<p>6:4 <i>And another horse came forth, a red horse, and to him that sat thereon it was given to take peace from the earth, that they should slay one another. And there was given to him a great sword</i>- The red horse is literally a flame / fire coloured horse <i>purrhos</i>. The same root word is found in describing how the horses released from beyond the Euphrates spit &ldquo;fire&rdquo; <i>pur</i> upon the earth / land of Israel, with which they destroy the people there (Rev. 9:17,18). Perhaps the &ldquo;fire, smoke and brimstone&rdquo; which they bring upon the land means that they consciously think they are bringing Divine judgment upon Israel- this is indeed the radical Islamist position. Or there may be reference to some form of warfare which makes use of fire, some kind of white phosphorous or other weaponry which creates intense fire which water cannot quench. The only other time we meet the colour &lsquo;flame-coloured&rsquo; &ldquo;red&rdquo; is at Rev. 12:3, the great red dragon. This horse is therefore to be associated with that system of latter day domination of the land.</p><p>Constantly, the comfort is given that none of these calamities upon the land are a result of radical evil, evil that is totally free of any control; for &quot;it was given unto him...&quot;. All the traumas to come upon the land are under direct Divine control through the Angels.</p><p>&quot;Him that sat thereon&quot; is the same phrase used of how the whore sits upon the beast (Rev. 17:1,3,9,15; 18:7). The whore is the embodiment of the beast, of the same red colour as the red horse. They are symbols for the same thing- an entity of latter day domination of the land which is controlled by an individual-the antichrist, the rider of the horse, the rider of the beast.</p><p>It is ultimately the Lord Jesus who sends a sword rather than peace upon the earth (Mt. 10:34); the horses and their woes are all, therefore, under His direct control. There seems to be allusion to Mt. 10:34 because Rev. 6:4 goes on to say the red horse rider has a sword, and he causes those in the earth / land to kill each other. Mt. 10:34 records the Lord teaching that He had come to send a sword in the form of division between persons. The red horse rider causes those living in the territory of the land promised to Abraham to kill each other; and this is the scenario we currently see unfolding in that very area. It is conflicting forms of religion which are clearly at the root of that conflict; this is the characteristic of the feet of mixed iron and clay, that will not cleave to each other.</p><p>Revelation is written in Greek but is clearly a Hebrew book. We can safely assume that the <i>ge / </i>&quot;the earth&quot; in view is the same as the Hebrew <i>eretz</i>- the land of Israel. And this is indeed how <i>ge </i>is often specifically used in the New Testament in speaking of the land of Israel. In Matthew alone: Mt. 2:6,20,21; 5:35; 9:26; 12:42 the Queen of Sheba came from the uttermost part of the <i>ge</i>, the land promised to Abraham; 17:25; 23:35 &ldquo;all the righteous blood shed upon the earth&rdquo;; 27:35. And almost every reference to <i>ge </i>in Revelation can be understood as the land promised to Abraham this of course is not the same as the territory currently occupied by the state of Israel.</p><p>The great sword was &quot;given unto him&quot;. Again the idea is that these invasions of the land are allowed and even empowered by God. The idea of being given a sword likewise implies that the horse and rider are executing judgment from God. This is how present day Israel are crying out for serious Divine judgment, from the gay bars of Tel Aviv to the arrogance of the IDF, overarched by a refusal to repent for crucifying God&rsquo;s Son and refusing Him to this day.</p><p>The Greek translated &ldquo;sword&rdquo; is the word for a knife; being given a great knife has connotations of sacrifice. We think of Islamic State beheadings, publicized by them with pictures of jihadists holding a knife over their victims. This is exactly the picture we have here. This is what we are seeing before our eyes on the media.</p>