Rev 6, The breaking of the seals

• Seals
• Seals protect a person from something
• Seals protect information from unauthorized persons
• God will put a seal upon certain believers for a time during the tribulation
• God has protected the world from his wrath by sealing up judgment


• "The tribulation is the time when the seals are broken and the protection from God's wrath is removed

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. (Walvoord, J. F. (1985). Revelation. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 946). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)"



Rev 6:1-2 (ESV) 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.


• The first four events of the tribulation are called the four horsemen of the apocalypse
• Of course the key to understanding this verse is to determine the rider
• How is the rider described? [Jumping ahead, we know the colors and descriptions are important because each is different.]
• White horse
• White usually does refer to righteousness and purity
• But this is not Jesus for reasons that will be clear (description, crown, and context)
• The description does not fit the earlier description of Jesus, nor the later description in the book when he does come on a white horse
• Rev 19:11-15 (ESV) 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. 12  His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. 13 He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. 14 And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. 15  From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.
• "When men wage war they always pretend to be fighting for righteousness" (Niles)
• As a symbol, a horse has many uses, but the primary usage seems to be war. Additionally, the leaders and commanders sit upon horses
• Crown
• Greek is "stephanos" crown and not "diadem." He has the crown of an overcomer or victor and not the crown of sovereignty or royalty
• The crown is given to him, as if he is expected to be victorious
• The other thought is that he had earned the crown earlier
• In Chapter 19, Jesus will wear the "diadem" crown
• Bow
• He will use weapons of warfare to achieve his objectives
• The bow is a long range weapon as opposed to the sword which is a close-in weapon. Possibly, this person uses stand-off weapons to achieve his objectives without the messy close-in fighting that loses troops on both sides
• He came out conquering and to conquer
• Interestingly, he "came out … and to" does not mean he was successful
• Or, it could mean that he used the threat of war to achieve his objectives
• The other three horseman bring judgment, so why would the first horseman bring relief? The first horseman is judgment too, he is the Antichrist. He starts a righteous crusade that ends poorly
• Most probably the person is the antichrist. Who is he?
• From Dan 9:26, 27, we understand him to be Roman
• Gen 3:15 prophesies the coming of the Messiah and the coming of the antichrist
• Satan uses the antichrist as a counterfeit son and the prophet as a counterfeit holy spirit in his attempt to recreate the trinity


Rev 6:3-4 (ESV) 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 men should slay one another, and he was given a great sword.


• The next horseman comes out on a red horse with a large sword
• Red is usually of blood
• To take peace from the earth means war
• The sword suggests close-in fighting which is messy
• One of our events that occurs prior to the Tribulation is a time of peace and security
• 1 Thess 5:1-3 (ESV) Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. 2 For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, "There is peace and security," then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
• There are three major wars in the Tribulation period. The second seal is the first major war of the tribulation
• APPLICATION: Thank God for times of peace. Pray for peace


Rev 6:5-6 (ESV) 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!"


• This is the third horse.
• What could be the meaning of black?
• The black could symbolize famine (dark days) or the black market (using undercover means to gain food) or disease (black plague) or a combination of all three
• What does the passage say?
• Scales -- inflationary prices or even price controls
• Wheat (considered a good food), a quart will cost a day's wages
• Barley (cheap cattle food), 3 quarts will cost a day's wages
• Do not damage the oil and wine
• Could be a famine that does not affect plants with deeper roots
• Could be a reference to price controls
• Also oil and wine were medicinal, so there was a shortage of food but lots of medicine (Fruchtenbaum)
• The first three events may also be the result of each other
• Strong-handed war mongering
• Results in a bloody war
• Results in famine …
• APPLICATION: Thank God every day for a job and home and food


Rev 6:7-8 (ESV) 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.


• The fourth horse is described as follows:
• It has a name, death
• The color is ashen or pale green (the color of a human corpse)
• Hades followed close behind. Hades claimed the unbelievers immaterial part after death
• Power is given over a fourth of the earth to kill by
• Sword
• Famine
• Pestilence
• Wild beasts -- food must be very scarce
• Today the earth has 7.6 billion people, so one-fourth would represent 1.9 billion people
• This large of a number does suggest some type of nuclear war
• And the aftermath effects (disease, hunger, etc)
• The banking crisis shows how interconnected the world. The food / supply chain is even more interconnected. Any disruption will have a massive effect, especially in the large cities
• APPLICATION: Thank God for food, health, and life

Rev 6:9-11 (ESV) 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. 



• The fifth seal moves to heaven. We are now in a temple with an altar
• These are the people who have died so far in the tribulation
• These are not church saints, since the church has been raptured. Also they would have resurrected bodies
• We also equate this group with the tribulation since they must wait until others of their number are also killed
• Also, this group is not looking for mercy because now is the time for judgment. In many times in Christian history, following the example of Jesus, men have prayed for their persecutors!
• How did these people come to Christ?
• The answer is found in the next chapter, the 144,000
• Also, some may come to Christ as a result of seeing the rapture happen to people they knew or who had witnessed to them
• APPLICATION: Have you told anyone what will happen, so that after you are raptured, they might believe? Could be a witnessing tool -- "if someday I just disappear, along with a great number of others, it will probably be the rapture"


Rev 6:12-17 (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, 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?"



• Scene shifts to earth
• Each series of judgments end with convulsions of nature
• How are the convulsions described
• Great earthquake (it appears to extend across the planet)
• Blackout of sun and a blood moon (first blackout of tribulation)
• Meteor shower
• Not sure, but the rolling up of the sky could be a glimpse into the throne room
• Or it could just represent anarchy on earth
• The result is
• Acknowledgement from the unbeliever that God is behind the events. Not saying that wrath begins at this point but that the unbeliever acknowledges God's wrath
• APPLICATION: If God's wrath against sin is so strong, how do we view our own sin?