In this post we will look at each of the first six seals in more
detail.
Seal
#1: Satan, The Christ-Substitute. 6:1-2.
Here we read: “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!’ 2 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.”
In verse 1 the command, “Come,” originates from one of the living
creatures (an angel who represents God), “like a voice of thunder.” That it is like thunder shows it comes ultimately
from God (cf. Rev. 4:5; Ps. 29). In other words, God is sovereign even over the
satanic actions about to take place in these seals.
In response, a white horse with a rider goes out conquering and to
conquer. The colors in these first four seals seem metaphorical for the
respective plague delivered by each horseman: white probably conveying the idea
of conquering, red conveying bloodshed (e.g. 2 Kings 3:22-23), black conveying famine,
and pale green conveying death.
The rider has a bow (probably a sign of warfare and conquering) and a
crown was given to him, which most likely suggests he desires to have dominion
over the world. The evidence strongly suggests this rider is satanic and, at
the same time, puts himself forth as a Christ-substitute. The point seems to be
that Satan is a Christ-substitute who deceives people into thinking he is the
Savior. What we have here, then, in verse 2 (esp. seen in relation to ch’s
4-5), is a picture of satanic trouble in the world (suffering and tribulation)
and yet God (more specifically the crucified and risen Son) is sovereign over
it all!
Seal
#2: Persecution And Death. 6:3-4.
Here is what John writes in 6:3-4: “When he opened the second seal, I
heard the second living creature say, ‘Come!’ 4 And out came another horse,
bright red. Its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that
people should slay one another, and he was given a great sword.”
When Christ opened the second seal in verse 3, a second living creature
said, “Come.” Implied from v. 1 is the reality that this command also flows ultimately
from God (his divine decree that is permitting it) and is under his sovereign
power.
As a result, a bright red horse goes forth, with a rider, and a great
sword was given to him. It also was given to him to remove peace from the earth
and “in order that people would kill one another.” The way this verse is
worded, the ability or permission to do what Satan is doing is given to him by
the Lord. More directly, though, we see here that the great pain and suffering
and lack of peace in the world (yes, even the present terrorist attacks one
after the other) are decreed by God—Him allowing what he hates to accomplish
things he loves.
As Greg Beale argues in his commentary on Revelation, horses #’s 2-4
give more detail to the summary picture that horse #1 gave. Satan is going
forth to have dominion (vv. 1-2) and this is more specifically what he is doing
and how he is doing it (vv. 3-4ff.). It includes persecution of Christians and
the taking of their lives. As one commentator has written, “The gospel itself
produces peace, but the attack of Satan upon its progress leads to war.” As such, Satan is a direct cause behind all
the things happening in these first four plagues (as permitted by our sovereign
Lord), and so all the things that believers are suffering in the current time.
Seal
#3: Famine And Hunger. 6:5-6.
The opening of the third seal is communicated in these words: “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. 6 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!’”
In verse 5 we see the same elements as in the first two seals (at its
opening a third living creature says, “Come”)—showing that the events are
decreed by Christ. Additionally, we know that in the ancient world, a pair of
scales, as we see in verse 5, stood for a time of famine, for, in such times,
food was rationed out by scales. For biblical support of this assertion, see
Lev. 26:26; 2 Kings 7:1; Ezek. 4:10, 16.
There is no specific historical background to these verses.
For the reality grain, wine, and oil were not luxury items in the first
century, but basic food staples typically available during non-famine times,
see Dt. 7:13; 11:14; 28:51; 2 Chron. 32:28; Neh. 5:11; Ps. 104:14-15; Jer.
31:12; Hos. 2:8, 22; Joel 1:10; 2:19; Mic. 6:15; Hag. 2:12…).
Most likely, the way verse 6 is worded, the voice is coming from Jesus
himself. Commentator Greg Beale adds: “This famine is to be serious but not
utterly devastating, in that the quart of wheat, available for a denarius (or a
day’s pay), would be enough for a family, whereas the three quarts of barley
would last three days. The oil and wine…would not be affected, but would not be
available except for the very wealthy, as everyone else would be spending their
entire income on even more basic [staples]. Where Christians are a persecuted
minority, they will be more severely affected.” See also Rev. 2:9; 13:16-17 for
confirmation. It is well known that to this very day, in places like India or
many Muslim countries, when natural disasters occur, relief is often denied to
Christians who refuse to compromise with the worldly economic and social
system.
Seal
#4: Disease And Epidemic Plagues. 6:7-8.
Here we read: “When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the
fourth living creature say, ‘Come!’ 8 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 of the earth.”
Death and Hades are satanic forces under the ultimate governance of the
throne room of God. The four riders all bring death in one way or the another,
and the more general term “death” here probably refers to disease or epidemic
plagues. In fact, in the Greek translation of the Old Testament “death” (thanatos)
translates the Hebrew word for “epidemic plague” thirty times, including twice
in Ezek. 14:19-21 and once in Lev. 26:25, two contexts providing the model for
Rev. 6:1-8, the former actually being directly referenced here in v. 8.
“Hades” is the realm of the dead. The satanic nature of death and Hades
is evident from 20:13-14, where “death and Hades gave up the dead which were in
them…and [they] were thrown into the lake of fire.” The only other figures who
are described with the same precise phrase as having been “thrown into the lake
of fire” are the beast and false prophet (19:20) and the dragon (20:10).
This fourfold judgment, repeated in v. 8, signifies in the Old Testament
the whole range of God’s judgments throughout history…[not] restricted to one
particular famine, war, or epidemic. As in Ezekiel 14, already seen to be
background to the seals, these trials have the effect not only of punishing
pagan nations but also of purifying the faithful within the covenant community,
while punishing those even within the church who are not obedient to Christ.
Based on the use of the number four for the plagues (which expresses
universality, as seen in the context of Revelation—e.g. four living creatures,
four winds, et al), as well as the fraction ¼ of the earth, what we have are
plagues or trials that are worldwide, but do not necessarily harm all people
without exception.
Seal
#5: Persecuted And Martyred Believers Cry Out For Justice. 6:9-11.
Here is what we find in the text: “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. 10 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?’ 11 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.”
What is apparent in the first four plagues is that God’s people are
caught in the middle of all this satanically-driven persecution and death, the
famine and hunger, and also the disease and epidemic plagues. Since they know they are never left alone or
forsaken, and that God keeps all his promises to them, they cry out for God’s
justice. The response given to them is this: In the vision they were each given
a white robe representing their cleansing and clothing that admits them into
the marriage supper of the Lamb (19:8) and they are told that their appeal will
be answered when the Church completes the suffering God has ordained for them.
It is said this will only be “a little longer,” most likely expressing that it
will seem but a small time to these saints and what is promised here is
certain. All this, of course, necessitates that God is sovereign over even the
persecution of Christians and the number of Christians martyred!
The heavenly altar in Revelation is equated with the presence or throne
of God (8:3-5 and 9:13), which is why the saints here are described as being
underneath it. This is the altar of incense (8:3-5; 9:13; 11:1; 14:18; 16:7).
It stood in the vicinity of the holy of holies, the inner most part of the
temple (this clearly is the reference in 8:3-5; 9:13; 11:1; 14:18; 16:7…). Upon
this altar sacrificial blood was poured for the Day of Atonement, and incense
was burned (ex. 30:1-10; Lev. 4:7; cf. Heb. 9:4).
The comparison with Jesus’ suffering is enhanced by the same
description of the saints as having been “slain” (cf. 5:6, 9, 12; 6:9). The
purpose of the comparison is to emphasize that, as it was with Christ, those
following him will have their suffering and apparent defeat turned into
ultimate victory.
In verse 9 it is clear why they have been persecuted and some martyred:
“for the word of God and for the witness they had borne.” This is consistent
with the entire book of Revelation that sees living on mission as being part
and parcel of who the Church is.
Seal
#6: Final Judgment. 6:12-17.
The opening of the sixth seal is in these words: “When he opened the
sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun
became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, 13 and the stars of
the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by
a gale. 14 The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every
mountain and island was removed from its place. 15 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, 16 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, 17 for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”
These verses express the ultimate answer to the saints’ plea in vv.
9-11. The time must be the last judgment, because we have just been told that
the judgment pictured here will not be executed until the full number of the
suffering saints has been completed (v. 11). The calamitous scene of vv. 12-17
assumes that the persecution of all Christians has finally run its course, and
now all that remains is to execute final punishment on the persecutors, which
strikes the very last note of world history.
The cosmic phenomena that take place in verses 12-14 are associated in
the Old Testament and later in Revelation with the final judgment.
The persons of power as seen in verse 15 seek to hide themselves from
God’s judgment and are being judged for their persecution of God’s people, as
well as their idolatry (which is all made clear later in the book). The same
groups of people are mentioned in Rev. 19:18-19 as giving allegiance to the
beast.
In verse 16 the idolaters appeal to the mountains and rocks to fall
upon them, the reference here being to the similar cry of the idolaters in
Hosea 10:8. Commentator Greg Beale rightly affirms: “The original portrayal is
that of Adam and Eve in the Garden hiding from God. John understands Genesis as
a typological prophecy on the basis of his presupposition that God has
determined that sinful history must end in the same way that it began—though
with the provision of redemption for the saved.”
In verse 17 the reason why people are seeking to flee is given: “The
great day of their wrath (that is of the Father and the Lamb) has come.” This
is clearly the final judgment (see 11:8; 16:14).
What we see here, then, in the opening of the first six seals is an
overview of the entire age of the New Testament Church, from the first to
second comings of Jesus Christ. We are given insight into why things happen as
they do, that God is sovereign over it all, that he is good, and that he will
bring things to a just end and a good goal for his people. Though this doesn’t
give us a specific explanation for every detailed even that happens in this
evil, fallen world, it gives us a general framework whereby we can have the
wisdom to make sense of why things are the way they are and how we can
persevere in the midst of it all.
Joyfully Persevering In Wisdom With You,
Tom
No comments:
Post a Comment