Who are the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse?

Who are the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and what do they represent? What are the signs that they have arrived?

I think the first thing to do is try my best to quote the original passages of Revelations that introduce the four horsemen of the apocalypse. This is from the public domain King James version of the bible (sourced directly from www.biblegateway.com)

Here goes:

Revelation 6

1- 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.

2- 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.

3- And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see.

4- 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.

5- 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.

6- 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.

7- And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.

8- 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.

Ok, so now we see the introduction of the 4 horsemen of the apocalypse. Let's try to delve a little further into what this is all about...Again, I am not an expert...but I do have opinions!

The first horse is seen as a WHITE horse. It's rider has a bow and is given a crown. He goes forth "conquering, and to conquer."

The second horse is seen as a red horse, his rider is given power to take peace from earth...and to make "they" kill one another. He is given a great sword.

The third horse is seen as a black horse, his rider carrying a pair of balances in his hand. Interestingly the beasts speak upon his arrival about the prices for wheat and barley and provide instructions for him to "see thou hurt not the oil and the wine."

The fourth horse is seen as a pale horse and his rider is named. Death rides this horse and is accompanied by Hell who follows along behind. Power is given to Death and Hell to "kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth" over one fourth of the earth.

The interpretations of these passages are many and vary widely. I will attempt to capture as many of them as I can, but I think you will see that interpreting the meaning of the four horsemen of the apocalypse will ultimately be up to you...

Lets focus some more on the four horsemen of the apocalypse:

1st Horseman- White horse, has a crown and bow, the power to conquer. This horseman seems to be the most controversial.

White seems to represent the goodness and is seen to be associated with the Holy Spirit throughout the bible. So the fact that this horseman is on a white horse (not to mention the crown- a clear symbol of royalty) seems to show that this is a righteous horseman. The bow also seems to represent victory- something that cannot be obtained without rightness of action.

Directly contradicting this is the later arrival of Jesus on a white horse who is also wearing a crown...but the crown is SIGNIFICANTLY different from the one that the first horseman wears. Clearly the first four horsemen of the apocalypse are associated together as being sent by God to issue his punishments. If this is true, then the explanation is this must be a false prophet of some sort- one who is dressed in white, adorned with a crown, and carrying the symbol of victory (a bow).

Some see this as the anti-christ. He is a false prophet (dressed in white and adorned with a crown) who goes out ahead of the others to spread disinformation and to conquer the word of god. He is seen in the light of the other three as a punishment from God sent to issue his wrath. Others see this as Jesus or the spirit who spreads the word of God only to be followed by the three who then dismantle his good deeds. (the sign being that in the end, Gods word will spread significantly just prior to the start of the end).

Names: "Conquest", "Pestilence", "Anti-christ", "false prophet"

2nd Horseman- Red horse, has a sword, the power to take peace from earth and to make men kill each other.

Pretty much every interpretation of this character seems to be the same- he represents WAR. He is clearly strong- carries a "great sword"...something that represents strength and power. This horseman is responsible for strife and fighting, not only does he kill, he incites others to kill each other. Other versions of the bible represent this as a "firey red" horse. The red color is seen to represent blood, fire to represent conflict.

Names: "War", "Conflict"

3rd Horseman- Black horse, carries a pair of balances, associated with famine. This is a very interesting one in that special instructions are given to him indicating that he is to curtail his powers and that his mission requires him to utilize discretion.

Some see his scales and instructions combined as say that he represents commerce gone bad (read Capitalism). Others key in on the instructions he is given and see that his job is to "affect" the food supplies but leave the luxury items (oil and wine) alone... meaning destroy the food supply- famine.

Names: "Famine", "Pestilence", "Disease"

4th Horseman- Pale horse (Pale Green in some translations, Ashen in others), Explicitly names (Death), some people associate him with a scythe, has a follower also specifically named "Hell" (or "Hades" in other translations) and kills with the sword, with famine, disease, and the beasts of the earth.

The name Death is not disputed it seems but his follower's purpose is. Either "Hell" is there to carry away the souls of those Death kills or he is there to make earth an environment like Hell.

Names: "Death"

The four horsemen of the apocalypse appear as each of the first four seals are broken by the lamb deemed worthy. In one way these symbolize the first four signs of the beginning of the end. Remember that this is joyous times as those who have aligned themselves correctly will be spared and will share in the glory of the kingdom of peace to come.

If the biblical prophecy of the revelation apocalypse is to truly come then we should see the signs of these four horsemen of the apocalypse. Arrival of a false prophet who conquers followed by war and conflict, followed by famine and finally death. See these and know that the four horsemen of the apocalypse have arrived.

Ok, I am sure that there are MANY people out there who have STRONG convictions about these passages in the Bible. I am sure that in some way I have stated something here that is in direct conflict with their beliefs. I must say that I am not here to incite anger or strife...I am merely attempting to capture the different interpretations of the four horsemen of the apocalypse I have found. If you have a strong point you must make, feel free to contact me via the "contact us directly" page.

Be Good!

Curt

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