The Four Horsemen of Revelation - Revelation 6:1-8
INTRODUCTION:
It has been three weeks since we have been in the book of Revelation. Have you forgot everything that we have learned? Let’s make a quick review of what we have learned. In chapter one and verse nineteen we have an outline for the book of Revelation given to us by the Lord Jesus Christ. He told John to first write the things which he had seen, this was the contents of chapter one and John’s vision of the risen, glorified and exalted Lord Jesus Christ. Second, Jesus told John to write the things which are, which are the contents of the second and third chapters of Revelation, the letters to the churches. Within those letters we had a promise to be taken out of the time of trouble about to come on the whole earth, Jesus promised to take us to be with Him. Third and final, Jesus told John to write the things which will take place after these things, those events that are yet future. This comprises the bulk of Revelation, chapters 4-22.
After writing the letters to the seven churches, John is snatched up to heaven in a vision and finds himself in the throne room of God and the throne of judgment is set and God the Father is seated on it. John describes for us the glory of God the Father on the throne, chapter four is the description of God and His throne room and a worship service.
Chapter five opens with the question of who is worthy to open the scroll sealed with the seven seals that is in the hand of God the Father? The answer is that the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David has triumphed and is worthy to open the scroll. This is the Lord Jesus and when John looks he sees Him looking like a Lamb standing, as if slain. Jesus Christ, our Savior takes from the hand of God the Father the scroll of the deed of all the earth, claiming what is rightfully His and heaven erupts in praise to the Lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ, and to God the Father. Chapter five ends in silent anticipation as everyone waits for the Lamb to break the seals on the scroll.
This morning we will look at the breaking of the first four seals, often referred to as the four horsemen of the apocalypse. Let’s pray and then get into our Scripture passage for this morning.
--PRAY--
SCRIPTURE:
Turn in your Bibles to Revelation 6:1-8, our passage for this morning. Please stand if you are able in honor of the reading of God’s Word and follow along as I read.
Revelation 6:1-8,
“Then I saw when the Lamb broke one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, ‘Come.’ I looked, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer. When He broke the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, ‘Come.’ And another, a red horse, went out; and to him who sat on it, it was granted to take peace from the earth, and that men would slay one another; and a great sword was given to him. When He broke the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, ‘Come.’ I looked, and behold, a black horse; and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard something like a voice in the center of the four living creatures saying, ‘A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not damage the oil and the wine.’ When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, ‘Come.’ I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name Death; and Hades was following with him. Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth.” (Revelation 6:1–8, NASB95)[1]
THE FIRST SEAL – THE WHITE HORSE (Revelation 6:1-2)
As we enter chapter six the scene shifts from heaven to the events about to take place on the earth, all heaven awaits in anticipation of the judgment about to be poured out on the earth. Jesus Christ, the Lamb breaks open the first seal on the scroll and John says that one of the four living beings that is constantly surrounding the throne speaks and his voice is like a peal of thunder, he speaks one word, “Come.”
John says he looked and behold a white horse stood before him and the rider of the horse had a bow in his hand and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer. Who is this white horse and rider that has burst forth from the first seal? There are two main views, the first is that this rider on the white horse is Jesus Christ, those who hold this view point to chapter 19 where Jesus is riding on a white horse going to destroy His enemies and to set up His millennial kingdom. There are several problems with this view. First, this takes place during the Tribulation, Christ does not ride forth as Victor until the end of the Tribulation in chapter 19. Second, this rider holds a bow, in chapter 19 Jesus is described as coming with a sharp sword from His mouth with which to strike down the nations. Third, the rider described here in chapter 6 is given a crown, this word translated crown is the Greek word stephanos which is the word to describe a crown or wreath given to one who triumphs or wins the contest or games. Jesus in chapter 19 is described as having on His head many diadems which is the Greek word for the crown of royalty, the crown of the One who is sovereign. Finally, the Lord Jesus is the One breaking the seals and He is still there in verse three to break the next seal. I do not believe this first rider of the white horse is Jesus Christ.
I believe this first horse and rider represent a false peace that is to come upon the earth. This false peace is ultimately delivered to the world by the Antichrist. This seems to be the rider of the white horse from the first seal. What this means is that before the horrific terrors of the Tribulation break forth upon the earth, the terrors that ultimately lead to the battle of Armageddon, there will be a period of world peace, but it will be a false peace, a deceptive peace with which the world will be lulled into a false sense of security and safety. Do you not see our world poised for this very thing right now, someone who can offer to the world an end to wars and the threat of war, an end to racism, an end to bigotry, an end to religious animosity? There is an anxious desire in our world for international and national peace and Satan will use this to his advantage. This desire for peace will be used by the Antichrist, Satan’s world ruler, he will convince the world that he can give them the safety and security for which they so desperately long. Jesus warned of this false peace that would come near the end, in response to the disciples asking for the sign of Christ’s coming and the end of the age, Jesus said in Matthew 24:4-5, “See to it that no one misleads you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many.” (Matthew 24:4–5, NASB95)[2] Many would come claiming to be the prince of peace and mislead many. The final fulfillment of this is the rise of the Antichrist.
This rider has a bow, but no arrows, he is given a crown of victory or triumph, both these facts show that he is honored because his conquering is without bloodshed. He is not a real king, but has received the winner’s crown from the world for his victory in bringing peace, world peace to the earth. His conquest will not be by force, but by deceit, his triumph will be a peace won by agreement, not conflict. Even as the world teeters on the edge of God’s final judgment, the Antichrist will promise a golden age of safety, security, and prosperity, and in response the world will honor him and elevate him to the position of supreme leadership. In Daniel 9 Daniel speaks of a prince who is to come (still in the future) who will make a covenant with Israel for seven years, peace promised in the middle-east. His peace and his promises, however, will be short-lived.
THE SECOND SEAL – THE RED HORSE (Revelation 6:3-4)
John tells us that the Lord Jesus then broke the second seal, and the second living being said, “Come” summoning the second horse. This horse immediately went out, it was a red horse, the color of fire and blood and depicts war. God’s judgment breaks forth and the false peace of the Antichrist is shattered by war.
John writes concerning the rider of the red horse, “… to him who sat on it, it was granted to take peace from the earth…” (Revelation 6:4b, NASB95)[3] All that happens is under God’s sovereign control. God allows the false peace, and He brings an end to the false peace by bringing war on the earth. Some would teach that the judgments of the Tribulation reflect the wrath of humanity or the wrath of Satan, this is not the case, the judgments reflect the wrath of God poured out on this sinful world. Jesus when He was living on earth described this time at the same time He warned the disciples about false messiahs coming with false peace. He said in Matthew 24:6-7, “You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom…” (Matthew 24:6–7, NASB95)[4] John says in Revelation that men will slay one another, considering the modern weaponry that we now possess this suggests a terrible destruction of life.
John goes on to note that this rider was given a great sword. The word translated sword here is the Greek word for the short, stabbing sword the Roman soldier used in battle. The fact that it is called a great sword is an indication for us of the extent of this killing. It will be worldwide; the false peace of the Antichrist will dissolve into war and revolt. He will play a major role in these wars as he seeks to preserve his power. He will be as skillful at war as he was at promoting false peace. When he breaks his covenant with Israel in the middle of the 7 years he will touch off a massive conflict. War will continue as the Antichrist tries to crush his enemies throughout the rest of the Tribulation. The end will come when the Lord Jesus returns to this earth.
THE THIRD SEAL – THE BLACK HORSE (Revelation 6:5-6)
John then tells us that Jesus Christ broke the third seal on the scroll and the third living creature summoned the third horse and rider with his command, “Come.” The third horse was black in color and his color denotes famine. Famine is the natural consequence of worldwide war as food supplies are destroyed. Jesus in Matthew 24:7 predicted famine.
John tells us that the rider of the black horse had a pair of scales in his hand, this pictures the rationing that will take place due to the famine. John then says, he heard something like a voice in the center of the four living creatures. Remember these cherubim are stationed around the throne of God, it is likely that the voice John hears is the voice of God the Father. His speaking is a reminder that the famine is a direct judgment from Him.
The words spoken give us an example of the severity of this judgment. A quart of wheat is barely enough to sustain one person for one day. The price for that is a denarius which was a Roman coin that was the equivalent to the wages for a day for a common worker or laborer. One day’s salary could provide you with enough wheat to feed one person, one day. If you had a family, you could purchase three quarts of barley for the same amount, but barley is low in nutritional value and more often fed to livestock. God continued with a warning to not waste the oil or the wine. Basic food staples will become priceless luxuries. Olive oil and wine were used in the preparation of food and to purify water, they must be used sparingly and must be carefully protected. This famine will be like none that the world has ever known, it will be worldwide and it will be devastating. Famine was common in the Northwest of Haiti, if the winter and spring rains did not come, the crops would not grow. People would add dirt to their flour to make it go farther. This is just one little country suffering from the effects of famine, during the Tribulation it will be worldwide.
THE FOURTH SEAL – THE ASHEN HORSE (Revelation 6:7-8)
John says that when the Lamb broke the fourth seal he heard the fourth living creature summon the fourth horse and his rider with the loud command, “Come.” John said he looked and behold an ashen horse came forth. This word translated “ashen” has also been translated “pale.” The Greek word refers to a sickly green, or the color of the skin of a decomposing corpse. It symbolizes death and we are told by John that the rider of this horse is named Death. This is fitting because death on a massive scale is the consequence of widespread war and famine. John tells us that Death is followed by his companion Hades. Death claims the life of the physical body, Hades claims the soul.
Authority is given, it is not theirs, it is given to them by God we are told by John to destroy a fourth of the world’s population. Let’s put this into perspective, at the current world population of 7.6 billion people that would mean that 1.9 billion people will be killed. That is more than the population of North and South America combined, not even close.
This destruction of a fourth of the population of the world would be done by sword, famine, pestilence and wild beasts. The sword (war) and famine were already on the scene having come in the second and third seals. The fourth seal expands these conditions and adds pestilence which may refer primarily to diseases and epidemics which break out due to the war and famine bringing death, but is also broad enough to include natural disasters such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods and fires. With the lack of food due to the ravages of war and famine wild beasts will be hungry and begin to move into populated areas seeking food and will attack humans for food. We cannot begin to imagine the destruction, the death, the terror that those on the earth will face as the first four seals are broke and the four horsemen of the apocalypse are released.
CONCLUSION:
This week we were horrified by the mass shooting in Las Vegas, and I do not in any way want to downplay the terror and pain and sorrow caused by this terrible act of violence, but you know what I saw many times after this had happened? Social media asking why we can’t all get along, asking for peace, for safety, for security. Our world is ready to believe and be misled by anyone who can offer peace, who can offer safety and security. But when that false peace crumbles what happened in Las Vegas will not even compare to the destruction that will come as God’s pours out His wrath in righteous judgment on sinful mankind. This morning we have only seen the first four of seven seals to be followed by the seven trumpet judgments to be followed by the seven bowl judgments. Praise God that as believers we have the blessed hope of missing all of this judgment. Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.” (1 Thessalonians 4:16–17, NASB95)[5] Paul describes the resurrection and the rapture that will take place before the Tribulation, before God’s judgment begins. Jesus promised the church of Philadelphia that He would keep them from the hour of testing which is about to come on the whole world to test those who dwell on the earth. Do you have this blessed hope? You can, you can know for sure that you will be with Jesus Christ in heaven before these events happen. Jesus Christ died on the cross paying the price for your sin, He was buried and three days later He rose from the dead forever triumphing over sin and death. If you agree with God that you are a sinner and believe that Jesus Christ died for you sin and rose from the dead your sins are forgiven, you are clothed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ and you will be kept from the hour of testing that is coming upon the whole world.
As believers, as followers of Christ, we should be sharing the good news of the Gospel with all that we can, saving them from the wrath to come, giving them an opportunity to repent and find God’s grace through Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection on their behalf.
[1]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[2]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[3]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[4]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[5]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995