Title: History of Judgment 1 (Rev 6:)
Content St. Augustine, who we know well, famously said that the history of mankind is God's judge and savior at the same time. There has never been a time in human history without God's judgment and salvation. In all the history of civilization that mankind has experienced, we can see that God's judgment and salvation have existed at the same time.
The work of judgment and salvation takes place because God is God.
In other words, because God has the attributes of justice and holiness, He cannot tolerate sin and has no choice but to judge where there is sin.
Also, because God has the attribute of love, he has no choice but to spread the hand of salvation in that history. Because of the nature of God's justice and love, events of judgment and salvation are always revealed in human history.
Especially after the Savior Jesus Christ came to this earth in the flesh, human history reveals the drama of judgment and salvation more vividly. Look at John 3:17,18.
For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through him. being judged
Judgment and salvation are decided depending on whether you accept or reject Jesus Christ. With the coming of this Savior, Christ, the history of mankind has revealed more clearly the history of salvation and the history of judgment.
The history of this earth will be completed and will come to an end with the second coming of Christ. The Bible teaches that as that time nears, more dramatic works of judgment and salvation will unfold on this earth. The nearer the Second Coming of the Lord is, the more sinful there will be in the world. Where there is sin, God's judgment is inevitable. God's judgment will proceed on the unrighteous man and the unrighteous world. However, even in the midst of this judgment, God's work of saving people will continue. As sin becomes more extreme, God's judgment will become clearer, and at the same time, God's work of salvation will be revealed more amazingly.
The Bible repeatedly mentions that there will be a great tribulation just before the second coming of Christ. If you look at the contents of the judgment that begins in Chapter 6, you can see that the severity is getting worse. The stage of judgment appears sequentially through three special events: the judgment of the seven sealings, the judgment of the seven trumpets, and the judgment of the seven bowls. Each time the seals are broken, the judgment is accelerated. Then the trumpets are blown and the bowls are poured out. However, if you look closely, you can see that the trumpet is not blown after the sealing is finished, but the sixth sealing is opened and the judgment of the seventh sealing is divided into seven stages of judgment on the trumpet. Also, the judgment of the seventh trumpet is divided into seven stages of bowl judgment. Therefore, the seventh sealing, the entire trumpet, and the entire bowl show the final stage of the final judgment. Personally, I think that it is about the sixth sealing, entering the stage of the final judgment, and that that is the stage of the final tribulation spoken of in the Gospel of Matthew, but there is no exact basis.
The first stage of judgment is 6:2.
And I saw a white horse, and the rider on it had a bow, and having received a crown, he went out conquering and trying to conquer.
First, there is a white horse, and there is a difference of opinion among biblical scholars as to who the rider is. Some scholars say it is the Christ, and some scholars say the exact opposite, the Antichrist. I think the writer of the Bible would have valued what was happening at this time more than the person riding this horse. In other words, it is important that this is the first stage for God's judgment that is taking place in history. I think that one of the reasons why the history of judgment on mankind is inevitable is because of people's desire for conquest. Win and try to win.
Personally, I think it is more appropriate for the context of the text to say that the rider of this horse is the Antichrist rather than the Christ. It seems contradictory to say that it is Christ the Judge who opens this seal and that He also reveals Himself. In short, the rider on this horse is thought to be an antichrist with messianic ambitions. Some people ask why bad people appear in white, but when the devil works, he doesn't always appear as a bad person. Doesn't the devil even disguise himself as an angel of light? Not all heroes in history go to war with bad motives.
All those who cause quarrels fight for their own legitimate cause. For peace, for the country... . But in fact, there were many cases where political and religious desires were hidden deep in their hearts.
The second stage of judgment is verses 3 and 4.
As he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, "Come." Then another red horse came out, and the rider on it was given permission to take peace from the earth, to kill each other, and to receive a great sword.
In the second stage of Judgment, we see the bloody history of wars being waged by Messianic ambitious antichrists. This too is God's judgment. God judges this sinful world and mankind through war. And as the years go by, the brutality of this war will only get worse. But remember, they do not do these things on their own, but with God's permission. No event can happen on Earth unless God allows it. The Middle East crisis also happens because God allows it. Of course, war is a tragedy. However, behind the history of this tragic war is God's providence to punish mankind, shake people up, and set the direction of history. History is still claimed by God.
They said they were given a large sword, which is probably a symbol of the brutal weapons they use. We are living in an era where we can see vividly how much more fear and cruelty are added to the weapons used in warfare. The bloody history of war is the second stage of judgment.
The third stage of judgment is verses 5 and 6.
When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, "Come." I went out and looked out and saw a black horse, and he who sat on it had scales in his hand. stones of barley, and do not harm olive oil and wine.
Judging by the fact that they appeared with scales, you can see that it became difficult to make a living. It is said that when wheat is matured, it is the bread that a long-haired person can eat for a day at that time. And one denarius is a day's wages for working from dawn to evening. Therefore, one day symbolizes food, and one denarius symbolizes one day's wages. A history of economic famine appears, where people can earn a daily wage by working hard and only get food for a day with that wage. This is a kind of history of God's judgment.
I told them not to harm the olive oil and wine, but I bought one day's bread with one day's wages, so I can't even buy olive oil and wine. At that time, olive oil and wine were one of the essential necessities of their daily life, but they