Revelation 5:1-7 NKJV And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals. 2 Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?” 3 And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at it. 4 So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open [a]and read the scroll, or to look at it. 5 But one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and [b]to loose its seven seals.” 6 And I looked, [c]and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. 

What is a seal? As a noun, dictionary.com tells us that it’s used as evidence of authority. Remember in the introduction I spoke of knowing who God speaks to? The seals are like mail addressed to the church that only one is worthy can open. Jesus was obedient to death on the cross and He is found worthy to open the seals. What does this tell us? Could this mean that these seals begin from Jesus’ ascension in Acts 1? 

First Seal 

Revelation 6:1-2 NKJV Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the [a]seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, “Come and see.” 2 And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer. 

Allow me a moment to put on my teacher hat: ‘crown’ in Greek is ‘stephanos’ meaning to twine or wreath. It’s a badge of royalty, a prize in the public games, or a symbol of honor. Back to investigator, we see a white horse with a rider that is not identified, who has a bow, crown, went out conquering and to conquer. 

What does this mean or represent? Since the crown isn’t a king’s diadem, could this be about someone who overcomes? 

Psalm 7:11-12 NKJV 11 God is a just judge, And God is angry with the wicked every day. 12 If he does not turn back, He will sharpen His sword; He bends His bow and makes it ready. 

Isaiah 1:18 NKJV 18 “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool. 

Romans 8:37 NKJV 37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 

2 Timothy 4:7-8 NKJV 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing. 

Revelation 12:11 NKJV 11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. 

Why would Scripture connect a white horse, overcoming, righteousness, and a stephanos crown if they were completely unrelated themes? Could these passages be describing the same spiritual reality from different perspectives? 

• White horse - White as snow 

• Bow (no arrows) - God has His bow bent and ready even in anger 

• Crown - Crown of Righteousness 

• Conquering - More than Conquerors 

• To Conquer - Overcame by the blood of the Lamb 

This investigation is not intended to close the discussion, but to begin it. The evidence presented here is an invitation to continue searching the Scriptures for yourself. As you compare Scripture with Scripture, ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom, remembering that He never contradicts the Word He inspired. 

Second Seal 

Revelation 6:3-4 NKJV 3 When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come [b]and see.” 4 Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword. 

If the first seal points toward believers overcoming through Christ, what happens when peace is removed from the earth? Does Scripture describe this removal of peace elsewhere? 

Isaiah 63:2 NKJV 2 Why is Your apparel red, And Your garments like one who treads in the winepress? 

Revelation 19:15 NKJV 15 Now out of His mouth goes a [a]sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 

John 16:33 NKJV 33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you [a]will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” 

Matthew 10:34 NKJV 34 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. 

Hebrews 4:12a NKJV 12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, 

Ephesians 6:17 NKJV 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 

Revelation 1:16 NKJV 16 He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. 

• Fiery Red Horse - Red garments from winepress (Jesus treads the winepress) 

• Peace Removed - Find Peace in Jesus 

• People should kill one another - Result of no peace 

• Has a great sword (doesn’t strike?) - God's Word is called a sword 

Whether these scriptures fully or partially explain the second seal, it brings us questions to our mind. Why fiery red? Why a horse? Why doesn’t the rider use the great sword? Why isn’t this rider named just like in seal one? What kind of world do you see without peace? 

If I may make a suggestion, take a moment to ask the Lord to help you understand what is meant with this second seal. 

Third Seal 

Revelation 6:5-6 NKJV 5 When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come and see.” So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales[c] in his hand. 6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, “A [d]quart of wheat for a [e]denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine.” 

If the seals begin with Jesus’ ascension, what does the color black represent and why is it associated with imbalance by the scales in the riders’ hand? What can cause an imbalance? Could it mean drought or something that affects the availability of wheat or basic necessities? 

Jeremiah 14:2 KJV 2 Judah mourneth, and the gates thereof languish; they are black unto the ground; and the cry of Jerusalem is gone up. 

Jeremiah 14:4 NKJV 4 Because the ground is parched, For there was no rain in the land, The plowmen were ashamed; They covered their heads. Notice, the rider is not using the scales. There’s a pattern evolving. I’ll bring that more to light once we’re through the fourth seal. What about the voice? Notice that John never says the rider announces the prices. Instead, John hears 'a voice in the midst of the four living creatures' speaking. The rider possesses the scales, but another voice declares the value of the wheat and barley. Why? Is that distinction important? 

What is a denarius? 

Matthew 20:2 NKJV 2 Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 

If a denarius is a day’s wage, then it appears that the normal wage no longer supports normal purchases. And what does ‘do not harm the oil and wine’ mean? Why are wheat and barley carefully measured, yet oil and wine are protected? 

Luke 11:3 NKJV 3 Give us day by day our daily bread. Jesus taught His disciples to pray for their daily bread. 

Could this connection help explain why wheat appears here? Or is Scripture inviting us to look even deeper? 

Just as peace is found in Jesus, so our daily bread is found through Him. Notice the distinction in cost between wheat and barley. Why would Scripture distinguish between them? How about the oil and wine? 

James 5:14 NKJV 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 

1 Timothy 5:12 NKJV 23 No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your stomach’s sake and your frequent [a]infirmities. 

1 Peter 2:24 NKJV 24 who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose [a]stripes you were healed. Oil and wine appear together elsewhere in Scripture. Oil is associated with anointing, while wine was used medicinally. Could this explain why the voice says not to harm them? Or is Scripture pointing us toward another purpose?" 

• Black horse - Drought / Mourning 

• Scales - The rider is not using the scales 

• Voice - Not the rider? 

• A Quart of Wheat - Daily Bread (prayer) 

• Denarius - A day’s wage 

• Wheat - Wheat requires an entire day's wage. 

• Barley - Barley provides three times as much for the same wage. 

• Do not harm oil or wine - Healing or is there more? 

The more questions we ask of Scripture, the more Scripture answers with Scripture. Whether these passages fully explain the third seal or simply add to the evidence, the investigation reminds us to slow down, observe carefully, and allow God's Word to interpret itself. Continue asking. Continue searching. The journey is far from over. 

Fourth Seal 

Revelation 6:7-8 NKJV 7 When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come and see.” 8 So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And [f]power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth. 

The color of this horse is pale. 

Jeremiah 30:6 NKJV 6 Ask now, and see, Whether a [a]man is ever in [b]labor with child? So why do I see every man with his hands on his loins Like a woman in labor, And all faces turned pale? What happens to a person’s face when they feel intense pain and distress? The Bible uses that imagery here in the fourth seal. Does this mean that this seal is like a woman in labor with birth pangs? 

Did you catch the change in the fourth seal? The rider is identified as Death and he has power over a fourth of the earth. The first three seal riders were not identified and the tools they had in their hands were not in use. Also, Hades follows him. Is there a difference between Death and Hades? 

Hebrews 9:27 NKJV 27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, 

2 Corinthians 5:6-8 NKJV 6 So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. 7 For we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. 

Comparing these passages suggests a distinction between Death and Hades. 

Death claims the body, yet the soul continues to exist. If so, where does the soul go after death? 

Acts 2:27 NKJV 27 For You will not leave my soul in Hades, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. 

What did Christ do when He died on the cross? Christ has been the central theme of the first three seals. Is He still the central theme in the fourth seal? 

Colossians 1:14 NKJV 14 in whom we have redemption [a]through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. What can Death and Hades do with their power over a fourth of the earth? “To kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth.” 

What is the sword? A sword is a weapon that can kill and defend. 

Isaiah 21:15 NKJV 15 For they fled from the swords, from the drawn sword, From the bent bow, and from the distress of war. 

Hebrews 4:12 NKJV 12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 

They are authorized to kill with hunger. Hunger is just one type of death among many, but as we examine these specific forms of death, let's also see how Jesus responds to each one. 

Matthew 5:6 NKJV 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled. 

Matthew 4:4 NKJV 4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ” 

God fed Elijah during the famine. David testified that he had not seen the righteous forsaken nor their descendants begging bread. Jesus fed the five thousand and later the four thousand. 

1 Corinthians 15:55 NKJV 55 “O[a] Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” 

Death and Hades are authorized to kill with death. Why would John, the Beloved add ‘death’ in here again? It’s the same word in Greek for His name as it is used here. There are several scriptures that mention something twice. Could that be that this is important and that’s why it is mentioned here twice? I wonder, another way to see this is that there are many ways to die and including it here a second time may cover those other kinds of death. How do you see this ‘second’ time ‘death’ is mentioned in the fourth seal? They are also authorized to ‘kill’ with beasts of the earth. 

Ezekiel 14:21 NKJV 21 For thus says the Lord God: “How much more it shall be when I send My four [a]severe judgments on Jerusalem—the sword and famine and wild beasts and pestilence—to cut off man and beast from it? 

• Pale Horse - Pain, distress, sickness 

• Rider has a name - Death 

• Death - The body dies 

• Hades - A place for a soul after the body dies 

• Have power/authority - This horse has power and uses it unlike the first 3 seals 

• Fourth of the Earth - Limited Authority 

• Sword - Weapon that can kill or defend 

• Hunger - Jesus takes care of His own 

• Death - Mentioned again? Twice - important 

• Beasts of the earth - One of the four judgments 

Here's something interesting to note: 

• Seal 1 - Do you see Christ give Righteousness? 

• Seal 2 - Do you see Christ give Peace? 

• Seal 3 - Do you see Christ give us Daily Bread? 

• Seal 4 - Do you see Christ give us Life after Death? 

In your journey thus far, what do you see of the first four seals? 

Fifth Seal 

Revelation 6:9-11 NKJV 9 When He 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 which they held. 10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” 11 Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed. 

Let’s pause and look at the progression of the first four seals leading into the fifth seal. 

• Seal 1 - Overcomes / Conquers - Christ conquers 

• Seal 2 - Removes Peace - Christ becomes peace 

• Seal 3 - Economic Imbalance - Christ provides 

• Seal 4 - Death and Hades - Christ is life 

Did you notice when you read Revelation 6 on the 5th seal that there is no horse for the 5th seal. This change brings us to this question, why does John the beloved, the author of Revelation use horses in the first 4 seals? Is it because a distant watcher will see the progression of the horse as it gets closer to the watcher? With the riders far away, what do we see? We see the dust of the horses’ hooves flying around the rider and the horse, but we cannot identify who the rider is. We don’t know if the rider is good or evil, for us or against us. As this ‘dust’ gets closer, we’re able to see more. We’re able to see the rider, what he/she is holding, wearing, doing, etc. 

Matthew 24:4-5 NKJV 4 And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. 

With Jesus’ warning regarding the beginning of sorrows, or the beginning of the end, is it possible Jesus is telling us that when we see these riders get closer, not to ‘misidentify’ them? And when I mean ‘see these riders’, see what the first four seals tell us? Could these seals be showing us things that began following Christ's ascension and have continued to develop throughout the Church Age, becoming increasingly recognizable as the riders draw nearer? 

Using seal two as an example, what happens when peace is removed? When people are not at peace, how do they act, especially to ‘what can I do to get my peace back’? The question we need to ask is how do the people on the earth react when these seals are realized? The representation of ‘horses approaching’ explains how the first four seals look from when Christ ascended until now. 

Let’s continue with seal five. Seal 5 shows us what happens to those who die by martyr, die for Christ Jesus. 

Could seal 5 be a continuation of seal 4 by being specific to martyrdom? What is an altar of souls? 

Leviticus 17:11 NKJV 11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.’ Earlier we observed Hades as one location associated with departed souls. Here Revelation introduces another location: beneath the altar, where the souls of martyrs are seen. Dying as a martyr is a sacrifice. Seal five appears to show us the result of the sacrifice. 

Acts 7:59-60 NKJV 59 And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep. Did you notice that Stephen is the first recorded martyr in the Bible after Jesus ascended? 

John 20:31 NKJV 31 but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name. 

John 3:16 NKJV 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 

Matthew 28:5-6 NKJV 5 But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. 

The Bible is specific in showing us where martyred souls ‘wait’ while the earth continues to move forward in time. Yet, these martyred souls are not quiet. What do they say? “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” And what answer do they receive? “Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.” 

What is the purpose of the fifth seal? Is it to show us what happens when someone is martyred? It can be encouraging. Why do they need to wait? Their number is not complete, but what are they doing in the meanwhile? Resting. 

• Seal 1 - Overcomes / Conquers - Christ conquers 

• Seal 2 - Removes Peace - Christ becomes peace 

• Seal 3 - Economic Imbalance Christ provides 

• Seal 4 - Death and Hades - Christ is life 

• Seal 5 - Martyrdom - Resting while patiently waiting 

While they wait, what is God doing? Here we are approximately 2,000 years later waiting. What are we waiting for? His return. Are you watching and praying? 

If you reached the end of this teaching, you will know that there is a sixth and seventh seal. I will post a separate teaching on those two.