Revelation Chapter 6 The Opening of the Seals
Last week, in chapter 4 and 5 we saw the scene of the throne room and the glory of God
We saw the Lamb that had been slain but lived
We saw the scroll sealed with the 7 seals which no one was worthy to open
Then we saw the Lamb, the Lion of Judah, worthy to open the seals and reveal the mystery
Here we have the opening of the seals beginning in chapter six
In these seals we will see a broad overview of the period of time that will be expanded upon in subsequent series
Rev 6:1 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.
Rev 6:2 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.
Here we see the first of four horses and riders
Because these symbols are drawn from the realm of humanity, we would expect that they represent spiritual happenings
The white horse is a symbol of a conqueror
The rider has a bow and a crown
Victorious
I believe this represents the early morning church
(some see Christ, but for the sake of consistency, I find no corresponding figures for the other horsemen)
The early morning church , with Christ as its head went forth conquering and to conquer
Rev 6:3 And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see.
Rev 6:4 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.
We now see a second horse and rider.
This is a red horse, given the power to kill, and a great sword
This represents Pagan Rome, paganism
Paganism slaughtered thousands of Christians
The sword to kill and the color red are descriptive of the cruelty, murder and bloodshed by pagan powers
Rev 6:5 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.
Rev 6:6 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.
The third seal is broken and we see a black horse and the rider has a pair of balances
The rider proclaims a measure of wheat for a penny
3 measures of barley for a penny
When Pagan Rome fell, a new Rome began to form
Constantine made Christianity the state religion
Thus many took on the form of Christianity without a change of heart
In many ways Pagan Rome just changed her garments
The balance to weigh food, the wheat and the barley, depicts a famine
Not a physical famine but a spiritual famine
Amo 8:11 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:
Amo 8:12 And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.
Hurt not the wine or oil
Rev 6:7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
Rev 6:8 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.
The fourth seal is opened and a pale horse appears
The rider is denoted as death
Upon the demise of the Papal Roman Empire, Protestantism arose
The name of course comes from those who protested the abuses of Rome
The truth of true Christianity again arose
However, state religions quickly mixed the truth of the awakening with the errors of Catholicism
Especially in England and Germany, but also Scotland and Switzerland
This pale horse is neither white like the early morning church nor black like Catholicism, Papal Rome
The pale horse is a mixture of truth and error that kills spiritually
But the state religions turned to be as aggressive as Rome in their persecution of Christians
Rev 6:9 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:
Rev 6:10 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?
Rev 6:11 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.
This 5th seal reveals an entirely different scene
The preceding seals show the church would be engaged in spiritual conflict
Many Christians would suffer death in these conflicts
We now see the souls of these martyred Saints calling out for God to execute justice
They are in the presence of God and are told to rest a little longer
They were given white robes
Even though slain on earth, they are seen as reigning in heaven
2Ti 2:10 Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.
2Ti 2:11 It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him:
2Ti 2:12 If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:
Rev 6:12 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;
Rev 6:13 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.
Rev 6:14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
Rev 6:15 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;
Rev 6:16 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:
Rev 6:17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
With the opening of the sixth seal, the scene abruptly changes again
You will notice that these symbols are no longer drawn from human life, but rather from nature, so we would expect this to be happenings in the political realm
It is a scene of great upheaval, economic and political upheaval
This is not necessarily events in sequence, or after the preceding events
This ushered in the Great day of the Lord, the day of wrath