Revelation 6

The bible has some powerful passages especially if you read the King James Version; modern translations are watered down.

If you are of a nervous disposition perhaps skip Revelation 6. It is strong meat and is my text this morning.

“And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.

And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.

And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see.

And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.

And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.

And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.

And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.

And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.

And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:

And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?”

The first thing, idiotically, that comes to mind is Behold a Pale Horse, the 1964 film with Gregory Peck, Omar Sharif and Anthony Quinn. Then I am reminded of Bluebeard opening the doors to show his new wife his rooms in Bartok’s opera Bluebeard’s Castle.

Reflect on the world in the 21st century: war, famine, floods, droughts, and disease. Would you hold it against me if I went around handing out tracts proclaiming the end of the world is nigh? On a more local level those who voted to leave the EU, I think, hoped to raise the drawbridge to keep immigrants out and expand the UK’s international trading relationships, not mutually exclusive aims. So far this has not worked. In 2019 about 2,000 people came across the channel in small boats; this year more than 40,000. It is said, it may be wrong, that GDP is 5% smaller than it would have been if  the UK had remained in the EU. Don’t trust statistics but the direction of the prevailing wind is pretty clear.

(If I may digress, a few years ago a cousin of mine set an example by crossing the channel in a small dinghy (15 feet?) loaded to the gunnels with family and friends in the opposite direction.)

What ever way one looks the outlook is grim but faint heart never won fair maiden. Carbon emissions around the world, surprisingly, have plateaued – now they need to come down. Russia will inevitably have to cease its “special military operation” although when and exactly how is an unknown. More importantly China seeks to establish dominance economically rather than militarily. I hope the opening of the fifth seal may be deferred.