Revelation 6 - The Four Horsemen
You may have heard the four horsemen of the apocalypse are coming. That's not quite right... they're already here!
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Revelation 6 (ESV)
1 Now I watched when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals,
and I heard one of the four living creatures say with a voice like thunder, “Come!”
2 And I looked, and behold,
a white horse!
And its rider had
a bow,
and a crown was given to him,
and he came out
conquering,
and to conquer.
3 When he opened the second seal,
I heard the second living creature say, “Come!”
4 And out came another horse,
bright red.
Its rider
was permitted to take peace from the earth,
so that people should slay one another,
and he was given a great sword.
5 When he opened the third seal,
I heard the third living creature say, “Come!”
And I looked, and behold,
a black horse!
And its rider had a pair of scales in his hand.
6 And I heard
what seemed to be 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 wine!”
7 When he opened the fourth seal,
I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!”
8 And I looked, and behold,
a pale horse!
And its rider’s name was Death,
and Hades followed him.
And they were given authority
over a fourth of the earth,
to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth.
9 When he opened the fifth seal,
I saw
under the altar
the souls of those who had been slain
for the word of God
and for the witness they had borne.
10 They cried out with a loud voice,
“O Sovereign Lord, holy and true,
how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”
11 Then
they were each given a white robe
and told to rest a little longer,
until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete,
who were to be killed as they themselves had been.
12 When he opened the sixth seal,
I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake,
and
the sun became black as sackcloth,
the full moon became like blood,
13 and
the stars of the sky
fell to the earth
as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale.
14 The sky vanished
like a scroll that is being rolled up,
and every mountain and island was removed from its place.
15 Then
the kings of the earth
and the great ones
and the generals
and the rich and the powerful,
and everyone, slave and free,
hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains,
16 calling to the mountains and rocks,
“Fall on us and hide us
from the face of him who is seated on the throne,
and from the wrath of the Lamb,
17 for the great day of their wrath
has come,
and who can stand?”
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Previous DIG DEEPER posts on Revelation
Revelation 6 Summary
REMEMBER THE SETTING: In chapters 4-5, John is experiencing the throne room of God, which is at the center of all things. The 24 elders, representing His Church through all the ages are present, as are 'four living creatures,' standing ready to carry out God's will in all four directions. The air is full of anticipation as a scroll, sealed by seven seals, containing the will of God for the full salvation of His people is in the right hand of God. The only one worthy enough to open the seals is a Lion-Lamb, looking as if it had been slain.
Today, in chapter six, we witness six of the seven seals being opened.
THE FOUR HORSEMEN OF THE APOCALYPSE:
White horse: given a crown and rides out "bent on conquest." Some see this horseman symbolizing Christ, but it seems more consistent with the context to understand him as a deceiver instilling an unhealthy competitive drive in humanity.
Fiery red horse: its rider is given power to take peace from the earth & make people kill each other.
Black horse: brings famine to the working class, but the rich (oil & wine) are preserved.
Pale horse: Ridden by death, with Hades following close behind. They were given power to kill 25% of the earth.
Dig Deeper
These horsemen were given the powers of destruction they had. They are part of God's plan! The final rider, on the pale horse ridden by 'Death' and trailed closely by 'Hades' "were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill (v8)." It's hard to wrap our heads around the fact that God gives this awful authority, but on the other hand, it shows that even in the midst of the chaos we live in, God remains in control.
God gives these horsemen their awful powers to increase the consequences of sin in our lives. Often times, it's only when we feel the pain of our's our other's sins that we cling to Christ for grace and mercy.
AAA Prayer :
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: The most powerful people in this world cower before our Holy God, as they cry out for the rocks to crush and hide them from God's wrath (v15-17)
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that your grip on Christ will strengthen even as we're surrounded by these horsemen each day.
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
