DAY 349

THE FOUR HORSEMEN

Amos 1, 2 & 3 and Revelation 6

I will provide an overview of Amos tomorrow, for today I think it best to focus on chapter 6 of Revelation; chapters 4 and 5 have been building to this point.

Today we read of the Four Horsemen. Their power and the sheer magnitude of the destruction they wreak have led others to take their name, the four horsemen. However, what you read today…these are the original. Four horsemen, six seals and more, let’s turn into this text.

First some have seen the first white horse as representing Christ, but I (and others) do not think this is the case. Taken in total these four represent evil. Note however that evil does not operate as some equal and opposite power that is against God. No God is supreme. In fact, this evil cannot even begin until the One who can open the seals, does so. I see this chapter as remarkably parallel to Matthew 24 and I am not surprised as this text comes from the same author—God. I also do not think this text represents the “end of the world.” Jesus in Matthew 24 specifically said that when we here of wars and rumors of wars do NOT think the end is near…it is not…it is merely the beginning of birth pangs (Mth 24:8).

Notice how Matthew’s text lines up with the Seals of this chapter. Matthew 24:6 corresponds to the first seal. Matthew 24:7-8 correspond with seals 2, 3, and 4. Matthew 24:9-12 describes the suffering church…is this not seal number 5? Continuing in Matthew we skip the fall of Jerusalem because by the time of John’s vision this had taken place and that brings us to Matthew 24: 29-30—seal 6.

In light of Matthew 24 we begin to see the overall meaning of the drama of chapter 6. What does the future hold? Conquest and strife, scarcity and death—but this is the beginning of the birth pangs. Many read this part of Revelation and believe it predicts the end, but in light of Matthew 24 this is exactly what Jesus warns against. The terrifying acts of the first four seals, which many take as signs of the end, are in reality all too commonplace in our world. The four horsemen have been riding all over the earth for quite some time…and if we pause and think about it we know this is true.

This may also explain the cry of the four living when the seals are broken. You might ask why are they yelling, “Come!” John is already there, they are not talking to him. They certainly are not inviting the Four Horsemen to come, who would invite evil? [And in point of fact, three of the horsemen do not really come as much as they are revealed.] So who is their cry to? In Revelation 1:6-8 we read there is One who is coming, and again in Revelation 22:20 we will read, “Surely I am coming soon.” The word that is used in chapters 1 and 22 is the same word used here in chapter 6, it is the word Maranatha. That word is most used as a call to our Lord to come. In chapter 6 even the souls from under the Altar cry, “how long.” We yearn for Christ’s coming. (Romans 8:19-22). And God’s church is not spared that is the point from seal 5—and we know when he comes Seal 6 will be opened.

Seals 1-5 represent the troubles of this age, and they will not end until seal 6 is opened. Now we can see why chapters 4 and 5 went to so much effort to present the supreme Lamb of God. Chapter 6 could quite frankly be discouraging in isolation, but remember back to chapters 4 and 5. Their settings are to impress upon our mind that God and his angels are not asleep; the forces of evil are not running loose with nothing to stop them. Chapters 4 and 5, the drama is to impress upon our minds where the true power lies…Christ stands at the center, it is He who is in control; throughout this scene God is on the throne.

Chapter 7 will reinforce this, especially because suffering in this world is hard, but for today think back to the grandeur of chapter 5 where myriads upon myriads of angels, and every creature was praising “Worthy is the Lamb”—this scene, and not four horsemen galloping to-and-fro, is what is intended to dominate our consciousness.