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LAST THINGS

Great Tribulation

Part one

Popularly referred to as "the four horsemen of the apocalypse,'' this vision describes four destructive attacks on the earth.

 Amillennialists and postmillennialists believe the vision applies to all periods of history;

premillennialists believe the vision refers particularly to the end time. The white horse and rider represent the antichrist masquerading as Christ; the red horse represents warfare; the black horse represents famine; and the pale horse represents death. Some mistakenly see the first rider as a symbol of the church or of Christ. Revelation 19:11-16 reveals the return of Jesus Christ.

Dispensationalists often erroneously teach that the first rider is the antichrist.

The Seven Seals

REV 6:1 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. And he who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.

Four horses appear as the first four seals are opened. The horses represent God's judgment of people's sin and rebellion. God is directing human history--even using his enemies to accomplish His purposes. The four horses are a foretaste of the final judgments yet to come. Some view this chapter as a parallel to the Olivet Discourse   (see Mat 24). The imagery of four horses is also found in Zec 6:1-8.

Each of the four horses is a different color. Some assume that the white horse represents victory and that its rider must be Christ (because Christ later rides to victory on a white horse--19:11). But because the other three horses relate to judgment and destruction, this rider on a white horse would most likely not be Christ. The four      are part of the unfolding judgment of God, and it would be premature for Christ to ride forth as conqueror. The other horses represent    different kinds of judgment: red for warfare and bloodshed; black for famine; pale for death. The high prices of wheat and barley illustrate    famine conditions. But the worst is yet to come.

3 When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, "Come and see."

4 And 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.

5  When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, "Come and see." And 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."

7  When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, "Come and see."

8  And I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth.

6:1-8. The identity of the first horse will in large part be determined by the identification of the following three. The first horse is a deceiver posing as Christ. The second horse and its rider are said to take peace from the earth, and this, with the words slay and sword, indicates war. The third horse and its rider surely represent scarcity of food, though not altogether a famine. (The Roman coin denarius, here translated shilling (ASV), was the equivalent of a man's wages for a day of work. One measure of barley or grain was the average daily consumption of workmen). The fourth horse and its rider, more dreadful than any of the others, bear the very name Death. To them was given authority over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with famine, and with death, and by the wild beasts of the earth (ASV). In the light of the meaning of the second, third, and fourth riders, it would seem unreasonable to identify the first rider with the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the rider on the white horse in Revelation 19. When Christ does come, "conquering and to conquer," there will be no subsequent judgments, such as the second, third, and fourth horses represent.

Swete is correct in saying of the first horse, "A vision of the victorious Christ would be inappropriate at the opening of a series which symbolizes bloodshed, famine, pestilence." Even Torrance discerns this, though he adopts a strictly spiritual scheme of interpretation: "Can there be any doubt that this is the vision of anti-Christ? It so resembles the real Christ that it deceives people, even many a reader of this passage! . . . It applies whenever evil is mounted upon good and whenever spiritual wickedness conquers by borrowing from the Christian Faith" (Thomas F. Torrance, The Apocalypse Today, p. 44).

 Note that in these first four scenes there are no names of individuals, human or superhuman, no geographical terms, and no specific events. The judgments are, as it were, of a general nature: wars have occurred often on earth, and they are often accompanied by pestilence and by scarcity of food, if not famine conditions. This would seem to be, then, just a preliminary phase of the more terrible judgments to follow.

9  When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held.

The altar represents the altar of sacrifice in the temple, where animals were sacrificed to atone for sins. Instead of the animals' blood at the base of the altar, John saw the souls of martyrs who had died for preaching the gospel. These martyrs were told that still more would lose their lives for their belief in Christ (6:11). In the face of warfare, famine, persecution, and death, Christians will be called on to stand firmly for what they believe. Only those who endure to the end will be rewarded by God (Mar 13:13).

10  And they cried with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?"

11  And a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.

The martyrs are eager for God to bring justice to the earth, but they are told to wait. God is not waiting until a certain number is reached, but he is promising that those who suffer and die for their faith will not be forgotten. Rather, they will be singled out by God for special honor. We may wish for justice immediately, as these martyrs did, but we must be patient. God works according to his own timetable, and he promises justice. No suffering for the sake of God's kingdom, however, is wasted.

12  I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood.

 LAST THINGS,

Great Tribulation

12-17. Events transpiring at the opening of the sixth seal must be placed at the end of this age. This is perhaps the place to consider the question of celestial phenomena, so frequently referred to in the OT and NT Scriptures in passages relating to the end of the age. With the advent of Sputnik, a number of articles were published on this subject, some of which contain some very foolish statements.

The subject of celestial disturbances is introduced first by Joel, in texts that clearly point to "the day of the Lord" (1:15; 2:1-11,30,31). One passage in Joel (2:28-32a) is quoted by Peter in his great Pentecost sermon (Acts 2:16-21). There were no celestial disturbances at that time, so far as we know. These predictions were reiterated by Isiah, also, in relation to "the day of the Lord" (13:6-10; 24:21-23). Our Lord placed much emphasis upon this particular aspect of eschatology in the Olivet Discourse (Mat 24:29,31; Mar 13:24-26; Luk 21:11,25). All of these statements refer to the period "after the tribulation" (Mat 24:29), with the exception of Luk 21:11, which implies that there will be some celestial disturbances even before the Tribulation itself sets in. It is principally in the Revelation, however, that these disturbances are recorded as taking place. The first is set forth in the passage before us, at the time of the opening of the sixth seal. But this type of phenomenon occurs four times during the trumpet judgments, at the first, third, fourth, and fifth (8:8-9:2). During the pouring out of the fourth vial, the sun seems to be affected (16:8), and during the pouring out of the seventh vial, great stones fall down from heaven on men (16:17-21).

 A careful study of these passages seems to reveal that we are not to consider any unusual celestial aberrations before the Tribulation period as having prophetic significance. This is especially true of these devices made by man, important as they are; for the celestial manifestations referred to in the prophetic Scriptures are the result of a direct interference of God himself. On two occasions in the past, men experienced divine judgment in the form of great darkness: at the time of the ninth plague upon Egypt (Exo 10:21-23); and during the last three hours in which our Lord hung upon the cross (Mat 27:45 and parallels).

13  And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind.

14  Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place.

 Revelation 8:10  And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a   lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters;

Revelation 9:1  And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.

15  And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains,

16  and said to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!

17   "For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?"

Verse 17

At the sight of God sitting on the throne, all human beings, great and small, will be terrified, calling for the mountains to fall on them so that they will not have to face the judgment of the Lamb. This vivid picture was not intended to frighten believers. For them, the Lamb is a gentle Savior. But those generals, emperors, or kings who previously showed no fear of God and arrogantly flaunted their unbelief will find that they were wrong, and in that day they will have to face God's wrath. No one who has rejected God can survive the day of his wrath, but those who belong to Christ will receive a reward rather than punishment. Do you belong to Christ? If so, you need not fear these final days.