Revelation 6:3-4 - Promised Peace but War

In Revelation 6:1-8, John recorded the opening of the first four seals; and as each seal was opened, one of the four living creatures summoned a rider on a horse. The first thing John sees is a rider on four horses of different colors. We believe that the rider on the first white horse is the Antichrist. Jesus prophesied about this in in His Olivet Discourse to His Disciples after they ask Him: “Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?"  (Matthew 24:3) The very first thing He said was: “And Jesus answered and said to them: "Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many.”  (Matthew 24:4-5) We need to remember that the signs and events that Jesus described all pointed to His coming to the earth at the end of the tribulation. Daniel states that there is a "prince that shall come," who will make a covenant with Israel to protect her from her enemies (Dan. 9:26-27). In other words, the future world dictator begins his career as a peacemaker! But then the “second living creature” summons the next horse which is colored fiery red. This worldwide peace will not last long, for while men are saying "Peace and safety," terrible wars will break loose. This parallels Matthew 24:6-7. “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.” Red is a color associated with terror and carnage. In Revelation we have the red horse of war (6:3-4), the red dragon (12:3), and the red beast (17:3). Note that God gives Antichrist authority to take peace from the earth; this is all a part of the divine plan. Antichrist exchanges his arrowless bow for a great sword, and men begin to kill each other. This indicates clearly that methods of international agreement and diplomacy will not bring lasting peace. Red is also a picture of wanton bloodshed. War has been a part of man's experience since Cain killed Abel, so this image would speak to believers in every age, reminding them that God is ultimately in control, even though He is not responsible for the lawless deeds of men and nations. Romans chapter 1 tells us that when mankind choses to reject the knowledge of the Creator God, that God “gives them up”, or in other words, He turns them over to the consequences of their evil deeds. And evil is let loose on the earth. Right now, we have the events of the war in Ukraine unfolding before our very eyes. With today’s media technology, we can see events anywhere in the world happening within seconds before our very eyes. This week especially as we see the decapitated bodies lying in the streets and the bloodshed we are confronted with the horrors of war! And we cry out for someone to do something about it! The stage is set for the Antichrist to be revealed with his promise of peace! But when he breaks his peace treaty with Israel and declares himself to be God and attempt to set up his one-world religion, the earth will see bloodshed like it has never seen! With the absence of believers on earth and the release of demon forces there will be evil, terrible destruction and bloodshed everywhere! Thank the Lord, if you have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, you will not have to be here to experience this terrible evil time!