Revelation 6

John T. Hinds Commentary On Revelation 6 THE FIRST SEAL OPENED Revelation 6:1-2 Revelation 6:1 —And 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.—We should not forget that the scene John had been looking upon was in heaven. (4: 1.) The Lamb ready to open the seal represents Christ, and the open­ing means that some symbolic pictures were to be disclosed to John so he could give a written description of them. What John saw here was the first picture that appeared as soon as the seal was broken. One of the living creatures said “ Come.” Some apply this to the horse and his rider mentioned in verse 2, meaning that they were summoned to appear before John. !But it seems more natural to apply the word to John. No use to speculate how he could “ Come” when he was on earth and the vision in heaven. He had been seeing the previous visions from earth. Perhaps nothing more was intended than a command to give earnest consideration to what he saw.

If he were in some miraculous way mentally transported to heaven, the general truth would not be affected. The verse needs no further comment.

Revelation 6:2 —And 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.—Here we enter the field where speculation runs riot, and where a multi­tude of contradictory views are presented with equal confidence of correctness. Any new expositor may well begin his task with a fear of not being able to stand where so many have already fallen. These notes are written in harmony with the natural assumption that the seals represent things that were to transpire after John wrote. Since he was to be shown things which must “ shortly come to pass," the conclusion that seems evident is that the first seal disclosed things that were to begin about the end of the first century. It is doubtless unnecessary to insist upon exact dates. Historically considered, periods of time often come in gradually and close the same way. If the leading events fall in a given period, we are probably correct in saying that is the time meant, though many details are not certainly known.

This vision represents some kind of victorious work; the language allows no other application. One class of commen­tators think it refers to Christ and the successful spread of his gospel in the first centuries of the Christian era; another class applies it to the Roman Empire in a successful period beginning about the time of John’ s writing. The history of the church for many centuries is so closely interwoven with that of Rome — pagan or papal— that any large view of one must necessarily include the other; hence, this vision would involve a period of Roman prosperity and church success, however applied. The general facts of both Rome and the church might be presented from either viewpoint. Moreover, it may be true that these composite symbols are intended to represent both Rome and the church during certain periods because of their interlocking influence upon each other. If so, the main point is to find the important thing that happened to each in the period meant. However, for reasons to be given, the view entertained here is, that the vision refers primarily to Rome, though greatly affecting the church.

The four words— white, horse, bow, and crown— all have some special significance or they would not have been men­tioned by John in describing what he saw. Words are not always used in the same sense in every passage, but when the language or context fixes their meanings that must be accepted as final, regardless of the meanings in other texts. While the horse was used for other purposes, yet the scriptures clearly show he was used in war. The most magnificent representation of this is in Job 39:19-25. The same fact is found in Proverbs 21:31; Zechariah 10:3. The expression “ conquering, and to con­quer” shows that this vision pertains to war and determines the use made of the horse.

The white color represents either purity or victory. (6: 11; 7: 15.) Roman generals who were victors are said to have entered the city in chariots drawn by white horses. The entire setting of this verse implies victory; hence, the word “ white” must indicate triumph— successful war. The bow anciently was used as an implement of war or for hunt­ing. (Genesis 27:3 Genesis 48:22; Isaiah 7:24.) The entire setting of this vision shows that it indicates war here. The crown is not the royal diadem which indicates authority to reign, but the garland or chaplet (Greek stephanos) of victory be­stowed upon those who triumph. Other passages where this word is used in the same sense are these: 1 Corinthians 9:25; 2 Timothy 2:5 2 Timothy 4:8; Revelation 2:10. It was then a crown of honor to represent the victory gained.

The text does not say when the rider wore the crown, but only that it was given to him. If worn before he went forth to conquer, it was to indicate by anticipation that he would be victorious. This, however, is a minor matter. The following considerations are offered for accepting the view that this vision primarily refers to Rome instead of the church, though the church is involved because affected by acts of the empire

In the first four visions horses appear. If the rider on the white horse refers to Christ, and the victories to the spread­ing of the gospel by the church, then the three following should also refer to the church with Christ riding the horse. The descriptions of them, however, will not harmonize with that view. Besides the rider of the fourth horse is said to be “ Death.” Those who think Christ is represented by the rider of the white horse refer to Revelation 19:11-15 as meaning the same thing. There is no doubt about this passage referring to Christ, but the following will show that the passages are dif­ferent: (1) The crowns in 19: 11 are diadems, crowns of ruling authority; in 6: 2 it is the crown of reward for victory. (2) In 19: 15 the horseman smites with “ a sharp sword” ; and 6: 2 he carries a “ bow.” (3) If a horse may signify war and the color white represents triumph, it could as well picture such warfare in the Roman Empire as warfare carried on by the church. (4) The passage in 19 is connected with the final overthrow of the church’ s enemies; the one in 6 is the first of future events to begin soon after John wrote. (5) It is not reasonable that Christ should, in the same symbol, be repre­sented as a Lamb breaking the seals and also as the rider on the white horse. However considered, there is no reason for saying the rider must represent Christ. As the symbol un­doubtedly signifies triumphant war, any successful war period, whether carnal or spiritual, would meet the demands of the language. The proper application must, therefore, depend on historical facts. Since Revelation 6:2 may refer to the Roman Empire, it is appropriate to ask if there was a period soon after John wrote which cor­responds with the vision revealed in opening this seal. The description is given in a single verse of thirty-two English words. Evidently only the general features and outstanding events of the period are presented in this symbol. At the very outset in trying to find the things signified by these vi­sions we should be reminded that they are composite pictures which John saw in heaven, but with the purpose of indicating things that would happen to the church and contemporary peoples.

Beginning in the reign of Nero (A.D. 64), the church suf­fered several (some say ten) persecutions before the close of the third century. Since the vision clearly indicates aggres­sive and successful warfare, the persecutions are presumptive proof that it applies to Rome; for during the time of such intense persecutions the church must have grown mainly through fortitude in sufferings and martyrdom rather than open fighting for the truth. A few Christians comparatively had little chance against the powerful empire, its barbarian subjects, and the unbelieving Jews, all of whom were their enemies. Certainly not a very suitable situation to be repre­sented by a conquering soldier. There was a second great persecution under Domitian, in which the apostle John was banished to Patinos. Domitian’ s death (A.D. 96) is consid­ered a division point in Roman history.

The period following (96-180) is described by historians as one of prosperity and military triumph for the Roman Empire. Gibbon in his Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (Vol. 1, chap. 1) calls it a “ happy period” when five good emperors ruled— Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, and the two Antonines. Probably the man upon the white horse may refer only to the Roman emperors throughout the period, not to any one alone. Nerva was doubtless the best one of the five good emperors, but he ruled only two years. The symbol probably began to be fulfilled in the reign of Trajan, during which time there was another persecution against the church in Bithynia. But Trajan was especially noted for his extension of the em­pire by conquering other kingdoms. Gibbon (Vol. 1, p. 4) says the Caesars had done little to extend the country’ s borders during the first century of the Christian era. But he compares the military exploits of Trajan with Alexander the Great and says his success was “ rapid and specious,” and that “ every day the astonished senate received intelligence of new names and new nations that acknowledged his sway.” (Vol. 1, p. 7.) Beginning with Trajan’ s successes, we surely have a period that harmonizes with John’ s vision, and one that seems to have more in its favor than any other that has been sug­gested.

Regarding this period Gibbon further speaks: “ In the sec­ond century of the Christian era, the empire of Rome com­prehended the fairest part of the earth, and the most civilized portion of mankind.” (Vol. 1, p. 1.) Again: “ If a man were called to fix the period in the history of the world, during which the condition of the human race was most happy and prosperous, he would, without hesitation, name that which elapsed from the death of Domitian to the accession of Corn- modus. The vast extent of the Roman Empire was governed by absolute power, under the guidance of virtue and wis­dom.” (Vol. 1, p. 95.) Such is Gibbon’ s description of the success of Roman arms and the internal peace of the empire during the period named. Paraphrasing a suggestion in Barnes’ commentary, it may be said: If the angel of the Lord had designed to give a symbol that would be a perfect picture of that period of Roman prosperity, no better one could have been chosen; likewise, if Gibbon had purposely tried to show that the period of Roman history fulfilled the demands of the symbol, he could not have made a better comment on the text.

Elliott (Vol. 1, pp. 139-146) has given an argument in full detail to show that the “ bow” held by the rider is proof that the symbol should be applied to that prosperous period of the Roman Empire. This argument has been adopted or referred to by others. It carries a strong degree of probability, and, if true, is a very decisive factor in solving the problem.

That the “ bow” was a war implement is certain from many texts in the Old Testament, but the argument is based upon the fact that the sword and javelin were Roman emblems. The bow in the symbol would then introduce some singular feature. The five good emperors— Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, and the Antonines— succeeded to the throne by the law of adoption, not by blood lineage. Historical proof (given by Elliott) seems to show that Nerva’ s ancestry came from the island of Crete, and that the Cretans were noted as bowmen; so much so that the bow was a national emblem. If so, the rider going forth with a bow instead of a sword could well represent the military successes of the five good emperors, chief and most successful of whom was Trajan as already noted; for Nerva, the originator of that line of rulers, was of Cretan origin.

It is worthy of mention again that, though the symbol pri­marily refers to Rome’ s great military achievements in that period, the events affected the church with far-reaching con­sequences. THE SECOND SEAL OPENEDRev_6:3-4 Revelation 6:3 —And when he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, Come.—The language here is substan­tially the same as that used to describe the opening of the first seal. See notes on verse 1. Revelation 6:4 —And another horse came forth, a red horse: and to him that sat thereon it was given to take peace from the earth,—Concerning the significance of the term horse see the notes on verse 2. The language of this seal indicates the same general idea as the first— it represents a period of war, though in some respects it is different in its results. If we were correct in the conclusion that the first symbol referred primarily to the Roman Empire, then this one should be applied in the same way. The reasoning on this point given under the first seal will apply here equally as well. The reader is referred to that. The word red would naturally suggest carnage— excessive blood­shed and disastrous war.

This is confirmed by the expression “ slay one another,” found in the following verse. It is further confirmed by the words fchat the rider of the red horse was “ to take peace from the earth.” While the first seal indicated warfare, it was a successful period for the empire. Trajan’ s victories had extended Rome’ s borders and brought many weaker nations in subjection to its authority. It was a time of great prosperity and internal peace. The margin says “ the peace” which implies that the peace they had was to be destroyed in the time indicated by the second seal. This conclusion is fur­ther sustained by the statement that peace was to be taken “ from the earth.” Since the symbol had to do with matters that would affect the church, and the church was scattered throughout the Roman Empire, the term “ earth” meant that part of the world subject to Rome.

Revelation 6:4 —and that they should slay one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.— This symbol represents internal strife; the fighting was to be among themselves. They were to kill each other. In this particular the warfare of this seal was very different from that of the first. To the rider here was given a great sword. This is the full and final proof that this seal refers to warfare. The rider of the white horse in Revelation 19:15 also had a sword, but it proceeded “ out of his mouth,” and could not therefore mean a literal sword, but his words. In the symbol of the second seal the great sword was “ given unto him.” This furnishes another reason why the rider in these seals does not refer to Christ.

It is again suggested that the rider of the horse need not refer to any special emperor, but rather to the ruling power, whoever the ruler might be, for a period of time when the general facts stated may have found their counterpart in Roman history. If the preceding reasoning is correct, it would have to come after the time covered by the reigns of the “ five good emperors.” The two symbols are too clearly different to refer to the same period of time. Historians describe this period as one of al­most continuous civil warfare. Sismondi’ s Fall of the Roman Empire, Vol. 1, p. 36, says:

“ With Commodus commenced the third and most calamitous period. It lasted ninety-two years, from 192 to 284. During that period thirty-two emperors and twenty-seven pretenders alternately hurled each other from the throne by incessant civil warfare. Ninety-two years of almost incessant civil warfare taught the world on what a frail foundation the virtue of the Antonines had placed the felicity of the empire.” In the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Vol. I, chap­ters IV to XII, Gibbon gives the history of this period in much detail. He shows that of these more than thirty em­perors all were murdered except a very few. He also says there were nineteen pretenders in the reign of Gallienus who ruled from A.D. 260 to 268. Regarding this part of the period Gibbon says:

“ Such were the barbarians, and such the tyrants, who, under the reigns of Valerian and Gallienus, dismembered the province, and reduced the empire to the lowest pitch of disgrace and ruin, from whence it seemed impossible that it should ever emerge.” (Vol. I, p. 326.)

No effort is here made to apply the symbol to the reign of any one emperor, such being unnecessary, but the general facts of that period, as history presents them, are such as fit the demands of the case. Certainly the rulers slew one another with the sword, and the peace and prosperity of the Roman Empire during the preceding century were taken away. This is all that is necessary to show that this symbol could refer to this period of Rome’ s civil warfare. THE THIRD SEAL OPENEDRev_6:5-6 Revelation 6:5 —And when he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, Come.—See the notes on verse 1. Revelation 6:5 —And I saw, and behold, a black horse; and he that sat thereon had a balance in his hand.—The significance of the horse has already been explained under the first seal. The difference is that here the horse is black. It should be noted that neither bow nor sword was given the rider, but instead he carried a pair of balances in his hand. The description of the first two visions clearly indicates that both refer to active fighting— aggressive warfare. The first pictures successful war­fare for the Roman Empire; the second disastrous. The ab­sence of any expression in the third vision to indicate fighting shows that this symbol should have a different interpretation.

This will be evident as we examine the meanings of the var­ious expressions found in it. A surface glance at the terms used suggests that it represents some terrible results that fol­low in the wake of continued and devastating battles— that is, distress and sufferings because of great scarcity. Death, another horrible result of war, as presented in the fourth vi­sion is attributed to four causes, one of which is famine. The third seal, therefore, is picturing the scarcity of the neces­sities of life and the difficulty of getting them by reason of high prices.

As an emblem the black color represents deep distress man­ifested in mourning. Jeremiah said: “ Judah mourneth and the gates thereof languish, they sit in black upon the ground; and the cry of Jerusalem is gone up.” (Jeremiah 14:2.) Compare Ezekiel 32:7. The cause of mourning might be deep distress on account of famine, pestilence, death, oppression, or invasion of the country. The. particular thing that causes the mourning in any case will have to be learned from its description in the text.

Balances and scales are symbols of justice and exactness. (Proverbs 11:1; Job 31:6.) Things may be weighed because of their intrinsic value or their scarcity. According to the view taken in this commentary there would result from the many devastating wars and internal strife such scarcity of food supplies as would have to be carefully preserved and dispensed with rigid exactness. The rider carrying a balance indicated that the Roman government would cause that state of things to exist. This could have meant that such laws could have been enacted by the government for the common safety of the citizens or the exactness with which the taxes were col­lected, or both. We should not forget that any distress that came to the empire would directly affect the church, for it was for many centuries within, and subject to, the Roman power. Hence, the picturing of this future fact was intended evidently to warn the churches then about what awaited them when great happenings would take place in countries where they lived— within the bounds of the Roman Empire.

Leviticus 26:24-26 and Ezekiel 4:16 both show that bread sold by weight, which indicates scarcity. Doubtless the same was true of other commodities.

And 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.— John heard a voice that seemed to come from the midst of the four living creatures. It is not stated who spake, but it seemed directed to the rider of the horse. This indicated that his mission in going forth was to produce such a situation that wheat and barley would sell at enormous prices. This does not indicate famine condi­tions where there is nothing to sell, but great scarcity when extreme and exacting methods have to be used to protect the supply. The word “ measure” is equal to about one quart. The Greek term for shilling had the value of sixteen and two- thirds cents.

This made a bushel of wheat worth more than five dollars. The purchasing power of money then was prob­ably much more than ours, so the price of wheat in the value of our money would, doubtless, be two or three times that much. These prices show that great scarcity of food products, which is doubtless all that was intended by the ex­pressions. Expositors are hopelessly disagreed about the meaning of “ the oil and the wine hurt thou not.” It is useless to attempt to state the various views. It is evident, however, that the proper application will harmonize with what has just been said about the wheat and barley. Since the whole symbol indicates the devastating results of warfare and the scarcity of common necessities, the instruction pertains to the extreme care in protecting them. Oil and wine then being necessary articles of food, great care was to be observed not to damage that source of support. Though this command seems directed to the rider, who represented the ruling power of the empire, it may have been general instruction to be carried out by all the people.

Perhaps the fulfillment of the symbol need not be limited to the reign of any one particular emperor, since such con­ditions would follow after internal warfare and oppression at any time. But the rule of Caracalla (A.D. 211-217), both in nature and time, would probably come within the limits re­quired. He is referred to in history as one of the most “ blood­thirsty tyrants,” giving the empire a reign of terror. Gibbon calls him the “ common enemy of mankind,” and says: “ The most wealthy families were ruined by partial fines and confis­cations, and the great body of his subjects oppressed by ingen­ious and aggravated taxes.” (Decline and Fall, Vol. I, p. 160.) Regarding the same Gibbon says further: “ In the course of this history, we shall be too often summoned to explain the land tax, the capitation, and the heavy contributions of corn, wine, oil, and meat, which were exacted from the provinces for the use of the court, the army, and the capital.” \

Revelation 6:1

Revelation 6:1. The Lamb began to open the book (or roll), and when the first seal was broken John heard a voice like thunder. That indicated a powerful voice was sounding that would demand attention. Accordingly one of the four creatures called to John to come and see.

Comments by Foy E. WallaceIntroduction.A summary of the seven seals.Verses 3-4–seal two: The red horse and the rider stood for bloodshed, the symbol of the color red, representing the persecutor waging war against the church, and the Jews against their own flesh-the unbelieving Jews versus those who professed faith in Christ-an extension of Mat 24:10. Verses 5-6–seal three: The black horse and the rider represented distress and calamity, the sign of the color black, signifying here the dreadful famine in the land, in the signs of the balances and the scales, an enlargement of Mat 24:7. Verses 7-8–seal four: The pale horse and the rider, the color of death, but it was not martyrdom. It was the scene of carnage, of deadly pestilence, with all the ravishing conditions which prevailed during the siege of Jerusalem, foretold in Matthew 24:6-8. Verses 9-11–seal five: The souls under the altar were the martyrs asking for the avenging judgment they were later seen receiving, in Revelation 20:4, where the same souls, beholden in martyrdom, under the altar of chapter 6, were enthroned in the victory of chapter 20–a further fulfillment of Mat 24:9. Verses 12-17–seal six: The earthquake was a symbol of the shaking of the persecuting powers in the predicted upheaval, of revolt, and of wars, in fulfillment of Mat 24:29, in signs of the blackening sun, the falling stars, and the scrolled heavens–all of which were the portents of the destruction of the existing persecuting powers which were concluded in the scenes attending the day of wrath to come upon them, and described in the closing verses of chapter six. Verse 1. THE OPENING OF THE SEVEN SEALSThe ominous announcement–Revelation 6:1.The Lamb opened: Christ the Lamb, the only one able to open, begins in order the opening of the seven seals. The noise of thunder: The voice of “one of the creatures (beings)” announced the opening, with a noise like thunder. It signified the ominous import of the announcement, the awesome note of what was about to be revealed. Come and see: This meant that the announcer was ready to show unto John what was to occur successively in the struggle with and overthrow of persecuting powers.

Revelation 6:2

Revelation 6:2. Horses were used in war and it could mean either spiritual or carnal war depending upon the connection in which it is used. The rider on the horse had both a crown and a bow, which signified that he was a person of authority and that he would engage in war. The rider represents Christ who was fighting for the truth through the instrumentality of His disciples. The white horse agrees with the phrase conquering and to conquer, for the Gospel won many battles over the foe in the first years of the church.

Comments by Foy E. WallaceVerse 2.The mounted horses - Horse #1–Revelation 6:2.The horse is portrayed in the Old Testament as the noblest of animals. (Genesis 49:17; Job 39:19-25) The beasts of burden were oxen and asses, horses were warriors, reserved for the arsenals of war, used by kings, either mounted or harnessed to chariots. (Exodus 9:23; Esther 6:8) Solomon imported them from Syria and Egypt. (1 Kings 4:26; 1 Kings 10:26; 1 Kings 10:29; 2 Chronicles 1:14-17; 2 Chronicles 9:25) They were here in the apocalypse employed under different colors to represent the character of the event as Zechariah 1:8; Zechariah 6:2-6, and to signify the fleetness and the strength to represent angels. Before Solomon’s time no horsemen were mentioned in the armies of Israel. The kings were forbidden to keep many horses (Deuteronomy 17:16), as a military disarmament plan to prevent oppression and tyranny; and as a domestic policy to prevent unnecessary burdens on the people by the imposition of taxes; and further to discourage trust in horses and chariots by Israel’s kings, who were exhorted to put their trust in God. (Psalms 20:7) Solomon had horses in great number, which he kept for pomp rather than war. He is said to have had forty thousand stalls for his horses and chariots. It appears that Solomon specialized in horses and wives ! Among the heathen, horses were consecrated to the sun idol (2 Kings 23:11); for the worship of the sun by the easterns prevailed for many centuries, and the horse was consecrated to that deity over all the east. The sun-god was represented as riding his chariot drawn by the swiftest and most beautiful horses, completing every day the journey from east to west, for the communication of light to all mankind. It is worthy of note that the secrets and ceremonies of some fraternal orders today, a certain one in particular, based on the ancient mysteries surrounding the god and goddess of the sun, Osiris and Isis, are not far removed from this ancient deism. At one time the Lord forbade the kings of Judah to multiply horses as an embargo measure to prevent trade between Judah and Israel, fearing that by means of commerce, as a system of communication, Israel would become infected with the Egyptian idolatries. In the Old Testament apocalypses, as in Revelation, the symbols of the horse and its rider were the most graphic, if not the most moving imagery. The striking resemblance in the vision of horses, in the first chapter of Zechariah, to that of the four horses in the sixth chapter of Revelation, parallels the historical events in the fortunes of Old Testament Israel with the corresponding experiences of the New Testament church. The white horse (the first seal)–Revelation 6:2.“And 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.“The white horse and its rider were a symbol of the invincible Lord; riding a white horse was the symbol of majesty in a war of victory. He (the Christ) that sat on him had a bow: The bow was for distance signifying a long conflict; the sword symbolized the clash of combat in the surge of battle. In the ancient armor, the arms of war were the shield, the sword, the spear and the bow. The bow was the instrument for shooting the arrow. This slender combustible missile shot from the bow was the chief dependence in attack and defence. David refers to “the sharp arrows of the mighty, with coals of juniper.” (Psalms 120:4) The fire from combustible juniper wood was conveyed on the arrow tip to its target, and became a symbol of terror from God. (Psalms 38:2; Job 6:4) Along with lightning, thunder and famine, it was employed as a symbol of divine judgment. (2 Samuel 22:15) As a metaphor of the penetrating power of truth the arrow symbolized the word of God. David refers to “sharp” arrows in hearts causing men to yield to “the sceptre of righteousness.” (Psalms 45:4-7) In the same figure the bow stands for fidelity and strength, as in Genesis 49:24, and Psalms 44:6. In the hand of the rider of the white horse the bow was the symbol of all these characters of conflict. A crown was given unto him: This is a significant description as it is noteworthy that Vespasian who initiated, and Titus who executed, the Jewish war both received the imperial crown. He went forth conquering, and to conquer: The conquest of Christ was not spontaneous, intermittent or spasmodic; it did not consist in single victories; it was a continuous, progressive conquest of hearts which no might could defeat.

Revelation 6:3-4

Revelation 6:3. At the breaking of each of the first four seals the event was announced by one of the four beasts (or creatures). Come and see means to call the attention of John to what was about to be revealed.

Revelation 6:4. The next horse was red which denotes bloodshed. Accordingly the rider was given power to take peace from the earth. This was fulfilled by the persecutions the Roman Empire began to wage against the Christians when their teaching began to show up with greater success. Comments by Foy E. WallaceVerses 3-4.The red horse (second seal)–Revelation 6:3-4.The color of each horse corresponds to the mission of its rider. In the symbol of colors red stands for bloodshed; the rider was the persecutor waging war against Christ and his church. This rider had power, and political authority, to take peace from the earth. This symbolized the dwelling place of the nations. The statement that they should kill one another, meant the war of the Jews against Jews, their own flesh and blood kindred. This phase of events was described in Matthew 24:10 in foretelling the Jewish persecutions, the hostilities of the unbelieving Jews against their Jewish kinsmen who professed faith in Christ. And there was given unto him a great sword. To the rider of the red steed of bloodshed and war, a great sword was given, in contrast with the bow, signifying a closer, bitter, relentless and bloody struggle. It was an intensified view of the events in successive symbols. The sword has connotations of both civil authority and military might. Even when it is used as a metaphor for the word of God it is a function of war against sin in the soul and the rebellion of the heart against the will of God. (Ephesians 6:17; Hebrews 4:12) Moses used the sword as a metaphor of war. “I will punish you for your sins, I will bring the sword upon you,” (Leviticus 26:24-25), which meant that God would cause war to come upon them. “Ye shall be delivered into hands of enemies,” he said. Paul used the sword to signify the authority of government. “For he beareth not the sword in vain, for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.” (Romans 13:4) God has ordained the rightful power of government to punish evildoers and defend the good. Jesus used the sword to symbolize capital punishment. “Put up thy sword into its place, for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.” (Matthew 26:52) They that take the sword by their own authority, assuming unto themselves the prerogative of vengeful justice, deserve to be put to death by the sword of authority. It is stated in Genesis 9:6 : “Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed.” That was and yet is the universal law of requital. The great sword given to the rider of the red horse was not the sword of government, but the sword of persecution. It was a “great” sword in significance, the survival of the church was involved, the gospel was at stake. It was great in extent–the whole Jewish and Roman world were drawing the sword against the church. It was a great sword in effect–resulting in the martyrdom of the followers of Christ, who would not yield to the coercion of conscience, when their testimony for the truth was sealed by the blood of witnesses; who trusted to the power of the truth, against the sword of persecution, for the success of the cause of the Lamb; and for the universal expansion of Christianity through the blood of its adherents.

Revelation 6:5-6

Revelation 6:5. The third seal was broken and the announcement was made for John to come and see. This time lie saw a black horse which symbolized a condition of famine or shortage of food. The same subject was further indicated by the pair of balances that the rider held in his hand. It denoted that the necessities of life would be measured out to the people.

Revelation 6:6. Wheat and barley are necessities of life, and the great price that is indicated by the figures shows that it was to be a time of scarcity, which is generally the case after a siege of warfare. Oil and mine are not necessary as articles of food, but are helpful as agencies of relief in times of distress. In the midst of the hardships the Lord predicted some relief would be afforded through these articles. Comments by Foy E. WallaceVerses 5-6.The black horse (third seal)–Revelation 6:5-6. The black horse was the color of distress, the portent of terror in the approaching calamity. It compares with the Old Testament figure in Joe 2:6 : “The people shall be much pained, all faces gather blackness”; and in Nahum 2:10 : “The faces of them all gather blackness”; and in Jeremiah 8:21 : “For the hurt of my people am I hurt, I am black.” Jude 1:13 refers to the “blackness of darkness forever.” It is the picture of the grim, dread calamity of famine in the land. The balances in the hand of the rider were scales and measures and indicated the scarcity in the land; the strict and small allowance of food to be issued by minute measure or exact weight with legislated care. It compares with Matthew 24:7, where Jesus foretold the famine that prevailed during the siege of Jerusalem. The voice in the midst of the four beasts (or beings) was in repetition of the voices heard in the visions, and impressed the hidden source of the revelations, adding to the portentous element of its apocalyptic character. The sound of this voice came from the midst of the four beings; hence, from within deep recesses of the throne, since the beings were in the midst of the throne; it was a voice of solemn authority, requiring reverence and heed. The measures of wheat and barley for a penny were according to the standard of the time. A measure of wheat was equal to approximately one quart. The penny is a translation of the Greek denarius, which the Bible Dictionaries say was equivalent to fifteen or twenty cents, and represented a regular full day’s wages. The price for a measure of wheat, or a quart, in this vision amounted to a whole day’s wages, and was therefore an extortionate price, the payment of a full day’s work. (Matthew 20:2) Three measures of barley were less than a gallon for a day’s wages, which indicates the extreme scarcity in the usually common and plentiful sources of food. The command to hurt not the oil and the wine was addressed to the rider of the black horse, holding the scales and measures, not to suppress the oil and the wine. The oil was an extract from olives and spices, having many uses in both the Old and New Testaments. It was used in the preparation of food (Exodus 29:2; Leviticus 2:4); for illumination, or lamps (Exodus 25:6; Matthew 25:3); for medicinal remedies (Isaiah 1:6; Mark 6:13); for a divine confection in the various legal and religious ceremonies and appointments. (Exodus 30:25; Ezekiel 28:14). The use of oil signified joy; the omission of it was a token of sorrow. (Psalms 92:10; 2 Samuel 14:2; Matthew 6:17) The wine has been the subject of sundry and divers views, based on variations of the Hebrew and Greek words; but it is a well known fact that the characteristic common to all wine is that of an exhilarating beverage. Its misuse is severely condemned in both testaments and in some cases and places expressly forbidden. The word is used to denote abundance of temporal good things (Genesis 27:28-37); and as a type of spiritual blessings (Isaiah 55:1); and as alleviation of trouble and sorrow (Proverbs 31:6). In the vision of the red horse, the voice commanded the rider not to hurt the oil and the wine, not to limit or ration the oil and the wine; though famine would dissipate all other commodities, oil and wine would be undiminished. It was evidently the symbol of the providential alleviation of suffering and mitigation of sorrow–with oil and wine he would bind up their wounds. It was the voice of promise in the midst of the living creatures, from within the throne, that the ransomed of the Lord should come to Zion with songs of everlasting joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing would flee away.

Revelation 6:7-8

Revelation 6:7. No description is given of the voice of the beasts (living creatures) after the first one. But in each case (up to the fourth) the call to attention is made to John that he would be sure to see what was about to be revealed.

Revelation 6:8. When the fourth seal was broken John saw a pale horse which indicates death. That calmity would come first as a result of the terrible famine which the war had brought about, and it was made worse by the persecutions that were fostered by the Pagan Roman Empire. Death and hell are named in the order they would observe in their occurrence. The word hell is from Hades which is the abode of departed spirits. It was logical therefore to name them in the order as stated.

Power . . . over the fourth part of the earth. God never did suffer the enemy to exterminate completely the victims attacked. The general purpose of the enemy was to kill. The means by which it might be accomplished we-re various, such as with the sword and hunger. With either of these the death would be a direct result of the means used. With death might seem a meaningless phrase unless it is understood that it refers to some indirect means such as a pestilence.

Another means of causing the death of the Lord’s people was to expose them to vicious beasts as was done in the arenas of Rome.

Comments by Foy E. WallaceVerses 7-8.The pale horse (fourth seal)–Revelation 6:7-8.The color of pale was the symbol of death. This seal is specifically called a death procession, but was not a martyr scene. It signifies death by the destructive forces of the sword (war); of hunger (famine); of death (pestilence or disease); and of wild beasts (devoured or ravished). By the sword–as the instrument employed by the rider of the pale horse to accomplish his work of destruction–he is represented as having power to kill. It symbolized the weapon of war waged against Jerusalem. Hunger is the blight of famine, and is descriptive of the mass starvation that prevailed during the siege of Jerusalem. Pestilence is the terror of death by ravishing disease, which also prevailed in the destruction and siege of Jerusalem. The beasts of this symbol do not refer to wild animals, as usually considered, but to cannibalism, as men turned beasts to ravish and devour each other and even to eat the flesh of their children. It occurred during the siege of Jerusalem, according to Jesus in Matthew 24:6-8 and according to the eye witness accounts of Josephus and Pliny. It is declared that death and hell followed the rider of the pale horse. The word is hades, and refers to the domain of death, the realm of the departed, the unseen world of disembodied spirits, the subterranean abode of the dead. There are important distinctions in the uses of hell in the old English text. To translate Gehenna and Hades in the same word hell has had the effect of obliterating the difference between the place of eternal torment and the temporary abode of the dead. Since the descent of Christ into Hades, as described by the psalmist David, in Psalms 16:10 and by the apostle Peter in Acts 2:29, no one prepared for the eventuality of death need fear entrance into this realm nor the passage through it. He who “was dead and is alive,” holds “the keys of death and hades,” and from that fear he delivers us. (Hebrews 2:14) The rider of the pale horse was death, and hades was his companion–it followed with him. They were joined together as associates in the dark and ghastly mission of grim Reapers, in the role assigned to them in these seals. To Death and Hades was given power over fourth part of earth: To the rider Death, and his colleague Hades, this power was given by the four creatures; it was the authority to kill by the means named–war, famine, pestilence and ravishment over the fourth part of the earth. The earth is the place of the nations in the vision; and this assignment is made by the fourth beast in the fourth seal, to the fourth rider, of the fourth horse, and his division of work was a fourth part in this pageant of devastation. Elsewhere in the scenes are found the expressions third part and tenth part, apparently intended as proportionate figures of the vast destruction, but without geographical or mathematical significance. The scene of the four horses and riders is a panorama of the war on Jerusalem in a fourfold set of events, an extension of twenty-fourth chapter of Matthew. They represent one set of events, not separate figures for separated periods or ages of the world, such as war in one age, famine in another century, carnage in another generation, and with a final fantastic millennium in the end of the world. It is a combined series fulfilled in one period as foretold by Jesus in Matthew 24:34. The conquest of the victorious rider of the white horse through the bow could not be accomplished without the war on Jerusalem. The red horse of war could not perform without the black horse of famine, or without the pale horse of death in immediate pursuit. To separate the seals by centuries of time is to destroy the entire imagery. The records of Mat 24:1-51, Mark 13:1-37, and Luke 21:1-38, concerning Jerusalem, are counterparts of the seals of Revelation. The works of Josephus on the Palestinian wars give historical fulfillment in the account of the bloody war of the Jews and the siege of Jerusalem. The historical parallels in the history of the Roman empire by Edward Gibbon is a virtual commentary on the book Revelation, in the portion covering the period of the Roman war against Jerusalem. Truly, these things must have shortly come to pass, and verily was the time at hand.

Revelation 6:9-11

Revelation 6:9. This verse brings to the fifth seal but nothing is said by either of the four creatures. Evidently by this time John’s interest had been so centered on the drama being enacted before him that it was not necessary to call his attention. He was shown an altar because this is a book of symbols that are used to denote some literal facts. The present symbol is drawn from the temple of the Jews in which the altar was the center of their worship. At the bottom of the altar the blood of the sacrifices was poured, the bodies having been laid on the altar to be burned. (See Leviticus 4:7.) From this imagery it was fitting to represent the Christians as victims that had been sacrificed to the cruelty of their persecutors, and also to picture their souls as being poured out at the foot of the altar.

It is interesting to note that the bodies only had been put on the altar which left the souls still alive and able to speak intelligently. (See Matthew 10:28.) The word for is used twice which is from the Greek word DIA. The Englishman’s Greek New Testament renders this word “because of.” The point is that these Christians had been killed “because of” their defense of the word of God. It is the same word that is used in chapter 1:9 where John was banished to the isle of Patmos “for” (because of) the word of God. Hence both John and these Christians who had been slain were martyrs, because the word means one who is faithful to the word of God regardless of threatened consequences.

Revelation 6:10. The witnesses whose souls John saw (he was able to see a soul because he himself was “in the Spirit” –chapter 1:10) were calling for vengeance to be put on the ones who had caused their mistreatment.

Revelation 6:11. Before replying to their cry with the explanation of the stitua-tion, they were given present consolation in the form of white robes. That indicated their standing of favor with God for chapter 3:4 shows white as a symbol of worthiness in His sight. It was then told them that they would be avenged after a while, namely, when some of their brethren should be killed. As they were means they would be killed “for” (because of) the word of God. This was fulfilled as reported in chapter 20:4 which will be commented upon when we come to that passage.

Comments by Foy E. WallaceVerses 9-11. Souls under the altar (fifth seal)–Revelation 6:9-11.The scene: Here is the first glimpse of the martyrdom pageant which was reopened in the twentieth chapter with the grand finale of victory. It is the tribulation of Matthew twenty-four in extended form, an enlargement of Mat 24:9 and Luke 21:16; depicting the supreme sufferings of those who were companions “in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ,” during the apostolic age, in the wake of the war on Jerusalem and the persecutions of Christians. The altar: The material altar was a structure appropriated exclusively to the offering of sacrifices. (Genesis 8:20) Spiritually it is applied to Christ as the Christian’s altar upon which spiritual offerings are made. (Hebrews 13:10) The souls of slain: In this martyr-scene the victims were sacrificed on the altar of the cause of Christ for which they were offered or slain. The word slain is connected with the offering of victims (Acts 7:42); and is descriptive of Christ (Hebrews 13:1-25); and of the Lamb in Revelation 5:6 Revelation 5:9 Revelation 5:12 of this vision. John saw souls of the slain. In the Old Testament the blood, which was the life (Genesis 9:4), was poured at the base of, or under, the altar (Leviticus 4:7); and it stood for the offering of life which is in the blood ( Leviticus 17:11). The souls of this altar scene are represented as the sacrifices of life in the aggregate slain for the word of God as the victims of the testimony which they held.The souls under the altar: As the figurative altar of this vision signifies martyrdom, the phrase under the altar describes the scene of defeat. The cause for which they were offered was represented as being despised and defeated. But it was temporary, because the same souls were removed from beneath the altar of chapter 6, and elevated to the thrones in chapter 20, signifying the resurrection of the cause for which they had died, by the victory of the white horse and its rider over all the portents of the seven seals. They cried with great voice: It was the voice of righteous blood rising up to heaven, to be heard throughout the whole earth, as the blood of Abel cried to God “from the ground” (Genesis 4:10) , and representative of “all the righteous blood shed upon the earth from the blood of Abel,” to include the blood of all the slain and martyred victims of the impending persecutions, all of which was predicted in Matthew 23:35; Matthew 24:9, and here depicted in the fifth seal of Rev 6:9-11. How long, 0 Lord how long: The word “lord is variously applied to kings, (Daniel 1:10; Acts 25:26); to rulers with authority (Daniel 2:10); to princes and nobles (Daniel 5:1; Mark 6:21); to tyrants (Isaiah 26:13); to a husband (Genesis 18:12); to masters (John 15:15); to Jesus Christ, as Lord of all (Psalms 110:1, Acts 10:36); and to God, who is over all (Psalms 100:3). It is used in this scene as a master, the ownership of a servant; and refers to God. This prayer of the martyrs is addressed to God for judgment against persecutors, asking here for what they received in the scene of Rev 20:4. Dost thou not judge and avenge our blood: This was not a vindictive outcry, but a judicial petition, calling on the Judge of all the earth, whose prerogative it is to exercise avenging judgment (Romans 12:19), and who surely will “avenge his own who cry unto him.” (Luke 18:7-8) On them that dwell on the earth: The earth of these visions is the place or location of nations; it is not a reference here to the people of the earth, upon whom no vengeance was asked, but specifically those persecuting nations personified in their rulers. Compare Zechariah 12:9; Matthew 24:29-31 and Luke 21:25-28, in specific reference to the post-destruction period of Jerusalem–the redemption and the retribution of history presents a convincing parallel on the period of the Revelation visions. The white robes were an assurance of victory–Revelation 9:7 Revelation 13:7. The word rest means to wait in patience and hope– Luke 21:19; Luke 21:28. The expression little season (time) limits the period, and compares with Matthew 24:22, “except those days should be shortened”; also Luke 21:22 on the “days of vengeance.” The time was extended to include that part of their fellow servants and brethren that should be killed in the later successive events. There could be no premature act of divine interposition. It should be fulfilled according to seals–that is the events of the vision completed. Again, the apocalypse is parallel with Matthew 24:34 : “This generation shail not pass till all these things be fulfilled”; and Matthew 23:36 : “All these things shall come upon this generation”; and Luke 21:22 : “For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.“The identity of the period of the seals of Rev 6:1-17 with the events of Mat 24:1-51 is unmistakable, as referring to, symbolic of, and fulfilled in, the destruction of Jerusalem.

Revelation 6:12

Revelation 6:12. Following the opening of the fifth seal John saw some of the results of persecution, and it had been brought against Christians by Pagan (heathen) Rome. But there came a change in the general conditions. The emperor Constantine professed to be converted to Christianity, and it caused him to make many reverses in the activities of men in high places. The statements through the rest of this chapter are worded as if John saw the works of creation undergo radical changes. Such is to be expected in a book written with symbols. Hence the earthquake and darkening of the heavenly lights are tokens of the disturbances in the government. Comments by Foy E. WallaceVerse 12.The shaking of the nations (sixth seal)–Revelation 6:12-17. The judgments depicted in this seal indicate a response to the plea of the souls under the altar in the fifth seal. The representations, symbols and language are so similar to the descriptions of Mat 24:29-31 as to be identical in their significance. It describes the coming of the Son of man after the tribulation mentioned in the verses before it, as the sixth seal of Rev 6:1-17 joins with the contents of the fifth seal before it. The divine visitations in the signs of terrestrial upheavals and celestial disturbances form an identical imagery. The comparison is impressive, if not conclusive evidence of their fulfillment in the same series of events.

1. There was a great earthquake–Revelation 6:12.In all of these scenes the earth is the place of the nations. The earthquake is the symbol of revolution, the shaking up of the nations in their various places. It is the figure of the agitations, upheavals, resulting in the revolutions and wars of Mat 24:29. It is the symbol of divine judgment on the nations persecuting the cause of the Lamb. The same signal of the earthquake is found in the Old Testament prophecies of Isa 29:6, in the former judgments on Judah and Jerusalem. It has the same adaptations and similar applications, in Matthew 24:6-7, describing the wars in the tributaries of Rome and all over Palestine, Galilee, Samaria, 177 A.D. 66, preceding the destruction of Jerusalem.
2. The sun black, the moon blood–Revelation 6:12.These exact metaphors were employed by the prophet Isaiah to signify the darkness that was then to settle over the Babylonian people in the destruction of their city, Babylon. (Isaiah 13:10) The same figures of speech were adapted by Jesus to describe the end of the Jewish state which resulted from the destruction of Jerusalem, and of their theocracy in the demolition of the temple. (Matthew 24:27-29) The figurative description is appropriated in the sixth seal of Revelation as a preview of the divine visitations on the persecuting powers.

Revelation 6:13

Revelation 6:13. Stars of heaven refer to men in high places who lost much of their power by the changes that Constantine was making. Untimely figs means fruit that is not ripe, yet it was shaken loose by the revolution going on in the government.

Comments by Foy E. WallaceVerse 13.3. The stars of heaven fell unto the earth–Revelation 6:13.The downfall of Jewish authorities, rulers, and officials of government is here symbolized. The same signs are used in Isaiah 13:10 in the prophetic description of the fall of the Babylonian rulers. The princes and nobles of the Babylonian kingdom were called stars in Daniel 8:10, and were said to be “cast down”; and in Daniel 12:3 God’s people were said to shine “as stars forever.“4. As a fig tree casting untimely figs when shaken by mighty wind–Revelation 6:13.The fig tree was the most familiar fruit bearing tree of scripture illustrations. The first pair clothed their nakedness with fig leaves. (Genesis 3:7) The universal benefits of the new covenant were envisioned by Malachi as “every man under his vine and under his fig tree.” (Micah 4:4) The desolation of Nineveh is compared by Nahum to the ripe fig falling from the tree that is shaken. (Nahum 3:12) The dissolution of the enemies of God’s people is described by Isaiah to the leaf falling from the vine and to a falling fig from a tree. (Isaiah 34:4) The rejection of the Jews was insinuated by Jesus in the cursing of the fruitless fig tree. (Matthew 21:19) So the maledictions about to fall upon the persecutors of the Lamb’s followers all symbolized by the casting, or forcible falling, of figs from the tree “when she is shaken of a mighty wind”–the wind of divine wrath. Isaiah compares the withholding of divine judgments against Ephraim as the staying of “his rough wind” (Isaiah 27:4); and Jeremiah prophesied that a “full wind” would come upon Jerusalem, “not to fan, not to cleanse,” but as a judgment to execute “sentence against them.” (Jeremiah 4:11-12) So this apocalyptic seal makes the casting of the fig from the tree, “when shaken of a mighty wind,” a portent of the destruction that was reserved for the persecutors of the Lamb’s people.

Revelation 6:14

Revelation 6:14. The heaven refers to the region that covers the earth, used here as a symbol of the great domain in which important men ruled with selfish interests. The disappearance of this reign of selfishness is likened to a scroll that is rolled up and laid away. Mountains and isles in symbolic language means seats of government, and these began to be altered by the revolutionary work of Constantine. Comments by Foy E. WallaceVerse 14.5. The heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled– Revelation 6:14.The word heaven here refers to the seats of government, the powers of dominion. The persecuting powers would depart, fold up, as a scroll, and roll back. Using the same figure in describing the fall of Babylon, Isaiah said “the host of heaven shall be dissolved and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll.” (Isaiah 34:4) The disintegration of the enemies of the church was also foretold in the Messianic prophecies of Isaiah by the use of the same figures as John employed in the imagery of Revelation; and it is again comparable to the Lord’s pronouncement concerning the events after the fall of Jerusalem, that with a great sound of a trumpet, he would send his messengers to “gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other”–(Matthew 24:31) -a description of expansion of the gospel after the destruction of Jerusalem and the downfall of Judaism. And in Matthew 24:34, the Lord said with the emphasis of Verily I say unto you that “this generation shall not pass until all these things be fulfilled.” Here is the blanket proof that these events belonged to that time, that they pertained to the church and the nations of the persecution period and not to a distant future of far and remote centuries. 6. Every mountain and island were moved out of their places–Revelation 6:14.This is another symbolic expression to designate the divine visitations on the persecuting powers. Figuratively the mountains denoted places of authority in a kingdom (Amos 4:1) , and the powerful concentration of enemies (Isaiah 41:15). The island denotes the inhabitants of the sea, from over the sea, or any land bordering the sea; and the prophets referred to the Gentile peoples as the “isles of the Gentiles” and “isles of the sea.“In the imagery of this sixth seal mountains and islands –both Jewish and Gentile persecuting authorities, Palestinian and Romans–would be overthrown, moved out of their places, their power dissipated. Pronouncing judgment on Tyrus for oppressing Jerusalem, Ezekiel said the isles would “shake” and “tremble” at her fall and “all the isles of the sea shall be troubled at thy departure.” (Ezekiel 26:15-18) So of these Jewish and Gentile authorities “after the tribulation of those days.” Jesus said “the powers of the heavens shall be shaken.” (Matthew 24:29)

Revelation 6:15-16

Revelation 6:15. The various great persons named in this verse are the men in high position who had been holding uninterrupted sway over their people. As they began to see the fading of their domination it filled them with terror. Such an attitude is symbolized by an attempt to find hiding places in dens and among the rocks.

Revelation 6:16. In their state of fear they would prefer being put out of the conflict, even if the mountains would tumble down upon them. Hide us . . . from the face of the Lamb. These men who had held sway for so long were made to realize that the change was brought about by the influence of the religion their emperor had espoused.

Comments by Foy E. WallaceVerses 15-16.7. “And the kings of the earth, and the great men . . . said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne. . . . For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?”–Revelation 6:15-16.This is a quotation from Hosea describing the men of high places–kings, nobles, warriors, captains and conquerors– all of whom were to be humbled with men of low station, calling to the mountains for cover. In pronouncing doom on Jerusalem Jesus quoted Hosea 10:8, as recorded by Luke: “Daughters of Jerusalem weep not for me but weep for your children. For behold the days are coming . . . they shall begin to say to the mountains ‘Fall on us’; and to the hills ‘cover us’.”–(Luke 23:28-30) Since the quotation in Revelation 6:16 and Luke 23:30 are from the same prophecy of Hos 10:8, it is the Lord’s own application of its fulfillment in those events surrounding the destruction of Jerusalem, and it is therefore solid evidence which cannot be controverted that the seals of Revelation are not now future.

Revelation 6:17

Revelation 6:17 : Great day of his wrath does not refer to the last great day of judgment, for the book is not that far along in the world drama. It is the day in which these overbearing men in high places in the pagan government of Rome, came to realize the effects that the religion of Christ was bringing as a punishment upon them. Comments by Foy E. WallaceVerse 17.8. For the great day of his wrath is come and who shall be able to stand–Revelation 6:17.As the previous verse is a direct quotation from Hosea, this last verse of the sixth seal is an allusion, if not a quotation, of Nahum 1:5-6 : “The mountains quake at him, the earth burned at his presence . . . who can stand before his indignation? Who can abide his fierce anger? His fury is poured out . . . the rocks are thrown down by him.“The Revelation passages are connected by quotation and the meaning is evident. The appeal of the great and mighty was for covert from the face of Him that sat on the throne and from the Lamb who was in the midst of the throne, which means that both God and Christ joined in the events of visitation in this pageant of retributive judgment on the nations. It places the passage where it belongs, not to the final judgment nor to a future procession of events, but to the period of the struggle and triumph of the early church with and over the Jewish and Roman persecutors of the apostolic and post-apostolic period.