Naravist

The Revelation · New Testament

Revelation 6

Revelation 6: six seals opened

General context

The Lamb opens six of the seven seals. At the first four, one of the four beasts says "Come and see" and a horse goes out. The white horse's rider has a bow and is given a crown, and goes forth conquering. The red horse's rider is given power to take peace from the earth so that men kill one another, and a great sword. The black horse's rider holds a pair of balances, and a voice among the beasts names prices for wheat and barley and says not to hurt the oil and the wine. The pale horse's rider is named Death, with Hell following, and they are given power over a fourth part of the earth to kill with sword, hunger, death and the beasts of the earth. At the fifth seal John sees under the altar the souls of those slain for the word of God; they cry out asking how long before their blood is avenged, are given white robes, and are told to rest a little season. At the sixth seal a great earthquake comes, the sun turns black, the moon becomes as blood, stars fall, the heaven departs as a scroll, and people of every rank hide in the rocks.

Cited passages: Revelation 6:1, Revelation 6:2, Revelation 6:3, Revelation 6:4, Revelation 6:5, Revelation 6:6, Revelation 6:7, Revelation 6:8, Revelation 6:9, Revelation 6:10, Revelation 6:11, Revelation 6:12, Revelation 6:13, Revelation 6:14, Revelation 6:15, Revelation 6:16, Revelation 6:17

Revelation 6 (KJV)

1And 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.

2And 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.

3And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see.

4And 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.

5And 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.

6And 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.

7And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.

8And 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.

9And 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:

10And 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?

11And 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.

12And 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;

13And 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.

14And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.

15And 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;

16And 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:

17For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

This page shows the King James Version. In the app, reading opens in the Berean Standard Bible unless you have chosen another translation. The reader includes five translations: the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), the King James Version (KJV), the World English Bible (WEB), the Bible in Basic English (BBE), and the American Standard Version (ASV). Search covers three of them: Berean Standard, King James, and World English. Basic English and American Standard readers search the King James words.

Historical context

Only one rider is named. The text says of the fourth, "his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him". The first three riders are not named and not explained; the text reports only what each carries or is given, a bow and a crown, a great sword, a pair of balances. The voice at the third seal quotes measures and prices without stating a place or a currency beyond the word penny. The souls at the fifth seal are identified by what happened to them, "them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held", and not by name, number or nation. The answer they receive sets no date: they are to "rest yet for a little season" until a number is fulfilled. The killing, famine and terror are stated plainly and are not qualified anywhere in the chapter. No empire, ruler, city or era is named.

Cited passages: Revelation 6:2, Revelation 6:4, Revelation 6:5, Revelation 6:6, Revelation 6:8, Revelation 6:9, Revelation 6:10, Revelation 6:11

Literary context

The first four seals run on a repeated formula. A seal is opened, a beast says "Come and see", a horse of a stated colour appears, and its rider receives something. The colours run white, red, black and pale, and the verbs of granting repeat: "was given", "there was given", "power was given". At the fifth seal the formula stops, and instead of a horse there is a question, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood". The sixth seal answers with scale rather than speech, piling six collapses on top of each other and then listing seven classes of people, from kings down to "every bondman, and every free man", all doing the same thing. The chapter closes on a second question, "who shall be able to stand?", which is left hanging. The seventh seal is not opened anywhere in this chapter.

Cited passages: Revelation 6:1, Revelation 6:2, Revelation 6:4, Revelation 6:5, Revelation 6:8, Revelation 6:10, Revelation 6:12, Revelation 6:14, Revelation 6:15, Revelation 6:17

Key moments

  1. The first seal opened (Revelation 6:1). The Lamb opens a seal and one of the four beasts calls John to come and see.
  2. Peace taken from the earth (Revelation 6:4). The rider on the red horse is given power to make men kill one another.
  3. Prices called out (Revelation 6:6). A voice names the cost of wheat and barley and warns against hurting the oil and the wine.
  4. Death and Hell (Revelation 6:8). The fourth rider is named Death, with Hell following, given power over a fourth part of the earth.
  5. Souls under the altar (Revelation 6:9). John sees those slain for the word of God beneath the altar.
  6. How long (Revelation 6:10). They cry out asking how long before their blood is avenged.
  7. The sixth seal (Revelation 6:12). An earthquake darkens the sun and turns the moon to blood.

For reflection

The fifth seal puts a question in the mouths of the dead and answers it with a delay rather than a reason. How do you sit with an answer that grants the question and still asks for waiting?