The direct connection between chs. 4–5 and 6:1–8 clarifies this issue further. That is, 6:1–8 describes an effect of Christ’s death and resurrection. He transformed the suffering of the cross into a triumph. Chs. 4–5 use the lens of Daniel 7 to explain that Christ defeated the evil powers and was exalted over them. Therefore, Christ has begun to fulfill Daniel’s prophecy of the son of man’s exaltation over the evil, beastly kingdoms, which John explicitly alludes to in 12:3 and 13:1–2 (cf. likewise 4:6 and 5:5 with 15:2). Christ’s sovereignty over the four horsemen shows this, so that the four horsemen are equivalent to the four evil kingdoms of Daniel 7. The book of Revelation