Revelation 6:3-4 When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” And out came another horse, bright red. Its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that people should slay one another, and he was given a great sword.
Each of the living creatures corresponds to one of the riders. The second rider is on a bright red horse. This is the color of blood and symbolizes the loss of life that will take place as this rider takes away peace with the result of war. His great sword represents the power to wage war. The second stage of God’s place is the loss of peace on earth. This conquerer, whether a spiritual being or an actual human, will bring destruction. With the nature of humanity, the only thing that needs to happen for this is for God to remove protective grace and peace. People by nature want to fight and kill one another. This has been the case ever since Cain and Abel. The Old Testament is full of stories of people killing one another, sometimes for petty things. The fuel for such discord is always present and only takes a spark. Riots today show how easily people can go crazy. If God sends out such a messenger, we can be assured that people will resort to their sinful instincts of self-destruction. How can we be ready? We must know the peace of God within us. Whatever happens to us in this life, we can be assured of God’s final redemption. This should give us hope.
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