Resource Detail

Revelation Lecture 9

THE LAMB OPENS THE SEALS

Revelation 6:1-17

Key Verse 6:17

1. How are the seven seals, trumpets, and bowls related? Do they describe successive events or portray the same period from different perspectives? What does opening the seals mean (1)? What might the rider on the white horse represent (6:2; 19:11–16)?
2. What might the fiery red horse and the large sword symbolize (3-4)? What might the black horse and the voice’s words about the food prices and the oil and wine mean (5-6)? What might the pale horse, with Death as its rider and Hades following behind, signify (7-8)?
3. What does the fifth seal’s vision of the slain souls under the altar and their cry teach us about living by faith (9-10)? What might the white robes symbolize (11a)? What might it mean to wait until the full number of their fellow servants and brothers and sisters have been killed (11b)?
4. What might the shaking of the earth and the changes in the sun, moon, and stars symbolize (12–14)? Why do the people call on the mountains and rocks to hide them (15-16)? What does the statement that “the great day of their wrath has come” suggest about the vision (17)?

Revelation Lecture 9 October 11, 2026

THE LAMB OPENS THE SEALS

Revelation 6:1-17

Key Verse 6:17

For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can withstand it?

Today’s passage describes the Lamb opening the seals and reveals God’s judgments in the last days. When are the last days? In the New Testament, the last days began with Jesus’ first coming, particularly his death, resurrection, and exaltation, and will continue until he returns as Judge and Lord. So we are living in the last days. God’s kingdom has already been inaugurated through Jesus Christ, but we still await its complete fulfillment. This is often described as “already, but not yet.” As we study this passage, we will recognize suffering that is familiar in our world: war, famine, death, and persecution. They may frighten us, especially as we consider the judgments still to come. But we must remember one essential truth: the Lamb is the one opening the seals. History remains under God’s sovereign authority. Even Satan and the powers of evil cannot act beyond God’s permission. They oppose God and remain responsible for their evil. Eventually, God will judge evil, vindicate his people, and bring his salvation work to completion. And who are we? We are God’s people, redeemed through the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. We may experience suffering, but the Lamb will lead us to final victory and bring us into his eternal kingdom. Therefore, as we read Revelation, we should respond with reverence, gratitude, and confident hope. This book calls us to remain faithful through suffering and to trust the Lamb who has conquered.

In chapter 6, the Lamb opens the first six seals. The seventh seal is opened in Revelation 8:1, introducing seven angels with seven trumpets. Later, in chapters 15 and 16, seven angels pour out seven bowls of God’s wrath. So Revelation presents three series of judgments: seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven bowls. How should we understand the relationship between these three series? There are two major approaches: a chronological approach and a recapitulation approach. The chronological approach understands these judgments as unfolding in sequence: the seals, followed by the trumpets, and then the bowls. The recapitulation approach understands these visions as covering the same broad period from different perspectives, with increasing intensity. Each series brings us again toward God’s final judgment. They overlap, but each reveals something more about God’s judgment and the completion of his purposes. In this message series, I will follow the recapitulation approach. As we continue studying Revelation, we will notice recurring scenes of judgment. These repetitions help us see the same unfolding conflict from different angles and remind us that history is moving toward the final victory of God and the Lamb.

The opening of the first four seals follows a repeated pattern. Each time the Lamb opens a seal, one of the four living creatures calls out, “Come!” and a horse and its rider appear. When the Lamb opens the first seal, a rider on a white horse appears. When he opens the second seal, a rider on a fiery red horse appears. The third seal reveals a rider on a black horse, and the fourth reveals a rider on a pale horse. But with the fifth and sixth seals, the pattern changes. We no longer hear a living creature calling, “Come!” Instead, John sees a different kind of vision. When the Lamb opens the fifth seal, John sees under the altar the souls of those who had been slain. When the Lamb opens the sixth seal, John sees a great earthquake and terrifying upheaval in the heavens and on the earth. Now let’s look at each of these visions and consider what it means.

Look at verses 1 and 2. When the Lamb opened the first seal, John saw a white horse. Its rider appeared powerful and victorious. He carried a bow, was given a crown, and rode out determined to conquer. Who is this rider? Some understand him as Christ. But Christ is the Lamb who opens the seals. This suggests that Christ and the rider are different figures. Others see him as an antichrist or a false messiah. Who is an antichrist? An antichrist opposes or denies Christ and pretends to be Christ, deceiving people and leading them away from Christ. I see this rider as an antichrist.

In Revelation 19:11-16, we see another rider on a white horse. He is called Faithful and True and the Word of God. He wears many crowns on his head. He judges with justice. A sharp sword comes from his mouth. He is King of kings and Lord of lords. Who is he? He is Jesus Christ, our Lord. The rider in chapter 6 looks similar, but there are important differences. He holds a bow, while Jesus has a sharp sword. He receives a single crown, while Jesus wears many crowns. In Greek, Jesus’ crowns are diademata, which emphasize his royal authority. But this rider’s crown is stephanos, a crown of victory or honor. Jesus Christ has already conquered the world, while this rider goes out conquering and seeking further conquest. From this perspective, the rider in Revelation 6:2 is not Christ, but one who pretends to be Christ, in other word, an antichrist. He deceives people and leads them away from Christ. He will perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even God’s chosen people (Mt 24:24).

Now look at verses 3 and 4. When the Lamb opens the second seal, a rider on a fiery red horse appears. The color suggests bloodshed, and the large sword represents violence. This rider takes peace from the earth, and people kill one another. The vision points to war and violence that destroy human communities—civil war, unrest, and bloodshed. We have seen this throughout human history. There have been times of peace, but human history is full of wars. We see the same suffering today. The war between Russia and Ukraine has continued for more than four and a half years. Missiles and drones still destroy homes and kill people. The war involving the United States, Israel, Iran, and other countries in the Middle East has also brought great suffering to many people. Families had to leave their homes. People are living in fear. A missionary in Ukraine recently asked for prayer. Because of frequent air-raid warnings and drone attacks, she had not slept well for months. She was also suffering from severe headaches and nausea. Can we imagine living like that, wondering whether the next attack will hit our home?

Last Friday afternoon, a man killed eight people at a home in Erie, Pennsylvania, before taking his own life. The victims included two young children and a pregnant woman. This is a reality we often face in the United States. Do you think this world will become more and more peaceful? We all hope for peace. Yet the second seal shows us a world where people fight and kill one another. This suffering will grow worse, and true peace will come only when Jesus returns.

Now look at verse 5. When the Lamb opens the third seal, John sees a black horse. Its rider holds a pair of scales in his hand. Then John hears a voice announcing the prices of wheat and barley: a whole day’s wages for a small amount of food. What does this mean? The black horse represents famine and severe food shortages. The scales suggest that food is scarce, so people must carefully measure how much each person receives. The amount of wheat mentioned would provide roughly enough food for one person for one day. Barley was cheaper, so the same wages could buy three times as much. But even then, a worker would struggle to feed a family. Imagine working all day and spending everything you earned on basic food. What would be left for housing, clothing, or other needs? Then the voice says not to damage the oil and the wine. Some understand this as a picture of inequality: ordinary people struggle to buy bread while others still enjoy plenty. Others understand it as a limit on the judgment—not every food supply is destroyed. Either way, the picture shows severe hardship.

We sometimes complain about rising prices. But the hardship described here is far beyond an ordinary increase in the cost of living. Imagine food costing ten times as much as it does now. Or imagine gasoline costing $50 a gallon. Filling a ten-gallon tank would cost $500. People would probably riot. In Venezuela, inflation reached about 130,000 percent in 2018. That means prices rose to roughly 1,300 times their previous level. Money lost its value so quickly that people’s wages and savings could no longer meet their needs. In the United States, about one in seven households struggled to get enough food at some point in 2024. According to UN estimates, about one in five people in Africa experienced hunger in 2025, along with nearly 300 million people in Asia. Meanwhile, households around the world waste the equivalent of more than one billion meals every day. Some people throw away food while others wonder whether they will eat today. Some people say that AI and humanoid robots will improve life for everyone and solve the world’s food problems. But as AI develops, wealth may become concentrated in the hands of a few people, making economic inequality worse. Producing more food does not guarantee that everyone will have enough to eat. War, greed, and selfishness can deepen inequality and keep food from reaching those who need it.

What happens when the Lamb opens the fourth seal? John sees a pale horse. Its rider is named Death, and Hades follows close behind him. The horse’s pale color suggests death. Death takes lives, and Hades, the sphere of the dead, follows behind. They are given authority over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine, plague, and wild beasts. This is a terrifying picture of widespread death. War, hunger, and disease bring suffering to entire communities and nations. We have experienced something of this during the COVID-19 pandemic. About 1.2 million people died in the United States, and more than seven million deaths were reported worldwide. Even now, war, hunger, and disease continue to take lives around the world. But notice that Death and Hades are given authority over a fourth of the earth. Their power is terrible, but it is limited. This is not yet the final judgment. Three-quarters can still survive. This warning calls us to repentance. While we have the opportunity, let us turn to God and encourage others to return to Jesus.

The first four seals reveal four horsemen who bring suffering and death to the earth. But when the Lamb opens the fifth seal, the scene changes. Look at verse 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.” John sees those who have suffered because they remained faithful to God. These are martyrs. They held firmly to Jesus, even when it cost them their lives. Why are they under the altar? In the Old Testament, the blood of sacrifices was poured out at the base of the altar. This picture suggests that their lives were offered to God as a sacrifice. They are now protected by God under the altar. This does not mean that we must be killed for our faith to belong to God. All believers who remain faithful to Jesus in this world, even at the cost of their lives, can enjoy this blessing from God.

Then 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?” This is a cry for justice. They are asking God to put an end to evil and show that their faithfulness was not in vain. They leave judgment in God’s hands. Those who truly long for God’s kingdom and remain faithful even to the point of death will pray to God in this way because their hope is in God alone. How does God answer? Each of them receives a white robe. These robes symbolize purity, victory, and God’s acceptance. The world condemned them, but God honors them. They are also told to rest a little longer. Their struggle is over, but the final judgment has not yet come. Other believers will still face persecution, and some will also be killed for their faith. But this suffering will not continue forever. God has not forgotten his people, and he will give his faithful servants final victory.

For the early Christians, confessing Jesus as Lord and being baptized meant being ready to die. Because of their faith, they suffered financial hardship and persecution. Yet they followed Jesus and remained faithful to him, even to the point of death. Why has the church today become weak and corrupt? Why are we failing to impact the world with the gospel? One reason is that we are no longer willing to lay down our lives for Jesus. If we asked, “Are you ready to remain faithful to Jesus, even if it costs you your life?” how many of us could confidently say, “Yes”? Some pastors avoid that question because they fear people will leave the church. Instead, they tell people what they want to hear: “Believe in Jesus, and you will be successful. You will be rich.” But we need radical discipleship—a commitment to Jesus that is willing to give everything, even our lives, for him and his kingdom. Let me ask you: “Are you ready to remain faithful to Jesus, even if it costs you your life?”

Let us look at what happens when the Lamb opens the sixth seal. In verses 12–14, John sees a great earthquake. The sun turns black, the whole moon turns blood red, and the stars fall like figs shaken from a tree by a strong wind. The sky rolls up like a scroll, and every mountain and island moves from its place. What a terrifying picture! Everything that seems stable—the earth beneath us and the heavens above us—is shaken. This is a picture of judgment on a cosmic scale. We know how frightening even one earthquake can be. We have heard about the suffering caused by the earthquake in Venezuela. On October 9, a powerful earthquake also struck Panama. But the sixth seal describes something far greater: the order of the entire universe collapses. This language echoes the Old Testament prophets. Joel 2:31 describes the sun turning dark and the moon turning to blood before the great and dreadful day of the Lord. Isaiah 34:4 pictures the heavens rolling up like a scroll and the stars falling like leaves. John uses these powerful images to show that the day of God’s judgment has come. Then, nothing in this world will remain the same.

How do people respond? Kings, rulers, military leaders, the rich, the powerful, and everyone else, both slave and free, hide in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. Their positions and possessions cannot protect them. They call to the mountains and rocks to hide them from the face of God and from the wrath of the Lamb. But there is nowhere to escape God’s judgment. In the movie Don’t Look Up, a giant comet is heading toward Earth. Scientists warn the world, but political leaders and wealthy businesspeople put their own interests first. As the end approaches, the main characters gather with family and friends to share a meal and pray. Meanwhile, the president and the richest people escape in a spaceship, hoping to live on another planet. But on the day of God’s final judgment, no spaceship can save us. No place in the universe is beyond God’s authority.

Let us read verse 17 together: “For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can withstand it?” The passage ends with a question: “Who can withstand it?” No one can stand before God’s judgment by their own strength, power, or achievements. Salvation is found only in Jesus Christ, the Lamb who was slain.

How, then, should we live in this world? First, we must stay spiritually awake as we wait for Jesus’ second coming. Second, we must live by faith without compromising with the world. Third, we must share the good news of Jesus Christ. Jesus said in Matthew 24:14, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” May God bless each of us to remain faithful to Jesus and endure suffering as we wait for the eternal kingdom of God. Amen.