THE FOUR HORSEMEN OF REVELATION 6 – PART II
Let’s stand together and open our Bibles to Revelation 6, as we continue with part II of one of the most astounding prophecies in God’s word, “The Four Horsemen of Revelation 6.”
Revelation 6:3 When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come and see.” 4 Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword. NKJV
REVIEW
The four horsemen of Revelation 6 are among the most well-known characters in the Bible. For centuries, the world has searched for the meaning of these four horsemen and their arrival upon the world stage. But now, in our generation, we can see their shadows looming upon the world. The arrival of these horsemen is so close, that if we were to place our ears to the ground, we can hear their hoofbeats as they prepare to sprint across the world stage.
Last week, we saw when Jesus opened the first seal, He released a rider on a white horse. The Bible calls this rider the beast, and he will be a beast far more terrifying than anything the world has ever known. He will explode upon the world scene with promises of world peace, but instead of peace, he will bring world conquest and terrible destruction. He will be a global dictator and will force every person to take his mark without which no one will be able to buy or sell. The deadly terror of this rider that strikes fear in the heart of men, is that all who take his mark, will forever lose their soul, and those who refuse to take the mark, will have their heads cut off. It is these acts of conquest and his deception of false peace that ultimately leads to the opening of the second seal…
THE SECOND SEAL
Revelation 6:3 When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come and see.” 4 Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword. NKJV
When Jesus opens the second seal, He releases a fiery red horse, known as a horse of war.
This prophecy reveals three things about this future red horse. First, he takes peace from the earth. Second, he will cause people to kill each other. Third, he is given a great sword.
TO TAKE PEACE FROM THE EARTH
The first thing about this red horse that captures our attention is that he is given the authority to take peace from the earth. Immediately after the rapture, and before the start of the tribulation, there will be at least two great wars, one being the Magog War of Ezekiel 38, and the other is most likely a world war, that will probably be WWIII.
However, for the red horse to take peace from the earth, there must first be a time of peace. What that says to me is that after the rapture, and after the world experiences a world war, the antichrist will suddenly appear on the world stage with promises of peace.
When Jesus opens the first seal and allows the antichrist to ride across the world stage, he will not be wearing a black t-shirt with a tattoo of an upside-down cross that says I am the antichrist. He will be a world politician, and he will have real answers for world peace.
In his quest for world peace, he will forge a 7-year peace covenant or treaty with Israel and
many other nations that will fulfill the prophecy of Daniel 9:27 that starts the tribulation.
I personally believe he establishes this covenant of peace with Israel, because after the Magog War and the Psalm 83 war, Israel will be a very powerful end time nation of military might with a powerful economy. The antichrist and the world will recognize that in order to have world peace, Israel must be a part of that peace.
But… here’s the point; this covenant of peace, is a false peace without God. It is a peace that rejects God. In spite of God delivering Israel from the Magog armies, Israel will believe the antichrist is their promised Messiah and will turn to him for their peace rather than to God.
God does not want Israel, or anyone, to believe and trust in the false peace of the antichrist. To turn the world away from the false peace of the antichrist, Jesus opens the second seal, and allows the red horse to take away this false peace from the earth. Because, true peace without God is impossible.
World leaders are constantly trying now to establish peace, but it never works because you cannot have peace without God. World leaders desire a one world government and a leader to lead them so they can establish peace on their terms; which is peace without God. The problem is, God says, “There is no peace for the wicked.” That’s why when Jesus opens the second seal, He allows the red horse to take away this false peace from the earth, because true peace is not found in the antichrist, but only in Jesus Christ, who is the Prince of peace.
TO KILL EACH OTHER
Second, how will the rider of the red horse take peace from the world? He will do it in two ways. First, he will cause people to kill each other, and second, he is given a great sword to bring forth great and terrible wars that are beyond our comprehension.
When I see this picture of people killing each other, I think of Jesus words when He said;
Matthew 24:12 because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.
The dramatic increase of Lawlessness and evil not seen since the days of Noah is rising all over the world, and is a sign that the spirit of antichrist is rising. However, as bad as it is now, after the rapture, and after the red horse is set loose, there will be a level of lawlessness and killings that will far surpass anything we see today.
The Spectrum News Report stated that in 2022, hate crimes and murder rose 44% in major
cities all over the America, breaking records. I realize people have been killing each other since the dawn of time, but what we see today is just a taste of what is to come, and after the rapture, it will explode across the world. Think about this.
When the rapture happens, and every believer in Christ is immediately removed from this world of sin, the only people left on earth are lawless unbelievers who have rejected God. Get that picture in your mind. Those who are left behind will be overwhelmed with fear and despair, as lawlessness will become the rule of life with a survivalist attitude to either kill, or be killed.
The rapture will cause mass confusion and a worldwide economic collapse that is beyond
our ability to imagine. Nations will collapse. Banks will fail. Food will be scarce.
Lawlessness that has been held in check by the Spirit of God, will be completely removed,
and a unprecedent level of lawlessness and evil will sky rocket all over the world, as the red horse sprints across the world destroying peace and bringing worldwide death.
With that in mind, look at Revelation 13:5…
Revelation 13:5 And he (Antichrist) was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months. 6 Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. 7 It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. (That means he will kill them.) And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation. NKJV
The antichrist will have a major role in the world’s killing spree. He will turn those who hate God, against those who love God, and cause the world to believe that those who love God are the enemy and they must be killed. Imagine a world so lawless they will joyfully kill those who choose Jesus over the mark of the beast. How will they do that?
Listen to Revelation 20…
Revelation 20:4 I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. NKJV
I believe there will be a massive number of people who will turn to Christ after the rapture, but… they will pay a huge price with their lives in their stand against the antichrist.
So… my point is, if you do not know Christ, now is the time to turn to Him. Now is the time to repent, because once the rapture happens, you will be left behind to face a world of terror that is so evil, there are no words powerful enough to describe its horrors and wrath.
Killing and wars in the tribulation will be so bad that Jesus said…
Matthew 24:21 there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. NKJV
Jesus Christ who never lies said the last days will be time of great and terrible tribulation.
Paul said the last days will be perilous times, and full of lawlessness. As bad as things are now, the world has not yet seen the fullness of perilous times that is still to come. When Jesus opens the second seal and releases the red horse, lawlessness and killing will be unchecked and rampant all over the world.
DO NOT overlook the sign of lawlessness. The sign of lawlessness is a warning that the red horse is preparing for his gallop across the world. It is a warning that the rapture is near, and that judgment is coming for the people of planet earth.
THE RED HORSE SWORD OF WAR
Third, when Jesus releases the red horse, he first takes peace from the earth, he then causes people to kill each other, and he is also given a great sword. It is shocking and appalling the magnitude of death this red horse will bring upon the world when he uses this great sword. The world has always been plagued with wars, but… in Revelation 6, when Jesus opens the second seal, and releases the end time red horse of war, the world will experience wars, above all wars. The wars in the tribulation will not just be world wars, but nuclear wars that will far surpass anything the world has ever known.
This red horse of war will bring forth a massive world war that will result in the death of ¼ of the world’s population. Get that picture in your mind, that in first part of the tribulation, ¼ of the world’s population dies from war and famine. No wonder Jesus said…
Luke 21:26 men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. NKJV
It is no wonder Jesus called this time period “The Great Tribulation” where more than 1/4 of the world’s population is killed in the first 3 ½ years, and at least another 1/3 of the world’s population is killed in another war in the second half.
That’s almost 60% of the world’s population and that does not count all of the other killings and deaths that happen in this time. One fourth of the world’s population would equal around 2 billion people. That’s more than all the people in the entire western hemisphere.
It will be so bad in the last days, Jesus said;
Matthew 24:22 unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened … NKJV
A very interesting point about red horse, is that in the days of Jesus, there was no technology available that could kill every person on the planet. We are the first generation in history that has the technology to fulfill this prophecy, and many other prophecies that speak of world wars and nuclear weapons, and not only is it now possible, but there are nations who are making that very threat. We live in the age of nuclear weapons, and Bible prophecy reveals there will be nuclear wars in the final days.
According the Center for Defense, the US had more than 35,000 nuclear weapons and each one is 25,000 times more powerful than the Hiroshima bomb of 1945. It is estimated that Russia and China not only have more nuclear weapons than the US, but they also have unique H-Bombs that are far more devastating than any other weapon on earth.
The thing about weapon technology is that the greater the technology, the greater the deaths in war. We have land-based missiles, submarine missiles, bombers that carry missiles and missiles in outer space. The US, Russia, and China have thousands of intercontinental-thermal nuclear missiles can reach any part of the world in less than 30 minutes.
After the rapture there will be massive wars. One is the Magog war, which will involve Israel against Russia, Iran, Turkey and a great number of other nations. Just in case you think this huge conflict is years away, consider that on Feb. 3, 2023, worthynews.com posted an article by retired Israeli Col. Jacques Neriah that stated “a pre-emptive Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities is no longer a “maybe” for Israeli PM Netanyahu, but is only a matter of “when” to do it, and how much preparation is needed.”
Bible prophecy also shows there will be at least 2 major nuclear wars in the tribulation that
results in the death of over half of the world’s population. That does not include additional
wars like the campaign wars of the antichrist, and the last days battle of Armageddon.
My point is, in the days of Jesus and the prophets, there were no weapons that could destroy the world. But now, in our lifetime, we have the exact kind of weapons that Bible prophecy said would exist in the final days, that would bring worldwide destruction and death.
So, when Jesus releases the four horsemen, they will sprint across the world, bringing wars, and death to so many souls that it staggers our minds.
We are the first generation in history that has the capability to fulfill all of these end time prophecies. To me, that is direct proof that the Bible is true, and that Bible prophecy is 100% accurate, and… that we are very close to the days of Christ’s return.
IN CLOSING
In closing, I am totally deaf in my right ear, and I have a severe hearing loss in my left ear, but even with that, I can hear the pounding hoofbeats of these four horsemen. The Bible says when we see this day approaching, and when we hear the hoofbeats of the four horsemen, then know without any doubt, that the time of Jesus return for His church is very near.
This is exactly why Jesus said…
Mark 13:29 when you see these things happening, know that it is near—at the doors! 30 Assuredly,
I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. NKJV
It is shocking the number of people, including Christians, who are totally unaware of these prophetic signs and just how close we are to what is about to happen.
The world is indifferent to the things of God and especially Bible prophecy. That’s why I preach Bible prophecy to warn you of these things, and to compel you to give your life to Christ. Those who reject Christ will face a world so terrible that Jesus said men’s hearts would fail them and… that it will be the worst time in human history.
But… But… glory to God, for those who are in Christ, know Christ and love Christ, we will
not be here when these terrible judgments strike the world. Instead, we will be with the Lord, singing praises to His name, and watching from heaven as these events take place.
But again, those who are left behind, will face a world gone mad, filled with horrors so terrible that it is impossible to describe. Perhaps, hopefully, you are thinking, I really don’t want to be here when this all goes down. If that describes you, now is the time to turn to Jesus Christ and receive His wonderful gift of salvation…
John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes
in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. NKJV
Jesus said, you must be born again, which is to be born spiritually by believing that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the only way of Salvation. Believing in Jesus Christ is absolutely
the only way to miss the horrific events that are coming to planet earth.
What a blessing it is, to know that those who are born again in Jesus Christ, will not see one
single day of the tribulation. Instead, you will be removed from this world in the great event called the Rapture. Even So, Come Lord Jesus!
