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Revelation 6

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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.

2

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.

3

And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see.

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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.

5

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.

6

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.

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And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.

8

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.

9

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:

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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?

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11

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.

12

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;

13

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.

14

And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.

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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;

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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:

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For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

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Revelation 6

The Lamb opens the first four seals, releasing the four horsemen of the apocalypse: conquest on a white horse, war on a red horse, famine on a black horse, and death riding a pale horse with Hades following, representing the instruments of God's judgment upon the earth. The souls of the martyrs under the altar, those killed for the word of God and their testimony, cry out How long, O Lord, holy and true, until you judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?—the eschatological prayer of the persecuted for vindication. The sixth seal triggers cosmic upheaval: a great earthquake, the sun becoming black as sackcloth, the moon becoming like blood, the stars of heaven falling like figs shaken from a tree, and every mountain and island being removed from its place. The inhabitants of the earth hide in caves and among rocks, calling out to the mountains and rocks to fall on them and hide them from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. The universal response of terror to God's judgment demonstrates the reality of divine retribution that no earthly power can escape. Yet the question—who is able to stand?—remains unanswered, creating tension and anticipation for the revelation of those sealed by God's protection.

Revelation 6:1

Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures call out, as with a voice of thunder, 'Come!' — as the Lamb unseals God's purpose, each seal releases an apocalyptic judgment. The living creature's thunderous summons (deuro, come) invokes the next judgment; the first creature corresponds to the first seal, establishing the living creatures' role in enacting eschatological events.

Revelation 6:2

I looked, and there was a white horse! Its rider had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he came out conquering, and to conquer — the white horse and crowned rider suggest conquest and victory; the bow (toxon) enables distant striking. The repeated phrase "to conquer" (nikao, nikē) establishes conquest as the seal's theme. Interpreters debate whether this rider is Christ or human conquest; the positive valuation here (white horse, crown) contrasts with later horsemen.

Revelation 6:3

When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature call out, 'Come!' — the second seal's opening is introduced by the second creature, maintaining the structural parallel to the first seal.

Revelation 6:4

Out came another horse, bright red; its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that people would slay one another; and he was given a great sword — the red horse (pyrros) symbolizes war and bloodshed; the rider's power to remove peace (eirēnē) and permit fratricide emphasizes warfare's destructive force. The great sword (machaira) enables mass slaughter. This represents escalation beyond the first horseman's conquest into active conflict.

Revelation 6:5

When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature call out, 'Come!' I looked, and there was a black horse! Its rider held a pair of scales in his hand — the black horse (melanos) represents famine and privation; the scales (zugos) indicate rationing and scarcity. The color black evokes mourning and death.

Revelation 6:6

And I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, 'A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; but do not harm the oil and the wine!' — the astronomical food prices (one denarius—a day's wage—for one quart of wheat, normally four quarts) indicate severe famine. The protection of oil and wine (luxury goods, or symbols of covenant blessing) suggests that judgment is selective, not universal annihilation.

Revelation 6:7

When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature call out, 'Come!' — the fourth creature's summons initiates the final and most devastating of the four horsemen.

Revelation 6:8

I looked and there was a pale horse! Its rider's name was Death, and Hades followed with him; and they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill by sword, famine, and plague, and by the wild animals of the earth — the pale/sickly yellow horse (chlōros) carries Death (Thanatos, personified) with Hades in pursuit, emphasizing the finality of mortality. Death's authority extends to a fourth of the earth, indicating apocalyptic judgment targeted at humanity; the four methods (sword, famine, plague, wild beasts) echo Ezekiel 14:21's enumeration of God's judgments.

Revelation 6:9

When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slaughtered for the word of God and for the testimony that they had given — the fifth seal shifts from the four horsemen's cosmic disturbances to heavenly realities: martyrs' souls beneath God's altar (recall Exodus 29:12, blood poured at the altar's base). Slain for the word of God and testimony establishes that martyrdom results from faithful witness.

Revelation 6:10

They cried out with a loud voice, 'Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long will it be before you judge and avenge our blood on the inhabitants of the earth?' — the martyrs' cry frames their suffering as demanding justice (krima); they call God sovereign (despotēs), holy (hagios), and true (alēthinos), emphasizing his character as judge. Their question—how long (heos pote)?—expresses the eschatological tension: justice delayed feels like justice denied.

Revelation 6:11

Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to rest a little longer, until the number would be complete of their fellow servants and brothers and sisters, who were soon to be killed as they themselves had been killed — the white robes signify vindication and resurrection hope; they are told to rest (anapaō) yet remain aware that further martyrdoms must occur. The unfinished number (arithmos, count) suggests that eschatological timing awaits the full company of martyrs, an encouragement to subsequent faithful unto death.

Revelation 6:12

When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and there came a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth, full of hair, and the full moon became like blood — the sixth seal unleashes cosmic catastrophe: earthquake (seismos) shaking creation, sun darkened (not merely eclipsed but become black like mourning cloth), moon turned blood-red (Ezekiel 32:7; Joel 2:31). These signs invoke the exodus plagues and prophetic imagery of the day of the Lord.

Revelation 6:13

And the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale — the falling stars (Isaiah 34:4 echoed) represent cosmic dissolution; the simile of the shaken fig tree stresses the violence of nature's upheaval, uncontrolled and catastrophic.

Revelation 6:14

The sky vanished like a scroll rolling itself up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place — the sky (ouranos, heaven itself) rolls up like a scroll, a vivid image of reality's dissolution (2 Peter 3:10). Mountains and islands (symbolizing stable landmarks) are unmade, indicating comprehensive destruction of the created order.

Revelation 6:15

Then the kings of the earth and the magnates and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains — the five-fold enumeration of earthly powers (baseis, megas, stratēgoi, plousioi, ischyroi) reveals the false security of human hierarchy; all without distinction (panta, everyone) seek shelter in futile self-protection. Their hiding acknowledges the judgment's reality.

Revelation 6:16

Calling to the mountains and rocks, 'Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!' — the desperate prayer to mountains to hide them from God's face (prosopon) and the Lamb's wrath (thymos) frames judgment as inescapable. Ironically, those who refuse to hide in God seek hiding from him; they recognize the Lamb's judicial authority.

Revelation 6:17

For the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?' — the rhetorical question (tis dynastai stathēnai?) echoes Nahum 1:6 and establishes that no one can endure God's judgment by their own strength. The day of wrath arrives; judgment is not delayed but imminent.