Introduction
The direct action of this part of the book now commences, in accordance with its character, with a series of judgments. Revelation 4 and 5 are as we have seen preparatory and introductory; they unfold to us the scene in heaven in relation to the events which are about to take place on the earth. Man may sever earth from heaven; but God, in spite of the will and evil energies of man, still holds the reins of government, whatever the instruments He may be pleased to employ, in His own hands. To borrow language: “God’s ways are behind the scenes; but He moves all the scenes which He is behind. We have to learn this, and let Him work, and not think much of man’s busy movements; they will accomplish God’s. The rest of them all perish and disappear. We have only peacefully to do His will.”
A striking illustration of this truth is found in the first verse of our chapter. John says: “And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come [and see]. 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” (vss. 1-2). (There is considerable doubt as to the authenticity of the words enclosed in brackets—“and see,” as also in verses 3,5,7. If accepted, the address is manifestly to John; if omitted, it would hardly be so, though it may be generally to call attention to what follows. Various interpretations have been offered, and some of them very fanciful.) The important point to be observed is, that the coming forth of the white horse on earth is the result of the Lamb opening the seal in heaven. The rider might be acting entirely from his own will, but here we are permitted to see the source of his activity. He might be wholly ignorant of it, but none the less he is the instrument of the divine will. Lust of conquest might be his sole motive, just as it was in the case of Nebuchadnezzar in days of old, only God in His infinite wisdom knows how to make the wrath of man to praise Him in the accomplishment of His purposes.
Who then is this rider upon the white horse? Before this question is answered, the reader must be reminded that, in accordance with the interpretation given on Revaltion 4, the events here symbolized are wholly future. There are those who, missing the truth of the church and the church’s hope, regard this scripture as already fulfilled; and having ransacked the records of the past, they will point to certain events which, in their judgment, correspond with these symbols. This is to turn prophecy into history, besides ignoring, as already noticed, the threefold division of this book made by the Lord Himself (Rev. 1:1919Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter; (Revelation 1:19)). It is quite true that there are often foreshadowings of the fulfillment of a prophecy, even as the first Napoleon, flitting across the stage of the world, was by his energy and rapidity of conquest an undoubted shadow of the final head of the Roman Empire, if not indeed the seventh head, of whom the angel said, “When he cometh, he must continue a short space” (Rev. 17:1010And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. (Revelation 17:10)). But it is a mistake to suppose that, because striking agreements with the thing predicted can be detected, you have found its complete fufilment. We need, therefore, to be on our guard; and then, when we understand the structure of the book, and that all after Revelation 310Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. (Revelation 3:10) relates to the future, we shall be kept from vain surmisings, and be able reverently to pursue our inquiry.
Returning then to our question, we must, in order to seek the answer, attend to the details here given. The prominent object is the white horse. To maintain, as some have done, that because the Lord Himself comes out of heaven on a white horse (Rev. 19:1111And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. (Revelation 19:11)), it is also Christ on the white horse here is to overlook the plainest teachings of this vision. A horse is often used in Scripture as a symbol of God’s power in His providential government (see Zech. 1:8-118I saw by night, and behold a man riding upon a red horse, and he stood among the myrtle trees that were in the bottom; and behind him were there red horses, speckled, and white. 9Then said I, O my lord, what are these? And the angel that talked with me said unto me, I will show thee what these be. 10And the man that stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, These are they whom the Lord hath sent to walk to and fro through the earth. 11And they answered the angel of the Lord that stood among the myrtle trees, and said, We have walked to and fro through the earth, and, behold, all the earth sitteth still, and is at rest. (Zechariah 1:8‑11)); and the white horse, from the analogy of Revelation 198And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. 9And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God. 10And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. 11And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. (Revelation 19:8‑11), would seem to be connected with the exercise of victorious judgments, all-conquering might in conquest. The rider has a bow, setting forth his warrior character; and a crown was given unto him. (We append the following note from the New Translation by J. N. Darby: “Or ‘had been given to him’; that is, it is not expressive of a particular time. He had one which was given to him. But it is the same tense as ‘went forth.’”) The import of this statement will be that this mighty conqueror, used as others have been in past ages for the execution of God’s judgments upon earth, is not a monarch when he first appears, but one who obtains a crown by his energy, his strategy or his victories. The powers that be are ordained of God, and hence, though this successful warrior may even seize his crown, it is yet given to him. This is saying too much; for while “the powers that be” are ordained of God up to the rapture of the saints, it would seem that God does not recognize any power as derived from Himself in the interval between the rapture and the appearing of Christ. The crown therefore will be given by man. Lastly, he goes forth conquering and to conquer; no one, and nothing, can withstand his seemingly irresistible power, as he marches on through victory to victory.
Such is the divine portrayal of a mighty conqueror who will arise hereafter as the blind instrument, like Nebuchadnezzar, of God’s vengeance upon the nations of the earth. Who he will be is impossible, in spite of the pretensions of men, to forecast; but from indications given in this book, it may be that the picture finds its counterpart in the first “beast” of Revelation 13; that is, the imperial head of the western empire. (Rev. 6:1-81And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. 2And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer. 3And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. 4And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword. 5And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. 6And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine. 7And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. 8And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth. (Revelation 6:1‑8); see also Rev. 17:10-1210And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. 11And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition. 12And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. (Revelation 17:10‑12).)
Revelation 6:3-73And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. 4And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword. 5And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. 6And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine. 7And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. (Revelation 6:3‑7)
The next three seals may be referred to in fewer words. There are two points in them common to the first: the event on earth follows upon the opening of the seal in heaven, and it is one of the living creatures in each case that calls attention to the effect of opening the seal. This latter point aids in the understanding of the character of the event; for if the living creatures are emblems of the attributes of God as displayed in creation and are seen in heaven as connected with the throne, a “throne of executory judgment,” it is evident that we are here upon the ground “of the providential course of God’s dealings”—dealings in judgment, it must be remembered, by which He is about to make good His character in government on the earth. But, as has been written, “They have God’s voice in them, the voice of the Almighty; which the ear of him who has the Spirit hears. These [the consequences on earth of opening the seals in heaven] complete the providential plagues as spoken of in Scripture. Then direct judgments follow. These [the providential plagues] are what we may call preparatory measures” (Synopsis, J. N. Darby, 5:525). The principles thus laid down will enable us to grasp more intelligently the following parts of the vision.
On the opening of the second, third, and fourth seals other horses appear, red, black, and pale— all emblematical of their mission. In each of these cases, as it would seem, the rider is less prominent than in the case of the first, being, as it were, bound up with the horse so as to present a single idea. Thus the second horse is red, a color connected with blood-shedding; and, in agreement with this, it is given to the rider to take away peace from the earth; and the period would be characterized by internecine warfare, men should kill one another; and of all this the great sword given to the rider is but a symbol. Nor must it be overlooked that this second horse may be intimately associated with the first; so also the third and fourth with their predecessors. It is what will mark the time of which John writes, and of which the Lord Himself had forewarned His disciples. (See Matt. 24:6-76And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. (Matthew 24:6‑7).)
Famine is set forth by the black horse, an almost invariable result, as history testifies, of prolonged wars and conflicts. The quantity of wheat and barley needful for the barest sustenance would be sold for a penny; that is, a denarius. It has sometimes been noticed that a measure of wheat was the daily allowance for a Roman soldier. But in the midst of widespread desolation and want, God thinks of the needs of His creatures and limits the effects of the famine by sparing the oil and the wine.
Pestilence plainly characterizes the fourth horse; for his color is pale, and his name that sat on him was Death; and Hades, the abode of the dead, followed, as if, in the striking meaning of the figure, to gather up as its prey those whom death or the pestilence might destroy.
There was, moreover, “power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth” (vs. 8). War, famine, pestilence, and the plague of wild beasts are now crowded together (as they have often been) as attendant upon, or the results of, the “judicial scourges.” These are what Ezekiel calls God’s four sore plagues (Ezek. 14:2121For thus saith the Lord God; How much more when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the noisome beast, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast? (Ezekiel 14:21); compare also Rev. 5-67And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. 8And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth. 9And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: 10And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? 11And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled. 12And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; 13And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. 14And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. 15And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; 16And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: 17For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? 1And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. 2And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, 3Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. 4And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel. (Revelation 6:7‑7:4)); and these are the weapons with which He will one day deal with the earth on account of her iniquity. We have said “the earth”; it is really the fourth part of the earth. The “third part” is a prophetic expression for the Roman Empire; and accordingly we gather that these fearful judgments will be limited in their area; and that the whole of the Roman earth will not be visited. They will constitute, as preparatory inflictions, solemn warnings, God’s call to those who can recognize His hand to humiliation and repentance. (Compare Rev. 11:1313And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven. (Revelation 11:13).)
With the opening of the fifth seal an insight is vouchsafed into the condition of the remnant testimony during the procession of the events associated with the previous seals: “And when He had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held” (vs. 9). There will thus be persecution and that of the severest kind. As the Lord Himself, speaking of this same period, forewarned His disciples, “Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for My name’s sake” (Matt. 24:99Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. (Matthew 24:9); compare Rev. 12:1717And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. (Revelation 12:17)). The Holy Spirit will have departed with the church; the will of man and the power of evil will be unbridled; it will be man’s hour and the power of darkness, and the consequence will be relentless animosity against all who maintain the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. These witnesses for God will undoubtedly be Jews, quickened Jews, who will come into the place of testimony after the saints have been caught up into the air to be forever with the Lord, and who will form the persecuted remnant so often referred to in the Psalms. That they are not Christians is shown from their cry for vengeance, as well as indeed from the name in which they address God. They do not possess the Spirit of adoption; they cry, “O Sovereign Ruler, (such is the rendering given in the New Translation) holy and true” (vs. 10).
But their cry is heard; for “white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow-servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled” (vs. 11). The following words explain this scene: “Their being under the altar means simply that they had offered their bodies, as sacrifices for the truth, to God. The white robes are the witness of their righteousness—God’s declared approval of them....I do not think giving white robes is resurrection” (Synopsis, J. N. Darby, 5:525). Indeed, the fact that others were yet to be martyred proves that it is not; for we afterward read, “And I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years” (Ch. 20:4). Here we have the complete company of God’s faithful witnesses, who, during the interval between the coming of Christ for the church and His appearing, did not count their lives dear unto them, but sealed their testimony with their blood, and who are now seen to have the blessed recompense of enjoying being part in the first resurrection. The witnesses of our chapter belong to this company, and meanwhile white robes are bestowed upon them in token of God’s approval and recognition of their fidelity.
The Lamb now opens the sixth seal: “And, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; and the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places” (vss. 12-14). That this, in accordance with the nature of the book, is symbolical language is evident (See Rev. 11; Rev. 12; Dan. 8-10.); and hence the meaning is that, consequent upon opening the sixth seal, there will be “a violent convulsion of the whole structure of society,” whereby all order and every form of government, supreme, derivative, or subordinate (sun, moon, stars), will be overturned and, for the time, destroyed. The world has witnessed many such moral earthquakes, among the most notable of which was the French Revolution of 1789, that which France recently celebrated. It was probably the most violent outburst against God that has ever been seen since the cross; and yet such is the spirit of the age, that Christians could be found to assist at its centennial commemoration!
Revelation 6:15-1715And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; 16And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: 17For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? (Revelation 6:15‑17)
The effect of this awful commotion is next described. Every class of society, from the kings of the earth down to the poor slaves, are filled with abject terror. They had been making themselves happy without God; but while, like Belshazzar, they were feasting themselves to their hearts’ content with their wicked enjoyments, the whole framework of man’s order on which they had been reposing in fancied security is smitten and shattered into ten thousand pieces. God does not appear in the judgment; but man has a conscience, and thus it is, in the presence of this dire visitation, that all alike are apprehensive of the wrath of God and of the Lamb. Ah! where now is man’s courage? His warriors even tremble in the felt presence of a God whose very existence they had hitherto denied, and with one accord they seek to hide themselves, as they cry to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: for the great day of His wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?” (vss. 16-17). That day had not yet come; but in the terror of the moment, inspired by the awful events through which they are passing, they anticipate it, and their consciences rightly tell them that they will not be able to stand before the God whose fear they had utterly cast off, and before the Lamb whom they had scorned and rejected when once He rises up to execute His judgments in the earth.