Grace Presbyterian Church, Montclair, New Jersey

I. The Four Horsemen – Revelation 6:1-8

At the end of chapter five it was established that the Lamb (who is also the Lion of Judah) was the only one who could open God’s scrolls revealing God’s plan for the ages. Chapter six begins with the Lamb opening six of the seven seals. The first four reveal four horsemen, each one called out by one of the four living creatures who surround the throne of God (Revelation 4:6-8). The four horsemen have had a fascinating history in art, drama, literature and even college football (the four horsemen of Notre Dame). They have generally been seen as unified forces of destruction symbolizing conquest, war, famine and death. Yet there is good reason for questioning this traditional interpretation. First, there is nothing in the text that requires us to think of the four as a unity. Each in fact has a separate role.

The first is described as a rider on a white horse. He comes out “conquering and to conquer” (Revelation 6:2). This description immediately points forward to the picture of Jesus Christ in Revelation 19:11-16. In terms then of Revelation’s own description it could well be argued that the first rider is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. He has already been described with the color white (Revelation 1:14) and his title is “the ruler of the kings of the earth” (Revelation 1:5). The crown also suggests Jesus, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He has a bow which is used to describe God as an archer in many places in the Old Testament (Zechariah 9:13-14; Zechariah 10:4; Lamentations 2:4; Lamentations 3:12-13; Isaiah 41:2; Isaiah 49:2). The initial description then of the will of God as found in the first seal is that Jesus Christ will go forth into the world “conquering and to conquer.” His gospel will spread throughout the world. He will make disciples of the nations (Matthew 28:19). His kingdom will have no end (Luke 1:33). God’s purpose for the world then is that Jesus will reign over all. His death on the cross which the world sees as failure and foolishness is his victory over Death, Hades and the Devil (Revelation 1:18; I John 3:8). The evidence of this victory is his resurrection. Before we learn of the judgment of God on a rebellious world we need to remember the priority of Jesus Christ in everything (Colossians 1:18).

We need to note that we are dealing here with symbolic representations throughout these visions. We really have a double image here of Christ. He is the Lamb who opens the seals and then is also revealed as the content of the first seal in his role as the conqueror. This underscores the double image of Christ that is found throughout the book. As we saw in chapter five, he is both lamb and lion.

It is important to remember in the uncertain and threatening world of John and the seven churches as well as our own uncertain time that Jesus is Lord (I Corinthians 12:3). In him all of history and life has its focus. He is supreme over everything and in him all things hold together (Colossians 1:17). This is our confidence and hope. Jesus is not relegated to some spiritual domain nor is he found only in the lives of believers. He is not confined to the church either. He is the centerpiece of all of history and the world only is intelligible in and through him (John 1:3). All authority in heaven and earth has been given to him (Matthew 28:18). Because of this great truth we can never lose heart. We always rejoice in him.

The second rider is very different. He is “bright red,” the color of blood symbolizing destruction. His role is to take peace from the earth (Revelation 6:4). He is given a great sword “so that people would slaughter one another.” The second rider represents the first of the fates of a world which rejects Christ. If Revelation is true then the reality of war continues through the last days from Christ’s ascension until his return. Unfortunately this is all too true. As Jesus himself said, “there will be wars and rumors of war” (Matthew 24:6). War remains a constant in human history. At the time of what was up until then the worst war in human history, the First World War, it was said to be “the war to end all wars.” This was perhaps one attempt to encourage people faced with “slaughter” that was unimaginable. Their hope was this would be the final war. That unfortunately is not the message of Revelation. We know all too well that in no way was World War I the war to end all wars. The rider on the red horse is still very much with us.

The third seal reveals the next rider again called out by the next of the living creatures. This rider is on a black horse. He represents economic devastation. A day’s pay is only sufficient for a quart of wheat. This would be like saying that a person has to work a full day just to buy a loaf of bread. The cost of barley is only a little better and the text suggests that olive oil and wine are luxuries that are simply being stored. The high rate of inflation would inevitably lead to famine. The irony of the horse’s color suggests also a “black market” which invariably flourishes in desperate economic times. Jesus calls us to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and then “all these other things,” meaning the necessities and privileges of life would then be added (Matthew 6:33).  The world of John’s vision is focused only on its own well being. Human history in the “last days” will then include economic hardship and even famine. This of course has been all too evident over the past two thousand years.

The fourth rider is the most fearful. This is the rider on the “pale, green horse.” The rider in fact is Death and Hades follows behind him (Revelation 6:8). We know from chapter 1 (and other parts of the New Testament) that Jesus is the conqueror of Death and Hades. He then must be the one who gives them authority over “a fourth of the earth.” Death and Hades will then kill with “sword, famine, and pestilence.” It is important to note that the authority of Death and Hades is limited to only one fourth of the earth. They cannot destroy the whole earth. We may assume that the fourth of the earth under their control at any given time could change. That is, they may ravage different sections of the earth at different times but they never have authority over more than a fourth at any given time.

To reject Christ is to embrace Death and Hades. The world’s system from Christ’s death and resurrection until now has focused on values very different from what is proclaimed in the gospel (I John 2:15). The world lies under the power of the evil one (I John 5:19). The resources of the earth are in the hands of a few while many suffer deprivation. The issue of water as a world resource has recently been much in the news. The picture we are confronted with is an example of the judgment of the Lamb. It is He who sends these dread riders forth.  Christians as well as non-Christians have all been guilty of not following the way of Jesus Christ. The Bible reminds us time and again that God is on the side of the poor and not with the rich and powerful (Luke 4:18; Luke 6:24-25; Psalms 10:1-18; Psalms 82:1-8; Proverbs 22:22-23; Matthew 25:31-46; James 1:27).

The seriousness of this vision is that Jesus Christ is not an option. He is not one possibility among others. He will conquer one way or another. To reject him is to reject the one who is life itself. When we choose the way of the world we are choosing Death and Hades. It is important to remember that these visions are not addressed to the Roman Empire or Caesar. They are addressed to struggling churches whose own commitment wavers in one way or another or, at its worst, simply becomes indifference (Laodicea). The opening of the seals gives us a picture of a world in conflict between its true Lord and the many false lords symbolized by the apostate figures of Balaam, the Nicolaitans and Jezebel who have infiltrated even the church.

The Lamb or the rider on the white horse is not passive. He alone can conquer. He has all power, wealth, wisdom, might, honor and glory (Revelation 5:12). Finally there is comfort in the fact that the horsemen are not independent forces. They are under the control of the Lamb. He sends them forth. He sets their boundaries and limits and he alone can recall them.

These figures become more understandable when the fifth seal is opened. Here we see the martyrs who have been slaughtered for the word of God (Revelation 6:9). If history shows the effects of the three deadly horsemen it also shows the sacrifices of those who have testified with their lives to the word of God. Persecution is not only a matter of death. Standing up for God’s word may be costly in many ways. Echoing the role of the rider on the white horse, Jesus says, “In the world you face persecution. But take courage; I have conquered the world!” (John 16:33). Jesus does not call us only to endure, but to conquer (Revelation 3:21).

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