Chapter 57 Four Horsemen
We have looked quite thoroughly at the middle part of Revelation, but there are parts in the beginning that have not been covered. One of the major themes we still need to look at is the Seven Seals. The Seven Seals are related to the seventh Church, Laodicea. Laodicea means “Justice of the People.” It has to do with judgment. The theme of the Seven Seals that follow directly after the Seven Churches is judgement. In the next few chapters we will look at the Seals and judgement.
As part of the structure of Revelation, the major portions have seven subsections. These subsections may be divided into three groups: the first four, the next two, and then the last one as the climax. The concepts taper down 4-2-1, with the focus on the 1 which is the climax. This pattern is clearly seen in the Seven Seals. In this chapter we will look at the first four Seals which deal with symbolic horsemen. They represent all of mankind. People may be divided into four categories as far as beginnings and destinies are concerned. Some people begin their lives in families that acknowledge God and worship Him. Others don’t have such a favourable start. Destinies are more important. Some people will die acknowledging God and some will die averse to Him. Looking at all the combinations of beginnings and destinies, we have the following four:
• Those that worship God from the start to the end.
• Those that grew up worshipping God but reject Him by the time they die.
• Those that grew up ignorant of God but accept Him and worship Him in the later parts of their lives.
• Those that grew up godless and remain that way all their lives.
The horsemen of the first four Seals each respectively describes these four groups of people. Let us look at the first Seal in Rev 6:
2 And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.
This horseman on a white horse is fighting the battle of righteousness. The colour of the horse indicates purity, the bow in the hand of the horseman shows he is fighting a good fight, and the crown given to him shows that he is a victor over sin and evil. This seal and horseman represents the people that have belonged to God all their lives, fighting His cause. The crown given to them is not meritorious, but a gift from God through His Son’s merits.
The second seal and horseman follows:
4 And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.
The second horseman is also armed for battle with a sword. His battle is not a righteous battle, but a battle to remove peace from amongst people. In our walk of life, the people that cause us the most problems are those that know who we are. They have been born and reared in homes that worship God, yet they have rejected Him. They turn on the children of God, striking where it hurts because they know the inside story. Our greatest opposition comes from those that have apostatised. The horse is red, representing blood and strife. This horseman, then, represents the people who started their lives worshipping God, but have rejected Him.
The third seal and horseman are important:
5 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.
6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.
This seal portrays judgement by the balances held in the hand of the horseman. It also shows hardship in that food is expensive. A day’s labour is enough to purchase just enough food for one person to survive. The balances also indicate the measuring of the food rations. Yet, it is possible to live. This represents people that were born in a godless environment, but in the spiritually difficult times they have discovered how to survive. The oil and the wine indicate extras above food for survival. There is joy in their finding salvation.
The fourth horseman closes this sequence of related seals:
8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.
This horseman represents the people who have been godless all their lives. The theme here is death and destruction by all sorts of means – war, famine and wild beasts. Notice that a quarter of the people of Earth die in this way. The quarter simply means it is one of four groups. Hell represents the finality of their destiny. They were given the opportunity to know and follow God, but they refused. God does not allow any one to experience the Second Death without having had a choice. He does not want any one on Earth to die that death, but does not coerce. We are the ones that choose.
Another angle at the meaning of the four horsemen, probably more important, is that they represent what people claim to be, and what they really are.
For the white horse we have people that claim to belong to God and do.
For the red horse we have hypocrites. These people claim to be God’s children, but under the guise of godliness they live self-centred lives. The Pharisees were such people, and they killed Christ. The worst persecution comes from people that claim to be working for God but have their own agenda. At the end of time these will cause the most problems for God’s people. They will persecute and even kill the true Christians. Small wonder they are represented by a horseman carrying a sword, removing the peace from Earth.
The black horse represents people that lived godless lives but have accepted salvation. Speaking to the Pharisees, Jesus said the publicans and the harlots will enter the kingdom of God before them. Publicans and harlots know what they are and acknowledge that before God in penitence. Accepting God and salvation, they are saved.
The pale horse represents people that have been godless all their lives and have no desire to change that. They are what they are, sinful and godless.
This covers every person that has lived on Earth. However, there is still another way to look at these horsemen. We can view them in the context of the 3.5 years on Earth, which does not include the populace of all ages. They can be viewed parallel to the four harvests dealt with in the previous chapter:
The white horse represents the 144 000 that bring the last call to mankind. Their conquering and victory are the fruits of their labours.
The red horse represents those that should have been sealed at the beginning of the 3.5 years to be part of the 144 000 but reject God’s invitation for this unique work. They are sealed at the beginning of the 3.5 years and become the worst enemies of the 144 000. They remove the peace of the 144 000 by dragging them to courts and tribunals. They are the same as the grain harvest of Rev 14.
The black horse represents the people that are converted to God during the 3.5 years, who find God under difficult circumstances. There surely will be great hardships in this period. They are the great multitude of Rev 7.
Finally, the pale horse represents those that reject the calls of the 144 000 and accept the mark of the beast. They are the grape harvest of the end of Rev 14.
Zech 6:1-8 confirms the division of four types of horses into two categories. Here too the white and black horses are grouped together and please God:
6 The black horses which are therein go forth into the north country; and the white go forth after them; and the grisled go forth toward the south country.
8 Then cried he upon me, and spake unto me, saying, Behold, these that go toward the north country have quieted my spirit in the north country.
If God invites you to be of the 144 000, don’t reject this privilege. If God invites you to salvation by the calling of the 144 000 during the 3.5 years, accept His salvation. Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your heart.
We have looked quite thoroughly at the middle part of Revelation, but there are parts in the beginning that have not been covered. One of the major themes we still need to look at is the Seven Seals. The Seven Seals are related to the seventh Church, Laodicea. Laodicea means “Justice of the People.” It has to do with judgment. The theme of the Seven Seals that follow directly after the Seven Churches is judgement. In the next few chapters we will look at the Seals and judgement.
As part of the structure of Revelation, the major portions have seven subsections. These subsections may be divided into three groups: the first four, the next two, and then the last one as the climax. The concepts taper down 4-2-1, with the focus on the 1 which is the climax. This pattern is clearly seen in the Seven Seals. In this chapter we will look at the first four Seals which deal with symbolic horsemen. They represent all of mankind. People may be divided into four categories as far as beginnings and destinies are concerned. Some people begin their lives in families that acknowledge God and worship Him. Others don’t have such a favourable start. Destinies are more important. Some people will die acknowledging God and some will die averse to Him. Looking at all the combinations of beginnings and destinies, we have the following four:
• Those that worship God from the start to the end.
• Those that grew up worshipping God but reject Him by the time they die.
• Those that grew up ignorant of God but accept Him and worship Him in the later parts of their lives.
• Those that grew up godless and remain that way all their lives.
The horsemen of the first four Seals each respectively describes these four groups of people. Let us look at the first Seal in Rev 6:
2 And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.
This horseman on a white horse is fighting the battle of righteousness. The colour of the horse indicates purity, the bow in the hand of the horseman shows he is fighting a good fight, and the crown given to him shows that he is a victor over sin and evil. This seal and horseman represents the people that have belonged to God all their lives, fighting His cause. The crown given to them is not meritorious, but a gift from God through His Son’s merits.
The second seal and horseman follows:
4 And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.
The second horseman is also armed for battle with a sword. His battle is not a righteous battle, but a battle to remove peace from amongst people. In our walk of life, the people that cause us the most problems are those that know who we are. They have been born and reared in homes that worship God, yet they have rejected Him. They turn on the children of God, striking where it hurts because they know the inside story. Our greatest opposition comes from those that have apostatised. The horse is red, representing blood and strife. This horseman, then, represents the people who started their lives worshipping God, but have rejected Him.
The third seal and horseman are important:
5 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.
6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.
This seal portrays judgement by the balances held in the hand of the horseman. It also shows hardship in that food is expensive. A day’s labour is enough to purchase just enough food for one person to survive. The balances also indicate the measuring of the food rations. Yet, it is possible to live. This represents people that were born in a godless environment, but in the spiritually difficult times they have discovered how to survive. The oil and the wine indicate extras above food for survival. There is joy in their finding salvation.
The fourth horseman closes this sequence of related seals:
8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.
This horseman represents the people who have been godless all their lives. The theme here is death and destruction by all sorts of means – war, famine and wild beasts. Notice that a quarter of the people of Earth die in this way. The quarter simply means it is one of four groups. Hell represents the finality of their destiny. They were given the opportunity to know and follow God, but they refused. God does not allow any one to experience the Second Death without having had a choice. He does not want any one on Earth to die that death, but does not coerce. We are the ones that choose.
Another angle at the meaning of the four horsemen, probably more important, is that they represent what people claim to be, and what they really are.
For the white horse we have people that claim to belong to God and do.
For the red horse we have hypocrites. These people claim to be God’s children, but under the guise of godliness they live self-centred lives. The Pharisees were such people, and they killed Christ. The worst persecution comes from people that claim to be working for God but have their own agenda. At the end of time these will cause the most problems for God’s people. They will persecute and even kill the true Christians. Small wonder they are represented by a horseman carrying a sword, removing the peace from Earth.
The black horse represents people that lived godless lives but have accepted salvation. Speaking to the Pharisees, Jesus said the publicans and the harlots will enter the kingdom of God before them. Publicans and harlots know what they are and acknowledge that before God in penitence. Accepting God and salvation, they are saved.
The pale horse represents people that have been godless all their lives and have no desire to change that. They are what they are, sinful and godless.
This covers every person that has lived on Earth. However, there is still another way to look at these horsemen. We can view them in the context of the 3.5 years on Earth, which does not include the populace of all ages. They can be viewed parallel to the four harvests dealt with in the previous chapter:
The white horse represents the 144 000 that bring the last call to mankind. Their conquering and victory are the fruits of their labours.
The red horse represents those that should have been sealed at the beginning of the 3.5 years to be part of the 144 000 but reject God’s invitation for this unique work. They are sealed at the beginning of the 3.5 years and become the worst enemies of the 144 000. They remove the peace of the 144 000 by dragging them to courts and tribunals. They are the same as the grain harvest of Rev 14.
The black horse represents the people that are converted to God during the 3.5 years, who find God under difficult circumstances. There surely will be great hardships in this period. They are the great multitude of Rev 7.
Finally, the pale horse represents those that reject the calls of the 144 000 and accept the mark of the beast. They are the grape harvest of the end of Rev 14.
Zech 6:1-8 confirms the division of four types of horses into two categories. Here too the white and black horses are grouped together and please God:
6 The black horses which are therein go forth into the north country; and the white go forth after them; and the grisled go forth toward the south country.
8 Then cried he upon me, and spake unto me, saying, Behold, these that go toward the north country have quieted my spirit in the north country.
If God invites you to be of the 144 000, don’t reject this privilege. If God invites you to salvation by the calling of the 144 000 during the 3.5 years, accept His salvation. Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your heart.
Chapter 57 Four Horsemen
We have looked quite thoroughly at the middle part of Revelation, but there are parts in the beginning that have not been covered. One of the major themes we still need to look at is the Seven Seals. The Seven Seals are related to the seventh Church, Laodicea. Laodicea means “Justice of the People.” It has to do with judgment. The theme of the Seven Seals that follow directly after the Seven Churches is judgement. In the next few chapters we will look at the Seals and judgement.
As part of the structure of Revelation, the major portions have seven subsections. These subsections may be divided into three groups: the first four, the next two, and then the last one as the climax. The concepts taper down 4-2-1, with the focus on the 1 which is the climax. This pattern is clearly seen in the Seven Seals. In this chapter we will look at the first four Seals which deal with symbolic horsemen. They represent all of mankind. People may be divided into four categories as far as beginnings and destinies are concerned. Some people begin their lives in families that acknowledge God and worship Him. Others don’t have such a favourable start. Destinies are more important. Some people will die acknowledging God and some will die averse to Him. Looking at all the combinations of beginnings and destinies, we have the following four:
• Those that worship God from the start to the end.
• Those that grew up worshipping God but reject Him by the time they die.
• Those that grew up ignorant of God but accept Him and worship Him in the later parts of their lives.
• Those that grew up godless and remain that way all their lives.
The horsemen of the first four Seals each respectively describes these four groups of people. Let us look at the first Seal in Rev 6:
2 And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.
This horseman on a white horse is fighting the battle of righteousness. The colour of the horse indicates purity, the bow in the hand of the horseman shows he is fighting a good fight, and the crown given to him shows that he is a victor over sin and evil. This seal and horseman represents the people that have belonged to God all their lives, fighting His cause. The crown given to them is not meritorious, but a gift from God through His Son’s merits.
The second seal and horseman follows:
4 And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.
The second horseman is also armed for battle with a sword. His battle is not a righteous battle, but a battle to remove peace from amongst people. In our walk of life, the people that cause us the most problems are those that know who we are. They have been born and reared in homes that worship God, yet they have rejected Him. They turn on the children of God, striking where it hurts because they know the inside story. Our greatest opposition comes from those that have apostatised. The horse is red, representing blood and strife. This horseman, then, represents the people who started their lives worshipping God, but have rejected Him.
The third seal and horseman are important:
5 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.
6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.
This seal portrays judgement by the balances held in the hand of the horseman. It also shows hardship in that food is expensive. A day’s labour is enough to purchase just enough food for one person to survive. The balances also indicate the measuring of the food rations. Yet, it is possible to live. This represents people that were born in a godless environment, but in the spiritually difficult times they have discovered how to survive. The oil and the wine indicate extras above food for survival. There is joy in their finding salvation.
The fourth horseman closes this sequence of related seals:
8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.
This horseman represents the people who have been godless all their lives. The theme here is death and destruction by all sorts of means – war, famine and wild beasts. Notice that a quarter of the people of Earth die in this way. The quarter simply means it is one of four groups. Hell represents the finality of their destiny. They were given the opportunity to know and follow God, but they refused. God does not allow any one to experience the Second Death without having had a choice. He does not want any one on Earth to die that death, but does not coerce. We are the ones that choose.
Another angle at the meaning of the four horsemen, probably more important, is that they represent what people claim to be, and what they really are.
For the white horse we have people that claim to belong to God and do.
For the red horse we have hypocrites. These people claim to be God’s children, but under the guise of godliness they live self-centred lives. The Pharisees were such people, and they killed Christ. The worst persecution comes from people that claim to be working for God but have their own agenda. At the end of time these will cause the most problems for God’s people. They will persecute and even kill the true Christians. Small wonder they are represented by a horseman carrying a sword, removing the peace from Earth.
The black horse represents people that lived godless lives but have accepted salvation. Speaking to the Pharisees, Jesus said the publicans and the harlots will enter the kingdom of God before them. Publicans and harlots know what they are and acknowledge that before God in penitence. Accepting God and salvation, they are saved.
The pale horse represents people that have been godless all their lives and have no desire to change that. They are what they are, sinful and godless.
This covers every person that has lived on Earth. However, there is still another way to look at these horsemen. We can view them in the context of the 3.5 years on Earth, which does not include the populace of all ages. They can be viewed parallel to the four harvests dealt with in the previous chapter:
The white horse represents the 144 000 that bring the last call to mankind. Their conquering and victory are the fruits of their labours.
The red horse represents those that should have been sealed at the beginning of the 3.5 years to be part of the 144 000 but reject God’s invitation for this unique work. They are sealed at the beginning of the 3.5 years and become the worst enemies of the 144 000. They remove the peace of the 144 000 by dragging them to courts and tribunals. They are the same as the grain harvest of Rev 14.
The black horse represents the people that are converted to God during the 3.5 years, who find God under difficult circumstances. There surely will be great hardships in this period. They are the great multitude of Rev 7.
Finally, the pale horse represents those that reject the calls of the 144 000 and accept the mark of the beast. They are the grape harvest of the end of Rev 14.
Zech 6:1-8 confirms the division of four types of horses into two categories. Here too the white and black horses are grouped together and please God:
6 The black horses which are therein go forth into the north country; and the white go forth after them; and the grisled go forth toward the south country.
8 Then cried he upon me, and spake unto me, saying, Behold, these that go toward the north country have quieted my spirit in the north country.
If God invites you to be of the 144 000, don’t reject this privilege. If God invites you to salvation by the calling of the 144 000 during the 3.5 years, accept His salvation. Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your heart.
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