“Revealing the Revelation”
November 8, 2009
“The Six Seals”
Revelation 6:
“I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, "Come!" I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.
When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, "Come!" Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make men slay each other. To him was given a large sword.
When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, "Come!" I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, "A quart of wheat for a day’s wages, and three quarts of barley for a day’s wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!"
When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, "Come!" I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.
When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, "How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?" Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed.
I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as late figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?"
I have received quite a few compliments over this series of sermons in Revelation. Many people have told me they have been blessed by it. I have to tell you, I did not look forward to preaching from this book – much less doing a series of sermons on it. In over 35 years of preaching thousands and thousands of sermons, I have never preached a series on the book of Revelation – mostly because of chapters like this one. It is colorful, with lots of word pictures, but it is so difficult to understand. And I am not one to wildly speculate about something the Bible doesn’t make clear. But with the Lord’s help I will offer you some of my feeble thoughts to consider this morning.
First of all, we need to notice who is opening the seals. It’s pretty clear that it is Jesus. He is the Lamb of God. Let’s go back to the previous chapter. We studied it last week.
“Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. He came and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song:
"You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.
You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth."
Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they sang:
"Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and praise!"
Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!" The four living creatures said, "Amen," and the elders fell down and worshiped.” Revelation 5:6-14
It continues with chapter 6: “I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals.”
Jesus alone is worthy to open the seals on the scroll, according to the 24 elders we talked about last week. The horsemen must be given permission by the Lamb and God’s agents before they can accomplish the evil they intend to do. Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords. He is not only the Creator; He is not only the sustainer of all things; but nothing happens without His permission. And always remember that He is good. He will never allow something to happen to you unless it can be used for good.
So notice that John saw a scroll and on that scroll were seven seals. Back in New Testament times it was not unusual to receive your mail in this way. Someone would send you a letter and it would be rolled up and sealed with their seal. You would have to break the seal to look at the scroll. In this case, it was necessary to break seven seals to look at the scroll. We are not even looking at the scroll yet. Just breaking the seals – and each one of those seals represent something.
Matthew Henry suggests that the seals were not all across the beginning of the scroll. You broke one seal, read so far and then came to the next seal, broke that, and went on to the next one – and so on until you finished.
There is so much symbolism in Revelation it blows me away. Some really significant stuff gets overlooked if you aren’t careful. For instance, last week we talked quite a bit about the 24 elders. We didn’t say much about what they were holding. Do you remember? They were holding golden bowls full of incense. Gold signifies something very valuable and precious. Incense represents something very pleasurable – something extremely delightful. Do you remember what the incense represented? It represented YOUR prayers. So often we think our prayers aren’t important. We think they aren’t significant. The enemy of our souls would convince us no one is listening up there in heaven. But they are. Your prayers are delightful to God. Your prayers bring God great pleasure. Every one of them is treasured and saved for eternity. That ought to make you want to pray.
Let’s take a look at the first seals.
“I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, "Come!" I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.”
Have you ever been close to thunder? I can just visualize what John was experiencing. The Gentle Lamb, Jesus, quietly breaks the first seal. Then one of these amazing creatures, in a voice like thunder, shouts – “COME!” Do you think that may have gotten his attention? John looks up, probably after getting knocked to the ground with that loud invitation, and sees a horse. It’s a white horse. What does it mean? I have read so many commentaries on this chapter that it’s confusing. Some say it represents purity. Some say it represents confident victory. You did not want to use a white horse in battle because it made you a target. Only those sure of victory used a white horse. And the rider of the white horse was bent of conquest. One commentator says,
“The white horse and his rider symbolize the spirit of conquest and militarism. Their meaning would differ from the red horse who more specifically stands for warfare. As we know, there is more to conquest than war alone. Economic power, propaganda, the use of religion, diplomacy and political shrewdness are also part of successful conquest.”
(Grace Communion International)
I think the thing to remember is when the first seal is opened, it opens the door for spiritual conquest and militarism. Jesus did not cause it. He did not will it or desire it. But He allowed it. The four horsemen represent death and destruction. And this first horseman carried a bow and wore a crown of victory. The bow represented war and conquest. Some see here a reference to the feared Parthians. They were well known for their archery skills in battle. "A ’Parthian shot’ still means a final, devastating blow, to which there is no possible answer" (William Barclay, The Daily Study Bible Series, "The Revelation of John," volume 2, revised edition, p. 4).
So what does this Scripture mean? Scholars differ greatly. Let me share two conclusions with you.
1. The first rider represents the lust for conquest and as such forms an integral part of the four horsemen who are all evil and are summed up by the fourth horsemen. The four horsemen are all called into action by one of the living creatures and form a literary unit (Beale). Conquest brings with it war, famine and death. This is the most natural reading of the text. However the color white is usually associated with good not evil, but it can indicate victory (Lenski), the rider wears the victory crown.
2. The first horsemen is Christ conquering by the power of the gospel and the other seals 2 to 5 represent various forms of persecution resulting from the proclamation of the gospel of the first seal. It is perhaps appropriate that Jesus who is the beginning and the end should appear on a white horse at both the beginning and end of the visions about the future.
Some scholars think that the rider is Jesus on the white horse; others that they do death and destruction so it couldn’t be Jesus. You can make up your own mind.
Let’s look at the second seal.
“When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, "Come!" Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make men slay each other. To him was given a large sword”
The second horse’s meaning seems pretty clear. The red horse is a symbol of war, of slaughter and bloodshed. It may be that the horse is red from the blood of the rider’s victims. The red horse has a rider who takes "peace from the earth" and wields a "great sword." In his wake, people "kill one another" (6:4).
The Greek word usually translated "slay" in English has a more ferocious meaning. "Slaughter" or "butcher" would be more accurate. The horse’s rider has a great or huge sword, indicating the extent of the carnage he creates.
Has this happened or is it about to happen? I will you decided that for yourself. I think, although we have had some terrible wars, world wars, the worse may still be to come. World War III may be what this horse symbolizes. The lesson for the Christian is to be prepared. We are blessed that God shields us night and day. We have a hedge of protection around us. God does allow times of trial for His beloved Children. But it will only make the victory that much sweeter. In God’s economy the loser often wins; The lesser is often greater; the defeated is often the victor. The one the world dishonored is the one heaven honors most. Be prepared for war and destruction and defeat. You may lose your head – but you will win for all eternity. We can’t lose!
Look at the next seal.
“When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, "Come!" I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, "A quart of wheat for a day’s wages, and three quarts of barley for a day’s wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!"
This rider represents hunger and famine. We can see this from the symbols accompanying him. The horse he rides is black, a color that describes a famine-racked body. The black horse has a rider with "a pair of scales in his hand" (6:5). A scale would be used to measure and carefully dole out food. It could refer to bread being rationed by weight in a famine, or grain being measured by volume. We see this being done in the Old Testament. (Ezekiel 4:16
A voice accompanies the vision of the black horse and its rider. It announces: "A quart of wheat for a day’s wages, and three quarts of barley for a day’s wages." (6:6). The expression "a day’s wages" is a translation of the Greek word denarius. The denarius was a Roman silver coin equal in value to the daily wage of a working man (Matthew 20:2). So this Revelation describes a condition where basic goods are sold at greatly inflated prices. Thus, the black horse rider depicts times of deep scarcity or famine - but not of starvation.
The English word "quart" translates choinix. Apparently, a choinix of wheat was the daily ration of one adult. Thus, in the conditions pictured by Revelation 6 the normal income for a working-class family would buy enough food for only one person. The less costly barley would feed three people for one day’s wages. Some people think our economy is set to go into just such a depression.
The voice also says, "Do not damage the oil and the wine!" (6:6). People are told to be careful not to harm precious foodstuffs. We should note that the warning sets limits to the destruction the black horse rider can cause. God’s love will allow only so much destruction. He will never give us more than we can bear. Some think the rich, represented by oil and wine, won’t suffer as much.
Look at the fourth seal. “When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, "Come!" I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.”
The pale horse has a rider called "Death," and "Hades was following close behind him" (6:8). The Greek word for "pale," chloros, in Revelation describes the yellow-green of vegetation (8:7; 9:4). The word is the root for the English "chlorine." Here it is used for the sickly look of death due to pestilence. The hue or tint here is probably to be understood as the color of a corpse—of death. The rider is Death, and his companion is Hades or the grave—for Hades is the place of the dead. But notice Hades is for the unbeliever – not the Christian.
It’s interesting to me that part of the destruction is caused by wild beasts of the earth. With those in the cities making the laws – simply because there are more of them, they protect the wolves and the bears and the mountain lions and the wild beasts. Could those laws come back to bite them – literally? Just a thought.
People are scared today of swine flue and epidemics and talk about pandemics. Could this be a preview of what is to come? Already there is a lot of fear in the world. But take comfort. Jesus said,
“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:20
“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:37-39
Check out the next seal.
When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, "How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?" Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed.
The fifth seal pictures tribulation on the true people of God because of their religious convictions. For this reason John sees them represented as "souls" under the altar. In the Old Testament sacrifices, most of the blood was poured out at the bottom or base of the altar (Leviticus 4:7). The life or soul of the animals—and of humans—was said to be in the blood (Leviticus 17:11). In that sense, Revelation sees Christians who suffer persecution or martyrdom as sweet sacrifices offered to God. These souls under the altar are pictured as crying out, "How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?" (6:10). Servants of God down through the ages have asked the same question. “How long are you going to put up with this, Lord?” God is longsuffering. But there is an end to it. Hold on to the end!
Let’s take a look at the last seal in this chapter.
I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as late figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?"
The sixth seal echoes what Jesus said in Matthew 24 and what Daniel and Joel prophesied in the Old Testament. There is going to be some cosmic changes when the sixth seal is opened. The interesting thing to me is that the kings and princes, generals, the rich and mighty and just about everyone hid in caves and among the rocks. They called out to the mountains to fall on them. Why? Notice they didn’t call out to God. Sinners cannot stand in presence of a holy God. They want to hide from the purity and goodness of God. The light of God’s goodness reveals them for the ugly, sinful, rebels they are. They ask, “Who can stand.” I will tell you. Only those washed in the blood of the Lamb can stand.
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb? The stage is set. The armies are gathering. Conflict between good and evil is inevitable. Have you made your choice yet? We know who is going to win. We know who is going to immerge victorious. But it won’t be without struggle. We will go through the fire. But, just like the three Hebrew Children who were thrown into the fire remained safe – we will be safe in the hollow of Jesus’ hand, too.
If you aren’t sure you are ready – get ready. All you need to do is surrender you will to Jesus right now. Make Him your King. Make Him your General. Enlist in His army now. Get on the winning side. Prepare yourself for what is to come. Pray a pray like this.
Dear Jesus,
I confess I am afraid of what is to come. The things in revelation scare me.
I don’t know if I am ready. Thank you for promising to be with me to the end of the age. Please forgive me for not following you. Forgive me for doing things my way. Help me to live for you from this point on.
