Revelation 6:1-17
John continues to write the information that he was receiving from the Lord Jesus Christ as requested in Revelation 1:1, 2, 10 and 17-19.
The details written in Revelation 6:1 - 7:8 pertain to effects or events taking place on earth as a result-of and corresponding-to the previous events which took place in heaven (chapters 4 and 5).
As the little-lamb, which is representing the Lord Jesus Christ, opens the seals - John then sees different pictures, images, etc, (similar to watching a movie) showing and declaring the various phases of the future implementation of God's wrath as a result of His righteous judgment.
Six seals are opened in close succession (during the pressure of the completing together of the age) - but the seventh seal is not opened until Revelation 8:1 (during the great pressure of the completing together of the age). This section agrees with the prophecy spoken by Jesus Christ about this period of time as recorded in Matthew chapters 24 and 25.
Revelation 6:1 and 2:
6:1And I saw when the little-lamb opened one from the seven seals, and I heard one from the four living-beings saying as a sound of thunder, "You must go." .2And I saw, and look!, a white horse and the (one) sitting-down on it having a bow, and a crown was given to him, and he went-out being-victorious and in order that he may be-victorious.
John writes: And I perceived (knew with my mind) when...
- the little/small lamb (representing the Lord Jesus Christ and thereby emphasizing the viewpoint of the man, Jesus, carrying out God's requirements during his life, including his sacrifice and his resurrection, in order to reach and attain the victory of redemption and salvation; refer to Revelation 5:6, 8, 12 and 13)
- opened
- one from the seven seals (the first one - 1 of the 7 different seals, the marks of authentication, approval, ratification thereby ensuring that the book is secure, like sealing a letter so it is not opened and read by anyone except by the one to whom the letter is addressed; 7 is the number associated with the spirit realm and completion or perfection; refer to Revelation 5:1, 2, 5 and 9),
...and I heard (the sound/voice from)...
- one from the four living-beings (the first one - 1 of the 4 alive creatures which are located around God's throne; 4 is the number associated with God's creation, the universe and all that is in it; refer to Revelation 4:6-9, 5:6, 8, 11 and 14)
- saying
- as a sound of thunder (rolling, rumbling),
- " You (singular, individual)
- must go (it is imperative that you go/come in motion from here to accomplish your assigned task affecting the heaven and the earth and all dwelling therein)."
And I perceived (knew with my mind), and look (behold, see, pay attention)!...
- a white horse (a horse that is radiant, emitting light, effulgent, brilliant and bright)
- and the one sitting down on the horse
- having a bow (which an archer uses to launch arrows aimed at a target - against enemies in a battle/war),
- and a crown (a victory wreath or garland prize put on the head of the victor/winner of the contest or race)
- was given to him (to "give" anything to another is an unforced presenting or yielding something which the giver already has to someone else who does not have it yet - in this context the rider is given rulership),
- and he went out being victorious (actively gaining the victory, conquering as he went out from there carrying out the wrath of God; refer to Revelation 3:21 and 5:5)
- and for the purpose and result that he would be victorious (during every contest).
The effects of this 1st seal bring the continuous victory of the Lord Jesus Christ...
- from the beginning of the day of the Lord when he gathers-together all the holy-people (the Christians; refer to II Thessalonians 2:1-3) -
- to the end when he gives the kingdom over to God his Father (refer to I Corinthians 15:20-28);
...and therefore also the consequential ultimate defeat of those who oppose the Lord Jesus Christ.
[Reference: Numbers 24:8 and 9; Psalm 45:2-5; Zechariah 10:3 and 4; Matthew 2:15; I Corinthians 15:20-28 and 51-58; Colossians 2:15; I Thessalonians 4:13-18; II Thessalonians 2:1-14; Hebrews 2:7 and 9; Revelation 3:21, 4:5 and 7, 5:5, 14:14, 17:14, 19:11.]
Verses 3 and 4:
.3And when he opened the seal, the second (seal), I heard the second living-being saying, "You must go." .4And another horse went-out - fiery-red, and to take the peace out-from the earth was given to him, to the (one) sitting-down on it, and in order that they will slaughter one-another, and a great sword was given to him.
When the little-lamb opened...
- the seal,
- emphatically and specifically the second (2) seal,
...I (John) heard (the sound/voice from)...
- the second living-being saying,
- "You must go (as verse 1 above)."
And another horse went out from there...
- fiery-red (the color of fire and blood),
- and to take (to actively receive the object offered to him so as to use it - which is)
- the peace (referring to God's true peace, tranquil harmony, tranquility, peaceful wholeness, being without any strife or disagreement)
- out from the earth
- was given to him (as verse 2 above),
- emphatically and specifically to the one sitting down on the fiery-red horse,
- and for the purpose and result that
- they will slaughter one-another (the people left on earth at that time will kill each other as animals for sacrifice),
- and a great sword (a large knife used for slaughter, cutting or slicing its way through obstacles)
The effects of this 2nd seal bring slaughter on earth for many people.
[Reference: Numbers 19:2; Matthew 10:34; Romans 8:35, 13:4; Ephesians 6:17; I Thessalonians 5:1-3; Hebrews 4:12; Revelation 4:7.]
Verses 5 and 6:
.5And when he opened the seal, the third (seal), I heard the third living-being saying, "You must go." And I saw, and look!, a black horse and the (one) sitting-down on it having a balance in his hand. .6And I heard as a sound in (the) midst of the four living-beings saying, "A measure of wheat - a denarius; and three measures of barley - a denarius; and let you not treat-unrighteously the olive-oil and the wine."
When the little-lamb opened...
- the seal,
- emphatically and specifically the third (3) seal,
...I (John) heard (the sound/voice from)...
- the third living-being saying,
- "You must go (as verses 1 and 3 above)."
And I perceived (knew with my mind), and look (behold, see, pay attention)!...
- a black horse (a dark brown or black color, melanin)
- and the one sitting down on it
- having a balance (a pair of scales with 2 pans/trays on either side suspended from a center beam, which is used to weigh items against each other to judge the correct value, etc; the Greek word for "balance" can also be translated as "yoke" which also has a center beam and is used in such contexts as animals or men working for their master)
And I heard as a sound (voice) in the middle of the four living-beings saying...
- "A measure (similar to a quart or a liter, but referring to the capacity that a man would eat to keep him alive for one day)
- of wheat (used for food) -
- a denarius (which is the price/payment of one day's work, but it would be expensive to pay it all for food, survival, with nothing remaining for other items or for other members of the man's family);
- and three measures (3 because it takes more barley to keep a man alive than it does wheat)
- of barley (used for food) -
- and let you not treat unrighteously (this is a polite command or a very strong suggestion advising not to wrong, not to act unjustly towards)
- the olive-oil (used for health)
- and the wine (used for health)."
The effects of this 3rd seal bring famine on earth - but healing will continue to be made available to/for people.
[Reference: Job 31:6; Proverbs 14:11; Daniel 5:27; Matthew 20:2; I Timothy 5:23; Hebrews 1:9; James 5:14; Revelation 4:7, 5:6.]
Verses 7 and 8:
.7And when he opened the seal, the fourth (seal), I heard a sound of the fourth living-being saying, "You must go." .8And I saw, and look!, a green horse and the (one) sitting-down upon it named Death, and gravedom used-to-follow with him, and authority was given to them on the fourth of the earth to kill in sword and in famine and in death and by the wild-animals of the earth.
When the little-lamb opened...
- the seal,
- emphatically and specifically the fourth (4) seal,
...I (John) heard a sound (voice) of/from...
- the fourth living-being saying,
- "You must go (as verses 1, 3 and 5 above)."
And I perceived (knew with my mind), and look (behold, see, pay attention)!...
- a green horse (the word translated "green" can refer to either new and fresh life or to deficiency and removing life; the color of living plants such as the leaves on trees or grass have the pigment of chlorophyll displaying the green or yellowish-green color in young plants or blue-black in others; however, if plants begin to fail they tend to discolor and become yellowish-pale or darkening to a deep blue-black color, pallid, livid as bruised flesh)
- and the one sitting down upon it
- named Death (a name is a word or phrase given to a person, etc, to be called and known-by, in order to designate and describe the distinguishing and distinctive constitution, character, quality, workings, etc - in this context the name to/for him is Death which describes the effects of the one on-top-of, up-above, over the horse; death is the end of life, the point of dying, being without natural, physical life),
- and gravedom (the continuing state of death, of being dead)
- used to follow in company and association with him (gravedom was continuing to come after death during a past time, historically; the verb "follow" is in the imperfect tense because from the viewpoint of the prophecy of this writing the Lord Jesus Christ now has the keys to death and gravedom and therefore is able to give life back to whom he deems eligible; refer to Revelation 1:18 and chapter 20),
- and authority (authoritative-power, permitted-right) was given to death and gravedom on/over one quarter (¼) of the earth
- to kill (to put an end to people's lives, to cause their lives to be taken away from them)
- in a sword (the instrumental cause being a large sword, long and broad)
- and in famine (the instrumental cause being failure, not having food, being in want of food)
- and in death (the instrumental cause being natural, physical death, the state of being dead)
- and by the power of the wild animals (the instrumental agent being the beasts) of the earth.
The effects of this 4th seal bring death and gravedom on earth and they will affect many people.
[Reference: Isaiah 15:6; Ezekiel 14:21; Revelation 1:18, 4:7.]
Verses 9-11:
.9And when he opened the fifth seal I saw down-under the sacrificial-altar the souls of the (people) having been slaughtered2 because of the word of God and because of the witness which they used-to-have. .10And they shouted with a great sound saying, "Until when, Master, the Holy and True (Master), do You not judge and avenge our blood out-from the (people) dwelling-down on the earth?" .11And a white robe was given to them, each-one, and it was said to them in order that they will rest-themselves-up yet a small time until also their slaves-together and their brothers, the (people) being about to be killed as also they, may be fulfilled.
When the little-lamb opened...
- the fifth (5) seal [some Greek texts read: the seal, the fifth (seal)],
...I (John) perceived (knew with my mind)...
...underneath the sacrificial altar (the altar on-which to offer sacrifices to God according to His instructions)...
- the souls of the people (John writes "souls" and not "spirits" because these people are dead and therefore in this context John can only refer to how these people existed prior to their death - the word "soul" refers to the life of their physical bodies which was evidenced by breathing when they were alive before their death, their soul/breath life, which allowed them to move and work and shout, etc, while they were living in the physical category)
- who were slaughtered and continue slaughtered (they have no life and they will remain dead until the time of their resurrection - they were slaughtered)
- on account of the word of/from God (the spoken-account of God's inner thoughts, containing individual words constituting what is spoken)
- and on account of the witness (the attestation, the declaration of information or knowledge which is borne bringing to light or confirming it to be authentic)
- which they used to have (the witness that they were holding before they were slaughtered and which they may have repeated on several occasions, they spent time witnessing, they attested to the information historically, during a past time that is now finished because they are dead).
And they shouted with a great sound (a large voice or uttered-tone, they cried out loudly) saying...
- "Until when (continuing to what time),
- Master (addressing God, the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, as the Master - this is the Greek word despotes and means: the Sovereign Lord, the Absolute-Master, the Despot, the One Who has absolute dominion, supreme authority, and unlimited power; this word emphasizes subjection whereby God the Master is over His own slaves and they figuratively have their feet bound in complete subjection to Him in service during everyday living),
- emphatically and specifically
- the Holy (the One Who is Holy, sanctified, set-apart from the state of being common, defiled or unclean; God's essence is holiness - He is the standard of/for being holy)
- and True (the One Who is True, emphasizing that God’s quality and essence is trueness, His consistency is truth, He is the actual, certain, real, genuine True-Being – as opposed to a copy such as the false, fictitious, unreal gods, idols; the only true God is the source of truth, the essential reality, the inherent verity)
- Master,
- do You not judge (make Your decision, pronounce sentence in judgment)
- and avenge (carry-out vengeance, revenge, execute right/justice for)
- our blood (the shedding of our blood, the fact that we were killed, our death)
- out-from the people dwelling down (permanently settled, housed, inhabiting) on the earth?"
And a white robe (a long outer garment equipped or fit for people of good and honorable standing or position in a community such as priests or kings - a robe that is radiant, emitting light, effulgent, brilliant and bright) was given to them, each one of them (emphasizing every one individually, particularly, singly, distinctly)...
...and it was said (spoken by definite words being uttered) to them, for the purpose and resulting fact that...
- they will rest themselves up (as pausing, temporarily stopping or ceasing from extraneous labor, and so will cause themselves to become rested-up and refreshed at a future time)
- - for how long more? - for still a small amount of chronological time (a little length of time lasting for a particular duration, a short quantity of time)
- until also (continuing to the time that in addition to them)
- their slaves-together (joint/co bond-servants, people from any background who will live their lives to/for God and the Lord Jesus Christ being slaves in the working or service category)
- and their brothers (people from the Judean/Israeli background who will keep the word of God and the witness),
- emphatically and specifically all those people who are on the point of being killed
- as also they have already been killed,
- may be fulfilled (filled-up, made full, accomplished).
The effects of this 5th seal bring the slaughter of more people who will serve God and/or the Lord Jesus Christ; plus the effects bring a length of additional chronological time before the slaughter of God's people - who lived prior to the day of Pentecost recorded in Acts chapter 2 - will be avenged (refer also to Luke 17:20 - 18:8).
It differs from the previous 4 seals in that it does not refer to a living-being speaking to a figurative rider on a horse in order to initiate its effects on earth.
Also it worth noting here that people who die (dead-people) remain dead until the time of their resurrection. The only one who has already been raised up by God and given a new spiritual body, and will never die again, is the Lord Jesus Christ. As we read verses 9-11 above, we should remember that John is seeing and writing what the Lord Jesus Christ is revealing to him in order that John and all who read this will understand many events past, present, and future.
The people referred to in verse 9 above exclude all holy-people (Christians) because we will already have been gathered together with the Lord Jesus Christ and given our new spiritual bodies before this time (refer to verse 2 above, and I Corinthians 15:51-58; I Thessalonians 4:13-18; II Thessalonians 2:1-3).
[Reference: Genesis 4:10; Leviticus 4:7, 17:11; Deuteronomy 32:43; Psalm 79:1-10; Luke 18:1, 7 and 8; John 17:3; Acts 4:24; Romans 11:25-27, 12:19; I John 3:12, 5:20; Revelation 1:2 and 9, 4:8, 12:11 and 17, 17:6, 19:2 and 10, chapter 20, 22:9.]
Verses 12-17:
.12And I saw when he opened the seal, the sixth (seal), and there became a great quake, and the sun became black as hairy sackcloth, and the whole moon became as blood, .13and the stars of the heaven fell into the earth as a fig-tree being caused-to-quake by a great wind throws her unripe-figs, .14and the heaven was separated as a book being rolled-up, and every mountain and island was moved out-from their places, .15and the kings of the earth and the great-people and the tribunes and the wealthy-people and the strong-people and every slave and freeman hid themselves into the caves and into the rocks of the mountains, .16and they say to the mountains and the rocks, "You must fall on us and hide us away-from (the) face of the (One) sitting-down on the throne and away-from the wrath of the little-lamb - .17because the day, the great (day) of their wrath came, and who is able to be caused-to-stand?"
I (John) perceived (knew with my mind) when the little-lamb opened...
- the seal,
- emphatically and specifically the sixth seal,
...and...
- a great quake came to pass (a large shaking motion, quick or shocking movement, a seismic event occurred),
- and the sun
- came to pass to be black (a dark brown or black color, melanin)
- in comparison to hairy sackcloth (a course cloth made from animal hair, which people wore at various times to demonstrate their deep regret and grief regarding a situation or circumstance),
- and the entire (full) moon
- came to pass to be in comparison to blood (which is red in color),
- and the stars of the heaven (in the area above the earth)
- fell into the earth (not on top of the earth - but from the outside into the inside denting the earth)
- in comparison to a fig-tree being caused to quake (shaken, shocked, a quick movement caused as a seismic event)
- by the power of a large wind
- casts her unripe-figs (the late forming figs which do not mature),
- and the heaven
- was separated (split, parted from its correct position)
- in comparison to a book (this Greek word biblion translated "book" emphasizes its content - a small book, scroll, paper)
- being rolled-up (folded or turned back up into itself),
- and all/every mountain (mount, hill - rising upwards on the earth)
- and island (land separated from the mainland by water)
- was moved (caused to be set in motion)
- out from the places (locations, positions) where they were,
- and the kings of the earth (those who reign as kings ruling certain portions of the earth/land)
- and the great-people (large with importance and status)
- and the tribunes (chiliarchs, military commanders of a thousand men, those who rule a body of men-at-arms)
- and the wealthy-people (those who are rich in material possessions)
- and the strong-people (inherently strong, those who have physical strength)
- and all/every slave (people who serve as slaves, bond-servants, bound to serve other men who are their masters)
- and freeman (people who are at liberty from service to other men)
- hid (concealed) themselves
- into the caves (caverns) and into the rocks (referring to the usually unchanging and unmovable rocks) of the mountains,
- and they say to the mountains and the rocks (refer to Hosea 10:8 and Luke 23:30),
- "You must fall on us and hide us
- away from the face (presence) of the One (God) sitting down on the throne
- and away from the wrath of the little-lamb -
- because the day,
- emphatically and specifically the great day (the day that is large with importance and magnitude, quality and quantity, etc - referring to the period of time involved and is not limited to 24 hours)
- of their wrath (when the wrath of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ is in the process of implementation)
- came (it has arrived),
- and who is able to be caused to stand (what person or spirit has the able-power, the capability to force God or the Lord Jesus Christ to make him stand fast without receiving any consequences of/for rejecting them)?"
The "wrath" refers to the wrath of God which is lasting angry vengeance, like the heat of a burning-fire. This is not a spur-of-the-moment thing on God's part because He has foretold regarding the consequences of unbelief and rejection of His Word including the promised seed, the savior, all through the ages since Genesis 3:15. The Lord Jesus Christ will carry-out all that God tells him to do, including the implementation of God's wrath.
In verses 16 and 17 we should note that it is "they" (referring to those who reject God and the Lord Jesus Christ) who speak - but there is no response written to that specific question because nobody can force God or the Lord Jesus Christ to do anything. However, when we read Revelation chapter 7 we will see that God and the Lord Jesus Christ are well capable of causing those who believe and obey them to stand and be saved from destruction.
The 6th seal does not bring the implementation of the final completion but only the occurrences prior to it. The effects of this 6th seal bring the collapse of the organized motion of the heavenly stars, planets, etc, and changes to the geography of the current earth.
[Reference: Isaiah 2:19 and 21, 34:4; Hosea 10:8; Joel 2:11, 30 and 31; Nahum 1:6; Zephaniah 1:14; Matthew 11:21, 17:25; Mark 3:5, 6:21; Luke 23:30; Acts 2:19-21, 4:26, 21:31; Romans 1:18, 2:5 and 8, 14:4; Ephesians 5:6; Colossians 3:6; I Thessalonians 1:10, 2:16, 5:1-3; II Thessalonians 1:9; Hebrews 1:12, 12:26; II Peter 3:7 and 12; Revelation 16:20, 19:15-19. Chart. Stars. Note: verbs with a superscript 2 (2) immediately following them indicate the "perfect" tense - details are provided in the "Relevant Notes" link of this study.]
