Revelation 6

This chapter belongs to the visionary section of the Book of Revelation. The Lamb, who in Revelation 5 received the scroll sealed with seven seals, here opens the seals one by one. The seventh seal is opened in chapter 8.

Outline

• Verses 1–2 The first seal. When one of the four living creatures says "Come," a white horse comes forth. Its rider holds a bow, is given a crown, and goes forth "conquering, and to conquer."
• Verses 3–4 The second seal. A red horse comes forth. Its rider takes peace from the earth so that people kill one another, and he is given a great sword.
• Verses 5–6 The third seal. The rider of a black horse holds a pair of balances. A voice is heard saying, "A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny," followed by the command not to hurt the oil and the wine.
• Verses 7–8 The fourth seal. The rider of a pale horse is named Death, and Hell follows with him. They are given power over a fourth part of the earth to kill with sword, hunger, death, and the beasts of the earth.
• Verses 9–11 The fifth seal. Beneath the altar, the souls of those slain for the word of God and for their testimony cry out, asking "How long" God will refrain from avenging them (that is, vindicating them for the wrong done to them). They are given white robes and told to rest a little while until the number of their fellow servants is fulfilled.
• Verses 12–17 The sixth seal. A great earthquake occurs, the sun becomes black, and the moon becomes as blood. The stars fall, the heaven departs as a scroll rolled together, and mountains and islands are moved out of their places. All people, from the kings of the earth to slaves, hide in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains, seeking to escape the wrath of him who sits on the throne and of the Lamb.

Key Verses

• Revelation 6:2 "Conquering, and to conquer." Interpretations diverge sharply over the identity of the rider on the white horse in this verse.
• Revelation 6:10 "How long, O Lord?" This verse is frequently cited as the plea of suffering believers.
• Revelation 6:17 "For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?" This question leads into the vision of the sealed multitude in chapter 7.

Figures and Places

• The Lamb: The one who opens the seals; he represents Christ.
• The four living creatures: The creatures around the throne, first introduced in chapter 4. Each summons a horse.
• The four horsemen: The riders of the white, red, black, and pale horses. The rider of the fourth horse is named "Death."
• Hades (Hell): The realm of the dead, here personified as following Death.
• The souls beneath the altar: Martyrs slain for their testimony.
• The narrator: The "I" who identifies himself as John in chapter 1.

Points to Consider

• Old Testament background: The horses of four colors recall the visions of horses in Zechariah 1 and Zechariah 6. The language of the sixth seal resembles the following Old Testament passages:
• Joel 2: the sun darkened and the moon turned to blood
• Isaiah 34: the heavens rolled together as a scroll
• Hosea 10: the cry to the mountains, "Cover us." The same words also appear in Luke 23.
• Connection with the Gospels: The sequence of war, famine, and earthquake is often compared with the Olivet Discourse on the end times in Matthew 24.
• Identity of the rider on the white horse: Some interpreters see him, like the rider on the white horse in 19:11, as Christ or as the advance of the gospel. Others regard him as one of the calamities, like the three horses that follow, and identify him with wars of conquest or with a false Christ.
• The denarius verse: A denarius (rendered "penny" in the KJV) is known to have been a laborer's daily wage. The verse is therefore commonly interpreted as describing a famine in which grain prices have risen sharply.
• Interpretive approaches: Approaches to the seven seals, trumpets, and bowls as a whole fall broadly into four categories:
• The view that they refer to events of the Roman era in John's own time
• The view that they refer to events unfolding successively throughout church history
• The view that they refer to future events of the last days. Dispensationalism generally reads this chapter as describing events of the tribulation period following the Rapture.
• The view that they are symbols depicting principles repeated in every age

Which interpretation one adopts depends on one's position regarding eschatology and the millennium.

• Scope of the text: The text does not specify the timing of the calamities or identify concrete events. Readings that map them onto particular dates or events are additions made by interpreters.