Seals of Wrath: The Horsemen Ride

Introduction

Have you ever wondered why God allows suffering in the world? Why natural disasters strike? Why wars rage? Why good people suffer while evil seems to prosper? The seven seals of Revelation answer these profound questions, but perhaps not in the way we expect...

Revelation 6:1–8 “Now I watched when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say with a voice like thunder, “Come!” And I looked, and behold, a white horse! And its rider had a bow, and a crown was given to him, and he came out conquering, and to conquer. When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” And out came another horse, bright red. Its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that people should slay one another, and he was given a great sword. When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” And I looked, and behold, a black horse! And its rider had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures, saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not harm the oil and wine!” When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” And I…”

The faithful in the midst of trials are the conquerors!

Revelation: A New Covenant Commentary The Opening of the First Six Seals (6:1–17)

Thus the present material functions very much like the overture of an opera: all the major themes that will appear in the opera are woven together into a (hopefully) captivating invitation to listen to the rest. So in this case all the major themes of the “divine drama” are here presented in a sequential way through the four horsemen, the martyrs, and finally the earthquake. The rest of the book will provide the actual drama that spells out the story. - Gordon Fee

It is the fulfillment of Old Testament promises

Ezekiel 2:9–10 ESV

And when I looked, behold, a hand was stretched out to me, and behold, a scroll of a book was in it. And he spread it before me. And it had writing on the front and on the back, and there were written on it words of lamentation and mourning and woe.

Isaiah 29:11 ESV

And the vision of all this has become to you like the words of a book that is sealed. When men give it to one who can read, saying, “Read this,” he says, “I cannot, for it is sealed.”

Daniel 12:4 ESV

But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”

Last time we saw that only the Lamb is worthy to break the seals.

He breaks the seals so that he can open the scroll.

The astonishing thing about this passage is that the prayers of the saints are the instrument God uses to usher in the end of the age and the return of Christ. This passage is essentially the answer to the prayer, “Let Your Kingdom Come.”

The Book of Revelation The First Four Seals: Christ Uses Evil Heavenly Forces to Inflict Trials on People throughout the Church Age for Either Purification or Punishment (6:1–8)

Rev. 6:1–8

The Birth Pangs Before the Return of Christ (Rev 6:1-8)

Just as labor pains intensify before birth, these seals show history's contractions growing stronger before Christ's kingdom arrives. Each seal brings us closer to the delivery room of God's new creation

Mark 13:7–9 ESV

And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains. “But be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them.

Fit the patterns of OT judgment:

Ezekiel 14:21 ESV

“For thus says the Lord God: How much more when I send upon Jerusalem my four disastrous acts of judgment, sword, famine, wild beasts, and pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast!

Revelation: An Introduction and Commentary c. The First Seal (6:1–2)

The first four seals form a unity. They show us the self-defeating character of sin

Notice the progression here—conquest leads to war, war leads to famine, and famine leads to death. This is the self-defeating spiral of human sin

The First Seal - White Horse of Conquest (Rev 6:1-2)

“come” - the living creatures are calling forth the horsemen.

Background of the four horses are the book of Zechariah (Zech 1:7-11; 6:1-8; possibly Jer 15:2 and Ezek 5:12) - Instruments of God’s wrath upon the enemies of his people.

Some take this horse to be a picture of Christ sending out his Gospel to accomplish its purposes, or some variation.

In , Jesus is robed in white and rides a white horse. (Rev 19)

In commenting on the birth pangs of Matthew and Mark, there is mention that the gospel must be preached to all nations; and then the end will come (Matt 24:14)

Scholars debate whether this white horse represents Christ or conquest. While both views have merit, the context suggests...

The horses are intimately related to one another through the imagery.

These seals are preliminary to the reading of the scroll itself, and so they parallel the birth pangs of the Olivet Discourse.

These horseman are human forces and their depravity rather than angelic or demonic forces.

“conquest and to conquer” refers not to the positive advancement of the gospel, though that will come, but rather of the expansionism and lust for conquest that leads to warfare.

“conquest” - the word is used throughout the book to refer to Satan’s war with the people of God. In Rev 13:7, the beast believes he is “conquering” the saints, but they are actually “conquering” him.

Revelation 13:7 ESV

Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation,

The primary theme is divine sovereignty, as the Lamb initiates the event by breaking the seal.

The Second Seal - Red Horse of Slaughter (Rev 6:3-4)

“red horse” - symbol of warfare, bloodshed, and slaughter.

The color red appears again when it speaks of the great dragon in Rev 12:3, and of his hatred and murder of the people of God.

Revelation 12:3 ESV

And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems.

This seal is war: men killing each other, and implied, I think, people killing the saints.

The rider is allowed to do three things:

Take peace from the earth

Allow people to kill each other

Use the sword for this purpose.

This is clearly on the sovereign authority of God alone.

The Third Seal - Black Horse of Famine (Rev 6:5-6)

“black” is a symbol for mourning, like Rev 6:12 - black as sackcloth

Revelation 6:12 ESV

When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood,

“scales” - scales were to emphasize justice. Were necessary for the scarcity.

“denarius” - day’s wages

“a quart of wheat” - what one man would eat in a day.

Famine is a natural result of war.

In ordinary times, a denarius would purchase ten to twelve times that much food.

“oil and wine” - were items of everyday use.

The Fourth Seal - Pale Horse of Death (Rev 6:7-8)

“pale” - pale green or ashen colored. It is the color of disease and death.

“Hades” is a companion of death in this book and they are personified as evil cosmic forces that will finally be thrown into the lake of fire. It may also be a pointing to the later reference of pestilence.

This isn’t death in general, but death from three specific things in the context:

sword

famine and pestilence

wild beasts - in the OT, wild beasts were the carriers of pestilence

Imagine John seeing this in the throne room of God. Perhaps these visions were like what we see in a control room with a bunch of monitors, except these are all without a VR headset. He would have recoiled in terror as war, bloodshed, famine, and death galloped across his vision.

Still limited in scope compared to the trumpets and bowls - only 1/4 of the earth. When do these seals happen? Listen to Ladd:

The breaking of the seven seals is preliminary to the actual opening of the book and the events of the end time. It pictures the forces that will be operative throughout history by which the redemptive and judicial purposes of God will be forwarded. They are not a part of the great tribulation itself, but are preparatory and preliminary to the great tribulation. - Ladd, 96.

Throughout history, like dominoes falling—when one major power becomes aggressive (conquest), it triggers regional conflicts (war), which disrupts supply chains (famine), leading to humanitarian crises (death)

Even these terrible judgments serve God's mission. They're final wake-up calls, last chances to turn from rebellion to redemption.

When you face trials—whether job loss, illness, or persecution for your faith—remember that Christ himself breaks the seals. Your suffering isn't random; it's under the sovereign control of the Lamb who was slain. Notice who these judgments target—'those who dwell on the earth' in rebellion against God. If you're in Christ, these seals represent trials that refine you, not wrath that condemns you

The Cry of the Martyrs for Vindication (Rev 6:9-11)

But now the scene shifts dramatically. We move from earth to heaven, from the horsemen's thunder to the martyrs' cry. Every seal that breaks is God answering their cry for justice

Revelation 6:9–11 “When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.”

The Fifth Seal - They Are Slain for Their Gospel Witness (Rev 6:9)

This is the reality of pursuing our mission of proclaiming the gospel in this age. We should expect persecution and martyrdom. I have missionary friends in the Philippines whose kids were in danger of being kidnapped their whole childhood by the Abu Sayyef on the island of Mindanao. When I visited the Philippines, it became real, when one of the pastors told me he slept with a shotgun under his bead in case they came after him!

“altar” - The imagery is that heaven is both God’s temple and his throne room.

2 Tim 4:6; Phil 2:17 - martyrdom as a drink offering

Appears to have in mind all Christian martyrs of every age, but perhaps those of the end time in particular.

Matthew 16:24 “Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” - Deny self, take up cross means be willing to suffer and die as a martyr. Come to Christ! Count the Cost!

“word of God” - gospel

These saints do not flee for their lives or compromise the gospel, but rather maintain their witness in the midst of persecution.

They Pray for Vindication and Justice (Rev 6:10)

“Sovereign Lord” (despotes) - the one in control of these events

“holy” - transcendent above all evil and cannot ultimately tolerate all the evils that have come upon His children, the martyrs.

“true” - faithful to his covenant promises. He will save his people, even if they suffer martyrdom and bring them into his eternal kingdom.

“those who dwell on the earth” - mankind in its rebellion and hostility to God (Rev 3:10; 11:10; 13:8,12,14; 14:6; 17:8).

Should we take vengeance on our persecutors? Rom 12:19

Romans 12:19 ESV

Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”

This is like Gen 4:10; Luke 18:7 - They are crying for God’s Kingdom to come and vindication/justice.

Genesis 4:10 ESV

And the Lord said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground.

Luke 18:7 ESV

And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them?

The question is not if God will punish the world, but when.

God Responds With A Little Longer (Rev 6:11)

“white robe” - symbol of blessedness and rest.

In the next chapter (Rev 7:9,13-14), their robes are white because they have washed them in the blood of the Lamb.

“a little longer” - until God brings vindication

The rest of the book is a description of what must take place before their prayers are heard and God’s kingdom comes.

“number of fellow servants and brethren is complete”

this number is a vast multitude in the next chapter (Rev 7) that can’t be numbered.

God Vindicates His People by Answering Their Prayers (Rev 6:12-17)

The martyrs asked 'How long?' Now we see God's answer beginning to unfold

Revelation 6:12–17 “When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?””

The Sixth Seal - The Day of the Lamb’s Wrath (Rev 6:12-17)

The usual way of describing the end of the age.

Joel 2:31, 3:15, Haggai 2:6, Isa 13:10, 34:4, Jeremiah 4:23-28, Matt 24:29

Joel 2:31 ESV

The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.

Matthew 24:29 ESV

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

The terror of the earth-dwellers is understandable. Every facet of society quakes in terror:

They hide in the caves and rocks of the mountains.

Even facing cosmic judgment, these rebels choose rocks over repentance—this is the depth of human fallenness

They cry out to the rocks and mountains to fall on them.

Imagine the most powerful people on earth—presidents, CEOs, celebrities—all hiding in underground bunkers, begging the rocks to fall on them rather than face their Creator. What does that tell us about the reality of judgment?

Their plea is ironic, since not even death will save them from the judgment seat of God (Rev 20:11-14)

What is striking is that they are in terror of not only the one on the throne, but also the wrath of the Lamb.

We have a tendency to rationalize our most cherished sins, but the reality is that all sin leads to death and destruction.

Notice that these powerful people don't cry out to God for mercy—they want the rocks to hide them from God. Friend, if you're here today and you don't know Christ, the good news is that today is still the day of salvation. The Lamb who opens these seals of judgment is the same Lamb who was slain for your sins. Friend, you have a choice the earth-dwellers in this passage refused to make. You can hide from God or run to him. The Lamb who judges is the same Lamb who saves. Which will you choose today?

Who is able to stand in this day? Only those who are washed in the blood, who have the seal of and name of Christ, who are overcomers.

Out of the ruins of judgment will emerge a new redeemed order which John calls new heavens and a new earth (Rev 21:1)

This seal brings us to the threshold of the end, and in the trumpets and seals and the rest of the book, John stands back as it were to tell the story from different angles.

The Seventh Seal - Silence (Rev 8:1-5)

Where is the seventh seal? Turn to Revelation 8

Revelation 8:1–5 “When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel. Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth, and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.”

What is the meaning of the silence?

It could be that the hosts of heaven are in awe of God and the wrath to come. (Hab 2:20; Zech 2:13)

Habakkuk 2:20 ESV

But the Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him.”

Zechariah 2:13 ESV

Be silent, all flesh, before the Lord, for he has roused himself from his holy dwelling.

It could be like a dramatic pause before the trumpets bring their judgment. e.g. Selah (Zeph 1:7)

Zephaniah 1:7 ESV

Be silent before the Lord God! For the day of the Lord is near; the Lord has prepared a sacrifice and consecrated his guests.

It could be silence because the prayers of the saints have been answered. (Exod 14:13-14)

Exodus 14:13–14 ESV

And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”

It could be the silence in anticipation that all the seals are broken and now the Lamb can read the scroll and its contents.

“prayers of all the saints” - Not a single prayer has been ignored or forgotten. None of those prayers are worthless or ineffectual. They have been gathering before the altar of God.

The saints appear insignificant to men at large. But in the sight of God they matter. Even great cosmic cataclysms are held back on their account. And the praises of the angels give way to silence so that the saints may be heard (The Revelation of John, p. 119).

“threw it on the earth” - answered the prayers

After cosmic chaos, silence. It's the silence of answered prayer, of God's people finally heard. Your prayers aren't lost in heaven's noise—they create heaven's pause

“peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.” - signs of the end. Also after the seven trumpets (Rev 11:19), and seven bowls (Rev 16:18).

Revelation: An Introduction and Commentary (Paul) Context

Each series finishes with a clear proclamation of the End—silence in the seals sequence, the kingdom of this world becoming the kingdom of God in the trumpets sequence, and the triumphal cry ‘It is done!’ in the bowls sequence.

Conclusion

Today we've seen that our prayers matter eternally, that Christ is sovereign over even the darkest chapters of history, and that judgment is coming. But we've also seen hope—white robes for the martyrs, silence that honors the saints' prayers, and a Lamb who conquered through sacrifice.

We must pray and not lose heart. Our prayers are not wasted.

When you face trials—whether job loss, illness, or persecution for your faith—remember that Christ himself breaks the seals. Your suffering isn't random; it's under the sovereign control of the Lamb who was slain.

We should be praying “let your kingdom come” through our missionaries, for the advancement of the gospel around the world.

Before the end comes, the gospel must reach every nation (Matthew 24:14). Let us participate in this great commission through giving, going, or praying.

The seals remind us that history has a destination, suffering has a purpose, and prayers have power