4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse #8 - Part 76 of Riddles, Enigmas & Esoteric Imagery of Revelation

As we continue our study of Revelation chapter 6, we find Jesus revealing to John what would soon come upon Israel for rejecting Him as their Messiah. Under the 6th seal He showed what would happen to the people once they were barricaded behind the wall of Jerusalem when the wrath of the Lamb was executed. People from all over the territory who had come to the celebration, as well as for commercial endeavors, were confined by the Roman army - 6,000 strong - the abomination of desolation. 

And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains...and 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...for the great day of His wrath has come and who is able to stand?...Rev. 6:15-17.

Did Jesus prophesy this moment when He walked the streets of Jerusalem?  Jesus was beaten and bloody, bearing His cross in the streets of Jerusalem - the Via Dolorosa.  Many sorrowful weeping women walked beside Jesus to whom He prophesied...

Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children...for indeed the days are coming in which they will say, "Blessed are the barren wombs that never bore, and breasts which never nursed!"...then they will begin to say to the mountains, "Fall on us!" And to the hills, "Cover us!"...for if they do these things in the green wood what will be done in the dry?...Luke 23:28-31.

What did Jesus mean when He said to the weeping women...weep for yourselves and for the children?  Many of these women would be alive to experience the war of retribution in 70 A.D. The people of Israel will be held captive behind the walls of Jerusalem for three and a half years, eventually impoverished, bereft of food and water. So Jesus knew that the severe famine would cause the ugliness and degradation of cannibalism - they will eat their own children. We will go more into detail about this devastation in our next series - Daniel's 70-week vision.

What Jesus showed to John is a confirmation of His own prophecy. When the prophecy says the people cry out for the rocks to fall on them to hide them from His wrath, it is metaphorical language describing the shame and humiliation of a proud and stiff-necked people when they endure the wrath - vengeance - of the One they rejected.

The very last sentence of Jesus' prophecy...for if they do these things in the greenwood, what will be done in the dry...is definitely a riddle. But my blog is all about defining riddles, enigmas, metaphors and the esoteric imagery of Revelation. Historians refer to this statement as a proverb.

By His enigmatic statement, which people of His day would have understood, He was conveying to the women, if His sufferings are so great at the hands of the Jews, the sufferings of the Jews will be more intense, when His wrath comes upon them in the coming war.  Jesus was letting these women know His vengeance for rejecting Him as the Messiah will come - Israel will not go unpunished.

John was shown that the prophecy of Jesus would come to pass very soon, so that John could sound the alarm to the disciples of Christ, giving them time to flee from the city before the abomination of desolation appears in Jerusalem - Roman armies.

John has witnessed under the first six seals the war, famine, death and destruction of Israel - judgment for rejecting Jesus Christ as their Messiah. When He opens the seventh seal, there was silence in Heaven for about half an hour...Rev. 8:1.  What does this mean?  The number 7 means complete - perfection. Vengeance upon Israel is complete - they are no longer a nation. God is not rejoicing over this - there is deep sorrowful contemplation - expressed by silence in Heaven. 

Then John saw seven angels with seven trumpets. They are announcing the judgment that is coming upon the whole world throughout the Christian era.

Can the 4 Horsemen ride again?  Historically, the symbolism of the horses - war, bloodshed, famine, death - represented judgment upon Israel two different times in their history.  With the end of times upon this generation, as the signs of the times reveal, could this same judgment come upon the blood-bought church of Jesus Christ?  Yes - for their sins of immorality and paganism.

What historical documentation proves that the 70th week of Daniel's vision was fulfilled in 70 A.D., which Jesus referred to as the great tribulation?  Stay tuned...

God's sheep question the doctrines of men...sheeple follow without question~~~



4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse #7 - Part 75 of Riddles, Enigmas & Esoteric Imagery of Revelation

When we were last together in our study of the symbolism of Revelation chapter 6, blog #6 began to explain the symbolism under the 6th seal...

I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold. there was a great earthquake, and the sun became as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood...and the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind...then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place...Rev. 6:12-14.

We have already defined the symbolism for stars and earthquake as a warning to Israel of what would come to pass in their very near future - war of 70 A.D.  What is the symbolism for sackcloth of hair?

Sackcloth of Hair symbolism describes an eclipse of the sun...sun becomes as sackcloth of hair.  In the coming war against Israel for rejecting Jesus Christ as their Savior, the leadership - symbolized by the sun - will experience mourning and death for this egregious act. When the ancient prophets grieved over the sins of this nation, they sat with sackcloth over their heads a sign of their grief which warned of judgment to come if they did not repent.  Darkness is in the hearts of the Sanhedrin and their light will be extinguished - eclipse of the sun.

Moon became as Blood symbolizes how war and bloodshed will be experienced by all the proud and disobedient leaders, fomented by the idolatries of the unrepentant and defiant rejecters of the Messiah.

Sky Receded symbolizes God's judgment of Israel since the words are written on a scroll and sealed by God.  When the scroll is rolled up we understand that what is written on it is complete and irreversible.

Mountain/Island moved out of its place symbolizes that no portion of Israel will be left untouched by this devastating judgment.  Mountain symbolizes a proud people.  Island moved out of its place symbolizes a complete sweeping away of the old religious system. This symbolism describes the devastating results of the Wrath of the Lamb upon Israel for rejecting Jesus as their Messiah and His new religious system...Rev. 6:16. 

And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains...and 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...for the great day of His wrath has come and who is able to stand?"...Rev. 6:15-17.

Who rejected Jesus Christ and His new religious system?  The religious leadership - Sanhedrin - rejected Him and influenced the Roman leadership to kill Him.  So upon whom would the wrath of the Lamb be executed?  Only Israel qualified to receive the wrath of the Lamb. But first He gave them 40 years to repent before they would face His wrath. The number 40 in the Bible symbolizes a probationary period of time.

This verse is the only place in the Bible with the term:  wrath of the Lamb.  Once the wrath of the Lamb was exercised in the war of 70 A.D., this prophecy was fulfilled. This is the reason it is not seen again - no other fulfillment is required.  The reason John sees His wrath under the 6th seal is because the number 6 defines the sum total of human achievement. Without God, men's achievements fail.

During the war described under the 6th seal, we see prophesied that the three million people - kings, commanders rich & poor - barricaded behind the wall in Jerusalem will cry out 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...for the great day of His wrath has come and who is able to stand?  What does this mean?

Did Jesus prophesy that during the coming war Israel would cry to the mountains, "Fall on us!"   Stay tuned...

God's sheep question the doctrines of men...sheeple follow without question ~~~~



4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse #6 - Part 74 of Riddles, Enigmas & Esoteric Imagery of Revelation

Revelation chapters 5 & 6 reveal Jesus Christ, after He returned to Heaven, removing the seals on a scroll handed to Him by His Father, which will reveal the fate of Israel for rejecting Him as their Messiah. The scroll had writing...inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals...Rev. 5:1.  This symbolizes that nothing can be added to the prophecy - it will come to pass as written.

In the first 5 blogs of this series we studied the symbolism of the message represented by the four horses, confirmed by the four horses seen by the Prophet Zechariah - the message to Israel was the same - even though the prophecies were nearly 500 years apart.

The 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse were seen under the first four seals, revealing what would soon come upon Israel.  Zechariah saw 4 horses, the last of which was the dapple horse which prophesied Israel's future - long after they were released from their Babylonian captivity. The dapple horse symbolized famine, just like the pale horse of Revelation.  What is the prophecy under the 5th seal?

Seal 5 - 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 which they held...and they cried with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?"...then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed...Rev. 6:-9-11.

After viewing the destruction of Jerusalem behind the previous seals, John must have felt there was no future for his people.  Under this seal he sees his kinsmen savagely murdered because of their steadfast allegiance to Jesus Christ.  He knows they are already in Heaven, but their pleas to have their deaths avenged must have tugged at his heart.  Could he have remembered what God said to Cain after he murdered his brother Abel...the voice of your brother's blood cries out to Me from the ground...Gen. 4:10?

The religious leaders - Pharisees and Sadducees - who plotted the death of Jesus, saw to it that His followers were also murdered during the bloody reign of terror by the Roman Emperor Nero. It is this specific time that was shown to John, so that the followers of Jesus Christ would be prepared for this unexpected vicious onslaught of injustice.  They can hold steady victoriously if they understand that God has allowed it in order to fulfill His plans and purposes. 

The martyred saints were giving white robes when they arrived in Heaven. White symbolizes purity, holiness and victory.  God gave Israel 40 years - a probationary period of time - to repent for rejecting Jesus as their Messiah - after that the judgment would fall upon them. Their blood was avenged in the war of 70 A.D.

Seal 6 - I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood...and the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind...then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place...Rev. 6:12-14.

There is a lot of symbolism under this seal.  John sees...the stars of heaven fell to the earth.  Stars symbolize prominent people - leaders in Jerusalem - religious leaders who deserted God for the praise of men. During the coming judgment, these false religious leaders will be toppled like...a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by the wind.

Earthquake symbolizes intense social upheaval - unrest.  There will be much chaos in Israel, as the old religious system clashes with the new one ushered into existence by Jesus Christ.  Every prideful religious leader will be blaming the other for the calamity that will befall Jerusalem, because they listened to the false prophets.

What does sackcloth of hair, bloody moon, and sky receded symbolize?  Stay tuned...

God's sheep question the doctrines of men...sheeple follow without question...



4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse #5 - Part 73 of Riddles, Enigmas & Esoteric Imagery of Revelation

It is later than we think! For two years this blog has been dedicated to providing the historical viewpoint for the end-time doctrine, so that people will truly be ready to receive the reward Jesus Christ will give to the saints at His return. Throughout the Christian era the visions of Revelation have been and are being fulfilled, of which I have provided dates, places, and by whom they were fulfilled as recorded by historians. The visions pertaining to the earthly realm are nearly all fulfilled - Jesus is coming soon - ready or not!

 

Today is blog #5 in our series that explains the fulfillment of the 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse prophecy as it pertains to the judgment of Israel for rejecting Jesus Christ as their Messiah. Last blog we turned to the Old Testament for confirmation when we listened in on a conversation between God and His angel...O Lord of hosts, how long will You not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which You were angry these seventy years?...Zech. 1:12.

 

From their heavenly vantage point, God and the angel were observing the people of Israel at the conclusion of seventy years of exile in Babylon. Zechariah is being shown that seventy years of punishment against his people is at the end - then he was shown more about the horses.

 

Then the strong steeds went out, eager to go, that they might walk to and fro throughout the earth...and he said, "Go, walk to and fro through the earth"...so they walked to and fro throughout the earth...Zech. 6:7.

 

Zechariah was allowed to watch four colors of horses - red, black, white, dapple - walk the earth to observe how Israel faired, after luxuriating with idolaters for seventy years. Was the punishment of exile amidst the pagans sufficient to produce repentance?

 

While Zechariah was viewing the colored horses prance about the earth, he asked the angel, "Who are these, my Lord?" The angel answered...these are the four spirits of heaven, who go out from their station before the Lord of all the earth...Zech. 6:5.

 

Who are the four spirits of heaven?  They are four living creatures in the midst and around the throne of God, each having six wings and are full of eyes around and within, saying non-stop...holy, holy, holy Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!...Rev. 4:8. The Prophet Isaiah called them Seraphim...Is. 6:1-4.  When God sends them on assignment to the earth they manifest in many ways.  Zechariah and John see them manifest as 4 horses - red, black, white, dapple (pale grayish-streaked and water spotted)...Zech. 6:2-3.

 

In the Hebrew language the word spirits in this reference is ruwach meaning:  wind - to blow; breath. These metaphorical horses - four spirits of Heaven - symbolize the Voice of God carried by the wind. The very breath of God is declaring change is coming to Israel.

 

The first two horses seen by the Prophet Zechariah - red & black - represent past judgments on Israel. The red horse symbolizes the war that Israel lost to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon with much bloodshed, when he took them captive to his idolatrous nation for seventy years.

 

The black horse symbolizes the death and mourning that Israel experienced during this horrific war. It must have been devastating and humiliating to have an enemy ravish their country - kill, maim, rob - while dragging them kicking and screaming to a foreign land, far away from all they knew and loved to become slaves to a pagan king for 70 years.

 

The white horse that Zechariah saw symbolized purity holiness, and victory. Since this is the third horse in the lineup, it reveals that Israel repented after their punishment. Now it is time to release them from their captivity, and allow them go back to their homeland to rebuild Solomon's destroyed temple.  Judgment and punishment had produced repentance and their allegiance was once again surrendered to God. God's kids had been kidnapped by idolatry, but now have returned to Him.

 

The dapple horse was the last one that Zechariah saw in his vision. It is significant that this horse is positioned last in the lineup, because it symbolizes Israel's future - an omen of things to come - if they don't retain their allegiance to God, and Him alone. As with the pale horse of Revelation, this dappled horse also symbolizes famine. The dapple horse is prophesying that Israel will experience in her future the most consuming and emaciating famine ever experienced by this people.

 

What do the rest of the seals reveal about the war of 70 A.D?  Stay tuned...

 

God's sheep question the doctrines of men...sheeple follow without question...

 

 

 





4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse #4 - Part 72 of Riddles, Enigmas & Esoteric Imagery of Revelation

When we were last together we described the horse that John saw under the 4th seal.  The pale horse presented a pallid ghostly appearance.  What John was seeing was further confirmation to the people of Israel that God was doing everything possible to warn them that judgment was coming, so they would have time to repent before they were destroyed.  Vengeance would be exacted against Jerusalem for rejecting Jesus Christ as their Messiah, and the work He accomplished on the Cross of Calvary - shedding of His blood for their sins.

So I looked, and behold a pale horse...and the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him...and power was given them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by beasts of the earth...Rev. 6:8.

The pale horse symbolizes famine and death  - death by hunger, sword and beasts of the field.  The rider of this ghostly-appearing horse was named Death, while Hades followed.  When Death spreads his constraining web of famine over the rebels of Israel confined behind the walls of Jerusalem, Hades will swallow up those who die in this incredibly savage and merciless war. Hades is the greater cruelty because it is a place of torment and permanent exile, far away from Heaven where peace and justice reign.

The number 4 in this verse - power over a 4th of the earth - symbolizes one or more of the following:
1.    a portion
2.    four corners of the earth
3.    change in the heavens or the earth.

The 4 Horsemen symbolize that a change is coming to a portion of the earth - Israel.  The change that is coming to Israel during the war of 70 A.D. is the fact that they will be annihilated - losing their status as a nation - no longer a blip on the radar.

In order to prove the symbolism of the 4 Horsemen we must turn to the Old Testament - scripture proves scripture.  The 4 horses that John was shown by Jesus Christ were also seen in a vision by the Prophet Zechariah.  The same color of horses used to pronounce judgment on Israel in the New Testament, were used to describe judgment of Israel - past and future - after they had served 70 years of punishment as captives in Babylon.

Then I turned and raised my eyes and looked, and behold, four chariots were coming between two mountains, and the mountains were mountains of bronze...with the first chariot were red horses, with the second chariot black horses...with the third chariot white horses, and with the fourth chariot dappled horses--strong steeds...Zech. 6:1-3.

The Prophet Zechariah was called by God to minister to Israel about the time they were to be released from 70 years captivity in the idolatrous nation of Babylon.  Zechariah was shown in a night vision 4 horses with chariots, which symbolized judgment on Israel in the Old Testament.  The chariots symbolize war to Zechariah.  The 4 horses that Zechariah saw, and the 4 horses that John saw, are the same colors with the same meaning.

There are three differences in the horses of Zechariah and John...
1.    chariots
2.    number of horses   
3.    color order of the horses

Zechariah saw 4 chariots with horses of 4 different colors ride between two mountains of bronze.  The Septuagint translation of this verse describes the mountains as brazen mountains - mountains of brass.  Mountain is a metaphor describing a proud people. Brass symbolizes judgment.  War chariots riding between two mountains of brass symbolize division in this nation - Israel.  A house divided against itself cannot stand...Mark 3:25.

During this night vision, the Prophet Zechariah overheard a conversation between God and His angel. They were discussing the culmination of God's anger toward His people Israel...let's listen in.  The angel asked God...O Lord of hosts, how long will You not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which You were angry these seventy years?...Zech. 1:12.

The subject of the conversation between God and the angel was how long will He be angry with Israel, now that 70 years of punishment has been fulfilled.  How does the color order of the horses answer the angels' question?  Stay tuned...

God's sheep question the doctrines of men...sheeple follow without question...



4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse #3 - Part 71 of Riddles, Enigmas & Esoteric Imagery of Revelation

As we continue our study to determine the meaning of the symbolism of the 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse, we will find the message contained within it. We know that historical documentation has proven that the visions were imparted to John between 50-60 A.D. The message contained in this chapter of Revelation confirms the message given in Daniel's vision - 70th week...Daniel 9:27. The historian Josephus documents this information and we will delve into it in our next study series.

So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand...and I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, "A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not harm the oil and the wine...Rev. 6:5-6.

John must have been pretty shaken up by now from what he had seen behind the second seal, and may not have been to eager to view the contents of this third seal, but he watched solemnly while Jesus Christ opened it.

Behind this seal John sees a sleek black horse, proudly holding his head high, yet a sense of foreboding permeated the atmosphere, because he understood that the color black symbolized death and mourning.  He must have been mortified as he watched this horrendous pronouncement against his people.  He knew that Daniel's 70-week vision had been faithfully fulfilled through the 69th week. Now he is seeing how the 70th week will be fulfilled.

The rider of the shiny black horse held in his hands a pair of scales - balances.  Scales represent a means of ascertaining the weight of something - symbolizing the gravity (weight) of the prophecy. Israel had been weighed in the balances and was found wanting - spiritually bankrupt.  This very grave assessment will result in vengeance, producing death and mourning - Wrath of the Lamb...Rev. 6:16.

God had given everything to Israel, His chosen people, but Israel had given nothing back to Him except their paganism (idolatry) and immorality.  They had been takers - the scales were grossly out of balance.  John knew that a denarius was payment for a full day of work in his day, so to equate it with the ingredients of one loaf of bread must have been incredulous to him.

Imagine today, if your wage is $200.00 a day, and you had to use it all to buy one loaf of bread, would this create a hardship for you?  Very soon in Israel money, fame, or status would be useless in delivering them from this horrific war of famine and death - judgment.

At the end of the ominous black-horse prophecy we read...and do not harm the oil and wine.  Of course, John knew immediately what this meant - do you?  John knew that the temple priest placed oil and wine on the daily sacrifice to the Lord - the drink offering.  But how does this admonishment pertain to the coming war?

The answer to this question will be answered in detail in our study of Daniel's Seventy-week vision.  For now we can understand that once the war begins, and Jerusalem is surrounded by Roman armies unable to escape, the priests locked behind the walls will be unable to preserve the oil and wine they need for the drink offering, let alone have any animals for the burnt sacrifice.  We will find out that God has a special purpose for the timing of the cessation of these rituals, during the war of 70 A.D.

After Israel rejects God's Son as a final, unblemished sacrificial offering for their sins, they continued their bloody animal sacrifices and drink offering.  This was a rebuke to God - a thumb in His eye. They didn't understand this act was a stench in His nostrils - and He would stop it permanently.

So I looked, and behold, a pale horse...and a name of Him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with Him...and power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by beasts of the earth...Rev. 6:8.

With much trepidation, John watches as Jesus Christ opens the 4th seal, which reveals the details of the coming war of judgment against Israel.  John must have been horrified to see the horse behind the 4th seal - a pale horse - emaciated.  The original Greek language describes the pale horse as greenish - dun-colored - which is a dull grayish brown.  To summarize the green, gray, brown colors, a more accurate description of the pale horse would be - a pallid ghostly appearance.

This verse is full of esoteric language - what is it telling us?  Stay tuned...

God's sheep question the doctrines of men...sheeple follow without question...



4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse Series #2 - Part 70 of Riddles, Enigmas & Esoteric Imagery of Revelation

When we were last together John was watching Jesus begin to open the seals on the scroll. A loud voice said to him...come and see.  Under the first seal he saw a white horse...He who sat on it had a bow, and a crown was given to Him, and He went out conquering and to conquer...Rev. 6:2. The question is, "Who is sitting on the white horse and what does white symbolize?"

 

The modern end-time doctrine says that this rider must be the Anti-Christ impersonating Jesus Christ. Why do they believe this way? They believe that Revelation chapter 6 predicts the end of the world, so the 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse have not arrived as yet. Since the white horse is leading the pack going out conquering and to conquer he must be the Anti-Christ.

 

This is the problem with attempting to interpret prophecy of scripture, especially if you believe it has not been fulfilled. It is tantamount to guessing, pure and simple. This study will take us to the past to read what historians have recorded, as well as defining the esoteric language which will reveal the message.  By doing so, the riddle will be solved for us.

 

Behind the first seal John sees a white horse. Spiritually, the white horse symbolizes purity, holiness, and victory. The only rider that could fulfill this symbolism is Jesus Christ, whom they are celebrating during John's tour of the throne room of Heaven.

 

The bow the rider carries denotes war, and He went forth to conquer. Conquer in the original Greek language means:  victory. No Anti-Christ will have victory.

 

Jesus Christ - king of kings - is the rider of the white horse, so a crown was given to Him.  We must remember, when Jesus left Heaven to come to the earth He laid down His crown of righteousness to take up the form of a bondservant.  The 6th chapter of Revelation reveals Jesus Christ after He finished His work on the earth - victory has already been achieved.

 

In order to execute His wrath upon Israel for rejecting Him as their Messiah, He once again donned His crown of righteousness, completing the definition of the symbolism behind the first seal.  The message is the righteous judgment against Israel - the Wrath of the Lamb - was fulfilled...Rev. 6:16.

 

Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another, and there was given to him a great sword...Rev. 6:4. John must have been totally exhilarated and inspired when he viewed the contents of the first seal.  What a sight to behold, his Savior and Lord wearing the royal crown on His head, and riding a handsome, prancing, white steed. 

 

Hopeful anticipation must have electrified the atmosphere, while John and the heavenly host waited patiently for the contents of the second seal to be revealed. Finally Jesus Christ opened the second seal, where John observes a fiery red horse, chomping at the bit pawing anxiously at the ground. He must have been awed by the magnificence of the fiery red, war horse, yet uneasiness lingered in the pit of his stomach. Why? Because John knew the color red symbolized bloodshed.

 

Then John noticed that the rider of the fiery red steed was given a great sword - symbol of war. He knew that war always takes peace from the land, so this horse must have caused consternation in his heart.

 

Historians record that before the fall of Jerusalem in the war of 70 A.D., a phantom sword hung eerily in the sky above the city for one full year - symbolizing war. This strange supernatural omen was a warning to the people to get ready for the coming war and blood shed. Why was war coming to Israel?  Israel had rejected Jesus Christ as their sacrificial Lamb for the sins of all mankind, so the sword in the sky gave them time to contemplate the meaning of this very visual sign and repent.

 

Under the third seal John finds a black horse. What does this horse symbolize for Israel? Stay tuned...

 

God's sheep question the doctrines of men...sheeple follow without question...