Revelation 6:1-8 (summary)

By Odon Bulamba (29 April 2005)


Now is the time to undo the seals. Many people are confused with this book and we can find many different interpretations because Revelations is sealed to them. We need God’s help and assistance to understand this book correctly. Revelations is not a book of salvation but a book of what is to come and to confirm God’s plan and what He will accomplish.


Seven seals ¼ of the world will be destroyed
The tribulation is by men and God allows it


Seven trumpets 1/3 of the world destroyed
God brings disaster so the world will turn to Him


Seven bowls the whole world destroyed
God’s punishment on the world


(Rev 6:1) the living creatures talk through the first four seals


(vs2) John was an observer only. (Rev 1:1) We are called to know what will happen because without knowing we’ll lose hope and courage (Isaiah 29:11,12).


Four horses found also in Zech 1:8, 6:1-8. The rider of the white horse represents satan.


To be a conqueror we must fight because satan attacks us (e.g. Job) and if we don’t fight but surrender our faith, satan will say, ‘I’m a winner’. We have to learn from Job to persevere becauseif we don’t, we take the crown and give it to satan and he’ll be proud and say, ‘I’ve won’. This rider has been destroying pastors and churches.


(vs 3) The second seal releases the second horse, which is red, which represents power to bring war and power to influence men to kill each other. Today churches are crossing the biggest war among the different denominations, e.g. catholic vs protestant. The spirit riding that horse is in the church killing people, souls, behaviour, commitment, and the ability to love each other.


There is also physical war and at the moment there is ¼ of the world crossing war; if not with guns, it’s political. The red horse is not persecution of the church but war among us in the church. I’ve never seen a red horse in real life and in that same way we ignore the war that is going on in our churches. ¾ of Christians are crossing a cold war with others without knowing it.


(vs 5 & 6) The third seal releases the black horse, which represents something without joy, something that destroys the world. It’s a big institution called the United Nations and they weigh every thing (holding a pair of scales) for example the famine in Africa, war in Iraq and they intervene and try to put everybody in a black box and we can’t see how their system works.


(vs 6) the UN peacemakers feed the hungry and protect refugees, they weigh it up with scales and give to you poor food but don’t offer the important things (oil & wine). In Rev 18:11-13, see how important wine and oil is. The UN can decide on the price of your gold, or decide that they don’t need petrol from Iraq. The UN is a spirit called a system that decides (e.g. the value of $NZ) and it is an intellectual system which is being built but no one can see the result yet (666). The black horse is also in church today, many pastors can be bribed by politicians.


(vs 7& 8) the fourth seal releases the spirit of death and non-christians that die will go to shoal and will have to work for satan (John 10:10). Every year the number of deaths increases through sword, famine, sickness and wild animals. There are several ways to kill some one, you can kill the spirit or morale of a person through your way of talking.


This spirit is here to make the world to feel unbalanced. ¾ of the world today is hungry, even in Canada people beg on the street. There is also spiritual hunger in the churches because clean people in churches don’t want to be close to dirty people on the street. We have enough food physically and spiritually (Word of God) but how much do we help people, how much do we encourage the spirit of death. We have to struggle against the spirit of death because it’s the end times. We have a lot of sicknesses today that we never had before (HIV, ebola, even medicine will make you sick). The spirit of death is everywhere, in food, clothes, water etc, so it’s time to pray for God to protect His people. We can’t stop death but we can pray for God’s people. Green horse, people will think this is a new technology, a new discovery (e.g fruit & veges today look healthy but full of chemicals).


We are living at the end times and the four creatures are yelling from the four different corners of the world. (Zech 6). We need to know where they are now to know where they are working, e.g. NZ is in the South East so there are two spirits here, what dominates NZ and then we can know how to pray.


Homework:
What is the role of the horse?
Where are the four living creatures?
Who is the rider of the white horse?
Zech 1:, 6:1-8 (4 living creatures)


SUMMARY


- We need God’s assistance to understand Revelations
- We need to know what will happen so as to not lose hope or courage
- Fight satan’s attacks

Horse 1 = white  = satan
Horse 2 = red  = power to bring war
Horse 3 = black = UN
Horse 4 = green = death