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When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the fourth living creature saying, "Come and see!" And behold, a pale horse, and he who sat on it, his name was Death. Hades followed with him. Authority over one fourth of the earth, to kill with the sword, with famine, with death, and by the wild animals of the earth was given to him. (Revelation 6:7-8)
This is likely announced by the creature looking like a flying eagle. Given the global nature of this event that would make sense. As a flying eagle has greater perspective than any of the other creatures, thus able to better expose the diabolical nature of the great imposter who has been implementing his plans to destroy the most people.
He who sat on it...
Each of these horses has a rider. Compare these to what we find at the end of Revelation related to horses and riders.
I saw an angel standing in the sun. He cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the sky, "Come! Be gathered together to the great supper of God, that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, and small and great." (Revelation 19:17-18)
I see this as a strong clue relating to all of these horses and riders who are on the opposing side from the Lamb. Their purpose, whether openly or secretly, is to deceive in order to steal, kill and destroy, or to openly exploit and subjugate all who resist them. This is the pattern of Satan's kingdom, to begin with subtle deceptions and enticements in order to seduce people into handing over their authority, and when that fails to accomplish their designs the next step is to threaten and coerce all who resist conforming. This is the method of the dragon, but it is in sharp contrast to the true methods exercised by the Lamb and all those who follow Him. Remember, the key to appreciating these symbols is to ever keep in mind that the war is over methods and motives, not over winning through raw force and power.
This describes a heyday of death and hades in sharp contrast to their own defeat and demise in Revelation 20:14 when they are exposed by the full revelation of truth in the books. This parallels what Jesus experienced during the last hours of His life described as being in the heart of the earth.
When I was with you in the temple daily, you didn't stretch out your hands against me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness. (Luke 22:53)
his name was Death. Hades followed with him
This is the first bookend with its counterpart found near the other end of the book. Through breaking this lie-seal open, the Lamb reveals who is the instigator of death and the grave – and it is not God. This begins to introduce the grand originator of death onto the scene. It is important to note that the counterpart of this introduction is linked with the opening of a scroll/book, very similar to how all this will meet their demise through exposure of what is revealed in the opening of other books in the context of the lakes of fire.
I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and they opened books. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged out of the things which were written in the books, according to their works. The sea gave up the dead who were in it. Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them. They were judged, each one according to his works. Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.
(Revelation 20:12-14)
Authority over one fourth of the earth, to kill with the (1) sword, with (2) famine, with (3) death, and by the (4) wild animals of the earth was given to him
What might this 1/4 mean? We will discover later that 1/3 constitutes a trademark linking activities as originating with Satan. We learn that 4 generally indicates having to do with his earth and humanity. If we correlate 1/3 as meaning a divisive opposite of the perfect number 3 denoting the composition of the Godhead, 1/4 could be a divisive opposite of what God's original design was for humanity on this planet.
What is identified here are the natural outcomes of the infection Satan brought in when sin took control of how things operate in our world. Listed here are 4 ways of killing. This is counter to our original design to be only about life, receiving life from the Tree of Life and generously giving life outside the parameters of trading and expectations of return.
By the abundance of your trade You were internally filled with violence, And you sinned; Therefore I have cast you as profane From the mountain of God.... (Ezekiel 28:16 NAS95)
These four ways of killing might also possibly correspond with the 4 horsemen themselves.
Horseman 1 carried a bow, a weapon for killing; horseman 2 carried a great sword; horseman 3 inferred famine and now horseman 4 might summarize and finalize this grouping.
Note that wild beasts in Scripture allude to demonic harassing spirits, not merely physical beasts.
Again, the way authority really functions is that it is derived from the willing choices of those coming under authority. Humans through exercise of their will give permission to one or the other side to have authority in their lives. If we refuse to give our will to God and cooperate with His will for us, we give permission for the enemy to control our thoughts, our impulses, our desires and ultimately squeeze us into reflecting his image rather than that reflected by the Lamb.
We might assume we are safe interpreting this last horseman as clearly being connected to the enemy, and we could be right. However, we can still be in danger of subtle deception if we continue to harbor beliefs that at times God will resort to using some or all of these things to manipulate or punish those who resist His will. Because this war is primarily over methods and motives, we must be very alert to the reality that what we believe about God is the focal point of contention. This war is primarily one putting God on trial, not us. Only from this perspective can we see how everything fits together perfectly and that those who follow the Lamb will not participate in accusing God of ever employing tactics or having motives like those of His enemies.
When sword, famine, death or exposure to violent wild animals come to people, it is often a strong temptation to imagine God is directly at work to punish, and we can easily get sucked into assuming His motives are similar to how He is portrayed to by the enemy of souls. This is precisely why the Lamb of God was sent to take away the sin of the world, for the sin of the world is distrust of God resulting from lies we believe. These kinds of attitudes about how God treats His enemies are what has given sin such power to influence not only our perceptions about Him but have also affected many of the unfallen beings who likewise needed their perceptions restored to see God in a true light.
Now is the judgment of this world. Now the prince of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all [people] to myself. (John 12:32)
First we must realize that any word inserted after the all here does not originate in the original language. It comes from translators who think they know what Jesus meant to say and don't allow it to read the way He actually intended. This is because of our self-focused obsession with making sinners the center of the war instead of God. The influence of Lucifer's subtle deceptions that instigated the original rebellion in heaven before this world was even created caused enormous damage to God's reputation, and that damage is still being remedied through the ever increasing light of truth brought to view by the Son of God whose main purpose is to restore complete confidence in God, not just among humans but throughout the entire universe of intelligent beings far beyond our tiny planet.
What we are witnessing in Revelation is merely what is being acted out on the main stage that the whole universe is intently watching. For it is on this stage that the contest between the truth and the lie about God are confronting each other with increasing intensity. What the Lamb is exposing in this first wave of His assault is the enemy's concentration of lies saturated on our planet that fill the minds and hearts of humans. This world is the primary location of this war, but its influence extends far beyond the confines of humans alone, which is why Jesus often addressed far more than mere humans when He spoke at times. He was addressing not only supernatural forces directly involved in various situations but also had vital revelations of truth directed at heavenly watchers and other observers with a keen interest in clearing up every last doubt about the true nature of God's character.
Concerning this salvation, the prophets sought and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, searching for who or what kind of time the Spirit of Christ, which was in them, pointed to, when he predicted the sufferings of Christ, and the glories that would follow them. To them it was revealed, that not to themselves, but to you, they ministered these things, which now have been announced to you through those who preached the Good News to you by the Holy Spirit sent out from heaven; which things angels desire to look into. (1 Peter 1:10-12)
