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50 The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

fined to words, feelings and attitudes. More often than not it has taken the form of physical violence
-- persecutions, imprisonments, tortures, and where there was resistance (as between Protestants
and Catholics in France, and later Ireland) civil wars. The Roman Catholic Church murdered mil-
lions of people during the Middle Ages -- this would never have occurred but for the gospel. All
other causes of dispute put together have not contributed nearly as much to hostility between human
beings as the single cause of religious difference regarding the gospel. Yeshua’s words have
proved profoundly true: “I came NOT to send peace, but a SWORD”! What tremendous foresight
Yeshua possessed!

The explanation of the meaning of the red horse has been given by the Messiah himself --
from his very own lips! How needful it was that his very own people should hear the truth from his
very own lips -- that it was the EXACT OPPOSITE, “not peace but a SWORD”!

In the Book of Acts we can see clearly the beginning of the career of the red horse rider.
Strife began where the gospel began -- in Jerusalem where “a great persecution” swirled around
Stephen. From here it went forth, always following the course of the gospel. At Antioch in Pisidia
the Jews raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas -- and expelled them from their coasts. At
Iconium the Jews stirred up the Gentiles against them, the result being that Paul was severely stoned
and thought to be dead when dragged from the city. At the gospel’s first appearance in Europe, at
Philippi, antagonism and persecution immediately came to the surface. Next, at Thessalonica, the
entire city was in an uproar. At Corinth and at Ephesus it was the same story; and so on to the end.
The gospel was making its way against the united opposition of Judaism, Paganism, Greek philoso-
phy and Roman cynicism -- which afterwards changed into fierce persecution -- and everywhere
causing strife.

We should note that there is nothing in the symbols of the second seal which speaks of ac-
tual physical war. This we find under the fourth seal, where we find the words “to kill with the
sword.” In the seal under discussion the words “to take peace from the earth” DO NOT imply war in
the ordinary sense. The word “peace” in its Biblical significance means welfare, prosperity, tran-
quility. At the time of Yeshua and the apostles the world was caught up in the pax Romana -- a state
of political tranquility maintained by the iron hand of Imperial Rome. Historians describe this re-
markable era of Roman domination as “The two centuries of peace.” This era began with the reign
of Augustus Caesar (30 BC - 14 AD) who was at the very height of his career when the Messiah was
born in Judea (Luke 2:1). The reign of Augustus is regarded by secular historians as “the beginning
of a new age.” Little do they realize to what extent, and in what manner, that “new age” was shaped
by the influence of the child of Bethlehem and the man of Galilee.

The pax Romana was thoroughly established over the whole world in the days of Tiberius
Caesar, the successor of Augustus, who ruled the empire at the time of Yeshua’s ministry. It contin-
ued through the reigns of Caligula, Claudius, Nero, Vespasian, Titus, Trajan and Hadrian, to that of
Marcus Aurelius. It embraced the period of John’s visions on the island of Patmos, except for one
outbreak in the days of Domitian, which was probably the occasion of John’s exile. With this fact in
mind we can see special significance in the words spoken about the RED HORSE RIDER -- that it
was “given him to take peace from the earth.” This was done so effectively that strife, wars and
fightings have not ceased from that time to this, nor will until the return of the Messiah and

The Berean Voice September-October 2002