Revelation — Chapter 6

Loading ESV text...

1And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.

2And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.

3And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see.

4And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.

5And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.

6And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.

7And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.

8And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.

9And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:

10And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?

11And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.

12And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;

13And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.

14And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.

15And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;

16And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:

17For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

1And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, Come.

2And I saw, and behold, a white horse, and he that sat thereon had a bow; and there was given unto him a crown: and he came forth conquering, and to conquer.

3And when he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, Come.

4And another [horse] came forth, a red horse: and to him that sat thereon it was given to take peace from the earth, and that they should slay one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.

5And when he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, Come. And I saw, and behold, a black horse; and he that sat thereon had a balance in his hand.

6And I heard as it were a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, A measure of wheat for a shilling, and three measures of barley for a shilling; and the oil and the wine hurt thou not.

7And when he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, Come.

8And I saw, and behold, a pale horse: and he that sat upon him, his name was Death; and Hades followed with him. And there was given unto them authority over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with famine, and with death, and by the wild beasts of the earth.

9And when he opened the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of them that had been slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:

10and they cried with a great voice, saying, How long, O Master, the holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?

11And there was given them to each one a white robe; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little time, until their fellow-servants also and their brethren, who should be killed even as they were, should have fulfilled [their course].

12And I saw when he opened the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the whole moon became as blood;

13and the stars of the heaven fell unto the earth, as a fig tree casteth her unripe figs when she is shaken of a great wind.

14And the heaven was removed as a scroll when it is rolled up; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.

15And the kings of the earth, and the princes, and the chief captains, and the rich, and the strong, and every bondman and freeman, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains;

16and they say to the mountains and to the rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:

17for the great day of their wrath is come; and who is able to stand?

1I looked on when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a thunderous voice, “Come!”

2So I looked, and here came a white horse! The one who rode it had a bow, and he was given a crown, and as a conqueror he rode out to conquer.

3Then when the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come!”

4And another horse, fiery red, came out, and the one who rode it was granted permission to take peace from the earth so that people would butcher one another, and he was given a huge sword.

5Then when the Lamb opened the third seal I heard the third living creature saying, “Come!” So I looked, and here came a black horse! The one who rode it had a balance scale in his hand.

6Then I heard something like a voice from among the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat will cost a day’s pay, and three quarts of barley will cost a day’s pay. But do not damage the olive oil and the wine!”

7Then when the Lamb opened the fourth seal I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come!”

8So I looked and here came a pale green horse! The name of the one who rode it was Death, and Hades followed right behind. They were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill its population with the sword, famine, and disease, and by the wild animals of the earth.

9Now when the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been violently killed because of the word of God and because of the testimony they had given.

10They cried out with a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Master, holy and true, before you judge those who live on the earth and avenge our blood?”

11Each of them was given a long white robe, and they were told to rest for a little longer, until the full number was reached of both their fellow servants and their brothers who were going to be killed just as they had been.

12Then I looked when the Lamb opened the sixth seal, and a huge earthquake took place; the sun became as black as sackcloth made of hair, and the full moon became blood red;

13and the stars in the sky fell to the earth like a fig tree dropping its unripe figs when shaken by a fierce wind.

14The sky was split apart like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved from its place.

15Then the kings of the earth, the very important people, the generals, the rich, the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains.

16They said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who is seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb,

17because the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to withstand it?”

1I saw that the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying, as with a voice of thunder, “Come and see!”

2And behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow. A crown was given to him, and he came out conquering, and to conquer.

3When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come!”

4Another came out, a red horse. To him who sat on it was given power to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another. There was given to him a great sword.

5When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, “Come and see!” And behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a balance in his hand.

6I heard a voice in the middle of the four living creatures saying, “A choenix of wheat for a denarius, and three choenix of barley for a denarius! Don’t damage the oil and the wine!”

7When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the fourth living creature saying, “Come and see!”

8And behold, a pale horse, and he who sat on it, his name was Death. Hades followed with him. Authority over one fourth of the earth, to kill with the sword, with famine, with death, and by the wild animals of the earth was given to him.

9When he opened the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been killed for the Word of God, and for the testimony of the Lamb which they had.

10They cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, Master, the holy and true, until you judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”

11A long white robe was given to each of them. They were told that they should rest yet for a while, until their fellow servants and their brothers, who would also be killed even as they were, should complete their course.

12I saw when he opened the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake. The sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became as blood.

13The stars of the sky fell to the earth, like a fig tree dropping its unripe figs when it is shaken by a great wind.

14The sky was removed like a scroll when it is rolled up. Every mountain and island were moved out of their places.

15The kings of the earth, the princes, the commanding officers, the rich, the strong, and every slave and free person, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains.

16They told the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb,

17for the great day of his wrath has come; and who is able to stand?”

Summary
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
Commentary
Videos
Reflection

Summary

The Lamb opens six seals: white horse (conquest), red horse (war), black horse (famine), pale horse (death), martyrs crying "How long?", and cosmic upheaval — as the great day of wrath arrives and men cry to the mountains to hide them.

Authorship & Background

Author: The Apostle John (see Chapter 1 notes for full details).
Historical Context: Chapter 6 begins the opening of the seven seals by the Lamb. The first four seals release the famous "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" — conquest, war, famine, and death. The fifth seal reveals martyrs under the altar. The sixth seal brings cosmic upheaval. These judgments represent God's wrath being poured out on a rebellious world. The chapter ends with the terrified cry: "Who shall be able to stand?" (v.17).
The Four Horsemen (vv.1-8):
  • First seal — White horse: conquest/deception (v.2). Debated: (1) the
Antichrist as a false conqueror, or (2) the gospel going forth. Most see this as the Antichrist — a counterfeit of Christ (who rides a white horse in 19:11).
  • Second seal — Red horse: war, peace removed from earth (vv.3-4).
  • Third seal — Black horse: famine, economic collapse (vv.5-6). A day's
wages for a day's food.
  • Fourth seal — Pale/green horse: Death, with Hades following. Authority over
a fourth of the earth (vv.7-8).
The Fifth Seal — Martyrs (vv.9-11): Souls under the altar — slain for God's word and their testimony (v.9). They cry: "How long?" (v.10). Given white robes; told to wait until the full number of martyrs is complete (v.11).
The Sixth Seal — Cosmic Upheaval (vv.12-17): Great earthquake, sun black, moon blood-red, stars falling, sky rolled up, mountains moved (vv.12-14). All people — from kings to slaves — hide in terror (vv.15-16). "The great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?" (v.17).

Map & Geography

  • No specific geographic locations are referenced in this chapter.

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik covers each seal, the four horsemen, the martyrs' cry, and the cosmic upheaval of the sixth seal.
  • Charles Spurgeon: Sermon: "Who Shall Stand?" on v.17 (MTP Vol. 11, No. 650) "Who shall be able to stand? The answer: no one — in themselves. Kings cannot stand. Generals cannot stand. The rich cannot stand. The mighty cannot stand. When the Lamb's wrath is revealed, all human power is nothing. The only ones who can stand are those who stand IN the Lamb — covered by His blood, clothed in His righteousness. Apart from Him, no one stands."

Videos

The Bible Project — Revelation Overview

Animated overview of the book's literary structure, themes, and theological message. Excellent visual introduction. (Approx. 8 minutes)

Reflection

  • 1. The four horsemen represent conquest, war, famine, and death. These are realities in our world today. How do you respond to global suffering — with despair, indifference, or faith that God is sovereign?
  • 2. "How long, O Lord?" (v.10). Have you ever cried "how long?" — waiting for God's justice, waiting for relief, waiting for answers? The martyrs were told to wait. Can you?
  • 3. "The wrath of the Lamb" (v.16). Christ is both Lamb (mercy) and Lion (judgment). Have you received His mercy? Those who reject the Lamb's mercy will face the Lamb's wrath.
  • 4. "Who shall be able to stand?" (v.17). Can you stand before God? Not in your own righteousness — but in Christ's. Are you clothed in His righteousness or standing in your own?
  • 5. These judgments are severe — but they come from a holy God responding to persistent rebellion. How does this chapter shape your urgency about sharing the gospel?