INTRODUCTION:
Revelation 6 concerns the beginning of the 21 proclamations of God against the barbaric rulers of the earth and their followers. The ‘opening of the Seven Seals’ by Christ is the beginning of the rise and fall of Satan’s final push to deceive the whole world. Please read all of Revelation, Chapter Six.
WHY THE COMING DEVASTATION MADE KNOWN IN REVELATION?
This is a good question and one that is answered by this statement: “God is a just God and a just God requires justice for rebellion by His own creation.” Since the creation of mankind, they have rebelled against God, and He has continually reached out to them to save them. While some receive His salvation many others refuse and continue upon their path to destruction.
Three notable events that show His desire to save and not destroy includes Noah building the Ark and warning of the coming flood so people could be saved, God delivering the Children of Israel from Egyptian bondage and sending Jesus to save the world, through His own sacrifice for sin.
Jesus talked about this saying: “But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions, and saying, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we mourned to you and you did not lament.’ For John (the Baptist) came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton (over-eater) and a winebibber, (a drunk), a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is justified by her children.'” Matthew 11:16-19. NKJV
In other words, Jesus is saying: “God has sent you messenger after messenger to beg you to return to God and stop your rebellion against Him. Happy messengers telling you how great God is and how He desires to bless you, and sorrowful messengers warning you that rebellion brings destruction…and you didn’t listen to either, but killed both.” (Read all of Matthew 23& Matthew 21:33-44)
God has spent thousands of years and treasure trying to save mankind.
So…the earth at the time of the opening of the Seven Seals will be widely in rebellion against God and His people and He must step in to save us and destroy the rebellion, this time, once and for all.
Let me ask you this question: If someone came in and stole everything you owned and brutally killed your innocent children, would you desire justice? Most of us would say yes. Please understand justice is different than revenge. Revenge comes from a resentful or vindictive spirit…Justice comes as a matter of controlling rebellion to protect the innocent.
God is love…not hate. His justice upon the Earth is meant to do what it has from the beginning…protect and save the innocent. He is like a shepherd killing a wolf who would eat His lambs at will. It is also meant to reclaim and restore the Earth to God’s people for whom it was created. This is the theme of Revelation.
THE SELFISH DECEIVED
We learn in several passages of scripture that in the time of Revelation, many will be deceived by the false promises of Satan that are built upon the selfishness of mankind. Remember, Satan has nothing to lose. He already knows he is destined to eternal destruction. He merely wants to take as many with him as possible to hurt God. We see this selfish deception in the Lord’s parable of ‘The Wicked Vine Dressers’ who were left to attend a vineyard, only to take it for themselves and kill the owners servants and Son. The owner then comes and deals harshly with those who stole his vineyard and killed his son and servants. This parable in Matthew 21:33-41, is directly referring to those who have stolen the Earth from God and killed His servants and Son. God justifiably will return and reclaim it and punish those who have done so wickedly in the name of self.
Remember that those who are deceived make themselves rich at the expense of poor people and do so by force. Thus, the Lord’s parable of separating the “Sheep from the Goats.” (Matthew 25:31-46). Remember also, that as we speak, the world is in the hands of rich rulers who receive taxes from those not wealthy and live in great wealth, trading such things as oil, food, medicine, weapons, etc. They have taken what belongs to God for
themselves at the expense of others. (There is a difference in earning an honest wage and earning a dishonest wealth).
I’ve said all of that to explain God’s reasoning behind the coming judgment of Revelation.
AND SO IT BEGINS…
“Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, “Come and see.” And I looked, and behold, a white horse. 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 opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come and see.” Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword. When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come and see.” So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine.” When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come and see.” So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth.”
NKJV 8-6:1 Revelation
THE FOUR HORSEMEN OF THE APOCALYPSE as they are often referred to in Revelation, regards the opening of the First Five Seals by Jesus Christ, the Only One found worthy to do so. They are represented by Four Colors, each one with a certain task.
THE WHITE HORSE: The Conquerer. It is my personal belief that the rider on the White Horse is in fact Christ, as the theme of Revelation is Christ coming from Heaven to defeat the rebellion of Satan and his followers upon the Earth and reclaim it for Himself and His people and to restore the Kingdom of God
upon the Earth. While there are differing views on this from various scholars, this one seems most plausible to me, for a couple reasons. The first is, as I just mentioned, the theme of Revelation and that Christ is the one to open the seals. The second is that Christ is referenced again as a rider on a white horse in the end of Revelation. “Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.” (Rev. 19:11). Also, the color white represents purity. IT IS CHRIST AT GOD’S DIRECTION WHO BEGINS JUDGMENT UPON THE EARTH.
THE FIERY RED HORSE: The Warrior. As of this writing, most of the world is already at war. America & her Allies, Russia, much of the Middle East, (Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel & Hamas*). There are also current threats of war from China, North Korea and Iran. Some of these countries, notably Iran, participates in war using third party groups like Hamas, a declared terrorist group. Many of these nations have nuclear weapons that could totally destroy the Earth. So it is fair to say that we are ripe for these events.
THE BLACK HORSE: Famine. As the leaders of the world need more and more ‘supplies’ to keep their armies supplied, the general population will experience scarcity. This can be mirrored to WWII where most supplies had to be rationed among the population to supply the troops in battle.
THE PALE HORSE: Death and Hell. Due to prolonged war, many will die…up to 1/4th of the Earth’s population, (which at almost 8 Billion people currently, would be 2 Billion people. Some by war, some by hunger through rationing and some through wild animals. (This likely includes all who die at The Battle of Armageddon where all the armies of the Earth will be destroyed by Christ and His Armies.
As we can see, these events will be devastating to the Earth’s population. This is why Christians must rely on the protection of God and their faith. We know that these judgments are not aimed at us and that He will deliver us. I also believe that the events listed above cover the whole of The Great Tribulation and not merely the beginning, due to the script of Revelation 6:12-17.
