Revelation 6
6
The First Seal—The Conqueror
1Then I saw as the Lamb (Christ) broke one of the seven #6:1 A seal, sphragis, could only be broken by the one who has authority over it. In breaking the seals and disclosing God’s judgments, Christ demonstrated His own divine authority over creation.seals [of the scroll initiating the judgments], and I heard one of the four living creatures call out as with a voice of thunder, “#6:1 One early ms reads Come and see. Also vv 3, 5, 7.Come.” 2I looked, and behold, a #6:2 Some interpreters note that the rabbis said that if one sees a white horse in a dream, it is a good sign (Talmud). Jewish believers who heard these words being read in their church (see 1:3) probably would think that the vision indicated Israel would soon be freed from foreign domination. In the Roman world a white horse was a symbol of victory in battle. In this case the peace is deceptive because it will not be lasting. Other interpreters argue that the horseman represents the conquering Christ, as in 19:11.white horse [of victory] whose rider carried a #6:2 Without an arrow (if arrows are not to be assumed) the bow may symbolize a bloodless victory or conquest.bow; and a crown [of victory] was given to him, and he rode forth conquering and to conquer. [Ps 45:4, 5; Zech 1:8; 6:1-8]
The Second Seal—War
3When He (the Lamb) broke the second seal, I heard the second living creature call out, “Come.” 4And another, a #6:4 In contrast to the white horse, the rabbis said that if one saw a red horse walking gently, it was a good sign, but if the horse was galloping, it was a bad sign. It was also said that the man riding the red horse in Zechariah’s vision (Zech 1:8) was a sign that God intended to turn the whole world into blood (Talmud).fiery red horse [of bloodshed], came out; and its rider was empowered to take peace from the earth, so that men would slaughter one another; and a great sword [of war and violent death] was given to him. [Zech 1:8; 6:1-8]
The Third Seal—Famine
5When He (the Lamb) broke open the third seal, I heard the third living creature call out, “Come.” I looked, and behold, a black horse [of famine]; and the rider had in his hand a pair of scales (a balance). [Zech 6:1-8] 6And I heard something like a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius (a day’s wages), and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not #6:6 This may be a warning to be very careful handling olive oil and wine, which ordinarily are basic commodities, because famine will make them very expensive. The vision indicates that famine and inflation will take such a toll that a laborer will earn only enough to feed himself with wheat, or to provide barley for a small family. He will have almost nothing left for clothing, shelter, and incidentals.damage the oil and the wine.” [2 Kin 6:25]
The Fourth Seal—Death
7When He (the Lamb) broke open the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature call out, “Come.” 8So I looked, and behold, an ashen (pale greenish gray) horse [like a corpse, representing death and pestilence]; and its rider’s name was Death; and Hades (the realm of the dead) was following with him. They were given authority and power over a fourth part of the earth, to kill with the sword and with famine and with #6:8 Or death.plague (pestilence, disease) and by the wild beasts of the earth. [Ezek 14:21; Hos 13:14]
The Fifth Seal—Martyrs
9When He (the Lamb) broke open the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slaughtered because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained [out of loyalty to Christ]. 10They cried in a loud voice, saying, “O Lord, holy and true, how long now before You will sit in judgment and avenge our blood on those [unregenerate ones] who dwell on the earth?” [Gen 4:10; Ps 79:10; 94:3; Zech 1:12] 11Then they were each given a white robe; and they were told to rest and wait quietly for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers and sisters who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed.
The Sixth Seal—Terror
12I looked when He (the Lamb) broke open the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as #6:12 This was a coarse, uncomfortable material usually made of black goat hair and customarily worn as a sign of mourning or repentance.sackcloth [made] of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; [Joel 2:10, 31] 13and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, like a fig tree shedding its late [summer] figs when shaken by a strong wind. [Is 34:4] 14The sky was split [separated from the land] and rolled up like a scroll, and every mountain and island were dislodged and moved out of their places. 15Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the #6:15 Lit chiliarchs, a Greek word literally meaning a ruler (commander) of a thousand men, but used generally of high-ranking military officers.military commanders and the wealthy and the strong and everyone, [whether] slave or free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; 16and they called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne, and from the [righteous] wrath and indignation of the Lamb; [Is 2:19-21; Hos 10:8] 17for the great day of their wrath and vengeance and retribution has come, and who is able to [face God and] stand [before the wrath of the Lamb]?” [Joel 2:11; Mal 3:2; Jude 14; Rev 19:11-16]
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Ḥazon (Revelation) 6
6
1And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying, like a sound of thunder, “Come and see.”
2And I looked and saw a white horse,#See Zech. 6:3 and he who sat on it holding a bow. And a crown was given to him, and he went out overcoming and to overcome.
3And when He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come and see.”
4And another horse, fiery red,#See Zech. 1:8; Zech. 6:2 went out. And it was given to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that they should slay one another. And a great sword was given to him.
5And when He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come and see.” And I looked and saw a black horse,#See Zech. 6:2 and he who sat on it holding a pair of scales in his hand.#See Ezek. 4:16
6And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, “A measure of wheat for a denarius,#Roman monetary unit - a day’s wage. and three measures of barley for a denarius.#Roman monetary unit - a day’s wage. And do not harm the oil and the wine.”
7And when He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come and see.”
8And I looked and saw a green horse.#See Zech. 6:3. Traditionally rendered as pale; Gk. chloros. And he who sat on it had the name Death,#See Hosea 13:14 and She’ol#See Hosea 13:14 followed with him. And authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and by the beasts of the earth.#See Ezek. 5:12; Ezek. 5:17; Ezek. 14:13-19
9And when He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the slaughter-place the beings of those having been slain for the Word of Elohim and for the witness which they held,
10and they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Master, set-apart and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”
11And there was given to each one a white robe, and they were told that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brothers, who would be killed as they were, was completed.
12And I looked when He opened the sixth seal and saw a great earthquake came to be. And the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood.
13And the stars of the heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its unripe figs, being shaken by a strong wind.
14And heaven departed like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place.
15And the sovereigns of the earth, and the great ones, and the rich ones, and the commanders, and the mighty, and every slave and every free one, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains,
16and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us#Hosea 10:8 from the face of Him sitting on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb,
17because the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”
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