The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, usually referred to as the Four Horsemen are figures in Christian faith, appearing in the New Testament's final book, Revelation, written by John of Patmos. They are also mentioned in the Old Testament's prophetic Book of Zechariah, and in the Book of Ezekiel, where they are named as punishments from God.
Revelation 6, tells of a scroll in God's right hand that is sealed with seven seals and of a lamb who opens the first four of the seven seals. To Zechariah, they are described as "the ones whom the Lord has sent to patrol the earth" causing it to rest quietly. Ezekiel lists them as "sword, famine, wild beasts, and plague."
As in John's revelation, the first horseman is on a white horse, carrying a bow, and given a crown, riding forward as a figure of Conquest. Some also view this horseman as Christ, or the Antichrist. The second carries a sword and rides a red horse. He is the creator of War and horror. The third is a food merchant riding upon a black horse, symbolizing Famine. The fourth and final horse is pale green, and upon it rides death accompanied by Haydees. "They were given authority over a quarter of the earth, to kill with sword, famine, and plague, and by means of the beasts of the earth."
The Four Horsemen are to set a divine end time upon the world as harbingers of the Last Judgment. When the seal was opened by the lamb, the first to emerge is the “white horse”, also called as the “white rider”. In revelation 6: 1 - 2, it reads:
“Then I saw when the Lamb broke one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, "Come." I looked, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.”
The white horseman is thought to carry a bow. There are many interpretations to the white horseman. Some viewing him as goodness and some viewing him as evil. Irenaeus, an influential Christian theologian of the 2nd century, was among the first to interpret this Horseman as Christ himself, his white horse representing the successful spread of the gospel. Various scholars have since supported this notion, citing the later appearance, in Revelation 19, of Christ mounted on a white horse, appearing as The Word of God.
The color white also tends to represent righteousness in the Bible, and Christ is in other instances portrayed as a conqueror. Besides Christ, the Horseman could represent the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was understood to have come upon the Apostles at Pentecost after Jesus' departure from Earth. The appearance of the Lion in Revelation 5 shows the triumphant arrival of Jesus in Heaven, and the first Horseman could represent the sending of the Holy Spirit by Jesus and the advance of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
C.F. Wimpel, first brought forward the hypothesis that he is the Antichrist. With the help of many other scholars the concept manages to exist until today. At present, this concept is now spreading throughout the world mainly through evangelical churches. Under another interpretation, the first Horseman is called Pestilence, and is associated with infectious disease and plague. But it is not known how the interpretation emerged. In Revelation 6:7-8 it reads:
“They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine, plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.”
It is this passage that backs the concept of the first horseman carrying a plague. However, it is a matter of debate as to whether this passage refers to the fourth rider only, or to the four riders as a whole. He was believed at his back swung the brass quiver filled with poisoned arrows, containing the germs of all diseases. While his horse continued galloping, he will bend his bow in order to spread pestilence.
The depiction of the second horseman in described in Revelation 6:3-4.
“When He broke the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, "Come." And another, a red horse, went out; and to him who sat on it, it was granted to take peace from Earth, and that men would slay one another; and a great sword was given to him.”
The red horseman often taken to represent War or mass slaughter. He is often pictured holding a sword upwards as though ready for battle. The color red, as well as the rider's possession of a great sword, suggests blood that is to be spilled. The depiction of this horse clearly shows destruction and violence and not by any means be misunderstood for goodness. So there is almost no contradiction to the role of the horseman as that of the white horseman.
Some consider the second horseman as a warrior, more specifically a roman warrior, and that he represents the persecution of Christians.
“When He broke the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, "Come." I looked, and behold, a black horse; and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard something like a voice in the center of the four living creatures saying, "A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; but do not damage the oil and the wine.”
Which is found in Revelation 6:5-6. He is the only horseman of the four horsemen who actually speaks to John. He rides a black horse and is popularly understood to be Famine as the Horseman carries a pair of balances or weighing scales, indicating the way that bread would have been weighed during a famine.
Other authors interpret the third Horseman as the "Lord as a Law-Giver" holding Scales of Justice. John hears a voice, unidentified but coming from among the four living creatures, that speaks of the prices of wheat and barley, also saying "and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine". This suggests that the black horse's famine is to drive up the price. One explanation for this is that grain crops would have been more naturally susceptible to famine years or locust plagues than olive trees and grapevines, which root more deeply. of grain but leave oil and wine supplies unaffected.
The statement might also suggest a continuing abundance of luxuries for the wealthy while staples, such as bread, are scarce, though not totally depleted; such selective scarcity may result from injustice and the deliberate production of luxury crops for the wealthy over grain, as would have happened during the time Revelation was written. Alternatively, the preservation of oil and wine could symbolize the preservation of the Christian faithful, who use oil and wine in their sacraments.
Like all other horsemen, John also describe the forth and the final horseman emerged when the seal was opened. It is said in Revelation 6:7-8,
“When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, "Come." I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name Death; and Hades was following with him. Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth.”
The forth horseman is called Death. Of all the riders, he is the only one to whom the text itself explicitly gives a name. Unlike the other three, he is not described carrying a weapon or other object, instead he is followed by Haydees which in christian beliefs is a state of place of departed spirits, and not the greek god of the underworld. However, illustrations commonly depict him carrying a scythe like the Grim Reaper, sword, or other implement of the similar type. The color of Death's horse is written as khlÅros, which can mean either greenish-yellow or pale.
Death may be the most mysterious of the horsemen given that he doesn't have much of a description. In fact the only thing that is really described about him is his horse which is pale which many may attribute to the color of a corpse. Death's role appears to be quite obvious. He is there to either kill or to collect the souls of the dead.
There are different variations to this story and for the riders. Some who believe the scriptures describes only four horses, not four horsemen, and that Jesus Christ rides them. There are those who believe the prophecy is already fulfilled in the first century of Christian history. And some believe the Seals will be opened during the Great Tribulation, which is a period mentioned by Jesus in the Olivet Discourse as a sign that would occur in the time of the end. This will coincides with the arrival of the Antichrist as the first horseman, a global war as the second horseman, an economic collapse as the third horseman, and the general die off of 1/4 of the World's population as the fourth horseman, which is followed by a global dictatorship under the Antichrist and the rest of the plagues.
Some equate the Four Horsemen with the angels of the four winds. These angels are Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, and Uriel, who are often associated with four cardinal directions. According to Anatoly Fomenko, the Book of Revelation is largely astrological in nature. The 'Four Horsemen' represent the planets Mercury, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. These interpretations are less violent and terrifying than the previous interpretations.
What do you guys think of this story? Do you think the four horsemen have already arrived, or yet to come?
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