"Who Is in Charge?" Sermon: Revelation 6:1-8 (manuscript)

 

“Who Is in Charge?”

Revelation 6:1-8

1/28/24 YouTube

As we looked at chapter five of Revelation, we saw John’s vision of the throne of God, the beings around the throne, and the worship that is given to God in Trinity.  The chapter ends with the scene of all of Creation being asked who can open the scroll with the seven seals, and no one is initially found.  Then John sees the Lion of Judah, the root of David, and the slain Lamb, Who is praised as worthy to open the seals of the scroll.

As we begin to look at the opening of the scrolls, it is important – as always – to remember that the book of Revelation is a book written to comfort the Christians of the first century who are suffering horribly for their faith, and all Christians going forward.  Jesus says to the disciples, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33, ESV).

          Jesus is Sovereign over the chaos.  What Jesus says gives His people peace.  In this life, believers will suffer for their belief in Jesus – to various degrees – though we ought to be ready for the worst tribulation but hold on to the peace that Jesus gives.  In the midst of the suffering, we will endure for Jesus, we ought to take comfort in knowing that Jesus has overcome the world and the suffering and the chaos that we endure. Paul writes, “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,” (II Timothy 3:12, ESV).

          As we see the slain Lamb – the Lamb Who shed His blood sacrificing Himself to pay the debt we owe God for our sin – we see the slain and living Lamb open the first four seals. The opening of these seals show us “The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse” – as they are called together – popularly – and in an attempt to terrify the very people that Jesus said to be at peace and to take comfort – because no matter what horrible thing happens to us – and evil will befall us – Jesus tells us to take comfort – He has triumphed over the world and over the chaos – for us.

          That doesn’t mean everything will be honey and roses.  But it does mean that Jesus is in charge.  The One Who loves everyone who will believe throughout time and space. It does mean, as we will see, Jesus directs and controls the horsemen to carry out His direction.

          Many of us will know some sort of horror story about the four horsemen – like the boogeyman or the headless horseman.  This is something different from those stories.  It is an image that is used elsewhere – as in the book of Zechariah:

“On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, which is the month of Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, son of Iddo, saying, ‘I saw in the night, and behold, a man riding on a red horse! He was standing among the myrtle trees in the glen, and behind him were red, sorrel, and white horses. Then I said, “‘What are these, my lord?’” The angel who talked with me said to me, “‘I will show you what they are’” (Zechariah 1:7-9, ESV).

“Again I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, four chariots came out from between two mountains. And the mountains were mountains of bronze. The first chariot had red horses, the second black horses, the third white horses, and the fourth chariot dappled horses—all of them strong” (Zechariah 6:1-3, ESV).

          “Now I watched when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say with a voice like thunder, “’Come!’”

          As the Lamb opens the first of the seals, one of the seraphim speaks with the voice like thunder, calling the first horseman – “Come!”

“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.”

We will remember that white is the symbol for holiness.  The color of the horse reflects the Rider of the horse.  The rider of the horse is a conqueror Who conquers, and a crown is given to Him. He is given the crown of the winner of the athletic events – even the crown of royalty. These are given to Him.

John tells us who this is later in the book of Revelation:

“Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords” (Revelation 19:11-16, ESV).

As we have noted before, the book of Revelation is a series of cyclical tellings of the same story.  We ought not read the book of Revelation straight through as a linear story.  It is the same story told seven times with different symbols and intensities.

The sons of Korah sing of King David and forshadow the greater David, Jesus, Who was to come and is to come, “In your majesty ride out victoriously for the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness; let your right hand teach you awesome deeds! Your arrows are sharp in the heart of the king’s enemies; the peoples fall under you” (Psalm 45:4-5, ESV).

What is Jesus, the Rider on the white horse, doing? 

We ought to note here that each of the riders are given something.  There is something that each rider has to be given to accomplish his task – something that he does not innately have.  In the case of the Rider on the white horse – Jesus – rather being born of normal human generation, He was given to be born by the Holy Spirit, the Son of Mary and the Son of God.  He is given to be both wholly God and wholly human, indwelled by God the Holy Spirit.

Jesus – in His life, death, resurrection, and ascension – conquered sin and death and hell.  He because our Substitute before God as the slain Lamb – Jesus is the Victory, the Conqueror, and He has made all we who believe conquerors with Him.

Jesus rides on through history on behalf of His people.  He is riding through the world and history to spread to Gospel and comfort the Church in the midst of tribulation.  The other horses and their riders are to be seen as part of the promise given to the Church of comfort – and victory – even though there will be tribulation until the return of Jesus.

Jesus is the Rider on the white horse – the King – Who is the Lamb – and gives His people comfort in Him as He leads us through the tribulation to eternity in His conquest.

          Three horses and their horsemen follow Jesus, and Jesus is in charge of them.  We do not need to be afraid of them because we will never be separated from the love of Christ Jesus.

“When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, ’Come!’ 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.”

The second seraphim cries out with a loud voice – Come! – and the second horse and his rider comes forth.

This is a disturbing promise – and it goes against those who teach that once we believe in Jesus we will be healthy, wealthy – and wise – a lie.

This is the persecution of the Church throughout time and space.  And Jesus gives the rider on the red horse permission to slaughter – especially those of the Church – with a great sword.  Why would Jesus allow this?

Jesus told the disciples, “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household” (Matthew 10:34-36, ESV).

Jesus promises: “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?’ And Jesus answered them, ‘See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, “I am the Christ,” and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.

‘Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come’” (Matthew 24:4-14, ESV).

“Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,” (II Timothy 3:12, ESV).

War, bloodshed, and tribulation will come upon all true believers – to one extent or another – to show Who this is Who saves His people for the due punishment of their sins.

The red horse and his rider are symbolic of the tribulation – even to death – that the Church will suffer before Jesus returns – like the tribulation the Church was suffering then and that continues today. But be comforted:  all those who believe savingly in Jesus will come through the tribulation into the Kingdom that is being prepared for us.

“When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, ‘Come!’ 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!’”

Again, the third seraphim cries out, “Come!” and the black horse and his rider comes forth. And he has been given a pair of scales.

The scales are not scales of truth or justice. The scales are the scales of inflation that leads to famine. Inflation is when the money you have today buys less than it did yesterday. Here we see that the rider on the black horse has been given permission to cause extreme inflation so what we need to buy today – not luxuries, but necessities – cost many times more than they did yesterday.  This will lead to extreme poverty.

          Here we see that one denarius will buy a quart of wheat, and a denarius will buy three quarts of barley. Yesterday, one denarius bought a quart of wheat flour, and a denarius bought three quarts of barley flour.  Today, the same amount of money will not buy flour, only the grain.  The same amount of money will buy food that is worth less.  Inflation. As it takes more money and more work to buy the necessities of life, you slide into poverty.

          The oil and the wine can only be purchased by the super rich.

          Jesus gives the rider of the black horse the power to cause inflation to the point of famine.  All the things that are necessary for life will be beyond the purchase of many.

          Yet, remember the words of Jesus to the Church in Pergamum, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it” (Revelation 2:17, ESV).

“When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, ‘Come!’ 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.”

          A fourth time, the fourth seraphim cries out, ‘Come!’ A pale horse comes out and the rider’s name is death.  He is given the authority to kill one fourth of the earth – twenty-five percent of the earth.  He is given the authority to kill with the sword, famine, pestilence, and wild bests.

          Why? Why is he given the authority to kill one fourth of the earth?  Why is he given the authority to kill twenty-five percent of the earth?

          We know due to the sin of our first parents, we will all die unless Jesus returns first.  So, why – here and now – are twenty-five percent of the earth given to the rider of the pale horse to kill?

          The answer is that twenty-five present is all Jesus allows the rider of the pale horse to kill.  Remember that Jeus is in charge.  Jesus is always sovereign over all. Jesus is victorious over all. The Lamb Who was slain is our God and King and Savior. He allows some of the Church to be slaughtered.  He allows some of the Church to suffer extreme poverty.  He allows some of the Church to die by sword and famine, and plaque, wild beasts, and natural disasters.

          Even so, we are persevered through the tribulation.

          “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, ‘For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.’ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:35-37, ESV).

          Christians can see the work of the four horsemen more clearly that the rest of the world.

          We understand that all these things are happening under the Sovereignty of the Triune God, and that knowledge should give us a God-centered realism.  God tells us all we need to know for faith and salvation, and we understand that Jesus is in charge.

          Let us pray:

          Almighty God, when we look at the world around us, we can be afraid at the wars and diseases and persecutions we see.  Comfort us in knowing that You are in charge of every molecule in all of Creation.  Help us to read about the four horsemen and see that Christians will suffer until Jesus returns, yet, in His Sovereignty, He draws a line before the horsemen and tells them, “This far and no further.” Everything that occurs comes from the Hand of Him Who loves us – though we will suffer.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.