If I Were Told the Future - Lesson 32

The Rider on a Red Horse

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The Rider on a Red Horse

Let's pray together:

Lord,

We now wish to deepen our study of the seven seals, and we humbly ask You to guide us by Your Holy Spirit, during this lesson.

We know that we aren't worthy to understand these things, not even worthy to search Your Holy Word.

But we have confidence in Your promises, and we know that You will answer our prayer, not due to our own merits, but thanks to those of Jesus Christ our Savior. In His precious name we pray.

Amen.

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The Rider on a Red Horse

Revelation 4:1	Comments
After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, ŤCome up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.ť	The opening of the seven seals, which Jesus has made possible, reveals to us Ťthings which must take place after thisť. Now, let's study the second seal.
Revelation 5:5
Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.

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Revelation 6:3	Comments
When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, ŤCome and see.ť	The second seal immediately brings out a detail which was not so obvious in the first seal. The rank of the living creatures corresponds with the rank of the seals: first creature with first seal, second creature with second seal, etc.
Revelation 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, ŤCome and see.ť

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Revelation 4:7	Comments
The first living creature was like a lion.	Though we will study more closely the four living creatures in a future lesson, we can already see that the first living creature, which is like a lion, is similar to the rider of the first seal, Jesus Christ, the Lion of the tribe of Judah.
Revelation 5:5
Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.

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Proverbs 30:29-31 (Darby)	Comments
There are three things which have a stately step (...): the lion, mighty among beasts, which turneth not away for any; a horse girt in the loins; (...) and a king, against whom none can rise up.	The lion, just like the Ťhorse girt in the loinsť and the Ťking against whom none can rise upť, is a perfect illustration of the first seal and its rider, Jesus Christ, the victorious King of kings, who Ťwent out conquering and to conquerť (Revelation 6:2).
Proverbs 28:1
The righteous are bold as a lion.

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Revelation 6:3	Comments
When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, ŤCome and see.ť	Now, let's move on to the second seal. The second living creature, which introduces this seal, is like a calf. While the lion is associated with conquest and victory, the calf carries a completely different symbolism. What is this symbolism?
Revelation 4:7
The second living creature [was] like a calf.

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Numbers 15:8,9	Comments
And when you prepare a young bull as a burnt offering, or as a sacrifice to fulfill a vow, or as a peace offering to the Lord, then shall be offered with the young bull a grain offering.	The calf (or young bull) refers to the sacrificial system instituted by God under the old covenant. Besides the burnt offering, the sacrifice of a calf was meant to fulfill a vow, or, as a peace offering, to express one's gratitude towards God. Is the symbolism of the calf relevant to the second seal?

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Revelation 6:4	Comments
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.	The entire content of the second seal is contained in this verse. The calf is indeed very relevant in illustrating this seal, marked by the shedding of blood. The second seal corresponds to the second letter, addressed to the church of Smyrna, which describes the period from A.D. 100 to 313, a time marked by the horrifying persecution of the believers.

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Revelation 2:8-10

Comments

And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write,

Ť(...) I know your works, tribulation, and poverty (but you are rich); and I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.

Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days.

Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.ť

Just like the second seal, the letter to the church of Smyrna describes a period when blood is shed.

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Revelation 6:4,5,8	Comments
And another horse, fiery red, went out. (...) And I looked, and behold, a black horse. (...) And I looked, and behold, a pale horse.	In our last lesson, we saw that the first four seals present four horses, each of a different color. We also noticed that a similar symbolism can be found in the book of the prophet Zechariah.
Zechariah 1:8
I saw by night, and behold, a man riding on a red horse, and it stood among the myrtle trees in the hollow; and behind him were horses: red, sorrel, and white.

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Zechariah 1:9,10	Comments
Then I said, ŤMy lord, what are these?ť So the angel who talked with me said to me, ŤI will show you what they are.ť And the man who stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, ŤThese are the ones whom the Lord has sent to walk to and fro throughout the earth.ť	The horses, then, are sent by God to carry out His will on the earth. The color of the horse illustrates the conditions prevailing during the period described in the prophecy. So the red horse reveals a period of persecutions, like that announced in the letter to the church of Smyrna.

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The Rider on a Red Horse

Nahum 2:3	Comments
The shields of his mighty men are made red, the valiant men are in scarlet. The chariots come with flaming torches in the day of his preparation, and the spears are brandished.	The color red represents violence, bloodshed.
2 Kings 3:22,23
The sun was shining on the water; and the Moabites saw the water on the other side as red as blood. And they said, ŤThis is blood; the kings have surely struck swords and have killed one another.ť

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Just like the color red, the sword indicates violence and bloodshed:

ŤI will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon and put My sword in his hand; but I will break Pharaoh's arms, and he will groan before him with the groanings of a mortally wounded man.ť (EZEKIEL 30:24)

ŤFor thus says the Lord God: "The sword of the king of Babylon shall come upon you."ť (EZEKIEL 32:11)

ŤFor this is the day of the Lord God of hosts, a day of vengeance, that He may avenge Himself on His adversaries. The sword shall devour; it shall be satiated and made drunk with their blood; for the Lord God of hosts has a sacrifice in the north country.ť (JEREMIAH 46:10)

ŤNow about that time Herod the king stretched out his hand to harass some from the church. Then he killed James the brother of John with the sword.ť (ACTS 12:1,2)

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Revelation 6:4	Comments
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.	But now, an important question must be considered: if the red horse is sent by God to carry out His will on the earth, does it mean that God is behind those terrible persecutions? A close study of the words used to describe the second seal will explain exactly what brought about all those years of martyrdom.

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Revelation 6:4	Comments
And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, (...) and there was given to him a great sword.	First, let's notice the striking parallel between the text of the second seal and the words of Jesus Christ Himself. How did the coming of Jesus take away peace on earth, and bring a sword?
Matthew 10:34
Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.

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Matthew 10:34-36	Comments
Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a man's foes will be those of his own household.	We have surely noticed that when we decide to follow Jesus, this decision often becomes a source of conflicts and divisions in our family and with our friends. And, in the most dramatic situations, Ťa man's foes will be those of his own householdť.

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Revelation 6:4	Comments
And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another.	The second seal is a perfect illustration of Jesus' prediction. Indeed, the persecution of the believers, between the years 100 and 313, didn't come only from the Roman emperors. It also came from the Jews themselves...
Matthew 10:34,36
Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. (...) And a man's foes will be those of his own household.

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Acts 14:2	Comments
But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brethren.	In the time of the apostle Paul, it was already possible to see that the Jewish community, while professing to serve God, was persecuting the Christians. And this persecution increased more and more as the years went by.
Acts 17:13
But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was preached by Paul at Berea, they came there also and stirred up the crowds.

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The Rider on a Red Horse

Revelation 2:9	Comments
I know your works, tribulation, and poverty (but you are rich); and I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.	The letter to the church of Smyrna clearly indicated that false Jews, that is, Jews in flesh but not in heart, would participate in the persecution of Christians. This confirms the two prophecies we have just seen: - Ťthat people should kill one anotherť (Revelation 6:4); - Ťa man's foes will be those of his own householdť (Matthew 10:36).

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Revelation 6:4	Comments
And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another.	These verses indicate that those who are persecuted are righteous and innocent people, representing the murder of the defenseless and unprotected, of those who shouldn't have died.
Psalm 37:14
The wicked have drawn the sword and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, to slay those who are of upright conduct.

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Psalm 44:22	Comments
Yet for Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.	Both the picture of the slaughter and the word Ťslainť pinpoint the murder of all those who lose their life for God's cause, hoping that their blood may become a seed to bring a harvest of souls to Jesus' cross.
Revelation 18:24
And in [Babylon] was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who were slain on the earth.

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Leviticus 1:5	Comments
He shall kill the bull before the Lord; and the priests, Aaron's sons, shall bring the blood and sprinkle the blood all around on the altar that is by the door of the tabernacle of meeting.	The spilled blood also calls to mind sacrifice, such as the sacrifice of a lamb, symbolizing the redeeming death of Jesus on the cross. The second seal, whose corresponding living creature is like a calf, describes another type of sacrifice, Ťto fulfill a vow, or as a peace offering to the Lordť (Numbers 15:8): the faithfulness of the believer until death.

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Numbers 15:8,10	Comments
And when you prepare a young bull as a burnt offering, or as a sacrifice to fulfill a vow, or as a peace offering to the Lord, (...) [it is] an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the Lord.	Just like the aroma of the calf consumed by fire, we offer a sweet sacrifice when we choose to follow God and dedicate our life to His service.
Romans 12:1
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

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John 15:20	Comments
Remember the word that I said to you, ŤA servant is not greater than his master.ť If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.	Jesus sacrificed His life to grant us access to eternal life. Now He calls us to faithfully follow Him. He frankly warns us that following Him won't always be easy. He Himself had to suffer persecution to obtain our salvation. And many believers have in turn sacrificed their lives for Jesus' cause.

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Revelation 2:10	Comments
Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.	The second seal thus corresponds to the letter to Smyrna, describing the period of persecution the Church experienced between 100 and 313, the year when the Edict of Milan made Christianity the Empire's official religion. The faithfulness of the believers during this period will be, for each one of us, a source of inspiration when we face difficult days.

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Dear friends, let's pray together before ending this lesson:

Our Father,

Jesus said: ŤHe who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.ť (Matthew 10:39)

These words surely comforted the believers who suffered the persecution described in the second seal.

We sincerely ask You to grant us the same courage You gave to Your martyrs, so that we too may remain faithful to You until the end, whatever persecutions we may go through.

Please help us to always remember these words of Jesus: ŤI am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.ť (John 11:25) In His name we pray.

Amen.

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