Four Horsemen

Do you know who the Four Horsemen are? No, I am not talking about a group of men from professional wrestling that were popular in the mid 1980's. I am talking about the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse that are talked about in the Book of Revelations in the Holy Bible.

The Book of Revelations is the final book of the New Testament of the Christian Bible and is probably the "scariest" of all of the Books. In Christian belief, the Book of Revelations was told to John by Jesus Christ in a prophetic dream and foretells of the coming Apocalypse and the ultimate between Jesus Christ and Satan. Chapter 6 verses 1 through 8 tells of a book that is held by Jesus Christ and is closed with seven seals. The first four seals tell of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

Please note that the verses I give in explanation of the Four Horsemen is taken from the New International Version (NIV) version of the Bible.

In Rev 6:1-2 John says: "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 and see!" 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. "

There is some discrepancy as to his name. He is called Pestilence but due to his description, he is more often called Conquest.

In Rev 6:3-4 John says, When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, "Come and see!" Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make men slay each other. To him was given a large sword.

The second rider, War, is said to represent a war or a mass killing. However the war he represents is not a war of conquest like the first rider represents. His appearance may represent a war on a much smaller scale. He carries a sword.

In Rev 6:5-6 John says to us, When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, "Come and see!" 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, "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!"

The third of the Horsemen is known to be Famine and is the only horsemen of the four to actually speak. This horseman carries a set of scales.

In Rev 6:7-8 John says to us, When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, "Come and see!" 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 horsemen is named Death, and sometimes is called the grim reaper and unlike his counterparts, he carries nothing into battle but brings Hades with him out of the seal. However, there are paintings of him carrying a scythe into battle and is why we often associate the grim reaper with a scythe. What do you think of when you hear the words: the four horsemen?