The Third Seal – The Black Horse Ride: Heaven's Scales

Revelation 6:5-6 (NASB): “When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, ‘Come.’ And behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard… ‘A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine.’”

 
The third seal splits—a black horse storms out, mane like ink across a dying sky, its rider gripping scales that gleam cold and sure. Wheat and barley priced steep—a day’s wage for a meal—oil and wine spared. Famine, they claim. That’s a blind call. If hunger ruled, olives would be eaten, grapes devoured, food shortage—prices jacked sky-high. Famine's a red flag—these aren’t scales of scarcity—they weigh deeds of love, not bread. Religion’s starved us of light—sold a locked heaven, salvation a ticket for the “saved,” a toll for the chosen. Creeds, confessions, polished pews—worthless. The scales don’t measure dogma. They measure truth—love. What you do, not what you claim.

 

This is SEAL 3: The myth of exclusivity shatters. Heaven’s not a fortress—it’s a gate swung wide by how you live. That day, August 7, 2013, a tempest tore through me—scales shifted, lies crumbled.

 

Reflection: Felt heaven’s a club you can’t crack? That’s the black horse—truth choked by religion.

Takeaway: SEAL 3 roars: Scales don’t lie—church does. Heaven’s open, weighed by love, not labels.

 

​

The Gates Men Built

Heaven wasn’t caged at first. Romans 5:18 lays it bare: “Through one act of righteousness there resulted justification—dikaiosis (δικαίωσις)—of life to all men.” All—not just the baptized, not just believers. Matthew 25:31-46 backs it: sheep and goats split by deeds—“I was hungry, you fed me”—no creeds checked, no prayers required. Jesus said it plain: “Come to me, all who are weary” (Matt 11:28). All.

 

But men locked it tight. Constantine (313 CE) tied faith to empire—salvation a tool for kings. Nicaea (325 CE) drew the line—believe this, or burn. Theodosius I’s Edict of Thessalonica (Feb 27, 380 CE) declared Nicene Christianity the state religion, crushed opposing voices. Indulgences (1517) turned grace to gold—pay up, get in. Crusades (1095–1291) spilled blood for the key. Trent (1545–63) chained it to rituals—baptism or bust. Luther’s Reformation (1517) broke some bars but built others—faith alone, but only his faith. It’s not just Christians—Zoroastrians guarded paradise, Brahmins priced moksha. Religion’s game: own what’s free.

 

I preached that narrow gate once—thought it was God’s. August 7, 2013, proved me wrong. Heaven’s not a lockbox—it never was.

 

Reflection: Who’ve you locked out with your “truth”? Scales don’t care for fences.

Takeaway: SEAL 3 cracks the cage—salvation’s not a club’s prize. It’s wider than any creed.

 

 

Abraham’s Free Faith

Before religion, before rules, there was Abraham. Genesis 15:6: “He believed—he’emin (הֶאֱמִין)—and it was credited—elogisthe (ἐλογίσθη)—as righteousness.” No Law, no system, no creed or dogma—just trust. He didn’t tithe monthly, didn’t bow to routine—but once, he gave a tenth to Melchizedek, ruler of Salem, king and priest of the Most High (Gen 14:18-20). One meeting, one gift—no church behind it. Romans 4:3: Faith, not works, justified him. Hebrews 11:8: He stepped out—blind, no map, just a call, led by God’s voice.

 

Here’s the breaker: salvation didn’t start with religion. Abraham proves it—no priests, no scrolls, just a heart open to God. He fathered nations—Ishmael with Hagar, Isaac with Sarah, six more with Keturah (Gen 25:1-2)—not just Jews, but many, some warring still over faith. No Law from Moses, no Christ to “receive”—yet his trust counted. The Dead Sea Scrolls, like 1QS, echo it—a community living righteousness apart from ritual, faith before Law’s chains. Enoch (1 Enoch 18:15) stretches it—cycles of worlds refining souls over time. Religion boxed it; Abraham lived free.

 

I thought faith needed my frame—my Christianity. 2013 tore that down. Abraham’s scales weighed trust before dogma was born.

 

Reflection: Was faith ever meant to be boxed? Abraham’s trust outshines our walls.
Takeaway: SEAL 3 digs deep—righteousness predates religion. Faith’s free, not fenced.

 

 

The Open Road

John 14:6: “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” Way—hodos (ὁδός)—a path, not a priority pass. Jesus lived it raw—fed thousands (John 6:11), touched lepers (Matt 8:3), sat with sinners (Luke 7:34). No tolls, no tests, no prerequisites. The Magi—pagan outsiders—found him (Matt 2). Rahab—harlot—saved lives, won grace (Josh 2). The Samaritan—heretic—showed mercy (Luke 10:33). Cornelius—unclean—won favor (Acts 10). “Go and do likewise”—no creed required.

 

Paul saw it too. Ephesians 2:8-9: “By grace—charis (χάρις)—through faith—pistis (πίστις)—not works.” Romans 2:13-15: Gentiles lived God’s law by nature—physis (φύσις)—God’s law in their hearts, conscience their judge. Romans 2:26-29: Uncircumcised keeping Law outshine the letter—righteousness is heart, not skin, praised by God, not men. Acts 17:27: “He’s not far from any of us”—even pagans. Matthew 7:21-23: Not “Lord, Lord,” but doing God’s will counts. Grace is free—labels don’t make Christians.

 

The church turned it into a toll road—councils, wars, donations, an elitist club. Jesus’ road stays open. SEAL 3 clears it.

 

Reflection: Seen an “outsider” walk the way better than the “in”? That’s hodos.

Takeaway: SEAL 3 sweeps the path—Jesus’ road has no gates, Paul’s grace no price. 

 

 

Eternity’s Measure

Heaven’s not a one-shot deal—it’s a scale stretched across eons. John 3:7 drops the hint: “Born again—anōthen (ἄνωθεν)—from above, anew, a cycle.” Scripture lays out three waves, not a single curtain call:     

• Firstfruits (Rev 20:5): A handful awake now—living love, lifted first, their deeds a flare in the dark.  

• Judgment (Rev 20:13-15): Most face it later—death strips the mask, scales weigh their lives then.  

• Cycles (1 Enoch 18-21): The stubborn—10,000 cycles, lifetimes grinding souls too hard to break, an abyss yawning beneath, the bottomless pit holding fallen stars. Jesus nods to “age-long fire, punishment” (Matt 25:41, 46)—torment’s echo—but it’s refining, not roasting forever.

 

Matthew 25:34-40 nails it: “The least—elachiston (ἐλαχίστων)”—love tips the balance, not creeds. Enoch’s cycles, buried in lost texts, stretch time wide—eternity’s no still frame. Miss it now, you’re not damned; you loop back, soul honed over eons. Enoch’s stars, bound for ages (1 Enoch 18:15-16), hint at it—time bends, refining runs deep.

​

Reflection: Think one life’s the endgame? Scales reach beyond this spin.
Takeaway: SEAL 3 turns it—heaven’s waves crash, love weighs, time carves.

 

 

Conclusion – Scales Unbound

The black horse rides—scales gleam, gates crash. Heaven’s not a fortress for the “faithful,” not a prize religion can claim. Abraham trusted before rules rose. Jesus walked free—a way without walls. Paul threw grace to every soul. Men built locks—Constantine’s power, Nicaea’s creeds, Crusades’ blood—but the scales don’t bend. August 7, 2013, broke it open for me: truth’s a feast, not famine.

 

Three waves—firstfruits rise now, judgment weighs the rest later, cycles refine the stubborn. Love tips it—elachiston, not labels. Miss it here, you spin again—10,000 cycles wait to teach you. The gate’s a myth, the scales are real. Live them now—shine, not croak—or face the weight later. SEAL 3 breaks the chain—salvation’s no man’s cage, only the Heaven’s scales stand. Love wins, time spins.

​​

Reflection: What’s your yield—creeds or care? The scales see all, and they’re tipping now.

Final Takeaway: SEAL 3 unlocks eternity bare—gates burn, love rules, time’s your judge.