Stepping Out Of The Familiar

Session 6: Revelation 6

Cheat Sheet

Opened seals symbolise both judgement and salvation in the book of Revelation. As we read

through, note that each time a seal is opened, further destruction appears on the earth. Yet this

must be all read in light of Jesus’ promise that he will “keep” his church during the time of trial.

Each time a seal is opened, the faithful are brought closer to the culmination of human history and

the ultimate victory of the Lamb.

The four horsemen in Revelation also have an Old Testament root at the beginning of Zechariah

First hearers would have recognised the image and understood the horsemen as agents of

God’s will. The destruction brought by these riders in Revelation would have comforted the

persecuted church: no event, no matter how horrible, exists outside of God’s will or judgement.

Many modern interpreters therefore argue that these horsemen do not merely represent a

sequence of events that will occur in some kind of end times scenario: rather, they are

representations of the constant woes that humankind inflict on one another. No matter the season,

God is in control and sits as supreme judge over all human events.

The White Horse in Revelation 6 is an image of war and conquest, and is most likely not the

same rider that John sees in Revelation 19:11. Rather, the rider on the white horse in Revelation 6

is a terrifying image of the horror that comes through human warfare. At the time of Revelation’s

writing, Parthian mounted riders had inflicted serious defeats on Roman legions, and had quickly

become a feared force across the ancient world. “A rider with a bow” was the ancient equivalent of

a nuclear bomb or an Apache helicopter: the best in modern military technology, designed to take

human life with brutal efficiency.

The Red Horse is an image of civil war and internal rebellion. The rider wields the same sword

that was used by Roman soldiers, yet here is let loose to disrupt peaceful rule and order. At the

time Revelation was written, the Roman Empire had been grappling with a series of rebellions and

local uprisings. One year the throne had changed hands four times. Hundreds of thousands had

died at the hands of Rome in its attempts to retain control of its empire. John’s readers knew the

horror of civil war all too well.

The Black Horse brings both famine and judgement. The colour black is associated with

sackcloth in Revelation (e.g. in Revelation 6:12) which itself is an image of judgement in the Bible.

The rider is also holding scales. Scales evoke the idea of God as judge, weighing the deeds of all

people. Yet here they are also meant to remind the readers about the increasing costs of food in a

famine. This is backed up by the quote at the end of 6:6, where, in order to buy enough wheat to

make a basic meal, one has to spend their entire day’s wages.

The Pale Horse is the colour of a corpse. He is ridden by “Death,” and given power to kill by a

variety of means, which Ezekiel also saw in Ezekiel 14:21. Significant here is that this rider is

“given power” to kill. This reminds the reader that the horsemen, despite the horrors they inflict,

are each subject to the will of God.

The great earthquake, as well as the sun turning black and the moon blood red, each evoke the

idea of the presence or the coming of God as judge. (See, for example, Joel chapter 2, particularly

verses 10 and 11.) Other apocalyptic literature used similar images to convey the end of the world,

as the created order fell apart. Such images are not intended to be taken too literally, but rather

are read as a cluster of images that together convey the end of the world and the coming of the

Lord.

Read Revelation 6

Take a moment to review the notes in this week’s Cheat Sheet about each of the four horsemen

and what they represent. Where in the world at the moment do we see evidence of each of

these things: conquest, civil unrest, famine, and excessive death?

Key to the theology of the Book of Revelation is the idea that these forces are related to God’s

judgement on human sin. Most modern interpreters argue that it is not so much that God directly

sends or initiates things like famine and conquest, but that he allows these things to occur as the

natural consequences of human sin.

What do you think of this view of God’s will?

How are things like famine, war, and death the natural consequences of human sin?

Watch Craig Keener’s video on Revelation 6, from 11:23 to the end.

In this video, Craig Keener reminds us that “we shouldn’t let anybody fool us, it’s going to get

worse before it gets better…. Jesus said, “you’ll be hated by all nations on account of me.

Suffering … at least always accompanies ground-breaking evangelism. You see that throughout

missions history.”

What do you think of this idea?

Does the idea of being hated by others hold you back from sharing your faith?

Later, Keener says that “Revelation portrays people of all social stations, standing before [God] in

judgement.” This reminds us that no amount of wealth, education, or position can act as any

protection from the awesome majesty and power of God. John sees people attempting to hide

from God in caves and in mountainous areas; all of it is in vain.

What are some of the ways in which we attempt to hide from God?

Why do people hide from God?

Revelation 6 finishes with a question. The day of God’s wrath has come, who can withstand it?

How would you answer this question?

Take a quick look over Revelation 7. How does Revelation 7 answer this question?

Close by talking and praying about outreach. Where might God be calling you to share a word on

his behalf? Where have you held back for fear of being hated or ridiculed?

Pray into those situations that God would open doors and give you the boldness to share faithfully and truthfully.

Optional Extra Resources

• Look up “The Four Horsemen from the Apocalypse” by Albrecht Dürer. You can also

read a short description at https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/336215

What do you think of this work?

• Read Tanya Runyan’s poem, “A Road Worker Confronts the Third Horseman of the Apocalypse.”

That scale in your hand swinging

A couple loaves of wonder

Comes out to nine and a half hours

Of banging hot mix into potholes

As my lungs fill with the exhaust

Of people skipping town for good

Of course we can’t let our kids starve.

My wife scrubs hospital toilets

As her stomach growls for dead people’s

Half eaten Jell-O. Her paycheck will cover

One jar of peanut butter our boys

Will attack with clanging spoons.

But you soldier, with your steady job

Of prophecy, eating among thousand-eyed

Eagles and lions. One man can change things,

You know. If you really cared about God’s love

You’d go back and kick over some tables.

Jesus did something like that.

But hey, slow down! You’re making it all blow away.

You think I’m too proud to chase after some crusts?

Hell, no, cowboy. And don’t you dare

Peel the bread off that chain-link fence.

My body may be broken,

But I’ll be damned if I let it die