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.[1]
This
seal tells the church that history will experience seasons of death by
unnatural means. It is as though the word of God says, “Picture it like this:”
We are to picture certain experiences of death as a rider on a pale horse going
around the earth with authority to kill a quarter of the population, and send
them to their graves. Such things will happen even as God’s plans and purposes
are unfolding as promised.
The
fourth living creature is “like an eagle in flight”.[2] I can see how there is at least a similarity between the rider and
its horse focusing on death, and the fourth living creature looking like an
eagle, which is a terrifying adversary for many creatures of the earth.
The fourth living creature calls someone to “come” out and do something. The four
living creatures, as representatives of God, call forth this rider and his
horse, authorizing them to carry out their deadly work. Perhaps this is a
reminder to the church that the things described are not accidents against the
divine will. They are things that fit the work of God.
What we see when something appears, is a “pale horse” with a rider named “Death,” followed by “Hades”. These three together form an ugly,
deadly, terrifying trio. They have one purpose, and they are authorized to
carry it out. Everything about them exudes the feeling of death coming to get
someone.
Death and Hades are “given
authority” by God. The Christian is to see these things as authorized by
God. They are not accidental things. They are not things that corrupt or hinder
the work of God. God told Adam that sin would bring forth death. Death comes to
us all because all have sinned. Some people will die through the means
described in this seal. Christians are not to be surprised by this.
The authority given to Death and Hades was over “a fourth of the earth”. This does not
mean that death would not come to three-quarters of the earth. It means that,
this particular seal, and the particular ways that death will come to people as
described in this seal, are to be seen as touching a quarter of the earth.
The distinctive characteristic of this fourth seal is that
it will result in people being killed with “sword
with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth.” All these
refer to death as the result of something happening from outside the person. These
are not things people will experience through disease, or accidents, but by
certain things happening in the world.
“Sword” likely
covers any instrument of death. The sword was simply the most common weapon of
the day, very well-known through the Roman Empire’s conquering of the Mediterranean
world. Long before John wrote the Revelation, his brother, James, had been put
to death by the sword.[3]
Famine, pestilence, and wild beasts, cover the other ways
that Death and Hades will do their work. These
things will happen, and Christians may go through such experiences, but none of
these things are to be considered a hindrance to the fulfillment of God’s
promises for his people.
The continuing theme seems to be that whatever is in these
seven seals cannot stop God’s people from experiencing what God has promised
for us. Jesus opens the seals, showing things that will take place all around
the work and will of God, while revealing that everything God has written will
be fulfilled.
Because God’s encouragement is often directed at our fears,
I think it is fair to say that, while God shows us the kinds of things that
will happen in the world as revealed in the seals, his real focus is the
scroll. We are not to live by our fears of what is happening, or what may
happen around us. We are to live “by
every word that comes from the mouth of God,”[4] including whatever is written on the scroll.
In the end, we will see that “the one who endures
to the end will be saved.”[5] Everyone who has called upon the name of the Lord
will be saved.[6] We are not to be disheartened just because bad
things happen in the world, even when bad things happen to believers. God’s
will is going to be done, so persevere until the end, no matter how our end
comes.
From
my heart,
Monte
© 2014 Monte Vigh ~
Box 517, Merritt, BC, V1K 1B8 ~ in2freedom@gmail.com
Unless otherwise
noted, Scriptures are from the English Standard Version (The Holy Bible,
English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway
Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.)
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