The Seals of the Book
(Scroll) |
Reference: |
What John Hears |
What John Saw |
Revelation
6:1-2 -- The First Seal is opened |
After it was opened, one of the four living things
(creatures) spoke with a voice like thunder. It said "Come!" |
A White Horse. The rider on the horse held a bow.
The rider was given a crown. The rider of the horse rode out to win the victory. |
Revelation
6:3-4 -- The 2nd Seal is opened |
John heard the second living thing say: "Come!" |
A Red Horse.
The rider on the horse was given power
to take away peace from the earth. He was given power to make people
kill each other. The rider was given a big sword. |
Revelation
6:5-6 -- The 3rd Seal is opened |
John heard the third living thing say: "Come!" Then
a voice from where the living things were saying "a quart of wheat for a
day's pay...and three quarts of barley for a day's pay...and don't hurt
the oil and wine!" |
A Black Horse.
The rider on the horse held a pair of
scales in his hand. |
Revelation
6:7-8 -- The 4th Seal is opened |
John heard the fourth living thing say: "Come!" |
A Pale-Colored Horse.
The rider on the horse was death. Hades was following close behind him. They were given
power over a fourth of the earth. They were given power to kill
people by using the sword, by starving, by disease, and with the wild
animals of the earth. |
Revelation
6:9-11 -- The 5th Seal is opened |
These souls shouted in a loud voice "Holy and true Lord,
how long until you judge the people of the earth and punish them for
killing us?" The souls were told to wait a short time longer.
There were still some of their brothers in the service of Christ who must
be killed like they were. Those souls were told to wait until all of
this killing was finished. |
John saw some souls under the altar. They were the
souls of those people who had been killed because they were faithful to
God's message and to the truth they had received. After the souls
shouted in a loud voice, they were each given a white robe. |
Revelation
6:12-17 -- The 6th Seal is opened |
There was a great earthquake. After every island was
moved from its place and the people hid, the people said to the mountains
and the rocks "Fall on us. Hide us from the face of the One who sits
on the throne. Hide us from the anger of the Lamb! The great
day for their anger has come. No person can stand against it." |
Earthquake, sun becomes dark, moon red, stars fall... There was a great earthquake. The sun became dark
like black cloth made from hair. The full moon became red like
blood. The stars in the sky fell to the earth like a fig tree drops
its figs when the wind blows. The sky was divided. It was
rolled up like a scroll. And every island was moved from its place.
Then all the people hid in caves and behind the rocks on the mountains.
There were the kings of the world, the rulers, the army commanders, the
rich people and the powerful people. Every person, slave and free
hid himself. |
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What are the meanings of the colors of the horses, their riders, and what was said...
and what
John saw? The text provides no further explanation at this time. Read the
detailed explanations of what John saw and heard over and over.
In the midst of the six seals being opened, the
souls of the faithful who had been killed because of
their testimony to the word of God were at rest
under the altar. They were given white robes
and told to rest a little while longer (those that
were persecuting the Lord's church would kill even
more of their brethren):