Elliott, the first seal, as revealed to John by the angel, was to signify what was to happen soon after John seeing the visions in Patmos. The general subject of the first six seals is the decline and fall, after a previous prosperous era, of the Empire of Pagan Rome. [17] :119,121,122 Futurist views [ edit ]

I think many people have problems with this book because it is not what they are expecting. This entire series is billed as "historical fiction" and the first book certainly seemed to be so but that moniker has long since worn off. The series has transposed into fantasy, pure and simple. The title itself is indicative of the genre and there are numerous examples of true magic throughout the book: pillars turning into faces that give directions, Taita turning invisible at will or mind travelling over great distances to give messages to others. Whatever historical accuracy might exist here is beside the point. Also, this is a fairly erotic novel with numerous sexual innuendos and some downright graphic sex scenes in it. This is my 6th Wilbur Smith book and although he does put in quite a few erotic encounters I think this is his rawest novel so far of the ones I've read. Traditionally, the historicist view of the Seven Seals in The Apocalypse spanned the time period from John of Patmos to Early Christendom. Scholars such as Campegius Vitringa, [15] Alexander Keith, and Christopher Wordsworth did not limit the timeframe to the 4th century. Some have even viewed the opening of the Seals right into the early modern period. [16] However, Contemporary-historicists view all of Revelation as it relates to John's own time (with the allowance of making some guesses as to the future). [10] He listened for a moment, and his expression changed to mild concern. The dog was silent out there in the night. Amid the worship due to Him, the Lamb begins to open the seals (Revelation 6:1). With each seal opened, the scroll is able to be unrolled a little more, revealing bit by bit the judgments God has in store during the tribulation period. The first four of the seven seals release what are known as the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, because the judgments appear symbolically as a horse and rider bringing devastation in their wake. While excavating the tomb of Mamose's queen Lostris, archaeologists Duraid al-Simma and his beautiful (and much younger) Anglo-Egyptian wife Royan have unearthed ten scrolls written by the queen's scribe Taita. The seventh scroll provides clues to Mamose's Ethiopian resting place, with its treasures. But knowledge of these clues has fallen into the hands of a ruthless, wealthy and powerful antiquities collector who's not about to let minor things like laws against murder and theft keep him from adding this loot to his private collection. When Duraid is killed early on, and the scroll stolen, Royan must follow his dying instructions by joining forces with another wealthy collector, widowed adventurer Sir Nicholas Quentin-Harper (who's much closer to her age) to find the tomb before her husband's killers do. There's a complication, though. Royan wants to turn the treasure over to the proper authorities. But while Nicholas, like Royan, wants himself and her to be first at the tomb, and is ethical enough (unlike their competition) to not hurt any innocents --and chivalrous enough to protect Royan as gallantly as she could wish-- he has ambitions to add the find to HIS collection. So our heroine and hero here are working partly as allies --but partly at cross purposes, too, which makes for an interesting battle of wits. (And Cupid may complicate things, too....)

The second seal. When the Lamb opens the second seal, great warfare breaks out on the earth (Revelation 6:3–4). This is symbolized by a rider with a large sword on a fiery red horse. Old mother, you are always right,’ he teased her gently. ‘What would we do without you to care for us?’ He sent her away, still scowling to cover her love and concern for him.

Those martyrs, their blood, which was spilled by them who hate the Word of God, will forever condemn Satan and his servants before the Lord. Colonel Nogo was put in charge of keeping Royan and Nicholas out of their way and Duraid's assistant was in charge of exploiting the works Nicholas and Royan discovered, while Jake Helm provided them with Pegasus' facilities. Behold Taita 2.0: a perfect mind of unmeasurable depths within a perfect young body that will never grow old.The seventh seal. When the Lamb opens the seventh seal, “there was silence in heaven for about half an hour” (Revelation 8:1). The judgments that lead up to the close of the tribulation are now visible in the scroll and are so severe that a solemn silence falls upon all of heaven. The seventh seal obviously introduces the next series of judgments, for John immediately sees seven angels who are handed seven trumpets ready to sound (verse 2). An eighth angel takes a censer and burns “much incense” in it, representing the prayers of God’s people (verses 3–4). The angel then took the same censer, “filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake” (verse 5). Talking broadly without giving any spoilers; the series follows the time in Egypt when Pharaohs ruled ancient Egypt and has a cast of likable characters with whom the reader can easily relate. The story revolves around a kingdom built on gold, greed and war. As the men try to fight for the crown, only a handful of the people actually try to restore peace before realizing that the thirst for blood can only be quenched by blood itself. Some characters want gold, others pursue the crown while sum just want to avenge the deaths of their loved ones. It is a captivating story of love, deception, power struggle and the ruthlessness which takes a hold of men when they are blinded by rage or greed. Precious little is known about Enoch and his city, but a few verses later, it stated that "the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them" and later Zion was "taken up to heaven". Some [ who?] believe it was literally lifted up to the sky, which creates interesting parallels to the Vimana or "flying cities" which are found in Hindu texts. [ citation needed] Second seal [ edit ] Preterist view Political upheaval and collapse of the Roman Empire brought about invasions of northern hordes of Goths and Vandals between 375 and 418. [19] Futurist view

I found the precedent three books bad but enjoyable. This one is just amazing. I have read it out of curiosity, how insane can it get? I do hope for the mental health of Mr. Smith that Taita is not his alter ego. I will read the next (and last one), just to assert whether this was just a crisis of sorts. Lots of man-root action, and way too Blavatsky-esque for comfortable reading. No wonder I couldn't recall the storyline here. That damn mongrel,’ he agreed. ‘It is always making the night hideous with its yapping. I have promised myself to get rid of him.’ Rounding everything out: you can't really have a bad bad movie unless the music is really stupid and annoying, but fortunately Canadian McCauley comes through with flying colours. Certain words and phrases used in The Revelation had a clearer meaning to ancient readers familiar with objects of their time. For example, important documents were sent written on a papyrus scroll sealed with several wax seals. [6] Wax seals were typically placed across the opening of a scroll, [7] so that only the proper person, in the presence of witnesses, could open the document. [6] This type of "seal" is frequently used in a figurative sense, in the book of Revelation, [8] and only the Lamb is worthy to break off these seals. [6]It had taken them all these years, working at night here in the villa on the oasis after their daily routine work at the museum in Cairo was done, but at last the ten scrolls had been deciphered – all except the seventh scroll. This was the one that was the enigma, the one which the author had cloaked in layers of esoteric shorthand and allusions so obscure that they were unfathomable at this remove of time. Some of the symbols he used had never figured before in all the thousands of texts that they had studied in their combined working lives. It was obvious to them both that Taita had not intended that the scrolls should be read by any eyes other than those of his beloved queen. These were his last gift for her to take with her beyond the grave. The complete falling away from true and perfect Christianity, which ushered in the long night of apostate darkness on all the face of the earth.