Four Horses of the Apocalypse: Power, and a White Horse
Dissidents Guide to Revelation, Part 23
Two Worlds in Contrast
We have now come to a transitional moment in John's writing. Chapters five and six contrast heaven and earth.
In the heavenly throne room of Chapter 5, there are four beasts who kneel in the worship of the lowly lamb while thousands upon thousands are lifted up in worship.
In the hellscape earth of Chapter 6, there are four horsemen who rise up in service of the beast while thousands upon thousands are struck down by violence and starvation.
John is called upon by a worshipper in the throne room to witness what Babylon has released upon the earth.
Revelation 6:1-8
I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, “Come!” 2 I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.
3 When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” 4 Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make people kill each other. To him was given a large sword.
5 When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. 6 Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, “Two pounds of wheat for a day’s wages, and six pounds of barley for a day’s wages, n and do not damage the oil and the wine!”
7 When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” 8 I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.
The Symptoms, Not the Disease
Many in the last century have posited that these four horsemen and the destruction they bring are the eruptions of God's wrath upon the earth because of anger at sin. But this view does not align with the character of the God revealed in Jesus.
Rather than a work of God's judgment, these four figures appear as the outcome of Babylon's influence in the world. War, famine, economic turmoil, and general suffering are the fruits cultivated in the places Babylon is allowed to roam free.
The four horsemen are an apocalypse (an unveiling) in and of themselves. They appear as a shock to the people living in the empire. Any reader old enough to be aware of what was happening on September 11th, 2001, can distinctly remember the feeling of an unveiling like this. One hour, we were blissfully unaware of anything but our own routines, desires, and struggles, and the next, we were confronted with a murderous and terrible evil that has grown throughout our world, threatening our peace and way of life. The attack was the unveiling that shook us from our sleep and revealed that things are not as healthy as we thought they were just one day earlier.
This feeling of being shaken awake is familiar to nearly every generation in every part of the world. History is, after all, a record of upheaval. From the destruction of the temple in 70 AD to the ransacking of the Capitol on January 6th, 2021, the horsemen ride out and reveal that Babylon has been at work, growing stronger and gathering humanity to herself. She forms them in the image of the beast rather than the lamb, and destruction follows.
The White Horse
The White Horse stands in direct contrast to the Lamb. Its rider carries a bow, a weapon of the battlefield. John also tells us that the rider wears a crown on his head and rides out "bent on conquest." From John's point of view in the throne room, he can view two separate forms of power with the mere turn of his head. Just a few feet away stands the only one worthy to open the scroll and enact the plan of God to restore and reconcile all of creation.
He appears to John as a lamb who has lost, who was slain, and yet reigns. His victory was not achieved by violence or coercive power over others, but by exercising power with those who have suffered at the hands of Babylon.
The rider on the White Horse, however, appears to John as a conquerer who rides out with weapons of war. His victory comes at the death of others.
In this, John sets up a comparison between the methods of each kind of power, and the fruit that it bears.
Earthly Power VS Godly Power
There are two kinds of power:1
“There is worldly power, which is exerted over persons, and there is godly power, which works relationally with and among persons. Worldly power is coercive.
God’s power, on the other hand, is never coercive. God works by the Holy Spirit, persuades, never overrides a person’s agency, convicts, works in relationship.” ~ David Fitch, Reckoning with Power
The Lamb exercises power under and with fallen humanity, and the result is the gathering of diverse multitudes in worship. The Lamb is victorious because he wields the power of the cross, which brings resurrection and salvation. This power starts with incarnation, joining people where they are and loving them through it.
The Rider on the White Horse exercises power over humanity, enforced by violent force. The result of using the world's power is the death, destruction, and starvation that the following horses will bring (we will look at them next time). This power starts with fear and threats, coercing people into obedience and submission.
As I imaginatively enter John's narrative and contemplate the contrasting visions of heaven and earth, I feel that I am being reminded that God works only through the cross and never the sword. If reconciliation, healing, and peace are to be established, it cannot truly happen through the kings of the world with their crowns and weapons of war. God's power to mend and restore can only be released through cross-shaped acts.
Part of John's message to the seven churches living under the rule and influence of Babylon is to encourage them to trust the power of God and to distrust the power of Babylon. He is sowing seeds of faith in the Lamb's power at the same time that he is sowing seeds of doubt in the Beast's power.
The empire is no match for a church unified around the embodying the cross. John wants his churches to trust the power of the cross over the power of the sword.
My hope is that as we read the Book of Revelation with fresh eyes, we will learn to trust the power of God once again and begin to divest from the powers of this world.
Fitch, David E.. Reckoning with Power: Why the Church Fails When It's on the Wrong Side of Power (p. 11). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
Trust the power of God!