Monday, December 8, 2025

One Year Journey Through the New Testament

Revelation 6

Welcome to our journey through the New Testament!

First Seal: The Conqueror

1 Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, “Come and see.” 2 And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer. 

(Revelation 6:1–2, NKJV)

Points to Ponder:

• After speaking to the seven churches of Asia Minor, and describing the scene in the level of heaven where the throne of God sits, and then describing the Lamb of God taking the scrolls to open the seals, the revelation moves to a discussion of the individual seals being broken and the resulting actions accompanying their opening.
• “Many see the rider on the white horse as the symbol of international power politics in the form of military conquest. Some others see the white horse rider as Christ continuing to move in triumph through His church during the throes of the following events, conquering through tribulation and to conquer ultimately over all (19:11—see 19:1–16).
  DISPENSATIONAL INTERPRETATION: Dispensationalists view v. 1 as the beginning of the Great Tribulation and the white horse rider (v. 2) as a counterfeit christ riding to win the world’s adulation and submission (see Dan. 7:7).”
  Jack W. Hayford et al., eds., New Spirit-Filled Life Bible: Notes (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Bibles, 2002), 1825.
• As I said before, there are many expressed interpretations to all of the images and visions within the book of Revelation. In this case, the white horse and its rider are identified as everyone from Jesus Christ himself to the antichrist. While it is possible that the rider of the white horse is an image of Christ, it is unlikely, because Jesus is the One opening the seals. It would not seem logical that He would be seen in two different places within the scroll sequence. The idea of the false christ, or antichrist, seems logical with the military and political imagery, and the false goodness embodied in the antichrist. If we assume this to be the case, this could make the beginning of the tribulation period of seven years, signalling the beginning of the reign of the antichrist. The conquering king with a crown could be the antichrist taking control over the world economy and the government of a world-wide conglomerate of nations.

Second Seal: Conflict on Earth

³ When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come and see.” ⁴ Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword. 

(Revelation 6:3–4, NKJV)

Points to Ponder:

• The opening of the second seal revealed another horse, fiery red in color. The rider was authorized to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another. In this era, civil wars and rebellion leading to strife were seen. The seals do not necessarily go in chronological order, but this seems to be a sign that conflict will still take place, even after the world leader brings nations together, promising peace.It is possible that the sword this rider possessed was a symbol of imperial power, or the weapon of execution. Those who refuse to submit to the political and economic system of the antichrist would be executed. This could be a forewarning of such actions and danger coming to the world. These two seals produce the warning and prophecy of two of the many players in the tribulation period, the antichrist and the arbiter of execution. These foreboding figures make for a powerful image of what is to come at the beginning of the period.

Third Seal: Scarcity on Earth

⁵ When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come and see.” So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. ⁶ And I heard 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 the wine.” 

(Revelation 6:5–6, NKJV)

Points to Ponder:

• After introducing the antichrist and the executioner at the opening of seals one and two, respectively, we see the third and fourth seals opened revealing additional riders on horses, while the fifth seal is opened to reveal the plight of the souls martyred for their faith during the tribulation.
• When the third seal is opened, a black horse appeared with a rider holding a pair of scales. The living creatures declare pricing for wheat and barley that are abnormally high, while it appears that wine and oil are available to those who have the wealth. These two commodities’ availability shows that the famine is limited, and does not signify worldwide starvation. Only some staples are in short supply, and the wealthy still seem to be able to get what they want.
• There is some speculation that the relationship between the grain shortage and the oil and wine availability related to the land apportioned for each. During some plagues, vineyards were destroyed to make room for the more basic needs of grain. However, “It may be concluded that the reference to prohibiting the harming of oil and wine (olive trees and vineyards) cannot be certainly correlated with the vine edict of Domitian.”1 Such an edict was made under a Roman leader, but is not the reference point here.
• For whatever reason, we see what may be a class system in place here, where only the rich are able to buy the things needed and wanted, and the poor suffer for lack of resources. There is an outside chance, though, that this represents the difference in availability to those in the good graces of the government and those outside the circle of approval. This may be a convention of the mark of the beast, which will be discussed later.

Fourth Seal: Widespread Death on Earth

⁷ When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come and see.” ⁸ So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth. 

(Revelation 6:7–8, NKJV)

Points to Ponder:

• The pale horse is thought to have actually been a yellowish-green color, which is associated with disease and death. The green spoken of might also be a gray-green, or even the color of grass, as per many uses of the Greek word chloros. It is a color that could mimic the skin of a corpse. The rider of the horse was called Death, and it seemed Hades in some personified form, was close on his heels. According to some scholars, Death is the king and Hades is his kingdom. In this case, they are both seen as persons, going into the earth to destroy with death. Death and hell, in addition to the other riders, were unleashed on the earth, given the power to destroy over a fourth of the human population. They died from physical attack, hunger, disease, and attacks from wild beasts. While this devastation was limited in scope, it was devastating and horrific. These souls could all be identified as Great Tribulation saints, who were all martyred for their faith. They had no place to hide, and were then spoken of in the next revelation of the fifth seal. While the rapture would have taken place before the institution of the antichrist’s government, these are souls that persevered in the Great Tribulation, standing for Christ at the cost of their lives.

Fifth Seal: The Cry of the Martyrs

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 testimony which they held. ¹⁰ And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” ¹¹ Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed. 

(Revelation 6:9–11, NKJV)

Points to Ponder:

• After the four horses and riders were identified, the attention shifts to a group of martyrs located under the altar in heaven. These were Tribulation saints who gave their lives for their faith. They did not get taken by Jesus in the rapture, but were left behind and endured torture and eventual execution for not taking the mark of the beast and standing for Christ. They cried out for justice from God for their bloodshed. They asked, “how long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood…?” They then received a white robe, and they were told to rest a little while longer, until all those who would be killed during the Tribulation for their faith joined them under the altar. These very martyrs could have been killed by one of the horsemen. Therefore, this summary of the results of the first four seals sort of puts a bow on the actions of the four horsemen. Seal five shows what happened as a result of the actions of the riders who were revealed and released at the breaking of the first four seals. From this point forward, we see very different things happening at the breaking of the remaining two seals.
  1David E. Aune, Revelation 6–16, vol. 52B, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 1998), 400.

Sixth Seal: Cosmic Disturbances

¹² I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. ¹³ And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. ¹⁴ Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. ¹⁵ And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves 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 who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! ¹⁷ For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” 

(Revelation 6:12–17, NKJV)

Points to Ponder:

• After the discussion of the Tribulation Martyrs who were redeemed by their faithfulness, the Revelation turns to the sixth seal, which describes several cosmic, or natural disasters.
• As the sixth seal is opened, a great earthquake occurred on earth. The indication here, though, is that this was more than just an earthquake happening in a region of the world. Instead, this appears to be a powerful shaking of the heavens and the earth, disrupting orbits and relative positions of the planets. The ensuing reactions included the sun seemingly becoming dark, black as sackcloth. “Sackcloth (a dark-colored fabric made of goat hair or camel hair originally used for making grain sacks) was worn for several reasons….”1 In this case, it appears that the color of sackcloth signified a need for mourning or submission. Along with the sun’s darkening, the moon turned to blood, or became blood-red in appearance. Additionally, the stars of the heavens fell down to the earth just like a fig tree drops its fruit when the wind of the late harvest blows mightily. The last two signs are the the splitting of the sky, described as a scroll rolling up in the sky, and the mountains and islands moving out of their places. These are further effects of the shaking of a massive earthquake.
• The reaction of the people on earth is expectedly dire. The kings, great men, rich men, and military leaders, slave and free, hide in caves and beg the mountains and rocks to fall on them, hiding them from the wrath of the Lamb of God and Him who sits on the throne. This day of the Lord is ominous and fearful, and ungodly men, still unrepentant, want only to hide from the Lord, not to repent. This definitely seems to be the Day of the Lord, but yet there are many judgments and wraths coming with the trumpets and bowls to follow. However, this is obviously a powerful foretaste of the judgment that will come. There are some interludes of activity that happen prior to the seventh seal being broken, but this is an ominous beginning of the judgement of the Lord.
  1David E. Aune, Revelation 6–16, vol. 52B, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 1998), 611.

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All Scriptures from New King James Version unless otherwise noted.

Join us this afternoon at 5:00 pm for a discussion of this chapter live online. Live@5 with Dr. Greg Sloop can be found on Facebook on the Dr. Greg Sloop page or on the Kannapolis Church of God Facebook page or Youtube page. Another blog will be posted each weekday at 6:00 a.m.