Below are some preliminary questions to assist in the study of this passage. For a comprehensive study of the passage, download the Study Guide (PDF download).
1. What does John see when the first seal is broken (see Revelation 6:1-2 printed below?) What do you think this means?
I watched as the Lamb broke the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say with a voice like thunder, “Come!” (2) I looked, and there before me was a white horse. Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown. He came conquering, indeed, he went out in order to conquer. (Revelation 6:1-2)
With the loosening of the first seal the apostle John sees “a white horse.” The horse was a warrior’s charger, representing war and conquest; the color white especially represents the purity and holiness of Christ by which He won the ultimate victory. The one who sat upon the horse held “a bow” (another symbol of war) and he was given “a crown” (here it is the wreath that was bestowed upon the victor). The white horse and its rider represent the Lord Jesus Christ in His first coming: He came on a mission of conquest and He accomplished that mission.
2. What does John see when the second seal is broken (see verses 3-4 printed below?) What do you suppose this means?
When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” (4) Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given authority to remove peace from the earth and to cause men to slay each other. The rider was given a large sword. (Revelation 6:3-4)
With the loosening of the second seal John sees “a fiery red horse.” Here is a horse bearing the colors of flames, destruction, and war. The horse’s rider is given the authority and the power “to remove peace from the earth.” Note that all of this is under the sovereign authority and control of God the Almighty. The fiery red horse and its rider represent the unleashing of “wars and rumors of wars” upon the earth (note Matthew 24:6-7a).
3. What does John see when the third seal is broken (see verses 5-6 printed below?) What do you suppose this means?
When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a black horse. Its rider held a pair of scales in his hand. (6) Then I heard what sounded like a voice in the midst of the four living creatures, saying, “A liter of wheat for a day’s wages and three liters of barley for a day’s wages, but do not damage the olive oil or the wine!” (Revelation 6:5-6)
With the loosening of the third seal John sees “a black horse.” This horse has the color of death, and it is a dreadful specter. Its rider held “a pair of scales in his hand;” the scales are an indication of scarcity (note Ezekiel 4:16-17). The black horse and its rider represent the tribulation of famine and hard economic times (note Matthew 24:7b).
4. What does John see when the fourth seal is broken (see verses 7-8 printed below?) What do you think this means?
When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” (8) I looked, and there before me was a pale horse. The name of its rider was Death, and Hades followed close behind him. They were given authority to kill a fourth of the earth with the sword and with famine and with pestilence and by means of the wild beasts of the earth. (Revelation 6:7-8)
With the loosening of the fourth seal John sees “a pale (or, yellowish green) horse;” this horse bears the color of disease and sickness. This horse’s rider bears the name of “Death;” and “Hades,” the place of the dead, follows behind him. Here is “the grim reaper” who cuts down men like ripened grain in the field; and following behind him comes Hades, to gather up the fallen and bring them into his dark storehouse. The breaking of the fourth seal reveals the unleashing of pestilence upon the earth (note Luke 21:11).
5. Describe what happens when the sixth seal is broken. See Revelation 6:12-17 (printed below)
I watched as the Lamb opened the sixth seal. When he did so, there was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat’s hair, the whole moon turned blood red, (13) and the stars of the heavens fell to the earth like unripe figs fall from a fig tree when it is shaken by a strong wind. (14) The sky receded like a scroll rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. (15) Then the kings of the earth, and the princes, and the generals, and the wealthy, and the mighty, and every slave and free man, hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. (16) They say to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, (17) for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” (Revelation 6:12-17)
Verse 12 describes the breaking of the sixth seal, revealing the cataclysmic judgment and destruction of this present creation. The destruction is set in motion by the occurrence of “a great earthquake;” often times the occurrence of a mighty earthquake heralds the awesome presence of God (note Exodus 19:16-18; Psalm 68:7-8). Verse 12 graphically describes the destruction of the heavens. John watches as the heaven is rolled back like a scroll and the mountains and islands are moved (verse 14). All mankind—from the proud ruler to the hardened soldier, from the secure rich to the self-reliant strong, from the insignificant slave to the inconspicuous free man—futilely seek to flee from the judgment of God.
