Who Are the Main Players? The Four Horsemen

“I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a book written inside and on the back, sealed up with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, "Who is worthy to open the book and to break its seals?" And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the book or to look into it. Then I began to weep greatly because no one was found worthy to open the book or to look into it; 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."” (Rev 5:1-5)

The book of Revelation is structured in 3 groups of 7. These are the 7 seals, the seven trumpets and the 7 vials. The first group is the seals and the fist 4 of the seals are the 4 horsemen. What is a seal, biblically?

A seal in Hebrew is Chatam. It is literally the picture of a ring with a signet on it. When a king sent a communication, its authority came from the seal. The signet was impressed into wax which was melted over the closure of the document. The seals represent the authority of the document and also they reserve the document for the one it is addressed to.

In Revelation 5, the angel asks the question who is worthy to open the scroll? John is told there is no one worthy is heaven or on earth or even under earth worthy to open it. As an aside, for those who doubt the existence of the underworld, this should clear that up.

John begins to weep. Why? Because He knows the scroll is the key to the end times and if not opened then there can be no transition of governments from the kingdom of man to the kingdom of God. Again, remember that the end times describes not “the end of time” but the end of the time on man’s government and the beginning of the kingdom of God with Yeshua ruling and reigning.

One of the elders answers John’s tears. Who are the elders? Revelation 4:4 tells us:

“Around the throne were twenty-four thrones; and upon the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white garments, and golden crowns on their heads.” (Rev 4:4)  The thrones indicate authority as do the crowns. The white garments indicate purity. This is picture of the coming Kingdom with Yeshua s the king of kings. These would be the kings that He is King of. So they have the mind of Christ and understand the true nature of the coming kingdom. So it appropriate when no one is found worthy and John weeps that it would be an elder who reveals Him who is worthy. 

He tells John that it is Him who is the lion of the tribe of Judah. The lion is the symbol of Judah, which is distinguished from the lion of Great Britain which is a beast from the earth. He is the root of David, meaning the authority of David and the eternal covenant that is the power of David’s kingdom. This is so important to see that God always honors His covenant. The source of David’s eternal kingdom is and always will be God. This is why Israel may be attacked but God is her defense.

OK. Let’s proceed to the seals themselves. For today we will speak of the first 4.

“Then I saw when the Lamb broke one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, “Come!” I looked, and behold, a white horse, and the one who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer. When He broke the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come!” 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 people would kill one another; and a large sword was given to him. When He broke the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, “Come!” I looked, and behold, a black horse, and the one who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard something like a voice in the center of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not damage the oil and the wine.” When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come!” I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and the one who sat on it had the name Death, and Hades was following with him. Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, and famine, and plague, and by the wild animals of the earth.” (Rev 6:1-8)

These four horsemen are God appointed power active in the end times. Let’s pay close attention to the colors of the horses and the symbolism of rulers in the end times. Let’s go out or order just to make it simple to see. Let’s begin with the red horse. It is the easiest to see. Whose symbol is red today? Communism or socialism. Let’s look at their flags and you tell me what the predominant color is?

What is the power or authority of communism according to Revelations 6? To take peace from the earth and to have people kill one another. No one has ever voted from communism. Communism has always been a result of a revolution, and always bloody. In 2005, the National Committee of the Communist Party, USA approved the final text of its Party Program. This is an excerpt: “The struggles for the immediate demands and reforms needed by working people today are essential steps towards our ultimate goals of the revolutionary transformation of society and the economy towards socialism and them communism”. The important thing to remember with the horses and their colors is that they are principalities and powers that are vying for the heart of mankind and represent man’s ideas of solutions to world problems. Socialism and communism is the solution of enforced equality.

Next I want to look at the black horse. The black horse has a pair of scales in the hands of the rider. A voice declares: , “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not damage the oil and the wine.”  This is the principality of capitalism. The scales represent trade and commerce. Capitalism has been at war with communism since World War 2 and the Cold War. The ultimate idea of capitalism is to be in the black. In authority structures where capitalism is the ruling principality people vote based on the impact to their finances. Economic prosperity is the driving force.

I know this is so in the US where financial markets are central to our decisions. It would do  us well to remember what Yeshua said: ““For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God!”” (Luk 18:25)

The prophet Zechariah tells us: “The angel replied to me, “These are the four spirits of heaven, going out after taking their stand before the Lord of all the earth, with one of which the black horses are going out to the north country; and the white ones are to go out after them, while the spotted ones are to go out to the south country.” When the strong ones went out, they were eager to go to patrol the earth. And He said, “Go, patrol the earth.” So they patrolled the earth. Then He called out to me and spoke to me, saying, “See, those who are going to the land of the north have appeased My wrath in the land of the north.”” (Zec 6:5-8)

The black horse goes to lands of the north. It is interesting to note that 80 percent of the world’s financial wealth is in the lands north of the equator. It is also interesting to see that revival is mostly happening in the lands of the southern hemisphere. Those who trust in wealth have a difficult time entering in.

Ok. Let’s return now to the white horse before we go to the last horse. The white horse has: one who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.  Paul Blanshard, a prominent historian wrote a book entitled, “Communism, Democracy and Catholic Power”. He stated that in world events it is these 3 powers that are involved in most outcomes. Is it possible that Catholicism could be the power behind the white horse?

Malachi Martin a prolific catholic wrote saying “the question is not will there be a world government? That’s a settled issue, all nations are now interdependent. The only question is who will rule the coming one world government.” He continues, “there are three and only three geopolitical powers with the necessary doctrines and structure to rule a world government: communism, Catholicism, and capitalism.”

It is the tradition of the Catholic Church for the Pope to wear while. The Pope’s helicopter is white. His bulletproof vehicle is white. His airplane supplied by Alitalia is white.

The rider has a bow but no arrows. This tells us that the weapons of this rider are not military. A crown was given to him. The Popes did not start wearing crowns until after 960 AD.

If the red horse is communism, the black horse is capitalism and the white horse is Catholicism, then these seals have been opened for a while. Catholicism became an official religion in 300 Ad, Communism in the 1850’2 and in recent times capitalism has become a dominant force of global proportions. These 3 horses lead up to and culminate at the battle of Har Megiddo, Armageddon. The seven trumpets tell of a shorter story and the seven vials an even shorter one, which we will explore soon.

Revelation 17 reveals the government of the Antichrist. This government is red, so communism will be the government of the Antichrist.

“And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness; and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast, full of blasphemous names, having seven heads and ten horns.” (Rev 17:3)

Ok. Let’s turn to the final horse: “When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come!” I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and the one who sat on it had the name Death, and Hades was following with him. Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, and famine, and plague, and by the wild animals of the earth.” (Rev 6:7-8)

The word ashen is actually a mistranslation. The actual Greek world is “chloros” where we get the word chlorophyl. Everywhere else in the Bible it is translated as green. This rider is named death. This is his authority or power.  He operates by death and death is his God. What world power has green as its color and death as its power? Islam.

The bible prophesies 2000 years ago that this rider would have authority in the end ties over ¼ of the world’s population. Islam has between 1.7 and 1.9 billion followers. Think about how amazing that is. Also remember that to die is the goal of Islam. Power was given to them to kill with the sword. Islam’s favorite way to kill is to behead.

Ok. So there is our first four seals. Next session we’ll look at seal 5-7 as we journey into the revelation of the end times.

Now with collapse of the Berlin war, the New World Order was birthed. Things are wrapping up on man’s rule and soon we will be witnesses to the return of Yeshua.