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Pastor Scott L. Harris
Grace Bible Church, NY
May 4, 2025
◘ The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: The End Begins
Revelation 6:1-8
Introduction
◘Turn to Revelation 6. As you are turning there let me quickly remind you of what we have covered so far. Revelation 1 concerns “the things which you have seen” as John explains the origin of the revelation and commission He received from God via Jesus via an angel. ◘Revelation 2-3 concerns “the things which are” as John records Jesus’ letters that both commend or correct as needed the seven churches in the Roman province of Asia to whom they were written. Though written to specific churches at a specific time, the principles in the letters apply as appropriate to all Christians and churches throughout out time. (See: Sermons on Revelation)
◘From Revelation 4 though the end of the book the subject will be “the things which will take place after these things.” That is a critical point to emphasize. John is receiving prophetic revelation of the future. As discussed in the introductory sermons to this series on the Apocalypse, that eliminates the preterist view which interprets the book as if all the events had already taken place. It also eliminates the allegorical approach since this is actual prophecy of things that will take place. We are using the grammatical-historical hermeneutic which interprets each passage according to the grammar and meaning of the words in their historical context. Or to state that simply, interpretation begins by figuring out how those to whom John was writing at that time would have understood it. This also means that symbolism used in prophecy must be understood according to its historical usage and not the allegorical imaginings of the interpreter. (See: Introduction to the Apocalypse Part 1 and Part 2)
◘Revelation 4 & 5 are John’s description of what he sees in heaven while “in the Spirit.” Chapter 4 begins with a description of a throne and the one who is sitting on it and then what is coming from the throne and the angelic being around it. The entire scene is awesome and majestic with God as judge and full of wrath receiving worship from the four living beings proclaiming, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come,” and the 24 elders fall down and cast their crowns before the throne proclaiming, “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.” This opening scene focuses on God as a judge who is holy, almighty, eternal judge and worthy of worship because He is the creator of all things. (See: The Throne Room of God, Part 1)
◘ The focus changes in Revelation 5 with the introduction of a scroll sealed with seven seals and the quest to find someone worthy to open it. Only one person has the qualifications to open the scroll and break the seals and that is Jesus, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, who is described as a lamb with seven horns and seven eyes who is standing, as if slain. When He takes possession of the scroll, the four living beings and 24 elders fall down in worship and sing a new song acclaiming Jesus the Lamb worthy to do this because of atoning for man’s sin by His own death and redeeming a people for Himself. An innumerable host of angels joins in the praise for the same reason acclaiming the Lamb, Jesus, “worthy to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.” All of creation then joins the chorus, “To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever,” with the four living beings pronouncing “Amen,” and the twenty-four elders falling down and worshiping. (See: The Throne Room of God, Part 2)
◘Revelation 6 records the Lamb opening of the scroll and breaking each seal in succession. Though the scroll is not read audibly, what was written in it becomes apparent as the breaking of each seal brings forth specific fulfillment. Chapter 6 records the breaking of the first six seals. The seventh seal is not broken until Revelation 8:1 and its result is bringing fourth seven angels with each one having a trumpet which when blown will bring forth another judgment on those who dwell on the earth. In a similar manner, the seventh trumpet will bring fourth seven angels with each having a bowl full of the wrath of God (Rev. 15:7). Though there are similarities in some of these various judgments – seals, trumpets and bowls – they are not the same. Each type of judgment telescopes out from the previous type.
Today we will examine the first four seals and then each seal in succession. As we go through this, I will also point out how each seal corresponds with Jesus’ description in Matthew 24 of the “beginning of birth pangs.” I pointed out this same correlation when I have preached through that passage in the past. (See: The Beginning of Future Tribulation)
◘Revelation 6:1-8
1 Then I looked when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, “Come.” 2 Then I looked, and behold, a white horse, and he who sits on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out overcoming and to overcome. 3 And when He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come.” 4 And another, a red horse, went out; and to him who sits on it, it was given to him to take peace from the earth, and that men would slay one another; and a great sword was given to him. 5 And when He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, “Come.” Then I looked, and behold, a black horse; and he who sits on it had a pair of scales in his hand. 6 And I heard something like a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, “One choinix of wheat for one denarius, and three choinix of barley for one denarius, and do not harm the oil and the wine.” 7 And when He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come.” 8 Then I looked, and behold, a pale horse; and he who sits on it had the name Death, and Hades was following with him. Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth.
◘It is important to note here that while what John sees will have symbolic meaning, he is describing something that he sees while in the Spirit in heaven. It is a prophetic vision the same as in his description of the throne room of God and would be similar to what other prophets experienced. He is witnessing here and throughout the book prophetic events that are displayed to his vision as scenic representations or a dramatic production. They are something actual, not of something fictional. Do we understand that completely? Of course not. We are creatures bound by time, so to see and describe real future events is confusing to us. Time travel is an impossibility for us except as a figment of imagination, but God is not bound by time. The Lord states in Isaiah 46:9–10, 9 “Remember the former things long past, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, 10 Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, ‘My counsel will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure.’” That is why fulfilled prophecy is used as a test of whether a prophet is from God or not (Deuteronomy 18:21-22).
◘Contrary to efforts to make a parallel between these four horses and those in described in Zechariah 1:7-11 there is not other than there are four of them and half of them are of the same color. The purpose of the horses and their riders are different from each other in both passages. The same is true in trying to compare this with Zechariah 6:1-2 in which three out of four horses match in color, but that is the only similarity. The judgments that are brought by the four horses and their riders do parallel the afflictions of sword, famine & pestilence warned about in Jeremiah 14:12, 24:10, and 42:10. In fact, warnings of disobedience to God resulting in such calamities is a common theme among the prophets.
◘The First Seal: The White Horse – Revelation 6:1-2
1 Then I looked when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, “Come.” 2 Then I looked, and behold, a white horse, and he who sits on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out overcoming and to overcome.
◘The chapter begins with John still in the Spirit and in heaven when his attention is drawn to what the Lamb does with the scroll that was now in His possession. John looked and Jesus opens the first of the seven seals which will allow what is in that section of the scroll to be fulfilled.
◘ John then hears one of the four living beings that he had seen around God’s throne speak with a voice so loud it sounded as thunder. John identifies the living being here as simply one of them, but since the others are identified in succession as the second, third and fourth, this is the first one. Assuming his order here is in keeping with his description of them in 4:7, this is the one that was like a lion in appearance. Some have suggested the symbolic meaning of the appearance of each of these living beings coordinates with the judgment that then goes out, but only the lion as a symbol of conquering matches the judgment that goes out. The others do not.
There should be no concern that the three living beings that are like a lion, an ox and a flying eagle respectively can speak as well as the one that has a face like a man. If God can enable a donkey to speak as one did to Balaam in Numbers 22:28, then He can certainly design angelic living beings that resemble an animal to also have the ability to speak.
The living being proclaimed the command, come, and John looked, ◘and what he sees causes him to call strong attention to it, “behold, a white horse” with a rider appear in response to the command. John simply states here what he sees though it is in the future. He plainly describes this white horse and its rider that has a bow and a crown. The purpose of this horse and rider is directly stated, “he went out conquering and to conquer,” but what is the meaning of the symbolism in this description and how does that match its purpose?
◘Among both the Romans and Persians a victorious military leader would ride on a white horse, so that would be a symbol that could be in the minds of these readers in Asia. That also would agree with the purpose of this white horse and rider going out conquering and to conquer. However, white throughout Revelation is a primary symbol of righteousness, so that could also be the meaning here, though in a deceitful manner as will be explained.
◘The rider of the white horse is not identified so there has been a lot of speculation on who this may be some of which are quite fanciful or with little support. Some ideas put forward include the rider being the word of God, the gospel, a Roman emperor, a Parthian invader, the personification of judgment, militarism and warfare in general. Some suggest it is the Messiah, but that does not fit the context of the other three riders, nor does it match the actual return of Messiah described in chapter 19 which concludes the judgments with a final and total victory. This is the beginning of judgments and it is supplanted by many judgments of greater consequence to come.
◘However, the image does fit well a pseudo-Messiah, a false Messiah, an imposter, and Revelation is full of satanic imitations of Christ including victories (11:7, 13:7) and crowns (12:1). 1 John 2:18 warns of the presence of many antichrists. That warning was written to the church in Ephesus at the same time period as the book of Revelation. John’s warning here continues in the present time and will continue into the future. ◘Jesus’ prophetic description of this future time period in Matthew 24:5 begins with “Many will come in My name, saying, I am the Christ, and will deceive many.” Like the other three riders, this is not a specific individual, but the personification of a force at work to accomplish the purpose of the judgment. Going back even as far as Deuteronomy 13:3, ◘one of the judgments of God has been to allow false prophets and teachers to test people whether they love God with all their heart and soul. 2 Peter 2 brings up the same issue of false teachers introducing destructive heresies and exploiting their followers. ◘Add to this the warning in 1 Thess. 5:3 concerning the day of the Lord is that it comes while people are saying, peace and safety, with destruction soon to follow.
◘All of this matches the description of the rider having a bow and a crown. The bow is a common symbol for military might, but this rider, though he has a bow, has no arrows to indicate any military action, and neither is there death associated with this horse and rider as with the other three. This bow then could be a reference to either a military threat or military protection. ◘Remember that in Daniel 9:27, the start of the seventieth week of the prophecy begins with a firm covenant made between the antichrist and the people of Israel. That is a covenant of military protection.
◘Added to this is the fact that the crown mentioned here that is given to him is a stevfaoV / stephanos, a wreath of foliage or precious metal crafted to resemble foliage which was given as a symbol of honor, victory in things such as athletic games, or a badge of high office. This is not the crown of a king or ruler which is diavdhma / diadēma. Jesus will be wearing many of these kingly crowns upon His return to conquer the world (Revelation 19:12).
◘The words conquering and conquer here are the present active participle and aorist active subjective verb forms of nikavw / nikaō which is the same word used at the end of each of the seven letters for those that “overcome.” These are victories won without bloodshed which can be done through diplomacy, threats and treaties. ◘People and nations will be ripe for the picking by these efforts. 2 Thess. 2:11-12 states that the Lord will send upon those at this time a “deluding influence so that they will believe what is false in order that they may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.” The antichrist will come with deception as will the many others of that time that will be of like nature. The end result of this horse and rider will be bloodless victories over deluded and deceived people and nations with a temporary peace premised upon people being able to achieve the wickedness they desire. With the church removed prior to this, the restraining influence of the Holy Spirit will also be removed so that people will purse the evil in their hearts. (2 Thess. 2). ◘Even now, Christians are seen by both other religions and secular political philosophies as the block to being able to achieve their version of utopia. However, they will soon find out that their idea of a utopia quickly leads to their worst nightmares as the other horses and rider proceed in succession.
◘The Second Seal: The Red Horse – Revelation 6:3-4
3 And when He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come.” 4 And another, a red horse, went out; and to him who sits on it, it was given to him to take peace from the earth, and that men would slay one another; and a great sword was given to him.
◘As with the breaking of the first seal, when the second seal is broken one of the four living beings declares the command to “come.” This is specifically stated to be the second of the four living beings which would be the one that was like a calf or an ox. The command is immediately obeyed with another horse of the same kind as the first except of a different color. ◘This second horse is purrovV / pyrros, fiery red, which imitates the nature of the calamity that it brings.
The rider of this fiery red horse is not identified though that has not kept commentators from making lots of speculations. The best way to view this rider and all the other riders is the personification of the adversity the rider brings. ◘ In this case it is to take peace from the earth. Please note that this ability is given to him. It is important to remember that each of these judgments is coming from the very throne room of God as the Lamb breaks each seal and the living being gives the command. Also keep in mind that these afflictions are part of God’s testing of “those who dwell on the earth,” a phrase consistently used in Revelation to refer to those who are the object of God’s wrath because of their rebellion against Him. The test will either cause them to repent or it will bring punishment upon them for failing to do so. The church in Philadelphia was promised to be kept from this testing (Revelation 3:10).
◘To this second horse and rider is given the ability to remove peace from the earth. This is not any peace, it is a specific peace for in Greek the article precedes it – the peace. This is the peace the white horse and its rider achieved by bloodless victories. ◘That now quickly vanishes as people violently kill one another and the rider is given a great sword. I already pointed out that the restraining ministry of the Holy Spirit would no longer be present and the influence of true Christians would also be absent, so it would be expected in a world of unrestrained evil that murder would rise quickly as people lash out to get what they want or take vengeance into their own hands. ◘The sword that is given to the rider is a mavcaira megavlh / machaira megalē, the large sword carried by Roman soldier and others in battle. A period of appalling bloodshed begins as internal strife rises, civil wars start and wars between nations breakout.
◘This second horse and rider corresponds with Matthew 24:6-7, 6 “And you are going to hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. 7 “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom . . .” War always has more consequences than just the destruction caused in the battles. The next horse and rider bring those consequences.
◘The Third Seal: The Black Horse – Revelation 6:5-6
5 And when He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, “Come.” Then I looked, and behold, a black horse; and he who sits on it had a pair of scales in his hand. 6 And I heard something like a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, “One choinix of wheat for one denarius, and three choinix of barley for one denarius, and do not harm the oil and the wine.”
◘ In the same way as when the Lamb broke the two previous seals, breaking of the third seal brings another horse and rider that come forth at the command of the living being. This is the third living being, which in following the descriptions given in Revelation 4:7 would be the one that has a face like a man.
◘This horse is black which is the color of lamentation and mourning. It is still used that way today which is why black clothing is what is proper to wear at funerals. The rider of this horse like the first two is not identified, but that does not stop commentators from offering all sorts of attempts at it. ◘Like the other riders, this one is the personification of the affliction he brings which in this case is famine. The scale that he carries was used in the market place to measure out the commodity being sold – wheat & barley in this verse.
◘A voice arises from the midst of the four living beings. The earlier description of them in Revelation 4 placed them around the throne of God and of the Lamb, so that is the place of origin of this voice. What is said demonstrates that this test is famine. ◘A chronix is a dry measure just a little less than an English a quart or a metric liter. A denarius was the average wage a laborer would earn in a day. ◘A quart of wheat was enough to sustain the laborer for one day. Barley was less expensive, but it also had less nutritional value. Three measures of barley could feed the laborer, his wife and one child at a subsistence level with no money left over to purchase any protein, vegetables or even oil for cooking or to make bread from the wheat or barley. There will be widespread hunger and slow starvation.
◘There are many causes of famine. The one recorded in 1 Kings 17-18 was caused by the three year drought that came at Elijah’s command. The drought resulted in crop failure and animals dying. ◘Famine can also be caused by pestilence of various kinds such as crop diseases or insects. The locust plagues described in Joel are an example of that. Those could be factors in this world-wide famine, but since this black horse and rider are following on the heels of the red horse and rider of war, that will be a major cause of it. ◘Famine often accompanies and follows war as the people necessary to plant, cultivate and harvest crops are instead involved in military action or chased off their land, and then what is planted and harvested is destroyed or stolen by enemies (Judges 6).
◘This will be the worst famine in history up to that time since it will be worldwide, but starvation will not be universal. There is an additional command of “do not damage the oil and the wine.” That could be a limitation on the destruction of olive trees and grape vines which are the sources of the oil and wine respectively, or a limitation on the destruction of these commodities which had been stored. Either way, this limitation also marks the disparity between the rich and the poor which has always existed. Oil and wine are staple crops, but those are out of reach for the poor whose wages for a day can barely purchase enough wheat or barley to keep from starving. The rich can afford whatever they need. Efforts to ration have always produced black markets by which the rich can get what they want though at a higher price.
◘In Matthew 24:7 Jesus states that famine will follow the wars of nations and kingdoms as signs in the “beginning of birth pangs” which is the early part of the end of the age. What the next horse and rider bring are the expected results of the previous three.
◘The Fourth Seal: The Pale Horse – Revelation 6:7-8
7 And when He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come.” 8 Then I looked, and behold, a pale horse; and he who sits on it had the name Death, and Hades was following with him. Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth.
◘As with the previous three, the Lamb breaks the fourth seal and another horse and rider come forth at the command of the living being. This is the fourth living being, which in following the descriptions given in Revelation 4:7, is the one that is like a flying eagle.
◘The color of this horse is translated as pale or ashen. The word here, clowrovV / chlōros, from which we get our words chloroplast and chlorophyll, describes a green color such as grass or plants (Mark 6:39; Rev. 8:7; 9:4). In this verse it is used for the pale green, ashen color of those who have died and are decaying. ◘The rider on this horse is named, and it is Death, with Hades, the abode of the dead following close behind. This is a comprehensive personification of death followed by his inseparable companion, Hades. ◘Notice that authority over a fourth of the earth is given to both of them. There is no mention of a horse for Hades to ride, so it is assumed he is running and keeping up with the pale green horse on which Death is riding.
The task given to these two gruesome companions is to kill a fourth of the earth by four methods: sword, famine, pestilence, and wild beasts. ◘ The death of 25% of the world’s population is astounding and hard to comprehend. a current world population at 8.2 billion, that is 2 billion, 50 million. Forty times as many as died in WW II. Yet things get worse in the trumpet and bowl judgments.
Two of these means of death already started with the earlier horses and riders. ◘The sword here is rJomfaiva / rhomhaia which is a broad sword used in war and fighting. The wars that started with the red horse and rider get worse. ◘The famine brought by the third rider gets worse. ◘Added to this now is pestilence, death caused by disease, which commonly occurs with and follows war and famine because basic sanitation can become hard to follow, starvation reduces natural resistance, and people crowded together either in military service or when fleeing transmits diseases quickly. In most wars, more people die from disease and starvation than from actual military action. ◘A fourth means of death added here is being killed by wild beasts of the earth. Starvation and disease makes people much weaker which can make them vulnerable prey to wild beasts which may be more aggressive due to famine condition. There is no indication what method kills the most, but the total is 25% of the world’s population.
◘These same four methods of killing are mentioned in many prophetic passages concerning the Lord’s judgment on people and nations that defy him. Ezekiel 14:21 mentions these same four as does Deuteronomy 32:24-25. Sword, famine and pestilence are often grouped together (1 Chron. 21:12; 2 Chron. 20:9; Jeremiah 14:12; 21:9; Ezekiel 6:11; 7:15), but God has often also used wild beasts in His judgments (Lev. 26:22; Numbers 21:6; 2 Kings 17:25; Jer. 5:6).
◘This fits with Jesus’ statements in Matthew 24:6-7 concerning the signs that precede Jesus’ return at the end of the age. These are all part of the “beginning of birth pangs,” and like birth pangs they will get worse as we will see in a couple of weeks when we look at the breaking of the next two seals.
◘Conclusions
What is the take away from all of this? For Christians, we can rejoice that Jesus’ promise is that He will keep us from this hour of testing that will come upon all those who dwell on the earth. ◘For those whose eschatology does not agree with the doctrine of an imminent return of Christ to rapture the church to be with Him in heaven as described in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 that will occur before or at the beginning of this tribulation period, the description of these terrible things will make you wish that we are right and you will be pleasantly surprised to not be on earth during that time.
◘For those that are not Christians, these revelations of what is to come in the future is to serve as a warning to repent now before it is too late. We do not know when Jesus will return for His church and all these events kick off, not do you know if you will still be alive tomorrow and opportunity to repent. Proverbs 1:7 declares that “the fear of Yahweh is the beginning of understanding; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Hebrews 10:31 states, “It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” These descriptions begin an explanation of why you need to fear the Lord and get right with Him as soon as possible. ◘Do not be foolish and put it off. You do not want to be here on earth when these things take place. Talk with me or any of our church leaders to find out how you can be saved from your sin and be assured that heaven will be your home.
Sermon Notes – May 4, 2025
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: The End Begins – Revelation 6:1-8
Introduction
Revelation 1: The things which you have seen – the ___. Revelation 2-3: The things which are – the ______
Revelation 4-22: Prophecies of the ________- eliminates preterist position and allegorical imaginings
Revelation 4-5: John is in the Spirit and taken to _________where he describes God’s throne room
The focus changes in Revelation 5 from the holy Creator on His throne to the _________who is worthy
Revelation 6 – the worthy Lamb begins to __________the scroll and break the seals in succession
Revelation 6:1-8
John’s descriptions have symbolic meaning, but they are future things he _________________
Zechariah 1:7-11 & 6:1-2 do not match these four horses, but many OT ________to the judgment they bring
The First Seal: The White Horse – Revelation 6:1-2
John is in the Spirit in the throne room of God in ____________when the Lamb opens the first seal
The first living being (that is like a lion), give the command to “_________” in a thunderous voice
John’s attention is drawn to a ________horse with a rider that appear that go out conquering and to conquer
Victorious military leaders often ride a white horse, but white in Revelation is a symbol of ______________
The rider is not identified, so much conjecture is made, but best to see him as a personification of his _____
The image & actions fits well with a pseudo-Messiah, an ________of which there will be many (1 Jn. 2:18)
This fits Jesus’ prophecy in Matthew 24:5 of many false Christs coming that will __________many
God tests people with _________teachers (Deut. 13:3; 2 Peter 2)
The Day of the Lord comes while people say, “_________and safety,” but destruction follows (1 Thess. 5:3)
The rider has a bow, but no arrows, and ______________associated with him – these are bloodless victories
The 70th week of prophecies in Daniel 9 begins with a ___________between antichrist & the people of Israel
The crown is a stephanos, a __________of honor / victory, not a diadem, the crown of a king / ruler
“Conquer” is the same word as “overcomer” in the seven letters. Victory by diplomacy / threat / ________
People will be easily _________& without the retraining of the Holy Spirit in that time period – 2 Thess. 2
Without Christians to block them, false religions & secularists pursue their ideas of _______- & get disaster
The Second Seal: The Red Horse – Revelation 6:3-4
The Lamb breaks the 2nd seal and the 2nd living being (that is like a calf / ___) gives the command to “come”
The color of the second horse is pyrros, __________, which imitates the nature of the calamity that it brings
The rider is the personification of the adversity it brings – ___________of the peace from the earth
This is the peace gained by the first horse & rider. Expect unrestrained evil people to become __________
The sword shows violent death & _________action – murder, civil wars & wars between nations / kingdoms
The second horse & rider corresponds with Matthew ___________
The Third Seal: The Black Horse – Revelation 6:5-6
The Lamb breaks the 3rd seal and the 3rd living being (face like a ______) gives the command to “come”
This horse is black which is the color of lamentation & ____________- black is still used that way
The rider is the personification of the affliction he brings – ___________
A voice arises from the __________of the four living beings which would be from the throne
A chronix is a dry measure a little less than a ________or liter. A denarius was _____________for a laborer
A day’s wage could buy wheat for ____________or barley for 3 for 1 day with nothing to buy anything else
Famines can be caused by drought (1 Kings 17-18); pestilence (Joel) and _________ (Judges 6)
A limitation is placed on the harm done to “oil and wine” – staples that become only affordable to the _____
The 3rd horse and rider matches Jesus’ prophecy in Matt. 24:7 as a ______of the “beginning of birth pangs”
The Fourth Seal: The Pale Horse – Revelation 6:7-8
The Lamb breaks the 4th seal and the 4th living being (like a flying ________) gives the command to “come”
The color of the horse is chlōros, a green color, here the _______________of a dead & decaying body
The rider is identified as the personification of _________with Hades, the abode of the dead, following him
They are given authority over 1/4 of the earth to _______by sword, famine, pestilence, & wild beasts
The sword is a broad sword used in _______and fighting – military action started with 2nd seal increases
___________that began with 3rd seal gets worse
Pestilence / __________ that often occur with and follows war becomes rampant
Wild beasts increase and the weak and sick become their _________
OT prophecies frequently _______of these same four methods of death as judgment for disobedience to God
The 4th horse and rider fits with Jesus’ statements in Matthew 24:6-7 as signs of the ___________________
Conclusions
Christians believing in Jesus imminent return & pretribulational rapture _________they will not be on earth
Christians having other eschatological views will _________to be wrong and not be on the earth at that time
This is a strong warning for non-Christians to _________& believe in the person & work of the Lord Jesus
KIDS KORNER – Parents, you are responsible to apply God’s Word to your children’s lives. Here is some help. Young Children – draw a picture about something you hear during the sermon. Explain your picture(s) to your parents at lunch. Older Children – Do one or more of the following:1) Write down all the Scripture references made. 2) Count how many times the words “horse” and “rider” are used. Talk with your parents about the calamity the breaking of the seals will bring and how to avoid being on earth for that.
THINK ABOUT IT! Questions to consider in discussing the sermon with others. How does understanding Revelation 4-22 to be prophecy of the future affect interpretation of those chapters? Where is John when he sees the events of Revelation 6? Is what he sees fictional or real? What is the significance of the white horse & rider? What is the significance of the bow & crown? What is accomplished by their going out conquering and to conquer? What is the significance of the fiery red horse and rider? What do they do & how do they do it? What is the significance of the black horse and rider? How does the description given by the voice indicate famine? What is the significance of the pale green horse and rider? How do they bring death to a 1/4 of the earth? How does the breaking of the first four seals coordinate with Jesus’ prophecies in Matthew 24?
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