The Rider On The White Horse

The most important prophecy Christ delivered while He was on this earth was the Olivette prophecy.  All prophecy really Revolves around this prophecy which was recorded in Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21

Matthew, Mark, Luke and John all recorded the gospel of Christ.  Why is John the only one of the four gospel writers who did not record the Olivette prophecy?  Actually he does, but not in the gospel of John.  He records it in the book of Revelation, chapter six.  It is in this chapter that John discusses the seven seals-with the emphasis on the first four - otherwise known as the FOUR HORSEMEN OF THE APOCALYPSE.  The word apocalypse - is an untranslated Greek word which means Revelation.  In the book of Revelation, John records the seven seals, which are interpreted by Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21. 

Bible Interprets the Bible

The book of Revelation has many symbols with many different interpretations.  However, we must remember that the Bible interprets itself. 

Only the true Christ can unlock the seven seals.  "And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, bath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof" (Rev. 5:5).

These seven seals are unlocked in Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21. "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.  For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy [Spirit]" (11 Pet. 1:20-21).

The White Horse

Let's notice the first seal.  "And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.  And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer"(Rev. 6:1-2).

Christ does return to this earth on a white horse.  "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.  His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.  And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.  And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.  And out of his mouth GOETH A SHARP SWORD, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.  And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS"(Rev. 19:11-16).

But notice carefully, The true Christ has a SWORD-not a bow.

The man on the white horse (A False Christ, a False Messiah), as described in Revelation 6,  is like the other three horsemen of the apocalypse, bringing great suffering upon the earth.

All Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse Ride under the Authority and control of Satan Himself. They represent the "Spirit and Power Of Antichrist" The spiritual manifestation of Satan, before the actual Physical appearance of "The Antichrist" The physical embodiment of Satan.

The first horseman is first because he causes the most suffering by far!  He goes forth "conquering, and to conquer." The word conquer means "to come off with the victory".  This conquering and deception occurs from Christ's First Coming to His Second Coming, all through the church age, the age of grace.  The first horseman conquers by deceiving!

The other three horsemen, on the surface, would appear to cause far more serious catastrophes.  Actually, the first horseman causes most of the gruesome events of the other three!  These catastrophes occur because men are deceived.  The first and most deadly horseman is a "False Christ, a False Messiah" representing the Spirit of Antichrist, bringing rebellion, disobedience and religious deception. As he rides he is bringing the "Spirit and Power of Antichrist" upon the world - before the Antichrist's actual physical appearance!  And yet men are so casual and shallow in their religious interests that they fail to see this.  Let's allow Christ to unlock this first seal for us.

Religious Deception

Mankind has no idea how much suffering is caused by religious deception.  "And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.  And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.  And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming , and of the end of the world?" (Matt. 24:1-3).

Now notice the first and most important warning Christ gave them. "And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.  For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many" (Matt. 24: 4-5).

This is the first horseman of the apocalypse!  It is not just about the world's deception from false religions.  PEOPLE ARE GOING TO BE DECEIVED ABOUT CHRIST AND HIS MESSAGE  from within Christianity.

We have to remember that when Jesus gave this Olivette Prophecy, that it wasn't for the Disciples or the generation of that day. It was intended for the end time generation or the "Final Generation", those of us who would be alive on the earth just before his return. That they would be deceived into believing a false message about the person of Christ while rejecting His true message.  These are people who were given the "Seed Of Faith" and had God's precious truth at sometime during their lives. (Matt Chap. 13)  Then they rejected it for false religion and a false Christianity! "Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill You: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake" (Matt. 24:9).  Those that afflict and kill the True Christians will believe they are doing God A favor.

The 20th century could well be labeled "the century of martyrs". Thousands of True and Faithful Christian brothers and sisters throughout the world have been imprisoned, tortured, and murdered on account of their faith. In fact, more Christians have been killed for their faith during the last century then in all previous centuries combined.

This tragedy has been unfolding for almost 2,000 years.  But it gets 100-fold worse in this end time!  It all happens because they are deceived by the first horseman of the apocalypse.

The Spirit Of Antichrist - End Time Deception

 "And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world". (1John:4:3)

The Bible tell us that the end times will be dominated by the Spirit of Antichrist - the rider on the White Horse going forth to "conquer and deceive"

Here is a very revealing verse.  "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come"

It will be the end of the Church era (The Period of Grace) The next occurrence will be the Rapture of The True Church. Then will come the "Great Tribulation" followed by the beginning of the Kingdom era (The Millennium) or the Revelation of God's Church.

The Gospel of the Kingdom was not preached around the world from the first century until the last.  Otherwise, Christ could not have said what He did in Matthew 24:14! 

As we enter the 21st Century we are seeing a GREAT PROPHETIC TURNING POINT in this world and in God's Church.  THE WHOLE WORLD MUST COME TO SEE THAT!  We entered into a time Of NO MORE DELAY.  Satan, no doubt, was then cast to this earth (Rev. 12:9).  Satan's own wrath greatly intensifies the world's problems (Rev. 12:12).  Then he persecutes God's True Church. 

Only "A Very Few - A Little Flock - A Small Remnant" of God's people are  not deceived by Satan, so God will protect them and remove (Rapture) (Luke 21:34-36.) (I Thessalonians 4:16-17) them out of the way from Satan's greatest wrath-the Great Tribulation (Revelation 3:10) 

The first horseman of the apocalypse is striking a powerful blow on God's end-time Church!

 The abomination of desolation, The Beast, the Spirit of, and the  soon embodiment of; the Antichrist, is beginning to rise in power just as fast.  That is why Christ mentions it immediately after discussing the Gospel being preached around the world.  "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.  When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (who so readeth. let him understand:)"(Matt. 24:14-15).

The Gospel around the world also contained a warning of  the revival of the  old Roman Empire ( i.e. The European Union) -which is to become the home and center of the abomination of desolation, The Beast, the embodiment of the spirit of the Antichrist.  After the Gospel was preached around the world, you can see the abomination of desolation rise to power, The Antichrist, rises fast. 

Luke's version of the Olivette prophecy states that the abomination of desolation is an army or armies.  "And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the DESOLATION thereof is nigh.  Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter there into" (Luke 21:20-21).  Again, God's own people (The Israelites) are told to flee at this time.  Those armies that will surround Jerusalem are about to enslave and destroy Israel. This abomination is going to leave many nations in "DESOLATION" shortly before Christ returns.

If God's people didn't even recognize the mighty Work of God's Ture Holy Spirit , HOW COULD THEY EVER KNOW WHEN TO FLEE?!  We recognize the end-time work of the Holy Spirit by faith and we live by faith.  Now is the time to build that STRONG FAITH.

When the Gospel stops going around the world, we can begin to watch for SPECIFIC SIGNS-like the rapid collapse of the Peace of Israel, the rise of the abomination of desolation or the Antichrist, serious problems in God's Church, nuclear powers out of control and other serious signs we'll mention later.

The Laodicean Church will be Left Behind!

The first horseman of the apocalypse DECEIVES PEOPLE ABOUT CHRIST'S MESSAGE.  Satan gets their focus off the person of Christ and off His message.  That also happens to God's own Church, but in varying degrees.

God puts the focus on His own Church in this great religious deception.  There is an important reason for this.  Worldly religions are easily deceived and have never had God's revealed truth.  So they don't understand the Bible.  Only a tiny percentage of "Professing Christianity" has ever understood God's word.  Satan has to be more subtle and powerful to deceive God's own people.  Christ speaks more directly to His Church because their salvation is at stake.  The world has not yet been called (John 6:44).  They will get their chance in the second resurrection.

God actually discusses two different  groups OF HIS OWN SAINTS in the last few verses of Matthew 24.  Two of them are mentioned in verse 40: "Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.(behind)" The two are two groups within the Church. Luke's version explains this verse better.  "I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left (Behind)" (Luke 17:34), These two groups are in God's Church and are in the same BED or FIELD together so to speak.  That just means both are in God's own Family.  God is speaking spiritually.

"Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left (Behind)" (Matt. 24:41).  Woman is a Bible symbol for church and is signified as being the "bride of Christ"  The two women are both grinding at the mill.  That means there are two separate groups of Christians within the church, but both of them are  part of God's Church.  Both are grinding at the mill-teaching much of God's truth.  But one group of Christians has a serious flaw.  The Greek reads "in the mill." Both groups of Christians are in God's temple (or Church) but one group (The Backslidden) reside in the outer court (Rev. 11:1-3).

They have a Holy Spirit problem. They are Spiritually Asleep, Spiritually Dead and can't be corrected or reprehended by God.  God is not going to take them to a place of safety. 

When the Bride Groom Comes for His Bride

Christ referred to the end time church in Matthew 25 and He likened them to "Ten Virgins" five of whom were spiritually alert as signified by the fullness of the "Oil Of The Spirit" and five who were "foolish" and spiritually asleep, Backslidden, who's oil had run out.

Five were awake and alert, waiting for the  return of the "Bride Groom"(Christ). Five were Backslidden being asleep, being "foolish" and not awake or alert or waiting for the return of the "Bride Groom" (Christ), their "Spiritual Oil" Had Run out.

" Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them. But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.  And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.  But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh." (Matthew 25:1-10)

There is no point in watching if we don't WARN.  The Laodiceans (The spiritually asleep) don't see God's most urgent warning message.  Some people say we lack love and are attacking our brethren.  We are not attacking, but we are WATCHING and WARNING!  God uses us to rebuke them in love (Rev. 3:19).  That is because their own love is WAXING COLD.

God relates to us why He can't reveal His message to the Backslidden Laodiceans-even the ones who are grinding at the mill (some of them are not even doing that).  "Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made RULER over his household, to give them meat in due season?" (v. 45).  One group of Christians (The spiritually alert) are referred to as the "faithful and wise servants." God has made them "RULERS over their households"   Thayers lexicon defines ruler this way: "set one over a thing, (in charge of it), to conduct the spirit led work of God."

The word ruler used here is the same word used in Matthew 25:23-24: "His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee RULER over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.  Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed."

We Must prepare for God's coming government today. To be ready to implement it in God's Millennial Kingdom!  God says fifty percent of the Christian Church (The Spiritually alert) will submit to His government.   The other Fifty percent (The Spiritually asleep- the Backslidden ) won't learn that lesson and shall lose their salvation, that is if they ever had true salvation in the first place! (Matt. 25:1-10).  Rebellion against God's government is the main reason.

The Bible was originally written in a scroll without chapter breaks.  The chapter breaks were inserted by men.  The last few verses of chapter 24 should be followed by the first ten verses of Matthew 25-without a chapter break.  It's all one story flow.

  The first horseman's single most monstrous destruction is inflicted on God's own Church.  Many thousands of them shall die during the Great Tribulation in a few short years!

God's Government and The Millennial Kingdom

Worldly religions have always rejected God's government, which is based on God's law, the Ten Commandments.  Now God's own people have the same problem.  That is why the first horseman of the apocalypse can so easily deceive them.  They don't want God to totally rule them!

Grinding at the mill is not enough. Working in the harevest fields is not enough.  God still has to totally and unconditionally rule us! The government of God is what separates  the  two women grinding at the mill. God's own Laodicean Church is that one woman who is grinding at the mill, but is still left behind to face the Tribulation.

 We are now  in a different season. We now  find ourselves in The End Times or The Latter Days.  Tragically, the Laodiceans don't know that.  Many of them still think their main job is to do what has already  been done.  "Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing" (v. 46).  We must be found doing the right work in the right season!  It's not enough to just be doing or just be grinding at the mill.  We must deliver the right message or Christ can't use us to do His Work.

What is the reward for doing this job? "Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods"(v. 47).  God is going to make us rulers over the whole universe.  The word ruler is the same word discussed earlier.

Here is the MOST PROFOUND MESSAGE EVER DELIVERED By GOD!  WE MUST BE RULED By GOD'S GOVERNMENT TODAY OR GOD COULD NEVER ALLOW US TO RULE THE VAST UNIVERSE! (Heb. 2:7-8).

We absolutely must see how towering this glory and responsibility is.  It is urgently necessary that we learn to be ruled now.  Only Jesus Christ teaches us how to be ruled.  It's all for our own golden reward!  We can't be Laodicean sloppy in this area!

God won't have another Satan on His hands.  Lucifer rebelled and wrecked the first creation and much of the universe.  That happened for one and only one reason.  He would not administer God's government!  So Satan rules the first horseman of the apocalypse today-trying to deceive all mankind about God's precious government.  He desperately wants to get mankind to follow his rebellion.

Anyone who won't submit to God's government is destined to be deceived by the first horseman! The fruits prove that the true Bible Believing Spirit filled Church has God's government.  The first horseman of the apocalypse has deceived and is conquering the whole world.  But the far greater tragedy is what this deceiving monster has done, and is doing, to God's own people.  This horse is galloping over God's own saints-deceiving and destroying probably more saints than at anytime in the history of God's Church!  May God help us to heed the roar of His thunderous warning message

The Rider On TheThe Red Horse

The first horse, a white one, is perhaps the least understood and yet most important because it eventually produces the The most insidious destruction: UNIVERSAL RELIGIOUS DECEPTION.  Yet we see that the other three horsemen are also heavily involved in and influenced by this world's false secular religions and false "Christian" religions.  Few understand the four horsemen because few listen to Christ and His interpretation, which is the vital key to understanding the book of Revelation.  As Revelation 1:1 shows, Jesus Christ is the Revelator!

The deceived followers of the man on the white horse "go forth conquering and to conquer" based on their erroneous belief that the white horseman is Jesus Christ.  In fact, he is Satan DISGUISING HIMSELF AS CHRIST (II Cor. 11:14).  This leads directly into, and overlaps with, the second horseman of the apocalypse: WAR!  The second horseman has wreaked havoc on mankind with religious wars throughout history.

  Only Jesus Christ can open the mysterious SECOND SEAL for US

In Matthew 24:6-7, Christ said, "And ye shall hear Of WARS AND RUMOURS OF WARS: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass. but the end is not yet.  For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines. and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places."

An End-Time Message

Revelation is clearly a book for the end time.  Revelation 9:16 mentions a standing army of about 200 million men.  There were not even enough men, women and children alive in the first century for this to be fulfilled then.  It wasn't until the end of the 19th century that the world population exceeded ONE BILLION people.  Only then could so many men be amassed into such a large fighting force.  During the height of World War 11, the combined armies of both the Allied and Axis forces were LESS THAN HALF (approximately 70 million) of the 200 million mentioned in Revelation.

Everything is now in place for the four horsemen to stampede.

"And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see.  And there went out another horse that was RED: and power was given to him that sat thereon to TAKE PEACE FROM THE EARTH, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword" (Rev. 6:3-4).  Jesus Christ opens the second seal and John sees a red horse whose rider is given authority to remove peace from the earth.  When peace is gone, there is only war.

Some may argue that man has always had wars.  Other questions often raised include: Which wars are being referred to in Matthew 24?  Does the second horseman represent war in general or one specific war?  Again, let's allow the Bible to interpret itself!

War, Wars and Rumours of Wars

The first thing Christ prophesied about was a general condition of war on earth that would extend from His time until man's misrule on earth was finally over.  "And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars [plural]." The very next thing he said after warning about this seemingly endless state of warfare was, "See that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet." These many wars comprise a general, not specific, condition of war.  Christ admonished us not to be too troubled. 

The rest of Matthew 24-and the second horseman of the apocalypse-refer to a FAR MORE SERIOUS TYPE OF WAR.  One of such great impact that it is a totally unique war of and by itself-a WORLD WAR of cataclysmic proportions far worse than World Wars I and 11 combined.

Nuclear War

The world has already survived two world wars, but neither can compare to the potential global war spoken of in Matthew 24:22: "And except those days should be shortened, THERE SHOULD NO FLESH BE SAVED."

World War 11 was not the "war to end all wars" as many had hoped.  The atomic blast in Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, killed close to 80,000 people.  Three days later, another atomic blast killed tens of thousands in Nagasaki.

Today, bombs are up to several thousand times MORE DEADLY and destructive than the primitive atomic bombs.  The word overkill was not used until these detonations in 1945.  Today, there is roughly 150-200 times world overkill.  The latest estimates show there exists EIGHT TONS of TNT for each man. woman and child!

Only in the generations since World War 11 has the potential for world-wide cosmocide existed.  Never before has mankind had the potential to completely destroy himself!

 Between America and the former Soviet Union, there is over 700 times the destructive power of all the bombs dropped by the Allies on Germany and Japan in World War II.

The scale of war Christ prophesied in Matthew 24 and Revelation 6 simply could not have been fulfilled at any other time in man's history!  Humanity has never built or designed weapons that he did not eventually use.  Man will find a use for the deadly nuclear weapons and other destructive devices created since World War 11.  His carnal nature has been itching to use the new, hi-tech weapons at the slightest provocation.  We have created nuclear missiles stored underground or under the sea in submarines, armor-piercing laser beams, biological (germ) and chemical warfare, nerve gas. neutron bombs designed to destroy people (not buildings), heat-seeking and radar guided missiles and laser guided ("smart bombs").

With these and other weapons at man's disposal, it is no wonder the second horseman of the apocalypse has the power to TAKE PEACE FROM ALL THE EARTH.  Surely this confrontation cannot be limited to small wars like the Gulf War,  the civil wars of the former Yugoslavia, Somalia, civil wars like Rwanda, or even conventional international conflicts such as those in Korea or Vietnam many years ago.  The very fact that this second horseman has a GREAT sword should serve as a clue that he has the ability to kill millions, ultimately billions, almost effortlessly. 

Let's now focus in on the specific time and place of the second horseman's final death march upon earth.

Another World War to Come

Religious deception-the first horseman-has conquered the earth with Satan's counterfeit religion.  Now we see WAR-the second horseman-as the tool religion has used down through history to gain its satanic conquests.  Notice Revelation 12:7-9: "And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.  And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which DECFIVETH THE WHOLE WORLD: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him."

Satan is the same being who took peace from the earth back in the Garden of Eden, who later challenged Jesus Christ for rulership of the world, and who is today the "prince of the power of the air" (Eph. 2:2), standing as the power behind every national throne (Dan. 10: 12-13).  He's been responsible for the war-making which has one on in every era of man's history.  But now, with his reign almost over, Satan realizes his time is extremely short (Rev. 12:12). 

The Old Roman Empire is and has been Satan's primary tool of destruction. Daniel 7 describes this world power which is now poised to rear itself one last time.  Like its predecessors, this final resurrection is based upon the infamous partnership between a political power and a universal false church, led by the False Prophet or the Second Beast.  Revelation 13 describes this ungodly partnership in great detail.

Daniel 11:40-41, 44 depict the beast's almost invincible nature and foretells that it will achieve remarkable victories with its  assaults.  "And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with CHARIOTS, and with HORSEMEN, and with MANY SHIPS; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.  He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon.... But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth WITH GREAT FURY TO DESTROY, and UTTERLY TO TAKE AWAY MANY."

In the archaic terminology of his day, the apostle John describes the terrifying weapons with which the climactic wars are to be conducted. "And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.... And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men.  And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions.  And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle.  And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was TO HURT MEN FIVE MONTHS" (Rev. 9:3, 7-10).

With a little imagination, we can see that John is not just speaking of conventional warfare, but mainly radiation sickness, the effects of germ warfare, and the use of modern war making machinery. The "Locusts" seem to be a vivid description of our modern Military helicopter, a fierce looking, heavily armed war machine of which the ancients had no description for, other then they resembled "locusts" First on the horseman's "hit-list" are the descendants of the ancient lost ten tribes of Israel as they are identified by both biblical and secular sources.  These represent the present British Commonwealth nations, the United States and several of the democracies of Northwestern Europe.

Unprecedented Death

Jeremiah declared, "...and thy cities shall be laid waste, without an inhabitant" (Jer. 4:7).  Imagine New York, Los Angeles, London and Sydney vaporized by nuclear attack, with tens of millions DYING INSTANTLY, in the blink of an eye.

Military experts estimate that about a third of a nation such as the United States would be killed by a full-scale nuclear attack just at the first strike. 

But Jesus Christ said it WILL happen!  The Bible even reveals what percentage will die!  Notice the "kill ratio" foretold about 1,900 years ago.  "And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.  By these three was the THIRD PART OF MEN KILLED, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths" (Rev. 9:17-18). One third of humanity would be approximately two billion people!

The prophet Joel also paints a gruesome picture of our immediate future.  "A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations.  A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.  The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run.  Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array.  Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather blackness" (Joel 2:2-6).

The second horseman of the apocalypse must ride roughshod to teach man a very painful, yet necessary lesson. There is no need for the "elect of God" to be unduly alarmed or frightened. "For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be" (Matt.24:21).  We can take hope that this global insanity is not permitted to run its course.  "And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved : but for the elect's sake those days SHALL be shortened" (v. 22).

Christ said to His true followers, "See that ye be not troubled." The elect of God will be provided with a place of protection from these terrible events. 

The Final Battle

God's climactic, last-minute intervention to save the world from itself is announced by the blasting of the seventh and final trumpet in Revelation II: 15: "And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever." World rulership will be dramatically transferred to JESUS CHRIST.

 The 6,000 years of human misrule, intolerance, misunderstanding and suffering will finally be laid to rest.  During man's history, over 1,400 wars have been waged, nearly 100 since World War 11.  Amazingly, the nations will want nothing to do with the new peace enforced upon them when Christ returns!  Rather than lay down their arms, they will pick them up again and fight against God.  It is really Satan himself who will be behind this.  Realizing he is about to lose his throne (11 Cor. 4:4)

John wrote of this time: "And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.  For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.... And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon" (Rev. 16:13-16).

The valley of Megiddo, or Armageddon as it is commonly called, is strategically located near three key mountain passes which give quick access in all directions through Palestine.  It provides a very suitable gathering place for the entire world's armies to descend upon Jerusalem.  It was the sight of several important battles anciently.  Righteous king Josiah was killed as he attempted to block Egyptian Pharaoh Necho's passage northward to fight the Babylonians.  Gideon and Barak both won significant battles there during the Judges period.  General Allenby's forces surprised the Turkish armies there in 1918.

"And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army" (Rev. 19:19).  And what will be the outcome?  Fortunately, there will be no real contest this time.  "These shall Make War with the Lamb, and the LAMB SHALL OVERCOME THEM: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful" (Rev. 17:14).

An even more graphic description occurs in Zechariah 14:2,12: "For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.... And this shall be the plague wherewith the Lord will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth."

 With Satan bound (Rev. 20:2), his diabolical church-state system destroyed and the nations no longer under his influence, remarkable things will begin to happen, as the prophet Isaiah describes: "And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.  And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and THEY SHALL BEAT THEIR SWORDS INTO PLOWSHARES, and their SPEARS INTO PRUNINGHOOKS: NATION SHALL NOT LIFT UP SWORD AGAINST NATION, NEITHER SHALL THEY LEARN WAR ANY MORE" (Isa. 2:2-4; see also Micah 4:1-4).

Meanwhile, a resurrected Holy Roman Empire  led by the coming world dictator or the Antichrist  - The Beast (the abomination of desolation) will destroy anyone in its path caught unawares.  Only a small remnant will escape. 

The Rider On The Black Horse

The first horseman (on the white horse) represents religious deception  while the second horseman (on the red horse) represents war (Rev. 6:1-4).  John continues with the vision: "And when he had opened the third seal.  I heard the third beast say, Come and see, And I beheld, and lo a black horse and he that sit on him had a pair of balances in his hand. -And 1 heard I voice in the midst of the four beasts say.  A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of  barley for a penny: and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine" (vv. 5-6).

This haunting scenario may sound familiar.  In Matthew 24.  Christ gave a very similar answer to His disciples when asked when the end of the world would come.  It probably was not quite what they were expecting, to hear.  "For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places" (Matt. 24:7).

Without looking to the living Head of God's Church, Jesus Christ, these revelations could never be opened to our understanding. 

The third horseman, riding a black horse, symbolizes FAMINE.  In Matthew, Mark and Luke, Christ was speaking of general famines, set against the backdrop of war.  The plural use of the word famine means the repetitive occurrences of famine down through time, rapidly accelerating immediately before His return.

The third horseman, depicting famine, follows directly behind war.  Though war is a primary factor, it is not the sole cause of famine, as we shall see.

Famines of the Past

Deuteronomy 28 and Leviticus 26 list the abundant blessings ancient Israel would have received for obeying God.  A primary example is the keeping of all God's commandments, including the test commandment-the Sabbath. 

Other passages warn of punishment coming in a variety of other means, any of which could easily produce famine.  Extreme weather upsets (Deut. 28:24; Amos 4:7), crop blight (Amos 4:9), destructive insects/animals (Deut. 28:39, 42), sterile soil (Deut. 28:23), all resulting in ruined harvests (Deut. 28:17; Ezek. 5:16).  Portions of Revelation 8 and 16 show the same penalties for modern nations as well as for ancient Israel.  Contrary to popular belief, our God changes not (Mal. 3:6).

The Bible records numerous famines from the time of Abraham (Gen. 12:10).  In fact, thirteen famines have been recorded in the pages of the Bible.  We may be familiar with Abraham's great-grandson, Joseph, who helped bail out the Egyptians during their seven-year famine (Gen. 41:56).  God purposed that famines be used to correct corrupt leaders or problems (11 Sam. 21: 1;11 Chron. 32).  Examples of war-induced famines are recorded for us (11 Kings 25; Jer. 52; Isa. 14:30; 51:13; Jer. 16:4; 44:27).  The famous Jewish historian Josephus, recorded a Roman siege on Jerusalem that produced a famine so great that the masses resorted to cannibalism in the so-called City of peace (Josephus, "Wars of the Jews").

Famines of the Future

But let's jump ahead to the beginning years of this 21th century.  Fortunately, things have not become this bad in Ethiopia or Afghanistan-YET!  We have now become daily eyewitnesses to the slow genocide of several ethnic groups.

Again, not every famine has been or is caused by war. Cyclical famines are those caused by unusual weather conditions, plagues. insect or animal infestation, or a similar interruption of "normal" patterns. 

America exports about half the world's total tonnage of grain.  The total world grain storage would only last about 40 days.  The U.S. could possibly survive for a year, but that is of little comfort when you consider the bind this country would find itself in.  We would need the reduced agricultural production at home, yet we would also have to sell grain abroad to earn precious income.  ICBM silos, our enemies' first targets, ARE LOCATED IN THE HEART OF OUR GRAIN AND LIVESTOCK-PRODUCING REGIONS!

Even without such an occurrence as nuclear war, food is not usually being- grown anywhere in the world where it is most needed.  Proper food distribution is difficult enough without an emergency.  Areas of our own country. not to mention some poor Third World countries.  Would have a tough time getting their hands on much-needed food in an emergency.  The northeastern U.S,, for example., derives 80% of its food from outside sources!  To further complicate matters. the extra produce of the wealthier nations could not even be purchased by the poorer ones.  The rich get fatter, and the poor get thinner.

The Most Helpless Victims

 The number of births continues to surpass deaths.  To break this down even further, that is over 35,000 children, not adults.  WHO DIE FROM MALNUTRITION-EVERY DAY!

Tragically, more deaths, about ten times as many, can be attributed to some form of malnutrition (the wrong foods) as opposed to starvation (lack of food).

Jesus Christ accurately foretold these doomsday-style statistics when He first delivered the Olivette prophecy, recorded in the gospel accounts and by John in Revelation 6. But He had something much worse in mind when He said, "And there shall be famines."

The "Mother of all Famines"

As with the two previous horsemen of the apocalypse, this third horseman of famine will have a specific fulfillment.  It is ready to gallop into our immediate future with an impact far beyond the historic and present-day occurrences of so-called "localized" famines.

Immediately following, and as a direct result of worldwide religious deception and World War 111, the first and second horsemen respectively, a great famine, like none before it or ever again, will strike this earth with frightening force and fury.  This time, instead of only affecting war-torn regions or the Third World "have-nots," it will affect the First World nations-the blessed birthright peoples of the lost ten tribes of Israel. This calamity will reduce the wealthy nations to the same level as the poorest. 

Previously, we read in Ezekiel 5:12, that one third of the United States and the British Commonwealth, including countries such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand and others, will be killed in the opening volleys of war.  From this verse, we also see that many of these people will die from the combined destructiveness of the third and fourth horsemen-famine and pestilence.  Verse 10 describes our citizenry's last, desperate act of survival-cannibalism!

   No nation will escape this great famine which will eventually spread to every corner of the earth until mankind repents in unconditional surrender to God (Phil. 2: 10).

An End of Famines

Our loving Father must allow man to go through such terrible conditions in order for him to finally learn obedience.  It's not as if God brought it about.  Mankind has caused his own misery by choosing not to obey God.  This has led to war because each person worships God in his own false way.  For the sake of His rebellious children, God must force man to learn that sin does not bring happiness.  It only brings much pain and suffering ultimately DEATH (Rom. 6:23). When humanity finally realizes that only God's grace way really does work, God can bless them more abundantly than ever (Mic. 4:4; Isa. 32:15; Amos 9:13-14).  Then, righteous men, women and children will mock the thought of famine (Job 5:22). 

The Rider On The Pale Horse

This chapter concludes the final terrifying fulfilment of prophecies uttered by Jesus Christ over 1,900 years ago, but intended most specifically for the time we are living in.

We have already examined the first three horsemen: the first is religious deception, next is war, then famine, followed by the fourth horseman.  These four horsemen represent the final, end time culmination of the most traumatic problems endured by a rebellious mankind. 

"And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.  And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death. and Hell followed with him.  And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth" (Rev. 6:7-8).

This verse makes perfect sense if you realize that one forth of the earth represents the total available land mass as the other three quarters of the earth is water. Death and Hell sweep over all the land areas, "the forth part of the earth."

 "and there shall be ... PESTILENCES" (Matt. 24:7).

Look up the word pestilence in any Bible concordance and you will be amazed by the link between the second, third and fourth horsemen representing war, famine and pestilence (Jer. 21:9; 27:13; 29:17-18; 32:24; 34:17; 38:2; 42:16-17; 44:12-14; Ezek. 5:12; 6:11, 17; 12:16).

These three horsemen derive their origin directly from the first horseman of religious deception as we have already shown.  Not only can we positively determine the identity of the fourth horseman, we can easily see that the combined effect of the four is much more powerful than that of each individually. 

Last but not Least

The book of Daniel is an end time prophecy (Dan. 12:4, 9).  It reveals more prophecy for the nations of Israel in the end time, which may be surprising to many people.  "As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before the Lord our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth" (Dan. 9:13).

Let's examine Deuteronomy 28 (part of the law of Moses) carefully and add modern day expressions to see more clearly how this warning applies to our time now.  "But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee.... The Lord shall make the pestilence cleave unto thee, until he have consumed thee from off the land, whither thou goest to possess it.  The Lord shall smite thee with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew ... with the botch of Egypt, and with the emerods, and with the scab, and with the itch, whereof thou canst not be healed  ... with madness  and blindness and astonishment of heart" (Deut. 28:15, 21-22, 27-28).

We must NOT forget that Biological warfare laboratories, through-out the world, have produced dozens of new and modified bacteriological agents (Viruss', bacteria and genetical designed microbes) that will be released during the End-Time Wars.

Mankind and Animals

But it gets even worse.  Earlier, God shouted out the warning, "I will also send wild beasts among you, which shall rob you of your children, and destroy your cattle, and make you few in number; and your high ways shall be desolate" (Lev. 26:22).

The warning is repeated in Revelation 6:8: "And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth." Man is responsible for the extinction of hundreds, if not thousands of species of creatures, now faces a grave danger-at the jaws of wild animals.  Not only will animals attack people for food, they will also become sickly carriers of such mass killer diseases as the bubonic plague (the Black Death of the Middle Ages), rabies, etc. 

For example: AIDS the modern incurable plaque, is now believed to have originated in Africa, from the Green Monkey virus, that mutated and was passed on to the human population. The AIDS virus has now killed over twenty-nine million people and has infected a further 50 million. There is no end in sight. The AIDS Plauge will have infected 100 million people by 2010. The Avian flu threat looms large for the future as well

A Way Out

"And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened" (Matt. 24:22).  The protected elect will comprise those who hold fast to His revealed truths and obey all of His laws (Rev. 3:10; 12:14).  This very small cadre of future leaders will be preserved in the ultimate place of safety to receive final training before being given the authority 3 1/2 years later at the final return of Jesus Christ.  There can be no greater concern than striving to comply with God's standards of character in order to survive the punishment symbolized by the four horsemen of the apocalypse.  This vision will soon be a "virtual reality" for those who adamantly refuse to submit to God.

A few million, thanks to God cutting events short for the elect's sake, will not have to die though they certainly may wish they had!  They will have to endure the worst time of human suffering ever (Jer. 30).  Malachi's Message [Malichi chapt. 1-4] explains how the Laodicean Christians are to lose their physical lives during the Tribulation period, half of them forfeiting their eternal lives.  We are continually providing hope for those willing to yield their naturally stubborn natures to the will of God.  Doomsayers only tell how bad things will get, but without the hope of how much better it will soon be. THE GOOD NEWS is Jesus Christ is soon returning to this earth to bring it all the joy and happiness man has continually sought after!

God will mercifully end the deadly sweep of the four horsemen just before they eradicate mankind from off the earth.  Finally, man will have the sweet, child-like attitude that God can work with in the coming Kingdom of God on earth. (Matt. 18:1-6).  Are we each working out our own salvation with fear and trembling (Phil. 2:12) so we can be a part of God's great master plan for humanity?