Sunday, December 2, 2018

The Four Horsemen Will Soon Ride


Note: This is a revision of an article originally published on March 16, 2015. The events described below are from that time, but the interpretation is updated to reflect my current understanding.

"For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." - Revelation 19:10, KJV

Jesus Christ is still speaking loudly and clearly in this day. His testimony is the spirit of prophecy. He is coming quickly to bring salvation and grace to the saints and His judgment and wrath to the world.

A Rude Awakening

In the fall of 2013, I realized that America and the world are headed for great calamity. Before that time, I believed the world was improving and basically a decent place to live. Boy, was I deceived! There are many dark agendas playing out in the world, all of which are building to a crescendo of evil unlike any time in history. For a long time I studied these topics. It was overwhelming, like drinking from a fire hose, and completely changed how I saw the world and my life. There were days I felt deep sadness and mourning for the losses I saw coming. But I also felt hope because I knew this was God's plan for the end of the age. When Jesus returns, everything changes.

I realized our economy will soon collapse under an unbearable load of debt, unfunded liabilities, money printing and rejection of the US dollar in international trade. The dollar itself will crash and then eventually go away. This is by design. The global elite are preparing the way for an electronic cryptocurrency transacted using the mark of the beast, as described in Revelation 13.

I realized the Twin Towers and a third 50-story building, WTC Building 7, did not collapse perfectly into their own footprints at free fall speeds on 9/11 because two jets hit them. This is physically impossible on so many levels. The evidence points overwhelmingly to a controlled demolition. Our government used the trauma of 9/11 to justify eroding civil liberties with the Patriot Act and engaging in an endless series of bloody "wars on terror" in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria, etc.

I realized that the passage in Genesis 6 about "sons of God" having children with human women was about fallen angels producing giant hybrid offspring, which the Bibles calls mighty ones or Nephilim. The Goliath David slew was one of these hybrid giants. Furthermore, Genesis 6 ties in directly to the alien and UFO presence and the many reports of human and animal abductions. Aliens are fallen angels and their minions. As they did in the days of Noah, the fallen ones are engaged in a program of genetic manipulation to create hybrid beings, but this time using advanced technology. This is what Daniel prophesied would happen during the final kingdom of this age, when iron (foreign DNA) will mix with clay (human DNA) in the seed (offspring) of men:

"And in that you saw the iron mixed with common clay, they will combine with one another in the seed of men." - Daniel 2:43, NASB

There are other topics as well. All of them are related and point to the reality that we are living at the very end of this age, i.e. the final generation. Numerous prophetic voices confirm it as well. The world is about to become darker than it ever has, and then Jesus Christ will return to vanquish evil with a sword and bring light and justice to the world - see Revelation 19.

My wife and I reached out to people, both Christians and non-Christians, to try to share what we saw. Naively, I thought people would want to know. We envisioned building a community of Christians who are awake to the times, prepping for what's coming and seeking God's kingdom in the final days. Honestly, it was very disappointing. Most people don't want to touch these issues with a 10-foot pole. It frightens them. They love the world as they perceive it and don't want to think of it in a more sinister, apocalyptic light, or think that their world is about to change.

There is a sprinkling of people out there who are awake and I am grateful for the ones I know. Strangely, church leaders and pastors seem most resistant to these messages. I am unaware of any churches in my area that openly preach about it. 

But God has confirmed this message many, many times and I cannot doubt it: Our nation (and the world) is under judgment, we're at the end and Jesus is coming soon! It was a mercy to be awakened and have this time to make peace with this reality and prepare spiritually, intellectually, emotionally and materially. Jesus said men's hearts will faint from fear and expectation of things coming on the earth (Luke 21:26). I give God the credit for waking me up and giving me a chance to be ready. 

What's Coming Next?

Just before Thanksgiving in the fall of 2014, I asked, "Now what, Lord? What's coming next?"

Later I listened to a radio interview of John Shorey about end-times events in Revelation 6 and elsewhere in the Bible. 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 an convinced America is Mystery Babylon, so that grabbed my attention. Shorey also said that he thought the Rapture appears in Revelation 6:12-17, which is an interpretation that occurred to me. It all 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, as we drove home from Seattle and crossed a barren stretch of Eastern Washington, the car 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. That was an amazing confirmation.

When I got home, I heard the latest prophetic dreams from Pastor T.D. Hale, in which 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 great rescue and gathering of the elect.

Then my mother shared with me 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 was probably the Black Horse in Revelation 6, which brings famine and privation. Another confirmation.

My mother had another dream that featured a pale green horse. She took out a wash cloth, wet it and said that was its color. 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 pale green. She saw the Pale Green Horse in her dream.


The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

What's coming next are the Four Horsemen described in Revelation 6. They come as Jesus the "Lamb of God" opens the first four seals: 

White Horse
"Then I saw the Lamb open one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say with a voice like thunder, 'Come!' I looked, and there was a white horse. The horseman on it had a bow; a crown was given to him, and he went out as a victor to conquer." - Revelation 6:1-2, Holman

The white horse brings conquest. The rider carries a bow and wears a crown, so he is a political leader, a king. When Jesus arrives to lead the armies of heaven in the battle of Armageddon (see Revelation 19), he will wear "many crowns" and have a sword, not a bow. The rider of the white horse in Revelation 6 is imitating Jesus, but is not Him. Therefore, this rider is a false messiah king, a.k.a. the Antichrist, the son of perdition, the little horn, the first beast. This person is already on the scene today and quietly building support for his reign in the background. Here is a sly hint about who he is. Here is another.

Red Horse
"When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” Then another horse went out, a fiery red one, and its horseman was empowered to take peace from the earth, so that people would slaughter one another. And a large sword was given to him." - Revelation 6:3-4

The red horse brings war. Its rider carries a large sword. Expect to see war between nations and violent, civil conflict within nations.

Black Horse
"When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, 'Come!' And I looked, and there was a black horse. The horseman on it had a set of scales in his hand. Then I heard something like a voice among the four living creatures say, 'A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius—but do not harm the olive oil and the wine.'" - Revelation 6:5-6

The black horse brings economic collapse and famine. The rider carries "a set of scales in his hand." Scales were used in the old world for commerce - to sell and to buy. In other words, they represent the economy. "A quart of wheat for a day's wages, and three quarts of barley for a day's wages." A quart of wheat is enough to make only a loaf or two of bread. How much money do you make in a day? $100, $200, $300? Imagine if you had to pay that much for a loaf of bread. The Black Horse brings an economic crash followed by hyperinflation, scarcity of resources, and famine.

Pale Green Horse
"When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, 'Come!' And I looked, and there was a pale green horse. The horseman on it was named Death, and Hades was following after him. Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill by the sword, by famine, by plague, and by the wild animals of the earth." - Revelation 6:7-8

The pale horse brings death. It has authority over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine, plague and wild beasts. I take this to mean a plague of death will affect one-quarter of the world, not that a fourth of the world's population will necessarily perish. America will be affected since it is the prophetic Mystery Babylon whose plagues of death, mourning and famine will come "in one day" (Revelation 18:8).

Slain for the Word of God

After the fifth seal is broken in Revelation 6, 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. This represents the persecution of believers in Christ.

The Gathering of the Elect 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. People on earth are in anguish for the coming wrath:

"Then I saw Him open the sixth seal. A violent earthquake occurred; the sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair; the entire moon became like blood; the stars of heaven fell to the earth as a fig tree drops its unripe figs when shaken by a high wind; the sky separated like a scroll being rolled up; and every mountain and island was moved from its place. Then the kings of the earth, the nobles, the military commanders, the rich, the powerful, and every slave and free person hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. And they said to the mountains and to the rocks, 'Fall on us and hide us from the face of the One seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb, because the great day of Their wrath has come! And who is able to stand?'" - Revelation 6:12-17

This is the same celestial and earthly scene as the coming of Jesus Christ and gathering of the elect in Matthew 24.

"Immediately after the tribulation of those days: The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not shed its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the celestial powers will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the peoples of the earth will mourn; and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other." - Matthew 24:29-31

In fact, Jesus' description of the end of the age in Matthew 24 matches the events in Revelation 6:

  • White horse - conquest by Antichrist, i.e. false messiah king: "Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and they will deceive many." - Mat. 24:4, Holman 
  • Red horse - war and conflict: "You are going to hear of wars and rumors of wars... For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom." - Mat. 24:6-7
  • Black horse - economic collapse and famine: "There will be FAMINES and plagues and earthquakes in various places." - Mat. 24:7 
  • Pale green horse - death: This is a result of war, famine, plagues and wild animals. 
  • Fifth seal - persecution and martyrdom of Christians: "Then they will hand you over for persecution, and they will kill you. You will be hated by all nations because of My name. Then many will take offense, betray one another and hate one another." - Mat. 24:9-10
Given all the similarities between these passages, I believe the sixth seal with its identical celestial imagery implies the coming of Jesus Christ and gathering of the elect, an event some call the Rapture. 

After this, the seventh will open up the seven trumpets in Revelation, and the seventh trumpet will open up the seven bowls of God's wrath. They are like Russian dolls, one inside the other. The seventh seal marks the Great Tribulation, the final 3.5 years of this age when the height of wrath and judgment are poured out on earth.

Please understand we will all experience tribulation on earth - the first six seals, all of Revelation 6 - before the gathering of the elect. Then the Great Tribulation will come, the final 3.5 years of this age.

Please also understand that the gathering of the elect is for those who are accounted worthy - who persevere in their faith and seek to obey Jesus Christ:

"Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man." - Luke 21:36, KJV

"Because you have kept My command to endure, I will also keep you from the hour of testing that is going to come over the whole world to test those who live on the earth." - Revelation 3:10, Holman 

See also the parable of the virgins in Matthew 25. All ten virgins wanted to meet the Bridegroom, but only the wise virgins who took extra oil for their lamps entered the wedding banquet. The unwise virgins were left out because they ran out of oil - i.e. they did not maintain their relationship with Jesus Christ.

I point out these things because there are a couple false doctrines circulating around the Christian community. The first is that Christians will escape tribulation because of the gathering of the elect. Not true. We will go through the first six seals, including the Four Horsemen. The second is that everyone who claims to be a Christian will be rescued during the gathering of the elect. Not true. Those who maintain their relationship of faith and obedience to Jesus Christ will be accounted worthy. This is a challenge I personally feel. We must persevere in faith, because the others will be left on earth to be purified during the Great Tribulation.

Are We Really the Last Generation?

In the parable of the fig tree, Jesus said there would be a final generation that will see all end-times events come to pass:

"Now learn this parable from the fig tree: As soon as its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near. In the same way, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near—at the door! I assure you: This generation will certainly not pass away until all these things take place." - Matthew 24:32-34

Are we that final generation? I asked God that question, or rather, I asked Him what the fig tree represents, because the sprouting of the fig tree marks the beginning of the end. He showed me the answer in Mark 11! I recommend reading the whole chapter closely because the answer is not stated directly, but is woven into the fabric of the text.

In Mark 11, Jesus encountered a fig tree with leaves but no fruit, because it was not the season for figs. So He said to it, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again!" Later, Jesus and his disciples passed by the tree again and it was withered from the roots up. 

Immediately before Jesus encountered the fig tree, He entered Jerusalem, went into the temple complex, looked around and then left. What was He observing?

The next day, Jesus encountered the fruitless fig tree and cursed it. He went again to the temple complex in Jerusalem and was distressed to see all the buying, selling and money changing. He began to throw people out of the temple and said:

"Is it not written, My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations? But you have made it a den of thieves!" - Mark 11:17

The chief priests heard it and began to look for a way to destroy Him. Jesus was the long-awaited and prophesied Messiah, but the religious leaders wanted Him dead.

Jesus and his disciples then returned to the fig tree to see it had withered. Do you see what the fig tree represents? It represents Israel. Jesus went into the temple complex in Jerusalem to observe the spiritual condition of Israel, because this was the center of religious life. Israel was fruitless, which is the spiritual meaning of the fruitless fig tree. Except for a small remnant, Israel had rejected their Messiah. Thus the fig tree was cursed and withered, and thus Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD and Israel withered.

It withered until the time of the end and Israel sprouted leaves again. There are many prophecies in Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Zechariah about how God will regather the house of Israel to the Promise Land in the last days as part of His plan to save the whole nation. This began to happen on May 14, 1948, when David Ben-Gurion, head of the Jewish Agency for Palestine, proclaimed the establishment of the state of Israel. US President Harry Truman recognized Israel that same day. That was 70 years ago this year. According to the Psalms, a person's life and by implication the length of a generation is 70 to 80 years:

"As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years, or if due to strength, eighty years." - Psalm 90:10, NASB

My friends, we are not only the last generation but the tail end of it. Seek God in humility and repentance because the world in its present form is quickly passing away. Jesus Christ is coming soon!

 

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