Seal 2 Explained: The Red Horse, War, and Violence in Revelation

Kareem Flowers
8 hours ago
7 min read

In our previous blog, we identified the white horse rider. We now move on to the second seal.

Things to Remember About the Horsemen

Before examining the red horse, it is important to recall several foundational truths about the horsemen:

They are “the four spirits of the heavens” who go forth from standing in the presence of the Lord of all the earth (Zechariah 6:5).
They patrol the earth (Zechariah 1:10).
They are not symbolic figures, but real spiritual entities vested with authority.
They are agents of God who typically operate in the unseen realm, though their influence is manifested in the physical realm.

The Opening of the Second Seal

Revelation 6:3–4 - 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.

Things to Notice About This Seal

A red horse appears.
The rider is given power to take peace from the earth, resulting in war and violence.
A great sword is given to him.

The red horse rider is given authority to bring war and bloodshed to the earth in the time of the end. Thus, this seal not only reveals an agent who will be at work in the last days, but also introduces a major theme that runs throughout the book of Revelation - war and violence.

To better understand the disposition and role of this rider, we must turn again to the book of Zechariah.

The Red Horse Rider in Zechariah

Zechariah 1:8-12 - 8 I saw by night, and behold a man riding upon a red horse, and he stood among the myrtle trees that were in the bottom; and behind him were there red horses, speckled, and white. 9 Then said I, O my lord, what are these? And the angel that talked with me said unto me, I will shew thee what these be. 10 And the man that stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, These are they whom the Lord hath sent to walk to and fro through the earth. 11 And they answered the angel of the Lord that stood among the myrtle trees, and said, We have walked to and fro through the earth, and, behold, all the earth sitteth still, and is at rest.

In this vision, Zechariah sees an angel riding a red horse, with other horses - white, red, and speckled - behind him. These horsemen are identified as those whom the Lord has sent to patrol the earth. They are the same horses and horsemen later revealed in Zechariah 6 and Revelation 6.

In Zechariah 1:11, the other horsemen respond to the red horse rider, reporting that they have surveyed the entire earth and found it “sitting still and at rest.” This exchange gives us important insight into how the four horsemen operate.

Although multiple horses appear in the vision, Zechariah later identifies them collectively as “the four spirits of the heavens” (Zechariah 6:5). This tells us that the presence of many horses does not indicate many separate beings of the same kind, but rather a unified spiritual authority operating through multiple manifestations. In this vision, there is not merely one red horse, but many red horses - yet they represent a single spiritual entity assigned to oversee matters of war and peace.

What is most significant, however, is the nature of the report itself. The horsemen are not merely roaming the earth; they are gathering intelligence and returning with an assessment of the nations’ condition. Their report - “all the earth sitteth still, and is at rest” - describes a state of global peace and stability among the nations.

The Red Horse Rider’s Burden for Justice

The red horse rider oversees matters pertaining to war and violence on the earth. He has authority to remove peace, resulting in unrest and death, and likewise to permit peace to remain where God so wills. In this sense, he functions as both an instrument of judgment and a restraining force.

The report given by the horsemen - that the nations were at rest - reveals that peace had been allowed to persist among the enemies of God. This condition troubled the red horse rider, not because he desired chaos, but because that peace existed among nations that had cruelly afflicted Israel and had not yet been brought to account.

Zechariah 1:12 - Then the angel of the Lord answered and said, O Lord of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these threescore and ten years?

Here, we see the heart of the red horse rider. He is grieved by the prolonged suffering of Israel and seeks clarity from the Lord concerning when mercy would be restored and judgment brought upon her oppressors.

Though God had used Gentile nations as a chastening rod against Israel, they exceeded His intent and acted with cruelty (Zechariah 1:15). The red horse rider was not indifferent to this injustice - he bore the same concern as the Lord Himself.

Zechariah 1:13 - And the Lord answered the angel that talked with me with good words and comfortable words.

This interaction further confirms that the horsemen are not satanic entities. The red horse rider reflects God’s heart - grieved by injustice, restrained by divine purpose, and committed to righteous judgment.

He is not war-hungry.He is an agent of God - a defender of justice and a destroyer of the wicked.

War as an Instrument of Judgment

Zechariah 1:16 - Therefore thus saith the Lord; I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies...

God chose to restore Israel through mercy and to judge her oppressors. This judgment was later carried out by the red horse rider and the other horsemen, as revealed in Zechariah 6.

Thus, while the red horse brings war, that war serves a divine purpose - to execute judgment upon the wicked and justice for the righteous.

At times, God’s purposes allow even the righteous to suffer through war and violence. Yet once His purpose is fulfilled, vengeance follows, and wrath is poured out upon those who persecuted His people.

War as a Major Theme in Revelation

Thus, although the red horse (along with the other horsemen) existed long before the seals of Revelation were opened, his appearance at the opening of the second seal serves as a clear signal: once the book is opened, war and violence will intensify on a scale unlike anything previously seen.

In Revelation, the red horse rider is given a great sword. This detail is crucial. It shows that his assignment in the context of Revelation is not to preserve peace, but to remove it. He is authorized to bring judgment upon mankind by stirring conflict, causing people to kill one another and to suffer violence. At the same time, his activity also results in trials for the saints, producing patience and endurance. Through the violence inflicted by the wicked, the cup of God’s wrath is steadily filled against them.

In this way, war functions both as judgment upon the ungodly and testing for the righteous.

What follows throughout Revelation confirms that war and violence are not isolated events, but a dominant and recurring theme in the book.

People Against People, Kingdom Against Kingdom

Revelation 9:20–21 “Neither repented they of their murders…”

This passage confirms that even after devastating trumpet judgments are poured out upon the earth, violence and murder will continue. Judgment does not immediately produce repentance; instead, hostility intensifies.

Jesus Himself foretold this condition when describing the end of the age:

Matthew 24:6–7 “And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars… For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom…”

As divine plagues trouble the earth, competition for power, territory, and resources escalates. Societies fracture. Nations turn against one another. Yet amid this chaos, a central figure emerges - the antichrist - who becomes one of the primary instruments through which the red horse rider carries out war on the earth.

The Antichrist as an Agent of War

Revelation 11:7 - The beast… shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.

Here, the antichrist wages war against the two witnesses.

Revelation 12:17 - The dragon… went to make war with the remnant…”

This warfare is manifested through the persecution of the Church by the antichrist.

Revelation 13:7 - And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them…

These verses not only confirm the persecution of believers but also reveal that the antichrist is granted authority over kindreds, tongues, and nations. His rise to power is not diplomatic - it is achieved through force.

Daniel foresaw this very reality:

Daniel 7:23 - The fourth beast shall… devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.”

This explains the declaration made later in Revelation:

Revelation 13:4 - Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?

The End of the Antichrist’s Warfare

Revelation 13:10 “He that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword.”

Though the antichrist reigns through terror, his end is decreed. This verse pronounces the final judgment upon the antichrist, his kingdom, and all his armies will be destroyed by war. He falls fully within the scope of the red horse rider’s domain.

Additional examples reinforce this theme:

Revelation 13:15 - Those who refuse to worship the image are killed.

Revelation 16:13–14 - Demonic spirits gather the kings of the earth for war.

This gathering culminates in:

Revelation 19:19 “The beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war…”

Yet the outcome is certain. They are conquered by Jesus - the white horse rider.

War Against the Saints and the Final Conflict

Revelation 17:6 describes a woman “drunken with the blood of the saints,” symbolizing a nation or system deeply complicit in persecution. Revelation 18:24 confirms:

In her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.

Even after Christ’s millennial reign of peace, there is one final attempt at war:

In Revelation 20:7-9, Satan gathers the nations to besiege Jerusalem, but fire falls from heaven and destroys them.

This marks the final end of war.

Final Insight

Revelation consistently presents war as a central mechanism through which judgment, testing, and ultimate victory are accomplished. The red horse rider is not a chaotic force, but a divinely governed agent whose activity serves God’s purposes until war itself is permanently abolished.

Blog Title: Seal 2 Explained: The Red Horse, War, and Violence in Revelation

Keyword: Red horse of revelation

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