Revelation of Jesus Christ: Biblical Commentary on the Book of Revelation by Hegumen Fr Abraam Sleman - Chapter 6 - The Lamb and the Six Seals

In Revelation 5:1–7, Christ received from God the Father the scroll sealed with seven seals until. The scroll contained the plan of redemption for all the mankind and the creation. The scroll contained description of the divine plan of redemption, how God execute this plan through His Son Jesus Christ.

Each of the scroll’s seven seals (Rev 5:1) represents specific work of the divine redemptive plan. Apparently the seventh seal contains the seven trumpets (Rev 8:1–11:19) and the seventh trumpet (Rev 11:15) contains the seven vials (Rev 16:1–21). The seven seals thus contain all the divine plan of redemption that leads to the coming of New Jerusalem down from heaven and the dwelling of God and the lamb among His people (Rev 21:3).

Those events took place according to the purposes of the sovereign God in heaven and revealed in the fullness of time in Jesus Christ our Lord. They are good news still.

The First Four Seals: Introduction

1 Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, “Come and see.” 2 And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.
3 When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come and see.” 4 Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword.
5 When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come and see.” So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. 6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, "A quart* of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine.”
7 When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come and see.” 8 So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth (Revelation 6:1-8).

Many commentators have seen the first four seals as the appearance of the Antichrist, wars, famine and death. However, the message of the Bible is not that “God so loved the world that He sent wars, famine and earthquakes.” The good news is that “God so loved the world that He gave His One and Only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Still this is the message of the Book of Revelation as it is the culmination book of the Bible.

It makes no sense to know that the death of the lamb and His blood were to bring destruction and calamities. Moreover, why St. John would weep bitterly, looking for someone worthy to unlock the sealed scroll (Rev 5:4). Were the praises of the four living creatures, the twenty four priests, the angels and all the creatures for unlocking the news of the coming horror and destruction (Rev 5:8-14)? This would be absurd.

As we go deeper in our journey of discovering “the Revelation of Jesus Christ”, opening the seals of the scroll and releasing the riders of four horses, in (Revelation 6:1-8), unveil how such events have come to be good news.

The four living creatures acted as evangelists preaching the good news of Jesus Christ. As the lamb opened each seal, of the first four seals, one of the four living creatures cried out, “Come and see”. Their cries grasped the attention of St. John and the readers to see specific horses with their riders.

The horses imagery has its Hebraic roots in the visions described in (Zechariah 1:7-17 and 6:1-8). The angel of the lord was depicted as a man riding a red horse in (Zechariah 1:8-9). The chariots with the horses in Zechariah 6 were “the four spirits of heaven, going out from standing in the presence of the Lord of the whole world” (Zech 6:5, NIV). Angels are spirits, a flame of fire (Psalm 104:4).

In the old Testament, they also sent the letters by couriers on horseback riding fast horses as in (Esther 8:10). Here the angels riding horses acted as couriers carrying messages from the throne of God. Each one in his turn when the lamb opened one of the seals. Moreover, their form and color represented the message delivered with opening each seal.

The First Seal: The Word Became Flesh

1 Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, “Come and see.” 2 And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer (Revelation 6:1-2).

Opening the first seal of the scroll marks the beginning of God’s redemptive plan by sending His Son, the Logos in sinless human body to our world. It the opening message of the gospel of St. John, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:1,14).

He shared in our humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death - that is, the devil (Hebrews 2:14). In His body, He fulfilled god’s will:
When He came into the world, He said: “Sacrifice and offering
You did not desire,
But a body You have prepared for Me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin
You had no pleasure.
Then I said, 'Behold, I have come —
In the volume of the book it is written of Me —
To do Your will, O God'" (Hebrews 10:5-7).

White is the color of holiness and purity. Daniel saw that the clothing of the Ancient of Days was as white as snow and that his hair like the purest wool. This white color is reference to the holiness and purity of God. This what God want us to be like. “Come now, and let us reason together," Says the LORD, "Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool” (Isaiah 1:18, NASB). “Let your clothes be white all the time” (Ecclesiastes 9:8, NASB).

In His flesh, the Lord Jesus loved a sinless and perfect life. “He had done no violence, Nor was any deceit in His mouth” (Isaiah 53:9). He was guilty of no sin, neither was deceit (guile) ever found on His lips” (1 Peter 2:22, AMP). “For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens” (Hebrews 7:26).

On the mount of transfiguration, the appearance of the Lord Jesus was changed in front of disciples; His face shone like the sun and His clothes became as white as light (Matthew 17:2). In Revelation, St. John saw Jesus clothed in a robe reaching to His feet, and girded across His chest was a golden sash. His head and His hair were white like wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire (Revelation 1:13-14). It was also said of the saints that they were standing in front of the throne of the lamb and were wearing white robes (Revelation 7:9); The person who conquers in this way will wear white clothes (Revelation 3:5).

The rider of the white horse had a bow but without arrow. The bow is a sign of the convent as in Genesis 9:13. The Lord God foretold Malachi that Jesus would come as “the messenger of the covenant”:
“And the Lord, whom you seek,
Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant,
In whom you delight. Behold,
He is coming” (Malachi 3:1).

Jesus is also “the Mediator of the new covenant” (Hebrews 12:24). Jesus offered His Blood for the New Covenant. After supper, He took a cup and said to His disciples, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you” (Luke 22:20).

Further, the white horse is also a symbol of the “conquering Christ” who has defeated the forces of evil in the world. This rider wears a stephanos, a crown won as a prize. In Rev 19:12, Christ also wears many diadēmas, royal crowns.

Jesus overcame the world as He said, “be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Satan could not take hold of Him in anything. Jesus said, “[T]he ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me” (John 14:30).

The Second Seal: Christ Became Sin

3 When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come and see.” 4 Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword (Revelation 6:3-4).

Colors and forms of the second, third and fourth horses and their riders had been changed. It is hardly to believe that they still represent Christ and the plan of redemption. How can images that portrait wars, famine and death fit with the Son of God? Such paradox blurred the eyes of commentators to see Christ in them. However, we see such paradox in Isaiah’s description of Jesus (Isaiah 53:2-6). Jesus had become with “no form” or “beauty” for “our transgressions” and “iniquities”. Isaiah said:
He has no form or comeliness;
And when we see Him,
There is no beauty that we should desire Him.
He is despised and rejected by men,
A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
Surely He has borne our griefs
And carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten by God, and afflicted.
But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:2-6).

The fiery red horse and its rider had the message that Jesus had become “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). The paradox overlaid its shade when the Father planned to make Jesus, the sinless one to be “sin for us” (2 Corinthians 5:21). St. Paul said, “For He [God the Father] made Him [Jesus] who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

The color of the second horse was fiery red. It is the color that is often associated with terror and blood shed: the red dragon (Revelation 12:3), the red beast (Revelation 17:3).

It was granted to its rider “to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another”. John also noted that a great sword was given to the rider. Machaira (sword) refers to the short, stabbing sword a Roman soldier carried into battle. It was also a weapon used by assassins. The vision depicts a great sword to describe the extent of the war. The whole description fitted perfectly with “sin” that is behind taking peace away, causing wars and killing as with great sword. “There is no peace,” Says my God, “for the wicked” (Isaiah 57:21).

Jesus the sinless has become for you and me that we might become righteous. Jesus ”who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness- by whose stripes you were healed” (1 Peter 2:24).

Jesus ascended on the tree of the cross having our old nature to be crucified with Him that we might be a new creation in Him. “knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him [with Jesus], that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him (Romans 6:6-8). “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

The Third Seal: Christ Became A Curse

5 When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come and see.” So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. 6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, "A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine” (Revelation 6:5-6).

As the Lamb opened the third seal, the mighty voice of the third living creature heralded the coming of the third horse and rider. The color black is often connected with famine. “Our skin has become as hot as an oven, Because of the burning heat of famine” (Lamentations 5:10, NASU). A shortage of food will always drive up prices and force the government to ration what is available. “To eat bread by weight” is a Jewish phrase indicating that food is scarce (Leviticus 26:26).

Following the appearance of the black horse and its rider, John heard something like a voice in the center of the four living creatures. Since the four living creatures were stationed around the throne (4:6), this is likely the voice of God, the One sitting on the throne (4:2–3). God also speaks in connection with the fifth seal (6:11).

God speaks here as a reminder that the famine is a direct judgment from Him as a curse for disobedience. “All these curses will come upon you. They [the enemies] will pursue you and overtake you until you are destroyed, because you did not obey the Lord your God and observe the commands and decrees he gave you. They will be a sign and a wonder to you and your descendants forever” (Deuteronomy 28:46-48, NIV).

God’s pronouncements reveal how devastating the famine conditions will be. A quart of wheat is barely enough to sustain one person for one day, while a denarius represents one day’s wages for an average worker. People’s labor will barely provide enough food for themselves and not enough to feed their families. Those with families will be able to purchase three quarts of barley for a denarius. That will provide food for their families, but barley was low in nutritional value and commonly fed to livestock. Thus, a person’s wages will barely feed three people with low quality food.

Those scenarios represent starvation wages, and signify severe curse conditions. "For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: How much worse will it be when I send against Jerusalem my four dreadful judgments - sword and famine and wild beasts and plague - to kill its men and their animals!” (Ezekiel 14:21, NIV).

Before the death of Christ, all were under a curse. All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law” (Galatians 3:10, NIV).

When the Lamb opened the third seal, God revealed further step in the plan of redemption, Christ became a curse for us. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree” (Galatians 3:13, Deuteronomy 21:23).

In light of those extreme conditions, God not to damage not to damage (waste) the oil and the wine. This is significance indication that nothing has affected the fullness of the Spirit and the inner joy of the Lord Jesus Christ despite being a curse for us. “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).

In the New Jerusalem, “there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him” (Revelation 22:3-4).

The Fourth Seal: Christ Died

7 When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come and see.” 8 So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth (Revelation 6:7-8).

The fourth seal in the vision follows the pattern of the first three. The Lamb broke the seal and the fourth living creature heralded the fourth horse and its rider. John described the final horse as an ashen horse. Chlōros (ashen), from which the English words “chlorophyll” and “chlorine” derive, refers to a sickly, pale, yellow-green color. It describes green vegetation in its only other New Testament uses (8:7; 9:4; Mark 6:39). The horse’s color vividly portrays the pale-green pallor of death characteristic of the decomposition of a corpse. Fittingly, the rider who sat on it had the ominous name Death.

In this terrifying scene, John saw Hades following with Death. Death and Hades are also paired in 1:18 and 20:13, 14. Authority was given to Death and Hades to destroy a fourth of the population of the earth.

Death use four tools in his grim task. The first three elements, the sword, famine, and pestilence, are often linked together in Scripture (e.g., 1 Chronicles 21:12; 2 Chronicles 20:9; Jeremiah 14:12; 24:10; 44:13; Ezekiel 6:11), and all four elements appear in (Ezekiel 14:12–21).

Death came to all men through the disobedience of Adam. He disobeyed His command when He said to him, “you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die” (Genesis 2:17, NIV). “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned” (Romans 5:12, NIV).

Opening the fourth seal revealed the great gift of God. In His plan for redemption, God decreed that “if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!” (Romans 5:15, NIV).

Christ “humbled himself and became obedient to death, even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:8, NIV). “We see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone” (Hebrews 2:9, NIV).

Through baptism, the death of Christ is considered our death to live as new creation. “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life” (Romans 6:4, NIV).

The Fifth Seal: Christ Descended into Hades

9 When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been 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, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” 11 Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed (Revelation 6:9-11).

As with the first four seals, when the Lamb (the Lord Jesus Christ, who alone has authority to execute the plan of redemption(Revelation 5:4–5) broke the fifth seal another sequence in the unfolding of divine plan was revealed, in which John saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain.

Souls of Those Who are Slain: Who Are They?

The Greek word [μάρτυς martus], which gives us our English word martyr, simply means “a witness” (see Revelation 2:13; 17:6). These saints were unjustly slain by their enemies because of their witness to the truth of God and the message of Jesus Christ.

The Apostle Paul had the same idea in mind. He wrote to the Philippians, “I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith…” (Philippians 2:17). He also wrote to Timothy, “I am already being poured out as a drink offering… I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness…” (2 Timothy 4:6-8). In his epistles to the Romans, he quoted Psalm 44:22 and wrote, “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter” (Romans 8:36).

In Old Testament imagery, blood represents life, “For the life of the flesh is in the blood” (Leviticus 17:11). When the Old Testament priest presented an animal sacrifice, the victim’s blood was poured out at the base of the brazen altar (Leviticus 4:7, 18, 25, 30). So, here in Revelation, the souls of the martyrs “under the altar” indicates that their lives were given sacrificially to the glory of God but went under the base of the alter, to Hades [Sheol].

Souls of Those Who are Slain: Where Are They?

In the early Hebrew thought, Hades is the abode of the souls of the dead, wither the are righteous or evil. Jacob said to his children, “you will bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow” (Genesis 42:38, NASU).

In the story of Moses, Korah, Dathan and Abiram, the ground split apart under them, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the men with Korah, with all their goods. So they and all those with them went down alive into the pit; the earth closed over them, and they perished from among the assembly (Numbers 16:31-34).
Solomon said, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might; for there is no activity or planning or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol where you are going” (Ecclesiastes 9:10, NASU).

In Jewish apocalyptic literature Hades was an intermediate place (1 En. 51 :1) where all the souls of the dead awaited judgment (22 :3f). The dead were separated into compartments, the righteous staying in an apparently pleasant place (v. 9) and various classes of sinners undergoing punishments in other compartments (vv. 10-13). In the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, “being in torments in Hades, he [The rich man] lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom” (Luke 16:23).

The depths of Hades are contrasted with the heights of heaven (Matthew 11:23, Luke 10:15; Isaiah 7:11). The Lord spoke again to Ahaz through Isaiah, saying, "Ask a sign for yourself from the Lord your God; make it deep as Sheol or high as heaven" (Isaiah 7:10-11, NASU).

Hades has gates like a city (Isaiah 38:10, Job 38:17, Matthew 16:18). Isaiah said, “In the middle of my life I am to enter the gates of Sheol; I am to be deprived of the rest of my years” (Isaiah 38:10, NASU). God said to Job, “Have the gates of death been revealed to you, Or have you seen the gates of deep darkness?” (Job 38:16, NASU). Jesus said to Peter, “upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it” (Matthew 16:18, NASU).

The Good news is that Christ has the keys of Death and Hades. “[I am] the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades” (Revelation 1: 18, NASU).

Souls of Those Who are Slain: Meaning of Their Prayer

Before Christ, in Genesis 4, we read about the first innocent blood shed, the crying blood of Abel. God said to Cain, “What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood cries out to Me from the ground. So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand” (Genesis 4:10-11). Then comes, “all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah” (Matthew 23:35).

Is it acceptable for these martyred saints to pray for vengeance on their murderers? Both Jesus and Stephen prayed that God would forgive those who killed them. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23:34). Nearing death, Stephen knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin." And when he had said this, he fell asleep” (Acts 7:60).

Even God Himself declares, “As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, O house of Israel?” (Ezekiel 33:11, NIV). He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9, NIV).

There is no doubt that these martyrs also prayed for their persecutors and killers; and this is the right thing to do. The Lord Jesus taught them, “I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:44-45).

It is really absurd to hear that martyrs will change their minds after their death and ask for God’s vengeance as one of the commentator wrote, “Prayer will play a vital role in the outpouring of God’s judgments on the earth. This prayer is very different from the one by the martyr Stephen (Acts 7:60) in which he prayed for his killers to not be held guilty by God.”

I do deny that God will finally judge the unrepeated sinners, however this was not what the martyrs prayed for. However, the real enemy of the saints are not the people but Sin and the power of Death and Hades (Galatians 5:24), which dwell on earth.

In Revelation 6, sin was portrayed as “fiery red horse” and “it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword” ( Revelation 6:4). St James said, “Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?” (James 4:1).

In Revelation 17, “Sin” is portrayed as a woman called Babylon, “The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication. And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH” (Revelation 17:4-5).

The judgment of Babylon is portrayed in Revelation 19. St John heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God! For true and righteous are His judgments, because He has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication; and He has avenged on her the blood of His servants shed by her” (Revelation 19:1-2).

The desire of lustful pleasure are warring against the saint not only from outside through their persecutors but also from within. “I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members” (Romans 7:23).

In Revelation 6:8 the personified Death and Hades seem to represent the ungodly powers of the underworld as they were dominating on earth before the death of the Lord Jesus. “Power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth. Revelation 6:8

It is not personal revenge that they seek, but vindication of God’s holiness and their vindication to have rest. It is also the prayer of every believer today who sincerely prays, “Thy kingdom come!”.

Christ Descended Into Hades

Then comes the blood of Jesus, “the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel” (Hebrews 12:24). The Cross for the Lord Jesus was the alter of the burned offering. Earth opened its mouth to receive the blood of Jesus as of Abel. Christ descended into Hades and was identified with the souls of the saints captured in Hades.

St Paul spoke about the ascension of Christ that it means first His descending to the lower part of the earth to give rest the souls of the Old Testament saints. He said, “He ascended”--what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth [Hades]? He who descended [into the lower parts of the earth, Hades] is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things” (Ephesians 4:9-10).

Jonah as a type of Christ prophesied the deliverance of Christ from the Hades. He said in His prayer, “I went down to the moorings of the mountains; The earth with its bars closed behind me forever; Yet You have brought up my life from the pit [Hades], O Lord, my God” (Jonah 2:6).

David also prophesied the descending of Christ into Hades and His deliverance, “For You [O God] will not abandon my soul to Sheol; Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay. You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand [mighty power] there are pleasures forever” (Psalms 16:10-11, NASU).

In the Book of Acts 2 and on the Day of Pentecost, St Peter quoted David and then he said, “because he [David] was a prophet… he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that HE WAS NEITHER ABANDONED TO HADES, NOR DID His flesh SUFFER DECAY. This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses” Acts 2:30-32, NASU).

In His descending to Hades, Christ preached the spirits in prison. “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, 19 by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water” (1 Peter 3:18-20).

God raised the spirits of the saints with Christ. “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive” (Ephesians 4:8) as it was prophesied by David, “You have ascended on high, You have led captivity captive” (Psalms 68:18). “Death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them” (Revelation 20:13, NASU). The Lord God said to His Son through Isaiah:
In an acceptable time I have heard You,
And in the day of salvation I have helped You;
I will preserve You and give You
As a covenant to the people,
To restore the earth,
To cause them to inherit the desolate heritages;
That You may say to the prisoners, 'Go forth,'
To those who are in darkness, 'Show yourselves.' (Isaiah 49:8-9).

By His death, the redeemed have victory over death and Hades, “Death is swallowed up in victory, O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory? The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:54-57).

White Robes And Rest

When God redeemed His Son from the power of Death and Hades, He redeemed also the souls of His saints. He “raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6-7).

One of the saints who was figurativly raised up from Hades is David the prophet. He said, “Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits - who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit [Hades] and crowns you with love and compassion” (Psalms 103:1-4, NIV).

Two elements made up God’s response to His martyred saints: a symbolic gift, and a spoken word. In front of the injustice of Sin, Death and Hades, God gave a gift to each of them, a white robe [στολὴ stolē; a long robe flowing to the feet]. By having the white robes, God declared that these saints are perfected by the blood of the lamb. They “washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (Revelation 7:14).

The basis of their redemption and justification is the death of Christ. God saw their blood identified through the blood of His Son. "For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified" (Hebrews 10:14).

Along with this gift came God’s spoken word, namely that they should rest for a little while longer. It is God’s decree to enter the blessing of God’s rest until the second coming of Christ.

God have promised His people a “rest”, a promise not fulfilled in Canaan but in Jesus. “For we who have believed do enter that rest… For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day. There remains therefore a rest for the people of God” (Hebrews 4:3, 8-9).

In the New Testament Christ's great offer is rest to the soul. “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).

The blood of the Lamb gives inner peace from the conscious of sin. For this St Paul said, “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:22-23).

The Sixth Seal: Jesus’ Resurrection and the Following Glories

12 I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. 13 And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. 14 Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. 15 And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves 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 who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17 For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand? (Revelation 6:12-17).

The opening of the sixth seal revealed what looked like worldwide convulsions and catastrophes, including the first of three great earthquakes mentioned in the Book of Revelation (Revelation 6:12; 11:13; 16:18-19). All of nature had been affected: the sun, moon, and stars, as well as the heavens, the mountains, and the islands. These verses describe a scene that frighten even the most courageous person.

As we continue reading, the narrative of the events stops us and makes us rethink the whole issue. The one who opened the “Sixth Seal” is the meek and gentle Lamb of God (Matthew 11:28-30). He also said, “I did not come to judge the world but to save the world” (John 12:47). For me, the Lamb of God would not open “The Sixth Seal” to put in trash God’s creation but to renew it.

So far, with the opening of the previous five seals, it was revealed to us that Jesus took a sinless human body, carried our sin, became a curse for us, died and went to Hades. Following the sequential process of God’s plan of redemption in Jesus Christ leads us the resurrection of Jesus and the glories that would follow.

Great Earthquake: Resurrection of Jesus

I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake…
Revelation 6:12

In general, the Bible uses earthquakes as symbols of God's revelation of His power (2 Samuel 22:8), presence (Psalms 68:8), revelation (Exodus 19:18), and judgments (Ezekiel 38:19-23). The exceeding greatness of God’s power, revelation and judgment was manifested when God raised His Son Jesus Christ from the dead. St. Paul prayed for the Ephesians to be enlightened in their mind to the excellence of God’s power in Jesus Christ when He raised Him:
[I pray that] the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places.
Ephesians 1:18-20

Amazingly, what would declare the mightiest power of God in the resurrection of Jesus is the “Great Earthquake”! According to the Gospel of Matthew, an earthquake occurred at the crucifixion of Jesus leading to the resurrection of many saints (Matthew 27:51-53). A “Great Earthquake” occurred at the resurrection of Jesus (Matthew 28:2):

Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many (Matthew 27:51-53).

Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it (Matthew 28:1-2).

If the planet earth was hit with a massive earthquake, everything would be destroyed, this would be the negative side of the earthquake. But still there would be a positive side as the old things would go away leaving the space for the new thing to be build. What happened with resurrection of Jesus was that all the universe, not only the earth, was hit with the divine power of God through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. His resurrection was like a great earthquake that has shaken the foundations of the heaven and earth ushering the beginning of a new creation. It had to get rid of the old things to have the new things. “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). “No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear is made worse. Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved" (Matthew 9:16-17).

The rest of Revelation 6 tells us about the negative side of the resurrection, the getting rid of the old things. Revelation 7 is a continuation of Revelation 6 and it tells us about the positive side of the resurrection, building up the new things by the Holy Spirit.

Darkness of the Sun and the Moon: Darkness of Old Israel

The sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood (Revelation 6:12b).

6:12b On the heels of the earthquake came what looked like a second disaster, as “the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair. “Sackcloth” was rough cloth worn by mourners, usually made from the hair of “black” goats. Following the violent earthquake that devastates the earth, the sun will turn as black as a mourner’s robe. The looking like third disaster is closely connected with the darkening of the sun, as “the whole moon became like blood”.

Isaiah also described this strange and terrifying phenomenon, writing in Isaiah 13:10, “The sun will be dark when it rises and the moon will not shed its light.” Joel adds, “the sun and the moon grow dark” (Joel 2:10). Joel spoke of the sun being darkened and the moon being turned into blood (Joel 2:31; cf. Acts 2:20).

On the other hand, when God created the sun and the moon, He “God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good” (Genesis 1:17-18). The Lamb of God would not offer His life on the cross and open the “Sixth Seal” to struck what “God saw it was good” with darkness. These looking like disasters are not related the literal sun and moon.

The Book of Genesis give us a clue of what was meant with the sun and the moon in Revelation. In Genesis 37, Joseph [type of Christ] dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers, and said, “Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me.” So he told it to his father and his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall your mother and I and your brothers indeed come to bow down to the earth before you?” And his brothers envied him, but his father kept the matter in mind (Genesis 37:9-11).

Jacob, who was formerly named Israel in Genesis 35:10, understood that the sun, the moon and the eleven stars are Israel himself, his wife and his children that became the twelve tribes together with Joseph (Genesis 37:10).

Fading of the lights of the sun and the moon refers to fading the light of Israel according to the flesh. “Blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in” (Romans 11:25-26).

Now, in Christ Jesus, “Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is what matters” (1 Corinthians 7:19). “For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God” (Romans 2:28-29).

With the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ, all was done with the Old Covenant leaving the way to the New Covenant with blood of Jesus. The is with the Leviticus priesthood:
But now He [Christ] has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second. Because finding fault with them, He says: "Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah..” (Hebrews 8:8-10).

If perfection were through the Leviticus priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need was there that another priest should rise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be called according to the order of Aaron? 12 For the priesthood being changed, of necessity there is also a change of the law (Hebrews 7:11-12).

Fall of the Heavenly Bodies: Fall of Satan and His Angels

And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind (Revelation 6:13).

6:13 The fourth looking like disaster was that the “stars of the sky fell to the earth”. The word “Stars” in the Bible the word star is used as a generic term for all the heavenly bodies-including stars, planets, comets, and meteors-but excluding the sun and the moon. In this general sense, the phrase the host of heaven sometimes refers to all the astronomical phenomena visible in the night sky (2 Kings 17:16; 21:3-5; 23:4-5).

Some commentators believed that this is most likely a reference to asteroid or meteor showers bombarding the earth. Modern experts believe that the impacts of asteroids, comets, and meteors striking the earth would be devastating and cause unprecedented destruction. There would be so many such bodies hitting the earth that John, in a vivid analogy, likens the scene to “a fig tree that casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind”.

The word star is also used as a figure of speech for angels. Job 38:7 speaks of "the morning stars" singing together and all "the sons of God" shouting for joy. The morning stars are a poetic way of speaking of angels. This symbolic usage is most obvious in the Book of Revelation (Revelation 8:10-11; 9:1-2). Not only the holy angels that are called “stars” but also Satan himself is called a “mourning Star” in (Isaiah 14:12).

The fall of the heavenly bodies, the stars by the mighty wind (Revelation 6:13) refers to the fall of Satan and his angels from the heaven to earth. This vivid picture finds a parallel in Isaiah:
All the host of heaven shall be dissolved,
And the heavens shall be rolled up like a scroll;
All their host shall fall down
As the leaf falls from the vine,
And as fruit falling from a fig tree (Isaiah 34:4).

Two Old Testament passages-Isaiah 14:12-15 and Ezekiel 28:11-19-furnish a picture of Satan's original condition and the reasons for his loss of that position. These passages were addressed originally to the kings of Babylon and Tyre. But in their long-range implications, many scholars believe, they refer to Satan himself. They tell of an exalted angelic being, one of God's creatures, who became proud and ambitious. He determined to take over the throne of God for himself. But God removed him from his position of great dignity and honor.

Building upon this foundation, Revelation sketches the further stages in Satan's work of evil. In his fall from God's favor, Satan persuaded one third of the angels to join him in his rebellion (Revelation 12:3-4). Throughout the Old Testament period he sought to destroy the messianic line. When the Messiah became a man, Satan tried to eliminate Him (Revelation 12:4-5). Because of the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ, was thrown out of the heavenly sphere (Revelation 12:7-12).

The Lord Jesus told His disciples: “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you” (Luke 10:18-19).“Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out” (John 12:31). Revelation 20 notes the final phases of Satan's work. Stan is bound for a “thousand years” and then finally cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:2,10).

Movement of the Sky, Mountains and Islands: Birth Bangs of the Creation

Then the sky [heaven] receded [split apart] as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place (Revelation 6:14).

6:14 John described the sixth looking like devastating natural phenomenon as he likened the sky to an unrolled scroll that splits in the middle and rolls up on either side. “Every mountain and island were moved out of their places”.

After the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ, heaven and earth are moving from their old state toward their renewal. There would be a new heaven and a new earth according to God’s promises as in Isaiah and seen fulfilled in Revelation:
“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth;
And the former shall not be remembered or come to mind” (Isaiah 65:17).
Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea (Revelation 21:1).

The Lord Jesus Christ is “the Beginning of the creation of God” (Revelation 3:14) in the general sense. Because of His resurrection, He became also the beginning of the “new creation” in the special sense. “He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence” (Colossians 1:18).

Christ ascended to heaven, for “heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things…” (Acts 3:21). This anticipated time is the time of the renewal of heaven and earth. Movement of the heaven and the earth in Revelation 6:14 refers to groaning and the birth bangs of the creation looking for its redemption:

For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body (Romans 8:22-23).

End of People of the Earth: Getting Rid off the Old Human Nature

15 And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves 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 who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17 For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand? (Revelation 6:15-17).

The seventh looking like disaster was a hopeless massive human escape before God and the Lamb. “Wrath of the Lamb” and “the great day of His wrath” are two phrases taken from the lips of this panic crowd and emphasized as being the theme of the whole Book of Revelation. The Book, which culminating the gospel of the good news, has been used to terrorize the people of God.

The message of Revelation is the same message of the Gospel. “God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 5:9). “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit (Romans 8:1).

Some see Revelation 6:15-17 as a picture of the final “Judgment Day”. Yes, I believe in the “Judgment Day” in which God "will render to each one according to his deeds" (Romans 2:6). However, if these verses specifically are portrait of the judgment day, then where are the saints? Will they flee with everyone and hid them selves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains? The Lord Jesus said that the saints will be mixed with wicked people in the “Judgment Day”. “All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats” (Matthew 25:32). The narrative in these verses does not indicate of the presence of saints among these crowds.

The analogy used seven categories embracing the concept of discrimination and the law of segregation, “the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man”. Such act is not is not of the saints. “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28).

The massive hopeless crowd in Revelation 6 is not people but the “old man” that was living in people before the death and the resurrection Christ. It is the “old man” that sees people in segregation and does not accept the love of God and of the Lamb.

The analogy also introduced people who have misconception about God the Father. While Jesus said, “the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God” (John 16:27), they wanted to hid themselves from “the face of Him who sits on the throne”.

Their misconception extended to their view of “the Lamb of God”. The phrase “wrath of the Lamb” seems a paradox. “Wrath of the lion” would be more consistent. These people had misconception of the Lamb of God. Christ said of Himself, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28-29).

Instead of seeing the love, the meekness and gentleness of Christ, they saw “wrath of the Lamb”. The old man in us relate himself to the rocks and the mountains , the dust of the earth, “the Mother Nature” not “God the Father and His Son”.

The “Day of the Lord” is “the Day of Wrath” on that old man in us that is called “the man of sin”. “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men [all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men NOT on men], who suppress the truth in unrighteousness (Romans 1:18).

In Revelation, sin is portrait as a city called “Babylon”. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God judged Babylon:
And there were noises and thunderings and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth… And great Babylon [the city of evil] was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath (Revelation 16:18-19).

The God news is that the “Old Man” has gone away by the Holy Spirit with the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Before putting on the “New Man”, the old one has been buried with Christ in the Baptism:

[You are] buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead (Colossians 2:12).

This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk… that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephesians 4:17-24).

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new (2 Corinthians 5:17).

In conclusion, “The Sixth Seal” is not about ecological destruction, devastation or cosmic disturbances. It is about “the great and awesome day of the Lord” (Acts 2:20). That day has been already witnessed by many through the death, resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and “the glories that would follow” (1 Peter 1:11). It has been preached by St Peter, in the Day of Pentecost, and later by many.

This is the day anticipated by David and many. It is the day to be glad and rejoice, not to be scared and frightened, “This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalms 118:24). The rest of the good news revealed in opening the Sixth Seal follows in Chapter 7.