The Biblical 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse

Who Are They & What Do They Represent?

Revelation, the last book of the New Testament, tells us the story of the four horsemen of the apocalypse. But it’s written in symbolic language that many modern readers have difficulty understanding unless they know the historical setting in which the book was written.

The book was penned in the late first century at a time when second generation Christians faced persecution for their refusal to worship past and present Roman emperors. Their Christian religion strictly forbade worship of anyone other than God.

From the time Revelation was written, Christians have attributed it to the Apostle John, son of Zebedee. They believed he wrote the book while exiled on Patmos for preaching the gospel in Asia. And while many still accept the Apostle John’s authorship, some modern scholars point to a Christian prophet named John as the author. They say he wrote Revelation several years after the apostle’s death.

There is no definite proof of authorship either way, but there does seem to be agreement that the writer was a man named John. He apparently wrote the book to reinforce Christians’ belief that God would ultimately triumph over evil.

Warnings, Hope & Consolation

Revelation contains warnings to people living in biblical times and now, says the Catholic Church. First century Christians would have easily understood the language, as that type of apocalyptic literature was popular at the time. And the book would have greatly interested them because they expected Christ’s return and the last judgment to occur in their lifetimes.

The Catholic Church describes Revelation as “an exhortation and admonition” to Christians of the first century to stand firm in the faith and to avoid compromise with paganism, despite the threat of adversity and martyrdom; they are to await patiently the fulfillment of God’s mighty promises.

“No matter what adversity or sacrifice Christians may endure, they will in the end triumph over Satan and his forces because of their fidelity to Christ the victor,” the church says. It calls Revelation “a message of hope and consolation and challenge” for Christians. Read the entire post here.

John C. Holbert, a Patheos contributor and professor emeritus of homiletics at Perkins School of Theology in Dallas, says this:

“Revelation is in fact about one thing: God wins and the powers of evil lose. And at the end of all things, God will make ‘all things new,’ not ‘all new things….’ Hence, those who find in John’s Revelation scenes of blood and doom and destruction have not read the book for the metaphorical writing that it is….

“Do not allow anyone to make this book into a thing of scary fear; of partisan choice, of believing rightly lest you end in the fire!” Dr. Holbert says. “No! It is a book of hope founded in love, and the gift of the lamb (Christ) for all of the people of God.” To read the entire post, click here.

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

Yet, some of the images, including the four horsemen of the apocalypse, are terrifying. Revelation tells their story in chapter 6.

Surprisingly, the phrase “four horsemen of the apocalypse” doesn’t appear in the King James version of the Bible. It’s simply a way of identifying the riders and horses that appear when Christ opens seven seals of judgment that begin the era of Tribulation and the end of time on earth.

“The first four seals (Christ) opens are the four horsemen, and each is released from heaven to usher in various judgments on earth,” according to What Are the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse? on the biblestudytools.com website.

“One of the most intriguing, and mysterious, prophecies that will occur during the End of Days is the coming of the Four Horsemen. During the seven years of tribulation, the Bible warns of seven seals, the fourth of which, when broken, will cause four great creatures to call forth four riders, who carry with them conquest, war, famine and death. These four horsemen will be a part of bringing forth God’s wrath and judgment,” the article explains. Read the Bible Study Tools article by clicking here.

The Final Judgment Begins

The Tribulation is generally broken into two parts. The first part is three years of uncontrolled evil on earth, while the second three years will see inconceivable suffering as God unleashes his wrath on that evil.

Revelation describes it in this way:

“And around the throne (of God), on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight” (Revelation 4:6-7).

The creatures announce that Christ – the sacrificial lamb – is worthy to open the scrolls of judgment. As he opens each scroll, a new judgment is unleashed on the earth.

Judgment Day has begun.

Christ Unseals the Scrolls

Dr. Roger Barrier, a retired teaching pastor, author and speaker, sets the stage for the four horsemen of the apocalypse by telling us that Satan is the god of our world when they appear. “Revelation is the story of how Jesus gets the title deed to his world back.”

The title deed that Christ holds is a scroll sealed with seven drops of wax. Events unfold as he begins to undo each seal, according to Dr. Barrier.

The four seals that Christ opens represent global disasters that the Savior foretold in Matthew 24, Luke 21 and Mark 13. The four horsemen represent each disaster that falls prior to God unleashing his wrath against sin.

Disasters Befall Earth

Revelation 6:1- (NIV) introduces the four horsemen this way:

Conquest

I watched as the Lamb (Christ) opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, “Come!”

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.

This horseman represents major deception, especially religious deception. He conquers through lies and deceit rather than bloody battles. The Bible says, Satan’s greatest trick is to appear to represent righteousness. His goal, however, is to subvert anyone he can into obeying and worshipping him instead of the true God (2 Corinthians 11:13-15 and 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4).

And Christ warns us: Be on guard, so that no one deceives you. For many shall come in My name, saying ‘I am the Christ’; and they shall deceive MANY…. (Matthew 24:4-5 and 24:11 and 24:24).

Look no further than your television set to find false prophets teaching false messages purportedly from Christ. You can read my thoughts on these false preachers and teachers – Beware of Televangelists and Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing — by clicking here.

War

When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!”

Then another horse came out. A fiery red one. It’s rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make people kill each other. To him was given a large sword.

This rider is sitting atop a red horse. He represents war and the red color of the horse, blood. The scripture says, And you shall of wars and rumors of wars….For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom (Matthew 24:6-7 and 9).

Satan’s lies will highlight people’s self-righteousness and prejudices, Bible Study says. The manifold reasons humans create to justify their superiority over others will lead to bloodshed worldwide, the Bible tells us. You don’t have to look very far to see these tendencies in our world or to see blood spilling around this small planet we call home.

Famine

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.

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!”

The third rider’s horse is black, and the rider – who represents famine — holds a balance in his hand. As he appears, a voice cries out, A measure of wheat for a silver coin, and three measures of barley for a silver coin…. (Revelation 6:5-6). The parallel account in Jesus’ Olivet prophecies says ….there shall be famines and pestilences and earthquakes in different places (Matthew 24:7).

Famine is the natural consequence of war. A silver coin was considered a day’s wages for a laborer in biblical times, according to Bible Study. These verses tell us that people living in the end time will have to a work a full day to buy the food they need to survive a little longer.

At present, the horn of Africa is in the midst of its longest drought in 40 years, according to Horn of Africa: Projections of a Famine in 2023, a report in the British Parliament’s House of Lords Library. “Compounded by high food prices and political instability, this has led to 36.4 million people suffering from hunger across the region, and 21.7 million requiring food assistance, the report says.” The African nations of Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan and Nigeria are especially hard hit.

Death

When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” 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 Bibles describe the fourth rider’s horse as pale, although the Bible Study website says the color is actually a pale green. Green symbolizes the deathly color that overtakes people with light complexions soon after they die.

The fourth rider is the only one of the four horseman of the apocalypse who is named, and his name is Death. Revelation 6:8 says that he has the authority to kill one-fourth of the world’s population. And Matthew 24:21-22 states that human life would end on earth were Christ not to return. To read the entire post from Bible Study, click here.

With humanity’s nuclear capabilities, propensity for war and destructive actions toward planet Earth’s environment, human beings could easily destroy 25 percent of the world’s population while totally annihilating some animal and plant species.

Is this how the end comes? Will God allow us to destroy ourselves? It’s one possibility.

Why Would a Loving God Unleash These Disasters?

We live in a sinful world – a world in which people mock and ridicule God, worship power and wealth and live sinful lives on a grand scale. Given these circumstances, the question shouldn’t be “Why would God unleash these disasters upon us?” Rather, it’s “Why wouldn’t he?”

Evil has been present since the beginning of human history, and it continues, unabated, in our lifetimes. In fact, it seems to be getting worse.

The apocalypse, as described in Revelation, gives us a symbolic story at what might happen when God finally says, “I’ve had it with you people!”

But even then, we need to remember the words of Dr. John C. Holbert when he talks about Revelation and the apocalypse: “God wins and the powers of evil lose. And at the end of all things, God will make ‘all things new.’”

All will be well!