Revelation 6: The Four Horsemen & the Seven Seals

By Robert Hunt
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Some scholars believe we have already entered the tribulation, and that all of the four horsemen have begun to ride.  Many others believe the seven seals parallel the conditions Christ outlined in His Olivet Discourse.  Yet other scholar’s base their beliefs on the various colors of the horses in the first four seals.  But since I disagree with all of the theories above, I had to take a road less traveled.  So I set out to blaze a new trail.


In my view, I see the horsemen on the various colored horses as symbolic.  We won’t see them in a literal sense, but rather, these symbols are like markers that represent the changing conditions and events we will see occurring in the world, which are described individually in each of the following seals.  In other words, the horses will not be seen literally, but the changing conditions they describe will literally happen and we’ll be able to see and recognize these events play out when they occur.

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I see a very good possibility that the rider of the first horse (white horse), may have already begun to ride.  The rider of the second horse (red) may also be getting ready to ride, but must wait until after the rider of the white horse rides.  At this time, I do not see any indication that the rider’s of the black and pale horse’s have mounted-up just yet.  With that, I’ll begin my interpretation and complete break-down of Revelation chapter 6, which I believe, provides us with very strong clues about the conditions we’ll see unfolding in the world, when each of these successive seals are opened.
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Revelation 6:1-2 (MEV) I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures saying, with voice like thunder, “Come and see.” And I looked, and there before me was a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow. And a crown was given to him, and he went forth conquering that he might overcome.”
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The rider of the white horse has a bow and a crown was given to him as he goes forth conquering.  It seems likely to me that a bow without any arrows may possibly be indicating that a leader will arise on the world stage and conquer or control nations and/or regions without actually going to war with them.  If this is so, I can only think of one man at this present time that would possibly fit this description.  However, I’m not being dogmatic about the character here.  That’s not important.  We can always change it later, if someone else comes along later, who seems to fit this prophecy better.  But as of now, I can’t think of any others, so I’m filling in the blanks with this particular character, in order to show how I interpret the scriptures in this most intriguing chapter.
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Donald J. Trump has become the 45th president of the USA.  Many love him and many hate him and there seems to be few in between.  But Bible prophecies don’t care whether or not we like a certain leader.   Yes, of course, I may be wrong and Trump may not be the rider of the white horse, but in this post that would only amount to spilled milk, as this can easily be adjusted later should a more fitting leader arise..
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The world was changing rapidly when Trump finally came on the scene.  Barrack Obama nearly destroyed the USA in his two terms, and honestly, I was wondering if we could endure to the end of his second term.  But he was just a puppet for the global puppet master’s who pulled his strings.  It was easy to see that they wanted Hillary Clinton to become the next president, so that she could finish the job Obama started.  They wanted to bring an end to the sovereignty of the USA and the U.S. constitution so that they could finally usher in their new world order, a totalitarian global government run by the United Nations.
Many of the voting poles were rigged which is nothing new, but Trump was somehow able to overcome against all odds.  But even he was surprised on election night, because he really didn’t believe he would win, and neither did the news media, which controlled popular opinion as they always do.  After watching Obama nearly destroy this nation, millions of people had grown weary of politics as usual, so they, myself included, decided to vote for the only man that was not a politician.  He was rich, and many were hoping that he wouldn’t be able to be bought or bribed, at least, if he was really serious about making America great again.  And he was a shrewd business man, that seemed to have far greater plans for America than all of the other candidates, democrat or republican.  And as it turned out, he won the victory, against all odds.
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Now back to the opening of the first seal.  So Trump became the 45th president, which also crowns him as the leader of the free world, as the petro-dollar, which is on it’s last leg, remains the worlds reserve currency.  Trump favors peace through strength, so he has rebuilt the military that was severely weakened under Obama.  And he has also reversed the decades old stance on endless overseas war and occupations by bringing our troops home to defend our own nation instead of being the so-called policeman of the world.  So the bow that he holds is a strong defense force, but no arrows because he’s not in favor of unnecessary wars.  Instead of wars, he uses economic sanctions to bring rogue nations under compliance and control.  And against the nations who had been taking advantage of the U.S. trade policies, he’s applying tariffs to keep them under control, and the U.S. economy is again showing signs of life.  And under his policy, the USA for first time in history has also become the world’s leader in oil exports, which is a huge strength in economic and industrial power.
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I believe the white horse represents the last time in history the world will live in relative peace, when sovereign nations make their own laws to govern their own citizens accordingly.  Whether one likes President Trump or not, he is the only one standing in the way of a United Nations led global government.  He has the bow (military weapons), but does not desire to use them if at all possible, and he is able to conquer or control trouble spots around the world with relative ease.  I believe he will win a second term in office with a landslide victory.  However, when he does finally leave office, watch out, because the globalists will seize their opportunity, and the world will never be the same again.
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Revelation 6:3-4 (MEV) When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come and see.” Then another horse that was red went forth. Power was given to him who sat on it to take peace from the earth, causing people to kill one another. Then a great sword was given to him.”
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The picture is not yet as clear for the second seal, but we’ll know more when the second seal is opened and the rider of the red horse begins to ride.  We’ll just have to wait and see if the rider of the red horse will be the next president who succeeds Trump, or if the rider will come from another nation entirely; or quite possibly, even a new leader that rises to become the first to lead the new world government (beast).  And lastly, another possibility could be a worldwide economic collapse, as this could very easily take peace from the earth as well. 
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When we turn on the television and watch reports coming from the mainstream news media, they often interview many analysts and retired military personnel, discussing how things could very easily develop into World War III.  Yet when you listen to economists outside of the mainstream media and even some within, they often discuss a coming economic crisis or collapse, which is often the cause of
wars.  In fact, I’ve often heard people in general discussing how they believe we need another war when the economy starts getting bad, as if war would stabilize a weakened economy.
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While the economy in the USA has gotten much better under Trump, most all other national economies around the globe are slowing down.  There is weakness all over the world.  It’s a global meltdown under the pressure from the weight of debt on nearly all nations.  And as a result, we are seeing currency wars and trade wars, causing tension between the nations of the world.  Many nations are printing money out of thin air, devaluing their currencies.  All of this makes me wonder which will happen first, World War III or an epic worldwide economic collapse?
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Revelation 6:5-6 (MEV) –
When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” I looked, and there was a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. Then I heard a voice in the midst of 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 harm the oil and the wine.”
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In the first century when this prophecy was actually written, the Roman denarius was the money being used, which was a small silver coin about the size of a dime today.  A denarius was a day’s wages for the common Roman citizen during that time.  But if we change it to penny instead, as many newer Bible translations do, we don’t get the true effect.  A penny makes it seem cheap, like they will be practically giving wheat and barley away.  But in reality, they will become very expensive.
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When the third seal is opened, the description of the events brought on by the rider of the black horse leads me to believe the economic collapse will occur before world war breaks out, but this, too, can lead to wars itself.  A global financial crash will render all world currencies worthless, which will create worldwide chaos, store closures, job losses, stoppages in food shipments, riots, looting, anarchy, etc., etc…
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A quart of wheat or three quarts of barley for a day’s wage will not be welcomed by the multitudes who live in the industrialized nations, because they will then be forced to get a taste of how the poorest third-world nations have been living for a very long time.  This won’t be as hard for the poor nations because they were already used to living this way of life.  I can only imagine that most people will hate this new economy of working for their daily food so much, that it won’t be long before they start begging their government leaders to find a better way.  And the global elite will use this to their evil advantage, because it shouldn’t be too long before the people start crying out, even begging for the mark of the beast, as long as it allows them to start buying and selling things they want and need again, just as they were before the collapse.
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The global elite know they could not pull off their mark of the beast scheme under this current economy.  They know that many have been warning about this future technology.  They know that the majority of people would reject it now, but by crashing the economy and forcing the masses to work for their daily food, this will be a huge game changer.  This is why Christians need to prepare now, not only for when the food stops shipping, but also for when that crisis finally ends and the next one begins, because the next economy coming afterward will be the mark of the beast system, a cashless society, when no one will be able to buy or sell without the mark.  Those who are wise will be prepared and will be able to endure, without depending upon their government, but those who are foolish will be lured into the slavery trap of the global elite.
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Revelation 6:7-8 (RSV) – When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” And I saw, and behold, a pale horse, and its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed him; and they were given power over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth.”
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When the fourth seal is opened and the rider of the fourth and final horse, whose name is death, begins to ride and is followed by hades (grave), then the conditions in the world will become very grave.  To say this is just another world war would be an understatement.  It is estimated that between 52-55 million lives were lost during World War II, but when the rider of the pale horse rides, one-quarter of the earth’s population will die.  The world’s population has now surpassed 7 billion people.  So the 55 million who died in WWII is only a drop in the bucket compared to the 1 billion, 750 million people that will die during the 4th seal.  They will not all die from war, however, as many will starve to death from famines, which will probably be caused by GMO crops, that do not reproduce any seeds.  Also included will be thousands, if not millions more that will die from diseases derived from animals (AIDS, Ebola virus, swine and bird flu, etc.).
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Revelation 6:9-11 (MEV) – When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony they had held. 10 They cried out with a loud voice, “How long, O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” 11 Then a white robe was given to each of them, and they were told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and brothers should be completed, who would be killed as they were.”
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Up to this point it’s been fairly easy to interpret this prophecy, but that’s about to change.  Not only are there no more horses and riders, but there’s no fifth living creature to utter its voice either.  When the fifth seal is opened, this is where this prophecy becomes much more difficult, as it has stumped a multitude of scholars.  Many scholars believe we are already in the fifth seal, because of the new wave of Christians being martyred at the hands of Muslims.  Many other scholars believe the rapture will come after all of the martyrs are killed, especially when they read the great multitude standing around the throne after the sixth seal is opened (which I’ll cover shortly), and before the seventh seal is opened in chapter 7.  But be careful, because many scholars and teachers alike are not connecting these dots correctly.
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You see, when we consider the martyrs being killed today, as shocking and horrible as it is, this is nothing new at all.  Thousands upon thousands of Christian martyrs have been killed since the new covenant began in the first century, beginning with Stephen (Acts 7:), and millions more will be killed in the end.  But what these scholars are missing here, is that the martyrs we see being killed in the fifth seal are the last martyrs to be killed, after the rapture occurs, not before.  How can we know this?  We know it because the martyrs who die before the rapture will be resurrected with the dead in Christ, who will be among the first to rise when Christ appears (rapture).
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The martyrs we see here in the fifth seal are being told to wait until the rest of the martyrs are killed, and only then will God avenge their blood.  This appears to be good for post-tribbers, because they believe the rapture and second coming will both occur on the same day, but they neglect the fact that the days will be shortened for the sake of the elect.  However, these last martyrs are the saints that will be overcome by the beast,  They will be killed for refusing the mark of the beast (Rev. 13:7-8, 14:13, 20:4).  If you’ve read my book, you know these martyrs are the servants that were not ready when the Son of man appeared.  Because if these martyrs’ were killed before the rapture, then they (the dead) would rise first at the sounding of the trumpet, and then meet the Lord in the air, followed by the living saints, those who are alive and remain that will be caught up together with them in the rapture (1 Thes. 4:16-17).
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Many misinterpret this, assuming the rapture comes after the 5th seal martyrs are killed.  On the surface, it may seem like the post-trib position has a good case, that’s if the events in Revelation were all in chronological order, but they are not.  And we should not expect the Lord to just give away His Father’s secret, that no one knows the day or hour.  We can be sure the rapture will happen suddenly and be totally unexpected.  But Revelation 6 was not written to give us a clue about the timing of the rapture.  It was written so that Christians could understand and prepare for the conditions of the world that will be coming at the time of the end.
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In Revelation 7 we see a great multitude standing around the throne, but there’s nothing in the text that says when they arrived or how long they had been there.  They were already standing around the throne when John saw them.  He did not see them arrive.  All he was told is that they came out of the great tribulation.  I believe the days will be shortened for them, because they are the elect who will be ready (Matt. 24:21-22).  But these martyr’s in the 5th seal, on the other hand, will not be killed in time to be resurrected along with the elect who are ready, so they are told to wait a little longer, until all of the martyrs are killed, and then God will avenge their blood, which is consistent with what the next seal reveals.
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Instead of standing around the throne in heaven, we see these martyrs souls under the altar in heaven, being told to wait until all of their fellow martyrs have been killed, and then their blood will be avenged, only after the last one is killed (God’s wrath).  These martyr’s will obviously not ready when the Son of man appears.  I believe these are the late arriving foolish virgins (lukewarm), who were advised to go and buy oil from those who sell.  Indeed, that oil will be very expensive (Christ’ blood, plus their own blood as well).  They will miss the wedding supper, because they soiled their garments in the world.  And Jesus warned that, because they were neither cold nor hot, that He would spit them out of His mouth (Rev. 3:15-17).  But they will finally pass the test during the hour of trial; and then only the sheep, goats and the remnant Jews will remain on the earth, awaiting the second coming and the judgment of the nations.
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Revelation 6:12-17 (MEV) – I watched as He opened the sixth seal. And suddenly there was a great earthquake. The sun became black, like sackcloth made from goat hair, and the moon became like blood. 13 And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its unripe figs when it is shaken by a strong wind. 14 Then the heavens receded like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. 15 Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the rich men and the commanding officers and the strong and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains. 16 They said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, 17 for the great day of His wrath has come. Who is able to withstand it?”
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Many scholar’s believe the rapture occurs when the sixth seal is opened, because they think verses 12 and 13 above, are describing the very same phases of the sun, moon and stars we see in Matthew 24:29, which occurs right before Christ descends in the clouds, sending the angels to gather His elect.  First, let me say that I agree that Matthew 24:29-31 is the rapture.  But I disagree that these two passages are talking about the same event or moment in time, because, although the phases of the sun, moon and stars appear to be the same, actually, they are not the same, not even close.  After a closer examination and comparison of the two passages, it is the phase of the moon that shatters their belief.
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As I said in my book, the moon in Matthew 24 does not give its light, but the moon in the sixth seal turns to blood.  The difference between the two, is that in Matthew the moon is not seen, which is known as a new moon, but a blood moon is a full lunar eclipse.  So there is a huge difference between no moon and a full moon.  This is when the fulfillment of the fall feasts begins.  Jesus fulfilled the spring feasts during His first coming, and He will likewise do the same with the fall feasts upon His return.  I believe the rapture will occur on the feast of trumpets, so the moon not being seen in Matthew 24 fits perfectly, because the feast of trumpets does not begin until the first tiny sliver of the moon becomes visible to the naked eye.  And also, no one knows the day or the hour the moon will appear, as it sometimes won’t appear until the next day.  But on the other hand, a full blood moon always comes almost exactly two weeks later, which would be the beginning of the feast of Tabernacles, when the moon is always full.
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Not only are the phases of the sun, moon and stars in the sixth seal not compatible with a rapture scenario, but neither is the rest of this passage.  I believe it is clearly describing the setting up for the second coming and God’s wrath, which is exactly what the martyrs in the fifth seal were promised, to wait until after the last of them has been killed, and then God will avenge their blood.  A great earthquake that moves all of the mountains and islands would create massive worldwide tsunami’s, which, according to Luke will cause men’s hearts to fail.  This is clearly God’s wrath, rather than the rapture.
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Now let’s compare another difference between the sixth seal and Matthew 24.  In the sixth seal, we see the kings and great men of the earth, the rich men, the commanding officer’s, the strong and everyone free and slave, hiding themselves in the caves and rocks of the mountains, crying out to the mountains and rocks to fall on them and to hide them from the face of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb.  This is nothing like the passage we see in Matthew, no comparison.
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In Matthew, all we see are the tribes of the earth mourning, and there’s a good reason for this.  When the sign of the Son of man appears (rapture), this sign will also signal the end of the times of the Gentiles (after great tribulation).  Therefore, I believe the tribes of the earth is referring to the remnant and the Jews that are still scattered in the world.  When they see the sign of the Son of man appear, then they will finally mourn for the one they have pieced and rejected.  They (Jews) will lift up their heads and know that their redemption draws near.  The passage in Matthew shows no wrath at all, only the rapture, which will have past two weeks before the sixth seal is opened.  Thus, the rapture must occur sometime before, maybe just before the fifth seal is opened; as the days must be shortened for the sake of His elect.  However, there’s no way to know exactly when the fifth seal will be opened.  And we should not expect God to show His hand, for no one knows the day or the hour, but Him alone.
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When we read about the scroll with 7 seals, it appears that the resurrection/rapture in chapter 7 comes after God’s wrath.  The seals and the events they describe are in chronological order up through chapter 6, but then something changes in chapter 7, in the midst of the 6th seal.  I believe the reason we see the multitude standing around the throne after we see the cosmic disturbances and the blood moon that signals God’s wrath, is because the 6 seals describe only things that are happening on the earth, but then the scene suddenly shifts, as John begins to see the multitude around the throne and events that take place in heaven.
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John saw the multitude in heaven, but he did not see when they arrived, so we should not assume he saw them arrive.  He was describing the next thing he saw, and they were already there and gathered around the throne when he first saw them.  This is why I believe the multitude was ready (rapture) before the 5th seal was opened, and the martyrs were the one’s who were left, as Christ promised to spit the lukewarm out of His mouth.  “Two will be in the field, one shall be taken and the other left.  Two women will be grinding in the mill, one shall be taken and the other left (Matt. 24:40-41).  The lukewarm will have to go through the hour of trial (Rev. 3:10); and they are also the saints that will be overcome by the beast, when the ten kings rule for one hour with the beast.  God’s wrath will wait until the very last martyr has been killed.  Why will God wait?  God must wait on the last martyr to be killed in order to fulfill the prophecies in His Word, and also, because these martyrs will also be returning with Christ for His physical second coming to the earth (Rev. 13:7-8, 14:13, 20:4).

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Thank you for visiting my blog.  Please like this post if it has blessed you.  Feel free to share it with friends and you can also leave a comment below as well.  My mission is to prepare as many as possible for the soon return of our Lord and Savior.  To God be the glory!

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1 Response to Revelation 6: The Four Horsemen & the Seven Seals

  1. Very well written. Interesting.

    Like

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