Revelation 6
I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest. When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make people kill each other. To him was given a large sword. When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, “Two pounds of wheat for a day’s wages, and six pounds of barley for a day’s wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!” When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth. Revelation 6:1-8 NIV
When Jesus opens the first four seals on the scroll, it unleashes four horses and their riders upon the Earth. The horses and riders are symbolic for different events that will happen during the End Times. The first horseman of the Apocalypse, who is riding a white horse, likely represents the antichrist. He will be given authority over people on the Earth, and will deceive many into thinking he is the Christ by using powerful signs, wonders and miracles. Ultimately, he will ask everyone to bow down and worship him as God. The confusing thing is that when Jesus returns, He also will return on a white horse (see Revelation 19:11-16). The difference is that Jesus will be victorious, and He will destroy the antichrist: “And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of His mouth and destroy by the splendor of His coming” (2 Thessalonians 2:8). So how can we be sure that we will not be fooled by the antichrist when he comes? As always, Scripture has the answer. Matthew 24:29-31 says, “Immediately after the distress of those days “‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in Heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of Heaven, with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.” Christ will come back to Earth exactly as described above, and NO ONE on Earth will have any doubts about who He is. The second horseman of the Apocalypse, riding on a fiery red horse, represents the terrible warfare that will break out during the End Times. These wars will be unlike anything the Earth has ever seen: “For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again. If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.” (Matthew 24:21-22) The third horseman of the Apocalypse, riding on a black horse, symbolizes a great famine that will take place, likely as a result of the wars that will occur during the end times. As opposed to the cyclical pattern of famine that has occurred world-wide throughout history, this famine of the End Times will be worse than anything humans have ever experienced. The fourth horseman of the Apocalypse, riding a pale horse, is symbolic of disease and death. The four seals have a cumulative effect. It starts with false religion causing instability with relationships, which then leads to war. Famine comes after war, which leads to malnourishment, disease, and ultimately, death. As if the four horsemen of the Apocalypse were not enough, we are told of even worse judgments that will come later in the tribulation period (Revelation chapters 8-9,16). As horrifying and frightening as these events are to all who read them, keep in mind that they have been revealed to us so that we can be prepared for the End Times, not afraid of them. What are some things that we can do to make sure that we are prepared?
-Be obedient to God’s Word and live our lives in such a way that we will not be ashamed when we face Jesus.
-Live a life of worship, being thankful to God everyday that He provided a way to escape His End Times judgements by offering us the free gift of salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ.
-Spread the message of God’s salvation, love, and truth of His second coming in order to give more people a chance to turn to God and be saved.
-Be diligent about carrying out God’s will and performing good works in order for our lives to show that we made good use of the gifts given to us by God.
There is no doubt that the events predicted in the book of Revelation will be terrible and trying times for everyone, but believers of Christ can take heart and have hope. True believers will not be here during this tribulation period, we will be raptured and be with Jesus prior to these events. We can take comfort in the fact that God is sovereign, He is firmly in control, and that He will bring a perfect end to everything that He has started.