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
文本在脈絡中

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 1 章中榮耀基督的視覺引導進入 2-3 章對七個教會的信息，啟示錄 4-5 章中王座室的視覺為神公義的判決在 6 章開始鋪平了道路。值得稱讚的耶穌（5:2-5）現在開始打開卷軸，打開封印。這啟動了啟示錄 6-16 中的三組判決：封印、號角和碗，每組都使用四三模式。當所有七個封印都被打開時，卷軸打開進入號角判決（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
首四個封印判決（6:1-8），更為人熟知為「啟示錄的四騎士」，作為「代表歷史上運作的力量的初步判決」，為神的至高目的服務，並引導時代末期的事件。這些災難的證據表明，它們在歷史中同時發生，而不是在基督回歸前的一系列嚴峻試煉中依次發生。

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，約翰聽到四個活物之一說：「來。」然後他看到一匹特定顏色的馬，上面載著一個執行判決的騎士。從羔羊和四個活物的行為，以及神的被動（即 6:2, 4 [2 次], 8, 11 中的「被給」）中，我們再次看到上帝對人類歷史的至高無上的控制。有趣的是，這前四個封印主要關注人類的敗德，以此表明「上帝只是讓人類的罪孽走完一圈，反噬自己，自我毀滅。」3《啟示錄》支持這樣的觀點，即上帝的判決往往涉及讓邪惡自行發展。

Outline 概要

5. The seal judgments (6:1–8:1)
5. 印章判決（6:1–8:1）

a. The first six seals (6:1–17)
一. 前六個封印（6:1-17）

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

(1) The rider on a white horse (6:1–2)
(1) 白馬上的騎士 (6:1–2)

(2) The rider on a red horse (6:3–4)
(2) 紅馬上的騎士（6:3–4）

(3) The rider on a black horse (6:5–6)
(3) 駕黑色馬匹的騎士（6:5–6）

(4) The rider on a pale horse (6:7–8)
(4) 骑著白色馬的騎士（6:7–8） Translation:

Interpretive Insights 解讀洞見

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 我見羔羊打開七封印的第一個。然後，我聽見四個活物之一發出如雷轟的聲音說：「來！」約翰的天象繼續，他觀察羔羊打開第一個封印。只有羔羊配得打開每一個封印，展開卷軸，表明耶穌在人類歷史終結中的領導角色。當約翰見到羔羊時，他聽到第一個活物發出如雷轟的聲音，命令第一匹馬來（參照啟四 14:2；19:6 中的「如雷轟的聲音」）。

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 我一看，就見到一匹白色馬在我面前！馬上的騎士拿著一枝弓，他被賜予一頂皇冠，他出發去征服，一心要征服。雖然在書的後面，耶穌後來騎一匹白色馬（19:11），但當前的上下文要求這位騎士與其他三位馬夫相連，作為神的審判的符號。這匹白色的馬拿著弓和皇冠出發去征服，暗示著軍事征服或戰爭。許多人認為這是指帕提亞人，東方的騎射手，在公元 62 年戰勝羅馬人。他們是強大的戰士，他們的聖潔顏色是白色。即使帕提亞人是在背後，這幅圖像的整體影響再次肯定了人類對戰爭和征服的慾望。

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).
白色馬可能象徵軍事征服或戰爭，有些人認為它與帕提亞人有關，他們成功地三次擊敗了羅馬軍隊。帕提亞人有一支高度發達的騎兵軍隊，由如這裡所示的騎士戰士組成（敘利亞或伊拉克，公元 1-3 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 然後又有一匹馬出來，是一匹火紅色的馬。那馬的騎士被賦予權柄，要從地上奪去和平，使人彼此相殺。給他的是大刀。戰爭或暴力導致流血（以紅色的馬象徵），因為下一位騎士從地上奪走和平，使人彼此相殺（對於“殺戮”，請參閱啟示錄 5:6, 9, 12；6:9；13:3, 8；18:24）。大刀可能代表暴力死亡的判決。約翰的讀者可能會想到在尼祿或多米提安統治期間發生的迫害。

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 在我面前的，是一匹黑色的馬！馬上的騎士拿著一對天平……「一 DENarius 的工錢買二磅的小麥，六磅的燕麥，並且不要損壞油和酒！」戰爭和流血最終導致經濟困難，包括饑荒。四個活物中的聲音將小麥和燕麥的價格設定為一天的工錢（一 DENarius）。一般人一天大約吃二磅（一夸脫）的小麥，但由於價格昂貴，人們轉而購買燕麥，較便宜的穀物。然而，這些價格大大高於正常價格的十到十五倍。令人驚訝的是，聲音還說不要損壞油和酒。Keener 見證古地中海戰爭允許摧毀像小麥這樣的作物，但不允許摧毀葡萄藤和橄欖樹，這將導致長期破壞，並使被征服的土地價值降低。4 在啟示錄 7:3 中出現了類似的限制（「不要傷害土地或海洋或樹木」），這也可能表明在判決中神的恩典的一個指標。

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.
騎在黑馬上的騎士手中拿著一對天平，這可能與羅馬時期的這些銅天平相似。

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，有一匹淡色的馬！那馬的騎士名叫死亡，而墮落是跟在他的後面。他們被賦予權力，對地球的四分之一進行殺戮。"淡色"實際上是黃綠色，或者死人顏色。在這個場合，騎士被命名為“死亡”，並由“墮落”陪同（見啟示錄 1:18；20:13, 14）。墮落是指死人的領域，而不是對邪惡者的最終懲罰地點（即“地獄”，如 KJV）。死亡和墮落以四種特定方式殺死人類的四分之一：劍、飢荒、瘟疫（疾病）和野獸（參照以西結書 14:12–23 中的相同四項）。上帝允許人類的邪惡行為進行其破壞工作，導致通過戰爭、流血、飢荒、疾病和死亡的判決。但再次，我們看到一種克制，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.
約翰如常般，引用舊約先知的言論來表達他的遠見。這裡的特定背景是撒迦利亞書 1:7-11 和 6:1-8，上帝派遣不同馬色的騎士作為對祂敵人的判決工具。此外，前四個封印與耶穌在橄榄山論述中提到的“陣痛”非常相似：戰爭，國與國的起義，地震，饑荒，瘟疫（見馬太福音 24；馬可福音 13；路加福音 21）。在耶穌的教誨和啟示錄 6 中，這些圖像指的是在為時代結束做準備的歷史中進行的初步判決。顯然，所有這些威脅對第一世紀和二十一世紀都適用。

Teaching the Text 教授文本

A couple of significant points of application surface in connection with Revelation 6:1–8.
啟示錄 6:1-8 的相關應用中浮現出幾個重要的點。

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. 神的判決往往涉及容許罪惡自行發展。這些判決的運作方式很有趣。羔羊打開了封印（6:1）。那些獨特地位於神的寶座附近，執行他命令的生靈，命令馬匹“來”（6:1, 3, 5, 7）。神的被動語態（即，“被給予”）允許行動進行（6:2, 4 [2 次], 8）。然而，騎士們本身執行這些判決。雖然神並未直接將這些災難降臨世界，但毫無疑問，他允許它們發生，作為人類罪惡的後果。

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.”
這項真理對教授這段經文帶來兩個核心的含義。首先，信徒應該意識到罪的災難性和致命的後果。四騎士代表罪所產生的種種事物，並不好看。這段經文提供了談論罪所導致的個人和社會破壞的機會，無論是“大”罪還是“小”罪。

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，這段經文向我們述說了關於神和他的旨意。啟示錄 6 消除了我們對神的浪漫觀念，認為神只是我們的慈愛父，只會安慰和接受我們的現狀。正如 Mangina 所說，“神並不是我們希望他成為的那樣。神就是神。”他繼續說，“如果全能創造者的形象使我們從對神的浪漫主義中解放出來，羔羊的圖像應該使我們從恐懼中解放出來。”

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.
雖然人類的罪惡會導致戰爭、暴力、流血、經濟困難和死亡，但這些最終都臣服於神更大的旨意。即使在審判之中，神的憐憫制約也能在 6:6、8 中見到。羔羊為我們在十字架上犧牲的圖像，需要與全能的神（ Pantokratōr ）並列，最終對罪惡和邪惡進行審判。王座和十字架都提供了我們應該尋求認識和愛神的視角。

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. 我們應該關注預言對讀者的影響，而不是尋找終極事件的地圖。試圖將這些判斷定位在當前事件中，或者用來預測未來事件，都是錯失了重點。我們的工作不是試圖預測基督回歸的日期，也不是詳細地勾勒出終極事件的時間線（使徒行傳 1 章 6-7 節）。這些判斷特別是不能被限制在任何一段歷史時期。正如使徒保羅提醒我們的，死亡是最後的敵人，並且影響我們所有人（哥林多前書 15 章 25-26 節）。

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.
啟示錄的四騎士所象徵的事件代表歷史展開過程中持續的審判。我們的回應應當是信心而非恐懼，對主的信任。這場面展示四騎士的圖像出自阿爾布雷希特·杜勒於 1498 年的木刻作品。

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視覺對原始讀者的影響，以及暗示對我們當代讀者的影響。芒斯正確地結論說，“視覺最好是要體驗而不是分析。”6 當七個教會首次聽到啟示錄 6 時，他們無疑充滿了恐懼和焦慮。他們會面對一個至關重要的問題：你正在信任什麼或誰？這些視覺會使我們對國家、權力、財富或健康等虛假的安全來源的依賴產生顛覆。我們許多聽眾也可能過分地信任他們的國籍、銀行賬戶和安全的環境。四騎士提醒我們，不要被人類帝國、機構或個性提供的虛假安全感所誘惑。這些都不能救我們脫離死亡。因此，這段經文暗含著需要重新信任主作為我們唯一可靠的保障來源。有趣的是，在耶穌在橄榄山演講中提到生產的痛苦後，他馬上開始警告門徒們他們的信仰將會受到考驗（太 24:9-13）。

Illustrating the Text 圖解文本

Even “small sins” have deadly consequences.
即使「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.
電影：在《蔬菜奇兵：拉里男孩與謠言草》這部經典動畫中，我們目睹了拉里男孩與一個巨大的草本植物——你猜對了，就是一株巨草——之間的偉大戰鬥。這株巨大的、塗著口紅、會唱歌的害蟲，從一株小小的植物成長起來。但這不正是謠言的本質嗎？另一部更黑暗、更成熟的電影《食人花店》則講述了一個書呆子花商如何將一株可愛、吸血的小植物培育成一個食人怪獸的故事。例子比比皆是，但信息卻是相同的：當我們培養那些看似無害、微小的罪惡種子時，最終會收穫到一場破壞性的風暴。

We must avoid the temptation of creating God in our image.
我們必須避免塑造上帝以符合我們形象的誘惑。

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.
引語：約翰·加爾文警告我們，要警惕我們對偶像崇拜的自然傾向，他著名地寫道：“人類的本性是一個永無止境的偶像製造工廠。”他還在其他地方宣稱，“我們每個人都從母親的懷抱中開始，擅長發明偶像。”上帝賜予我們心和靈魂，讓我們能夠看到、認識和愛他。但如果我們不謹慎，我們將不斷尋求製造一個神來祝福我們的願望。

Our view of God must include both the cross and the throne.
我們對上帝的看法必須同時包含十字架和寶座。

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》中有兩個偉大的預言，指向了救世主令人驚奇的工作。一方面，他是一位統治的君王，將擊敗國民，坐在審判的位置上。另一方面，他是一位受苦的僕人，將面對不白之冤的懲罰，卻不發一言抗議。詩篇 2 和以賽亞書 53 如同兩個預言的焦點，讓我們的心靈在敬拜的軌道上保持正確的對齊。

What is the source of our security?
我們的安全來源是什麼？

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.
詩歌：「我的靈魂深處都安好」，由霍瑞修·斯帕福德創作 強烈的藝術往往是由掙扎的心靈產生的。斯帕福德曾是一位成功的律師，但 1871 年的芝加哥大火嚴重破壞了他的財務。他看著投資化為灰燼。僅僅兩年後，斯帕福德一家前往歐洲，霍瑞修的妻子和四個女兒先期出發。在家人還未團聚之前，斯帕福德收到妻子的電報，上面只有兩個悲傷的字眼，「我一人得救……」。他們的船被英國船「洛奇·埃恩」撞擊，女兒們與其他 222 人一同罹難。當他經過他們死亡的地方時，霍瑞修·斯帕福德寫下了他著名的詩歌，「當平靜如河流般引導我前行，當悲傷如海浪般翻騰……」。「我的靈魂深處都安好」已經安慰了許多悲痛的心靈，提醒我們，總有一天，雲霧將被卷起，我們心靈的希望將會實現。