The four horsemen, known through the Bible pages as the bringers of the apocalypse have continued to marvel readers and scholars alike for centuries. The four mighty horses and their riders, vividly portrayed in the book of Revelation present a mysterious and profound likeness about them.
According to the book of Revelation (6:1–8), these horsemen appear with the opening of the seven seals by Jesus that bring forth the cataclysm of doom. Each rider is represented by a horse having a different colour and each plays a role in the Tribulation period on Earth. In Revelation 6, once the first four seals are opened the four horsemen are released from heaven to usher in various judgments on the earth. The biggest question is, what do these riders represent or mean? Let’s find out:
The white horse
Defined as the rider with a white horse who has a bow with a crown given to him to conquer and complete his conquest. He is also identified as, “The Word of God” according to Revelation (19: 11-13) as he is believed to be the son of God, Jesus Christ. Others believe it’s the antichrist who poses as a charismatic leader and presents himself as the saviour of the world. His power and authority come from the dragon (Satan), and like Satan, he is a great deceiver.
The fiery red horse
This rider is the instigator of war and death. According to the book of Revelation (6:4), “Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword.”
This rider comes as the second horseman with a red horse. He represents war and bloodshed and once he is released, nations and people will rise against each other during the Tribulation leading to all kinds of ill intent such as murder, revolution, and war.
The black horse
For centuries, black as a colour has always been associated with many bad things and the rider of a black horse isn’t any different. In reference to the book of Revelation (6:5-6), “So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, ‘A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine.’’
In the Bible, black is often referenced to famine and food shortage which is a result of the war that will be happening after the appearance of the red horse. Denarius” means a standard daily wage for ancient labourers. It’s believed that during the early days of tribulation, there will be a lot of famine and food shortages forcing people to work all day just to get something to eat while the luxuries of the wealthy like oil and wine will remain untouched. This will make the antichrist’s rule easy because people will be required to take his mark in order to buy or sell else die of hunger.
The rider of the pale horse
One of the greatest fears of man is death, and that’s what this rider brings forth. According to Revelation (6:8) “So I looked and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth.”
Let’s hope by beasts they don’t mean Godzilla and King Kong. Death is the pale rider with Hades following behind. They will kill with the sword, hunger, disease, and wild beasts. If that doesn’t frighten you, then I don’t know what will. Death and Hades are mentioned together three times in Revelation, the first time in Revelation 1:18 which tells us that Christ holds the keys to the two. He also bares the ultimate power and will throw them both into the lake of fire after the battle of Armageddon.
If memory serves me right, this seems to be happening or has already begun to do so. When one looks back in time, one will realise that in the last 50 to 80 years there have been a number of big events such as World War 1 and 2, genocides, disease outbreaks, famine, fights for power and conquests, that somehow seem to be linked to the scriptures in the book of Revelation.
Question is, are we already living through the times of Tribulation or it is yet to happen? It is important to note that the four horsemen are just the beginning and the book of Revelation outlines many more judgments and events that will happen on Earth in the end times.
Other interesting topics: How to Battle with Sadness
