VICTORY IN CHRIST: A Christ-Centered Approach to the Four Horsemen of Revelation [A summary] Many Christians today assume that the four horsemen (Rev. 6:1-8) represent the work of a future Antichrist, who will create “hell-on-earth” after the church has been secretly raptured. But Christians didn’t always believe this. Over the centuries it was commonly held that the rider on the white horse symbolized Jesus Christ (see M. Henry, Commentary on the Bible). Thus it’s reasonable to ask, on what basis has contemporary theology exchanged Christ with the Antichrist, removing Him from much of Revelation? The four horsemen are situated at the center of what I call Revelation’s “opening story” (chapters 1-7). This story is about Christ’s church, conquering on earth just as her Lord did (3:21). As the Lamb begins to remove the seals from the “scroll of destiny,” four horsemen ride forth with messages that progress from life to death (6:1-8). Following their mission, John sees two groups of people. The first is described as sacrificial blood, seen at the base of the heavenly altar—they have overcome (6:9-11). The second group cries out to be destroyed—these have rejected Christ (vss. 12-17). The story concludes in heaven, where the overcomers are seen standing “before the throne” of God and dwelling with the Lamb forever (7:9, 17). I take the unique position that all four horsemen—not just the first—represent different facets of Christ’s ministry. Upon a thorough examination, the evidence points to Jesus as the Conqueror in the first seal. The sacrificial Greek terms in the second seal highlight Christ’s priestly ministry, and the consequences (i.e., persecution) of following Him. The imagery in the third seal is built on ancient Israel’s religio-agricultural year and the future judgment. Borrowing covenant language (the “curses”) from the Old Testament, the fourth rider bears ultimate responsibility for the execution of judgment upon the wicked (cf. Rev. 1:18; 19:15, 21). The four horsemen’s messages or mission divide the church into two camps: the faithful righteous (6:9-11) and the unrepentant who profess to follow Christ as their Lord (6:12-17). In the end, scriptural evidence is lacking for the Antichrist as the rider, and the rapture of the church is best located after the four riders (e.g., 6:12:17)—as long as the gospel is reaching souls, there is a call for repentance. Furthermore, the messages of the seals, like the seven churches (Rev. 2-3), appear to correspond with stages of church history. At the conclusion of the opening story, the 144,000/“great multitude” are standing before God’s throne. Seeing that John “hears” the number and actually “sees” a throng of victors, it’s reasonable to assume that the two groups are one-in-the same. Revelation’s opening story is about victory in Christ. Those who live out their lives daily upon the altar of faith are “able to stand” with the Lamb before God’s throne. James L. Merrills, M. Div. revelation@mr-jim 4horsemenofrevelation 4/25/14
Posted on: Sat, 26 Apr 2014 00:54:49 +0000
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