By James M. Rochford

Unless otherwise stated, all citations are taken from the New American Standard Bible (NASB).

We are about to read an absolutely terrifying picture of the world: World war, massive inflation, poverty, disease, and death! During this time, people will truly see that the only security we have is in Christ. Revelation utilizes three symbols explain these judgments: Seals, trumpets, and bowls.

How should the seals be interpreted?

Several options have been given including (1) these events occur sporadically throughout the Church Age, (2) these events occur sequentially throughout the Church Age, or (3) these events occur immediately before Jesus’ Second Coming.

In our view, these seals do not all occur at once, and there could be a large gap of time in between these events. After all, when Jesus opens the fifth seal, the martyrs are still asking “how long” until God will judge the Earth, implying a passage of time between the fifth and sixth seals (Rev. 6:9-11). Regardless, we hold the view that the “seven seals” lead up to the Second Coming. In fact, some of these seals seem to align quite well with the “birth pains” (Mt. 24:8; Rom. 8:22) or “labor pains” (1 Thess. 5:3) in the Church Age. Therefore, we are currently living through many of these seals in the Church Age, but they will intensify as the Second Coming approaches. The correspondence with the Olivet Discourse is too close to ignore.

What is the chronology of the seals, trumpets, and bowls?

The chronological view holds that the trumpets, bowls, and plagues follow each other in succession. Hitchcock holds to this view. He argues that the seventh seal contains the seven trumpets, and the seventh trumpet contains the seven bowls.

We hold to another view called the recapitulation view. This view holds that the trumpets, bowls, and plagues all describe the same events, and they each “recap” one another. It is a very Hebraic way of thinking to tell a story, and then retell it (cf. comments on Gen. 1-2). According to this view, seals 6 and 7 give the first description of the Tribulation. Then, the seven trumpets give more description of the Tribulation, and finally, the bowls give the ultimate description. These are all parallel accounts of the Tribulation—not sequential. Since the sixth seal looks like final judgment, this encapsulates the other descriptions with the trumpets and bowls. We hold to this latter view. The repetition and intensification of the judgments is on display throughout the book, and each set of judgments gives more description than the last set. But each set of judgments is describing the same era of history (with the exception of seals 1-5, which describe the Church Age).

The judgments intensify with time. For example, the seals affect a quarter of the earth (Rev. 6:8), but later, the trumpets affect a third of the earth (Rev. 8:7, 8, 11, 12). Finally, the bowls finish God’s wrath (Rev. 16:17). Mounce writes, “The relationship of the three series is best understood as a spiral of increasing severity. Each series deals with the tumultuous time just before the end, but as we move from seals to trumpets to bowls we are aware of the ever increasing tempo and severity of the plagues.”^[1]

(6:1) “Then I saw when the Lamb broke one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, ‘Come.’”

In chapter 6, the vision now shifts from Heaven to Earth. God is on his throne in Heaven, where everyone knows who the true God is. But on Earth, we see a different story. Jesus is the one who opens the seals. As we learned in chapter 5, Jesus “is the only one worthy to set in motion the events contained in the scroll.”^[2]

“Four living creatures.” This is where we get the popular concept of the “four horsemen of the apocalypse.”

Seal #1: The Antichrist (the white horse)

(6:2) “I looked, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.”

(Rev. 6:2) Who is the rider on the white horse? Christ or the antichrist? The four horsemen hang together as a unit. Therefore, Christ is totally out of place among this group—notwithstanding the fact that he wears white. Mounce^[3] states that this refers to the “spirit of conquest and militarism” and to “military conquest in general.” This has a certain amount of plausibility because the other riders represent abstract concepts like this as well. However, the similarity with Christ (Rev. 19:11-16) leads us to believe that this is a “counterfeit Christ,”^[4] otherwise known as the Antichrist or the “beast” as Revelation calls him. This fits with the presence of false christs in the Olivet Discourse as well (Mt. 24:5, 24; Mk. 13:6; Lk. 21:8). Following the similarity of the Olivet Discourse, Thomas^[5] holds that this first rider is emblematic and symbolic of the false christs that lead up to the ultimate Antichrist (Rev. 13:1-8).

“A crown was given to him… it was granted.” The Antichrist isn’t ultimately in charge. Instead, Jesus allows or permits him to do what he wants. John demonstrates this by using passive language throughout this section. The Antichrist needs to be “given” and “granted” his power. There are many antichrists who rule in each generation (cf. 1 Jn. 2:18), but this is the ultimate Antichrist. If we are correct in thinking that this is the Antichrist, then this would fit Jesus’ statement in his Olivet Discourse—even in the same chronological order: “See to it that no one misleads you. ⁵ For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many” (Mt. 24:4-5). Then, Jesus later says, “If anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or ‘There He is,’ do not believe him. ²⁴ For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. ²⁵ Behold, I have told you in advance” (Mt. 24:23-25).

“He went out conquering and to conquer.” Thomas summarizes this first rider well: “the counterfeit Christian forces of the future will attain worldwide domination, but that domination will be only temporary. The real King of kings will appear and put an end to it (cf. Rev. 19:11-16).”^[6]

Seal #2: Warfare (the red horse)

(6:3-4) “When He broke the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, ‘Come.’ ⁴ And another, a red horse, went out; and to him who sat on it, it was granted to take peace from the earth, and that men would slay one another; and a great sword was given to him.”

The red horse is symbolic for war.^[7] To be more specific, this figure removes peace. Once this occurs, humans “slay one another.” Murder and violence exist in the human heart, and this figure takes the peace that guards us from tearing one another apart.

John uses the passive voice to describe his authority (“It was granted…”). This shows that this figure is under God’s authority. Once again, we see that this fits chronologically with Jesus’ statement in the Olivet Discourse: “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. ⁷ For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom” (Mt. 24:6-7). According to Jesus, this period is not the Great Tribulation, but rather, it refers to the increasing intensity that will lead up to the Tribulation.

Seal #3: Famine and inflation (the black horse)

(6:5-6) “When He broke the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, ‘Come.’ I looked, and behold, a black horse; and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. ⁶ And I heard something like a voice in the center of the four living creatures saying, ‘A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not damage the oil and the wine.’”

These prices are massively inflated. Herodotus recorded that a pound of wheat could feed a grown man for a full day (Herodotus, 7.187). Yet, a denarius was a grown man’s full wage. This means that a grown man could earn just enough to feed himself, but he would have nothing left to feed a family or even have housing. Beale notes that these prices were “eight to sixteen times the average prices in the Roman Empire at the time (cf. Cicero, In Verrem, 3.81).”^[8] No doubt, food will be scarce if inflation occurs to this extent.^[9]

“Do not damage the oil and the wine.” Thomas^[10] holds that this refers to luxurious living (Prov. 21:17). In this day, the disparity between the rich and the poor will be unthinkable. The poor will be living on scarcity, while the rich will be living off of luxury, drinking wine and using oil to cook their meals.

However, Mounce^[11] argues that this might simply be describing limits to this particular judgment. The roots of olive trees and vines go deeper than the wheat, and a drought wouldn’t hurt them as badly. Thus, John is simply describing a “natural limitation to the famine.”

Before Hitler took power, Weimar (in Germany) was in such poverty that people carried money in wheelbarrows due to such astronomic inflation. This paved the way for a charismatic and malevolent leader like Hitler to come on the scene to “fix all the problems.” Similarly, this description of rampant inflation signals an absolute crash in the economy, and the Antichrist will likely step forward to offer “peace and safety” (1 Thess. 5:3).

Preterists hold that this refers to the edicts regarding the planting of new vineyards under Domitian (AD 92). However, Thomas counters, “The problem with this connection is that Domitian’s decree had nothing to do with a famine. It was issued to protect Italian vine growers.”^[12]

Seal #4: More war, more famine, disease, and wild beasts (the ashen/green horse)

(6:7-8) “When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, ‘Come.’ ⁸ I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name Death; and Hades was following with him. Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth.”

The “ashen” (chlōros) horse is yellowish green. It is the root word for our term “chlorine,” and it probably refers to the “colour of a corpse.”^[13] It can refer to “the paleness of a sick person in contrast to a healthy appearance” (BDAG).

Does “pestilence” (thanatos) refer to disease? Yes. While the term typically refers to “the termination of physical life, death” (BDAG, p.442), in this context, this seems to refer to a destruction of health through the means of war, famine, and disease. Thomas writes, “Thanato is an example of metonymy whereby the effect is used in place of the cause that produces it. It depicts death brought about by the special cause of disease. This meaning for the word is fixed by its association with the other three judgments here and by a comparison with Ezek. 14:2 [LXX], where it is so translated (cf. also Jer. 14:12; 21:7).”^[14] Once again, this fits with Jesus’ statement in the Olivet Discourse: “In various places there will be famines and earthquakes” (Mt. 24:7).

What are the wild beasts? Some interpreters believe that the “wild beasts” refer to rats bringing disease. While this might not sound intimidating, rats historically spread disease in the past (e.g. Bubonic plague), and they are definitely deadly during times of famine, disease, and death. Other diseases and viruses originated from animals, so this view has some plausibility (e.g. HIV, Ebola, etc.). By contrast, Hitchcock speculates that the “beasts” refer to the world rulers who will bring germ warfare. This would fit with other uses of the word “beast” in Revelation that often refer to people (e.g. Rev. 11:7; 13:1-4, 11-12; cf. Ezek. 14:21).

Seal #5: Martyrs in heaven

After all of the death and destruction of the first four seals, it makes sense that many Christians would die for their faith during this time. Furthermore, if seals 6 and 7 align with the time right before the Second Coming, then this would indeed be a period of intense martyrdom. Therefore, it’s no wonder that the saints in Heaven would be asking God for him to intervene in ending the Tribulation.^[15]

(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. ¹⁰ 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?’”

“Underneath the altar.” These people might be depicted as being under the altar because this was a place of “privilege,” or a place of “safety.”^[16]

This passage tells us several key details about the reality of the Present Heaven:^[17]

1. Believers in the Present Heaven are the same people they were on Earth—only made perfect (Heb. 12:23). They don’t change their identity.
2. These believers still possess desires. In Heaven, we won’t become braindead, emotionless, or apathetic. We’ll be more engaged in God’s plan than ever before.
3. Believers in the Present Heaven communicate directly with God. They ask God questions, and he gives them answers. Yet, even though they’re questioning God, they’re still addressing him as the one ultimately in charge and morally perfect. They trust in God’s judgment (Rom. 12:19). This is why we refer to God as “sovereign” and “holy” and “true.”
4. These believers remember their former lives on Earth—specifically the fact that they were murdered.
5. These believers are aware of the passage of time (“How long, O Lord?”).
6. These believers have a deeper understanding of God’s character (“O Lord, holy and true”).
7. These believers still care for their loved ones, mentioning their “fellow servants” and “brethren” who were still on Earth (v.11).

Believers in the Present Heaven can see the events happening on Earth. This doesn’t mean we will become all-knowing in Heaven, but we will be able to see at least the major events in God’s plan. John later adds, “Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, because God has pronounced judgment for you against her” (Rev. 18:20). And again, he mentions a “great multitude in heaven” rejoicing over the destruction of Babylon (Rev. 19:1). Moreover, Jesus said, “There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Lk. 15:10). Jesus doesn’t say that the angels rejoice over people meeting Christ on Earth, but that rejoicing occurs in the presence of the angels.^[18] Do believers throw parties in Heaven to celebrated when people come to faith in Christ on Earth? It’s very likely that they do!

While several biblical texts imply that believers can witness events on Earth, this doesn’t mean that we should pray directly to dead loved ones (Deut. 18:10-12; Lev. 20:6, 27; 1 Sam. 28:5-18; Isa. 8:19-20). Jesus taught us to pray to our “Father who is in heaven” (Mt. 6:9)—not to dead Christians. Paul wrote that we should “let [our] requests be made known to God” (Phil. 4:6). In all the prayers recorded in Scripture, none are addressed to a dead Christian. Erwin Lutzer explains this best when he tells the story about a little girl who prayed that Jesus would give a message to her deceased “grampa.” He comments, “This little girl’s theology was much better than that of millions of other people in the world. She knew that although we might pray to Jesus to get a message to grampa, we don’t pray to grampa to get a message to Jesus!”^[19]

(6:11) “And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also.”

The martyrs are crying out to God, pleading with him to intervene. How does God respond? He tells these outraged people to “rest” a little while longer. His plan isn’t finished yet. Peter tells us that God is waiting for many people to come to Christ before he intervenes (2 Pet. 3:9). This fits with Jesus’ statement, “Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name” (Mt. 24:9).

(Rev. 6:9-11) Is it Christian to pray for vengeance?

Seal #6: Massive earthquake, sun blackened out, stars falling, mountains and islands rearranging

(6:12) “I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood.”

This earthquake causes the sun to blacken out. John uses the language of simile (“like blood”), so this must mean that the moon turns red.

When does this final seal occur? This seal seems to have been broken at the end of the Great Tribulation (Mt. 24:29). This corresponds along with the “great earthquake” predicted by the prophets just before the return of the Messiah (Isa. 2:19; 29:6; Hag. 2:6-7; Zech. 14:4-5).

(6:13) “And the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind.”

“Stars of the sky fell to the earth.” These can’t be literal stars. If literal stars collided with our planet, their massive centers of gravity would strip the surface of the Earth clean before collision ever occurred. The Earth would also cook to incredible temperatures before impact.

The term “stars” (asteres) often refer to literal stars, but sometimes the word is used to “include smaller objects that hurtle through space from time to time.”^[20] Thomas^[21] holds that this is “semi-poetic or hyperbolic” language. But it seems more likely to understand this as perspectival or phenomenological language. That is, John is seeing falling objects coming from the sky and crashing into the earth, so he grasps at his limited language to describe what he’s seeing. We are certainly speculating, but it’s possible John is seeing a vision of modern warfare or asteroids. If so, he would use ancient concepts like falling stars to describe these images. Thomas writes, “The phenomenon is so large scale that it appears from man’s perspective that the stars are falling, when in reality it is probably a very large meteor shower that invades the terrestrial atmosphere.”^[22]

(6:14) “The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.”

Commentators like Mounce^[23] think that this is merely apocalyptic imagery that shouldn’t be taken literally. However, he states that the “removing of every mountain and island from its place has no parallel in apocalyptic writing.”^[24]

We disagree. Once again, this seems to be perspectival or phenomenological language used to describe future warfare. After all, the context refers to warfare (Rev. 6:2, 4, 8, 10). This also looks back to the reference to the “great earthquake” (v.12).

“Every mountain and island were moved out of their places.” This could be hyperbolic language,^[25] because humans will bury themselves in the mountains during this time (Rev. 6:16). However, eventually, Jesus will judge the Earth so completely that nothing will remain. Later, John writes, “Every island fled away, and the mountains were not found” (Rev. 16:20).

(6:15) “Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains.”

Since John mentions all classes of people, this must refer to a universal form of judgment. This is another indicator that these seal, trumpet, and bowl judgments are overlapping, rather than sequential, because this looks like it is describing the end of the Tribulation. Later, we will read similar descriptions at the end of the trumpet and bowl judgments, only these will be intensified.

(6:16) “And they said to the mountains and to the rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb.’”

This language comes straight from the OT (Isa. 2:19, 21; Hos. 10:8). Jesus used this language to refer to the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in AD 70 (Lk. 23:30). Yet, these events refer to the end of history. Therefore, this language seems to be describing people climbing underground (into bunkers?) to hide from the terrible events happening on Earth.

Consider the irony: They cry out the to “rocks” to save them, rather than calling out to Jesus—the Rock—for salvation (Rom. 9:33; 1 Cor. 10:4; 1 Pet. 2:8). Furthermore, the mountains are moving out of place (v.14), but they are seeking these mountains for protection. Thomas comments, “It was not rational to hide in the very mountains that were being shaken by earthquake (vv. 12, 14), but rationality was no longer an option. This was the only place they could think of… Their impulse was: it is better to perish here than to remain and face the one sitting upon the throne and the wrath of the Lamb… What sinners dread most is not death, but having to stand before a holy and righteous God.”^[26]

(6:17) “For the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”

This is a rhetorical question: Obviously, no one will be able to stand in this day. Only believers in Jesus will be able to stand around the throne (Rev. 7:9).

Questions for Reflection

Read verses 1-2. Some interpreters think this refers to Christ; others think this refers to the Antichrist. We argued that this refers to the Antichrist. Do you agree with this assessment?

Read verses 3-8. How does this compare with Matthew 24:4-14? Do these events occur in the Church Age or in the Tribulation?

Read verses 9-11 and 15-17. Compare the reactions of believers with the unbelievers. How do they react differently to the judgment of God?

Read verses 10-11. The believers in Heaven cry out to God for him to intervene. How do you expect God to respond to this plea? How does this compare with how God actually responds? How does this passage shed light on how to answer the problem of evil?

^[1] Robert H. Mounce, The Book of Revelation, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1997), 169.

^[2] Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 1-7: An Exegetical Commentary (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1992), 415.

^[3] Robert H. Mounce, The Book of Revelation, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1997), 142.

^[4] Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 1-7: An Exegetical Commentary (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1992), 422.

^[5] Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 1-7: An Exegetical Commentary (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1992), 422.

^[6] Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 1-7: An Exegetical Commentary (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1992), 424.

^[7] Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 1-7: An Exegetical Commentary (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1992), 427.

[8] G.K. Beale, The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids, MI. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1999), 381.

^[9] Osborne writes, “A ‘denarius’ was the average days’ wage for a laborer. A quart of wheat was enough food for one person for a day, and three quarts of barley were barely enough for a small family (there were few small families except among the wealthy in the ancient world). Therefore a man’s entire earnings were barely enough to feed himself, let alone his family, and all the other costs like home or incidentals could not be met. These were famine prices, about ten to twelve times the going rate according to ancient records (Mounce 1998: 144 cites Cicero, Verr. 3.81).” Grant R. Osborne, Revelation, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2002), 280.

^[10] Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 1-7: An Exegetical Commentary (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1992), 433.

^[11] Robert H. Mounce, The Book of Revelation, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1997), 144.

^[12] Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 1-7: An Exegetical Commentary (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1992), 434.

^[13] Leon Morris, Revelation: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 20, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1987), 107.

^[14] Emphasis mine. See footnote. Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 1-7: An Exegetical Commentary (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1992), 438.

^[15] Thomas places these martyrs during the first half of the Tribulation. Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 1-7: An Exegetical Commentary (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1992), 443.

^[16] Leon Morris, Revelation: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 20, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1987), 108.

[17] I have altered and abridged the 21-point list given by Alcorn. Randy C. Alcorn, Heaven (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, 2004), 65-67.

[18] I am indebted to Randy Alcorn for this insight. Randy C. Alcorn, Heaven, 71.

^[19] Erwin W. Lutzer, One Minute After You Die (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1997), 65.

^[20] Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 1-7: An Exegetical Commentary (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1992), 454.

^[21] Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 1-7: An Exegetical Commentary (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1992), 451.

^[22] Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 1-7: An Exegetical Commentary (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1992), 454.

^[23] Robert H. Mounce, The Book of Revelation, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1997), 150.

^[24] Robert H. Mounce, The Book of Revelation, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1997), 151.

^[25] Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 1-7: An Exegetical Commentary (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1992), 455.

^[26] Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 1-7: An Exegetical Commentary (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1992), 456.