I was reading Leviticus 26 today and noticed, of course, the blessings associated with obeying God's will. What struck me is the connection between Revelation 6 and Leviticus 26. The curses that would come on the people of God parallel what happen to the church, pictured by the various colored horses in Revelation. The church, following the first century where it went forth conquering, suffered from division (sword). Men, seeking their own fame, divided God's people. Paul prophesied of this in Act 20 when he said, 'even of your ownselves shall some arise speaking perverse things and will draw away disciples after themselves.'

This division created a famine for the word of God. Instead of 'feeding the flock of God' men began to bite and devour each other (like beasts). Instead of planting the word and reaping bread, which could have been used to nourish the people, they spent their time warring. This produced the black horse period of the church where the word of God was measured out to his people. They did not receive the nourishment they needed to fend off disease. In Leviticus, when it describes the period following the sword, it said that the people would flee to the cities for protection. The church that is racked by division will cloister themselves within the walls of a 'city'. In human thinking this would be the appropriate step, but in God's thinking it looks like your attempting to circumvent his correction. He wants his people to be unified, but not in cities of separation from those they're warring against. Instead of protection, the people of these cities starved from lack of bread. Without any source of fresh water or outlet for waste they became diseased.

The pale horse represents the diseased church. It is full of wild beasts not lambs, divisiveness not unity, famine not fullness and disease not health and wholeness. Every church, in every age, in the past, today and in the future will be susceptible to these conditions. What can we do to prevent or overturn these corrections?

First we must repent to God for our divisions and then to each other. Change our occupation from warrior to farmer, from city builder to agrarian. This begins in our homes. This is the church within the church. If I cannot have peace with the spouse who I have seen how can I have peace with one I have not seen. Fathers, mothers and children working in the garden of their home to create, through the help of the Spirit of God, the peaceable fruit of the Spirit.

Secondly, probably concurrently, we begin to seek peace within our local assembly. Look for things that promote peace. No agendas, or soapbox or bully pulpit (Rob, king of the soapbox and lord of the bully pulpit, listen to yourself!). The bible should be promoted. The will of God should be promoted. But everything that is peripheral should be left on the periphery and not made central to our faith. There are truths and then there are saving truths. We need to focus on saving truths. Saving truths will cause division, but its not initiated by the faithful child of God, but by the one who rejects the will of God in his life. I know division can occur when trying to determine a saving truth, but we must not allow it. Trust God for unity.

Finally, when we begin to express the unity that is ordained by God we will reach out to others. Others includes churches in our fellowship so that we can achieve a deeper unity, churches not in our fellowship that are seeking a higher life in Christ and eventually to those that are locked within famine and pestilent ridden churches (Revelation 18). Notice what happens in Leviticus 26 when Moses is talking about the blessings that God would pour out on his people. He said, '5 of you will chase 100 and 100 of you will put 10,000 to flight'. That's a five hundred percent increase in effectiveness when 100 will work together over that of 5.

God will reap the world with people that are willing to abandon their personal liberties and freedoms for others. Love will not continue to draw the sword and build city walls, but will extend itself sacrificially. Let's come out of the city - we may get killed, but that's the pattern the Lord has left us.