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 fifth seal judgment revealed the souls of those slain because of the word of God and promised vengeance on those dwelling on earth. This seal reveals the Tribulation martyrs rather than all saints of all time, because their murderers are still living.
This seal is introduced differently from the previous four. There is no command by one of the living creatures.
John moves from the altar to the souls of the martyrs. This is the altar of incense before the throne of God. “Underneath” does not mean they are physically under the altar, but that they are lower than it. That these are martyrs is indicated by the reason for their deaths. They were killed for the same two reasons John had been imprisoned on Patmos (1:9), “the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ,” now called “the Lamb.”
Their question is a prayer for divine justice. Their question of “how long” indicates that they anticipate His judging their murderers.
God’s response is to give them white robes. This indicates their holiness. They are then commanded to rest. The timing of God’s vengeance depends on how long it takes for all the martyrs to die. This shows that an individual’s martyrdom is a part of God’s plan, not a failure to protect on God’s part. “Fellow servants and brothers” identify them with those serving God throughout eternity (1:1; 2:30; 11:18). God describes the death of His martyrs as the completion of their “course.” This indicates that martyrdom was a part of their purpose in life.
One might ask how this is a judgment comparable to the previous four. The world will not realize the loss this judgment represents. It is not a judgment on the saints. They are innocent martyrs. Rather, it is the loss of that element of good from the earth that will increase the guilt and subsequent judgments from God.