Who were the "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse"? |
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Written by Calvin Fox | |||||
Tuesday, 16 February 2016 15:13 | |||||
The Risen Christ holds the Key to the meaning of History. Who were the "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse? The fabled backfield of Notre Dame's 1924 football team when Knute Rochne was coach? Yes, that was their nickname. but the original Four Horsemen are described in the the Book of Revelation (or Apocalypse) In chapter 4 of the Book of Revelation, God is sitting on a Throne in heaven. A scroll is in His hand. It contains "what shall come " in the History of the world. But that scroll is sealed. The scroll is described in Chapter 5. It is rolled up parchment, sealed along the leading edge 7 times. Before the contents can be known and the present, future and ultimate events of History be revealed, all the 7 seals must be removed. Only the Risen Christ can do that. Only Christ can explain the History of the world. Only He can make known what is to come (Rev 1:1) He has the right do that because He has ransomed the Elect by His Blood and has, by His Resurrection, conquered Sin and Death (5:1-5, 9-10 cf 1:17-18) The Major Truth here is that the Risen Christ holds the Key to understanding the overarching meaning of History. He alone reveals where it is going and how it shall get there. What is the meaning of the 7 seals? As they are opened, they reveal that war, famine, disease, persecution, natural disasters, catastrophes and death shall always be part of the human experience. Christians can not escape these things. We must not see the world through rose colored glasses. We live in a fallen world and can not avoid its evil. But the Book of Revelation hastens to assure us God is on the Throne. The ultimate Kingdom, Power and Glory are His. The primary purpose of the Book of Revelation is to bring comfort and encouragement to the persecuted Church. This is even more relevant in our time as Christians are being oppressed and persecuted around the world in greater numbers than ever before. Currently, 200 million people around the world are suffering because they are Christians. Terrible evil shall not go unanswered by the Sovereign of the Universe. His Name, His reputation, His Glory and Justice are all at stake. Let us a take a closer look at the first 4 Seals in Rev. 6:1-8 1 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!" 2 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. 3 When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, "Come!" 4 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. 5 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. 6 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!" 7 When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, "Come!" 8 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. The second horse (v3) instigates violence, bloodshed and civil war on the earth. The third horse, colored black, and its rider, spread economic injustice, famine and starvation around the world (v.5-6). As Jesus foretold, devastating poverty will always be with us. The fourth seal reveals a pale gray horse of death. Its rider always follows the previous horsemen. Violence, war, and poverty bring famine, disease and gray corpses. They all reveal the wrath of God Notice He allows or authorizes all of them. They are meant to lead people to repent of their sins. Most do not. See Romans 1:18; Rev 11:13, 16:9, 11, 21 The fifth seal (v.9) reveals persecution of the Church, people being killed for their faith. Currently, 200 million people around the world are suffering because they are Christians. More people suffered for Christ during the 20th Century than in the previous 19 centuries combined and the rate is greatly increasing in this Century. The Tribulation is not only future, it always has been present is now, in many parts of the world.
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