JESUS
CHRIST
…our VICTOR!
The Four
Horsemen of the Apocalypse As the Lamb of Revelation
begins to unseal the scroll-of-destiny, four cosmic horsemen charge across the
heavens on colored steeds. They’re on a mission from God! (Rev 6:1-8)
Many Christians
today assume that the four horsemen of the apocalypse symbolize a future
Antichrist-figure, who is soon to create “hell-on-earth.” Their horses alone
can conjure up dreadful thoughts, as portrayed on the cover of “Armageddon”
(Left Behind series). But despite the frightening media hype, Christians
haven’t always believed this. The earliest church teaching—held also by the
early-Protestants—is that the rider on the white horse (6:1-2) symbolizes Jesus
Christ (see M. Henry’s Commentary on the Bible; 1792). Understandably,
Christians have begun to ask “Why has the church exchanged Christ for the Antichrist,
removing Him from much of Revelation?”
The messages of
the four-horsemen are a matter of life or death. Thus, it’s imperative that we
discover who these riders represent in order to understand God’s messages for
us.
The Story of
Salvation / Rev 1-7
To begin, the
horsemen are located in the center of Revelation’s “opening story” (Rev 1-7).
The story begins on earth, with a vision of Christ, our High Priest (1:13; Heb
4:14). He has come with an urgent message for the “seven churches,” which
represent the entire New Testament church (Rev 2-3). Herein Christ entreats
every Christian to “overcome” and share His throne, just as He “overcame” and
shares His Father’s throne (3:21).
The story
continues with John being drawn up in vision to the heavenly throne room (Rev
4-5). There, Jesus is symbolized as a “slain” lamb (5:5-6), signifying His
sacrificial death. Because He conquered Satan and death, He is declared
“worthy” to open the great sealed scroll which contains our eternal destiny.
As Christ begins
to break the seals, the four throne-creatures (4:6-7) summon four horsemen upon
the scene (6:1-8). Their activity has a direct impact upon the earth,
progressing from life (1st seal) to death (4th seal). Their mission complete,
John is then shown two groups of people: the first group is described as
sacrificial blood at the base of heaven’s altar, and represents those who have
overcome (6:9-11); the second group calls for the earth to destroy them,
representing those who have rejected Christ’s sacrificial gift (vss. 12-17). The story concludes in heaven, where the overcomers are seen standing “before the throne” and
dwelling with the Lamb forever (7:9, 17).
Though every Christian is called to overcome,
and receive the eternal rewards of Christ’s kingdom, what is not clear is “How
can the Christian overcome?” I propose that the activity of the four horsemen,
situated between the seven defective churches (Rev 2-3) and the kingdom of
heaven (Rev 7), contains the answer. In other words,
something occurs in the seals that prepare God’s people for His kingdom.
Obviously, the
opening story must guide our attempt to understand the meaning of the four
horsemen. But there are other equally important considerations. First, the
Revelation is about “Jesus Christ” (1:1). He is the central subject. Second,
Revelation is filled with references to the Old Testament; knowing the
background of a symbol can assist us in understanding its meaning in
Revelation. For example, Revelation is filled with temple imagery (e.g.,
candlesticks, altars, priests, the
With all of this
in mind, let’s closely examine the four horsemen.
1st
Seal – White Horse (Rev 6:1-2)
Many Christians
have been led to believe that the conqueror charging forth on the white horse symbolizes
the Antichrist. But the Scriptural evidence actually points to Christ. To
begin, the color white, in Revelation, always represents that which is godly—no
exceptions. Second, the Lord does use a bow and arrow. An example of this is
found in Ps 45:5. Interestingly, this passage is about a king’s marriage, which
the The Ryrie Study Bible notes
“ultimately refers to Jesus Christ.” This, of course, should remind us
of Christ’s wedding in Rev. 19, where He rides forth on—you guessed it—a white
horse!
The third
evidence takes us back to Revelation’s opening story. As you’ll recall, Jesus
“overcame” (3:21) and “prevailed” (5:5). In both cases, the Greek word is “nike.” This very same word is used to describe the first
rider!—“conquering.” In other words, this rider is doing the exact same thing
that Christ did! (Some translations, like the Contemporary English Version, are
more helpful, consistently translating nike
as “victory.”) What all of this means is that Christ’s victory is the thread
that connects each scene in the opening story—His appeal to us to be victorious
is based on His own victorious sacrifice, which continues to go forth
victoriously in the form of the gospel.
Now
for the “crowning” touch — His crown.
It is a victor’s wreath (Greek, stephanos), worn by
the winner of the Greek games. Because Christ wears a kingly diadema in 19:12, many conclude that this rider must be the
deceiver, the Antichrist. But a Bible concordance will show that the “overcomers” and the 24-elders wear a stephanos
(2:10; 3:11; 4:4; 12:1). In fact, Christ wears a stephanos
too! (14:14). Sorry to say, leading proponents of the Antichrist view neglect
to mention this extremely important fact (LaHaye,
Revelation Unveiled; Van Impe, Revelation Revealed).
The Biblical
evidence reveals that Christ is our Conqueror! He conquered Satan and death,
and His victory can be ours! By accepting His sacrifice for your sins, being
“born again” of His Spirit, and walking with Him in faith, you can overcome
Satan’s deceptive attacks! (1 Jn 5:4) Indeed, we are
“more than conquerors” through Him! (Rom 8:37) And like the conquerors in the
early-Church, you can participate with Christ in advancing the “good news” of
His kingdom.
2nd
Seal – Red Horse (Rev 6:3-4)
“Whoa!” Don’t
assume that the second rider must be the Antichrist. Read what John actually
wrote, and then decide for your self. He was selective with his choice of words
for a reason.
To the surprise
of many, the “great sword” is actually a dagger (machaira).
It was used by the priests to slay animals for sacrifice. In the New Testament,
Christ is the High Priest. (Heb 8:1-2) With this in mind, Jesus’ words in
Matthew 10:34 take on a new perspective—“I did not come to bring peace, but a
sword [machaira]” (NIV).
Was John familiar with the rhomphia, the standard
“sword” of execution? Yes, he was. But He reserves that weapon for the fourth
horseman.
The next
insightful word is “kill,” or better slay (sphazo). Like machaira, sphazo is also a sacrificial term. John even used it when
referring to Christ’s sacrifice (Rev 5:6). Again, he saves the standard word
for “kill” (apoketeino) for the fourth seal.
As you can see,
the meaning behind this blood-red seal comes into focus when seen through the
lens of the temple sacrifices, a theme that permeates Revelation. It’s probably
not a coincidence that the the “calf”, the second
throne-creature (4:7), introduces this second horseman. Unlike the lion or
eagle, the calf was used for sacrifice.
This seal is
literally drenched in sacrificial blood! But what does it all mean? Having
accepted Christ as our Conqueror, He now bids us—as our High Priest—to offer
ourselves on the altar of faith as “living sacrifices” (Rom 12:1). In order to
follow Jesus, sinful selfish self must be crucified “daily” (Luke 9:23),
treated as though it were dead, and buried for good! (Rom 6:6-8, 11) Only then
can our will come into complete submission to God’s (Matt 12:50; 26:39; John
4:34).
But there is a
final warning: “men slay each other” (NIV).
Martyrdom! As the early-Church discovered, persecution follows in the wake of
the gospel. Thus, we must continually bear Jesus’ words in mind—“fear not them
which [can only] kill the body” (Matthew 10:28).
3rd
Seal – Black Horse (Rev 6:5-6)
Blackness
and famine. A voice crying from the
throne, “Hurt not!” What is happening here?
Naturally,
John’s original audience was thoroughly familiar with middle-Eastern
agriculture. Grains are harvested in the spring and fruit (olives and grapes)
in the fall. But in this scene, the spring crops have experienced a famine—a
loaf of bread cost an entire day’s wage (a Roman “penny”)!
Under the old
covenant with
Add to all of
this the rider’s “balances”—another symbol of judgment (Dan 5:27: Job 31:6).
Let’s tie it all
together now. Many in the church will not choose to meet the demands of the
first two seals, a daily commitment to the gospel and the crucifying of self.
Many “Christians” simply render lip-service, as Jesus pointed out (“Lord,
Lord”; Matt 7:21). This seal, filled with Old Testament covenant imagery, is a
warning to those who merely profess to have a relationship with Christ.
Baptized they may be, but the desires of their heart are drawn elsewhere (Rev
3:14-20). They have not surrendered all. Christ is not the lord of their lives.
They do not experience ongoing victories in Him.
But not all is
lost...yet! Though darkness looms over many, and heaven’s cry to “repent” is
far louder now than when John first heard it (Rev 14:7), the final harvest has
not arrived yet or been “hurt.” (Rev 14:15; John 4:35) Christ is still
interceding in the heavenly sanctuary. There is still time to repent and depend
wholly upon the Savior (Rev 8:3-4; Matt 4:17).
The third seal’s
message is also reflected in history. Following a period of persecution (2nd
seal), the church wandered from God, compromising with the world and paganism.
An earthly priesthood was established, salvation through works was instituted,
and truth was mingled with error and human tradition. The church had “made her
own bed”—the Dark Ages.
4th
Seal – Death’s Horse (Rev 6:7-8)
This list of
weapons—sword, hunger, pestilence and beasts—is copied directly from the Old
Testament covenant. Collectively, they represented the totality of the curses
for rebellion and apostasy (Jer 15:2; Ezek 5:12;
14:21; Jer 31:31). Needless to say, a covenant with
God is a serious agreement—it is pledged in His own blood (Gen 15:1-18; Heb
12:24).
Those who only
professed to know the Lamb will not “be able to stand”
(Rev. 6:16) before Him on that last day. The parables of the wedding garment
and the ten virgins best illustrate their spiritual condition (Matt 22:1-14;
25:1-12; compare also
The question is
often asked, Is this rider—“Death and Hell”—Christ?
But a better question is, Is the “new covenant” in His
blood? (Heb 12:24) Does Christ possesses “the keys of
hell and of death”? (Rev 1:18) Will He determine our eternal destiny? (22:11-12)
Does His “sword” destroy the unrepentant? (19:15, 21) Obviously, this horseman
acts under Christ’s authority.
5th/6th
Seal – The Church Sifted (Rev 6:9-17)
As a result of
the four horsemen’s activities, God’s people are divided into two camps: the
faithful righteous (6:9-11) and the unrepentant wicked (6:12-17). Those who
“were slain [sphazo]” under the second seal are now
pictured “at the foot of the altar” (AMP), where the sacrificial blood was
poured out. Robed in Christ’s righteousness (3:5), the saints patiently wait
for justice. On the other hand, those who have resisted Christ’s Spirit and
rebelliously clung to sin will face “the great day of His wrath” in fear.
Heaven’s
Conquerors / Rev 7
The opening
story concludes in chapter 7, with the renowned 144,000 (which John “hears”)
and “a great multitude” (which John “sees”) standing before God’s throne.
Elsewhere, what John hears adds a certain quality to what he sees. (Rev 1:10,
12; 5:5, 6) A close inspection (that considers Rev 14:3-5 also) suggest that
these two groups are one-in-the same. In this case, God’s people are identified
with the number of His kingdom—“12”. In Revelation, as in the New Testament,
Israel (12 tribes) and the church (12 apostles) are viewed as one kingdom of
faith in Christ (Rev 21:10-14; Gal 3:29; Rom 2:28, 29; 9:6-8; Heb 11:1-12:1).
What about
the Rapture?
This study will
undoubtedly challenge the belief that Rev 4:1-2 (“come up here”) regards a
secret rapture of the church. Many have been led to believe that the church is
absent in much of Revelation (chap 4-18) and that it will not have to endure
the final Tribulation. This teaching, however, does not agree with what we have
discovered. The fact is, 4:1 says nothing about the
church being snatched from the earth, which may explain why The NIV Study Bible states that only “some interpreters find
the rapture of the church” here. (Emphasis supplied.) Ironically, even the
strongest advocates of this theory confess that it is weak. LaHaye
admits: “None of the above [cited] reasons is sufficient in itself to insist
that Revelation 4:1-2 refers to the Rapture of the Church….” I would counter
out that even a long list of insufficient points does not make a case stronger.
He continues, “Most prophecy scholars are reluctant to say that Revelation
4:1-2 are a direct teaching of the Rapture because it does not specifically say
so or give us any additional details about that event.” (Revelation Unveiled;
pg. 100-101).
The truth is, John
did not “escape” persecution (Rev 1:9), nor did the early-Christians or the
Reformers. Like them, we will overcome tribulations through unwavering faith in
Christ.
Daniel 7
This study begs
the question “Where did the idea of the Antichrist in Revelation 4 and 6
originate?” In large part, the answer is found in Daniel 7. The church had once
taught that the “ten horns” on the fourth beast were the ten European powers
that succeeded
Because
Revelation is built upon the book of Daniel, I encourage the reader to restudy
Daniel and Revelation in the light of Jesus Christ.
Surrender and
Conquer
As we have
discovered, the four horsemen of the Apocalypse have a specific message for you
and I, Christ’s church. We are called to overcome through His resurrection
power. But that necessitates surrendering all at the foot of the Cross. If we
will live our lives upon the altar of faith, we shall “be able to stand,” with
all of God’s faithful conquerors, before “the Lamb which is in the midst of the
throne.”
James L. Merrills, M. Div.
Comments and questions can be directed to:
e-mail: magic@mr-jim.com
Last updated Oct 26, 2008
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Last updated Oct 14, 2008
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