Part II- The Four Horseman.

After Christ appears to St. John on the island of Patmos a door appears before him and he is instructed to check out the heavenly goings on. At this point he is said to be “in the spirit” making it clear that he is indeed physically still on Patmos but has now entered a trance like state... the vision he experiences is indeed awesome. It would be a mistake of the highest order to interpret this vision as anything but a symbol for a heavenly court... it is clear from the scriptures that God is incorporeal and cannot sit. This is therefore a symbolic representation of the order of the Universe. The images employed here would have been familiar to both the Jewish and Gentile Christians.

A note about visions in general. Religious visions and experiences are fairly common in all religious traditions. In the mystery religions of the Greek pagans that were very popular at the time of this writing it was very common to combine opium and a hallucinogenic substance call ergot, a mold that grows on barley and wheat, into a drink. The effect of this drink is not unlike an intense LSD trip with a subtle mellow “glow” and could certainly produce a state of religious euphoria. As one who has experimented with LSD I can testify to the similarities between my own state of tripping balls to that of St. John's vision... but this theory is not proven and I offer it only as an idea to consider.

...there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne. Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God. Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.

In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle...

The four living creatures are mentioned in the prophecy of Ezekiel, however the origins are not Jewish. Please note that the Prophet Ezekiel wrote during the time of the Jewish captivity in Babylon and would have been familiar with the Babylonian zodiac. The four faces: a lion, an ox, a man and an eagle were the symbols used for the astrological signs Leo, Taurus, Aquarius and Scorpio respectively (the symbol for Scorpio has changes from ancient time from an eagle to a scorpion). These signs were the middle signs in the four quarters of the zodiac and were representative of the four directions; north, south, east and west and also the four basic elements; earth, air, water and fire. A sea of glass represents the power of God, at the time glass was very expensive and only the very rich and powerful could afford it. That God's throne was on a sea of glass calls to mind the majesty of the One Who Sits On The Throne.

Note also the arraignment of this heavenly scene and how it resembles the arrangement of the zodiac. In the center is God sitting on a throne surrounded by 24 elders. 24 is 12+12 which would be the 12 signs and the 12 houses this also calls to mind the 12 patriarchs and the 12 apostles. Also the seven lamps recall the seven planets that rule the zodiac... In the Revelation the seven planets are represented as lamps (because the 7 planets are lamps in the sky) and called the Seven Spirits of God. (at the time only seven planets were known) Both the elders and the four living creatures endlessly praise the one who sits on the throne which is meant to show that the one who sits on the throne has dominion over all of creation. The thunder and lightning recall Mt. Sinai where Moses received the law of God. This vision is of the heavenly court room and what St. John is about to witness is judgment being handed down by the judge. The sentence is written in a scroll with seven seals that the Judge hold in his right hand... Yet nobody is worthy to open the scroll and execute the holy will of the judge.

This causes St. John some distress and he weeps at the prospect that the will of God may be thwarted... but alas! There is ONE who is worthy to break the seals and execute God's will... this one is represented in the vision as a Lamb that had been slain and it is clearly a reference to Christ. Also this description of Christ as a lamb with seven horns and seven eyes lends credence to the proposition that this entire scene is a symbolic vision and not the literal dwelling of God for Christ is not to be understood as a literal lamb...that is just stupid. Note that the lamb is located on the throne with God signifying his unity with God.

At this time the lamb begins to break the seals one at a time...

I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, “Come!” 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.

When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make people kill each other. To him was given a large sword.

When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” I looked, 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, “Two pounds of wheat for a day’s wages, and six pounds of barley for a day’s wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!”

When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” 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.

Now, we are getting to the action... various interpretations of the four horseman have been given but I think that here we can see that St. John interprets the symbols for us. The first rider is sometimes taken to be Christ but I think that this understanding breaks the unity of the vision and so I dismiss such an understanding. I think that there is no reason to take these riders to be anything other than what they are called here... namely: The first rider represents military conquest, the second rider chaos and disorder or social breakdown the third rider economic hardship the the forth rider, death. These things which happen ALL THE TIME are judgments from God... I think this is clear from the passage.

These judgments were being specifically fulfilled at the time of this writing and the Churches who read these words would of instantly understood this to refer to the events of their own time that had transpired not more than 25 years in the past ... namely the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. Compare these judgments with the words of Christ in the Gospel of Matthew 24. Note that the Lord Jesus Christ says of the events described that “...this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened” (Matthew 24:34). If these judgments refer to events that take place at the end of human history as most (false) teachers claim then the Lord is a liar because he promised that THAT generation would see its fulfillment. However, it is often the case that a prophetic utterance is not limited to the specific fulfillment but a general one also. The four horseman specifically rode out to judge the Jews who had rejected Christ but are always riding forth throughout all of history doing the will of the One Who Sits On The Throne and the Lamb That Has Been Slain.

Notice that the third rider is instructed “not to harm the oil and wine.” Oil and wine would have been luxury items that only the very wealthy could afford. Here we are given insight, the wrath of God is primarily for the poor. The rich it seems always escape the terrible mess that the Lord pours on humankind. Why he chooses this is unknown... however we can take comfort in knowing that “The Lord's ways are higher than our ways.” Why God punishes the poor and blesses the rich is a mystery known only to him.

It is often thought that it is the Dark Lord Satan who is responsible for the suffering of mankind do to war, social breakdown, economic hardship and death... and perhaps, as we read in the Book of Job, the Ancient of Days employes the Dark Lord in bringing about hardship and pain... but ultimately it is only from God that these evils flow. It is still not clear to humankind why the Holy God of the Universe pours out such suffering when he could do otherwise... but the fact remains that he does and we all need to get used to the idea.

Contrast this truth with the feel good messages Christians in the west are subjected to weekly when they gather together. Contrast this truth with the preaching of the evangelist on Television that promise health and wealth... truly these pastors and TV stars are false prophets who have failed to grasp the Word of the Lord. Next time you are fired from your job, or robbed at gun point, or a loved one unexpectedly dies, or any great loss is experienced... give thanks and praise to He Who Sits On The Throne for your misfortune. In doing so you will demonstrate that you are submissive to the will of God and will earn your reward in the next life. Also, when any happy events takes place, lament, for your reward in the next life will be diminished.

After the four horseman are sent forth the fifth seal is then broken and behold, the souls of the martyrs cry out for vengeance.... which is where we will take off from next time. Until then...Peace...or rather War!

In Preparation for Next weeks lesson Read chapters 3-7.