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Our Mission: Revelation 14:6-12
If I Were Told the Future - Lesson 32
The
Rider on a Red Horse
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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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Revelation 4:1
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,
«Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.»
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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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The opening of the seven seals, which Jesus has made possible,
reveals to us «things which must take place after this».
Now, let's study the second seal.
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Revelation 6:3
When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living
creature saying,
«Come and see.»
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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,
«Come and see.»
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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.
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Revelation 4:7
The first living creature was like a lion.
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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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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.
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Proverbs 30:29-31 (Darby)
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.
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Proverbs 28:1
The righteous are bold as a lion.
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The lion, just like the «horse girt in the loins» and the «king against whom none can rise up», is a perfect illustration of the first seal and its rider, Jesus Christ, the victorious King of kings, who «went out conquering and to conquer» (Revelation 6:2).
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Revelation 6:3
When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, «Come and see.»
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Revelation 4:7
The second living creature [was] like a calf.
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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?
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Numbers 15:8,9
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.
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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
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.
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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
And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write,
«(...) 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.»
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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
And another horse, fiery red, went out. (...) And I looked, and behold, a black horse. (...) And I looked, and behold, a pale horse.
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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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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.
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Zechariah 1:9,10
Then I said, «My lord, what are these?»
So the angel who talked with me said to me, «I will show you what they are.»
And the man who stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, «These are the ones whom
the Lord has sent to walk to and fro throughout the earth.»
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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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Nahum 2:3
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.
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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, «This is blood; the kings have surely struck swords and have killed one
another.»
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The color red represents violence, bloodshed.
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Just like the color red, the sword indicates violence and bloodshed:
«I 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.» (EZEKIEL 30:24)
«For thus says the Lord God: "The sword of the king of Babylon shall come upon
you."» (EZEKIEL 32:11)
«For 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.»
(JEREMIAH 46:10)
«Now 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.» (ACTS 12:1,2)
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Revelation 6:4
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.
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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
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.
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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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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?
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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.
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.
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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, «a man's foes will be those of his own household».
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Revelation 6:4
And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another.
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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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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...
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Acts 14:2
But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brethren.
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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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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.
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Revelation 2:9
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.
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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:
- «that people should kill one another» (Revelation 6:4);
- «a man's foes will be those of his own household» (Matthew 10:36).
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Revelation 6:4
And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another.
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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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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.
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Psalm 44:22
Yet for Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
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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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Both the picture of the slaughter and the word «slain» 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.
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Leviticus 1:5
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.
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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, «to fulfill a vow, or as a peace offering to the Lord» (Numbers
15:8): the faithfulness of the believer until death.
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Numbers 15:8,10
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.
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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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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.
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John 15:20
Remember the word that I said to you, «A servant is not greater
than his master.»
If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep
yours also.
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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
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.
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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: «He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake
will find it.» (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: «I am the resurrection and the
life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.» (John 11:25) In His name
we pray.
Amen.
The test of Lesson 32 is waiting for you!