Revelation 6:5

⁵ When He broke open the third seal, I heard the third living creature call out, Come and look! And I saw, and behold, a black horse, and in his hand the rider had a pair of scales (a balance).

·         Black represents sin.

·         Horse represents power and war.

·         During the last days sin will be very powerful. Men will be lovers of themselves, boastful, prideful, and arrogant.

·         Scales represent judgment.

·         Notice that here again, this rider is first called to come out from Heaven. We have seen, and will see, that all throughout the Book of Revelation, Jesus repeatedly shows John that our Father is in total control of what He is seeing. It is our Father acting and He is acting on His Own timetable.

·         Herein lies a very important Truth. Our Father has to allow the sin to come. Why would He do such a thing? He does to help us. Sin brings destruction and as men are negatively affected by the wages of sin they turn away from themselves and they can turn to the Truth and the Truth will set them free.

·         Our Father controls all things. All things exist by Him, for Him, and through Him, Colossians 1:16.

·         So our Father lets things get out of control during the end times. Men will look to themselves and their world will fall apart. But Jesus does not abandon us, even at our worst.    

Revelation 6:3-4

³ And when He broke the second seal, I heard the second living creature call out, Come!

⁴ And another horse came out, flaming red. And its rider was empowered to take the peace from the earth, so that men slaughtered one another; and he was given a huge sword.

·         Red represents sin and fierce anger.

·         Sin causes men to destroy themselves and others and it removes peace from us.

·         Sword represents the power to punish. So huge punishment is coming on the sin of the earth.

·         But our Father’s punishment is out of love and for its for correction. A loving parent will correct their children, but they do it out of love. Our Father has created all things and He is love, so His wrath is on the actions that harm us, they are not on His children.

·         He doesn’t do or allow these events to get even with us, but to set us free. If our Father were a get even kind of Father, why did He send Jesus in the first place? Why did He not destroy the Israelites in the wilderness? 

·         There is going to be mass salvation during the Great Tribulation, Hebrews 11:12, Revelation 7:9.

·         And it shall come to pass in the last days, God declares, that I will pour out of My Spirit upon all mankind, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy [telling forth the divine counsels] and your young men shall see visions (divinely granted appearances), and your old men shall dream [divinely suggested] dreams. Acts 2:17

·         This rider has no crown, he is not a ruler, his power is only to influence men to kill one another, and he is given power by our Father to have great influence in doing so. We can see this because this rider was given a huge sword. Since there is no crown mentioned with this rider, I believe that he is spiritual. He may be a man, but there is a reason that Jesus clearly showed John that only one rider had a crown. Jesus also showed John that He would conquer with a bow, or conquer from far away, so Jesus’ power to conquer would be angelic, coming first from Heaven. The horse that this horseman rides is red, red represents fierce anger and sin. Have you ever heard the phrase, “His eyes flashed red?” 

·         Jesus will send forces from Heaven that will influence wicked men to destroy each other. Jesus taught us that whatsoever we sow, that shall we reap. So it shouldn’t cause anyone any grief to accept that our Father will cause wicked people, who have harmed one another, to now have the desire to destroy one another. In the last days the wicked will kill one another with a vengeance! But the death of the flesh does not mean that our Father is done with the person. Our spirits can still be corrected in Hades. This is why Jesus went and preached to the souls in Hades when He was crucified.  

·         Also war and its effects often times drive people to help each other and care for each other in ways that they may have never done before. In times of great distress many men can become very loving and compassionate towards each other. I believe that Jesus waging war in righteousness will accomplish the same thing during the end times. There may be major wars and death, but love will not be absent from the earth. I actually believe that a lot of what we are shown deals with our spirits. Our flesh may very well be prospering while are spirits are being killed, or separated from the Truth of our Father. 

·         Moreover [let us also be full of joy now!] let us exult and triumph in our troubles and rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that pressure and affliction and hardship produce patient and unswerving endurance. And endurance (fortitude) develops maturity of character (approved faith and tried integrity). And character [of this sort] produces [the habit of] ^joyful and confident hope of eternal salvation. Such hope never disappoints or deludes or shames us, for God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit Who has been given to us. Romans 5:3-5

Revelation 6:2

² And I looked, and saw there a white horse whose rider carried a bow. And a crown was given him, and he rode forth conquering and to conquer.

·         White represents purity and righteousness.

·         Bow represents conquering evil, taking action over it.

·         Horse represents power and war.

·         Crown represents victory.

·         In the Bible a horse is often used in prophesy to show power and great strength for battle. Job 39:19, Psalm 137:10. Jesus shows John here that this rider has been given great power by our Father; great power to conquer. Jesus also shows John that he has been given a bow to do it with. A bow is a weapon that is used to wage war from a distance, and as we will study, all of the plagues, wars, and catastrophes in the Book of Revelation are first ordered and released from Heaven. Not until Jesus returns to the earth do we see that our Father has Him use a sword, the weapon of close range warfare, Revelation 19:5. 

·         A crown is used in prophesy to represent a ruler or kingship. Now I want you to notice that this horseman is the only one of the four Apocalyptic Horsemen in the Book of Revelation that has been given a crown. We will study about three others, but we are never told that the other three are given a crown. This rider is given the power from our Father in Heaven to conquer and He has been given a crown. Our Father allows this ruler to successfully conquer nations from afar. His authority to rule is solely given by our Father and his power to conquer is solely given to him by our Father. Our Father gave him all of this power and ability to carry out His wrath on the wicked. 

·         Remember Jesus does everything in love. So the correction in the book of Revelation is to make people better, not just to get even with them. Jesus’ correction sets people free from the bondage of sin and the world.

·         I find it really powerful that the color of the horse that this rider is given is white. White in prophesy represents purity. We don’t often think of conquerors as being pure, but this rider’s horse, or his power to rage war, is pure. This shows us that our Father is in total control of the conquering and His judgments are righteous and they are true!

·         Are you seeing anything developing here with the definition of this rider? Ask yourself, Who is now the King of Kings and Lord of Lord’s, 1 Timothy 6:15? Who is now more than a conqueror, Romans 8:37? (This verse tells us that we are more than conquerors, but we are, only because Jesus is!) Who has now had all things placed under His feet, Ephesians 1:22? Who now holds the keys of death and Hell, Revelation 1:18? And Who rides on a white horse in Revelation 19:11? The answer to all of the questions is Jesus and only Jesus! 

·         Who better than Jesus to go and rage righteous and pure warfare on the wicked? Who has our Father placed in charge of His judgments? Jesus is the One Who has been raised up to sit in Heavenly places. 

·         And in Your majesty ride on triumphantly for the cause of truth, humility, and righteousness (uprightness and right standing with God); and let Your right hand guide You to tremendous things. Your arrows are sharp; the peoples fall under You; Your darts pierce the hearts of the King's enemies. Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; the scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. You love righteousness, uprightness, and right standing with God and hate wickedness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness above Your fellows.  Psalm 45:4-7

·         The First Horseman has a crown, because the first Horseman is Jesus! Jesus begins to pour out our Father’s wrath from Heaven. He has not returned to the earth when He begins to pour out our Father’s wrath on the wicked. We know this because the seventh Trumpet, the final trumpet, has not yet been sounded. The last day for the earth as it stands and is ruled now has not yet occurred.

·         The great peace for us in knowing this Truth, is that our Father is in total control of His wrath and He is pouring it out through our Lord and our Friend, Jesus, John 15:15. So ask yourself this question: why would we need raptured from the wrath of our Father, when the Rider of the White Horse, is our Lord and Savior? Jesus’ Blood has been applied to our lives and just as it was with the Israelites in Egypt, the wrath of our Father will pass us by! 

·         But [you were purchased] with the precious blood of Christ (the Messiah), like that of a [sacrificial] lamb without blemish or spot. 1 Peter 1:19

Revelation 6:1

Then I saw as the Lamb broke open one of the seven seals, and as if in a voice of thunder I heard one of the four living creatures call out, Come!

·         As we will see over the next several chapters our Father’s wrath will be poured out.

·         The Truth is we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and spirits of darkness in high places.

·        For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the despotisms, against the powers, against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere. Ephesians 6:12

·         The Truth is also our weapons are not physical but spiritual.

·         For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds, 2 Corinthians 10:4

·         These verses in Ephesians and 2 Corinthians are true for our Father as well. He is not against His Own children; He is against the things that harm us and the forces that come against us. His wrath is towards the things that separate us and His wrath is in love and what He does will actually unite us. We are told in the Bible that every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord. It may take some time, but one day we will all be united. 

·         By Jesus breaking the seal we are shown that He is in control of what is happening. He owns it. We also know that Jesus never changes, so He will act in love just like He did when He was here on the earth 2000 years ago. 

Revelation 5:13-14

¹³ And I heard every created thing in heaven and on earth and under the earth [in Hades, the place of departed spirits] and on the sea and all that is in it, crying out together, To Him Who is seated on the throne and to the Lamb be ascribed the blessing and the honor and the majesty (glory, splendor) and the power (might and dominion) forever and ever (through the eternities of the eternities)!

·         Everyone will confess that Jesus as Lord.

·         No one can deny the Truth that Jesus was and still is victorious! Even those who are in Hades, who denied Him when they were alive cannot deny Him. Also notice that those who are in Hades confess and are aware of what is happening. There are those who believe that when we die, we fall asleep and are unaware of what is happening. Not so, whether we are in Hades or in Heaven, those whose flesh has died still have spirits that are alive and aware. We will see this Truth again in later chapters.

·         And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, who kept talking with Him. Then Peter began to speak and said to Jesus, Lord, it is good and delightful that we are here; if You approve, I will put up three booths here—one for You and one for Moses and one for Elijah. Matthew 17:3-4   

¹⁴ Then the four living creatures (beings) said, Amen (so be it)! And the elders [of the heavenly Sanhedrin] prostrated themselves and worshiped Him Who lives forever and ever.

·         We are now five Chapters into Revelation and I want you to notice that we haven’t heard much about the wrath. We have seen a lot of glory and a lot of telling us of our unity and victory through Christ.

·         Also notice that nothing in Revelation has been all that complicated.

Revelation 5:10-12

¹⁰ And You have made them a kingdom (royal race) and priests to our God, and they shall reign [as kings] over the earth!

·         We are one with Jesus right now, as He is, so are we, 1 John 4:17 teaches us this Truth. Jesus is Royalty, so we are royalty too.

·         The elders testify and they sing praises that those who will be chosen by God become one with Him. They proclaim that as Jesus is, so are we on the earth. In Revelation 1:6, Jesus tells John to tell us that through Him, we are now Kings and Priests to God. And here John is hearing the twenty-four elders, and He knows them specifically as elders, proclaiming that we are Kings and Priests. John is hearing the elders of Heaven proclaim that we reign on the earth. How cool is this? Think of John being up there in the presence of all of these things and hearing Jesus, the elders, and the angels all saying that we are Kings and Priests! 

·         Notice that we are shown who and what we are in Jesus’ Revelation before we are ever shown the wrath that is coming.

·         The Truth that sets us free is some great stuff! Through Christ we are now more than conquerors, Romans 8:37. We have been raised up together, and we now sit together with our Lord in Heavenly places Ephesians 2:6. Jesus is far greater within us than anything that is in the world, 1 John 4:4. And as Jesus is, so are we now in this world. Today is the day of our salvation, and now is our appointed time, 2 Corinthians 6:2. We are Kings and we are Priests, because we are one with the King. We have the whole armor of our Father just as Jesus has it, and whatsoever thing that we are led to bind by our Head is bound, and whatsoever thing we lose, is loosed, Matthew 16:19. We are empowered and led to forgive sins and they are forgiven. We have the very Spirit of our Father teaching and plainly showing us all things to come because we now have the mind of Christ, 1 Corinthians 2:16. This is our salvation and the elders of our Father sing praises about the Truth of who we now are in Christ!

¹¹ Then I looked, and I heard the voices of many angels on every side of the throne and of the living creatures and the elders [of the heavenly Sanhedrin], and they numbered ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands,

·         We are shown here that Jesus is super victorious.

·         Angels are messengers and we can see that Jesus’ message is being proclaimed everywhere by tons of different beings.

·         The earth is the Lord’s and His message is being spoken to every nation, tongue, and tribe.

¹² Saying in a loud voice, Deserving is the Lamb, Who was sacrificed, to receive all the power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and majesty (glory, splendor) and blessing!

·         Jesus is worthy; millions upon millions testify of this Truth, all of the inhabitants of Heaven are in full agreement. And here is the really powerful Truth for us: Jesus gave all of His power and glory to us as well! 

·         And the glory which Thou gavest Me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are One; I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be made perfect in One; and that the world may know that Thou hast sent Me, and hast loved them, as Thou hast loved Me. John 17:22-23

·         It is Jesus’ glory to be a King and a Priest, and He gave all of His glory to us as well. And He did it as only God can, He did it by actually making us one with Himself. We do not share these things as partners, we share them as one body. We share them just as a Head shares everything with its body: the arms, legs, hands, eyes, ears, whatever part are all one. 

·         Also Jesus isn’t showing John all of the people praising Him because He is a narcissist. He is showing us these things because we know that His victory is our victory. His glory is our glory and His love is our love. Before we are shown wrath on disobedience we are shown a victory that we are very much a part of.

Revelation 5:7-9

⁷ He then went and took the scroll from the right hand of Him Who sat on the throne.

⁸ And when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders [of the heavenly Sanhedrin] prostrated themselves before the Lamb. Each was holding a harp (lute or guitar), and they had golden bowls full of incense (fragrant spices and gums for burning), which are the prayers of God’s people (the saints).

·         Right along with glorifying Jesus, we see our prayers. Our Father has provided the answer for us through His power in Christ. Through Christ, we ask and receive, and our Father’s answers are yes and a-men, 2 Corinthians 1:20! Our prayers are fragrant to our Father, He is not burdened by them, and they bring Him glory to produce much fruit through us, John 15:8. I think that it is really cool that we see the power in Heaven glorifying Jesus, and as they are, they are carrying our prayers. Jesus receives His glory by serving us, John 17:10! It is such a great Truth that Jesus ever lives to intercede for us and there is such peace in knowing that He will never leave us or forsake us, even during the Great Tribulation!

·         The leadership of Heaven acknowledges and agrees that Jesus and God are One. They not only acknowledge it, they sing about it. This Truth brings joy and is celebrated in Heaven, as it should be celebrated on the earth, because we are one with Jesus, so through Him, we are also one with God. We see that our Father’s will is fulfilled and there is victory and glory in it! And all of Heaven acknowledges and knows the Truth.

·         We also sing because Jesus stands in the gap for us. We all mess up, Romans 3. But that doesn’t matter, what matters is that Jesus was and is successful and He is responsible for making us all that our Father wants us to be. Jesus is the Head and we are the body. 

⁹ And [now] they sing a new song, saying, You are worthy to take the scroll and to break the seals that are on it, for You were slain (sacrificed), and with Your blood You purchased men unto God from every tribe and language and people and nation.

·         Jesus’ victory is celebrated in Heaven. It is celebrated because the Old Covenant of works has been done away with, now there is only Grace and Grace is free.  

·         Jesus’ victory is for all men, nations, tribes and tongues, Romans 5:18.

·         A seal represents ownership. Jesus is responsible for all that is going to happen.

·         Jesus is responsible for all mankind, John 17:2. So He is responsible for correcting us and His correction is a blessing, Hebrews 12.

·         The elders in Heaven testify as to why Jesus is worthy. Once again we are shown order and accountability with all that our Father does. The elders acknowledge the Truth that Jesus is for the whole earth. Notice that the elders proclaim that Jesus purchased men from every nation, every tongue, and every tribe. Our Father has chosen ones from everywhere, each nation, tongue, and tribe, the whole earth.

·         Jesus is amongst all of the churches, Revelation 2 and 3.

·         Also notice the term that the elders sing, “Jesus purchased us.” We are God’s possession and that makes Him responsible for us. He created us. God is our Father, He is the Gardener, Jesus is our Shepherd, Jesus is our Head, and we are His body. Jesus is the Vine and we are the branches that have been grafted into Him. Everywhere we look in the Bible, we see that we are the possessions of God. We see that He is in total control and that His will is always accomplished. 

·         So many seem to think that our lives are in our own hands, they believe that we choose and we decide what we are going to do. The sad truth is that so many believe, and teach, that our Father will only act on our behalf, if we allow Him to, or if we have the faith for Him to. Let me tell you the Truth that will set you free, our Father is the One Who is leading and guiding us. He is our Head, and He is the One Who causes things to happen in our lives. Our Father doesn’t react to our actions, we respond to His! If anything needs done in our lives, our Father is the One who empowers it. It is our Father’s power and strength, doing all things through us. Just as the Head tells the hand what to do and empowers it to do it. That is how we are, not robots, but part of the Body of the Living God!

Revelation 5:6

⁶ And there between the throne and the four living creatures (beings) and among the elders [of the heavenly Sanhedrin] I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God [the sevenfold Holy Spirit] Who have been sent [on duty far and wide] into all the earth.

·         7 Horns, show us our Father’s Absolute Rule.

·         7 Eyes, God perfectly sees all.

·         7 Spirits: Isaiah 11:2 And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him—the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the reverential and obedient fear of the Lord—

·         Jesus keeps showing John the Seven Fold Spirit of our Father. Jesus is constantly reminding John of what the Holy Spirit is actually doing for us. John again sees that the Holy Spirit is causing us to be wise and to understand all of the Truth. He is causing us to be mighty, He is counseling us, and He is causing us to have knowledge and to have reverence for our Father. The Holy Spirit is also causing us to be obedient. Jesus shows John here that the Holy Spirit is in all of the earth. The Truth is that the Holy Spirit is in all of the earth as the seven seals are being opened by Jesus. This is very important to see because many people believe that the Holy Spirit is removed from the earth at this time. They believe that the Holy Spirit is removed from this world and then because He is removed, the anti-christ is allowed to come into power. They teach this from a verse in 2 Thessalonians. 

·         For the mystery of lawlessness (that hidden principle of rebellion against constituted authority) is already at work in the world, [but it is] restrained only until he who restrains is taken out of the way. 2 Thessalonians 2:7

·         Our Father only has Paul write in 2 Thessalonians that the Holy Ghost is restraining the anti-christ and that there will come a time when He is removed from doing so. Our Father in omnipotent and so is His Spirit, which is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is everywhere all of the time. He cannot remove Himself from the earth, because there is nowhere that He isn’t. The Holy Spirit can allow things to happen though and He can stop things from happening, that is what our Father had Paul write about the anti-christ’s ability to come to power. Our Father only had Paul write the Holy Spirit would stop preventing the anti-christ, not that He would remove the Holy Spirit from the earth. Just wait until we study in later chapters where the anti-christ is being held right now! The anti-christ is not what many people think he is!

·         Many will try and bring peace to you by saying that we are not here on the earth during this time of the Great Tribulation. They will take verses out of context, but we have the Holy Spirit and we cannot be deceived. Through our Father’s power the greatest Truth of the Book of Revelation brings us peace and that Truth is that for the first time ever the Gospel of the Kingdom will be preached to every nation, every tongue, and every tribe! The time of the great Tribulation will also be the time of the greatest evangelistic movement the world has ever seen. 

·         And I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you shall heed My ordinances and do them. Ezekiel 36:27

·         Notice that John sees Jesus standing between the Throne and the living creatures that see everything. This shows us that Jesus is interceding for us. He is our sacrifice that covers our sin.

·         Therefore He is able also to save to the uttermost (completely, perfectly, finally, and for all time and eternity) those who come to God through Him, since He is always living to make petition to God and intercede with Him and intervene for them. Hebrews 7:25

Revelation 5:5

⁵ Then one of the elders [of the heavenly Sanhedrin] said to me, Stop weeping! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root (Source) of David, has won (has overcome and conquered)! He can open the scroll and break its seven seals!

·         Notice that the elder shares the Truth that Jesus has won. The elder does not tell John that Jesus will win, but that He has won! Jesus is the only power that can unleash the Truth. For those of us that are saved, there comes great victory with the unsealing of the scroll, for those who are not saved, great tribulation. Either way Jesus is in complete control of breaking open the seals. For us, His body, His friends, this brings peace, because the Truth sets us free. The opening of the Seven Seals brings us peace because we are one with Jesus and we have passed from death unto life, just as Jesus has. Through Christ we are not appointed unto wrath and there is now no condemnation for us, Romans 8:1. So let the seals be broken and let the Truth and the consequences of the Truth rush from the scroll, the perfect love our Father has cast out all fear from us as the events of Revelation are taking place. 

·         [God] disarmed the principalities and powers that were ranged against us and made a bold display and public example of them, in triumphing over them in Him and in it [the cross]. Colossians 2:15

·         And the Ever-living One [I am living in the eternity of the eternities]. I died, but see, I am alive forevermore; and I possess the keys of death and Hades (the realm of the dead). Revelation 1:18

·         Jesus is strong enough to make the secrets of God known to us. That is why He came, not just so that we could spend eternity with our Father, but so that everything that God is and everything that He has could be made known to us, John 17:26. The front and the back of the scroll is filled with our Father’s Truth, and Jesus makes it all known to us. This is our Lord’s Revelation of the Truth and it is our Father’s will that we know it in its entirety! 

·         Also during the last days our Father’s Spirit will be poured out on all men.

·         And it shall come to pass in the last days, God declares, that I will pour out of My Spirit upon all mankind, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy [telling forth the divine counsels] and your young men shall see visions (divinely granted appearances), and your old men shall dream [divinely suggested] dreams. Acts 2:17

·         The last days will bring revelation upon revelation. There will be messages of power and Truth as the world has never seen before. The power of Christ will flow through us and we will be used to do the works that Jesus was used to do and our Father will even do greater works through us, John 14:12.

Revelation 5:1-4

And I saw lying on the open hand of Him Who was seated on the throne a scroll (book) written within and on the back, closed and sealed with seven seals;

·         A scroll is a message.

·         Seven Represents God’s timing. God’s perfect number, our Father's perfect message.

·    The message has writing on both the front and the back, so the message of our Lord and Savior is complete, Revelation 1:1. Everything is being shown to us in its entirety.

·         Our Father’s hand is open, meaning He holds nothing back from us. We have the Holy Spirit Who teaches us all things. 

² And I saw a strong angel announcing in a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the scroll? And [who is entitled and deserves and is morally fit] to break its seals?

·         The angels message is loud and clear. We are empowered by the Holy Spirit to proclaim the same message: that Jesus is worthy and capable of completely saving us. 

³ And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth [in the realm of the dead, Hades] was able to open the scroll or to take a [single] look at its contents.

⁴ And I wept audibly and bitterly because no one was found fit to open the scroll or to inspect it.

·         Remember what John told us in Revelation 1: that he was controlled by the Holy Spirit, that he was wrapped in His power when all of these things began to be shown to him. What is happening here is the Holy Spirit is giving John a great desire to see the Truth. At this moment John needs to see this scroll opened, because Jesus had just told him that He was going to show him everything that was to come in its entirety. John was empowered by the Holy Spirit to desire to see the perfect will of our Father. The same Holy Spirit dwells within us causing us to desire the Truth as well.

·         There are a lot of people in the church that have no desire to read the Revelation of Jesus, beware of these people. If a person is truly born again there is a desire in them to know the Truth, because the Truth is what sets us all free, John 8:32.