The Four Horseman

We are living in difficult times. Russia has lost it’s mind and invaded the Ukraine causing death and harm to millions of people. Due to this war, inflation has increased even more than it was before … it’s just a difficult time.

Let’s start…

1 John 4:2–3 NIV84

2 This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

Anyone who does not acknowledge that Jesus is God has the spirit of the antichrist. It’s not the AntiChrist, but there is a person, the Anti-Christ that is coming. He will come with solutions to solve all of the worlds problems and deceive millions.

I am a Pre-trip guy. I believe that we will go up in the 1st elevator… the Rapture of the church.

Jesus is coming again but the spirit of the end times is here.

Tribulation begins with the 4 houses of the apocalypse.

The Four Horses

Revelation 6:2 NIV84

2 I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.

The White horse is the Anti Christ.

The White horse: Disruption & Deception

There will be a lot of chaos and the antichrist will come with supposed solutions that are actually filled with deception.

Next...

Revelation 6:4 NIV84

4 Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make men slay each other. To him was given a large sword.

The Red Horse: Fear & violence

We have this spirit right now. Look at the violence all over the world.

Next...

Revelation 6:5–6 NIV84

5 When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. 6 Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, “A quart of wheat for a day’s wages, and three quarts of barley for a day’s wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!”

This is talking about big time inflation… look familiar?

The Black Horse: Economic Collapse

These are going to happen. I am saying this to prepare you.

Next…

Revelation 6:8 NIV84

8 I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.

We have not experienced this kind of death. COVID was bad, but this will kill about 2 billion people.

The Pale Horse: Disease & Death

The spirit of these horses is here.

Jeremiah prophesied of a time… when the people of God will not be ready for it. For the last 2 years we have been wanting to go back to normal… I don’t think the normal we knew before is going to happen again?

Running with the Horses

Jeremiah 12:5 The Message

5 “So, Jeremiah, if you’re worn out in this footrace with men, what makes you think you can race against horses? And if you can’t keep your wits during times of calm, what’s going to happen when troubles break loose like the Jordan in flood?

I want you to be able to run with these horses.

As much as I would love to change the circumstances of many things going on in the world, I can’t. But what I can do is to give you God’s Word so that you can rise above it. We will make it… we can run with these horses.

You can be in a season of disruption… of disease and death… of fear and violence and economic collapse and you can rise above all of it.

If you want to study the end times read 1 Thess 4 & 5. In chapter 5, there is a break in the description of what’s going to happen at the end. It’s a check list.

1. Run with covering

IOW, you are nto going to try to run alone… you are not going to try to handle this by yourself. You were not designed to go through life, especially difficult times alone… that’s why God placed us in families… and even spiritual families.

God has spiritual authority in your life for your good and not for your oppression. He puts structures in place for your good.

Civil Leadership

Spiritual Leadership

Work Place or School

Parents

So Paul starts this check list.

1 Thessalonians 5:12–13 NLT

12 Dear brothers and sisters, honor those who are your leaders in the Lord’s work. They work hard among you and give you spiritual guidance. 13 Show them great respect and wholehearted love because of their work. And live peacefully with each other.

We have to learn the principle of honor. My dad taught my brother and I to honor him and mama.

If you honor your parents, no matter how dishonorable they may be, watch how God will bless you. I am not saying that you submit yourself to abuse.... but honor. In my heart, I want to do everything I can to stay up under the coverings that God has placed in my life. Why?

We are always better together

Don’t get disconnected, Run to those safe places of covering in your lives.

2. Run with ministry

Approach the problem not with the view point of, How is this going to affect me… look what he says…

1 Thessalonians 5:14 NLT

14 Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those who are lazy. Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone.

He is saying that we have a choice of being someone who is going to protect ourselves? Or are we going to help others in these days of the horses.

One of the ways people get out of depression is to have purpose in your life. It’s almost impossible to get out of a state of depression without knowing why you are here. The moment you start doing something to help others, it helps you.

If you find your self in a place where this season we are in is causing you fear and makes you want to run and hide you will end up deeper in depression. But if you will step up and say, I was made for this season.

The antidote for needing ministry is to do ministry.

If you are whining about needing help… maybe you need to step up and help someone.

3. Run with Grace

Mercy - not getting what you do deserve

Grace - getting something you did not deserve

A lot of people are mercy oriented, but we also need to be grace oriented.

1 Thessalonians 5:15 NLT

15 See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people.

Give them mercy when they do something evil to you. Then look… grace them… do something good. If we will not only forgive people when they do evil to us, but if we will actually do something good for people, it will make a huge difference in them. People are on edge… have been for the last 2 years.

God is calling us to step into situations people are in and doo good… it will make a difference.

Les Miserabe. - Jean Val jean - steals from the priest… gets caught… priest forgave him and gave him the stuff he stole. The tendency is to take… to go to court and get it. But God is calling us to bless people who hurt us.

Don’t give people what they deserve. Give them what they need.

4. Run with joy

1 Thessalonians 5:16 NLT

16 Always be joyful.

It’s difficult a lot of times. How do you remain joyful when things are not going well? … when you feel like crying? … when the future is so uncertain? … when we are at the cusp of an World War?

There is only one answer. You have to make a choice. You won’t fell like it, you just have to do it.

Nehemiah 8:10 NIV84

10 Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

We have to make the choice to run with joy. It doesn’t help to be depressed and angry… we can choose to be joyful.

Joy is a decision. Look what Paul said...

Philippians 4:4 NIV84

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

Re-joice… We have to RE-JOICE

Joy is the determined choice to praise God in all things. Kay Warren

If you just apply these four things in your life, you will be able to keep up with the horses.

Summarize points… Stay under covering… Run with ministry… Run with grace… Run with Joy

The joy of the Lord will be my strength...

Melvin Maxwell… John Maxwell’s dad. Strong witnesser. He would just come right out and ask, do you have a relationship with Jesus? When asked why he was so direct, he replied, Why would I want to be anything but direct when trying to give them something that will change their lives?

Let me ask you today?

Do you Know Jesus?

You may be wondering if you will make it through the issues you face in your life right now… or may be you look at what’s going on in the world right now… you wonder if you will live very long.