In John 21:18-19, Jesus tells Peter the future. More specifically, he tells Peter about Peter’s future. Now, that’s some exciting stuff, if you’re Peter, isn’t it? I mean, people make good money just for pretending like you can tell a person his or her future. Imagine if you really could. Imagine how exciting it would be for someone who knew for certain to say to you, “I can tell you about your future, what’s going to happen in your life.” Your heart would probably be racing as you prepared yourself to hear this person’s words, wouldn’t it?
So, what did Jesus say to Peter about his future? What news did Peter get to hear? Well, I’ll just quote the text. Jesus says to Peter, “Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” Now, that isn’t immediately clear, is it? It might not be exactly what we were expecting it to sound like. It sounds a little bit like a fortune cookie in the sense that it’s not exactly obvious what Jesus is telling Peter. “You’ll stretch out your hands . . . another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go”? It’s just not obvious at first glance what that means, is it?
But there’s good news. John helps us out in the next verse. He tells us what Jesus was talking about. So, get ready, because you’re about to hear what Jesus was saying to Peter when he told him about his future. John writes in the next verse, “This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God. And after saying this he said to him, ‘Follow me.’”
Now that kind of takes the air out of the balloon, doesn’t it? The thought of hearing one’s future may sound all exciting until you’re told how you’re going to die. And Christian tradition tells us that Peter’s hands were stretched out in his death, and he was taken where he didn’t want to go as he, like his Lord, was nailed to a cross and crucified while hanging upside down. But we’re also told that Peter did continue to follow Christ and was faithful, even to the point of death.
Sometimes our eagerness to consider the future is matched with a weightiness and soberness once we hear it, isn’t it? Our eagerness to find out what the MRI results show can be matched by a feeling like the world has stopped when we’re told we have cancer. Or our eagerness to find out whether we’re having a boy or a girl is matched by crushing sadness when the doctor walks in and says, “The ultrasound shows there’s something wrong.”
That can be the way that Revelation 6 might feel to some who are so eager to get into these portions of the book. After all, when you think about the book of Revelation, it is texts like Revelation 6 that you probably think of. This chapter is where we get the oft-used phrase, “The four horsemen of the apocalypse.” This chapter talks about the sun growing dark, the moon becoming like blood, stars falling from the sky, and the sky itself being rolled back as a scroll – just as we sang earlier. This is the kind of imagery everyone may have been eager to get to in our study of this book. But as we hear the truths this chapter communicates, we may find our eagerness matched by a soberness that reminds us we are never promised an easy life in this world.
Now, this is not to say that Revelation 6 is less than good news. This chapter has great news. But it’s great news that comes with a reminder of difficulty. We might compare it to Romans 8:16-17, where Paul tells us that we are children of God “and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided that we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.” We like to hear of being children, of being heirs, and of being glorified with Christ. That’s great news. But it comes with a reminder that we’ll suffer with him. That, I think, is similar to the message of Revelation 6.
Revelation 6 follows the dramatic scene that we saw in Revelation 5, where the Lamb alone was found worthy to go and take the scroll out of the right hand of the one who was seated on the throne. And as I said last week, once this scroll was opened, I believe, it enacted all of God’s promises and plans of judgment and salvation. You might then think of it as the crucified and risen Lord Jesus Christ, ascending to the Father’s right hand after his ascension so that he might be enthroned as the one who reigns over the earth and will (through the Spirit) enact God’s purposes and plans of judgment and salvation on the earth.
Therefore, as Jesus opens the seals, one by one, we get a picture of what is going to take place from the point of Christ’s ascension until the point of Christ’s return. And it’s good news: good news about Christ’s reign as king, good news of his care for his people, and good news about his certain return. But it is also hard news. So, let’s now turn and consider what it is that this opening of the scroll reveals to us, concerning what we need to know as we life in this age, waiting for the day when Christ returns.
The first thing we see is that,
Now, let’s walk through this difficult text, and I’ll show you why I think this is the point we’re supposed to see from these first eight verses. John tells us that after the Lamb takes the scroll, he begins opening it, seal by seal, and something happens with the opening of each seal. This morning, we’ll only see the opening of the first six seals because there is a long interlude between the opening of the sixth and seventh seal that allows us to pause and focus specifically on the Lord’s people and his encouragement to them.
And there’s a certain formula that is followed in these first four seals. After each one is opened, one of the four living creatures that we saw in chapters 4-5 calls, “Come” to a rider, who is mounted upon a colored horse: one white, one read, one black, and one pale (like a light green). Then, each of these riders is given permission or authority to do some specific task on the earth.
So, let’s try to answer a few questions. First, where in the world are these horses coming from? Well, we’ve seen them before. In the book of Zechariah, for example, (which also contains this literary form of apocalyptic literature), God instructs horses to go and report to him what is going on in the earth. This doesn’t mean that God doesn’t know, but this is the imagery used – riders on horses, sent from the throne, going to do the Lord’s bidding, and then coming back to report to him. Specifically, in Zechariah 6:1-3, “Again I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, four chariots came out from between two mountains. And the mountains were mountains of bronze. The first chariot had red horses, the second black horses, the third white horses, and the fourth chariot dappled horses—all of them strong.”
And interestingly, the way these horses function in Zechariah is that they patrol the earth and come back to report to the Lord that the nations that have been used in judgment against God’s people are at ease. They’re proud of themselves and acting like all is well. And it angers the Lord so that he promises they’ll face his judgment. So, again, this scene in Revelation 6 of four colored horses isn’t altogether unfamiliar to us.
Second, what are these horses doing? Well, each of the horses and its rider, it seems, goes to bring suffering to the earth. We’ll look in more detail in the second.
But, third, we might ask, when is this taking place? And I think the answer is that what we see in these first four seals, with these four riders on colored horses, is what is going to take place in this entire age. That is, between the first and second coming of Christ, this is a description of what kinds of things will fill this age. And I’ll show you why I think that in a second, but let’s get on to looking at the details of each of these horses and its rider.
John writes in 6:1-2, “Now I watched when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say with a voice like thunder, ‘Come!’ And I looked, and behold, a white horse! And its rider had a bow, and a crown was given to him, and he came out conquering, and to conquer.”
Now, some have seen this imagery of the white horse with a rider and said that this must be Jesus. After all, we do find a figure later in Revelation 19 riding on a white horse whose name is “The Word of God.” So, if Jesus is riding a white horse later, then he must be the one riding the white horse here. But I don’t think that is right, for a few reasons. I’ll name two.
First, the original audience who would have heard this book wouldn’t have thought, “Ah, Revelation 19” because they wouldn’t have heard Revelation 19 at the point when Revelation 6 was being read. I think they would have thought, “Zechariah 6.” Second, this first rider isn’t set apart in any way from the other three. He’s not specified as being different or special in relation to the other three, and the Lamb would most definitely be set apart, I believe, if the rider were Jesus. Therefore, I think the rider on this white horse is just like the other three riders – some kind of heavenly creature, sent out to do the Lord’s will.
And we’re told that he goes out on a white horse, with a bow to conquer, and he’ll conquer. Most commentators take this to be an image of military warfare. In apocalyptic literature (the literary form that Revelation is written in) would use this kind of imagery to communicate that there will be military warfare on the earth. That is to say, Jesus is saying that in this age in which we live, there will be kingdoms and nations that will rise up and exhibit military power, and they will conquer.
Obviously, the original hearers would have instantly thought of Rome. After all, Rome was the great empire in this day, and they were exhibiting their power and reign over much of the earth, conquering their opponents left and right. This age is going to be filled with wars, warfare, and military conquest as nation rises against nation and kingdom against kingdom.
But don’t miss the main point here. Jesus is in control, isn’t he? He’s the one opening the scrolls. He’s the one who signals each of the living creatures to tell the riders to come. He’s the one giving authority so that these nations are allowed to reign and conquer. Jesus is saying to his people that though this age will be filled with wars and nation rising against nation, nothing happens outside of his knowledge, power, and control.
But that’s not all. The text continues, “When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, ‘Come!’ And out came another horse, bright red. It’s rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that men should slay one another, and he was given a great sword” (6:3-4).
The idea here seems to be that if there is peace on the earth, it’s only because the Lord is restraining men’s violent tendencies. However, this second rider is given permission by the Lord to take peace from the earth – that is this is a symbol of the Lord removing his restraining hand. And the result is that men slay one another.
This is a message that this age is going to be filled with violence, civil unrest, and bloodshed. And this isn’t difficult for us to imagine, is it? There’s violence and bloodshed all around us. Watching the news or reading headlines of the day’s news online is almost too painful to do, isn’t it? We read of murder and violence all over the place. We can read of parents killing their children, children killing their parents, the elderly murdering the young, and the young murdering the old. This fills our day, and it’s filled every day from the time Christ ascended back into heaven and will fill every day until he returns.
And it’s happening because the Lord has pulled back his restraining hand, which alone keeps us from living out our violent tendencies as those who have thrown off God’s authorities and his commands. This is the picture of the nations facing God’s judgment by means of him giving us over to our desires, as Paul mentions in Romans 1.
Then, we read in verses 5-6, “When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, ‘Come!’ And I looked, and behold, a black horse! And its rider had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard what seemed to be 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 wine.’”
The picture here seems to be that of what would take place during a time of famine or scarcity. We have a rider with scales so that barley can be weighed out, and it seems simple enough, doesn’t it? You buy a quart of wheat and pay a denarius for it. But here’s the problem, a quart of wheat would only be enough food for one person for one day, and a denarius would be one day’s wage. Now, that’s fine if you’re single, but what if you’re trying to feed a family of six? People are going to starve, aren’t they?
Greg Beale, an excellent commentator on this book of Revelation, points out that these prices would be eight to sixteen times the normal price in the Roman Empire at this time. But why? Because that’s what happens in famine, right?
Remember last summer when we had such little rain, and the corn crops just weren’t very good? What happened? Well, prices went up – on everything. That’s what’s going on here. There’s famine, scarcity of food, disasters, and the people on the earth suffer for want of food and inability to get it. This too will characterize this age.
Finally, we read in verses 7-8, “When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, ‘Come!’ And I looked, and behold, a pale horse! And its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed him. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts on the earth.”
This seems, perhaps, to be somewhat of a summary picture. Death and Hades (the place of the dead) are wreaking havoc on the earth. Not totally. This isn’t final judgment. That’s why we heard over a fourth of the earth. We’re not to hear that literally but merely to recognize that this isn’t total. It’s partial. The idea is that there will be much death by many means.
In this age, death will be all around us. There’ll be disease, sickness, famine, violence, animal attacks, etc. And all of these and more will bring death. There’ll be times where we fill like death is all around us. There’ll be times where we want to cry out, “Lord, please put a stop to all the dying all around us.” But this will characterize this age.
Now, I know that this imagery is a bit odd with horses and all, but this sounds a lot like Jesus’ teaching elsewhere, doesn’t it? Remember when we went through Mark’s gospel last summer, and specifically in chapter 13 we read Jesus saying about this age, “And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains. But be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them. And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations. And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. And brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. And you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved” (Mark 13:7-13).
I think that’s the same message here. This age will be characterized by wars, civil unrest and bloodshed, famines and disasters, and death. But the message is, Jesus is in control even in the midst of these things. He’s still reigning from heaven. He’s sovereign over these things, letting the sinful world face his judgment as he gives them over to their desires, and refining and purifying his people as we’re tested and refined through suffering. And our call is to endure faithfully.
The message Jesus gives us in these first four seals is that he’s in control in this age, even though we might look all around us and feel over and over again that he isn’t? We walk by faith, though, and we must faithfully endure.
Then, there’s the opening of the fifth seal. And it is with the opening of this seal that we’re reminded that,
The fifth seal doesn’t show us what’s happening on the earth but something happening in heaven. We read, “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 witness they had borne. They cried out with a loud voice, ‘O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?’ Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been” (6:9-11).
The picture here is a scene in heaven where we have the souls of those who have been killed in this age for holding to the word of God to their testimony that they belong to Christ. Now, they’re in heaven, under an altar (which is probably symbolizing their protection and care in the Lord), and they’re wondering how long the Lord is going to let wicked men continue to persecute and kill his people before God vindicates his people and his own name. That is, they’re asking, “How long until you show the world you are the true Lord and that those persecuting your people who hold allegiance to Christ are doing wrong and will face judgment?”
This is a good question, isn’t it? Sometimes we’ve no doubt asked it, wondering how long God will let such evil persist on the earth. But his answer is that final judgment won’t come until the number of people the Lord has decreed to die for the sake of his name has been filled.
Now, that may not be an answer we anticipate. But Jesus’ answer is, “Not yet. My plans call for more people honoring me by shedding their blood and dying for the sake of my holy name.” Christ’s purposes include the death of many of his people at the hands of wicked men.
When we were bought for God by the precious blood of Christ, it meant that Christ may now spend our lives in any way he chooses. For some of us, as I mentioned last week, he’ll call us some of us to do many different difficult tasks in order to obey him. Some of us he may call to testify in this world to his glory and greatness by being willing to die for him. That’s part of Christ’s plans for his people in this age. When Christians are martyred, it doesn’t mean that Jesus is no longer on the throne. Rather, as Jesus is telling us here, it means that that too is part of his plan in this age.
Now, we would do well to keep that reminder in our minds. Hopefully, a reminder that we’re Christ’s to spend to the point of death if necessary will aid us in what we hold precious and as priorities in this life. It’s hard, for example, to focus on accumulating as much fame and prestige as possible when you remember that you belong to Christ and are to point to his glory and his greatness, even by your death if necessary. It’s hard to teach your kids to value education or a good job or athletic accomplishments as the greatest thing in the world if you remember that one day Christ may call them to shed their blood for his sake. It is good for us to remember that we belong to Christ and may be spent for his sake – even to the point of death.
But there is a detail here I don’t want us to miss. The souls under the altar weren’t simply told, “Wait. Rest. More are to die.” They were given white robes. These robes, I believe, are a reminder that the justice they long for is certain.
When Lili and I found that our youngest son, Nick, was really struggling being dropped off in his class or in the nursery because he was fearful he’d be left alone, Lili started giving him something to keep in his pocket. It might be a good or some kind of trinket. And Lili would say to him, “I want you to keep this in your pocket because Momma is going to come back and get you in a little bit, and I want you to give it back to me when I come and get you.” The idea, of course, is that when Nick felt anxious, he could reach in his pocket, feel that item, and know that Lili was coming. Her promises to him were sure.
I think the robes function in the same way. These souls under the altar know that final vindication and salvation may not come for a while, as Jesus has told them. But their white robes remind them that their final salvation – the resurrection from the dead – is certain. As their look at their white robes now, they can know that glorified resurrection bodies are coming. Christ’s promises are certain. And as we faithfully endure in this life, we can know the same.
Finally, in line with that truth, we see Jesus explicitly affirming this truth. We see that,
As the sixth seal is opened, John says, “I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?’” (6:12-17).
This imagery is of final judgment. This is the same kind of imagery we find in Mark 13, when Jesus describes the end. It’s pictured as if creation itself is bearing God’s wrath. As wicked people reject the Creator and choose instead to worship creation, so now creation is suffering under the judgment of God. The wrath of the Lamb here is so great that the people would rather mountains and rocks fall on them than to face the wrath of the Lamb.
Here the reminder is that final judgment and salvation are coming. They are sure. But there’s also another reminder to us here, isn’t there? For those of us this morning who are believers, we’ve heard some hard news. You’re trusting in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, your cleansing, and your salvation, and salvation is indeed ours in Christ. But until the day Christ returns, we’re going to suffer through a world where they will be wars, famines, bloodshed, and death. We’re not exempt from it just because we belong to Christ. In fact, because we belong to Christ, many of us will be persecuted, spoken against, imprisoned, tortured, and some killed. Trusting in and following the Lamb who was slain, was raised, and now reigns from heaven may well get you the wrath of wicked men in this world. That’s just the way it is. Don’t be surprised when, as a follower of Christ, we’re dragged through great suffering and even death.
And, if you’re not a follower of Christ and you’re not trusting in Christ and walking with him today, you may well avoid some of this suffering. If the killing of Christians in our nation breaks out and you don’t confess him and follow him as your Lord, you may well avoid the wrath of wicked men. But you’ll face, on that final day, the wrath of the Lamb. So, the question is, whose wrath do you want to face – that of wicked men in this age or that of the Lamb in the next?
I pray that we see clearly that we must trust in and obey the one who reigns from the Father’s right hand, knowing that whatever we face in the life is not worthy of being compared to the glory that awaits us when the Lamb returns, judges the wicked, and calls his people to dwell with him forever. May we then declare our faith in Christ again today as we come to the table and ask for grace and strength that we might honor him with our lives – even to the point of death, if necessary – as we should. Amen.