Revelation chapter six....verses one through eight....eight verses that describe much of that which we know as the Tribulation....that terrible seven year period....before Jesus returns....or in which Jesus returns....or of which Jesus returns at the end of it? We just do not know for certain how this will transpire....even though many prophecy teachers claim to know. Personally....my vote is that we Christians go through most of these seven years....but that is just my guess....albeit an educated guess....which all of the guesses from these teachers are.
How important is this? Well....I don't think that it was as important to John Calvin as it is to us. He had other things on his mind. One of the 'guesses' to me is problematic......that which is called the pre-trib rapture....that being the belief that the church will be raptured....and then the Tribulation will begin. John MacArthur believes that....and he knows a lot more than I do....but that doesn't mean that he is right on it. My problem with it is twofold. I don't think that Scripture points to it....and second.....if that would turn out to be the case....from what scripture says about those who are the redeemed......there would be a whole lot of disappointed people at the rapture.
“For thus says the Lord GOD: How much more when I send upon Jerusalem my four disastrous acts of judgment, sword, famine, wild beasts, and pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast!"
That is Ezekiel 14:21....ESV. Jeremiah described four judgments in 42:17a....death....sword....famine.....and pestilence....
"All the men who set their faces to go to Egypt.....(those who were left after Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the city and the walls and the temple....after God said through Jeremiah not to go to Egypt).....to live there shall dies by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence."
So John also gives four categorical judgments in that Revelation chapter six....four horsemen....on four horses....in chronological order....a white horse.....and a red horse.....and a black horse.....and a pale horse. So what is a pale horse. Clint Eastwood doesn't give us an answer. Most of the translations give the color as pale....some call it ashen....and some get real specific and describe it as a 'pale green horse'.....for if you look up the Greek word used....in Strong's Concordance for instance....it will have...."greenish" or "green" or "pale." The colors of the Palestinian flag are white and red and black and green....so you can remember the horses easier....or you can remember the flag colors easier.
So we know what the red horse symbolizes....war....and the black horse....famine....and the pale or greenish horse....death.....but what about the white horse?
There are those who firmly believe that the rider on the white horse is Jesus Christ who will come back conquering....and bring war and famine and death as judgments. Sounds reasonable....maybe that's it....but I'm not one who thinks so. Most today believe that the rider is the Antichrist....who because he is given a crown....and has a bow but no arrows....is one who supposedly comes in peace. Sounds reasonable....but nah....I don't believe that either. So I just don't know.
I would like to keep the subject but change the direction. I posted on this a number of times in the past....pure conjecture....meant primarily to get us thinking more on a scale of imminence. I'm going to make it short in this post. You can look these things up on your own. The Covid-19 virus is always depicted as a crown right? Well what about the bow? Once again in Strong's the word is.....toxon. The following paragraph is from a former post....
"The ancient Greek fighters would put poison on their arrows. They called this....toxikon pharmakon....the archery drug. The evolution of this whole thing has given us the word....toxic. Oxford's Word of the Year for 2018....before the pandemic....was....toxic. According to the Oxford website....'the Latin word itself....(toxicus)....came from the Greek term....toxon....meaning....bow.' So....coronavirus revolves around the word....crown....and the word....bow....basically means poison.
All that I hope to do in this post is to put forth a hypothetical. If in God's design and perfect plan.....we would already be in the tribulation....or even if we would now see that tribulation as real....and possibly as imminent....how would that affect our lives at present....and our prayers....and our reading God's Word....and our praises....and our evangelizing our loved ones....and repentance....and preparation....and even our conversations? Might we once again in the church cry out.....Maranatha....Lord Jesus Come! I think that all of these things will increasing happen as the more we see that Jesus returning is truly near!
