Bible Commentaries
Revelation 6

Verses 1-17

THE LAMB OPENS UP THE FUTURE

I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Revelation 6:1

As the Lamb begins to open the seven seals, we are treated to a short preview of the Great Tribulation and Day of the Lord. It is at first introduced to us with the picture of horses and their riders. We should note that this is but a preview of the scroll's contents. All of the seals are not yet opened and the whole scroll is not unrolled, allowing its entire contents to be seen.

As the first seal is broken there is a white horse and rider (6:1-2). This figure probably represents military conquest. ^(F1) This one could perhaps even represent the Beast or Antichrist himself, who will be introduced to us later. Some have tried to picture Jesus as the rider on this horse but this does not seem possible. There is one thing for sure. When Jesus is presented on his white horse in Revelation 19:11ff, there is absolutely no doubt about who he is. He is specifically named as "Faithful and True," "Word of God," and "King of Kings and Lord of Lords."

Next there is a fiery red horse and its rider. We are told that his purpose is to "…take peace from the earth and to make men slay each other" (6:4). We realize that there will be much bloodshed as we are led up to the last days, because he is given a large sword. While this is a clear reference to bloodshed resulting from war, it could also include awful, worldwide terrorism.

As the Lamb opens the third seal, a black horse appears (6:5). This horse likely represents worldwide famine and hunger. These so often have followed on the heels of military conquest and civil insurrection. This famine will be so critical that a person's wages will do little more than provide bread for that one day.

We need to remember that these first visions are merely introductions to the Great Tribulation. Since the time of Christ, history has been full of such things all reminding us of the approaching end. ^(F2) Jesus himself says in Matthew 24:6-8, "You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains."

So, Jesus pictures for us that times will grow worse and worse, and not better and better as some suppose. God has actually promised to shake heaven and earth so that only the things that are unshakable may remain (Habakkuk 3:6; Hebrews 12:26-27). Thus the birth pains of the age to come will grow more frequent and intense until they end in the Day of the Lord. Clearly these birth pains are already upon us and Christians are not exempt.

As the fourth seal is opened, a pale horse appears. Its rider is said to represent death, but we note that Hades follows closely after him. Hades appears to collect the spoils of war, famine and plague. Interestingly, this horse and rider have power over an amazing "…fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth" (6:8). Death by wild beast may sound strange to our ears, but recently the H5N1 flu virus in Asia was found to be spreading from domestic to migratory fowl. This virus can be fatal to humans on a massive scale and already has the experts fearing a pandemic.

Here we get our first real glimpse of the scope and incredible tragedy of coming judgment. Initially, at least one-fourth of the earth will be directly affected by the Great Tribulation. Later we will see it increased to cover a third of the earth, and then perhaps much more. One commentator sees that this will be the greatest destruction of human life ever recorded in history. ^(F3) The early church father, Lactantius, adds, "For the human race will be so consumed, that scarcely the tenth part of mankind will be left."^(F4)

When the fifth seal is opened, we observe the ravages of the tribulation on the saints of God. We immediately see martyrs under the altar in heaven. Some people may be surprised to learn that these martyrs are God's dear saints. These saints seem to be martyred in a most unusual and cruel fashion, until we remember that today in many Moslem countries, beheading is a common occurrence. The martyrs are now given white robes and bidden to wait until their full number is completed (6:11). Obviously, there are many more saints who are about to lose their lives for the Lord.

Daniel speaks of this awful time in these words, "Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand" (Daniel 12:10).

Today in the affluent West, we Christians are not so comfortable with the ideas of suffering and especially of martyrdom for Christ's sake. This is not the case in other parts of our world where the bulk of today's Christians are already undergoing persecution, tribulation and even death.

The early Christians were also severely persecuted. They did not seem to have the fear of suffering or dying for the Lord that some do today. These early saints knew when they took the name of Jesus, their suffering and persecution would begin immediately. They knew they were taking their lives into their hands, and they were prepared for the consequences. These saints were even instructed to rejoice in their sufferings, since suffering produces perseverance, character and hope (Romans 5:3-4).

As the sixth seal is opened, the events normally associated with the end of the world begin to take place. The sun turns to darkness and the moon to blood (Joel 2:31). Stars fall from the sky and the sky is rolled up like a scroll (6:12-14). The words of the prophet Isaiah are thus fulfilled, "Lift up your eyes to the heavens, look at the earth beneath; the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment and its inhabitants die like flies. But my salvation will last forever, my righteousness will never fail" (Isaiah 51:6).

At this point unsaved people begin to cry for rocks and mountains to fall on them and hide them from the wrath of the Lamb (6:16). We can understand how bitter this cry will be since these have spent their lives despising Christ and working against his program.

We have had our first, brief preview of the Great Tribulation and the end of the world. There will be war, famine and trouble in increasing proportions. Then at last, the very heavens and heavenly bodies will be affected. The seventh seal will be dealt with later and will introduce the actual Tribulation.

This section closes with the question of 6:17: "For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can withstand it?" That question is about to be answered for us.