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ACC ~ Revelation 6 v3 - 4

OVERVIEW:

Through his victory over the temptations of the devil, Christ overcame also our own shame and restored to us the vision of God. Although humankind, once enslaved, may now dismiss the devil like a slave (OECUMENIUS), the devil is still an evil and bloody power against whom the church is forewarned (PRIMASIUS). He will cause much blood to be spilled upon the earth, for he will cause evil people to attack the church (TYCONIUS, CAESARIUS OF ARLES), and he will incite the wicked to perpetual strife and discord even among themselves, so that they even kill each other (CAESARIUS OF ARLES). Yet through such strife that community of evil, which is sinful humanity, will be cut to pieces and its idolatry destroyed (OECUMENIUS). Christ prophesied that such wars would occur also in the future (VICTORINUS). During these evil times God will give permission that those who teach and extend the gospel be martyred and be sacrificed upon the altar of heaven (ANDREW OF CAESAREA). Throughout all of this, the church still possesses an eternal, heavenly peace that passes all understanding and that Christ left behind for us (TYCONIUS, CAESARIUS OF ARLES).

6:3 | The Lamb Opened the Second Seal

CHRIST OVERCAME THE TEMPTATION OF THE DEVIL. OECUMENIUS: The second good work of Christ toward us is the temptation of the Lord and his victory over the tempter. This loosed the second seal of the scroll and granted to us the loosing of our shame and the restoration of the vision of God. And this occurred not only that [Christ] might know victory but that the interloper, beaten down, might no longer “bite the heel of the horsemen” or trip us up in our spiritual walk, but rather that he might fall down and be sent away like a slave, and hear from man whom he had defeated, “Begone, Satan!” (although God was in this man!). And so, he who boasted that he would put his throne upon the clouds and make himself like unto the Most High, as Isaiah dramatically depicted it, departs with shame and now for the first time learns of his own weakness. COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 6.1-4.

THE CHURCH IS WARNED OF FUTURE EVILS. PRIMASIUS: The same words of exhortation to “come and see” are repeated, but for a different reason. The white horse is portrayed as good, but the red horse is portrayed as evil. Just as in regard to the good, joy is promised for the church’s victory, so here there is a warning against evil from a foreknowledge of the future. COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 6.3.

SACRED SACRIFICES. ANDREW OF CAESAREA: I suppose that the second living creature is the bull to depict the sacred sacrifices of the holy martyrs, since the first [creature] signified the apostolic authority. COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 6.3.

6:4 | A Red Horse and Its Rider

THERE WILL BE WARS. VICTORINUS OF PETOVIUM: “And there was a red horse, and he who sat upon it had a sword.” [This passage] signifies those wars which will occur in the future, as we read in the Gospel: “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be earthquakes on the earth.” This is the red horse. COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 6.2.

THE CHURCH IS TAUGHT THROUGH BLOODY STRUGGLES. TYCONIUS: This red horse, gory not with its own blood but with the blood of others, is said to fight against the victorious church when it is sent in to take that peace from the earth that passes all understanding. For [the church] is taught both from deed and from the sword. COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 6.4.

HUMAN CONSENSUS TOWARD EVIL AND IDOLATRY WILL BE DESTROYED. OECUMENIUS: “A red horse came forth,” urged on by one of the living creatures, and authority was given to the rider “to take peace from the earth, that they might kill one another, and a great sword was given to him.” The red horse is a figure of blood, and so a sword is given to the rider upon the horse so that he might attack and cut to pieces that consensus of evil that exists among those who dwell upon the earth—for among them there is an agreement to idolatry. “That they might kill one another,” that is, that they might slay each other’s eagerness toward increased evil. For the Lord did not come “to bring peace to the earth but a sword” and to set “a son against his father and a bride against her mother-in-law” and the young and pious against the old and accused. COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 6.1-4.

STRIFE, DISSENSION AND DEATH. CAESARIUS OF ARLES: The red horse comes out against the victorious and conquering church. That is, there comes an evil and wicked people, made bloody from its rider, the devil. This is just as we read in Zechariah concerning the red horse of the Lord, except that there it is red from his own blood, while here it is red from the blood of others. “And to him a great sword was given, to take peace from the earth.” This refers to the peace of the earth, for the church possesses an eternal peace that Christ left behind for himself. As we noted above, the white horse is the church and its rider is Christ or the Holy Spirit in whose hand is a bow that sends forth his commandments, as though they were powerful, sharp arrows, throughout the whole world both to kill sins and to enliven the hearts of the faithful. The crown upon his head is the promise of eternal life. Here, … the red horse is an evil people whose rider is the devil. It is said to be red because it has been made red with the blood of multitudes. And a sharp sword was given to it to take peace from the earth. This means that with the devil’s connivance and influence evil people join together and do not cease to incite among themselves strife and dissension, even unto death. EXPOSITION ON THE APOCALYPSE 6.4, HOMILY 5.

GOD PERMITS MARTYRS AND TEACHERS TO SUFFER FOR CHRIST. ANDREW OF CAESAREA: We suggest that this second seal is to be interpreted as the succession of the apostles that is fulfilled through martyrs and teachers. During this succession, as the proclamation is extended abroad, the peace of the world is taken away, creation being divided against itself, as was spoken by the Lord: “I have not come to bring peace on earth, but a sword.” And by this [sword] the sacrifices of the martyrs are offered on the heavenly altar. The “red horse” is symbolic either of the shedding of blood or of the red-hot disposition of those who suffer for Christ. The words “it was permitted to its rider to take peace” show the all-wise permission of God that tests his faithful servants through temptations. COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 6.4.