Revelation 6:1–17

6:1–2 The Lamb begins to break the seven seals on the scroll. When the first seal is broken, one of the four living creatures summons the first rider to come. The first four seals are correlated with four horses, echoing Zechariah 1:8–11 and 6:1–8, where four differently colored horses and four chariots with various kinds of horses patrol the earth. The first horse in Revelation 6 is a white horse, whose rider has a bow and a crown. This rider conquers as he roams the earth. Interpreters have radically different views as to what is symbolized here. Some have argued the first rider is the beast of Revelation 13, riding a white horse as a parody of Christ’s riding a white horse (Rev. 19:11). The beast conquers the saints, as we see elsewhere in Revelation (11:7; 13:7). Such a reading is possible, but it is not clear that this conquering refers to persecution of the saints or that the rider is a parody. Others argue, more plausibly, that the seal represents continued wars plaguing the human race. Such an interpretation may be correct, but it seems significant that the only other rider of a white horse in Revelation is Jesus (19:11), and the next seal has to do with war. In Revelation 19 Jesus comes on the white horse to judge the wicked, but here he conquers through the spread of the gospel to the ends of the earth. Such a reading fits with Jesus’ prediction that the gospel would spread throughout the world before the end arrives (Matt. 24:14; 28:19; Mark 13:10). One characteristic of the present age is the proclamation of the gospel to all peoples in all places. Amid the woes and sufferings of the present age, the gospel continues to be proclaimed and to triumph throughout the world.

6:3–4 When the Lamb breaks the second seal, one of the four living creatures summons a red horse. The rider has a sword and takes peace from the earth. Armies fight and kill one another because of disagreements over land, material goods, or other matters that incite hatred. Jesus predicted there would be “wars and rumors of wars” in this age (Matt. 24:6). He declared, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom” (Matt. 24:7). The coming of the Christ did not put an immediate end to war. Indeed, war and strife will persist until he comes again; no matter how many peace treaties are signed, war breaks out again.

6:5–6 The Lamb breaks the third seal, and a living creature again issues a summons to come. This time a black horse comes forth with scales in the hand of the rider. Food is being measured out for man, but it is woefully lacking (cf. Ezek. 4:10–11). A denarius is a day’s wages, but there is scarcely enough food if one can buy only a quart of wheat with a day’s wage or three quarts of barley for the same. The sparing of the olive oil and wine may mean that the rich continue to consume luxury items or that the famine doesn’t touch all the necessities of life. It is difficult to decide between these two, but the latter is slightly more probable, for oil and wine weren’t just luxuries. Jesus predicted that “famines” would take place before his coming (Matt. 24:7), and John reinforces that message here.

6:7–8 The Lamb breaks the fourth seal, and a living creature calls the next horse to come forth. John sees a pale green horse. The rider on this horse is Death, and Hades, standing for the realm of death, follows close behind. Death and Hades are personified as the great enemies of human existence, and hence they are virtually demonic forces. Life on earth is full of sorrow and desolation as a significant portion of the world experiences war, famine, disease, and death inflicted by wild animals (cf. Jer. 14:12; Ezek. 5:17; 29:5; 33:27). The judgment echoes Ezekiel 14:21, “How much more when I send upon Jerusalem my four disastrous acts of judgment, sword, famine, wild beasts, and pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast!” Life is marked by sorrow, death, and grief.

6:9 The opening of the fifth seal is different, for on this occasion no horse is summoned. Instead John sees the souls of those who had been martyred because of their testimony and their allegiance to the word of God. The use of the term “souls” indicates the day of resurrection hasn’t come yet. Why are the souls under the altar, and which altar is in view? The reference could be to the altar of incense (8:3, 5; 9:13; 11:1; 14:18; 16:7; cf. Ex. 30:3) or the altar of burnt offering, where burnt offerings were sacrificed twice a day (Num. 28:1–6). The blood under the altar suggests the latter is in view (though a decision on this matter isn’t crucial), and that the death of Christians was a pleasing sacrifice to the Lord. We see a similar reality in Revelation 20:4: “I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God.” John himself was imprisoned on Patmos “on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus” (Rev. 1:9), and the contents of Revelation are summed up in terms of John’s witnessing the “word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ” (1:2). Christians were being slain because of their commitment to the gospel of Christ, and Jesus predicted believers would be persecuted and slain before the end came (Matt. 24:9). It is also possible the language used here describes all believers. In other words, John portrays the church as a martyr church. This is not to say all Christians are actually slain for their witness, but John portrays the church as a martyr church to emphasize the contrast between the church and the world. All believers are persecuted (2 Tim. 3:12), and some suffer to the extent of giving up their lives for Christ. John focuses on the death believers experience on account of their devotion to Jesus Christ, and the words of those under the altar reflect the longing in the hearts of all Christians.

6:10 The souls of those slain for Christ’s sake have not been vindicated publicly, and the wicked have not been punished for slaughtering the righteous. Thus the martyrs under the altar call out for justice. They voice their prayer to the sovereign one, the one powerful enough to enforce justice. They voice their prayer to the one who is holy and true. Since he is holy, he cannot ultimately tolerate evil; since he is true, he is faithful to his own. The souls ask “how long” God will wait before judging and avenging the blood shed by “those who dwell on earth.” In the comment on 3:10, it was noted that, in Revelation, “those who dwell on earth” always refers to unbelievers. The question of “how long?” was also raised by OT saints. “O LORD, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked exult?” (Ps. 94:3). And, “How long, O God, is the foe to scoff? Is the enemy to revile your name forever?” (Ps. 74:10; cf. also Pss. 13:1–2; 35:17; 62:3; Hab. 1:2; Zech. 1:12; Luke 18:7). The issue isn’t vindictiveness or raging vengeance, but justice. The prayer of the saints here is not sinful (they are dead, after all, and free from sin!) but righteous. Such a reading accords with the rest of Revelation, for John affirms the rightness of God’s judgment on the wicked (Rev. 16:7; 19:2). The blood of those who love Jesus Christ has been shed. Such evil must be addressed; justice must be done (cf. Deut. 32:43; Pss. 79:10; 119:84; Luke 18:7). Otherwise, evil would reign unchecked in the universe, and God’s holiness would be called into question.

6:11 God hears and answers the prayers of his people, another indication that the prayers of the martyrs are righteous. The slain martyrs are given a white robe. Those in white robes belong to God (7:9), for they have washed their robes in the Lamb’s blood (7:13–14). Also, those with white garments have lived righteously (3:4–5, 18), and thus the white robe reveals that the martyrs truly belong to God. God acknowledges them as his own. The martyrs are personally assured by God that they are his, but they are also told to wait. Vindication is coming in its fullness, but not yet. There are “fellow servants,” brothers and sisters who must face the same fate as those who have already lost their lives. God has appointed others to suffer for the sake of his name, and as the ruler over history he determines how many will be put to death and how long the interval shall be before judgment strikes (cf. 1 En. 47:4; 4 Ezra 4:35–37). The saints’ cry for justice is right and good, but they must also trust God as to when the judgment of the wicked and their own vindication will occur.

6:12 The opening of the sixth seal by the Lamb is the answer to the prayer of the martyrs in 6:9–11. As the sixth seal is opened, John sees the judgment to be poured out on the wicked. He uses apocalyptic language from the OT to describe the impending judgment, and it is clear in the context that the final judgment is described.

In the judgment scene portrayed here, the created order reels and falls apart. The end is signaled with an earthquake, a regular feature of the final judgment in Revelation (8:5; 11:13, 19; 16:18) that often signifies God’s judgment in the OT as well (Jer. 10:22 LXX; Ezek. 38:19–21; Joel 3:16; Nah. 1:5). At the same time, the sun turns black and the moon turns to blood. The language isn’t literal but is stock apocalyptic imagery for judgment. John picks up words from Joel: “The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes” (Joel 2:31). Isaiah says about Babylon’s dissolution, “The sun will be dark at its rising, and the moon will not shed its light” (Isa. 13:10). In the judgment of Egypt prophesied by Ezekiel, God “will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give its light” (Ezek. 32:7). Jesus uses the same language of the darkening of sun and moon in association with his coming (Matt. 24:29; cf. also Isa. 24:23; Joel 2:10; 3:15; Amos 8:9; Zeph. 1:15). Images used of God’s judgment in history are now applied to the final judgment, so that the judgments in history function as a precursor to God’s final judgment of the wicked.

6:13 The apocalyptic language describing the end of history and the world as we know it continues. John portrays the stars falling to the earth, just as figs fall from a tree when a powerful wind sweeps through. As is common for John, the image is picked up from Isaiah and slightly altered. Isaiah 34:4 says, “All the stars of the heaven will fall like leaves from a vine and as leaves fall from a fig tree.”¹ Even though the imagery is not literal, John communicates that the world is ending, for the natural order is falling apart.

6:14 The world is dissolving and breaking up before John’s eyes. A massive earthquake sunders the world, the sun is black, the moon has turned to blood, and stars are flying out of the sky. And the sky itself is vanishing, being rolled up like a scroll and vanishing. Again, John draws on Isaiah 34:4, which says, “All the host of heaven shall rot away, and the skies roll up like a scroll.” We find similar language in Hebrews 1:10–12. The language is apocalyptic and symbolic, but what do the symbols mean? If the sky is withdrawn, the world as we know it is over. The same point is made in saying the islands and mountains are moved from their locations (cf. Ezek. 26:15). The stability of the world is undermined, and the natural order necessary for life to continue is unraveling. This is further evidence that the breaking of the sixth seal represents the end of history. Just as the earthquake symbolizes the end, so too do the moving islands and mountains, as seen later in Revelation. Thus, the seventh bowl indicates the end has come, as is testified in the words “It is done!” (Rev. 16:17). When the seventh bowl is poured out, “every island fled away, and no mountains were to be found” (16:20). The fleeing islands and absent mountains testify that history is concluding. Similarly, the great white throne judgment takes place at the end of history, after the beast, false prophet, and Devil are cast into the lake of fire (20:10). The final judgment begins with the words, “Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them” (20:11). Here it isn’t islands and mountains that flee, but the thought is similar, for now earth and sky are gone. Life on earth has dramatically changed, for the final judgment has arrived. John testifies to the same reality in declaring that “the first heaven and the first earth had passed away” (21:1).

6:15 The collapse of the created order means judgment is at hand, and John draws on the “day of the LORD” theme from the prophets (e.g., Isa. 13:6, 9; Ezek. 13:5; Joel 1:15; 2:1; Amos 5:18, 20; Obad. 15; Zeph. 1:7, 14; Zech. 14:1) to describe the final judgment. He emphasizes that the judgment is universal: no one is spared, from kings to slaves. The emphasis is particularly on those who have power and influence—kings, generals, and the rich are included among those who will be judged (cf. Rev. 19:18; Isa. 34:12 LXX). When the judgment comes, their power, riches, or stature will be of no use. Instead, they will flee to caves and rocks in the mountains to hide. John picks up the majestic language from Isaiah 2, where Isaiah says that on the day of the Lord, “People shall enter the caves of the rocks and the holes of the ground, from before the terror of the LORD, and from the splendor of his majesty, when he rises to terrify the earth” (Isa. 2:19; cf. Isa. 2:10, 21). The day of the Lord in history forecasts the final day of the Lord, which John describes here; the historical days of the Lord anticipate the great and climactic day of the Lord. On that day the creation will disintegrate and creatures will be in panic and dread when the judgment arrives.

6:16 All the joys and advantages of life are worthless when the world reels and collapses. Human beings who have fled to the mountains and rocks for safety realize they won’t escape, so they ask the mountains and rocks to fall on them and crush them. The language of judgment alludes to the judgment predicted for Israel in Hosea 10:8: “They shall say to the mountains, ‘Cover us,’ and to the hills, ‘Fall on us.’” Jesus also picks up the language of Hosea when predicting the final judgment (Luke 23:30), another example of Hosea’s prediction of judgment in history functioning as prelude and anticipation of the final judgment. People long for death in mountains and rocks because they fear facing God, who reigns on the throne, and the wrath of the Lamb. The prospect of standing before God and the Lamb is so dreadful that death is preferable.

Three other elements of the verse stand out. First, God and the Lamb are placed on the same level; they play an equal role in the final judgment—another indication the Lamb has the same identity and nature as God. Second, John speaks in a most striking way of the wrath of the Lamb. We don’t think of lambs as full of wrath, but this Lamb is a different kind of lamb! Third, it is common to hear people say that the God of the NT is different from the God of the OT, but such an assertion is false. In both Testaments God is angry at sin and judges those who despise his name and indulge in evil. Grace and judgment are present in both the OT and the NT.

6:17 Now the reason for the terror of human beings is explained further. As the present creation falls apart, people implore rocks and mountains to destroy them, that they might avoid God on the throne and the wrath of the Lamb, because the “great day of their wrath has come.” It is interesting to note that verse 16 spoke of the Lamb’s wrath, but now we are told that God on the throne and the Lamb are both wrathful. Indeed, it is the “great day” of their wrath. The OT prophets often spoke of the day of the Lord, emphasizing it was a day of judgment (Isa. 2:12; 22:12; Ezek. 30:3; Joel 2:1, 31; 3:14; Zeph. 1:7, 14; Mal. 4:5), though it was also the day the Lord would deliver his people (e.g., Isa. 4:2; 11:11; 19:16, 18, 19; 27:12–13; Joel 3:18; Zech. 13:2). The focus here is on judgment, and the OT prophets say it is a day of “destruction” (Isa. 13:6; Joel 1:15), “darkness” and “gloom” (Amos 5:18, 20), and “wrath and fierce anger” (Isa. 13:9; cf. Zeph. 1:18; 2:2, 3), when the kings on earth will be punished (Isa. 24:21). The day of the Lord in the OT often refers to days in history when God judged his people or their enemies, but these days of the Lord point to and culminate in the final day of the Lord—what John calls the “great day” of the Lord.

OT writers reflected on the day of God’s anger, asking who could “endure” the day of his “great” and “awesome” anger (Joel 2:31). “Who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears?” (Mal. 3:2; cf. Ps. 76:7; Luke 21:36). John asks a similar question here. When the end arrives and the wrath of God and the Lamb are about to be unleashed, who can withstand their wrath? John will answer that question in the next chapter.