Revelation 6

Revelation 6:1

ONe of the seals] The first; as Matthew 28:1. for the seeond seal is opened, v. 3.

as the noise of thunder] To strike with the greater admiration, and to procure attention. So chap. 14. 2. and 19. 6.

one of the four beasts] Or, living wights; as chap. 4. 6, 7. See v. 3. To wit, that like a lion, chap. 4. 7.

Revelation 6:2

a white horse] An horse, because the horse is a warlike creature, Proverbs 21:31. white, in signe of triumph: for the Romanes, when they rid in triumph, had white horses to ride on, or to draw their chariots. So great ones also on white beasts, Judg. 5. 10.

he that sat on him] Christ, of whom, Psalms 45:4. chap. 19. 11.

had a bowe] Christ had power to kill his enemies, as well afar off, as neer at hand, either with the pestilence, or otherways; Psal. 91. 1, 5. Others understand it of the preaching of the Gospel, whereby Christ maketh his enemies to stoop to him, Psalms 45:5.

a crown was given to him] In token of victory; 1 Corinthians 9:24. 2 Timothy 2:5.

conquering] He had begun to conquer already, and should conquer yet further. See the like phrase, Genesis 26:13.

Revelation 6:3

the second beast] Or, living wight, chap. 4. 7. That like an ox or a calf. The second minister. See chap. 4. 6.

Come, and see] Though we may not dive into Gods secret judgements without leave; yet may we freely so do, when we are called thereunto.

Revelation 6:4

horse that was red] In token of war, which aboundeth commonly with fire and bloodshed; Isaiah 9:5. and 63. 1, 3.

from the earth] From the Romane empire, not from the Church; for it is called heaven, in this book. Or, from the whole inhabited and known world.

kill one another] By wars; which the Romane emperours did, and the people under them. God sendeth this judgement on the world, for their refusing of the Gospel, and their abusing and wronging of those that preached and professed it.

a great sword] For the war was to be great, and stretched far. So Isaiah 27:1.

Revelation 6:5

third beast] Or, living wight. That like a man, chap. 4. 7. See notes on v. 3.

a black horse] A note of famine, which maketh mens faces black, Lamentations 4:7-8.

a pair of balances] Or, a beam; to wit, of a balance, with scales hanging at either end, to weigh corn in, like spices. This argueth a great dearth; for corn should not then be measured out by the bushel, or like measure, as it used to be; but sold as by weight. So bread used to be weighed in times of scarcity, Leviticus 26:26. Ezekiel 4:16. Of such a famine, read, Acts 11:28. Howbeit, some make this an embleme of justice, which is wont to be so deciphered, as weighing out and disposing things according to due and exact proportion, and to intimate a severe execution of justice; the blacknesse of the horse being a signe of severity; which they suppose to have been fulfilled under Alexander Severus, a man in that kinde exceeding strict. See Lampridius, in his life.

Revelation 6:6

a voice in the midst of the four beasts] Christs voice, chap. 5. 6.

a measure] Gr. a choenix. The word signifieth, a measure containing one wine-quart, and the twelfth part of a quart. It was the usuall allowance in bread of a slave for one day.

for a peny] The Romane denarius, the same with the Greek drachma: the fourth part of the Hebrew shekel was about seven pence, or seven pence half-peny, of our money. And it seemeth to have been the wages of an hireling, or day labourer, Matthew 20:9. and a common souldiers daily pay. It must needs go hard with him, when all his wages must go for bread.

and three measures of barley] Being the courser grain. See 2 Kings 7:1.

see thou hurt not the oil and the wine] Or, in oil and wine see that thou deal not unjustly, or, do no wrong; v. 5. Some think, Christ taketh care here to have some provision left for his Church. Others, because there is a scarcity of things necessary, as corn, and some things left for comfort, as oil and wine; do conceive, that the poor were to perish now by the famine, and the rich reserved for the pestilence following, v. 8. Or, the words may contain a warning to those that dealt in these commodities, to be exactly just.

Revelation 6:7

fourth beast] Or, living wight. That like an eagle, chap. 4. 7. See notes on v. 3.

Revelation 6:8

a pale horse] Because death maketh men pale.

hell] Or, the grave. Though as the bodies of these wicked men went to the grave, for contemning and abusing the Gospel; so it is not unlikely that their souls also went to hell.

unto them] Or, to him: That is, death.

fourth part of the earth] It went over all the earth, as the rest did; but killed onely the fourth part of men, where it came.

with sword, &c.] These often go together; Ezekiel 14:21. Jeremiah 14:12. These all followed the invasion of the Romane empire by the Goths, Huns and Vandals.

with death] That is, with the pestilence, or mortality, as we term it; 1 Corinthians 11:30.

Revelation 6:9

under the altar] As beasts newly slain for sacrifices, Exodus 29:12. Or, in a sure place, free from danger; 1 Kings 1. 50.

were slain] Under the Romane emperours.

for the word of God] Which they preached and professed, even to death; chap. 2. 10. 26.

Revelation 6:10

they cried with a loud voice] Not that the martyrs themselves desired vengeance to be inflicted by God on their cruell persecutours, whom, after Christ their masters example, Luke 23. 34. they requested God rather to forgive; Acts 7:60. but, that their blood cried aloud to God for speedy vengeance, together with the cruelty it self exercised upon them; Genesis 4:10. Hab. 2. 11. Hebrews 12:24.

holy and true] Who being holy and pure, canst not endure to see such impiety and iniquity, Habakkuk 1:13. being true of thy word, canst not but make it good, by putting it in execution against such; Psalms 54:5.

judge and revenge] Hear our cause, and do us right, 2 Thessalonians 1:11. Give sentence for us, and cause that sentence to be put into execution, Psalms 26:1. and 7. 8, &c.

Revelation 6:11

And white robes were given to every one of them] Their innocency was cleared, and they made perfectly happie. See notes on chap. 3. 4.

yet for a little season] For a strange altertion was shortly after to ensue, as appeared on the opening of the next seal, v. 12.

as they were] Gr. even as they. Or, as themselves also were.

should be fulfilled] Untill the full sum and number of them should be compleat, and the malice and cruelty of the adverse party come to his full height; that so the vengeance of God might in his appointed time also come upon their persecutours to the full. So Genesis 15:16. Matthew 23:32. 1 Thessalonians 2:16.

Revelation 6:12

a great earthquake, &c.] The troubles that were to befall the Romane empire, and strange alterations therein, are set out figuratively, by the shaking of the earth, and confusion of the heavenly bodies; as often in the prophets such alterations are described, Isa. 13. 9, 10, 11. Jeremiah 4:23. Ezek. 32. 7, 8. Joel 2. 10. Hagg. 2. 21, 22. This was fulfilled, when Dioclesian the great persecutour gave over his empire, Galerius was eaten with worms, Maximinus his flesh was rotted away, and his eyes fell out, Maxentius and Licinius fell both before Constantine, by whom God not onely put an end to the persecutions of his people, but setled also the profession of Christianity in the empire: whereupon, the great princes, and idolatrous captains, seeing their idols contemned, their altars despised, their temples deserted, and the Christian religion prevailing, in spight of them and all their designes and attempts to the contrary, grew desperate, were at their wits end, and sought which way to shift for themselves. For of such persons it is interpreted, v. 15.

the sun became black] Which is the brightest creature in the world. It argueth a strange mutation in the Romane empire, as the rest do also. So Joe 2:31. Blacknesse is a symbol of mourning, great confusion and astonishment, Joe 2:6.

as sackeloth of hair] Their sackcloth was black, as appeareth by tents made of it, Son 1:5. It was made of black goatshair.

the moon became as blood] A strange sight and change, that the pale-faced moon should look red like blood; Joe 2:31. Acts 2:20.

Revelation 6:13

fell] Seemed to fall out of heaven down to the ground in this vision; as chap. 12. 4. which of stars themselves, being such vast bodies as they are (though by reason of the distance it appear not) cannot be imagined. So Isaiah 34:4.

untimely figs] Or, green figs: Which fall, before the other succeeding them shoot out.

Revelation 6:14

heaven] No state so high or lofty, but was made to stoop and give way at Christs presence and appearance in judgment; chap. 20. 11. Isaiah 34:4.

as a scroll] Gr. book.

rolled together] An allusion to the manner or fashion of books then in use, which were wont to be rolled up, as our inventaries, and were thence also called volumes, Isaiah 8:1. Jeremiah 36:2. so Isa. 34 4. Which also, being rolled up, were brought into a narrower compasse; nor did the things written in them then appear.

every mountain] Nothing so firm, or so surely grounded, but was shaken, and enforced to give ground, Psalms 18:7. and Psalms 68:8. and Psalms 114:4. Isaiah 64:1-3. Habakkuk 3:6. Zechariah 4:7.

island] Or, sea-coast: as Isaiah 23:2. Jeremiah 25:22. Or, land, or countrey: as Isaiah 20:6. and Isaiah 41:1. No land or region so remote, that the alteration and terrour thence ensuing did not reach unto; Psalms 65:8. Isaiah 41:5. and Isaiah 49:1.

Revelation 6:15

hid himselves] Isaiah 2:10. The great men were as much troubled and dismayed, as if they had seen Christ visibly coming to judgement; and, seeking to hide themselves from him, should utter such words full of affrightment and despair, as are set down in the verses following. Fulfilled, as in others, so especially in Dioclesian, who, summoned to appear before Constantine, made himself away with poison; and Maximinian his second in the empire, who did the like with an halter; both of them having before, from an imperiall state, as running into some secret nook or corner, betaken themselves to a private and obscure course of life, wherein also they could not finde shelter or security sufficient. Also in Maximinus, who, having his discomfiture by Licinius, escaped very narrowly, by hiding himself among the mixt and mean multitude, and after shut himself up in his house, while his forces reinforced were again in the field, was there smitten by the hand of God, and, notwithstanding his acknowledgement of his wrongs done unto, and cruelty exercised upon Christians, and revocation of his former bloodie edicts against them, ended his days in such manner as is above mentioned. In Maxentius likewise, that for a time counterfeited himself a Christian; who, being overcome in sight of Constantine, and seeking, by flight from him, to save his life; was drowned in the river Tyber. And lastly, in Licinius, who having ost changed his copie, one while for Christians, another while against them; one while assisting Constantine against the other persecuting tyrants, another while conspiring with the like against him; and, after feigned submission and reconciliation, falling off again from him, and making head against him, was at length slain in the field, and so came to his end.

Revelation 6:16

and said] Hosea 10:8. Luke 3. 30. The voices of men in a most desperate condition, as not caring what became of them, so they might avoid the sight of so dreadfull a judge.

of him that sitteth] God, revealing himself as a judge on the bench, by those direfull and dreadfull judgements that befell either themselves, or others in their sight. See chap. 4. 2.

wrath of the Lamb] Though a lamb sacrificed for his, and in regard of mildnesse to them, chap. 5. 6. yet as dreadfull as a lion, to those that had wronged him in them, whose hearts began now to smite them for their wrongs done to them; and as powerfull and wrathfull, to take vengeance upon them for the same, chap. 5. 5. and 1. 7. Amos 1:2. and Amos 3:8.

Revelation 6:17

the great day] The day of vengeance, which the blood of martyrs called upon, and cried so loud for, v. 10. So Isa. 34. 6, 8. Joel 2. 1, , 31.

Who is] Psalms 76:7. Numbers 24:23. Malachi 3:2.