Rev 6:1 And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of
thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.
Rev 6:2 And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown
was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.
Rev 6:3 And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see.
Rev 6:4 And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat
thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was
given unto him a great sword.
Rev 6:5 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And
I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.
Rev 6:6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny,
and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.
Rev 6:7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say,
Come and see.
Rev 6:8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and
Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill
with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth

One of the most important prophecy Christ delivered while He was on Earth was the Olivet
prophecy. All prophecy really revolves around this prophecy, which is recorded in Matthew 24,
Mark 13 and Luke 21.

Matthew, Mark, Luke and John all recorded the gospel of Christ. Why is John the only one of
the four Gospel writers who did not record the Olivet prophecy? Actually he does, but not in
the Gospel of John. He records it in the book of Revelation, chapter 6. It is in this chapter that
John discusses the seven seals—with the emphasis on the first four—otherwise known as the
four horsemen of the apocalypse. The word apocalypse is an untranslated Greek word which
means revelation.

In the book of Revelation, John records the seven seals, which are interpreted by Matthew 24,
Mark 13 and Luke 21. So actually, all four of those authors had a version of the Olivet prophecy.

The book of Revelation has many symbols with many different interpretations. However, we
must remember that the Bible interprets itself. Most Bible scholars fail to realize this fact, and
that is why we see so many bizarre interpretations of the book of Revelation.

Only Christ can unlock the seven seals. “And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not:
behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and
to loose the seven seals thereof” (Revelation 5:5). These seven seals are unlocked in Matthew
24, Mark 13 and Luke 21.
“Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the
prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were
moved by the Holy [Spirit]” (2 Peter 1:20-21).
Let’s notice the first seal. “And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it
were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. And I saw, and behold
a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went
forth conquering, and to conquer” (Revelation 6:1-2).

It is true that Christ will return to Earth on a white horse. “And I saw heaven opened, and
behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in
righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head
were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen,
white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the
nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the
fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name
written, King of kings, and Lord of lords” (Revelation 19:11-16). But notice carefully, Christ has a
sword—not a bow.

The first horse, a white one, while being the least understood, is perhaps the most important
because it produces the most insidious destruction: universal religious deception. Yet we see
that the other three horsemen are also heavily involved in and influenced by this world’s false
“Christian” religions. Few understand the four horsemen because few listen to Christ and His
interpretation, which is the vital key to understanding the book of Revelation.

The second horseman has wreaked havoc on mankind with religious wars throughout history.
We must be mindful to look to God in order to have these prophetic symbols unlocked to our
understanding. It is because man has refused to look to God that he is being hounded by these
destructive horsemen to begin with.

The importance of the duality of Scripture cannot be emphasized enough. We shall see that
Matthew 24 refers to: 1) a first typical fulfillment in a.d. 70;
2) a long-term condition prevailing from a.d. 70 until now; and
3) an end-time antitypical fulfillment yet ahead. It is this last type that you
and I are staring straight in the face!

John’s vision, revealed by Jesus Christ and recorded for us today in Revelation 6:1-8, differs only
slightly from the Olivet prophecy in Matthew 24 and the other Gospel accounts.
Josephus describes in graphic detail the wars and resultant famine and plagues in Jerusalem
about a.d. 70, almost 40 years after the Olivet prophecy was first given.

Yes, what Christ said in Matthew 24 indeed had a typical fulfillment in a.d. 70. But John’s vision
was recorded 20 years after the city’s fall and the temple’s destruction. Nothing in it speaks of
historical fulfillment or events occurring in John’s day. Instead, it is referring to a future
completion immediately ahead of us.

“And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. And
there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to
take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him
a great sword” (Revelation 6:3-4). Jesus Christ opens the second seal and John sees a red horse
whose rider is given authority to remove peace from the Earth. When peace is gone, there is
only war.

The man on the red horse plainly represents war with its abominable effects. Verse 4 clearly
interprets itself, but further proof is given in Matthew 24:6-7 as we have read. Christ practically
spells it out for us in His description of the second horseman who represents “wars and
rumours of wars.”
But some may argue that man has always had wars. Other questions often raised include:
Which wars are being referred to in Matthew 24? Does the second horseman represent war in
general or one specific war? Again, let’s allow the Bible to interpret itself.

Religious deception—the first horseman—has conquered the Earth with Satan’s counterfeit
religion. Now we see war—the second horseman—as the tool religion has used down through
history to gain its satanic conquests. Notice Revelation 12:7-9: “And there was war in heaven:
Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And
prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast
out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast
out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” Satan is the great being symbolized
by the rider of the blood-red horse. The casting down of Satan leads to this intensified period of
global wars and conflicts.
Satan is the same being who took peace from the Earth back in the Garden of Eden, who later
challenged Jesus Christ for rulership of the world, and who is today the “prince of the power of
the air” (Ephesians 2:2), and the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4). He’s responsible for the
war-making that has gone on in every era of man’s history.
But now, with his reign almost over, Satan realizes his time is extremely short (Revelation
12:12). But he will not give up without a titanic struggle.

The first horseman (on the white horse) represents religious deception, while the second
horseman (on the red horse) represents war (Revelation 6:1-4). John continues with the vision:
“And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I
beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.
And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and
three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine” (verses 5-6).
This haunting scenario may sound familiar. Christ gave a very similar answer to His disciples
about 60 years earlier when asked when the end of the world would come. “For nation shall
rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences,
and earthquakes, in divers places” (Matthew 24:7).

Without looking to the living Head of God’s Church, Jesus Christ, these revelations could never
be opened to our understanding.
We must continue to humbly look to Him for the meanings of these most frightening, yet
necessary, end-time warnings.
The third horseman, riding a black horse, symbolizes famine. In Matthew, Mark and Luke, Christ
was speaking of general famines, set against the backdrop of war. The plural use of the word
famine refers to the repetitive occurrences of famine down through time, rapidly accelerating
immediately before His return.
Remember how quickly the first horseman, representing religious deception, was pursued by
the second horseman of war? In the same fashion, the third horseman, depicting famine,
follows directly behind war. Though war is a primary factor, it is not the sole cause of famine, as
we shall see.

Deuteronomy 28 and Leviticus 26 list the abundant blessings ancient Israel would have received
for obeying God. Conversely, these chapters also portray a gut-wrenching scene of what would
happen to the Israelites if they did not comply. The ultimate curse would be that they would
cannibalize their own children!
Other passages warn of punishment coming in a variety of other ways, any of which could easily
produce famine.

Extreme weather upsets (Deuteronomy 28:24; Amos 4:7), crop blight (Amos 4:9), destructive
insects/animals (Deuteronomy 28:39, 42), sterile soil (verse 23), all resulting in ruined harvests
(verse 17; Ezekiel 5:16).
Portions of Revelation 8 and 16 show the same penalties for modern nations as well as for
ancient Israel. Contrary to popular belief, our God changes not (Malachi 3:6).
The Bible records numerous famines from the time of Abraham (Genesis 12:10). In fact, 13
famines have been recorded in the pages of the Bible. We may be familiar with Abraham’s
great-grandson Joseph, who helped bail out the Egyptians during their seven-year famine
(Genesis 41:56).

The Pale Horse
c They picture one of the most
ominous scenarios ever. It is imperative that each of us takes heed while there is still time.
“And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and
see. And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell
followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill
with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.”
(Revelation 6:7-8).
The context mentions two of the other horsemen—war and famine.
But we cannot be certain of the symbolism of the last horseman from this passage. The key
word to its identity is the word pale, which often makes us think of someone who is feeling
sick, having an anemic-looking appearance. Pale is translated from the Greek chloros, which
we would normally take to mean the color of chlorophyll, the property that gives plants their
healthy green appearance. When used biblically, however, chloros means the sickly pale green
color of sickness and disease.

Other biblical translations describe the pale horse as an ash-colored horse, a horse sickly green,
a horse sickly pale and an ashy pale horse. We have continually stressed throughout that we
should look to Christ the Revelator to explain these seals and symbols. He provides us with the
most correct word to unlock the true identity of this pale green horse which man’s best
translations cannot: “and there shall be … pestilences”

(Matthew 24:7). The man on the pale horse symbolizes climactic, globe-encircling plagues and
pandemics occurring and soon to occur in this modern age!
Look up pestilence in any Bible concordance and you will be amazed by the link between the
second, third and fourth horsemen representing war, famine and pestilence (Jeremiah 21:9;
27:13; 29:17-18; 32:24; 34:17; 38:2; 42:16-17; 44:13).
These three horsemen derive their origin directly from the first horseman of religious
deception, as we have already shown.

Let’s examine Deuteronomy 28 (part of the law of Moses)
carefully and add modern-day expressions to see more clearly how this warning applies to our
time now. “But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy
God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day;
that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee …. The Lord shall make the
pestilence cleave unto thee, until he have consumed thee from off the land, whither thou goest
to possess it.
The Lord shall smite thee with a consumption [chronic, degenerate diseases such as aids], and
with a fever, and with an inflammation [malaria or communicative diseases such as influenzas],
and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew … with
the botch of Egypt [elephantiasis], and with the emerods [tumors, cancer, etc.], and with the
scab, and with the itch [aggravated psoriasis and other nutrient-deficiency diseases such as
scurvy, rickets, etc.], whereof thou canst not be healed [incurable or drug resistant diseases] …
with madness [mental illness, insanity] and blindness and astonishment of heart [emotional
distresses such as depression]” (Deuteronomy 28:15, 21-22, 27-28).
The next verse (verse 29) graphically depicts the utter hopelessness of mankind suffering from
these and the many other innumerable scourges of our generation.

A WAY OUT
Millions have died and will die needlessly, because they either failed or will fail to heed these
and other warnings to turn to God with the type of contrite attitude necessary to please Him
(Isaiah 66:2).
Unfortunately, it appears that many see the signs of the times and could escape, but they don’t
act. Most are like cattle heading for the slaughter, completely oblivious to what lies
immediately ahead of them. Many others will recognize the four horsemen of religious
deception, war, famine and pestilence, but will not know where to turn for escape if they
refuse the only source of permanent escape—God!
God wants true repentance—a turning away from the carnal “human nature” that we possess
to the spiritual nature God originally intended us to develop. Instead, man takes the law into his
own hands and builds bomb shelters, paramilitary compounds or even flees to remote locations
in a futile attempt to save his own physical life.
“And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s
sake those days shall be shortened” (Matthew 24:22).
The protected elect will comprise those who hold fast to God’s revealed truths and obey all of
His laws (Revelation 3:10; 12:14). This very small cadre of future leaders will be preserved in the
ultimate place of safety to receive final training before being given the authority 3½ years later
at the return of Jesus Christ.

There can be no greater concern than striving to comply with God’s standards of character in
order to survive the punishment symbolized by the four horsemen of the apocalypse.
This vision will soon be a reality for those who adamantly refuse to submit to God.
A few million, thanks to God cutting events short for the elect’s sake, will not have to
die—though they certainly may wish they had! They will have to endure the worst time of
human suffering ever (Jeremiah 30).
The Philadelphia Church of God is continually providing hope for those willing to yield their
naturally stubborn natures to the will of God.

Doomsayers only tell how bad things will get, but without the hope of how much better it will
soon be. Jesus Christ is soon returning to this Earth to bring it all the joy and happiness man has
continually sought after!
God will mercifully end the deadly sweep of the four horsemen just before they eradicate
mankind from off the Earth.
Finally, man will have the sweet, childlike attitude that God can work with in the wonderful
World Tomorrow (Matthew 18:1-6). Are we each working out our own salvation with fear and
trembling (Philippians 2:12) so we can be a part of God’s great master plan for humanity?

For those who are feeling fearful; Declare Psalm 91
Psa 91:1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of
the Almighty.
Psa 91:2 I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
Psa 91:3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome
pestilence.
Psa 91:4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth
shall be thy shield and buckler.
Psa 91:5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;
Psa 91:6 Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth
at noonday.
Psa 91:7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not
come nigh thee.
Psa 91:8 Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.
Psa 91:9 Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy
habitation;
Psa 91:10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.
Psa 91:11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
Psa 91:12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

Psa 91:13 Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou
trample under feet.
Psa 91:14 Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on
high, because he hath known my name.
Psa 91:15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will
deliver him, and honour him.
Psa 91:16 With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.