April 3, 2023

When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come and see.” So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth. Revelation 6:7-8

The graphic portrayal of the fourth horse and horseman provides an additional warning to those who would reject the pure gospel message. Just as famine brings physical death, it follows that spiritual death would be the result of spiritual famine. The pale color of the fourth horse is translated from a Greek word chloros which denotes the sickly greenish gray color of a decomposing corpse. Death is accompanied by Hades, which is translated from a word meaning “grave” or “place of the dead.”

The fourth seal corresponds to the fourth letter from Jesus. It is to the church at Thyatira and is the longest of the letters to the churches. The character of the church at Thyatira is the character of the corrupted church which dominated throughout the Dark Ages, a period of 1260 years: 538AD-1798AD. This period was one of persecution, pestilence, and death. During this time, God’s true people—referred to as the “woman” of Revelation 12—fled into the wilderness and received spiritual nourishment (verses 6&14). God always provides for His faithful ones! Estimates vary widely as to how many Christ-followers were martyred “in the name of God” by the church during this time, up to a hundred and twenty million people or possibly more. As bad as this is, we know that because of Jesus, the power of death and the grave is limited. These two enemies of the human race came as a result of sin. But Jesus has already won the victory over these enemies, and if we are wise, we will by faith cling fast to His salvation.

Jesus said: “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death. Revelation 1:18

Those who stood firm in Christ during the Dark Ages will most definitely be in heaven. Because of the damage done to the gospel message during this time, the world is still in a state of recovery and reformation. There are countless millions who remain under the sway of an altered, polluted, counterfeit message which is powerless to save anyone from sin, death, and the grave. The pale horse and its rider are still pounding their way across the earth, but those who belong to Jesus need not be frightened. Instead, His faithful people are called to boldly and confidently spread the everlasting gospel throughout the world. God’s mercies are actively engaged, and the window of opportunity to be saved is still open. The one who “hungers and thirsts for righteousness” (Matthew 5:6) “shall be filled.” This is a promise from the lips of Jesus. With the unprecedented availability of God’s Word at this point in the stream of time, any famine for the Word of God is a self-imposed starvation. God is generously giving each of us the opportunity to know Him and the encouragement to “hold fast…till I come.” (Revelation 2:25)