THE FOUR HORSEMEN OF REVELATION 6 – PART III
Let’s stand together and open our Bibles to Revelation 6, for the third and final part of our series on the “The Four Horsemen of Revelation.”
Revelation 6:5 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. 6 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.” 7When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come and see.” 8 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. NKJV
THE IMPORTANCE OF WHERE WE ARE…
I want to begin this morning by showing you two powerful truths that explains why the world is seeing a massive explosion of signs on a scale never seen before. These two great truths tell us why these signs are not random events. They are happening because they are God’s final message to the world of His mercy and love before judgment.
GOD ALWAYS SENDS WARNINGS
The first great truth of why these massive number of signs are a message of God’s mercy is that God always, always, always… sends warnings before He sends judgment.
Amos 3:7 the Lord GOD does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets. NKJV
From Genesis to Revelation, God has always sent warnings first, before He sends judgment. For example, in our generation, people say “I have been hearing about the return of Jesus Christ for 60 plus years and He hasn’t returned yet.” The truth is, they’re right, but for the wrong reason.
There are many Biblical reasons why the Lord has not returned, yet; but one great reason is because God never sends judgment before He sends warnings. That is a picture of God’s mercy. 75 years ago, when Israel suddenly became a nation, God in His great love, gave the world its first warning shot that we are living in the last days and that judgment was coming.
For 75 years, in His great mercy, God has sent thousands of signs and warnings that the end is near, and yet, for the majority of the world, it’s business as usual… He’s not coming…
In Matthew 24, Jesus listed several signs of divine warnings that reveals we are the final generation that would see the fulfillment of all Bible prophecy and Christ’s return. He said there would be major earthquakes, wars, worldwide famines, pestilences, the worldwide preaching of the gospel, lawlessness, apostasy, false christs and deception, and signs in nature and the heavens. The last time I checked, every one of these signs are happening now, on a massive scale all over the world. These signs are not a coincidence. They are not happening by accident. They are happening because they are God’s warning system of His mercy to the world that the end is near and that judgment is coming. But in spite of the numerous worldwide signs, there is an amazing indifference to God’s warnings.
Not only are these signs a warning that the end is near; they are also a warning that now is the time to repent, and turn to God. For if we do not repent, and if we continue to disregard God’s divine warnings, there will come a day when God’s great patience will be exhausted and the wrath of His judgment will come, and we are drawing very close to that day.
A second profound truth that you must absolutely hear in your heart, is that God has not appointed
His wrath for those who are in Christ and love Him, which means… we will not be on this earth when God releases the four horsemen and His wrath upon the world.
1 Thessalonians 1:10 to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come. NKJV
1 Thessalonians 5:9 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. NKJV
Revelation 3:10 Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. NKJV
These three scriptures clearly reveal a pre-tribulation rapture where God in His awesome grace has promised to deliver those who love Him from His end time wrath. However, the waiting of two thousand years for Christ’s return has lulled the world to sleep, which is why when the Rapture does happen, and it will happen, it will be a shock so great, that it will be like a steel trap closing upon the whole world. In that earth shattering moment, those who have mocked, ridiculed and scorned God’s warnings, will know in that instant, they have been left behind to face a world gone mad with terror, judgment, and death.
It is not God’s desire for anyone to fall under His judgment, which is why in His mercy, He is waiting to give people a chance to be saved. That’s why God’s wrath has not happened, yet, but it’s coming. The warning signs are getting bigger, and stronger, and they are telling us that our time is almost up. Let me put it to you this way; there are warning signs that are happening now that I have never seen in my 40 years of watching. But they are happening, now, in our lifetime. For those who have ears to hear, we can hear the hoofbeats of these four horsemen and as they wait for their moment on the world stage. With this picture in mind, let’s look at these final two horsemen and what they have to say to our generation.
THE THIRD SEAL
Revelation 6:5 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. 6 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.” NKJV
When Jesus opens the third seal, He releases upon the world a black horse which is associated with famine and sorrow. The Greek word for this black horse, describes a horse that is so dark that it has no color, and is like the black darkness in a cave without light. As the world already knows from experience, famine follows war. After the rapture, the world will experience several wars, including a massive world war, that will affect the world’s food supply causing the world to operate on survival mode.
When the black horse is released, John also sees a pair of scales, and then he hears a voice that says, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius…”
In the days of Jesus, a denarius was the standard payment for a day’s wages. The scales are an important clue that shows a picture of the antichrist rationing the world’s food supply. Also, not only does the black horse represent a food shortage, but it is also as a picture of hyperinflation. That means in the early days of the tribulation, the world’s food supply and the world’s economy, will be so bad that it will take a full day’s wages to buy just enough food to sustain the life of one person. Not a family… one person…
There has also been lots of speculation about the phrase, “do not harm the oil and the wine.” Some say this is a reference of the rich being protected from the famine, while the poor suffer. Others say it refers to God’s mercy in the midst of His wrath. Both of these could be right. However, I also think it could also be a reference to Revelation 13:16…
Revelation 13:16 He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, 17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. NKJV
My point is, after the antichrist gains full control, he will say to the starving world, if you want to survive; if you want the oil and wine; you must take my mark and pledge your total allegiance to me. Those who refuse to take his mark will be cut off from buying or selling, and left to starve. But those who take the mark of the beast, will be able to buy and sell for a short time, but in the end, they will pay the ultimate price with their eternal souls.
That brings us to this important point. There is no doubt that we can clearly see the ominous shadows of the black horse looming over the world. The fact that we can now see the shadows of these four horsemen, tell us that we are very close to the rapture of the church, and the world’s final days. Thirty years ago, these signs were not there. But now, in our lifetime, we can see the signs that the Black horse of famine is near. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see there is a grain shortage that is causing food prices to skyrocket, while at the same time, the world is also being hammered by inflation that continues to creep up higher and higher.
There is also a worldwide fertilizer shortage that will have, a direct impact on the world’s food supply. Ukraine is the world’s leading producer of fertilizer and because of the war, fertilizer is not being produced, which will obviously have a direct impact on the world’s food supply. Also…
Jesus said there would be wars, famine, pestilences and earthquakes in various places. These conditions have always played a part in food shortages. But now, they are happening on a massive scale far greater than the world has ever seen.
We are seeing record breaking 1000-year flooding in several parts of the world, while other parts of the world are experiencing 1000-year droughts. In the past two months, there has been a record number of 6.0 earthquakes, along with a record number of erupting volcanoes. All of these events have a huge effect on the world’s food supply, and the closer we come to the tribulation, the greater and more intense these signs will become.
I want to point out, that one or two of these events here and there, would not be a cause for alarm. But these geological events are happening on a scale never before seen in world history, and they are increasing with frequency and intensity. For me personally, that one factor alone, is a major sign we are living in the days of end time Bible prophecy.
THE FOURTH SEAL
Revelation 6:7 When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come and see.” 8 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. NKJV
The fourth horse is a horse of a much different color. Our English translation says this is a pale horse, but the original Greek renders this horse as a pale, sickly green color of a decomposing body. Also in verse 8, I see the possibility of two horses, one, which is a sickly green horse of death, and another horse called hell, that follows very closely behind him. The ultimate authority of these two riders called death and hell, is to fulfill God’s divine wrath to kill ¼ of the world’s population with the sword, hunger, and the beast of the earth.
Get this picture in your mind. There are about 8 billion people on planet earth. Let’s say 1 billion people are caught up in the rapture. (I hope it’s more than that!) Then after the rapture, about another billion people die from Magog War, and from killings and world war of the first and second horse. That would leave about 6 billion people, and ¼ of 6 billion, would mean that another 1.5 billion people are killed by the fourth horse of death and hell.
That means at least 2.5 billion people, or about 40 plus percent of the world’s population will be die between the day of the rapture, and the early part of the tribulation. That’s is why I preach these truths, and call you to give your life to Christ now, before the rapture.
Listen again to what John says about the rider behind the pale horse of death…
Revelation 6:8 I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. NKJV
The word “death” in verse 8 means more than just when a person dies. It is the Greek word “Thanatos,” that describes the separation of the soul from the body when the soul is condemned to hell. The point is, the mission of this pale-green horse is to kill people and… to send their souls to hell. That’s why hades followed so close behind this pale horse of death.
Hell followed with him… Let those words sink in. I humbly apologize that I don’t have the time to fully pounce on this thought, but I want you to clearly hear this… hell is a real place.
Hell is a real place, and it is God’s great desire that no one perish in hell.
Listen to John 3:16… For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. NKJV
Capture the words… Should not perish… You don’t perish in heaven; you perish in hell.
Jesus believed in hell. Paul believed in hell. Even the demons believe and are terrified of hell. But what is so sad, is that most people never give a single thought to their eternal destiny, and yet, for many people, hell will be their final stopping place in eternity.
Jesus said in John 3:17… For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world through Him might be saved.
Hear this clearly; God’s desires to save you. He is not saving you from the glory of His perfect kingdom. He is saving you from an eternity in hell and its unspeakable horrors.
Let’s look at this from another angle. The tribulation that is about to come upon the whole world is far more terrible than I have the ability to describe, but, as bad as the tribulation will be, and it will be really bad, hell is infinitely far worse than anything that will ever happen in the tribulation. And if you are afraid of the coming tribulation, then how much more should you be afraid of hell?
If you miss the rapture, there’s at least a 50% chance you will die within a few years, if not before, and if you die without Jesus Christ, you will endure the terrors of hell forever. That’s why now is the time to give your life to Christ, because only Jesus Christ can save you!
IN CLOSING
In closing, why should we care about the signs of the four horsemen? Jesus said…
Mark 13:29 when you see these things happening, know that it is near—at the doors! NKJV
For those who have eyes to see, and ears to hear, we can see this day approaching. We can hear their pounding hoofbeats. That’s exactly why Jesus said… when you see these things, know that the time of His return is near. When Jesus opens the seals and releases the four horsemen, they will sprint across the world, bringing wars and famine and the perishing of so many souls that it staggers our minds.
But glory to God, for those who are in Christ, and love Christ, we will not see one single day of the tribulation. Very soon, the trumpet call of Christ will sound, and the church will be immediately removed from this sinful earth into His glorious presence.
But… for those who reject Jesus Christ, they will face a world that Jesus said will be the worst time in human history and very few will survive. That’s why God’s signs are a warning to the world that great and terrible tribulation is coming, and that now is the time to be saved.
How do you miss the tribulation? The only way to miss the coming tribulation is to be born again, which means to be born spiritually, by believing that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the only way of Salvation.
John 3:36 He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son
shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” NKJV
If you do not believe in Jesus Christ, then you are destined for God’s wrath. Believing in Jesus Christ is absolutely the only way to miss the horrific events that are coming to planet earth. But glory to God! What a blessing it is, for those who are born again in Jesus Christ, because we will not see one single day of the tribulation.
Even So, Come Lord Jesus!
Romans 10 shows us how this works…
Romans 10:9 if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him
will not be put to shame." NKJV
If you have read these words from your heart, and you choose to believe in Jesus Christ for salvation, then know that today, your name has been written in the book of life.
