In Revelation 6:3,4 we read: “He opened the second seal … and there went out another horse that was red, and power was given to him who sat thereon to TAKE PEACE FROM THE EARTH using a great sword (military weapons). In Matthew 24:6,7 we find Jesus saying: “… and ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars.” The red horse symbolized WAR. Hundreds of millions of people have been killed in the world’s many wars and the aftermath of those wars–famine, disease, starvation, etc. The future global nuclear holocaust will kill many times as many human beings, most of whom will not be directly involved in the fighting.

In 6:3-8 we find Jesus opening the fourth seal which reveals a pale horse bearing a rider called death who will kill 1/4 of mankind with hunger/famine, which always follows war. Along with famine comes physical infirmities as people do not have sufficient nourishment to ward off ever-present diseases. Today tens of thousands die of starvation globally, the majority of whom are children. These figures will pale in comparison to the deaths caused by the lack of food as world war envelops the globe. The diseases that will ravage the world’s population will include some of our present plagues such as AIDS and Ebola. We will also see once-eliminated diseases make a comeback. In the past the Black Plague killed 1/3 of Europe’s population. Later, influenza ravaged much of the world. According to Jesus, what is coming will make mankind yearn for those days. He warned us in Matthew 24:7,8 about the horrors to come, then made a startling statement that should shake every Word-denier to his/her toes: “… all these (the four horsemen) are (only) the BEGINNING OF SORROWS.” We do not need to wonder what happens on earth following the “beginning of sorrows” in that the Lord tells us in graphic detail. First, we must understand that the four horsemen began their “ride” not long after the establishment of the New Covenant Church. Satan’s attack on God’s church by the first horseman began immediately using Simon Magus’ new-found church which he had established in Rome while masquerading as the Apostle Peter. The other horsemen began their ride as the result of the church’s embrace of Satan’s perverted gospel (Gal. 1:6-9). The apostles’ letters to the churches are filled with warnings against the false gospel being put forth by Simon’s new-found church which would become known as Catholicism, from which came the hundreds of faiths, churches, orders, denominations, nondenominations, etc. collectively known as Protestantism. This diabolical mother-daughter team continues to battle against God and His church to this day. The battle will intensify greatly in these latter days, culminating in a one-world church headed by a Beast referred to as the False Prophet, whom I believe will be the pope who is reigning at that time. I would not be at all surprised if it is the current pope.

The first horseman–false religion–has been growing in power and scope since his first appearance. By the time the Apostle Paul came on the scene this horseman had greatly damaged God’s church as many of His workers slept (Mat. 13:23-25), allowing “tares” to enter her and take root–gain leadership positions. As the result of sleepiness and/or spinelessness on the part of God’s Watchmen, the modern Institutional Church is comprised totally of tares (Catholicism/Protestantism) who continue to lure unwitting converts into her clutches where they are introduced to a false god, false savior and false salvation as the mass media spreads her poison globally in real time. To be continued. L.J.