The Four Horsemen

God hates sin. God hates sin because it is destructive and demeaning. It separates us from a relationship with God. It dulls our love for our fellow man. Sin makes us to think of ourselves as better than we really are. It makes us selfish, judgmental and hateful. Sin callouses our hearts, makes us indifferent to less fortunate and causes us to be deceptive. How deceptive? Pastor Greg Laurie recently said that God hates lying and then revealed that nearly 91% or people lie every day. Yes, sin destroys who God meant us to be. So, yes! God hates sin. But…

God also hates rebellion. Last Good Friday, we learned a bit about rebellion by unpacking the Old Testament term “transgressions.” Transgressions are rebellious acts of sin that we willingly chose to commit. God set-up certain boundaries for us to live within. Now, whenever we willingly cross one of those boundaries, that’s what the Bible calls sin. That’s why sins are never just mistakes that we make. They are always a choice. We chose to do what want, not what God wants. That’s the definition of a rebel. And today, we live in a world where most people live in rebellion against God. He hates rebellion because it causes us to defy Him who is so good and faithful to us.

So why bring up God’s hatred of sin and rebellion this morning? Why? Because the book of Revelation was written not simply to tell us what will happen at the end of history. Revelation was also written to serve as a WARNING that God will judge a sinful and rebellious world. So today, as we return to Revelation, Jesus is about to open the seals that will unleash God’s judgment on sin and rebellion. So, if you brought your Bible today, let me encourage you to open it to Revelation 6:1-8, where with the opening of the first four seals, the Four Horseman of God’s initial judgments are called forth into the world.

But before we unpack these judgments, let me remind you that Jesus predicted these. Matthew records this in encounter he had with his disciples: As Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray.” Matthew 24:3-5

“And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains. Matthew 24:6-8

So here, with the unleashing of the four horsemen, we are seeing the beginning of the birth pains. And the first of these pains released upon our world comes through…

The White Horse: 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!” 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. Revelation 6:1-2

With a thunderous voice, one of the four living creatures calls forth the first wave of God’s divine judgment. What does John see? He sees a white horse whose rider has a bow and is wearing a crown. He goes out “as a victor to conquer.” Who is this rider? Since his horse is white, there are many who believe this rider is Jesus. But he is not.

The first rider actually represents a satanic force attempting to defeat and oppress believers spiritually through deception. Philip Hughes describes him best saying: “The bow is a symbol of violence, the crown he is given signifies despotic rule, and the white color of his horse betokens conquest, while his going forth conquering and to conquer expresses his lust for power and world domination.” Most scholars agree that this Satanic rider is the one who leads the other three horses in order to bring about total domination of the world. So, this rider is a powerful leader who is commonly referred to as the antichrist.

Paul describes his rise in our world in 2 Thessalonians with this warning: Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 This rider fulfills the warning of Jesus in Matthew 24, where He tells us to be on our guard against deception and false Christs. For this first rider comes to conquer the world as a false Christ; as a deceiver; who seeks world domination.

Now since he comes to conquer and deceive, even God’s children, that begs the question: Does that mean that Christians will participate in what is known as the seven years of tribulation? And does this mean that Christians will also experience God’s judgment that will come through the other three horses that follow?

My answer to that is somewhat complicated. In fact, Christian scholars and theologians have debated this for years, and no one has come up with a clear answer. In fact, Scripture is not as clear as we would like it to be.

Now, the easiest answer is to say , “No.” We won’t be here because we will be raptured prior to the tribulation. This is what I was taught when I was in Seminary. And it is based on what is taught in 1 Thessalonians 4, that says: The Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 The fact that we are called to encourage one another with the hope of the rapture, of being with Jesus, teaches us that Jesus comes to rapture His people prior to the Tribulation. This is coupled with what is taught in 1 Thessalonians 5:9 that says, “For God has not destined us for wrath.” And since God’s wrath is meant to be poured out on a sinful and rebellious world, many scholars believe that Christians will be raptured prior to the Tribulation.

However, this is not so cut and dry. For when we look at the next horseman to be released: the red horse, who takes peace from the earth, the word for slay is the same word used of believers in Revelation 6:9 that speaks of “the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God.” This reference and the one that speaks of the rider of the white horse coming to deceive God’s people make a pretty strong argument that believers will be targeted by these evil riders. So, these riders may not mark the beginning of the great tribulation but simply be the “birth pains” Jesus described for us in Matthew 24.

But as we move on from the white horse, the one word we can associate with it is this word “conquest.” The antichrist leads the way on the white horse to deceive and oppress believers in order to set up his reign on earth. So, if the white horse leads the way, he is quickly followed by the Red Horse.

2. The Red Horse: When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” 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. Revelation 6:3-4

The color of the second horse is “fiery red” and rightly depicts his mission of bloodshed and slaughter. But while he takes peace form the earth, the people slaughter one another. The idea seems to convey civil war within and between peoples and nations. Assassination and civil unrest, riots in the streets, and rebellion against authority will run rampant. No one will be safe. People will live in constant fear of life not knowing whom to trust. As Jesus said in Matthew 24:10, “Many will take offense, betray one another, and hate one another.” No one will be excluded. This rider takes peace from the earth.

This includes the persecution of believers, as the allusion to Jesus’ warning to His disciples that His coming would bring not peace but a sword to the world. Some say the red horse has already been released today. For the sword of slaughter against Christ’s people is quite active today, with the savage slaughter of believers in Africa and the Middle East.

Once again, this leads us to believe that the Red Horse may very well be released prior to the tribulation. What means for us, is that violent persecution against Christ followers in our own country could happen in our lifetime. I know this is not a popular sentiment. And it causes fear. But it is a truth that needs to be taught. At the same time, however, more Christians are being persecuted for their faith today than in any other time in history.

In fact, according to Open Doors, an organization who serves the persecuted church, currently more than 380 million Christians are suffering persecution or discrimination in our world today. One of the harshest places to be a Christ follower today is Nigeria. Though fewer Christians were killed for their faith in Nigeria compared to last year, in the past 12 months over 3,100 have been slaughtered for their faith.

In fact, right now civil wars are raging in Myanmar, Yemen and Sudan, where Islamic insurrectionists often attack Christians, drive them away from their homes, and even put them to death. In many countries today, Christians are being arrested or jailed simply for being a Christ follower. In India alone, 1629 believers were detained this past year without trial. So, yes, one could say we are indeed witnessing the beginning of birth pains of the red horse even now – the judgment of God through civil war and bloodshed. But maybe not. We cannot be certain. But one thing we can be certain about is this. After the arrival of the Red hose, the Black horse will soon follow:

3. The Black Horse: 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. 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!” Revelation 6:5-6

John looks and sees the black horse of famine with its rider holding “a set of scales” or balances in his hand as he rides onto the stage of history. These words depict almost total economic collapse, so that people can barely afford the necessities of life. At the time of this writing, Asia was self-sufficient in olive oil and wine but had to import grain from Egypt and other sources. But with the arrival of the Black Horse and famine, inflation skyrockets. You think inflation has been bad the past few years? It’s nothing in comparison to when the Black horse will ride. The prices depicted here of a quart of wheat for a denarius reflects an inflation rate of 800 to 1,600 percent. A quart of wheat was enough to feed one person for a day, and since it would cost an entire day’s wages, many people would be unable to feed their families. So, this pictures a very severe famine.

John MacArthur notes that “the color black is associated with famine in Lamentations 5:10. Famine is a logical consequence of worldwide war as food supplies are destroyed and those involved in food production are killed.” Once Christ releases the black horse of famine, no one and nothing can deter it.

Is this one of the birth pains being experienced in our world? I don’t think so, even though current studies reveal that some 805 million people in the world do not have enough food to lead a healthy active life. That’s about one in nine people on earth. Of these, most live in developing countries, where nearly 14 percent of the population is undernourished. Pour nutrition causes nearly half of the deaths in children under five in our world today, roughly 3.1 million children each year. This is what hunger and famine are like today. But it will be far worse when the black horse rides.

As you can see, with each horseman, the judgment against sin and rebellion gets worse. Which leads us now to the fourth horseman:

4. The Pale Horse: When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” 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. Revelation 6:7-8

John looks and sees a pale horse, the ashen-green color of a decomposing corpse. Its rider is Death, that which claims the body. Following close behind is its ever-present companion Hades, that which claims the soul. This fourth horseman is believed to depict disease and pestilence, which is why its victims swiftly enter the grave. In other words, the fourth rider brings a plague to all the earth.

In fact, death visited on the earth by this plague combined with the deaths by the sword and famine is massive. If this plague was to occur within the next five years, over 2 billion of the earth’s population would perish. Whether this be birth pains or the beginning of the tribulation itself, the profound impact of this final horseman is horrific. And I am left with only one conclusion: God is serious about sin and rebellion.

As Jesus said, these are the things that must take place. But they also serve as a warning for unrepentant and rebellious sinners: there will be a day of reckoning. There will be a day in the not-too-distant future when the Lamb of God will take the scroll and open the seals, and the four horsemen will come forth to execute God’s judgment on this world. It will be harsh. There will be suffering and massive death. And yes, everyone, even Christ followers will feel the impact of these judgements.
So, the question for us today is simply this: What are we to do in light of this warning? How are we to live in this world of sin and rebellion as we wait for Jesus to open the seals? What should be our response? I see at least three ways we need to respond:

First, since we know that God hates sin and rebellion, we need to evaluate our own lives. We need to evaluate our own tendencies to treat sin lightly, and to look for any area where we are in rebellion to God. To look at any area where we are not surrendered to His will. A good Scripture to help us evaluate our own sin is Colossians 3:5-10 which commands us to: Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. Colossians 3:5-7

To put these to death means to treat them as dead to you. To have nothing to do with what the world so readily accepts and even celebrates as normal. As followers of Jesus, we are to eliminate these destructive passions from our lives. Put to death what is earthly in you. Secondly, we are also commanded to do something else. Paul writes, But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Colossians 3:8-10

Here the idea is that if any of these sins are active in your life, you are to throw them out like the trash. They are not reflective of your new identity as a Chris flower. You need to remember God is renewing your life, so it reflects the life of Christ. That means we’re to have nothing to do with the sins in which Jesus died for. We need to evaluate our lives and have nothing to do with sin.

Second, because these four horsemen are warnings of a coming judgment, we are not to judge rebellious sinnerswe are to love our enemies. As Jesus said: But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Luke 6:35

You see the book of Revelation isn’t just a book of things that must happen. It is a book that was written to warn us that a day of reckoning is coming. But as it is with any warning, there is hope. For God would not warn us of the judgment to come, if there wasn’t a way to escape it. And that’s where we come in. We have the hope our world needs. We have the hope of the good news that is found in Jesus. We have the hope of the cross that gives us a way to escape God’s judgment against sin.

For it was on that cross where Jesus took the full force of God’s wrath against sin. He did this for you and for every rebellious sinner, so that you would not have to face God’s judgment. With Jesus, there is hope for rebellious sinners. That hope is found in the gospel: The good news that Jesus did for you what you could not do for yourself. This is the hope our world needs to hear even today.

So even though God hates sin and rebellion. He’s made a way for anyone to be saved from His coming wrath. He’s made a way for you to be saved. That way is Jesus. For Jesus himself said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6 And all you need to do to be saved from the wrath to come is to turn from your sinful rebellion and turn to Jesus and put your trust in Him.