What does the rider of the red horse do in Revelation 6?
The rider of the red horse brings war on the earth. He takes peace from the earth, so that people kill one another. His conflict is characterized by mutual slaughter rather than killing an enemy. The context associates the color red with a great power on earth, Russia.
Les explains that after the seven years have begun, another horse appears, and this one is red. When peace is absent, the result is war—a real war. The individual or power entity riding the red horse will bring war on the earth, take peace from the earth, and cause people to kill one another. Les emphasizes that this rider’s battleground is not depicted as killing the enemy, but as people killing each other. He then asks what great power on earth is associated with the color red, and the context identifies it as Russia.