In chapter six we find Jesus opening the first six seals of the scroll. For some 2000 years these “locks” have kept men from previewing the events projected to take place in the latter days, just as Daniel was told would happen. John watched as Jesus opened the first seal: “And I saw … 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” (vs 2). And here begins an entire book saturated with symbolism. What did the white horse symbolize? White depicts purity. During the Last Days, which began on the Day of Pentecost 31 A.D., someone will pretend to be Jesus Christ working to save mankind. Is this a true interpretation? We find Jesus referring to the white horse and its rider–Satan–in Matthew 24:4,5. When asked by His disciples when the end of the world would come He first voiced a waring concerning the devil and his helpers: “… take heed that NO MAN DECEIVE YOU.” For many men would come claiming to be His representatives and would DECEIVE MANY (the masses). In Jude 3,4 we learn how the “angel of light”(2 Cor. 11:4) has accomplished his goal through his “ministers of righteousness” (2 Cor. 11:15). For this reason Jesus tells His ministers to “… CONTEND EARNESTLY for THE (ONLY) FAITH (WORD) once delivered TO THE SAINTS …. For certain men have crept in unawares … turning the GRACE (forgiveness of sins) of our Lord into LASCIVIOUSNESS (permission to sin with impunity) THEREBY DENYING THE ONLY GOD AND OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.” False prophets have come preaching Satan’s “You’re nothing more than a sinner saved by grace; to get to heaven you need only to repent regularly” message by which they have deceived 99% of professing Christendom (Rev. 12:9). In the Matthew 24 statement Jesus warns His followers to beware of false prophets who come extolling the devil’s more user-friendly way to instant salvation that requires that one merely believe, obedience to God being impossible and therefore not required. In this way Satan has “conquered” the whole of professing Christendom to date and will continue “to conquer” until Jesus returns to put an end to his earthly reign. The rider on the white horse of seal #1 symbolizes RELIGIOUS DECEPTION which is growing more powerful and pervasive with the passage of time as more religious people allow the rider to gain more control over their lives. Proof: listen to the sermons being preached, read the books and articles being written and watch the movies being made which openly and blatantly defy the Word of God. Sermons proclaiming what one can get out of God have replaced those extolling the virtues of obedience to Him. Books such as those of the Left Behind series paint a dangerous philosophy as God’s Truth. Movies and t.v. presentations are rife with deadly error. One example jumps to mind. I recently saw a movie about Noah’s ark. First, Ham’s son Canaan was depicted as Noah’s son. Then if  that were not bad enough, it was people, not animals who filled the ark and survived the flood. For more examples of how Satan has used his false prophets to subjugate the church to himself see the introduction to this website.

In 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 that sat thereon to TAKE PEACE FROM THE EARTH using a great sword– military weapons. In Matthew 24:6,7 we find Jesus continuing to prophesy about what would take place from the establishment of His New Covenant Church until the end of the age: “And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars.” The red horse symbolized regional and tribal wars as well as world wars. Millions of people have died due to war; in the future global holocaust billions will die.

In 6:3-8 we find Jesus opening the third seal which produced a black horse whose rider is bearing a pair of grain-weighing balances. The black horse symbolizes global food shortages and mass starvation. In Matthew 24:7 Jesus warned that there would come world-wide famines that would kill many people.  Globally, some 30,000 people starve to death each day, two-thirds of them children. This figure pales in comparison to the death tolls projected for the end times.

In 6:7,8 we find Jesus pealing back the fourth seal to reveal a pale horse bearing a rider named “death” who would kill 1/4 of mankind with the sword (war), hunger (starvation), disease (pestilences) and beasts of the earth. War produces famine, which produces diseases, which produces death. Food cannot be grown during war. Without proper nourishment the body cannot ward off disease. Unchecked disease ends in death. A dictatorship cannot take form if the populace is armed. The Antichrist and the False Prophet will remove all weapons from the world’s people, leaving them unable to defend themselves against “therion”–wild animals. The pale horse rider is the Grim Reaper. AIDS and ebola are killing people at a rapid rate today. Once-eliminated diseases are making a comeback. The Black Plague killed a quarter of the European population anciently. Influenza ravaged much of the world in the past. What is coming is projected to make those outbreaks seem tame. Jesus warns us about pestilences in Matthew 24:7. Then He makes a statement that should shake the soul of every believer to the core: “ALL THESE ARE THE BEGINNING OF SORROWS.”  To be continued. L.J.