Revelation 6

Revelation 6:1

An account of the opening of the six first seals, and of the awful events which accompanied the opening of each. Rev. VI. throughout.a

REV. VI. 1. AND I saw, when the Lamb, opened one of the REVELATION VI. 1. I COULD not but be all attention to this wonderful scene; and I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals of the book, which

a The vision of the seals.] I am vastly more obliged to that ingenious and excellent commentator, Mr. Lowman, for what I understand of this book, than to any other writer whatsoever. And, as I think his celebrated and valuable scheme of interpretation the most satisfactory, and which indeed throws considerable light upon the series of prophecy, I shall present my readers with a short view of his

plan, under the several visions; referring the more curious to the commentary itself. But I would first observe, with regard to this celebrated performance, that there is, in many particulars, a beautiful resemblance between the prophetic representations, and the events supposed to be correspondent to them; and that the historical facts are represented with great learning and judgment yet the corres-

On opening the second, a red horse;

he had taken out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne; and I heard one of the four living creatures, which said, as with a voice of thunder, Come, and see the wonders which are now presenting themselves. And I saw, and behold a white horse appeared; and he who sat thereon had a bow in his hand, and a quiver of arrows hanging at his back; and to express his royal dignity as the King both of the church and of the world, there was given to him a crown of gold, and he went forth conquering, and to conquer: I understood that he was to gain signal victories, and that the series of them was immediately to begin. (Compare Psal. xlv. 3; Rev. xvii. 14; xix. 11.b)

And when he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature,c saying, as the former had done when the first was opened, Come and see. And another horse came out,d [which]

pondence between the prophecies and the events is not in all respects, so clear and evident, as might have been expected; nor can we always say, why the events in question are represented by one of the problems used, rather than by another. However, he has finely illustrated many passages, especially by similar phrases from the prophetic books of the Old Testament, in which he is quite unequalled; and hath made out so much, particularly with respect to the first, and beginning of the third period, as evidently proves this book to be a glorious confirmation of Christianity, and worthy our most attentive and diligent examination. This learned and accurate writer, then, divides the prophetic parts of this book into seven periods. The first represented by the seals, shews the state of the church under the heathen Roman Emperors, from A. D. 95, to A. D. 325. II. Period, of the trumpets, in its state from Constantine, A. D. 337, to A. D. 750. III. Period, of the vials, its state in the times of the last head of Roman government, represented by the beast, for 1260 years, from about the year 756, to A. D. 2016. IV. Period, the millennium, from A. D. 2000, to A. D. 3005. V. Period, Satan, loosed for a little season, and then destroyed. VI. Period, the resurrection and final judgment. VII. Period, the heavenly state.

b First seal, &c.] This refers to the triumph of Christianity over Jewish and heathen opposition by the labours of its first preachers.

c The second living creature.] As each of these living creatures is represented as speaking successively, I think it confirms what was advanced in sect vii. note f, relating to the scheme of Mr. Hutchinson, who supposes the four living creatures, taken together, to be an emblem of the Deity.

d Another horse came out.] Mr. Lowman thinks, that the leaves of the book were so adjusted, that on opening the first seal, the first leaf unfolded; and on it there was drawn, in a vivid and beautiful picture, a man mounted on a white horse; and that what is described on opening those that follow, is an account of the various pictures, which John saw delineated on the several leaves. But as we have an account, not only of the appearance of these things, but of their motion, and their voice; and especially of a change in the state of several of them, particularly of the souls under the altar, (ver. 9,) I conclude, that the scene did not lie in the leg of the book, but arose in vision as the rest; and that the events described, seemed successively to pass before the eyes of John. And indeed, I think it apparent that the state of the vision he at first saw, was something altered, upon the opening

opening the third seal, a black horse :

seemed to betoken some great slaughter and desolation to be made by approaching wars; for he [was] red; and it was given to him who sat upon it, to take peace from the earth; and that they should slay each other. And, as a further token of this, there was given to him a great sword, or faulchion, in his hand, by which he might make terrible devastation.

And when he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, as the two former had done, Come and see. And I saw, and behold, there appeared a black horse, which might betoken an approaching famine, by the emblematical and memorable circumstances which attended his entrance on the scene; for, he that sat upon him, had a pair of scales in his hand, to imply that men should eat their bread by weight, and drink their water by measure. And I heard a great voice in the midst of the four living creatures, saying, A measure of wheat, which shall only be daily food for one man, shall now be sold for a denarius, or Roman penny, which is the price of his daily labour; and three measures of barley only shall be sold for a denarius, or Roman penny. And yet, that there may not be a total scarcity, see that thou who appearest as the executioner of this judgment, injure not the oil, nor the wine; let the olive trees, and the vines, remain unblasted, to shew, that God in judgment remembers mercy.

of some of the seals, especially the seventh. The ingenious author above mentioned, interprets this seal, of the judgments of God upon the Jewish persecutors, under Trajan and Hadrian, A. D. 100, to A. D. 138, when the Jews had 1000 cities and fortresses taken and destroyed, and 580,000 men slain.

A measure of wheat for a penny.] This may seem, to an English reader, a description of great plenty; but, it certainly intends the contrary, as I have intimated in the paraphrase. The penny was about seven pence half penny of our money; and it appears from Tacitus, as well as from Mat. xx. 2, (See Fam. Expos. in loc.) to have been the daily wages of a labourer. It also appears from other ancient writers, particularly Herodotus, (see Raphelius in loc.) and from Hippocrates, Diogenes,

Laertius, and Atheneus, (see Grotius in loc.) that this measure, or chemix, was no more than was allowed to a slave for his daily food. What would become of families, when a man could gain by his labour no more, and that only of bread, than might suffice for his own subsistence? Mr. Lowman interprets this third seal of the scarcity, in the time of the Antonines, from A. D. 138, to A. D. 193, and produces passages from Tertullian, and the Roman historians, concerning the calamity the empire endured by scarcity in this period.

See that thou injure not, &c.] The introduction of so many allegorical persons, as famine, and death, and the state of separate spirits in this vision, confirms what was said above, in note 4, as to the nature of the things that appeared.

VOL. 6.

On opening the fourth seal, a pale horse :

And when he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying to me, Come, and see a further discovery of the Divine will. And I saw, and behold a pale horse appeared; and as for him that sat on him, his name was called Death. He appeared like a person entirely emaciated, and hell followed him; he seemed to be attended with a person, who was a proper emblematical representation of the state of separate spirits; and there was given unto him power to slay a great number, as it were, the fourth part of the earth, with the sword, and with famine, and with pestilence, that most dreadful kind of death; and with the wild beasts of the field.⁵

And when he opened the fifth seal, a very memorable scene presented itself to me; for then I saw under the altar, which made a part of the view before me, a visible representation of the souls of those who were slaughtered on account of the word of God, and the testimony to the truth of the gospel which they courageously retained, in the midst of all opposition. And they cried with a loud voice, as making an appeal to the injured justice of the Divine Being; and said, How long, O thou supreme and sovereign Lord of the universe, who art ever armed with almighty power and terror against all thine implacable enemies; how long, O thou holy and true God, shall it be, ere thou dost judge and avenge our blood upon those who dwell upon the earth,⁶ who have, without remorse, poured it out as water. And, upon this, they appeared to be called up from the place where they lay as so many bleeding victims; and there were given unto each of them white robes,⁷ in token of the triumph they had

⁵ Fourth seal.] Mr. Lowman interpreted this fourth seal of the pestilence, and other calamities, in the reigns of Maximin and Valerian, from A. D. 195, to A. D. 270. This he supports by proper authorities from several Christian and heathen writers in that period, who particularly mention one pestilence, that lasted fifteen years.

⁶ Ere thou dost avenge our blood.] We are not to understand this as the language of personal revenge, but of zeal for the honour of God, which was so intimately concerned in the punishment to be inflicted

ed upon those blood thirsty persecutors. ⁷ White robes.] Mr. Fleming understands this, as an intimation of their preferment to some new post of honour and service. But, I suppose, this was only a representation, that though their blood did cry for vengeance in the ears of God, yet that vengeance should be delayed; nevertheless, that, in the mean time, they should be exalted to a glorious state. The argument he draws from this passage, in proof of a first resurrection, seems too precarious to be repeated. Flem. Fest. Res. p. 46, 47.

ening the sixth seal, a great earthquake, &c.

gained over death, and all its terrors; and it was said to them, that they should rest yet a little while, though their blood remained unavenged, till the number of their fellow servants, and brethren, who should be killed, as they [had een,] for the testimony of a good conscience, and the defence of the gospel, should be fulfilled, according to the intention of Divine Providence, in letting their persecutors go on a while, till they had filled up the measure of their iniquity.

And I saw when he opened the sixth seal, and behold there was immediately a great earthquake; and not earth alone, but heaven, was affected with great consternation; for the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became red as blood: And it seemed as if the stars fell from heaven upon the earth; numbers of them at once, as fast as when a fig tree droppeth its untimely figs, being shaken by the force of a mighty wind. And the heavens passed away, the clouds rolling one upon another, like a volume of a book when it is rolled up; and every mountain on earth, and every island in the sea, were moved out of their places; so great and general was the shock, to represent the calamities approaching in those terrible wars, which were to precede the revolutions to which this seal referred. And all the inhabitants of the world were thrown into an universal terror; so that the kings of the earth, and the grandees about their courts, and the rich men, and the chief officers of armies, who commanded their thousands, and the powerful men, who bore the greatest sway in the public counsels, or were armed with the most warlike prowess; and every slave, and every

The number of their brethren who should be killed, &c.] Nothing could tend more to encourage Christians to endure their sufferings with steady patience, than this, that it was appointed of God, that a certain number of martyrs should be put to death, and that the season of their triumph was to succeed.

Fifth seal.] Mr. Lowman interprets this seal, of the severe persecution under Dioclesian, from A. D. 270, to A. D. 304; which was the most extensive and

furious of all; and so many Christians suffered death, that the heathens boasted, in an ancient inscription, that they had offaced the name and superstition of the Christians.

Earthquake, sun becoming black, stars falling, &c.] Awful judgments and calamities are often described by such commotions and alterations in the natura. world. Compare Isa. xiii. 10; xxxiv. 4; Ezek. xxxii. 7; Joel ii. 10; and the like.

And all men are thrown into consternation.

free man, fled as in surprise, and hid themselves as fast as they could, even in the most gloomy caves, and among the rocks of the mountains, horrid as this retreat appeared. And not thinking themselves sufficiently secure there, they said, in wild astonishment and affright, to the mountains, and to the rocks, Fall upon us, and hide us from the face of him who sitteth upon the throne, the Almighty and terrible God, and from the wrath of the Lamb; For the great day of his wrath is come; and mild and gentle as he once appeared, we find it insupportably dreadful; and who can be able to stand against it? Thus it appeared that they would have thought the crush of a mountain less terrible, than the vengeance they expected; and had more hope of moving inanimate nature by their outcries, than of prevailing upon their righteous and inexorable Judge.

IMPROVEMENT.

versc To whatever event these seals may refer, it is certain, that the representations here made, are very awful, and very instructive. Let us consider ourselves as invited to come up and see, and let us observe the memorable spectacle with attention. Let the view of the white horse, and his rider, who went forth conquering and to conquer, lead us to reflect on the peaceful purposes of our blessed Saviour’s appearance, and the rapidity of his conquests; and engage us frequently to pray for the further prosperity of his kingdom, that kingdom of righteousness, love and happiness. When we think of the terrible effects of war, of famine, and of pestilence, represented by the three following horses, and their riders, here mentioned, let it excite our thankfulness, that not one of this dreadful triumvirate is sent forth

a Day of his wrath is come.] As it appears, by comparing one part of this book with another, that the last seal made way for, and introduced the trumpets; and the last trumpet, the vials; it is justly argued, that there is a reference to a series of events, successively following each other; and consequently, this passage cannot refer to the final judgment; but to some great and spreading calamity, in which the hand of Christ should appear. And this interpretation is illustrated and confirmed, by the manner in which the destruction of Jerusalem is foretold. Matrix. Compare Isa. ii. 19; xiii. 6; Hos.

x 8; Zeph. i. 14; Luke xxiii. 30. Mr. Lowman interprets the 6th seal, of the great commotions in the empire, from Maximian to Constantine the Great, who put an end to the persecution of heathen Rome; from A. D. 304, to A. D. 323, during which time, there were many bloody battles between the contending emperors, till Constantine abolished paganism, and established the Christian religion. This interpretation he confirms by apposite passages from Lactantius, and the heathen historians; and it appears the most probable

Reflections on the opening of the seals.

against us, though our national crimes have indeed deserved, sect. that they should invade us with united terrors; that peace should be taken from our land, that our bread and water should be received by weight and measure, and that the dead should lie unburied in our streets, the food of the fowls of heaven, and the beasts of the earth: nor can any thing more justly excite our gratitude and thankfulness, than that the terrors and the guilt of sanguinary persecution, are not to be found in the midst of us. The history of its horrors and ravages in other nations 9 and ages, may sometimes be an exercise of our faith; and we may be ready to cry out with the souls under the altar, How long, O Lord, holy and true, wilt thou not avenge the blood of thy saints upon the earth? But let us wait with patience; let us not form a hasty and inconsiderate judgment. The dead, who die in the Lord, and those who had been persecuted to death for his sake, and in his cause, are incomparably more happy than those who are the happiest among the living. The white robes, and golden 11 crowns, with which they are adorned, are an abundant compensation, not only for every lighter suffering, but even for the slow fire, and the rack, those most dreadful instruments of torture. And though their malicious and implacable enemies may bitterly insult over them for a while, yet the triumphing of the wicked is for a short time, their guilty spirits will soon be summoned before the great Avenger of blood; and the day is coming when they shall be publicly brought forth, to suffer the utmost demands of his justice; even that day, when all the figurative descriptions here used shall be fully answered, in their literal meaning; when the sun shall indeed be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood; when the volume of heaven shall be rolled up as a 13, 14 scroll, and its stars shall fall from their orbs. It is no wonder, that ungodly sinners fly from this alarming and tremendous scene, with wild consternation and confusion; no wonder, that they rend the very heavens with their cries, and call upon the mountains to fall upon them, and the rocks to cover them: for O! 15, 16 what were the sudden and irresistible crush of a rock, or a mount- 17 ain, when compared with the weight of the wrath of the Lamb, and with the fire and brimstone of this second death. O! that by the expectation of this awful day, men of all ranks and conditions, may be influenced to make their application to him, while he yet appears in the displays of his grace and mercy; to kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and they perish from the way, even when his wrath is only beginning to be kindled. (Psal. ii. 12.)

The vision of our angels restraining the v