6:1 And 1 I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I
heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four
beasts saying, Come and see.
(1) This is the second part of this first history (which I said
was common and of the whole world) of the works of God in
the government of all things. There are generally three
parts to this: the forewarning, the caution, and the
execution of all the evils which God sends on this world,
which was scarcely postponed by him. The forewarning is set
down in this chapter, the caution for preserving the Church
is in the next chapter, and the execution is described in
(Re 8:9) In each part of the forewarning, there are
three points: the distinct and express calling of John to
prepare himself to take knowledge of the things that are to
be showed to him in the opening of the seals, the sign, and
the word expounding the sign. Though the express calling
of John is used in only four of the signs, yet the same is
also to be understood in the rest that follow. The author
of the forewarnings is the Lamb as that word of the Father
made the Mediator, opening the seals of the book. The
instruments are the angels in most of the visions, who
explain the sign and the words of it. Now this first verse
contains an express calling of John to record the opening
of the first seal.
6:2 And 2 I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on
him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went
forth conquering, and to conquer.
(2) The first sign, joined with a declaration, is that because
of the sins and horrible rebellion of the world, God will
invade the world: and first of all will suddenly, mightily,
and gloriously, as if with arrows of pestilence from a
distance, beat down the same as Judge, and triumph over it
as conqueror.
6:3 And 3 when he had opened the second seal, I heard the
second beast say, Come and see.
(3) The second sign joined with words of declaration (after the
express calling of John as before) is, that God being
provoked to wrath by the obstinacy and hard heartedness of
the world, not repenting for the former plague: as setting
on the same at hand, will cause disputes among men, and
will destroy the inhabitants of this world, by the swords
of one another.
6:54 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.
(4) The third sign with declaration is that God will destroy
the world with famine, removing all food: which is by
Synecdoche comprehended in wheat, barley, wine and oil.
6:6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A
a measure of wheat for a penny, 5 and three measures of
barley for a penny; and [see] thou hurt not the oil and the
wine.
(a) It is here signified how little grain there was, for the
word used here is a unit of measure for dry things,
about an eighth of a bushel, which was a typical daily
ration given to servants.
(5) I would rather interpret and read the words this way, "And
the wine and the oil you will not distribute unjustly." In
this sense likewise the wine and the oil will be sold a
very little for a penny. You will not distribute unjustly,
namely, when you measure out a very little for a great
price: so are the times evident: otherwise it would be
true, as the wise man says, that whoever withholds the grain
will be cursed by the people; (Pr 11:26).
6:76 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the
voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
(6) The fourth sign joined with words of declaration is, that
God will devote a quarter of the world to death and hell,
or the grave, by all those methods at once, who
individually and in order he had summoned to change their
minds. To these are also added the wild and cruel beasts
of the earth (Le 16:22). Thus according to his wisdom,
God dispenses the treasures of his power, justly towards
all, mercifully towards the good, and with patience or
longsuffering towards his enemies.
6:97 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the
altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God,
and for the testimony which they held:
(7) The sixth sign is that the holy martyrs who are under the
altar, by which they are sanctified, that is, received into
the trust and teaching of Christ (into whose hands they are
committed) shall cry out for the justice of God, in a holy
zeal to advance his kingdom, and not from any private
disturbance of the mind, in this and the next verse, and
that God will comfort them in deed, sign and word;
(Re 6:10).
6:11 And 8 white robes were given unto every one of them; and
it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a
little season, until their fellowservants also and their
brethren, that should be killed as they [were], should be
b fulfilled.
6:129 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and,
lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black
as c sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;
(9) The sixth sign, a narration, has two parts: the sign and
the event. The sign is that the earth, heaven, and the
things that are in them, for the horror of the sins of the
world after those most heavy warnings from God, and
complaints of the saints shall be shaken most severely,
trembling in horrible manner, and losing their light, in
this verse: things falling from heaven (Re 6:13)
withdrawing themselves and fleeing from the greatness of
the trouble (Re 6:14). So completely do all creatures
depend on the will of God, and content themselves in his
glory.
(c) So they called in old time those woven works that were
of hair.
6:1510 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the
rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and
every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the
dens and in the rocks of the mountains;
(10) The event of the sign before: that there is no man who
will not be amazed at that worldwide upheaval, fly away in
fear and hide himself in this verse, and wish to die,
because of the exceeding horror of the wrath of God, and
of the Lamb, at which before he was amazed. Now this
confusion is not on the part of the godly but of the
wicked, whose portion is in this life; (Ps 17:14).
Not that sorrow which is according to God, which works
repentance to salvation, of which a man shall never repent
him, but that worldly sorrow that brings death;
(2Co 7:9) as their wishes declare: for this history
of the whole world, is separated from the history of the
Church, as I have showed before. )See Geneva "Re 4:1")
6:16 And said to the mountains and rocks, 11 Fall on us, and
hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne,
and from the wrath of the Lamb:
(11) These are words of those who despair of escape: of the
cause of this despair there are two arguments, the
presence of God and the Lamb provoked to wrath against the
world, in this verse: and the awareness of their own
weakness, feeling that they are not able to survive the
day of the wrath of God (Re 6:17) as it is said in
(Isa 14:27).
