Revelation 6, Pt 1

In Revelation 4 & 5 we saw the scene in heaven as John records it...the scene of the throne of God and all that was happening around the throne.

In ch 4 we saw God on His heavenly throne...in His glory...and surrounding Him were 24 thrones representing the church of all ages (12 tribes, 12 apostles)...OT & NT...

Judgement was coming from the throne...

Revelation 4:5

5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God,

And 4 living creatures were closest to the throne, leading ceaseless worship in heaven as they reported what they saw: 

V8: Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,

who was and is and is to come!”

When these 4 living creatures worship almighty God on His throne, the church of all ages falls down and worships Him, casting their crowns before Him and saying:

Revelation 4:11

11 “Worthy are you, our Lord and God,

to receive glory and honor and power,

for you created all things,

and by your will they existed and were created.”

In ch 5 There is ANOTHER who takes center stage (which in itself must mean He is DIVINE). He is the only ONE in the universe who is worthy to take the scroll from the hand of God on the throne and to open it.

This ONE who takes the scroll is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the King who has conquered by also being a Lamb...a slain, sacrificed Lamb...

As He steps forward and takes the scroll from God’s right hand, ALL HEAVEN...in fact, the entire universe erupts into worship...

The 4 living creatures &

The 24 elders

Sing a new song of His worthiness through death...a death that ransomed people of every tribe and language and people and nation...a people who are now God’s people and who reign on the earth

Then John hears millions and millions of angels in worship,

Revelation 5:12

12 saying with a loud voice,

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,

to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might

and honor and glory and blessing!”

And then, in the outermost circle of this universe-wide worship is every creature, and they are saying:

“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb

be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”

AND NOW, with this scene of the absolute sovereignty of God on His throne, and Christ, the victorious Lion/Lamb opening the scroll with seven seals, the scroll that, as we will see, will dictate God’s judgments on the earth...

With this scene in mind...God sovereignly on His throne and the Lamb about to open the seven-sealed scroll of judgments...We move into CHAPTER 6, where the first 6 of those seals will be opened...

And here we will see the judgments proceeding from the throne beginning to take place.

But first we need to make some points about this whole scene...

The judgments that we will see proceed from the throne (seals 1-4)...judgments that Christ is control of...are judgments that have and will happen THROUGHOUT THE CHURCH AGE...that is, during the ENTIRE TIME from Christ’s ascension after His resurrection to the throne in heaven (which we see in ch 5) until His return again at the end of the age...THESE JUDGMENTS (Seals 1-4) WILL continually BE TAKING PLACE.

AND INDEED THEY HAVE...AS WE WILL SEE.

The 6th seal, we will see, is a picture of the FINAL JUDGMENT.

These judgments are filfillments of vast numbers of OT passages and the NT teachings of Jesus. We will visit some of these as we move through ch 6.

So let’s read Revelation 6 and then get started on working through it with whatever time remains...

Revelation 6

1 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!” 2 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.

3 When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” 4 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.

5 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. 6 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!”

7 When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” 8 And I looked, and behold, a pale horse! And its rider's name was Death, and Hades followed him. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth.

9 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. 10 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?” 11 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.

12 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, 13 and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. 14 The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. 15 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, 16 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, 17 for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”

Revelation 6:1-2

1 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!” 2 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.

Now the seals will begin to be opened. It is very evident from this section that the opening of these seals sets in motion God’s Judgments, of which Christ is the one who is worthy and has authority to execute them. Remember that Jesus said in

John 5:22

22 The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son,

NOTE: that it is Christ the LAMB who opens the seals of judgment.

It is easy for us to focus only on the love and forgiveness of God and to ignore the reality of His wrath and judgment...

But wrath and judgment are the only thing we are deserving of! Love and forgiveness are owed to none, from the first man Adam to the baby being born in a hosptial somewhere in the world at this moment. Christ alone, the God-man, the Lion/Lamb, is the exception. Listen to the Apostle Paul...

Ephesians 2:1-3

1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

But what a glorious picture this is: the sacrificed LAMB is the one executing judgment. The One who died TAKING JUDGMENT for sinners is the one bringing judgement ON sinners who reject Him and persecute His people.

When the ONLY hope for sinners is rejected, only the expectation of wrath and judgment remains.

Next, NOTE: when the LAMB opens the first seal, John hears one of the 4 living creatures, with a voice that sounds with the authority of the LAMB, say: “Come!”

And what Comes? A WHITE HORSE! Horses were a key part of war in OT times.

Eg: Psalm 20:7; Isaiah 31:1

WHO is on this horse?

...And its rider had a bow, and a crown was given to him, and he came out conquering, and to conquer.

Who is this conquering rider?

Many interpreters have identified this rider as Christ Himself. The primary reason for this is...

Revelation 19:11

11 Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war.

However, the vision of Revelation 19:11 is still 13 chapters off for John as he writes. Not only this, but this first rider and horse have a definite connection to those who follow.

On the other hand, many have also identified this rider, because of his obvious connection with the next 3 horses, to be Satanic and evil. To be an evil conqueror who brings trouble and pain and death on the earth...

What the first 4 seals have in common is this:

-Each rider or horse is called to “Come” BY Christ as he opens a seal and one of the living creatures issue Christ’s authoritative command...vv1,3,5,7. They can do nothing until Christ through the angel calls them forth...

-Each was “given authority” v2,7 (or, “was permitted, v4), by Christ to bring judgment in the way of death and destruction on the earth

-These horsemen are also seen in Christ’s own prophecies of the end when He was on earth...

Eg: Matthew 24:

-Rev 6:2 (rider and seal one) with Matt 24:6

-Rev 6:3-7 (seals 2,3,4) = Matthew 24:7-8

-Rev 6:9-11 (Seal 5) = Matthew 24:9-12)

-Rev 6:12-17 (seal 6) = Matthew 24:29,30

So the rider coming out at the opening of the first seal on the white horse seems to be Satanic, not Christ, but NOTE that the rider can only come, with his horse and the other horses, because he is called out and given permission or authority to conquer by Christ Himself.

What are the judgments of these 4 seals and horses?

1. Conquest

2. War

3. Famine

4. Death and Hades

Again, Jesus speaks of these in: Mark 13:7-8

7 And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet. 8 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.

Have these judgments been happening throughout the church age...since the first century when John wrote Revelation? OF COURSE!

And they are happening today. Including seal 5 when many believers die. But seal 6 is something more final...and we will get to that NEXT WEEK.

But be sure of this...in the midst of all the wars and famines and death, even of God’s people, God is on His throne and NOTHING happens apart from the authority and permission of Christ. CHURCH...FIND YOUR CONFIDENCE IN HIM.