看見的有限，知道的也有限─啟示錄 

這週我們繼續來看啟示錄六章1-2節：

我看見羔羊揭開七印中第一印的時候，就聽見四活物中的一個活物，聲音如雷，說：你來！

我就觀看，見有一匹白馬；騎在馬上的，拿著弓，並有冠冕賜給他。他便出來，勝了又要勝。 

正如我們所說的，在啟示錄重複提到七的主題是彼此相關的，在聖經中七代表完全的數字，因為神用七天來創造。在七個教會、七印與七號之間彼此相連，要瞭解這些象徵意義，需要看見此連結。 

揭開印記指的是在要來的教會時期釋放某個重要勢力，當羔羊揭開第一印，我們看到一匹白馬。白色幾乎在聖經每個地方都被描繪成純淨的象徵，馬通常代表信息的傳遞。這裡提到的弓則代表射出來的箭，箭通常象徵射出來的真理。 

騎在馬上的出來，勝了又要勝。此符合福音從教會時期開始傳出來，首先代表的是以弗所教會，以弗所的意思是『純淨』。 

現在讓我們來看啟示錄六章3-4節，揭開第二印： 

揭開第二印的時候，我聽見第二個活物說：你來。

就另有一匹馬出來，是紅的，有權柄給了那騎馬的，可以從地上奪去太平，使人彼此相殺；又有一把大刀賜給他。 

主所提到七個教會的第五個教會是撒狄教會；撒狄這城市是由紅撒狄石命名而來的，在這裡被釋放的馬也是紅色的。此紅馬象徵戰爭，而撒狄這個聖經城市曾是軍事基地，巡邏該地區的部隊曾在此駐軍。 

撒狄教會被警告將為著要來到的災難受苦，當時基督徒在羅馬帝國下受到一些最強烈的逼迫。紅色無疑是此時期的相稱顏色，而揭開第二印所釋放的紅馬似乎完全貼切。這是可怕的流血時期，特別是針對基督徒而來。 

福音的信息是否被戰爭而染紅了？答案顯然是『是的』，而且這是一種腐敗。基督的新婦穿著白衣，反映她的純淨。基督徒戰勝了最終的戰爭；然而，那不是公義的戰爭與勇士嗎？是的，但要瞭解此我們必須處理一個鮮少基督徒領會的基本神學問題，當其成為啟示錄的主題時，我們會在每週一話中來探討。 

(摘自喬納 word for the week,Week14, 2017)

 

Seeing in Part, Knowing in Part—The Book of Revelation
Week 14, 2017
Rick Joyner

         This week we continue with Revelation 6:1-2:

         Then I saw when the Lamb broke one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living beings saying as with a voice of thunder, "Come."

         I looked, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.

         As we have covered, the repeated theme of sevens in Revelation are related. Seven is the number of completion in Scripture because the creation week was seven days. There is a connection between the seven churches, the seven seals, the seven trumpets, etc. Seeing that connection is necessary for understanding much of what is intended in this symbolism.

         The opening of the seals speaks of the releasing of certain major forces on the earth during the coming church age. When the first seal is opened by the Lamb, we see a white horse. White is portrayed almost everywhere in Scripture as a symbol of purity. Horses often portray that which is the carrier of a message. The bow here represents that which shoots arrows, and arrows often symbolize truths going forth.

         The one on this horse went forth conquering and with the intent of conquering. This is a fitting symbol of the way that the Gospel went forth at the beginning of the church age, represented by the church of Ephesus, which means “purity.”

         Now let’s look at the second seal opened in Revelation 6:3-4:

                When He broke the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, "Come."

                 And another, a red horse, went out; and to him who sat on it, it was granted to take peace from the   earth, and that men would slay one another; and a great sword was given to him.

         The fifth of the seven churches addressed by the Lord is the church at Sardis. The city of Sardis was named after the red Sardis stone, and here the horse released is red. This red horse represents war, and the biblical city of Sardis was a military base where forces patrolling the region were garrisoned.

         The church at Sardis was warned about the coming tribulation they would suffer. This was a time of some of the most intense persecution of Christians under the Roman Empire. Red was certainly an appropriate color for this age, and the horse released by the opening of this second seal seems to fit perfectly. This was a period of terrible bloodshed, and it targeted Christians especially.

         Has the Gospel message been tainted red by war? The answer to that is clearly “yes,” and this is a corruption. The bride of Christ is to be clothed in white, reflecting her purity. War is an ultimate defeat for Christianity. Yet, are there not righteous wars and righteous warriors? Yes, but to understand how this we must tackle a basic theological issue that few Christians have grasped. We will do this in these Words for the Week as they become a theme in Revelation.