(Revelation 6:1-8) And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. 2And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow, and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.

3 And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. 4And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.

5 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse, and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. 6And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.

7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. 8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and the name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.

As we come to Revelation chapter 6 we see the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ opening the first six seals on the Scroll of Judgment. Jesus – Who gave Himself for the sin of the world – has been rejected by the world. The Lord tarried, waiting, for

2 Peter 3:9 (KJV) The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Yet God has not promised to wait forever. His Church has been removed from the earth. The Lamb that is rejected by mankind now begins to open the seals of judgment. This is the time of Tribulation, the Day of Judgment.

The First Four Seals Share A Famous Phrase

As the first four seals of the scroll of judgment are opened each of the four beasts – the Heavenly Choir leaders – contribute to the judgment. You see the same phrase repeated by each beast:

“Come and See”

Why is this phrase significant? A few weeks ago we were studying in the Gospel of John, talking about the first five disciples of Christ. If you remember John the Baptist was teaching two of his disciples when Jesus came up. John told those men:

Behold the Lamb of God!

The two disciples immediately left John and began to follow Jesus. When Jesus saw them following He asked: “What do you seek?”They replied, “We want to see where You live”. What did Jesus say?

“Come and See” (John 1:39)

Later on Philip – another of Christ’s disciples – is telling his friend Nathaniel about the Lord Jesus. When Nathaniel asks “Can any good come from Nazareth?”Philip simply states:

“Come and See” (John 1:46)

“Come and See” is what Christ bids each person to do. To come to Him. To watch Him. To experience His Presence. “Come and See”. The world has rejected the “Come and See” of the Lamb of God. They have “trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace” (Hebrews 10:29). What is left then? They would not “Come and See” the Christ. Now the beasts watch as the Lamb of God opens the first four seals. You have rejected Grace, so now here is Judgment.

“Come and See”

(Revelation 6:1-2) I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. 2 And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and A CROWN WAS GIVEN UNTO HIM: and he went forth CONQUERING, AND TO CONQUER.

The first seal releases “War” on the earth. Some commentators think that this person on the “White Horse” is Jesus, but it cannot be.

Jesus is opening the seals.
Jesus does not indiscriminately make war.

Jesus will not come back to the earth until the end of the Great Tribulation. We find this in …

(Revelation 19:11) And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse, and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness, he doth judge and make war.

The rider on this first “white horse” is not Jesus. The Jesus of Revelation 19 has “on His head MANY CROWNS”. The Jesus of Revelation 19 is “King of Kings and Lord of Lords”. The rider of Revelation 6 has but ONE CROWN, and that Crown was GIVEN to Him. Jesus released the first seal and gave a very limited power to this rider. The rider of Revelation 6 goes forth conquering, and to conquer. He is on a“white horse” which symbolizes purity. But the war which he wages is not pure. It looks pure but is not pure. The Jesus of Revelation 19 “in righteousness judges and makes war”. The rider of this white horse only appears righteous. He appears good. He appears as if his wars are for the common good, but they are not.

The one riding on this first white horse is a pretend Christ. Jesus spoke of this when He said in

(Matthew 24:24) For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

The first Horseman of the Apocalypse is the False Christ, called by many the Anti-Christ. He is not making righteous war but is moving to defeat all who will not join his cause. He is like the Great Crusades, the Spanish Inquisition, the White Supremacists or those of color who advocate hatred. He is all the bad Anti-Christian behavior by those who pretended to love God but hate people.He is Religion with a capital R, Evil with a capital E. The Light of the World, the Church of Christ, is in Heaven – and a false light appears to draw many away from God. The world has rejected the real Christ, but it loves the false Christ. The Anti-Christ conquers so as the create a one world government, a universal state that all must adhere to so that his master satan can rule the world.

Revelation 6:3-4Andwhen he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. 4 And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.

If the first Rider was the Anti-Christ conquering, the second red horse symbolizes BLOODSHED and WAR. The “righteous war” of the evil one will not be without death. The First Horseman was given a crown, but the Second Horseman was given a GREAT SWORD. Just as the Crown was given by the Lamb, so is the Sword given. It is Jesus Who opened the seal, and Jesus Who removes His hand from the earth allowing this horseman to go forth.

Psalms 66:5-7 (KJV) Come and see the works of God: he is terrible in his doing toward the children of men. 6 He turned the sea into dry land: they went through the flood on foot: there did we rejoice in him. 7 He ruleth by his power for ever; his eyes behold the nations: let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah.

Revelation 6:5-6 And when he had opened the third seal,I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse, and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. 6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.

The third Seal of Judgment always follows war and killing. It is FAMINE. The pair of scales/ balances in his hand shows that this Horseman controls commerce. The “voice in the midst of the four beasts” is the Lord speaking from His Throne. The Lord decreed that inflation would be so high that a measure of wheat – about one day’s food – would cost a day’s wages. It will cost everything a person can earn in a day just to feed himself. The cheaper cattle food of barley – we could call it animal feed – you will be able to get three times as much food for the day’s wages. So to put it in modern terms you can have a hamburger and fries, or three cans of dog food. Period.

At the beginning of the Great Tribulation, the poor will suffer the most. Jesus told Israel:

Luke 21:10-11 (KJV) … Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: 11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.

Hunger will start out to affect the poor, but in time all will be poor. This is what the Rider of the Black Horse will bring.

Revelation 6:7-8 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. 8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and the name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.

The Fourth Horseman of the Apocalypse is Death. He rides a “pale”or literally “pale green” horse(χλωρός chlōros). The Grave follows with him– not“hell” as in the place of eternal punishment, but “hades” (ᾅδηςhadēs). These Four Horsemen – with the Anti-Christ as their leader – kill over 25% of humanity. In our modern era this would be about 1.9 BILLION people. One in every four would die. The Four Horsemen would not have this power themselves, but the Bible says:

power was GIVEN UNTO THEM over the fourth part of the earth

It is God Who allows this judgment to come on humanity. I can hear people now. “But God is LOVE! Why would a LOVING God allow such a terrible thing to come on a quarter of the earth?”The answer is found in the Fifth Seal of Judgment. We read:

Revelation 6:9-10And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: 10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?

What would YOU do if someone murdered your child?
What if they murdered your child, then you turned the other cheek –
Then they murdered another?

God gave His Son to the world so that the world would not be condemned.

John 3:18-21 (KJV) He that believeth on {Jesus} is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

The Lord Jesus has taken His Church off of the earth. Those who have been “Raptured” or “Caught Up” have been given glorified bodies. When Jesus opens the FIFTH Seal (and FIVE is the number of GRACE) you see …

the souls of them that were slain for the Word of God

These are believers who came to the Lord after His Church was taken from the earth.Dr. Thomas Constablewrites:

“These people must be those who died after the Rapture since all Christians living at the time of the Rapture will experience a bodily resurrection, and go directly into Jesus Christ’s presence at that time (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). Consequently, the people John described in this verse are evidently those who come to faith in Christ after the Rapture (cf. Matthew 24:9; Luke 21:12). They had become believers during the first half of the Tribulation and then had suffered martyrdom for their faith. John did not see their resurrected bodies, because God had not resurrected them yet. The resurrection of Tribulation saints will not occur until the end of that seven-year period (cf. 20:4).

The Gospel still goes forth during the Tribulation. In the next chapter, we see 144,000 Hebrew Evangelists who go out and preach of Christ. People are saved even during this darkest moment in human history. But the world under satan persecutes the Christians saved at an alarming rate. These were slain for the Word of God and for the testimony they held. Their SOULS are gathered around the Throne of God, and they cry out to Him …

How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge
our blood on them that dwell on the earth?

Their words are reminiscent of the Psalmist who wrote:

Psalms 94:3-6 (KJV) LORD, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph? 4 How long shall they utter and speak hard things? and all the workers of iniquity boast themselves?5 They break in pieces thy people, O LORD, and afflict thine heritage. 6 They slay the widow and the stranger and murder the fatherless.

The first four Seals of Judgment begin to punish humanity – rebellious and traitorous – for the evil they collude with. These Tribulation Saints suffered terribly for the faith. There are Christians all over the world today who are suffering terribly for the faith. In America – founded by Christians who loved the Lord – we have largely avoided the suffering that most of the world inflicts on God’s Children. But even in America Christians suffer. A case before the Supreme Court right now will determine if a Baker who is a Christian will lose his business for keeping his faith. God tells us today:

(Romans 12:19-21) Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. 20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirsts, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. 21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

We are never to return evil for evil, but good to all. Those around the Throne were given…

Revelation 6:11And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.

They have white robes to symbolize their salvation and immorality. God tells them to be patient – He will repay the evil that they suffered in His own time.

The Sixth Seal Of Judgment

Revelation 6:12-13 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; 13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.

God sends a planet-sized earthquake to shake the whole world. John’s prophetic words are echoes in the Prophecy of Isaiah, who wrote:

Isaiah 13:9-13 (KJV) Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. 10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. 11 And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogance of the proud to cease and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. 12 I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir. 13 Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.

The shaking of the earth will – as it does with many volcanic eruptions – cause ash and dust to infiltrate the atmosphere. It will seem as if there are no longer any stars in the sky. The sun will be blocked out, and the moon reddened by the pollution of it. The stars don’t literally fall – they just appear to do so, for we read later:

Revelation 8:12 (KJV) And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.

What is more frightening is that the sky will appear to split in two, and roll back like a scroll:

Revelation 6:14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.

The opening of the sky will give all of humanity a chance to look into Heaven. Rather than repent, we read:

Revelation 6:15-17 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; 16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: 17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

Hearts hardened by sin do not repent but seek to hide from God’s wrath. The same thing occurs at the Great White Throne Judgment of …

Revelation 20:11 (KJV)11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.

Can you imagine a Lamb filled with wrath? That is almost a comical thing to read – but it will not be comical to those who are there. Whether kings, or great men, or rich men, or chief captains, or mighty men, or slaves or free men – all will be frightened and in a panic attack. Why? Because God has taken His hand off of the earth. Judgment looms. Pride is broken.

And yet, notice this. Even though they cry out to the mountains and rocks saying, “Fall on us, and hide us from the Face of Him that sits on the Throne”yet they will not repent and turn to Christ. That to me is the most horrible of things. For if they but repent, the Lord would still save. But they will not.

Oh dear Soul, do not harden your hearts!

Repent while you may. Give your life to Christ while you can. The only ones who will stand then, and who can stand now, are those who rest in the Grace of God in Christ. May God the Holy Spirit move you to repentance this very day!