Bible Glide

Revelation 6 Summary, Context, and Full Chapter

Revelation 6 shows the Lamb opening the first six seals of the scroll. Each seal brings a new scene of judgment, suffering, or upheaval on the earth. The chapter moves from the four horsemen to the cries of the martyrs and then to a world shaken by cosmic fear before the final seal.

What happens in Revelation 6?

As the Lamb opens each seal, four horsemen appear, bringing conquest, war, famine, and death across the earth. The fifth seal shifts to the souls of those killed for God's word, who ask how long judgment will be delayed. They are given white robes and told to wait a little longer. The sixth seal unleashes a great earthquake and darkened skies, causing people of every status to hide in fear from the wrath of the Lamb and the One on the throne.

This chapter continues the vision that began in Revelation 5, where the Lamb was found worthy to open the sealed scroll. Revelation 6 starts that opening sequence and shows the first wave of events tied to the seals. It also prepares for the next chapter, where God's people are pictured and the unfolding judgment scene continues.

  • JudgmentThe opening of the seals brings visible acts of divine judgment across the earth.
  • SufferingWar, famine, death, and persecution show the cost of life in a broken world.
  • VindicationThe martyrs cry for justice and are told to wait until God's plan is complete.
  • What does the opening of the seals reveal about the Lamb's authority?
  • How do the horsemen and the later signs help you understand the severity of judgment in this chapter?
  • What does the scene of the martyrs teach about waiting for God's justice?

Read the full text of Revelation 6 below, then open it in the reader to highlight, take notes, or ask follow-up Bible questions. No account is required to read.

Revelation 6

The First Seal: The White Horse

1Then I watched as the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say in a thunderous voice, “Come!”2So I looked and saw a white horse, and its rider held a bow. And he was given a crown, and he rode out to overcome and conquer.

The Second Seal: War

3And when the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!”4Then another horse went forth. It was bright red, and its rider was granted permission to take away peace from the earth and to make men slay one another. And he was given a great sword.

The Third Seal: Famine

5And when the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” Then I looked and saw a black horse, and its rider held in his hand a pair of scales.6And I heard what sounded like a voice from among 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 wine.”

The Fourth Seal: Death

7And when the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!”8Then I looked and saw a pale green horse. Its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed close behind. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill by sword, by famine, by plague, and by the beasts of the earth.

The Fifth Seal: The Martyrs

9And when the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony they had upheld.10And they cried out in a loud voice, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You avenge our blood and judge those who dwell upon the earth?”11Then each of them was given a white robe and told to rest a little while longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers, were killed, just as they had been killed.

The Sixth Seal: Terror

12And when I saw the Lamb open the sixth seal, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black like sackcloth of goat hair, and the whole moon turned blood red,13and the stars of the sky fell to the earth like unripe figs dropping from a tree shaken by a great wind.14The sky receded like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved from its place.15Then the kings of the earth, the nobles, the commanders, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and free man hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains.16And they said to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the One seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb.17For the great day of Their wrath has come, and who is able to withstand it?”

Save notes and ask about Revelation 6

Create a free account to keep highlights and notes across devices, or open Bible Glide Chat with this passage already attached.