When the Lamb Opened One of the Seals (Revelation 6)
2014-03-15
Introduction
Revelation 6 begins what we call the seven seals. Only the first six seals are discussed in this chapter. What is significant here is that Revelation 6-7 is a parallel passage with the Olivet discourse in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21. The order of the events is striking, which shows us the link between these passages.
Here is an overview that includes all seven seals:
| Seal | Matthew 24 | Mark 13 | Luke 21 | Revelation 6, 8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seal 1: Antichrist(s) | Matthew 24:5 | Mark 13:6 | Luke 21:8 | Revelation 6:1-2 |
| Seal 2: Death | Matthew 24:6-7 | Mark 13:7-8 | Luke 21:9-10 | Revelation 6:3-4 |
| Seal 3: Famine | Matthew 24:7 | Mark 13:8 | Luke 21:11 | Revelation 6:5-6 |
| Seal 4: Pestilence | Matthew 24:7-8 | Mark 13:8 | Luke 21:11 | Revelation 6:7-8 |
| Seal 5: Martyrs | Matthew 24:9-28 | Mark 13:9-23 | (sort of missing, see discussion) | Revelation 6:9-11 |
| Seal 6: Signs | Matthew 24:29-30 | Mark 13:24-26 | Luke 21:25-28 | Revelation 6:12-17 |
| Seal 7: Silence | - | - | - | Revelation 8:1 |
When Jesus tells his disciples that the Temple is going to be destroyed, some of his disciples solemnly go to Jesus, asking him when this is going to happen. We would ask the same question if someone was talking about the destruction of our own country. Jesus’ first response is: “Take heed that no man deceive you.” The reason for this is because many do plan to deceive us. Eschatology is entertainment here in America, and every religion, Christian or otherwise, has some kind of view as to how the world will end, and has some Messianic figure that initiates it. We need to be cognizant of this; we can be deceived by false Christs and false views of the end times. All of what I write here may very well may be wrong! Though I feel all of this makes the most sense to me, it is ultimately up to you to look to the Lord for wisdom in discerning the end times and what the Bible has to say about it.
Revelation 6:1-2: The First Seal
And 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. And 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
The first four seals are represented by horses. We see similar horses in Zechariah 6, where there are groups of horses of the same colors with chariots. The angel there tells us, “These are the four spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth” (Zechariah 6:5). If there is any correlation between these spirits and the horses, and the horsemen in Revelation 6, then we see that these horsemen are ultimately servants of God, and doing his bidding. Each of the beasts is sending one of these spirits, announcing them with a thunderous voice.
For this first seal, we see a ruler (designated by the crown) going forth to conquer. This ruler is not Jesus Christ, though ultimately is trying to copy Christ to some degree because we see Jesus returning on a white horse in Revelation 19:11. He also is a conqueror. This is none other than the Antichrist.
The Antichrist is a deceiver. In Matthew 24:5, we see that many false Christs will deceive many. This one Antichrist is one of many that is given a crown (ruling authority) and power to conquer, so that he will rise above the others. We know from 2 Thessalonians 2 that he will come performing very convincing miracles to deceive many. We will discuss this man in greater detail in Revelation 13.
Revelation 6:3-4: The Second Seal
And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. And 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
Though the rise of the Antichrist will deceive many, chaos will ensue because of the destruction that this conqueror wrought. We see a scene of anarchy. In the Olivet discourse, we see nations rising against each other, with wars and the possibility of war on all fronts (“rumours of wars”).
Revelation 6:5-6: The Third Seal
And 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. And 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
This is talking about worldwide famine. In Matthew 20:2, we see that a penny is a normal day’s wages: “But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny.” Imagine going to the store any paying over 50 dollars for a loaf of bread; this is how it will be in those days.
Revelation 6:7-8: The Fourth Seal
And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. And 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.
Because of the war and famine in the world, it follows that hunger and widespread death would occur. Consider that a quarter of the population would die because of all the events taking place!
Even more frightening is the fate of those who die. It says that “Hell followed with him [Death].” Dying without Christ leads straight to hell. Even though the world was going through great trials, it appears that few are believing on Christ despite the need to rely on him.
Revelation 6:9-11: The Fifth Seal
And 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: And 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? And 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.
We see that those who have died for the cause of Christ are under this altar. This is drastically different from what we read in the Sermon on the Mount:
But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust (Matthew 5:44-45)
Jesus’ words is exactly the attitude and lifestyle we need to have. So why are these saints praying for vengeance now? It is important to realize that once they are in heaven, they apparently have more knowledge about what is going on upon the earth than they did when they were there. Now that they have served Jesus to their deaths, they now pray for the return of the Lord Jesus Christ, because the state of the world has reached a point of no return.
Once they pray for vengeance, they are given these white robes. Perhaps this is related to the white raiment given to believers in Revelation 3:5 (see discussion there). However, it is important to remember that people were meant to have bodies; only the souls of these martyrs are in heaven. This robe very well could be some sort of temporary covering until they get their bodies back at the resurrection and gathering (Revelation 7).
Persecution in the Olivet Discourse
The Olivet discourse gives us more insight as to what this persecution looks like. Matthew 24:9-14 says:
Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come
The first word used here is “then.” This is significant, because the events that Jesus is about to describe is after the wars and famines he just described. “They” will also deliver believers to be afflicted and killed. Who are “they”? The antecedent could either be those who are referred to in 24:5, who are self-declared christs, or the nations and kingdoms in 24:7. The answer could quite possibly be both. We read in the parallel passage, Mark 13:9, “But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them.” Synagogues throughout the New Testament are religious congregations. Also, we see Christians are going to be brought before rulers and kings, which indicates that there will be both religious and secular authorities that will be warring against the Faith. Also, we see Christians will be hated throughout the entire world.
From Mark’s perspective, we see that these trials will actually be used by God for gospel proclaimation. A few verses later is the famous verse, Matthew 24:14, about world-comprehensive gospel preaching. This shows us that the last peoples of the world may likely hear about Jesus Christ because of the trials of Christian people.
We also see a rise of false prophets. This could be different from the false Christs in 24:5 since it is mentioned here in the narrative. These may be false prophets that rise up from the midst of Christians. There is also a sense that Christians are betrayed from those within the established church, and mistrust between believers causes people to not love as they used to love, a trait that is supposed to be the mark of true disciples.
Matthew 24:13 is a very misquoted verse: “But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” In this context, it simply means that Christians that do not get murdered by the world system will be removed from the earth (Matthew 24:31) before God pours out his wrath on the world.
When to Run
There is a time when Christians will be on the run, even as commanded by Christ:
When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened. Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together (Matthew 24:15-28)
First, we know it is time to run when there is a Jewish temple, and it has a blasphemous image of the Antichrist in it. We will see more about this in Revelation 13, but when we see this sort of thing, it is time to run into self-imposed exile. In 24:21, Jesus tells us that this will be the worst tribulation that any Christian will ever experience in all of world history. False christs will rise and be very convincing with their speech and power. Whatever happens, we are to not trust anyone who comes with power and false miracles, because Christ is coming back in a dramatic way, and he himself will gather us from the ends of the earth.
Luke’s Account Is Different
Luke’s account is very subtly different. Compare the following passages:
| Matthew 24:5-9 | Luke 21:8-12 |
|---|---|
| For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. | And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them. But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by. Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven. But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name’s sake. |
Matthew clearly says that the delivering of the saints to severe trials happens chronologically after famines and pestilences and the events of the first four seals. Notice very carefully that Luke mentions the first four seals, and then mentions the sixth seal (the signs in heaven), and then says that the trials happen “before all these.” Luke is talking about something different here. He spends a lot of the discourse here about immediate events as opposed to eschatalogical events. Luke 21:17-18 say, “And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake. But there shall not an hair of your head perish.” There was no promise of protection from harm in the other passage, but the opposite! The tribulation aspect is common in both scenarios, but is far worse immediately preceding Christ’s coming than it was in the first century (imagine that!).
Furthermore, there is more evidence that Luke is talking about historical events. Compare the following events:
| Matthew 24:15-16 | Luke 21:21 |
|---|---|
| When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: | And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto. |
In Matthew, we are talking about an event yet future: the erecting of a blasphemous image in the Jewish temple. In Luke, we see the surrounding of Jerusalem by armies, which is a historical event fulfilled in A.D. 70. One could argue that Jerusalem is going to be surrounded by armies again in the future. But in Luke 21:24, we read, “And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.” This clearly represents history (cf. Daniel 9:26). Jerusalem was “trodden down of the Gentiles” from A.D. 70 until 1948.
Furthermore, we can see an aside written in Matthew’s and Mark’s gospels: “whoso readeth, let him understand.” Any like phrase is absent in Luke’s gospel. The text following this phrase was meant for a future audience that was not the disciples, while Luke did not use this phrase because this was for the disciples and the Christians of that generation alone. Interestingly enough, we can see that our reaction to the abomination of desolation should be similar to the days when Titus Vespasian descended upon Jerusalem... run!
One final thing, in Luke 21:25, we see that Luke switches back to the future. He uses a literary device to indicate he is doing so. In 21:24, he finishes his sentence, “until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.” Then he talks about events of the sixth seal. This is similar to how Daniel jumps an entire epoch in time from Daniel 11:35 to 11:36: “And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed. And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.” When Luke writes, “until the times of the Gentile be fulfilled,” he is assuming that what he says next assumes that this “time of the Gentiles” is over, much like Daniel assumes that “the time of the end” has come.
Revelation 6:12-17: The Sixth Seal
And 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; And 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. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And 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; And 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: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
In this seal, we see events that are primarily taking place in the heavens. After an earthquake, we see the sun become black as sackcloth and the moon becoming as blood. This is very significant. Consider the famous text, Joel 2:30-32:
And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.
This sign is what we need to look for immediately before God gathers his elect and pours out his wrath upon the earth. When people see this sign, people will call upon the LORD and be delivered from his wrath.
We see stars falling to earth and islands moving about. These are terrifying things because we no longer see events that could possibly have a human cause. When the heaven “departed as a scroll,” we see the entire world respond in great fear... They even call on the mountains, “Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?”
Their cry tells us two major things. First, these people know that these events are from God and the Lamb. They do not say this is from Mother Nature or some other natural or spiritual cause; this is from God, and they know it. As we will see, the inhabitants of the earth do not turn en masse to Christ; they are hardened against him. Second, this indicates that God’s wrath upon the earth is about to begin. But since Christians are not appointed to wrath, God delivers his people from his wrath before it happens by gathering them to himself, fulfilling Joel 2:32. We will look at this in Revelation 7.
This day of wrath is discussed extensively in the Olivet discourse:
Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. (Matthew 24:29-31)
Here, we see the same darkening of the sun and of the moon as seen in Revelation 6 and Joel 2. Immediately, we also see those who believe, or the “elect,” gathered by Jesus himself. We will discuss this gathering in more detail as we go into Revelation 7. But note the first four words of the passage: “Immediately after the tribulation.”