Tagged: New Testament
O Lord … how long? (Rev. 6:9-11)
Previously: The souls of those slaughtered (Rev. 6:9-11)
The scripture
Rev. 6:9 – When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those slaughtered because of God’s word and the testimony they had. 10They cried out with a loud voice: “O Lord, holy and true, how long until You judge and avenge our blood from those who live on the earth?” 11So, a white robe was given to each of them, and they were told to rest a little while longer until [the number of] their fellow slaves and their brothers, who were going to be killed just as they had been, would be completed (HCSB).
O Lord … how long?
John hears the martyrs in heaven cry out, “O Lord, holy and true, how long until You judge and avenge our blood from those who live on the earth?” (v. 10). A more literal translation asks, “Until when will You exact vengeance for our blood?” Warren Wiersbe raises an interesting question about the verse in his commentary: “But is it ‘Christian’ for these martyred saints to pray for vengeance on their murderers? After all, both Jesus and Stephen prayed that God would forgive those who killed them.”
Wiersbe then offers this insight: “I have no doubt that, when they were slain on earth, these martyrs also prayed for their slayers; and this is the right thing to do (Matt. 5:10–12, 43–48). The great question, however, was not whether their enemies would be judged, but when. ‘How long, O Lord?’ has been the cry of God’s suffering people throughout the ages (see Pss. 74:9–10; 79:5; 94:3–4; also Hab. 1:2). The saints in heaven know that God will eventually judge sin and establish righteousness in the earth, but they do not know God’s exact schedule. It is not personal revenge that they seek, but vindication of God’s holiness and the establishment of God’s justice. Every believer today who sincerely prays, ‘Thy kingdom come!’ is echoing their petition” (The Bible Exposition Commentary, Rev. 6:9).
If we are honest with ourselves, we have to admit there are times we seek God’s justice for our own gratification and not for His glory. We tend to want justice for our enemies and mercy for ourselves. It is the old nature emerging in our words and deeds – and even in the words and deeds of those who walk most closely with the Lord. When a Samaritan village refuses to welcome Jesus, for example, James and John are quick to ask, “Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven and consume them?” (Luke 9:54). Jesus quickly rebukes His followers for their fleshly desires in the following verse.
Of course, there is a day coming when the Lord will vanquish His adversaries. Paul writes in 2 Thess. 2:8b, “The Lord Jesus will destroy (“consume” KJV) him [the lawless one] with the breath of His mouth and will bring him to nothing with the brightness of His coming.” And the writer of Hebrews warns that there is a penalty for willful sin, “a terrifying expectation of judgment, and the fury of a fire about to consume the adversaries” (Heb. 10:28).
The martyrs in Revelation 6 are not questioning God’s righteousness; they call Him “holy and true.” Nor are they challenging His patience, for they know He does not want anyone to perish, but all to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). It appears they are simply asking God to reveal His timetable – a request He declines, but not without providing the saints with comfort and assurance.
Next: A white robe was given (Rev. 6:9-11)
Revelation 4-5: Download the free study
If you’re a follower of this blog, you know that we’ve been slowly working our way through the Book of Revelation (and with great fear and trembling, especially since this is such a challenging piece of Scripture). We still have a long way to go. You can read the posts to date by clicking here.
Whether you’re a preterist, who sees the events of Revelation as fulfilled in the first centuries of the Christian era, a historicist, who views the events of Revelation as unfolding throughout the course of history, a futurist, who sees most of Revelation as yet unfulfilled, or an idealist, who sees Revelation setting forth timeless truths concerning the battle between good and evil, there are important truths the Lord reveals to all of us in this book, and we would do well to approach Revelation with caution — and with great anticipation, knowing God will fulfill all His promises to us. We also should be comforted by the fact that Revelation is the only book in Scripture specifically promising a blessing to those who hear its prophecies and keep them.
With that in mind, and to make it easier to keep our notes together,we have captured a number of blog posts into single Adobe files (pdfs) that you may download, print and share. Click on the link below to capture notes on chapters 4-5. If you missed the link to notes on chapters 1-3, a link is provided as well.
The third seal (Rev. 6:5-6)
Previously: A large sword was given to him (Rev. 6:3-4)
The scripture
Rev. 6:5 – When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” And I looked, and there was a black horse. The horseman on it had a balance scale in his hand. Then I heard something like a voice among the four living creatures say, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius – but do not harm the olive oil and the wine” (HCSB).
As the Lamb opens the third seal, one of the living creatures thunders, “Come!” and a horse and rider appear. This horse is black, and the horseman rides onto the scene holding a balance scale. A voice from among the living creatures tells us what is happening: A full day’s wages buy barely enough food to survive – a crisis for working families – but there is no impact on the rich, who have their fill of more expensive olive oil and wine. It appears this horseman brings famine with him, worsening the widespread death and destruction of the previous rider on the fiery red horse.
Let’s take a closer look and see, first of all, if we may determine what this means to a first-century audience. Then we will explore the possibilities for today’s readers.
The third seal
Jesus opens the third seal. Keep in mind that these seals likely are pieces of wax or clay that have been stamped with a ring or other metal object bearing the insignia of the owner. They identify the person who has authorized what’s been written, and the seal may be broken only by the designated authority, in this case the Lamb. As each seal is broken, it likely enables another portion of the scroll to be unraveled, until all seven seals are removed and the full message is revealed.
As the seal is opened, John hears the third living creature say, “Come!” This call probably is not to John but to the horse and rider, who appear immediately after the living creature’s command.
Next: A black horse (Rev. 6:5-6)
A bow and a crown (Rev. 6:1-2)
Previously- A white horse and its rider (Rev. 6:1-2)
The scripture
Rev. 6:1 –Then I saw the Lamb open one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say with a voice like thunder, “Come!” 2I looked, and there was a white horse. The horseman on it had a bow; a crown was given to him, and he went out as a victor to conquer (HCSB).
Is there any significance to the bow this mysterious rider wields, or the crown he wears?
It’s interesting to note that this rider has a bow, but there is no mention of arrows. Could this be a symbol of political and economic power, or simply a form of sabre rattling that urges his enemies to make peace while there is still time? Those who say the rider is Christ think differently. Matthew Henry, for example, writes: “The convictions impressed by the word of God are sharp arrows, they reach at a distance; and, though the ministers of the word draw the bow at a venture, God can and will direct it to the joints of the harness. This bow, in the hand of Christ, abides in strength, and, like that of Jonathan, never returns empty” (Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: Complete and Unabridged in One Volume, Re 6:1–2).
This rider wears a stephanos, the garland of a victor, in contrast to a diadema, the crown of a king. When Christ returns in Revelation 19 He wears many crowns (diademata) and is personally attended by the host of heaven. So once again it seems this rider is not the Lamb, but one who appears like him, riding the white horse of victory, wearing a victor’s crown, and with authority to conquer.
Warren Wiersbe puts it in perspective: “Certainly, there is a sense in which Jesus Christ is conquering today, as He releases people from the bondage of sin and Satan (Acts 26:18; Col. 1:13). But this conquest began with His victory on the cross and certainly did not have to wait for the opening of a seal! We shall note later that the sequence of events in Revelation 6 closely parallels the sequence given by our Lord in His Olivet discourse; and the first item mentioned is the appearance of false Christs (Matt. 24:5)” (The Bible exposition commentary, Re 6:1).
Finally, John writes that a crown is “given to him.” But by whom?For those who say this rider is Jesus, the crown and corresponding authority no doubt would be given Him by God the Father. Futurists, who argue that the rider is the Antichrist, say Jesus has granted the “man of sin” (2 Thess. 3:3) this authority for a short time, or contend that the people of the earth, terrified by the political, economic and spiritual vacuum left in the wake of the rapture of the church, gladly defer to this emerging world leader. In any case, this rider is a conquering world figure, and whatever he does is either enabled or permitted by God.
Three other horsemen soon will appear, bringing war, famine and death to the earth. Together, these four horsemen of the apocalypse are instruments of judgment in the hands of Almighty God.
Next – The second seal (Rev. 6:3-4)
A white horse and its rider (Rev. 6:1-2)
Previously – The first seal (Rev. 6:1-2)
The scripture
Rev. 6:1 –Then I saw the Lamb open one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say with a voice like thunder, “Come!” 2I looked, and there was a white horse. The horseman on it had a bow; a crown was given to him, and he went out as a victor to conquer (HCSB).
Pat Marvenko Smith
Now that Jesus has received the scroll – possibly the title deed to the earth – He opens the first seal. When He does, one of the four living creatures speaks with a thunderous voice, “Come!” (or, possibly, “Come and see!” or “Go!”).
But to whom is he speaking? John already is nearby and sees what takes place. If the command is to go, where is John to go? The living creature doesn’t say.
Some commentators argue that the living creature is calling on the Lamb to come; we see throughout the New Testament a strong desire for Jesus to step into the clouds of heaven and return to earth. Interpreters who hold this view see Jesus as the rider on the white horse.
Others believe the command to “come” or “go” is directed at the riders on their respective horses. This view seems consistent with the text and does not require Jesus to be the rider on the white horse. In any case, the living creature’s thunderous voice lets everyone know something significant is about to happen.
One other note about the living creature: Some scholars believe the living creatures speak in order – the first, like a lion, for example (see Rev. 4:7). The creature’s bold proclamation is like a lion’s roar and ushers in a succession of great revivals beginning in Jerusalem and spreading throughout the world. But this framework is hard to match to all four horses and their riders. It may be better to understand that the living creatures share in the responsibility to pronounce the stunning events to follow; the order of their speaking is not made clear to us and therefore is not of great significance.
Now, John sees a white horse, the first of four horses in this chapter. Again, the ESV Study Bible aids our understanding: “The horses’ colors generally reflect those of the horses in Zech. 1:8–10 and 6:1–8, symbolizing emissaries sent by God to patrol the earth. Only by the Lamb’s permission and under his direction can the forces symbolized by these horses and their riders inflict death through sword, famine, pestilence, and wild beasts. The seal, trumpet, and bowl judgments all have a format of four (judgments on the earth) plus three (cosmic judgments).”
Who is the rider?
But who is the rider on the white horse? We already have mentioned that some commentators think this rider represents Christ, the sword-wielding “Word of God” who rides a white horse in 19:11–16. However, this rider is armed with a bow, which is significant to first-century readers. The Parthians, a frequent enemy on the Roman Empire’s eastern border, are outstanding bowmen, so it’s more likely that this rider symbolizes the quest of neighboring political and military powers to expand their empires, leading to war (red horse), famine (black horse), and epidemic disease (pale horse).
Still others – predominantly futurists – think this rider on the white horse represents the Antichrist.
So how should we see the appearance of the white horse and its powerful rider? First-century Christians certainly could have seen this as an indication of political and military battles that ultimately lead to the fall of Rome and the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem, thus fulfilling Christ’s promise to deal harshly with those who persecute His followers. But political and military conquests have been the norm throughout human history, not just the early days of the church. Even more, the New Testament warns us that the world will become more evil in the days preceding the return of Christ – unprecedented days of persecution and wickedness. The futurist says we have not yet seen these days. Which view is correct? Or are they both right?
Perhaps a better question is: What does God’s Word say to me today? The truths of Revelation remain the same today as they were 2,000 years ago. We know that evil will run rampant throughout the church age; that Christians will be persecuted; that antichrists will oppose the Lamb and seek to take His place (see 1 John 2:18-19); and that one day the Lamb of God will appear as the Lion of the tribe of Judah to make things right. Let’s keep that perspective as we explore a variety of views about the order of events unfolding in Revelation.
Next – A bow and a crown (Rev. 6:1-2)
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