The Four Horsemen
The first four seals unleash the Four Horsemen, but why?
First, we should recognize that John isn’t the first prophet to see visions of different colored horses—check out Zechariah 1:8-10 and 6:1-7. Zechariah first sees peaceful horses, but peace is undesirable. As long as the nations are content, Israel’s (miserable) situation won’t change. The status quo needs to be challenged; only then will God’s people be able to draw others to worship. Later Zechariah sees the chariots charging off to give the world this message. Now, in light of Zechariah’s vision, what do John’s four horsemen symbolize?
The First Horseman—sent forth to conquer—is ambiguous. Some think he is the Messiah, bringing the victory of the Gospel, a victory that is assured, no matter what the other horsemen bring. But that victory has been accomplished by the lamb; we don’t need to unseal the scroll’s secrets to reveal it. Probably this Horseman represents the sort of conquering that builds empires. His bow is the weapon of the Parthian army. Parthia, successor to Persia, was the rival to Rome. John may be hoping for a Parthian victory over Rome.
The Second Horseman—removes “peace” from the earth. This is likely the pax romana, a stability that comes through oppression rather than the intended shalom (peace, wellbeing, wholeness of God). But make no mistake, ending this peace brings suffering. Just as oppression held the violent rivalries of Bosnia or Iraq in check, so the removal of this “peace” opens the door to devastation and chaos.
The Third Horseman—is ushered forth with the saying about the cost of wheat and barley rising with nothing happening to the wine and oil. The prices listed are roughly eight times the usual costs. The necessities of life are scare while luxuries remain, as the oil and wine are unharmed.
The Fourth Horseman—His horse is sickly pale, a pale greenish gray associated with death. The horseman is personified Death, more powerful than ever, and Hades follows after him.
The Four Horsemen bring destruction: war, violence, economic disaster and famine, and death, and they go together. There is nothing sacred about the sequence of destruction; the reality is what is important. The quarrels, ambitions and greed of the powerful bring about destruction. So it was then, and so it is now. John has simply described the tangled mess of human history. No new world order will ever fix this destructive pattern—only the revelation of God’s plan can remake creation.
Issues to consider:
Revelation describes, more than predicts, reality. It isn’t hard to see evidence of the Four Horsemen in this or in any age. The question is why are they included in the scroll of God’s plan? Why does God allow evil powers to conquer in his creation? How does the presence and power of evil impact faith and a relationship with God?
God’s plan looks pretty destructive (but hold off judgment just yet). To what extent can we say that the Four Horsemen are doing God’s will? Is there such thing as necessary violence? Can peace be a bad thing?
We cannot stop the pattern of destruction. What is a Christian response, then, to chaos and violence?
Seals Five, Six and Seven
The fifth seal brings our attention back to heaven as John sees the souls of martyrs gathered under the altar—just in case you were wondering where the dead in Christ are now. John envisions a heavenly temple, just like the earthly one. The martyrs want justice and vindication—do they want vengeance, too? The souls are given white robes and told to wait—not all the martyrs are there yet. Thus we see that martyrdom is part of God’s plan, although with the next seal we will also see the consequences of killing the saints.
The sixth seal brings ominous signs common to apocalyptic literature and the Old Testament—stars fall, the moon is like blood and the sun goes black. This is not the end—we still have a long way to go! The signs are what we would call “earth-shattering events,” which could be social or political, not necessarily natural. The powerful now hide, rightly recognizing that these events demonstrate God’s wrath aimed at those who killed the martyrs. Also mentioned is the lamb’s anger—a strange phrase—is the lamb fiercer than we realized? The victory of the lamb is also judgment on the destructive powers, God’s (and the lamb’s) anger respond to the difference between what is and what should be.
Judgment is interrupted to bring a vision of the 144,000: 12,000 from every tribe of Israel. The tribal names are not quite right, probably because the apocalyptic tradition associated the Tribe of Dan with the anti-Christ and idolatry. In Ezekiel 9:4, we read about a similar sealing, where the faithful remnant of Jerusalem is marked. The 144,000 also represents a faithful remnant, and we should not assume they are necessarily all ethnic Jews—for John Judaism has to do with faithfulness, not genetics. These 144,000 are promised protection, although not from suffering and death, based on what comes next.
Now John sees a crowd too many to number—is this the same group now expanded, or are the 144,000 a special subset of believers? The reference is not clear since John does not say anything more about the sealed remnant. At any rate, the group was not protected from death and suffering, but they are now sheltered with God’s presence. The innumerable group is triumphant, with palm branches of victory. Faithful perseverance has brought them through the difficult times of the first six seals. It is easy to see the God of Revelation as one of destruction and anger, but notice how this section ends. God’s punishing judgment is on those who have rejected the message, but mercy and love characterize his relationship with the faithful. What about the rest of creation? We will have to wait for the rest of the story. Finally the seventh Seal brings silence: just a dramatic pause of anticipation for what is next.
Issues to consider:
The martyrs and the crowd have come through suffering and death. The sealing protects them from being lost, but not from suffering. What then does it mean to be saved? Is salvation only a promise for the future world, or is there a divine presence now?
God’s anger falls on the powerful, and there is no opportunity for repentance. There is no forgiveness for those who killed the martyrs, and thus those souls under the altar are vindicated. Do you think there are acts that are beyond forgiveness? How can justice and forgiveness both be part of the Christian message?
Martyrdom may seem like a victory for the bad guys, but John assures his churches that the opposite is true. God’s plan even requires an unspecified number of martyrs! Why? What does martyrdom do for the witness and message of the Gospel?