Angels and Beasts

The Relationship between the Four Living Creatures and the Four Riders in Revelation 6:1-8

Mot

• Publisher: Wipf and Stock
• Year: 2017
• ISBN:
  9781532612367
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Religion

Angels and Beasts looks into the interplay between the angelic figures in the vision of the seven seals. John creates a relationship between the four living creatures and the four riders in Revelation 6:1-8 that must not be overlooked. This connection works between the two groups as a whole and at the one-to-one level. The blending of symbols and the communication between these symbolic figures reveal exegetical, theological, and spiritual lessons. Both the scenario and the script of John's vision talk about terms and ties in the realm of angelic beings. For John these relations in the world above are a code to unlock relations in the world below.

Chapter 1

Textual, Structural, and Contextual Issues

Translation with Textual and Syntactical Remarks

The passage reads as follows: “1 And I looked as the lamb opened the first1 of the seven seals and I heard the first of the four living creatures as2 a voice like thunder, saying: ‘Come!’3 2 And I looked and behold, a white horse, and the one sitting on it having a bow, and it was given to him a crown4 and went out conquering and in order to conquer. 3 When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying: ‘Come!’ 4 And another horse, red,5 came out and it was given6 to the one sitting on it to take peace away from the earth in order that they will slay7 one another and a large sword8 was given to him. 5 When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying: ‘Come!’ 6 And I looked and behold, a black horse and the one sitting on it having a scale9 in his hand. 7 And I heard like a voice10 in the middle of the four living creatures saying: ‘a quart of wheat for a denarius11 and three quarts of barley for a denarius, but do not harm12 either the oil, or the wine.’ 8 When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the third living creature saying: ‘Come!’ And I looked and behold a pale13 horse, and the one siting above it; his name is Death and Hades14 follows after him. Authority was given to them over the fourth of the earth to kill with sword, famine, plague,15 and by the beasts of the earth.”16

The Unit of the First Four Seals

The literary plan of Revelation is seen differently by scholars. The possible arrangements of Revelation “vary perhaps more than with any other book of the Bible.”17 Among scholars there is agreement on this issue, namely that Revelation can be structured in different ways. This is not due to the preferences of various scholars. The reason for the many structural schemes seems to be that “the sections relate at more than one level.”18 Researchers argue for many types of arrangements. Most of these are included in the following list: David Aune promotes a bipartite structure of Revelation, based on Rev 1:19 (1:9–3:22, the theophany of the exalted Christ; 4:1–22:9, a series of visions introduced by pictures from heaven);19 Ranko Stefanović creates a threefold structure of Revelation (messages to the seven churches, [Rev 1:9–3:22], where Christ is presented as a high priest; opening of the sealed scroll [Rev 4–11], where Christ appears as the eschatological ruler; and contents of the sealed scroll [Rev 12–22:5], a section that displays Christ as the apocalyptic Michael);20 four groups of seven “determine the whole structure and message of the book,” states Eugenio Corsini;21 Jacques Ellul sees a five-fold structure around the five sevens observed in the book (the churches, the seals, the trumpets, the bowls, the group of visions introduced with the “I saw” formula);22 Merrill Tenney suggests six sections for dividing Revelation (1:1–8, Prologue—Christ talks; 1:9–3:22, Christ in the church; 4:1–16:21, Christ in heaven; 17:1–21:2, Christ conquers; 21:9–22:5, Christ crowned; 22:6–21, Epilogue—Christ calls).23 Revelation was also divided into seven and eight parts by Gregory Beale24 and Adela Yabro Collins.25

At the same time, it seems fairly clear that Revelation contains some well-defined structural divisions. The seven seals is one of these. As the text flows it becomes also evident that the first four seals are set apart from the final three. In favor of this are the very scenes in the vision of the seven seals. The scenes in the first four seals deal with four horsemen, while the last three are different. The entire process of breaking the seals causes various types of judgments. The first four represent a general picture of the process of divine discipline. They do not target a specific sin. The fifth and sixth seals illustrate God’s response to a more specific category, namely, those who are hostile to Him and His people.

The separation of the first four seals from the last three is not unnatural. Moreover, the distinction bears a certain significance, when one reads the first four seals with the basic meaning of the number four in mind. Among Bible numerals, number four indicates completeness,26 “an incomparable symbol of plenitude and universality.”27 Strictly applied to Rev 6:1–8, the number four would suggest that the living creature-rider teams involved in the vision have together a complete mission. Within the section of the seven seals, the first four seals appears to be a freestanding coherent group. “This is obvious in view of the stereotypical structure with variations that characterize the brief narrative describing the breaking of the first four seals.”28 We find four living creatures, four riders, and four penalties. Their manifestations, actions, and roles have universal consequences. Completeness is achieved thro...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Introduction
• Chapter 1: Textual, Structural, and Contextual Issues
• Chapter 2: The First Century Relevancy of Revelation 6:1–8
• Chapter 3: The Four Living Creatures as Individuals
• Chapter 4: Controlling The Four Riders
• Conclusion
• Bibliography