Revelation's Four Horsemen

Intro

Four mysterious horsemen ride across the sky. Who are they? What do they mean? And Are they here? I’ll be back in a moment with the prophetic perspective on “Revelation’s Four Horsemen.”

Message

Hello, this is Cody Francis with Prophetic Perspectives. The four horsemen of the apocalypse have captivated mankind for centuries. From literature to television to the music industry the four horsemen keep running about. Songs have been written, movies have been filmed and people have wondered what these four horsemen really mean. Does the Bible give us any clues that we can comprehend these mysterious horses and their riders? Today, let us compare scripture with scripture to see if we can conclude what God is trying to reveal to us with these apocalyptic horsemen. Let us pray as we look at “Revelation’s Four Horsemen.”

Outline

I.        Revelation’s four horsemen reveal why many churches.

A.     Jesus opens the scroll – Rev. 6:1

1.      Jesus alone can open scroll of earth’s history

2.      Revealing history of Christianity

B.     White horse – Rev. 6:2

1.      White = purity – Ps. 51:7

2.      Pure faith – Acts 5:29

a.       Peter – crucified head upside down

b.      Paul – beheaded for Jesus

c.       John – dipped in a vat of oil

3.      Bow & crown – conquering

a.       Believers multiplied – Acts 5:14

b.      Gospel to world – Col. 1:23

C.     Red horse – Rev. 6:3, 4

1.      Red color of blood – Is. 63:2, 3

2.      Peace disappears; ire of dragon aroused

3.      Era of terrible persecution

a.       2 Tim. 3:12 – all who live godly

b.      Flee catacombs

c.       Tertullian – blood Christians seed

4.      Excuses of today so trivial compared w/

5.      Need faith of martyrs today – Rev. 2:10

D.     Black horse – Rev. 6:5, 6

1.      Black – apostasy – Acts 26:18

2.      Devil attacked more subtly

a.       Persecution only increased faith

b.      Compromise gained, pers. Failed

c.       Worst danger from within – Acts 20:29, 30

3.      Constantine’s conversion turning point

a.       Constantine merged paganism & Christian

1)      Built temples & performed rites both

2)      Death both pagans & Christians claim

b.      Leaders accepted peace at price of truth

1)      Allowed paganism flood into church

2)      Idols; Sunday

4.      Famine prices

a.       Famine Word of God – Amos 8:11, 12

b.      Traditions, pagan customs instead Bible

E.      Pale Horse – Rev. 6:7, 8

1.      Descent of horses lowest ebb

2.      Compromise lead to a dead faith – always does

3.      Baptized paganism; impotence

4.      Union of church & state

5.      Descent into dark ages

Black Horse

“We are told by Eusebius that Constantine, in order to recommend the new religion to the heathen, transferred into it the outward ornaments to which they had been accustomed in their own.” Development of Christian Doctrine, page 372.

“His (Constantine’s) coins bore on the one side the letters of the name of Christ; on the other the figure of the sun-god… as if he could not dare to relinquish the patronage of the bright luminary.” History of the Eastern Church, page 184, Arthur P. Stanley.

“The retention of the old Pagan name of ‘Dies Solis’ or Sunday… is, in great measure, owing to the union of Pagan and Christian sentiment with which the first day of the week was recommended by Constantine to his subjects, Pagan and Christians alike, as the ‘Venerable Day of the Sun.’” History of the Eastern Church, page 184, Arthur P. Stanley.

Pale Horse

“The new Christians were, as far as thinking and habits went, the same old pagans… Their surge into the churches did not wipe out paganism. On the contrary, hordes of baptized pagans, meant that paganism had diluted the moral energies of organized Christianity to the point of impotence.” Centuries of Christianity: A Concise History, page 58.