Revelation Chapter 6

Verses 1-2

And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. 2 And I saw, and behold da white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.[1]

Verse 1

And I saw – This phrase is a regular of John and is used to introduce the next portion of his vision.

The Lamb opened one of the seals – Last chapter, we read of the scroll which had seven seals on the outside. We remember there was none of creation worthy to open the scroll, but the Lamb who was slain was worthy. The Lamb in this verse is Jesus. This is the opening of the first seal judgement.

And I heard – The book of Revelation is a compilation of things that John had seen and heard. In the first four seals, we shall see that John always hears before he see’s what is to happen. In this case, he will hear the voice of one of the four beasts that sit around the throne saying…

Come and see – Many of the commentators in my studies have pointed out the command is one word, “come” and is directed at the horsemen in verse two, calling him into action. This goes against the grammatical structure of the sentence, “come and see, and I saw.” This must then, be an invitation from the beast to John, to look at the scene happening on earth below.

Verse 2

A white horse – In the ancient times, Roman military generals would ride a white horse with their captives trailing behind to celebrate a victory. The white, then, is a image of victory. Many people have incorrectly interpreted the rider of this horse to be Christ, because He will return on a white horse in chapter nineteen. This is a flawed interpretation for many reasons. The first of which, Christ returns at the end of the tribulation, whereas this is the first judgement at the beginning of the tribulation.

And he that sat on him had a bow – The bow is not associated with God, save the rainbow in the sky, which points in God’s direction. Rather, the bow is associated with pagan deities such as Apollo, and this is symbolic of a false system, riding in on a false victory. During the first three and half years of the tribulation, there will be a false sense of world wide peace, which shall be ended at the midpoint. The rider of this horse is likely to the be antichrist.

And a crown was given unto him – This would be a crown of victory, and not of royalty.

And he went forth conquering, and to conquer – The purpose of this horsemen is to conquer. The rider of this horse symbolizes conquest. The rider of this horse is also the one who shall break the seven year peace treaty half way through.

Verses 3-4

3 And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. 4 And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.[2]

Verse 3

When he had opened the second seal – John does not mention who “he” is through the next five seals, however, some translations for clarity add in the Lamb (though my version, the KJV, does not.) This has transitioned from the horseman back to Christ as He opens the second of the seals.

Heard the second beast…come and see – Once again, we see that John heard and was then commanded to look and see. This same structure will follow for the next two seals.

Verse 4

There went another horse that was red – The red of this horse overwhelming symbolizes bloodshed. If the first horse represented conquest, this horse represents the means of conquest, war.

Power was given to him that sat thereon – As with the first, where the crown was given to him, power is given to the second. This demonstrates that they have no power of their own, only the power that the Almighty allows for them to have.

To take peace from the earth – The only true peace is peace that comes through God. There is a large sense of false peace throughout the earth, but all that is needed to spark warfare is to remove that sense.

And that they should kill one another – Some commentators have suggested civil wars, and others have suggested nations warring against each other. It is not unlikely, that both may be the case. In the general sense, this is the horse of warfare. By removing the false sense of peace men experienced, they were then prompted into war, the opposite of peace.

And there was given unto him a great sword – Though he is said to have been given a great sword, there is no mention of him slaying anyone. It is more likely this rider symbolizes a government system that arouses the people to fight.

Verses 5-6

5 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. 6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, nA measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.[3]

Verse 5

He opened the third seal…Come and see – **See notes for verses one and three**

A black horse – This is the third of the four horsemen, and the black here symbolizes famine.

He had a pair of balances in his hand – This set of balances is a standard scale used to measure out quantities and would be held in a hand.

Verse 6

And I heard a voice – The speaker of this particular voice is unidentified. Who the voice is seems less important to John than what he says.

A measure of wheat for a penny – The penny is equivalent to one Roman denarius. The denarius was considered an appropriate daily wage for physical laborer. The standard price for a measure of wheat was typically one sixteenth of a denarius, or another way of putting this, you would typically buy sixteen measures of wheat for one days wage. A measure of wheat, or a quart of wheat, was considered a days meal for one adult person. This famine that would follow would require that the person worked a full day to feed himself, but would be unable to sustain his family on wheat.

To put this into perspective, Walmart’s Great Value wheat bread is one dollar per loaf. If we were to equally raise the price of a loaf of bread, you would now be paying sixteen dollars for that same loaf.

It is not uncommon, even in the twenty-first century for famine to follow after war.

Three measures of barley for a penny – Barley was less nutritious and desired than wheat, and therefore was cheaper to buy. If one had a family or other necessity, he would be required to purchase barley and barely survive the famine.

See thou hurt not the oil and wine – The vineyards, during times of war, would typically not be burnt because they would take longer to regrow and devalue to gained land from a conquest. This also symbolizes that the wealthy would still have access to the luxuries while the poor would struggle to survive.

Verses 7-8

And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. 8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill swith sword, and rwith hunger, and swith death, and twith the beasts of the earth.[4]

Verse 7

**See notes on verses one and three**

Verse 8

A pale horse – This shall be the worst of the horses, and as you can imagine, pale symbolizes death. The word for pale used in this verse actually means a sickly green, and the actual Greek word used is “Chloros”, the same word we use for chlorine.

His name that sat on him was death, and hell followed him – Death and hell frequently belong together and are of the same. Those who are in Christ don’t die, though they do move on from their bodies. Whereas the perishing do die spiritually. Death and Hell “hades” were seen as having a bold grip on humanity by the ancient cultures.

Power was given unto them – Once again, we see power is delegated. This demonstrates that while they are evil and destructive, their power is not unlimited and is given of the sovereign God.

Over the fourth part of the earth, to kill – This is the sphere and extent of their power. They shall slay a fourth part of the earth. Using todays numbers, and a rough, but not exact estimate of the number of saved souls, this would be the death of 1.6Billion people perishing.

With sword, hunger, death, and beasts of the earth – These will be the tools available to these horsemen to kill the fourth part of the earth. Most of these tools we have already seen present to some degree through the first three horsemen.

Verses 9-11

9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar xthe souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: 10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? 11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.[5]

Verse 9

I saw under the alter the souls of them that were slain – Unlike the previous four seals, where one of the living beast invited John to look and see, the opening of the fifth seal immediately invokes the vision. What John sees is the souls of the martyrs. A Martyr, though typically depicted to Christians today, is literally one who died in their witness. To be martyred is in itself a form of witness and is the ultimate witness. One does not willing die for a cause they do not truly believe.

Souls should be seen as the whole person, and not just an essence of the person. This is further confirmed by the fact they are given white robes in this same passage.

For the word of God – This is the purpose for which these souls were slain, that they proclaimed or held to the word of God. Even now, those who bring the word of God are hated, and this shall be multiplied in the tribulation.

For the testimony they held – These souls welcomed the testimony of Jesus as true and reliable and held to that testimony.

Verse 10

How Long – the martyrs cried with a loud voice. They, and rightfully so, are waiting for the judgement and for God to avenge our blood on those who had slain them. This group of people may perhaps be all people Martyred for God through the ages, and some may have been waiting for some time.

O Lord, holy and true – Some translation have “Sovereign Lord”, showing that God has His hand on everything. This form of address was typically credited to emperors and kings, but the addition of “holy and true” show that only God is Holy and true. Only God is sovereign.

Them that dwell on the earth – This is the second time this phrase has shown up in the book and refers not to those who physically dwell on the earth, but to those who are perishing. To those who belong to the devil.

Verse 11

White robes were given to every one of them – This shows that we do not justify ourselves, and their deaths did not justify them either. The white robes were given. This is symbolic of purity, and of victory. Though their enemies thought they had the victory, in reality, the victory was given to the martyr who may now receive rest with God.

And it was said unto them, that they should rest – In response to their cry, they are answered to rest. It is not time for the judgement to come, but they should enjoy the peace and rest they have been afforded in God’s presence.

For yet a little season – They are informed that the judgement is near and they will be avenged not far off.

Until their fellowservants…their brethren, should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled – This shows us that there will indeed be people saved in the great tribulation. They are informed that judgement must hold off until all that are God’s are redeemed. Most of those who get saved during the tribulation shall be slain for their testimony.

Verses 12-17

12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and lthe moon became as blood; 13 And mthe stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. 14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every rmountain and island were moved out of their places. 15 And the kings of the earth, and tthe great men, and the rich men, and the uchief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; 16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: 17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?[6]

Verse 12

There was a great earthquake – The opening of the sixth seal brought with it a destructive earthquake. This would not be the last earthquake John describes as part of the judgements.

The sun became black, as sackcloth of hair – As we study the rest of this verse through verse fourteen, we should understand that John is simply describing what he sees and not using scientific exact terms. It is believed that the sun becoming black is a call to repentance, as it is compared to a sackcloth of hair, which would be worn when one turned from sin.

Verse 13

The moon became as blood, and stars of heaven fell unto the earth – Some have discussed the blood moon, which would not be an uncommon experience and the starts as a meteor shower, but I find both unlikely. It seems that John is simply describing that the full cosmos has been affected. While this seems unlikely, if we understand this judgement to take place near the trumpet and vial judgements, those judgements can shed some light on what is happening here.

Verse 14

The heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together – This gives the image of the cosmos collapsing in on itself. The idea is when a scroll is rolled up for a long period of time, it immediately rolls itself back up when you unroll it. For the heavens to be affected in this way would show the end is really coming.

Every mountain and island were moved out of their places – In chapter sixteen, during the final judgements, we shall see that the mountains shall fall and the islands shall liquidate. Here the idea is that there will be no place to hide from the judgement and wrath of God, as indicated men tried to do in the following verse.

Verse 15

This verse describes all manners of men, The kings, the great men, the rich, the bondman, every free man had hid themselves. The statements shows that cultural status, whether you were a leader or a slave, rich or poor, bond or free, you were not exempt from the judgements of God. All these people feared and sought places in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains to hide.

Verse 16

Fall on us and hide us – The inhabitants of the earth would rather be crushed by a falling mountain than to face the wrath of God.

From the face of Him that sitteth on the throne – They desire to hide from God the Father.

And from the wrath of the Lamb – And to hide from the wrath of Jesus who was slain.

Verse 17

Who shall be able to stand – When The great day of His wrath is come, Who shall be able to stand? The answer is those who build their vessels on the foundation of Christ. Only those who are justified by the atoning blood of the Lamb shall be able to stand in the judgements of God. Only those people can stand before the throne justified.

[1] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Re 6:1–2). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

[2] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Re 6:3–4). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

[3] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Re 6:5–6). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

[4] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Re 6:7–8). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

[5] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Re 6:9–11). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

[6] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Re 6:12–17). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.