Introduction

† Revelation chapter 6 begins the opening of the sealed scroll that was introduced in the previous chapter. The Lamb, Jesus Christ, is the only one worthy to break the seals and reveal the judgments written within it. These seals describe the approaching judgment that was about to fall on Jerusalem and the old covenant system in the first century.

† Jesus had already warned about these same events during His ministry. In Matthew 24 He described wars, famine, persecution, and cosmic imagery that would occur before the destruction of the temple. Revelation now shows those same warnings again, but in symbolic prophetic language.

† The seals reveal the escalating troubles that would come upon Israel before AD 70, confirming that the time of judgment against the generation that rejected the Messiah had arrived.

Revelation 6:1

Then I watched as the Lamb opened the first seal, and I heard one of the four living creatures speak with a voice that sounded like thunder saying, Come and see.

† The Lamb opening the seal shows Christ Himself directing the events of judgment. Nothing happens outside His authority. (Matthew 28:18)

† The command to come and see reveals that what follows is a prophetic unveiling of events about to unfold in the Roman world leading to Jerusalem's fall. (Matthew 24:6-8)

† The thunder-like voice emphasizes the seriousness of the judgment being revealed, echoing the voice of God in prophetic visions. (Ezekiel 1:24)

Revelation 6:2

I looked and saw a white horse. The rider held a bow, and a crown was given to him. He rode out conquering and determined to conquer.

† The white horse represents conquest and military expansion. Rome's growing military power was spreading across the empire during this time. (Luke 21:9)

† The crown being given shows authority granted for conquest. Rome's emperors ruled with imperial authority over the nations. (Daniel 7:23)

† Many historians record increasing military campaigns and political struggles leading up to the Jewish war. Josephus describes the rising tensions throughout Judea during this period.

Revelation 6:3

When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, Come and see.

† Each seal continues the unfolding pattern of judgment that Jesus had already predicted for that generation. (Matthew 24:7)

† The repeated call to come and see shows that these events were not distant mysteries but unfolding realities.

Revelation 6:4

Another horse appeared, bright red. Its rider was given power to remove peace from the land so people would slaughter one another, and a large sword was given to him.

† The red horse symbolizes bloodshed and war. Civil unrest and violence increased dramatically in Judea during the decades before AD 70.

† Jesus warned that nation would rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. (Matthew 24:7)

† Josephus records intense civil conflict among Jewish factions in Jerusalem even before the Romans fully surrounded the city.

Revelation 6:5

When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, Come and see. I looked and saw a black horse. Its rider held a pair of scales in his hand.

† The black horse represents famine and economic hardship.

† The scales symbolize rationing and scarcity of food. (Ezekiel 4:16)

† Famines were recorded throughout the Roman world during this time, including the famine mentioned in Acts 11:28.

Revelation 6:6

Then I heard what sounded like a voice from among the four living creatures saying, A quart of wheat for a day's wages, and three quarts of barley for a day's wages, but do not harm the oil and the wine.

† These prices describe extreme inflation during famine conditions where basic food becomes very expensive.

† The mention of oil and wine not being harmed reflects uneven economic hardship where luxury goods remain available while basic necessities become scarce.

† Similar famine conditions occurred during the siege of Jerusalem according to Josephus in The Jewish War.

Revelation 6:7

When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, Come and see.

† The pattern continues showing worsening judgment.

† The unfolding seals mirror the escalating signs Jesus described leading up to the temple's destruction. (Matthew 24:7-8)

Revelation 6:8

I looked and saw a pale horse. The rider's name was Death, and Hades followed behind him. Authority was given to them over a fourth of the land to kill with sword, famine, plague, and wild beasts.

† The pale horse represents widespread death through multiple disasters.

† Sword, famine, and plague were common prophetic descriptions of covenant judgment against Israel. (Ezekiel 14:21)

† Josephus records massive death throughout Judea during the Roman war, including famine, violence, and disease.

Revelation 6:9

When the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been killed because of the word of God and the testimony they held.

† These martyrs represent early Christians who were persecuted by both Jewish authorities and Roman powers. (Acts 7:59-60)

† Their position under the altar reflects sacrificial imagery, showing their deaths as offerings to God.

† Jesus had warned that His followers would be killed and persecuted before the end of that age. (Matthew 24:9)

Revelation 6:10

They cried out with a loud voice saying, How long, Lord, holy and true, will You wait before judging and avenging our blood on those who live on the land?

† The cry for justice echoes the language of Old Testament martyrs seeking divine judgment. (Psalm 79:10)

† Their question shows the expectation that judgment was near, not thousands of years away.

† Jesus promised that the blood of the prophets would be required of that generation. (Matthew 23:35-36)

Revelation 6:11

Each of them was given a white robe and told to rest a little longer until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who would be killed as they were was completed.

† The white robe represents vindication and righteousness.

† The delay shows that persecution would continue for a short time until the full measure of suffering was complete.

† Early church history records continued persecution during the reigns of Nero and other Roman authorities.

Revelation 6:12

Then I watched as He opened the sixth seal, and a great earthquake occurred. The sun became dark like sackcloth made of hair, and the moon turned like blood.

† This language is prophetic imagery used throughout the Old Testament to describe the fall of nations. (Isaiah 13:10)

† The darkened sun and blood moon symbolize the collapse of Israel's political and religious system.

† Jesus used the same language when describing Jerusalem's coming destruction. (Matthew 24:29)

Revelation 6:13

The stars of the sky fell to the earth like a fig tree dropping its unripe fruit when shaken by a strong wind.

† Falling stars symbolize the downfall of rulers and authorities. (Isaiah 34:4)

† The fig tree imagery connects directly with Jesus' prophecy about Israel in Matthew 24:32.

Revelation 6:14

The sky was split apart like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved from its place.

† This imagery describes the removal of the old covenant world centered around the temple system.

† Hebrews 12:26-28 speaks of God shaking heaven and earth to remove what could be shaken.

Revelation 6:15

Then the kings of the earth, the rulers, the commanders, the wealthy, the strong, and every slave and free person hid themselves in caves and among the rocks of the mountains.

† This describes the terror of leaders and people during the Roman siege.

† Josephus records people hiding in caves and underground chambers during the war.

Revelation 6:16

They said 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.

† This directly echoes Hosea 10:8 where people cry for the mountains to fall on them during judgment.

† Jesus quoted the same passage when warning about Jerusalem's coming destruction. (Luke 23:30)

Revelation 6:17

Because the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?

† The great day of wrath refers to the judgment against Jerusalem and the end of the old covenant age.

† Jesus had warned that this judgment would occur within that generation. (Matthew 24:34)

† The destruction of the temple in AD 70 marked the final collapse of the old covenant system.

Historical References

† Josephus describes famine, civil war, and massive death during the siege of Jerusalem in The Jewish War, Books 5-6.

† Tacitus records the Jewish war and the destruction of Jerusalem in Histories 5.

† Eusebius writes that Christians fled Jerusalem before the destruction after remembering Jesus' warnings.

How It Applies To Us Today

† These events remind us that Jesus keeps His word. Everything He predicted about that generation came to pass exactly as He said.

† The fall of Jerusalem confirmed that the old covenant system had ended and Christ's kingdom had been fully established.

† Today we live in the fulfilled kingdom where Christ reigns and His people belong to the everlasting covenant.

Q & A Appendix

Q Did these events happen in the future?

A No. Jesus clearly placed these events in the first century generation.

Matthew 24:34
Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.

Q What does the cosmic imagery represent?

A The Bible often uses cosmic language to describe the fall of nations and governments.

Isaiah 13:10
For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not flash forth their light, The sun will be dark when it rises And the moon will not shed its light.

Q Why are the martyrs crying for justice?

A They were waiting for the promised judgment against those who persecuted them.

Matthew 23:36
Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.

Q What do the four horsemen represent?

A They represent the same signs Jesus warned about before the fall of Jerusalem, conquest, war, famine, and death spreading through the land before the final judgment of that generation.

Matthew 24:6-8
You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.

Q Who are the souls under the altar?

A They are the faithful believers who were killed for their testimony during the early persecutions. Their cry for justice shows they were waiting for the promised judgment against those who rejected Christ.

Revelation 6:9-10
When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?

Q What does it mean that the sky was rolled up like a scroll?

A This is prophetic language used in the Old Testament to describe the collapse of a ruling system. In Revelation it points to the removal of the old covenant order centered in Jerusalem and the temple.

Isaiah 34:4
And all the host of heaven will wear away, And the sky will be rolled up like a scroll; All their hosts will also wither away As a leaf withers from the vine, Or as one withers from the fig tree.

Q Why were people hiding in caves and crying for the mountains to fall on them?

A Jesus warned that this exact reaction would happen during the destruction of Jerusalem. The terror of the Roman siege drove many people to hide in caves and underground chambers trying to escape the judgment.

Luke 23:30
Then they will begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us, and to the hills, Cover us.

† This is the fulfilled perspective we proclaim at Fulfilled Prophecies †

© Fulfilled Prophecies - Dan Maines.

Source Index

† Matthew 23:35-36; Matthew 24:6-9, 29, 34; Luke 21:9-11, 23; Luke 23:30

† Acts 7:59-60; Acts 11:28; Hebrews 12:26-28; Ezekiel 4:16; Ezekiel 14:21; Isaiah 13:10; Isaiah 34:4; Psalm 79:10; Hosea 10:8

† Josephus, The Jewish War, Books 5-6; Tacitus, Histories 5; Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 3.5