Revelation Chapter 6– John Karmelich

1. In Chapter 6, we begin the destruction of the earth. We have references to famine, war, starvation and death. This is not the feel-good story of the year. ☺

a) My title of this lesson is "Last Call". I'll explain the title later in the introduction. I also call this chapter "Understanding God's Judgment". The main point is to understand why God's judgment of the earth is necessary. The underlying point is to understand how it affects us as Christians living today. This will be my main theme through this lesson.

2. Let's start by giving an overview of Chapter 6:

a) The scene opens where it leaves off in Chapter 5: God's throne room.

i) In Chapter 4, John, the writer of Revelation described God's throne room.

ii) In Chapter 5, John focused on the key item in that throne room: A scroll sealed with seven seals. A key point to chapter 5 is Jesus is the only person worthy of loosening the seven seals on that scroll. The rest of the chapter is "everybody" giving praise to Jesus for what He has done.

b) This leads to Chapter 6: Jesus, called here "The Lamb", as in the sacrificial Lamb of God who died for our sins, starts to take the seals off.

c) As each seal is removed, the focus then changes from heaven to earth.

d) After each of the first four seals are removed, one of the four "creatures" (the angelic creatures with the faces of man, lion, eagle and ox from Chapter 4) tells John to "come".

i) That is telling John to change his visual focus from heaven to earth.

e) Then comes the first four "visions" of John, looking at the planet earth, and to put it mildly, lots of bad things are happening: War, famine and death.

f) When the fifth of the seven seals is removed, John sees some saved people who are asking in effect, "How long does all of this last?" They were told in effect, "Hang in there, until the complete number of "their group" (however many that is) is collected".

g) The sixth seal is removed and John sees "unsaved" people on earth, both great and small asking to be in effect, "protected from God". It is as if people realize God is in control of this show, but at the same time don't want to acknowledge Him as God."

h) The seventh seal is removed in Chapter 8. We'll discover the final seal has all sorts of "sub-parts" to it, for the lack of a better word. In other words, as the final seal is removed in future chapters, there are other judgments that occur. The big-picture idea is by the time all of the judgment-action is done on the earth then Jesus returns.

i) OK, any questions so far? ☺ We'll explain the meaning of these visions as we go. The point to understand here is that "an earth judgment" process has begun.

j) Notice that the removing of the seals and the judgment of the world are simultaneous events. If you think about, you cannot read what is inside a scroll until all seven seals are removed. The story is jumping back and forth between Jesus removing the seals of the scroll and what is happening on the earth as the scrolls are being removed.

i) If you recall from the last chapter, we don't know what is written on this scroll. There is a logical speculation that it somehow related to our salvation.

ii) Here is the important part: As each seal is removed, some sort of "judgment" on the earth occurs. Jesus does not return until all of this judgment is completed. The important idea is the world is being "prepared" for Jesus return.

3. One of the great debates we'll get into in Revelation is the "time length" of these visions. Let me describe what the two most predominant views are:

a) Predominant View #1: This judgment period covers a future seven-year time span. Within that time span, there will be "world-peace" for the first three and one half years and all the destructive judgment comes in the last three and one half years. We'll touch upon this view later in this lesson and in much more details in later lessons.

b) Predominant View #2: This judgment covers human history from the time of Jesus until now, and continues until the second coming of Jesus. The idea is all the wars and famines through history are God's continual judgment on history for those who reject Jesus. This view holds Chapter 6 mainly tying to events that happened during the Roman Empire.

c) Each theory has its pro's and cons'. I personally prefer the literal 7-year theory.

d) For now, just understand there is a debate on this issue, and among the greater Christian world, including Catholics, Protestants and Orthodox, these are the two prevailing views.

4. Onto my favorite question: Why is all of this judgment necessary and how does it affect my life?

a) If you think about it, God could just "zap" all the bad people off of the earth, and then send them off to hell. Why go through all of this destruction process?

b) This is a good time to explain the title of this lesson: "Last Call". There is a tradition before a bar or tavern closes for the night for the bartender to yell out "last call". The idea is the bartender wants to lock up and close for the night. The bartender is saying, "This is your last chance to order a drink, as this place is going to close in a few minutes".

i) (You've got to admit, there's something ironic about using a bunch of drunks at a bar as a key illustration in a bible study. ☺)

ii) The reason the destruction of the earth is done this way, is God is giving a "last call". Remember that God wants all of us to make the free-will decision (from our perspective) to choose Him.

iii) Let's face it, if the world were falling apart with terrible things, it should get people to turn to God and beg for mercy and forgiveness. If people see death all around them, it should get people to face their own mortality and seek peace with God during the last days.

iv) In that sense, having a slow, tortuous way to cause havoc on the earth prior to Jesus Second Coming, is God the Father's way of saying, "Last call"!

c) Here is another illustration: If you've ever taken a class on marketing techniques, they will stress the importance of setting a time limit in advertising. You always want the customer to purchase the product "now" as opposed to later. That is why products only go on sale for a limited time. The idea is to encourage us to buy the product during this time frame. To put it another way, this horrible period of time is God's "fire sale". ☺ God is saying act now, because the end is truly near.

d) OK, what about all the bad people who have lived and died over the past few thousand years? Why just punish the "last" generation of people as opposed to all who refused to Jesus over history? What about "bad people" who died prior to Jesus?

i) This is why some hold the view that all the wars and famines over the past two thousand years is God's "continual" judgment on those who refuse to repent. The argument goes that all the negative stuff beginning here in Chapter 6 cover the time since the Gospel message was first preached. Yes, Christians suffer during this time era as well, but they are then saved for eternity.

ii) The other view, (the one I hold) is that judgment is an "individual thing" that happens after each of us die. There are saved and unsaved people that have existed throughout history. God judges each of us one day. The unsaved are sent to hell for their rejection of God. Even the saved are judged and get eternal rewards based on what we did with our knowledge of God.

iii) The futuristic "punishment is an end-time thing" view is that the judgment on the earth is not so about individual salvation, although people do get saved during this time frame. This final judgment is all about "preparing the world" for Jesus Second Coming. Once that happens (near the end of Revelation) there are no more free-will decisions for Christ. As I've stated, there are only "x" number of people in heaven, and as we finish up Revelation, we will achieve that "x" person being saved. The judgment is about God's "last call" to earth.

iv) I believe God wants everyone to recognize this event when it occurs. That is another reason why I hold the literal, futuristic seven-year view. As horrible as past history has been, this is a future period that will be obvious when it occurs.

5. So what's the application of God's judgments to you and I? A couple of thoughts:

a) Remember that God knows all things, including all things in the future. A loving God is saying in effect, "I know the horrible things that are going to happen in the future. I am writing this to warn you the reader so you can recognize them when they happen."

b) So why does a "loving" God allow all of this? It is like asking why God allows evil. In order for God to allow freewill, He has to "allow" people to sin and to cause evil. Suppose every time someone was about to hurt someone else, an angel stepped in and intervened. People would be complaining that God would not be allowing free will. It would then be so obvious God exists, that people would not come to Him out of their free will. I'm not here to explain all evil, and much of it is beyond comprehension. The only way God can be fair is to have life go on beyond this lifetime, so that God can set up some sort of individual trial and judgment system in the next lifetime.

c) The application to the believer is that this is a motivational tool to get others to turn to Jesus. Suppose there was a disease coming in the future that would kill all of mankind. Let's say the antidote was free, and anyone could take it. If we truly love people, we first need to convince them this disease is out there and then tell as many people as possible to take this free antidote before it would kill them. That "disease" is sin and the antidote is Jesus Christ. However, in order for our word to be true, the disease would really have to come to the world one day. There really has to be a "killer disease", and that is in effect what are these Revelation judgments.

d) Finally, the Revelation judgment is a sense of "closure". When we get hurt and those who hurt us go unpunished, there is no sense of closure of that pain. We have to trust in the fact God will judge those who do us harm. At the same time, the "sin disease" is past on to future generations. There has to be "closure" on the world and end it once and for all.

e) OK, let the misery begin: ☺

6. Chapter 6, Verse 1: I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, "Come!" ² I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.

a) Imagine being in a room with two television sets. You were looking at one of them, and someone said, "Look at the second television". Later, something catches your attention on the first monitor and you're back to that one. You keep going back and forth.

i) In a sense, that is what is happening here. John the writer of Revelation was in heaven, watching Jesus loose the seals on the scroll. Then a "creature" told John to go look elsewhere. John kept looking back and forth between two scenes.

ii) This is the pattern of Chapter 6. Remember John is in heaven at God's throne room. John jumps back and forth between looking at Jesus loosening the scroll seals, and then looking at some vision of things that will happen on planet earth.

iii) It would be as if John was watching Jesus loosening the scrolls, and then someone keeps telling John to "now go look at the other monitor" and see this vision of what is happening on earth.

b) Before we get into the specific's of the "earthly visions", let's think about a few things:

i) Understand that Revelation speaks in "word-pictures". Most of Revelation is symbolic, but the symbols have specific meanings. There are some literal things in Revelation as well. When John described God's throne room back in Chapter 4, it is literally God's throne room. The items in that room have meanings, but it is literally that room.

ii) In Verse 2 of Revelation 6, we have someone sitting on a white horse conquering the world. Can one person literally conquer the world sitting on a white horse? Not without a really powerful gun. ☺ Therefore, this is some sort of word picture. What I'm trying to teach here is to understand "when" to apply the concept that Revelation speaks in word pictures as opposed to a literal interpretation.

c) One also has to understand that Revelation 6 is giving an "overview" of what is happening in Chapters 6 through 19. It is not like "all the things that happen in Chapter 6 start and finish, and then we move on to Chapter 7". Chapter 6 speaks of visions of conquering, war, famine and death. This is the "scene" that occurs during this judgment period prior to the specific point of Jesus Second Coming to the earth.

i) In other words, things get bad before things get better.

ii) Simply understand that Chapter 6 describes things that take place for the next bunch of chapters of Revelation. It is not a "Chapter 6 only" time reference.

d) OK, unto the vision itself: In this first vision, there is an unnamed person on a white horse. The text says this person has a bow, a crown and he is "conquering".

i) A minority view argues that this is Jesus himself. This horse rider in Verse 1 is riding a white horse. When Jesus finally appears on the scene in Revelation 19:11, He enters the world riding a white horse. Therefore, some assume it is Jesus.

ii) The majority view, which I hold, is that this Chapter 6 horse rider is an "imitator".

a) In Chapter 19, Jesus is wearing multiple "crowns". The word used for crowns in Chapter 19 means "ruling" crowns. It is the idea that one has the authority to wear those crowns.

b) This word for crown used here in Chapter 6 is not a ruling crown, but a victory crown. It would be like getting gold medal in the Olympics. It doesn't mean you're king by divine decree, but by some victory.

c) In Chapter 6, we have a number of separate visions of the earth being "harmed" by four horse riders. The reason people seeing this "white horse rider" as not Jesus is that each horse rider is causing great calamity to the world. Jesus comes at the end of the "judgment" to rule over the place. It wouldn't "fit the context" if He came as one of four horse riders as well.

e) Here's a key point to the first two verses of Chapter 6: There is a bow, but no arrows are mention. When one thinks of "bows", one thinks of "bows and arrows", yet the text specifically not mentions any sort of arrows.

i) This leads most to believe that this "conqueror" is not overcoming people with warfare, but with persuasive words. The idea is someone gaining world power by election, and not with military might.

ii) Let's put these two verses in context: We know that we're leading up to Jesus Second Coming, which is many chapters away. The first thing we read about is "someone" riding on earth overcoming the people.

a) The first four visions of Chapter 6 are about four riders on four horses. This first horseman is conquering the people without military might.

b) The horse riders on the next three visions are about war, death and famine.

c) Putting this first one in context of the next three, this "warless conquest" must have negative overtones, because the next three also have negative overtones. My point here is this first horseman, here in Verses 1-2, must be something "negative", because the next three are also negative. That is why the majority of commentators do not see this rider as Jesus himself.

f) So who is this guy? The majority opinion is that this is the "famous" antichrist. Those who hold the opinion that Revelation 6 through 19 describe a specific 7-year period, called "The Great Tribulation", include a world leader who the bible calls, among other things, "The Antichrist". The phrase "The Great Tribulation" comes from Revelation 7:14.

g) Before I get into the specifics of the Antichrist, know that there are other opinions as well. Some believe the "Great Tribulation" is symbolic of the last 2,000 years of history. They interpret this "white horse rider" as the Roman conquest of the world and the persecution of Christians.

i) One can "kind of see that" only in that after the Roman Conquest, this did lead to historical periods of war, famines, and death.

ii) I disagree with this view in that the horse rider in Revelation 6 didn't have any arrows and the Romans "definitely" had weapons. Still, understand this view is out there and common in some Christian circles.

h) OK, back to "the" Antichrist. Who is this guy?

i) Let's define that term first. The word means one who is against Christ. It also means one who comes in the place of Christ, like a "cheap substitute". Good quality "fake" jewelry looks a lot like the real thing until one does a close inspection. Think of the antichrist as one who is trying to imitate Christ, and is able to fool the majority of the world with promises of world peace.

ii) John wrote in one of his other letters, "You have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come." (1st John 2:18b, NIV).

a) My point here is that there are more than one "antichrist" in that historically there have been many false teachers and many people claiming to be the "promised messiah" of Israel.

b) In the same sentence, John also says there is "the" antichrist.

c) You get the impression there has been many imitators of Jesus over the millennia, but there is still "one key guy" coming.

iii) Understand that this antichrist guy is not Satan himself. He is some human given all sorts of satanic power, but is not Satan himself.

iv) One also has to understand that whenever this guy shows up, he will be very charismatic. He "charms the world" into accepting him. Note that the Muslim world also has a messianic figure in its writings. I suspect this guy will charm most of the world into accepting him as their leader.

v) I always liked the term "The Coming World Leader" much better to describe this guy than the Antichrist. This guy is going to charm many, but not all of the world into accepting him as their leader.

vi) So when does this guy come on the scene? Paul says in 2nd Thessalonians 2:3 says that this specific "Great Tribulation" does not officially start until this guy appears. Those who believe the rapture happens prior to the tribulation argue that Christians only see the antichrist from heaven. Those who believe the rapture happens at the end of the tribulation period argue that Christians who live during this time era will see this guy.

i) So what does this Antichrist do? The details are coming up in the later chapters, especially Chapter 13. Remember that Chapter 6 is an "introduction" to the judgment chapters of Revelation. In other words, we're just warming up. All that is happening in these two verses is an introduction to this guy. We'll describe much more details on this guy as we get to him in later chapters.

j) OK, John, I get the idea that this is the Antichrist. What's the point? There is a pattern in the bible that the "problem" comes prior to the solution.

i) In one sense, Adam and Eve had to be deceived in order for God to provide a solution for the sin problem.

ii) In order for the world to realize the necessity of a "true" Messiah to rule the world, they need to see the problems caused by a bad one.

iii) History has proven this to be true. There have been dozens of "conquerors" promising world peace right after that leader finishes conquering the world. That leader promises prosperity to his local people right after he finishes conquering. People want a political leader who can end war and bring world peace. History has shown that it never works on a human level.

iv) In some ways, the coming antichrist is a continuation of the "Tower of Babel" back in Genesis 11. That tower was man's recorded attempt to unite under a single world leader. God "broke it up" in a sense to show that there will never be a true world peace until the "real" prince of peace comes. In the meantime, the world will offer "cheap substitutes".

v) An "ultimate" (false) world leader is part of God's "wrap up show" to show the futility of following any leader other than Christ.

k) Getting back to the application of this verse, it is designed to teach Christians to watch out for any leader other than Jesus himself.

i) The main objective is to be on the lookout for false teachers. This "coming world leader" is the ultimate fulfillment of that role.

ii) The other application is to teach us to have the proper perspective toward looking at world leaders. In other words, politicians can only do so much. They can't stop sin from manifesting itself. Despite all the promises politicians make, one has to take their promises with a grain of salt. They can't promise world peace because they can't stop man's sinfulness from manifesting itself.

iii) This still means we should vote and try to fix things the best we can. I'm only teaching about having the proper perspective when it comes to accepting the promises of a politician.

l) OK, I've been rambling for too long on these two verses. Let's move on.

7. Verse 3: When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, "Come!" ⁴ Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make men slay each other. To him was given a large sword.

a) Remember my illustration of John looking at two television sets. It is as if John is going back and forth looking at two different "monitors".

i) In Verse 2, John was watching this "coming world leader" conquering the world. Verse 2 implies that this leader was doing it without warfare.

ii) In Verse 3, John is back to looking at Jesus loosening the second seal.

iii) By the end of Verse 3, John is again looking at the earth and seeing a second vision happening on planet earth.

iv) In other words, John is connecting the fact that "The Lamb" (a title for Jesus) is taking off these seals on a scroll one at a time. After each seal is removed, John "takes a break" from describing the seal-removal process to give us another vision on earth. The idea is to connect the seal removals with the earthly visions.

b) Onto "Vision #2" on earth: In this vision, we have another unnamed person riding a red horse. The rider of the power has the power to "take peace from the earth and make men slay each other". The verse also mentions this horse rider has a large sword.

i) Again, this is a word-picture, and not a literal guy on a horse. One guy on a horse cannot physically fight a world war all by himself. It is designed to be a word picture designed to teach the reader of Revelation things about the future.

ii) A key difference between "Horse Rider #1" in Verses 1-2 and "Horse Rider #2" here in Verses 3-4 is that "Horse Rider #1" did not have any offensive weapons. In the first vision, there was a bow, but no arrows. "Horse Rider #2", here in Verses 3-4 has a "big sword".

a) The idea is to contrast that "Horse Rider #2" is definitely about physical warfare, while "Horse Rider #1" was conquering by persuasion.

iii) Notice the power of "Horse Rider #2": The text says he has (was given) the power to "take peace from the earth".

a) Does that mean we have peace (i.e., non warfare) due to God's power? Does this imply God has the power to "make" war happen? These verses imply that it is true. Does this mean every time I am angry it is because there is a demon making me angry? If that's true, I'm giving the devil too much credit and not enough to my own sinful nature! At the same time, one must understand Satan has (or will be given) the power to "start war" during this time frame.

iv) This second horse is red. The color red is associated with blood and that is a "pun" as this horse is associated with warfare.

c) Now let's put "Horse Rider #1 and "Horse Rider #2" together":

i) The first guy comes along and the world follows him as a leader.

ii) The second guy comes along, and all of sudden, everyone's in a bad mood. ☺

iii) Many suspect that not everyone in the world is willing to follow the antichrist and there are wars between nations and a battle for power.

iv) The text says, "Men slay each other". The idea is that war breaks out all over the world.

v) So does that mean World War I and World War II start the great tribulation?

a) No, for the sole reason that Jesus didn't come after the wars ended.

b) In this Great Tribulation scenario, the "bad guy is winning" until Jesus comes back. My point is there are times of history that resemble parts of Revelation, but for this prediction to come true, all the parts of the puzzle must fit together.

vi) Remember one has to see the four horse riders as overlapping events. It's not as if the Antichrist lives and dies, then comes a world war, and then comes the famine of the third horse rider.

d) While we're on the topic of depressing things, let's move on to Horse Rider #3. ☺

8. Verse 5: When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, "Come!" I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. ⁶ Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, "A quart of wheat for a day's wages, and three quarts of barley for a day's wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!"

a) In Verse 5, John stops describing the "war horse" and sees Jesus removing the third seal on this scroll of Chapter 5.

b) Now we have "Horse Rider #3". The horse itself is black. We associate black with death, or at least darkness.

c) We don't know what this rider looks like. All we know is the rider as a pair of scales in his hand.

d) The concept of "balancing scales" was used for measurement. Imagine a butcher who sells meat by the pound. The meat is put on the scale to get an exact measurement. The idea of scale is "something" is being precisely measured.

e) The "what" is being measured is stated in Verse 6: Someone announces "A quart of wheat for a day's wages, and three quarts of barley for a day's wages".

f) The idea is that of a famine. It requires a day's wage for either exactly a quart of wheat or three quarts of barley.

i) Imagine working a whole day just to buy one loaf of bread. Barley is less nutritious than "regular" wheat bread and that is why one can buy more barley.

ii) The main idea is that there is a famine in the land. The famine is so bad that one has to work all day just to barely physically survive.

g) The next part of the text says, "Do not damage the oil and the wine!"

i) The idea of "oil and wine" is that these are luxury items. At the same time of this famine, there is also a supply of luxury items for the financially wealthy.

h) OK, John, so what's going on here?

i) Somehow, this famine is not so much a lack of crops, but a case where the famine is "man-controlled". Maybe the food is needed for the soldiers and there is not enough for those living "at home". Somehow, someway, there is not enough food to go around, and it is rationed, or the market price is so expensive, that practically everyone is starving. At the same time, there is a very rich class of people controlling things and they still get to use the "oil and wine".

ii) Those who know their history know that there have been times and periods like this in civilization. There are places in the world with either very rich or very poor people and no middle class. That is a scene being described in the end times.

iii) My personal view is that there is a powerful ruling class controlling the amount of food to the masses through high prices, and they are getting rich off of this.

i) OK, I feel sorry for them. What's the application? Let's get back to my opening question of "Understanding God's Judgment":

i) In order for God to show the world the necessity of Jesus return to earth, God is showing how man "messes things up" when left to its own.

ii) This is why some people interpret Revelation as being about world history since the time of Jesus. They see our history of war, power and famine and say, "Look what man does when it turns its collective back on God".

iii) Those who see Revelation as a single future event is man's last attempt" to get its collective act together without God and fails miserably. The idea of the Great Tribulation to show the world the necessity of having Jesus rule over our lives.

iv) Sin is all about doing anything and everything that is displeasing to God. It started with Adam and Eve's willful decision to disobey God. A purpose of history is for God to show mankind the futility of trying to live life without Him. The Great Tribulation is the "final act" of this man made attempt. It is (or will be) mankind's greatest attempt to do things without God and at the same time, mankind's greatest failure.

v) You get the impression that millions or billions of people will be starving, and at the same time, they will be aware of an elite class that exists. Hopefully, people will be crying out to God for justice. That's the idea. God's using another motivational tool to get people to reach our for Him. In other words, this is another aspect of God's "last call".

vi) The personal application to Christians is about the times in our lives when we either willfully or unconsciously do things "our way" as opposed to God's way. Revelation shows us what ultimately happens when we turn our back on God. It should be a reminder to us that God's way is the best way for our lives, in all aspects of the way we live.

j) By the way, notice the words spoken are not by "Horse Rider #3". The text says the voice is coming from "among the four living creatures". The point is the voice is coming from heaven and not from the Horse Rider. It is God himself who ordains (or allows) this famine, not the horse rider.

9. Verse 7: When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, "Come!" ⁸ I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.

a) Now comes the fourth horse rider: The text says this rider has the "power of death" to kill one fourth of the world.

b) The idea of this verse is between the wars and famine, one in four people worldwide will be killed. Let that one sink in for a moment.

c) As most study bibles point out, the word "pale" is "chlor-os", from which we get chloroform. It is a pale green color. If you ever see a dead human corpse, that is the color.

d) Is God cruel by doing this? He "would be" if there was no afterlife. Remember it is not how long one lives, but how one lives that counts for eternity. I also wonder if those who died because of these wars and plagues are better off than those who have to live through the next set of judgments coming up in future chapters.

e)