In the fifth chapter of the Revelation
John sees a large "book" (or scroll), which is kept closed with seven "seals".
There is an interesting theory about what this "book" could be, but perhaps we can save that for another time.
Regardless of what exactly this "book" is, John is eager to read it, and later, in the sixth chapter of the Revelation
his curiosity is satisfied, as an angel begins to open the seals of the scroll one by one.
As each seal is opened, John witnesses important events related to the last days of Earth's history
which are described in more detail throughout the rest of the Revelation.
Over half of the "book" (four seals, out of seven) has to do with four horsemen.
These are collectively known as "The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse", and they are the subject of this video.
There is a white horse, a red horse, a black horse, and a grey horse.
In Revelation 19, we see that, at the Battle of Armageddon
Christ is described as riding on a white horse.
Here, John sees this same horseman going forth to conquer.
So it's logical to assume that this first, white horse in Revelation 6 represents Jesus.
And what is he going to conquer?
He is going to conquer the other three horsemen, who are obviously very bad guys.
With regard to these three baddies
a lot of people tend to imagine them as one day literally coming to Earth on actual horses to do terrible things.
But as I'll explain in this video, these “horsemen” are already here
and they have been here for a very long time.
The second horse is red (like blood), and the man on him causes people to kill each other.
The Bible says that this horseman takes peace away from the world. Obviously he represents War.
War itself comes from a foolish attempt to conquer through the use of weapons.
The rider on the red horse has "a great sword".
Each succeeding generation of people
has found more cruel and more sophisticated ways of destroying other people through war.
And they always tell themselves that, "This will be the war to end all wars." But it never happens.
So how is the rider of the white horse going to end all wars? What weapon does he have with which to do this?
The word used here for his weapon is unclear. It has been translated "bow". No arrows; just a bow!
The word doesn't occur anywhere else in the Bible
and the Greek lexicon seems to imply that the bow may be nothing but a piece of ribbon
rather than the string stretched tightly between two ends of a stick like that used by archers in the past.
Some weapon, eh?
So Jesus is going to conquer all the armies of the world with a limp piece of ribbon!
In the description of Jesus at the Battle of Armageddon, he has a sword
but the sword is not held in his hand; rather it comes out of his mouth.
Paul wrote, "The weapons of our warfare are not carnal
"but they are mighty through God, to the pulling down of strongholds."
To the Ephesians, Paul wrote, "We wrestle not against flesh and blood
"but against spiritual wickedness in high places.
"Wherefore, take unto you the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day...
"Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."
So our weapon is not a material sword, but rather the words of Jesus!
Spiritual weapons or not, people really will die at the Battle of Armageddon. God is not afraid of violence.
But he does insist that he be the one who does it
and not some over-zealous followers who want to fight a "holy war" in his name.
So the only weapons he gives to us are the teachings of Jesus.
If we are loyal to what God has said through Christ, he will provide us with weapons
that will do the job better than all the armouries of the earth when the time comes.
For now, we must, like the Lamb
be content to merely wave ribbon-like banners at the forces of hell if that is what God requires.
How unlike the philosophy of the institutional church
which has shown a proclivity for blessing the weapons on both sides of an armed conflict!
The third horse is black.
This horseman has the First Century equivalent of a cash register or calculator in his hand.
He is announcing the prices of various commodities.
People are being charged the equivalent of a day's wages for a basket of wheat or three baskets of barley.
These same working class people are forbidden to touch such luxuries as wine or oil.
The picture we have here is of the business world, in their black suits, black limos
and talking on their black mobile phones.
They have structured the world's economy in such a way
that most of the world struggles just to get the bare necessities of life
while a tiny minority enjoy all the luxuries.
Indeed, this horseman must represent Greed.
Greed was not challenged much in the Old Testament writings
but Jesus Christ saw mankind's desire to accumulate wealth as the root cause of all the world's problems.
He went so far as to teach that the spiritual choice we each face
is not whether we will work for God or work for Satan, but whether we will work for God or work for money.
His followers said things like, "The love of money is the root of all evil."
"Where do wars and fighting come from? Isn't it because you desire to have and cannot obtain?
"You fight and war, and yet you have not."
And "...Greed is idolatry."
The black horseman symbolises all the suffering and injustices
that have been poured out on the earth because of corporate greed.
The Christian answer is not to demand that the government do something about it
but rather it is that we will give of ourselves, all that we have!
Jesus said, "If anyone comes to me and does not give up all that he has, he cannot be my disciple."
He said, "Seek not what you shall eat or what you shall drink...
"for all these things do the nations of the world seek after.
"Rather seek the kingdom of God. It is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
"Sell what you have and give to the poor. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."
This is not a popular message, but it is the white horseman's answer
to the problems that now face the world.
If we turn and hide from this truth, then we will never be able to see the rest of the secrets of The Revelation.
The fourth horse--the grey one--is clearly named.
The man riding on his back has become widely known as the Grim Reaper.
The Bible says, "His name that sat on him was Death; and Hell followed with him."
The Bible says, "The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death."
But it will not be conquered through war and greed.
In fact, war and greed only hasten death for much of the world.
And they both overlook the fact that we are all going to die eventually anyway.
Money can buy food, clothing, shelter, and medicine. It can buy heart transplants and potency drugs.
It can pay for accommodation at the best health resorts and provide an environment that is virtually germ free.
But it will not stop the Grim Reaper from sooner or later appearing at your door.
And when that day comes, it will only be the Creator of life who will decide your fate for the rest of eternity.
He will not be impressed with either your money or your weapons.
Isn't it time to consider that maybe Jesus (the rider of the white horse)
really can conquer death with his "ribbon"?
We Christians have been saying for centuries that our Messiah rose from the dead... that he conquered death.
Today's world doesn't give much credence to that.
But who else is as qualified to give answers to the puzzles of life and death?
What if Jesus actually did rise from the dead? What if he can conquer death?
And what if he actually can give you eternal life? Wouldn't it be stupid to ignore him?
It has been said that even the richest people would sacrifice all their wealth to live another five or ten years
if they knew that they were only hours away from certain death.
They would, of course, be stupid not to.
In the face of death, things suddenly get into proper perspective.
But for the bulk of our lives most of us live as though we will never die.
This Christ, the date of whose death was predicted hundreds of years before he was even born
whose life has changed the course of history, who claims to be the Son of God
says that he can give eternal life to anyone who will put their faith in him.
True, he asks you to give up everything you own to follow him.
But is that really so much to trade for eternal life?
Leo Tolstoy, the world famous author of War and Peace, had this to say about life and death:
"We have learned to look ahead in every part of our lives; but we do not look ahead to where life itself is leading.
"You may do all you can to protect yourself from danger and sickness, but in the end a building will fall on you
"or a king will have you killed, or you will simply die in your bed with few people taking any interest in it.
"If you know ahead of time that all your strength will not be enough to win the war against death
"wouldn't it be better to change now, and use your life for something that will not be destroyed by death?
"If there is a meaning to life, it will not come in a life that is lived without faith and without God.
"To live a life with meaning, you must live one that is not destroyed by death.
"We have been tricked into doing very cruel things to make our lives better and safer.
"But only in working for God and others can we find true life... life that will not be destroyed by death."
In the Revelation, John saw that Jesus was really able to conquer war, greed, and death.
But he also saw that he did it without the usual weapons, and without money.
He saw that the answer to life lies in taking up your "cross" and following the Lamb to death if need be...
without hitting back, and without selling your short time on Earth to make money.
Are you ready to do that?
If you are, contact me at the address on screen so I can put you in touch with others
who are taking the teachings of Jesus seriously and living them out on a daily basis.
Thank you for listening.