The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

A while ago I did a study on Revelation chapter 6 so may I share with you what I have learnt? What drew me to do this study was I had heard a Bible scholar say that there was a parallel between Matthew 24 and Revelation 6. I found that interesting so decided to dig a little deeper. And yes, I confirmed that statement was true in another commentary! This I found fascinating as Matthew 24 is a well-known “end-time” chapter so I wanted to see what Rev. 6 had to say and how they were related. But I got a shock, to say the least, because if this is true then that means Rev. 6 is not in the Tribulation period, as most Bible scholars believe. We as believers do not go through the wrath of God (I Thess. 1:10; 5:9; Rom 5:9) which will be poured out in the Tribulation, but we do go through the seven seals. It could refer to a time before and preluding the Tribulation period and the Rapture (see Matt. 24:8 amp “All this is but the beginning [the early pains] of the birth pangs [of the intolerable anguish].”)? Jesus was saying here that these events; wars, famines, pestilence and earthquakes (all happening together, over a short space of time vs 33-34) are only the beginning of birth pains leading up to the “birth” of the seven-year Tribulation period.

If you are like me, most of us say, “Well I don’t need to worry too much about all the judgments described in the book of Revelation as hopefully the church and true believers will be taken out in the Rapture.” It is my theory that the Rapture will actually occur on the seventh seal with half an hour of silence (Rev. 8:1)? Which means it will happen shortly (possibly a year) after these events described in Matt. 24 and Rev. 6? But it also means the church will go through this horrific time; it will be a time of refining the church and of the greatest outpouring of the Holy Spirit (the latter rain in Joel 2:28) we have ever seen.

THE FOUR HORSES: Revelation 6 has always been famous for the “Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse” and it describes four different coloured horses with riders carrying symbolic items. Each horse represents “death” in different areas, for example, the white and red horses represent war and death through bloodshed, the black horse famine and death through starvation. The pale horse (blue, green and grey colour similar to bruising), being the worst of all four is death through war, starvation, plague and wild beasts.

THE FOUR LIVING CREATURES: On reading the commentary (JF&B) on this chapter something came to light that I have never seen before! Did you notice that each horse is introduced by a “living creature”? So I asked myself what are these “living creatures” and found other references to them in Rev. 4:6-8; Ezek. 1:5-10; Zech. 1:8-11; 6:1-8. They are four cherubim, which have four different faces, and are extremely powerful angels of fire (Ps. 104:4; Heb. 1:7; Ezek. 1:13). They are also known as the four winds or spirits which represent the four corners of the earth i.e. north, south, east and west (Zech. 6:5; Dan. 7:2; 8:8; Rev. 7:1-2). They appear to be assigned to earthly matters (Zech. 1:10; 6:7) to patrol and protect the earth but in times of judgment they release war (political and social agitations) and death through devastating apocalyptic events. Could they be the same four angels that are released to destroy a third of mankind in Rev. 9:13-15? It is also interesting to note that the biblical number four represents earth and continents – kingdoms, nations and empires.

Another thing the commentary explained…in vs 8 is says “…a fourth part of the earth – answering to the first four seals; his portion as one of the four, being a fourth part.” Many times this has been misinterpreted as a quarter of the human population but no it is referring to a fourth part of the earth, a specific area. What I understand this to mean is that each horse represents certain nations or areas of the earth? The four different faces of the living creatures could possibly give us a clue as to which area they represent? Hopefully this chart will give some insight?

Just a quick note here…the first seal does not represent Christ as some say because of the white horse He appears on in Rev. 19:11 but I believe it represents the first sign of the appearance of the antichrist. He is given power to rule and conquer (as a king or leader) the earth through war or martial law (bow). And he comes out of or rather has his roots in the Middle East (that’s a whole other story for another time!).

It is also important to note that Rev. 6 opens with the Lamb (Jesus) opening the seven seals. These judgments are not delivered by angels (as in the seven trumpets and seven bowls which are in the Tribulation period). If you read my previous post on Habakkuk 3 you will see that Jesus, Himself comes to earth, as “the thief in the night” to deliver these judgments. Unfortunately, this part of history has already been written! We cannot pray to have these events thwarted or stopped. We can however, pray for God to mitigate their effects upon His children which He will do with unprecedented miraculous signs and wonders. Surrounding His children with His power, anointing, grace, protection, provision and health!

Lastly, it has taken me some time to understand the order of these events. Can I explain…the sixth seal is a composite of the other five seals (remember the seventh seal is only a transition not a judgment). In other words, the sixth seal, the falling of “stars” will happen first! The other five seals happen as a direct result of the sixth seal. Again I want to emphasize that these events do not happen over a long period of time (some say we have had them already over the centuries). But rather over a relatively short period, and they will happen like a domino effect, one after the other, almost simultaneously!

Whew I know this is a lot to absorb and take in but I hope you have found it interesting and will take some time to meditate and ponder over it all with the help and insight of the Holy Spirit. It is important to know that this is very close at hand but there is nothing to fear for those who are in Christ Jesus as He will supernaturally protect and provide for His children. S.J.

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