“Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, “Come and see.” And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer. When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come and see.” Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword. When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come and see.” So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine.” When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come and see.” So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth.” Revelation 6:1-8 NKJV
Shortly after the beginning of our ongoing health troubles a couple of years ago, I wrote an article speculating on the possibility that this was part of a “dry run” by the forces of darkness to prepare for what will occur during the tribulation period. Of late, I have become even more convinced that this may indeed be the case considering where we are seemingly going and the news of late suggesting some of what will happen in the near future. If you follow the news, and I admit it is becoming more and more difficult to do so, you may have noticed a correlation between what the mainstream news claims is on our horizon, and what the Word of God tells us is coming.
While the world seems obsessed with our never ending health crisis, the rhetoric surrounding the possibility of a major war on several fronts has intensified to the point that many are saying it’s not a question of “if”, but “when”. Russia and the Ukraine, China and Taiwan, and Israel and Iran are mentioned frequently as situations primed to explode. Also of late, while it is no secret we in this country are suffering under what many would describe as runaway inflation, there are reports that as a result of many different factors, a worldwide famine is staring humanity in the face.
As I thought about these things this past week, God reminded me of my post two years ago and asked me a logical question that somehow had escaped my attention. That question was, if we are indeed watching a dry run for the events of the tribulation, maybe I should take a closer look at the beginning of that period of time to see what, when, and in what order they occur. Imagine my surprise when I found that when Jesus opens the seals at the start of the tribulation, what He tells us will happen by the four horsemen of the apocalypse seems to be exactly what we are seeing today.
While I had indeed considered our calamities as a precursor to the tribulation, I confess it never occurred to me to compare them to the four horsemen so today I want to review what we are told about them and you can decide for yourselves if it sounds familiar. “He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer”. The first horse John describes is a white horse ridden by a man carrying a bow but no arrows. That fact is the Bible’s way of telling us that this man will conquer with peace rather than by war. While that might seem odd to some, the truth is that many nations would be willing to give up sovereignty for a guaranteed peace.
The rider of course, is the antichrist and Daniel describes him this way.
“And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.” Daniel 8:25 KJV
While the antichrist conquers through peace and political means, the result will be war and violence as symbolized by the red horse. “Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another.” Obviously there will be those people who see the antichrist amassing power and will be threatened by it. Their resistance will create a conflict which not only will result in the death of many, but also prepare the way for the next horse to appear.
One of the usual consequences of war, which many do not realize, is economic difficulty and runaway inflation for the common man. While many of the elite will profit, most people will suffer greatly from scarcity and need. “..and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine.” Most agree this passage describes an entire day’s wages being required just to have enough to eat for that day. While that might seem unbelievable, just this morning I read an article stating close to 25% of Americans are spending up to 1/3 of their monthly income just on food because of inflation and scarcity.
In conditions such as those described by the red and black horse, it comes as no surprise that the pale horse, which symbolizes death, appears on the scene. “…behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth.” While trying to process the thought that one quarter of the earth’s population is going to die just in the first part of the seven year tribulation is difficult enough to fathom, my thoughts somehow went to something I had never noticed before.
This part of the passage describes people being killed by the sword, killed by starvation, killed by the beasts of the earth, but also uses the phrase “with death”. Since methods of dying are being listed, I had to wonder what is meant by the use of this phrase as one of the ways people die. In the Greek, it is translated as a separation of soul from the body, which while describes death, certainly doesn’t help by giving a cause. Or does it? Now while I would never claim to be a Greek scholar, does it not make sense that what John is trying to tell us is that some people simply drop dead?
Are we witnessing a dry run for the events in the tribulation? Am I the only one who has read articles lately about someone trying to defuse a potential major war by negotiating a peace? How about the number of conflicts around the world just primed to explode into war? Let’s not forget runaway inflation and a supply chain crisis threatening food shortages on a scale unheard of and famine coming later this year to many parts of the world. Last but not least, the articles about life insurance payouts skyrocketing 258% above normal as people are dying for no reason they can ascertain?
While I would never describe myself as a conspiracy theorist, there is a conspiracy occurring before our very eyes. Satan is preparing this world for his end game and the signs of the rapidly approaching end of the age are all around us. Things are never going to return to “normal”, and Satan has no intention of giving back any of his gains from the past year or two. The only question anyone should ask themselves is am I prepared for Jesus to call His people home? The rapture of the Church precedes the events of the tribulation which simply means we could see it happen at any time.
God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to this earth
for the sole purpose of sacrificing Himself so we can spend eternity with Him
in Heaven. The signs of His imminent return for us are all around
us. If you have never taken the step of accepting this gift of eternal
life, I urge you to do it right now. Simply pray a prayer like this one
and confess to God your need for salvation, and accept the gift He provided for
you by the death and resurrection of His own Son, Jesus Christ.
Jesus
I know I am a sinner. I have sinned against you, but I know you loved me enough
to send your Son, Jesus Christ to die for my sins and then rise from the dead
so that I may live forever with You. Lord forgive me of my sins and come into
my life and help me to begin to live for You. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Keep
watching.
