In Revelation 5, John began to tell us about his vision of the lamb that was slain. The lamb was found worthy to open the scroll and unveil God’s plan of judgment and redemption. Revelation 6 continues this story by telling us what happens when Jesus begins to break the seven seals and reveal God’s judgment upon the world. These judgments begin here in chapter 6 and continue through chapter 19. We will look at the first four seals today, which unfolds the coming of the famous four horsemen of the apocalypse.
This image of the four horsemen has been used over and over again in pop culture, in everything from art, literature, classic film, to World Championship Wrestling, were longtime heavyweight champion Ric Flair served as the head honcho of an alliance called the Four Horsemen. Whooo! They brought destruction to their opponents!
Timing of Revelation
Before we look at the nature of these judgments, I would like to discuss the timing of them with you. Some people see these events taking place in the so called Great Tribulation, which they usually say is a seven year period of intense suffering on earth during the end times. They believe that Jesus will either return just before, in the middle of, or immediately after this Great Tribulation, and then Christ will physically reign on the earth for a thousand years. These people would say that the judgments recorded in Revelation 6-19 will take place during the future Great Tribulation. This view is called pre-millennialism and it is the one portrayed in the “Left Behind” series. I think this view is incorrect.
Rather, I believe that the end times were inaugurated at the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ. When Jesus ascended into heaven he sat down at the right hand of the Father and began his millennial reign. The Great Tribulation period began at this time and will continue until Jesus returns and consummates his kingdom. Therefore, we are living in the Great Tribulation period right now. This view is called amillennialism.
If this view is correct (and I believe it is), the destructive forces of evil in Revelation 6 were unleashed upon the world as a result of Jesus’ victorious suffering on the cross and resurrection from the dead. The judgments of the four horsemen of the apocalypse are not reserved exclusively for a period of severe trial immediately before Christ’s final coming; we are experiencing them right now, and we have been for almost 2000 years.
The Four Horsemen (1-8)
Now that we understand the timing of these events, let’s take a closer look at each of the horsemen! In the text, the four horsemen are depicted as demonic agents that wreak havoc on the world through conquest, civil war, famine, and death.
The White Horseman- Conquest (1-2)
As the angel called for the first rider, he appeared on a white horse with a crown on his head and a bow in his hand. He rode as a conqueror bent on conquest. The white horse, the crown, and the bow are all symbols of conquest. Thus, we have a metaphor of an ancient king leading his army into battle to conquer another people or land. This demonic rider goes forth to conquer the world by instigating its inhabitants toward conquering one another.
We have seen this judgment of conquest repeated throughout the past 2000 years of world history. Think about how many territories the Roman Empire conquered to expand its kingdom in the first through fourth centuries! Then the Germanic Tribes weakened Rome and the Byzantine Empire took over the world throughout the Middle Ages. Then in the 1400’s, the Ottomon Empire took over the Middle East and began to invade Europe. In the 1500’s Hernando Cortez led the Spanish conquistadors to conquer the Aztec Empire and eventually all of Latin America. In the 1600’s the Brittish and French began colonizing North America, slaughtering Native Americans and two-centuries later led them along the Trail of Tears.
We still see conquest in modern times: Do you remember August 2, 1990, when Iraq invaded Kuwait and started the Gulf War. I remember watching operation desert shield and desert storm on CNN!
The forces of evil bring judgment upon the world by instigating international conquest, conflict, and war. The white horseman is always trying to get one nation is to subjugate another nation.
The Red Horseman- Civil War (3-4)
The second horseman depicts the progression from conquest to civil war. The color red is symbolic of the terrible bloodshed and slaughter to be wrought upon the world. This rider is given permission to take peace away from the earth, cause people to kill each other, and use the sword (which is a symbol of violence) to accomplish his bloody purpose. He works to influence people toward violence against their own people.
Haven’t we seen this throughout history? At some point, virtually every nation in the world has fought a civil war, and there has hardly been a time in the past 2000 years when there hasn’t been a civil war going on somewhere in the world: The War of the Roses in England (1455-1485), he French Revolution (1793-1804), the Korean War (1950-1953), the Vietnam War (1954-1975, the Yugoslav, Chechen, and Rwandan wars in the 1990’s, and the civil war in Darfur in the 2000’s and even in Libya last year.
With American involvement in most of the wars of the 20th century, do you know what is the bloodiest day in American history? September 17, 1862—The Battle of Antietam in the American Civil War with 23,000 casualties in one day!
As the blue and grey cavalry charged into battle that day, a solitary rider on a red horse stood on a hillside laughing at the ensuing slaughter. Evil demonic activity lurks behind every civil war that has ever been fought!
The Black Horseman- Famine (5-6)
The color black represents sorrow and mourning caused by famine. This rider is holding a pair of scales in his hand. In the ancient world, scales were used to measure food rations in times of famine. Wheat was the better grain and the major staple for the wealthy; barley was less expensive and less nutritious and was eaten by the poor. A quart of wheat was enough food for one person for a day, and three quarts of barley was enough to feed a small family. Therefore, a man’s entire earnings were barely enough to feed himself, let alone his family. Luxury items such as oil and wine had to be preserved and protected. The prices listed here were between eight and eighteen times the average prices in the Roman Empire at the time.
Do you think groceries are expensive right now? Can you imagine paying $45 for a gallon of milk or $30 for a loaf of bread? Like conquest and civil war, there hasn’t been a time in the last two millenniums when there hasn’t been famine somewhere in the world, and there are many places in the midst of famine right now. Thankfully, America hasn’t experienced famine since the Great Depression of the 1930’s, and even that was mild compared to other places. I wonder if perhaps America is on the verge of an oil famine. Can you imagine how our lives would change if gasoline was $50 a gallon?
The Pale (Green) Horseman- Death (7-8)
And finally, as the fourth seal is broken, another rider appears on a pale horse. No, it’s not Clint Eastwood wielding a Winchester rifle and a Colt 45 coming to shoot up the bad guys, but it is another demonic force named “Death” and his little Tonto sidekick “Hades” is following close behind. Death is simply the loss of physical life and Hades is the place of the unbelieving dead. They come to bring death to the inhabitants of the earth.
The Greek word translated here as “pale” is “choros” from which we get our English word “chlorophyll.” This was a pale green color that connoted death because it was the color of a corpse. This horseman is the epitome of the other three because he inflicts damage through the sword, famine, plague, and wild beasts.
Just think about the epidemic of death in the 20th century. Even though we live in enlightened times and have supposedly learned our lessons from ancient barbaric civilizations. Through all of the wars and genocides of the 20th century, historians have estimated that more that 260 million people were killed.
Gary Haugen, President and CEO of International Justice Mission says, “The 20th century is an open-mouthed grave: an entire generation of European youth composting the World War I battlefields, Hitler’s six million Jews, Stalin’s twenty million Soviet citizens, Mao’s tens of millions victims in China, Pol Pot’s 2 million Cambodians, the Interhamwe’s million Tutsi Rwandans, and the millions of lives wasted away during apartheid’s forty-year reign.”
And this doesn’t even count the millions who have died from famine, cancer, AIDS, and other diseases and natural disasters. The Pale Rider was alive and well throughout the 20th century, and there is no reason to think that he is taking a break in the 21st century!
Now that we have seen the timing and nature of the judgments of the four horsemen of the apocalypse, let me conclude by explaining the reason for all of this. You can’t help but notice that even though these judgments are carried out by the demonic forces of evil, they are initiated by God himself. Jesus is the one who opens the seals and the angels are the ones who announce the coming judgments.
But why would God do this? Just like in the Old Testament when God raised up the wicked Babylonians to bring judgment on his people Israel for their sin, he raises up these evil forces to bring judgment on the world for its sin. God’s judgment always has three purposes: to purify the saints, call sinners to repentance, and punish those who refuse accept Christ’s kingship.
So, whenever you face God’s judgment through suffering and tribulation, you have to ask yourself which group you belong to. If you are a Christian, God uses suffering to purify your faith and help you to rely on him more. If you are not a Christian, God uses suffering to call you to repent from your sin and turn to him in faith. If you refuse to accept Christ’s kingship, these sufferings are punishments for your wickedness.
We all experience the judgments of the four horsemen, but for different reasons. To which group do you belong?