Bible Study Revelation 6
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Revelation 6 · WEB

The Six Seals Opened

Listen — WEB narration 0:00 / 0:00 Narration: World English Bible (David Williams), public domain — AudioTreasure.

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I saw that the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying, as with a voice of thunder, "Come and see!"
2Then a white horse appeared, and he who sat on it had a bow. A crown was given to him, and he came out conquering, and to conquer.
3When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, "Come!"
4Another came out, a red horse. To him who sat on it was given power to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another. There was given to him a great sword.
5When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, "Come and see!" And behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a balance in his hand.
6I heard a voice in the middle of the four living creatures saying, "A choenix of wheat for a denarius, and three choenix of barley for a denarius! Don't damage the oil and the wine!"
7When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the fourth living creature saying, "Come and see!"
8And behold, a pale horse, and he who sat on him, his name was Death. Hades followed with him. Authority over one fourth of the earth, to kill with the sword, with famine, with death, and by the wild animals of the earth was given to him.
9When he opened the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been killed for the Word of God, and for the testimony of the Lamb which they had.
10They cried with a loud voice, saying, "How long, Master, the holy and true, until you judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?"
11A long white robe was given to each of them. They were told that they should rest yet for a while, until their fellow servants and their brothers, who would also be killed even as they were, should complete their course.
12I saw when he opened the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake. The sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became as blood.
13The stars of the sky fell to the earth, like a fig tree dropping its unripe figs when it is shaken by a great wind.
14The sky was removed like a scroll when it is rolled up. Every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
15The kings of the earth, the princes, the commanding officers, the rich, the strong, and every slave and free person, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains.
16They told 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,
17for the great day of his wrath has come; and who is able to stand?"
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Summary

The Lamb opens the first six of the seven seals. The first four release four horsemen — conquest, war, famine, and death — which devastate a quarter of the earth. The fifth seal reveals martyrs under the heavenly altar crying out for justice, and the sixth seal brings cosmic upheaval as the powerful of the earth try to hide from the wrath of the Lamb, asking, "Who is able to stand?"

Themes

  • Divine judgment unleashed on the earth
  • The four horsemen of conquest, war, famine, and death
  • The cry of the martyrs for justice
  • The wrath of the Lamb
  • Cosmic signs and the day of the Lord

Key verses

  • Rev 6:10 — “How long, Master, the holy and true, until you judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”
  • Rev 6:16 — “Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb.”
  • Rev 6:17 — “For the great day of his wrath has come; and who is able to stand?”
  • Rev 6:8 — “And behold, a pale horse, and he who sat on him, his name was Death. Hades followed with him.”

Context & background

John wrote Revelation around AD 95 from exile on Patmos, a small Aegean island off the western coast of modern Turkey. The four horsemen draw directly on Zechariah 1 and 6, where colored horses patrol the earth. The denarius-priced grain in verse 6 represents a day's wage for a quart of wheat — famine wages familiar to first-century citizens of the Roman Empire (covering modern Italy, Greece, Turkey, Syria, and beyond). The cosmic imagery of the sixth seal — darkened sun, blood-red moon, falling stars — echoes Old Testament "day of the Lord" prophecies, and the cry of the martyrs would have resonated powerfully with churches enduring persecution under Emperor Domitian.

Cross-references

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  1. Observe

    What is the name of the rider on the pale horse, and who follows him?

  2. Observe

    What are the martyrs under the altar told when they cry out asking "how long" before God judges and avenges their blood?

  3. Interpret

    Why is the phrase "the wrath of the Lamb" (Rev 6:16) so striking, and what does it reveal about Jesus that human notions of power miss?

  4. Interpret

    What does the fifth seal teach about God's timing in relation to the suffering of his people?

  5. Apply

    When you encounter wars, economic crises, or fears of death in the news, how does Revelation 6 shape a Christian response?

  6. Apply

    The chapter ends with the question, "Who is able to stand?" How does the vision of the Lamb in Revelation 5 answer that question for you personally?

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