Scripture reading: Revelation 6:1-8.

Sermon text: Revelation 6:9-17.

Everyone should have seen it coming. The madman had written of his intentions nearly a decade before; the book told his philosophy, his anxieties, and his solution to the problems faced by his nation. Too bad most people ignored the book. Then, when he began swallowing the nations around him, everyone feared another major war and therefore tried to buy him off.

Unfortunately, what England and France saw as “appeasement,” Adolph Hitler saw as capitulation. Thus began the conflagration we know as World War II, in which more than 70 million people died.

Today’s chapter in the Revelation reminds us that everyone should anticipate the coming judgment on the earth. We read of “the day” in the Old Testament alone more than 200 times: the code phrase for the judgment of God upon unbelievers and idolatrous nations. Time and again, St. John will use Old Testament language to describe what he witnessed in his heavenly vision. Today’s chapter reminds us that the final judgment will eclipse any national judgment ever experienced by Israel in its history. The final days of judgment will completely eradicate sin from the earth and from all creation, including those who intentionally rebelled against Jesus’ reign over all his creation.

Last week’s sermon dealt with the scroll of human history from the time of St. John’s vision forward. When St. John despaired of seeing the contents of the scroll, Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, came forward and took the scroll. This event caused all heaven and creation to explode in praise to God and His Son, Jesus Christ.

Now, Jesus began to break the seven seals on the scroll to open it. Each seal caused significant events to occur in human history.

As Jesus broke the first 4 scrolls, St. John heard each of the 4 living creatures utter a command: “Come!” The creatures’ commands herald the arrival of processes with cosmic consequences.

The first seal brought the arrival of a conquerer on a white horse. Scholars and theologians have long debated the identity of the conqueror. Jesus Himself will ride a white horse later in this book (chapter 19), and this rider receives a crown as the saints will receive at the end of time (2 Timothy 4:8, James 1:12, Revelation 2:10 and 3:11, among other passages). These facts have led some teachers to believe this horse symbolizes the Church and our fulfillment of Jesus’ command to spread the gospel to all nations (Matthew 28:19-20).

However, remember that Jesus is, at this time, opening scrolls; He Himself will not ride this horse. The Greek word for “crown” used here can refer to the temporary crown given to athletes and conquerers as well as to the crowns reserved for the saints (St. Paul uses this word for both types of crowns). Some scholars, with good reasons, believe this horse and its rider symbolize the antichrist that will appear at the end of time, deceiving the world into denying Christ and believing in himself.

Regardless of the identity of the first horse and rider, the second horse and rider appear all too clearly in human history. When Jesus broke the second seal, St. John heard one of the creatures cry, “Come!” and saw a rider on a red horse obey the call. The second horse represents war, with all its bloodshed and misery.

When we think about it, the red rider really has little to do but allow humans to act like humans. Our pride and greed and lust often drive us to attack others. We all want things we don’t have, and when this occurs on a national level, warfare results. I found a quote long ago from my favorite science fiction writer, Jerry Pournelle: “A smart soldier wants to know the causes of wars. Also how to end them. After all, war is the normal state of affairs, isn’t it? Peace is the name of the ideal we deduce from the fact that there have been interludes between wars.” In all the course of human history, few days have passed without someone fighting someone else for something they both thought they needed. While war unfortunately proves necessary at times, the survivors sometimes look back and wonder why the powers in control couldn’t have settled the issue peacefully.

However, this horse represents another type of bloodshed as well. None of us sitting here should forget those who have bled and died for our faith. Beginning with the stoning of Stephen in the early years of the Church, Christians have forfeited their lives for the sake of Christ and His Church. The early Church author Tertullian once said, “the blood of martyrs is the seed of the Church.” Earthly authorities have rarely failed to use their ultimate authority to destroy the Church. However, as Tertullian noted, the Church usually thrives more in times of persecution than in times of peace.

War naturally results in misery and poverty. Anyone who doubts this should read about the aftermath of World War II. Therefore, the natural successor to the red horse follows it about the earth. The third seal brings a black horse that represents famine, the scarcity of food that results from war and from natural disasters. The scales and the prices given (a quart of barley for a full day’s wage) leave no doubt as to the identity of this rider. Today, we enjoy an economic system that shields us from crop failures and droughts. Even though crops around here were poor because of our drought, we can still go to the local grocery store and purchase practically anything we choose to eat. Remember this hasn’t always been the case. Our near ancestors remembered times when people starved when the crops failed.

Then came the last horse with the fourth seal: “ ...a pale horse! And its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed him.” This rider appears throughout history: in times of war, in times of plague, of drought, and — as we’ve been reminded lately — in our everyday lives. Even those blessed to live in times of peace and prosperity meet this rider eventually. No one escapes him.

However, in this vision, St. John witness an almost overwhelming number of deaths: “a fourth of the earth” — with today’s population, nearly 1.75 billion people — die at the hands of the pale rider. By contrast, the Black Plague of Europe in the 1340’s killed at most an estimated 20 million in Europe (between 25% and 66% of the population), while the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918 killed anywhere from 50 million to 100 million people. Imagine a time when over 1 billion people die in a short period. Needless to say, such a time will seem like the worst judgment the world could face. No one could deny this sign of the end!

Could it get worse? According to St. John, yes, it can, and it will, but only because of the reason for this judgment. After Jesus broke the fifth seal, St. John saw those who had died for “the word of God.” These saints cried for justice: “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Is there anything wrong with this prayer? What about Jesus’ admonitions in the Sermon on the Mount, to bless those who curse us (Matthew 5)? Throughout history, God’s people have suffered unjustly, but this fact doesn’t condone the suffering. The Psalms contain numerous cries for justice. God Himself commands that the nations preserve justice, more than 80 times in the Prophets of the Old Testament alone.

These saints cry for justice, and God lovingly answers with an answer that puzzles many: “Wait.” God’s mercy compels Him to wait for all who will receive Jesus as Lord of their lives to do so. Remember that St. Peter told his readers that “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). The martyrs of ancient times have waited patiently that you might come to repent of your sins and confess Jesus as Lord. Notice that the saints, once told to wait and why, complain no longer. They, too, are willing to prolong their wait for justice that you might receive mercy at the hands of their loving Father.

Yet, we see another visible warning of judgment in the breaking of the sixth seal. Using vivid Old Testament words, St. John describes cosmic events that remind us of Joel’s description of the “Day of the LORD.” We should remember that St. Peter also used Joel’s words (Joel chapter 2) to proclaim the “Day of the LORD” at Pentecost (Acts chapter 2). These events cause even the most calloused, even the most courageous men to tremble and quake, leaving them to cry to mountains, ““Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”

We cannot forget St. Peter’s sermon from Acts 2. In some way, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost signaled the coming of the Day of the LORD. You may wonder why God would wait nearly 2,000 years to conclude the judgment. Remember that God gave the Canaanites 400 years to repent and turn from their wickedness (cf. Genesis and Deuteronomy). He also called the Assyrians, one of the most violent nations in history, to repent (cf. the book of Jonah). God has a reason for delaying His judgment. Don’t misunderstand God’s mercy in postponing judgment and mistakenly believe that judgment will never come.

Actually, we should understand from reading this chapter that many of these events have repeatedly occurred over the centuries. War constantly plagues humanity. In the nineteenth century, people believed that Western civilization had progressed to the point that major wars were a thing of the past. World War I destroyed that fallacy. Today, medical advances have eliminated the possibility of many diseases. Yet, many people fear that a major pandemic is imminent. Famine seems only a remote possibility, but some scientists warn that farmers today plant too few types of plants to avoid a major catastrophe resembling the Irish potato famine of the nineteenth century.

And, in spite of the advances in human civilization and science, death still haunts us. No one escapes death in this life. Death brings judgment for all the sin we commit. One day, humanity will endure judgment for the injustice we’ve inflicted on each other over the millennia.

However, Jesus Christ,the Lamb of God and Lion of Judah, suffered death that He might offer eternal life to everyone who believes in Him. While Christians still suffer along with the ungodly (even to the point of falling victim to the riders described today), we know we have God’s promise of mercy at the impending judgment. We will stand before God as sinners, but as sinners justified by Jesus Christ His Son. Everyone who confesses Jesus as Lord will escape the judgment and live eternally in a new creation.