As wars break out on the trail of the second horseman, Christians can tap into powerful weapons if we are courageous enough to use them.
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When He broke the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come.” And another, a red horse, went out; and to him who sat on it, it was granted to take peace from the earth, and that men would slay one another; and a great sword was given to him. – Revelation 6:3-4
The Second Horseman on the Red Horse Rides
If you read about the second rider in Revelation, you will most likely equate him with war, even world war.
Looking at our world today, it is easy to believe that he is operating around the globe. Violence and armed conflict are everywhere. And Russia’s recent invasion of Ukraine is the latest example of that. But unlike other conflicts such as Iraq or Syria, this latest one has the potential to bring the largest world powers to blows.
A Kyiv resident equates the scene to that of WWII movies, while the Belarusian president warns of the potential for this conflict to lead to WWIII.
Is this work of the second horseman?
The Second Horseman Brings a Time of Crisis
The four horsemen’s role is to stir up the world and tear down the old ways, allowing wickedness to reign, sin to reach its fullness, justice to be enacted, and a new age of Christ’s reign to begin.
A world war has the potential to bring about the new world order described in Revelation 13. These words are reflected in an opinion piece quickly removed from the Russian news agency RIA Novosti, “A new world is being born before our eyes… Russia’s military operation in Ukraine has ushered in a new era.“
We are entering a historic time, the end of a 2,000 year age. In 2025 we will begin the last 50 years (a jubilee) of the end of the Messianic/Church Age. If the end of this age is like the last age, the most significant events could occur during the first seven years of the jubilee.
Even secular scholars have highlighted this time as significant. In the book, The Fourth Turning, the writers uncovered a centuries-old cycle of crises that occur at each turn of a generation. The last crisis was WWII, and the next is expected to occur before 2025. Author Tom Horn has also highlighted 2025 as a significant point in history in his new book, Zeitgeist 2025.
Are the wars of today part of the prophecy of the horsemen in Revelation? And practically speaking, what should Christians do as men slay one another?
Jesus gives us specific guidance in the area, but to follow it will take more courage and faith than many of us have ever needed.
The Nature of the Second Horseman
There are a few things we can learn about the nature of the second horseman by his description.
He is a warrior
The second horseman rides a fiery red horse, conveying the intensity and ferocity of battle. He also carries a sword.
He has the authority to remove peace
As we see in Revelation 6, he is granted authority to take peace from the earth. Notice he doesn’t make war; he is permitted to take peace. Once he takes peace, men will make war with each other.
We see a similar concept on a smaller scale when Jesus sent out the 12 and then the 72 disciples. He told them to bring peace to the home where they stay but let the peace return to them if the homeowner proves unworthy. In these words, we learn that peace has substance, which can be given or taken. It is a spirit. And just like the disciples, the second horseman was given the authority to take peace away.
He is summoned by the second living creature
The second horseman is sent on assignments from the second living creature. As I pointed out previously, there is an inverse relationship between the horseman and the specific living creature who summons him. The horsemen are almost like a negative version of the positive attributes displayed by the living creatures.
In this case, John described the second living creature as being like a calf or young bull. This is relevant because a calf is a sacrificial animal slain in a holy act as a sin offering for man’s sin. But once the second horseman rides, men will engage in the unholy slaying of one another as a result of their sin.
He is given global authority
The second horseman takes peace from the whole earth and is given a “great sword.” The Greek word used for great is the root word megas, as in mega, meaning large in the widest sense. His mega-sword appears to indicate a world war but could also include conflicts on a smaller scale as well. We could see fighting from the largest superpowers down to the smallest villages.
While the first horseman will topple governments, the second horseman will create an environment that fosters war. In this world, we will see events like we haven’t seen since WWII, but worse, because the earth has shrunk since then. The global reach of armaments is far greater than during WWII, making it so that every population could find themselves in a war zone.
If this is in our future, then how can Christians fight against such evil?
A Christian’s Greatest Weapons
Jesus told his closest disciples of signs that would appear at the end of their age that apply to the end of our age as well (covered in a previous post).
The second sign Jesus gave his disciples was “wars and rumors of wars.” And we know from its first fulfillment in Jerusalem that these wars were brutal. But Jesus makes a shocking statement. He tells them, “See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place.“
War is a frightening prospect. Most of us can’t appreciate what it would be like to be in a war zone. Imagine some of the pictures of Ukraine today being of your city, town, or neighborhood.
So how can Jesus tell us not the be frightened? Is there something that He knew that we don’t?
What if I told you that God has given us weapons to use in this day. The first of these weapons will disarm an enemy.
The Weapon that Disarms
While I readily adopt Jesus’ commandments, there are a few I would constantly stumble on, for example:
- …do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also (Matthew 5:39)
- …love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you (Matthew 5:44)
Sure, Jesus could do this, but, as a normal human, I found this concept really difficult. After my cheeks have been smacked, what’s next? Do I offer him my stomach and take a punch to the gut…maybe a shot to the kidneys?
King Solomon’s writing give additional insight into this, “If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; For you will heap burning coals on his head,…” – Proverbs 25:22
This sounded more reasonable; putting hot coals on an enemy’s head. But I wasn’t sure what this meant. How would treating an enemy well cause him to burn in pain?
I think most Bible versions translated this verse incorrectly. The word for will heap is the Hebrew word ḥō·ṯeh, which is translated to snatch up or take in the three other instances used. In two of these instances, the word referenced snatching fire.
So I believe a better translation of this verse is “you will snatch burning coals from his head.” This translation makes more sense. The wisdom is that when faced with an enemy, treat him with kindness and compassion, and you will take the burning anger from him.
Testimonies of kindness in the face of death
I remember two testimonies I’ve heard that demonstrate this wisdom. The first is from David Hogan, a man who has been a missionary in the darkest parts of Mexico for years. If I recall correctly, David was away from home, and his wife and daughters were left alone. A Mexican drug gang approached their house loaded with weapons. Usually, this story would have ended with the family being raped and killed. But instead of fearing for their own safety, they went out and greeted the men. They offered them food and prayed over them. The gang left the family in peace.
The other testimony is from Anna Werner. She was on a mission in Haiti, and the local witch doctors wanted the Christians killed. As she and another missionary walked back to their grounds, several men stood across the road holding weapons. The Holy Spirit spoke Proverbs 25:22 to her. Laying aside fear, she ran to them and hugged them, proclaiming how happy she was to see them. This act completely disarmed the men, and they left peacefully.
So kindness and compassion is a weapon that disarms the enemy. That’s powerful.
But there is another weapon that is even more powerful.
The Weapon that Repels
Kindness disarms, but love is even more powerful. Keep in mind that not all love is romantic love. In the below example, the Apostle John used the word agápē for love, meaning divine love.
John wrote that “perfect love casts out fear.”
John further wrote this is because fear involves punishment, chastisement, or torment. His explanation contains a key to this weapon. We cannot love if we are concerned with the painful consequences of our actions. And conversely, we need not be concerned with such torment if we love.
So the key to avoiding such torment is to love. And when we love, we cast out fear.
So if we can cast fear our from us, where does it go?
Testimonies of kindness in the face of death
I have heard testimonies from Henry Gruver, that illustrate the power of love when faced with death. Henry’s calling requires him to pray in some extremely dangerous areas.
In one such testimony, a gang member put a knife to his throat. But Henry felt tremendous love for the kid who was threatening his life. He was concerned with the gang member more than his own safety. He even told him something like, “I don’t want you to have my blood on your hands.”
The gang member relented, and Henry ended up driving him somewhere where he could get help.
But what this kid told Henry after the encounter was extremely insightful into the power of love. He told Henry that while he held the knife to his neck, he began to fear Henry, who showed no fear. Henry’s love cast out the fear that the gang member tried to place on him, and it landed right back upon the gang member. What a powerful weapon!
A second testimony from Henry gives an even more powerful account of this phenomenon.
Henry was in a jihadi-controlled area in the Middle East. He ended up corned in a cave by a group of Islamic militants. Despite the extreme threat of death, Henry said that all he could feel was love for the men. He felt love… for a group of armed Islamic jihadists who wanted him dead.
Henry recounted that all of a sudden, fear came upon the men’s faces, and they ran out of the cave, leaving Henry unharmed.
This is spiritual warfare that requires spiritual weaponry. A spirit of love is indeed a powerful weapon against a spirit of fear.
A Call to Arms
It is our natural instinct to defend ourselves when threatened. But in referring specifically to the end of this age, John wrote, “…if anyone kills with the sword, with the sword he must be killed. Here is the perseverance and the faith of the saints.“
As the second horseman rides and men “slay one another,” understanding John’s statement is critical. John is instructing us not to pick up the sword against men. We use spiritual weapons that attack the spirit behind the person, not the person.
Under threat, it takes far more courage to love an enemy in faith rather than pick up a weapon. It takes knowing that you are not helpless but have spiritual weapons. These weapons of kindness, compassion, and love are more powerful than a weapon grasped in your hand.
But just as you need to train with a weapon to become proficient in combat, you need to train in kindness and love to become proficient. Only if proficient, will you be able to use these weapons when the time comes. Train in kindness and love when someone cuts you off in traffic, when a co-worker slights you, or when someone with different political views confronts you.
Though the second horseman takes peace from the world, our peace doesn’t come from the world. It comes from Jesus (“…My peace I give to you; I do not give it to you as the world does.”). We will be the carriers of peace when the world is at war.
Jesus’ next words were, “Do not let your hearts be distressed or lacking in courage.”
Remember these words.
This is our call to arms at the end of the age. Have the courage to love in the face of evil.
Related Posts:
Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: Insights You Have Never Heard
The First Horseman of the Apocalypse: Past Victories Tell of What’s to Come
Dead Sea Scrolls Research Frames Timing of Jesus’ Return
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