“Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they were saying: ‘Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!’
“Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying: ‘To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!’ The four living creatures said, ‘Amen,’ and the elders fell down and worshiped.” Revelation 5:11-14 NIV
John, the apostle of Jesus, was the only apostle and prophet to name Jesus as “The Lamb of God.” John first mentions Jesus as the Lamb of God in his gospel account, chapter 1. “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the whole world (John 1:29).” John later mentions the Lamb of God 28 times in his Revelation of Christ Jesus, the Book of Revelation. Only the perfect Lamb of God, the Son of God, was worthy to open the scrolls of Judgement. Remember, Jesus read from Isaiah 61 in the synagogue, but he only read the first part. He stopped short of saying he fulfilled the last portion: “and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair (Isaiah 61:2b-3).” This is the vision that John saw of that very moment, a moment in the future of the world.
“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.” Revelation 6:1-2 NIV
Many people say that this white horse is Christ Jesus himself. That seems unlikely since that comes much later. Many say that this white horse is the final Antichrist. That also seems unlikely, he comes much later as the Beast that makes war with the Lamb and his people. The white horse is a spirit of God set loose upon the earth, and we should not try and overthink this. He holds a bow and rides a war horse. The victor’s crown on his head was given to him, and his unwavering purpose is to overpower and conquer. This white horse rides first, to bring a last spirit upon the earth to stir up and instigate large-scale wars. He makes ready the path for the other three horses, especially the next one.
“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.” Revelation 6:3-4 NIV
Remember, it is the Lamb of God himself that is opening the seals to this scroll. This scroll is the Scroll of Judgment, the Great Day of God’s Wrath upon the earth that has become nothing but evil. The second seal brings the red horse and its rider. This red horse is the horse that brings with it discord among humanity. The people of the world had evidently been living in relative peacefulness, maybe even complacency, but this horse came to take all of that away. Christ Jesus told us that brother would turn against brother, son against father, daughter against mother, and parents against their children. Everything in the world will be turned to disunity and division, hatred and vileness, brutality and dishonor. Those that were vile will become more vile, evil will become more evil, un-forgiveness will become mercilessness. Evil will sink to even more evil.
“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!’” Revelation 6:5-6 NIV
The third seal opened by Christ Jesus is the sending off of the black horse and its rider. This horse brings with it famine. The rider carries the scales of commerce, and it signifies catastrophic inflation of food prices and staple products. The world had been living at ease in relative peace and prosperity, for a short time. However, this spirit brings food shortages, supply interruptions, and expensive staple foods. The world was used to these types of items being affordable. The four items mentioned are the oldest staple products known to mankind, and have been used in households and markets since 10,000 B.C., before the flood of Noah. Olive oil is used for fuel primarily, and wine for drink. It is evident that as the needed foods get more expensive, the olive oil (energy and fuel) and wine (drink) remains untouched. People must have their fuel and power to run their homes and businesses, and they must have their drink to get inebriated or addicted to—its a good way to control the populace.
“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.” Revelation 6:7-8 NIV
The fourth seal brings the most horrific horse of all, the pale horse, and its rider is Death. Death brings with him Hell on earth. Death brings death to the earth by war and conflict, perhaps even catastrophic war like modern mass-destruction weapons and warfare by superpowers. Since a fourth of the earth is killed by war, this is highly probable. Catastrophic war would bring famine, which brings plague, which brings scavengers and wild animals to plunder what they can because they too would be victims of these human wars. The wars and events described by the prophets, especially Isaiah, Zechariah, Ezekiel and Ezra were unimaginable to the writers, but to us it is at the door.
The famed “Doomsday Clock,” run by those who watch for the probability of nuclear war, is at 90 seconds to midnight—midnight being full nuclear war. It has never been this close. With the war in Ukraine brought by a mad dictator like Putin, and the war that flared up in the Middle East as more and more countries are pulled in, just as the prophets said—this probability gets more and more closer to a reality.
These four horses ride together, they are harbingers of set times of things that are to come upon this earth. They are only four of the seven seals opened by the Lamb of God, Christ Jesus himself. These horses seem to be happening in tandem, as cause and effect. These horses are the same color as the horses in Zechariah’s vision, and I believe that is no accident. This is God’s Day of Wrath and Judgment against evil, against rebellion, against vileness, against deviancy, against everything abominable to Him. It is His day of great vengeance against those who harmed His people. His wrath has been boiling up, His warnings gone unheeded, and His free gift of salvation that came at great cost has been reviled.
“When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, ‘How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?’ Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters, were killed just as they had been.” Revelation 6:9-11 NIV
The 5th seal revealed the martyrs, and signifies the time to give them their robes of white (righteousness). Where do they wait? They wait in that glorious city in which we who are God’s people will go. Many more will be killed for their testimony about God and Christ Jesus. God sees, and knows that it is only for a short time longer. Have courage, as Christ Jesus told us. God said that He is closely with all those who are killed for their faith, and those who are killed by the enemies of God.
“I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. The heavens receded like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.” Revelation 6:12-14 NIV
This is an interesting description, and as an artist and one who writes, I tried to see what John was seeing and why he described it in such a way. Stars don’t fall to the ground, but things that look like stars do. Many things, maybe like rocket barrages, volcanic eruptions, meteor impact, etc. A huge bomb or caldera eruption would cause the earthquake, or the earthquake could trigger a volcanic catastrophe. Likewise, they would cause smoke and ash, fallout, shock waves, and it would look like the sky was ripped apart and rolled up like a scroll, if that’s what you had to relate it to. The moon and sun are references to signs of the time, and those who know will know. The prophets like Joel described the heavenly signs of the Day of Judgment, the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord. It will be a time like no other, perhaps very similar to today, but worse.
“Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and everyone else, both slave and free, hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can withstand it?’” Revelation 6:15-17 NIV
When Christ Jesus comes back, everyone will know it. They will all see him. We cannot fathom this event, but we must trust that it means what it says. The world and all its rulers and inhabitants will know what day it is, and why. It won’t change them, but it will make them frightened and even their elaborate, well-stocked bunkers and dwellings deep inside the mountains and under the earth will not save them from the judgement. Christ Jesus already warned us of this very scenario long ago, and it is he himself that is giving this revelation to his beloved disciple, John, on the island of Patmos. He said he warned us so we would watch for him, and these are the signs.
“Now listen to my message, you people who serve the Lord. It is the Lord’s message, so receive it and believe what he says. The disasters are approaching rapidly, and they will not be delayed. A woman in the ninth month of pregnancy may suffer labor pains for several hours, but when the time comes for the baby to be born, there is no longer any delay. In the same way, the disasters that are coming on the earth will not be delayed, and the world will groan when it is caught in its labor pains. Listen to my message, my people, and get ready for the battle. When the disasters come, you must live as people whose home is not in this world.” 2 Esdras (Ezra) 16:35-40 GNT
“Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”
“As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
“Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.
“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
“So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’spoken of through the prophet Daniel [Daniel 9:27; 11:31; 12:11]—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on the housetop go down to take anything out of the house. Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again.
“If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you ahead of time.
“So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.
“Immediately after the distress of those days ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ [Isaiah 13:10; 34:4]
“Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
“Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.
“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 24 NIV
“Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. Everyone will hate you because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.
“When you see ‘the abomination that causes desolation’ standing where it does not belong—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on the housetop go down or enter the house to take anything out. Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! Pray that this will not take place in winter, because those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now—and never to be equaled again.
“If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened them. At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time.
“But in those days, following that distress, ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’
“At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.
“Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door. Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.
“Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’” Mark 13:12-37 NIV
“When you hear of wars and uprisings, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away.” Then he said to them: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.
“But before all this, they will seize you and persecute you. They will hand you over to synagogues and put you in prison, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name. And so you will bear testimony to me. But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers and sisters, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. Everyone will hate you because of me. But not a hair of your head will perish. Stand firm, and you will win life.
“When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country not enter the city. For this is the time of punishment in fulfillment of all that has been written. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! There will be great distress in the land and wrath against this people. They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
“There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
“He told them this parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees. When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near. Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
“Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap. For it will come on all those who live on the face of the whole earth. Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.” Luke 21:9-36 NIV
The Parable of the Ten Virgins tells us about how important it is to listen to the warning that Christ Jesus gave us over and over again. He said to WATCH! This is a commandment. Since the events of the last month took place, everyone who has the Holy Spirit is feeling inside themselves a sense of urgency, a sense of uneasiness, a sense of disgust at the way the world is going and wanting to run from it, and a sense of the imminent return of the Bridegroom being near. This is no time to be complacent, dear pilgrims.
Dear pilgrims, let us not be found as Jesus said, burdened down by the cares and ways of this world so much that we are distracted by the truth of the times. We know that times are not like they used to be. Jesus said we would know when it is at the door. I am convinced it is at the door, my beloved fellow pilgrims. I am not convinced by those who scoff and say it cannot be this time because of one reason or another. It is going to be exactly as God said. People in the day of Christ’s first coming had ideas and their own interpretation of the times, and so they missed him. People will be leading many astray in these last days because they will tell you it’s not time. Jesus said “watch!” Do we trust the Holy Spirit or not? Do we trust God or not? Do we trust Christ Jesus or not?
“Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.
“But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.
“Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.
“So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.
“Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.” 2 Peter 3:3-18 NIV
Now is the time to choose this day who you will follow. Will it be the gods and idols of this world, or will it be the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? Will you serve Him and have faith in His Son and the free gift of grace and salvation he brought us? Or will you ignore it, thinking you will have time some other day? You may not have another day. Dear pilgrims, look up with great anticipation and joy. Our redemption draws nigh, because they ride!
Painting: “They Ride: The Four Horses of Revelation” by Shannon Renshaw, copyright 2023 — All Rights Reserved
A Pilgrimage Into God's Word 