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Revelation 6:1-8

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

(Seals 1-4)

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Tonight, we’re going to start to get into some of the trickier parts of Revelation…and tonight is definitely one of the trickier parts to understand to the level we’d probably want. There is just a lot that we don’t know with the kind of specificity that we’d often want.

Many of the slide notes will get into discussions of various “options” for interpreting/understanding this passage, including quotes from various commentaries. However, there is a lot of speculation that is hard to pin down for certain, so do not consider these kinds of notes or quotes from commentaries as definitively true - they may be wrong. But some ideas seemed thought-provoking enough to at least include in the notes for consideration and giving an overview of many ideas that have been considered throughout history.

For our in-class discussion tonight, I’m going to very much try to pick out what I think we can get from this passage in the midst of this uncertainty. Meaning…what can we take away from this passage that is valuable regardless of the various “options”? And for options that might exist, how has God worked in related ways throughout history, and what can we understand from that?

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Outline of the Book of Revelation

Introduction (1)
Letters to 7 Churches (2-3)
A Scene in Heaven (4)
The Scroll & the Lamb (5)
The 7 Seals (6-8)

The Sealed People of God (7)

The 7 Trumpets (8-11)

The Angel & Little Scroll (10)
The 2 Witnesses (11)

The Woman & the Dragon (12)
The Beasts (13)
People of God & People of the Beast (14)
The 7 Plagues (15)
The 7 Bowls of Wrath (16)
Babylon is Fallen (17-18)
A Fourfold Hallelujah (19)
Final Judgment (20)
New Creation (21-22)

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The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, - Revelation 1:1 (ESV)

Written by John near end of 1st century AD while exiled on island of Patmos

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Review (The Sealed Scroll - Revelation 5)

I saw, in the right hand of him who sat on the throne, a book written inside and outside, sealed shut with seven seals. I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the book, and to break its seals?” No one in heaven above, or on the earth, or under the earth, was able to open the book or to look in it. Then I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open the book or to look in it. One of the elders said to me, “Don’t weep. Behold, the Lion who is of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome: he who opens the book and its seven seals.”

I saw in the middle of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the middle of the elders, a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain…Then he came, and he took it out of the right hand of him who sat on the throne. They sang a new song, saying, “You are worthy to take the book and to open its seals: for you were killed, and bought us for God with your blood out of every tribe, language, people, and nation, and made us kings and priests to our God, and we will reign on the earth.” - Revelation 5:1-10 (WEB)

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Question

What are you aware of horses symbolizing?

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To start off, I want to ask a question, just for awareness and to get us all thinking about some of what we’ll be talking about tonight. “Horses” will come up a lot, so I want to ask…what things are you aware of (from the Bible, general culture, etc.) of horses symbolizing?

The main things that come to mind (which I think we also see in the Bible):

War - Frequently in the Bible (and outside of it), horses have often been associated with war. Certainly for a long time (before we got modern tanks, planes, etc.), horses (and chariots) would be the mode of transportation of choice for a lot of battles.
Envoys (or someone sent on a particular mission/task) - Even if not directly for war, horses could often be used for someone sent on a mission or to accomplish a particular task at the request of someone else (particularly if lots of travel was involved).

Horses may also have some notion of “majesty” associated with them, though some of that may depend on associations with some of the above things (i.e. kings or their royal representatives riding on horses).

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Reading

Zechariah 1:7-11

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6 of 21

Question (Zechariah 1:7-11)

What seems to be the function of these riders/horses?

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7 of 21

Reading

Zechariah 6:1-8

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8 of 21

Question (Zechariah 6:1-8)

What seems to be the function of these riders/horses?

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This passage might be a little more complicated than the previous one. A few observations:

These are described as four “spirits” (or “winds”, depending on translation) of heaven (Zechariah 6:5), which potentially suggests angelic beings a bit more strongly (based on language elsewhere in Scripture).
They also seem to “go forth” and “patrol” the earth (Zechariah 6:5-7).
They’ve stood before God (Zechariah 6:5).
There seems to have been some other action beyond just patrolling here, based on the appeasement of God’s wrath in the north (Zechariah 6:8; the “north” is often indicative of nations that would come invade Israel, as geographically, that was one of the better routes).

“Symbolic of the location of Yahweh’s enemies throughout much of the OT (compare Zech 2:6 and note). The greater importance of the north as symbolic of evil is indicated by the two chariots heading that direction; in comparison, only one heads south. Jeremiah describes divine judgment coming from the north (Jer 1:14 and note). Ezekiel also emphasizes the northern county as the home of Israel’s eschatological enemy who will invade at the end of days (Ezek 38:14–16). The imagery probably developed out of the reality that Israel was usually subject to catastrophic invasion from the north by different Mesopotamian powers (e.g., Babylon, Assyria). The Canaanite god Baal was also depicted living on a mountain in the north (see note on Isa 2:2). North also indicated the left side, based on the eastward orientation common to the ancient Near East (see Gen 14:15; Ezek 16:46). In Semitic cultures, the left side is associated with calamity. These factors made the north country symbolic of all that was evil and sinister in the world. The end of the vision in Zech 6:8 indicates that these divine messengers subdued the evil power of the north, making the world ready for Yahweh’s presence to return.” - John D. Barry et al., Faithlife Study Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016), Zec 6:6.

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Horses & Chariots of Fire

As they continued on and talked, behold, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated them, and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. Elisha saw it, and he cried, “My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” He saw him no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes, and tore them in two pieces. - 2 Kings 2:11-12 (WEB)

Elisha prayed, and said, “Yahweh, please open his eyes, that he may see.” Yahweh opened the young man’s eyes; and he saw: and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire around Elisha. - 2 Kings 6:17 (WEB)

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10 of 21

Reading

Revelation 6:1-8

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Commentaries

“John is giving an account not of the end of things but of the signs and events which precede the end.” - William Barclay, Revelation of John, vol. 2, The New Daily Study Bible (Louisville, KY; London: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004), 7.

“Rev. 6:1–8 is intended to show that Christ rules over such an apparently chaotic world and that suffering does not occur indiscriminately or by chance. This section reveals, in fact, that destructive events are brought about by Christ for both redemptive and judicial purposes.” - G. K. Beale, The Book of Revelation: A Commentary on the Greek Text, New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle, Cumbria: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press, 1999), 370.

“this reign extends even over the situations of suffering in which many Christians find themselves” - G. K. Beale, The Book of Revelation: A Commentary on the Greek Text, New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle, Cumbria: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press, 1999), 370.

“The visionary sequence of the four seals being opened could represent the sequential occurrence of each disaster, one after another. But more probably the disasters are simultaneous. This is suggested in that (1) the fourth seal summarizes the prior three (see below on 6:8); (2) the models of Ezek. 14:12–13; Zech. 6:5–8; and the Synoptic eschatological discourse, on which Rev. 6:1–8 is based, portray events of tribulation occurring simultaneously (see further below); indeed, the Synoptic parallels, though fairly uniform, even have different sequences of the trials from Rev. 6:1–11; (3) the glorified saints in Rev. 6:9–11 appear to have suffered under all four trials portrayed in the seals. Nevertheless, a logical pattern repeatable throughout the age is discernible: conquest (the first rider), together with civil unrest (especially for persecuted Christians—the second rider), leads to famine (the third rider) and death (the fourth rider).” - G. K. Beale, The Book of Revelation: A Commentary on the Greek Text, New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle, Cumbria: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press, 1999), 370–371.

“The colors of the horses in both Zechariah and Revelation are almost identical. But in Revelation each color is clearly metaphorical for the respective plague delivered by each horseman: white for conquest, red for bloodshed (cf. e.g., 2 Kgs. 3:22–23), black for famine (cf. Targ. Jer. 14:2), and pale green for death. The clearest difference is that Revelation describes four individual horses and horsemen, whereas Zechariah 1 pictures four groups of horses and Zechariah 6 four groups of horses pulling chariots. But the difference is not significant, since John may have deduced by implication from Zechariah 6 that four riders were in the chariots. Also, Zechariah’s summary of the four sets of horses as “the four winds of heaven” may be another factor in John depicting only four horses.” - G. K. Beale, The Book of Revelation: A Commentary on the Greek Text, New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle, Cumbria: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press, 1999), 372.

“The apocalyptic discourse of the Synoptics also is a partial model for this section, since it is alluded to throughout the whole of this chapter (cf. Mark 13:7–9, 24–25; Matt. 24:6–8, 29; Luke 21:9–12, 25–26 with Rev. 6:2–17). In particular, the Synoptic discourse presents the following elements in similar order to Revelation 6: (1) deception (see on 6:2), (2) wars, (3) international strife, (4) earthquakes, (5) famines, (6) persecutions, and (7) cosmic changes in the sun, moon, and stars. The presence of this additional background confirms further our contention that Rev. 6:1–8 deals not only with judgments on the world of unbelief but also with persecution of Christians, since this is a theme shared by all three versions of the Synoptic apocalyptic discourse (e.g., Luke 21:12–24). But it is more difficult to understand the chronological relationship of the prophesied events in the Synoptic discourse to Revelation 6 because there is debate about what exactly the Synoptic prophecies refer to.” - G. K. Beale, The Book of Revelation: A Commentary on the Greek Text, New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle, Cumbria: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press, 1999), 373.

“It is likely that the four judgments of Rev. 6:2–8 also refer in part to contemporary historical events, although it is difficult to know which events are in mind. But the meaning of 6:2–8 cannot be exhausted by appeal to any precise historical background, since John’s intent is to describe calamities that have partial effect throughout the whole world, and not merely in Jerusalem, Asia Minor, or Rome (see on 6:8b regarding “the fourth part of the earth”). Nor is it likely that John is alluding to any astrological-mythological background for his understanding of the four horsemen.” - G. K. Beale, The Book of Revelation: A Commentary on the Greek Text, New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle, Cumbria: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press, 1999), 374.

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The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

Conquest (Revelation 6:1-2)
Strife (Revelation 6:3-4)
Famine (Revelation 6:4-6)
Death (Revelation 6:7-8)

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So what we just read covers what has often come to be known as “the four horsemen of the apocalypse (revelation)”. This concept has been appropriated into a lot of popular culture references, so you may have heard this phrase before. But here in Revelation 6 is where it all originates.

The four horsemen after often given “names”, although sometimes the names are based on mistranslations/misunderstandings of translations or using different parts of passages. So the names I have on the slide are slightly tweaked to aim to be more accurate to the Biblical text. Though it is important to note that the horsemen here (except for the last one - Death) are not actually named in the text - I’m just using the names as a bit of a concise label here.

Picture from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Horsemen_of_the_Apocalypse (not necessarily what they looked like but a somewhat reasonable painting as what someone could possibly do)

Color words:

White - https://biblehub.com/greek/3022.htm
Red - https://biblehub.com/greek/4450.htm
Black - https://biblehub.com/greek/3189.htm
Pale/Ashen/Green - https://biblehub.com/greek/5515.htm

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Question (Revelation 6:1-8)

What kind of pattern exists for the

revealing of these horsemen?

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13 of 21

Reading

Revelation 19:11-16

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Questions (Revelation 6:1-2)

Is the rider on the white horse here in Revelation 6:2 Jesus?

What evidence is there in support or against?

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There is a good amount of debate about whether the rider on the white horse here in Revelation 6:2 is Jesus or not.

Commentaries

“It has been suggested that the rider on the white horse is the victorious Christ himself. This conclusion is drawn because this picture is connected by some commentators with the picture in Revelation 19:11–12, which tells of a white horse and on it a rider, called Faithful and True and crowned with many crowns, who is the victorious Christ. It is to be noted that the crown in this passage is different from the one in Revelation 19. Here the crown is stephanos, which is the victor’s crown; in Revelation 19 it is diadēma, which is the royal crown.” - William Barclay, Revelation of John, vol. 2, The New Daily Study Bible (Louisville, KY; London: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004), 4.

“Without any doubt, the white horse and its rider stand for conquest in war. When a Roman general celebrated a triumph, that is, when he paraded through the streets of Rome with his armies and his captives and his booty after some great victory, his chariot was drawn by white horses, the symbol of victory.” - William Barclay, Revelation of John, vol. 2, The New Daily Study Bible (Louisville, KY; London: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004), 4.

“The one enemy whom the Romans feared was the Parthian power. The Parthians lived on the far eastern frontiers of the empire and were the scourge of Rome. In AD 62, an unprecedented event had occurred: a Roman army had actually surrendered to Vologeses, the king of the Parthians. The Parthians rode white horses and were the most famous archers in the world. A ‘Parthian shot’ still means a final, devastating blow, to which there is no possible answer.” - William Barclay, Revelation of John, vol. 2, The New Daily Study Bible (Louisville, KY; London: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004), 5.

“This one surely stands for war, triumphant war of conquest. Others try to give him a precise historical identification, usually the Parthian king Vologäses who won a notable victory over the Romans in AD 62. But it is more than difficult to see why the Seer, writing at the end of the first century, should think of this battle as something revealed by the opening of a sealed book. It is true that Parthian prowess with the bow was proverbial (and still is—witness our expression ‘Parthian shot’). But we need more than a mention of a bow to see an allusion to a specific Parthian king. It is more probable that we should take the symbolism from the Old Testament. Cyrus turns his enemies ‘to windblown chaff with his bow’ (Isa. 41:2), and the overthrow of both Elam and Babylon is described in similar terms (Jer. 49:35; 51:3, 56). Sometimes God destroys bows, i.e. breaks military power (Ps. 46:9; Ezek. 39:3; Hos. 1:5). The same imagery may be used for the cessation of war (Zech. 9:10). A bow may even be associated with God himself, when he is depicted as a triumphant warrior (Lam. 2:4; 3:12; Hab. 3:9).

The opening of the first seal, then, sees a warlike conqueror on his way. The bow was not a typical Roman weapon, so it points beyond the Empire. John’s mind is on more than the Parthian king or the Roman emperor. He is saying that any nation that embarks on a career of conquest unleashes bloodshed and famine and destruction. He is saying that this will be so till the end of time, and, indeed, especially in the last days.” - Leon Morris, Revelation: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 20, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1987), 104–105.

“The identity of the first rider on the white horse has been discussed at great length by interpreters. Several answers are given: (1) A number understand the rider on the white horse to be Christ himself, identifying this horse and rider with the one mentioned in 19:11, where the identification is clear (cf. 19:13, 16). It must be noted, though, that there is little in common between the two riders beyond the white horse. The word for “crown” is different, the armament is different, and the context here is different (conquest vs. retribution), with three other horsemen bringing catastrophe following. (2) Others see the rider on the white horse representing a spirit of military conquest that dominates human history and leads to the catastrophes that follow. (3) Another possibility is that the white horse rider represents the Antichrist, who appears later in Rev 11:7; 13:17, and whose similarity to Christ explains the similarity with the rider in 19:11. This interpretation has been discussed at length by M. Rissi, “The Rider on the White Horse: A Study of Revelation 6:1–8,” Int 18 (1964): 407–18.” - Biblical Studies Press, The NET Bible First Edition Notes (Biblical Studies Press, 2006), Re 6:2.

“The description of the rider resembles the Parthians, a warlike federation of tribes across the Euphrates, the eastern boundary of the Roman Empire. This was the only military force, apart from the Carthaginians under Hannibal, to defeat the Roman legions twice (in 55 BC and AD 62). They were famous for the prowess of their cavalry and their ability to shoot arrows accurately from a galloping horse. Since the rider was given a bow and rode out to conquer, this provides natural background. The crown on this rider would refer to their independence from Rome.

However, this image is not a literal reference to the Parthians. This reference provides background, not the meaning of the passage. Rather, the image of the rider on a white horse points to the propensity of sinful human beings to take things for themselves, to lust for conquest.” - Grant R. Osborne, Revelation: Verse by Verse, Osborne New Testament Commentaries (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016), 124.

“The last three horsemen are typically seen as evil agents, but there is debate about whether the first horseman represents such a malevolent figure. Some see the first rider as Christ (or the triumphant gospel or the church) leading his spiritual forces to victory throughout the age, while others view the rider as some kind of satanic figure. That the rider is Christ (or his forces of the gospel) is supported by the following parallels: (1) It may be an allusion to Ps. 45:3–5 (MT), where the rider is an Israelite king who defeats his enemies with arrows as he “rides on victoriously” (Ps. 45:6 is understood by Heb. 1:8 as a messianic prophecy). (2) In Rev. 19:11–16 Christ, who has diadems on his head, rides on a white horse and defeats his opponents. (3) Similarly, in 14:14 a scene of judgment is introduced by Christ, as “Son of Man,” sitting on a “white cloud,” wearing “a golden crown on his head,” carrying a weapon in his hand and being commanded to do something by an angelic being. (4) Christ also “conquers” elsewhere in the book (νικάω, 3:21; 5:5; 17:14). (5) Part of the Synoptic discourse tradition (Mark 13:10) places the universal preaching of the gospel before the beginning of some of the messianic woes and before the Son of man’s coming in judgment. (6) “White” is used without exception elsewhere in Revelation (14 times) in a good sense in descriptions associated with the holiness of God, Christ, or the saints. (7) The first horseman is different from the others in a positive sense because there is no clear woe linked with him.

On the other hand, the following considerations point to the satanic character of the rider.

(1) The language of “conquering” is used elsewhere of the beast oppressing the saints (11:7; 13:7). That “conquer” (νικάω) is used in 6:2 without an object, as in 5:5, but has an object in 11:7 and 13:7 when referring to the antichrist, does not necessitate that the first rider be Christ, since Christ’s and the saints’ “conquering” also has an object elsewhere in the book (so 12:7; 17:14).

(2) In Zech. 1:8–15 and 6:1–8 the horses are identified together as being the same in nature, and this must also be the case in Rev. 6:1–8, since Zechariah 1 and 6 are an influential model in the author’s mind (Targ. Zech. 6:1–8 identifies the horsemen as the evil angels of the four pagan kingdoms of Daniel 2 and 7; cf. Targ. Zech. 4:7).

(3) Revelation 12–13 portrays Satan and his minions as deceiving by imitating Christ’s appearance.

(4) The prophecy of “false Christs and false prophets” who will come in Christ’s name and “mislead” is mentioned as the very first of the woes preceding Jesus’ parousia in each of the versions of the Synoptic apocalypse (Mark 13:5–6; Matt. 24:4–5; Luke 21:8). This may confirm the identification of the first rider as satanic, since it is generally acknowledged that John has partly patterned his plagues after the woes of the Synoptic apocalypse. “War” is the second woe in all three Synoptics, and the following two woes of famine and pestilence are found closely following in varying order, although pestilence appears only in Luke.

(5) The horsemen form a quartet to be distinguished literarily from the remaining three seals, like the first four trumpets and bowls with respect to the remaining trumpets and bowls. Since the first four trumpets and bowls represent parallel judgments, the same parallelism is probably present with the horsemen. The shared identity of the horsemen is evident from the following literary parallels presented in the same order: (a) the same introductory visionary and auditory formula is in each case connected with the lamb’s opening of a seal, followed by (b) a “living creature” ’s command to “come” and (c) a horse and rider appearing in response to the command; (d) the color of each horse and the object carried by the rider connote the kind of woe that he brings; (e) the same clause of authorization—ἐδόθη αὐτῷ (“was given to him”)—is used of the first two horsemen (v 2; twice in v 4; cf. v 8).

(6) As is sometimes suggested, it might be awkward to have Christ open a seal that contains a vision in which he is also the subject, although the paradoxical nature of visions could account for this (cf. on 5:1–6).

(7) If it is correct to understand the fourth horseman of “death” as a summary of the previous three, then the first must be evil.

(8) As in 6:2, in 9:7 demonic agents of judgment are likened to “horses prepared for battle,” have something like “crowns” on their heads, and are addressed with an authorization clause (cf. 9:3, 5: “it was given to them”). In this regard, many have suggested that the first horseman in ch. 6 is at least partly an allusion to the Parthians of Asia, who were noted for their success in battle because of their horsemanship and skill with the bow.

It is possible to see the first rider as neither Christ nor an evil power but, under the influence of Ezek. 5:16ff., a messenger of divine judgment whose arrows of woe are the following three horsemen. This could also be supported by the summary of the woes in 6:8b, which does not distinguish the first horseman from the second. But the “arrows” in Ezek. 5:16ff. are applied only to famine and not to any of the other three judgments mentioned there. Furthermore, Ezekiel 5 is only one of a number of texts containing the fourfold covenant curse formula, and the picture of “arrows” is virtually unique to Ezekiel, though “arrows” do summarize the four judgments in Deut. 32:23–26 (cf. also the Targ. Jer. Frag. Deut. 32:23–26, where the judgments are summarized as “the arrows of my vengeance”). “Arrows” are not mentioned in the formula which is quoted in Rev. 6:8a.” - G. K. Beale, The Book of Revelation: A Commentary on the Greek Text, New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle, Cumbria: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press, 1999), 375–377.

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Question (Revelation 6:1-8)

What is the difference between:

conquest (Revelation 6:1-2)
strife (Revelation 6:3-4)
death (Revelation 6:7-8)

?

15

The third horseman (often called “famine”) is a little different, but on at least a glancing read, there could be similarities or a lot of overlap between the other three horsemen. If that’s the case, why have so many different horsemen? Asking what the differences between them are might help with this question.

Conquest - https://biblehub.com/greek/3528.htm - “Conquering” seems like a good word here, and there are indications of overcoming in triumphant victory involved. Military conquest under the power of a king/empire is likely the kind of picture in view. That very well could have the “lack of peace” and “slaying” (from the second horseman) and “death” (from the fourth horseman), but the emphasis here seems to be on something different. Conquest also technically doesn’t have to lead to strife and death (i.e. if a nation is so powerful and those it is conquering submit early), although that would almost certainly be a rarer case.
Strife - This horseman is often labeled “war”, though I’ve changed the name here to better reflect (1) what is in the text and (2) the kinds of distinctions we’re aiming to discuss on this slide. Certainly, lack of peace can come with conquest, as could death (either internal chaos leading to people slaying each other or directly from actual battle in war). Though it is possible for strife to exist without the presence of external conquest - internal disruptions and conflict, if allowed to escalate, could lead people to kill each other.

Peace - https://biblehub.com/greek/1515.htm
Slay - https://biblehub.com/greek/4969.htm
Sword - https://biblehub.com/greek/3162.htm

Death - https://biblehub.com/greek/2288.htm - It’s worth noting that the Greek word here for “death” also has connections to Greek mythology (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanatos). Death can certainly follow on from the above two things, but it doesn’t necessarily have to, as Revelation 6:8 mentions various ways death can come (note there is some debate about whether the “them” in verse 8 is referring to “Death” and “Hades” or all/most of the horses).

Sword - https://biblehub.com/greek/4501.htm (different from above)
Famine - https://biblehub.com/greek/3042.htm
https://biblehub.com/greek/2288.htm - The “thanatos” word here is also sometimes translated as “pestilence” or “plague” (likely a more “passive” or less “external” way of death compared to other ways mentioned here)
Wild Beast - https://biblehub.com/greek/2342.htm

Even though there are differences between these things, they can very much be interrelated, so it’s possible to see these things as a progression (conquest leading to strife leading to death) or even occurring simultaneously.

Commentaries on Strife (the 2nd Horseman)

“John was writing in a time when destructive conflict was tearing the world apart. In the thirty years before the reign of Herod the Great, 67–37 BC, in Palestine alone no fewer than 100,000 had perished in abortive revolutions. In AD 61 in Britain, the rebellion connected with the name of Queen Boadicea had arisen. The Romans crushed it, Boadicea committed suicide and 150,000 perished.” - William Barclay, Revelation of John, vol. 2, The New Daily Study Bible (Louisville, KY; London: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004), 6.

“In the Jewish pictures of the end time, an essential element is the complete disintegration of all human relationships. The people of one nation will fight one another, neighbour will fight neighbour, city will rise against city, and kingdom against kingdom (Isaiah 19:2). Every person’s hand shall be against the hand of a neighbour (Zechariah 14:13).” - William Barclay, Revelation of John, vol. 2, The New Daily Study Bible (Louisville, KY; London: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004), 6.

“The vision of the end was a vision of a time when all human relationships would be destroyed and the world would become a seething cauldron of embittered hate.” - William Barclay, Revelation of John, vol. 2, The New Daily Study Bible (Louisville, KY; London: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004), 7.

Commentaries on Death (the 4th Horseman)

“The horse is pale in colour. The word used is chlōros, which means pale in the sense used of a face ashen with terror. The passage is complicated by the fact that the Greek word thanatos is used in a double sense. In verse 8, it is used to mean both death and pestilence, or plague.” - William Barclay, Revelation of John, vol. 2, The New Daily Study Bible (Louisville, KY; London: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004), 10.

“the Old Testament, which more than once speaks of ‘the four deadly judgments’. Ezekiel hears God tell of the time when he will send his ‘four deadly acts of judgement’ upon Jerusalem—sword, famine, wild animals and pestilence (Ezekiel 14:21). In Leviticus, there is a passage which tells of the penalties which God will send upon his people because of their disobedience. Wild beasts will rob them of their children and destroy their livestock and make them few in number. The sword will avenge their breaking of the covenant. When they are gathered in their cities, the pestilence will be among them. He will break the staff of bread, and they will eat and not be satisfied (Leviticus 26:21–6).” - William Barclay, Revelation of John, vol. 2, The New Daily Study Bible (Louisville, KY; London: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004), 11.

“They have power to kill with four judgments: the sword, famine, plague, and wild beasts. Although the wild beasts might seem rather out of place in this list, they actually form part of a familiar Old Testament prophetic pattern. Ezekiel speaks of the four dreadful judgments of almighty God—sword, famine, wild beasts, and plague (Ezek. 14:21; for a fuller study of this idea see Jer. 14:12; 15:3; Ezek. 5:12, 17; 33:27).” - Walter A. Elwell, “Revelation,” in Evangelical Commentary on the Bible, vol. 3, Baker Reference Library (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1995), 1210.

“A pale horse appeared. The Greek chlōros (from which we get our word ‘chlorine’) means ‘yellowish green’ (BAGD), a curious colour for a horse. We should probably understand it to mean the colour of a corpse.” - Leon Morris, Revelation: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 20, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1987), 107.

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3 - Famine (Revelation 6:5-6)

Χοῖνιξ σίτου δηναρίου καὶ τρεῖς χοίνικες κριθῶν δηναρίου καὶ τὸ ἔλαιον καὶ τὸν οἶνον μὴ ἀδικήσῃς

Choinix sitou dēnariou kai treis choinikes krithōn dēnariou kai to elaion kai ton oinon mē adikēsēs

A choenix of wheat for a denarius, and three choenixes of barley for a denarius; and the oil and the wine do not harm.

Choenix - About 1 quart (1.92 pints)

Denarius - About 1 day’s wages

Estimated cost increase = 8-16x normal

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In some sense, this third horseman is a little different from the others (somewhat dealing more with economics). There’s this interesting voice that speaks and says something that probably requires a little more explanation for us as modern readers in a different culture.

https://biblehub.com/interlinear/revelation/6-6.htm

Choenix - https://biblehub.com/greek/5518.htm - About a quart (1.92 pints)
Wheat - https://biblehub.com/greek/4621.htm
Denarius - https://biblehub.com/greek/1220.htm
Barley - https://biblehub.com/greek/2915.htm

“barley, the grain eaten by the common person, i.e. "poor man's bread" as opposed to using the more expensive grain (wheat)”
“A quart of wheat was the usual amount of food a working man ate per day.”

Oil - https://biblehub.com/greek/1637.htm
Wine - https://biblehub.com/greek/3631.htm
Harm - https://biblehub.com/greek/91.htm

A “choenix” is about 1 quart (or two pounds by some estimates), and a denarius about 1 day’s wages. One choenix of wheat is estimated to be about what one man would eat per day. So in this scenario, someone may still be able to buy enough food for themselves, but they wouldn’t have enough for anything else (i.e. feeding the rest of their family). Barley would be cheaper, but on the whole, this is estimated to be 8-16 times the normal prices.

The exact meaning of the phrase regarding the oil and wine in this verse isn’t super clear. Regardless, this scene seems to depict an environment where the economics were out of whack, with at least some people suffering.

The “scales” may have to do with measuring out the grain by weight, which is something we have evidence of during famines:

When I break your staff of bread, ten women shall bake your bread in one oven, and they shall deliver your bread again by weight. You shall eat, and not be satisfied. - Leviticus 26:26 (WEB)
Moreover he said to me, “Son of man, behold, I will break the staff of bread in Jerusalem. They will eat bread by weight, and with fearfulness. They will drink water by measure, and in dismay; - Ezekiel 4:16 (WEB)
when I send on them the evil arrows of famine that are for destruction, which I will send to destroy you. I will increase the famine on you, and will break your staff of bread. - Ezekiel 5:16 (WEB)

Commentaries

“The three main crops of Palestine were corn, wine and oil; and it is these three which are always mentioned when the crops of the land are being described (Deuteronomy 7:13, 11:14, 28:51; Hosea 2:8, 2:22). The rider of the horse had the crossbeam of a balance in his hand. In the Old Testament, the phrase to eat bread by weight indicates the greatest scarcity. In Leviticus, it is the threat of God that, if the people are disobedient, ‘they shall dole out your bread by weight’ (Leviticus 26:26). It is God’s threat to Ezekiel: ‘I am going to break the staff of bread in Jerusalem; they shall eat bread by weight and with fearfulness’ (Ezekiel 4:16).” - William Barclay, Revelation of John, vol. 2, The New Daily Study Bible (Louisville, KY; London: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004), 7–8.

“A measure of wheat or three measures of barley was to cost a denarius. The measure was a choinix, equivalent to two pints and consistently defined in the ancient world as a working man’s ration for a day. A denarius was a working man’s wage for a day. Normally, one denarius bought anything from eight to sixteen measures of corn and three to four times as much barley. What John is foretelling is a situation in which a man’s whole working wage would be needed to buy enough corn for himself for a day, leaving absolutely nothing to buy any of the other necessities of life and absolutely nothing for his wife and family. If instead of corn he bought the much inferior barley, he might manage to give some to his wife and family, but again he would have nothing left to buy anything else.” - William Barclay, Revelation of John, vol. 2, The New Daily Study Bible (Louisville, KY; London: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004), 8.

“We have seen that, although John was speaking about the signs which were to precede the end, he was nevertheless painting them in terms of actual historical situations which people would recognize. There had been desperate famines in the time of the Emperor Nero which left the luxury of the rich untouched. There was an occasion when a ship arrived in Italy from Alexandria. The starving people thought it was a corn ship, because all the corn ships came from Alexandria; and there was a riot when they discovered that the cargo was not corn but a special kind of sand from the Nile Delta to spread on the ground of the arena for a gladiatorial show. This passage finds an amazing echo in certain events during the reign of Domitian, at the time when John was writing. There was a very serious shortage of grain and also an excess of wine. Domitian took the drastic step of establishing a law stating that no fresh vineyards should be planted and that half the vineyards in the provinces should be cut down. In response to this order, the people of the province of Asia, in which John was writing, came very near to rebelling, for their vineyards were one of their principal sources of revenue. In view of the violent reaction of the people of Asia, Domitian withdrew his order and actually created a new law stating that those who allowed their vineyards to go out of cultivation should be prosecuted. Here is the very picture of a situation in which corn was scarce and yet it was forbidden to interfere with the supply of wine and oil.” - William Barclay, Revelation of John, vol. 2, The New Daily Study Bible (Louisville, KY; London: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004), 9.

“‘Hurt’ (adikēsēs) is a curious verb to use of the oil and the wine. The meaning appears to be that there will be abundance of oil and wine coupled with scarcity of bread. This may be because the roots of the olive and the vine go deeper than those of grain crops so that they would not be so easily damaged in a difficult year. Or it may mean that the necessities of life for the poor will be in short supply while the luxuries of the rich will not cease.” - Leon Morris, Revelation: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 20, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1987), 106.

“All this adds up to a famine which is not yet a disaster. It is in the nature of a warning. Things are difficult but the end is not yet.” - Leon Morris, Revelation: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 20, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1987), 107.

“The scales held in the horseman’s hand consist of a balance beam with a scale at each end. Their purpose is to ensure justice, as seen in Old Testament texts like Proverbs 16:11: “Honest scales and balances belong to the LORD.”” - Grant R. Osborne, Revelation: Verse by Verse, Osborne New Testament Commentaries (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016), 125.

“Wheat and barley were the two major sources of food, and Rome annually gave a free portion of grain to the poor to pacify them. Wheat was the better grain, and barley the food of the poor. A denarius was a day’s wages, and a quart of wheat was sufficient daily food for one person. This means a man’s daily wages could only feed himself, not his family. These were famine prices, 10 or 12 times the normal rate.” - Grant R. Osborne, Revelation: Verse by Verse, Osborne New Testament Commentaries (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016), 126.

“Olive oil and wine were also critical staples. The command not to damage or harm the oil and wine has several interpretations. First, it could be a positive indication of social justice, protecting the poor from exploitation by the wealthy. Second, it could seek to protect people from the severity of the famine by ensuring that oil and wine will be kept available. Third, it could describe the terrible conditions at the siege of Jerusalem in AD 70, when starvation prevailed but a group of dissidents stole the sacred oil and wine from the temple for a drinking party.

The best explanation is a combination of the first two. This can be illustrated from an incident from AD 92, when Domitian ordered half the vineyards leveled to increase grain production during a grain shortage. There was such an outcry that he had to reverse himself, for then the oil supply would have been so lowered that the famine would have become worse and been prolonged. We cannot know that this was the situation that prompted the text here” - Grant R. Osborne, Revelation: Verse by Verse, Osborne New Testament Commentaries (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016), 126.

“A denarius was a day’s wage (cf. Matt. 20:2), and a quart of wheat was about enough for one person for one day (Herodotus 7.187), although three quarts of barley was enough for three days or for a typical family for one day (note δηναρίου as a genitive of price: “for a denarius”). The prices listed here are about eight to sixteen times the average prices in the Roman Empire at the time (cf. Cicero, In Verrem 3.81).” - G. K. Beale, The Book of Revelation: A Commentary on the Greek Text, New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle, Cumbria: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press, 1999), 381.

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Reading

Ezekiel 14:12-23

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Four Judgments

And I looked, and behold, a pale horse! And its rider's name was Death, and Hades followed him. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth. - Revelation 6:8 (ESV)

“For thus says the Lord God: How much more when I send upon Jerusalem my four disastrous acts of judgment, sword, famine, wild beasts, and pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast! - Ezekiel 14:21 (ESV)

“‘And I will heap disasters upon them; I will spend my arrows on them; they shall be wasted with hunger, and devoured by plague and poisonous pestilence; I will send the teeth of beasts against them, with the venom of things that crawl in the dust. Outdoors the sword shall bereave, and indoors terror, for young man and woman alike, the nursing child with the man of gray hairs. - Deuteronomy 32:23-25 (ESV)

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It is debated about whether “they” in Revelation 6:8 is referring to “Death and Hades” or all of the 4 horsemen.

Regardless, I had us read that Ezekiel passage because it demonstrates a precedent of God judging with the 4 things mentioned here (although “pestilence” is https://biblehub.com/greek/2288.htm, primarily a word for “death”, although pestilence/plague could be a reasonable translation with “death” communicating a more passive/hidden/non-external death). God specifically mentions 4 similar judgments in Ezekiel (and the larger context of Ezekiel 14:12-23 is worth reading to see more of how God was acting in that scenario). We also see something similar in Deuteronomy 32 (whole chapter worth reading for larger context) and some other places:

“‘If you walk contrary to me, and won’t listen to me, then I will bring seven times more plagues on you according to your sins. I will send the wild animals among you, which will rob you of your children, destroy your livestock, and make you few in number. Your roads will become desolate. “‘If by these things you won’t be turned back to me, but will walk contrary to me, then I will also walk contrary to you; and I will strike you, even I, seven times for your sins. I will bring a sword upon you that will execute the vengeance of the covenant. You will be gathered together within your cities, and I will send the pestilence among you. You will be delivered into the hand of the enemy. When I break your staff of bread, ten women shall bake your bread in one oven, and they shall deliver your bread again by weight. You shall eat, and not be satisfied. - Leviticus 26:21-26 (WEB)
A third part of you will die with the pestilence, and they will be consumed with famine within you. A third part will fall by the sword around you. A third part I will scatter to all the winds, and will draw out a sword after them. “‘Thus my anger will be accomplished, and I will cause my wrath toward them to rest, and I will be comforted. They will know that I, Yahweh, have spoken in my zeal, when I have accomplished my wrath on them. “‘Moreover I will make you a desolation and a reproach among the nations that are around you, in the sight of all that pass by. So it will be a reproach and a taunt, an instruction and an astonishment, to the nations that are around you, when I execute judgments on you in anger and in wrath, and in wrathful rebukes—I, Yahweh, have spoken it— when I send on them the evil arrows of famine that are for destruction, which I will send to destroy you. I will increase the famine on you, and will break your staff of bread. I will send on you famine and evil animals, and they will bereave you. Pestilence and blood will pass through you. I will bring the sword on you. I, Yahweh, have spoken it.’” - Ezekiel 5:12-17 (WEB)
But I will leave a few men of them from the sword, from the famine, and from the pestilence, that they may declare all their abominations among the nations where they come. Then they will know that I am Yahweh.’” - Ezekiel 12:16 (WEB)
“You shall tell them, ‘The Lord Yahweh says: “As I live, surely those who are in the waste places will fall by the sword. I will give whoever is in the open field to the animals to be devoured; and those who are in the strongholds and in the caves will die of the pestilence. - Ezekiel 33:27 (WEB)
When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and meal offering, I will not accept them; but I will consume them by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence.” - Jeremiah 14:12 (WEB)
It will happen, when they ask you, ‘Where shall we go out?’ then you shall tell them, ‘Yahweh says: “Such as are for death, to death; such as are for the sword, to the sword; such as are for the famine, to the famine; and such as are for captivity, to captivity.”’ “I will appoint over them four kinds,” says Yahweh: “the sword to kill, the dogs to tear, the birds of the sky, and the animals of the earth, to devour and to destroy. - Jeremiah 15:2-3 (WEB)
“They will die grievous deaths. They will not be lamented, neither will they be buried. They will be as dung on the surface of the ground. They will be consumed by the sword and by famine. Their dead bodies will be food for the birds of the sky and for the animals of the earth.” - Jeremiah 16:4 (WEB)
I will send the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, among them, until they are consumed from off the land that I gave to them and to their fathers.’” - Jeremiah 24:10 (WEB)

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Question (Ezekiel 14:12-23)

Why is God sending out these judgments in this instance?

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Why is God sending out these judgments in Ezekiel 14:12-23?

We see from verse 13 that it’s due to sin & unfaithfulness.
Though from verses 22-23, we see that God’s not planning a full destruction - there are survivors, which will provide some consolation and ultimately knowing that God has not done this in vain.

“Ezek. 14:12–23 is also formative for this section (cf. Deut. 32:23–25). Ezek. 14:21 is explicitly quoted in Rev. 6:8b, where it functions as a general summary of the preceding trials of conquest, sword, and famine, the first two of which include “death.” This quotation of Ezekiel also adds one more trial: affliction by beasts. The quoted words have the same function in Ezek. 14:21, where they clearly sum up the four preceding statements about trials as “four evil judgments.” These punishments come on nations in general when they are unfaithful to God. The trials there are listed respectively as lack of bread and “famine” (14:13), “wild beasts” (14:15), “sword” (14:17), and “death” (14:19). The point of Ezek. 14:21 is that all Israelites will suffer persecution because of rampant idolatry (cf. 14:3–11). The purpose of the trials is to punish the majority of the nation because of its sin and simultaneously to purify the righteous remnant by testing their faith (cf. 14:14, 16, 18, 20, 22–23).” - G. K. Beale, The Book of Revelation: A Commentary on the Greek Text, New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle, Cumbria: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press, 1999), 372.

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Questions (Revelation 6:1-8)

What meaning is there in this passage for:

Christians in the 1st-2nd century AD
Us today

?

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Based on everything we’ve discussed related to this passage (and notes in the slides), I’m going to suggest that a lot of meaning (for both audiences - the original and us today) relates to helping Christians understand events in the world we live in, even in the midst of all sorts of turmoil.

Earlier in class, I mentioned how some of the horsemen here could very much have correspondences to events that the original audience in the 1st-2nd century AD would recognize. Such a correspondence could provide a framework for interpreting and understanding events they would experience in their very lives. And certainly with much persecution and suffering (something that happened very much under Domitian’s Roman rule near the end of the 1st century; and we’ll see some allusions to Christian martyrdom as we continue this chapter next week), that would be very important.

Regardless of when the events described for these four horsemen started (or will start), I think we could probably say that all of the events here haven’t fully completed yet. Thus, there is utility in us recognizing similar events in our time. In fact, in our present situation in the U.S., we’ve been experiencing a good bit of inflation recently. And for anything that may still need to come, we can be better prepared for it.

Regardless of some of the specifics behind these horsemen, one thing I think this passage does make clear is that these horsemen and what they bring are locked behind the authority of Jesus Christ. Even though evil, suffering, and all kinds of hardship may come on this world, it is not all willy-nilly or chaotically out of control. Christ ultimately has fine control over all, and even when we don’t understand things, we still need to look to Him and seek to see what His purposes might be.

Another question to ask is “how did we get here?” (“here” meaning a point where it seemed necessary to let these horsemen out) This isn’t something where I think we have a clear answer in this chapter, though we might get more glimpses as we go further through the book.

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Appendix

Genesis 18:16-19:29
Deuteronomy 28:20-61
1 Samuel 16:14-23
1 Kings 22:19-23
2 Kings 17:6-23
2 Kings 18:19-21:15
2 Chronicles 20:1-23
2 Chronicles 21:8-20
2 Chronicles 28:1-15
2 Chronicles 36:11-23
Ezra 1:1-11
Ezra 5:1-6:12

Job 1:6-12
Job 2:1-8
Proverbs 21:1
Isaiah 7:17-8:8
Isaiah 10:5-19
Isaiah 13:1-14:27
Isaiah 44:28-45:7
Daniel 2:20-45
Daniel 4:4-35
Daniel 5:18-31
Daniel 10:12-12:1
Habakkuk 1:1-11

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