New Testament · Prophecy

Revelation 6

The Four Horsemen

Conquest, war, famine, and death ride out as the first four seals are broken. The martyrs cry out from under the altar: how long, O Lord?

Berean Standard Bible BSB KJV

1Then I watched as the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, “Come!”

2So I looked and saw a white horse, and its rider held a bow. And he was given a crown, and he rode out to overcome and conquer.

3And when the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!”

4Then another horse went forth. It was bright red, and its rider was granted permission to take away peace from the earth and to make men slay one another. And he was given a great sword.

5And when the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!”

6And I heard what sounded like a voice from among the four living creatures, saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not harm the oil and wine.”

7And when the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!”

8Then I looked and saw a pale green horse. Its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed close behind. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill by sword, by famine, by plague, and by the beasts of the earth.

9And when the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony they had upheld.

10And they cried out in a loud voice, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge those who dwell upon the earth and avenge our blood?”

11Then each of them was given a white robe and told to rest a little while longer until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers, were killed, just as they had been killed.

12And I watched as the Lamb opened the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black like sackcloth of goat hair, and the whole moon turned blood red,

13and the stars of the sky fell to the earth like unripe figs dropping from a tree shaken by a great wind.

14The sky receded like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved from its place.

15Then the kings of the earth, the nobles, the commanders, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and free man hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains.

16And they said to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the One seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb.

17For the great day of Their wrath has come, and who is able to withstand it?”

Understand This

Revelation 6, explained

What Revelation 6 is saying

The Lamb opens the first six seals in rapid succession. The first four release the iconic four horsemen—conquest (or pestilence), war, famine, and death—representing the recurring catastrophes of human history. The fifth seal reveals the souls of martyrs under the heavenly altar crying out for justice (heōs pote), and the sixth seal unleashes cosmic upheaval as the 'great day of wrath' arrives. The chapter ends with the terrified cry of earth's inhabitants: 'Who can stand?'

The background behind it

The four horsemen draw on Zechariah 1:8–17 and 6:1–8, where colored horses patrol the earth. The specific imagery of conquest, war, famine, and death would have resonated with first-century audiences familiar with Parthian cavalry threats, civil wars, grain shortages, and plague. The cosmic disturbances echo Old Testament 'Day of the Lord' language from Joel 2, Isaiah 13, and Isaiah 34.

Themes running underneath

The seal judgments reveal that the catastrophes of history are not random but unfold under the Lamb's sovereign authority. The martyrs' cry introduces the theodicy question that runs through the Apocalypse: how long will God permit injustice? The white robes and command to 'rest a little longer' affirm both vindication and the mystery of divine timing.

Why it still matters

The martyrs' prayer legitimizes honest questioning of God about the persistence of evil. The chapter refuses to offer easy answers but situates suffering within a framework of ultimate divine sovereignty and coming justice.

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Scripture text: Berean Standard Bible — used by permission, Bible Hub.