March 8, 2022
When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come and see.” So I looked, and behold a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine.” Revelation 6:5-6
History took a dramatic turn when Emperor Constantine, in his 313AD Edict of Milan, legalized Christianity. He was aiming to bring peace to the Roman Empire. This move was considered by many to be a brilliant political ploy. However, it brought a turn of events that threw the door wide open for paganism to flood the church. Ironically, persecution has historically caused rapid and exponential growth of God’s Kingdom. The relative peace that came to earth as the black horse rode forth was not the peace that Jesus gives, but peace as the world gives (John 14:27). Compromise was ushered directly into the church. Constantine’s declaration that he had become a Christian must be believed or not believed, based on his ability to make distinctions. It is evident that he made no distinction between Biblical and pagan practices. Compare the scripture above with the letter from Jesus to Pergamos (Revelation 2:12-17).
The black horse and its rider symbolize the absence of the everlasting gospel and what happens when a different gospel (2 Corinthians 11:4) is propagated, one that results from compromise with the world. In the Bible, grain and bread are used to symbolize God’s Word. Bread symbolizes Jesus, the Word made flesh (John 1:14). Speaking of Himself, He said:
“For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world…I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever.” John 6:33,51a
Acceptance of an altered (polluted) gospel results in a famine of the Word of God. Early on, God had promised that obedient Israel would have food in abundance. Notice that the rider of the black horse has scales in his hand. To see a careful weighing of grain denotes great scarcity, found among the covenant curses for disobedience (Leviticus 26:26, Ezekiel 4:16). The good news here is that the famine of the third seal is not yet fatal. Even through the scarcity of the Word of God, the same Voice that allowed the black horse and its rider to go forth issued a restraint on any harm to the oil and the wine. The Holy Spirit, represented by oil, is still at work among the people. And the doctrine of salvation in Jesus, represented by pure, fresh (unfermented) wine is available to all who desire it. You will recall that Jesus identified Himself to the church in Pergamos as “He who has the sharp two-edged sword.” (Revelation 2:12) This is another symbol for the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17, Hebrews 4:12). Jesus is well aware that they are beginning to lay His Word aside while allowing ideas to be taught in the church that were heretofore unthinkable to God’s people in Ephesus and Smyrna. Acceptance of a corrupted gospel equals rejection of the true gospel of God, the result being a famine of its influence upon wayward hearts. Amos prophesied about such a spiritual famine. Because of the stubborn rebellion of people today, the black horse and its rider still pound their way across the earth.
“Behold the days are coming,” says the LORD God, “that I will send a famine on the land. Not a famine of bread nor a thirst for water, but of hearing of the words of the LORD. They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east. They shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the LORD, but shall not find it. In that day the fair virgins and strong young men shall faint from thirst.” Amos 8:11-13