"wars and commotions - upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity"
The coming of the judgment of the red horse rider will see the beginning of the fulfillment of these prophetic words of the Lord Jesus Christ. The time of widespread murder and violence under the red horse rider will be exceeding great as we have observed.
J. A. Seiss wrote in his commentary on red horse rider ("The Apocalypse" - emphasis mine):
"The picture is particularly terrific. It presents not only disturbance of the relation of nations, the rising of nation against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; but internecine collisions, civil wars, the murderous hate of one portion of citizens exercised against another portion, and bloody commotions all over the face of society, having no issue but wretchedness and depopulation. It is the rampage of human passion raging to all forms of bloodshed, and the authorities of state in vain drawing the sword to put it down."
Seiss, better than most commentators on the text, describes the time under the red horse rider. Notice that Seiss does not limit the killing to "wars" between nation states, as do many commentators, but includes killing on the smallest scale, within towns and villages, between individual citizens. Notice also how he ponders how "the authorities of state" must somehow have become ineffectual in stopping it, a point we have considered at length.
We have already seen how the word "nation" (Greek 'ethnos') does not denote a political state alone but includes races, clans, tribes, or ethnicities. So, we will have race wars all over the planet, in every political state where there is a diversity of ethnicities. Are we not seeing this on a growing scale in America and other parts of the world in 2020?
Seiss also wrote:
"Fancy a world which has no peace in it — no concord but that of lawless and selfish passion — no regard for life when it stands in the way of covetousness or ambition — no amity between its nationalities, or internal harmony and toleration between citizens of the same city or state — but every man’s sword is against his fellow, and every one’s hand rises up against the hand of his neighbour, and international slaughter, civil butchery, and private revenge and murder are the order of the day, — and you have what the earth will be under the judgment power of this red horse and his rider. Of old, already, Jehovah threatened to bring a sword to avenge the quarrel of the covenant; and to “call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth.” (Jeremiah 25:29.) And in this horseman, with his great sword taking peace from the earth, and desolating the world with violence and bloodshed, we have the final fulfilment of that threat. Nor need any one be at a loss to see how everything is already tending to just such a condition of society and the world."
Again, this is good commentary and I am glad to include it here in this series on the red horse rider. He also alludes to the old testament prophecies respecting the insanity that will bring such a murderous state, at which prophecies we have looked.
In the words of Jesus above the word "commotions" is from the Greek noun "akatastasia" which in the KJV is translated by "confusion" (2x), "tumult" (2x), and "commotion" (1x). It is rendered "tumults" in Luke 21: 9, RV; 2 Cor 6: 5; 2 Cor 12: 20. We may also include the idea of riots and uproars. Wrote W.E. Vine:
"Confound, Confuse, Confusion [Noun] akatastasia "instability," (a, negative, kata, "down," stasis, "a standing"), denotes "a state of disorder, disturbance, confusion, tumult," 1 Cor 14:33; James 3:16, "revolution or anarchy;" translated "tumults" in Luke 21:9 (AV, "commotions"); 2 Cor 6:5; 2 Cor 12:20."
All this is what we see occurring when the red horse rider comes forth to unleash his judgment upon the world at the time when Christ comes forth on his white horse of judgment. Christ comes, as we have observed, in Apocalyptic judgments before he appears in bodily form in Revelation chapter nineteen. When the four horsemen are riding, Christ is riding. His presence will be in those judgments. Or, we may say, he will come in those judgments. He will be the administrator behind the administrations of the horsemen.
The word "distress" in "distress of nations" is from the Greek noun "synochē" and means "restraint, i.e. (figuratively) anxiety:—anguish, distress." (Strong) Again, more reference to the psychological terrors of men of the very last days when God's judgments are upon them. "Nervous breakdowns" common. People "going nuts." People living in terror. The Greek word carries the idea of being in "the narrows" on in "the straits," which is what people will feel in those evil times. They will feel trapped with no mental escape.
This is what was long ago predicted by the prophet.
"That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness. A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers. And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the LORD: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung. Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land." (Zep. 1: 15-18)
Notice how the judgment includes bringing "distress" upon men in the day of God's wrath. This is what Jesus also foretold. We are also once again told of one of the reasons for the "trouble and distress"; It is to "make even a speedy riddance of all" the wicked of the earth.
The word "perplexity" is from the Greek noun "aporia" and of this word Vine says - "perplexity" in Luke 21: 25 (lit., "at a loss for a way," a, negative, poros, "a way, resource"), of the distress of nations, finding no solution to their embarrassments; papyri illustrations are in the sense of being at one's wit's end, at a loss how to proceed, without resources."
Is this not where we are today in 2020? We have today serious problems as a world and we have no answers! No one knows what to do. All are fearful of the future. At the time of the judgment of the red horse rider they will feel, and will actually be, trapped and see no way of escape and they will be given over to despair and utter despondency.
Surely there will be a lot of suicides also during the time of the red horse rider. People will not only be killing each other, but killing themselves, or getting others to kill them in "mercy killings." Later in the Apocalyptic judgments we see that suicide, as a way of escaping the calamities of the last days, is taken away! At that time men in pain will "seek death" but not find it. (Rev. 9: 6)
There will be no one with "understanding of the times" except some few Christians and they will not be heeded. The times under the red horse rider will be as it was described in Chronicles.
"In those times there was no peace to him who went out or to him who came in, for many disturbances afflicted all the inhabitants of the lands. “Nation was crushed by nation, and city by city, for God troubled them with every kind of distress.” (II Chron. 15: 3-6)
Notice how the murdering was done on every level of society. They were troubled and distressed and peace was gone. City fighting city! Neighbor fighting neighbor! Race fighting race! State fighting state!
In Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers we have these words:
"Nation is gôwy, i.e., a community of kindred, such as a tribe or clan, rather than a merely political aggregate. The allusion is to the old feuds and contentions between rival tribes, e.g., between Ephraim and Gilead (Manasseh) (Judges 12), or between Benjamin and the other tribes (Judges 20). The verse vividly portrays an internecine strife, like that described in Isaiah 19:2 : “And I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians, and they shall fight every one against his brother, and every one against his neighbour; city against city, kingdom against kingdom;” or like that depicted by the same prophet (Isaiah 9:18-21): “No man shall spare his brother...they shall eat every man the flesh of his own arm [i.e., of his natural ally]: Manasseh, Ephraim; and Ephraim, Manasseh; and they together shall be against Judah.”
The Lord "did vex them with all adversity.—Had confounded (or, discomfited) them with every kind of distress. (Comp. Zechariah 14:13 : “A great confusion from the Lord.”)."
Sacrificial or Close Combat Sword (knife)
The rider on the red horse is given "a great sword" (megale machaira). The sword is an emblem of what he was to do and also of the murderous times with the opening of the second seal.
"The sword is an emblem of war, of slaughter, of authority Romans 13:4, and is used here as signifying that that period would be characterized by carnage." (Barnes)
"There is a very general agreement that the red horse signifies war - slaughter by the sword which was given to "him that sat thereon." Slight variations of the application occur." (Pulpit Commentary)
The horseman's "great sword" is a translation of máchaira megálee. Again, this is not the ordinary sword of war (romfaia) but a short sword or long knife like a dagger. Frequently, máchaira is the knife used to prepare a sacrifice or to slaughter an animal for food. It is also the sword worn by magistrates and executioners. It is no doubt similar to the famous Roman "gladius." That the red horseman's sword is "great" (megálee) may mean either that it is 1) larger or longer than usual or 2) highly effective in doing its job. The latter no doubt. It is also a weapon of close combat, unlike a very long sword. It is to kill up close, which of course it must be, in animal sacrifice, where one hand is on the animal and the other holding and thrusting the knife.
"And there was given unto him a great sword. Here, again, μάχαιρα, though used also in a wider sense, signifies strictly the sacrificial knife, the natural instrument of the slaughter mentioned. It is the LXX. word used in Genesis 22:6, 10, in the account of the sacrifice of Isaac, where it is also closely connected with σφάττω, "to sacrifice," the verb used in this passage." (Pulpit Commentary)
Seiss also wrote in "The Apocalypse":
"A great and terrible weapon is also put into his hand; not the ordinary sword of war (romyai>a), but (macaira megalh) a great sword of one having the power of life and death. And the result of his presence is war, much taking of life by public executions, and mutual killing among men."
Not only is the violent sacrificial killing or slaughter signified by the kind of sword described, but also by the Greek word used for "should kill" - "that they should kill (σφάξουσιν - sphaxousin) one another."
The Greek word σφάξουσιν [sphaxousin] means "to slaughter," being "the killing of a person by violence," or to "butcher or murder someone." The same Greek root is used to describe the Lamb “as though it had been slain.” (Rev. Rev. 5: 6+)
"This will be a time of unprecedented bloodshed which will forever puncture the naive view of humanism that man is inherently good." (A. T. Robertson)
What has been shown in this series is that the "beginning of woes" comes with the rider on the red horse. That age ending period will be so bloody, so dangerous and deadly, that Christ warned us that “if that time of troubles were not cut short, no living thing could survive, but for the sake of God’s chosen it will be cut short.” (Matt. 24: 22)
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