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This study brings us to the very specific explanation of Revelation, which compasses Revelation 4-19. This is really the gist of the prophecy. In some ways, Revelation 6 is the drum roll for the judgements that follow.

Having read numerous commentators and having heard dozens of sermons on Revelation, I am convinced that many go wrong when it comes to this last book of the Bible because of an unwarranted assumption that it is a book dealing with the end of the world, the end of human history, the second coming of Jesus Christ. It is as if many read the book and conclude that ‘the sky is falling’ when, in fact, the book teaches that the sky has already fallen: it fell over 1,900 years ago! We, thus, live in a glorious day, in which Jesus Christ rules and reigns from heaven.

There are several reasons why so many Christians go wrong when it comes to Revelation. First, it is because of our innate pessimism and cultural egotism: we are the last generation, we insist. I read a book sometime ago dealing with the history of decline in western civilisation. Though written by an unbeliever, the book contained tremendous insight into the issue of pessimism, and the author points out how so many generations have believed that they were the last generation of human history. I recently received an e-mail from a colleague who firmly believes that the pervasive false teaching Roman Catholic Church is evidence that we live in the last days. I prefer what another friend said: who knows if Pope Benedict XVI might become a Martin Luther and bring the Roman Catholic Church to reformation! Why is this such an impossible thing to believe?

Second, it is perhaps because we walk by sight rather than by faith. We are so consumed with the abnormality that we see about us that we cannot imagine things getting any better. We may theoretically believe the power of God, but we know what we see, and that, we assume, is more powerful.

Third, it may be because we have the second coming on the brain, and we fail to realise that we may drop dead this very hour! We are convinced that we will live to see the return of Christ, and we give very little consideration to the fact that we might be ushered into God’s presence before the coming of the Lord.

Fourth, and perhaps the major reason why we go wrong when it comes to Revelation, is that we do not understand that the book itself is not a unique genre in Scripture. Revelation is often referred to as ‘apocalyptic’ literature, which is assumed to be different from any other type of literature in the Bible. I have even referred in these studies to the apocalyptic literature of Revelation, but I am not convinced that this book is completely different to any other literature. ‘Apocalyptic’ comes from the Greek word for ‘Revelation’ (apokalupsis), but the word simply means ‘an unveiling’ or, as the name of the book suggests, ‘a revelation’. Revelation refers to itself as a prophecy (Revelation 1:3). Thus, when we interpret the book, we should interpret it along the same lines as we would interpret any other prophetic book in Scripture.

The result of the ‘apocalyptic’ understanding of Revelation is that many interpreters miss the obvious and intimate relation between the Olivet Discourse and Revelation. A classic example of this is Matthew Henry, whom I would be very slow to criticise. If you were to compare my notes on Matthew 24 to those of Matthew Henry, you would find much agreement that the chapter speaks to the destruction ofJerusalemin 70 A.D. But when you consider his notes on Revelation, he assumes the ‘apocalyptic’ argument and interprets the book as having to do with the end of time.

But if we are consistent in our Bible interpretation, we will realise that Matthew 24 and Revelation are both prophetic literature, and the two prophecies are intimately related to one another. Then, when we see the four horsemen in Revelation 6, we will understand that they do not represent events yet in our future. Rather, they refer to events that were fulfilled in the first century, as was the prophecy of Matthew 24.

This study brings us to a consideration of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse. We will ask what these horsemen represent, and when the events they represent were accomplished. But first, we must note several things that provide the backdrop for our study.

The Backdrop for the Horsemen

There are at least five aspects to consider as background before we begin expositing Revelation 6.

The Covenantal Backdrop

To understand Revelation 6, one must understand something of the concept of the biblical covenantal curse. God had made a covenant withIsrael, and had promised them blessing upon obedience, and cursing upon disobedience. These blessings and cursings are well stated in Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 27-28.

In Deuteronomy 27, the tribes ofIsraelwere divided: half were sent to stand onMountGerizim, and half onMountEbal. Across the valley in between, the tribes were to call out the cursings for disobedience to the covenant to each other, as a reminder of just how seriously God took His covenant with them.

We know from the Old Testament that the Jews continually broke their covenant with God. They were judged time and again for their disobedience, and they usually learned their lesson for a short while. But the ministry of Jesus Christ makes it very clear that they had once-for-all broken their covenant with God, and that God had thus withdrawn His covenant to establish it with another people:

Jesus saith unto them [the Jewish religious leaders], Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.

(Matthew 21:42-44)

Jesus lamented overJerusalemthat He had desired to gather them to Himself but they had refused, and concluded, ‘Behold, your house [theTemple] is left unto you desolate’ (Matthew23:37-39). As noted, the Jews had consistently broken their covenant with the Lord, as seen in their rejection of His messengers (including His own Son), and the Father was soon to require the blood of all His prophets and His Son at the hand of that generation:

Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.

(Matthew 23:33-36)

Many of the judgements recorded in Revelation are rooted in Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 27-28. That is, many of the judgements recorded in Revelation are the fulfilment of the covenantal cursings in the Old Testament. Jesus Christ was about to institute a new covenant with a new people, and He must first remove the old covenant, which was done in the destruction of theTempleand the holy city. ‘He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second’ (Hebrews 10:9).

The Imprecatory Backdrop

To imprecate means to call judgement upon someone or something. This is an important theme in Revelation: God’s mistreated saints desired His vengeance to be visited upon those who hated Him. This theme is seen quite clearly in the opening of the fifth seal:

And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.

(Revelation 6:9-11)

We will consider these verses more in depth in a future study; suffice it to say for now that these are primarily Old Testament saints. In Matthew 23, Jesus pronounces an eightfold woe upon the religious leaders ofIsrael(Matthew23:13-32). It is immediately following these woes that the Lord assured His hearers that the blood of the martyrs would be required from their generation, as noted above (Matthew 23:33-36). In Revelation 6:9-11, we see the martyrs, predominantly of the Old Testament (those from Abel to Zechariah), pleading with the Lord not to withhold His judgement much longer. They knew that it would come to pass soon (within that generation), and they desired to see God’s holy wrath visited upon His enemies. The Lord told them to ‘rest yet for a little season’. It would not be long. Within a short time, the so-called people of God (who were, in fact, enemies of God) would fill their wickedness, and judgement would come uponJerusalem.

The Literary Backdrop

Many interpreters of Revelation would love to fit everything prophesied in the book into chronological order. Unfortunately, we cannot do this. Someone commented that Revelation is like a three ring circus (Circle 1 = the seven seals; Circle 2 = the seven trumpets; Circle 3 = the seven vials): all the events are taking place simultaneously, but they are recorded separately for the sake of pointing out the intensity of the judgement recorded.

Also in terms of literary backdrop, we must understand something of prophetic interpretation. Prophecy always contains much symbolic language. We cannot approach Revelation with what Gary DeMar labels ‘wooden literalism’. Yes, we interpret Revelation literally, which allows for the use of figurative language.

Take, for instance, Revelation 6:12-17, where we read of a major earthquake, a blackened sun, a blood red moon, and the stars falling to the earth. Now, let us take this absolutely literally. If even one star was literally to fall to the earth, the planet would completely disintegrate. If that is the case, then why are there sixteen more chapters after this one? Why are there events described on earth after, not one star, but multiple stars, have destroyed the earth? Philip Carrington stated it this way: “If they [the judgements in Revelation] are to be taken literally, there is no room for any more apocalypse, or any more history; the physical structure of the universe is at an end.”

Furthermore, let us apply wooden literalism to the four horsemen. Immediately, we must expect one day to see four literal riders galloping on four literal horses. We must furthermore expect one of these horses to be blood red, and another to be a putrescent yellow-green colour. Now, no conservative scholar suggests that we are to look for literal, physical horses and riders: all agree that this is symbolic. Yet if we allow for symbolism in the case of the horsemen, why should we not allow for symbolism elsewhere in the book? Ralph Bass provides a necessary caution:

But before we look at the details of this passage [the sixth seal], let us make a couple of points; one, we must let Scripture be our guide in understanding Scripture. Many Christians are quicker to study their daily newspaper than they are to look at the total revelation of Scripture in order to understand obscure phrases or signs. We must not do that here. The Old Testament is a mine of prophetic material that we must not fail to carefully consider. Two, it is important to note that in Scripture there are formula statements or phrases employed to convey critical information pictorially. We do the same in our language. For instance, if a student were to take a test that he had not properly prepared himself for, looking at the first few questions, he might say to his friend, “My whole life just passed before my eyes” or “My whole world came to an end.” What he would be saying in metaphoric, picturesque, and stylised language would be that he experienced considerable confusion and fear when he saw the difficulty of the questions and was certain he was going to die (fail the test) right there. Illustrations like this could be multiplied a hundredfold. The point is language is often very symbolic, pictorial and stylised. It is designed to convey both information and emotion. It is critical that we keep that in mind in our study of this book.

The Contemporary Backdrop

We are easily tempted to read Revelation primarily from our vantage point in history. As Bass says, we are eager to “study [our] daily newspaper” to find where we fit into the picture of Revelation. But we must understand that the book was initially addressed to seven local churches in theprovinceofAsia Minor, who were undergoing intense persecution. Something was happening in theRoman Empirewhen John received and recorded Revelation. A proper understanding of that ‘something’ is essential to a proper interpretation of the prophecy. So what was the contemporary situation when John wrote?

Revelation was written sometime in the mid-60s of the first century. Nero was the reigning Emperor of Rome. Christians were being persecuted particularly by the Jews, but also a little by the Romans. Religious Zealots were on the rise inJerusalem, and civil war was imminent. In 66 A.D., the Zealots seize control ofJerusalem, and expel the Romans from the city. Nero immediately responds by sending 50,000 soldiers toJerusalem, led by General Vespasian, who would later become Caesar himself. This force begins a 3½-year siege ofJerusalem, during which time they send offers of peace to the Jews on several occasions, which the Zealots refuse in each instance.

Meanwhile, Christians are also inJerusalem, which is surrounded by Roman armies. Things look bad: can they really be delivered. On9 June 68 A.D., Nero commits suicide by driving a sword through his throat into his head. The Empire is immediately thrown into chaos. The next year is known by historians as “the year of the four emperors”, for during this year, four separate emperors arise. During this year, civil war takes place in theRoman Empire, the first Roman civil war since Anthony’s death in 31 B.C. Between June of 68 A.D. and December of 69 A.D. three successive rulers (Galba, Otho and Vitellius) rise and fall (each by violent death) inRome, until Vespasian is eventually called back toRomeas Emperor, leaving General Titus in charge of the siege. He manages to restore peace to the Empire.

During the years of civil war, however, the siege ofJerusalemis relaxed, and the Christians in the city are able to flee (in accordance with Christ’s command in Matthew 24:15-22). The result is that not a single Christian (as far as we know) was killed in the eventual destruction ofJerusalem, for all believers had fled.

Once Vespasian is on the throne, and peace is restored to the Empire, Titus reinforces the siege onJerusalem. Eventually, in autumn of 70 A.D., he leads his armies intoJerusalem, and utterly destroys the city. In accordance with Christ’s prophecy (Matthew 24:1-2), he tears down theTemplestone by stone, until nothing is left standing.

As John writes, civil war is brewing inJerusalem, and it will be but two years before the Roman siege ofJerusalemcommences. The vision that John receives is of the vindication of the Church in the destruction ofJerusalem, when the old covenant will be fully removed and the new covenant fully instated. These events will happen within a short space of time: ‘the time is at hand’ (Revelation 1:3).

The Prophetic Backdrop

Though Revelation is a prophecy itself, it finds its prophetic backdrop in the Olivet Discourse. There is no doubt in my mind that the two prophecies are intricately connected to one another, that they prophesy the same event.

The Olivet Discourse is recorded in all three Synoptic Gospels (Matthew 24-25; Mark 13; Luke 21). But the Discourse is nowhere to be found in John’s gospel. Why is this? After all, it is a vital theme in the New Testament: the new covenant cannot be fully instated until theTempleis destroyed. Should we not expect John to have recorded the Discourse?

In fact, he did record the Olivet Discourse, only not in his gospel. Whereas the other gospel authors recorded what the Lord said on theMount of Olives itself, John received the expanded version of the Discourse, and recorded it in Revelation. David S. Clark said it this way: “John and Christ are evidently describing the same events, to happen at the same time, on the same city, and in nearly the same terms.”

If we agree that Revelation and Matthew 24 are intricately connected (and I hope to show this as we proceed through this study), we must agree that Revelation was fulfilled in the first century. Jesus Christ staked His credibility on a first-century fulfilment of Matthew 24 (‘Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass till all these things be fulfilled’ – Matthew 24:34), and if this claim applies to Matthew 24 it applies equally to Revelation.

To state my premise once again, I believe that the prophecies given in Revelation were fulfilled in the Jewish War, which culminated in the destruction ofJerusalemin 70 A.D. The sky, then, is not about to fall: it has already fallen. Rather than looking into our future for the fulfilment of Revelation, we look back across the sands of time to the full and final removal of the old covenant in the destruction of the Jewish Temple.

The Exposition of the Horsemen

Having set the backdrop for the exposition, let us begin looking more specifically at the horsemen themselves. In Revelation 4-5, we saw a book, sealed with seven seals. This book represented the new covenant, which was soon to be instituted in its fullness (its institution already began at the cross). As the seals of the book are broken, judgement is poured out upon the people of the old covenant. The seals are broken by the Lamb; we conclude, therefore, that He controls the judgements. The breaking of the first four seals are represented by the four horsemen.

These four horsemen remind us of those in Zechariah 6. There, we learn that the four horses ‘are the four spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth’ (Zechariah 6:1-8). It is as if these horses are in the very throne room of God, waiting to do His bidding. And that bidding, in Revelation 6, is to bring judgement upon those who had forsaken their covenant with the Lord of all the earth.

The First Seal Opened

The opening of the first seal unleashed some type of conquest, for a rider is seen on a white horse, who is sent forth to conquer:

And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.

(Revelation 6:1-2)

The Lamb breaking the seals, of course, is the Lord Jesus Christ, who alone was found worthy to open the book and read it. Since He has all authority in heaven and in earth (Matthew 28:18), He is able to pour forth judgement from heaven upon those dwelling on the earth. The ‘noise of thunder’ speaks of the severity of the coming storm, and reminds us of the institution of the covenant atMount Sinai(Exodus19:16; cf. Hebrews12:22-29 where the institution of the new covenant is spoken of in similar terms). The first living creature (beast) calls John to see the judgement that the first seal invites.

John sees ‘a white horse’, which in ancient times often spoke of conquest and victory. The same imagery is seen later when Jesus Christ Himself is seen riding on a white horse in victory against His enemies (Revelation 19:11-16). The rider on the white horse is seen carrying ‘a bow’, but nothing is said of the arrow. The bow is a weapon that is used in long distance warfare, and some suggest that the arrow has already been shot, and has already hit its mark. Whatever the case, the bow represents some type of war that is about to take place. This rider is also seen to be given ‘a crown’ (stephanos in the Greek, which means ‘victory’). Finally, it is said that this rider is sent forth ‘conquering, and to conquer’. The word used here for ‘conquering’ or ‘conquer’ is the Greek word nikao, from which the sport brand Nike is borrowed.

The rider, then, is seen as going to war, and conquest is assured. But the question is, Who is he? With whom should we identify this rider on a white horse? Several suggestions have been made.

First, the (primarily dispensational) suggestion has been set forth that this rider is the Antichrist. The Antichrist is seen by dispensationalists as a man who will gain political power of the world at large. He sets forth peace (dispensational interpretation of the white horse), but the peace is false (hence, the bow, representing warfare). I am going to suggest that this is not the Antichrist.

My problem with this interpretation is that no such person is seen in Revelation. The Antichrist is a figure that was invented to fit into a particular interpretation of the prophecy. Dispensationalists assume that the so-called Antichrist (see 1 John 2:18, 22; 4:3; 2 John 1:7), the son of perdition (2 Thessalonians 2:3), and the first beast of Revelation 13 are one and the same person. There is, of course, nothing in the New Testament that demands such an interpretation.

Furthermore, the Antichrist is nowhere seen in the New Testament as a particular person. Again, it must be stressed that the term ‘Antichrist’ is nowhere to be found in Revelation. John speaks of a rumour of the rise of one particular Antichrist figure, but does not verify this rumour as true (1 John 2:18). Indeed, he seems to deny this philosophy by quickly adding that ‘even now [i.e. in his own time] are there many antichrists’. In biblical language, an antichrist is simply one who denies that Jesus is the Christ (1 John 2:22). Anyone who denies Jesus Christ was God in the flesh is an antichrist. But nothing in Scripture suggests that one man called Antichrist will ever arise. Moreover, the New Testament rumour appears to be that the Antichrist would arise in ‘the last time’, and John clearly states that ‘the last time’ was a period in the first century, during which he lived (‘it is the last time’ – 1 John 2:18, emphasis added).

The rider on the white horse thus cannot be the Antichrist, for the Antichrist is a concept that seems to be imported into the text and context.

Second, some argue that the rider on the white horse is Vespasian, initial leader of the Roman siege and eventual Caesar. The bow is (rightly) said to envision warfare from a distance. When John wrote Revelation, Vespasian and his army had not yet surroundedJerusalem, but it was something that would certainly happen. In this sense, he was a conqueror from a distance, which seems to fit the picture in Revelation 6:1-2. This clearly has some merit.

Third, some see the rider as representative of the Roman army that would eventually destroyJerusalem and theTemple. This view is much the same as the Vespasian-view. The army would soon march, led by Vespasian, to besiege and destroyJerusalem. Again, the bow is representative of the fact that they were still a way off, but they would certainly come and conquest was assured. The crown, then, represents the victory that would be theirs. This makes just as much sense as the Vespasian-view.

Fourth, some interpret the rider as Jesus Christ Himself, for He is ultimately the One in control of the entire Jewish War and the entire book is essentially about Him. These interpreters further appeal to Revelation 19:11-16, where Jesus Christ is clearly seen on a white horse wearing a crown (or, more correctly, many crowns). The immediate difficulty with this interpretation is that the ‘crowns’ of Revelation 19:12 are diadema (Greek) crowns, whereas the crown of Revelation 6:2 is a stephanos (Greek) crown. In truth, the white horse is the only clear parallel between Revelation 6:1-2 and Revelation 19:11-16.

My problem with all of the above views (though for many years I held to the fourth view myself) is that none of the other three riders represent anyone specifically. Rather than representing specific people, the four horsemen seem to represent specific judgements. In this way, the white horse represents all of the four views above.

Though there is no one person in the Bible said to be the Antichrist, when John wrote, the spirit of antichrist was certainly at work (1 John 4:3). The spirit of antichrist is that teaching that denies that Jesus Christ was God in the flesh, and that teaching was certainly prevalent amongst the Jews and the Romans when John received the vision. The Vespasian- and Roman Army-views are also seen, for this was how the conquest ofJerusalemwould ultimately take place: Vespasian would initially lead the army, which army would ultimately destroy the city. And the Jesus Christ-view is seen in that He was ultimately in control of it all.

In sum, we might say that the white horseman represents the conquest of Romeover Jerusalem. The conquest was necessary because of the spirit of antichrist (the Jews, particularly in Jerusalem, who refused to embrace Jesus as Messiah and the many rumours of false christs), it was affected by the Roman Army, led by Vespasian (and later Titus), and it was all controlled by Jesus Christ Himself, the Lamb opening the seals. Because of the spirit of antichrist, Jesus was coming against Jerusalemthrough the Roman army, led by Vespasian, and He was very angry! It was prophesied that ‘all kindreds of the earth’ would ‘wail’ when they saw the severity of His judgement (Revelation 1:7). In this very chapter, those who behold the judgement are seen wailing ‘to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?’ (Revelation 6:16-17).

Now, can we tie this vision of conquest to the Olivet Discourse? We certainly can! Matthew’s account reads thus: ‘For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom…’ (Matthew 24:5-7). And Luke’s account speaks of ‘Jerusalemcompassed about with armies’ and of ‘the desolation thereof’ (Luke21:20). Matthew and Luke both speak of war, and Luke’s ‘the desolation thereof’ speaks of conquest. And so we have a neat and credible alignment of Revelation with the Olivet Discourse, and history shows the fulfilment of both.

The Second Seal Opened

Having seen the white horsemen of warlike conquest, John now witnesses the breaking of the second seal. He records the scene for us:

And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.

(Revelation 6:3-4)

This second horse is described as ‘red’. Literally, the word means ‘fire-like’ or ‘flame-coloured’. One commentator noted that this horse was blood red. Again, we are not meant to identify this horseman with a specific individual; rather, the symbol is one of warfare: ‘power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth’.

Now, a prophecy of warfare would have been extremely significant in the time in which John recorded Revelation. In about 27 B.C., Caesar Augustus instituted what is known as the Pax Romana (the Roman Peace). This was an era of unprecedented peace throughout the Roman Empire, lasting in the eye of historians until about 180 A.D. Apart from the brief period of civil war after the death of Nero, there was tremendous peace and prosperity in the Empire. John wrote during the reign of Nero, when the Pax Romana was still in full force. Prophecy of war would be unthinkable amidst such a powerful peace treaty! Yet this is precisely what was prophesied in the red horse! And it is precisely what happened after Nero committed suicide: the Empire descended quickly into chaos, which affected the entire known world. This, again, was prophesied in the Olivet Discourse: ‘And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars… For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom’ (Matthew 24:6-7).

Taking our focus from the Roman Empireat large, we see also the civil war within the walls of Jerusalemduring the Roman siege. This is perhaps part of what John means when he says ‘that they should kill one another’. Not only would nation rise against nation, but those within nations would kill one another. Flavius Josephus was a Jewish historian and eyewitness to the siege of Jerusalem, as recorded in his Jewish Wars. Josephus was hated by the Jews as a traitor (for he eventually sided with Romans), and by the Romans as a deserter (for he deserted his own countrymen forRome). He was an unbeliever, yet God has allowed his historical works to be preserved as proof of Revelation’s fulfilment. Writing of the civil war amongst the Jews, he records:

…every city was divided into two armies encamped one against another, and the preservation of the one party was in the destruction of the other; so the daytime was spent in shedding of blood and the night in fear,–which was of the two the more terrible; for when the Syrians thought they had ruined the Jews, they had the Judaisers in suspicion also; and as each side did not care to slay those whom they only suspected on the other, so did they greatly fear them when they were mingled with the other, as if they were certainly foreigners. Moreover greediness of gain was a provocation to kill the opposite party [i.e. Jew on Jew], even to such as had of old appeared very mild and gentle towards them; for they without fear plundered the effects of the slain and carried off the spoils of those whom they slew to their own houses, as if they had been gained in a set battle; and he was esteemed a man of honour who got the greatest share, as having prevailed over the greatest number of his enemies. It was then common to see cities filled with dead bodied, still lying unburied, and those of old men, mixed with infants, all dead, and scattered about together; women also lay amongst them, without any covering for their nakedness: you might then see the whole province full of inexpressible calamities, while the dread of still more barbarous practices which were threatened, was everywhere greater than what had already been perpetuated.

Most astounding is that Josephus is describing events beforeRome attackedJerusalem! The above was not the result of a war with the Romans, but of civil war – of Jews fighting Jews! The Jews, in fact, accomplished worse desecration upon theTemple during their civil war than the Romans ever did!

Finally John sees that the red horseman is given ‘a great sword’. This most likely speaks of that final great battle between the Romans and the Jews, whenRomeentered the city with the ‘great sword’, slaughtered Jews throughout the city, and finally destroyed theTemple.

If the white horse speaks of conquest granted againstJerusalem, then the red horse speaks of war: not only againstJerusalem, but throughout theRoman Empire. Particularly, however, the judgement was against that generation of Jews that had crucified Messiah. Wrote Josephus of that generation, “Accordingly it appears to me, that the misfortunes of all men, from the beginning of the world, if they be compared to those of the Jews, are not so considerable as they were…”

The Third Seal Opened

Having predicted open warfare amidst the Pax Romana, Jesus said in the Olivet Discourse that His Church should expect to experience ‘famines’ (Matthew 24:7). And this is what we see in the third seal:

And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.

(Revelation 6:5-6)

The black horse represents mourning and famine: mourning due to losses suffered during the war, and famine as a result of besiegement. A.T. Robertson noted that “lust of conquest brings bloodshed, but also famine and hunger.” And this is precisely what happened during the Jewish War.

The black horseman is seen carrying ‘a pair of balances [scales] in his hand’. The scales, obviously, are for measurement and trade. According to this rider, a penny would buy a measure of wheat, or three measures of barley. A measure was roughly equivalent to a litre. Wheat was that which the more wealthy people would eat, barley was for the poorer folk. A penny was a day’s wage for the average worker. A day’s wage, then, could buy but a litre of wheat, or three litres of barley. Let’s put it in contemporary terms: it would take you a day’s wage to buy a loaf of bread. One might expect historians to speak of such famine, and they do. To cite Josephus again:

The madness of the seditious did also increase together with their famine, and both those miseries were every day enflamed more and more; for there was no corn which anywhere appeared publicly, but the robbers came running into, and searched men’s private houses; and then; if they found any, they tormented them, because they had denied they had any; and if they found none they tormented them worse, because they supposed they had more careful concealed it. The indication they made use of whether they had any or not, was taken from the bodies of these miserable wretches; which, if they were in good case, they supposed they were in no want at all of food; but if they were wasted away, they walked off without searching any farther; nor did they think it proper to kill such as these, because they saw they would very soon die of themselves for want of food. Many there were indeed who sold what they had for one measure; it was of wheat, if they were of the richer word, but of barley, if they were poorer. When these had so done, they shut themselves up in the inmost rooms of their houses, and ate the corn they had gotten; some did it without grinding it, by reason of the extremity of the want they were in, and others baked bread of it, according as necessity and fear dictated to them; a table was nowhere laid for a distinct meal, but they snatched the bread out of the fire, half-baked, and ate it very hastily.

Bass quotes another author: “The Jews inJerusalemsuffered terrible food shortages during the Roman siege. Though initially there was enough food stored up to last a long time, the warring factions in the city, out of sheer spite, regularly destroyed the grain stores of opposing factions! Thus food became so scarce that Josephus records at least one cast of a mother eating her infant.” Bass then concludes himself: “This is exactly what God promisedIsraelif they rejected His Lordship of their nation.” He quotes Deuteronomy 28:53 – ‘And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters, which the Lord thy God hath given thee, in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee:’

Jesus, in His Olivet Discourse, (1) promised the destruction ofJerusalem, (2) prophesying wars and rumours of wars, (3) followed by famine. So far, the three horsemen have followed this pattern exactly: (1) conquest, (2) warfare, and (3) famine. Surely there can be no coincidence here!

A very interesting note is added to the third horseman: ‘and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine’. What on earth is meant by this? Two aspects of the siege and destruction of Jerusalemare striking in this regard. First, Josephus speaks of one John of Gischala, leader of one of the warring factions in Jerusalem, who when he heard of the siege, bought all the oil and wine in the city, in order that he might resell it at a great profit after the siege. Second, when Titus assumed command of the Roman Armies, he distinctly commanded his troops that, when they entered Jerusalem, they were to destroy and pillage as they pleased but they must leave olive trees and vineyards alone! Coincidence? Or is it perhaps a clue that God left us to tie Revelation to the events of the Jewish War? Why should we look for Cobra helicopters, Russian tanks, and theNew York stock exchange when we can see clear fulfilment of these prophecies with a little study into history?

The Fourth Seal Opened

The fourth horseman is seen as the fourth seal is broken. According to the Olivet Discourse, ‘famines’ would be followed by ‘pestilences’ (Matthew 24:7), which would lead to extensive death, and this is precisely what is seen in the fourth horseman:

And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.

(Revelation 6:7-8)

The word ‘pale’ is the Greek word chloros, which speaks of a pallid, yellow green colour. Robertson gives a word picture: “Homer used chloros of the ashen yellow colour of a face blanched by fear and so the pale horse is a symbol of death and terror.”

The rider of this horse is called ‘Death’: he brings death with him. ‘Hell’ is said to be following him. The word used here of ‘Hell’ is the Greek word hades, which refers not necessarily to the Lake of Fire, but to the abode of the dead, whether saved or unsaved. The point, then, is that the rider’s name is Death, and death follows wherever he rides.

This rider has ‘power…over the fourth part of the earth, to kill…’ The word ‘earth’ here is the Greek ge, which more often than not in the New Testament refers to the land that wasIsrael’s. The authority to kill, then, is not over a quarter of the planet, but a quarter of the biblicalland ofPalestine. Death here is caused by four things: (1) ‘sword’, a reference to war (the second horseman), (2) ‘hunger’, a reference to famine (the third horsemen), (3) ‘death’, perhaps a reference to pestilence, for Matthew 24:7 speaks of ‘pestilences’, and (4) ‘the beasts of the earth’, a reference to wild animals, some feasting of the flesh of human corpses, other actually killing people yet alive. It seems that the picture here is lifted from Ezekiel 14:21 – ‘For thus saith the Lord God; How much more when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the noisome beast, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast?’ Both verses speak of four things: (1) the sword, (2) famine/hunger, (3) pestilence/death, and (4) wild beasts.

Significantly, the fourth rider is given power to kill with the beasts of the earth. Josephus and other historians recount how beasts were feasting off the rotting corpses that could not be buried, as well as actually killing people. What is this but divine judgement against a covenant-breaking people? ‘And if ye walk contrary unto me, and will not hearken unto me; I will bring seven times more plagues [cf. seven seals, seven trumpets, seven vials] upon you according to your sins. I will also send wild beasts among you, which shall rob you of your children, and destroy your cattle, and make you few in number; and your high ways shall be desolate’ (Leviticus 26:21-22). And again, ‘And thy carcase shall be meat unto all fowls of the air, and unto the beasts of the earth, and no man shall fray them away’ (Deuteronomy 28:26).

Josephus recounts that there were too many bodies during the siege and destruction of Jerusalemto actually bury. He records that, at one point, 500 Jews were crucified daily by the Romans. Within the walls of Jerusalem, so many were dying (either at the hand of the Romans or by the civil war, which was still raging within the city) that dead bodies were simply being tossed over the wall rather than receiving a proper burial. TheJordan River was so filled with dead bodies that the water could not be drunk. What else could be descriptive of such a time but the term ‘great tribulation’ (Matthew 24:21)?

The language of the judgement points to a judgement upon a covenant-breaking people, a judgement that will forever do away with that covenant. As such, it cannot be something in the future; it must have been fulfilled in the destruction of the Jewish Temple, which forever removed the old covenant so that the new covenant would be fully enacted in history.

Why did these things (terrible) have to come to pass? Because Jesus Christ is righteous, and He will be vindicated and will vindicate His own. God’s saints had been martyred throughout history, and they would be vindicated. But, more importantly, Jesus Christ Himself, who was murdered despite His sinlessness, would be vindicated. It would be made known to the world that He is King of kings and Lord of lords.

The Application of the Horsemen

Well that’s just fine: these things were fulfilled more than 1,900 years ago. So what does it mean to the 21st-century Church? What can we learn from events that took place almost two millennia ago? I suppose there are several things we can learn from this, but one primary lesson must be understood: we had better take Jesus Christ very seriously!

If we study the fall of man in Genesis 3, we learn that the first lie in recorded history (told by the devil himself) was a denial of God’s judgement. The last book of the Bible shows us the reality of that judgement! Far too much of fundamentalism and evangelicalism has been more focused on the so-called Antichrist than on Jesus Christ. Those in Revelation 6 wailed over the judgement of the Lamb, not the supposed rule of some antichristian leader. The Christ who brought covenantal curses uponJerusalem is the same Christ who rules and reigns today, who is the Head of His Church. If we violate our covenant with Him, why should we expect to escape judgement? The seven churches inAsia Minor were warned of the consequences of abandoning their covenant, and were pointed to the example ofIsrael. When we consider Revelation, we need to hear the same warning! I am not suggesting that disobedience will result in us being eaten by wild beasts or surrounded by the Roman Army. I am suggesting something far worse: the removal of our candlestick!

Revelation was not given to tantalise our imagination. It was not given for us to look with disdain upon those who violated their covenant with God and to think that we are better than them. Instead, it was given for us to see just how seriously we must take Jesus Christ. He is Lord! When we make a commitment to Him, we had better be sure to keep it. When we commit ourselves to His Bride, the local church, we had better be sure to treat her in a proper way and fulfil our commitment. Jesus Christ is loving, merciful and gracious to those who love Him and keep His commandments. To those who do not, He is a holy, wrathful Judge. Let us humbly bow the knee to Him, kissing the Son, lest we perish when His wrath is kindled but a little.