REVELATION 6.3 When he opened the
second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come!”
6.4 Another came out, a red horse. To him who sat on it was given power to
take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another. There was
given to him a great sword. -WEB
Bible.
The White Horseman laid the foundation for the next one,
which is the Red Horseman. The Red Horseman increases violence on the
earth. Personal violence (person against person) is his hallmark.
Modern generations have been deceived into thinking that
"make-believe" doesn’t have an impact on reality, so our make-believe
entertainments have pushed the limits constantly in order to give more thrills.
And people have applauded those who broke new ground in entertainment, until
all our favorite media have been saturated with physical and sexual violence.
Movies, books, music, video games, photo sharing, TV series and role play
venues are infused with the worst kinds of violence that anyone can imagine.
So why are we surprised when it plays out in real life? True violence
dominates our headlines daily. Violence has always been on this earth (ever
since Cain killed his brother Abel) but deception has brought us to new levels
as we have willingly allowed more and more violence to entertain us. We are
saturated with and poisoned by violence; and those who are weak in society have
been energized and fueled by it.
It's too late to clean up the mess we've made. We can't turn it back. Whenever someone tries to put a stop to it, an uproar of objection ensues. People love their make-believe violence, and they're addicted to it.
We’re paying the price for our moral failures. We’ve seen a
disturbing increase in violence and murder by individuals. Hideous murders are
in the news every day and it seems the violence is increasingly more grotesque
as well.
This is why God warned us in PHILIPPIANS
4:8-9, "Finally, brothers, whatever things are true, whatever
things are honorable, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure,
whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report; if there is any
virtue, and if there is any praise, think about these things. The things
which you learned, received, heard, and saw in me: do these things, and the God
of peace will be with you." -WEB Bible.
Has the Red Horseman arrived? Is it here? When we consider the loss of 1.6 billion aborted babies since 1980, or 3.6 million abortions per month worldwide (the current rate), then how can we doubt that the Tribulation is nearly upon us? Abortion is the worst holocaust in all of human history.
And of course, the war in Ukraine: there are no words
for the horrors being done there. If some madman in Russia, China, Iran or
North Korea decided to push a nuclear button, we would immediately have World
War III. We are teetering on a fine edge. The global scene is very fragile and
could erupt into unimaginable violence at any time.
The Red Horseman “takes peace from the earth.” This phrase in
Revelation seems to describe the world today, doesn’t it? Almost everything in
the news is disturbing and upsetting. People are worried and apprehensive.
We must remember that God is in control. The Four Horsemen
ride out at God’s command and are limited in their authority. Tribulation
disasters will happen at their appointed times, but it’s also comforting to
know Who is really in charge. The final days of earth will be carefully
orchestrated by God, because he wants the people of earth to turn to him in
repentance.
The Tribulation is a time of severe shakedown, as God gives
mankind one last chance to turn to Jesus for salvation. The shaking
builds in intensity as each of the Seven Seals is opened.
IMAGE CREDIT: The Horse Tamer sculpture is a statue in St. Petersburg, Russia. Photographer is Walter Smith from Seattle, WA, USA. The original photo is used under the Creative Commons 2.0 license. Photo has been significantly revised by C.A. Stevens.