When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” And out came another horse, bright red. Its rider was permitted to takepeace from the earth, so that people should slay one another, and he was given a great sword. (Revelation 6:3-4 ESV).
Peace, in this story, includes much more than just the absence of war. The Bible’s picture of peace is about the harmony in creation revealed in Genesis 1:31: “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.”
The clearest example of this peace is found in the life of Jesus, given for our sake. He is described as the “Prince of Peace” (cf. Isaiah 9:6). And when he was born, a multitude of angels from heaven gave glory to God and announced the coming of peace on earth (cf. Luke 2:14).
In the picture of the rider on a fiery red horse, however, this vision opens our eyes to the power of evil in our midst, robbing creation of God’s peace (shalom). We are especially warned to be on guard about this rider’s goal to create violence, making people kill each other. This is the coming of great conflict, wars, and rumors of wars, that will signal the end of the age.
While this seems to be at odds with the mandate to be “peacemakers” we need to understand that there can no peace as long as the devil still roams freely about the earth. We bring peace today with the sharing of the Gospel. Then Jesus will bring peace with the might of His word and the power of His will. It is a very sobering thought. We all called to be ready!