“When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come and see.” Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword. When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, ‘Come and see.’ So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard 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; and do not harm the oil and the wine‘”

6:3

When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come and see.”

As in verse 1, a second living creature calls people to see the second seal.

6:4

Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword.

The rider on the second horse, a fiery red horse, is also a political leader who leads with military power. He carries a “great sword.”

Evidently, the “fiery red” horse implies rivers of flowing blood caused by civil disobedience and anarchy. The rider on the fiery red horse causes civil disobedience throughout the world. No nation can restrain these people even by their own national militaries.

Evidently, the first rider established peace on earth. He had a bow without an arrow. He won this peace by a cold war. This second rider takes this peace won by the first rider away from the world through a global military. It was a pseudo peace in the first place.

6:5

When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come and see.” So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand.

For the third time, a living creature challenges people to look at another unusual event.

The third rider rides a black horse carrying a pair of scales. This has to do with worldwide famine. The scales indicate people must gauge their food carefully.

6:6

And I heard 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; and do not harm the oil and the wine”

A voice from the four living creatures makes a statement about food shortage during the reign of the rider on the black horse. The value of a “denarius” is about fifteen cents. This was the wage of a worker for one day. It takes an entire day’s work to buy a quart of wheat or three quarts of barley. That is good enough for one meal. No money would remain for buying anything else such as “oil and the wine.” An inescapable outcome of war is starvation. Worldwide inflation destroys the world economy.

Principle:

The world economy will come apart in the Tribulation.

Application:

Worldwide famine causes great shortages and inflation. Panic in the market causes people to stampede the marketplace to sell their stock. A worldwide depression will make people panic over bread-and-butter issues. In chapter 13, the Antichrist will place enormous economic controls on the world. No one will be able to do business without his permission.