THE FOUR HORSEMEN
Revelation 6 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.
Many churches like to translate these passages as dealing with conquest, war, famine, and death. I however take issue with that. Firstly, there is clearly an order to the release of the horsemen. They are not simply four evils set loose on the world at once. Secondly, those characterizations are way to broad and vague. The word of the lord has always been specific. God doesn't just say 'some bad stuff will happen, then you'll repent and some good stuff will happen". When God tells us what is going to happen, He gives details; ALOT of details. He describes His blessings. He describes His curses. If a king was good, He tells what they did right. If a king was bad, He tells us what they did wrong. He is not vague. So, we should not simply summarize His words into vague concepts. Thirdly, conquest, war, famine, and death have existed since the fall of man. It makes no sense that the bible would say He was only releasing them after the Lamb unsealed the scroll.
Like any simple, mortal man I can only speculate. But, here is what I believe these horseman may refer to:
The white horse. Its rider was given a bow and a crown, and sent out to conquer. I believe this horseman represents the roman empire, followed by the 'holy' roman empire. The bow is usually a symbol of strength and conquest, while the crown represents a ruler. On top of this, the emperors of old frequently preferred white horses, and the vestments of the 'holy' leaders have historically been white. This one is as simple as the emperors of old who set forth for conquest, killing all in their way. (Interesting side note; there is reason to believe the the 'holy' roman empire will rise again, as the beast that was thought to be slain but rose again later in Revelation).
The red horseman is often thought of as war. However, it is interesting to note that the horseman himself was not given power to kill; only to take peace and make people kill each other. One would think that since war directly results in death, the horseman would do the killing. Not to mention the fact that, as referenced above, war has already been afflicting mankind. It is nothing new for the end-times. My take on this would be that the horseman represents communism. Communism itself does not cause death and killing, but innumerable deaths have resulted from the 'fight against communism'. Communism certainly has taken peace from the people; both from those under its yoke, as well as those who 'fight against it'. (I use quotes here, because all wars since biblical times have been for the sake of an elite few, rather than the good of the masses). Another fairly obvious point to be made for this argument: the horse is red, as in the color that symbolizes communism.
The third horse, in my humble opinion, represents the bankers/financial institutions. Firstly, the rider holds scales. This represents markets, trades, buying and selling, etc. The financial institutions have had an iron grip on all of those things for decades now. Then, you have the voice 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!”. That sounds, to me, an awful lot like price fixing. Controlling the markets so that the masses can barely afford to live. Working all day just to have enough to eat. This is already done throughout the world by design, and rest assured it is coming to a town near you. But of course they won't mess with the liquor, so you can still drown your sorrows. And what is the color associated with this industry? ...I'll give you a hint: Black suits, Black ties, Black sedans, and keeping the numbers 'in the black'.
Lastly, the fourth horse. Almost all bible translate this as a 'pale' horse. However, in the original greek the word is "chlōros ". This word actually translates as a pale or putrid green. What is the first thing that society has burned into your subconscious when you hear the word green? That's right, the 'green' movement. What world wide affliction has followed, chronologically, after conquerors, communism, and banksters? That's right, the 'green' movement. Interestingly, this horseman seems to have a heck of a range of powers; " power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth." So too has the 'green' movement. It has stolen land. It has reduced the worlds energy. It has polluted the earth, sea, and sky. It has shut down farms and destroyed families. It has ravaged the health of any who follow its teachings. It has resulted in starvation and death. It even has gun-toting enforcers in parts of the world. So lets see; sword/guns – check, famine- check, plague/disease – check. Have the wild beasts killed men? Well, not too much. Have men been killed in the name of the wild beasts? Yes.
While I certainly could be wrong with my interpretations, this is the meaning that rings most true for me. It is not vague. It is specific to each horsemen and their allotted powers, . It fits chronologically with the release of the riders. I simply cannot accept any interpretaion that claims these are just broad calamities dumped out all at once. They are called out one by one in scripture, so they should come one by one in the world. Lastly, the colors of the horses make sense. God would not have given a description of their color if it did not matter.
The issue with much prophesy is that we can't see its true meaning untill after it is done. So, I will not claim to have indisputable proof of my argument. I feel I am correct. And I also believe God will make these things more obvious to those who truly pray for truth and understanding. As many have been saying over the past few years, 'end times are closer than ever'. If my interpretation is correct, than we are in the time of the final horseman. The next great sign will be the earthquake and darkening of the sun, and all the rich men running for their caves. It's interesting to not that most of them have already built their private bomb shelters over the past few years.
12 I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, 13 and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. 14 The heavens receded like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. 15 Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and everyone else, both slave and free, hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. 16 They called to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17 For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can withstand it?"