How the Third Seal Unleashes Famine, Economic Collapse, and Divine Judgment
Bible Study Guide
Introduction to the Third Seal
As we turn our attention to the next rider—the black horse of Revelation 6:5–6—it’s important to pause and understand what this moment represents. This rider emerges with the opening of the third seal judgment, and like the others before him, he ushers in another form of war. In ancient times, this horse symbolized conflict, scarcity, and struggle. Taken together, each rider of Revelation is advancing a calculated assault—war not only against humanity, but ultimately against God Himself.
I was born and raised in Maine, and my wife and I raised our own family there as well. It’s a beautiful state, especially if you enjoy long, cold, snowy winters. Every year, winter brought with it dozens of snowstorms. None of this was unusual. It was simply part of life.
But the media always did what it does best—they sensationalized nearly every storm. Forecasts were dramatized, warnings amplified, and fear was stirred. The result was predictable. Panic set in. Grocery stores were flooded with anxious shoppers, and shelves were quickly stripped of essential items.
I would often think to myself, People—what is so different about this storm compared to the hundreds before it?
Those who didn’t buy into the hype—who refused to be driven by fear—often arrived later only to find empty shelves. The storm would come and go. Streets and driveways would be cleared. Life would return to normal. Nothing extraordinary happened. It was just another Maine snowstorm.
But the day is fast approaching when empty shelves will no longer be the result of exaggeration or media panic. A time is coming when the search for basic necessities in your local grocery store will become a living nightmare—one the world has never experienced before.
Enter the Black Horse of the Apocalypse (Revelation 6:5)
(Verse 5) Christ breaks the third seal of the scroll He holds in His hand. This sets of another set of visions that John is about to witness.
Then the third living creature of the four that are in close proximity to God’s throne gives the command, “Come!” As the thundering sound of horse hooves gets louder, John sees the rider on the black horse come into view.
The color black often symbolized dreadful things in the Bible. It reflected sin, death, famine and disease.
John saw the rider holding a pair of scales. Ancient people used scales for commerce. Buyers and sellers used the scale measured the amount (weight) of an item. Common items scales would weigh were gold and silver.
The symbol of the scales likely indicates the unequal balance of commerce that will occur in the days of the tribulation and the days leading up to that time. In other words, the amount of money that will be paid for food will far outweigh the amount of food that will be purchased. In this case, this is known as severe hyperinflation.
The next verse reveals this more clearly. Let’s take a closer look.
The Rider Behind the Third Seal Reveals Economic Upheaval (Revelation 6:6)
(Verse 6) Flour has always been the premium food staple for making breads and other items. Barley’s a sub premium food staple that holds about a quarter of the nutrients that wheat has.
As John is gazing upon the scales in the hand’s of the rider of the black horse, he’s likely wondering what the meaning of this vision is. Then suddenly he hears one of the living creatures from around the throne speak.
“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.”
Two pounds of wheat will barely feed a few mouths in a family for a day. This means that during the tribulation it’ll take a full day’s wage to feed only a few mouths in a family. Not only will there be severe food shortages, the price of food that is available to purchase will be incredibly expensive.
Some might think in those days soon to come that it’s a better deal to buy barley because you get more of it for the same price as wheat. Think again. The nutritional value for your family will quickly diminish with the use of barley.
Have you ever been in the backroom of a grocery store? If you have, you’ve noticed how small of an area it is. There’s very little room to keep any backstock. Most of everything the store has for inventory is already on the shelf.
This shows who fragile our food supply chain infrastructure already is. Grocery stores rely heavily on an uninterrupted supply of food trucks arriving on time to the store to keep shelves full of food. The slightest disturbance in this supply chain harmony could cause severe food shortages.
Luxury Preserved, Humanity Divided: Spare the Oil and the Wine
The rider on the black horse of the apocalypse does not bring only unrelenting bad news. Embedded within this third seal judgment is a revealing detail that exposes a deeper fracture within humanity.
In 2020, a Pew Research Study revealed a significant shift in the U.S. economy. The aggregate income moved away from the middle class and into the hands of the upper class. Higher income earners now claim the majority of income in the United States. As a result, the middle class continues its steady descent toward the lower income bracket. All the while, the wealth of upper income earners has surged dramatically.
This widening gap between the wealthy and the poor continues to accelerate. More middle-income earners fall into the lower-income category, while upper-income earners experience wage growth that others can scarcely imagine. The divide grows sharper with each passing year.
What the rider on the black horse represents for those living during the days of the Tribulation has already begun to take shape in our world today. Society is moving toward a severe economic schism—one where the rich and the poor exist in stark contrast to one another. These current wage trajectories will reach their ultimate climax when the remaining inhabitants of the earth are ushered into the Tribulation period.
The command to preserve the oil and the wine reveals the truth behind this judgment. These are luxury items—comforts reserved for the wealthy, even as scarcity devastates the masses. Yet those who cling to such privileges remain unaware that oil and wine will soon become meaningless. As God’s judgments unfold and fall upon the earth, these temporary luxuries will prove powerless in the face of eternal reckoning.
The Days of the Apocalypse Beyond the Third Seal
When we use the word the apocalypse, we’re not talking about the made up apocalypse movies of Hollywood. We’re speaking of real events that will usher in a time of great distress upon the earth.
“For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again.
“If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. (Matthew 24:21-22)
Jesus is saying here in His Olivet Discourse, the days of distress of the tribulation will be unequal to anything that mankind has ever witnessed. And had it not been cut short to seven years, there would be no survivors.
Remember, millions of people have been removed from the earth by the grace of God to be with His Son Jesus Christ. Mass chaos and confusion ensues.
This rapture event will trigger the revealing of the antichrist. Evil will rise unbridled by the nonexistence of those goody two shoes followers of Christ. The antichrist will begin by doing what he does best. He’ll deceive people into thinking he’s the guy with plan to make all that ails the earth better (white horse).
The hearts of mankind will turn cold and will hate and betray each other. This will cause division among family, friends, kingdoms and nations. Wars will rage across the planet (red horse).
“Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold,”
(Matthew 24:12)
Currencies across the globe will plummet. Stock markets will crash. Supply shortages will follow that will make those that occurred during Covid look like child’s play. People will go hungry. They will do anything they have to when they’re hungry and are left with little to feed their families (black horse).
The Third Seal Seal of Four Is Just the Beginning
These three horsemen are symbols that represent only the beginning of the actual events that will take place as the tribulation period is introduced upon the earth.
There is still one more horseman to bring on the scene. Remember, the judgments will intensify as they’re brought forth. Let’s take a look at what this next rider has in store for those who have chosen to reject God or felt they had no need for God. Those who thought they could make their way back to God by just being good, saying good and doing good will soon come to understand that this idea is just no good.
Closing Reflection
The black horse of the apocalypse does not arrive with the flip of a switch. The third seal reveals something far more unsettling—judgment that unfolds gradually, quietly tightening its grip on the world. Long before the rider is fully released, the conditions are already forming beneath our feet.
We see it now. Nations growing hungry. Food banks stretched beyond capacity. Entire communities becoming food deserts. Shelves that once overflowed now feel fragile, while prices climb to levels many can no longer afford. What once felt unthinkable is becoming normal.
These are not isolated problems. They are warning signs. The world is being conditioned for what is coming next. When the rider on the black horse finally rides, he will not introduce scarcity—he will magnify what humanity has already embraced.
This is why Revelation matters now. These days call us to discernment, humility, and a renewed dependence on Christ—the only true provision that cannot be taken away.
Now is the time to wake up, not later.
Continue Studying: Book of Revelation Chapters 1–11 Study Guides
Closing Prayer
Lord God,
Open our eyes to the signs You have placed before us—not to frighten us, but to awaken us.
Give us discernment to recognize these warnings as invitations to prepare, repent, and draw nearer to You.
Strengthen our faith as Your prophetic word unfolds, and anchor our hearts in truth when the world grows uncertain and we feel alienated.
Make us wise, watchful, and ready—rooted in Christ and unshaken by what is to come.
May Your will be done, and may we be found faithful when Your purposes are fulfilled.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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