Sunday Devotional: Revelation 6:7-8

⁷ And when he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” ⁸ And I saw, and behold a pale horse, the one sitting upon it was named Death, and Hades was following after him. Authority was given to him to kill one fourth of the earth with the sword, and with famine, and with pestilence, and by the beasts of the earth.

This seems an odd passage for a devotional. In context, this is the fourth of seven seals that John saw as one of the visions given to him that make up the book of Revelation. People over the years have debated what these visions mean, when the events they describe take place and so on. If you want the details on what I think and why, jump over to my Sunday School Notes on Revelation. In summary, I believe these visions are, for the most part, a picture of things happening contemporaneously with John and the first century churches to which he is writing, and things that have been happening within and to the church over the past 2,000 years.

In this particular vision John sees the fourth of the so-called “Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.” The first horseman wore a crown and went out conquering, the second essentially brought war by taking peace from the earth, and the third brought famine. The fourth horseman is the only one with a name: Death. In his wake rides Hades, the abode of the dead. And his task is to wipe out a quarter of the earth through battle, hunger, disease, and wild animals.

Why one-quarter of the earth? What does that mean? These are good and valid questions that I try to address in the Sunday School Notes. For our purposes I want to focus on one extremely important fact that is often overlooked with these passages. And I draw your attention to this fact with a question: Who opened these seals?

If you go back to the beginning of chapter 6, you have your answer: the Lamb. When verse 7 says “he opened the fourth seal,” the “he” is Jesus.

I believe these horsemen, and all the subsequent trials, disasters, and phenomena that occur are judgments. Everyone is affected either directly or indirectly by these judgments. Imagine how terrifying it must be to constantly live under the threat of death by war, murder, famine, or disease.

Actually, we don’t have to strain our imaginations too hard. This is as much life in the modern world as it was in the first century. The means and modes of war, murder, famine, and disease may change, but the reality of them is as stark to us as it was to John’s audience.

Many in our culture fear death. The recent pandemic has, I think, shown us that much. A secular society that anchors itself so much in the things of this world, with no hope of a life beyond this one, can only fear death.

Christians, on the other hand, have no reason to fear death. Not only do we have that promise of everlasting life, but we can look upon war, famine, and disease knowing that the hand that opened those seals is the same hand that was nailed to a cross for us. Judgment comes because God hates sin, not because He hates His people. God loves His people, and has shown that love for us in sending Jesus to die in our place for our sin.

We can face death in the present because Jesus died to secure our future. Because we know that to live is Christ, but to die is gain (Philippians 1:21). We also know that whatever suffering we experience now, it cannot compare with the glory that will be revealed to us when we meet him in eternity (Romans 8:18)

I hope these thoughts give you strength and encouragement this week.