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Sermon preached on Revelation 6 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Worship Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 02/02/2025 in Petaluma, CA.
Sermon Manuscript
Rev. W. Reid Hankins, M.Div.
Is this chapter what you would have expected after the last two chapters? Remember, we’ve been in the heavenly throne room of God. We’ve seen doxology after doxology praising God and his Christ. Jesus’ victory has been heralded as the Lion and the Lamb. We were told there was this important scroll with seven seals that Jesus alone was worthy to open. Now, finally, after all that setup, Jesus begins to open each seal, one-by-one. What unfolds might surprise us Christians when we were just celebrating such a grand victory in Christ. For, as the seals begin to be opened, our perspective is brought back down to earth, about the things that will be unfolding in the aftermath of Christ’s first coming. The seals paint us a picture of what to expect between then and Christ’s second coming. While it is clear by the time we get to the sixth and seven seals that Christ wins and we Christians win with Christ, we do learn here about some of the troubles and trials we will yet face while we await Christ’s return. So the opening of these seals gives an ultimate hope even while alerting us of some of the challenges ahead.
Let us begin in our first point, then, to consider the first four seals, verses 1-8. These four seals are closely connected and distinct from the others. The opening of these four seals each reveal a different colored horse with a rider that brings calamity. The prophet Zechariah in Zechariah 1 and 6 saw somewhat similar colored horses in the apocalyptic visions he received. Zechariah was told that the horses he saw represented how God was patrolling the earth to examine the nations. The context for his visions included that God’s people had suffered under the nations and needed God to save them and restore them, and that God would raise up the Davidic Messiah to do so. Now, that messiah has already come, yet we see still a role for these horses. And what is unique about their description here is that these specific calamities are attached to them. In Zechariah’s vision, their strength was noted, and it was implied that God could use them to bring his judgments upon the earth. But here, it is explicit, that these horseman represent God sending out such calamity upon this fallen world. These horseman represent conquest, violence, famine, and death, that God has ordained for this world.
Let us consider briefly each of these four horsemen. The first is the white horse, whose rider has a bow and is given a crown and comes conquering and to conquer. Now let me pause here and say that interpreters have had some debate about what this horseman represents. Even among interpreters who generally approach Revelation in the same way I do, some have though this rider represents Jesus, while others have thought it represents Satan or the Antichrist. Those who think it is Jesus, point to the crown and the conquering language and the white horse. This is language we can expect with Jesus and in fact in Revelation 19 a rider on a white horse is explicitly identified there as Jesus. But the description there is far grander than here. So that, along with other reasons, have led some to think this is instead Satan or Antichrist, as a lessor counterfeit to the true Christ. Without going into further detail, let me humbly say I believe the simple answer is that neither view is correct. Revelation doesn’t tend to hold back in identifying main characters in the symbolism, just like Jesus was identified as the Lion and the Lamb last chapter, and how the dragon of Revelation 12 will be identified as Satan. Likewise, you’ll notice how parallel all four horses are here and none of the others represent a specific individual. I believe the correct interpretation is simply to accept the text’s explanation for what is represented by it.
So then, the text in verse 2 tells us that this horsemen represents conquest. We’ve seen this throughout history. Kings and nations rising up against other kings and nations. They go out imperialistically conquering others. At the time of Revelation’s writing, Rome was the big conqueror. During Zechariah’s vision of the horses, it had been Babylon followed by the Persians. What might be hard to get our head around here is that this implies that such warmongering nations are ultimately in service to God and his bigger plans and purposes. Yet, the Bible shows that God can use even evil conquerors for his good purposes. For example, God had used Babylon to punish the wayward Jews, even while denouncing the Babylonian actions as evil and excessive. Zechariah’s horse vision even spoke of how God was in turn angry with Babylon. So then, this white horse reveals that God yet makes use of such conquerors for his bigger purposes.
In a similar vein, the second horse, the red horse, is revealed to represent violence. Its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth and was given a great sword, so that people should kill each other. While sometimes the sword is used for righteous purposes such as in lawful punishment and just wars, we know there are also many other evil uses including unjust wars, murder, manslaughter, and more. Violence has been far too common among humanity, often an expression of hatred toward others. Again, let us appreciate the nuance that God does not author any evil himself, even if he has ordained that it serve his greater plans.
The third horse is the black horse and its rider is shown with a pair of scales and a conversation is then heard about the high cost of grain and safeguarding the precious oil and wine. This horse is understood to represent famine. Many things can result in a low supply of food that causes soaring prices, including man-made or environmental factors. Such shortages cause prices to inflate. Here, the conversation about a quart of wheat for a denarius reflects about a day’s wages for about a day’s worth of food. That doesn’t leave any money for anything else. In recent times in our country, most have never known true hunger. Yet, we have recently seen at least a taste of what inflation can do. Certainly, many have known true hunger in history over such inflation.
The fourth horse is the pale horse and its rider is Death-personified. Following behind him is Hades-personified. Death refers to the body’s cessation of life. Hades refers to the soul in the afterlife. This rider is given authority to strike a fourth of the population with death. You will notice in verse 8 a list of various ways that Death might take a life, through sword, famine, pestilence, and wild beasts. Surely, this is not exhaustive. Death continues to mankind.
So then, in summary, these four horses represent the conquest, violence, famine, and death that God continues to authorize in this world. I’ve suggested some of the tension that exists in thinking of how our good God might make use of such calamities for his good purposes. Yet, interestingly, this passage doesn’t wrestle over such questions. But, clearly, such calamities exist in this world because of mankind’s fall into sin. Let us appreciate that Christians are clearly not immune to these things either. When mankind sinned in Adam, we became subject to physical death and God cursed this world. That’s why things like famine and wild animals and pestilence can kill us. We saw in the beginning in Genesis that Cain killed Abel and Lamech became a sword wielding conqueror. We might have thought the victory of Christ in his death and resurrection would have put an immediate end to such things. Revelation 6 explains that is not the case. Jesus himself foretold that at the Olivet Discourse saying there would yet be wars and rumors of wars, famine, earthquake, and more. But we are supposed to see here that even these things like conquest, violence, famine, and death, are not outside of God’s control. Rather, he has a plan behind it all, even when we can’t understand the details. God can take even the evils of this world and use them for his good purposes, especially his redemptive plans for his elect.
The opening of the first four seals informs us of this so we are not surprised when it happens. When a non-Christian tastes of these things, may it be a wakeup call and a warning that they live in a world under God’s judgment. They need to flee the greater wrath to come by finding salvation in Jesus, before it is too late. When a Christian tastes of these things, we trust in the fact that this is not our final home and that Jesus is yet coming to save us from all these terrible things.
Let us turn next to the opening of the fifth seal as recorded in verses 9-11. This seal breaks the refrain of the horses and suddenly draws our perspective away from earth back up to heaven. There, under the altar of God, we are given a glimpse of deceased saints who had been martyred for their faith. Wonderfully, we see they yet live spiritually in heaven. But we hear their lament to God, a holy complaint brought to the Sovereign Lord, as they cry out to be vindicated by God. “How long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” So, this fifth seal dramatically confronts the Christian with the reality that right here and now, we may face persecution, even unto death. Let us recognize that. Those first four seals spoke of calamities common to all humans, whether you are Christians or not. But this fifth seal reveals a measure of additional suffering that is unique to Christians. We can be persecuted intensely for our faith. This seal reminds us of this, so we are not surprised when it happens. Indeed, Jesus certainly foretold this as well in his Olivet Discourse, that we will be delivered up to tribulation, put to death, and hated by all nations for Christ’s sake.
Again, we can appreciate how this can be hard to comprehend for us. The gospel declares that victory we have in Christ Jesus over sin, death, damnation, and all God’s enemies. Yet, initially, we are still subject to much affliction by God’s enemies. Indeed, this fifth seal explains that this is part of God’s plan, that we might even be called to share in Christ’s sufferings in such a way. The emotional struggle of this is expressed by these martyrs who cry out for vindication.
So how does God respond to their cry? There are three parts to the response. One, they are told to rest a little longer. This might just sound like they are being told to be patient, but it’s actually more wonderful than that. They aren’t told to wait a little longer, but to rest a little longer. These martyred saints, yes, have died, but they have gone to be with the Lord! They are at glorious rest with their savior! So, this lament they raise is not sinful grumbling but a righteous prayer of like what we find in the Psalter where they are calling out to God to do what he has indeed already promised. Indeed, all Christians martyrs will ultimately be vindicated, and in part it will be in answer to such prayer.
The second part of God’s response to the martyrs is they are given a white robe. The white color makes us think of purity, and we remember earlier statements in Revelation of Jesus giving us white garments to wear. Indeed, next chapter speaks of the triumphant saints who’ve washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the lamb. Also, as not just garments, but specifically a robe, this might also intend to convey a symbolism of victory, as such a robe might be meant as a mark of distinction. So, even if the world kills us and calls us evil for being Christian, this reminds us of how God sees us, honored and pure in his sight.
The third part of God’s response is to particularly address the timing question. The martyr’s question was how long until the vindication. The answer is not a specific time but of the milestone that must be met first. Before they are vindicated, every one of their fellow Christians ordained to martyrdom must first be killed like they have been killed. This is similar to how Jesus spoke in the Olivet Discourse of how first the gospel had to go throughout the whole world before the end would come. So too, all those predestined to become Christian and suffer for his name, have to first become Christian and suffer for his name. Then, the end will come, Christ will return, and vindicate all the saints before all the unbelieving world, declaring all of us Christians to be the children of God, co-heirs with Christ, and inheritors of all the world.
So then, let us take application in this second point that even if we should suffer such, that we will be vindicated. That would allow us to rest even now, so to speak, in face of such suffering, with the confidence of what we have in Jesus.
Let’s turn now to the sixth seal and our last point for today. This is verses 12-17. I think this sixth seal should really strike us. I’ve said that these seals speak of the timeframe between Christ’s first and second comings, but the first five all describe what could be experienced throughout that time frame. But this sixth seal jumps us all the way forward to the day of the Lord when Christ Jesus returns to bring judgment on the wayward world. While just a moment ago we were hearing that the martyrs had to yet wait a little while longer for their vindication, but in a seeming breath now that vindication begins.
This final day of judgment here is described as a great earthquake with cosmic effects on the sun, moon, and stars. The sky vanishes. Every mountain and island is removed. So that means that both the heavens and earth are being cataclysmically affected. What’s being described is the final destruction of the current heavens and earth so they can be radically recreated into a new heavens and a new earth, as Revelation 21 will describe in more detail. Every human, great and small, want to be hidden from this judgment. Verse 16 describes this as the day of the Lamb’s wrath. The judgment described is awesome in the full sense of the word.
Do you see here confirmation for what I’ve told you at the start? Revelation is not one strict chronological vision. There are various visions that overlap and give parallel accounts to some of the same events, even while there is general movement in the book from start to finish. We will get the seventh seal at the start of chapter 8 which will bring to culmination this age only to restart the picture with another set of seven things with seven trumpets that will give us another perspective. Clearly, this sixth seal speaks of final judgment, and that is more evidence of the recapitulation in the book of Revelation.
So then, the question that the unbelievers will ask when that final day of judgment will come is there in verse 17. “Who can stand?” Who can stand when Christ’s wrath falls upon the earth. That question will be the basis for an interlude in chapter 7 before the final, seventh seal is opened. But the answer is basically that Christians alone can stand. Those who belong to Christ in faith, who bear his mark, they will stand safe and secure on that final day.
So then, stepping back, these first four seals speak of the trouble and tribulation this world, in general, will experience while we await Christ’s return. The fifth seal speaks of the special tribulation Christians will face in persecution. But this sixth seal speaks of the terrible, and history-ending judgment that only non-Christians will face at the day of Christ Jesus. Then, as we will continue to see, our victory in Christ will be consummated. We’ll be ushered into the paradise of the new creation. Let us keep this hope while we endure the trials of this life.
In conclusion, this timeline might challenge our expectations. We might have thought victory would have been fully completed the day Jesus rose from the dead. But let us appreciate that God’s wisdom is greater than ours. He had a better plan. Let’s see it that way. This is the better plan.
We can imagine reasons why this is the better plan, that there is this extended time period between Christ’s first coming and his return when he completes his victory. One reason is it has given opportunity for evangelism and salvation for more people, ourselves included. Another reason is the challenges we experience in this world, help to wean us off this world and see why this world needs to be restored. Another reason, our experience of evil people yet in this world, also teaches us the sobering truth that it’s not enough to remove the curse from this world, but even the wicked people need to be removed from it. Another reason is that this takes away any excuse for the wicked, for our God has been so patient to them and given them such warning. Yet another reason is that we Christians can be tested and grown through this time. All of this teaches us to rely on God, especially in prayer, all to prepare us for the glory ahead. We will ultimately appreciate the glory of the new creation all the more. It will all be reason to glorify God in eternity. Let us have this perspective as we patiently endure in faith until the day of Christ’s return.
Amen.
Copyright © 2025 Rev. W. Reid Hankins, M.Div.
All Rights Reserved.
