Revelation Chapter 6
Revelation 6 describes Jesus, the Lamb, opening the first six of seven seals on a scroll, which unleashes a series of apocalyptic events and judgments on the Earth. While the specific timing is debated, the chapter is a powerful vision of God’s sovereignty over history and judgment on unrepentant humanity.
The first four seals: The Four Horsemen
The first four seals are famously known as the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, each bringing a different form of judgment.
- First Seal (White Horse): A rider with a bow and a victor’s crown goes out “conquering and to conquer”. This figure is sometimes interpreted as the Antichrist or false messiahs who deceive through a counterfeit peace before unleashing destruction. Other interpretations see it as a symbol of military conquest in general.
- Second Seal (Red Horse): This rider is given a great sword and permission “to take peace from the earth” and cause people to kill one another. This symbolizes war, bloodshed, and civil strife.
- Third Seal (Black Horse): The rider holds a pair of scales, and a voice announces that a day’s wages will buy only enough food for one person, sparing only luxury items like oil and wine. This symbolizes famine and severe economic distress.
- Fourth Seal (Pale Horse): The rider is named Death, and Hades follows close behind. They are given authority to kill a quarter of the Earth’s population through sword, famine, plague, and wild beasts. The “pale” horse’s sickly, green colour suggests a corpse.
The fifth seal: The cry of the martyrs
The fifth seal changes the scene from earthly devastation to a heavenly one.
- The souls under the altar: The apostle John sees the souls of those who were killed for their faith, crying out for justice. They ask God how long it will be before he avenges their blood on those who dwell on the earth.
- The response: They are each given a white robe, symbolizing their righteousness, and are told to rest for a little while longer until the full number of believers to be martyred is complete.
The sixth seal: Cosmic terror
The sixth seal unleashes a series of cosmic disturbances that cause terror among all people on Earth.
- Massive disasters: The vision includes a great earthquake, the sun turning black, the moon turning blood-red, and stars falling from the sky. The sky recedes like a scroll, and every mountain and island is shaken out of its place.
- The reaction of humanity: People of all social classes—from kings to slaves—hide in caves and call for the mountains and rocks to fall on them.
- The wrath of the Lamb: The terror-stricken people cry out to be hidden “from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”. This shows that even the unrepentant recognize that these disasters are divine judgment.
Overall theological significance
Revelation 6 presents a sequence of judgments that portray the terrible effects of human rebellion against God. Key themes include:
- Christ’s ultimate control: Jesus, the Lamb, is the one who breaks the seals, showing that all these events are under his sovereign authority.
- Divine justice: The seals demonstrate God’s righteous judgment against sin, both by allowing humanity to suffer the consequences of its own evil and through direct divine intervention.
- Endurance for believers: The vision of the martyrs under the altar encourages believers facing persecution to remain faithful, with the assurance that God has not forgotten their suffering and will bring justice in his own timing.
- Hope for the redeemed: While the world faces increasing chaos, Revelation promises that those sealed by God will be able to stand on the day of his wrath.