THE BOOK OF REVELATION- PART 6

I have said before, and I will say again, that the nearly all the things recorded here refer to events that were not far into the writer's future. About 2 years to be exact. That doesn't mean we can't draw parallels and learn lessons. It is not unreasonable to conclude that the same kinds of dire events are headed for our world if we keep on the path we are on.

 

 

 

This is one of the most famous parts of the Book of Revelation. The 4 Horsemen.

 

 

 

The colors of the 4 horses are White, Red, Black and a Sickly Green, sometimes translated as pale The greek word is Chloros.

 

 

 

6 Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say, as with a voice of thunder, “Come!” 2 And I saw, and behold, a white horse, and its rider had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.

 

Remember Jesus said He was coming with the clouds?

 

 

 

First, let's jump ahead to chapter 19.

 

 

 

11 Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! He who sat upon it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. 12 His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems; and he has a name inscribed which no one knows but himself. 13 He is clad in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. 14 And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, followed him on white horses. 15 From his mouth issues a sharp sword with which to smite the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron; he will tread the wine press of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has a name inscribed, King of kings and Lord of lords.

 

 

 

Are these 2 different riders on 2 white horses? I do not think the text supports that. I believe you are seeing Jesus herald the start of the war in chapter 6 and the victory in chapter 19.

 

 

 

Recall that Jesus said "I am coming with the clouds"? Consider this incredible excerpt from Michael Barber's book, citing the words of the Jewish historian Josephus Flavius.

 

 

 

The prophecy of the four horsemen may actually have found a fulfillment in a vision seen by many right before the destruction of Jerusalem. Josephus records signs that occurred in the city, which seemed to signal the coming of the end: "[A] certain prodigious and incredible phenomenon appeared; I suppose the account of it would seem to be a fable, were it not related by those that saw it, and were not the events that followed it so considerable a nature as to deserve such signals, for before sunsetting, chariots and troops and troops of soldiers in their armor were seen running about among the clouds". After narrating this, Josephus goes on to tell about a prophet who warned of a "voice from the 4 winds" which corresponds to what John sees at the beginning of the nest chapter (7:1)

 

 

 

Josephus was a Jewish historian not a Christian zealot so this is pretty incredible stuff.

 

 

 

Bottom line? When Jesus is sent fourth on the 1st horse, the war begins.

 

 

 

3 When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” 4 And out came another horse, bright red; its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that men should slay one another; and he was given a great sword.

 

Jesus first publicly decrees the destruction of Jerusalem at the start of His ministry in 30 AD and promising that it would come to fruition in 1 generation. The word gene means about 40 years. By the time John has his vision in 68 AD, the sequence of events was already unfolding. The widespread civil unrest, and the resulting persecution under Nero, had led to the deaths of both Peter and Paul and the exile of John to the Island of Patmos. This absolute upheaval was well under way. It's dire consequences were about to accelerate.

 

 

 

5 When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” And I saw, and behold, a black horse, and its rider had a balance in his hand; 6 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; but do not harm oil and wine!”

 

What follows is straightforward. As the Romans began to formulate their attack on Jerusalem, the first step is to cut off the supply lines. This causes runaway inflation, rationing and obviously leads to more upheaval and crime. A denarius was a day's wage so it literally took a full day of work to buy enough food to last for just that day.

 

 

 

What is staggering is the last line.

 

 

 

but do not harm oil and wine!”

 

Why does the Living creature stipulate that the oil and wine are not to be harmed?

 

 

 

First the oil. You recall the lampstands (Menorahs) mentioned earlier? These were used in the Jewish worship and these visions obviously instruct that this is to continue. The Menorah was lit with pure, consecrated olive oil. The Miracle of Hannukah is a foreshadowing of Christmas, the miracle of light. On December 25th, 165 BC, the Temple lamps were lit with the one day's supply of oil that was not desecrated. Miraculously, the lamps stayed lit for 8 days. The 8 days of Hannukah foreshadow the first 8 days of the life of Jesus from His birth on December 25th to being circumcised and named on January 1st.

 

 

 

Clearly the sacred oil, now used in the Christian worship (The Mass) will not be allowed to suffer desecration. The same is true of the wine. Earlier we were told of the hidden Manna which is the bread that becomes Christ's body, now we are told that the wine that is changed into His blood is also sacred and protected.

 

 

 

The Hannukah miracle is small compared to what happens here. The Christians are preserved from this onslaught by miraculous intervention.

 

 

 

7 When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” 8 And I saw, and behold, a pale horse, and its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed him; and they were given power over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth.

 

The famine and resulting pestilence and violence that naturally follow, are the next phase of the horror. This is another verse people seize on as pointing to the end times and that a quarter of the world's population would die from famine and disease and pestilence and wild animals. First, remember that to the Jews and Christians of the 1st century, Jerusalem and it surrounds were the whole world.

 

 

 

The siege on Jerusalem was part of an operation that lasted about 8 months. Since these verses precede the actual invasion on the city, it would seem to suggest that about 1/4 of the total 1 million deaths occurred by the famine, pestilence and violence leading up to the actual invasion.

 

 

 

9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne; 10 they cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before thou wilt judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell upon the earth?” 11 Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.

 

In the Old Covenant, the blood of the sacrifice was collected under the altar. Here, under the heavenly altar the newly sacrificed- the martyrs- cry out for vengeance against those of the earth. They are cautioned that the number of martyrs is soon to filled up, triggering the wrath of God.

 

 

 

The words of Jesus are hauntingly familiar from Matthew 23:

 

 

 

29 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, 30 saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’

 

31 Thus you witness against yourselves, that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. 33 You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell? 34 Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from town to town, 35 that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of innocent Abel to the blood of Zechari′ah the son of Barachi′ah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. 36 Truly, I say to you, all this will come upon this generation.

 

37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, killing the prophets and stoning those who are sent to you! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not! 38 Behold, your house is forsaken and desolate. 39 For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

 

12 When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, 13 and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale; 14 the sky vanished like a scroll that is rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. 15 Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the generals and the rich and the strong, and every one, slave and free, hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, 16 calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; 17 for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand before it?”

 

If you take this language in it's literalist sense rather than it's literary sense, you have to explain how every mountain is removed in verse 14 yet they hid in the mountains in verse 15 and cried out to them in verse 16.

 

 

 

The Sun and the Moon and the stars were used to measure time and the mountains and islands were places of retreat. The mountains will not be available as a place of retreat for the condemned but only for the elect:

 

 

 

 These apocalyptic warnings are exactly the kind Jesus gave in places like Luke 21

 

 

 

20: "But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near.   

 

21: Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it;   

 

22: for these are days of vengeance, to fulfil all that is written.   

 

23: Alas for those who are with child and for those who give suck in those days! For great distress shall be upon the earth and wrath upon this people;   

 

24: they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led captive among all nations; and Jerusalem will be trodden down by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.   

 

25: "And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and upon the earth distress of nations in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves,   

 

26: men fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.   

 

27: And then they will see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.   

 

28: Now when these things begin to take place, look up and raise 

 

 

 

The images of the Sun turning black, the Moon turning Red, The stars falling, the sky rolling up are all a very dramatic way of saying that time is up and God's wrath against Jerusalem is at hand and it would be better to have a mountain fall on you than to face it.

 

 

 

We will see you next time for part 7.