1And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.
The Lamb opened the first of the seals of the scroll that He had received from the right hand of God. Psalm 2:7-8 gives us understanding: I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. The eternal Son of God became also the Son of Man in order to die for our sins as the Lamb of God. As we read in chapter 5, the Lamb received from His Father the scroll which specifies His inheritance. He will now receive the inheritance which is His right as the Son. He will receive the nations of the earth as His possession. He will rule over the nations as King. This is the decree of His Father. The opening of each of the seven seals puts into motion one step in the actualization of the decree. The opening of each seal is initiatory. The event itself may continue and overlap with other events.
As subsequent verses will reveal, the four living creatures announce in order the going forth of the four horsemen. Thus, it is the first living creature, the one who was like a lion, that announces the ride of the first horseman. The voice of the living creature was like thunder. Thunder sounds before an approaching storm.
2And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.
The opening of the first seal initiates the ride of a conqueror on a white horse. This conqueror has a bow, but there is no mention of arrows or a sword. Jesus is the One who opened the seal; He is not the rider on this horse. The Lord Jesus will come on a white horse after the judgments of the seals and trumpets and bowls (see 19:11-16). Jesus will come as the King of kings and Lord of lords. He is not just one in a group of four horsemen. The rider who goes out to conquer when the first seal is opened is a counterfeit Christ on a white horse. His going forth is not a blessing; it is the first in a sequence of judgments from God. This false Christ is a deceiver; he does not bring righteousness or true peace. To the contrary, the following verses reveal human rebellion against God, conflict among men, and a sequence of painful judgments.
It is fitting that the ride of the Antichrist should be announced by the living creature that is like a lion. The world rejected the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Lord Jesus Christ. Now the world’s peoples will be conquered by a false Christ, one who will only bring them harm.
We read in this verse that “a crown was given unto him.” The words “was given” are used four times concerning the horsemen in this chapter. God will allow this false Christ to conquer on earth. God’s giving Antichrist this opportunity is a judgment on a world that has rejected the true Christ.
As mentioned in the notes concerning verse 1, the opening of the first seal is initiatory. The rule of the Antichrist does not start and end at this point. It will continue until he is cast into the lake of fire in chapter 19 at the return of Christ.
3And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. 4And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.
The ride of the second horseman was announced by the second living creature, the one that looked like a calf (or an ox; see notes at 4:7). The phrase “that they should kill one another” uses a very strong word for “kill.” The word could be translated “slaughter.” It is the same word used in 5:6 when Jesus was described as a Lamb that appeared to have been slaughtered. It is fitting that the living creature who looked like a calf should announce strife on earth. The world refused the peace with God that Christ offered. Now peace will be taken from the earth. The world rejected and slaughtered God’s Messiah. Now the world’s peoples will slaughter one another. This rider was given a great sword; probably he will provoke conflicts on earth.
5And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. 6And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.
The living creature that announces the ride of the third horseman is the living creature that looks like a man. It is fitting that this living creature announce the judgment of famine on earth because the Lord Jesus, the Son of Man, said, “I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger” (John 6:35). The world that rejected the Bread of Life will now suffer hunger.
The word translated “a pair of balances” in verse 5 occurs in five other places in the New Testament. In all of those occurrences it is translated “yoke.” The frame of a pair of balances has the same form as the frame of a yoke used in plowing with oxen. Jesus said, Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light (Matthew 11:28-30). The world refused Christ’s yoke and the rest He offered. Now the world’s peoples will have the yoke of hunger.
Wheat and barley. The cheaper one is barley. The Greek historian Herodotus wrote concerning the army of Xerxes, “I do, however, wonder how there were provisions sufficient for so many tens of thousands, for calculation shows me, that if each man received one choenix of wheat a day and no more, eleven hundred thousand and three hundred and forty bushels would be required every day”a. The word which Herodotus used for the daily ration of one person (“one choenix of wheat”) is the same word used in verse 6 above (“a measure of wheat”). The word used for “penny” is the word “denarius” found also in Matthew 20:2, the wage of a man for a day’s work at that time. Thus, in the famine brought by the rider on the black horse, a person’s daily wage will buy only enough wheat to feed one person for one day or enough barley to feed three people for one day.
Oil and wine may not be literal. The olive tree is used in the Scriptures as a symbol of the Abrahamic blessing (see Romans 11:16-24), and the vineyard is used as a symbol of Israel (Isaiah 5:1-7). It is possible that the instruction not to hurt the olive oil or the wine implies a temporary protection for Israel in this time of famine.
7And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. 8And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.
The ride of the fourth horseman is announced by the fourth living creature, the one that was like a flying eagle. Eagles’ wings are used in the Scriptures as a picture of God’s work of deliverance (see notes at 4:7). The world that refused God’s salvation will now be visited by the rider named Death. Verse 8 says, “Hell followed with him.” The Greek word used here for “hell” is “Hades.” In Luke 16:23, it is the name of the place of the dead who are lost. Those who are lost will stay there until the final judgment (Revelation 20:11-15). Hades is following the rider named Death to gather those who are killed. This would indicate that only unbelievers will be killed by the rider called Death. Thankfully, the believing church was taken out of the world before Christ began to open the seven seals.
It is significant that one of the means of inflicting death used by the rider on the fourth horse is “the beasts of the earth.” Today attacks by wild animals on humans are rare, especially in settled areas. God told Adam and Eve, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth (Genesis 1:28). God gave them dominion over the animals. Had Adam and Eve not sinned, no wild animal would ever have attacked a human. Concerning Satan’s effort to tempt Christ, Mark wrote, And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him (Mark 1:13). Why did Mark say that Jesus “was with the wild beasts”? The wild beasts were waiting to see if Jesus would sin. If He had sinned, they would have devoured Him. But He did not. Also, by birth, Jesus was not a son of Adam, and He had no sin in Him. The wild animals could not touch Him. Attacks on people by wild beasts are rare today because of God’s grace in restraining them. When the rider of the fourth horse goes forth, God will lift His hand of restraint on the wild beasts. The killing of people by animals shows a full realization on earth of the consequences of Adam’s sin. If verse 8 means that one fourth of the population of the earth will be killed by sword, famine, disease, and wild animals, that would be 1.95 billion people. This smiting of man is announced by the flying eagle, picturing God’s merciful deliverance rejected by man.
9And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: 10and they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
The opening of each of the seven seals initiates certain events which will accomplish God’s decreed will to give planet earth and its peoples to His Son for His inheritance (Psalm 2:7-9). The timing of these events is made clearer in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21 in Jesus’ answer to the questions of His disciples. In Matthew 24, Jesus clearly describes two blocks of time and an event which comes between them. In Matthew 24:4-8 Jesus spoke of deceivers, wars, famines, pestilences, and earthquakes. He said, All these are the beginning of sorrows. That’s the first time division. Then Jesus said that His disciples will be killed and hated, many false believers will stop following Him, the Gospel concerning His coming kingdom will be proclaimed in all the world, and the end will come (Matthew 24:9-14). That’s the second time division. Between those two time divisions, an event which Jesus called “the abomination of desolation” will take place (Matthew 24:15-22). The same two divisions are recognizable in the opening of the seven seals. With the going forth of the four horsemen were introduced the deceiver Antichrist, war, famine, and pestilence. Jesus said that these things are “the beginning of sorrows.”
At the opening of the fifth seal, John saw believers in the Lord Jesus Christ who had been killed because of their witness for Him. They cried out to God, “How long…dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?” Their cry indicates that some time had elapsed since they were killed. The nature of their cry together with the fact that John saw them after the first four seals were opened seems to indicate that these believers were killed during the first time division, “the beginning of sorrows.” Yet, the answer which was given to them in the following verse confirms that the suffering and martyrdom of believers would continue during the second time division that Jesus described to His disciples.
11And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.
When Jesus described the second time division to His disciples, He said Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake (Matthew 24:9). Why will the world hate Jesus’ disciples? We know that individuals often disagree on many issues, but why do some people just hate Christians in general, even today? Jesus said, But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me (John 15:21). The hatred for Jesus’ disciples is the same hatred that crucified Jesus. He said that those who hate His disciples do not know God, who sent Him.
If all believers were taken out of the world (the event described in I Thessalonians 4:16-18 and spoken of in Revelation 3:10) before Jesus opened the first seal, how could there be any believers left on earth to be killed? The answer to that question should be of some encouragement for us. Many people who have studied Daniel 9:24-27 agree that the combined duration of the two time blocks that Jesus described to His disciples in Matthew 24 is seven years. The remaining chapters in Revelation will say that the second time division is 3½ years long. In that case, the first time division would also be 3½ years long. After the believing church is taken, there will be the first 3½ years, “the beginning of sorrows.” Many people will come to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ at that time. Perhaps they will be people who heard the Gospel of Christ before the church was taken out of the world but did not believe until after the church was gone. It won’t be too late. But, they will be hated and face death because of their faith.
The slain believers and the altar that John saw were in heaven. These believers were able to wear robes, so they apparently had some kind of a body, even though the resurrection spoken of in Revelation 20:4-6 had not taken place yet. They were also conscious and aware of life on earth. Their old body had died, but their souls were not “asleep.” They asked for justice for what had been done to them. But they were told that first others would complete their service and some would be martyred as they had been.
12And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; 13and the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. 14And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
Jesus’ words to His disciples give us understanding of the time of these events: Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory (Matthew 24:29-30).
When Jesus opened the sixth seal, John saw the events that will take place at the end of the 7-year Tribulation period. All of these events were prophesied long ago. Joel wrote, The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come (Joel 2:31). Isaiah wrote, And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree (Isaiah 34:4). Haggai wrote, For thus saith the LORD of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land (Haggai 2:6). What does it mean? The earth will quake in anticipation of the day when it will be removed (Hebrews 12:27). The sun will become black as sackcloth of hair and the moon as blood. Sackcloth is worn at a time of mourning. The world that did not mourn its sin will now mourn its judgment. The moon reflects the light of the sun. The world shed the blood of God’s people who reflected His light by bearing witness to His word. Now the moon will be as blood. In history, God described His imminent judgment on Pharaoh this way: And when I shall put thee out, I will cover the heaven, and make the stars thereof dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give her light (Ezekiel 32:7). God said that He would “put out” Pharaoh. That is, He would extinguish the King of Egypt as one would put out a light. Before the return of Christ, God will turn off the lights on rebellious humanity.
At the middle of the 7-year Tribulation period, Satan and his angels will be cast out of heaven and down to the earth. In the remaining 3½ years Satan will seek to destroy God’s people on earth (Revelation 12:7-9,12,17). The fig tree is used in Scripture as a symbol of Israel (Joel 1:7; Matthew 21:19; 24:32). Many, many, many Jews will be killed during the Tribulation period (Zechariah 13:8). They will fall like late summer figs when a fig tree is shaken by a great wind. At the end of the Tribulation period the stars of heaven, like Satan’s fallen angels, will fall to the earth. Satan and his angels, who sought to destroy God’s people, will be judged.
We might ask, “How can a star fall to the earth?” But we might also ask, “How can the sky break loose and be rolled up like a scroll?” If God can do the second, He can do the first. If the sky and space broke loose, is it not logical that the stars might also break into pieces? The heavens will be rolled up like a scroll. It will be too late to pray. And neither mountain nor island will offer safety.
15And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; 16and said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: 17for the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
Jesus told His disciples, And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come (Matthew 24:14). The world will know about Him that sits on the throne and about the Lamb. Knowing about and believing in are not the same thing. All those who have refused the offer of cleansing from sin by the blood of the Lamb will face His wrath.
The prophet Isaiah also spoke of this event: And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth. In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats; to go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth (Isaiah 2:19-21).
aHerodotus, The Histories (English), 7.187.2.
Note: All Scriptures are quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.