Revelation 6:1-17
Now the action begins! Jesus, the victorious Lamb, starts breaking the seven seals of the scroll. Remember, this scroll contains the New Covenant—God's plan to judge apostate Israel and establish His kingdom through the Church. The central Old Testament passage behind this imagery comes from Zechariah 6:1-7, which pictures the Four Winds as God's chariots driven by His agents, patrolling the earth and controlling history.
These seals don't tell us events in exact chronological order. Instead, they show us different aspects of the same period—the "Last Days" of Israel from A.D. 30-70. Biblical symbolism views the earth (and especially the Land of Israel) as God's four-cornered altar, and thus often represents wide-sweeping, national judgments in a fourfold manner.
As Milton Terry noted, "The true interpretation of these first four seals is that which recognizes them as a symbolic representation of the 'wars, famines, pestilences, and earthquakes' which Jesus declared would be 'the beginning of sorrows' in the desolation of Jerusalem" (Matthew 24:6-7; Luke 21:10-11, 20).
As each of the first four seals is broken, one of the four living creatures around God's throne thunders: "Come!" They're not talking to John—they're calling forth God's agents of judgment, summoning the Four Horsemen who will execute God's covenant curses on rebellious Israel. These aren't random disasters; they're the specific judgments Moses warned would come upon Israel if they rejected God (Leviticus 26, Deuteronomy 28).
The first horseman has been tragically misunderstood. Many think this is the Antichrist, but notice the details: he rides a white horse (like Jesus in Revelation 19), carries a bow (God's favorite weapon throughout Scripture), and wears a crown given to him. This is Christ Himself leading the charge—not with physical weapons, but conquering through the Gospel as it spreads throughout the Roman Empire.
The second horseman brings war and civil strife. As John Calvin observed, when God removes restraints, man's ethical degeneracy is revealed in all its ugliness. This was abundantly fulfilled during Israel's Last Days, when the Land was filled with murderers, revolutionaries, and terrorists. Josephus describes how "every city was divided into two armies encamped against one another," with day-time spent in bloodshed and night-time in fear.
The third horseman brings economic chaos—famine so severe that a quart of wheat costs a denarius (a full day's wages), meaning a man's entire labor goes just to obtain food. Yet the oil and wine remain unharmed, perhaps indicating God's protection of the righteous, or the irony that luxuries remain while necessities disappear. Josephus describes the frantic search for food during Jerusalem's final siege: people breaking into houses, torturing neighbors, eating grain underground in dark corners.
The fourth horseman, riding a green horse (the color of sickness and death), brings the comprehensive summary of all covenant curses: sword, famine, pestilence, and wild beasts—the exact four judgments God lists in Ezekiel 14:21 as His "four severe judgments against Jerusalem." At this preliminary stage, Death and Hades are given authority to devastate a fourth of the Land—with worse judgments to follow in the trumpets and bowls.
When the fifth seal is opened, John sees the souls of those slain for the Word of God underneath the altar—martyrs killed by apostate Israel's persecution of the early Church. They cry out: "How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You not judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the Land?" This isn't vindictive; it's a righteous plea for covenant justice.
Each martyr receives a white robe, symbolizing God's acknowledgment of their purity and victory. They're told to rest "a little while longer" until the full number of martyrs is completed—then God's judgment will strike with "wrath to the uttermost" (1 Thessalonians 2:14-16).
We must reject the pagan delusion that it's "unchristian" to pray for God's wrath on the enemies of the Church. The godly man despises the reprobate (Psalm 15:4), and the imprecatory prayers of Scripture are a necessary aspect of the Christian's attitude. Churches that refuse to confront evil become emasculated and will eventually be captured by their enemies.
The sixth seal brings cosmic upheaval: a great earthquake, the sun becoming black, the moon like blood, stars falling, the sky splitting like a scroll, and every mountain and island moved from its place. This is classic de-creation language—the prophetic imagery used throughout Scripture to describe the fall of nations and kingdoms.
This isn't the literal destruction of the physical universe—it's the collapse of the Old Covenant world. The "sun, moon, and stars" represent Israel's ruling authorities (Genesis 37:9-11), and their "falling" represents the end of the Jewish age.
All classes of society—from kings to slaves—flee to caves and mountains, begging to be hidden from "the wrath of the Lamb." They recognize that "the great day of His wrath has come." This is the final De-creation of the old world order as God establishes His New Covenant kingdom through judgment on apostate Israel.
Key Difference: Instead of fear-based speculation about future disasters, this view shows us Christ's completed victory and ongoing conquest through history. We're not waiting to be rescued—we're already kings and priests advancing His kingdom!
How does it change your perspective on current events to know that Christ is actively riding forth in conquest, bringing both salvation to His people and judgment on the wicked? Do you pray for God's justice to prevail, or only for personal comfort and safety?