Revelation 6 - How Do the Seven Seals Fit Into God's Prophetic Plan

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The Seals

6 I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in 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, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.

Remember the seven seals are the revelation of what is to come. In this case the Lamb (Jesus) opened the first one. One of the four living creatures told John to come. The first seal brought forth a white horse, which was ready to go into battle to conquer a foe. 

From the previous chapter, we understand this scroll is the history and destiny of mankind and creation, and only Jesus – the Lamb – had the right to loosen the seals on this scroll of the culmination of history.

Behold, a white horse: If one were to take their interpretive clues more from cowboy movies than from the Bible, it would be easy to believe the rider on the white horse is Jesus. Jesus does return on a white horse in Revelation 19:11-16; but this is a satanic dictator who imitates Jesus. Guzik

3 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 power to take peace from the earth and to make people kill each other. To him was given a large sword.

Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth: This rider didn’t need to bring war and destruction. All he needed to do was take peace from the earth. Once this peace – God’s gift to man – was taken, men quickly rush in with war and destruction. Peace between men and among nations is a gift from God. It is not the natural state of relations between men. - Guzik

While the first rider was given a bow, this one was given a sword. We see that though rider was given power and authority it was to make people kill each other. Ordinarily you would think that killing someone is a choice, but it seems like these people were "made" to kill each other. 

Our modern age is marked by war and conflict. Since World War II, there have been more than 150 wars of some kind in the world, and at any given time there may be some three dozen armed conflicts taking thousands of lives yearly. The nations of the world often spend more than $1 trillion on military expenditures a year.

And, of course, we don't need to look far, as since October 7th the war in the middle east has affected every nation on the earth. And we still don't know how it will be resolved. Meanwhile many are killing each other, or least being killed as a result of this war. 

5 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 was holding a pair of scales in his hand. 6 Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, “Two pounds[a] of wheat for a day’s wages,[b] and six pounds[c] of barley for a day’s wages,[d] and do not damage the oil and the wine!”

The black horse had a pair of scales in his hand. Then one of the four living creatures uttered something about the worth of a day's wages. 

The scales symbolized the need to carefully measure and ration food. This speaks of a time of scarcity. - Guzik

A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius: These prices are about twelve times higher than normal. It means that it would cost a day’s wage to buy the ingredients for a loaf of bread. This describes “a time of famine when life will be reduced to the barest necessities.” (Walvoord)

7 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! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.

This last rider shows that there will be a tremendous death toll from the dictatorship, war, famine and other calamities described by the previous three horsemen. Our modern age has seen hundreds of millions killed by dictators, war, and famine. Yet all that will pale in comparison to the death toll coming in the wake of this ultimate dictator. No wonder Jesus said of this time For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. (Matthew 24:21) - Guzik

Power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill: Power was given to the horseman, and given by God. Though all hell breaks loose on the earth, God is very much in control. He still holds the scroll and opens the seals. - Guzik

There was both the rider named death and Hades, which followed close behind him. What does this mean?

This fourth, pale horse, was the personification of Death, with Hades following him, jaws open and receiving the victims slain by Death. - wikipedia

9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. 10 They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” 11 Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters,[e] were killed just as they had been.

Something unique happens with the fifth seal. John sees the "souls" of those who died maintaining their testimony about Jesus. We call them "martyrs", which means "witness".  The souls cried out asking Jesus how long it would be until their blood was avenged. These souls were given a white robe and told to wait until the full number of martyrs had been killed. 

 It is probably best to see this as the cry of all martyrs for God’s truth, not merely believers persecuted by the coming world leader, the first horseman of Revelation 6:1-2. - Guzik

12 I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, 13 and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. 14 The heavens receded like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.

The sixth seal unleashed a series of cosmic events that literally shook the earth, the sun, the moon, and the stars. Heaven was rolled up like a scroll, and mountains and islands shook loose. 

In the Bible, celestial disturbances are often connected with the coming of the Messiah. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Joel, Zephaniah and Jesus Himself all described such things. Or, as in Joel 2:10-11: The sun and moon grow dark, and stars diminish their brightness… for the day of the LORD is great and terrible; who can endure it?

15 Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and everyone else, both slave and free, hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. 16 They called to the mountains and 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 can withstand it?”

The people who were living on the earth sought safety in the caves and mountains. The people realized it was the wrath of God which was upon them. Specifically it refers both to the One who sits on the throne (God the Father), and from the wrath of the Lamb (Jesus). This is a day that the wrath of the Lord has been unleashed upon the earth. 

All people are equally brought low by God’s wrath. The judgment is all the more profound because it is the wrath of the Lamb.

C. Observations: How do the seals fit in God’s prophetic plan?

The first six seals are a “Summary of the judgments distributed over the whole book; a brief summary of what will occur in ‘the day of the Lord,’ up the time of His actual Apocalypse or Unveiling in chapter 19.” (Bullinger)

That span begins with the revelation of the Antichrist (the first seal) and it concludes with the revealing of the face of Him who sits on the throne (the seventh seal).

C. Observations: How do the seals fit in God’s prophetic plan?

1. There are many different opinions, but it seems best to say that the seals, trumpets, and bowls that will be described later are not strictly sequential events. It could be said that chronologically, the trumpets do not follow the seals and the bowls do not follow the trumpets in a strict order.

The first six seals are a “Summary of the judgments distributed over the whole book; a brief summary of what will occur in ‘the day of the Lord,’ up the time of His actual Apocalypse or Unveiling in chapter 19.” (Bullinger)

That span begins with the revelation of the Antichrist (the first seal) and it concludes with the revealing of the face of Him who sits on the throne (the seventh seal).