Revelation 6:1-4 (EMTV)
1 And I saw that the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living beings saying, like a voice of thunder, “Come.” 2 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. 3 And when He opened the second seal, I heard the second living being saying, “Come!” 4 Another horse went out, fiery red, and it was granted to him that sat on it to take peace from the earth, so that they might kill each other; and there was given to him a great sword.
This book is prophetic. It reveals the future. This is both a warning and a blessing. To those who are evil, it is a warning of God’s wrath. To those who believe, this is a comfort, for God is destroying evil. The seals are judgments. They are designed by God to punish those on earth. After the Rapture, there is not one believer on earth. Many will become believers remembering their foolishness in hearing the Gospel but not repenting and trusting in Jesus alone for forgiveness of sins. The 3 sets of judgments are the seal judgments, the trumpet judgments, and the bowl (vial) judgments. They are intended to show the world’s people that sin has consequences (Galatians 6:7). God’s wrath is strong against sin. People by nature seek what is pleasurable to our flesh and mind instead of God’s pleasures. God wants to grab people’s attention that destruction awaits those who do not believe in Jesus and His kingship. These are not physical pleasures, they are very uncomfortable. It is a warning of eternal judgment and experiencing God’s wrath. Hell is a place of no physical pleasures.
From Keathley (as found in his commentary on Revelation): “There is no problem in outlining the events of these chapters; the difficulty comes in determining the sequential order of those events, particularly the relation of the three series of judgments to each other. Do the judgments of the seals (chap. 6), and of the trumpets (chaps. 8-9) and of the bowls (chap. 16) follow each other in succession, or do the trumpets and /or the bowls recapitulate the judgments of the seals with greater intensity? In other words, do the trumpet and bowl judgments follow the seals as different and distinct judgments or do they picture the same judgments? To this writer’s understanding they all follow in chronological sequence and there is no recapitulation. [Note: Charles Ryrie, Revelation, Moody Press: Chicago, 1968, p. 43.]”
From Keathley: “Walvoord states the same position. He writes: The six seals seem to unfold successively in a chronological pattern. Out of the seventh seal will come another series of seven trumpets and out of the seventh trumpet will come another series of seven vials or bowls of the wrath of God. Different actors are prominent, namely, the Lamb opening the seal, the angels sounding the trumpets, and God Himself pouring out the vials. Actually, however, the seven seals comprehend the whole, as all the trumpets and all the vials are comprehended in the seventh seal. The seven-sealed book therefore is the comprehensive program of God culminating in the second coming of Christ. [Note: John F. Walvoord, The Revelation of Jesus Christ, Moody Press: Chicago, 1966, p. 124.]”
We must remember that the Tribulation is to Gentiles a time of judgment for destroying the earth (Revelation 11:18). Destroying the earth refers to God had a plan and command for humans to take care of the earth and live His way under His authority. These judgments to Israel is to force them to show them that there is no other savior for Israel other than He who was prophesied and lived for ~33 years announcing the truth of Messiah, authenticating His credentials, and urging the people of Israel to believe and trust in Him.
(Ryrie Study Bible Notes) summarizes “The Seven Seals of Rev. 6:1-8:6: 1. Antichrist 2. War 3. Famine 4. Death 5. Martyrs’ prayers 6. Great earthquakes 7. Announcement of Trumpets”
The 7th of the series opens up the next 7.
We can repent and believe in Jesus alone for salvation or be judged. Throughout these judgments one is reminded of Romans 2:5 (MSB) “But because of your hard and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.”
The First Seal
V1 “And I saw that the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living beings saying, like a voice of thunder, “Come.” This is an invitation to John to see what the first judgment entails. The voice, or sound, of thunder is understood as one hears the storm before experiencing the storm.
Keathley adds:”This rider is the Antichrist, the false Christ who comes as a peacemaker. Later he will show his true colors and will then be called the beast. This is undoubtedly the prince who is to come and who will make a peace treaty with Israel according to Dan 9:26-27. This fits with the picture Paul gives us in 1Th 5:3. The world will be trusting in the peace and safety brought about by the tactics of the white horse rider, but it will be oblivious this very peace has inaugurated the Day of the Lord which will quickly usher in destruction.”
V2 “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.” This is not Jesus. Jesus is judging, not conquering. Jesus does not return until the 7 years of judgment have concluded (Revelation 19). This is a fake, substitute Jesus. Jesus has the real instruments of war (Revelation 19:11-21 and Zechariah 14:1-15). Jesus has the legitimate crown and kingdom (Matthew 6:13 and Revelation 19:11-16). The anti-Christ goes out to conquer all nations and will rule them briefly. His end is sure (Revelation 19:17-21).
Ryrie (Study Bible Notes) adds: “He that sat on him. Evidently a reference to Antichrist. See note on 1 John 2:18. His method of conquest at first does not seem to include open warfare, since peace is not removed from the earth until the second seal is opened (v. 3). This corresponds to the description of delusion in 1 Thessalonians 5:3.”
The Second Seal
V3 “And when He opened the second seal, I heard the second living being saying, “Come!” The living beings are those angels of high rank around the throne of God (Psalm 99:1 and Ezekiel 10).
V4 “Another horse went out, fiery red, and it was granted to him that sat on it to take peace from the earth, so that they might kill each other; and there was given to him a great sword.” The fiery red rider is blood taking away peace from every country and society. Peace is a trait of God, not of evil. Since they do not want the peace that God gives, God punishes them by taking whatever peace they thought they had. There will be many killing each other, war, and atrocities.
(Walvoord Prophecy Commentary) “If the first seal is a period of peace (though this seems to be contradicted by the fact that the rider of the first horse conquers), when the second seal is broken, military warfare breaks out and peace is taken from the world. The constant tension among nations and the ambitions of rulers have their climax in this period before Christ comes. Though “wars and rumors of wars” (Matt. 24:6) are characteristic of the age, it is evident that warfare occupies a large place in the consummation of the age with a resultant great loss of life. There apparently is a series of wars, the greatest of which is underway at the time of the second coming. The hope of permanent peace by means of the United Nations and other human efforts is doomed to failure.”
We learn:
- Sin has consequences
- God has punishment
- God’s punishment is very severe and painful