My mind is gripped by the thoughts of the four horsemen of Revelation 6 galloping across the earth, releasing the judgments of God. In this eventful chapter, it is clear Jesus is in control of the destiny of humanity. He holds the scroll of human history. He opens the seven seals the complete history of humanity (see Rev. 6:1).
I know there are different interpretations of this chapter. I do not pretend to have the answer, but as I read this chapter, I cannot help but see that we are living out these prophecies and judgments.
Jesus spoke in global terms. It is one aspect of His truth that few, if any, in His day ever spoke in world concepts and nations. Clearly, Revelation 6 defines these judgments as global.
Again, I am not a world historian, but when I ask the question, “When did we start to think in terms of global actions?”, I come up with World War I. Certainly, this concept took a giant step forward when Columbus discovered America and world exploration began. Yes, its roots go further back in history, as God, in Genesis 10, told the survivors of the flood to be fruitful and multiply and create the nations of the earth.
Here are a few reasons why I take our starting point as WWI. The first world war began the initial horseman’s ride to make war across the globe (Rev. 6:2). The wars continued into World War II, and then global conflicts between the superpowers of the USA and the USSR, now China, arose from the East to join in global conflict.
You can also see world strife and civil unrest in the toppling of Russia in the communist revolution; then China, the collapse of Colonialism after WWII and the unrest this brought. Today, our nations have no peace within their borders. The second rider has taken peace from the earth (Rev. 6:4).
Then despite our prosperity, the rider of the black horse continues to sow economic disruption in the Great Crash of 1929. The gap between the haves and have nots has not ended in our wealth. Famine, the failure of communism to bring equality and the continued cycles of boom and crash, all lead to suffering on a global scale. Many estimate that over a million children will die worldwide from the economic effects of COVID-19.
The fourth rider brings pestilence and death. WWI was global bloodshed and death, but we also saw pestilence as a worldwide event for the first time with the Spanish flu that killed millions. Now we see COVID-19, which has brought all four riders together in our day. World death and pestilence, economic disruption, civil riots and unrest, and wars continue.
Can you see in the Spirit as the four horsemen ride across the earth, and no amount of human ingenuity can stop them?
For a biblical perspective of our world, to see how the four horsemen apply to us today and where we are headed in God’s salvation plan, listen to this episode of Awaken with Blake Lorenz on Charisma Podcast Network. {eoa}
Once a professional baseball player with the Chicago Cubs Organization, Blake Lorenz was called to Asbury Seminary after a radical encounter with Jesus, where he received his master’s degree. He has pastored in the Orlando area for 33 years and has been blessed with the opportunity to evangelize globally, visiting five continents and preaching the gospel to tens of thousands. Blake has also helped plant 500 churches. He has been working in Israel for the past 20 years, includes serving on the board of the Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast in connection with the Knesset. In 2020, blakelorenzministries.com and the Awaken podcast launched to teach and challenge others to join him on a journey of anticipating the return of Jesus. He has used the three books he’s written in his seminars and conferences. He and his wife, Beverly, share three children and six grandchildren.
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