Revelation

The Book of Revelation has always been a mystery for me, given its metaphorical but less than intuitively obvious phrasing. In his April 19 study notes, Scott Engle (St. Andrew UMC, Plano TX) provides a pretty good explanation of the four horsemen of the apocalypse verses in chapter 6:

The book of Revelation has much to say about so many people’s willingness to place their ultimate trust any place other than in God. The four horsemen is one of the most dramatic images in Scripture about such futility. It is important to see that there is a pattern to these four horsemen. The first rider comes out on a white horse, carrying a bow, a weapon of war, and sets about conquering. It isn’t hard to imagine the threat posed by this first rider. The second rider is on a bright red horse and carries a mighty sword. This rider goes across the planet setting people against one another (as if we needed help with that one!). The third rider, on a black horse, seems a bit more obscure. This rider carries a set of scales that would be used in commerce. The prices quoted by the rider for the basics of life, like wheat, are astronomically high. This rider brings famine and economic hardship. The final rider is on a pale green horse and bears the name, Death. Conquest, violence, famine, and death. They are dressed up in
dramatic imagery but they are certainly not new to us. Furthermore, though John’s visions depict these as being inflicted by the heavens, we know that these are all self-inflicted, when we stop and think of humanity as one. It is we who make war on one another. It is we who take the peace away and stand by while others starve. Going back to the Garden of Eden, even death is the result of humanity’s choice. The riders bring nothing that we haven’t already brought on ourselves. Still, there is the clear sense in this vision that God is a threat.

So what’s the point? Craig Koester suggests that this vision sets the stage for what follows, in that the riders are a call to repentance and faith. Repentance: Will we turn 180° and walk toward God not away from him? Faith: Will we trust God in all things and above all else? Look again at each of the four riders. Can we build armies powerful enough to keep away all foreign conquerors? September 11 shattered that illusion for any who still held it. Can we build a large enough police force to stop all violence and return the peace? The proliferation of both prisons and crime answers that one for us. Can we have bank accounts large enough to shield us from any economic hardship? The depth of this latest recession is shattering many illusions about the inevitability of economic security. How about death? Do any of us know a doctor who can make us immortal. My doctor has gotten me this far in life, but he is only going to take me so far.

Stark images, such as these horsemen, are meant to be that proverbial wakeup call, the 2x4 upside the head. It’s a bit like an “intervention,” where loved ones gather to confront someone with the truth, to shock them into seeing that their life is a wreck and they need help.