Revelation Chapter 6

Revelation chapter 6 outlines the first six seals. When we study these verses we discover that they are speaking of events that take place throughout the New Testament era. Much of the information presented in this study is also presented in the Study on The First Five Seals and the Study on The Sixth Seal.

Verse 1
"And 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."

Chapters 5 through 10 of Revelation speak of the seven seals. The first thing we must recognize is that the seals identify with the Bible. Revelation chapter 5 speaks of a book (the Bible) that is sealed with seven seals that no man can open; only Christ can open it:
"And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof." (Revelation 5:1-5)

When God speaks of a Book being sealed it is identified with spiritual truth being hidden. The Bible is a sealed Book when our eyes are not spiritually opened and therefore we cannot properly understand its teachings:
"For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered. And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed" (Isaiah 29:10-11)

God gave Daniel a vision regarding the end times and told Daniel that the understanding of such things would not be permitted till the end of the world was near:
“And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.” (Daniel 12:8-9)

We find a similar statement in Habakkuk, indicating that the understanding of end-times events had been locked by God till near the end:
“For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.” (Habakkuk 2:3)

We must understand the magnitude of this fact. We can’t just gloss over these verses and ignore that God was saying He would intentionally keep mankind from understanding certain information until right near the end. If God says He is going to hide something we better not think we are somehow clever enough to figure it all out before God allows it. This means we must accept that at least some of what we have always believed may be wrong.

We are now living in a day, because we are right near the end, when God is removing the seals from the Bible so that Bible students everywhere are able to more accurately understand them. These are new truths that were once hidden:
“Thou hast heard, see all this; and will not ye declare it? I have shewed thee new things from this time, even hidden things, and thou didst not know them.” (Isaiah 48:6)

After reading through the loosing of the seven seals in Revelation we discover that the Book, which was sealed in chapter 5, is now open in chapter 10:
"And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth" (Revelation 10:2)
"And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth." (Revelation 10:8)
In other words, the opening of the seals identifies with the opening of the Book. However, the opening of the seals does not correlate with the actual fulfillment of the prophecies depicted along with each seal's opening. The opening of the seals identify with the opening of the Book, not with the actual events taking place. In other words, when the seals are opened (as they are today) we are able to understand the prophecies associated with the seals. Some of the actual events depicted have yet to come to pass, but we can now understand them because the seals of the Book have been removed so that the Book is now open to us as God grants understanding of new truths that were once hidden.

Verse 2
"And 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 color white is always used in connection with that which is pure. Revelation chapter 19 speaks of Christ coming on a white horse with heavenly armies following behind Him on white horses dressed in clean white linen.

The bow reminds us of Psalm 45:3-5 where Christ is spoken of as riding prosperously with arrows:
“Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O most mighty, with thy glory and thy majesty. And in thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth and meekness and righteousness; and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things. Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the king's enemies; whereby the people fall under thee.”

This first seal represents the Gospel as it goes into all the world conquering the work of Satan. Specifically, we would identify this horse with the Early Rain period in which the churches were commanded to go into all the world with the Gospel.

Verse 3
"And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see."

We find this statement, "Come and see," four times in this chapter. It is a statement that is making reference to understanding. We "see" in the sense that we finally understand the parabolic language used in this chapter because God has opened our spiritual eyes so that we can understand:
"And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables: That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them." (Mark 4:11-12)

Verse 4
"And 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."

This is speaking of the Great Tribulation when Satan is allowed to rule within the church, looking like God, and bring spiritual destruction (see Study on The Antichrist). This is allowed because God is bringing judgment on the church for its centuries of apostasy (see Study on The Falling Away and Judgment On The Church).

The great sword is the Word of God:
“And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17)

Satan wields the great sword (Word of God) in that he uses it to forward his own agenda:
“Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.” (Matthew 4:5-6)

In the Garden of Eden Satan got Eve to question the Word of God, almost as if to say, “Are you really sure that’s what He said?:
“Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” (Genesis 3:1)
And we all know how that story ended.

He casts the truth to the ground:
“And an host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practised, and prospered.” (Daniel 8:12)

During the Great Tribulation, Satan sets up his rule within the church and his false gospels appear to be coming from the Bible. Everyone, even the pastors, are deceived into thinking they are following truth (see Study on The Antichrist). The church will continue in spiritual decay, though externally it will seem to be doing quite well, and this is the death that is being referred to when it says, “they shall kill one another.”

Verse 5
"And 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."

The balances in his hand points to famine, and we know from the rest of the Bible that the kind of famine in view during the Great Tribulation is spiritual famine. God warned of famine in Jerusalem as a result of their iniquity and spoke of it as a time when they would eat bread by weight:
“Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, behold, I will break the staff of bread in Jerusalem: and they shall eat bread by weight, and with care; and they shall drink water by measure, and with astonishment: That they may want bread and water, and be astonied one with another, and consume away for their iniquity.” (Ezekiel 4:16-17)
The Word of God is the Bread of Life (John 6:48-58). The breaking of the staff of physical bread signifies physical famine and the breaking of the staff of the Bread of Life signifies spiritual famine. This identifies with the spiritual famine in the churches during the Great Tribulation. The spiritual famine of the first part of the Great Tribulation was a worldwide famine, indicated by the silence in Heaven during it. The silence is broken in the second half of the Great Tribulation because the Latter Rain began. However, the spiritual famine continues within the church. The famine in view is a famine of hearing the Word of God:

"Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD" (Amos 8:11)

Verse 6
"And 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."

Why does God bring spiritual famine? In Leviticus chapter 26 we read about God bringing judgment upon those in the sanctuary who walk contrary to Him:
“Ye shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy. And when I have broken the staff of your bread, ten women shall bake your bread in one oven, and they shall deliver you your bread again by weight: and ye shall eat, and not be satisfied.” (Leviticus 26:25-26)
Notice once again we see a reference to bread being delivered by weight which identifies with the balances in the hand of the horseman.

Revelation chapters 2 and 3 paint a picture of what kinds of iniquities God is specifically focused on in the churches and a lot of it has to do with countenancing wrong doctrines (see Study on The Seven Churches).

We read that the horseman cannot hurt the oil and wine. The oil and wine identify with those who have become saved:
“Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.” (Hebrews 1:9)
“And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” (Matthew 26:27-28)
The fact that the horseman cannot hurt the oil and wine is a wonderful promise that those who are truly saved will not be destroyed by the spiritual famine that God allows to take place. This promise also confirms for us that this seal is not just focused on the first part of the Great Tribulation when the spiritual famine is all over the world, but it must identify with the entire Great Tribulation because the second half is when there is the silver lining that we are seeing here; namely the Latter Rain.

Verse 7
"And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see."

Verse 8
"And 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."

This passage very closely parallels what we read in Ezekiel when God is indicating that He will bring judgment upon His people for not remaining faithful to His Word:
“For thus saith the Lord GOD; How much more when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the noisome beast, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast?” (Ezekiel 14:21)

The judgment by sword points to false gospels as we discussed with the second seal. The judgment by hunger points to spiritual hunger or spiritual famine. The judgment by death points to spiritual death.

We find the number four featured very prominently in this seal: announced by the fourth beast, the fourth horseman carries four judgments and is given power over a fourth part of the earth. The number four signifies all-encompassing (see Number Study on 4), indicating that no church will be exempt from this. God has removed the Holy Spirit from every church worldwide (see Study on The Antichrist).

In the end, death and hell will be utterly destroyed:
“And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.” (Revelation 20:14)

Verse 9
"And 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:"

Verse 10
"And 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?"

Verse 11
"And 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."

Immediately when we see the phrase “little season” we know that it is referring to the Great Tribulation. That is the little season in which Satan is loosed (Revelation 20:3). The killing of the believers during the Great Tribulation is really a silencing of them as they are removed from the churches (see Study on The Beast).

This seal reveals the mind of the true believers. For them, this is a time of great sadness. All of us who have left the churches have loved ones still within them.

There is a very encouraging statement in this passage: “that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow servants also and their brethren that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.” The great promise here is that believers will be coming out of the church throughout the entire Great Tribulation (remember, the “killing” in view is the removal of the believers from the church). Right up until the Rapture, there will be hope that maybe some of our loved ones will also come out.

Unfortunately, based on everything else we read in the Bible, this hope will probably gradually decrease. God is sending strong delusion to those in the churches and the deceptive work of Satan is digging in deeper. As the Great Tribulation progresses, the likelihood that our warnings to church members will be met with anger will increase.
Many of us are concerned about those in the churches because that is our background. That is where many of the people we know and love are located. However, let us not forget we are living in the Latter Rain and God is saving a great multitude outside of the churches all around the world. That is indeed an encouraging piece of information.

Verse 12
"And 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;"

When we study the Bible carefully in these days when God is revealing a great deal of previously hidden truth we discover that the Great Tribulation, which we are currently in, will be immediately followed by five months of God's wrath being poured out on those who are left behind after the Rapture, which will occur on the last day of the Great Tribulation (see Study on The Rapture and Study on The Sixth Seal). The events of the sixth seal, though revealed to us now because the seals have been removed, will not take place until that five-month period arrives.

The Bible informs us that during the sun will be darkened after the Great Tribulation:
“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” (Matthew 24:29)
It has been commonly taught that the sun is darkened on the last day, which was defined as a single day of judgment. However, we are learning now that the sun being darkened actually identifies with a period of time that includes more than just one day:
“But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light; And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken.” (Mark 13:24-25)
It may seem odd to think of judgment day as a period of time rather than a single day, but remember that God referred to the period of Creation as a single day (Genesis 2:4). Christ is the light of the world:
“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” (John 8:12)
The sun being darkened signifies that the time for salvation has ended. After the Rapture, there is no longer any hope for salvation for those who are left behind. The sun will not literally be darkened. We know this because God says that as long as the earth remains there will continue to be day and night:
"While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease." (Genesis 8:22)

The moon turning to blood also points to the fact that the hope for salvation will have come to an end. The moon represents the law of God (see Word Study on “Moon”). Blood points to God’s judgment and it is the law that judges man:
“For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law” (Romans 2:12)
“So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.” (James 2:12)
“He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.” (John 12:48)
The law of God serves two roles. On the one hand, it is through the hearing of God’s Word that people become saved (Romans 10:17). On the other hand, God’s Word also judges the unsaved. The sun being darkened points to the fact that the hope for salvation will be gone. The moon becoming blood also points to the same situation: God’s Word will no longer be serving the purpose of salvation. All that will be left is judgment. Incidentally, because judgment begins within the church during the Great Tribulation the Bible speaks of that time also as a time when the sun is darkened and the moon turned to blood:
“The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come” (Acts 2:20)
However, this verse is placed within a passage that is speaking of a time when salvation is still possible. This is because during the Great Tribulation a great multitude is being saved outside of the churches (see Study on The Latter Rain), but within the churches judgment has begun.

Verse 13
"And 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."

Verse 14
"And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places."

The image of a scroll being rolled together identifies with a book being shut. It is language that points to the fact that during the final five months of this world's existence, Judgment "Day", the Gospel will be gone insofar as salvation is concerned.

Verse 15
"And 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;"

Verse 16
"And 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:"

Verse 17
"For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?"

The great day of His wrath is, of course, Judgment Day. In fact, the Bible speaks of two different periods of time in history as the great day of His wrath. One of them is the final five-month period of God's wrath at the end of time. The other is when Christ was on the cross, which was a demonstration of Christ's payment for sin. We've seen that the Bible speaks of a great earthquake in relation to the final five months. Likewise, there was also a great earthquake tied to Christ enduring God’s wrath at the cross:
“And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent” (Matthew 27:51)
The Bible also speaks of the sun being darkened during the final five months and we've seen that must be understood as figurative language, but the sun was literally darkened when Christ hung on the cross:
“And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour.” (Luke 23:44)