Chapter 6 Opening The Seals
Revelation Series
Intro: We left off in our last video John describing the scene of Him who sat on the throne holding a scroll that was sealed with seven seals. The question was asked by an angel “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals”. No one was qualified to open the scroll. John began to weep because no one was worthy to open the scroll. John is made aware that the Lion of the tribe of Judah was indeed worthy to open the scroll. We then see the curtain pulled back and an awesome scene of worship unfolds as the 24 elders along with all creatures in heaven saying “Blessing and honor and glory and power Be to Him who sits on the throne, And to the Lamb who lives forever and ever”.
- Chapter 6 is where we pick up today. John now begins to describe the first half of Daniel’s 70th week (Dan_9:27), that seven-year period of tribulation. The Lamb has taken the sealed book (His title deed to creation); He is about to open the seals and declare war on the godless world. With the opening of each seal in heaven, an important event will take place on earth. Be sure to compare these seals with what Christ taught about the end times in Mat_24:1-51.
NOTE: Dan 9:27 The ruler will make a treaty with the people for a period of one set of seven, but after half this time, he will put an end to the sacrifices and offerings. And as a climax to all his terrible deeds, he will set up a sacrilegious object that causes desecration, until the fate decreed for this defiler is finally poured out on him.” - The First Seal: Antichrist Rises to Power (Rev_6:1-2) Read
The first horse is white, and his rider is given a bow and a crown.
the rider here is Antichrist, the false Christ, beginning his conquest on earth. The fact that he has a bow, but no arrows, indicates that he conquers the nations peacefully. After the church has been raptured, the way will be opened for Antichrist to move in triumph (2Th_2:1-17). There will be a false peace temporarily, for he will unite Europe and make his pact with the Jews (1Th_5:2-3). This passage parallels Mat_24:5 and fulfills Christ’s prophecy in Joh_5:43. - The Second Seal: War (Rev_6:3-4) Read
This worldwide peace will not last long, for while men are saying “Peace and safety,” terrible wars will break loose. This parallels Mat_24:6-7. Red is a color associated with terror and carnage. In Revelation we have the red horse of war (Rev_6:3-4), the red dragon (Rev_12:3), and the red beast (Rev_17:3). Note that God gives Antichrist authority to take peace from the earth; this is all a part of the divine plan. Antichrist exchanges his arrowless bow for a great sword, and men begin to kill each other. This indicates clearly that methods of international agreement and diplomacy will not bring lasting peace. - The Third Seal: Famine (Rev_6:5-6) Read
Famine and war often go together; see Mat_24:7. The color black makes one think of famine; see Jer_14:1-2 and Lam_5:10. The rider (still Antichrist) holds a pair of balances, indicating that his government has established control of food. A measure of wheat was about a quart; and a penny was a day’s wages for a worker. In other words, food will be so scarce it will take a person all day to earn enough wages for just a quart of grain! But note that there is no scarcity of oil and wine for the rich. The rich get richer and enjoy their luxuries, while the poor get poorer and can hardly get enough to eat. This indicates that all man-made schemes to give people even the necessities of life will fail. It is worth noting that grain, oil, and wine were the key products of Israel (Hos_2:8). Since Antichrist has made his covenant with Israel, he would want to protect its resources. - The Fourth Seal: Death (Rev_6:7-8) Read
The word “pale” suggests a leprous color (Lev_13:49, “greenish”). Death rides this horse, and “Hades” (not hell) rides with him. Death claims the body, Hades the soul. God gives them authority to kill one-fourth of the earth’s population! Four methods are used: the sword (violence and war); hunger (famine); death, or pestilence (disease accompanies war and famine); and beasts (nature takes over when civilization falls apart). Read Eze_14:21 for a parallel. Even the wild beasts will be hungry and attack humans! What terrible judgments await the Christ-rejecting world after the church is taken to heaven! - The Fifth Seal: The Martyrs (Rev_6:9-11) Read
The OT priest poured the blood of the sacrifice under the brazen altar (Lev_4:7); and since the blood speaks of the life (or soul, Lev_17:11), we witness here the souls of the martyrs under the heavenly altar. Their murderers had not yet been avenged. These martyred saints pray for vengeance;. It is true that saints in this age are told to pray for those who persecute them, and this is what Christ, Stephen, and Paul did But this period will be a time of judgment, when God will be answering the prayers of His people for deliverance and vengeance. After all, God is judging the world when they pray; so they are praying in the will of God. This parallels Mat_24:9. God promises them that He will answer their prayers; but first, more of their brethren will be slain. We see other saints slain in Rev_12:11, Rev_14:13, and Rev_20:4-5 - The Sixth Seal: World Chaos (Rev_6:12-17) Read
Three earthquakes are mentioned in Revelation (Rev_6:12; Rev_11:13; Rev_16:18-19). There is no doubt that these are literal earthquakes, but along with them will be disturbances on earth and in the heavens that will frighten great and small. Some students think that these verses describe the results of atomic warfare, with the sun and moon blacked out, great land masses moved, and people hiding in holes in the ground to escape atomic radiation. This may be so; but we need to note that the people are hiding from Christ and His wrath in particular, not from some man-made catastrophe. - Conclusion: In summary, note that Antichrist begins his career as a peaceful political conqueror, but then resorts to war and economic controls to dominate other nations. The world will accept his false peace because it has rejected the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ.