Four Unruly Horsemen

Revelation 5:1-14

Revelation 5:1–14 (ESV)

Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”

And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying,

“Worthy are you to take the scroll

and to open its seals,

for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God

from every tribe and language and people and nation,

and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,

and they shall reign on the earth.”

Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice,

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,

to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might

and honor and glory and blessing!”

And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying,

“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb

be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”

And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

The Lamb of God, Jesus Christ Himself, is the only one worthy to open the scroll. He opens the scroll and when He does the horrors of the Tribulation begin.

John was standing there and he says:

Revelation 6:1-2 “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!” 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.”

Whoa!!! The rider on the white horse. Crowned with with a victors crown. Coming into power through peace but not without authority. The bow expresses power and strength of force. The white is peace and comfort during a time of upheaval and stress. There will be no blood shed through the rising of this powerful horseman as it is the Antichrist who will peacefully come in and take control. This horseman will capture the hearts and souls of men and women. The Dark Prince on a White horse. This power paves the way for the next horseman.

Revelation 6:4 “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.”

With this rider there will be civil upheaval and terror. He will cause grief and strife throughout the world. There will be wars and rumors of wars that will cause strife and death of many. The peace that was established by the first horseman will be quickly shattered by the next one. His sword will shatter many hearts and take many lives. Oh but his attacks will be nothing like the next rider.

Revelation 6:5-6 “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!”

After war and destruction comes famine and death by starvation and massive inflation. This rider calls out that a days wage will buy only a days fare of food. You will have only enough money to buy one loaf of bread and nothing else. This will cause major famines and pestilence too. The world will writhe in the clutches of stabbing hunger. The people for lack of food will become less healthy and begin to succumb to plagues and pestilence that they normally would not. This will set the stage for the rider of the White Horse to take full and complete control of the world. But these riders only prepared the way for the final horseman.

Revelation 6:7-8 “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.”

This is the Grim Reaper and the gravedigger traveling together. Death slays the body while Hades swallows up the soul. There will be massive numbers of death in the wake of the horsemen. One fourth of the world’s population will be gone. They will be taken by war, famine, and wild beasts. These will be animals and the wild beasts of Antichrist's kingdom his political and military powers.

The Coming

These riders will come soon. How soon? We do not know. What we do know is that they are not a joke or a gimmick but real and certain to come. They will bring death and destruction to the world on a scale that no one has ever seen before. There is a way to avoid the dangers of them and that is to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ today. Jesus Came and died and was buried and rose again for the forgiveness of your sins. When you place your faith in Him for your salvation, you will receive everlasting life and not face this destruction nor any other destruction. As Jesus said in John 11:25-26 “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” The believer never dies but will always live with Jesus.

The question is, Do you believe?