A Revelation Invitation

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. …

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. …

And I looked, and behold, a black horse! And its rider had a pair of scales in his hand. 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!” …

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. (Revelation 6:2,4,5b-6,8)

In chapter 5 our champion is presented to us, the one worthy to break the seals and open the scroll, the one who will preside as sovereign over the world’s lawlessness, the one who will lead us to victory over evil, sin and death. And what is the first thing revealed? Conquest, war, death and famine. Doesn’t sound much like the victory we were celebrating in the previous chapter.

Anyone who has tackled an addiction whether within yourself or in a friend or family member knows that the addict must usually “hit bottom” before recovery can begin. I wonder if that is what we’re witnessing here. The world’s powers in their pursuit of power, lasciviousness, money and more produces in that world the horrors attributed to these four horsemen. It appears that God allows them to operate as they choose in order to expose their evil designs. The fruit of their actions are what we see here: conquest, war, death and famine. It’s a miserable world they have created. It’s a world in need of redemption. Before there is any hope of true healing, the world must first suffer under the full weight of its evil ways.

This is the focus of the central part of Revelation (chapters 6-18): though righteous judgment is coming, we must first wait for the world to experience the full measure of evil. It’s a warning to believers and unbelievers alike not to attach their hopes to nor store their treasures in the world. Rather, we look to the Lamb. We await a Savior. That’s not easy when you’re suffering from conquest, war, death and famine. But, be assured that rescue is at hand.