REVELATION SIMPLIFIED

 

CHAPTER 6.5

Gleanings from the Book of Revelation:

A Weekly Verse-by-Verse Bible Study Series

 

The

REVELATION TO JOHN

(The Apocalypse)

 

Chapter Six

 

 

(Verse 5-6)

 

And when He had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.

 

Continuing the study: Jesus opens the third seal. Then, John hears the third living creature say, "Come and see." And again, a command is given to a horseman.

 

A black horse

3. Horseman Number Three (The Third Seal)

Following the red horse is one riding on a black horse. The colour black is generally associated with mourning. Lamentation is symbolic of famine, hunger, and starvation, a consequence of war. The scenario John graphically describes is worldwide where food supplies are destroyed. Of all previous world famines, this event is the most devastating thus far.

 

As a precursor to Tribulation, early examples of famines are given in the stories of Abraham and Joseph:

Genesis 12:10 – And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land.

 

Genesis 41:56 - And the famine was over all the face of the earth: And Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold unto the Egyptians; and the famine waxed sore in the land of Egypt.

 

Hunger and starvation are graphically described elsewhere in Scripture:

Lamentations 4:8-9 - Their visage (appearance) is blacker than a coal; they are not known in the streets: their skin cleaveth to their bones; it is withered, it is become like a stick. They that be slain with the sword are better than they that be slain with hunger: for these pine (waster, rot) away, stricken through for want of the fruits of the field.

 

Lamentations 5:10 - Our skin was black like an oven because of the terrible famine.

 

Later, in His punishment for Judah, the Lord said:

Jeremiah 4:27-29 - For thus hath the LORD said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end. For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be black: because I have spoken it, I have purposed it, and will not repent, neither will I turn back from it. At the sound of the horseman and bowman every city flees; They go into the thickets and climb among the rocks; Every city is forsaken, And no man dwells in them.

 

Of course, whenever there are famine conditions, inflation surely skyrockets as a result. Food rationing lines, more severe than the Great Depression, will be global.

 

And he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand

A pair of balances or scales pictures the rationing of food and the weighing of commodities. Money, silver, and gold will render worthless as found in the following examples:

Ezekiel 7:19 – They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be removed: their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD: they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels: because it is the stumblingblock (obstacle) of their iniquity (perversity, evil sin).

 

James 5:1, 3 - Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you…Your gold and silver is cankered (corroded); and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.

 

And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.

Although there are several meanings for the word measure, the Greek word John uses is choinix, meaning a dry weight measurement (about sixteen American ounces). Wheat, a common grain representing bread, is conducive to food rationing that will ensue. Eating bread by weight is a Jewish phrase, thus indicating that food is scarce.

Such was predicted earlier:

Ezekiel 4:16 - Moreover He said unto me, Son of man, behold, I will break the staff of bread in Jerusalem: and they shall eat bread by weight, and with care; and they shall drink water by measure, and with astonishment.

 

Leviticus 26:26 - And when I have broken the staff of your bread, ten women shall bake your bread in one oven, and they shall deliver you your bread again by weight: and ye shall eat, and not be satisfied.

 

There are four major commodities here in play:

1.   Wheat

2.   Barley

3.   Oil

4.   Wine

 

A brief discussion of these will give a clearer understanding of the conditions during this judgment.

1. A measure of wheat for a penny

Wheat is the leading source of vegetable protein and is grown in more land areas worldwide. Primarily, it is highly nutritious to curb world hunger.

 

A Penny in Greek is dēnarion. The word of Latin origin means a denarius. Generally, it is plural and twice rendered pennyworth. This was the basic Roman silver coin worth sixteen cents and equivalent to an average day's wages for a laborer. It was at best a minimum for only one person, leaving naught for others in a household. Hence, starvation became commonplace.

                                                           

2. Three measures of barley for a penny

Barley was usually a symbol of poverty. It is a long-haired grain lower in nutritional value and primarily used as fodder for cattle, horses, camels, and donkeys when oats were unavailable.

 

When barley is baked,  it produces a black round flatbread that was eaten by poor folk and slaves. Besides, three measures of barley were considered the daily famine ration of the common Roman foot soldier, especially during punishment or imprisonment. Barley loaves were also multiplied by Jesus to feed the five thousand (cf. John 6:9).

The account reads:

John 6:9-11 - There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes… So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, He distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.

 

Additionally, barely was significant to the storyline of Ruth.

Ruth 1:22 - So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter in law, with her, which returned out of the country of Moab: and they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest.

 

3. And see thou hurt (harm, damage, waste) not the oil

The third commodity associated with the black horse is oil, chiefly olive oil, and was evidence of prosperity. Oil had several important functional uses in Bible times. Some uses are explained:

1.   In food preparation, as a substitute for butter (see I Kings 17:12-16)

2.   In offerings when mixed with meat or grain (cf. Leviticus 6:15)

3.   In lanterns (cf. Zephaniah 1:12) or torches (cf. John 18:3).

 

Olive oil was largely produced by knocking down olives from an olive tree with long poles. Once gathered, they were originally pounded with a crude version of a pestle in a mortar (cf. Exodus 27:20) and later grounded by stone olive presses hewn out of solid rock, thus allowing the oil to flow into vessels. Hot water was then added and stored in earthen jars until the impurities settled. One good olive tree yielded between ten to fifteen gallons of olive oil per year.

 

4. And the wine.

Another staple was wine. It was important to many civilizations and cultures for two primary reasons: (1) Namely because the water in many areas was unsafe to drink, and (2) secondly, its use as a festive alcoholic beverage was notorious.

 

A tremendous amount of time and energy went into the production of wine. An early example is found in Isaiah Chapter 5 - The Parable of the Vineyard. Also, concerning the vine, the prophet Joel gave this warning:

Joel 1:10 - Be ye ashamed, O ye husbandmen; howl, O ye vinedressers, for the wheat and for the barley; because the harvest of the field is perished.

 

Hence, the luxuries of oil and wine will now be spared for the necessities of life, mostly reserved for the wealthy. Irrespective however of being a king or slave, God's judgment will be meted out to all.

 

 

(Verses 7-8)

 

And when He had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.

 

As Jesus opens the next seal, a voice from the fourth living creature summons John to observe the following events of the fourth judgment. John looks, and lo and behold sees, not an ordinary, but a nondescript pale colour horse riding across the scene carrying a rider who has a name. This horseman aggravates the conditions begun by the black horse rider and produces mass starvation.

 

A pale horse

4. Horseman Number Four (The Fourth Seal)

The word for pale in Greek is chlōros, pronounced khlo-ros' [Strong's G5515, from the primary word Chloē, green] and is principally translated as a verdant green (usually associated with vegetation). However, the English words chlorine and chlorophyll are derived from this because of their transitional pale yellow-green colour and is usually related to death.

 

Some translations apply the word Ashen (a gray colour of ash), but the King James Version is more accurate because of the vegetation alluded to by a successive trumpet judgment (cf. Revelation 8:7; 9:4).

 

And the name that sat on him (the pale horse) was (The) Death, and Hell (The Unseen, The Grave, Hades; a place or state of departed souls) followed with him (The Death)

During this seal judgment, the fourth horseman has a name --- Death --- also a consequence of war, and Hell follows Him.

A. Death is always associated with the living

B. Hell is concomitant with the souls of the dead

 

And power was given unto them (Literal Greek is him) over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth

 

Death

Power was given to (the) Death to kill a fourth part of the earth. It is interesting that Death, the Greek word Thanatos, is defined as separated from God, absent from the body either physically or spiritually.

Mr. Death is given this authority over four weapons of mass destruction:

1.  The Sword – Most likely nuclear, chemical, and biological weaponry  

2.  Famine – World starvation en masse

3.  Pestilence – Destroying plagues or diseases

4.  Wild (evil) Beasts – Unrestrained animals freely roaming the earth to kill mankind

 

Foretold by Scripture:

Ezekiel 14:21 - For thus saith the Lord GOD; How much more when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the noisome beast, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast?

 

Hell

Hell is translated Hades. It is another word for the grave which does not come alongside but follows the rider Death. The imagery here is that of a grave digger burying the victims of death.

 

The grave is where the body goes. Hades is likewise the temporary abode of the wicked dead (the spiritual souls of non-believers). They eventually will be destroyed at the second death, eternal separation from God (see Revelation 20:14, 1 Corinthians 15; 26 and Revelation 21:4).

 

World Peace, war, and famine characterize the first half of the Tribulation. Without parallel to the history of humankind, these are horrific worldwide woes. The first four woes give us an urgency of how we are to live our lives. However, far worse to come is the remaining seals, trumpets, and bowl judgments.

 

Sadly, it is not until the sixth seal that earth's inhabitants at that time will finally recognize God as the source of said judgments. But rest assured, God is in total control and His purposes shall be accomplished.

Hebrews 10:31 - It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

 

Hebrews 2:3 - How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard Him.

 

John 3:16-17 - For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him (JESUS) might be saved.

 

The following study will unveil the fifth seal. Please read ahead.

 

 

QUESTIONS:

1.   What are the consequences of the third seal judgment?

2.   Identify the rider on the pale horse.

3.   How does this horseman carry out his purpose?

4.   Discuss the importance of the four major commodities?

5.   What are the differences between Hell and Death?

6.   Name the four weapons of mass destruction used.

7.  What should our responsibility be after studying these judgments?

 

 

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