Rev Ch 6 study

Rev 6

1. the first seal (6:1–2)

Five important questions must be answered before the events of chapter 6 can be understood:

1. Are the events which begin with the breaking of the first seal past or future? Though many have tried to find fulfillment in the past (see Introduction), there are solid reasons for believing that the revelation concerns events yet future. The vision in chapters 4–5 is described in 4:1 as “after this,” that is, after the revelation to the seven churches which is described in 1:19 as “what is now,” in contrast to “what will take place later.” Since the scroll in 5:1 is “sealed,” the clear implication is that the seals are broken at a time after chapter 5. All attempts to find fulfillment of the seals in history have failed to yield any uniform interpretation with no two commentators agreeing. Actually there is no sequence in history that clearly corresponds to these events. So it may be concluded that they are yet future.

2. A second question arises: What is the relationship of the seals to the Rapture of the church?

In the letter to Thyatira the Rapture is pictured as yet future (2:25, 28) and the Rapture is in view in the letter to the church in Philadelphia (3:10–11).

Beginning in chapter 6, however, there is no reference whatever to the churches or to the Rapture that is described in familiar passages (e.g., 1 Cor. 15:51–58; 1 Thes. 4:13–18).

Since neither the Rapture nor the church are the subject of Revelation 6–18, many conclude that the Rapture of the church takes place before the events beginning in chapter 4 and thus precedes the Tribulation

(for full discussion see Charles C. Ryrie, Revelation; Charles C. Ryrie, The Final Countdown; and John F. Walvoord, The Rapture Question).

3. A third question: What is the relationship of the seals to Daniel 9:27?

Daniel 9:27 NLT

The ruler will make a treaty with the people for a period of one set of seven, but after half this time, he will put an end to the sacrifices and offerings. And as a climax to all his terrible deeds, he will set up a sacrilegious object that causes desecration, until the fate decreed for this defiler is finally poured out on him.”

Israel’s program, concluding in the 70th week of Daniel, is best understood as related to the scenes here described in Revelation. Though some have tried to find historic fulfillment of Daniel 9:27, nothing in history really corresponds to it; so it is better to consider the last seven years as the final period leading up to the Second Coming and therefore still future.

4. A fourth question: Does Revelation deal with the entire seven years anticipated in Daniel 9:27 or only with the last three and one-half years, often referred to as “the Great Tribulation” or “a time of great distress”? (Jer. 30:7; Dan. 12:1; Matt. 24:21)

Because the Great Tribulation is specifically mentioned in Revelation 7:14 and the same period is called “the great day of their wrath” (6:17), there seems to be clear identification of Daniel 9:27 with the events of Revelation.

Most expositors assume that the events beginning in Revelation 6 cover the whole seven-year period. The Book of Revelation, however, never uses a seven-year figure but frequently refers to three and one-half years or 42 months (11:2; 13:5). Because the events of chapter 6 and afterward seem to coincide with the Great Tribulation rather than with the time of peace in the first half of the seven years (1 Thes. 5:3), there are good reasons for concluding that these great events are compacted in the last three and one-half years before Christ’s return to the earth. Certainly at least by the fourth seal (Rev. 6:7–8), the events described anticipate a time of unprecedented trouble.

5. A fifth question: What is the relationship of the events of Revelation to Christ’s sermon on the end times? (Matt. 24–25)

As J. Dwight Pentecost points out (Things to Come, pp. 280–82), the order of events in Revelation and the order of events in Matthew are strikingly similar: (a) war (Matt. 24:6–7; Rev. 6:3–4), (b) famine (Matt. 24:7; Rev. 6:5–6), (c) death (Matt. 24:7–9; Rev. 6:7–8), (d) martyrdom (Matt. 24:9–10, 16–22; Rev. 6:9–11), (e) the sun and the moon darkened with stars falling (Matt. 24:29; Rev. 6:12–14), (f) divine judgment (Matt. 24:32–25:26; Rev. 6:15–17).

It should be obvious that the events of Revelation have their background in previous prophecies, which aids in interpreting John’s symbolic revelation. The evidence points to the conclusion that it describes the final period (probably the final three and one-half years) climaxed by the second coming of Christ to set up His kingdom

(for further discussion, see Walvoord, Revelation, pp. 123–28; also cf. comments on Matt. 24–25).

Revelation 6:1–2 NLT

As I watched, the Lamb broke the first of the seven seals on the scroll. Then I heard one of the four living beings say with a voice like thunder, “Come!” I looked up and saw a white horse standing there. Its rider carried a bow, and a crown was placed on his head. He rode out to win many battles and gain the victory.

6:1–2. As John watched the events after the opening of the first … seal by the Lamb, he saw a white horse with a rider holding a bow, wearing a victor’s crown (stephanos), and going forth to conquer. Because Christ in His second coming is pictured (19:11) as riding on a white horse, some have taken it that this rider in 6:2 also must refer to Christ, as the white horse is a symbol of victory. Roman generals after a victory in battle would ride a white horse in triumph with their captives following. The chronology, however, is wrong, as Christ returns to the earth as a conqueror not at the beginning of the Tribulation but at the end of the Tribulation. Also the riders on the other horses obviously relate to destruction and judgment which precede the second coming of Christ by some period of time. A better interpretation is that the conqueror mentioned here is the future world ruler, sometimes referred to as Antichrist though Revelation does not use this term.

He is probably the same person as the ruler of the people mentioned in Daniel 9:26. This ruler has a bow without an arrow, indicating that the world government which he establishes is accomplished without warfare (see comments on Rev. 13:4).

The future world government begins with a time of peace but is soon followed by destruction (1 Thes. 5:3). In general, the seals, trumpets, and bowls of divine wrath signal the terrible judgments of God on the world at the end of the Age, climaxing in the second coming of Christ.

Yo, J-EASY!! *in the deepest npc voice* “You have not collected enough coins to continue your journey. Collect 5 scrolls to break the seal and complete the mission given to you.”

2. the second seal (6:3–4)

Revelation 6:3–4 NLT

When the Lamb broke the second seal, I heard the second living being say, “Come!” Then another horse appeared, a red one. Its rider was given a mighty sword and the authority to take peace from the earth. And there was war and slaughter everywhere.

6:3–4. With the breaking of the second seal a red horse appeared with a rider empowered to take peace from the earth (cf. “the red dragon,” 12:3; the “scarlet beast,” 17:3). In contrast with the first rider who has a bow without an arrow this second rider carried a large sword. This again was a picture of political power with the rider as the world ruler.

3. the third seal (6:5–6)

Revelation 6:5–6 NLT

When the Lamb broke the third seal, I heard the third living being say, “Come!” I looked up and saw a black horse, and its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard a voice from among the four living beings say, “A loaf of wheat bread or three loaves of barley will cost a day’s pay. And don’t waste the olive oil and wine.”

6:5–6. With the opening of the third seal a black horse was revealed with a rider carrying a pair of scales in his hand. At the same time a voice was heard from among the four living creatures saying, A quart of wheat for a day’s wages, and three quarts of barley for a day’s wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine! “A day’s wages” refers to a silver coin, the Roman denarius, worth about 15 cents, which was the normal wage for a worker for an entire day. So this passage is saying that in that food shortage an entire day’s work would be required to buy either a quart of wheat or three quarts of barley. If one bought wheat, it would be enough for one good meal; if he bought barley, it would be enough for three good meals but nothing would be left for buying oil or wine. Famine is the inevitable aftermath of war. This will be a major cause of death in the Great Tribulation. The black color of the horse speaks of famine and death.

4. the fourth seal (6:7–8)

Revelation 6:7–8 NLT

When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the fourth living being say, “Come!” I looked up and saw a horse whose color was pale green. Its rider was named Death, and his companion was the Grave. These two were given authority over one-fourth of the earth, to kill with the sword and famine and disease and wild animals.

6:7–8. A pale horse was introduced when the fourth seal was opened. “Pale” is literally a pale green (cf. the same word used of vegetation in Mark 6:39; Rev. 8:7; 9:4). John stated that the rider’s name was Death and that hades was following close behind him. Here is the aftermath of war, famine, and death. With war and famine people fall prey to a plague and the wild beasts of the earth. The startling fact is revealed that a fourth of the earth, or approximately a billion people by today’s population figures, will be killed by these means. It should be obvious that this is not a trivial judgment but a major factor in the Great Tribulation, thus supporting the conclusion that the Great Tribulation has begun. The first four seals may be considered as a unit and a general description of the Great Tribulation as an unprecedented time of trouble (cf. Jer. 30:7; Dan. 12:1; Matt. 24:21–22).

5. the fifth seal (6:9–11)

Revelation 6:9–11 NLT

When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of all who had been martyred for the word of God and for being faithful in their testimony. They shouted to the Lord and said, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you judge the people who belong to this world and avenge our blood for what they have done to us?” Then a white robe was given to each of them. And they were told to rest a little longer until the full number of their brothers and sisters—their fellow servants of Jesus who were to be martyred—had joined them.

6:9. With the opening of the fifth seal John had another revelation of heaven itself and his attention was directed to souls pictured as under the altar and identified as those who had been slain because of the Word of God and the testimony they had maintained. (For “under the altar,” see Ex. 29:12; Lev. 4:7.) These are obviously martyrs, mentioned in more detail in Revelation 7. This makes it clear that souls will be saved in the Great Tribulation, but many of them will be martyred. 6:10–11. They will cry out to the Lord, asking how long it will be before He will avenge them. In reply each is given a white robe and informed that the Tribulation is not over and that others must be martyred before God’s judgment on the wicked and deliverance of the righteous occurs at the Second Coming. This passage shows that the time period is the Great Tribulation, but not its end. Spirits without any substance could not wear robes. The fact that they will be given robes supports the concept that when believers die they are given temporary bodies in heaven which are later replaced by resurrection bodies at the time of resurrection (cf. 20:4).

6. the sixth seal (6:12–17)

Revelation 6:12–17 NLT

I watched as the Lamb broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake. The sun became as dark as black cloth, and the moon became as red as blood. Then the stars of the sky fell to the earth like green figs falling from a tree shaken by a strong wind. The sky was rolled up like a scroll, and all of the mountains and islands were moved from their places. Then everyone—the kings of the earth, the rulers, the generals, the wealthy, the powerful, and every slave and free person—all hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. And they cried to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. For the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to survive?”

6:12–14. As the sixth seal opened, John recorded that a great earthquake occurred. More dramatic than the earthquake was the transformation of the heavens with the sun turning black, the moon turning blood red, and stars falling like late figs from a fig tree. The heavens appeared like a scroll being rolled up. At the same time, due to the earthquake, all the mountains and islands were moved from their places. Here again in the sequence of events, the end had not been reached as there was still another seal. But this was the most dramatic judgment thus far in this time of great distress before the Second Coming. Many expositors have attempted to see a figurative fulfillment to this prophecy. It is preferable, however, to take this prediction literally. The trumpet and bowl judgments, to be revealed later in Revelation, also include great disturbances in the heavens and on the earth before Christ’s second coming. 6:15–17. The practical effect of the judgment was fear in unbelievers from all walks of life. They called on the mountains and the rocks to fall on them and to hide them from God’s wrath. Their fear was so great they would rather be killed by a falling mountain than to face the wrath of the Lamb and Their wrath, referring to the anger of the Triune God. Again this is not a picture of ordinary trouble but the period of greatest distress in world history. Taken as a whole, chapter 6 is one of the most important and pivotal chapters in the entire book. It describes the first six seals and also introduces the seventh seal which consists of and introduces the seven trumpets and the seven bowls of the wrath of God in chapters 8–9; 16. The contents of chapter 6 should put to rest the false teachings that God, being a God of love, could not judge a wicked world. It also raises the important question contained in the closing words of verse 17: Who can stand? Only those who have availed themselves of the grace of God before the time of judgment will be able to stand when God deals with the earth in this final period of great distress. Those who will be saved in the Great Tribulation are described in the next chapter.