3When the Lamb broke the second seal, I heard the second living being say, “Come!” 4Then another horse appeared, a red one. Its rider was given a mighty sword and the authority to take peace from the earth. And there was war and slaughter everywhere.
Revelation 6:3-4
What intrigues me is the brevity and succinctness of the statements made with each horse and rider! I don’t know if you have had the same reaction as me or not. It strikes me as thought provoking that the build-up to the scroll, the nature of the seals, who is worthy to open them and all that involves, adds to the tension and mystery. Yet when we come to moment of revelation, the opening of the seals, after all, that is what this Book of Revelation is about, the revelation as such is so brief. Planned and structured but in essence brief without much detail. I will address this matter when we have finished looking at each of the first four seals as they belong together as a unit.
When it comes to the structure of the first four riders, I would have expected the following set structure for each one:
- {As I watched,} the Lamb broke the first {of the seven} seals . . .
- I heard one of the living beings say
- I looked up and saw a {colour} horse standing there.
- Its rider {had, was given, was accompanied by} . . .
- A final concluding statement related to ensuing mayhem or specific result.
The introduction for this second horse has a subtle variation which reads when translated:
When the Lamb broke the second seal, I heard the second living being say, {Come! / Go”}. Then another similar horse went out, a red one, and its rider [the one sitting on it], it was given to him {the authority / the task} to take the peace from the land, and that they may slay one another, and there was given to him a great sword. [Literal Version]
There is no “looking up and seeing a red horse standing there”. Rather it is as though this red horse has gone out already at the command of God or the Lamb. The second living being (perhaps the ox) has made the call or spoken the word to go and the rider and horse have gone. Who is doing the sending? God and the Lamb of course, but it is not the Lamb of God Himself who is going. I have greyed out the words {the authority / the task} because those words are not present in the text, but they are implied. Literally the text reads “It was given him to take the peace from the land that they might slay one another and it was given him a great sword.” It is clear that this rider has been given the authority or the task to take the peace from the earth. What does “take the peace from the earth or land” mean?
The Greek word for land is the word [γῆς] or [γῆ] which we have already encountered in Gem 2244 where the word encompasses the whole earth or land. How does God take peace from the earth? Simply by removing the restraining influence in order to allow humans to act without restraint. Imagine the chaos. That is what is being described here. The words “that they may slay one another, and there was given to him a mighty sword” are interesting to say the least. “Taking the peace from the earth” means all peace will be gone. The definite article with peace indicates all peace is what is at stake.
[σφάζω] sphazō is not a normal word for kill, it’s a strong, graphic word which describes the action. It is not a case of just killing something or someone but a verb which means {‘to slay’, ‘slaughter’, ‘butcher’ or ‘murder with violent action’}. Notice too, the text is not describing an invasion of countries which is what occurred in the historical accounts of the seven churches that I gave you. An event with which the readers of this letter were all too familiar. No, in this case, they are slaughtering etc one another; not international warfare or even intertribal warfare but fighting among themselves resulting in sheer mayhem. Society gone mad, violence person-to-person within nations, between people of the same tribal group.This is reminiscent of the following verses:
Then the LORD said, “My Spirit will not strive with humans for such a long time, for they are only mortal flesh. In the future, their normal lifespan will be no more than 120 years.” Genesis 6:3
They deliberately forget that God made the heavens long ago by the word of his command, and he brought the earth out from the water and surrounded it with water. Then he used the water to destroy the ancient world with a mighty flood. And by the same word, the present heavens and earth have been stored up for fire. They are being kept for the day of judgment, when ungodly people will be destroyed. 2 Peter 3:5-7
When God removes the brakes, when the Spirit of God is no longer present to restrain human kind, anything can happen.
It is interesting that the [μάχαιρα μεγάλη] /sword great/ indicating a ‘great or mighty sword’ was given to the rider, refers perhaps to the Roman long sword. Commentators conclude that what is likely in focus here is the Roman long sword. But the mayhem described is more likely to be caused by the Roman short sword, the one used for in-fighting up close and personal. Does this mean the rider was the one using the sword and going out to do the killing? I think it’s the inhabitants who are doing the killing and the mighty sword is just symbolically in the hands of the rider on the red horse. After all, the rider is not the one killing all of those butchered personally, it’s mankind who are slaughtering each other.
The action associated with the red horse and rider doesn’t paint a pretty picture and there are still two more horses of the apocalypse to come.
People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.
George Orwell
Peace comes not from the absence of trouble, but from the presence of God.
Alexander MacLaren
Peace doesn’t come from finding a lake with no storms. It comes from having Jesus in the boat.
J. Ortberg
Any way you cut it, when you remove the restraints of peace, the animalistic nature of humanity manifests.
Ian
The red horse does not paint a pretty picture what are you leading us into Ian and what does it say about the current conflict in the Middle East?
That’s a good question Ross. Do you see how these first four seals open up the scene related to the four horses? How do these four horses fit together? They form a unit; they’re written to hang together structurally and logically.
I am reading in ‘Israel & Christians Today’ about the 4 Red heifers being ready for the Temple by Passover and maybe it should be linked to Revelation 6:3-4 and the current conflict? Abu Obeida, a military spokesman for Hamas, said that the aggression against “our path Al-Aqsa” reached its peak with the “bringing of red cows.”
I was captivated by your work just as much as you were. Your sketch is tasteful and your written material is stylish. However, you seem to be anxious that you will be delivering something questionable in the near future. I agree that you will likely resolve this issue soon and return to your usual high standards.
Thanks Judah. I always want to be faithful to the Word of God and check out what I have to say against the whole counsel of God. So when I come up with a new perspective on a text I will tell my readers when I am working something through and holding it in tension.