Revelation Chapter 6, Part 2 The Four Horesmen of the Apocalypse-Continued

[Pastor Dave Honey]

 

Rev 6:3-4
3 When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, "Come and see." 4 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.

I can't think of any time in world history, that at some point, a negotiated peace did not end up in war. This fiery red, or may we say blood red horse, and it's ghostly rider gallop onto the scene wielding a great sword. I am reminded
of the contrast between the Greek words, machaira and mega-machaira. In
Ephesians 6:10-17, Paul teaches of the armor of God. Included in this
battle apparel is the sword of the Spirit, which is the only offensive
item in Paul's list. The word used here is machaira. This
describes a shorter sword which would be employed by a Roman Soldier in
hand-to-hand combat. The symbolism refers to God's word, or the particular use
of God's word. The Greek word rhema, refers to the precise use of God's
word which is contrasted with the Greek word logos, which refers to
God's whole word. Another example would be found in the Gospel of John;

John 1:1
In the beginning was the Word (Logos), and the Word (Logos) was with God, and the Word (Logos) was God.

When engaged in spiritual warfare, we will recall, or the Spirit will bring to our minds, the exact scriptures needed to claim Christ's victory in our lives!

Back to our text and this rider's use of a Great Sword, or Mega-Machaira. This murderous rider is given authority to take away the peace which had been ushered in by the rider on the white horse, or Antichrist. With his great
sword, he whips mankind into a killing frenzy!

Matt 24:6-7a
6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For
nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.

Rev 6:5-6
5 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. 6 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."

This new specter is the most ominous of all so far! Although world war will take many innocent lives, the aftermath of war will not discriminate at all as to who will suffer and die a horrific death by famine and hunger! This is a
certain by-product of war.

Lam 5:8-10
8 Servants rule over us;
There is none to deliver us from their hand. 9 We get our bread at the risk of
our lives,
because of the sword in the wilderness. 10 Our skin is hot as an oven, because
of the fever of famine.

The scales represent the horrible and seemingly impossible economic conditions which will exist after war has ravaged the world! A denarius would have been a days wages in John's day, thus the reference by John. A quart of
wheat would only sustain a single person for one day, but three quarts of
barley, a much less nutritional commodity usually used to feed animals, might
sustain a small family for one day. Although oil and wine were necessary to
prepare bread and purify drinking water, they will become luxuries that only
the rich will be able to afford. War, and the conditions that will follow will
no doubt create an extreme two class system, where the wealthy will continue to
profit at the expense of the lives of the poor!

Matt 24:7b-8
And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

Rev 6:7-8
When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, "Come and see." 8 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.

Okay, I know I said that the black horse and it's rider was ominous! But this pale horse and rider would scare the socks off Stephen King! The Greek word used here to describe the color of this horse is chloros. from this
word we get chlorine or chlorophyll. It is the pale, ashen-green
coloring of a decomposing body! This rider has been given authority to kill
over one billion people! that is incredible carnage! If that were not enough,
he isn't working alone. No! Hades is in his shadow! The place of the dead is moving
along right behind this corps like killer! He has enlisted the same methods of
death as both the fiery red, and black horses and their riders. But he has one
more method by which he reeks havoc during his murderous reign. In Genesis 9:2,
God has placed the fear of man in every living creature.

Gen 9:2
2 And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be on every beast of the earth, on every bird of the air, on all that move on the earth, and on all the
fish of the sea. They are given into your hand.

A time of war, death, hunger and famine, food supplies are scarce, and every living creature is literally starving to death! I believe that for such a time as this, God will remove the fear of man from the hearts of His wild kingdom!
This condition of uninhibited starvation will turn all beasts against man! I
cannot think of a worse time to be on earth! The good news is that we don't
have to be! God has made for us a way of escape through His Son, Jesus Christ!

John 3:16-17
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

I believe that the arrival of these horsemen is very close. You can almost hear them as they gallop towards us at an unprecedented clip! But, take heart Christians! Just before their scheduled arrival to the time of tribulation, we
will meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord!
Therefore comfort one another with these words! 1 Thessalonians 4:17b-18

 

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