Revelation 6:1–8 啟示錄6：1-8

The Four Horsemen 四騎士

Understanding the Text 理解文本

The Text in Context 上下文中的文字

Just as the vision of the glorified Christ in Revelation 1 leads into the messages to the seven churches in chapters 2–3, so the throne-room vision of Revelation 4–5 prepares the way for God’s righteous judgments that commence in chapter 6. Jesus, the worthy one (5:2–5), now begins to open the scroll by breaking the seals. (This initiates three sets of judgments in Revelation 6–16: seals, trumpets, and bowls, with each using a four-three pattern.) When all seven seals have been broken, the scroll opens into the trumpet judgments (8:1).
正如啟示錄第1章中榮耀的基督的異象引向第2-3章給七個教會的信息一樣，啟示錄第4-5章的寶座室異象也為從第6章開始的上帝公義的審判預備了道路。耶穌，配稱的那一位（5：2-5），現在開始通過打破封印來打開書卷。（這在啟示錄6-16中啟動了三組審判：印章、喇叭和碗，每一套都使用四三模式。當七個封印都被打破時，書卷打開，進入號角審判（8：1）。

The first four seal judgments (6:1–8), more famously known as the “four horsemen of the Apocalypse,” function as “preliminary judgments representing forces operative throughout history” that serve God’s sovereign purposes and usher in the events of the end of the age.1 The evidence suggests that these disasters run simultaneously throughout history rather than one after another in a severe trial right before Christ returns.2
前四次印記審判（6：1-8），更著名的是“啟示錄的四騎士”，作為“代表整個歷史中起作用的力量的初步審判”，服務於上帝的主權目的，並引領世界末日的事件。1 有證據表明，這些災難在歷史上是同時發生的，而不是在基督再來之前，在嚴峻的考驗中一個接一個地發生。阿拉伯數位

When the Lamb opens each seal, John hears one of the four living creatures saying, “Come.” He then sees a horse of a particular color carrying a rider who executes the judgment. From the actions of the Lamb and the four living creatures, as well as the divine passives (i.e., “was given” in 6:2, 4 [2x], 8, 11), we again see God’s sovereign control of human history. Interestingly, these first four seals focus on the depravity of humankind as a means of showing that “God simply allows human sin to come full circle, turn in upon itself, and self-destruct.”3 Revelation supports the notion that God’s judgments often involve allowing evil to run its course.
當羔羊打開每個封印時，約翰聽到四個活物中的一個說：“來吧。然後，他看到一匹特定顏色的馬驮著一個執行判決的騎手。從羔羊和四個活物的行為，以及神的被動（即6：2,4[2x]，8,11中“被賜下”），我們再次看到神對人類歷史的主權控制。有趣的是，這前四個印記將重點放在人類的墮落上，以此來表明“上帝只是允許人類的罪惡兜圈子，自我轉變，自我毀滅”。3 啟示錄支持這樣一種觀點，即上帝的審判常常涉及讓邪惡順其自然。

Outline 大綱

5. The seal judgments (6:1–8:1)
5. 印章的審判（6：1-8：1）

a. The first six seals (6:1–17)
一個。前六個印記（6：1-17）

i. The four horsemen (6:1–8)
i. 四騎士（6：1-8）

(1) The rider on a white horse (6:1–2)
（1）騎白馬的人（6：1-2）

(2) The rider on a red horse (6:3–4)
（2）騎著紅馬的騎手（6：3-4）

(3) The rider on a black horse (6:5–6)
（3）騎黑馬的人（6：5-6）

(4) The rider on a pale horse (6:7–8)
（4）騎在蒼白的馬上的騎手（6：7-8）

Interpretive Insights 解釋性見解

6:1 I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, “Come!” John’s heavenly vision continues as he observes the Lamb breaking the first seal. The Lamb alone is worthy to break each seal and unfold the scroll, indicating Jesus’s leading role in the consummation of human history. While John sees the Lamb, he hears the thunderous voice of the first living creature command the first horse to come forth (cf. the “voice like thunder” in Rev. 14:2; 19:6).
6：1 我眼睜睜地看著羔羊打開了七個封印中的第一個。然後我聽到四個活物中的一個用雷霆般的聲音說：“來！約翰的天國異象仍在繼續，他觀察到羔羊打破了第一個印記。惟有羔羊配得打破每一個印記，展開書卷，表明耶穌在人類歷史的圓滿中發揮了領導作用。當約翰看到羔羊時，他聽到第一個活物的雷鳴般的聲音命令第一匹馬出來（參見啟示錄14：2;19：6中的“像雷一樣的聲音”）。

6:2 I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest. Although Jesus rides a white horse later in the book (19:11), the immediate context demands that this rider be connected to the other three horsemen as a symbol of divine judgment. This white horse has a bow and a crown and rides out to conquer, an indication of military conquest or war. Many see a reference to the Parthians, the mounted archers from the east who defeated the Romans in battle as recently as AD 62. They were formidable warriors, and their sacred color was white. Even if the Parthians are in the background, the general impact of the image reaffirms the human lust for war and conquest.
6：2 我看了看，前面有一匹白馬！它的騎手拿著弓，他被授予一頂冠冕，他像一個一心想征服的征服者一樣騎馬出去。雖然耶穌在書的後面（19：11）騎著一匹白馬，但直接的上下文要求這個騎手與其他三個騎手相連，作為神聖審判的象徵。這匹白馬有弓和皇冠，騎馬出去征服，這是軍事征服或戰爭的標誌。許多人都提到了帕提亞人，帕提亞人是來自東方的騎馬弓箭手，他們在西元 62 年的戰鬥中擊敗了羅馬人。他們是令人敬畏的戰士，他們的神聖顏色是白色。即使帕提亞人處於背景中，圖像的總體影響也重申了人類對戰爭和征服的渴望。

The white horse may symbolize military conquest or war, and some have identified it with the Parthians, who successfully defeated a Roman army three times. The Parthians had a highly developed armed cavalry made up of horsemen warriors like the sculpture shown here (Syria or Iraq, first to third century AD).
白馬可能象徵著軍事征服或戰爭，有些人將其與帕提亞人相提並論，帕提亞人曾三次成功擊敗羅馬軍隊。帕提亞人擁有一支高度發達的武裝騎兵，由騎兵戰士組成，就像這裡展示的雕塑一樣（敘利亞或伊拉克，西元一世紀至三世紀）。

6:4 Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make people kill each other. To him was given a large sword. Warfare or violence results in bloodshed (symbolized by the red horse) as the next rider robs the earth of peace so that people kill each other (on “kill” or “slaughter,” see Rev. 5:6, 9, 12; 6:9; 13:3, 8; 18:24). The large sword likely represents the judgment of violent death. John’s readers might have thought of persecutions occurring under the reign of Nero or Domitian.
6：4 又有一匹馬出來了，是一匹火紅的馬。 它的騎手被賦予了從地球上奪取和平並讓人們互相殘殺的能力。給了他一把大劍。戰爭或暴力導致流血事件（以紅馬為象徵），因為下一個騎手搶奪了地球的和平，使人們互相殘殺（關於“殺戮”或“屠殺”，見啟示錄5：6,9,12;6：9;13：3,8;18：24）。這把大劍可能代表著暴斃的審判。約翰的讀者可能會想到在尼祿或圖密善統治下發生的迫害。

6:5–6 there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales . . . “Two pounds of wheat for a day’s wages, and six pounds of barley for a day’s wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!” Warfare and bloodshed eventually lead to economic hardship, including famine. A voice from among the four living creatures sets the maximum price for wheat and barley at a day’s wages (a denarius). A person would normally eat about two pounds (a quart) of wheat a day, but because of the expense people resorted to buying barley, the cheaper grain. Yet these prices are greatly inflated to about ten to fifteen times normal prices. Surprisingly, the voice also says not to damage the oil and the wine. Keener observes that ancient Mediterranean warfare permitted destroying standing crops like wheat but not the vines and olive trees, which would have produced long-term devastation and devalued the land being conquered.4 A similar restriction appears in Revelation 7:3 (“do not harm the land or the sea or the trees”), which may also indicate a measure of God’s mercy in the midst of judgment.
6：5-6 在我面前有一匹黑馬！它的騎手拿著一對秤......  “一天的工資是兩磅小麥，一天的工資是六磅大麥，不要弄壞油和酒！”戰爭和流血最終導致經濟困難，包括饑荒。來自四種生物的聲音將小麥和大麥的最高價格定為一天的工資（一迪納里烏斯）。一個人通常每天吃大約兩磅（一誇脫）小麥，但由於費用高昂，人們不得不購買更便宜的穀物大麥。然而，這些價格被大大誇大到正常價格的十到十五倍左右。令人驚訝的是，這個聲音還說不要損壞油和酒。基納觀察到，古代地中海戰爭允許摧毀小麥等站立作物，但不允許摧毀葡萄樹和橄欖樹，這將造成長期的破壞並貶低被征服的土地。4 啟示錄7：3也有類似的限制（“不可傷害陸地、海洋或樹木”），這也可能表明上帝在審判中憐悯的程度。

The rider on the black horse carries a pair of scales in his hand, which may have resembled these bronze scales from the Roman period.
騎在黑馬上的騎手手裡拿著一對鱗片，可能與羅馬時期的這些青銅鱗片相似。

6:8 there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill. “Pale” is actually yellowish-green, or the color of a corpse. On this occasion the rider is named “Death” and is accompanied by “Hades” (see also Rev. 1:18; 20:13, 14). Hades refers to the realm of the dead, not the final place of punishment for the wicked (i.e., “hell,” as in KJV). Death and Hades kill a fourth of humankind in four specific ways: sword, famine, plague (disease), and wild beasts (cf. the same four items in Ezek. 14:12–23). God has allowed human wickedness to do its destructive work, resulting in judgment through warfare, bloodshed, famine, disease, and death. But again, we see a measure of restraint in that only one-fourth are affected.
6：8 在我面前有一匹蒼白的馬！它的騎手名叫死神，哈迪斯緊跟在他身後。他們被賦予了統治地球四分之一的權力來殺戮。“蒼白”實際上是黃綠色，或屍體的顏色。在這個場合，騎手被命名為“死亡”，並伴隨著“哈迪斯”（另見啟示錄1：18;20：13,14）。哈迪斯指的是死者的領域，而不是對惡人的最後懲罰之地（即 KJV 中的“地獄”）。死亡和陰間以四種特定的方式殺死了四分之一的人類：刀劍、饑荒、瘟疫（疾病）和野獸（參見結14：12-23中的相同四件事）。上帝允許人類的邪惡做其破壞性的工作，通過戰爭、流血、饑荒、疾病和死亡導致審判。但同樣，我們看到一定程度的克制，因為只有四分之一的人受到影響。

Theological Insights 神學洞察

As he often does, John draws upon the Old Testament prophets to articulate his visions. The specific background here is Zechariah 1:7–11 and 6:1–8, where riders on different colored horses are sent by God as instruments of judgment on his enemies. In addition, the first four seals closely parallel the “birth pains” that Jesus mentions in his Olivet Discourse: wars, nations rising against nations, earthquakes, famines, pestilence (see Matt. 24; Mark 13; Luke 21). In both Jesus’s teachings and Revelation 6, these images refer to preliminary judgments operating throughout history in preparation for the end of the age. This seems obviously the case since all of these threats apply equally to both the first century and the twenty-first century.
正如他經常做的那樣，約翰引用舊約先知來闡明他的異象。這裡的具體背景是撒迦利亞書1：7-11和6：1-8，騎著不同顏色的馬的騎手被上帝派來作為審判他的敵人的工具。此外，前四個印記與耶穌在他的橄欖樹論中提到的“分娩的痛苦”非常相似：戰爭、國家起來反對國家、地震、饑荒、瘟疫（見馬太福音 24 章;馬可福音第13章;路加福音21）。在耶穌的教導和啟示錄第6章中，這些圖像都提到了貫穿歷史的初步審判，為世界的末日做準備。這顯然是這樣，因為所有這些威脅都同樣適用於第一世紀和第二十一世紀。

Teaching the Text 教導經文

A couple of significant points of application surface in connection with Revelation 6:1–8.
與啟示錄6：1-8有關的幾個重要的應用點浮出水面。

1. God’s judgments often involve allowing sin to run its course. The orchestration of these judgments is interesting. The Lamb opens the seals (6:1). The living creatures, who are uniquely positioned near the throne of God to carry out his orders, command the horses to “come” (6:1, 3, 5, 7). The divine passives (i.e., “was given”) allow the action to proceed (6:2, 4 [2x], 8). Yet the horsemen themselves inflict the judgments. Although God does not directly send these plagues on the world, there is little doubt that he allows them to occur as the consequences of human sinfulness.
1. 上帝的審判常常涉及讓罪惡順其自然。這些判斷的編排很有趣。羔羊打開印記（6：1）。活著的生物在神的寶座附近獨特地執行他的命令，他們命令馬匹“來”（6：1,3,5,7）。神聖的被動（即“被賜予”）允許行動繼續進行（6：2,4[2x]，8）。然而，騎兵們自己施加了審判。雖然上帝沒有直接將這些瘟疫降到世界上，但毫無疑問，他允許它們作為人類罪惡的後果發生。

This truth leads to two central implications for teaching this passage. First, believers should realize the disastrous and deadly effects of sin. The four horsemen represent the kinds of things that sin produces, and they’re not pretty. This passage offers an opportunity to talk about the personal and social devastation caused by sins, both “big” and “small.”
這個真理導致了教導這段經文的兩個中心含義。首先，信徒應該認識到罪的災難性和致命的後果。四個騎士代表了罪惡產生的事物，他們並不漂亮。這段經文提供了一個機會來談論由罪造成的個人和社會破壞，無論是“大”還是“小”。

Second, the passage speaks to us about God and his purposes. Revelation 6 strips us of a sentimental view of God as nothing more than a benevolent parent who only consoles and accepts us just as we are. As Mangina puts it, “God is not whoever we would like him to be. God is God.” He continues, “If the image of the all-powerful Creator frees us from our sentimentalism concerning God, the image of the Lamb of God should free us from our fear.”5
第二，這段經文向我們講述了 上帝和他的旨意。啟示錄第6章剝奪了我們對上帝的感傷觀點，認為上帝只不過是一位仁慈的父母，他只是安慰和接受我們，就像我們一樣。正如曼吉納所說，“上帝不是我們希望他成為的人。上帝就是上帝。他繼續說：「如果全能的造物主的形象使我們擺脫對上帝的多愁善感，那麼上帝的羔羊的形象就應該使我們擺脫恐懼。5

Although human sinfulness runs its course, resulting in warfare, violence, bloodshed, economic hardship, and death, even these prove to be subservient to God’s larger purposes. (And even in the midst of judgment, God’s merciful restraint appears in 6:6, 8.) The image of the Lamb dying on the cross for us needs to be seen alongside God Almighty (pantokratōr), who is ultimately responsible for judging sin and evil. Both the throne and the cross provide the lens through which we should seek to know and love the Lord.
雖然人類的罪惡在進行，導致戰爭、暴力、流血、經濟困難和死亡，但即使是這些也被證明是順服於上帝更大的旨意。（即使在審判中，上帝憐悯的克制也出現在6：6,8中。羔羊為我們死在十字架上的形象需要與全能的上帝（pantokratōr）一起看待，他最終負責審判罪惡和邪惡。寶座和十字架都為我們提供了一個視角，我們應該通過它來尋求認識和愛主。

2. We should focus on the vision’s effect on its readers rather than look for a map of end-time events. To attempt to locate these judgments in current events or use them to predict future events is to miss the point. Our job is not to try to predict the date of Christ’s return or map out a detailed timeline of end-time events (Acts 1:6–7). These judgments in particular cannot be restricted to any one period of history. Death, as the apostle Paul reminds us, is the last enemy and affects us all (1 Cor. 15:25–26).
2. 我們應該關注異象對讀者的影響，而不是尋找末世事件的地圖。試圖將這些判斷定位在當前事件中，或利用它們來預測未來事件，就是錯過了重點。我們的工作不是試圖預測基督再來的日期，也不是繪製末世事件的詳細時程表（使徒行傳1：6-7）。特別是，這些判斷不能局限於任何一個歷史時期。正如使徒保羅提醒我們的那樣，死亡是最後的敵人，影響著我們所有人（哥林多前書15：25-26）。

The events symbolized by the four horsemen of the Apocalypse represent ongoing judgments in process while history unfolds. Our response should be one not of fear but of trust in the Lord. This scene showing the four horsemen is from a woodcut by Albrecht Dürer, AD 1498.
以天啟四騎士為象徵的事件代表了歷史展開時正在進行的審判。我們的回應不應該是恐懼，而是對主的信任。這幅四騎士的場景出自阿爾佈雷希特·丟勒 （Albrecht Dürer） 於西元 1498 年創作的木刻版畫。

A much better approach is to look for the effect of the vision on the original readers and, by implication, on us as contemporary readers. Mounce rightly concludes that “visions at best are to be experienced rather than analyzed.”6 When the seven churches first heard Revelation 6, they were no doubt filled with fear and anxiety. They would have been confronted with the all-important question: In what or whom are you trusting? These visions shake our attachment to false sources of security such as nationality, power, wealth, or health. Many of our listeners will also be trusting far too much in their citizenship, bank account, and secure circumstances. The four horsemen remind us not to be seduced by a false sense of security provided by human empires, institutions, or personalities. None of these can save us from death. As a result, this passage implicitly demands a renewed trust in the Lord as our only reliable source of security. Interestingly, after Jesus mentions the birth pains in his Olivet Discourse, he immediately begins to warn his disciples that their faith will be tested (Matt. 24:9–13).
一個更好的方法是尋找願景對原始讀者的影響，並暗示對我們作為當代讀者的影響。蒙斯正確地得出結論，「幻象充其量是被體驗而不是被分析的。6 當七個教會第一次聽到啟示錄第6章時，他們無疑充滿了恐懼和焦慮。他們將面臨一個最重要的問題：你信任什麼或信任誰？這些異象動搖了我們對國籍、權力、財富或健康等虛假安全來源的執著。我們的許多聽眾也會過分信任他們的公民身份、銀行帳戶和安全環境。四騎士提醒我們不要被人類帝國、機構或個人提供的虛假安全感所誘惑。這些都不能將我們從死亡中拯救出來。因此，這段經文含蓄地要求我們重新信賴主，因為我們是唯一可靠的安全來源。有趣的是，當耶穌在他的橄欖神演講中提到分娩的痛苦后，他立即開始警告他的門徒，他們的信心將受到考驗（馬太福音24：9-13）。

Illustrating the Text 說明文本

Even “small sins” have deadly consequences.
即使是“小罪”也有致命的後果。

Film: In the VeggieTales classic Larry Boy and the Rumor Weed, we witness an epic battle between Larry Boy and, you guessed it, a giant weed. The gargantuan, lipstick-wearing, song-singing pest grew from a tiny little plant. But that is what rumors do, isn’t it? A much darker, definitely more grown-up movie, Little Shop of Horrors, tells the story of a nerdy florist who nurtures a cute, blood-sucking little plant into a man-eating monster. Examples abound, but the message is the same: when we nurture small, seemingly harmless seeds of sin, we eventually reap a whirlwind of devastation.
影片：在 VeggieTales 的經典作品《Larry Boy and the Rumor Weed》中，我們目睹了 Larry Boy 和你猜對的，是一棵巨大的雜草之間的史詩般的戰鬥。這種巨大的、塗著口紅、唱歌的害蟲是從一株小小的植物長出來的。但這就是謠言的作用，不是嗎？一部更黑暗、絕對更成熟的電影《恐怖小店》講述了一個書花店將一株可愛的吸血小植物培育成一個吃人的怪物的故事。例子比比皆是，但資訊是一樣的：當我們培育出微小的、看似無害的罪惡種子時，我們最終會收穫一陣毀滅的旋風。

We must avoid the temptation of creating God in our image.
我們必須避免按照我們的形象創造上帝的誘惑。

Quotes: John Calvin. Warning against our natural tendency toward idolatry, Calvin famously wrote that human nature “is a perpetual factory of idols.” Elsewhere he asserts, “Everyone of us is, from his mother’s womb, expert in inventing idols.”7 God has given us hearts and minds so that we can see, know, and love him. But if we are not careful, we will constantly seek to manufacture a god to bless our desires.
引言：約翰·加爾文。加爾文警告我們不要有偶像崇拜的自然傾向，他有一句名言：人性“是偶像的永恆工廠”。在其他地方，他斷言，「我們每個人都是從他母親的子宮裡開始，就是創造偶像的專家。7 上帝賜給我們心靈和思想，使我們能看見、認識和愛他。但是，如果我們不小心，我們就會不斷尋求製造一個神來祝福我們的慾望。

Our view of God must include both the cross and the throne.
我們對上帝的看法必須包括十字架和寶座。

Bible: Two great Old Testament prophecies point to the surprising work of the Messiah. On one hand, he is the ruling King, one who will strike the nations down and sit in judgment. On the other, he is the Suffering Servant who will face unearned punishment without a word of protest. Psalm 2 and Isaiah 53 stand like two prophetic foci, keeping our hearts properly aligned in the orbit of worship.
聖經：舊約中兩個偉大的預言都指向彌賽亞的驚人工作。一方面，他是執政的君王，他將擊打列國並接受審判。另一方面，他是受苦的僕人，他將在沒有一句抗議的情況下面臨不勞而獲的懲罰。詩篇 2 篇和以賽亞書 53 篇像兩個預言的焦點一樣站立，使我們的心在敬拜的軌道上保持適當的對齊。

What is the source of our security?
我們安全的來源是什麼？

Hymn: “It Is Well with My Soul,” by Horatio Spafford. Powerful art is often produced by struggling hearts. Spafford had been a successful lawyer, but the Great Chicago Fire in 1871 decimated his finances. He watched as investments went up in smoke. Just two years later, the Spafford family headed to Europe, Horatio’s wife and four daughters traveling ahead. Before the family could be reunited, Spafford received a telegram from his wife with two terrible words, “Saved alone . . .” Their ship had been struck by the British ship Loch Earn, and the girls had perished along with 222 others. As he passed by the place of their death, Horatio Spafford penned his famous hymn, “When peace like a river attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll . . .” “It Is Well with My Soul” has comforted many grieving hearts, reminding us that one day, the clouds will be rolled back and the hope of our hearts will be fulfilled.
讚美詩：《我的靈魂 很好》，霍雷肖·斯帕福德（Horatio Spafford）著。強大的藝術往往是由掙扎的心產生的。斯帕福德曾是一名成功的律師，但1871年的芝加哥大火摧毀了他的財務狀況。他眼睜睜地看著投資化為烏有。僅僅兩年後，斯帕福德一家就前往歐洲，霍雷肖的妻子和四個女兒一起旅行。在家人團聚之前，斯帕福德收到了妻子的一封電報，上面有兩個可怕的字：“獨自得救......”他們的船被英國船隻Loch Earn擊中，這些女孩和其他222人一起喪生。當他經過他們死亡的地方時，霍雷肖·斯帕福德寫下了他著名的讚美詩，“當和平像河流一樣向我走來，當悲傷像海浪一樣翻滾時......”《我心安有神》安慰了許多悲痛的心，提醒我們總有一天，烏雲會捲散，心中的希望會實現。