1I saw that 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 and see!” 2Then a white horse appeared, and he who sat on it had a bow. A crown was given to him, and he came out conquering, and to conquer.
3When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come!” 4Another came out, a red horse. To him who sat on it was given power to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another. There was given to him a great sword.
5When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, “Come and see!” And behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a balance in his hand. 6I heard a voice in the middle of the four living creatures saying, “A choenix of wheat for a denarius, and three choenix of barley for a denarius! Don’t damage the oil and the wine!”
7When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the fourth living creature saying, “Come and see!” 8And behold, a pale horse, and the name of he who sat on it was Death. Hades followed with him. Authority over one fourth of the earth, to kill with the sword, with famine, with death, and by the wild animals of the earth was given to him.
9When he opened the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been killed for the Word of God, and for the testimony of the Lamb which they had. 10They cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, Master, the holy and true, until you judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” 11A long white robe was given to each of them. They were told that they should rest yet for a while, until their fellow servants and their brothers, who would also be killed even as they were, should complete their course.
12I saw when he opened the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake. The sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became as blood. 13The stars of the sky fell to the earth, like a fig tree dropping its unripe figs when it is shaken by a great wind. 14The sky was removed like a scroll when it is rolled up. Every mountain and island was moved out of its place. 15The kings of the earth, the princes, the commanding officers, the rich, the strong, and every slave and free person, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains. 16They told the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, 17for the great day of his wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”
The first seal judgment involves the Antichrist’s conquest of the world.
John continues to describe his vision with “and I saw,” which indicates that the scene is unfolding before him. Jesus, who continues either to take the form of the Lamb or John chooses to give Him that title, opens the first seal. John does not identify which of the four creatures called out, only that one did. A voice like thunder indicates how powerful that angel is. The command, “come,” is directed toward the horseman, not John. Though a few translations add “and see,” the textual evidence strongly suggests it is not in the original manuscript.
John describes the horse first, then its rider. This first seal involves the appearance of a white horse with a rider carrying a bow. The crown given to him is the victor’s wreath, not a ruler’s crown. His role is that of a conqueror.
Interpreters differ on the identity and actions of this rider. Some believe this represents Jesus because Jesus will ride a white horse when He conquers in Revelation 19:11. Against this view is the problem that these events occur at the beginning of the Tribulation, not the end. Also, the other three horsemen bring disasters. It is better to see them as a unit of four. There are also clear differences between this rider and Jesus in 19:11. Where Jesus has a sword, this rider has a bow. Jesus is wearing many diadems, rulers’ crowns, whereas this rider has a victor’s wreath only.
The better view is to see this rider as the Antichrist. He conquers and rules from the beginning of the 70thweek according to Daniel 9:26-27. His connection to the following three horsemen is that his actions initiate their affects on the inhabitants of the Earth.