08-21-2025 PART 1: The Fiery Red Horse and the God Who Permits

Section 1

Revelation 6:3–4 shows the Lamb opening the second seal and a fiery red horse going out; its rider is granted authority to take peace from the earth, so people kill one another, and he is given a great sword. The key anchor is who opens the seals: Jesus—He opens the first, the second, and all of them because He alone is worthy. This frames every event as proceeding only when He breaks each seal, with the repeated invitation to “come and see,” calling us to be observant without arrogance about our interpretations.

Section 2

What’s often missed is the word granted: the rider’s ability to remove peace is permitted, not autonomous. This sets the tone for Revelation—authority is delegated under God’s sovereignty. The teaching ties this to Scripture’s wider pattern: Satan had to ask permission concerning Job; Jesus told Peter that Satan asked to sift him like wheat; even Paul’s “thorn,” a messenger of Satan, operates within limits God allows. The through-line is pastoral and practical: spiritual warfare is real, but nothing happens outside God’s permission; therefore, we fight maturely, armored and steady, knowing the throne is not threatened.

Section 3

Two interpretive lanes appear: peace removed among nations (war) and peace removed among people (relational coldness). Either way, true peace is only in Christ—the Prince of Peace—rooted in the cross (Romans 5:1), while counterfeits are medicated or deceptive. The “great sword” symbolizes authorized killing; the weapon doesn’t kill—people do—and violence intensifies as love grows cold, just as Jesus warned. The exhortation: don’t be fair‑weather disciples or thorn‑choked hearers; persevere to bear 30, 60, 100‑fold, hold unity in essentials, liberty in non‑essentials, and love in all things.