REVELATION 6.7 When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the fourth living creature saying, “Come and see!” 6.8 And behold, a pale horse, and he who sat on it, his name was Death. Hades [or, Hell] 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. -WEB Bible.
If we're still unsure whether the Tribulation has started or
not, the Pale Horseman will banish all doubts. All disasters of the first three
Horsemen will be substantially increased: more violence, more famine, and there
will be pestilence (plague, pandemic) added to it. Wild animals will turn
against us. One-fourth of the world's population will die.
We’re not at the point predicted by the fourth Horseman of
course, but the daily news headlines are alarming. Vladimir Putin is determined
to win the war in Ukraine, and he threatens to use nuclear power if necessary.
The ensuing global war would be catastrophic and this prophecy of the Pale
Horseman could easily be fulfilled.
Currently there are 7.9 billion people worldwide in 2022. So,
one-fourth of the world's population would be nearly 2 billion people. As bad
as Covid has been, the death toll is “only” at 6.74 million worldwide (on 01-21-2023.)
That's not as severe as some of the plagues in history, such as the Black
Plague in the 1300's when as many as 200 million died. The Black Death was the
worst pandemic in history, but the 4th Horseman will outdo them all, by far.
SETTING THE STAGE. According
to the Bible, the end times Tribulation will take place quickly; perhaps in just
seven years. In order for that to happen, God will set up the world stage
first. We can see the framework for the four Horsemen being set up all around
us: first deception, then violence, and then inflation
and food shortages.
Has the Tribulation started? I don’t know, but we do sense the storm gathering. There’s a great sense of foreboding in this world.
IMAGE CREDIT: The Horse Tamer sculpture is a statue in St. Petersburg, Russia. Photographer is Walter Smith from Seattle, WA, USA. The original photo is used under the Creative Commons 2.0 license. Photo has been significantly revised by C.A. Stevens.
IMAGE DESCRIPTION: The Pale Horseman is closely
followed by the gates of Hades (or Hell, Sheol), which is brilliantly
illustrated by Gustave Dore. Hades is eager to harvest its victims!
With John’s vision of the 4th Horseman, God is giving us a
vivid illustration of judgment. It's also a warning. The purpose for this
vision (and all the disasters it foretells) is repentance. God is
merciful: he is giving us every chance to fall on our knees, humble ourselves
before God and ask for forgiveness.
There's no doubt that the Pale Horseman is terrifying. But those who die may be the lucky ones, because God is intent on bringing this world to its conclusion; and things are about to get worse.