Revelation, Part 4: The Four Horsement

Brian Behrends, Creative Pastor

Revelation 5:1-4
Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside.

Revelation 6:1-2
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!” 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.

The white rider is bringing

Revelation 6:3-4
When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” 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.

The red rider is bringing

Revelation 6:5-6
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. 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, and do not damage the oil and the wine!”

The black rider is bringing

Revelation 6:7-8
When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” 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 pale rider is bringing

Revelation 6:15-16
Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and everyone else, both slave and free, hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!”

Revelation 6:17 ENGLISH STANDARD VERSION
“…for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”

Small Group Questions

1. What’s your biggest question about the Book of Revelation so far?
2. Why is it important that Jesus gets described as both the lion and the lamb? Which one of those names most resonates with you, and which is hardest for you to wrap your mind around?
3. Which of the four horsemen (counterfeit, conflict, famine, death) have you experienced most in your life? How has that affected your relationship with Jesus?
4. What causes spiritual or emotional famine in our lives today? How can we find nourishment in God’s Word during times of scarcity?
5. How does the portrayal of Jesus in Revelation provide hope and assurance for believers facing difficult times or uncertain futures?
6. How can we pray for you right now and throughout the week?