Title Second Seal: The Enemy of War
Contents
2006' Lecture on Revelation from the pulpit of Kyunghyang (26)
"Second Person: The Enemy of War"
Revelation 6:3-4
1. Introduction
1) It begins with the society of the second creature.
Revelation 6:3 says, "As he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, "Come."
The ‘second living creature’ here is a calf-like creature (Revelation 4:7). The creature was a symbol of loyalty and perseverance.
2) It was first revealed to John the Evangelist.
In Revelation 6:3, “… When he opened the second seal, I heard... ' he said.
The identity and inner story of the second seal is not a secret. It was revealed to John. It is the revelation of God that can be seen, heard, read, and understood.
In this sense, the church (the believer) is the forerunner of history.
2. Appearance of the Red Horse Rider
In Revelation 6:4, it says, “And another word came out red. ‘Another horse’ refers to a red horse as a contrast to the previous white horse.
Who is it? What does it mean?
Some say that it refers to the 'bow', which was the main weapon of Rome used to stop the invasion of the Phaltians.
Some have called this the 'Rome Civil War'. This is an incorrect interpretation.
Some called it the Antichrist. It is an interpretation that requires careful consideration.
A more definitive interpretation is that the word 'red horse' means a horse that has been stained with blood.
If so, it makes us imagine horses that have already fought countless wars and will be stained with blood in the future. If so, it symbolizes 'war'.
However, it should be noted that this war is not aimed at territorial disputes or sovereignty as a result, but rather aims at persecution and destruction of the church as a result of the war. It is evident from the work of this red horse rider.
3. Ministry of the Red Horse Rider
1) Do the work of removing peace from the earth.
Revelation 6:4 says, “Peace will be taken away from the earth… ' he said.
‘Peace’ here is not an attempt at international peace, but rather peace in relationship with God. The Lord has brought the gospel of peace. He came to make peace. It is said that blessed are the peacemakers. Spiritual peace is at the center of it.
Then, this work of the enemy is a challenge to the gospel work. The life of the true church movement is the peace movement. For the rider on the red horse to take away the peace and forsake it, it means the removal of the church movement (Matthew 5:9, Ephesians 2:14).
2) They kill each other.
In Revelation 6:4, “… Let them kill each other.” This is a challenge to the work of Christ to love one another (John 13:34). We should note the word 'slaughter' each other here. This is not a word used to mean murder in general warfare. The fact is that the word is used by evildoers (unbelievers) to kill the saints, except in one case in Revelation 13:3.
For example, in 1 John 3:12, “Cain… Because he killed his brother.” Here, Abel, the one who was slain, means a believer. You are a child of God.
In Revelation 5:6, “… A lamb stood there, and it seemed to have been killed early. In Revelation 5:9, “… was slain early”, in Revelation 5:1, “… The Lamb that was slain”, in Revelation 6:9, “… Souls that were slain”, “The Lamb that was slain” in Revelation 13:8, “… The blood of all who were slain was seen in this city.”
In this case, 'to kill' means that evildoers (unbelieving forces) kill Christ or God's children.
If so, this tells us that the various forms of warfare in this world will eventually lead to what is called the eradication of the children of God. Even if the motive of the war was territorial disputes or expansion of power, the final result of all those wars is the fact that they kill the saints (the destruction of the church). We know it well through world history. The closest example is the Japanese militarism during World War II that later led to the destruction of the Korean church.
3) It is said that “he received another great sword”.
In the second half of Revelation 6:4, “… He also received a large sword.”
(1) tools for slaughtering sacrifices
Here, “large sword” (Macharia) is used in the Bible to refer to a knife (for slaughtering animals) that was mainly used to cut sacrifices. Some even said that it meant a sword used during war. In any case, it implies that wars and slaughter will continue. This is one of the signs of Jesus' second coming (Matthew 24:6-8). Because of that war, God's children will suffer double suffering. One is the suffering that comes from war itself, and the other is the suffering that comes during warfare, called the watchdog of faith and conscience.
In the past, the Korean church went through this kind of tribulation of double suffering. I had to fight on the national level in front of the Japanese imperialists, and I had to endure the hardships caused by the watch of faith and conscience, the watch of the church, and the watch of the truth.
(2) Some even say that this ‘big knife’ refers to something like the present nuclear weapon that has emerged as a tool for mass killing.
In fact, it is said that the number of atomic bombs possessed by today's world powers is in the tens of thousands. Of these, the United States alone is said to have about 20,000.
Scientists say that they can annihilate mankind 40 times with only the nuclear weapons currently possessed in the world, so it is a really big sword.
It is true that the wars that have occurred in the world are getting more serious as we get closer to modern times.
For example, it is said that by the 19th century, the number of deaths due to war was 14 million. However, during World War I, 8.5 million people died. It is said that 78 million people died during World War II.
In the case of war, it is said that it cost 75 cents to kill an enemy during the Roman Empire. However, in World War I, it cost $15,000 to kill a person, and in World War II, that multiplied by $30,000. It is said that during the Korean War, it cost $50,000 per person. During the Vietnam War, it is said that a whopping $800,000 was spent on the killing of a Viet Cong.
Then, isn't the tragedy of war the judgment of God?
The last great war of the world is revealed in Revelation 16:12-16. In the end, it should be noted that the war of Armageddon is aimed at the destruction of the church at its end.
Therefore, it should be borne in mind that the identity of the rider on the red horse following the rider on the white horse (the Gospel movement) is not just a war in the world, but a religious persecution aimed at destroying the church (the children of God).
4) However, the church (saints) does not despair because of this war.
The reason is that in Revelation 6:4, “… The rider got permission.”
If so, their means of war is to show that they are under the sovereign providence of God. It can never be Satan's unrestricted disturbance or obstruction. The stage of history can never be Satan's sole stage!
We learn this principle from Job's tribulation (war).
The question is whether or not our members do not receive physical and mental damage during these wars.
It is difficult to conclude with one answer. This is because God's providential protection is so diverse. However, what is ultimately certain is that even in the midst of the tragedies of wars and slaughter in this world, the salvation faith and grace of the elect toward the Lord will never be damaged.
Another thing that is certain is that the consequences of wars in history have to do with the expansion of the gospel movement.
This is because Satan tries to destroy the church through war, but rather, through His providential history, God uses that war as an opportunity to expand the gospel movement.
For example, there is the fact that the Roman general Titus invaded Judea. As a result, many people in Jerusalem and Judah suffered great trials. However, as the Jews were scattered in all directions, the gospel was widely preached, and as a result, many churches were born in various regions.
Under the Roman Empire, the gospel quickly spread throughout the 5th century. One of the reasons is that it was the time when Rome conquered the world by force (war). At the same time, the gospel of the Lord entered all over the world under the power of Rome.
On the other hand, the Gospel entered Europe much later. When the Vandals invaded Rome in A.D. 476, many Romans entered Europe as captives. At this time, believers in captivity were able to testify of the gospel to Europe.
The Franks also preached the gospel to their people when their king, Clowi, believed the gospel during the war.
In Germany too, prisoners of war who were captured in Rome due to the invasion of Rome were taken to Germany and preached to the Germans while they were living.
Ireland also came to believe in the gospel because of the prisoners of war. A prisoner of war was held for six years in a province called Island Town. His name is Patrick, and he was taken prisoner at the age of 16. And it started when he introduced the gospel of Jesus, which he received as a child, to the people there while shepherding sheep. After that, he returned to Korea, grew up and became a missionary, and went there again to evangelize by using the ranch of the owner's house where he was a slave as a church.
The Minister of Syria, Naaman, came to know the God of Israel through a captive girl who was taken from Israel through the tragedy of the war with Israel.
World War I awakened and shamed liberal theologians and their followers. They denied the kingdom of heaven and claimed that it was the Bible's claim to build a utopia in this world, but because of the war, their falsehood has been vindicated.
The national, cultural, and historical devastation and damage suffered by Korea during World War II is truly enormous. However, through this war, the Korean church was able to distinguish the weeds from the wheat on the balance of God, and was blessed to see the blood of martyrdom. In addition, through the lesson of August 15, 1945, he learned well that the idolatrous Japanese imperialism was punished by God.
Korea's 6.25 Uprising was indeed a tragedy of bone and meat conflict. However, because of this tragedy, many church martyrs were obtained, and I realized that communism is the enemy of God, the enemy of the truth, and the enemy of the church.
Through the 6.25 Uprising, many North Korean saints fled to South Korea, and as a result, many churches were established throughout South Korea. as well as 6