Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

Summary

The Apocalypse of John, commonly referred to as the the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, is contained in Chapter 6, verses 1-8 in the Book of Revelations, the last book of the New Testament. The identify of its author is not known, other than the fact that his name is known as John. Many believe that it is referring to the same John that wrote the gospel of John. Other scholars disagree. Regardless of who wrote it, it is commonly regarded as a story about the end times of the world and the destruction of mankind still to come, or, according to other scholars, it describes events that have already taken place during the time of the Roman Empire.

The word "apocalypse" comes from the Greek word "apocalupsis" which in English means "revealing, disclosure, to take off the cover". Apocalyptic literature is further defined as that literature that uses symbols, images, and numbers to depict future events. Outside of the Book of Revelation, examples of apocalyptic literature in the Bible are Daniel chapters 7-12, Isaiah chapters 24-27, Ezekiel chapters 37-41, and Zechariah chapters 9-12

The The Four Horseman are described as four different riders on four different horses of different colors —White, Red, Black, and Pale. Due to the symbolic language, it is not possible to definitively state its intended intepretation, although there are several, which is discussed in this article.

This last book of the New Testament is the only biblical book that is entirely composed of apocalyptic literature. Because of the difficultires of interpreting the meaning of this book, and the perceived danger for abuse, many bishops argued against including this book in the New Testament canon when the books of the New Testament were being assembled. In the end it was accepted as cannon, but it remains as the only book of the New Testament that is not read within the Divine Liturgy of the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Authorship

There is no consensus as to who is the author, other than the fact that his name is referred to as “John”. The majority of scholars claim that it was written by an exile named John during the persecution by Emperor Domitian (A.D. 81–96), identified as the same person as John the apostle, the author of the Gospel of John. However, other scholars speculate that John the Apostle, John the Evangelist, and John of Patmos refer to at least three separate individuals, and that the book was written at an earlier date, AD 68 or 69, in the reign of Nero or shortly thereafter. Those who favor the later date appeal to the testimony of the Christian father Irenaeus (AD 185) who received information about this book from those who claim to have seen John face to face during the time of Domitian's reign (A.H.5.30.3). The majority of evidence has been used to place it under Domitian, who perrsecuted Christians that were unwilling to engage in emperor worship, as evidence of their allegiance to him. Christians, for whom there was only one God, refused to participate in this idolatry, and therefore suffered persecution in the form of arrest, loss of possessions, economic boycott, and in many cases, death.

Although the personal identity of John is not known, it is certain that the Book of Revelation was written from the small isle of Patmos, a small island in the Aegean Sea about thirty-seven miles south and west of Miletus, on the western coast of what is present-day Turkey. This area was one of the most important areas in the development of early Christianity, and it is frequently mentioned in the various letters attributed to apostle Paul.

An Overview of The Horses and Their Riders

White Horse

The first horseman is described as riding on a white horse: "I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest." Many interpret this verse to mean that the first horseman refers to the antichrist, who as an imitator of Christ, will obtain earthly authority and use it to conquer those who oppose him. (Revelation 19:11-16). It should be noted that while the rider of the white horse is often interpreted as the Antichrist, he is not named such in the Book of Revelation.

File:Duerer-apocalypse.png

Woodcut of the Four Horsemen by Albrecht Dürer

Opinions differ on whether the first horseman, riding the white horse represents the Antichrist or False Prophet, on the one hand, or a Godly monarch, in some way reflecting Jesus, Who later on in the Apocalypse shows all the same details, plus signs of personal Deity. Among protestants, the popular consensus is that he is the Antichrist, with the seemingly peaceful work of the Antichrist seen in the first half of his rule somehow being shown in this rider (however, this requires dissecting the rider in a way the passage mentioning him does not). There is, in service to this idea, an emphasis on the lack of arrows mentioned where the bow used for conquering is brought up. However, the Greek word for the crown he wears is "Στέφανος (Stephanos|Stéphanos)," the very name of the first Christian Martyr, and also the crown awarded to all Martyrs by Jesus, as well as worn by the 24 Elders mentioned in the same Apocalypse. It is clearly not said that the rider acts in his own interest, and he is significantly not said to wear a crown of royalty (Greek "Διάδημα (diadem (personal wear)|Diádēma)") which we would expect Christ to wear - which is consistent with not possessing the presumption of Antichrist, but the humility of one acting as an agent of the Lord Himself. He, unlike the little horn that is generally interpreted as Antichrist in some way, is not described as boasting, nor as wearing blasphemous names or titles, to contradict what is written on Jesus' thigh when He returns with the Armies of Heaven on a White Horse.

Historically, the view of the rider of the white horse as having some connection with Christ is the general one, with the contrary view arising late in Christian history, among fringe thinkers, then among protestants, soon afterward. Even among this minority there has been some residual remembrance of the ancient view, as evinced even among Jonathan Edwards, among others.

Arguments against this horseman representing Christ include the release of each horsemen due to the opening of a seal opened by Christ and the unambiguous description of his return in Revelation 19:11-16. An argument that it might be Christ states that the Horsemen represent events which happen in specific time, as the seals represent things that should be opened in specific time.

However, it is not a matter of either Christ Himself being this rider, or it having to be none other than Antichrist. It is most logical to recognize the rider as one riding in service of Christ. After the victories of this rider, the Saints have enough authority over enough nations for the later appearing Antichrist to have to physically and militarily go to war with them to overcome them. That they are then said to endure as Saints, thus not being spiritually defeated, pinpoints none other than a temporary defeat for the Saints that is in warfare. Only by subduing the world as left by the rider on the white horse - only by defeating the Saints, without overcoming their spirits - does the Antichrist dominate the world. In Daniel chapter 7, we see the little horn described, who there also is said to overcome the Saints, only to later be defeated and destroyed by the Saints in their later battle victory.

Mars

of Roman mythology and the Ares of Greek mythology.

The third horseman is described as riding on a black horse: “...and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, ‘A quart of wheat for a day's wages, and three quarts of barley for a day's wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!’” This third horseman is generally used to mean that a great famine will take place in some future period of time (or it has already taken place), likely as a result of the wars from the second horseman. Food will be scarce, but luxuries such as wine and oil will still be readily available. (Rev. 6:5-6)

Black Horse

The third horseman, riding the black horse, is popularly called Famine or Pestilence. The black color of the third horse could be a symbol of famine. Its rider was holding a weighing scale, which could mean scarcity of food, higher prices, and famine, which was likely a result of the wars from the second horseman. Food will be scarce, but luxuries such as wine and oil will still be readily available, or the rich will be well-off, but the poor will suffer.

Pale Horse

The fourth horseman (on the pale, or sickly horse, which may be the source of the notion of "pestilence" as a separate horseman) is explicitly named Death. Although Death is popularly represented carrying a scythe, this is not mentioned in the original text.

The Greek word interpreted here as "pale" is elsewhere in the New Testament translated as "green." The horse is sometimes translated as "pale," "pale green," or "green." The pale greenish color of the fourth horse could mean fear, sickness, decay, and death.

The fourth horseman is described as riding on a place horse: "I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth." The fourth horseman is generally interprted to mean that death and devastation that came as a result of the famine that took place as a result of the black horse that was described in the preceding verse. This fourth horseman will bring further warfare and terrible famines with plagues and diseases.(Rev. 6:8). (Note: the word used to describe the color of the 'pale' horse is the Greek word chloros or green. It is meant to convey the sickly green tinge of the deathly ill or recently dead. Since the literal translation 'green' does not carry these connotations in English the word is rendered 'pale' in most English translations)

Horses and their riders

In summary, the horses and their riders as described in the Bible are as follows:

Horse	Horse Represents	Rider	Power	Rider Represents	Original Greek Description
White	Victory; Pure Warfare	Carries a bow, wears a crown	Conquest	The Antichrist	ίππος λευκός (híppos leukós), [The] White Horse
Red	Blood spilled on the battlefield	Carries a sword	War	War	ίππος πυρρός (híppos purrós), [The] Fiery Red Horse
Black	Desolation	Carries scales	Famine, Persecution	Injustice to the poor and scarcity of food	ίππος μέλας (híppos mélas), [The] Black Horse
Pale	Paleness of skin in death, decay	Followed by Hell	Kills by war, hunger, plagues, etc.	Death	ίππος χλωρός, θάνατος (híppos khlōrós, thánatos), [The] Pale Green Horse, [named] Death

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Interpretations

There are 4 basic schools of thought on how the Book of Revelations is to be interpreted. These diverse interpretations make it virtually impossible to arrive at a precise understanding.

Preterist view

Preterism holds that the contents of the Book of Revelation constitute a prophecy of events that were fulfilled in the 1st century.

This view sees Armageddon as God's judgment on the Jews, carried out by the Roman army, which is identified as "the beast". Some see the second half of Revelation as dealing with Rome, and its persecution of Christians and the fall of the Roman Empire.

Within Preterism there is a view known as partial Preterism, which dsplits end-times prophecy into multiple parts. Under this view, part of the Book of Revelation is literal while other parts are symbolic.

Futurist view

This view believes that the Book of Revelation is a prophecy of future events, but will occur shortly before the second coming of Christ. Futurist interpretations generally predict a resurrection of the dead and a rapture of the living, where all "true" Christians and those who have not yet reached an age of accountability are gathered to Christ at the time God's kingdom comes on earth.

Historicist view

The historical view regards the prophecy in Revelateion as in the process of fulfillment. That is, it is spanning a time period from the end of the first century through the second coming of Christ.

Under this view, historical interpretations apply the symbols of Revelation to the gradual division and collapse of the Roman Empire, the emergence of a divided Europe in the West and a Muslim empire in the East, and the collapse of the Eastern Empire while Europe attempts to reunite and recreate the Roman Empire. According to historical interpretations, the second coming of Christ occurs about the time that a partly reunited Europe starts to wage war against Israel. This view is held mainly by Fundamentalist Protestant Christians.

Historical interpretations see the expansion of the Church, despite its persecution. However, the world would gradually evolve into an apostate system in which true Christians would be a persecuted minority. This apostate system is associated with an Antichrist system which exists for much of history rather than expecting a single Antichrist in the last days.

Spiritual or Idealist view

The Spiritual view, also called Idealist view by some writers, does not see the contents of the Book of Revelation as predicting specific events in history. Rather it sees the visions as expressing eternal spiritual truths and struggles without any literal or historical application. The Book of Revelation,like all scriptures, bears several levels of meaning, which range from a strict and literal interpretation, to those who believe in a level of understanding dealing with a spiritual reality and heavenly worship that cannot be understood and interpreted solely by the intellect.

The Relationship of the Four Horsemen to the Book of Zechariah

Four sets of horses are similiarly depicted in Chapter 6, verses 1-8 in the Book of Zechariah, the second to last Book in the Old Testament. Zechariah's writings are filled with Messianic references and passages that deal with the end of times, as was understood at that particular period of time. Zechariah is quoted in the Book of Revelation more than any other book in the Old Testament. The first nine chapters of Zechariah are considered apocalyptic like the Book of Revelation. This Old Testament writing is also quoted frequently by many other New Testament authors. The verses in Zechariah are sometimes used to determine whether or not the rider of the white horse in the Book of Revelation is the Antichrist. In Zechariah, all of the horse and riders are servants of the Lord. If these are the same four horses and riders as the Four Horsemen, this would suggest that rider of the white horse in the Book of Revelation is not the Antichrist, and possibily that the Four Horsemen in the Book of Revelation is an adaptation of the Book of Zechariah.

The text in the book of Zechariah (Zech 6:1-7) reads as follows: (Revised Standard Version)

"1. And again I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, four chariots came out from between two mountains; and the mountains were mountains of bronze. 2. The first chariot had red horuses, the second black horses. 3. The third white horses, and the forth chariot dappled gray horses. 4. Then I said to the angel who talked to me, "What are these, my lord? 5. And the angel answered me, "These are going forth to the four winds of heaven, after presenting themselves before the Lord of all the earth. 6. The chariot with the black horses goes towards the north country, the white ones go toward the west country, and the dappled ones go toward the south county. 7. When the steeds came out, they were impatient to get off and patrol the earth. And he said, "Go, patrol the earth. So they partolled the earth". 8. Then he cried to me, "Behold , those who go toward the north country have set my Spirit at rest in the north country".

Note: In the King James version, the color of the fourth horse is described as "grisled and bay". Matthew Henry, in his Commentary, states that the traditional interpretation given to his this passage was that the four chariots, drawn by horses, each with a different color, represented four different monarchies: the Babylonbian monarcy, the Persian monarcy, the Grecians, and the Romans. However, Henry had a different opinion: He believed that the vision represented the administration of the kingdom of Providence in the government of this "lower" world. The fact that there are so many conflicting interpreatations underscores the inability to have a consensus on how to interpret this particular passage in Zechariah and the Book of Revelations.

Notes

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