Four horses and riders, tiny and far off, seen from behind riding out across a vast empty plain toward a copper-colored dawn horizon: one white, one red, one black, one pale grey-green.

The Book of

Revelation 6

The Lamb takes the scroll and breaks its seals one by one. What rides out is hard to watch, but nothing moves until He opens it.

17 verses≈ 4 minBSB

Images are artistic interpretations.

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Where we are

1–3Seven churchesChrist among His lampstands
4–11Seals & trumpetsThe Lamb opens the scrollChapter 6
12–16The great conflictThe dragon, the beasts, the bowls
17–20The King comesBabylon falls; the Lamb wins
21–22All things newA new heaven and a new earth

The First Seal: The White Horse

Revelation 6:1

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So I looked and saw a white horse, and its rider held a bow. And he was given a crown, and he rode out to overcome and conquer.

Question

Quick question

Four times a living creature calls, and four riders go out. Look closely at who sets each one in motion.

Who opens the seals in Revelation 6?

The Second Seal: War

its rider was granted permission to take away peace from the earth

Revelation 6:3–4

The Third Seal: Famine

And when the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” Then I looked and saw a black horse, and its rider held in his hand a pair of scales.

And I heard what sounded like a voice from among the four living creatures, saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not harm the oil and wine.”

The Fourth Seal: Death

And when the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!”

Then I looked and saw a pale green horse. Its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed close behind. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill by sword, by famine, by plague, and by the beasts of the earth.

Reflect

Only as far as allowed

War, hunger, sickness and death are real, and this chapter does not make them small. Yet every rider receives what he has: “he was given a crown,” “he was given a great sword,” and Death and Hades “were given authority over a fourth of the earth,” not the whole. What hard thing are you facing right now? What would it mean to trust that the Lamb who opens the seals also sets their limits?

The Fifth Seal: The Martyrs

White linen robes folded neatly at the foot of a plain altar standing in soft light, the space around it quiet and bright.

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And when the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony they had upheld. And they cried out in a loud voice, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge those who dwell upon the earth and avenge our blood?”

Then each of them was given a white robe and told to rest a little while longer until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers, were killed, just as they had been killed.

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Narrated by Bob Souer · BSB audio, public domain

How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge those who dwell upon the earth and avenge our blood?

Revelation 6:10

The Sixth Seal: Terror

For the great day of Their wrath has come, and who is able to withstand it?

Revelation 6:17

Pray

How long, O Lord?

Pray with the souls under the altar: “How long, O Lord, holy and true?” Bring Him the wrongs done to His people, and leave the judging in His hands. Thank Him that the One who will judge is the Lamb who was slain for sinners. Ask Him to make you ready for His great day, not hiding from the Lamb but trusting in Him. And look ahead: the next chapter answers the question “who is able to withstand it?”

You’ve experienced

Revelation 6

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A verse to carry with you

How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge those who dwell upon the earth and avenge our blood?

Revelation 6:10

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