The 4 horses of the Apocalypse are the beginning of God’s end-time judgments upon the earth. The 4 horses RIDE as soon as Jesus the Christ breaks the first 4 seals of Revelation. God Almighty is holding a SCROLL that is sealed with seven seals. Many believe that this scroll is a type of LEGAL DOCUMENT pertaining to the ownership of planet earth. Although God Almighty is the CREATOR of the Heavens and the earth, the devil HAS BEEN GRANTED a type of “ownership” ever since the fall of mankind in the Garden of Eden. Mankind’s fall into sin gave the devil authority on this earth to do his evil deeds. We can think of the devil as a type of “landlord” of planet earth. The devil’s plan is to become the PERMANENT owner of the earth; however, God has a DIFFERENT PLAN. Jesus Christ, the Son of God Almighty, is taking the earth back! Hallelujah! Jesus is the ONLY ONE WORTHY to break the seals and open the scroll because He was the only one who was able to live a completely SINLESS LIFE in the likeness of human flesh, SHED HIS BLOOD to COVER the SINS of all humanity, and RESURRECT 3 days later, conquering SIN and the GRAVE! The breaking of the seals WILL BEGIN God’s END-TIME judgments on the earth.
When Jesus Christ breaks the first seal of Revelation, the Rider on the White Horse is sent out by the first living Creature (Cherubim) who stands before the Throne of God Almighty. We wrote a lengthy article about the identity of the White horse in a previous post. Most people believe the rider on the White Horse has to be either the antichrist, or Jesus Christ; but we tend to believe the rider on the White Horse is God’s End-Time Elijah, His End-time (Joel 2) Army who will be filled with the Spirit and power of Elijah, a full infilling of God’s Holy Spirit. This Rider, sent out by the 1st living creature who has the face of a LION, will be announcing God’s judgments on the earth. This rider will be sent out conquering (overcoming)…and to conquer (overcome), or to preach the TRUE MESSAGE of JESUS CHRIST in POWER to the Church and the world BEFORE the Rapture (the catching away of the Church). In Scripture, this rider is wearing a Stephanos, an overcomer’s crown named after the first Christian martyr…Stephen. We believe that the rider on the White Horse will be the TRANSFORMED BRIDE of CHRIST, operating in the Spirit and power of Elijah, BEFORE the Rapture of the Church, fulfilling the latter rain outpouring and Great End-time Harvest of souls. At the time the rider on the White horse leaves the gate, there will also be many false saviors 💉🥼and false prophets, so we need to be awake and alert, in the Word of God, to have proper Biblical DISCERNMENT between what is TRUE and what is FALSE. https://dyingworld.org/2019/08/30/first-seal-white-horse/
The Rider on the red horse is the second horse of the Apocalypse out of the gate. This rider is announced by the second living Creature (Cherubim), who has the face of an ox, who surrounds the Throne of God. This Rider will be announcing WAR. ⚔️
Revelation 6:3: When He broke the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come.” 4 And another, a red horse, went out; and to him who sat on it, it was granted to take peace from the earth, and that men would slay one another; and a great sword was given to him.
There has always been war on this earth so what makes this end-time WAR(s) so different than all the other wars on the earth? Jesus told us in Matthew 24 that one of the signs of the end-times would be “wars and rumors of war”, but He also told us to not be alarmed because the end is not yet.
Matthew 24: 3 As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?
And Jesus answered and said to them, “See to it that no one misleads you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ (Savior/Messiah),’ and will mislead many. 6 You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. 8 But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.
What war or wars do we EXPECT to occur at the end of days, that will usher in the 2nd coming of Jesus Christ? Revelation tells us that when Jesus breaks the 2nd seal, the rider on the red horse will be given a GREAT SWORD. The fiery red color of the 2nd horse and the great sword, are well known to represent war. Interestingly, the Greek word used for “red” in Revelation 6:4 is NOT the normal word used to describe the color red (eruthros) . The Greek word ” pyrros ” used in Rev. 6:4 means “the color of fire” (pyromania). It is the same word that John uses to describe the redness of the Dragon (satan) in Revelation 12:3. This particular color intimates heat and ferocity like an out-of-control wildfire. Revelation 12:3 (describing satan, the red dragon) and Revelation 6:4 (describing the red horse) are the ONLY TWO places in the New Testament where this word “Pyrros” is used.
The horseman’s “great sword” is a translation of máchaira megálee. Frequently, máchaira is the knife used to prepare a sacrifice or to slaughter an animal for food. It is also the sword worn by magistrates and executioners. That the red horseman’s sword is “great” (megálee) means either that it is larger or longer than usual or that it is highly effective in doing its job. The Red horse is introduced by the Living creature with a face like an ox. An ox can pull a plow or wagon or turn a mill all day for days on end without complaint. Some have been known to work and work until they die from exhaustion. Rarely will one make its frustration or weariness known. A calf or ox will just keep going—a relentless, untiring worker. John is painting a picture of inevitable, unceasing, untiring, insatiable warfare. The red horseman, with its fiery red horse, great sword, and relentless aggression, is a fearsome symbol of unremitting, intensifying, uncontrolled, horrific conflict.
What wars can we expect at the end of the age? The Bible lists a few, and describes these end-time wars as so intense, that they are literally destroying the earth. God tells us that if He hadn’t shortened the days of the Great Tribulation, no flesh would survive.
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.
Matthew 24:22 “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.
Revelation 11:18: And the nations were enraged, and Your wrath came, and the time came for the dead to be judged, and the time to reward Your bond-servants the prophets and the saints and those who fear Your name, the small and the great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth.”
The fiery nature and severity of these end-time wars tell us that some serious technology is being employed. Only in the late 20th century and 21st century does mankind now have the technology to destroy all flesh on the earth. World War I was somewhat limited in Scope, being territorial in nature. World War II was a global conflict that ended with the release of two Atomic Bombs over Hiroshima and Nagisaki. What will World War III bring? A Global nuclear exchange? Nuclear winter? Biological warfare? EMP technology plunging an entire nation back into the 1800’s? Robo-wars (drones)? Trans-humanism and the ‘super soldier”? Nanotechnology, including artificial intelligence? It has been said that the 20th century was the bloodiest century in all of History. What will the final conflict “look like”? A 4 megaton bomb will leave a 30 mile crater. A large thermonuclear device, launched from an ICBM (Intercontinental ballistic missile) can reach it’s target in minutes, with the ability to destroy entire cities, killing at least half of the population. It is thought that an EMP launched from a cheap, ballistic missile high enough into the atmosphere could cause most of the United States to be plunged into the dark ages. Because of our advanced technology, many nations, including America, are extremely vulnerable to EMP attacks. According to a Congressional report published in 2014, an EMP detonated at high altitude over the center of America has the potential to wipe out 90% of the nation’s population within a year, from disease, societal breakdown (violence), and famine. I think we can all agree that this world has become more hazardous than ever!
I am not telling you this to bring fear, but to cause us all to recognize our NEED for Jesus Christ’s DIVINE RESCUE that He will offer His people at the end of the age.
There are 4 wars detailed in the Bible that seem to pertain to the end of the age. We believe the destruction of “Mystery Babylon” likely occurs during one of these wars, possibly during the Ezekiel 38 war. We saw above, that once that 2nd seal is broken, the end-time wars will begin with increasing intensity, pain, and destruction. The Bible describes them as being like “birth pangs”.
- Psalm 2 war
- Psalm 83 war
- Ezekiel 38 war
- Battle of Armageddon campaign
The Psalms are a collection of sacred poems or songs that are meant to be sung. They range in mood and expression of faith from joyous celebration to solemn hymn and bitter protest. Within these Psalms of Praise and Lament, God has also woven in prophecy.
Psalm 2 War
Psalm 2 describes a world where the nations are in uproar, taking their stand against God Almighty and His Messiah, Jesus. It’s almost inconceivable to consider that the leaders of the Global community would actually BELIEVE that they can defeat God! Psalm 2 is not describing a deceived people who are unknowingly following the antichrist. Psalm 2 is describing a confederation of nations who PURPOSELY counsel together with the devil to rebel against God and against His Messiah, Jesus. Psalm 2 is the spiritual battle between good and evil that will someday culminate in the Campaign of Armageddon, the final battle.
Imagine an alliance of ten “kingdoms” (regions) coming together. Their leaders convene around a long dark table in a smoke filled room. (okay, we added that for affect, but you get the picture.) Behind each leader and representative stands a spiritual entity of darkness, a fallen angel, compelling them to move forward with their wicked plans. The spirit of the Tower of Babel still exists on this earth. Imagine them making a covenant with evil, a covenant with the devil (antichrist) to overthrow the King of the Universe, Jesus the Messiah. Imagine them creating and taking the mark of the beast to enslave all of humanity. They THINK they can WIN! They are KNOWINGLY defying the God of the Universe!!! They are KNOWINGLY aligning themselves with satan! This is Psalm 2. This is the 10 “nation” alliance in the books of Daniel and Revelation. This is the New World Order. God is going to allow their New World Order, the ten horns of of Daniel and Revelation, to have their “kingdom”, their ALLIANCE for 3 and a half years (a time/times/ and half a time) of GREAT TRIBULATION on this earth. Where do they get their power and authority? From the DRAGON (satan)! Does every member of the New World Order understand where they get their power and authority? Probably not, many who go along with this plan are probably deceived…but the MAJOR LEADERS, the ones with the MOST POWER know who they are following.
Why are the nations in an uproar
And the peoples devising a vain thing?
2 The kings of the earth take their stand
And the rulers take counsel together
Against the Lord and against His Anointed (Christ), saying,
3 “Let us tear their fetters apart
And cast away their cords from us!”Daniel 7:23: “Thus he said: ‘The fourth beast will be a fourth kingdom on the earth, which will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth and tread it down and crush it. 24 As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings will arise; and another will arise after them, and he will be different from the previous ones and will subdue three kings. 25 He will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law; and they will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time. (3.5 years). 26 But the court will sit for judgment, and his dominion will be taken away, annihilated and destroyed forever.
Revelation 13: And the dragon stood on the sand of the seashore. Then I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns were ten diadems (crowns), and on his heads were blasphemous names. . 2 And the beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. And the dragon (satan) gave him his power and his throne and great authority.
What is God’s response? God laughs at their foolishness and terrifies them with His Anger. God’s Son Jesus the Christ WILL REIGN over all of the earth and He will BREAK this unholy alliance with a Rod of Iron, shattering them like earthenware.
Psalm 2: He who sits in the heavens laughs,
The Lord scoffs at them.
5 Then He will speak to them in His anger
And terrify them in His fury, saying,
6 “But as for Me, I have installed My King
Upon Zion, My holy mountain.”7 “I will surely tell of the decree of the Lord:
He said to Me, ‘You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You.
8 ‘Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance,
And the very ends of the earth as Your possession.
9 ‘You shall break them with a rod of iron,
You shall shatter them like earthenware.’”
The Lord finishes Psalm 2 with a warning…God is warning the leaders of the nations NOT to get caught up in this unholy alliance…NOT to give their allegiance to the devil, the antichrist. When it’s all said and done, Jesus will separate the Sheep nations from the goat nations. There will be leaders who heed this warning and REFUSE to go along with this unholy alliance, who REFUSE to worship the devil..those are sheep nations. They will instead give their HOMAGE to the TRUE GOD…ELOHIM and HIS SON..YESHUA (Jesus), who IS GOD’S KING!
Psalm 2: 10: Now therefore, O kings, show discernment;
Take warning, O judges of the earth.
11 Worship the Lord with reverence
And rejoice with trembling.
12 Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way,
For His wrath may soon be kindled.
How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!
Psalm 83 war
Like Psalm 2, Psalm 83 details a confederation of “nations” who HATE the Name of Israel, and who HATE God Almighty, desiring to WIPE Israel clean off of the map. Do we see this spirit today? Is this the same “alliance” with evil that we see in Psalm 2? Possibly. After all, Psalm 83 is a confederation of ten “nations” or people groups. Some of the leaders “kings” may be the same, others may not. The book of Daniel tells us that the ten “kings” of the New World Order come OUT OF the old Roman Empire, which also had its tentacles in the Middle East, so some of the “players” may be the same. Psalm 83 ACTUALLY tells us that this alliance makes a COVENANT AGAINST GOD (verse 5)! Psalm 83 also provides us with additional details of their “battle plans” in their FEEBLE ATTEMPT to DEFEAT the Lord God and His Messiah, Jesus Christ. They can’t beat God directly so they go after His Children, His people, and His Land. Their evil plan is to wipe out the MEMORY of the Name of Israel. This name was given BY GOD to Jacob and later to Jacob’s 12 sons (the 12 Tribes of Israel). (Yisra’el) meaning “God contends”, from the roots (sarah) meaning “to contend, to fight” and (el) meaning “God”. By covenant, God forever identifies Himself as “The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob … the God of Israel. By declaring that they want to WIPE OUT the NAME of ISRAEL, they are declaring that they want to DESTROY the COVENANT that GOD HIMSELF MADE with HIS PEOPLE. They are declaring that they want to DEFEAT GOD ALMIGHTY. These leaders have made a covenant with the devil.
O God, do not remain quiet;
Do not be silent and, O God, do not be still.
2 For behold, Your enemies make an uproar,
And those who hate You have exalted themselves.
3 They make shrewd plans against Your people,
And conspire together against Your treasured ones.
4 They have said, “Come, and let us wipe them out as a nation,
That the name of Israel be remembered no more.” For they have conspired together with one mind; Against You they make a covenant:
Psalm 83 gives us the identity of these people groups who come together to devise evil plans against Israel.
Psalm 83: 6 The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites,
Moab and the Hagrites;
7 Gebal and Ammon and Amalek,
Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre;
8 Assyria also has joined with them;
They have become a help to the children of Lot.
These ten nations do not exist today by these names. How can we know who they are? We will share with you what Biblical scholars who have studied these texts have determined. When looking at these “nations”, We must be aware that there are GOOD people, EVEN CHRISTIANS, living within the physical borders of these nations who have NOTHING to do with this alliance. The converse is also true, that there may be parts of this alliance who no longer live in these regions. The alliance involves the LEADERS, the ELITE of the world, NOT the average person.
The Psalm 83 alliance involves the “nations who basically DIRECTLY border Israel, otherwise known as the “inner circle” of nations. Again, it is about the leadership, the elite, not the average person.
When we see the MODERN identity of these “people groups”, these “nations”, we notice that these are primarily the Islamic nations who directly border the land of Israel. Interestingly, if we investigate the Biblical land of Israel that was originally given to the Hebrew people BY GOD in the ABRAHAMIC COVENANT..we see that the ORIGINAL BIBLICAL BORDERS of Israel included A LOT more land than they have right now! In-fact, Israel’s BIBLICAL BORDERS actually INCLUDE some of the territory of these “nations”. Despite Israel’s future disobedience, the promise to ABRAHAM was unconditional in that the land was to be theirs forever; no strings attached:
Genesis 15:18: To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt (traditionally taken as the Nile) as far as the great river, the River Euphrates
Exodus 23:31: I will fix your boundary from the Red Sea to the sea of the Philistines (Gaza coast), and from the wilderness to the River Euphrates
Genesis 17:8: I will give to you and to your descendants … all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession
Although the WORLD is constantly singing the tune that Israel is illegitimate, that Israel doesn’t even have the right to live in the tiny strip of land they currently possess, GOD SAYS that Israel’s land should be LARGER …NOT SMALLER.
Ezekiel 47 and 48 state that the land in Millennial Israel (the time of Jesus Christ’s Millennial Reign on earth) will be divided equally between the tribes, and in an east-west way (parallel sections):
Ezekiel 47:13-14: The Sovereign Lord said, “These are the boundaries of the land that is to be divided among the twelve tribes … I solemnly promised your ancestors that I would give them possession of this land; now divide it equally among you.
Jeremiah 49:2: “Therefore behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “That I will cause a trumpet blast of war to be heard, Against Rabbah of the sons of Ammon; And it will become a desolate heap, And her towns will be set on fire. Then Israel will take possession of his possessors,” Says the Lord.
Isaiah 19:18: In that day five cities in the land of Egypt will be speaking the language of Canaan and swearing allegiance to the Lord of hosts; one will be called the City of Destruction.
Obadiah 1:19: Then those of the Negev will possess the mountain of Esau,
And those of the Shephelah the Philistine plain;
Also, possess the territory of Ephraim and the territory of Samaria,
And Benjamin will possess Gilead.20 And the exiles of this host of the sons of Israel,
Who are among the Canaanites as far as Zarephath,
And the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad
Will possess the cities of the Negev.
21 The deliverers will ascend Mount Zion
To judge the mountain of Esau,
And the kingdom will be the Lord’s.
So each tribe will have one portion, starting with Dan in the north and ending with Gad in the south, and all sections run east-west. It is interesting to compare the future biblical borders and land division with the current situation in Israel. Clearly, the future borders include both the Gaza strip and the West Bank! They also include significant parts of present-day Syria i.e. up to Hamath, and probably all of Lebanon. But we must also remember that the “State of Israel” will be far different in the Millennium than it is now. Israel, like the whole world, will be ruled by YESHUA (JESUS), THE ONLY TRULY, RIGHTEOUS KING. When God is King over Israel, there will be fairness and justice in the land. Because there will be TRUE PEACE in the Millennium, Israel will not have to secure her borders. Israel will TRULY live in peace with her neighbors. Israel will not fear “foreigners” and “sojourners”, who were ALWAYS permitted to live in their lands during the days of the Old Testament. According to God, Israel shall LOVE the sojourner as themselves. The new, Millennial Israel is going to be INCLUSIVE, so both the sons of Israel AND the foreigners who sojourn in the land will receive an inheritance from the LORD. This is going to be a totally NEW and DIFFERENT KINGDOM…the KINGDOM OF GOD!
Leviticus 19:33: When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.
Ezekiel 47:21: 21 So shall ye divide this land unto you according to the tribes of Israel.
22 And it shall come to pass, that ye shall divide it by lot for an inheritance unto you, and to the strangers that sojourn among you, which shall beget children among you: and they shall be unto you as born in the country among the children of Israel; they shall have inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel.
23 And it shall come to pass, that in what tribe the stranger sojourneth, there shall ye give him his inheritance, saith the Lord God.
It is likely that the Psalm 83 war will result in Israel expanding her borders. Psalm 83 is one of the end-time wars that will probably occur very early in the 7 year Tribulation period, at the breaking of the 2nd seal. Although these end-time wars revolve around Israel, they will involve the whole earth. God has made Jerusalem a cup of trembling for the entire earth. The antichrist wants to rule the earth, but Israel is the Prize, she is the key. The devil wants this piece of land more than anything else because it belongs to GOD and HIS COVENANT PEOPLE. But even more than this piece of land, the devil wants to DESTROY and COMPLETELY WIPE OUT the PEOPLE OF GOD and therefore the COVENANT OF GOD. Because God is a Covenant God who is FAITHFUL and TRUE, it is not possible to destroy one of God’s Covenants…but that won’t stop the devil from trying! The devil is willing to destroy the entire earth and ALL FLESH to achieve his objectives. Praises to Jesus that GOD ALONE is in CONTROL! The devil is a defeated foe..defeated at the Cross of Calvary..he just doesn’t know it yet.
There are two more end-time wars that we need to discuss under the banner of the red horse of Revelation. One of these wars, the Ezekiel 38 war (War of Gog/ magog), we’ve detailed in another post. https://dyingworld.org/2019/05/22/gog-magog-war/
The final war will be the campaign of Armageddon. We will detail that war in our next post.
Do not fear, God Almighty is on the THRONE and HE ALONE is fully in control of all end-time events. Though the earth is going to get pretty dark, it is always darkest before the dawn.
