War, Famine and Inflation

Interpreting the symbolism behind the 2nd and 3rd horsemen of the Book of Revelation is comparatively easy.  Their meanings are given clearly in the text.  The Red Horse was ‘given power to take peace from the earth and to make men slay each other,’ Rev. 6:4.  It is obvious that the fiery Red Horse stands for war.  However that is not all that is depicted by the Red Horse; while it takes ‘peace from the earth’ or warfare it also has the power to ‘make men slay each other’, in other words the introduction of murder.  As we saw in the previous post the first murder occurred when Adam and Eve’s eldest son Abel was slain by his younger brother Cain, Genesis 4.

Likewise the meaning of the Black Horse is also relatively self-explanatory.  The Bible shows us clearly that it depicts not only famine but also inflation, consumerism and greed.  “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 ‘A quart of wheat for a day’s wages, and three quarts of barley for a day’s wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine.” Rev. 6:5-6. 

Although it is impossible to be absolutely certain of the values depicted in the text it remains obvious from the symbolism that food, and by implication other necessary items of living, is scarce and wages are low.  Furthermore the injunction not to damage the oil and the wine, luxury goods, indicates that there is a disparity of wealth with the poor becoming increasingly poorer while the wealthy remain untouched.

Both the Red Horse of war and murder and the Black Horse of famine and greed would seem to represent harsh, unjust conditions.  Having determined that these riders are symbols for supernatural or angelic beings, the question arises as to whether God is being fair in sending these judgements amongst mankind.  However, as we saw with the Pale Horse, once death had entered the world because of sin, so too the Horsemen began their ride. 

War, murder, greed and injustice are integral parts of the fallen, carnal nature of mankind.  Once humanity had turned against the ways of God, which is based on love, and turned instead to their own understanding it became almost a free-for-all.  Anything was acceptable in the eyes of the individual, selfishness became the primary focus of mankind, which ultimately leads to war, greed, murder, injustice and even famine and disease.

There is little or no archaeological evidence to provide insight into the lives of early man [I’m using ‘man’ in the sense of all humanity] that is, their lives prior to the Great Flood.  Our best, and most accurate, source of information for the conditions of those times remains the Bible.  The early chapters of Genesis provide our only, limited, glimpse into the world of that time.  What we are told is that within a few short generations, related in Genesis chapter 5, mankind had become so wicked, so depraved, so utterly turned against their Creator that God decided to destroy all of humanity with the exception of Noah and his family.  We can guess that this degradation occurred over a period of time, particularly since in the genealogy of chapter 5 the only one mentioned as ‘walking with God’ is Enoch, Gen 5:21-25.

Therefore it seems obvious that the riders of the Red, Black and Pale horses were all riding from the time of the fall in the Garden of Eden.  Furthermore it seems equally obvious that in turning from God and His ways mankind inevitably sinks into a selfishness that leads to war, murder, famine, injustice, disease, degradation and death.  Thus the Horsemen of the Apocalypse are not an external punishment from God inflicted upon an innocent humanity, rather they are the natural evolution of man’s selfish, sinful life since turning our backs on God and breaking His laws.

The greatest problem facing humanity now is the same problem that faced mankind in the past; we do not understand that God’s laws are immutable and eternal.  You cannot break the law of God without the penalty being inherently built into the committing of the sin.  The current state of the world that we live in provides sufficient example that we cannot live without God or His laws.  Yet God’s incredible mercy is demonstrated in the fact that He has allowed us to continue on our own path, often times even allowing all of us to escape the inbuilt consequences of our actions, for so long without direct intervention in man’s affairs. 

God’s mercy is further demonstrated by the fact that He will not allow this situation to continue indefinitely, as He knows that we are ultimately not only hurting ourselves but destroying ourselves.  Eventually Christ will return and redeem God’s creation.  Until that day the Horsemen will continue to ride the earth, but that doesn’t mean they have to ride in your own individual heart.  Turning now from sin and selfishness will free you from the consequences of the Horsemen and the other judgements of God.

In God's Grace,

Tracey