Revelation

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
21 22

Revelation 6 – Skeptic's Annotated Bible answered

A response and reply to the notes on Revelation 6 in the Skeptic's Annotated Bible (SAB).

King James Version

SAB comment

My comment


1 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.

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.

(6:2) "A white horse"
God gives someone on a white horse a bow and sends him out to conquer people.
The person on the white horse is a symbol of Christ going forth to conquer and free men from being enslaved to sin.

3 And when 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.

(6:4) "Power was given ... to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another."
God gave power to someone on a red horse "to take peace from the earth ... that they should kill one another."
The red horse is a symbol of the peace that Christ takes away, see Matthew 10:34. I.e. the false peace, the peace with sin and the pact with the devil. Through these means the children of mankind often realise they have no continuing city here.
The result is not that Christ's followers take up the sword, but that the sword is taken up against them and they receive persecution and trials.

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.

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.

7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.

Death on a pale horse
(Benjamin West, 1796)

8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his 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.

(6:8) "To kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth."
God tells Death and Hell to kill one quarter of the earth's population with the sword, starvation, and "with the beasts of the earth."
The fourth rider comes with all the evils of the previous two. But unlike the author of the SAB I do not believe this is in Armageddon style. The first horse is the gospel, conquering this world for the gospel. So what these riders are doing is to win people for the gospel, and to hurt those that oppose the gospel. All these evils that plague this world are due to sin, but this horse rider uses these means not for destruction, but for the advancement of the gospel. By its nature these evils are only the result of sin, but due to Christ conquering sin they can now serve a higher purpose.

9 And 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?

(6:10-11) "How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?"
The martyrs just can't wait until everyone else is slaughtered. God gives them a white robe and tells them to wait until he's done with his killing spree.
Let me quote James Ramsey

This is not the language of revenge, any more than the cry of Abel's blood was an expression of Abel's desire of revenge; it was the cry of outraged justice, and the compassion and sympathy for a still suffering church, and of longing desire for her deliverance and triumph.

11 And 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 fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.

12 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;

(6:12-14) "And the stars fell unto the earth."
The sixth seal is opened and there is a great earthquake, the sun becomes black, and the moon red, the stars fall from heaven, and mountains and islands move around.
In the Bible the sun, moon and stars are often symbols for earthly powers as we can already see in Gen. 37:9-10.

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.

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

15 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?