วิวรณ์ 6:5 วิจารณ์

The book of the divine counsels being thus lodged in the hand of Christ, he loses no time, but immediately enters upon the work of opening the seals and publishing the contents; but this is done in such a manner as still leaves the predictions very abstruse and difficult to be understood. Hitherto the waters of the sanctuary have been as those in Ezekiel's vision, only to the ankles, or to the knees, or to the loins at least; but here they begin to be a river that cannot be passed over. The visions which John saw, the epistles to the churches, the songs of praise, in the two foregoing chapters, had some things dark and hard to be understood; and yet they were rather milk for babes than meat for strong men; but now we are to launch into the deep, and our business is not so much to fathom it as to let down our net to take a draught. We shall only hint at what seems most obvious. The prophecies of this book are divided into seven seals opened, seven trumpets sounding, and seven vials poured out. It is supposed that the opening of the seven seals discloses those providences that concerned the church in the first three centuries, from the ascension of our Lord and Saviour to the reign of Constantine; this was represented in a book rolled up, and sealed in several places, so that, when one seal was opened, you might read so far of it, and so on, till the whole was unfolded. Yet we are not here told what was written in the book, but what John saw in figures enigmatical and hieroglyphic; and it is not for us to pretend to know "the times and seasons which the Father has put in his own power." Inf this chapter six of the seven seals are opened, and the visions attending them are related; the first seal in Rev 6:1, Rev 6:2, the second seal in Rev 6:3, Rev 6:4, the third seal in Rev 6:5, Rev 6:6, the fourth seal in Rev 6:7, Rev 6:8, the fifth seal in Rev 6:9-11, the sixth seal in Rev 6:12, Rev 6:13, etc.

INTRODUCTION TO REVELATION 6 This chapter contains the vision of the opening six of the seals of the sealed book, by the Lamb, and of the events following thereupon. The preparation to the vision of the first seal is in Rev 6:1; the Lamb opens it, John hears a noise like thunder, and one of the living creatures bids him come and see; upon which he saw a horse, of a white colour, and a rider on it, who is described by a bow and crown given him, and by the victory he obtained, Rev 6:2; at the opening of the second seal, the second living creature invites him as before; and he sees a horse, of a red colour, with a rider on it, described by his power, to take peace from the earth, and suffer men to kill one another, and by a great sword given him, Rev 6:3; at the opening of the third seal, the third living creature addresses him in like manner as the other; and he sees a horse, of a black colour, and a rider on it, with a pair of balances in his hands; and hears a voice from among the four living creatures, expressing dearness of provisions, and a charge not to hurt the oil and wine, Rev 6:5; at the opening of the fourth seal, the fourth living creature speaks to John, as the rest; and he sees a horse, of a pale colour, and a rider on it, described by his name, Death, by his follower, hell, or the grave, and by his power to destroy a fourth part of the earth with the sword, famine, pestilence, and wild beasts, Rev 6:7; at the opening of the fifth seal, John saw the souls of the martyrs, under the altar; hears their cry for vengeance; observes that white robes were given them, and that they were bid to be quiet until the slaying and suffering time of their brethren was over, Rev 6:9; at the opening of the sixth seal follow an earthquake, strange changes in the heavens, the sun becomes black as sackcloth, the moon becomes as blood, the stars fall, and the heaven itself departs, and every island and mountain are moved out of their places, Rev 6:12, the kings and great men of the earth, and even all sorts, of men, upon this, fly to the rocks and mountains to hide them from the face of God the Father, that sits upon the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, the opener of the sealed book; giving this as a reason for it, that the time of his great wrath was come, and none could stand before him, Rev 6:15.

And when he had opened the third seal,.... Of the sealed book: I heard the third beast say, come and see; this living creature was that which was like a man, who was on the south side of the throne, as the standard of Reuben, which had the figure of a man, was on the south side of the camp of Israel; this was not the Apostle Paul, as Grotius thinks, to whom was made a prophecy of a famine in the days of Claudius Caesar; nor Tertullian, who made an apology for the Christians in the times of this seal, as Brightman conjectures; but the ministers of the Gospel, whose voice was neither the voice of the lion nor of the ox, but of a man, which was still lower, but yet they retained their humanity, reasoning prudence, and wisdom; and these are represented as calling upon John to come and see, and take notice of the following hieroglyphic: and I beheld, and lo a black horse; an emblem either of the afflicted state of the church, still answering to the Smyrnaean one, being black with persecutions, schisms, errors, and heresies, which were many; or particularly of the heresies and heretics of those times, who might be compared to a horse for their pride and ambition, speaking great swelling words of vanity, and to a black one, for their hidden things of dishonesty, and works of darkness, for the darkness in themselves, and which they spread over others; or rather of a famine, not in a spiritual sense, of hearing of the word, but in a literal sense; see Lam 4:7; not what was at the siege of Jerusalem, or in the times of Claudius Caesar, Act 11:28; but in the times of the Emperor Severus, and others, as the historians of those times (a), and the writings of Tertullian show; when the Heathens ascribed the scarcity that was among them to the wickedness of the Christians (b), whereas it was a judgment upon them for their persecution of them: and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand; by whom is meant not some noted heretic, or heretics, who had balances of deceit in their hands to prove their tenets by, such as spurious writings, &c. or who made pretensions to the Scriptures, the balance of the sanctuary, to weigh doctrines in; nor Christ, whose name heretics shrouded themselves under, and professed, and who overruled and made use of their heresies for the good of his people, that they might be made manifest. Mr. Mede thinks that Septimius Severus, the Roman emperor, who came from Africa, from the south, on which side was the living creature that spoke to John, is intended, and in which country black horses were in great esteem; and he was the only African that ever was emperor of Rome before (c): and the same author thinks, that his having a pair of balances in his hand expresses the strict justice that emperor was famous for; but rather it signifies famine, and such a scarcity as that bread is delivered out by weight to men; see Lev 26:26. (a) Spartianus in Vita Severi, & Lampridius in Vita Alexandri. (b) Apolog. c. 40. & ad Scapulam, c. 3. (c) Cassiodor. Chronicon. & Eutrop. Hist. Roman. l. 8.

"And when He had opened the third seal. I heard the third living creature saying, Come and see. And, lo, a black horse; and he who sate upon it had a balance in his hand." The black horse signifies famine, for the Lord says, "There shall be famines in divers places; "but the word is specially extended to the times of Antichrist, when there shall be a great famine, and when all shall be injured. Moreover, the balance in the hand is the examining scales, wherein He might show forth the merits of every individual.

In the black horse we recognize an evil people which works in concert with the devil. “He had a balance in his hand,” which indicates that while evil persons feign to have the scales of justice, they deceive many.

Thirdly, the mercy of Christ has opened the third seal for us, and has brought us, from having been condemned to rejection, to God and the Father. And this is his saving teaching, and the benefits through the divine signs; for these brought about the overthrow of the Devil; for through them we have come to know who is by nature and truly God, "so that we may not be infants, tossed about by every wind of doctrine" (Eph. 4:14); and we honor those things which our hands have made, exchanging the corruptible demons for the glory of God. For the divine teaching of the Lord drew to itself, like yeast to flour, those who were learning, according to the voice of the Lord, and enjoying the miracles, which healed souls more than bodies. When these things happened, a black horse came forth, and the one sitting on it had a pair of scales in his hand. The black horse symbolizes sadness and mourning, imposed by the divine teachings following the downfall of the Devil, and therefore, in Devil's mourning, it finds its own release [λῦσιν], corresponding to such extensive periods of time. The scales are indeed a symbol of equality and justice. For "the one who judges righteousness sat upon the throne; he rebuked the nations of the demons, and the impious one," (Ps. 9:5-6) their leader, perished. Therefore, the scales is a symbol of the righteous judgment of the Lord, the scales that is upon us; it also signifies that we may speak boldly before Him: "You have established my judgment and my justice," (Ps. 9:5) so that the nations may know that we are men, and not subjected to the judgment of beasts, dragged by a "bridle and a strap," (Ps. 31:9) and pastured by destructive tyrants. And he said, I heard a voice in the midst of 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 the wine." The word and the teaching, as a seed, is metaphorically expressed in the divine Scripture; for it is written according to Matthew: "The sower went out to sow" (Matt. 13:3); and again, the most favored of the servants said to their lord, "Lord, did you not sow good seed in the field? Where then do the weeds come from?" (Matt. 13:27) As for the seed, it is indeed grain, like the evangelical preaching which serves as proper nourishment for mature men, "who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil." (Heb. 5:14) What then is barley? According to the Law of Moses, it is the teaching, as the earliest form of grain, fully matured, and serving as nourishment appropriate for livestock, feeding the infant Israel. Therefore, God speaks from among the four living creatures saying: "A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius." Through this, a famine is foretold, along with a scarcity among the people of that time of both teaching and the Gospel from the Lord, as well as of the law, according to what is written: "I will give them neither hunger for bread nor thirst for water, but hunger for hearing the word of the Lord." (Amos 8:11) Even if he says that those who despise every teaching and turning should suffer these and those things most of all, do not harm the oil and the wine; leave them alone and do not bring any punishment upon them; God says there is still mercy for them from me. Since there is hope for them, to be spiritually joyful in the divine proclamations of my Only Begotten; for this is "the wine that spiritually gladdens the heart of man." (Ps. 104:15) Therefore, by continuing in their previous disobedience, he would wrong the mercy granted to them by God, as well as the joy that would be perceived [νοητὴν] through faith. And why do I say "perceived" only? For the teachings of the Lord possessed grace that was both perceptible and visible; and the prophet bears witness, saying, "Grace has been poured out upon your lips," (Ps. 44:32) addressing the Lord. Moreover, Josephus, the Jewish man, compelled by truth, writes concerning Him in his book Antiquities of the Jews the following: "At this time there appeared Jesus, a wise man, if it is proper to call him a man; for he was a doer of extraordinary works, a teacher of people who accept the truth with pleasure; and he attracted many Jews and many from the Greek population. This was the Christ. And He was shown to us as one of the first men, having been crucified by Pilate; those who first loved Him did not cease. For He appeared to them alive again on the third day, fulfilling what the divine prophets had spoken, these and countless other miracles concerning Him. Even now, the community [φῦλον] of those called Christians has not perished from this time onward."

I believe that the third living creature here is the man and that [this passage] shows the fall of men and for this reason his punishment because of his inclination toward sin by the power of free will.… We think that the “black horse” depicts the sorrow that comes upon those who have fallen away from faith in Christ on account of the abundance of torments. The “balance” is he who tests those who either by inconstancy of mind or by vainglory have fallen from the faith through weakness of the body.

And behold, a black horse, etc. The black horse represents a crowd of false brothers, who have the balance of right profession, but harm their companions through works of darkness. For when it is said, in the midst of the creatures, Do not harm, it is shown that there is someone there who harms. About this advancing horse, the Apostle says: Fightings without, fears within.

And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying: Come, and see. And behold a black horse, and he that sat on him had a pair of scales in his hand. By the blackness of this horse is represented that hunger of the wicked by which they long to devour eagerly the body of Christ and to send it into the stomach of their evilness. Their rider has a pair of scales in his hand because he seeks to buy the lives of the good with temporal payments in order to be able to satiate his hunger and that of his people. He held this pair of scales in his hand when he offered one fruit to eat, and bought the whole world to cause its ruin. One should know indeed that the Devil first takes away the food that consists of hearing the Word of God, so that he may the more easily absorb people to increase his body when they suffer from starvation because they are deprived of spiritual food; whence the Lord says through the prophet, Behold I will send forth a famine into the land: not a famine of bread, nor a thirst of water, but of hearing the word of God. [Am. 8:11] Indeed the Lord does this by forsaking people, and the Devil by invading them. Yet how could those who are God's grain, wine, and oil, suffer from this famine? No; let the chaff, husks, and oil dregs suffer from it, and let them, who are worth no price, fall in with the pair of scales; not those who have been redeemed by the blood of Christ; whence it is said soon after that:

What followed on the opening of the seven seals. The opening of the first seal; the white horse, Rev 6:1, Rev 6:2. The opening of the second seal; the red horse, Rev 6:3, Rev 6:4. The opening of the third seal; the black horse and the famine, Rev 6:5, Rev 6:6. The opening of the fourth seal; the pale horse, Rev 6:7, Rev 6:8. The opening of the fifth seal; the souls of men under the altar, Rev 6:9-11. The opening of the sixth seal; the earthquake, the darkening of the sun and moon, and falling of the stars, Rev 6:12-14. The terrible consternation of the kings and great men of the earth, Rev 6:15-17.

The third beast - That which had the face of a man. A black horse - The emblem of famine. Some think that which took place under Claudius. See Mat 24:7; the same which was predicted by Agabus, Act 11:28. A pair of balances - To show that the scarcity would be such, that every person must be put under an allowance.

THE OPENING OF THE FIRST SIX OF THE SEVEN SEALS. (Rev. 6:1-17) one of the seals--The oldest manuscripts, A, B, C, Vulgate, and Syriac read, "one of the seven seals." noise--The three oldest manuscripts read this in the nominative or dative, not the genitive, as English Version, "I heard one from among the four living creatures saying, as (it were) the voice (or, 'as with the voice') of thunder." The first living creature was like a lion (Rev 4:7): his voice is in consonance. Implying the lion-like boldness with which, in the successive great revivals, the faithful have testified for Christ, and especially a little before His coming shall testify. Or, rather, their earnestness in praying for Christ's coming. Come and see--One oldest manuscript, B, has "And see." But A, C, and Vulgate reject it. ALFORD rightly objects to English Version reading: "Whither was John to come? Separated as he was by the glassy sea from the throne, was he to cross it?" Contrast the form of expression, Rev 10:8. It is much more likely to be the cry of the redeemed to the Redeemer, "Come" and deliver the groaning creature from the bondage of corruption. Thus, Rev 6:2 is an answer to the cry, went (literally, "came") forth corresponding to "Come." "Come," says GROTIUS, is the living creature's address to John, calling his earnest attention. But it seems hard to see how "Come" by itself can mean this. Compare the only other places in Revelation where it is used, Rev 4:1; Rev 22:17. If the four living creatures represent the four Gospels, the "Come" will be their invitation to everyone (for it is not written that they addressed John) to accept Christ's salvation while there is time, as the opening of the seals marks a progressive step towards the end (compare Rev 22:17). Judgments are foretold as accompanying the preaching of the Gospel as a witness to all nations (Rev 14:6-11; Mat 24:6-14). Thus the invitation, "Come," here, is aptly parallel to Mat 24:14. The opening of the first four seals is followed by judgments preparatory for His coming. At the opening of the fifth seal, the martyrs above express the same (Rev 6:9-10; compare Zac 1:10). At the opening of the sixth seal, the Lord's coming is ushered in with terrors to the ungodly. At the seventh, the consummation is fully attained (Rev 11:15).

Come and see--The two oldest manuscripts, A, C, and Vulgate omit "and see." B retains the words. black--implying sadness and want. had--Greek, "having." a pair of balances--the symbol of scarcity of provisions, the bread being doled out by weight.