Chapter 6

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

In Revelation 6:1-8 GNT the Lamb opens the first four seals on the book

which describe some of the things that will take place on earth in accordance

with Daniel’s prophecy.

“And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard one of

the four living creatures saying, as a voice of thunder, Come and see.

And I saw, and behold, a white horse: and he sitting on it having a bow;

and was given to him a crown, and he went forth overcoming and that

he might overcome. And when he opened the second seal I heard the

second living creature saying, Come and see. And went forth another

horse red; and to him sitting on it was given to him to take peace from

the earth, and that one another they should slay; and was given to him

a great sword. And when he opened the third seal I heard the third liv-

ing creature saying, Come and see. And I saw, and behold, a black

horse, and he sitting on it having a balance in his hand. And I heard a

voice in [the] midst of the four living creatures, saying, a choinix of

wheat for a denarius, and three choinixes of barley for a denarius: and

the oil and the wine thou mayest not injure. And when he opened the

fourth seal, I heard [the] voice of the fourth living creature saying,

Come and see. And I saw, and behold, a pale horse, and he sitting on

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it, his name [was] Death, and hades follows with him; and was given to

them authority to kill over the fourth of the earth with sword and with

famine and with death, and by the beasts of the earth.”

This scripture is so majestic and loaded with significance that interpretation

can only be attempted under great fear of the Lord. Different interpretations

have been suggested for these verses, none of which will be reiterated here.

The interpretation that God has given me is discussed below. The reader

should judge this interpretation just as we are encouraged to judge all

prophecy (1 Co. 2:15, 14:29).

Although some older versions of the Bible omit “come”, “see”, or both in

this passage, the GNT says that with the opening of these first four seals

John is told to “come and see” by the living creatures. We note that in his vi-

sion John was in the throne room just prior to this chapter. Obviously the

scene had to change for John to witness the consequences of releasing these

four horsemen. The four horsemen were given power and authority to, 1)

overcome and conquer, 2) take peace from the world, 3) bring famine, and

4) kill. However, John did not record the actual occurrence of conquering,

world war, famine, nor killing that these spiritual horsemen were empowered

to initiate. I believe the devastation the riders foster in the spirit world is

progressive, starting at, or near, the beginning of the seven-year period, and

continuing through (at least) the time referred to as the “beginning of sor-

rows” in Matthew 24:8. The release of these demon riders must be sequen-

tially timed to achieve their evil mission. When the disciples came to Him on

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the Mount of Olives Jesus told them that deception, wars, famines, pesti-

lence, and earthquakes would characterize this time. These same events are

initiated by the going forth of the four horsemen. These horsemen are spiri-

tual beings (fallen angels), with great power, held in check until God releases

them at the beginning of Daniel’s 70th week. Note that the opening of these

four seals does not precipitate any physical destruction on earth, instead,

they spread spiritual wickedness that will be wrought by the rulers of the

darkness of this world through the hearts of men on earth.

In Matthew 24:4, Jesus, responding to the disciples questions about His re-

turn and the end of time, told them to take heed that no man deceive them,

for many would come claiming to be the Christ. The deception of men is the

assignment of the first horseman, who goes forth as a conquerer, to over-

come (conquer). We see that the result of opening the first seal corresponds

to the event described by Jesus as the start of the “beginning of sorrows” in

His Olivet discourse. This first horseman is like an advanced guard, sent in

early to influence men in deciding who they will follow. As we will see later,

the antichrist makes war to overcome the saints. We have previously noted

that overcoming is the work of the first horseman. Revelation 13:12 says

that the false prophet (the second beast of Revelation Chapter 13), is the

one who causes them that dwell on the earth to worship the antichrist. In

other words, the false prophet’s mission is similar, if not identical, to that of

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the first horseman: to conquer men and bring them under the authority of

the antichrist. I believe that this first horseman is none other than the

wicked spirit of the false prophet, who has great power and authority, and is

sent forth at the beginning of the seven-year period to conquer men spiritu-

ally, to make them followers of the antichrist. Later, he appears on earth in-

carnated as the false prophet, the antichrist’s right-hand man, having great

power that he uses to win men’s allegiance. The false prophet is one of the

rulers of the darkness of this world, enticing the spirits of men to accept the

antichrist (who is just arising), as political leader of the world. We are re-

minded of the scripture in 2 Thessalonians 2:2, which says “Let no man de-

ceive you by any means: for that day shall not come except there come a

falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.” As

the first horseman this spirit being is given a crown in recognition of his

great authority in Satan’s kingdom. He also rides a white horse, which Satan

probably selects because of the purity associated with the color white: Christ

comes in Revelation 19:11 riding a white horse. This first horseman also has

a bow, which is symbolic of a warrior, but the scripture does not mention any

arrows. This could imply a limitation on his effectiveness, possibly related to

the fact that his enticements to mankind are all external: he has no direct

ability to pierce men’s hearts, but must appeal to their lust and pride.

The second horseman is riding a red horse. He is given power to take

peace from the earth which will result in men killing one another, especially

as we move into the time of the Great Tribulation, the last 3 1/2-years of

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Daniel’s prophecy. We assume he does this by working through man’s pride

to cause hatred. He was also given a great sword, symbolic of the type of

sword used by soldiers in war.

The third horseman is riding a black horse, and is holding a balance in his

hand. The balance represents of the high cost of food, which is measured for

sale by weight. A choinix of wheat for a denarius (penny) is thought to corre-

spond to approximately a quart of wheat for a day’s wages. Three choinixes

of barley could be bought for a denarius. Wine and oil were not to be hurt,

which must mean that they were not to be affected by the famine. We know

that wine is symbolic of Christ’s blood and oil symbolizes the Holy Spirit, but

whether this was the reason that these are exempt from this plague is not

clear.

The fourth horseman is riding a pale horse. The rider is identified as

Death, and Hades (hell) followed with him. Jesus spoke often to sicknesses

and infirmities as if they were entities, spirits if you will, and in Genesis 4:7,

we note that sin was mentioned as lying, or crouching, at the door, so it is

not unusual for things we consider to be conditions or locations, to be re-

ferred to as entities in the Bible. The rider of this fourth horse must be the

angel of death, and the one following him could be the angel of the abyss,

who is given the key to the bottomless pit. The power given to this horse-

man and his follower seems to be connected to the mission given to the first

three horsemen. It appears that the destination of the victims of the first

three horsemen is Hades (hell), and that they are given authority to kill over

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a fourth part of the earth with the sword, famine, death, and by the beasts of

the earth. Since we know that the spirit/immaterial souls of those that be-

long to Christ go immediately to heaven (not hell) when they die, this must

be a clue that the authority of these horsemen is restricted to the slaying of

unredeemed men over one-fourth of the area of the earth, and their spirit/

souls are immediately turned over to the angel of the abyss (hell) who fol-

lows the fourth rider. We also know that Jesus took the keys (authority) of

death and hell after His death on the cross, so I do not believe that these two

have any authority over believers. In Revelation 20:14 we see that death

and hell are cast into the lake of fire and brimstone. The reference here

must be to these two, the fallen angels responsible for death and hell.

We now come to the fifth seal, in which John sees the souls of them that

were slain because of the Word of God, and for their testimony, under the al-

tar (Re. 6:9-11 GNT).

“And when he had opened the fifth seal I saw under the altar the souls

of those having been slain because for the Word of God, and for the

witness which they had. And they cried with a great voice, saying, Un-

til when, holy and true Master, do you not judge and avenge our blood

from those dwelling on the earth? And there was given to each one a

white robe. And it was said to them that they should rest yet a little

time, until might be fulfilled also of their fellow-slaves and their broth-

ers, those being about to be killed, even as they.”

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The Greek word souls in this passage is defined as “disembodied man”,

which seems to agree with the term “spirit/ soul”, that I use to describe the

redeemed persona that goes to heaven at death. While on earth these over-

comers were slain because of their unwavering testimony for God, and they

are now crying out to the Lord asking that their blood be avenged. These

souls must include all those that have been martyred for God from the begin-

ning of time until this time during Daniel’s 70th week. They were given

white robes and told that they should rest a little season until their brothers

still on earth are killed as they were. The white robes indicate that these are

overcomers who are to be joined by others slain by the antichrist during his

reign of terror. This scene raises a logical question: Where are the rest of

the saints, those that died natural deaths during this same time period? We

are not given an answer to this question, but we can conjecture that these

slain overcomers have obtained a greater reward than those who have suf-

fered natural deaths, thus they are placed in a position of honor, under the

altar of sacrifice.

John sees startling scenes when the Lamb opens the sixth seal. Revela-

tion 6:12-17 GNT) says,

“And I saw when he opened the sixth seal And behold, a great earth-

quake occurred. And the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair;

and the moon became as blood; and the stars of the heaven fell unto

the earth, as a fig tree being shaken by a great wind casts its unripe

figs. And heaven departed as a scroll being rolled up. And every

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mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of

the earth, and the great ones, and the rich ones, and the chiliarchs,

and the powerful ones, and the slave, and every free man, hid them-

selves in the caves and rocks of the mountains. And they say to the

mountains and to the rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of the

One who sitting on the throne, even from the wrath of the Lamb, be-

cause the great day of his wrath is come, and who is able to stand?”

Opening of the sixth seal reveals a vision of a great earthquake on earth, the

sun becomes black as sackcloth of hair, the moon becomes as blood, and the

stars of heaven fall to the earth. Mountains and islands are moved out of

their place, possibly as a result of the great earthquake. The heaven we see

as we gaze upward on a clear night departs like a scroll being rolled up.

With the sun and moon darkened, as the stars in heaven fall to the earth the

heavens are left to the darkness of space. Under these conditions the heav-

ens (as we know them) essentially disappear, like a scroll when rolled up. All

men on earth, including the rich and powerful, hide themselves from the one

that sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. Unredeemed men fi-

nally recognize that God is bringing these events about.

Although the events John sees when the first four seals are opened all

seemingly begin during the period defined as the beginning of sorrows, the

events envisioned by the opening the sixth, and possibly the fifth, seals do

not occur during this period. I believe we must rely on the basic logic of the

flow of events of the vision God has given, rather than in the particular se-

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quence in which John observed and recorded these events. If our under-

standing of the various periods in the book of Revelation is correct, the Lord

dictates His letters to the latter-day churches near the beginning of the

seven-year period; from there He moves to the opening of the first four

seals, which describe the assignment of certain spiritual powers during the

period identified as the beginning of sorrows, a period that starts coincident

with the start of the seven-year period, and continues (at least) to the out-

pouring of His judgment, initiated with the sounding of the first trumpet at

the beginning of the day of the Lord. The day of the Lord is a period of time

which starts near the middle of the seven-year period, and includes the

Great Tribulation, God’s wrath, and the return of Christ to earth at Armaged-

don. At the end of the Great Tribulation the Lord pours out God’s wrath on

the earth, when the vial plagues are released. The events recorded by John

with the opening of the fifth seal are thought to coincide with the mid-point

of the seven-years, the time after antichrist has erected his image, and seri-

ous persecution begins. Events described after opening the sixth seal span

the time when the vial plagues are poured out in God’s wrath, as recorded in

Revelation Chapters 15 and 16.

The description of the events in Revelation 6:12-17, is almost identical to

that in Matthew 24:29 (also Mark 13:24-25, and Luke 21:25-26), which pro-

vides a point of reference conjoining these two narratives. In Isaiah 13:9 this

same event is foretold:

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“See, the day of the Lord is coming - a cruel day with wrath and fierce

anger - to make the land desolate and destroy the sinners within it.

The stars of heaven and their constellations will not show their light.

The rising sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light.”

This event, described in Isaiah, is unquestionably the same event described

in the first three gospels and the book of Revelation. In Isaiah we are given

another significant piece of information: these occurrences on earth and in

the heavens accompany what is identified as “the day of the Lord”. “The

day of the Lord” is also mentioned in connection with occurrences in the

heavens in several other scriptures:

“The great day of the Lord is near - near and coming quickly. Listen!

The cry on the day of the Lord will be bitter, the shouting of the warrior

there. That day will be a day of wrath, a day of distress and anguish, a

day of trouble and ruin, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds

and blackness, a day of trumpet and battle cry against the fortified

cities and against the corner towers. . . In the fire of his jealousy the

whole world will be consumed, for he will make a sudden end of all who

live in the earth” (Zep. 1:14-18).

“. . .for the day of the Lord is coming. It is close at hand - a day of

darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness.” (Joe. 2:2)

“The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, be-

fore the great and terrible day of the Lord.” (Joe. 2:31)

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“Wail, for the day of the Lord is near; . . .a cruel day, with wrath and

fierce anger to make the land desolate and destroy the sinners within

it. The stars of heaven and their constellations will not show their light.

The rising sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light.”

(Is. 13:6-10)

“Woe to you who long for the day of the Lord! . . . That day will be

darkness and not light.” (Am. 5:18)

We conclude from the above, as well as other scriptures, that the opening of

the sixth seal presages a period of time identified as the day of the Lord,

which includes a period of Great Tribulation, God’s wrath, and the return of

Jesus Christ to the battle of Armageddon. We will discuss this in more detail

later in our analysis.

We previously identified this sealed book of Revelation as the Book of

God’s Judgment, but the Lamb (Christ) is the person that initiates these

catastrophes as He opens the book, and calls the things written therein into

being. The first four seals depict the initiation of events in the spiritual realm

that occur over a period of time. In other words, these four horsemen set

out to delude mankind into acceptance of the antichrist as world leader, and

to cause war, famine, pestilence, and death. John mentions no immediate

results of their actions on earth. When the fifth seal is opened, John records

a scene in heaven; again, no action takes place on earth. When the sixth

seal is opened John sees scenes of the catastrophic events that will come to

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pass in the period identified as the day of the Lord, which are heralded with

signs on earth and in the heavens. When the final (seventh) seal is broken

the book will be fully opened, and John will see the devastation presaged by

the sixth seal. The seals are precursory in nature; they set the scene for

what will happen when the book is fully opened, and God’s judgment and

wrath is finally poured out.

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