The Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypse

Word-Of-The-Day: ‘(1) I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, “Come!” (2) I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest. (3) When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” (4) Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make people kill each other. To him was given a large sword. (5) When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. (6) Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, “Two pounds of wheat for a day’s wages, and six pounds of barley for a day’s wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!” (7) When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” (8) I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.’ (Revelation 6:1-8)

There are several pundits who are coming out speaking of the Apocalypse and that it is on our doorstep, with the Four Horsemen coming in.  Not the Four Horsemen of Flair, Anderson, Windham & Blanchard of WCW Wrestling fame, or the Four Horsemen of Stuhldreher, Miller, Crowley, & Layden of Notre Dame football, though some of you may have watched them play in 1924. The one we’re discussing today are the Biblical 4 Horsemen given the attributes of Conqueror, War, Famine, and Death. 

Most people look to Revelation 6 when it comes to them, and see them as the introduction or harbingers of what many refer to as the Apocalypse or Armageddon.  They are the first four (of seven) Seal Judgements that will be revealed as Jesus opens the scroll handed Him by Father God in Chapter 5, and are revealed in Chapters 6 through 8.  The Seal Judgements precede the seven Trumpet Judgements of Chapters 8 through 11, and the seven Bowl Judgements of Chapters 15 and 16.  The Seal Judgements are the beginning activities or the preamble of Jesus’ return to Earth, this time as the Eternal King of Kings.  

There are different interpretations on who are riding these horses.  Since He’s opening the Scroll and breaking the Seals, Jesus is not be riding any of them. The four creatures that are described in Ezekiel 1:4-17 could be them, or the four chariots (pulled by white, black, red and speckled horses) described in Zechariah 6:1-8, which were to sow peace on Earth in the East, West, South, and North, per direction of the Lord, but should the Lord change their ‘marching orders’ via the Seals, they have the power to also remove themselves from their peacekeeping mission and go on the offensive.   

What is clear is that these are Judgements proscribed by God.  The first is attributed to Conquering; it is one who takes over, and this could be political or military conquest, or a picture of the (or an) Antichrist who will take over in a global government.  The second is War; it is one who pits people against each other, causing death and destruction.  The third is Famine; it is one who controls the food of the Earth.  The fourth is self-explanatory, Death, which it is likely with the other three horses working together will lead to great loss of life. 

We can ascertain the Four Horsemen will work together, as they speak in unison in verse 6.  Note that Pestilence is not described in any of the four Seals, but many attribute this to God’s Word in Ezekiel 14:21, where God tells Ezekiel He will ‘smackdown’ Jerusalem with four judgements, Sword, Famine, Wild Beasts, and Plague or Pestilence, both big bugs (fleas that carry bubonic plague) and little bugs (viruses like COVID), and tie this into one or all of the Horsemen.  Sportswriter Grantland Rice described the Notre Dame Horsemen of 1924 as ‘Death, Destruction, Pestilence, and Famine’; this likely brought the colloquial descriptions of ‘War, Famine, Pestilence, and Death’ to the Four Horsemen.

So the question: are they here now?  The answer for now is no.  We have not seen a ‘great conqueror’ yet, though the roadmap for him (or her) has been laid out through the auspices of ‘Globalism’.  Some organizations are attempting to control the world’s population and food supplies.  There has not been one person or group to directly force its way to the top for now. Should Pre-Tribulation Rapture come to pass, the Four Horsemen will come after the Rapture; a Mid- or Post-Tribulation Rapture we will see the formation of the One-World Government and its sinister ‘One Religion’ through the Seal Judgements occurring.

In any event, since Jesus’ Ascension in Acts 1:8-9, we have been in the pre-tribulation phase of God’s Plan; the increasing ‘birthing pains’ Jesus describes in Matthew 24:4-8.  The Four Horsemen are not here yet, but don’t let yourself get into a mindset of complacency.  The Apocalypse may or may not be ready to start. All what the Four Horsemen bring can occur anytime, even at the same time without them. Wars have come and gone, bringing with them pestilence, famine, and death.  These things have happened before in unison, such as in World War II. so such an occurrence or two in our time may not be the beginning of the Tribulation period.

Remember to BE PREPARED, BE AWARE, PLAN ACCORDLINGLY; we do live in ‘hurricane central’ so we all should be prepared away – an extra can or box of food (or two) each shopping trip will stock the pantry for a supply-chain interruption fairly quickly, whether its from a man-made or natural disaster. That extra can or two can also be shared with those who may not believe in Christ, which can be an opening to share the Gospel message of Christ, which we need to continue to do (especially so) even in the midst of troubles. Don’t give up if these things occur; for our personal strength and Spiritual needs, stay in touch with God through prayer, devotional reading, and fellowship!