March 7, 2022
When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come and see.” Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword. Revelation 6:3-4
Bloodshed! The fiery red horse and its rider show us that the gospel divides. Some accept it and others reject it. While its acceptance brings inner peace, its rejection results in a loss of peace. The pure gospel message that came forcefully onto the scene of our fallen world was accompanied by the inevitable result: persecution! The red horse corresponds to the time of the church at Smyrna, which was terribly persecuted. Their obedient faithfulness was a showcase for the world to see Jesus as their first love! You can see the influence of those at Ephesus who chose to return to Him wholeheartedly (Revelation 2:5). Persecution was accompanied by poverty. This foreshadows the end-times buying and selling sanctions that are to come against God’s people (Revelation 13:17). Jesus’ letter to the early church at Smyrna was for encouragement. “You are rich” He had said! Jesus told them not to fear the tribulation that was to come, specifying its length: “ten days” (2:10). Applying the day-year principle* in prophecy, this period is understood as ten years. The Roman Emperor Diocletian did indeed impose severely acute persecutions against God’s people from 303-313AD.
Because of fallen human nature, those who reject the offer of transformation that Jesus brings to them become angry with those who accept the offer. This phenomenon was clearly demonstrated between the first two brothers born into the world. The younger brother, Abel, chose to worship God in the prescribed way. Looking ahead toward Jesus in faith, he brought a lamb, trusting in the merits of the blood of the slain Lamb to come. The foundational lesson of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8) was of utmost importance for people to understand. But Cain brought an offering of his own choice. God lovingly warned Cain: sin is at your door and desires to rule over you—but you should rule over sin (see Genesis 4:7). Cain ignored this warning, and the murder of his brother is history—and prophecy! The attitude of rebellion and disobedience toward God resulted in an absence of peace in Cain’s life, as it does in the lives of countless millions who reject God’s authority. God gave Cain a broad window of opportunity to repent, but he chose to leave the Lord and continue in rebellion.
Beloved, if you love Jesus supremely, your inner peace is secure. His message to Smyrna did not gloss over what they were soon to face! Take heart and remain true to Him as you are reminded that the advancement of His kingdom may temporarily seem unattractive, compounded by the fact that our cunning enemy specializes in making sin appear especially attractive. But as you live for Jesus, your peace, joy, and hope for the future—the real, lasting future—will not only abound, but will spill over into the lives of others. And this expansion of God’s Kingdom happens in spite of the red horse and its rider who still ride over the earth to this very day…
Jesus said: “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.” Matthew 10:34
*day-year principle in prophecy is shown in Numbers 14:34, Ezekiel 4:6, Luke 13:32