THE BOOK OF REVELATION
Lesson 14 - Chapters 5 & 6
We're nearing the end of Revelation chapter 5, all of which takes place in Heaven. I emphasize
this because beginning in chapter 6 the scene will shift to planet Earth. One of the fundamental
principles we need to keep upfront in our minds regards that of the sealed scroll itself. That is,
the meaning of the scroll that is sealed with 7 seals is that what is written in it was long ago
decided. By long ago I'm speaking temporally; I'm speaking in terms of the way we measure
time in our Universe. By that standard what is going to be revealed in the sealed scroll was
decided upon thousands if not millions of years ago, and then set on the cosmic shelf until the
time is right. Of course by Heaven's standard, there is no such thing as time; past, present and
future have no meaning. So it is not as though the spiritual creatures of Heaven, including God
Himself, have been waiting in the sense we'd think of it. Therefore we must wrap our minds
around the reality that everything that has happened in human history from Adam through
today and beyond to the end, was known by God if not fully planned and orchestrated by God.
Another principle to remember is that while John is just learning of the contents of the sealed
scroll by means of visions, the carrying out of what was written has yet to happen on Earth
(although no doubt John expected it to occur shortly after his vision experience). Thus
humanity has known since roughly 90 A.D. the skeletal blueprints of what is to come and so
the human race has no excuse when all the horror that was written begins to take place; we
cannot say: "but we didn't know".
When we read and study Revelation we must always admit to ourselves that what we take
from it will be imperfect and incomplete because the bulk of it is unfulfilled prophecy. It is ever
tempting for us as disciples, students, and teachers, or especially for Bible commentators, to fill
in the blanks and make speculations that often become inalterable doctrine. I realize it can be
frustrating as humans (and especially as Christian humans) to not be able to find ready, solid
answers to questions about our faith and our Holy Book that we feel are important to us. But it
is going to continue to be my position and approach to teaching this Apocalypse that when
something cannot be reasonably and firmly answered and backed up by Holy Scripture, we'll
discuss the various possibilities but not declare them as fact.
In chapter 5 as the Lamb that was slain but is now alive (Yeshua) took the scroll from His
Father's right hand and began to open the seals on the scroll, we found that 3 songs or hymns
were sung to Him with the first one beginning in verse 9.
Revelation 5:9-10 CJB
9
and they sang a new song, "You are worthy to take the scroll
and break its seals; because you were slaughtered; at the cost of blood you ransomed
for God persons from every tribe, language, people and nation.
10
You made them into a
kingdom for God to rule, cohanim to serve him; and they will rule over the earth."
This was called a "new song" because what was occurring had never happened before; the 24
1 / 9

Elders singing this song had not done so in the past. This song reminds us of Exodus 19: 5
and 6 where we read:
5
Now if you will pay careful attention to what I say and keep my covenant, then you will
be my own treasure from among all the peoples, for all the earth is mine;
6
and you will
be a kingdom of cohanim for me, a nation set apart.' These are the words you are to
speak to the people of Isra'el."
And now, indeed, Believers have paid attention to what God told us and we have become a
kingdom of priests for Him as He had always intended.
Let's move now to Revelation 5 verse 11 and continue our study.
RE-READ REVELATION CHAPTER 5:11 - end
Verses 11 and 12 form the second hymn. But this time instead of only the 24 Elders at God's
throne signing to the Lord, they are joined by millions and millions of angels who agree with
God that the Lamb is worthy of receiving power, riches, glory, honor and praise. Please note:
God's very existence as God makes Him worthy of possessing all of these things because He
is the Creator of everything. But the Lamb only receives these things from the One who by
nature possesses them and so has the right to give them to whomever He chooses.
Next in verse 13 the third hymn is sung and in addition to the 24 Elders and the millions of
angels, every living creature that God has ever created....those unspecified spirit beings in
Heaven, those unspecified physical beings on the surface of the earth and under it (meaning
the dead), and those in the sea....all add their voices to the chorus. So what we see is that with
each successive hymn, a larger and larger number of creatures join in the praise of the Lamb
so that everything that lives in Heaven and on Earth acknowledges the Lordship of Christ.
And finally to end the series of praise songs to the Lord Yeshua the 4 living beings shout
"amen!" and the 24 Elders fall on their faces in worship to Him. Thus all creatures, living and
dead, spiritual and physical, great and small, agree and acknowledge the magnitude of what
has just happened and their allegiance to the Son of God. I can't even imagine the emotions of
awe that John must have been experiencing as this scene unfolded in his vision.
Open your Bibles to Revelation chapter 6.
READ REVELATION CHAPTER 6 all
From here on most of what we'll read takes place in the physical realm, on earth. And what we
are reading about is often called the Day of the Lord or Judgment Day; that is, it is when God
begins in earnest to carry out His judgment on the Earth and its inhabitants; and His judgment
is that the world deserves His wrath.
In verse 1 the Lamb that was slain but is now alive breaks open the first of the seven seals. I
want to pause here to say that especially at this point is when so much varying and opposing
2 / 9

Christian doctrines on the End Times plays a significant role in how one interprets the
staggering and often confusing events being depicted in the Book of Revelation. Even the
naming convention that the various doctrines employ to explain and define their beliefs play a
role. For instance especially Pre-Tribulation Dispensationalists (perhaps representing the
largest segment of mainstream Protestant Christianity) interpret the timing of these events in
terms of three earth shattering phenomena called The Rapture, The Tribulation and The Great
Tribulation. Setting aside discussion of the Rapture for now, their End Times doctrine revolves
around the existence of two named time periods that can be identified and put on a timeline;
one is called The Tribulation and the other is called The Great Tribulation. The Tribulation is
the name of a specific period of trauma on earth that extends for precisely 7 years; and the
Great Tribulation is the name of another period of trauma even greater than the first that
essentially marks the 2nd half of the 7 years of The Tribulation. However the only way one can
establish the actual existence of these two named events is by adding a key word to the
Scriptures that isn't there in the oldest texts of the New Testament that we have: those that are
written in Greek. The word is ton in Greek, which directly translates to "the" in English. In other
words, while Revelation indeed speaks of times of tribulation and great tribulation, it never
speaks of THE tribulation, or THE great tribulation except in one instance (and we'll discuss
that thoroughly when we get there). This is not just semantics. By turning the biblical term
thlipsis (tribulation) into a proper noun by putting the word "the" before it, and then attaching it
to the so-called 70th week of Daniel, a quite detailed map of the End Times is created. Even
though Revelation tells us that when the End Times arrive there will be troubles for mankind
that increase into even greater troubles (tribulation increases and becomes greater tribulation)
Revelation never speaks of them as identifiable named events.
Those who adhere to the Pre-Tribulation doctrine also claim that before the opening of the first
seal by Christ the Church has already been raptured. Thus according to this doctrine Believers
are already gone from the earth and living in Heaven before the beginning of the events of
Revelation chapter 6. While I'll speak more on this in later lessons I think it is only proper that I
should tell you where I come down on this, while acknowledging that in no way do I claim that
my thoughts on the matter are infallible.
I believe that by the end of chapter 6 all Believers will have experienced the Rapture and that
whatever Believers remain on earth can only be those who have accepted Christ since the
moment the Rapture occurred (and probably many are now Believers because they witnessed
the Rapture). That said, I do not agree with the typical Pre-Tribulation timeline that does two
things: first, it calls the seal, trumpet and bowl judgments the time of tribulation (that is, the 21
judgments that God hurls upon the earth and its inhabitants beginning with the seal judgment
in Revelation chapter 6). And second, that God therefore lifts all Believers to a safe place by
means of an event called the Rapture to avoid a period of particularly difficult tribulation.
Let me be clear: I do not see these 21 Judgments as a period of time called The Tribulation.
Rather I call these 21 judgments that begin in chapter 6 mostly as the time of God's wrath and
so see them as quite separate and fundamentally different from a period of tribulation that is
represented by the first 4 seals. God's wrath seems to consist of 17 of the 21 named
supernaturally caused events heaped upon mankind and the earth starting in chapter 6 with
the breaking of the 7 seals. Tribulation (perhaps including great tribulation) is not necessarily
3 / 9

supernaturally sent by God in the sense that we typically think of it; rather it is brought about by
mankind's own evil inclination run wild (no doubt satanically provoked). An example of this
would be Hitler's genocide against the Jews. As horrible as this was, it was not a supernatural
act of God (it was not God's wrath); but it was tribulation. It was a nearly unparalleled act of evil
inspired by one of the most wicked human beings the world has ever known. Thus while I see
Believers being removed from harm's way prior to God raining down supernatural catastrophe
from Heaven, I don't see Believers being delivered from oppression and tribulation that has
always bedeviled mankind; that is, the suffering caused by the evil of human against human.
The biblical pattern has always been that God's worshippers will suffer through persecution
and tribulation as perhaps the greatest opportunities to witness to His glory and salvation. But
what God does not do is to pour out his supernatural wrath indiscriminately upon both the
guilty and those He had declared innocent.
In Noah's day God made provision for the final 8 faithful God worshippers on earth before He
purified the world through a destructive flood by having them build an ark and board it before
the rains came. In Abraham's day God removed every remaining God worshipper from Sodom
before He devastated the city with supernatural fire. In Moses' day the Lord protected the
Israelites in Egypt from the ravages of the 10 supernatural plagues He sent to Egypt to force
Pharaoh to let His people go. However in every case God's people suffered under the evil of
other humans. So I see the End Times Rapture in the same light. As Believers we will not
suffer God's wrath (if defined as the 21 or perhaps 17 judgments we're about to study); but we
will suffer through many terrible humanly inspired evils such as war and genocide, and perhaps
including the ruination of our precious environment that has provided a safe home for us for
millennia. I label these humanly inspired evils as tribulation, and at some point even great
tribulation; something that we are warned is coming. Why would Believers be warned
tribulation is coming and that we must overcome and stay faithful until death if we won't be
around to suffer it? Pre-Tribulation doctrine adherents say this is only speaking of those who
become Believers after the Rapture happens. Perhaps; I cannot completely discount that as a
possibility. But that would be out of character for Scripture and prophecy in general.
Back to verse 1. First let me say that a reasonable case could be made that the 4 horses of
differing colors being sent out do not represent God's wrath, but rather is satanic wrath causing
human evil to greatly increase. I lean that direction; it is undeniable that such is a possible
understanding to keep in mind. Upon the first seal being broken one of the 4 living beings
surrounding God's throne announces with a loud voice: "Go". This command to "go" brought
forth a white horse and a rider who carried a bow, wore a crown, and together the horse and
rider went out conquering. Following this 3 more horses with riders will be sent out, each one
ordered, in turn, by 1 of the 4 living beings. These 4 horses and riders are known in literary and
artistic circles as The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Quite interestingly the Bible scholar
world is fairly equally divided on whether or not the rider on the white horse is to be identified
as Christ, or as the anti-Christ. This was not always the case. In my research into what the
early Church Fathers thought about this, to a man they believed the white horse to be the
Gospel and the rider to be Jesus. As for the other 3 horses and riders, most of the early
Church Fathers saw them as sowers of evil and hardship; a harbinger of the coming of God's
harsh hand of punishment and judgment. Good cases can be made for both sides of the
debate; however for me the weight of evidence leans more strongly in one direction. Since
4 / 9

John's visions are invariably about fulfilling the many Old Testament prophecies about the End
Times and the Day of the Lord, then it is within the context of those prophecies that we should
look for understanding. If the tone and context of those prophecies is entirely different than
what we find in John's vision, then we have God using allegory to get His message across to
John; something which I cannot accept . So in search of the most direct reference among the
Prophets to the going out of 4 horses to wreak havoc on humanity, Bible scholars generally
agree that it must be Zechariah 6.
Zechariah. 6:1-8 CJB Again I raised my eyes, and I saw in front of me four chariots
coming out from between two mountains, and the mountains were mountains of bronze.

2
The first chariot had red horses; the second chariot, black horses;

3
the third chariot, white horses; and the fourth chariot, spotted gray horses.

4
I asked the angel speaking with me, "What are these, my Lord?"

5
The angel answered me, "These are the four winds of the sky that go out, after
presenting themselves before the Lord of all the land.

6
The one with the black horses is going out toward the land in the north, the white
[horses] have gone out after them, and the spotted have gone out toward the land in the
south."

7
Then the gray ones went out and were seeking to go and wander throughout the
whole earth, when he said, "Wander throughout the whole earth"; and they did wander
throughout the whole earth.

8
Then he called out to me and said, "Look! The ones going to the land in the north
have given my Spirit rest in the north country."
In Zechariah God bids 4 horses of almost identically described colors as those John describes
in Revelation to go out and patrol the earth and to punish those nations who have oppressed
His people Israel. These horses are pulling chariots, which means they are for war. One thing
that I think helps to even better connect this Zechariah passage with Revelation 6 is that in
Zechariah chapter 6 Zechariah asks about who the horses and chariots are and he receives an
answer. However I think the CJB translation unnecessarily muddies the waters by coming up
with a decidedly different interpretation than practically all other reliable Bible translations. The
CJB says that the angel answers Zechariah that the 4 horses are the 4 winds in the sky.
However almost all other Bible versions say that the angel answers that the 4 horses are the 4
spirits of Heaven. The Hebrew word that is being translated as "wind" in the CJB is ruach; and
ruach can indeed mean wind but more commonly it means "spirit". The Hebrew word that is
being translated as "sky" by the CJB is shamayim; and shamayim can mean sky but more
commonly means "heaven". The context helps to determine which way to take the meaning of
these two words.
5 / 9

So considering that these 4 horses are sent out after standing before the Lord in Heaven and
that they are, of course, symbolic and spiritual in nature (and not actual horses), I agree with
the bulk of translations that say that these horses represent something called the 4 spirits of
Heaven, and that fits nicely with the 4 horses of Revelation 6.
In both Revelation 6 and Zechariah 6, the 4 horses are dealt with as a group having a common
purpose: to create havoc and death on earth. It is true that in the Bible white usually signifies
purity. Further the rider is said to be wearing a crown. Together these two characteristics
sound pretty Christ-like. However the black, red, and grayish-green or spotted horses are sent
out to do evil things that cause terrible woes, so it is difficult to find a good cause to separate
the white horse out from the group and have its symbolism interpreted as indicating good when
the symbolism of the other 3 is to be seen as that of evil. The issue of the crown is also a
challenging one as Christ is said to be king in Revelation and elsewhere in the New
Testament. Yet the word used in this verse for the crown upon the rider of the white horse is
stephanos and it is used in reference to the laurel wreath given to victors in athletic
competition, while a crown for a king in Greek is typically diadema. We also have the rider of
the white horse using a bow, which is a weapon of war. In Israel horses were not used for
transportation; they were used for chariots or to be ridden by soldiers. So symbolically these
horses are war horses. Then we have the matter of how the scene in Heaven unfolds. If we
take the rider of the white horse to be Christ, then we have Christ opening the first seal of the
scroll with the result that one of the 4 living beings then orders Him to mount a white horse,
take a bow in His hand, and go to create war and chaos on earth.
Therefore with all these considerations it seems more likely than not that the white horse and
its rider are satanic in nature; that is, this is symbolic of the anti-Christ. And the reason that we
find so many characteristics that one could easily see as Christ-like is because the anti-Christ
tries to achieve his victory through deception. To help us sort this out Charles Lee Feinberg
makes the salient point that we should not be so much concerned with the individuals on the
horses but rather with the purpose of the horse and rider together, and the 4 horses and riders
as a group. Thus we should probably not make the unwarranted assumption that the white
horse is being sent out for an entirely opposite purpose of the other 3 horses because
otherwise we have the first one more or less counteracting the purpose of other three. So
whether or not the white horse and its rider is meant to symbolize the anti-Christ specifically, or
as an inciter of war and violence in general, I do think the purpose is evil.
If you are paying close attention then an obvious question must be: would our God actually
order evil to be sent upon the world especially since the 4 horsemen of the Apocalypse seem
to be going out from Heaven? This presents a theological challenge of some proportions as it
is common in Christianity to declare that the Lord only deals in good and it is against His
nature to deal in evil. However the Holy Scriptures tell us something a little different.
CJB
Isaiah 45:7 I form light, I create darkness; I make well-being, I create woe; I, ADONAI,
do all these things.
The KJV puts this slightly differently.
6 / 9

KJV
Isaiah 45:7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the
LORD do all these things.
The word that the CJB translates as woe, and the KJV translates as evil, is rah. Both English
translations are correct and really mean about the same thing. Woe is usually the result of evil.
And when we understand this and understand that with the 21 judgments of Revelation God is
indeed sending 21 woes to the world, to say He is sending evil is merely semantics. So, yes,
God does send evil things to the world in order to bring about His will and to execute His
judgment upon humans (and at times to test the faith of His worshippers). Therefore it makes
sense that the white horse and its rider are being sent to cause the specter of evil to erupt
globally.
Then in verse 3 the second seal is broken and a 2nd horse, a red one, is sent out with its rider
holding a great sword. Red is usually the biblical symbol for blood. And as with so many
biblical symbols, blood can be used for good or for evil. Thus blood can be a symbol of life and
atonement for redemption; or it can be a symbol of murder and destruction. This duo's mission
was to remove peace from the world and to promote men killing men on a massive scale.
While this can be taken primarily to speak of wars of nation against nation, it can also speak to
all modes of humans intentionally, unjustly and maliciously flaunting God's laws by killing
humans by means of government oppression, criminal activity, terrorism, and even abortion.
In verse 5 the 3rd seal is broken and the 3rd of the 4 living beings calls forth a black horse
bearing a rider carrying a balance scale. Notice how there are 4 living beings and 4 horses,
with each living being calling forth a specific horse and rider as though there is some
association or connection between them. We aren't given enough information to know for
certain what that connection might be. However remember that Zechariah 6 said that the 4
horses were the 4 spirits of Heaven, and the 4 unique and powerful living beings are also 4
spirits in Heaven so this may well be the connection; but that is only my speculation.
The scale symbolizes commerce as its purpose is to measure money and commodities; in this
case it is to weigh out scarce food. Thus famine is being sent upon the world by God, no doubt
caused in large part by the war and strife instigated by the first 2 horses and their riders, so
that fields cannot be planted and harvested. As the scarcity sets in the expense of food rises to
more than an average person can pay. In the ancient world a Denarius was the wage a man
would earn for a day's labor. A quart of wheat costing a Denarius, or 3 quarts of barley for the
same, is about 10 times the normal cost. Here it is meant as a metaphor indicating that
everything a man could earn in a day would be needed to buy good quality food sufficient only
for one day for one person, or (in regards to the barley) a less desirable food sufficient for 3
persons for one day. And yet the oil and the wine were not to be harmed; this means the well
off could continue to enjoy the finer things of life (oil and wine) even as the poor struggled for
basic survival. What would be the result one might expect from this situation? How about civil
strife and class warfare on a global scale as the poor rebel in fury and desperation against the
rich and the ruling elite who always seem insulated from the troubles that affect everyone else.
In verse 7 the Lamb breaks the 4th seal and in response the 4th horseman is sent out by the
4th living being. The fourth horse is variously described as pale, ashen and pallid, often
7 / 9

equated with dappled, greenish, grayish, even an off-white. The Greek word being translated is
chloros; literally it means the light green color of plants but it is also used to describe the color
of a person who is very ill. The point being that the horse looks sickly because it represents
pestilence and disease. Interestingly the final horse and rider are given a name: Death and
Hades. We need to grasp that Hades was the imagined underworld of the Greeks along with
all of its mythology. The idea that it is trying to convey is of course a Hebrew one, and so a
better translation would be Death and Sheol, since Sheol is the place of the dead we read of
in the Bible and that John would have been familiar with. The 4 horsemen bring death through
one means or another to the inhabitants of the earth. I want to state at this point that my best
understanding of Revelation is that this will occur shortly before the Rapture of Believers. If I
am correct the recipients of the woes and evil that the 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse bring is
upon non-Believers and Believers.
It is always important that death is seen by Believers as outside the perfect will of God and
(generally speaking) as satanic in origin. This is not to say that Yehoveh doesn't use death for
His purposes just as He can turn many things intended for evil into a greater good. Our God is
not a God of death, but rather of life. I cannot bypass this without mentioning that any religion
that glorifies death above life, and killing as a good (even joyful) thing, is worthy only of scorn
for it is not of God; rather such a religion has the Devil as its father. It is no coincidence that in
the 6th century as Christianity was overtaking the world by preaching Messiah's message of
love, peace and restoration that Satan would rise in opposition by creating its opposite, Islam,
which preaches hate, war, death and subjugation. And today, as Believers, we cannot be
deceived into following the modern virtue of tolerance to find a way to give any credence,
respect or validity whatsoever to this pagan religion nor to somehow equate the god of Islam
with the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I cannot know for sure; but unless there is a
significant change on earth, when the 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse finally begin to ravage
humanity one of their primary weapons may well be Islamic terrorism and the Muslim hope to
rule the planet.
Even so death is not our eternal nemesis because when the Lord finally defeats Satan (which
in the largest sense is what the Book of Revelation is about) He also defeats death; in fact
eventually God gets rid of death and the grave entirely. We read this in Revelation 20 as the
redemptive work of God nears its completion. It is one the greatest statements of hope in the
entire Word of God for those who trust Yeshua, and one of the greatest warnings for those who
reject Him.
Revelation 20:11-15 CJB
11
Next I saw a great white throne and the One sitting on it.
Earth and heaven fled from his presence, and no place was found for them.
12
And I saw
the dead, both great and small, standing in front of the throne. Books were opened; and
another book was opened, the Book of Life; and the dead were judged from what was
written in the books, according to what they had done.

13
The sea gave up the dead in it; and Death and Sh'ol gave up the dead in them; and
they were judged, each according to what he had done.
14
Then Death and Sh'ol were
hurled into the lake of fire. This is the second death- the lake of fire.
8 / 9

15
Anyone whose name was not found written in the Book of Life was hurled into the
lake of fire.
The final half of verse 8 says that: "They were given authority to kill one-quarter of the
world by war, by famine, by plagues and with the wild animals of the earth." The "they" is
the 4 horsemen. So the 4 horsemen were sent out together to work together as a team; they
each served a role to punish the Earth's inhabitants. Satan thought this indicated he was
winning. God was going to use it to bring about a nearly unimaginable level of redemption and
restoration.
We'll continue in chapter 6 next week.
Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)
9 / 9