The Six Seals
The Lamb opens six seals, releasing the Four Horsemen and cosmic signs — all symbolic of the spiritual transformation sweeping the earth.
Then I watched while the Lamb broke open the first of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures cry out in a voice like thunder, "Come forward."
[⇒ 6:1-⇒ 16:21] A series of seven disasters now begins as each seal is broken (⇒ Rev 6:1-⇒ 8:1), followed by a similar series as seven trumpets sound (⇒ Rev 8:2-⇒ 11:19) and as seven angels pour bowls on the earth causing plagues (⇒ Rev 15:1-⇒ 16:21). These gloomy sequences are interrupted by longer or shorter scenes suggesting the triumph of God and his witnesses (e.g., Rev 7; 10; 11; 12; 13; 14). [1-17] This chapter provides a symbolic description of the contents of the sealed scroll. The breaking of the first four seals reveals four riders. The first rider (of a white horse) is a conquering power (⇒ Rev 6:1-2), the second (red horse) a symbol of bloody war (⇒ Rev 6:3-4), the third (black horse) a symbol of famine (⇒ Rev 6:5-6), the fourth (pale green horse) a symbol of Death himself, accompanied by Hades (the netherworld) as his page (⇒ Rev 6:7-8). ⇒ Rev 6:8b summarizes the role of all four riders. The breaking of the fifth seal reveals Christian martyrs in an attitude of sacrifice as blood poured out at the foot of an altar begging God for vindication, which will come only when their quota is filled; but they are given a white robe symbolic of victory (⇒ Rev 6:9-11). The breaking of the sixth seal reveals typical apocalyptic signs in the sky and the sheer terror of all people at the imminent divine judgment (⇒ Rev 6:12-17). * [1-8] The imagery is adapted from ⇒ Zechariah 1:8-10; ⇒ 6:1-8.
I looked, and there was a white horse, and its rider had a bow. He was given a crown, and he rode forth victorious to further his victories.
[2] White horse . . . bow: this may perhaps allude specifically to the Parthians on the eastern border of the Roman empire. Expert in the use of the bow, they constantly harassed the Romans and won a major victory in A.D. 62; see the note on ⇒ Rev 9:13-21. But the Old Testament imagery typifies the history of oppression of God's people at all times.
{2} A bow shoots arrows, which kills (converts) others. The Word of God goes forth and kills (converts). The bow and arrows are symbolic of the Word traveling quickly over the surface of the earth.
When he broke open the second seal, I heard the second living creature cry out, "Come forward."
Another horse came out, a red one. Its rider was given power to take peace away from the earth, so that people would slaughter one another. And he was given a huge sword.
[4] Huge sword: this is a symbol of war and violence; cf ⇒ Ezekiel 21:14-17.
{4} The huge sword is characteristic of a person's arguing skills. He presents arguments that other Christians can learn and then use to convert (kill) others. The great Spiritual War begins and billions of people are converted.
When he broke open the third seal, I heard the third living creature cry out, "Come forward." I looked, and there was a black horse, and its rider held a scale in his hand.
[5] Black horse: this is a symbol of famine, the usual accompaniment of war in antiquity; cf ⇒ Lev 26:26; ⇒ Ezekiel 4:12-13. The scale is a symbol of shortage of food with a corresponding rise in price.
{5} Something more symbolic than an earthly man. Jesus is the rider on all of the horses, each bringing something different into the world. This is true of the four Gospels in today’s age. John probably knew of the four. Especially the one he wrote. But he didn’t know they would be selected for the New Testament Canon. They weren’t universally recognized until after his death. He did already know that the number four was significant in the Old Testament. And would likely be used as the number for selecting the number of manuscripts that testified to Jesus, i.e. the number of Gospels. This would not have been difficult for him to guess.
I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures. It said, "A ration of wheat costs a day's pay, and three rations of barley cost a day's pay. But do not damage the olive oil or the wine."
[6] A day's pay: literally, "a denarius," a Roman silver coin that constitutes a day's wage in ⇒ Matthew 20:2. Because of the famine, food was rationed and sold at an exorbitant price. A liter of flour was considered a day's ration in the Greek historians Herodotus and Diogenes Laertius. Barley: food of the poor (⇒ John 6:9, ⇒ 13; cf ⇒ 2 Kings 7:1, ⇒ 16, ⇒ 18); it was also used to feed animals; cf ⇒ 1 Kings 5:8. Do not damage: the olive and the vine are to be used more sparingly in time of famine.
When he broke open the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature cry out, "Come forward."
I looked, and there was a pale green horse. Its rider was named Death, and Hades accompanied him. They were given authority over a quarter of the earth, to kill with sword, famine, and plague, and by means of the beasts of the earth.
[8] Pale green: symbol of death and decay; cf ⇒ Ezekiel 14:21.
{8} Killing is symbolic of converting people. The sword is Truth. The other means of converting are famine, plague, and beasts of the earth. Suffering turns people to God. We know this. John was likely making a symbolic connection between suffering and conversion.
When he broke open the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slaughtered because of the witness they bore to the word of God.
[9] The altar: this altar corresponds to the altar of holocausts in the temple in Jerusalem; see also ⇒ Rev 11:1. Because of the witness . . . word of God: literally, "because of the word of God and the witness they had borne."
They cried out in a loud voice, "How long will it be, holy and true master, before you sit in judgment and avenge our blood on the inhabitants of the earth?"
[10] Holy and true master: Old Testament usage as well as the context indicates that this is addressed to God rather than to Christ.
Each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to be patient a little while longer until the number was filled of their fellow servants and brothers who were going to be killed as they had been.
Then I watched while he broke open the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; the sun turned as black as dark sackcloth and the whole moon became like blood.
[12-14] Symbolic rather than literal description of the cosmic upheavals attending the day of the Lord when the martyrs' prayer for vindication (⇒ Rev 6:10) would be answered; cf ⇒ Amos 8:8-9; ⇒ Isaiah 34:4; ⇒ 50:3; ⇒ Joel 2:10; ⇒ 3:3-4; ⇒ Matthew 24:4-36; ⇒ Mark 13:5-37; ⇒ Luke 21:8-36. [12] Dark sackcloth: for mourning, sackcloth was made from the skin of a black goat.
The stars in the sky fell to the earth like unripe figs shaken loose from the tree in a strong wind.
[13] Unripe figs: literally, "summer (or winter) fruit."
Then the sky was divided like a torn scroll curling up, and every mountain and island was moved from its place.
[14] Was divided: literally, "was split," like a broken papyrus roll torn in two, each half then curling up to form a roll on either side.
The kings of the earth, the nobles, the military officers, the rich, the powerful, and every slave and free person hid themselves in caves and among mountain crags.
[15] Nobles: literally, "courtiers," "grandees." Military officers: literally, "commanders of 1,000 men," used in Josephus and other Greek authors as the equivalent of the Roman tribunus militum. The listing of various ranks of society represents the universality of terror at the impending doom.
{15} "kings of the earth" = kingship of all men who are in Christ. That is, those who receive the hidden manna, which is the Eucharist.
They cried out to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb,
because the great day of their wrath has come and who can withstand it?"
[17] Their: this reading is attested in the best manuscripts, but the vast majority read "his" in reference to the wrath of the Lamb in the preceding verse.