Mythology: Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.  Temple of the Life-Giving Trinity on Sparrow Hills William Blake

SECOND MAIN PART OF REVELATION:
A PRINCIPAL, UNIVERSAL VISION OF THE FUTURE

I. THE HEAVENLY VICTORY DOXOLOGY OF GOD AND THE HEAVENLY
REDEEMER 4:1-5:14

The first major section of the second part of Revelation begins with John seeing an open door (v. 1a) and reacting ecstatically to this vision (v. 2a) (54) , and the voice of Christ commands him to rise. You need to not only look through an open door, but also walk through it. It leads to the vault of heaven. As John ascends, he learns what is about to happen in the near future. This “must,” as the course of the narrative shows, is determined primarily by the hope of God’s universal victory over all imaginable forms of evil, replenishing His redemptive creation for the sake of the faithful.

This main introduction is followed in chapters 4-5 by three sections. In the first (4:2b - 11) John describes the throne room of the Heavenly Court
(corresponding to the temple) and worship of the Almighty Creator of the four
animals (representing in slightly modified astrological
terms of creation itself) and the twenty-four elders (representing
royal courtiers and endowed not only with royal, but also
priestly functions). In the second section (5:1-5) John sees
in the right hand of Him who sits on the Throne is a mysterious sealed scroll.
A certain angel asks who, according to their affairs, has the right to open, or
print this scroll. John's reaction is acutely sorrowful, because
it seems that such a person cannot be found. One of the elders gives him
consoling interpretation: being the winner, the right to open the scroll,
and thus the Davidic Messiah has to discover its content.
The third passage, which is an interpretative scene, forms
the central theme of these chapters and prepares the theme of the opening of the seven seals (see.
below, section II; 6:1-8:6). Then follows a vision of the Lamb with
the doxological confession of the Lamb and Him who sits on the Throne (vv. 6-14).
Doxological confessions increase to a universal scale when
the voices of angels and
all living beings.

A. HE SITTING ON THE THRONE IN THE HEAVENLY TEMPLE 4:2b -11

1
After this I looked (saw)
and behold a door was opened in heaven,
and the former voice that I heard was like the sound of a trumpet,
the one who spoke to me said:
"come up here and I'll show you what should be
after this."
2
And immediately I was in the Spirit.
And now the throne stood in heaven,
and there was one sitting on the throne.
Z
And this Seated One was likened in appearance to jasper and sardis stones;
and rainbow (shine - G.) around the throne, looking like emerald
(emerald);
4
and around the throne are twenty-four thrones,
and I saw twenty-four elders sitting on thrones,
dressed in white robes.
and having golden crowns on their heads;
5
and from the throne came lightning and thunder and voices;
and seven lamps of fire burned before the throne,
which are the seven spirits of God;
6
and before the throne was a sea of ​​glass, like crystal;
and in the middle of the throne
and around the throne were four living creatures,
full of eyes in front and behind;
7
and the first animal was like a lion,
and the second animal is like a calf,
and a third animal with a face like a man,
and the fourth animal is like a flying eagle;
8
and all four animals had six wings,
around and inside are filled with eyes,
and have no rest day or night, saying:
Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord, God Almighty,
Who was, and is (is), and is to come!
9
And when the animals repay
glory and honor and thanksgiving
To the one sitting on the throne,
To him who lives forever and ever,
10
then the twenty-four elders fall on their faces
before Him who sits on the throne,
and worship
To him who lives forever and ever
and they lay down their crowns before the throne, saying:
11
You are worthy, O Lord and our God,
receive glory and honor and strength,

For You created everything
and by Thy will it (all) exists and was created.

John describes the four elements of the picture of Him sitting on the throne
(v.2b-3): the throne itself, the One sitting on it, His appearance and radiance. John
deliberately departs from Ezekiel's more anthropomorphic vision
(Ezek.1:26-28). He who sits on the throne is like sparkling jewels
stones (reddish-white in appearance). A halo is not a rainbow,
symbolized the Covenant of Reconciliation (Ezek.1:28; Gen.9:12), and a certain
greenish arc or glow. John, of course, never saw
northern lights, but to the reader this image, or the image of the morning
dawn before sunrise, it may help to imagine that
he describes.

In describing the twenty-four elders of the Heavenly Court (4:4-5a), John follows the same fourfold format, although the final appearance connects the courtiers with Him who sits on the throne rather than describing any properties of the elders themselves. The main altar is surrounded by twenty-four other altars. This number is, as it were, an amplified twelve. There is no apparent need for any personal identification of these elders, for example, with characters or functions of the Old and/or New Testaments.

Subsequently, the elders act as a heavenly element corresponding to the faithful, the true Israel, but they are not identical to it, as well as to the angels and the four animals symbolizing creation. In this case, the elders are seated on their thrones, and their appearance (white robes and golden crowns) and subsequent indications of their activities make one think that this is some kind of heavenly model or type of priestly kingdom. Accompanying signs, i.e. the fourth aspect mentioned does not depict their own glory, but only emphasizes the glory emanating from the throne of God. These are lightning, voices and thunder. This motif is often repeated in Revelation later, as the theme of the Holy War develops,
replenished with new signs of power (such as earthquakes and hail, see Rev. 4:5; 8:5; 11:19; 16:18). which, however, would be out of place in the paraphernalia of heaven. Here John only draws our attention to the source of these terrifying signs. John then gives a “photo-enlargement” of the throne dais (vv. 5b-6). In front of the throne (cf. 2 Baruch 21:6) stand seven lamps, representing the seven “angels of the presence” and the spiritual power of God in communicating His will to the whole world. Subsequently, these angels of presence (cf. 1:4; 3:1) will turn out to be (seven) angels with trumpets (8:2), heralding the various stages of the climactic conflict. The platform itself in front of the throne is a kind of crystalline “heavenly sea”, representing the classically biblical “firmament”, or a solid, albeit invisible division between the earth below and the heavenly palace above.

The strange phrase in verse 6b, “and in the midst of the throne and around the throne,” perhaps represents the throne itself in a larger
understanding - i.e. heaven. It is also possible, and even more likely,
that this is a Hebrew form expressing the meaning "in the complex
throne, completely surrounding it." In both cases, the location
four animals turns out to be the vault of heaven. They are brought to him
like a kind of constellation of four chandeliers. Maybe. on the other side.
this is a description of the design of the throne itself (like side pilasters
or balusters-supports) (54a) .

The description of each animal begins (v. 6c) and ends (v. 8b)
by reference to their eyes (cf. Ezek. 1:18; 10:12). There may be an allusion here
to the stars like the eyes of God. Although many features of the four animals
reminiscent of the Throne visions of Ezekiel (1:1-2:7) and Isaiah (6:1-13), they are in many ways different from these visions. In Ezekiel, each of the animals has four faces, but here each has one. Ezekiel each had four wings, but here they have six (like the seraphim in Isaiah 6:2). In Ezekiel they do not speak, but move, but here they sing, but do not move. Their function here, like that of the seraphim in Isaiah (6:3), is to praise the Most High, but they do this in a specifically eschatological language characteristic of the Revelation of John, confessing Him as “He who was, who is, and who is to come.” John here apparently modified the images of the four Babylonian signs of the Zodiac, representing spring (as the lion, i.e. the sign of fire), summer (as the ox, i.e. the sign of the earth), autumn (as the scorpio, i.e. a water sign, later represented as a human face) and winter (as an Aquarius, as an air sign, later represented as an eagle). (55)

Clearly the scale of this scene emerges from John's complex
modification of all these traditional images and their subordination
the unifying context of the attributes surrounding the throne of God. Here
Zodiac symbolism serves only to designate a place defined in
creation for the created elements. Its meaning is that God
times and seasons are subject to control, as are the four elements, i.e.
fire, earth, water and air. This interpretation is quite consistent
with the fact that, while praising, they confess Him as the All-Powerful, the Former,
To the Present and the Future. The biblical imagery that prevails in
John's borrowings from contemporary astrological
symbolism, emphasizes that these symbolic figures pay
glory to God. In general, the scene does not belong to the category
prophetic visions of the Throne, unlike, for example, Ezekiel
or Isaiah. After all, here John does not receive a call to prophecy: he
the throne's own vision was Christological (1:9-20).
Here, unlike Ezekiel, the Lord does not sit on a military
chariot, ready to accompany His people. Unlike Isaiah, He
Nor is he depicted as a king preparing to punish the disobedient people.

This scene is not a scene of judgment of the nations (unlike the vision
throne in Daniel, 7:9-10), although the “companion thrones” of the elders
and constitute an allusion to Daniel’s system of images of the royal court.
Rather, it describes the heavenly omnipotent Creator, terrifying in His
power, but calm.

The conclusion of the passage (vv. 9-11) confirms previous assumptions. The twenty-four elders respond with reverent worship and song to the thrice-holy praise of God in verse 8b from the four living creatures. (56) The repetition of the words “To Him who liveth forever and ever” in verses 9-10, coming in agreement from the elders and from the four living creatures, centers this reverent confession on the Eternal One who sits on the throne (v. 10a). By placing their crowns before the throne, the elders thereby confess that all authority, including their own part in the sovereignty of God, comes from Himself.

Animals, as representatives of creation, give glory, honor and
thanksgiving (verse 9). This phrase refers exclusively to God himself and appears again only in Rev. 7:12 and 11:17, both times in the context of references to the elders. The elders themselves do not speak about thanksgiving, but about glory, honor and power (v. 11a). They then explain what this power achieved: namely, the creation of everything. The additional explanation “and by Thy will all things exist and were created” is not an image of some kind of modeling from primeval material raw materials or coping with chaos, but an indication that not only the form given to things, but also their very existence is completely in the will of God.

Next, a new detail appears and takes a leading role in the interpolated interpretative scene, which has not yet been mentioned, namely the sealed scroll in the right hand of Him who sits on the throne (5:1-5). In this scene there are no confessional praises to God (and therefore to the Lamb). The Seer thereby shines a spotlight on the key theme of this triumph of creation (4:1-11), as it is realized in redemption (5:6-14). The “throne vision” in 4:1-11 itself has no specific purpose or directional meaning. It is not clear “what” it is for. Its real meaning is revealed through the events immediately following it, and especially in the key theme of the mysterious sealed scroll (5:1-5).

B. 3SEALED SCROLL; INTERPRETATIVE SCENE.

1
And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne
book (papyrus scroll - G.),
written inside and out,
sealed with seven seals.
2
And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice:
Who is worthy to open the book and break its seals?
3
And no one could
neither in heaven, nor on earth, nor under earth
neither open the book nor look [into it].
4
And I cried a lot
that no one worthy was found
open and read the book or look [into it].
5
And one of the elders said to me:
Do not Cry;
Behold, Leo won
from the tribe of Judah,
root of David
[and can] open the book and open the seven seals thereof.

The scroll is covered with writing on all sides, i.e. it is filled to capacity with information. However, it is sealed in such a way that its contents cannot be determined without breaking all seven seals. The breaking of the final seal brings the decrees of the scroll into effect. As follows from the subsequent narration, the opening of the seals itself represents a “preview” of the thematic content of the scroll. This image of a mysterious scroll in the context of a heavenly assembly and a decree emanating from God Himself (for the scroll in the right hand of Him who sits on the throne is prepared with many traditional motifs for that time. As in many other places in Revelation, here John combines biblical and mythological images, changing them in your own way and for your own needs. Thus, the context suggests the theme of the “book of destinies”, i.e. the secrets of the royal reign, which are communicated to the prince
upon his accession to the throne, when he begins to govern the kingdom. (57) The fact that the scroll is written on the inside and outside recalls God's covenant with His people (Ex. 32:15) and the prophetic message (Ezek. 2:10). This book, however, will not only contain weeping and cursing, unlike Ezek. 2:10, - but also a statement of the conditions under which the merit of faithfulness to the commandments of God brings blessing (as in Exodus 32:15).

Immediately after describing the scroll, John adds typically
an apocalyptic scene of a mystery and its resolution. "Proclaimer
The angel" asks a question (v. 2) with which he challenges anyone who
would like to claim to have attempted to open the scroll. Then, in verse
3-4, seeing the powerlessness of all creation, John is acutely concerned that
no one will answer the call and the secret will remain unsolved. Vision
the highest heavenly throne room reaches a crisis here. Which
there is no point in vision if there is no prospect of revelation
mysterious sealed scroll in God's right hand?

Finally, the crisis is resolved in verse 5 by one of the interpreters of the heavenly court, an unnamed elder from among the royal-sacred
courtiers. The Messiah of David, being victorious, by His victory
is honored to print the document. In fact, taking into account Art. 4,
Consider David's Messiah to be a simple creature, whether heavenly or earthly
or underground, impossible. Everything testifies that He is
Lord of Creation. The third and final scene of this section will make it clear
His role and His unique status as the Divine Redeemer, the One
who replenishes God’s Creation, redeeming the universal people to God.

C. PRAISE OF THE LAMB REDEEMER BМECTE
WITH THE ONE SITTING ON THE THRONE

5.6-14

6
And I looked and behold, in the middle (among)
throne and four living creatures
and among the elders
stood the Lamb
as if slain,
seven-horned
and seven eyes,
who are the seven spirits of God sent into all the earth;
7
and He came
and took the book
from the right hand of Him who sits on the throne.
8
And when He took the book,
Four animals and twenty-four elders
fell before the Lamb,
each having a harp (harp)
and golden bowls full of incense,
which are the prayers of the saints,
9
and they sing a new song, saying:
You are worthy to take the book and open its seals,
for You were slain,
and redeemed us to God with Your blood,
(people) from every tribe and tongue and people and nation,
10
and made us kings to our God
And [i.e. e.] priests,
And we will reign on earth.
11
And I saw
and heard the voice of many angels around the throne~
and animals
and elders, -
and their number was ten thousand ten thousand, and thousands upon thousands,
speaking in a loud voice:
12
Worthy is the Lamb
slaughtered
receive strength and wealth and wisdom and strength,
and honor and glory and blessing:
13
And every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and at sea
and everything that is in them,
I heard it said:
To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
blessing and honor and glory and power
forever and ever:
14. A/and the four animals said:
Amen!
A/ and the twenty-four elders fell and bowed down
(To him who lives forever and ever)[Giblin does not have it].

This final section of the first main part consists of three stages. John sees the Lamb and His action (vv. 6-7), and then -
the confessional worship of the elders (vv. 8-10), representing the “saints,” that is, the redeemed faithful, who are joined by the four animals celebrating the redemption. Then in his vision he is given a “photo-enlargement” (vv. 11-14), which helps him to take in the view and hear the sounds of the entire heavenly assembly and every creature anywhere. This photo enlargement ends with the "Amen" of the four animals and the adoration of the elders. In the last two stages the court praises the redemption of the Lamb. Thus the final section of the first main part demonstrates the connection between creation and redemption.

The position of the Lamb is given by a strangely awkward Semitic phrase,
literally reading: "in the middle of the throne and the four living creatures and in the middle
elders." This phrase emphasizes that the Lamb is in the center, but at the same time does not deny the centrality of the position of the One sitting on the throne. The Lamb should be imagined standing on the throne platform, surrounded by four “astral candelabra - chandeliers” of animals on the sides. But He stands in much closer to the throne than the heavenly court of the elders surrounding the throne (v. b.) The Lamb, previously presented as the royal Davidic Messiah (5:5), here “stands as if slain.” That is, the triumphant Messiah is the sacrificial The Lamb who is risen. His victory is in His sacrificial death and resurrection. Accordingly, he has full power ("seven horns") and wisdom of universal reach, also universal power and authority ("seven eyes." Compare Zech. 4:10 This power and strength is identical to the power and strength accompanying the Seated One
on the throne (i.e., to the seven spirits," cf. 4:5). But this time her description says that she is sent everywhere on earth for fulfillment. Before the ramp of God's throne platform, the Lamb takes the scroll (v. 7).

The fact that He has the right to take the scroll is explained by the previous
interpretive scene (especially v. 5), and description in v. 6. But for
An apocalyptic explanation requires both the actions and words of other people, as well as narrative description. Verses 8b-10 meet this requirement, i.e., the worship of the Lamb of the four living creatures and the elders. That there is only one God, the Creator of all things, was proclaimed by the same characters in their confession of God in 4:1-11, especially in verses 8-11.

And they now confess the Lamb, albeit with appropriate differences.
The elders bring bowls filled with the prayers of the redeemed and hold harps, singing, like some heavenly orchestra joined by representatives of creation, the song of victory (“a new song” Compare Ps. 3332:3; 9b95:1; 144-143:9). The victory they celebrate (vv. 9-10)
It consists in the fact that the Davidic Messiah Jesus Christ, who died and rose again, by His death purchased (i.e. “redeemed” or even “purchased”) to God a universal people, no longer limited to any one race or nation, much less tribe or tongue.

Again and again John's vision will emphasize the actual or possible redemption of any person, regardless of such barriers. (58) Moreover, the results of this victory, i.e. fulfillment of the covenant-promise given back in Ex. 19:3-6. relate to both the present and the future. For this universal kingdom consists of men who share in the authority of Christ (i.e., His kingdom) over the hostile world and are consecrated to Him (i.e., priests, who are such not as ministers, but as those sanctified by baptism into His death). They will ultimately inherit the earth and rule it.

In verses 11-14 the universal choir binds worship even more closely
The Lamb with the worship of God, that is, He who sits on the throne. Billions
angels around the throne, an incalculable number among the ancients,
join the animals and the elders in rewarding sevenfold (i.e.
full and complete) praise to the Lamb, recognition of His accomplishments
(v.12). The entire discernible area under the throne - i.e. created
the world in which people live every day, namely heaven, earth and
water, - joins (v. 13), giving the appropriate fourfold
confession (four is the “number” of creation): blessing, honor,
glory and power forever and ever. "Power" (kratos) binds the Lamb
with the Almighty sitting on the throne. Animals confirm this
with their “Amen” (v. 14), but the fact that the elders worship the Lamb,
equates the veneration of the Almighty with the veneration of the Lamb-Redeemer.

Nothing has yet begun to happen to the faithful on earth except
the all-important fact of their redemption by the Lamb. Only in subsequent
excerpts will detail their earthly and heavenly fate.
The first septenary (sevenfold sequence of events and; or
motives) (p. II) will be an overview of the apocalyptic
a struggle in which the redemptive sovereignty of the Lamb will be manifested.
The second unfolded seven of trumpets (p. III solemnly
will herald the climactic battle. The third, relatively short, -
septenary (seven bowls with plagues: r. IV) will lead to decisive
a climactic victory that will end evil.

The following three passages of revelation will develop this climax:
interpretative scene on the fall of Babylon (p. V); story about
the end of the remaining eschatological enemies (beasts, Satan and death
and hell, as well as the coming of a new creation (p. VI; and an interpretative scene on the New Jerusalem (p. VII). In this complexly orchestrated play it is very important not to lose the thematic reference.

Let us now proceed to the description of the opening of the seven seals (R. II), which
as if foreshadowing, like an oracle, the contents of a sealed scroll,
books of messianic destiny in which the faithful participate. (59)

II. OPENING THE SEVEN SEALS 6:1 - 8:5

The opening of the seven seals has a certain rhythm that is characteristic, with minor changes, for the two subsequent weeks. The first four elements are structurally similar to each other. The fifth attracts more attention, and the sixth even more, especially because it introduces an extension of the theme, or "photo-enlargement", erroneously called by some an "interlude" (60). . In fact, this is
expansion anticipates the key events that follow it.
Finally, the emphatic seventh element is usually intertwined, or
technically speaking, “fits in”, ties in with the following
followed by a passage of Revelation. (Graphically this can be represented as follows:
1 , 2, 3 , 4 , 5, 6 , 7).

The opening of the first four seals (6:1-8) involves orders coming from the four animals and the appearance of different horses and riders. The opening of the fifth seal reveals the souls of the martyrs, their prayer-complaint and, temporarily, their intermediate heavenly reward. The opening of the sixth seal is dominated by two essential signs of the Day of the Lord (6:12 - 7:17). First, at the signs that the Day of the Lord is approaching, everyone panics (6:12 - 17). Secondly, the expansion of the theme (7:1-17), including an interpretive scene, reveals that the faithful will not be subject to this fear and will confess the salvation of God after some period of earthly trials. The climactic breaking of the seventh seal (8:1-5) includes a brief silence (8:1), the introduction of angels with trumpets (8:2, i.e.
ligament-overlap between the removal of seals and the following seven
trumpets: 8:6 ff.), as well as an image of effective prayer
saints (8:3-4: an angel brings incense from their prayers and then casts fire on the earth).

In accordance with the description of the rhythm of the text presented here, he and
broken.

A. Opening of the First Four Seals
6:1-8

1
And I saw the Lamb open the first of the seven seals,
and I heard one of the four animals saying
as if in a voice of thunder: come and see!
2
And I looked
and behold, a white horse,
and the one who sat on it had a bow,
and a crown was given to him,
and he came out as a winner and so that he could win.
3
And when He opened the second seal,
I heard the second animal say:
go and look!
4
And another horse came out, red (red),
and the one sitting on it
given to take peace from the earth,
and to kill each other
and a great sword was given to him.
5
And when He opened the third seal,
I heard the third animal saying:
go and look.
And I looked
and behold, a black horse
and the rider on it, having a measure (scales) in his hand
6
And I heard a voice in the middle (as if in the middle. - G) four animals,
speaking:
(take) a day's wage (denarius) for a quinix (quart, small measure)
bread) wheat,
and oil and wine
do not damage [do not charge too much for them].
7
And when He opened the fourth seal,
I heard the voice of the fourth animal saying:
go and look!
8
And I looked
and behold, the horse is pale (greenish),
and the name of the rider sitting on it is "Death",
And Hell (Grave, Sepulcher) follows him,
and they were given dominion over a quarter of the earth,
to kill by sword and famine and pestilence (death)
and the wild beasts of the earth.

The first of the four animals (judging by the “thunderous voice”, apparently a lion) causes the first sign. White horse (61) portends victory. This theme is also emphasized in the description of the rider: he is a crowned warrior, already a winner, but riding out to win again. Since the four horsemen clearly represent a single group, most commentators believe that they depict gruesome executions(62) which, however, God controls because they are caused by animals, symbolizing His power over creation.

However, the complex of military imagery, especially at the beginning of this septenary, where it seems to foreshadow the motif of the horseman of the Word of God (19:11-16), is a suitable introduction to the passages in which the motif of the Day of the Lord, His holy War against evildoers, is repeated. John adapts to his artistic needs the motif of the four horsemen from Zechariah, 1:8 and 6:6. His colors, however—unlike Zechariah—correspond not to the four winds, but to the effect or mood of his own text. White, appropriate for victory, will be balanced by black (the color of the third horse) - the color of mourning, grief and oppression, and red, here - the color of war (the color of the second horse), pale green (complementing it in color scheme), the color of a decaying corpse (the fourth horse).

By giving the first horseman as a symbol of victory in the war, John does not yet want the reader to identify him here with Jesus Christ himself. It is enough to remember that this figure is clearly non-Roman (he is with a bow) and that it is necessary to interpret it thematically in the same context as the figures of the other three horsemen. At the same time, the opening of the first seal still heralds a triumphant victory, and not the dark side of the bloodbath characteristic of the next horseman.

When the second seal is opened, the second animal (ox) introduces the rider,
taking away peace from the earth and causing deadly strife.
Since there are four animals, that is, they are numbered, their meaning is
apparently correlated with the value of removing each of the first
four seals, although it is difficult to clearly describe this correlation, not
while caricaturing their heavenly symbolism. The lion called king
animals, here the first rider of the winner is brought onto the stage. ox,
a young bull, an often violent animal, starts a war
(second rider). An animal with a human face introduces the theme
everyday human activities of buying and selling, although
the key of sorrow and oppression (third horseman). (53) Finally, the last thing
the animal is an eagle, and in this context it is important that it is a bird of prey.
because it summons Death and the Sepulcher (the fourth horseman and his companion).

When opening the third seal, the rider holds scales in his hands. In this
John makes a significant change to the general format of the first:
four seals. After he marks the withdrawal as usual
seals and a commanding voice, and then sees the horse and rider and his
ammunition, John returns again to what he hears. On that
since the command comes from somewhere "in the middle" of the four animals, that
involves strengthening the meaning of this command, as an order from Himself
God. This urgent tone explains why the third horseman
it does not say “it was given to him” (as in 6:4-8). The order to the third horseman sounds directly: this is not a description of the order given to him sometime earlier. Moreover, this command is at the same time an interpretation of the meaning of the symbol of scales. In fact, here the horseman is sent to charge an exorbitant price precisely for such essential products as wheat or barley, without raising the prices of wine and oil (oil) insanely. For daily wages it will hardly be possible to feed a family with the most basic necessities. Non-essential things (wine and oil were traditionally considered luxury items (see Proverbs 21:17)) will not be “affected” (that is, they will not represent a shortage). (64) Later John directly
attacks social injustice caused by love
some to luxury (Rev. 18:11-13). It is very similar that here in
preliminary review of Babylonian sins, we are talking about social
injustice. Commentators usually assume that the third
the horseman symbolizes hunger. However, famine is explicitly mentioned as one of the consequences of the appearance of the fourth horseman (6:8).

The opening of the fourth seal contains a double sign: Death and the Sepulcher of its attendant. Their destructive effect is described by the model
Ezekiel (14:21), but here we are no longer talking about Jerusalem, but about
all over the world, i.e. about a quarter of the earth. During the narrative of Revelation
the proportions of destruction are increasing. So in the week of trumpets
voices, we will now talk about the destruction of not a quarter, but “a third of the earth”
(i.e., a larger part than before), and in the Seven of Cups - about everything.
This increase in proportions is a literary device, and the proportions themselves
should not be taken literally, if only because their sum is not
gives no meaningful value. Describing the destruction ever larger
quantities in "fractions", John creates in a series of his visions
emotional crescendo.

Opening with the motive of victory, the opening of the first four seals concerns the themes of war, social injustice, and mortal agony, however, this is a paradoxical, but generally gloomy prediction of events that have to happen in the future will not have the last word, as the opening of the next three seals will show.

B. Opening of the Fifth Seal 6:9-11.

9
And when he opened the fifth seal,
I saw under the altar

Souls of the slain
for the word of God
and for the testimony which they had (brought to him).
10
And they cried with a loud voice, saying:
How long
Lord Holy and True,
You do not judge and do not avenge our blood
living on earth?
11
And white garments were given to each of them,
and it was told to them,
so that they can calm down for a little while longer,
until completed (number)
and their fellow servants, and their brothers,
who will be killed like themselves.

The sufferings of the servants of God seem to be arranged according to the above-mentioned principle of the preceding fourfold series, at least as far as the last three elements are concerned. However, there is something new: when the fifth seal is opened, John sees the reward that the righteous receive for their testimony about God in the past. (66)

The whole picture seems to be presented here from everyone's point of view
the righteous, starting with Abel, whose blood cries out for God's vengeance.(67) In the language here, oddly enough, no specifically “Christian expressions” are noticeable. The testimony they "had" (v. 9) may simply be what they had in the light of their knowledge of the word of God. In those cases when they also bore this testimony to others, as, for example, the prophets certainly did (Matthew 23:29-36), John does not say that they testified for Jesus(68)

John sees their souls under the altar. In Revelation, the altar is always in heaven and is always “generally typological.” That is, this is not a symbol of the altar (altar for burnt offerings) on which sacrificial animals were slaughtered. Revelation does not describe such sacrifices. When it comes to the altar, it is always the altar of incense of the prayers of the saints
and/or signs for those who are on earth (cf. 8:3-5). However, given the reference to Leviticus 17:11, which says that “blood is soul (life),” the souls of those who gave their lives for the word of God are what they gave, and therefore the souls should be under the altar ( Lev.4:7).

These martyrs turn to the Lord with a prayer of complaint (a poetic echo of Ps. 7978:5 is noticeable here), begging God to quickly avenge their death, which the atheists on earth unjustly sent upon them. That is why they turn to God as the Holy One (i.e., a just and faithful Lord. During the entire Revelation, prayers are offered or described on the heavenly plane within the throne of God, and are correlated with subsequent events on earth. Here, too, there is such correlation: although temporary bliss was given to the martyrs (in the form of peace and white robes), events must still develop, and new ones will arrive
fellow martyrs. (69)

In contrast to a similar scene in the Jewish apocalyptic Second Book of Ezra (4: 33-37), here those awaiting replenishment of their number with their brothers and co-servants of the Christian era receive a significant “increase in status.” Their white garments, as seen in Rev. 3:5, symbolize heavenly reward in the form of the first resurrection. Peace is prepared for them themselves (6:11, cf. 14:13). From chapters 4 to 22 of Revelation, John again and again returns to the state of bliss, describing it “vertically.”

If, in the “horizontal” plan of developments, events are approaching
the descent of the New Jerusalem at the last judgment, when everything will become
obvious, then in the vertical plane there exists for everyone who has proven his faithfulness in earthly trials, a state of heavenly bliss. This state, as here very expressively described, presupposes being in heaven in the body, and not simply as a somehow “separated soul.”

The opening of the first four seals applied to creation as it concerns man and mankind. The opening of the fifth seal gives this worldwide picture in terms of the plea of ​​the servants, the servants of God, from times past: how much longer will all this continue without vengeance and retribution? The opening of the fifth seal will answer this question: God will answer it with His Holy War, which will be waged by Him who sits on the throne and the Lamb. This progression of argument is the narrative logic of the opening of the first six seals.

C. REMOVING THE SIXTH SEAL WITH PHOTO ENLARGEMENT
THIS FRAGMENT OF THE PICTURE

12
And I looked when He opened the sixth seal,
and behold, a great earthquake occurred
and the sun became black as hair shirt,
and the moon became like blood.
13
and the stars of heaven fell to the earth,
as a fig tree drops its figs when it is
shaken by a great wind.

15
And the kings of the earth,
and nobles,
and the rich,
and generals (chief commanders),
and powerful
and every slave and every free
hid in caves and among mountain crevices,
16
And they say to the mountains and stones:
(y) fall on us
and hide us
on behalf of Him who sits on the throne
and from the wrath of the Lamb.
17
For the great day of His wrath has come,
and who can resist?

7:1
And after this
I saw four Angels standing at the four corners of the earth,
holding (controlling) the winds of the earth,
so that the wind does not blow on the land, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.
2
And I saw another angel rising from the east of the sun
and having the seal of the living God,
And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels,
to whom it is given to harm the earth and the sea,
3
saying:
do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees,
until we seal the servants of our God on their foreheads.
4
And I heard the number of those sealed:
there were one hundred and forty-four thousand sealed,
from all the tribes of the children of Israel:
5. Of the tribe of Judah twelve thousand were sealed,
of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand were sealed,
of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand were sealed,
b. of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand were sealed,
of the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand were sealed,
of the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand were sealed,
7. Of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand were sealed,
of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand were sealed.
of the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand were sealed,
8. Of the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand were sealed,
of the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand were sealed,
Of the tribe of Benjamin twelve thousand were sealed.

9. After this
I looked
and here is a great crowd, innumerable by anyone,
(people) from all nations (pac), and tribes, and peoples, and tongues,
stood before the throne and before the Lamb,
in white clothes,
and with palm branches in their hands.
10. And they cried with a loud voice, saying:
salvation to him who sits on the throne, our God,
and to the Lamb!

11. And all the Angels stood around the throne
and the elders and the four living creatures,
and fell down on their faces before the throne
and worshiped God
12. saying:
Amen!
blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving,
and honor and strength and strength
To our God forever and ever.
Amen!

13. And having begun his speech, one of the elders said to me:
these, clothed in white robes -
who are they and where did they come from?
14. And I said to him:
Sir, you (this) know.
And he told me:
These are those who have come from great sorrow,
and they washed their clothes
and they made their robes white in the blood of the Lamb.
15. For this reason they remain before the throne of God
and they serve Him day and night in His temple.
And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them
(he will pitch his tent among them [above them]).
16. They will no longer hunger (starve) or thirst
and the sun and no heat will burn them.
17. For the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will feed them
and lead them to living springs of water
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.

The opening of the sixth seal clearly represents a preview of the cataclysmic events of the Day of the Lord, and the Great
the day of His wrath, which is the prophetic equivalent of God's
Holy War. First, both heavenly and earthly bodies shake
(6:12-13, cf. Joel 2:10). The heavens are rolled up (cf. Isa. 34:4) and the mountains and islands are removed from their places (v. 14). Secondly, all people, divided into seven social classes, from rulers to slaves, panic. Their cry is reminiscent of the cry of sinners in Hosea 10:8. there are no visible traces of repentance in him, but only fear and horror of the punishment of God and the Lamb on the coming Day of Wrath (judgment), before which they are all powerless.

At this point, however, John deliberately changes this general picture to note the special destiny of the faithful, different from the general one both before and after the Day of Wrath. This long passage (7:1-17), as well as a similar long passage describing the seventh sound of the trumpet (10:1-11:14, that is, immediately after 9:13-21), have been erroneously called a retreat or "interlude". However, it does not interrupt or throw back the main course of events. Rather (as already said) this is a fragment given in close-up, photo enlargement
details of the picture in each of the indicated cases (here - at the opening of the sixth seal, and then - at the second curse, during the sixth trumpet sound). One of the functions of this photo enlargement is to look ahead in the description of future events. (70)

In the “photo enlargement” of the fragment itself, two sections can be noted.
The first (7:2-8) deals with the protective sealing of the people
God, Israel, preceded (v. 1) by a calm, as before a worldwide storm or thunderstorm (6:12-14). The second section (7:9-17) describes the same group, but as an innumerable crowd of all kinds of people, and concludes with an interpretive scene (vv. 13-17), which details the reward they receive from God and the Lamb.

Suddenly, a universal peace takes possession of the world (v. 1), which
Symbolized by the four angels who control the four “corners” of the world. More
one angel ascending from the east with the protective seal of the Living God
(vv.2,3) by its appearance explains the meaning of this calm. The angels of the "four winds" have the power to harm the earth and sea, but this angel from the east holds them back until all who need to be preserved are sealed. This seal will preserve them from the horror that will overcome sinners (depicted in the contrasting images of trees in the wind (6:13) and in the calm (7:1-3).

"Sealing" develops the imagery of Ezekiel 9:4, but here it already refers to all the people of God. John's visual impressions
(7:1,2-3) are balanced by the auditory (vv. 4-8) when he hears that the number of those sealed is 144,000. This symbolic image (a thousand times twelve squared) symbolizes the fullness and plurality of the Israel of God. As before in Revelation, the true Jews here are Christians. Perhaps to emphasize this, John lists the tribes in an order that is unconventional for the Old Testament. It is significant that he begins the list with Judas, and not with the firstborn. After all, the Messiah came from the tribe of Judah. In addition, he does not mention Dan, replacing him with Manasseh, a branch of the tribe of Joseph. Dan, in the Jewish tradition, compromised himself with idolatry. (71)

John does not describe the form of the seal. Later interpretations arose
based on the fact that the letter TAB in Ezekiel's vision was once written similar to (X) and could be transformed into the sign of the cross. These interpretations developed this system of images in the spirit of the seal of baptism (2 Cor. 1:22; Eph. 1:13, 4:30), i.e. the seal of the Spirit in view of the death of Christ. John himself here emphasizes that the seal marks those who belong to the Living God and, not being alienated from God, are not subject to the final universal threat of frightening judgment. As subsequent events will show, imprinting does not at all insure against any misfortunes. Rather, it means that God is marshalling and sorting out His own warriors, who are not subject to the despair and fear that afflicts the Gentiles. This theme will still appear at the fifth sound of the trumpet (9:1-12).

The second section of this "photo-enlargement" fragment returns to
visual images. This interpretation, although of an incalculable amount
people from all nations, but somehow corresponding to the one hundred and forty-four thousand sealed from the tribes of Israel. The apocalyptic genre often uses serial visions, where links explain each other. Thus, apocalypticism becomes deeply theological: mysteries are interconnected with each other, so that the knowledge of the listener is increasingly enriched, but at the same time the mystery itself eludes precise definition or decoding (as it would be if it were a simple task).

Thus, what John sees (v. 9) must be paired with what he heard (v. 4, compare with the same pairing between 1:10-11 and 1:12-20 in John's Throne Vision), and therefore the final number
The (144,000) sealed of the tribes of Israel must be compared to an innumerable multitude of people from every race, tribe, people, and tongue. The white clothing of this entire huge crowd corresponds to its heavenly position (before the throne and the Lamb), as one of the elders later explains. Their palm branches are a sign of their victory and joy (2 Mac. 10:7; 1 Mac. 13:51, cf. John 12:13), and they proclaim their victory (Ps. 3:9), as the salvation attributed to and to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb. Their heavenly worship is confirmed by the chorus of the entire heavenly council, with the opening and closing "Amen", and uttering sevenfold praise, where the central and, apparently, the most important element is "thanksgiving".

At the conclusion of the photo-enlargement of the fragment, John identifies the triumphant crowd he saw (vv. 13-17). One of the elders
explains that these are those who shared the sorrow of Christ to the end
atoning sacrifice. "Washing" is the "sanctification" required by the presence of God (Ex. 19:10,14; 29:4). (72) That they worship God in His temple—i.e. in heaven - anticipates their status in the new creation, which will be revealed on earth.

Indeed, despite the fact that the language here contains obvious references to the Old Testament
prophetic motives (Is. 49:10; 25:8; Ps. 2322: 1-2, Jer. 2: 13), he also foreshadows the images with which John himself later described the New Jerusalem (cf. Rev. 22: 1- 5). The difference between this temporary, vertically oriented heavenly reward and the bliss of those worthy after the general, “second” resurrection is that in the first case it is said about the sanctuary (naos ναος - This is the sanctuary, the main part of the "temple").(73) According to John, there will be no temple in the New Jerusalem (21:22). Until the emergence of the New Jerusalem, the only sanctuary is the heavenly abode of God itself.

D. Opening of the Seventh Seal
8:1-5

1. And when He opened the seventh seal
There was silence in the sky for about half an hour.
2. And I saw seven angels standing before God,
and seven trumpets were given to them.
3. And another angel came and stood at the altar,
holding a golden censer.
And a great deal of incense was given to him,
to offer it with the prayers of all saints
on the golden altar, which is before the throne.
4. And the smoke of incense rose with the prayers of the saints
from the hand of an Angel - before God.
5. And the Angel took the censer
and filled it with fire (burning coals - G.) from the altar,
and threw (the contents) to the ground,
and there were voices and thunders and lightnings and earthquakes.

The breaking of the seventh seal opens dramatically with a half-hour of silence in heaven (8:1). This stunning pause creates a contrasting tension, which is finally resolved with a solemn
proclaiming by trumpets the Day of the Lord. In the Old
In the covenant, silence is associated with the fear of the Lord (Hab. 2:20), and precisely at the approach of His judgment (Zech. 2:12) on the Day of the Lord (Zeph. 1:7). Moreover, in John this pause reintroduces the theme of the angels of the Presence (v. 2, cf. 4:5 and 5:6)(74) which in turn usher in the climactic battle ending in God's final judgment. Serving both Him who sits on the throne and the Lamb, these seven angels testify to the fulfillment of God's commands more "directly" than did, say, four beings(75) . In addition, their appearance precisely at this moment, even before they blow their trumpets (they begin only from the sixth verse), links together the two sevens - the opening of the seals and the blasts of the trumpets.(76)

Before these trumpeting angels give the cry that opens and then marks the successive stages of God's war against the forces of evil, another angel appears. He brings the prayers of the saints of God and performs another significant act. The fact is that the form of the plot of the Holy War assumes the following sequence of stages: predictions of the future, based on the already existing achievements of God, then sacrifices, then trumpets opening the battle itself, then the complete defeat of the godless enemy (and his allies) by the power of God Himself, and finally, the inheritance of God's land by a serene victorious people and taking possession of it. Previous breakings of seals were the equivalent of prophecies about the future. Trumpets already open the battle itself with subsequent stages.

At this stage, however, the angel at the altar is dramatizing
sacrifice (in the strict sense of "sanctification" as a representation
something before the Lord and a symbolic demonstration of His power
over life) and its consequences for the world. This "angel of incense"
first takes his golden censer and brings it to the golden
the altar and the prayers of the saints (i.e., those sanctified by the power and authority of God).
From the hand of an angel (holding a censer), prayers ascend to God.
Then the angel plays out the opposite of this scene for us, and
namely, the answer to these prayers. He fills the censer (the same weapon
which he used to offer the prayers of the saints) with fire (or
burning coals) from the same altar, and then throws
these coals to the ground. Here there is an increase in what has already been described in
Rev. 4:5: thunder, shouts (voices), lightning, and finally an earthquake.

This sign increases even more at the seventh trumpet sound (11:15,19b, and hail will be added to the list of signs here) and during the climactic seventh plague (16:17-21, where it is strongly emphasized “how great was the earthquake” and then , that the hail was “the size of a talent.”)

Thus, the opening of the seventh seal completes the series of predictions of the future that accompanied the opening of the scroll, and opens the next scenario, with seven trumpets. The battle, which is solemnly announced by the seven trumpets, and especially the events at the seventh trumpet, will in turn reach its climax during the seventh plague, which comes from the angels with the bowls of the wrath of God.

III. SEVEN TRUMPETS 8:6 -15:8

Seven trumpet blasts organize the longest and most intricately orchestrated section (8:6-15:8) of the main vision (i.e. chapters 4-22). Most commentators consider these chapters not to be a complete passage, but rather a collection and concatenation of individual fragments. Some (77) they even divide the entire Revelation along the lines of the so-called “interludes” - (“interludes”, but in fact “photo-enlargements” of the fragment) in chapters 10-11, and thereby break the text right in the middle of a series of three woes (three proclamations of misfortunes), the beginning of which is in verse 8:13, at the fifth sound of the trumpet, and the end is not earlier than verse 12:12.

However, the patient and attentive reader will note the amazing unity of this sevenfold trumpet blast, which makes up about 38% of the entire main vision (chap. 4-22). The trumpets open with a brief series of the first four (8:6-12). The fourth trumpet is followed by a special proclamation (8:13) “woe, woe, woe!” where each “woe” refers respectively to the fifth, sixth and seventh trumpet voices, and after each of these voices it is described in detail what the corresponding “woe!” means. In each of these misfortunes, a new factor arises, namely some demonic action, achieving only partial success, but each of the three times - more and more.

The fifth trumpet sounds the first attack on the unsealed.
(9:1-12). Sixth (9:13 -11:4) punishment for the unrepentance of the pagans (9:13-21),
as well as a photo enlargement of the fragment (10:1-11:14), from which it is clear that
the climax is expected at the seventh trumpet sound, where it is depicted
demonic opposition to Christian prophets after John. The seventh trumpet call (11:15) reveals a majestic panorama, framed by heavenly hymns and signs (11:15 -15:8) of the final battle with demonic forces, both vertically (between heaven and earth) and horizontally (throughout earth). The conclusion of this section, again, connects with the next, relatively short seven of angels with the bowls of God's wrath against the unrepentant (16:1-21). This anger comes only after the last opportunity for repentance is given. It is reported during the revelations at the seventh trumpet, and it
is anticipated even before this in the course of the events of the seven trumpets.

The unity of the passage under consideration is an immutable point
and the starting point of this commentary. However, in order to facilitate the reading of John’s vision, it is necessary to break this text into some “readable” passages. We will therefore first look at the group of the first four trumpets, together with the announcement of the three plagues (“woe, woe, woe!”). Then we will sequentially look at the fifth trumpet blast (announcing the first misfortune) and the sixth (with a photo enlargement of the fragment and a description of the second misfortune). In order to consider the seventh trumpet sound (the description of which makes up 25% of the text of the main vision of Revelation), it will be necessary to break the corresponding text into seven parts, reflecting its septenary concentric structure. This will make it easier to both read and comment.

THE FIRST FOUR TRUMPETS AND THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE THREE WORRIES
8:6-13

6. And the seven angels having seven trumpets prepared to blow.
7. And the first angel sounded,
and there came hail and fire mixed with blood,
and fell to the ground,
and a third of the trees burned down
and all the green grass burned
(and a third of the earth burned - G.)
8. And the second angel sounded,
and like a big mountain burning with fire,
plunged into the sea;
9
and a third of the sea became blood
and a third of the living creatures died at sea,
and a third of the ships were lost.
10
And the third angel sounded his trumpet,
and a great star fell from the sky, burning like a lamp,
and fell on a third of the rivers
and to sources of (fresh) water;
11
and the name of this star is “wormwood”,
and a third of the waters became wormwood
and many people died from the waters,
because they became bitter (poisoned)
12
And the fourth angel sounded
And a third of the sun was struck
and a third of the moon,
and a third of the stars,
so that a third of them were eclipsed,
and the day was no longer visible for a third (a third of the day was eclipsed),
and nights too.
13
And I saw
and heard one eagle (in G. “vulture”),
flying in the middle of the sky,
speaking in a loud (great) voice:
woe, woe, woe
living on earth
from the rest of the trumpets
three Angels who will sound the trumpet!

The first four trumpets successively announce the defeat of the earth from
by what grows on it (v. 7), the sea and everything in it and on it (v. 8-9), fresh waters and people, whose existence depends on these waters (v. 10-11), and then - the heavenly bodies (v. 12). At the first three blasts of the trumpet, a certain fiery element falls from the sky to the earth.

This connects them (and therefore, most likely, the entire series of trumpets) with the dramatic action of the angel with incense that precedes them (8:5). At the fourth sound of the trumpet, the heavenly bodies go out. In this record of destruction, John's favorite repetition is “third.” (NB: earlier, at 6:8, there was only a quarter). At the same time, however, this fraction forces us to pay attention to the fact that the destruction is not complete. This is yet to come in the seven bowls of wrath (16:1-21). The “third” motif also sets off the third trumpet voice and, at the end of the introductory group of four trumpets, the threefold “woe”. The third trumpet announces the fall of the torch-like star
(like a comet or meteor), called "wormwood" - the name of the plant
poisonous and sometimes deadly. In the Old Testament wormwood appears
as a metaphor for perverse judgment (Amos 5:7; 6:12), bitter fruit
idolatry (Deut. 29:16-19) and divine purification
punishment (Jer. 9:12-16). That's why a lot of people die because of
sins that poisoned their source of life (fresh water).

Immediately after the universal eclipse of the heavenly bodies (v. 12)
suddenly, at the zenith of the sun (“in the middle of the sky”) an eagle (or
vulture predator) (78) and announces three misfortunes (“woe, woe, woe”)
on the inhabitants of the earth. For the most part, these misfortunes are not avoided and
faithful, but mostly they affect those people who, during the times
John there was a huge majority, namely pagans. From the first misfortune, i.e. despondency, Christians will be delivered. During the second tribulation, Christian prophetic witness after John would be attacked by hatred, but would eventually lead to the conversion of most of those who opposed it.

All inhabitants of the earth will suffer from the third misfortune, although the faithful will receive their heavenly reward. The development of the narrative about misfortunes shows their specificity: for the first time, an element of satanic attack appears in them, which always achieves at least partial success and is more harmful than natural disasters or purely human strife. The deliberate increase in catastrophicity to a demonic level shows (through its failure) that God is able to overcome evil in its most powerful and dangerous forms. The proclamation of three misfortunes (“woe, woe, woe”) allows John to reconcile with the context the increasing scale of the pictures of the last three trumpets.

As with the seven seals, the series of seven trumpets also follows a progressive pattern: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7.

THE FIFTH BLOW OF THE TRUMPET (THE FIRST TROUBLE)
9:1-12
1
And the fifth angel sounded
and I saw a star fall from the sky to the ground,
and she was given the key to the pit of the abyss
2
and she opened the shaft of the abyss,
and smoke came out of the mine like smoke from a great furnace,
and the sun and air darkened from the smoke of the mine.
3
And out of the smoke came locusts to the ground,
And she was given the power that the scorpions of the earth have
4
and she was told not to harm
grass of the earth,
and no greenery,
and no tree
but only to those people alone,
who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads;
5
and it was given to her not to kill them,
and to suffer for five months,
and her torment is like the torment of scorpions,
when a person gets stung.
6
And in those days
people will seek death and will not find it,
and they will wish to die, and death will flee from them.
7
And the locusts looked like horses ready for war,
and on her heads there were crowns like gold,
and her faces are like human faces,
8
and her hair is like the hair of women,
and her teeth were like a lion's,
9
and she had armor - like iron armor,
and the sound of her wings is like the sound of chariots
(when) many horses run to war,
10
and she had tails like scorpions,
and there were stings in her tails,
and she had the power to harm people for five months.
11
and has (had) over him the angel of the abyss as king,
His name in Hebrew is Abaddon;
and in Greek Apollyon (Destroyer).
12
The first grief has passed,
behold, there are two more sorrows coming after this.

At the sound of the fifth trumpet, John sees a falling star. Perhaps this is an allusion to Lucifer. Basically, however, John does not strive to
description of the fall of Lucifer, and to the description of Satan or some
the satanic character of the Destroyer (Apollyon, v. 11). Maybe,
here there is a play on the consonance of his name with the name of the Greek
pagan god Apollo. (79) This demonic force opens the abyss,
but not in order to enlighten, but in order to cover the earth with foggy smoke; and then the same power functions as the king of the abyss, the leader of the plague of locusts.

In order to distinguish and appreciate the main points of this “grief”, it is necessary to pay attention to the intricacy of the literary structure of this passage. The passage consists of five symmetrically concentric links: This structure is determined by the position of the key words. In the framing links A and A, the key word is “the abyss” (vv. 1-2 and 11). In B and C, this is the image of a plague, developed by the same words in an almost exactly repeating order in the first and second half of the passage:

B (v. 2-5)……..……………… V" (v. 7-10)
locust…….………………….locust
power………….…………………with power
harm………………………harm
five months……………….five months
torment from scorpions......scorpion-like tails

Inside passage B (vv. 3-5) there is another subordinate concentric
structure:
a (v. 3): The power of scorpions was given to her
b (v.4): She was told not to harm... but to only harm
a" (v. 5) She was given... torment (as from) scorpions.

The central and most important part, C (v. 6), describes the terrible state of people (excluding, of course, those sealed, v. 4). In cases where the plague itself, the execution, is not death (v. 5), people strive for death in order to avoid this plague, but death is not given to them. They despair in their desire to die (just as, for example, in the book of Job 3:21, or Jeremiah 8:3). The central section (C) briefly recounts the five-month period of torment, opening with the typical “end times signal phrase”: “in those days.” The section is also tied to sections B and the concept of “people / human” (v. 6, cf. verses 4, 5, 7 and 10).

The image of this execution goes back quite directly to Joel 2:1,11. Just like Joel (31) , the initial agricultural character of the misfortune (A, B) is further replaced by the image of military power, some otherworldly royal cavalry (A’ , B’). It is characteristic, however, that in John the locusts behave “not like locusts”: they do not devour grass, leaves and other greenery. But this is not a pure metaphor for an attack by a human enemy army. This is the image of a demonic, demonic enemy of the human race.

The locust torments with a scorpion-like sting, and this is a classic image of punishment for idolatry and other sins (Sir. 39:27-35, Deut. 32:21-24). The execution lasts not a few days or weeks, but five months, that is, as long as the average generation of locusts lives. As long as these creatures are allowed to remain on earth, nothing can be done about their scourge. Symbolically, five months means a long, but not endless catastrophe (precedent, for example, the period of the flood in Gen. 7:24). (32) Perhaps this temporary factor suggests a divine correction of human behavior after the atheists are exterminated. The text, however, does not say anything about whether this correction took place after the disaster or not.

John does not mean to reduce the meaning of misfortunes to a narrow historical
symbolism, for example, of this or that persecuting emperor.
The author's intentions are evidenced by the structure of the passage itself.
The concentric design of section B (vv. 3-5) equates
compositional center (i.e. b , verse 4) of this section to the thematic one, and thus it becomes clear that the main thing is that the victims of the misfortune are “unsealed” by God, i.e. not belonging to Him as His people.

Moreover, the scale of the ulcer, despair even to the point of an unnatural desire for death, gives in the central
In passage C it is this entire concentric sub-structure.
The demonic nature of this scourge is determined not only
phantasmagoria of images in B and B", but also, especially even,
framing links A and A", which says who releases
locusts, namely about the angel of the abyss - its king.

Today we are increasingly talking about the four horsemen of the Apocalypse. These images are quite popular in our modern times. They are successfully used in a variety of video games and movies. These characters became famous thanks to Revelations. But even today, church representatives are not entirely sure who the 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse actually are, whose names can be found in our article. However, there is an opinion that each of these heroes corresponds to a certain type of disaster: war, famine, plague and death.

Who are they?

People are sinful creatures. And this is a fact that is known to all mankind. As soon as the number of sins reaches its climax, the Almighty unleashes his wrath on our land and calls for the 4 horsemen of the Apocalypse (you will learn their names below) to bring destruction and sow death. This is exactly how everything is described in the last book. One after another, horsemen appear. This happens in accordance with the opening of one of those seven seals that are discussed in the book of Revelation.

There are 4 horsemen of the Apocalypse. Wikipedia knows their names. The first horseman is the Conqueror. Most often, this character appears before the audience as a man riding a white horse.

The second horseman is called War (or War). He carries out his judgment in the name of the Lord God himself. This horseman serves as the personification of war. His horse is red. Although some sources describe its color as red or fiery red.

Horseman number three rides on a black horse, and his name is Hunger. This man is depicted with scales or a measure in his hand, which signifies the way in which bread is divided during the famine. Additionally, this character is the only character whose appearance is signaled by a voice.

And the fourth horseman is named Death. He is depicted riding a pale, white horse. Following this character comes Hell.

First Horseman

It is assumed that all 4 horsemen of the Apocalypse, whose names are indicated above, personify exclusively evil and the destruction of all life on the planet. But at the same time, there are other hypotheses. Thus, Irenaeus of Lyons, a priest who lived in the 2nd century, put forward a theory according to which the first horseman is Jesus Christ himself. The white horse was explained by the incredible success of the Gospel, which described the life of the Messiah. This theory was supported by many churchmen, since Jesus indeed always traveled on a white horse.

But there are also priests who refute the above-mentioned hypothesis, citing the fact that Jesus must open seven seals. And he is not able to simultaneously be both the guardian of the relic and the rider.

Red horse for rider number two

The rider, called War, appears on a red horse and acts on behalf of God. His stallion may be bright red or tan in color. The names of the 4 horsemen of the Apocalypse (Darksiders is a game that will make you feel like a horseman named War) have always aroused interest among researchers. This character was no exception. The shade of the horse of the second rider is interpreted as the blood that was shed by God's messenger during repeated battles. In his hands the rider holds a two-handed, incredibly beautiful large sword.

The appearance of a red horse and its rider may mean the beginning of a civil war. This war is a rebellion against the rider of the white horse and his conquests. Subsequently, only the death of everything that lives on earth will come.

Hunger, or the Third Horseman

Hunger always appears on a black horse. The color of the animal is interpreted as a shade of death. In his hands the rider holds scales, the meaning of which we mentioned above. The 4 horsemen of the Apocalypse (their names can be read in our article) are silent persons. But only the appearance of Famine is accompanied by a phrase coming to John from the four beasts. They negotiate the cost of food, pointing out that only wine and oil are in abundance.

It is believed that the arrival of the third horseman brings with it a bad harvest and an increase in the cost of grain. But the price of wine and oil will not change. There is also a version that this character symbolizes the abundance of luxury in the market, while basic necessities have practically exhausted themselves.

The Last Horseman

Death is the name of the fourth horseman. Different Bible translations give different names to this character. It is often called Plague or Pestilence. His horse is pale in color. New books of the Bible also refer to its color as "pale green", "yellow-tinged green" or "ashen". This tone is characteristic of the skin of corpses.

This horseman is the only person who is called by name in Revelations. No one describes whether the fourth horseman has any weapons in his hands. But instead, it is said that real Inferno will come to the planet after the rider on a pale horse.

This is what they are, the 4 horsemen of the Apocalypse. They are not indicated by any source, or they are identified with the names of the horsemen themselves.

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This chapter is extremely eventful, and they are so vivid that most people usually remember only about them from the entire book of the Apocalypse. (But in vain, it will be cooler further oh-oh-oh).

Chapter 6(Synodal translation), part 1.

1 And I saw the Lamb open the first of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder: go and look.

It is assumed that the Book, i.e. scroll, was arranged as follows: “There was one bundle, but it consisted of seven turns - parts, which were separated from one another by seals; as the seals were removed, the bundle itself unfolded further and further and revealed its contents. The seals themselves could be placed on the edge of the package."
Fragment of a drawing by W. Blake

2 I looked, and behold, white horse, and on him was a rider who had a bow, and a crown was given to him; and he came out victorious, and to conquer.

Although the First Horseman is not named in Apocalypse, it is traditionally believed to be the Plague. Obviously, because he has a bow and arrows - remember. and in Greek mythology, Apollo sent epidemics by shooting people with a bow. In addition to a bow and arrow, he has a crown and a white horse.
“Opening of the first seal” (The Lamb lifts it with its paw, see, bends it back?) The first animal of the four, although the author does not name it, in this miniature is a lion whispering in John’s ear.
Douce Apocalypse, 13th century

3 And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, Come and see.
4 And another came out horse, red; and to him that sat on it was given power to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another; and a great sword was given to him.

The name of the second horseman is traditionally War. He has a sword in his hands, and his horse is red.

5 And when He had opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, Come and see. I looked, and behold, black horse, and a rider on it had a measure in his hand.

The third horseman began to be called Hunger, because he holds scales in his hands, symbolizing how food is carefully weighed during times of shortage.

Johnny Cash's famous song "The Man Comes Around" is dedicated to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and is almost entirely based on the lyrics of "Apocalypse". In the first lines - about the first horseman of the Apocalypse, in the end - about the fourth. I invite fans of the singer to check out the comparison of the song with the Bible: each, in fact almost every line has a parallel text. There is even a story about the 24 elders bowing from the last chapter. What I’m saying is that rock music becomes much more interesting after studying Apocalypse.

7 And when He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature, saying, Come and see.
8 And I looked, and behold, pale horse, and on it the horseman whose name is "death"; And hell followed him; and power was given to him over the fourth part of the earth to kill with the sword, and with famine, and with pestilence, and with the beasts of the earth.

The 4th horseman is the only one who is directly given a proper name in Holy Scripture. It is curious that in the first period of illustration of the Apocalypse, this character was not depicted as a walking skeleton, but looked the same as his three colleagues. The scythe as an attribute also appeared later; in the early period, a bowl with fire was more popular. Here's an example.
English manuscript 1255-1260. John is drawn outside the frame of the miniature; the eagle reports to him through the window.

But from the earliest period, the line “and hell followed him” was illustrated in a completely literalistic manner. It turned out to be the demon Hades with a huge mouth, sometimes full of sinners, sometimes breathing fire, as befits Hell.
Hans Memling. "Polyptych of St. John" (fragment), 1470s

Although there is no line in the Apocalypse that mentions the 4 horsemen “in one frame,” such iconography arose over time and became extremely popular.
Another fragment of the same picture. We already know what is in the upper left corner of the rainbow sphere, but we will learn to “read” the upper right corner in other chapters.



"Alice" - song "Riders" (text online). Here, as far as I understand, a rarer interpretation of the figures of horsemen was used: some Church Fathers believed that the 1st or 4th horseman is a positive character, or, more precisely, Christ in general. More on this another time.

(the end of the 6th chapter will be next time, there is already a different plot developing there, not about the horsemen)

Chapter 6 (modern translation), part 1

1 I saw the Lamb open one of the seven seals, and heard one of the four creatures say in a thunderous voice: “Come here!”
2 And I saw: behold, a white horse, with a rider on it with a bow. He was given a wreath, and he came out as a conqueror to conquer.

Despite the title of the picture, the focus here is on the first rider, and not on the second.
Philipp Jakob Loutherbourg d. J. "The Opening of the Second Seal." 1798

3 When He opened the second seal, I heard the second being say, “Come here!”
4 And the second horse came out - a fiery red one. Its rider is allowed to take the world away from the earth so that everyone slaughters each other to death. And he was given a great sword.

Rider on a Red Horse, Carlo Carrà, 1913. The Italian Futurists adored red horses, and it is indicated that this was based on the "Apocalypse". I'm starting to suspect Petrov-Vodkin of something...

5 When He opened the third seal, I heard the third being say, “Come here!”
And I saw: there was a black horse, and the rider had scales in his hand.

Giusto de Menabuoi. Fresco in the Padua Baptistery, 14th century

7 When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth creature saying, “Come here!”

8 And I saw: behold a white horse and its rider. The horseman's name is Death, followed by Hell. They were given power over a fourth of the earth: to kill with the sword, hunger, the deadly plague and wild beasts.

Gustav Dore. 1865. This is already a classic example of the iconography of the Fourth Horseman, whose name is Death: skeleton, scythe, etc.

More Fourth Horseman heap, he is the most popular.

Giotto. OK. 1320

Édouard Ravel de Malval

Odilon Redon. 1899.

Angers Apocalypse, tapestry, 14th century

John Hamilton Mortimer, c. 1775

Unexpected Turner. 1825

William Blake. OK. 1800. The horseman is not a skeleton. Do you see the scroll with seals?

This is a very interesting series by Austrian artist Karl Rössing, created in 1946-7, with allusions to the Second World War.
Very well recognizable silhouettes of two anti-aircraft shelter towers. The towers still stand in the center of Vienna (6 in total).

And others:

First rider: white horse, bow, arrows, sometimes a crown.
The name is "Plague" because arrows are an allegory of infection.

George Frederick Watts, 1878.

Angers tapestry, 14th century

Luigi Sabatelli, 1800s.See the influence of Apollo iconography?

Fresco in Anagni Cathedral, Italy

Stained glass window Saint Denis

Spain, 1189

ROTTING CHRIST-The Four Horsemen. A very thematic song, and quite lyrical (well, for fans).

I won’t embed any more videos into this chapter, look, I’ve collected them huge playlist of rock songs on YouTube about this theme.
Below are just pictures:

Second rider: red horse, sword in hand. The crown is no longer there.
The name is "War" because the sword is an allegory of murder.

Stained glass window Saint Denis

England, approx. 1250

Third Horseman: black horse, scales.
Its name is "Hunger" because the scale is an allegory for the meager amount of food.

Bamberg Apocalypse, ca. 1000

Angers tapestry, 14th century

In terms of popularity, Death is the most popular, then the Plague (probably because he is photogenic), and the remaining two are not very good.

A fragment of a German modern mosaic, which I showed in the previous article. Ch. It is interesting because the seals here depict its consequences - i.e. the first four are our riders.

That's the whole quadriga - now you know how to find out where everyone is.

Engraving from Mortier's Bible. The Book with 7 seals hangs in heaven.

Arild Rosenkrantz - The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, 1952. An example of 20th century visionary art.

Karl Rössing, 1946-7

Matthias Gerung. Ottheinrich-bible, 1530-2

Boris Anisfeld. 1946

Jacopo Palma the Younger. 1580s.
During the Renaissance, the subject was depicted very rarely. There is also St. John with an eagle. In the lower left corner, don't miss the mouth of Hell.

Miniature from Beatus Facundus. 1047. Test yourself based on knowledge of the attributes - which rider is which?

Holbein the Elder. Illustration for Zwingli's Bible, 1531

Viktor Vasnetsov’s sketch for the Kyiv Cathedral (it didn’t go into action, they didn’t dare to decorate the walls of the temple with such a plot) - this is the best illustration of the plot, really. Better than Western artists. Because Vasnetsov understood “fabulousness”. 1887
Did you see the Lamb with the Book under the ceiling?

German stained glass, modern

Benjamin West. "Death on a pale horse." 1817. A funny attempt by a representative of academicism.


It's him. A more successful version of 1796. Probably because there is more baroque here

Manuscript from Thuringia, 14th century. Down below Death is the mouth of the late Hell

Vasily Koren, "The Bible for the Poor", 1690s.

Durer, 1498

A rare example of the Orthodox: a fresco in Yaroslavl.

Fresco on the outside of the German

The names of the 4 horsemen of the Apocalypse are not simple, sometimes ambiguous, and frightening for mere mortals, but before we begin to analyze them, let's turn to the “Apocalypse” itself.

What is the Apocalypse?

Today, the word “apocalypse” is often used in everyday life in the general sense of some kind of global catastrophe or the end of the world, but etymologically (translated from the Greek - revelation) goes back to the “Revelation of Jesus Christ, or” - which closes the New Testament and contains prophetic visions about the end of the world. This ancient monument of early Christian literature was written at the end of the 1st century on the island of Patmos by John the Evangelist (Theologian).

The author of the Apocalypse uses symbols and allegories, which is why Revelation is the most difficult book of Holy Scripture to interpret. Symbols reflect general concepts, not specific ones, allegorical images are timeless and have a universal character. Therefore, "Revelation", created in the 1st century, is relevant for present and future generations.

The horsemen appear in the 6th chapter of the “Apocalypse” sequentially, one after another, after the Lamb opens the first 4 of the seven seals of the book of Divine Revelation and are accompanied by exclamations of tetramorphic creatures: “Come and see.” The Horsemen of the Apocalypse are a kind of “patrol”, guardsmen of heaven, called by God and endowed by him with the power to administer justice over careless humanity, bringing devastation, torment and suffering to Earth.

In fact, in the "Revelation" itself the name of only one of the horsemen is clearly stated - the 4th: "his name is Death", while the others are presented only with a short description and mention of their mission on Earth or, as in the case of the 3rd horseman, voice commentary from one of the tetramorphic creatures. Variants of the names of these horsemen, according to their characteristics, were given by subsequent interpreters of the Apocalypse. In their interpretations, the 4 horsemen of the apocalypse most often bear the following names:

So, the first to appear in “Apocalypse” is a rider on a white horse with a victorious crown on his head and a bow in his hands. His mission is to win. Interpreters radically disagree about this image. According to one version, it symbolizes the evil and false prophecies of the Antichrist, according to the second - on the contrary, the light and Jesus Christ. Accordingly, the color of his horse - white - personifies pseudo-righteousness or righteousness. This difference in the views of interpreters arose due to the fact that Christ also appeared on a white horse in the 19th chapter, but most researchers cite a number of counterarguments not in favor of this version and are inclined to conclude that the name that best suits this rider is Conqueror. In their opinion, the bow is a symbol of militaristic power, in particular, a symbol of the conquest of the Roman Empire by the Parthians, who were associated with riders on white horses.

If the 1st horseman of the Apocalypse personified the image of a conqueror from the outside, then the mission of the 2nd, with a huge sword in his hands (a reference to the words of the Savior: “I did not come to bring peace, but a sword”), is “to take away peace on earth so that one killed another,” that is, to turn the destructive instincts of people against each other in fraternal war, which manifests itself in human history in the form of various uprisings, revolutions and civil unrest. Most interpreters agree that the name of this horseman is Discord. Some historians associate this image with the rebellion and numerous casualties in Britain or the riots in Palestine and the German wars in those historical times. The color of this rider's horse is red or fiery red - a symbol of fire and shed blood.

The Horseman of the Apocalypse, the third to appear in Chapter 6, is credited with the name Famine, appearing on a black raven horse and holding scales. Tellingly, “Revelation” does not directly talk about his mission, but the appearance of the horseman is accompanied by the following words of one of the tetramorphic creatures: “A measure of wheat for a denarius and three measures of barley for a denarius, do not harm olives and wine.” In these words and his attribute - scales - interpreters saw an omen about the need to share bread in times of famine, when grain prices are too high, it will become worth its weight in gold. But even then, Christians will not have to touch the oil and wine used in the rite of communion, as symbols of faith. Some scientists, in connection with the 3rd horseman, draw analogies with the years of famine in Palestine and Armenia.

The name of the 4th horseman of the Apocalypse is mentioned in “Revelation” itself - riding a pale horse. Scripture directly states that hell followed her. The mission of this messenger of God is also clearly defined: “This horseman has been given power over the fourth part of the earth - to kill with the sword, with famine and pestilence, and with the beasts of the earth.” The pale color of a horse, also known as ashy or yellowish-green (found in different translations), is associated with the pallor of a dead body, a corpse. Some supporters of the historical interpretation of the Bible associate the image of the 4th Horseman of the Apocalypse with the epidemics that broke out at that time in Ephesus and Asia.

The 4 horsemen of the Apocalypse received their names in other synonymous variants, such as War, Battle, Plague, Pestilence, which is primarily explained by translation difficulties.