The Four Horsemen Have Begun to Ride

I am going to make a bold, unsettling statement that I believe is true. Then I'll explain why I believe it.

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse have mounted and begun to ride. By this I mean the horsemen in the vision of Apostle John that is recorded in Revelation 6, which bring conquest, war, famine, privation and death in their wake. The horsemen are soon coming to America. 

That's the bad news. The good news is an even greater event is tucked into Revelation 6 - Jesus is coming!

How Can We Know That?

By faith.

Some will ask how I or anyone can possibly know such a thing. Well, I've already written about how Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit to lead us into all truth. Jesus said his sheep hear his voice, and they follow him. I've also written here and here about how the spirit of prophecy is alive and well, and God in his mercy forewarns his people about what is coming so they can prepare for it. 

Can I prove indisputably the Four Horsemen have begun to ride? Not any more than I can prove God exists or that Jesus' blood reconciles us with him. I believe these things by faith, the evidence of things not seen. 

"By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith."
- Hebrews 11:7

(By the way, the time to build an ark is before the flood. Once the rains begin, it's too late.)

What's Coming Next?

In the fall of 2013 I woke up to the realization that America is on a very dangerous path. I realized things are not as they seem on the surface, that the conventional understanding of history, economics, politics and geopolitics are woefully inadequate. We are heading into financial, social, political collapse and war. I spent a year studying these topics and, metaphorically speaking, drinking from a fire hose to understand the times we are living in. It was overwhelming at times, and there were days I was simply in mourning for what's coming on our nation. But it was a mercy to be awakened and to have this time to absorb this reality, make peace with it, and prepare spiritually, intellectually, emotionally and materially.

Just before last Thanksgiving, I asked, "Now what, Lord? What's coming next?"

I listened to a radio interview of John Shorey about the end times events in Revelation 6 and elsewhere. He discussed various wars and how he believed that the Pale Horse that brings death over one quarter of the earth includes the destruction of Mystery Babylon in Revelation 17-18. I am convinced America is Mystery Babylon (more on this in a later post), so that got my attention. Shorey also said that he thought the Rapture appears in Revelation 6:12-17, which had also occurred to me. All of this resonated. The more I thought and prayed about it, the more I sensed the Lord impress on my heart Revelation 6. As in, that is the answer to my prayer. That is what's coming next.

I shared this with my wife. A day or two later we drove home from Seattle. Crossing a barren stretch of Eastern Washington, everyone had quieted down and the kids were asleep. I flipped on the radio and there was a man reading Bible scriptures. He said, "Next we are going to read... Revelation chapter 6." He proceed to read the whole chapter. Wow, that was a confirmation.

When I got home, I heard the evangelist Anita Fuentes read the latest prophetic dreams from Pastor T.D. Hale, who has had other prophetic dreams about Obama and America, some of which have already been fulfilled. In the latest dreams, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse mounted and began to ride. There it was again! Also in his dream, lights all around the world shot up into the sky, which I think is a reference to the Rapture.

After that, my mom shared a vivid dream of her own. In it a black horse was trying to stomp on her, but she stood to the side of it and had it by the reins. People were telling her to watch out, but she said it was okay, she had it under control. I told her that is probably the Black Horse in Revelation 6, which brings famine and privation.

Later my mom had another dream that featured a pale green horse. She took out a wash cloth, wet it and said that was the color of it. I don't why I know this, but the Greek word for pale in Revelation is 6 is chloros, which is the root for English words like chlorine and chlorophyll, implying a shade of green. Chloros can mean pale or ashen as well as sickly green. My mom saw the Pale Horse in her dream.

The Four Horsemen

Folks, the Four Horsemen are coming. Please read Revelation 6:1-8 for the details, but here is a summary:

• White Horse - Conquest. Carries a bow and wears a crown. 
• Red Horse - War and violence. Carries a great sword.
• Black Horse - Famine and privation. It says a quart of wheat costs a denarius, which is a day's wages. Imagine if you had to spend a whole day's wages to buy enough wheat to feed one person. That's famine.
• Pale Horse - Death. Given authority over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine, pestilence and wild beasts. By the way, wild beasts can mean animals but also can have a metaphorical meaning of "savage beasts." Those of you who are familiar with Genesis 6 and the days of Noah, think Nephilim and Rephaim.

For people who are living in the Middle East, North Africa, Ukraine and Nigeria, one could argue the Four Horsemen have already begun to ride. ISIS, Boko Haram and other Islamic militant groups are conquering and slaughtering and enslaving people by the tens of thousands, especially Christians. Millions have been displaced and fled to other regions or refugee camps and suffer privation. In Ukraine, the death toll from the NATO vs Russia proxy war is probably around 50,000 according to German intelligence services, though you won't hear that from the American lamestream media.

Slain for the Word of God

In Revelation 6:9-11, after the fifth seal is broken, the souls of those who were slain for their faith in Jesus cried out and asked, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, will you refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" They were given a white robe and told to wait a little while longer until the number of those slain should be completed.

Remember the 21 Coptic Christians who recently were beheaded by ISIS militants on a beach in Libya? Even as the blades were brought to their necks, they all cried in unison, “Ya Rabbi Yasou" or "O My Lord Jesus." They are now in heaven and among those crying out for justice.

The Rapture and the Wrath of the Lamb

After the sixth seal is broken, there is an earthquake, the sun turns dark and the moon like blood, the stars fall and the sky splits apart like a rolled-up scroll. This is exactly the imagery that accompanies the return of Jesus Christ in Matthew 24 and Isaiah 13. The people of the earth, or I should say those who remain, are shaken with fear and say to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the presence 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 is able to stand?"

Whose presence and wrath are they afraid of? Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, because he is there! This is the moment of deliverance for God's people, when we are spirited away to heaven before the great tribulation. 

However, those who are enemies of Christ, who reject him, must remain for the tribulation, which is the wrath of the Lamb. This is described in more detail in Revelation chapters 8-11. But God is merciful, and even those who go into the tribulation can yet call out to him and be forgiven.

144,000 from the Tribes of Israel Sealed

A few days ago I came to understand that Revelation chapters 6-11 are chronologically sequential, as are Revelation 17-21.

So, moving on to Revelation 7:1-8, you can see how the events of the wrath on earth are temporarily halted while 144,000 people from the tribes of Israel are sealed for protection. Why? Because the Hebrews as a people embrace the Messiah at the very end of the great tribulation, on the Day of the Lord, the Battle of Armageddon, when Jesus himself returns to defend Jerusalem against the nations of the world (see Zechariah chapters 12-14). God makes sure a remnant is preserved to the very end.

The Multitudes before the Throne of God

Next the scene switches to heaven where a great multitude from every tribe and nation stands before the throne of God and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes (representing purity) and praising God.

It says these are the saints who came out of the great tribulation and have been made clean by the blood of the Lamb. Do you see? These are the ones who were removed from the BEGINNING of the great tribulation, during the Rapture! (For more Scriptures about the Rapture and its general timing, click here.)

"They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; neither shall the sun beat down on them, nor any heat; for the lamb in the center of the throne shall be their shepherd, and shall guide them to springs of the water of life and God shall wipe every tear from their eyes."

Just a Little Bit Longer

We really have only a little bit longer to go. Prepare yourself for the Four Horsemen and keep your eyes on Jesus because he is coming soon!