NOTR - The Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypse - 3.30.17
Thursday, March 30, 2017 at 9:44AM Today's Show: THE FOUR HORSEMEN OF THE APOCALYPSE
Chris discusses the vision of the Book of Revelation from chapter 6, where the four horsemen of the Apocalypse are revealed. Bible teachers have debated their meaning for centuries. Where is their place in the timeline of prophecy? Are they yet to appear? Or did they begin in the first century? It might be argued that understanding the first of these horsemen (the rider on a White Horse) has everything to do with comprehending the rest of them. The nations of the earth have endured war, famine and death for centuries and so it could not be said that these things are yet future. Yet according to the vision set down by the Apostle John, what is the symbolism of the rider who is shown before them?
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Reader Comments (5)
interesting indeed, I would like to hear more on the 4 Horsemen!
I think Matthew Poole's commentary is also interesting:
Some, by this white horse, understand the gospel; others, the Roman empire. And by him that sat thereon with a bow, some understand Christ going forth with power to convert the nations; others (and in my opinion more probably) the Roman emperors, armed with power, and having the imperial crown, carrying all before them. So as that which God intended by this to reveal to St. John, was, that the Roman emperors should yet continue, and use their power against his church. Those that understand by the white horse, the gospel, or God’s dispensations to his church under the first period, and by the rider, Christ, (amongst whom is our famous Mede), think, that hereby all the time is signified from Christ’s ascension, which was in the thirty-fourth year after his incarnation, till the time that all the apostles were dead, that is, the first hundred years after Christ (for so long histories tell us John lived). It was the age then current, and so may take up part of the vision of things that were to come. The history of all but forty of those years we have in the Acts, till Paul was carried prisoner to Rome. In this period ruled Augustus Caesar, (in whose time Christ was born, Luk 2:1), Tiberius, Claudius, and Nero, Galba, Otho, F. Vespasianus, Titus, and Domitian, Nerva, and Trajan, ten or eleven in all. They went on conquering, and to conquer the world. But till Nero’s time, about the year 66, they did not begin to persecute the Christians; nor did Vespasian and Titus much rage, nor Domitian, till he had reigned eight years: so as I leave it indifferent to the reader, whether to understand by the white horse and his rider, God’s dispensations of providence to his church these first years, causing his gospel to prevail much, and conquering many to the profession of it, or the Roman empire, with those that ruled it: what is said is true of both.
Hello Christian, and thanks for your insight on this matter... I have a different take, and believe that these 4 horsemen pertain to the last century plus... As we take all that was prophesied to occur within scripture within Daniel, Matthew chapter 24, Luke 21, and of course Revelation, like a puzzle we can piece it together...
The Roman Empire (the iron, and beast of Daniel chapters 2, 4, 7, and Revelation chapters 9, 11, 13, 16, and 17) is alive, and well today... Scripture points out that this particular empire (Satan's 7th empire) represented by the 7th head that has 10 horns upon it from a symbolic standpoint, will exist until Shiloh, or our Savior return's and crushes it with the final 7 bowl plagues of Revelation chapter 16.. The final blow occurring as the armies of the beast gather together for one final stand in the Valley of Meggiddo against the King of kings, and Lord of lords...
We must remember who is ultimately in charge of this army.. He is the fallen one named Satan, of Lucifer... His authority as king of what is ultimately a spiritual condition the bible points out is Babylon... He also sits as queen of this 7 headed empire, and has throughout history been allowed by God Almighty to wield power over the nations in various areas over the centuries... Six of these empires have come to pass, and the 7th has yet to come... The dragon has used, and continues to USE individuals in exchange for wealth, and even more importantly power... Revelation chapters 2, and 3 (verse 9 in both chapters) describe these individual's the devil has used as the synagogue of Satan...
The original Roman Empire at its height conquered 1/4 of the earth's population during its initial reign... This time, and as scriptures declares, this empire will be worldwide during its 2nd reign, and will initially have 10 kings ruling under their spiritual master Satan... But during this 7th empires last 3, and one half year existence these 10 kings will give their authority to the beast as Revelation chapter 17 points out... Why?... Because this empire's spiritual king (remember that the spiritual always rules over, and controls the physical realm) Satan will grant his authority over this 7th empire to the spiritual entity called Abaddon or the beast king of the bottomless pit as Revelation chapter 13 verses 2 through 4 points out...
Thus the 10 kings will have to give their authority to this spiritual entity called Apollyon in the Greek tongue... This spiritual entity will possess a human vessel of a certain bloodline... I believe this tribe to be the tribe of Dan, and this human being will be a modern day Samson.. Yet his power will not be of God Almighty as this Danite judge was filled with the Spirit of God... But again of Abaddon the king of the bottomless pit who will be unleashed from his spiritual prison upon the blowing of the 5th trumpet of God as described in Revelation chapter 9...
These 4 horsemen are the one's who will usher in this empire, and help it to come to pass... The one who rides the white horse with a bow is none other than the prince of the power of the air... It is through Satan's spiritual influence (which is only heightened by the escalation of the practice of lawlessness, and the mystery thereof) that war, famine's pestilence, which all lead to the ride of the final pale horse which symbolizes death... As Romans chapter 6 verse 23 declares the wages of sin is death, and this state of being can come through war (red horse), famine (black horse), and death via pestilence, and the beasts of the earth (the pale horse) as Revelation chapter 6 points out...
The key here is what is stated as it concerns the one who rides the white horse... The peril,, suffering, and death which follow the one who rides the white horse... It never states who the riders of these 4 horse actually are... Could it be that the great tempter, and the one who is described in scripture as the "father of lies," could actually ride all 4 of these horses... Satan introduced sin to God's creation, and as we near to the end of this age, and with the use of modern technology that has certainly aided this fallen one to build this empire, his success is always based on the spiritual condition of mankind... God allows for temptation to test mankind, and uses evil to punish the wickedness committed on his earth...
Remember our Savior declared that it would be as the in the days of Noah... Genesis chapter 6 declares that God was going to give mankind a 120 year period to repent, or be punished with a deluge of dramatic proportions... Verse 3 of chapter 6 declares, "3 And the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not strive[a] with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.”
The sins of mankind had reached a point of no return, and God warned the inhabitants of the world at that time through Noah His servant, of impending judgment if the behavior of mankind did not change... We know the story of course, but what is key here is the 120 year period..
Since Jesus Christ declared it would be as "in the days of Noah" in Matthew chapter 24, would it not stand to reason that this same 120 year period would apply to the technological time frame of the last century plus?... How many false prophets have declared during the last 100 years that our Savior would return... Without taking into account that fact that all of God's prophetic Word as it pertains to this time frame in history would have to be fulfilled first... I cannot remember the number of times hearing people say "Jesus could return tomorrow."... NO HE cannot return until all things are fulfilled according to God's Word... HE is the WORD, and God cannot lie...
So when did this 120 year period begin... IMHO, I believe it began in December of 1913... When the Federal Reserve Act was passed during the winter break for most members of Congress, and signed into law by then president Woodrow Wilson... This is when the monetary policy of the US was taken over by foreign entities not elected by the American people, and used to fund wars, bribe politicians, and control the policy of this great nation... The following year in 1914 World War 1 began, and ever since we have had nothing but wars, and rumors of wars even since..
So 120 years from the year 1913 will bring us to the year 2033.. Remember that the number 33 is very important to various individuals into numerology, and other secret societies... It is a power number as it is the number eleven 3 times.... What will occur once the year 2033 is reached is described in Matthew chapter 24 as tribulation followed by Great Tribulation... So instead of judgment by a worldwide flood, mankind will experience 7 years of the darkest days in mankind's history.. This will also involve a flood of persecution of the saints as God will allow for Satan, the false prophet, and the beast to wage war against the saints... For Satan knows that his time is short...
The devil may not know the exact day, or hour, but he could know the year... Noah did not know the exact day or hour as it pertained to when the flood would begin once he entered the ark... What I find interesting is that he was in the ark for 7 days before the flood began... Does these 7 days symbolize the 7 year tribulation that the world will experience beginning in what I believe to be the year 2033?...
Why wouldn't God let us know the year of HIS SON's return?... God let Noah know the year that the flood would take place.. But again NOT the exact hour of its beginning... After all, and as Matthew chapter 24 points out no one knows the day, or hour... Never says the year... Just an observation of mine as God's way of fulfillment does involve duality in many aspects of HIS prophetic Word...
God bless, and take care.. Thanks again Christian...
I would like to add a little more to my prior post on this particular subject... Satan is being allowed to weaken the nations through the temptation of sinful behavior... Appealing to humanities lust for the flesh in its various forms has always been met with success simply because of mankind's weakness for it... The 4 horsemen are the result of transgressing God's commandments, and Satan's success is based on the practice of lawless behavior by a mostly compliant mankind... The carnal side of has dominated the centuries since our beginnings in the Garden of Eden... Only a few, compared to the masses that have lived since our creation, have actually tried to lead godly lives...
Satan was given such beauty by his Creator as Ezekiel chapter 28 verses 11-19... As scripture points out:
"11 Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 12 “Son of man, take up a lamentation for the king of Tyre, and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord God:
“You were the seal of perfection,
Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
13 You were in Eden, the garden of God;
Every precious stone was your covering:
The sardius, topaz, and diamond,
Beryl, onyx, and jasper,
Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold.
The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes
Was prepared for you on the day you were created.
14 “You were the anointed cherub who covers;
I established you;
You were on the holy mountain of God;
You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones.
15 You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created,
Till iniquity was found in you.
16 “By the abundance of your trading
You became filled with violence within,
And you sinned;
Therefore I cast you as a profane thing
Out of the mountain of God;
And I destroyed you, O covering cherub,
From the midst of the fiery stones.
17 “Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty;
You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor;
I cast you to the ground,
I laid you before kings,
That they might gaze at you.
18 “You defiled your sanctuaries
By the multitude of your iniquities,
By the iniquity of your trading;
Therefore I brought fire from your midst;
It devoured you,
And I turned you to ashes upon the earth
In the sight of all who saw you.
19 All who knew you among the peoples are astonished at you;
You have become a horror,
And shall be no more forever.”’
Among his many titles, the serpent is also known as the king of Tyre, or as I like to think, the king of merchandising... Who covets, and uses God's creation for his own selfish hedonistic conduct... Satan has used his beauty over the centuries (remember that certain angels can appear in human form.. The 2 angels who were with our Lord Jesus Christ when visiting Abraham, and before the judgment of Sodom)... So it should not be of no surprise that Satan has used his "good looks," charm, and God given talents to further his agenda to supersede God's throne... Something that he will never succeed in doing of course...
Which is why Satan is truly the king, and queen over the beast... The very beast he rides as Babylon, and the various daughters he has fashioned to spiritually deceive humanity throughout the centuries.. Were it not for God's intervention over the centuries, mankind would have surely been destroyed long ago... But our Father in heaven has had a plan from the beginning... And HIS will shall always be done...
The daughters of Babylon are comprised of the various religions that have been created by, or in the case of Christianity corrupted by the author of confusion, have been used to appeal to the spiritual side of humanity... Most of us have seen the bumper sticker that declares "Co-Exist" while the various graven images of each of these religions are on display... It is through the mystery of lawlessness that Satan has had much influence over the spiritual lives of mankind... And of course this control in on display in our physical world as Jesus Christ points out that what is within our very beings is what will be revealed in our physical world...
Where there is no restraint in behavior, there is chaos... And in time, this chaotic state will bring forth an order the some have declared as the "New World Order."... When in fact it is nothing knew at all... Only a rehash of history... But at some point during this yet future time, our Savior will intervene at the blowing of the 7th, and last trumpet of God... Satan will have given his authority to the beast, and this spiritual entity called Abaddon (meaning destroyer) will be directing the human vessel he will be inhabiting to rule with a iron fist, while putting to death those who will not worship him as God... It is after this 3, and one half year rule that the Prince of peace will resurrect the saints of God, and completely destroy Babylon...
God bless, and take care all... Thanks again for your service Christian...
The identity of the rider on the white horse comes from Gen 49. He symbolizes the nations of Joseph that dominate the world in the latter days. The symbols are the same, and the white horse is a symbol of military victory. The four horseman begin the church age which is what the seals represent.