The Four Horsemen

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on Sunday, the 21st of August, 2022, at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  Our YouTube streaming channel is: 

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDIz4WuP8igQstkEOq1AMTg.]

The Apostle John was an old man, imprisoned on the island of Patmos for preaching the Gospel and for his testimony about Jesus.  One particular day – our Bible says it was the Lord’s day – John was in prayer, in the Spirit, when he heard a voice coming from behind him, a voice like the sound of thunder.  “Write in a book what you see”, the voice commanded, “and send it to the seven churches that are in Asia.”

Now we know from the Apostle Paul’s writings that letters and communications sent to one church were passed around and read by many.  And we know that these were also saved for us today.

This book, then, is the revelation of Jesus Christ that God gave to show the servants of Jesus what must shortly take place.  We simply call it the Book of Revelation, for in it, the end of the age is revealed.

The opening chapters of the book put forth the authority under which it was written, and that authority was Jesus Himself.  And He addresses each of those seven churches in turn, letting them know where they have pleased Him, and where they have failed.

And then Jesus Himself appears, taking a more active role in the revelation.  He is seen by John as the Spotless Lamb, sacrificed for the redemption of mankind.  And He is seen as the only one worthy to open the seals that hold the fate of mankind.

Please listen and follow along to what the Apostle John was shown and what he recorded in the 6th chapter of this Book of Revelation, verses 1 through 8, and I’ll be reading this from the New English Translation of our Holy Bible…

1 I looked on when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a thunderous voice, “Come!” 2 So I looked, and here came a white horse! The one who rode it had a bow, and he was given a crown, and as a conqueror he rode out to conquer.

3 Then when the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come!” 4 And another horse, fiery red, came out, and the one who rode it was granted permission to take peace from the earth, so that people would butcher one another, and he was given a huge sword.

5 Then when the Lamb opened the third seal I heard the third living creature saying, “Come!” So I looked, and here came a black horse! The one who rode it had a balance scale in his hand. 6 Then I heard something like a voice from among the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat will cost a day’s pay and three quarts of barley will cost a day’s pay. But do not damage the olive oil and the wine!”

7 Then when the Lamb opened the fourth seal I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come!” 8 So I looked and here came a pale green horse! The name of the one who rode it was Death, and Hades followed right behind. They were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill its population with the sword, famine, and disease, and by the wild animals of the earth.

--Revelation 6:1-8 (NET)

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for revealing to us what we can expect to see as our world begins its decline.  You truly blessed us in that our Bible has been kept and saved for us for all these centuries.  Thank You, gracious God, for making sure that we and our children and their children have Your word, Your instructions, and Your warnings to live by.  Forgive us, please Father, when we fail to spend more time in Your word.  Forgive us when we hesitate to believe all that we read.  Please help us understand how important our Bible is to us.  Remind us that it contains examples and instructions we need to follow, as well as signs that show us what to expect next.  And Father, please protect us from Satan and from those who do his bidding, trying to divide us and tear apart Your family of believers.  Please keep us strong in our faith, of one mind and one purpose in our love, worship, and service, and healthy and safe through these trying times.

Speak to us now, Father, that we might hear Your voice through Your Spirit within us and better understand the message You have for us this day.  Help us be better prepared for what is to come.  Help us keep our faith strong and vibrant in the days ahead.  This we pray in the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Redeemer.   Amen.

Pollster George Gallup, in his book Religion in America, wrote that, "The belief that Jesus Christ will return to earth someday is held by 62 percent of all Americans."

That book was published in 1987 - 35 years ago.  I wonder what the numbers would be today.  My guess is that a lesser percentage hold to that belief.  But even 35 years ago, nearly four out of every ten Americans did not believe in the second coming of Jesus.  And if they did not believe in His return, then they certainly didn’t believe He would judge everyone who ever lived.

Well, family, Jesus is coming back, and He will judge us all for what we have done, and not done, in our life.  Those who don’t believe it, who won’t believe it, will be horribly disappointed to learn the truth.

We’ve all heard of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.  They are prominent figures even in the secular world, even among those who won’t believe anything else in the Bible.  They signify the end times, the coming of the end of the world, the destruction of all we know, the beginning of the end.  We believers know their arrival to be a sign of our Lord’s return to set things right.

Jesus opened the first seal and a white horse appeared.  It’s rider carried a bow and was given the crown of a conqueror and he rode out to conquer.  For most of the church’s history, this rider was thought to be Jesus Himself, conquering death and spreading the Gospel across the land.  But for the last few hundred years, many have come to believe this is the Antichrist, let loose in the world to conquer as many lost souls as he can.  And many believe the rider simply signifies war in general, that has plagued mankind for all his history and for all the death and destruction it brings.  When we look at the destructive nature of the other three horsemen, this rider being the Antichrist, or simply war itself, is far more likely.  This is a conqueror of mankind, the very symbol of military conquest, the first destructive force let loose upon the world.

The second seal is opened and a fiery red horse is revealed.  Its rider is given a large sword and granted permission to take all peace from the world.  Imagine a world without peace, with people literally butchering one another, violence everywhere, nowhere to be safe, nowhere to find peace.  Sounds a little like some of our larger cities today.

The third seal is opened and a black horse comes in, its rider carrying a balance scale to measure out meager resources.  This is famine, where food shortages will drive up the cost of everything we need to survive.  Have you checked prices in the grocery store lately?

The Lamb opens the fourth seal and a pale green horse appears.  Death rides upon this horse, and Hades, the resting place of the dead, follows close behind, ready to snatch up the dead.  This is the only rider given a name, and the only rider carrying nothing in his hands.  Death needs no weapon, for he is given authority to kill a fourth of the earth – man and beast – through any means he wishes, even using the wild animals of the earth.

Death and destruction, famine and disease, all let loose upon the earth.

There have been many, many times over the last two thousand years when people have looked at the current events and the signs and proclaimed that the end is near.  And each time they’ve been wrong.  The Apostle John himself noted that the events he reported would happen shortly.  Of course, “shortly” to God could easily be thousands and thousands of years to man.  So the end still may come soon.

And I can’t help but feel that it will be sooner, rather than later.  Can’t we see some of these horses riding across our world today?  War, famine, disease, violence and mayhem running rampant through our streets.  The cost of everything we need to survive going up and up, getting closer to out of reach of many.  Has Jesus already opened the first four seals?

You may want me to answer that question with a resounding, “No”, but instead I have to say, “Maybe”.  Maybe we are now in the times that were shown to John, as God prepares to send His Son back to the earth.  It is true that we are not to know the day or the hour when Christ will return, but our Bible is our best source of information in all things, especially as regards Jesus.  Listen to the warning Jesus Himself gives, as saved for us by the Apostle Matthew in the 24th chapter of his Gospel account, verses 1 through 8…

1 Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. 2 And Jesus said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”

3 Now as He 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?”

4 And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. 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. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.” 

--Matthew 24:1-8 (NKJV)

Nation has risen against nation, kingdom against kingdom, all throughout human history and again now, today, with the threat of the whole world possibly being engulfed into war.  Food shortages, deadly diseases, and natural disasters plague mankind and the whole earth.  And these are only the beginning of sorrows.  There are more seals to be opened, more bowls to be poured out, more calamity to befall mankind.

But remember that Jesus says not to let any of this trouble us.  For all these things must come to pass!  All these horrors must occur.  All these lives must be lost.  For this is the will of God and His righteous plan must be worked through to its finish.

We who believe should be encouraged by the signs of the times, not fearful.  We who believe that Jesus will return to the earth should see what is going on around us as a signal that our Lord’s second coming may be rapidly approaching.

Yes, He will judge us all, the good and the bad.  But we who believe and have accepted Jesus as Lord will be spared eternal damnation.  We will be allowed to live forever in paradise with our Lord and Master, with our God.  The troubles and woes we experience today will vanish once Jesus calls His church home.

So let the four horsemen ride.  It only means that our Lord’s return is approaching.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Almighty God, thank You for again for all You have given us in our Bible.  This is our user’s manual, our guidebook, passed down through the generations, preserved for thousands of years so that we can read and benefit from it today.  Thank You, Father, for this wonderful blessing.  Father, too often we just don’t spend enough time studying our Bible.  Sometimes we have trouble understanding what You are trying to tell us in a given passage.  Sometimes we just don’t like what we read because it points out our failings.  Forgive us, Father, when we ignore the warnings You left for us.  Forgive us when hesitate to share what we know of Your teachings with others.  Please, loving Father, help us be more obedient.  Keep reminding us that we are Your children, under Your care and Your instruction.  And Father, please help us remain strong, faithful, and true through all that we face in this age.

Please hear us now, Father, as we pause for just a moment to speak to You through Your Spirit within us, promising to be more obedient to Your commands, and seeking Your help to do so…

Lord Jesus, You are the Spotless Lamb, sacrificed upon the cross for the atonement of our sin.  Of all the kingdom of God, only You are worthy to open the seals of mankind’s fate.  Only You are worthy to judge the world.  Please, Lord, may we be worthy of Your love and sacrifice.  Please help us weather the storms of these difficult times we live in, patiently awaiting Your return.  Forgive us when our faith falters, when all the craziness of the world starts to eat away at our armor.  Remind us that all we are experiencing must happen for God’s plan to be fulfilled.  And Lord Jesus, please heal the hurts that separate and divide us one from another.  Help us remain trusting and obedient no matter what we go through.  Help us keep our focus on the things of heaven and the needs of others rather than on anything this life might offer.  This we pray in Your blessed name, Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior.  Amen.