Revelation 6:1-2 “Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, "Come and see." (2) And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.”
In this section we want to discuss the opening of the first three seals and what impact that has had on the earth. In the above quoted passage of scripture we see that when Jesus opened the first seal of the scroll, the apostle John was shown a vision of an angel sitting on a white horse and carrying a bow. This angel was given a crown and a specific mandate to go into all the earth conquering and to conquer. In other words this angel was given authority to prosecute war in the earth. This is not a unique concept, for scripture teaches us that God has placed this current world in subjection to angels (Hebrews 2:5). For example, scripture teaches us that there is an angel who has been given authority over fire in the earth (Revelation 14:18), and there are other angels who have been given authority over the four winds of the earth (Revelation 7:1).
Matthew 24:6-7 “And you will hear of wars and rumours of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. (7) For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.”
Wars are not unique to the end times, for both history and present-day events confirm that wars have always been and continue to be ongoing in the earth. And so we see that from the moment Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden that the angel on the white horse was released into the earth, and continues to this day to fulfil his mandate to instigate wars in the earth. In the above quoted passage of scripture the Lord Jesus spoke about the work of the angel on the white horse, when He mentioned wars and nations rising against nations and kingdoms rising against kingdoms. When our Lord spoke about these things He said that war would be part of the beginning of sorrows in the earth, thus implying that wars would increase as we draw closer to the end of the age (Matthew 24:8). In that regard it is important to note that over time, wars have certainly increased both in number and in severity. For example, in the last century and for the first time in history, the earth has experienced two world wars.
Revelation 6:3-4 “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.”
In the above quoted passage of scripture we see that when Jesus opened the second seal of the scroll, the apostle John was shown a vision of an angel sitting on a fiery red horse. This angel was given a great sword and a specific mandate to take peace from the earth and that people should kill one another. In other words this angel was given authority to promote violence and lawlessness in the earth. Clearly this angel began his work in the earth from the moment Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden, for we have the account recorded of their eldest son Cain killing his brother Able.
Matthew 24:12 “And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.”
In the above quoted passage of scripture our Lord Jesus spoke about the work of the angel on the fiery red horse, for He spoke about lawlessness increasing in the earth. Violence and lawlessness also forms part of the beginning of sorrows in the earth that our Lord spoke about (Matthew 24:8). In other words violence and lawlessness will increase in the earth as we draw closer to the end of the age. Both history and present-day events have validated our Lord’s comments, because over the last few decades we have certainly seen an increase both in violent crime and lawlessness in the earth. Clearly the angel on the fiery red horse continues to this day to fulfil his mandate, to take peace from the earth and to promote violence and lawlessness.
Revelation 6:5-6 “When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, "Come and see." So, I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. (6) And I heard 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 the wine.”
In the above quoted passage of scripture we see that when Jesus opened the third seal of the scroll, the apostle John was shown a vision of an angel sitting on a black horse. This angel had a pair of scales in his hand and was given instructions to set the price of wheat and barley, while ensuring that oil and wine were not harmed. In other words this angel was given authority to cause famine and poverty in the earth while increasing the wealth gap among its citizens. We can understand that concept by looking at the two categories of food mentioned in this passage and the different treatment applied to each category. The first category consists of basic foods such as wheat and barley and it is in this category in which prices are set. The second category consists of more luxurious items such wine and oil and it is this category that the angel was to ensure was not affected. So what does that mean? It simply means that those who can afford only the basic foods (i.e. the poor) will be affected by food price increases, while those who can afford luxurious items (i.e. the rich) will remain unaffected by said price increases. In other words this angel has been given a mandate to ensure that the poor are to become poorer while the rich are to become richer. That is exactly what is taking place in the earth today, for the poor are becoming poorer and the rich are becoming richer as the wealth gap between rich and poor widens every day.
Matthew 24:7 “And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.”
Our Lord Jesus also mentioned the work of the angel on the black horse, for in the above quoted passage of scripture Jesus spoke about famines increasing in the earth. Famine also forms part of the beginning of sorrows in the earth that our Lord spoke about (Matthew 24:8). Both history and present-day events confirm that the poor are increasing in the earth. However, not only are the poor increasing in number but they are also becoming poorer, while the rich are becoming richer with every passing day. Clearly the angel on the black horse continues to this day to fulfil his mandate to cause famine and poverty while increasing the wealth gap in the earth.
Michael E.B. Maher
Comments