Revelation 6:1-17
Introduction
Compare with Daniel 9:27. Christ takes His title deed to creation, and one-by-one, opens each seal, unleashing His war on the godless world system. Each seal is opened in quick succession. Compare each seal with the Lord’s teaching in Matthew 24.
The First Seal: Antichrist Rises to Power, vv. 1-2 and Matthew 24:5
A. The False Christ conquers the world peacefully.
- He has a bow, but no arrows.
- He rides to power with his assurance that only he can solve the world’s problems.
B. The False Christ brokers a peace deal with Israel and the world.
C. The False Christ brings a false peace temporarily.
The Second Seal: War, vv. 3-4 and Matthew 24:6-7
A. The False Christ exchanges his arrowless bow for a great sword and men begin to kill each other.
B. Red is the color of terror and war.
- The Red Horse of war.
- The Red Dragon, Revelation 12:3.
- The Red Beast, Revelation 17:3.
The Third Seal: Famine, vv. 5-6 and Matthew 24:7
A. The Black Horse of famine, Lamentations 5:10.
B. The False Christ holds a pair of balances and he controls the food supply.
- A quart of wheat costs a day’s wages.
- But there is no scarcity of oil and wine for the rich and powerful.
- The rich get richer and the poor get poorer and hardly enough to eat.
The Fourth Seal: Death, vv. 7-8 and Matthew 24:7
A. The Pale-green Horse: the color of leprosy, Leviticus 13:49.
- Death rides this horse and hell follows.
- Death claims the body; hell claims the soul.
B. Four methods of human slaughter: Ezekiel 14:21.
- the sword: violence and war.
- hunger and famine.
- pestilence, disease follows war and famine.
- beasts attack (nature takes over when civilization falls apart).
The Fifth Seal: the Martyrs, vv. 9-11 and Matthew 24:9
A. OT priests poured blood at the base of the brass altar, Leviticus 4:7.
B. Here, the souls of the martyrs under the heavenly altar pray for God’s vengeance.
C. God answers their prayers:
- He assures them He will judge.
- He advises them to wait a little longer until more martyrs are slain.
The Sixth Seal: World Chaos, vv. 12-17 and Matthew 24:7 and Luke 21:25-26
A. Creation itself will erupt in rebellion against a sinful and godless world system.
B. Globalism, militarism, and slavery will abound.
C. Fear will cause people to hide from God’s wrath.
D. This gives the False Christ a chance to extend his rule.
There is a pause between the sixth and seventh seal for us to see the two great groups of redeemed who will be saved during the Great Tribulation period.
Conclusion
People will realize that Christ is sending His judgment, but they will refuse to repent. They would rather hide in the rocks, instead of the Rock of Ages.
The False Christ begins his career as a peaceful political conqueror, but then he will resort to war and economic controls to dominate the world. The world will accept his false peace because they have rejected the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ.