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The Seven Seals: Outline
Part 1: The Sixth and Seventh Seal Describe Signs and Events Which Pertain to the Day of the Lord
Part 2: The Great Tribulation as Described in the Seven Seals
Part 4: The 144,000 Servants of God Sealed, the Numberless Multitude,
and The Wiping Away of All Tears From Their Eyes
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"Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo
there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is among you." Matthew 24:21
Part 3: The Remaining Three Horsemen of the Apocalypse: Who Are They?
August 26, 2005
Prologue to Part 3:
The name commonly given to the horsemen of Revelation is the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
However, the book of Zechariah has its own horsemen, horse chariots rather, and ranks highly among those prophets
which teach about the latter days. Many believe that the horsemen of Revelation and the
horsemen of Zechariah are related. This belief fits with the character of Revelation: that in
its capacity as the Revelation of Jesus Christ, it is
the expounder and capstone of the prophetic writings.
It should then be possible to analyze the identity of the horsemen by
reciprocal definition. We will use the characteristics of the horsemen of Zechariah
and assume that the book of Revelation expounds on these characteristics. This will
create the composite that shows what these horsemen have to tell us. The pale horse
is only found in the book of Revelation and is previously discussed in Part 2. The pale horse
signifies Antichrist and the confirmation of the covenant (death and hell), which is almost certainly
marked by the sacrifice of a special and rare, red heifer.
The second vision of Zechariah, within which we find the horsemen,
constitutes most of the first major portion of the book. The vision
begins in the month of Shebat, the second year of Darius: "I saw by night, and behold
a man riding upon a red horse, and he stood among the myrtle trees that were in the bottom; and
behind him there were red horses, speckled, and white." (Zech. 1)
Zechariah asks the angel who these are. The angel replys, "These are they whom the LORD
hath sent to walk to and fro through the earth. And they answered the angel
of the LORD that stood among the myrtle trees, and said, We have walked to and fro through
the earth, and, behold, all the earth sitteth still and is at rest."
This is the first appearance of any of the horses. Black is the most notable which is missing,
for black appears both in the latter horses of Zechariah and also in Revelation.
After this consideration, we begin at a point much further into this vision, as the present
purpose is to understand the horsemen.
Following the flying scroll, which depicts the curse of retribution every man for his own work, the angel
talks with Zechariah and shows him a measuring basket, an "ephah." A lead covering is lifted off
the top and a woman is seen sitting in the middle of the basket. The angel says, "This is wickedness,"
and he casts the lid onto the top of the basket. Two women with stork-like wings then carry the basket into
the sky. (Zech. 5)
Babylonia, Land of Shinar: Habitation and Home for Evil Where Wickedness is
"set on its own base"
Zechariah then asks where these women are going with the basket. The angel replys, "To build it a house in the
land of Shinar: and it shall be established, and set there upon her own base." Rather straightforwardly,
the angel has told Zechariah that wickedness, represented by the woman, would be given a house and
set on its own base in Shinar, which is Mesopotamia or Babylonia, contemporary Iraq.
The Four Horse Chariots of Zechariah, the Two Mountains of Brass,
and the Valley From Which These Chariots Proceed
"And I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold, there came four chariots
out from between two mountains; and the mountains were mountains of brass." (Zech. 6)
Before we continue to the horses of Zechariah, some colors of which are in common with the horses of
Revelation, significant items must be addressed concerning this introduction
to their advent.
Some commentators believe the two mountains to be the temple mount, Mount Moriah, and
the Mount of Olives
to the east. The valley between these bronze mountains,
and from which the horses proceed would then be
Kidron Valley, also called the Valley of Jehoshaphat.
Concerning Kidron Valley's alternate name of Jehoshaphat, Smith's Bible Dictionary tells us that
"...the modern name [Jehoshaphat] cannot be traced beyond the 4th century A.D. Joel's prophesy [sic]
was a political and symbolical figure, intended to teach that God is always present
with and defending his faithful children."1
It may be that the modern name of Kidron Valley, Valley of Jehohshaphat, cannot be traced
beyond the 4th century A.D., but that is not true if this mention is prophecy
itself. The naming of the Valley of Jehoshaphat, particularly in connection
with all the events of the Day of the Lord and judgement, is indeed prophetic in itself. As
we shall see, the horses of Zechariah which proceed from this valley indicate
God's judgement on the nations.
Recall the connection between the sixth seal and the
Day of the Lord signs of Joel. Since they both contain the same signs, we understand
these connections as prophetic parallels which complement one another. The book of Joel is but one
of many prophets for which the Revelation of Jesus Christ renders
new clarification, along with the guarantee of complete fulfillment. While the events of the Day of the Lord have yet
to play out, we are already seeing a partial fulfillment of Joel with the naming of the
Valley of Jehoshaphat.
Joel precedes Zechariah by about two-hundred years. If we accept the two
mountains as Mount Moriah and the Mount of Olives, then of consequence the valley
between must be Kidron Valley, or the Valley of Jehoshaphat. This is noteworthy
prophetic consistency, as both instances of the Valley of Jehoshaphat deal with
judgement on the nations. If the specific
naming of the Valley of Jehoshaphat cannot be traced until the 4th century,
then that leads believers to regard Joel's naming of Jehoshaphat as prophetic in itself.
"Let the heathen be weakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit
to judge all the nations round about." (Joel 3) In Joel, the Valley of Jehoshaphat is explicitly
connected with judgement on the nations.
What immediately follows tells us that not only does the Valley of Jehoshaphat directly apply
to judgement on nations, but also that this passage relates to the end-time period of the
Apocalypse. "Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you
down; for the press is full, the vats overflow; for their wickedness is great."(Joel 3) Revelation
deals directly the same theme: this "winepress of the wrath of God," which follows
the "harvest," at which time
the saints are "reaped" or gathered. (Rev. 14) Prophecy which deals with the Valley
of Jehoshaphat fits directly into the
context of end-time judgement on the nations.
Could it be that both Joel and Zechariah both spoke of the same valley, the Valley of
Jehoshaphat? This appears to be the most likely explanation from every angle
of consideration. The two bronze mountains are Mount Moriah and the
Mount of Olives, between which runs
the Valley of Jehoshaphat (Kidron). The
horsemen ride from the Valley of Jehoshaphat as God's judgement on the nations.
Click Here to view the "mountains of brass"
and the "Valley of Jehoshaphat" (PDF)
The Horses Apply to Empires; The History of Empire as it
Relates to Shinar, Habitation and Home for Wickedness
The book of Daniel describes the progression of empires, which progression
is descriptively prophecied
in varying instances. Each instance has something different to teach
us about the progression. This progression of kingdoms is expounded upon in Revelation.
Revelation was written c. 95 A.D. by the Apostle John, but the author of course is our Lord
Jesus. Revelation says of this progression, "And there are
seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh,
he must continue a short space." (Rev. 17) Because of the time in which this was written,
the "one" that "is" was Rome, which of course is now fallen.
The progression written of here is as follows:
1. Assyria -- conquered and replaced by Babylon
2. Babylon
3. Medo-Persia (Media-Persia)
4. Greece -- under Alexander the Great
5. Seleucid (Selukid) Empire -- particularly Antiochus Theos Epiphanes (Antiochus IV),
which means Antiochus "the god made manifest"
6. Rome (particularly from the rise of Pompey onward)
* Europe west of Greece -- Isaac Newton held that the "ten kings" consist of
Europe, west of Greece. This writer concurs. The "ten
kings" are excluded from this progression
but are nevertheless a significant participant in the progression of kingdoms as they
rise from the previous kingdom, Rome, and later share power with Antichrist; these "ten kings" are
definitely part of the progression. (Daniel 7)
7. New or Prophetic Babylon --
the final imperial superpower prophecied in the prophets and Revelation
8. Antichrist -- who's kingdom is the same New or Prophetic Babylon and
whence Antichrist arises.
Following Antichrist, our Lord Jesus returns to set up His kingdom and establishes
a one-thousand year reign over all the earth. A more thorough examination
of this progression belongs elsewhere, as our present
purpose is the horsemen. Nevertheless, this progression is important, because as we will see,
the different horses deal with varying activities of these empires.
Zechariah
gives us the initial description of these horses going into action througout the world. The
horses of Revelation focus on the
activities and effects of the last kingdom, Prophetic Babylon. Prophetic Babylon exists some
time in preparation for and prior to its last king, Antichrist; and this is part of what
Revelation means when it says that he is the eighth, and is of the seven.
Before we proceed to the horsemen, a brief discussion of the correlation between the
above empires and the plains of Shinar should be considered.
The Assyrians began the age of empires. The Babylonian Empire defeated and replaced the
Assyrian Empire, and rested on the plains of Shinar. The
Medo-Persian Empire developed when the Persians,
who were tributary to the Medes, began to strengthen themselves and turned the tables to dominate
the Medes, which resulted in the united Medo-Persian Empire that defeated the Babylonian Empire. Then
came Alexander
the Great from Greece. In his well-documented campaigns, Alexander defeated Persian forces much
greater in number than his own. After conquering the world,
Alexander died in Babylon. Alexander's death punctuates the climax of empire before Rome. The
period between Alexander and the emergence of Rome was a period of war and decline.
After Alexander died, his former empire split among his major generals. The strongest
to come out of the aftermath was the Seleucid Empire, which
occupied both Mesopotamia (Shinar) and Syria. The Seleucids main Hellenistic (Greek) rivals
were the Antigonids in Greece and the Ptolemys in Egypt. What is important to note is that in the
course of endless war, no king was able to reunite Alexander's former empire; but
the Seleucids came closest.
The first ruler of the Seleucid Empire, Seleucus I Nicator was son of one of Philip's (father of Alexander) generals, who
was named Antiochus. His mother was Laodice. So the entire Seleucid line was born from an Antiochus
and a Laodice. Seleucus, Antiochus, and Laodice all became traditional names used by Seleucid
royalty, with few exceptions in the case of kings. As years passed, the Seleucid Empire gained another
king from this line, Antiochus Theos ("the god") Epiphanes (Antiochus IV), who's wife was Laodice IV and
who's daughter was Laodice V. Antiochus IV was the hated king who did not like his fathers before
him and "wrote to his whole kingdom, that all should be one people, And every one should leave his
laws...." (I Macc. 1)
The world influence that spread from Greece during the course of Alexander's
conquests is called Hellenism. Antiochus intended to institute a universal Hellenistic sort of society
by changing laws and to stamp out the laws of the Jews. The world-famous
law of the Jews was the law of Moses, and the law of Moses did not fit with the plans of
Antiochus. Antiochus IV maliciously persecuted the non-Hellenized Jews and ultimately
aroused the Maccabean revolt, a conflict which lasted beyond his lifetime and which
the Maccabees won. Despite an eventual Maccabean victory, the story is not a happy one; but
at least it shows how even in such dark times of national decline,
the chains of tyrants can be thrown from those
weary and oppressed by such monsters as Antiochus IV.
Today's society largely neglects the intertestamental period during which the reign
of Antiochus IV occured, although his reign does provide the setting for the story of Hannukah. Perhaps
there are powers that want us not
to realize the obvious: that Antiochus IV is the Little Antichrist who
adumbrates or foreshadows Antichrist. Indeed, for they both
share the same prophecies in Daniel. Antiochus IV exhibited the strange characteristic
of simulating egalitarianism while proving a cruel tyrant. At home, Antiochus engaged
in strange behavior such as one would expect to find in a man who is one with Satan, the twisted
one who attempts to mimick the attributes of God. Antiochus
roamed around as a common person, checking in on ordinary people, certainly out of a desire to
mimick ominiscience. He had himself elected by the people in a fake election. Alongside
this behavior he spontaneously bestowed large gifts to those
small in stature while giving only small gifts to those of greater stature, with no sense
of rationality. This, along with other habits, was his attempt to mimick the LORD's beneficence.
Perhaps most noteworthy was his choice of transportation during the procession in his massive festival
at Daphne. While directing the parade, Antiochus chose to ride a "small horse,"
perhaps we could call it an ass, which
is given the most humble description by Polybius. This was an attempt to mimick the
Messiah -- roughly two-hundred years before Christ fulfilled the prophecy of the Messiah
riding on the back of an ass.
In this same festival there were soldiers dressed like Romans, along
with Greek themes, but the empire of Antiochus had no real character of its own save sub-dominance
to the rising empire of Rome and a mimickry of other more powerful nations, both previous and
contemporary. We should take special note that at times, the empire of Antiochus IV became dominant in appearance. It is
only in hindsight that we see that Antiochus' true character ultimately proved to be
that of sub-dominance. Satan
never creates. He always takes, uses,
and destroys, which is exactly what happened during and as a result of the reign of an
antichrist who blasphemously called himself
Antiochus "Theos" Epiphanes or Antiochus "'the god' made manifest."
From the time of Antiochus IV, the Seleucids struggled with the Parthians, who
eventually whittled down the Seleucid Empire. The latest
recognizable remnant of the Seleucid line was found in Syria before it passed into oblivion, an
oblivion which somewhat lasts till today in that its significance, a significance which we have
merely touched, is almost
completely lost to an untaught and neglected fold.
As the Parthians gained control of the Mesopotamia, Rome rose to preemminence among the nations. By the
time Rome had become an empire, the
Seleucid Empire had already vanished. The Parthians were always formidable, but whenever it came down to a
knock-down, drag-out fight, it was Rome which carried more weight. The Parthians, however, had
a way of making one wonder whether the Romans were truly victorious. Roman victories over the
Parthians might be likened to a man who stood on a beehive to conquer it:
he may have conquered the bees, but
the sting was great. The Romans
had the most formidable military forces the world had ever seen, but the Parthians continuously
stung the Romans with their
cataphracts (armored cavalry) and their horse-mounted archers, who could shoot while riding,
even directly to their rear.
The simple fact of the matter
is that although the first five kingdoms listed held a relatively firm seat on the plains
of Shinar, Rome really did not control Babylonia during its long empire, at least not
for long. Rome was troubled
by the insurgent style Parthians who, while they could be invaded, could make it costly with
highly skilled horse-mounted archers and armored calvary called cataphracts.
This is very much like the situation of today's forces which occupy the same
region. Just like in the days of the Parthians and Romans, insurgents have made it so that victory
over Saddam Hussein's Iraq feels more like a lot of trouble than a real victory. It is also
one of many current signs demonstrating the completed emergence of the final empire (not republic) from which
Antichrist will emerge, Prophetic Babylon.
Rome eventually pulled out of Mesopotamia, deciding that it was more trouble that it was worth
and that Rome should spend its military resources closer to home. This pull-out ranks among events
which came to mark the beginning of the end of the Roman Empire.
Israel's Near Annihilation During the Progression of Empires and
How this World Hates Our Lord Jesus
Depart from discussing the relation of empires on Mesopotamia for a moment; under
the Romans, the Jews fought two major revolts, the first began in 66 A.D. and included the
destruction of the Temple by Titus in 70 A.D. The Second Jewish Revolt began when Hadrian
attempted to remake and rename Jerusalem into a pagan city, dedicated to Jupiter. Within
this plan Hadrian planned to build a temple to Jupiter on the Temple Mount. The Jews revolted
and Israel was restored for a couple years. But by 136 A.D., Israel was utterly destroyed, never
to return until recent history. Hadrian set up both a statue of himself and of Jupiter
on the Temple Mount. Like Antiochus IV, the so-called "god made manifest,"
Hadrian attempted to eradicate Judaism and create a completely pagan world. Although
Hadrian utterly destroyed Israel, he joined Antiochus in failing to create a pagan world, void
of God's heritage.
The Romans never really figured out what to do with the Jews other than to destroy them, and
they never really figured out what to do with the Christians either. Until the end of the Roman
Empire, Christianity was still not institutionalized. The beginning of the fourth century
saw the end of the Roman Empire. Constantine moved the capital of Rome to Constantinople, and
the state began to remake Christianity, adding and subtracting from it, serving the purpose
of social cohesion with the pagans and leaving us with absurd inclusions and glaring omissions
that are readily accepted by most Christians to this day. With over one-hundred
years of unprecedented scholarship, we can more easily discern these inclusions and omissions
in a way that the Protestant Reformers could only dream. Nevertheless, these changes in church
behavior, which are much more obvious today, are embraced and defended by a great many.
Of the many failed and pathetic attempts
at creating a completely pagan world, the last of these will be undertaken by Antichrist. Indeed,
destroying Jerusalem is still on Satan's mind even after he is bound for one-thousand years, for
he attempts it once more at the end of the millenial reign of Christ, the final, eternal kingdom in the
progression of kingdoms.
"And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and surrounded the camp of the saints about, and
the beloved city [the 'beloved city' is Jerusalem]: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and
devoured them." (Rev. 20)
The goal is always to wipe out Judaism and Christianity -- anything that God ever put on earth
to teach men about Himself. And if it cannot be wiped out, hide it or conceive a convincing
lie -- whatever it takes. To this present evil world and to Satan, there is no room for God if
they can help it. This world hates God.
The Horsemen
The horsemen relate to the progression of empires and the consistent forces behind
cycles of war, succession, and renewal of nations. At first reading, one may wonder whether or not
Satan is included in the horses. While Satan is a factor, the the passages of the
horses do not focus on Satan or his power. Satan's only real ability is to project an image of power for the purpose
of deceiving and destroying those who consistently fail to see past relatively short periods
of temptation or trial. All is in God's power, not Satan's. Satan has a dominion but no
power when compared to God. The horses
deal with God's judgement on the nations as recompense for their offences, and also to
let iniquity propel itself unto the time when it shall be put to an end.
Near the beginning of
Zechariah the man on the red horse appears. Behind him there were red horses, speckled*, and
white. Regardless of what the horses that follow represent, the man on the red horse, an
angel of the LORD, deals with whether there be peace on earth: "And they answered the angel of the LORD
that stood among the myrtle trees ["man riding upon a red horse" v. 8], and said,
We have walked to and fro through the earth, and,
behold, all the earth sitteth still and is at rest."
After this first appearance of horse
imagery, the angel speaks to Zechariah: "So the angel that communed
with me said unto me, Cry thou, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; I am jealous for
Jerusalem with a great jealousy. And I am very sore displeased with the nations that are
at ease: for I was but a little displeased, and they helped forward the affliction." (Zech. 1) God
is angry with the nations, and the horses indicate how
God is going to execute judgement on the nations.
Later in Zechariah we see the horse
chariots come from between the two mountains of brass. With the first
chariot were red horses, with the
second were black horses, with the third chariot white, and with the fouth chariot were
grizzled and bay horses. (Zech 6)
The black horses "go forth into the north country." "North" indicates Babylon or captivity. While
the actual city of Babylon is directly east of Israel, "north" is consistently used in scripture
to signify Babylon, captivity, or in later times, post-Babylonian Mesopotamia. Previously, we
discussed the significance of Mesopotamia (land of Shinar) and how it relates to the progression
of empires. This is where these horses go. The white horses
then follow the black horses, and it is specifically in this order; first the black horses
go to the "north country," then the white "go forth after them."
Revelation expounds on both the character and activity of these horses. Revelation
teaches us that black deals with economics or trade and that white
deals with military or war-making. With the black going forth, then the white
going after, we have an illustration of what occurs in every empire nation: First, a working
economy is established. Second a military is established to "protect" that economy.
This is fundamental to how nations behave, and it is the basic building block for world events
until our Lord Jesus establishes His kingdom. Nations develop economically, then
they fight. The winner gets to start an empire. There is never real peace for long, because
there is always another nation vying for dominance. Zechariah
saw these horses go forth, and they have been at work in the progression
of kingdoms from the beginning of empire; the black first to establish an economy, the
white afterward to establish a military based on that economy. It bears repeating
that the horsemen relate to the progression of
empires and the consistent forces behind
cycles of war, succession, and renewal of nations. Whereas Zechariah describes empire in
its initial or renewal stage, Revelation describes empire in final deconstruction, specifically
the deconstruction of Prophetic Babylon. Going forth to conquer initiates the sequence
that leads Babylon to oblivion. While
the horses are God's judgement, the wicked are their own undoing.
The next horses we discuss do not describe empire, but rather the state of the world as it exists
outside the nation-state, power-center of empire. The grizzled horses go to the "south country." "South" is used in scripture to signify Egypt,
slavery, and bondage. A grizzled horse does not appear in Revelation. During the time of empires,
which has lasted without pause since the time of the Assyrians, empire nations subject weaker
nations to bondage for the benefit of the empire nation. These states are sometimes called "vassal
states," which means that they are servant states. Many times it would be more accurate
to call them slave states.
Then the bay horses went forth to "walk to and fro through the earth." These bay horses
were with the
grizzled horses at the beginning, but while the grizzled horses go to the "south," the bay
horses "walk to and fro through the earth." Like the grizzled horses, these bay horses
do not appear in Revelation. Recall that the
grizzled and bay horses came in the same chariot, but went
two different places, the grizzled to the south country while the bay went that they "might walk
to and fro through the earth." What the bay horses tell us that the grizzled do
not is that their single "chariot" is not limited in effect
to the south only but also extends "through the earth." The
effect is bondage (grizzled) and it is worldwide (bay). While the white and black horses describe
the activities of empire nations, the grizzled and bay horses describe the state of the
rest of the world and how it is subjugated and dominated by empires.
South always refers to Egypt, as in "the king of the south." Here we have demonstrated that the grizzled
and bay not only communicate the bondage of Egypt, but that this bondage
extends to the rest of the world, and that these are categorically differentiated from those horses
which pertain to the seat of empire, Mesopotamia. The LORD has spoken of Egypt:
"And I will bring again the captivity of Egypt, and will cause them to return into the land of
Pathros, into the land of their habitation; and they shall be there a base kingdom. It shall be
the basest of the kingdoms; neither shall it exalt itself any more above the nations: for I will
diminish them, that they shall no more rule over the nations." (Ezekiel 29)
And so Egypt has lost the seat of dominance, permanently, to Mesopotamia. Knowing
what we know about the relation of Mesopotamia
to the progression of kingdoms, and understanding the precise meaning of "south" and "north," we
understand that the black and white horses deal with empire nations, and the
grizzled and bay horses deal with weaker nations who are oppressed by the domination of
empire nations. This is the state of mankind from the time of the Assyrian empire. It is the effect
of sin on the world, that just like in the animal kingdom, the strong eat the weak, and the weak
are devoured. These are the horses which proceed from between the two mountains
of brass, and it is in this way that God's judges the nations.
The verse that follows (in Zechariah) reads thus: "Then cried he upon me, and spake unto me, saying, Behold,
these that go toward the north country have quieted [appeased] my
spirit in the north country." (Zech. 6) There
appears to be no direct mention
of the LORD in the chariot portion of the passage. The word
"spirit" does not allow us to assume that this regards the Spirit of God or
the Holy Spirit, but the sense seems to suggest it. It is not possible for this writer to offer
an authoritative opinion. Regardless of any seeming ambiguity here, the horses deal with God's judgement on the
nations.
"For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until the
righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof
as a lamp that burneth. And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy
glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD shall name." (Is. 62)
*Note: The Hebrew, "saruq," can mean "bay," which according to the American Heritage Dictionary
is "a reddish brown animal, esp. a horse."2 The Hebrew, "'amots," is used for the
"bay" horses found later. This writer suggests the possibility that the two are the same. In
this case, the "speckled" found in chapter one and the "bay" found in chapter six would both
be the same bay or reddish-brown color, particularly as relates to horses. The sense
of the two passages seems to suggest that this is the case. If so, the bay or
reddish-brown horses make two appearances, both in Zechariah.
The Horsemen of Revelation
The Horsemen of Revelation occupy a relatively small space but have remained some of the most
perplexing characters in scripture. We have already discussed the fourth horseman, the pale horse
which signifies Antichrist and the confirmation of the covenant (death and hell), which is almost
certainly marked by the sacrifice of a special and rare, red heifer.
The character of the Revelation of Jesus Christ is that it is the expounder and capstone
of the prophetic writings. This leads us to expect that the
horsemen of Revelation should both expound and complete the interpretation of the horses
of Zechariah.
As we have seen from previous discussion of the final four seals,
the seals are in chronological order. The last four seals fit within the seven year, 2,520 day
time-element provided in Daniel. The three
preceding seals, which contain the first three horsemen,
describe events outside and prior to the time-element.
When third seal opens, the rider on the black horse holds a pair of balances in his hand. A voice
in the midst of the four beasts then says, "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."
A penny, "denarius," is thought to be the ancient equivalent of about one
day's wage. The most immediate support for this comes from Matthew in our Lord Jesus' parable
of the laborers in the vinyard. Some began labor later in the day than others, but the householder
paid them each a penny. A measure, "choinix," is a dry measure of about one quart. The
event of the third horseman deals with an economic shift for the worse in which a day's
labor provides mere subsistence.
Oil and wine, privileges of the
rich, are not affected. Oil in antiquity always occupies the position of value and
relative scarcity, in that it took special economic initiative to acquire. Wine is most certainly
a luxury regardless of the period in which one lives. But Revelation was written for the end-time,
the latter days, our time.
"I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will
say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved. And the LORD answered me, and said, Write
the vision, and make it plain upon the tables, that he may run that readeth it. for the vision
is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it will tarry, wait
for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry." (Hab. 2)
"Oil" in antiquity is the same as our oil today. It is not olive oil; it is "oil," the type that
was used for burning lamps. The difference is that we use "oil" for much more in the end-times. More
than that, the greatest concentration of "oil," is located in the Middle East, centered directly around
the plains of Shinar. It is particularly that oil to which Revelation refers; it is this oil that
motivates the end-time nations to rise up against one another, vying for dominance; and it is the
lust for this oil which stimulates the greed and hatred of the Apocalypse, from the first seal, to
the last.
(April 17, 2006: Missed in the original analysis of the third seal is the historical fact that Rome
itself had internationalized its market world-wide via free trade enforced and maintained
by military forward presence, aka. empire. During the time of
the writing of the book of Revelation and after, Rome itself produced only olive oil and wine, having
"outsourced" production of other commodities, including staples such as barley.
It is amazing that throughout history,
empire after empire has repeated the same guaranteed failure of free-trade, which can only be
enforced by a constant, military forward-presence. Citizens often find themselves disposessed, with
few alternatives but military service, conceived and necessary for the sole purpose of international
expansion, the prime vanity of empire, which through international free-trade
has destroyed the very livlihood of those whom the military ostensibly protects. The current occurance
is BABYLON THE GREAT, which is no longer a "MYSTERY." This empire nation is most clearly revealed.
The outstanding feature of Rome's dilemma was that the mobs
were comprised of actual Roman citizens, and not the myriad of slaves. This fact struck at the pride
and sense of Roman citizenship. Even after the Roman Empire collapsed, people never
truly quit thinking of themselves as Roman, even as late as the twentieth century and perhaps the
present.
Considering these things, "oil" must refer to olive oil in antiquity as well as fuel oil in the future or present. This is one instance of how Revelation
speaks directly both to future events, similar instances manifested throughout the history of
empires, as well as Christianity's innaugural generations. Nevertheless, Revelation's most direct
application is exposition of end-time events as well as the order and placement of these events.)
When the second seal opens, the rider on the red horse is given power "to take peace from the earth,
and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword." The effect
of this seal is rather straight forward. At any given time, the world has terrible violence
in certain parts, but this seal indicates worldwide war and violence.
Although, peace is taken
from the earth and people are killing one-another, the fabulously wealthy will find ways to insulate
themselves from this bloodshed while profiting from it, as they always have. Even after the second
seal, when the third seal is opened, the rich continue to sustain their dominance.
While this may sound frightening, and it is,
recall that World War II took place over the face of the earth. Notwithstanding all the destruction,
people still tried to find ways to live life as normally as possible. Toward the end of the war,
when Nazi Germany was little more than a heap of rubble, those who were alive and remained found
ways to continue life as normally as possible. People lived the best they could during the war
and smiled afterward, many proud of their accomplishments. It
is not impossible for us to conceive of massive, worldwide killing, with ideological justification and
hatred on every side. The twentieth century is a century bathed in the blood of millions, serving
as the example of the murderous depravity of man and the scope of violence which is possible. Killing
as a form of entertainment is training today's generation to involve
themselves willingly in yet another conflict, but one which will be greater
in scope, the events of the second seal.
Recall the man riding upon the red horse in Zechariah. To eliminate ambiguity, understand
that the man on the red horse is the angel of the LORD as spoken of in that passage. This may
not be apparent at the first reading, but it is the case. The rider is not Satan. The
angel of the LORD tells Zechariah
that those horses which followed behind him
"are they whom the LORD hath sent to walk to and fro throughout the earth."
These horses answer back to the angel of the LORD saying, "We have walked to and fro through
the earth, and, behold, all the earth sitteth still, and is at rest." (Zech. 1) Upon the appearance
of the red horse in Revelation, this is no longer the case, for men now kill one another.
When the first seal opens, a white horse appears, "and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown
was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer." The brevity of this description,
along with the constant war-like state of mankind makes it difficult to know how we might understand
who is doing the conquering. In Zechariah, the white
had gone to the "north," and this indicates Mesopotamia
and the progression of kingdoms. This white horse applies to the end-time empire of Prophetic
Babylon.
The mounted archer brings to mind the Parthians,
who warred against the Selucids and later against Rome in Mesopotamia, and
who were able to shoot with a bow while riding, even directly to the rear. However,
Parthia is not an empire in the progression of kingdoms. We learned through
Zechariah that the black and white horses went to the north, which is Mesopotamia, and
the relation between the progression of empires and Mesopotamia has been discussed. These
black and white horses have been at work from the beginning of the progression of empires. First come
the black horses, where a working economy is set up, then the white horses, where empire
nations go forth to conquer. The horseman is given a crown, denoting authority, futher confirming
that this seal describes actions of the prophecied empire nation, Prophetic Babylon.
We can expect the final beast empire, Prophetic Babylon, to go forth to conquer and
that it will have to do with Babylonia, the land of Shinar, Mesopotamia, or contemporary Iraq. We
should not be surprised if this Prophetic Babylon withdraws from Mesopotamia, as the Romans once
withdrew. Babylon's withdrawal from Mesopotamia is a likely
event which will mark the beginning of a consistent decline which ultimately leads to its judgement. This
judgement occurs at the return of our Lord Jesus. Rome had a number of so-called "good emperors" before
it finally broke into warring factions, ceasing to exist. Likewise,
some so-called "good" leaders will rule Prophetic Babylon before
the ultimate arrival of Antichrist. (Is. 14)
All the horses of Revelation apply to the final beast
empire, Prophetic Babylon, which carries characteristics: of Nimrod who tyrannized in Mesopotamia,
making men dependent on him; of Babylon in that
it is a nation
of nations; of the Medo-Persian
Empire which solely empowered the restoration of Israel; of the Seleucid empire and
Antiochus IV, who in redirecting his indignance against non-apostates,
desecrated the temple and savagely persecuted the Jews (adumbrating the Great Tribulation);
of Rome, which
conquered the Parthians in Mesopotamia but eventually withdrew. The same elements at
one time or another become manifest in Prophetic Babylon.
Summary
We have in the first three seals is a description of Prophetic Babylon's activities prior
to Antichrist. The first seal deals with Babylon's going forth to conquer. This is
the tamest of the seals in that it gives the careful observer a warning before
things get much worse. Babylon will go forth to conquer
the Mesopotamian region to conquer and to reveal itself, having occupied the habitation for
wickedness as described in Zechariah. This event has revealed itself but
has yet to play out.
The second seal depicts a world at war and filled with killing. This follows
the going forth to conquer and will
be a more difficult time. There are allusions to a time like this found across prophetic
writings, where men who would otherwise behave harmoniously would instead begin to kill one another.
The third seal depicts the success of the wealthy and powerful while the state of most men
will be merely to subsist under great labor. Already,
widening income disparity is a consistent trend, but this seal could easily consist of a hard economic hit,
violently puncutating mere trend. The current world economic system is unstable and volatile, and one day its economic
inconistencies will cause it to fail. It is likely that during the events of the prior seal,
there will be false promises that war
will deliver its winning participants into greater economic prosperity, based much on the
idea that World
War II brought America out of the Great Depression. We should be watching for this. But
people will not become more prosperous. These
Lenins of the second seal will promise peace, land, and bread, but what
they really have to offer is
even worse calamity. People will find themselves in a pitiful
economic state, with Antichrist to follow shortly thereafter.
At this point the stage is set for Antichrist and the final four seals which lead to our Lord
Jesus' return. The fourth seal depicts Antichrist. The fifth seal
depicts the Great Tribulation. The
sixth seal depicts the signs which herald the Day of the Lord. The seventh seal describes the
emptiness and silence of heaven, as the events of the Day of the Lord occur at this world. Heaven
sends all the holy angels to this world to gather the saints
in this greatest of days, the Day of the Lord.
_________________________
1Smith's Bible Dictionary, s.v. "Jehoshaphat, Valley of."
2The American Heritage Dictionary, 4th ed., s.v. "bay."
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