Bible Gem 2248 – Coming or Going From Heaven to Earth (Rev 6:1 to Rev 8:5)

¹As I watched, the Lamb broke the first of the seven seals on the scroll. Then I heard one of the four living beings say with a voice like thunder, “Come!” ²I looked up and saw a white horse standing there. Its rider carried a bow, and a crown was placed on his head. He rode out to win many battles and gain the victory.

³When the Lamb broke the second seal, I heard the second living being say, “Come!” ⁴Then another horse appeared, a red one. Its rider was given a mighty sword and the authority to take peace from the earth. And there was war and slaughter everywhere.

⁵When the Lamb broke the third seal, I heard the third living being say, “Come!” I looked up and saw a black horse, and its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. ⁶And I heard a voice from among the four living beings say, “A loaf of wheat bread or three loaves of barley will cost a day’s pay. And don’t waste the olive oil and wine.”

⁷When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the fourth living being say, “Come!” ⁸I looked up and saw a horse whose color was pale green. Its rider was named Death, and his companion was the Grave. These two were given authority over one-fourth of the earth, to kill with the sword and famine and disease and wild animals.

⁹When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of all who had been martyred for the word of God and for being faithful in their testimony. ¹⁰They shouted to the Lord and said, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you judge the people who belong to this world and avenge our blood for what they have done to us?” ¹¹Then a white robe was given to each of them. And they were told to rest a little longer until the full number of their brothers and sisters—their fellow servants of Jesus who were to be martyred—had joined them.

¹²I watched as the Lamb broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake. The sun became as dark as black cloth, and the moon became as red as blood. ¹³Then the stars of the sky fell to the earth like green figs falling from a tree shaken by a strong wind. ¹⁴The sky was rolled up like a scroll, and all of the mountains and islands were moved from their places. ¹⁵Then everyone—the kings of the earth, the rulers, the generals, the wealthy, the powerful, and every slave and free person—all hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. ¹⁶And they cried to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. ¹⁷For the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to survive?” . . .

Revelation 6:1-17

. . . [Interlude (Chapter 7)] . . .

. . . ¹When the Lamb broke the seventh seal on the scroll, there was silence throughout heaven for about half an hour. ²I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and they were given seven trumpets. ³Then another angel with a gold incense burner came and stood at the altar. And a great amount of incense was given to him to mix with the prayers of God’s people as an offering on the gold altar before the throne. ⁴The smoke of the incense, mixed with the prayers of God’s holy people, ascended up to God from the altar where the angel had poured them out. ⁵Then the angel filled the incense burner with fire from the altar and threw it down upon the earth; and thunder crashed, lightning flashed, and there was a terrible earthquake.

Revelation 8:1-5

I am sure you can work out what I have done with this large section and why. I have given you the overview of what is to follow. I could give more of an overview that this, but I figure this will suffice. I have marked the opening of the seals with superscripted numbers coloured in red so that it’s clear to you. This whole section is fascinating for a number of reasons which we will discover as we work our way through the details.

1. One thing I hope you will notice is what is not present. There’s no singing, no songs, no worship. The tone has changed markedly.
2. Although the revelation is taking place in heaven, the ensuing action is taking place on earth.
3. One more thing I have noticed is the variation between the versions on ‘Come‘ and ‘Go‘. I have never seen that before. The majority of versions have “Come” with or without additional words: [“Come“, “Come and see“, “Come and behold” “Come out“, while three versions have “Go“.

Verses 6:1, 6:3, 6:5 and 6:7 include the same Greek word [ἔρχου] ‘erchou’ meaning ‘come’ derived from the root verb [ἔρχομαι] ‘erchomai’ translated as “Come” in the following versions [AMP, ASV, CSB, ERV, ESV, GNB, HCSB, JB, MLB, NASB, NENT, NET, NIV, NLT, NRSV, RV, RSV, TLB, TLV, TNT] and “Go” in these versions [CJB, GW, ISV]. I notice these kind of things as a result of my training as a Bible translator. There are some versions which expand “Come” into “Come and see” [AFV, BBE, KJV, KJVA, LITV, MKJV, TS2009]. Murdock, WEB and WEBA chose “Come and see” for 6:1, 6:5 and 6:7 but change 6:3 to “Come“]. [LSV, YLT chose “Come and behold“]. [CEV, MSG, Phillips] have cleverly “Come out” representing both options ‘come’ and ‘go’ in one translation. The Passion Translation chose “Come forth“.

I will investigate further and give you my findings after I have dug into what is behind these variations. Does it matter? I don’t yet know until I find out what is driving this. But I would not be surprised if this introduction leaves you wondering whether you are coming or going. The variations surprised me. Despite the fact that I have read Revelation over 50 times, during my 50 years since becoming a Christ follower, it’s the first time I have noticed this variation on Come and Go. I promise you I will find out what is behind this difference and why the strange approach of Murdock, WEB and WEBA changing their approach on the interpretation of [ἔρχου] in 6:3. As well as the change between the Complete Jerusalem Bible [CJB] and the earlier Jerusalem Bible [JB].

Let me know also the things you notice and want to ask questions about. I like to use my readers’ questions as well as my own. Sometimes you guys come up with some doozies. I am well able to come up with my own questions, I just like to give you the opportunity to ask questions as well.

I have been working with a lot of ‘sevens’ this last fortnight, so here are seven quotes for you.

I would rather live in a world where my life is surrounded by mystery than live in a world so small that my mind could comprehend it.

Harry Emerson Fosdick

Revelation is when God bypasses the limitations of your mind and shows you things you otherwise wouldn’t know. Instead of finding a solution to life’s problems every now and then, you can walk each day in a ‘spirit of wisdom and of revelation.

Bob Gass

I like friends who have independent minds because they tend to make you see problems from all angles.

Nelson Mandela

Small minds discuss persons. Average minds discuss events. Great minds discuss ideas.

Eleanor Roosevelt

I not only use all the brains that I have, but all that I can borrow.

Woodrow Wilson

I have finally worked out what’s wrong with my left brain, there’s nothing right in it; and in my right brain there’s nothing left. [It’s called balance.]  

Bill Johnson  

The secret to enlightenment is found in achieving balance between both hemispheres of the brain.

Ian