第一週．週四

晨興餧養

啟六１～２　『羔羊揭開七印中第一印的時候，我觀看，就聽見四活物中的一個，聲音如雷，說，你來。我就觀看，看哪，有一匹白馬，騎在馬上的拿着弓，並有冠冕賜給他，他便出去，勝了又要勝。』

〔七印的〕頭四印是四匹馬與騎馬者，奔跑四馬的競賽。（啟六1～8。）四個騎馬的都不是真人，乃是人位化的事物。

第一印包括白馬與騎馬者，表徵福音的廣傳。（1～2。）弓帶着箭是為着打仗的。但這裏只有弓，沒有箭，指明箭已經射出，除滅仇敵；也指明為着和平的福音得以構成，基督的爭戰已經結束了，並且已經得勝了。…冠冕表徵福音已經戴上基督的榮耀為冠冕。（林後四4。）我們今日所傳的福音有一個冠冕，這冠冕乃是基督的榮耀。我們傳福音時不該覺得羞恥，而該覺得榮耀。傳福音是榮耀的事。那些傳福音的人成了騎白馬的人。

啟示錄六章二節所說，『出去，勝了，』表徵福音一直同基督出去，征服了各樣的抵擋和攻擊。…我們信徒…必須騎在白馬上，擴展福音。（聖經中四個『七』的豫言，二七至二九頁。）

信息選讀

第二印包括紅馬和騎馬者，表徵戰爭的普及。…〔啟示錄六章四節〕的『紅』表徵流血。紅馬象徵戰爭的進行，而戰爭完全是流血的事。

第三印包括黑馬和騎馬者，表徵饑荒的蔓延。五至六節說，『羔羊揭開第三印的時候，我聽見第三個活物說，你來。我就觀看，看哪，有一匹黑馬，騎在馬上的手裏拿着天平。我聽見在四活物中，彷彿有聲音說，一個銀幣買一升麥子，一個銀幣買三升大麥，油和酒不可蹧蹋。』這裏的『黑』是指饑荒，（耶十四1～4，）表明飢餓之人的面色。（哀四8～9，五9～10。）黑馬象徵饑荒的蔓延，使人面色發黑。

第四印包括灰馬與騎馬者，表徵死亡的播散。七至八節說，『羔羊揭開第四印的時候，我聽見第四個活物的聲音說，你來。我就觀看，看哪，有一匹灰馬，騎在馬上的，名字叫作死，陰間也隨着他。有權柄賜給他們管轄地的四分之一，用刀劍、饑荒、瘟疫、地上的野獸去殺害人。』…灰色，表徵遭受災害襲擊之人的面色。…陰間隨着死亡，表徵陰間接受並拘留死所殺害的人。…有權柄賜給死亡和陰間管轄地的四分之一，用刀劍、饑荒、死亡、地上的野獸去殺害人。

四馬的競賽是從基督升天開始，（可十六19～20，）持續經過整個召會時代，直到基督回來。從第一世紀開始，經過這二十個世紀，福音已經廣傳了。在人類中間的戰爭也同時進行着。戰爭總是造成饑荒，而饑荒帶來死亡。這些都要持續到這世代的末了。（聖經中四個『七』的豫言，二九至三二頁。）

參讀：聖經中四個『七』的豫言，第一至二篇；啟示錄生命讀經，第十九篇。

WEEK 1 — DAY 4

Morning Nourishment

Rev. 6:1-2 And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying like the sound of thunder, Come. And I saw, and behold, a white horse, and he who sits on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went forth conquering and to conquer.

The first four seals are four horses with their riders, running in a four-horse race (Rev. 6:1-8). All four riders are not real persons but personified things. The first seal is a white horse and its rider, signifying the spreading of the gospel (vv. 1-2)…. A bow with an arrow is for fighting. But here there is a bow without an arrow. This indicates that the arrow has already been shot to destroy the enemy and that Christ’s fighting for the constitution of the gospel of peace is finished and the victory is won. A crown signifies that the gospel has been crowned with the glory of Christ (2 Cor. 4:4). The gospel that we preach today has a crown, and this crown is the glory of Christ. We should not feel shameful when we preach the gospel. Rather, we should feel glorious. To preach the gospel is a glorious thing. Those who preach the gospel become the riders of the white horse.

Went forth conquering in Revelation 6:2 signifies that the gospel has been going forth with Christ to conquer all kinds of opposition and attack….We believers… must be on the white horse for the spreading of the gospel. (CWWL, 1990, vol. 3, “The Prophecy of the Four ‘Sevens’ in the Bible,” pp. 22-23)

Today’s Reading

The second seal consists of a red horse and its rider, signifying the spreading of war….Red in Revelation 6:4 signifies the shedding of blood. The red horse is a symbol of the raging of war, which is altogether a matter of shedding blood.

The third seal, consisting of a black horse and its rider, signifies the spreading of famine. Revelation 6:5-6 says, “When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, Come. And I saw, and behold, a black horse; and he who sits on it had a balance in his hand. And I heard as it were a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying: A choenix of wheat for a denarius and three choenixes of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine.” Black here, indicating the dearth (Jer. 14:1-4), signifies the color of the visage of famished people (Lam. 4:8-9; 5:9-10). The black horse is a symbol of the spreading of famine, which causes a black visage.

The fourth seal, consisting of a pale horse and its rider, signifies the spreading of death. Revelation 6:7-8 says, “When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, Come. And I saw, and behold, a pale horse, and he who sits upon it, his name is Death; and Hades followed with him. And authority was given to them over the fourth part of the earth to kill with the sword and with famine and with death and by the beasts of the earth.” Pale signifies the color of the appearance of those stricken with the plague…. Hades following death signifies that Hades receives and retains those whom death has killed…. Authority is given to Death and Hades over the fourth part of the earth to kill with the sword, famine, and death and by the
beasts of the earth.

The running of the four-horse race began from Christ’s ascension (Mark16:19-20) and continues through the entire age of the church to Christ’s coming back. Beginning with the first century, the gospel has been spreading throughout these twenty centuries. War among the human race has also been proceeding simultaneously. War has always caused famine, and famine has issued in death. All of these will continue until the end of this age. (CWWL, 1990, vol. 3, “The Prophecy of the Four ‘Sevens’ in the Bible,” pp. 23-26)

Further Reading: CWWL, 1990, vol. 3, “The Prophecy of the Four ‘Sevens’ in the Bible,” chs. 1-2; Life-study of Revelation, msg. 19