The First Seal: The White Horse 1 UST Then I saw the Lamb open the first of the seven pieces of wax that sealed the scroll. When he did, I heard one of the four living beings say as loudly as a clap of thunder,“Come forth!” BSB BSB: Then I watched as the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, “Come!”
2 UST Then I saw something remarkable: a white horse whose rider was holding a bow{ and arrows}! God gave him a crown{ to wear in recognition of the victories he was going to win}. The rider went out from heaven fully capable to fight and defeat God’ s enemies. BSB BSB: So I looked and saw a white horse, and its rider held a bow. And he was given a crown, and he rode out to overcome and conquer.
The Second Seal: War 3 UST Then the Lamb opened the second piece of wax that sealed the scroll. When he did, I heard the second living being say,“Come forth!” BSB BSB: And when the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!”
4 UST Then another horse appeared. It was bright red. There was also a rider sitting on that horse. God gave the rider the power to cause wars on the earth. That way the world’ s people would kill each other. For this purpose, God gave the rider on the bright red horse a huge sword. BSB BSB: Then another horse went forth. It was bright red, and its rider was granted permission to take away peace from the earth and to make men slay one another. And he was given a great sword.
The Third Seal: Famine 5 UST The Lamb then opened the third piece of wax that sealed the scroll. When he did, I heard the third living being say,“Come forth!” I then saw something else remarkable: a black horse whose rider was holding a pair of balance scales! BSB BSB: And when the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” Then I looked and saw a black horse, and its rider held in his hand a pair of scales.
6 UST Then I heard a sound like a voice coming from among the four living beings. It said,“Make wheat so scarce that a person will have to work an entire day to earn enough money to buy one liter of it. Also make barley so scarce that a person will have to work an entire day to earn enough money to buy three liters of it. However, make sure that olive oil and wine remain so plentiful that their prices do not increase.” BSB BSB: And I heard what sounded like a voice from among 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 wine.”
The Fourth Seal: Death 7 UST The Lamb then opened the fourth piece of wax that sealed the scroll. When he did, I next heard the fourth living being say,“Come forth!” BSB BSB: And when the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!”
8 UST I then saw something else remarkable: a horse that was pale because it was diseased and that had two riders. The name of the first rider was The One Who Causes People to Die. The name of the rider sitting behind him on the horse was The Place Where Dead People Go. God gave these riders the power to kill a quarter of all the people in the world. They could kill them by causing wars or famine or epidemics or by making wild animals come into populated areas and kill people. BSB BSB: Then I looked and saw a pale green horse. Its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed close behind. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill by sword, by famine, by plague, and by the beasts of the earth.
The Fifth Seal: The Martyrs 9 UST The Lamb then opened the fifth piece of wax that sealed the scroll. When he did, I saw, at the base of an altar in heaven, the souls of people whom others had killed because they spoke God’ s message faithfully as reliable witnesses. BSB BSB: And when the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony they had upheld.
10 UST These souls called out{ to God} loudly,“You, Master, always do what is right and decide what is right! So please condemn and punish the people on the earth who killed us!” BSB BSB: And they cried out in a loud voice, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge those who dwell upon the earth and avenge our blood?”
11 UST Then God gave each of them a white flowing robe. God told them to be patient a little longer, because there were others who were also going to die rather than deny their faith in Jesus. But as soon as all of them had died, God would punish the people who had killed them and had killed the people whose souls were now in heaven. BSB BSB: Then each of them was given a white robe and told to rest a little while longer until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers, were killed, just as they had been killed.
The Sixth Seal: Terror 12 UST Then I saw the Lamb open the sixth piece of wax that sealed the scroll. When he did, the earth shook violently. The sun turned very dark, like mourning cloth woven from black goat hair. The moon was full and it became as red as blood. BSB BSB: And I watched as the Lamb opened the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black like sackcloth of goat hair, and the whole moon turned blood red,
13 UST Then the stars fell from the sky down to the earth. They fell just as figs left on a fig tree all fall off when the tree shakes in a very strong wind. BSB BSB: and the stars of the sky fell to the earth like unripe figs dropping from a tree shaken by a great wind.
14 UST The sky split open and rolled away in both directions, just as a scroll rolls away in both directions if it splits in two. All the mountains and islands also moved out of their places. BSB BSB: The sky receded like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved from its place.
15 UST Then all the people on earth, even kings, high- ranking officials, military officers, rich people, and influential individuals, hid within caves and mountain rocks. BSB BSB: Then the kings of the earth, the nobles, the commanders, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and free man hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains.
16 UST They told the mountains and rocks,“Fall on us and cover us! That way God, who sits on the throne in heaven, will not be able to see us! And that way the Lamb will not be able to punish us! BSB BSB: And they said to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the One seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb.
17 UST For today is the terrible day on which God and the Lamb will punish people who have done wrong, and we know that none of us are innocent!” BSB BSB: For the great day of Their wrath has come, and who is able to withstand it?”
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.