God's Barn of Sovereignty has Released Four Horsemen of Judgment

Church Family:  People conquering people, war, famine, and death.  Do these four veins of tribulation create with your heart a festive merry Christmas?  These four veins of tribulation have been present in every generation and at every Christmas.  These four common ways of tribulation have been ravaging the earth since Cain and Abel in Genesis 4.  But, in Revelation 6, at the other end of the Bible, we are shown that these tribulations are called the Four Horsemen of the first four seal judgments.  These four horses released by Jesus in judgment represent conquest (white horse), war (bright red horse), famine (black horse) and sickness/death (pale horse).  These judgments were released by Jesus as He opened each of the first four seals of the scroll of God’s purposes and plans.  These first four seal judgments explain the purposes of all of the conquest, war, famine and sickness/death that has always existed and continues to exist.  What are the purposes of the Four Horsemen?    

As Jesus opens each seal of the seven seals of the scroll which contains God’s purposes, plans, covenants and promises, we see that God uses conquest, war, famine and sickness/death throughout all generations to bring about judgment and warning on those opposed to Him and a purification of those who love Him, His Church.  Each of these four horsemen, aka God’s judgment, have been riding through history and continue to ride today and will continue to ride tomorrow.  Throughout history, these four judgments of conquest, war, famine and sickness/death have brought preliminary and partial judgments of the earth that are designed to prepare us for the final, consummate judgment that comes.

As believers we are to understand the riding of the Four Horsemen of judgment upon this earth as God’s sovereign hand of judgment.  These Four Horsemen are sovereignly directed by our holy and loving God to be a wake-up call to all of humanity.  The Four Horsemen of conquest, war, famine, sickness/death are a cry to everyone in every generation at all times to repent!  
This means that you can look at the news today in Washington DC, Portland, Chicago, LA, Iran, Israel and Syria and say these are the Four Horsemen!  And you will be absolutely correct.  In three years from now some new crisis will happen in another part of the world and you will be able to say. “Look, the Four Horsemen,” and you will be correct.  And the 41 million who died in World War l, or the 25 million that Stalin killed in the 19th century, or the 200 million that died of the Bubonic plaque in the 1330s, all suffered under the ravages of the Four Horsemen to bring about repentance and return to the Holy God fo the Bible.

Every generation has thought that their generation was the last generation as they watch the ravaging of the judgments of the Four Horsemen.  And every one of them has been wrong.  Jesus told us in Acts 1:7, stop asking, it is not for you to know.  Instead of trying to figure out if Jesus is coming back today, trust that all things are under God’s sovereign control.  God called forth the Four Horsemen, not Satan.  These four Horsemen are part of God’s plan written in the scrolls.  As bad as they are, they are in God’s plan.  The sky is not falling, God is in control.  Do not run from God’s sovereignty, run to it!  And as you can see, repenting and returning to God is a big deal to our Triune God.  Don’t let the judgments that the Four Horsemen bring be in vain.  Trust and obey, for there is no other name - Jesus!  Merry Christmas!

Revelation 6:1-2 Now I watched when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say with a voice like thunder, “Come!” And I looked, and behold…

This Sunday we will be meeting in person at the church building if you would like to join us in person at 10am.  And for those who will be staying at home, we will  be live-streaming on our Grace Community Church Topsail YouTube Channel. Push the blue link.  We can also be found at https://www.gracetopsail.com/

I look forward to worshipping the One Who opens the Scroll, Jesus Christ, with you Sunday. - Steve