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I looked on when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a thunderous voice, “Come!” So I looked, and here came a white horse! The one who rode it had a bow, and he was given a crown, and as a conqueror he rode out to conquer.
Revelation 6:1 – 2
Let me state, right up front, this is not the Messiah.
It astonishes me that this bears clarification, but the fact remains that there are those in the world even now, who do not recognize this – obvious though it should be. I wish that was a “straw-man”… I really do. It is my earnest hope that what follows is, for most if not all of you, painfully remedial. I know for too many however, that it won’t be. It did not escape my notice that, as I prepared to write this very article, Joel Richardson published a video teaching in which he addressed the exact same issue. There are no coincidences.
Moving on, the first clue any ardent student of scripture should note regarding the enigmatic figure who is the first of four horsemen, is that his coming stands in defiance of the stated chronology of the Messiah’s return…
Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not arrive until the rebellion comes and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction.
2 Thessalonians 2:3
Make no mistake, we will we see the rise of the Man of Sin / Perdition / Lawlessness / Torah-lessness otherwise known as the Anti-Christ or Anti-Messiah years before we will see the return of the one true King. The sad truth is that if we cannot distinguish between them in scripture, we stand no chance of distinguishing between them in reality.
For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will mislead many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. Make sure that you are not alarmed, for this must happen, but the end is still to come.
Matthew 24:5 – 6
Before we continue I feel it pertinent to address the issues of context and how we are to approach the writings of the Apocalypse. Some may argue that the language used throughout the description of events from this point forward are symbolic. Others may argue that they are literal descriptions of physical events.
I argue that they are both.
That’s not hedging, that’s what I earnestly see when I read through this, and other prophetic texts. I’ve been known to liken scripture to an onion; it has a multitude of layers and as we peel them back, we discover a wealth of knowledge and meaning not immediately obvious at first glance. If you have not done so, I recommend reading through the article Spiritual / Dimensional before moving forward. Understanding of the physically real nature of those matters we may otherwise deem as “spiritual” is integral to understanding the nature of the events we’re about to explore.
The fact is, whether or not we are able to physically see these events unfold, John is absolutely describing very real, very physical events in painstaking detail as he witnessed them. To approach these passages with anything less than a proper perspective is to defeat our attempt to rightly divide and understand before we’ve even begun.
The Man of Torah-lessness
Let’s be perfectly clear; the rider on the white horse, who goes forth “conquering and to conquer” (KJV), is the Antichrist. There is however, more to this particular issue than one might realize up front.
As I stated previously, the coming of this figure contradicts the chronology of the second coming of Yeshua, but there are further clues within the account that tell us who this really is, like the bow. Genesis 9:13 tells us that He set his bow in the clouds immediately following the events of the great flood. Your translation may say “rainbow”, but the context and language would better indicate a warrior’s bow.
Know that Yeshua does not come with a bow, He comes with a golden crown upon His head and wields a sharp sickle upon His arrival… which we don’t see until chapter fourteen:
Then I looked, and a white cloud appeared, and seated on the cloud was one like a son of man! He had a golden crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand.
Revelation 14:14
This rider is further identified by those riders which follow, loosely summarized as War, Pestilence / Famine and Death.
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come so that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.
John 10:10
Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t to say their won’t be death following the return of Messiah, there absolutely will be, but what’s being described here is absolutely not that.
If you recall, last week I identified the scroll upon which these seven seals currently reside, as the “Title Deed to the World” – is it any wonder then, that the moment the first seal is broken by the rightful owner of said deed, the present occupier of authority would take such insidious action as to send forth his counterfeit “messiah”? Understand that not only is everything the Adversary does a copy of that which the Father does, but also a mockery, because it is an inversion. Think about that the next time you see or hear “as above, so below”.
Moving on…
The Second through Sixth Seals
Then when the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come!” And another horse, fiery red, came out, and the one who rode it was granted permission to take peace from the earth, so that people would butcher one another, and he was given a huge sword.
Revelation 6:3 – 4
If you stop and think about this for a moment, we have a completely logical progression of events in front of us. The first rider went forth as a conqueror and, immediately on his heels, after the second seal is broken, war breaks out across the Earth. The language used would indicate that the ensuing conflicts are excessively violent – it’s one thing to fight or wage war, it’s another thing to butcher.
Then when the Lamb opened the third seal I heard the third living creature saying, “Come!” So I looked, and here came a black horse! The one who rode it had a balance scale in his hand. Then I heard something like a voice from among the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat will cost a day’s pay and three quarts of barley will cost a day’s pay. But do not damage the olive oil and the wine!”
Revelation 6:5 – 6
Again, we see a completely logical progression. War has overtaken the Earth with excessively violent force and, now we see famine. Whether this is the result of economic inflation, slash and burn tactics or a combination of factors, the true impact of this rider will be fully realized in the breaking of the next seal.
Then when the Lamb opened the fourth seal I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come!” So I looked and here came a pale green horse! The name of the one who rode it was Death, and Hades followed right behind. They were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill its population with the sword, famine, and disease, and by the wild animals of the earth.
Revelation 6:7 – 8
Here we see the culmination of the riders and the completion of the logical sequence. Notice that as the fourth rider goes forth, Hades (better known these days as Hell) follows right behind. Notice also that that they are given authority to kill one-quarter of humanity “with the sword, famine, and disease, and by the wild animals of the earth.”
What I am trying to highlight here is that each rider operates with increasing influence, wielding and expanding the affects of the previous rider. The Antichrist begins his conquest, igniting increasingly violent wars, resulting in famine, which brings further death by way of more war, famine, disease and, in the weakened state of humanity at this point, even wild beasts.
Things at this point will be looking pretty bleak, but we as believers and bond-servants to the one true King must always remember who is actually in control… and He has yet to take “center stage”. In all, one could liken these events to that of a cosmic temper tantrum. It’s as though the Adversary, recognizing that he is rapidly approaching his just end, begins throwing anything and everything at the situation in a fit of unbridled rage.
Now when the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been violently killed because of the word of God and because of the testimony they had given. They cried out with a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Master, holy and true, before you judge those who live on the earth and avenge our blood?” Each of them was given a long white robe and they were told to rest for a little longer, until the full number was reached of both their fellow servants and their brothers who were going to be killed just as they had been.
Revelation 6:9 – 11
Have you ever stopped to consider why these martyrs are under the altar?
The altar is the place of offering – not the place in which a sacrifice was slain, but the place on which it was presented to and offered before the Lord. These are those who have lain down their very lives for the word of the Living God – they chose to sacrifice themselves, to pay the cost of their own lives rather than bow down before the spirit of the age. It is fitting, therefore, that they reside here, in the place of offering and acceptance, to await their reward, standing as a testament to the faithfulness of YHVH.
Furthermore, we see that there are to be more as they are told to rest a while longer “until the full number was reached“. If you are still holding on to the twisted hope that these are “tribulation saints” or some such ‘not me!’ theology, then I don’t know what to tell you.
Then I looked when the Lamb opened the sixth seal, and a huge earthquake took place; the sun became as black as sackcloth made of hair, and the full moon became blood red; and the stars in the sky fell to the earth like a fig tree dropping its unripe figs when shaken by a fierce wind. The sky was split apart like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved from its place. Then the kings of the earth, the very important people, the generals, the rich, the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who is seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb, because the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to withstand it?”
Revelation 6:12 – 17
So exactly how symbolic is this? I contend that it is “not very”.
Earthquakes can and do happen. The sun can and does get darkened. The Moon can and does turn red. “Stars” can and do “fall”. Can God roll up the sky like a scroll? Rhetorical question – He’s God, He can do whatever He wants. Am I to believe that mankind will figuratively try to hide themselves from the wrath of the Lamb? How exactly would that work?
Moreover, if we accept this as literal, we have to ask ourselves if there was a shift in context or narrative from the previous passages? I personally don’t see one and logic dictates that if we haven’t shifted from symbolic to literal, then these things wouldn’t be literal and the preceding passages symbolic… you follow?
As for what’s transpiring here, I see creation readying itself for redemption…
For I consider that our present sufferings cannot even be compared to the coming glory that will be revealed to us. For the creation eagerly waits for the revelation of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility—not willingly but because of God who subjected it—in hope that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage of decay into the glorious freedom of God’s children. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers together until now.
Romans 8:18 – 22
All of creation awaits the day of redemption. It knows it’s under a curse and I believe that within this passage we see it lunging forward to that end. When Yeshua breaks this seal, the Earth responds, the sky responds, the heavens respond and mankind, voluntarily or not, responds.
Know that, to this point, nothing constitutes the wrath of God. Everything that happens up to this point, happens in response to the King of the Universe claiming His rightful authority as He goes about the work of redemption and restoration. We have seen the wrath of the Adversary, we’ve seen the depravity of man and the eagerness of creation for redemption but we have not seen God’s wrath… yet.
Until next time,
שלום עליכם – Shalom Aleichem – Peace Be Upon You