Revelation 6:1-17
Opening The Seven Seals
3 Plague Sequences: 7 seals, 7 trumpets 7 bowls
(Revelation 6; Revelation 8-9; Revelation 16)
. . . Between
Revelation 4-5:the Kingdom of God
in Heaven
God and the Lamb Worshipped
As Kings in Heaven
. . . And
Revelation 21-22: the New
Jerusalem as Kingdom of
God in Transformed &
Purified Heaven and Earth:
Interpretation of the Plague Cycles:
Example of the Seven Seals
The Seven Seals
and Their Interpretation
1 Rider on White Horse
2 Rider on Red Horse
3 Rider on Black Horse
4 Rider on Pale Horse = Death
5 Souls under the Altar
6 Earthquake, stars fall,
cosmic chaos, wrath of Lamb
7 Silence; 7 trumpets
Rev 6:1-2: The First Horseman
1 Now I saw when the Lamb opened
one of the seven seals, and I heard
one of the four living creatures say,
as with a voice of thunder, "Come!"
2 And I saw, and behold, a white horse,
and its rider had a bow; and a crown
was given to him, and he went out
conquering and to conquer
The Cloisters Apocalypse
Cloisters Museum
New York
1320-1330
Rev 6:3-4 The Second Horseman
3 When he opened the second
seal, I heard the second living
creature call out, ‘Come!’
4 And out came another horse,
bright red; its rider was permitted
to take peace from the earth, so
that people would slaughter one
another; and he was given a
great sword.
Cloisters Apocalypse
Cloisters Museum
New York
1320-1330
Rev 6:5-6 The Third
Horseman
5 When he opened the third seal, I heard the
third living creature say, "Come!" And I saw,
and behold, a black horse, and its rider had
a balance in his hand;
6 and I heard what seemed to be a voice in
the midst of the four living creatures saying,
"A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three
quarts of barley for a denarius; but do not
harm oil and wine!"
Cloisters Apocalypse
Cloisters Museum
New York
1320-1330
Rev 6:7-8: The Fourth Horseman
7 When he opened the fourth
seal, I heard the voice of the
fourth living creature call out,
‘Come!’
8 I looked and there was a pale
green horse! Its rider’s name was
Death, and Hades followed with
him; they were given authority
over a fourth of the earth, to kill
with sword, famine, and
pestilence, and by the wild
animals of the earth.
Cloisters Apocalypse
Cloisters Museum
New York 1320-1330
The Fifth Seal: the Souls under the Altar
Revelation 6:9-11
9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the
souls of those who had been slaughtered for the word of God
and for the testimony they had given; 10they cried out with a
loud voice, ‘Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long will it be
before you judge and avenge our blood on the inhabitants of the
earth?’ 11They were each given a white robe and told to rest a
little longer, until the number would be complete both of their
fellow-servants* and of their brothers and sisters,* who were
soon to be killed as they themselves had been killed.
From the Angers Tapestry
France, ca. 1373
Video of Angers Tapestrry: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6hQkh5wixA
Apocalypse Tapestry, Angers, France
By Nicolas Bataille, Paris, 1373, for Prince Louis
Van der Meer, Apocalypse, 181
Reims
Cathedral
Doorway
Souls under the Altar
5th Seal
Rev 6:9-11
The 4 Horsemen
Seals 1-4:
Rev 6:1-8
The Sixth Seal
Revelation 6:12-17
(compare tradition of Messianic woes, e.g. Mark 13)
12 When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a
great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full
moon became like blood,
13 and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its
winter fruit when shaken by a gale;
14 the sky vanished like a scroll that is rolled up, and every
mountain and island was removed from its place.
15 Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the generals and
the rich and the strong, and every one, slave and free, hid in the
caves and among the rocks of the mountains,
16 calling to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from
the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath f
the Lamb;
17 for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand
before it?”
Seal 5:
Souls Under
The Altar
Dürer: Seals 5 & 6
Seal 6:
Falling Stars
Hiding in Mountains
The Seventh Seal: Revelation 8:1-6
1 When the Lamb opened the seventh seal,
there was silence in heaven for about half an
hour.
2 And I saw the seven angels who stand
before God, and seven trumpets were
given to them.
3 Another angel with a golden censer came
and stood at the altar; he was given a great
quantity of incense to offer with the prayers
of all the saints on the golden altar that is
before the throne. 4 And the smoke of the
incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose
before God from the hand of the angel. 5
Then the angel took the censer and filled it
with fire from the altar and threw it on the
earth; and there were peals of thunder,
rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an
earthquake.
6 Now the seven angels who had the seven
trumpets made ready to blow them.
Matthias Gerung, 1530-32
Ottheinrich-Bibel, Bayerische
Staatsbibliothek, Cgm 8010
Interpretations of the 7 Seals
• Different Strategies for Interpretation
• Interpretation in Various Media:
In Art
In Music
In Poetry
In Fiction
In Academic Writings
Different STRATEGIES for INTERPRETING the PLAGUE
SEQUENCES
STRATEGY 1: Futurist : Seals as specific predictions of future, end-time
events, common in American popular culture (e.g. The Left Behind series)
STRATEGY 2: Church Historical: each of 7 seals taken to symbolize a
period in the History of the Church
STRATEGY 3: Using the Imagery of the Text to Illuminate Events in the
Interpreter’s own Time (e.g. Coleridge: time of the French Revolution; cf.
William Miller “The Last Plagues” on Revelation 16)
STRATEGY 4: Contemporary historical-criticism: focuses especially on
Background of the plague sequences (e.g. Bauckham, Rossing)
STRATEGY 5 Theological interpretations: explore what general points of
Christian teaching) are communicated in the plague sequences
STRATEGY 6: Poetic, artistic, and musical interpretations: imaginative
response to the text’s images that expresses how the text relates to the life of
the individual in the present time
NOTE
These Six Strategies of Interpretation
are not mutually exclusive; they often
overlap, for example:
•Some interpretations emphasize
both present and future meaning of
the book.
•Imaginative responses to
Revelation’s images in music or
poetry often reflect religious
convictions and theological ideas.
STRATEGY 1: Futurist : Seals as specific predictions of
future, end-time events, common in American popular
culture (e.g. The Left Behind series)
For Example:
Book 2 of the Left Behind
Series contains a fictionalization
of the future coming of the
Four Horsemen
Strategy #1 Left Behind, Book 3:
Nicolae
Seal #6 - The Wrath of the Lamb earthquake
Rev 6:12: When he opened the sixth seal, I
looked, and there came a great earthquake;
the sun became black as sackcloth, the full
moon became like blood.
“Rayford could not keep from staring at the
devastation below. Fires had broken out all over
the place. They illuminated car crashes, flattened
buildings, the earth roiling and rolling like an
angry sea. What appeared a huge ball of a gasoline
fire caught his eye. There, hanging in the sky so
close it seemed he could touch it, was the moon.
The bloodred moon.” (Nicolae, p. 405)
INTERPRETIVE STRATEGY #2: Church Historical
Francis Lambert (1486-1530), a Protestant Reformer (Kovacs-Rowland, 82-83)
•First seal: outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost and apostolic mission through
Roman world.
•Second seal: Roman emperors persecuted Christians; few heresies in the
church
•Third seal: peace given to church by Constantine followed by lots of heresies
•Fourth seal: After the suppression of these errors, Satan corrupted the papacy
with ‘worldly ambition, by spreading the hypocritical monastic lie, as well as by
persecuting the Church outwardly through the armies of Islam.’
•Fifth seal: the persecution of the saints in all ages, though their affliction by the
papacy has been especially acute since the seventh or eighth century
•Sixth seal: revival of the gospel (Lambert thought this had been going on for the
last one hundred years but that the sixth age would conclude with a fearful
persecution, when the beast of Rev 13:1 would rage for forty-two months.)
•Seventh seal: millennium on earth, within history
INTERPRETIVE STRATEGY #3: Using the Imagery of
Text to Illuminate Events in the Interpreter’s own Time
Example: Samuel Taylor Coleridge, “Religious Musings” (1796), ll. 320-334
NOTE how Coleridge interprets the images of Seals 5 and 6 and also the
whore of Revelation 17 as representing
human injustice at time of French Revolution, i.e. in the present time
Seal 5
Seal 6
STRATEGY #3: Imagery of the Text refers to Events in
the Interpreter’s own Time
Samuel Taylor Coleridge, “Religious Musings”(1796), lines 320-334
Rest awhile
Children of Wretchedness ! More groans must rise,
More blood must stream, or ere your wrongs be full.
Yet is the day of Retribution nigh :
The Lamb of God hath opened the fifth seal:
[Rev 6:9-11]
And upward rush on swiftest wing of fire
The innumerable multitude of wrongs
By man on man inflicted! Rest awhile,
Children of Wretchedness ! The hour is nigh
And lo ! the Great, the Rich, the Mighty Men,
The Kings and the Chief Captains of the World, [Rev 6:15]
With all that fixed on high like stars of Heaven
[Rev 6:13]
Shot baleful influence, shall be cast to earth,
Vile and down-trodden, as the untimely fruit
Shook from the fig-tree by a sudden storm.
Coleridge, ‘Religious Musings’ #2
Even now the storm begins
The abhorred Form,
Whose scarlet robe was stiff with earthly pomp.
[Rev 17]
Who drank iniquity in cups of gold,
Whose names were many and all blasphemous,
Hath met the horrible judgement! Whence that cry?
The mighty army of foul Spirits shrieked
Disinherited of earth! For she hath fallen
On whose black front was written Mystery;
She that reeled heavily, whose wine was blood;
She that worked whoredom with the Demon power . . . (‘Religious Musings’ 65-6)
Quoted in Kovacs-Rowland, p. 87
James Gillray, Presages of the Millennium: The
Destruction of the Faithful
Kovacs-Rowland 87
“The apocalyptic
character of Coleridge’s
times is also expressed
by the cartoonist James
Gillray, who portrayed
Death on a white horse
as William Pitt (Presages
of the Millennium).”
[William Pitt was Prime
Minister of England at the
time].
James Gillray, Presages of the Millennium 4 June 1795
Coloured etching, engraving and aquatint, 325 x 375 mm
© Copyright the Trustees of The British Museum
Explanation of Gillray Cartoon “Presages of the
Millennium” 1795: depicts William Pitt, Prime Minister of
England as Fourth Horseman = Death
Context: after the French Revolution.
Gillray, along with many others, thought that
William Pitt was bringing England into
disaster by stirring up war with France. This
put economic pressure on England and
brought the risk of invasion and chaos.
Gillray opposed Pitt’s rabid Franco-phobia
and endangering of England.
Details on Interpretation of Gillray, “Presages of the Millennium”
On the 1st of February 1793 France, after much provocation by England (under
Pitt’s aegis), declared war; a war whose prosecution was continuing at this time and
which had expanded to involve the larger part of Europe. Pitt’s highly belligerent
foreign policy: actively seeking alliances and fomenting anti-French feelings at
home and abroad, provides the basis for Gillray’s attack. . . . through Pitt’s
incarnation as the elemental ‘Death …. England’s integrity was, at this time, placed
under pressure by the economic strain of war, the risk of invasion, the risk of
insurrection and the morally and legally dubious basis on which the war was begun
and continued. For all these reasons Pitt’s aggressive policy found detractors,
though it is important to make the distinction between feeling sympathy for France
and being concerned for the preservation of the well being of England. The sense of
Gillray’s print is most definitely the latter – the fear for England derived from beyond
the frame. Pitt trounces his domestic opponents and, with perhaps more than a
touch of hubris, careers into the unknown beyond these shores, where the
suggestion is that his luck could run out and his rabid Franco-phobia would lead
England into an abyss he lacked the ability to avoid. By committing so avowedly to
war, Pitt had surrendered manoeuvrability – the action of a madman? This seems to
be Gillray’s thrust.
http://www.moonshadow.co.uk/?p=126 consulted 4/4/2010
STRATEGY #4: Contemporary Historical Criticism
e.g. Richard Bauckham
Barbara Rossing)
•Explores Background of Imagery in Old Testament
and Jewish Apocalypses
•Explores Context: What role do the plague sequences
play in the Book of Revelation as a whole?
•Historical Criticism includes Theological
Interpretation: What general ideas about God and
humanity does the text convey?
Historical Criticism on the Plague Sequences #1
General Background in Apocalyptic Tradition
of the Messianic Woes as ‘Birthpains’ of the New Age
Daniel 12:1-3: predicts woes before the general resurrection of the dead
At that time Michael, the great prince, the protector of your people, shall arise.
There shall be a time of anguish, such as has never occurred since nations first
came into existence. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone
who is found written in the book. 2 Many of those who sleep in the dust of the
earth* shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting
contempt. 3Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky,* and
those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.
*Compare Jewish Apocalypses: 2 Esdras 5:1-12; Apocalypse of Baruch 25-27
This Jewish apocalpytic tradition is also reflected in Mark 13 = “the little apocalypse”:
Mark 13:7-8: “When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed;
this must take place, but the end is still to come. 8For nation will rise against
nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various
places; there will be famines. This is but the beginning of the birth pangs.”
Historical Criticism #2: Old Testament Background of
Horsemen Imagery
Zechariah 1:7-11: Four Horses Patrol the Earth
7 On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, the month of
Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord
came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berechiah son of Iddo;
and Zechariah said,
8 In the night I saw a man riding on a red horse! He was
standing among the myrtle trees in the glen; and behind him
were red, sorrel, and white horses. 9 Then I said, ‘What are
these, my lord?’ The angel who talked with me said to me, ‘I
will show you what they are.’ 10 So the man who was standing
among the myrtle trees answered, ‘They are those whom the
Lord has sent to patrol the earth.’ 11 Then they spoke to the
angel of the Lord who was standing among the myrtle trees,
‘We have patrolled the earth, and lo, the whole earth remains
at peace.’
Date: February 15, 519 BCE, after the Babylonian Exile
Context: the prophet conveys hope for the rebuilding of Jerusalem:
the horsemen find peace on earth = a condition for the rebuilding
Old Testament Background (#2)
Zechariah 6:1-8
Eighth Vision: Four Chariots
6 And again I looked up and saw four chariots coming out from
between two mountains—mountains of bronze. 2 The first chariot had
red horses, the second chariot black horses, 3the third chariot white
horses, and the fourth chariot dappled grey horses. 4 Then I said to
the angel who talked with me, ‘What are these, my lord?’ 5 The angel
answered me, ‘These are the four winds of heaven [cf. Rev 7:1]
going out, after presenting themselves before the Lord of all the earth.
6 The chariot with the black horses goes towards the north country, the
white ones go towards the west country, and the dappled ones go
towards the south country.’ 7 When the steeds came out, they were
impatient to get off and patrol the earth. And he said, ‘Go, patrol the
earth.’ So they patrolled the earth. 8 Then he cried out to me, ‘Lo,
those who go towards the north country have set my spirit at rest in the
north country.’
Speaks of Israel’s enjoying peace from her enemies after the Babylonian Exile;
Context: command to rebuild of the temple in Jerusalem & anoint a new king
Historical Criticism #3:The Plagues in Context
•The Apocalypse brings awareness of
the extent and seriousness of Evil and
Injustice on Earth
•The 3 Plague Sequences are framed
by the revelation of God’s glory in
heaven (Rev 4-5) where it is
recognized by heavenly beings
•. . . And by the final establishment of
glory of God in the New Jerusalem,
where God is worshipped also by
human beings (Rev 21-22)
At the present time, God’s kingdom (rule) is not recognized by most people on earth:
Satan and his forces are hard at work on the earth.
The 3 Plague Sequences are part of the final battle of God and those who ally
themselves with him (Christ, Michael, angels, Christians) against the forces of evil
STRATEGY #5: Theological Interpretation
Example: Christopher Rowland. Plague Sequences as
Judgement and Unmasking of Human Injustice
“If Revelation seems to highlight divine judgement rather than
mercy, that is a message which an idolatrous generation needs to
hear. . . .We live as part of an order in which injustice has
distorted the way in which society and the whole created order
functions. The world is out of joint, and that was most clearly
demonstrated in the destruction of the Messiah by the
representatives of the present scheme of things.”
Revelation. (Epworth Commentaries; London 1993), 82.
“The reality which the Apocalypse points us to is that in a
disordered world death and destruction are the lot of millions, and
the putting right of wrongs demands a seismic shift of cosmic
proportions which will happen, even if human kind does not
repent.” (pp. 83-84)
Strategy #5 Theological Interpretation
Bauckham 40-47 on the 3 Plague Cycles
Focuses on:
Divine Holiness
The holiness and righteousness of God requires the condemnation of
unrighteousness on earth and the destruction of powers that are evil that
contest God’s rule on earth
Revelation as the unfolding of first three petitions of Lord’s Prayer Matt
6.9-10: “Your name be hallowed, your kingdom come, your will be done, on
earth as it is in heaven.”
Evidence for this interpretation of the plagues: Rev 15:8 “no one could
enter the temple until the 7 plagues were ended.” This echoes Isa 6.3 “holy
holy holy is the Lord God.” (cf. Rev 4:6)
Rev 4-5 as foundational for rest of Revelation. Judgments of all plague
visions: each in some way issues from the throne room
Strategy #5 Theological Interpretation: Richard Bauckham (p. 2)
•The highly schematized portrayal of judgments in the plague visions depicts
their theological significance and “cannot be meant as a literal prediction of
events” (p. 41)
•God’s judgments are just 16.7; 19.2; 15.3: they correspond to the moral truth
of things; 15.4: he alone is holy i.e. he alone has righteousness as his very
nature (p. 43)
•“The way John portrays the judgments – in that God acts only through
intermediaries -- is as far as possible from the image of a human despot
wielding arbitrary power” (p. 43)
•Much of modern criticism (e.g. feminist critique) of images such as the throne
seems unable to understand real transcendence (p. 45)
Strategy #5 Theological Interpretation
Barbara Rossing
Thesis: the Exodus story provides a clue to understand the 7 seals and other
plague visions
God hears the people’s cries and threatens new plagues against Rome’s
oppression as part of overall goal of liberation from injustice
The violence of these visions concerns release and liberation, not vengeance
or cruelty
Plague visions are not a prediction of what is to come but a frightening threat
Opposes dispensationists (e.g. Left Behind) for whom the plague visions are
a favorite part for their view that Rev 6-19 furnishes detailed playbook for 70th
week of Daniel 9
God’s people are not called to undertake any violent action; as in the Exodus,
salvation comes only through God’s action and the blood of the Lamb
Rossing: Theological Interpretation of the Plagues (p. 2)
Even most deadly visions serve the overall goal of conversion and repentance.
Evidence: Rev 9.20-21 people chided for lack of repentance.
Compare Exodus 9:1-3: God over and over tries to get Pharaoh to let his people go
God wants to rein in the Roman Empire’s rush to destroy the world
“In the tradition of the Exodus story and the Exodus plagues, Revelation makes clear
that God sympathizes, grieves, and laments over the world’s pain, even while
threatening plagues to bring about the world’s liberation from injustice” (p. 129)
Lawsuit image: victims of injustice deserve to know that they will receive answers
Strategy #5 Theological Interpretation: Joseph Mangina,
Brazos Commentary on Revelation, April, 2010. p. 96
“…The God of the Apocalypse may easily appear as the one who hates
everything he has made… A superficial reading of the book may simply
confirm our worst personal and collective nightmares concerning God. The
task of interpretation, of course, means going beyond superficial readings to
engage the work at a deeper level. … There are in fact very good reasons
underlying John’s use of shocking, violent, catastrophic language. Revelation
is not written from the perspective of those in power, but from the
perspective of an unimportant community of ‘nobodies’ at the margins
of Roman society. How could they picture the kingdom’s coming other than
as a radical upheaval of existing conditions? … John is more concerned with
what God is doing for the faithful than with what he is doing to outsiders,
and we should avoid inferring that because the former are saved, the latter
must be lost.
Finally, the violent language and imagery of Revelation are used to portray, in
terms no one could mistake, the coming of the justice of God, with all that
implies concerning his setting right of every historical evil.
Interpretations in Music and Art
Questions for Reflection: What theological or existential
interpretations of the plagues do the various art works and musical
renditions convey, and how? Do you think they teach us anything
about the meaning of Revelation?
The Four Horsemen: Metallica #1
By the last breath of the fourth winds blow [Rev 7:1]
Better raise your ears
The sound of hooves knocks at your door [6:1-8]
Lock up your wife and children now
It’s time to wield the blade
For now you have got some company
The Four Horsemen
Metallica Refrain
The Horsemen are drawing nearer
On leather steeds they ride
They have come to take your life
On through the dead of night
With the four Horsemen ride
or choose your fate and die
Solos Beatus
Interpretation in Art: Henri Rousseau (1944-1910)
War (2. Horseman)
Musée d'Orsay, Paris
Metallica #2
You have been dying since the day
You were born
You know it has all been planned
The quartet of deliverance rides
A sinner once a sinner twice
No need for confession now
Cause now you have got the fight
of your life
Albrecht Dürer
1497-98
Refrain
The Horsemen are drawing nearer
On leather steeds they ride
They come to take your life
On through the dead of night
With the four Horsemen ride
or choose your fate and die
Solos Beatus
Metallica, Horsemen #3
Time has taken its toll on you
The lines that crack your face
Famine
[Rev 6:5-8]
Your body it has torn through
Withered in every place
Pestilence
[6:7]
For what you have had to endure
And what you have put others through
Death
[6:8]
Deliverance for you for sure
There is nothing you can do
The Fourth Horseman
Artistic Interpretations
How do Artists and Musicians
Bring out the Power of the
Imagery?
What is the theological or
religious value of these
Interpretations?
Death: Fourth Horseman
York Minster England
Stained-glass Window
Revelation 6:7-8: the Fourth Rider
7 When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature
call out, ‘Come!’ 8 I looked and there was a pale green horse! Its rider’s name
was Death, and Hades followed with him; they were given authority over a fourth
of the earth, to kill with sword, famine, and pestilence, and by the wild animals
of the earth.
Roger Brown (b. 1941)
The Final Arbiter, 1984. Oil on canvas, 72x108 in.
Stefan T. Edlis, Chicago. Courstesy Phyllis Kind Gallery, New York.
Nancy Grubb. Revelations. Art of the Apocalypse. New York: Abbeville, 1997. p. 47.
William Blake: Death on a Pale Horse
(Fitzwilliam Museum,
Cambridge)
Turner: Death on a Pale Horse
Tate Gallery, London Grubb, Revelations, p. 47.
Kovacs-Rowland p. 38: “J. M. W. Turner’s (1775-1851) ‘Death on a
Pale Horse’ (ca.1825) manages to conjure up a scene of desolation
following a cataclysm.”
Benjamin West (1738-1820)
Death on a Pale Horse, 1817.
Oil, 14ft 8 in x 25 ft 1 in
Museum of American Art of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia.
Nancy Grubb. Revelations. Art of the Apocalypse. New York: Abbeville, 1997. p. 45
Howard Finster (b. 1916)
Find the Four Horses of the Revelation, 1975
Enamel on wood, 22 x 33in. Collection of T. Marshall Hahn, Jr.
Nancy Grubb. Revelations. Art of the Apocalypse. New York: Abbeville, 1997. p. 39
Finster: Discussion Question
Question: What interpretation of the 4 Horsemen
does Finster’s painting imply?
Howard Finster Find the Four Horsemen
Metallica #4
So gather round young warriors now
and saddle up your steeds
Killing scores with demon swords
Now is the death of doers of wrong
Swing the judgment hammer down
Safely inside armor blood guts and sweat
The Horsemen are drawing nearer
On leather steeds they ride
They have come to take your life
On through the dead of night
With the four Horsemen ride
or choose your fate and die
Question: How does this song
interpret Revelation 6? Does it
convey to you anything about the
meaning of Revelation?
The Four Horsemen: Beatus MS
The Sixth Seal
Revelation 6:12-17
(compare tradition of Messianic woes, e.g. Mark 13)
12 When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a
great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full
moon became like blood,
13 and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its
winter fruit when shaken by a gale;
14 the sky vanished like a scroll that is rolled up, and every
mountain and island was removed from its place.
15 Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the generals
and
the rich and the strong, and every one, slave and free, hid in the
caves and among the rocks of the mountains,
16 calling to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from
the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of
the Lamb;
17 for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand
before it?”
“And the moon became as blood” Rev 6:12
Howard
Finster (b.
1916) 1976
Smithsonian
American Art
Museum
Interpretation in Music: the 6th Seal
Falling Stars: in African American Spirituals
REV 6:13 and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds
its winter fruit when shaken by a gale;
My Lord What a Mornin’ #1
My Lord what a mournin', My Lord what a mournin', My Lord what a
mournin'
When de stars begin to fall, when de stars begin to fall [Rev 6:13; 8:10]
My Lord what a mournin', My Lord what a mournin', My Lord what a
mournin'
When de stars begin to fall, when de stars begin to fall
Done quit all my worl’ly ways, done quit all my wor’ly ways,
done quite all my worl’ly ways
Jine dat hebbenly ban’ [cf. Rev 4-5; Rev 7; 14]
Harry Thacker Burleigh Burleigh, arranger, 1924.
Witness. Volume I, Spirituals and gospels [sound recording].
Brunelle, Philip, 1943WORDS from: Moses Hogan, ed. The Oxford Book of Spirituals. Oxford: Oxford, 2002. 19-24.
Falling Stars . . .
Fleeing Mountains
Oh! My Lord, what a mournin’
My Lord, what a mournin’, oh
My Lord what a mournin',
When de stars begin to fall,
when de stars begin to fall
Anon. The Opening of the Sixth Seal, Morgan
Beatus Spanish, c. 950.
Manuscript on parchment, 15 x 11 in.
Pierpont Morgan Library, New York.
Nancy Grubb. Revelations. Art of the
Apocalypse. New York: Abbeville, 1997. p. 48
My Lord What a Mournin’ #3
Done quit all my worl’ly ways, done quit all my wor’ly ways,
done quite all my worl’ly ways
Jine dat hebbenly ban’ [cf. Rev 4-5; Rev 7; 14]
Oh! My Lord, what a mournin’
My Lord, what a mournin’, oh My Lord what a mournin',
When de stars begin to fall, when de stars begin to fall
Discussion Questions:
1. How does this Song interpret the 6th Seal?
2. How does the text use Context (Rev 7) to interpret the 6th seal?
NOTE: There is a variant form of this song in which first line reads:
“My Lord what a Morning!” Does this make a difference to either
the tone or the content of this spiritual?
Sixth Seal: Rocks and the Mountains
6: 14 . . . and every mountain and island was removed from its
place.
15 Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the generals
and the rich and the strong, and every one, slave and free, hid in
the caves and among the rocks of the mountains,
16 calling to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us and hide us
from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the
wrath of the Lamb;
17 for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand
before it?”
Compare Rev 8:8-9: The second angel blew his trumpet, and
something like a great mountain, burning with fire, was thrown
into the sea.
A third of the sea became blood, a third of the living creatures in
the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.
Compare Rev 16:17, 20: The seventh angel poured his bowl into
the air… And every island fled away, and no mountains were
to be found.
O The Rocks and the Mountains
Refrain
O the rocks and the mountains shall all flee away
And you shall have a new hiding place that day [see Rev 6:16-17; 8:18}
O the rocks and the mountains shall all flee away
And you shall have a new hiding place that day
Hey brother, brother, give up your heart to God
And you shall have a new hiding place that day. Refrain.
Hey, sister, sister, give up your heart to God
And you shall have a new hiding place that day. Refrain
O the rocks and the mountains shall all flee away
And you shall have a new hiding place that day"
Sinner, sinner, give up your heart to God
And you shall have a new hiding place that day Refrain
O the rocks and the mountains shall all flee away
And you shall have a new hiding place that day
Discussion Questions:
•How does the Spiritual “O the Rocks and the Mountains”
interpret the events of the Sixth Seal?
•Did you notice any significant addition to the Biblical text?
Creative Exegesis
Rev 6:14-16: . . . and every mountain and island was removed
from its place. Then the kings of the earth and the great men
and the generals and the rich and the strong, and every one,
slave and free, hid in the caves and among the rocks of the
mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us
and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne,
and from the wrath of the Lamb.”
The SONG
O the rocks and the mountains shall all flee away
**And you shall have a new hiding place that day
The Seventh Seal: Revelation 8:1-5
7 Trumpets: Silence in Heaven
Sanctification of the Heavenly Altar
1 When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was
silence in heaven for about half an hour. 2 And I saw the
seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets
were given to them.
3 Another angel with a golden censer came and stood at
the altar; he was given a great quantity of incense to offer
with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar that is
before the throne. 4 And the smoke of the incense, with
the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand
of the angel. 5 Then the angel took the censer and filled it
with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth; and there
were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and
an earthquake. [NRSV]
7th Seal in Art:
Rev 8:1-5
7 Trumpets
(Rev 8:1-2)
Censing = Sanctification
of the Altar (Rev 8:3-5)
From Apocalypse Picture Book,
English (prob. Abbey of Saint Albans),
c. 1255-60.
Manuscript on vellum, 11 x 8 in.
Nancy Grubb. Revelations. Art of the
Apocalypse. New York: Abbeville,
1997. p. 22.
Musical Interpretation: The Seventh Angel #1
Bluegrass Song by Christy Chapin, sung by Blue Highway
Overview: Refers to Revelation 5: 8; 10; 11)
I am the lamb of God, the seven seals are in my hand [Rev 5]
I sit beside the Father, the Lord and ruler over all the land
The mysteries of heaven have all been revealed to me
The time is drawing near at hand for the seventh angel all the world to see
Chorus: With one foot on the land and one on the sea [Rev 10]
He'll swear with his hand raised high
Time no longer can be
I am the seventh angel, the time is near for me to fly
I'll come before the Father, the one who will be be seen by every eye
There'll be silence in heaven before the seven trumpets sound [Rev 8]
Then music like thunder right before the time that I come down
The Seventh Angel #2: Biblical Texts
I am the lamb of God, the seven seals are in my hand
I sit beside the Father, Lord and ruler over all the land
The mysteries of heaven have all been revealed to me
The time is drawing near at hand for the seventh angel
all the world to see
Rev 5:6-7: Then I saw between the throne and the four living creatures and
among the elders a Lamb standing as if it had been slaughtered, having
seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out
into all the earth. He went and took the scroll from the right hand of the one
who was seated on the throne.”
Play Music
Seventh Angel #3
Chorus: With one foot on the land and one on the sea
He'll swear with his hand raised high
Time no longer can be
BIBLICAL ALLUSIONS:
Rev 8:1 “When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there
was silence in heaven for about half an hour.”
Rev 10:1 “And I saw another mighty angel coming down
from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his
head; his face was like the sun, and his legs like pillars of
fire. 2 He held a little scroll open in his hand. Setting his
right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, 3 he
gave a great shout, like a lion roaring.”
Rev 22:7,10: ”‘See, I am coming soon! Blessed is the one
who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.’. . .
And he said to me, ‘Do not seal up the words of the
prophecy of this book, for the time is near.’
Seventh Angel #4
I am the seventh angel, the time is near for me to fly
I'll come before the Father, the one who will be be seen by every eye
There'll be silence in heaven before the seven trumpets sound
Then music like thunder right before the time that I come down
Rev 1:7 Look! He is coming with the clouds;
every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him;
and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail.
Rev 8:1 When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven
for about half an hour. 2 And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and
seven trumpets were given to them . . . . 5 Then the angel took the censer and
filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth; and there were peals of
thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake
Seventh Angel #5
Chorus: With one foot on the land and one on the sea
He'll swear with his hand raised high
Time no longer can be
BIBLICAL ALLUSIONS:
Rev 8:1 “When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there
was silence in heaven for about half an hour.”
Rev 10:1 “And I saw another mighty angel coming down
from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his
head; his face was like the sun, and his legs like pillars of
fire. 2 He held a little scroll open in his hand. Setting his
right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, 3 he
gave a great shout, like a lion roaring.”
Rev 22:7,10: ”‘See, I am coming soon! Blessed is the one
who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.’. . .
And he said to me, ‘Do not seal up the words of the
prophecy of this book, for the time is near.’
John Cash: The Man Comes Around
A Musical Interpretation that Draws on Many Chapters
of Revelation especially
Revelation 6 The Four Horseman
&
Revelation 20 The Last Judgment
Johnny Cash: The Man Comes Around #1
“And I heard as it were the noise of thunder [Rev 10:1-4]
One of the four beasts saying come and see and I saw
And behold a white horse [Rev 6:1-2]
There's a man going around taking names and he decides
Who to free and who to blame, everybody won’t be treated
All the same, there will be a golden ladder reaching down
When the man comes around.”
1st Horseman
Rev 6:1-2
Cloisters Apocalypse
The Last Judgement
Rev 20:11-16
Giotto (1266/67-1337)
The Last Judgment, 1306.
Fresco, 32 ft 10 in. x 27 ft. 7 in.
Arena Chapel, Padua, Italy
Nancy Grubb.. p. 79
The Man #2
The hairs on your arm will stand up, at the terror in each sip and in each sup
Will you partake of that last offered cup
Or disappear into the potter's ground
When the man comes around?
Hear the trumpets hear the pipers one hundred million angels singing [Rev 4]
Multitudes are marching to the big kettledrum
Voices calling and voices crying
Some are born and some are dying [Rev 22:13; 1:8; ]
Its alpha and omega’s kingdom come.
REVELATION 22:12-13: “See, I am coming soon; my reward is with me,
to repay according to everyone’s work. I am the Alpha and the Omega,
the first and the last, the beginning and the end.’
Johnny Cash:The Man #3
And the whirlwind is in the thorn tree
The virgins are all trimming their wicks
The whirlwind is in the thorn tree
It's hard for thee to kick against the pricks
Til Armageddon no shalam no shalom
[Matt 25: Last Judgment]
[Acts 26:14, said of Paul]
[Rev 16:14-16]
McKendrie Long, Vision
From the Book of
Revelation, 1966
Smithsonian Museum
Of American Art
REVELATION 16:12-16: The 6th Bowl: Armageddon
“12 The sixth angel poured his bowl on the great river Euphrates,
and its water was dried up in order to prepare the way for the kings from the east.
13 And I saw three foul spirits like frogs coming from the mouth of the dragon,
from the mouth of the beast, and from the mouth of the false prophet.
14 These are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings
of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty.
. . . 16And they assembled them at the place that in Hebrew is called Harmagedon.
The Man #4
Then the father hen will call his chickens home
The wise man will bow down before the throne and at his feet
They will cast the golden crowns [Rev 4:10]
When the man comes around
Whoever is unjust let him be unjust still
Whoever is righteous let him be righteous still
Whoever is filthy let him be filthy still
Listen to the words long written down
When the man comes around
[Rev 22:11]
[Rev 22:11]
[Rev 22:11]
The Man #5
Whoever is unjust let him be unjust still
Whoever is righteous let him be righteous still
Whoever is filthy let him be filthy still
Listen to the words long written down
When the man comes around
[Rev 22:11]
[Rev 22:11]
[Rev 22:11]
Revelation 22:10-12: 10 And he said to me, ‘Do not seal up the
words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near.
11 Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and
the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.’
12 ‘See, I am coming soon; my reward is with me, to repay
according to everyone’s work.
The Man #6
Hear the trumpets hear the pipers one hundred million angels singing [Rev 4]
Multitudes are marching to the big kettledrum
Voices calling and voices crying
Some are born and some are dying
Its alpha and omega’s kingdom come
[Rev 1:8; 22:13]
And the whirlwind is in the thorn tree
The virgins are all trimming their wicks
The whirlwind is in the thorn tree
It's hard for thee to kick against the pricks
In measured hundred weight and pennypound
When the man comes around.
[Matt 25]
[Acts 26:14, said of Paul]
Johnny Cash: The Man #7
Close (Spoken part)
And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts
And I looked and behold, a pale horse
And it's name it said on him was Death
And Hell followed with him.
[Rev 6:7-8]
The Seven Seals and Their Interpretation
The End