Can you hear the thundering hooves getting closer with each passing day? What or WHO are the 4 horsemen of the apocalypse and when do they ride? We’ll be exploring these important questions in our next few posts. Time is growing shorter and shorter as we rapidly approach the end of the age and the consummation of all of these things.
In Revelation 4, the apostle John, exiled by Rome on the Isle of Patmos in the latter years of his life, was a witness to God Almighty holding in His Right Hand a very important scroll that was sealed with 7 seals. John was very upset, and wept openly, because he thought that there was no one worthy to break the seals and open the scroll, or to even look at it.
Revelation 5: I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a book (scroll) written inside and on the back, sealed up with seven seals. 2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the book and to break its seals?”
3 And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the book or to look into it. 4 Then I began to weep greatly because no one was found worthy to open the book or to look into it;
Why was John upset when he thought that no one was worthy to open the scroll? We think it is because he couldn’t bear to think of this world remaining in the hands of its current landlord (Satan) forever. Since the fall of mankind there has been an UNTOLD amount of suffering, sickness, sorrow, pain and death on this earth.
The Scroll that God held in His Right Hand seems to be a very important legal document, which may be why the 24 elders were present at the time of its opening.
In Biblical times, elders served as the advisory council for a city, nation, or sovereign, functioning in a governmental or legal capacity. This significant legal scroll represents a form of “deed” pertaining to the planet Earth. John lamented deeply, believing there was no one found worthy to break the seals and open the scroll, or even gaze upon it. An elder consoled John, clarifying that there exists ONE worthy to break the seals and reveal the scroll, the LAMB who was SLAIN, Jesus the Christ.
Jesus Christ is the ONLY ONE WORTHY to break the seals and open the Scroll! 💖God is taking back HIS CREATION from the “god of this world” (aka Satan).
Revelation 5: 5 and one of the elders *said to me, “Stop weeping; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals.”
Jesus has OVERCOME! Hallelujah!
What happens when Jesus begins to open the seals?
In general, the opening of the seals reveal judgment and destruction on the earth for mankind’s sin and rebellion. This time is described in the Bible as the worst time in human HIS STORY (Matthew 24:21) and is the beginning of God judging the “god of this world” (Satan), and all those who have aligned themselves with him in his rebellion.
This is similar to preparing a field for new growth. All the weeds that were choking the life out of the good plants have to be removed to make room for a healthy crop.
Matthew 13:41 The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, 42 and they will throw them into the furnace of fire🔥; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
43 Then the righteous will shine forth like the sun ☀️in the kingdom of their Father. The one who has ears, let him hear.
The encouraging news is that at the end of this difficult and painful Tribulation period, Jesus will return to Earth to establish His everlasting and glorious Kingdom. The emergence of the Kingdom of God on Earth parallels the birth of a child. Before the arrival of a beautiful new life, the mother generally endures many hours of intense suffering. Though the labor is long and excruciatingly painful, the beautiful child that is born makes it all worth it.
Matthew 24:21 For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will.
The first four seals of Revelation unleash powerful horses and their riders. The number four in the Bible represents creation and completeness.
The number 4 represents God’s reign and the fullness of His kingdom. In this sense, the number 4 can symbolize God’s governance over the entire earth—His control over the natural world, nations, and peoples. It reflects the scope of His power and His sovereignty. The four horsemen of the Apocalypse in Revelation 6 symbolize the universality of God’s judgment that extends over all the earth.
Hundreds of years before the Apostle John penned the book of Revelation, The Old Testament Prophet Zechariah saw in a vision a similar set of horsemen.
Zechariah (whose name means “YHWH has remembered”) prophesied to the Kingdom of Judah during the days of Ezra and Nehemiah. At this time the Jewish people, who had been exiled in Babylon for 70 years because of their sin and rebellion, were permitted by King Cyrus of Persia to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple and the city. Like many of the Old Testament prophets, Zechariah prophesied of both his current “time” and also the end-times.
Zechariah 6: Again I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, four chariots came out from between two mountains. And the mountains were mountains of bronze.
2 The first chariot had red horses, the second black horses, 3 the third white horses, and the fourth chariot dappled (aka gray) horses—all of them strong.
4 Then I answered and said to the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?” 5 And the angel answered and said to me, “ These are the four spirits (wind/Ruach/breath) of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth.
6 The chariot with the black horses goes toward the north country, the white ones go after them, and the dappled ones go toward the south country.” 7 When the strong horses came out, they were impatient to go and patrol the earth. And he said, “Go, patrol the earth.” So they patrolled the earth.
Zechariah saw in a vision something similar to what John the Revelator saw hundreds of years later. Zechariah saw 4 horses, white, red, black, and gray, with chariots which are called the 4 Spirits (aka “winds”) of the Heavens, that go out to patrol the 4 corners of the earth.
Bless the Lord, O my soul!
O Lord my God, You are very great;
You are clothed with splendor and majesty,
2 Covering Yourself with light as with a cloak,
Stretching out heaven like a tent curtain.3 He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters;
He makes the clouds His chariot; ☁️
He walks upon the wings of the wind (spirit/ruach/breath); 🍃
4 He makes the winds (spirit/ruach/breath)His messengers, 🍃
Flaming fire His ministers.
In Psalm 104 vs. 3, God makes the winds (Spirit/Ruach) His Messengers. In Zechariah 6, God calls the horses with the Chariots the “4 winds of the Heavens”. In Zechariah 6, God is sending out these 4 winds (spirits), His messengers, to patrol the earth. Psalm 104 indicates that these horsemen, these “chariots”, these “winds of Heaven” 🍃are YHWH’s MESSENGERS, and the message they generally deliver is JUDGMENT.
We see these “four winds” 🍃also in Revelation 7, AFTER the opening of the first six seals of Revelation. In this passage, God’s angels are holding back the four winds from blowing JUDGEMENT on the earth until after the 144,000 are sealed and after the harvest. No Trumpet blast judgements can begin until AFTER the harvest.
Revelation 7: After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth so that no wind would blow on the earth, or on the sea, or on any tree.
2 And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, holding the seal of the living God; and he called out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, 3 saying, “Do not harm the earth, or the sea, or the trees until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads.”
The four horses of the apocalypse, although painful, are used for CORRECTION and are not the wrath of God. These are the same judgements that were in the Old Testament (Tanakh) for COVENANT BREAKING. In the Old Testament, they were called “God’s four severe judgments”. Their PURPOSE was to CALL PEOPLE TO REPENTANCE.
Ezekiel 14:21: For this is what the Lord God says: “How much more when I send My four severe judgments against Jerusalem: sword, famine, vicious animals, and plague to eliminate human and animal life from it!
Once the Sealing of the 144,000 is complete in Revelation 7, we will see that there are COUNTLESS people clothed in WHITE ROBES around the Throne of God waving palm branches and singing HOLY, HOLY, HOLY. 🕊️They came OUT OF the Great Tribulation. They ESCAPED the wrath of God. The FOUR HORSEMEN OF THE APOCALYPSE serve a purpose, to call people to repentance and turn them BACK TO GOD.
In future posts, we will come to understand that the judgments enacted by God upon all who seek to defy His Righteous and Loving sovereignty over His Creation will intensify in both magnitude and severity as we progress through the breaking of the 7 seals, the 7 Trumpets, and the 7 bowls of wrath.
Our God, in His mercy, came in the form of human flesh (Jesus Christ) to bear His own wrath on the Cross✝️, enabling us to evade the Righteous punishment for our sins and rebellion; yet, for those who reject His lifeline of mercy through His Son, Jesus Christ, the daunting truth remains: His wrath is inevitable.
JESUS is taking back this WORLD from its current landlord, but not before He separates the sheep from the goats, the wheat from the weeds.
We believe that God is going to give one last “shout out”, and then remove His people, following the same pattern as Noah and Lot. After the Rapture, He’s going to bring judgment on the world by first giving them over to that which they seek, the worship of the antichrist.
For those who miss the Rapture but seek the True God Jesus Christ during this time of Tribulation, refusing to worship the beast (antichrist) even if it costs them their physical lives, they will also receive the crown of ETERNAL LIFE.
Excerpt from a sister in Christ (Sparrowcloud9) who has dreams and visions of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Dream was received on June 26, 2022.
Jesus: “Well, yes. Now, you understand the great rage and anger that came as I appoint the leaders and raise them up. The enemy knew that God and His army was also here, even at the gate. Now, let us review the Four Horses (of Revelation 6)”…
- “The White Horse🐎: Let’s start with the White Horse. 🏹 This one presents himself as good, like a savior, but make no mistake, he is the opposite of Me (JESUS). His tongue is smooth with lies. He is clever and smart because his spirit originates from Heaven. He is a triumphant horse that struts and knows he has power. He speaks with authority. He subdues into submission anyone who attempts to thwart his powers.” (Revelation 6:1-2)
- “The Red Horse🐎: The Red Horse is enraged and declares that there will be no peace. ⚔️ The White Horse rides with the Red Horse and represents war and division. He carries a sword of lies and declares war and calls for uprisings. While also interested in global wars, he is now more focused on civil wars and bloodshed. Any opponent is to be subdued and removed, cutdown if necessary.” (Revelation 6:3-4)
- “The Black Horse🐎: The Black Horse brings famine. ⚖️ However, its rider also carries weighing scales for wheat, for bread. The scales also represent the balance of justice. However, justice is tipped and favors corruption. This increases the distress and mourning of these days.” (Revelation 6:5-6)
- The Pale Horse🐎: “Then there is the fourth horse, the Pale Horse. 🤢 Permission is given to kill a quarter of the Earth, to destroy the nations with plague, sword and famine.” (Revelation 6:7-8)
This was an OVERVIEW of the four horsemen of the apocalypse. Our next few posts will go into more depth regarding the rider of each horse, what happens after the seals are opened, and a general idea of timing of the Tribulation period. No man knows the exact day or hour, but we are given clues as to the “season”, because God does not want His people to be caught unaware. God’s clues, especially that of the FIG TREE, indicate we are getting close.
Matthew 24:36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. 37 For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah.
38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 and they did not understand until the flood 🌊came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be.
It is interesting that the colors of the 4 horsemen are seen in the Palestinian Flag, or the colors of Islam. – Coincidence?
Be Ready for His Coming
Matthew 24:42 “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.
The White Horse of the Apocalypse (1st seal of Revelation) – Life in a Dying World
