Much has been written of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse from Revelation 6. As I reflected on it recently, the main thing I became aware of is that the world without God would be a place of complete chaos.
When the first couple sinned, all of creation came at that time under the power of sin. Chaos and death reigned, held back only by God's grace and mercy that he pours out on everyone everywhere. Suppose that he were to lift that provision. What would we see? Wars of conquest. No peace anywhere, people killing each other for whatever selfish reason. Failed crops, famine and plague. Unconstrained parasites and viruses infecting everywhere. The Black Plague of Europe was a foretaste but one held back by God.
As each of the riders of Revelation is sent out, God's global provision of grace and mercy is drawn back step by step. For the first on the white horse, the result is wars everywhere. For the second on the red horse, personal chaos and violence. For the third one on the black horse, failure of the economic system and catastrophic inflation. For the fourth one on the pale horse, unrestrained wild animals, famine, plague and military violence. The effect of the fall is now realized in full.
Perhaps the events of the last century and this are a foretaste of what it will be like when these things happen. We are protected, every day and everywhere, by God grace and mercy to hold back the corruption that is in the earth. What we see is bad enough; it could be much worse and in the Lord's Day, it will be. In the meantime, I give thanks that his hand of restraint protects us.
Incidentally, those of us who follow Jesus will continue to have the grace that is special for us. We will be affected by the effects of a lifting of general grace--many of us will suffer and be killed--but we ourselves will still have access to love, joy, peace, patience and all the other fruits of the Spirit.
When the first couple sinned, all of creation came at that time under the power of sin. Chaos and death reigned, held back only by God's grace and mercy that he pours out on everyone everywhere. Suppose that he were to lift that provision. What would we see? Wars of conquest. No peace anywhere, people killing each other for whatever selfish reason. Failed crops, famine and plague. Unconstrained parasites and viruses infecting everywhere. The Black Plague of Europe was a foretaste but one held back by God.
As each of the riders of Revelation is sent out, God's global provision of grace and mercy is drawn back step by step. For the first on the white horse, the result is wars everywhere. For the second on the red horse, personal chaos and violence. For the third one on the black horse, failure of the economic system and catastrophic inflation. For the fourth one on the pale horse, unrestrained wild animals, famine, plague and military violence. The effect of the fall is now realized in full.
Perhaps the events of the last century and this are a foretaste of what it will be like when these things happen. We are protected, every day and everywhere, by God grace and mercy to hold back the corruption that is in the earth. What we see is bad enough; it could be much worse and in the Lord's Day, it will be. In the meantime, I give thanks that his hand of restraint protects us.
Incidentally, those of us who follow Jesus will continue to have the grace that is special for us. We will be affected by the effects of a lifting of general grace--many of us will suffer and be killed--but we ourselves will still have access to love, joy, peace, patience and all the other fruits of the Spirit.
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