The opening of the seven seals by the Lamb occurred immediately after Christ ascended to the heavens. Through His incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection, Christ became fully qualified in His ascension to open the mystery of God's economy, which is contained in the seven seals.

Because God's economy concerning the creatures is contained in the seven seals, the four living creatures are interested in announcing, respectively, the opening of the first four seals.

White signifies clean, pure, just, and approvable. The white horse is a symbol of the preaching of the gospel, which is clean, pure, just, and approvable in the eyes of both man and God.

The first four seals consist of four horses with their riders, as in a four-horse race. The four riders are not persons but personified things. It is evident that the rider of the second horse, the red horse, is war (v. 4), that the rider of the third horse, the black horse, is famine (v. 5), and that the rider of the fourth horse, the pale horse, is death (v. 8). According to historical facts, the rider of the first horse, the white horse, must be the gospel, not Christ or Antichrist as some interpret. Immediately after Christ's ascension, these four things — the gospel, war, famine, and death — began to run like riders on four horses, and they will continue until Christ comes back. Beginning from the first century the gospel has been spreading throughout all these twenty centuries. Simultaneously, war among the human race has been proceeding. War has always caused famine, and famine issues in death. All these will continue until the end of this age.

A bow with an arrow is for fighting. But here there is a bow without an arrow. This indicates that the arrow has already been shot to destroy the enemy and that the victory has been won for the constituting of the gospel of peace. Now the fighting is over, and the gospel of peace is being proclaimed in a peaceful way.

A crown is a sign of glory. The gospel has been crowned with the glory of Christ (2 Cor. 4:4).

Or, overcoming and to overcome. Throughout all the centuries, wherever the gospel has been proclaimed, it has conquered and overcome all kinds of opposition and attack.

Some ancient MSS omit, I saw, and behold.

Red here signifies the shedding of blood. The red horse is a symbol of the raging of war, which is altogether a matter of shedding blood.

To take peace from the earth, men should slay one another, and to him a great sword was given all clearly indicate war.

Black here, indicating dearth (Jer. 14:1-4), signifies the color of the visage of famished people (Lam. 4:8-9; 5:9-10). The black horse is a symbol of the spreading of famine, which causes people to have a black visage.

A balance is a scale used to weigh precious things. But here it is used to weigh food (see v. 6), thus showing that food is scarce (cf. Lev. 26:26; Ezek. 4:16).

A dry measure almost equal to a quart.

A denarius (singular for denarii) was the chief silver coin of the Romans; it was considered good pay for a day's labor (cf. Matt. 20:2).

Oil and wine are for man's pleasure (Psa. 104:15). They are always in short supply and become precious in a famine. During the famine, oil and wine should be preserved and not harmed.

Or, pale green; signifying the facial color of those stricken with the plague. The pale horse is a symbol of the killing of death, which causes a pale appearance.

Hades is the place under the earth where the souls of the unsaved dead are kept before the dead are resurrected for the judgment of the great white throne (Rev. 20:11-15). After this judgment the unsaved will be cast into the lake of fire for eternity. Hades can be likened to a temporary jail, and the lake of fire to a permanent prison. Here Hades follows death to receive those whom death kills.

Or, pestilence.

To be killed by beasts is God's judgment (2 Kings 2:24; 17:25; Num. 21:6).

The seven seals are divided, first, into groups of four and three and, second, into groups of six and one. The number four signifies the creatures, symbolized by the four living creatures, and the number six signifies creation (creation was completed in six days). The number three signifies the Triune God, and the number one signifies the unique God. Hence, both four plus three and six plus one indicate that the seven seals, through God's judgment, bring God's creation, with all the creatures, to God.

The fifth seal discloses Christian martyrdom from the first century to the time near the end of this age. (This may include the martyrdom of the Old Testament saints — Matt. 23:34-36.) While the preaching of the gospel, as indicated by the first seal, is progressing, the faithful saints are continually being martyred.

In figure, the altar is in the outer court of the tabernacle and the temple, and the outer court signifies the earth. Hence, the area underneath the altar is the region underneath the earth, where the souls of the martyred saints are. It is the Paradise to which the Lord Jesus went after His death (Luke 23:43). It is in the heart of the earth (Matt. 12:40) and is a section of Hades (Acts 2:27), the comfortable section, where Abraham is (Luke 16:22-26).

According to the word "yet a little while, until also the number ... is completed" (v. 11), this cry of the martyred saints must occur near the end of this age.

The white robes here signify that their martyrdom was approved by God.

This will be the martyrdom during the great tribulation (Rev. 20:4).

The sixth seal, which marks the beginning of supernatural calamities, is God's answer to the cry of the martyred saints in the fifth seal and is a warning to those who dwell on the earth. According to Joel 2:30-31, there will not be much difference in time between the sixth seal and the first five trumpets (Rev. 9:1-11). Joel 2:30-31 first mentions the blood of the first and second trumpets, the fire of the first, second, and third trumpets (Rev. 8:7-10), and the smoke of the fifth trumpet (Rev. 9:1-3), and then mentions the sun and moon of the sixth seal. A comparison of Rev. 9:4 and Rev. 7:3 indicates that the fifth trumpet occurs very close to the time of the sixth seal.

There will be two calamities of the shaking and changing of the earth and the hosts in heaven. The first will occur at the beginning of the great tribulation (Joel 2:30-31), and the second will occur after the great tribulation (Joel 3:11-16; Matt. 24:29-30; Luke 21:25-26). What is covered in the sixth seal is the first calamity. It can be considered not only a warning but also an initiation of the coming great tribulation.

Lit., captains over 1,000 men.

They say this according to the feeling of their conscience, fearing the coming of the judgment of God. It is not a proclamation of God concerning the coming of His judgment.