I used to take the view that the four horsemen of Revelation 6:1-8 symbolize the Antichrist’s reign of terror.
Entering the world on a white horse in the name of peace, he comes to conquer. The red horse depicts the bloodshed of war. The black horse depicts famine. The pale horse, a mixture of all the colors, represents the death of one-fourth of the world’s population as a result of Antichrist’s conquests. Now this is what I had taught and I am now changing my view.
In my book the Seat of the Antichrist, I point out that the Nazi flag was red, white, and black, and both the swastika and the circle are satanic symbols. Hitler declared that these colors formed “the most brilliant harmony in existence.” Red and black are also the symbolic colors for Satanism. The verse that stood out to me that I missed is a very important phrase in verse 4 concerning the red horse and it states, “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.
What I missed was the piece that states and people would kill one another. This is not exactly talking about the people that the Antichrist is going to kill, but people one to another, their murders and their bloodshed.
It says it was given to him a great sword.I realized this was not the Antichrist’s conquests, but what Jesus said about nation rising against nation and kingdom against kingdom. I did a little research and I found other theologians who actually hold this view. I came to realize that the four horsemen are talking about the first half of the Tribulation.
Many of us give coverage to the second half of the Tribulation: the Great Tribulation because it’s so horrific. We mistakenly give the impression that the first half is very peaceful. Well not according to the four horseman passage. According to Bible Prophecy, the first half starts out with nation rising against nation, kingdom against kingdom, and people one against another.
Thus the increased violence that leads the world into the Tribulation will increase immediately after the Tribulation begins. The difference is that God gives them over to more violence as one of the first plagues of the Tribulation. This was done in Egypt, their gods became their plagues.
The four horsemen are talking about the first half of the Tribulation. Immediately at the start of the Tribulation the Antichrist arrives to conquer. We are told in Daniel that he accomplishes his aims. For he will prosper and thrive At the beginning of the Tribulation the prince on the white horse arrives on the scene and comes to conquer. Meanwhile peace is taken from the earth and men start killing one another and kingdom rises against kingdom and nation against nation and this means wars will be taking place all over the globe.
A war may break out on US soil. This can be civil war, maybe all the threats from North Korea, the Islamic State or Russia. It could come from anywhere, but we, I can almost tell you that there will be something that will also occur on US soil or with the US because nation rises against nation and kingdom against kingdom. The perilous times of 2 Timothy will officially be ushered in. We are already seeing the times of 2 Timothy fulfilled, but it’s going to get far worse, which we know from this verse in the Tribulation. We are already seeing society becoming so unbelievably sinful and violent, which Jesus predicted.
The EU will enter into some of these conflicts if they effect their interests. Think of how war works, when a nation goes to war with another nation, you have other nations that are allies,other nations that will join the war if their interests are effected. The Antichrist and the European Union will become involved in some of these conflicts. It will be to the Antichrist’s best interests, just as when the US gets involved in a conflict it is to the US’s best interests. According to Bible Prophecy, in the course of all of these wars is famine in part brought on by the wars and also via the weather patterns, which have now gone up notches from before the start of the Tribulation. The severe weather we are experiencing is going to even increase further and grow more severe at the start of the Tribulation. Famine will also become widespread because it is one of the first Tribulation plagues. We see from the four horsemen that men also die because of the beasts of the field so even the animals get in on the picture and are not the same. Animals that normally do not kill humans will kill them.
I reported on a story about a beaver that killed a man. As I was reading this I thought “my goodness what if we hear something like a bunny rabbit or some other gentle or small animal attacking? It may sound funny, but during the Tribulation even the animals will not be acting in the normal scope of their behavior.
We might see the Russian invasion of Israel at the very start of the Tribulation or before the start. I will be going into depth on this invasion in an upcoming Magi report. The Antichrist is already in position when this invasion takes place and the treaty marks the beginning of the Tribulation period. The Russian invasion can also be part of this war climate.
The four horsemen are part of the first half of the Tribulation and by midway through the Tribulation one fourth of the world’s population die from these horsemen. In the Revelation is not the only place in Scripture we see the horsemen. In the Bible spiritual horses always come with judgement. We see the horsemen in Zechariah 1:8-11, only the horses are red, sorrel and white. A man rides on one and they are sent to walk to and fro through the earth and the earth was resting quietly. Why did God send the horses because He was about to bring Judgment onto the “nations at ease” that scattered Israel. These nations that were resting quietly after they attacked Israel. The four horsemen of Revelation are fiery red, white, black and pale and these horses bring specific riders with them who bring various plagues to the earth.
In Revelation 9:16, we see an entire army of 200 million horses with riders bringing in another plague, which I discussed in the last episode. In Revelation 19 is the final horse bringing judgement, and its Jesus riding a white horse and He is accompanied by His army of believers following Him on white horses. In this appearance Jesus is coming to strike the nations with a rod of iron and tread the winepress of the fierceness of God’s wrath (Rev. 19:15). When we see heavenly horses in the Bible we see judgment coming. When God sends a heavenly horse He is sending judgment. The final heavenly horse that we see in the Bible is Jesus coming in judgement.
While I used to hold the view that many in Bible Prophecy hold that the four horsemen of Revelation signifie the bloodshed wrought by the Antichrist’s wars, rather I now hold the view that the four horsemen continues the birth pangs and brings wars of nation against nation, kingdom against kingdom and person against person. As I stated I do believe the Antichrist will get involved in these wars in the same way the US had involved itself in conflicts to promote its aim and agenda.
In Revelation we have the marching of the army of 200 million and I believe this is the Antichrist’s army and from his army 1/3 of mankind will be killed. So of the 5 and a quarter to a half a billion that are left after the four horsemen, another third die via his army which brings the earth’s population to 2 ½ to 3 billion. We do not know how many will be killed by all of the other plagues and it is hard to guess so even this number is going to be reduced.
Jesus compared the time of the end to the days of Noah and Lot in their violence and immorality. Daniel tells us that sin will abound. We are already seeing so much unprecedented violence that it is seems like it is becoming the new norm. One of the first plagues God inflicts on the earth is that He takes peace from it. So I want to emphasize the four horsemen of the Revelation lets us know that one of the first plagues is peace is taken from the earth. In the Exodus when God judged Egypt the plagues that he brought onto Egypt were the very idols they worshiped. The Bible tells us that with the idols come plagues. At the start of the Tribulation God will give society more of the violence that marks them. He’s going to let them have their idol as a plague in the same way He inflicted Egypt with their idols.
Immediately after the Rapture all chaos hits, and with it will also come famine Food prices will rise and the fight for food will no doubt lend to the violence and lack of peace on the earth. The famine will result from war, and the escalation of droughts and other natural disasters via the hand of God. As terrible as all of this is, it hits a higher crescendo at the midpoint of the Tribulation when the earth is literally slaughtered with wars and natural disasters of epic proportions that end in the battle of Armageddon and the final destruction of the earth.