REVELATION 9:17-19
By Mako Kato
Read Revelation 9:17-19.
Here we get a description of the horses and riders. They are unified. It is almost like they are one creature. It says “they wore breastplates the color of fire and of sapphire and of sulfur, and the heads of the horses were like lions’ heads and fire and smoke and sulfur came out of their mouths.” (Revelation 9:17 ESV)
It goes on in the next verse to call the fire, smoke and sulfur were three plagues. These are things that would kill a third of mankind. And not only that, but the tails of the horses were like serpents with heads… Scary.
It makes me think of fire-breathing dragons except these are fire-breathing horses. It gives a whole new meaning to the phrase, “Straight out of the horse’s mouth.”
When I think of fire, smoke and sulfur, I think of hell and evil supernatural forces. One commentary pointed out a similarity between these verses in Revelation and Luke 10:19. Jesus tells his followers, “Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy and nothing shall hurt you.” (ESV)
In the first woe we read about scorpions. Revelation 9:10 said that the locusts have tails and sting like scorpions. Now in the second woe we read about serpents. These horses have tails like serpents.
These creatures, the locusts and the horses, are under the power of the enemy. But even though they are evil, powerful forces, they have no power over us. God has the ultimate authority. We can walk on the serpents and the scorpions and they cannot hurt us because we are children of God. These terrible judgments are occurring to those who do not have the power of Christ to withstand the power of evil, supernatural forces. But we can be encouraged even while reading about this destruction, because the one who is in us is greater than the one who is in the world.
