The Four Horsemen

v.1:

Now we finally get a vision of what is going to happen during the tribulation.

We've all heard of the four horsemen, and here they are, riding forth after the rapture.

With the church removed, and therefore the restraining work of the Holy Spirit removed, the earth is about to suffer catastrophes of an unheard of magnitude.

The first seal is broken, and these four horsemen are here to fire the opening volley of God's wrath upon the sin cursed, unbelieving world.

As these events are poised to unfold, John is told to "come and see."

As we witness Christ break the seven seals of the scroll, We'll see that each seal unleashes a new judgment on the earth.

These seals include all the judgments of the tribulation.

The seventh seal contains the seven trumpets; the seventh trumpet contains the seven bowls.

v.2:

The first seal lets loose a rider on a white horse, and the description is stunning.

However, appearances can be deceiving, and we need to take a closer look at this rider.

He is carrying a bow, has a crown, and is a conqueror, but a simple comparison will confirm that this is not Jesus Christ.

The first horseman (the conqueror) is not Jesus Christ, he is a counterfeit

Revelation 19:11-16

Revelation 19:11–16 NKJV

Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS

In Chapter 19 we see the arrival of Christ on the scene, and the millennium follows.

Christ is also a conqueror, but He is referred to as faithful and true, He is said to judge in righteousness.

These descriptors are missing in regards to our horseman here in chapter 6.

Jesus has eyes of fire, meaning that He can see into the deepest and darkest depths of your soul. The Horseman in chapter six has no such ability.

Our horseman here has a crown, but Christ has many crowns.

The robe of Christ is dipped in blood, representing His work of salvation, yet our horseman has done no such thing. In fact, he comes to steal and destroy.

Christ gives life, the conqueror takes life

John 10:10

John 10:10 NKJV

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

Jesus does not carry a bow, but a sword.

He is identified as The Word of God, The King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.

Our horseman has not been identified by name.

Make no mistake, this horseman is a counterfeit Christ, he's an imitation.

The true identity of this horseman is the antichrist.

The bow is a symbol of war, but the absence of arrows implies that this victory will be won primarily by covenant, not by war.

The conqueror is our first look at the anti-Christ in Revelation

Daniel 7:8

Daniel 7:8 NKJV

I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots. And there, in this horn, were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words.

Daniel 7:24-27

Daniel 7:24–27 NKJV

The ten horns are ten kings Who shall arise from this kingdom. And another shall rise after them; He shall be different from the first ones, And shall subdue three kings. He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, Shall persecute the saints of the Most High, And shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand For a time and times and half a time. ‘But the court shall be seated, And they shall take away his dominion, To consume and destroy it forever. Then the kingdom and dominion, And the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, Shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And all dominions shall serve and obey Him.’

Daniel 9:24-27

Daniel 9:24–27 NKJV

“Seventy weeks are determined For your people and for your holy city, To finish the transgression, To make an end of sins, To make reconciliation for iniquity, To bring in everlasting righteousness, To seal up vision and prophecy, And to anoint the Most Holy. “Know therefore and understand, That from the going forth of the command To restore and build Jerusalem Until Messiah the Prince, There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; The street shall be built again, and the wall, Even in troublesome times. “And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; And the people of the prince who is to come Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, And till the end of the war desolations are determined. Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate.”

At first, the majority of his conquering will be done through treaties and false promises of peace.

He will start out as insignificant (little horn), and shrewdly work his way to world dominance

People will voluntarily follow him. People will speak his name with reverence, and he will be worshipped.

Jesus prophesied about this:

Jesus prophesied about the anti-Christ

John 5:43

John 5:43 NKJV

I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive.

The fact that he appears with the breaking of the first seal, is reinforcement that the antichrist is revealed at the beginning of the tribulation.

This is further confirmation of a pre-tribulation rapture, rather than mid or post-tribulation.

As noted in 2 Thessalonians, the anti-Christ is revealed at the beginning of the tribulation

2 Thessalonians 2:7-8

2 Thessalonians 2:7–8 NKJV

For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.

vv.3-4:

Although the antichrist will attain much power on the world stage, total domination will escape him.

Though many will follow, not all will, and his treaties and promises of peace will not be able to ensnare the entire world.

Ultimately war will ensue, and on a global scale, as God gives this horseman the power to create worldwide war.

We see some of these things happening today. We have unrest and war, famines and increasing earthquakes, but they have not yet risen to the scale that they will during to tribulation.

Even now, the pieces are all being put into place, the stage is being set.

Everything happening in the world today is leading to this eventuality, but what we are seeing now is just the beginning of sorrows.

The events happening today are just the “beginnings of sorrows”, God is simply setting the stage for what is to come

Mark 13:7-8

Mark 13:7–8 NKJV

But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles. These are the beginnings of sorrows.

vv.5-6:

When war ensues, people no longer till the fields, and food often becomes more scarce and expensive.

The results of this worldwide war will be more catastrophic than ever.

This third horseman will bring the destruction of the majority of earth's food supply.

Food will be rationed, and it will drive the prices to unbearable levels.

Grocery prices toady are, by far, the highest we’ve ever seen. Everyone has felt the effect, but it’s nothing compared to what the tribulation will be like.

It will cost a day's wage to buy enough food to sustain a person for a day.

Simply put, people will be driven to poverty in their attempt to procure even a meager amount of food.

It will be a miserable time, but it will get worse.

vv.7-8:

The fourth horseman will bring the resulting death from the miserable conditions created on the earth.

Covid was devastating, and many people wondered if it could be a plague of Revelation. It’s not even close.

¼ of the population will be killed. This death will be the result of war, hunger, disease, and even animals.

in today's numbers, with a population of about 8 billion, the result would be about 2 billion people killed.

With the church removed, and no consistent witness for Christ, few people will yet have come to salvation after the rapture.

That means that the vast majority of these deaths, will be those who die outside of faith in Christ.

For them, death will not be an escape from the horrors of this world, it will lead to something far worse. . hell.

As believers, we must redeem the time that we have on this earth for the glory of God.

That means that we need to be His witness today.

That means that we need to be sharing the Gospel now.

We need to be making disciples while there is still time.

The Tribulation will see a staggering number of souls killed, only to find a worse fate than what they left behind in death.

The best work that we can do now, is to see as few people enter into the tribulation as possible.

We need to be about Christ and His work.