CHAPTER 1
The First Seal – The Cracked Foundation
Revelation 6:1-2 (NASB): “Then I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, ‘Come.’ And behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.”
The first seal shatters with a thunderclap—a white horse storms out, bow strung tight, crown slapped on its rider, charging to conquer. Preachers peddle this as Christ—Revelation 19:11-16, sword blazing, “King of Kings” in lights. Bullshit. This punk’s got a bow, not truth’s blade—Paul’s “fiery darts of the wicked one” (Ephesians 6:16) scream liar, not savior. No Prince of Peace here—his is religion’s empire, conquest dressed as holy, riding Rome’s dirt and creeds. The Bible isn’t a pristine scroll dropped from heaven—it’s a cracked mess—shaped by human hands, scarred by power plays, choking on buried truth. This chapter digs into “Bible’s Bent”—how scripture got twisted into a tool—forged into a weapon, layered with lies. We’re not scorching faith; just peeling the paint to see what’s real. August 7, 2013, cracked SEAL 1—truth bled
The White Horse: Conquest in Disguise
Some pulpits swear this white horse is Christ, mirroring His return in Revelation 19. But Revelation 6 tells a grittier tale. The bow signals deception—a false peace shot from afar, not the sharp narrow truth of a sword. The crown’s bestowed, not won. Scholars call it a lull before chaos; but it reveals the early church’s march, evangelism twisted into empire’s grip. Constantine’s Edict of Milan (313 CE) opened doors, Roman legions shoved the way, Nicaea (325 CE) forged its blade. By 380 CE, Theodosius I crowned Christianity Rome’s religion—not a holy win, but a power grab. The white horse races, conquering with human ambition, not God’s pure light. The Bible we hold isn’t a sacred stone—it’s a battlefield, texts picked and bent by winners. SEAL 1 cracks it: who held the reins, who fought the wars, what got buried? The foundation’s split.
Reflection: Why does faith sometimes feel like a flag planted, not a fire lit? That’s the white horse—conquest’s shadow over Christ’s call.
Takeaway: Conquest’s Shadow. This rider’s not Christ—it’s religion’s sprawl, truth choked by greed. Scripture’s no rock; it’s a blade forged in history’s pit. SEAL 1 kicks off: the base is smashed.
Who Holds Religious Authority?
The Bible didn’t drop finished—it’s a mess hacked by human paws. Jude 1:14-15 quotes Enoch—“Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones”—a book the canon trashed. If scripture rides a reject, who’s calling shots on holy? Muratorian Fragment (c. 170–200 CE) skips Hebrews, James—fights kicked off fast. Nicaea (325 CE), Constantine glaring, didn’t just peg Jesus—it slashed texts threatening empire’s chokehold. Hippo (393 CE), Carthage (397 CE) bolted the New Testament at 27, kicking others out, Old Testament veering off Jewish roots. Luther (1534) shoved Tobit, Maccabees, seven books to the side—1800s Protestants torched ‘em. Trent (1546) locked in 73 books to slap back.
Power calls the shots. Catholics, Protestants, Orthodox—each claim their stack as truth. Jews hold the Tanakh, Muslims the Qur’an—roots overlap, but no one’s got the whole. Victors didn’t just win debates; they crowned canons, burned dissenters as heretics. Jude’s Enoch, Carthage’s axe—authority’s man-made, not God’s. Dig or choke on their cut.
Reflection: Ever held a Bible thinking it’s “the” Word? Who picked it—God, or a room full of agendas?
Takeaway: Canon Chaos. No one’s got truth locked. Scripture’s a human hack—Enoch’s ghost proves it. Hunt it, or swallow their scraps.
The Battle for Doctrinal Supremacy
Faith’s meant to breathe, not strangle. But too often, it’s a weapon—control, exclusion, blood. Ebionites (1st–2nd century) saw Jesus as prophet, not God—orthodox Nicaea (325 CE) crushed them, Athanasius’ “one substance” winning, though Constantine wanted unity more than truth. Arius said Christ was created—Nicaea torched him. Nestorius split Christ’s natures—Ephesus (431 CE) kicked him out. Monophysites merged them—Chalcedon (451 CE) balanced two natures, but the church still split.
Councils weren’t holy huddles—they were war zones. Anathemas flew, scrolls burned. Decisions in chambers spilled to battlefields. Crusades (1095–1291) soaked Jerusalem—Christians vs. Muslims, both claiming God. The Inquisition (1478–1834) roasted Jews, Muslims, Protestants—heresy meant ashes. French Wars of Religion (1562–1598)—3 million dead over Mass. Thirty Years’ War (1618–1648)—8 million gone, Europe gutted by Catholic-Protestant hate. Henry VIII’s Reformation (1534)? A divorce dressed as faith.
Silencing’s old. The Sanhedrin killed Jesus for blasphemy (Mark 14:55-64)—truth rocked their seat. Rome fed Christians to lions for skipping Caesar’s gods. Galileo’s sun-centered truth (1633) got him caged—pride beat facts. Faith’s test is humility, not rule. Most failed, hands bloody.
Reflection: Ever seen faith swing like a club? That’s not God—it’s us, fighting for the top.
Takeaway: Authority or Oppression? Doctrine’s a fist when it should mend. Wars—Crusades, Thirty Years—drained truth. Power wrote “holy,” not God. SEAL 1 cuts: faith bridges, it don’t cage—humility beats thrones.
Lost Truths and Suppressed Texts
Acts 3:21 growls “restoration of all things”—if it ain’t lost, why fix it? Dead Sea Scrolls (1947) dig up pre-Jesus dirt—Enoch, Jubilees, Patriarchs’ Testaments—texts that fired faith but got axed. Enoch (Jude 1:14-15) tracks fallen angels, stars gone wild—councils trashed it to choke control. Codex Sinaiticus (4th century), old as hell, tweaks John 21:25—Jesus’ works bust scripture’s cage, mock “complete” canons. Old Syriac Gospels, Sinaitic Palimpsest (c. 4th century), slip “they were hungry” into Matt 12:1—motive clear, till Greek scrubbed it slick. Early texts dodge the medieval clamp—proof’s in the cracks.
Apocrypha whisper deeper. The Gospel of Philip hints at cycles—Christ’s “becoming” tied to renewal, not static creeds. The Apocryphon of John spins cosmic wheels—souls refined, not damned. The Gospel of Thomas says, “The Kingdom is inside you” (Saying 3)—no church needed. The Gospel of Mary casts her as a visionary—patriarchy buried it. The Shepherd of Hermas, once popular, faded. Jasher (Joshua 10:13, 2 Samuel 1:18) vanished into thin air.
A lost book painted a vivid picture foretold this: 2 Esdras 14—Ezra writes 94 books, 24 for the foolish (public Tanakh), 70 hidden for the wise. Truth split—some got scraps, others the deep well. Wars and councils turned this parable real. Nicaea silenced mysteries and reincarnation hints; Trent locked the canon to fight Luther. Origen’s Hexapla (3rd century) maps six versions shifting. Scripture’s a war zone—texts danced before they froze.
Reflection: If the Bible’s whole, why quote lost books? Why do old Bibles differ? Why split truth for wise and fools?
Takeaway: Restoration Needed. Scripture’s a hacked wreck—lost texts grip the keys. SEAL 1 tears it: word’s scattered—hunt the full truth.
Translation’s Twist: Words Bent
Language warped the Word—intent carved the fracture. Hebrew’s Elohim—plural gods—YHWH—sacred name—El—might—crushed to “God,” a mosaic smashed flat. Aramaic’s gamla (Matt 19:24)—“rope” or “camel,” a forked jab—slides to Greek’s “camel,” skewing Jesus’ edge. Deuteronomy 32:8—Septuagint’s butcher job—“Sons of God” swapped for “sons of Israel,” a rewrite that defies history. Israel wasn’t born yet. This wasn’t a stumble; it was a scribe’s chisel, gouging the divine council (Job 1:6, Psalm 82) to cement monotheistic reins. Exodus 23:19—“kid in mother’s milk”—ingratitude; an idiom, not kosher code—lost in the grind. Ruah (Gen 1:2)—feminine breath—pneuma (John 14:17)—neuter spirit—forced male for Trinity’s “He.” The Septuagint (3rd century BCE) bent Hebrew to Greek’s frame. The Vulgate (4th century) twisted it for Rome’s creeds. King James (1611) polished it for crowns. Each cut doctored doctrine—meanings fractured, like “abomination” retooled to damn love (see SEAL 5).
Reflection: Ever tripped on a verse that felt forged? That’s the fracture—language didn’t slip; hands swung the blade.
Takeaway: Truth Scarred. Scripture’s a scarred battlefield—SEAL 1 tears it open: intent hides in the cracks, dig for the raw.
Conclusion: SEAL 1 Rips It All Wide
The first seal doesn’t whisper—it blasts the lid off. Religious empire—crowns slapped on frauds, councils rigging canons, wars drowning dirt in blood—strangled truth with grubby fists. The Bible’s a butchered wreck—editors’ claw marks, power’s axe, translation’s blade twisting words for thrones. Jesus sniffed the stink—smashed tables to splinters (Matt 21:12), snapped their petty rules (Matt 12:1-8), faced down smug suits (Mark 14:55-64). He burned their con to ash—lifted the crushed, stomped the proud’s teeth in. 2 Esdras 11-12 growls it: rulers strut high, feathers of conquest plucked raw before the great awakening hits. SEAL 1’s the crack that starts it—His echo screams: trash the bow, torch the crown, rip the divine from the fractures. Councils buried it, wars scorched it, scribes warped it—pastors sling lies, systems chain it—screw ‘em all. Truth’s feral, bleeding hot—hunt it or choke on their scraps.
Reflection: They gagged Jesus—who’s throttling truth now? Preachers with agendas? Books full of bunk? Your own damn blinders?
Final Takeaway: SEAL 1 Roars. Power’s a sham—Jesus flipped it, you flip it. Truth ain’t perched on crowns; it’s wild—chase it bloody or rot in their pigsty.