Revelation 6 The Seal Judgments

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?"

Bible Study Questions:

Revelation 6

Read Matthew 24:1-8. What parallels do you see between Jesus' teaching and Revelation 6:1-8?
Why is dogmatism about the precise interpretation of this passage unhelpful? What are the most important lessons that are the clearest?
Why is it significant that the Lamb is the One who opens the scroll? Why would God unleash these judgments on the world?
How have you seen the Lord use evils like the ones in this passage for His purposes?
How can you see elements of the red horse already at play today?
What other biblical passages speak of famine? How has God used famine throughout Scripture?
How should Christians respond to the numbers of those who will die at the hand of the fourth judgment?
These verses reveal God's mysterious providence, even through judgment and trial. Are there any trials that God is leading you through? How are you trusting in Him?

Bible Study Link

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Video Link: https://youtu.be/CGpgrrkuCzA

In 1983 Billy Graham addressed the coming of the four Horsemen of the Apocalypse in his book Approaching Hoofbeats: The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. There he wrote, "the shadows of all four horsemen can already be seen galloping throughout the world at this moment" (p. 9). Dr. Graham is right. Their shadow looms large and they could appear at any time.

Jesus said, "For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows" (Matthew 24:7-8 NKJV). There are storm warnings on every hand and dark clouds brooding on the horizon. There is recession in the United States, and around the world millions are plagued by unprecedented suffering and despair. Truly, we live in a time of troubles. But what does it all mean? Are we really in danger?

Billy Graham wrote: "In the Louvre Museum in Paris some years ago, I stood at arm's length from a large impressionistic painting by Renoir. Globs of paint seemed splattered incoherently across the canvas. I was not much impressed. "What in the world is that?" I wondered aloud. My wife, Ruth, said, "Stand back, Bill, and you will see it." I had been standing too close to the masterpiece and each individual detail, each patch of color, each brush stroke kept me from seeing the effect of the canvas as a whole. I was bogged down in the details. But when I stepped back across the hall, the mystery suddenly disappeared and the beautiful image composed by the artist was clearly visible.

For too long, I suspect, too many of us have examined the Book of Revelation in the same manner. We have turned that great masterpiece into a series of images and brush strokes, and we have tried to outguess each other at the modem meaning of every star, dragon, and number. As a result, we have lost the grand design of the prophet's vision, and we may also have missed the urgency of his warnings.

We cannot afford to lose sight of the big picture, and that is what John's prophecies can do for us. Even though they refer in many places to an unseen time and to future events, they are very real. The words are a true revelation of what lies just ahead.

Revelation 6-19 contains the heart of the end-time "Day of the Lord." It is also called the "time of Jacob's trouble" (Jeremiah 30:7), Daniel's 70th week (Daniel 9:27) and the 7 year tribulation. Though the rapture is never specifically addressed in Revelation. In both the general Amillenial view and the premillenial views there is a general agreement that there is a time called the great Tribulation of about 7 years. 1 Thessalonians 5:9 says we are not destined for the wrath of the Day of the Lord.

I personally think that the rapture of the church occurs before the seven years of tribulation.

It is a little hard to say firmly whether chapter 6 represents the increasing birth pangs that the Lord Jesus said would occur before the rapture and tribulation period, or immediately after the rapture. By chapter 7 I think we are into the Tribulation period and probably after the rapture.

As we saw previously (see the study on Revelation 6—16), the sequence of events that John describes once Jesus takes the scroll and begins to open its seals closely parallels the sequence of events Jesus prophesied in Matthew 24. As we proceed through Revelation 6, I am going to interpret this chapter in light of Matthew 24 because I think that John would have known this chapter and expected his audience to know it. So I think that Revelation 6 and Matthew 24 are complementary presentations of world history between the first and second comings of Christ.

The judgments that are described in chapters 6—16 are linked back to the throne room vision of chapters 4, 5 in a variety of ways. One of the ways that the opening of the seals is linked back to the throne of God is by the activity of the four living creatures around the throne. At the opening of the first four seals, one of the four living creatures summons one of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse. The judgment that these horsemen bring is called for by these living creatures who worship God at his throne. It seems that a progression develops as we go from one horseman to the next, and we will note this development as we go forward.

Matthew 24:

1 Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. 2 But he answered them, "You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down."

3 As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?" 4 And Jesus answered them, "See that no one leads you astray. 5 For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and they will lead many astray. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.

9 "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. 10 And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. 11 And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. 12 And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

15 "So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place ( let the reader understand), 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, 18 and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. 19 And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! 20 Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. 22 And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. 23 Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'There he is!' do not believe it. 24 For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you beforehand. 26 So, if they say to you, 'Look, he is in the wilderness,' do not go out. If they say, 'Look, he is in the inner rooms,' do not believe it. 27 For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28 Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.

29 "Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

The 4 horsemen introduce us to the 1st of God's 3 series of judgments in Revelation: the seal judgments, located in chapter 6, the trumpets in chapters 8 & 9, and the bowls in chapters 15 & 16. It is interesting to note there is a telescopic relationship to the judgments with each successive series coming out of the last of the former. In other words, the 7th seal is the 7 trumpets and the 7th trumpet is the 7 bowls. This would indicate an increase both in rapidity and intensity as the judgments unfold. Furthermore, because we have good warrant for seeing the first 4 seals as constituting the 1st half of the 7 year tribulation, the bulk of the judgments will occur in the final 3 ½ years. It will indeed be a time of great sorrow and suffering. As we investigate the 4 horsemen it is interesting to note their Old Testament background in Zechariah 1:8-15; 6:1-8, Ezekiel 14:12-23, especially verse 21, and even Leviticus 26:18-28. But it is imperative that we note the words of Jesus as recorded in Matthew 24:5-8, Mark 13:7-9 and Luke 21:9-12. What we discover is a remarkable parallelism between the two [read Matthew 24:1-8]. And, the fact that in Matthew 24:8 Jesus says, "All these are the beginning of sorrows," must be carefully considered. Because of our Lord's statement, I believe we have good reason to see the 4 horsemen as constituting "the beginning of sorrows," the 1st half of the 7 year tribulation. They represent, therefore, world trends and conditions which will develop during the first 3 ½ years.

When the 7 seals are fully open, judgment will be completed, the earth will be fully redeemed.

Seal #1 The White Horse Of The AntiChrist

It is not the Lord Jesus. It appears it is the rise of a conquering one.

The Antichrist is labelled in Daniel as a Conqueror, A Political Leader who conquers the world.

This is not the rider of 19:11ff, the Lord Jesus – different purposes, crowns, weapons (bow vs. sword), and time of coming. *The best view is the evil spirit of conquest embodied in the counterfeit Christ, the Antichrist (cf. 2 Thess. 2:3-4). He is an evil deceptive (white horse!) rider who keeps company with war, famine and death. Further, Jesus warned us first in Matthew 24:5ff to be on guard concerning deception and False Christ.

In some ways God's judgment is like pain in our physical bodies. Whenever we experience pain or discomfort, we generally wait for a while to see if it will go away. But if the pain continues and becomes intense, we go to a doctor to find out what's causing it. At that point, the doctor can generally deal with our problem and relieve the pain. In the beginning, the pain is like an alarm, warning of potential danger. The purpose of the pain was "corrective" to let us know something was wrong so we could take action to correct it.

God's judgment is often meant to be corrective in much the same way. The writer of Hebrews said, "My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves. ... No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it"(Hebrews 12:5-6,11).

The four horsemen of the Apocalypse point inevitably to deeper moral and spiritual problems that affect our lives.

There is also a warning here. The Pain we feel at that warning is the warning to us to make sure that we truly have our names written in the Lamb's book of life. We really need to make sure we are truly saved.

For John, this image must have been unmistakably clear. He had perhaps watched the invading legions of Rome enter Jerusalem with the conquering centurion riding a prancing white steed and carrying in his hand the bow, a sign of victory and of power.

The Romans were dauntless and fierce, but they feared their Parthian neighbors who threatened the far eastern borders of the empire. The Parthians rode swift white horses and were deadly accurate archers. In a.d. 62 a large Roman army had been overrun by the Parthians and forced to surrender. Apparently the Parthians were such skilled bowmen that even from a galloping horse, bow held waist high, an archer could pierce an enemy on another moving horse across the battlefield. William Barclay says that there is still an old English expression, a "Parthian shot,"which means "a final, devastating blow to which there is no possible answer.â€

The Bible teaches that some time in the future there will be a great superman, called the antichrist. As we read in 1 John (2:18) "the antichrist is coming."On the other hand, John prophesied that previous to the actual antichrist's coming, there would be "the spirit of the antichrist"(1 John 4:3), and there would be "many antichrists"(1 John 2:18).

Seal #2 The Red Horse of War

Wars have been evident throughout all ages.

General Omar Bradley said in an Armistice Day speech in 1948, "We have grasped the mystery of the atom and rejected the Sermon on the Mount …. The world has achieved brilliance without conscience. Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants."

During World War II, Albert Einstein helped bring a German photographer to the United States. They became friends, and the photographer took a number of pictures of Einstein. One day he looked into the camera and started talking. He spoke about his despair that his formula, E=mC², and his letter to President Roosevelt had made the atomic bomb possible, and his scientific research had resulted in the death of so many human beings. He grew silent. His eyes had a look of immense sadness. There was a question and a reproach in them. At that very moment the cameraman released the shutter. Einstein looked up and the cameraman asked him, "So you don't believe that there will ever be peace?" "No," he answered. "As long as there will be man, there will be wars."

But as we rush headlong to the end of history there will be a greater frequency and greater harshness in these evil times.

1 Thessalonians 5: 1 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.

Daniel 9: 26 And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing. And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed. 27 And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator."

Revelation 11,13, and 16 detail the devastations to come. In chapter 11, John describes the coming of the antichrist, saying, "the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war against them, overcome them, and kill them. And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified"(Revelation 11:7-8 NKJV). The people of the world will cry out in awe and wonder, "Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?" (Revelation 13:4 NKJV). Ultimately, no one will stand against the beast.

Jesus indicated that there would be many wars, perhaps thousands, before the last great war and before His return. In the context of the increasing intensity of warfare, He said, "See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet"(Matthew 24:6 NKJV). For nearly two thousand years since He spoke those words there have been alternating cycles of war and peace "wars big and small, domestic and foreign. But modem technology has dramatically changed the mles of the game. The war to come will likely be a single world war in which the triple terror of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons will be used in the utter destmction of the world.

Jesus indicated that when such a war does come to pass, "If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive"(Matthew 24:22).

Seal #3 The Black Horse of Famine

Famine.

March and the Pandemic and the rush upon toilet paper and food and handsanitiser and anything else. Restrictions on products. And the worry about being able to get basics. If we are in a war with China it will be very hard to get provisions in that time.

Personally I think China and Europe will be at war suddenly. I think that the aggression of China might be curbed by the antichrist arising in Europe. Hyper inflation. A blow out where your money is worth nothing? Why they even talked about this possibility occurring on the news yesterday.

In the day of famine.

Seal # 4 The Pale Horse

In the Victoria and Albert Museum in London there is a painted reproduction of a series of seven tapestries woven in the fourteenth century. Some 472 feet long, it depicts John's vision of the Apocalypse. Six hundred years ago the artists-weavers read the sixth chapter of Revelation and artistically interpreted the rider as a skull wrapped in graveclothes sitting upon a pale horse and carrying a Roman broadsword in preparation for the carnage he would inflict.

Think about it. In less than 4 years, 2 billion people will depart planet earth not by rapture, but by death. Later in Rev. 8:18, because of the 6th trumpet, 1/3 of those remaining will die. In less than 7 years, ½ of the world's population will be taken by the "grim reaper!" (cf. Ezekiel 14:21). In a world decimated by war and famine, even the wild beast will join in the carnage. Sound far-fetched and beyond reality? Not really.

Moffatt says the horse was the bloodless color of a corpse. We use the root of this ancient Greek word when we describe the color of chlorine gas, a pale, sickly green. At that moment John's eyes were confronted with a terrifying sight. Seated on the pale horse was a rider "named Death, and Hades was following close behind him"(Revelation 6:8).

The little phrase, "and Hades was following close behind him,"has puzzled scholars over the centuries. Was there a second rider on the pale horse riding in tandem with Death? Or was there a fifth horseman of the Apocalypse? Hades is the transitional abode of the dead. This is the place that for a time swallows up the spirits of those who die outside of Christ.

Plagues that infect and kill millions.

The animal kingdom itself will be a cause of transmission of the disease. Did you hear that your dog or cat may have to be inoculated against spreading Covid?

A billion people will die at that awful day.

In his book, Death in the City, the late Francis Schaeffer said of our modern world, "the dust of death" [is] upon everything (p. 21). His diagnosis is correct and the dust will only grow thicker until our great God has accomplished His purpose. However, we should not fret. He is in control. He will determine, to the last detail, history's consummation. He will orchestrate each and every event according to His perfect plan. God has such a plan for the world. God has such a plan for you.

5^th Seal opened and the martyrs.

Isis.. reintroduced decapitation as the method of martyring Christian witnesses.

Revelation 20:4 Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

What does this mean? It means judgment comes on the earth in answer to the prayers of the martyrs.

Matthew 24: 9 "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. 10 And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. 11 And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. 12 And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.

Outright persecution of believers.

White robes: purity and victory.

Am I a soldier of the Cross— A follower of the Lamb?
And shall I fear to own His cause, Or blush to speak His name?

Must I be carried to the skies On flowery beds of ease,
While others fought to win the prize And sailed through bloody seas?

Are there no foes for me to face? Must I not stem the flood?
Is this vile world a friend to grace, To help me on to God?

Since I must fight if I would reign, Increase my courage, Lord!
I'll bear the toil, endure the pain, Supported by Thy Word.

6^th Seal Cosmic Upheaval.

An earthquake

Moon like blood.

Sun Darkened.

Meteor shower.

A Nuclear explosion over the whole earth?

The reaction

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?"

Everyone affected.

Money no good in that day.

Everyone Prays: To the rocks!!

Literal worldwide Judgments.

The symbols point to a dreadful reality.

No escape.

Sources

Billy Graham Storm Warning

Akin, D. Exalting Jesus in Revelation

Hamilton, J. Revelation

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