The rider of the black horse had a pair of scales in his hand. Scales are for judgment and measurement. Part of the handwriting on the wall for King Belshazzar, the Chaldean king in Daniel’s day, was TEKEL, meaning, “You have been weighed on the scales and found deficient.” (Daniel 5:27).
Something is deficient on a scale when it doesn’t meet the standard—the weight, or the price. Who are we “measured” against? Who is our standard? Jesus Himself. We are in the process of being conformed to His image (Romans 8:29) and to meet that standard we must count the cost and give all as He did. That’s the price—all (Luke 14:25-33).
The voice among the four living creatures said, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius.” A denarius was a day’s wages. It will cost you everything to follow Jesus. It will cost your daily bread. Your life. He said to be His disciple you must take up your cross daily and follow Him (Luke 9:23). Those who give their all daily and die to self, have His life in return—eternal life. He is the manna—the bread from heaven, who gave His life for all (John 6:32-40).
When we give up our bread, we hunger. If we hunger for the things of the world, we will be found deficient. And not only that, but when we feed off the things of the world it doesn’t even satisfy, it simply produces more hunger, greed, desperation and so on. It's an appetite that's never satisfied. But when we pay the price of our daily bread—our daily sustenance—our life itself, by imposing on ourselves an intentional fast to hunger for the things of God, for righteousness, for the Holy Spirit oil and wine, we will be filled. Fasting for His presence—longing for our bridegroom (Mark 2:18-20)—will bring exactly what we are crying out for.
During trying times of earthly inflation, famine, or poverty, we must remember the satisfaction that comes from the Spirit and presence of God. Rather than giving in to the panic and fear that presents itself in times of trouble—we hunger and thirst for Him instead.
The voice among the four living creatures said not to damage the oil and the wine. The Holy Spirit is available for all His children. He will always be available to those who seek Him. Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be satisfied (Matthew 5:6).
THE FOURTH SEAL: The Pale Horse 7 When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come.” 8 I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name Death; and Hades was following with him. Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth. Revelation 6:7-8
The rider of the ashen, or pale, horse is the first one we see with a name. The rider’s name was Death, and Hades (the place of departed spirits) was following with him.
They were given authority over a fourth of the earth. Their authority is to kill with sword, famine, pestilence, and by the wild beasts of the earth. Wild beasts in the sense of hunting prey.
Jesus was with the wild beasts in the wilderness during His time of temptation. Yet, angels were ministering to Him (Mark 1:13). Those who overcome the times of testing, following Jesus’ example—not compromising truth, not joining with the accuser of the brethren, not trying to save their own life but giving all to Him, not being found deficient, but hungering for the things of the Spirit rather than the things of the world—they, even when they die physically, will gain life. Death is the last enemy to be defeated, and it will not gain victory over the people of God (1 Corinthians 15:20-26, Revelation 21:4).
Jesus said in Luke 17:33, “Whoever seeks to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.” He also said the same in Matthew 10:39, Matthew 16:25, Mark 8:35, Luke 9:24, Luke 17:33, and John 12:25. Obviously, it’s something He wants us to understand! We are to present ourselves a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God (Romans 12:1), and not be conformed to this world, but transformed into His image by the renewing of our mind (Romans 12:2, 8:29).
In times of intense persecution, even to the point of death, including intentional depopulation or genocide, we look to Jesus who overcame His own times of testing. He did not spare His own life; He gave it up to save us. Yet angels ministered to Him, and we too can look for ministering spirits from heaven to help us during difficult times (Hebrews 1:13-14, Hebrews 13:2).
Jesus spoke of deception, wars, earthquakes, famines, and betrayal before His return. and then He said, "This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come." Matthew 24:4-14.
The enemy, the spirit of antichrist, will try anything to stop the preaching of the gospel, or undo its results—including the killing of believers and unbelievers alike. He’ll try to kill believers to stop them from preaching the gospel; he’ll kill unbelievers to keep them out of the kingdom of heaven. In the end, Hades is thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:14). We must remember our purpose in bringing the gospel of the kingdom—in both word and demonstration—to the whole world as a testimony to all nations.
God's timing is circular, not linear, and as the circling of the horsemen around the earth continue throughout the ages, the events on earth will intensify as the end draws near. Jesus used the example of birth pangs just beginning when speaking to His disciples about His coming and the end of the age (Matthew 24:8). The closer it gets, the more intense this all becomes.
THE FIFTH SEAL: Martyrs
The first four seals reveal what John saw going on in the earth. Next, we see a heavenly perspective.
9 When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; 10 and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” 11 And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also. Revelation 6:9-11
In the opening of the fifth seal, we see martyrs. These are believers in Christ who were slain because of the Word of God, and the testimony that they held. They gave up their life for the sake of the gospel. They are seen under the altar in heaven.
Christian martyrdom is not a sign of the end-times. It’s a sign of the last days, for the last days began as soon as the early Church was established (1 John 2:18), but martyrdom has been going on throughout the Church Age. Christians have been martyred since the very first apostles. Note that they are crying out, asking how long until He avenges their blood. They didn’t know how much longer until His judgment would come. They were comforted, given a white robe, and told to rest until the number of their fellow servants and brethren who were also to be killed would be completed.
It's interesting to note that in the Old Testament, there was a grate under the altar which caught the ashes of the burnt offerings. These ashes were used with water to purify the unclean (Numbers 19:9-19; Exodus 27:1-5; Exodus 38:4). Just as no part of the burnt offering was wasted under the old covenant, neither are the lives of the martyrs wasted today. God sees and cares about every soul.
At the time these martyrs cry out, more ashes are needed, more cleansing needs to occur. Not because Jesus’ sacrifice wasn’t enough, but the cleansing period of the Church must be completed. We learn to deny ourselves, take up our cross daily, and follow Him. (Luke 9:23). As we cooperate with the work God is doing in us, as we see represented by the horsemen seals, we become a living sacrifice unto Him, even if we’re not a physical martyr.
The prayers of the martyrs, and the saints, seem to cumulate, and when they are mixed with incense and fire of the altar, then we see things begin to happen on the earth, as we will see with the seventh seal.
THE SIXTH SEAL: Signs on Earth and in the Heavens
12 I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; 13 and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. 14 The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. 15 Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; 16 and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; 17 for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” Revelation 6:12-17
When the sixth seal is opened, there is such an effect in the heavens and on the earth, that people realize the wrath of God and the Lamb is upon them. This wrath is a fiery, even passionate, response of God and the Lamb which has been building, and finally is released to oppose evil and all of the injustice and wickedness done in the earth.
These beginning of signs, and glimpses of what is to come, when people know they will suffer His wrath (the consequence of opposing Him) are an opportunity for them to repent. However, many will try and hide from God. The natural response to an awareness of one's own fallen condition, guilt, and sin, which becomes obvious when confronted with God's holy presence, is to hide--like Adam and Eve did (Genesis 3:8).
However, a better response is to expose yourself to Him—to admit to and repent of your sin. This is the response of those who hear and accept the gospel, but for those who reject it, the presence of the Lord will be terrifying. The only hope at this point would be to throw yourself on the mercy of God like David did (2 Samuel 24:10-14). It's a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of a living God (Hebrews 10:31), but we each must work out our own salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12).
Signs in the heavens to this extent obviously have not happened yet. Of course, there have been earthquakes and some “signs” in the heavens, but none to the point where everyone on earth hides from the presence of God knowing His wrath has come and there is no escape. Yet, as these events begin to trickle in, they will increase in both frequency and severity, like the birth pangs that Jesus described (Matthew 24:8).
It's comforting to know that this will not go on endlessly. There is an appointed time for it to end.
The 144,000 After the sixth seal is opened, and the earthquake and signs in the heavens appear, there seems to be a pause in the telling of events, which describes the sealing of 144,000 Jewish people, preserving them from what is to come (Revelation 7:1-8). We might see them as a seed for the Millennium (Isaiah 6:13).
The Multitude Before the Throne During the second part of the pause after the sixth seal, John saw a multitude of saints before the throne. (Revelation 7:9-17). An elder told him these are those who have come out of “the great tribulation” and have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb, making them white (Revelation 7:14).
Who are these saints? Are they the ones who die during what we call “the great tribulation” when we are referring to the judgement and wrath of God poured out at the end of this age? Considering that John hadn’t written about the worst of the judgement-wrath yet when he saw this multitude, why would they be described as those who had gone through “the great tribulation?”
Could they be raptured saints who have just come before God from earth, including deceased saints from all ages who have gathered together to prepare for the final events? If so, then how have they come out of the “great tribulation” if the great tribulation is the period of great wrath which brings about the judgment of God, which John had barely discussed yet?
Being that these saints are described as “a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues,” (Revelation 7:9), there are those who believe these are all of God’s elect, from all times, gathered together.
I think we’ve misapplied the phrase, “the great tribulation.” There is an indication that this word “great” doesn’t just mean great in the sense of extreme or large, but also, or rather, great in the sense of many, or even importance or significance.
If that’s the case, then Acts 14:22 would apply, which says, “Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.” Each believer in Christ goes through “many” tribulations. So, what this group has gone through would be their own personal “many tribulations” that brought them into the kingdom, not so much the “great tribulation” of the end times. Our personal trials equip us as well as prove our faith, which we see played out in the life of Job.
The many trials and tribulations we go through, are producing evidence of our faith and faithfulness to God. They are also producing endurance in us (James 1:3), and once we persevere and are approved, we will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him (James 1:12).
I think there is a good case for saying that “the great tribulation” this vast multitude came out of, was not what we normally call “the great tribulation” when we are talking about the judgement and wrath of God during the period of Daniels 70th week. Rather, they had come out of whatever significant and necessary tribulations were needed in their life to bring them to the point where their faith would be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Remember that the trials you go through are causing your faith, your precious, holy faith, to be proven to be genuine evidence that silences the enemy’s accusations against you!
THE SEVENTH SEAL: Silence, Prayers, Preparation for Trumpets 1When the Lamb broke the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. 2 And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.
3 Another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a golden censer; and much incense was given to him, so that he might add it to the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar which was before the throne. 4 And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up before God out of the angel’s hand. 5 Then the angel took the censer and filled it with the fire of the altar, and threw it to the earth; and there followed peals of thunder and sounds and flashes of lightning and an earthquake.
6 And the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound them. When the seventh seal is opened, the book is fully opened. There is silence in heaven for half an hour. This transition time from the seals to the trumpets begins with the prayers of the saints mixed in with incense and fire of the altar (Revelation 8:3-6). I believe the prayers of the martyrs seen in the fifth seal is a part of this.
Incense was used in the Old Testament to protect the priests from being consumed by God's holiness when they went into the holy of holies to make atonement for themselves and the people (Leviticus 16:12-13). It was also used to stop the plague of God's anger when Aaron stood between the dead and the living with incense to intercede for the people (Numbers 16:46-50). The prayers of the saints mixed in with incense and the fire of the altar, would indicate a protection on God's people from judgment to come.
After the opening of the seventh seal, and the silence that followed, the prayers of the saints were thrown to the earth, mingled with incense and fire of the altar. This ushered in the time of the trumpets when more than their prayers were seen thrown to earth. It would seem the final dislodging of the enemy in the heavens was finally accomplished during the first four trumpets.
As the Church rises in the authority Jesus has given us over the enemy, and offers earnest prayers for, among other things, God to avenge the blood of the martyrs (Revelation 6:10), we will see as Jesus described, Satan fall like lightning from heaven. He said this while He was still on earth, after he sent out the seventy to do the work of the ministry, and they came back rejoicing that even the demons were subject to them in His name (Luke 10:17-20). I believe He saw the maturity of His Church at the end of the age moving in power in His name, and displacing Satan from heaven once and for all. At the opening of the seventh seal, when the prayers of the saints are mingled with the incense and fire of the altar that are thrown down to the earth, the sounding of the trumpets begin. When the saints have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb, when they’ve overcome by the word of their testimony (Revelation 12:11), their faith proven through their many tribulations (1 Peter 1:6-7), when they’ve committed their lives and bodies to being a living sacrifice to God (Romans 12:1); they have not only made themselves ready to be His Bride (Revelation 19:7), but have prepared themselves to function as the ekklesia of Christ—His governing body in the earth—which dislodges the powers of hell from the heavenly places.
The prayers of the saints, and the church rising in the authority given by Christ, seem to have a major part to play in setting off the first trumpet, and the final countdown to the Lord's return.
From an earthly perspective, the transition goes from the sixth seal in Revelation 6:17 with signs of the beginning of the end, to the sounding of the first trumpet in Revelation 8:7.
The time to consider your spiritual condition, the reality of eternity, and who will ultimately enforce truth and judge unrighteousness, is now.
Note: The entirety of this message is found in my booklet, "
Opening the Seals to the Book of Revelation." Revised October 28, 2025 
