XIV

THE FIRST FOUR SEALS THE FOUR SORE JUDGMENTS OF GOD VI I-8

The revelations which we are now to consider go forth from the opening of the seven-sealed book. The first four of them constitute a class by themselves, differing from the three following in essential particulars, as is evident from the significant ministry in them of the four living creatures, which do not appear at all in the others. The most important of these differences seems to be, that the judgments of the first four seals take place strictly within the realm of nature, by means of the uniform operation of natural forces and human agency according to natural laws; whereas, in the last three, they are mingled with abnormal or miraculous interpositions of divine power. All of them, however, represent the inflictions which the Lord finds it necessary to send upon the rebellious world in subduing it unto Himself.

I And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals: and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, Come 2 and I saw, and, behold, a white horse, and he that sat upon him had a bow, and there was given unto him a crown, and he came forth conquering and to conquer.

This is the only one of these four seals which does not interpret itself; and the number of conflicting interpretations to which it has given rise is almost incredible, ranging from that which regards this mounted and crowned bowman as the Lord Jesus Christ to that which identifies Him with the devil! Lange, who adopts the former view, along with most other commentators, says, "The riders upon the other three horses ride behind Him as squires behind their knight"! The American Editor of Lange's Commentary interprets

the symbol as representing science and culture in their hostility to Christianity. But all this grotesque diversity has arisen from failing to notice that the Seer himself has given us, at the close of the series, a perfectly clear and explicit interpretation of this seal, as we shall see when we come to it. Meanwhile, we can attend to the significant fact that, at the opening of each of these four seals, one of the living creatures, 'as with a voice of thunder' in the first case, and, no doubt, in all the others, utters the word, 'Come.' In some texts we have 'Come and see,' but this addition is not found in the oldest and best manuscripts, but only the thundering imperative, Come, in the sense of come forth. To whom, then, is this word addressed? upon which also there is a great diversity of opinion. Dean Alford, from whose scholarly Commentary I have derived much assistance, but from whom I am compelled to differ in some of his fundamental ideas, understands this word as a prayer that the Lord would hasten His coming, though how with due reverence, or with what symbolic propriety, it could be addressed to Him 'in a voice of thunder,' he does not undertake to explain. This diversity of interpretation also has arisen from a similar failure to notice that the Seer has informed us to whom these living creatures speak. For in the third seal, a voice is heard 'from the midst of the four living creatures' (Rev. vi. 6), as if from all of them at once, commanding the rider on the black horse, the symbolic minister of famine, to cause it to rage with the utmost intensity. Moreover, the command, 'Come forth,' is immediately followed, in each case, by the words, and there came forth' one of these riders upon horses. We must remember also that these life-forms are seen in the midst of the throne,' as representing the wisdom and power of God in nature (113), which explains the authority with which they deliver their commands. From such considerations, it is quite certain that this thunder-word, Come, is addressed to these symbolical ministers of God's judgments, commanding them to come forth and do their executions upon the rebellious world. They are all

riders upon horses, to signify the rapidity and unavoidable impetus of the destructive forces of nature which they symbolize, in such forms as war, pestilence, and famine. What particular judgment is represented by this mounted and crowned bowman will appear when we come to the Seer's interpretation of the symbol; but here it is plain enough that he cannot represent the Lord, for how could these creatures have authority to give Him commands in a voice of thunder?

3 And when He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, Come: 4 and there came forth another horse that was red; and unto him that sat upon him it was given to take peace from the earth, and that they should slay one another; and there was given unto him a great sword.

There is no difference of opinion as to the meaning of this symbol. In the blood-red color of the horse, in the great sword with which the rider is armed, in his power to take peace from the earth, and cause that men shall slay each other; in each and all of these particulars we have symbolically represented war, offensive and defensive, civil and international, reciprocal slaughter, as on the thousand battlefields of human history. The Seer does not inform us which one of the living creatures speaks in each case, but probably it is the one having the face of a man' that calls for war, since it depends upon man's agency (113). Here, then, we are instructed that war, howsoever the result of human folly and wickedness, is one of the sore judgments of God; and certainly it is one that can never come to an end until men shall cease from their rebellion against 'the Prince of peace' (Is. ix. 6), and shall submit themselves to the authority of 'Shiloh,' the giver of peace (Gen. xlix. 10).

But the severity of this judgment, the ravages of this scourge, who can comprehend? What boundless destruction of life in prehistoric times, and since, by the conflicts of savage tribes! How enormous it must have been in the Egyptian, Babylonian, Ninevite, Persian, and Macedonian conquests! What slaughter in the wars of the Roman re

public and empire! It is estimated that not less than six millions of human beings must have perished in the wars of Ghengis Khan, a single Asiatic conqueror! Who can estimate the numbers that were slain in the subjugation of Europe by the northern barbarians! What untold millions must have perished in the Tartar invasion of China; in the Mohammedan, Marhatta, and British conquests of India; in the wars of the Crusades and of the Reformation; in the conquest of America by Spain; in the ravages by Napoleon; in the late German invasion of France; in our own civil conflict; and in those which have raged from immemorial ages to the present time on the continent of Africa in connection with the slave-trade! Is it not well said, that the sword of him who here goes forth to take peace from the earth is 'a great sword'? And still the most advanced and so-called Christian nations are armed to the teeth against each other. The vastness of their armaments far exceeds all that was ever before known; and these will as surely come into use in future wars as the thunder cloud is sure to shoot forth its stored up lightning:

For nation will rise against nation,

And kingdom against kingdom (Mat. xxiv. 7).
And they will fight every one against his brother,
And every one against his neighbor;

City against city,

And kingdom against kingdom (Is. xix. 2).

The only thing that can ever put a stop to this reciprocal slaughter is the nations coming to submit themselves unto 'the King of kings and Lord of lords' (Rev. xix. 16), and govern themselves by His peace-giving authority and laws; which in time they must do, for

He will judge between the nations,

And will reprove many peoples;

And they shall beat their swords into ploughshares,

And their spears into pruning-hooks;

Nation shall not lift up sword against nation,

Neither shall they learn war any more (Is. ii. 4).

5 And when He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, Come: and I saw, and, behold, a black horse, and he that sat upon him had a balance in his hand: 6 and I heard, as it were a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, A chænix of wheat for a denarius, and three chænixes of barley for a denarius; and the oil and the wine hurt thou not.

No less clearly does this symbol interpret itself, for the minister of this judgment rides upon a black horse, and black is the color of famine:

Their visage is blacker than a coal..

That be slain with hunger (Lam. iv. 8-9).

Our skin is black like an oven,

Because of the burning heat of famine (v. 10).

The balance in his hand signifies that the food of the people is now to be weighed out to them by reason of its extreme scarcity, as in many prophecies: "I will break the staff of bread. . and they shall eat it by weight (Ez. iv. 16). They shall deliver your bread again by weight, and ye shall eat, and not be satisfied" (Lev. xxvi. 26). Probably the living creature that issues this command is the one like a bullock, representing the useful animals, upon which human sustenance so largely depends (113). But the 'voice in the midst of the four living creatures' seems to proceed from them all; and it commands the minister of famine to make it rage with the utmost intensity: for the chanix was a measure containing less than a quart, and the denarius was a silver coin more in weight than one of 15 cents in our money, when this weight of silver was worth about as much as a dollar is now, since it was the usual price of a bushel of wheat. Hence this famine was such as would fall upon us, if the money which now purchases a bushel of wheat should suffice for no more than a quart; the consequence of which would be that multitudes must perish by starvation. The command not to hurt the oil nor the wine has been variously understood. Some strangely enough take it as a limitation of the famine, as if luxuries were to be plentiful, while necessaries are at starvation prices. But wine and oil were sacred emblems, the one of the blood of