Revelation
Chapter 6
Overview
John’s vision turns to a scroll sealed seven times. The Lamb opens six of those seals, and they do not open quietly. The first four release riders who bring conquest, war, crushing food prices, and death. The fifth reveals people killed for remaining faithful to God’s message; they cry out for justice but are told to wait. When the sixth seal opens, the earth and sky seem to come apart. Powerful and powerless people alike discover a sobering truth: rank offers no shelter when the day of judgment arrives.
1I watched as the Lamb opened one of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living beings call out in a voice like thunder, “Come!”
2I looked, and there was a white horse. Its rider carried a bow. He was given a victor’s crown, and he rode out conquering and determined to conquer.
3When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living being say, “Come!”
4Another horse came out, bright red. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth so that people would slaughter one another. He was also given a large sword.
5When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living being say, “Come!” I looked, and there was a black horse. Its rider held a balance scale in his hand.
6Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living beings saying, “One day’s ration of wheat costs a denarius—a full day’s pay—and three days’ rations of barley cost the same. But do not harm the olive oil or the wine.”
7When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living being say, “Come!”
8I looked, and there was a pale green horse. Its rider was named Death, and the realm of the dead followed with him. They were given authority over one-fourth of the earth, to kill by war, famine, disease, and the earth’s wild animals.
9When the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw beneath the altar the souls of people who had been killed because of God’s message and because they had testified to it.
10They cried out loudly, “Holy and true Master, how long will it be before you judge those who live on earth and punish them for shedding our blood?”
11Each of them was given a white robe. They were told to rest a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants and fellow believers had been reached—those who were going to be killed just as they had been.
12I watched as the Lamb opened the sixth seal. A great earthquake struck. The sun became black like coarse cloth woven from goat hair, and the whole moon became like blood.
13The stars in the sky fell to the earth like unripe figs shaken from a fig tree by a powerful wind.
14The sky vanished like a scroll rolling itself up, and every mountain and island was moved from its place.
15The earth’s kings, leading officials, military commanders, rich people, powerful people, and everyone else—both enslaved and free—hid in caves and among the mountain rocks.
16They cried to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us! Hide us from the face of the one sitting on the throne and from the Lamb’s anger!”
17They continued, “The great day of their anger has come. Who can remain standing?”