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	The Four Horsemen ( Part I )
	Rev. Herman Hoeksema

(Revelation 6:1-8)

1 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.

2 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.

3 And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see.

4 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.

5 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 sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.

6 And I heard a 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.

7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.

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.

The Seals In General

Now the Lamb is in possession of the book with its seven seals and commences to open it, breaking the seals one after another.

In the opening of the seven seals we have approached the discussion of the things that were designated in the first chapter of the Book Of Revelation as "the things that must come to pass hereafter." We are perhaps aware of the fact that the phenomenon of the seven seals and the record of their being opened by the Lamb constitutes at the same time all that is contained in the rest of the Book of Revelation, except for the fact that we meet with several interludes which have been inserted for various reasons. We are perhaps also acquainted with the further fact that the seven seals do not retain throughout their character as seals, but that the seventh seal is revealed as seven trumpets, the seventh of which later again dissolves and becomes manifest as the seven Vials of the wrath of God.

At first we intended to treat these seals separately, one by one. But a study of the first four seals soon led us to the conclusion that such a method would be both impossible and impracticable. For, in the first place, it soon becomes evident, as one investigates the contents of the first four seals, that they really belong together, are very closely allied, and therefore ought to be discussed in their relation to one another and in their combined effect upon the history of this dispensation. And, in the second place, a method which would discuss these seals one by one would be in danger of calling attention to all kinds of doctrines and truths which are undoubtedly implied in the text but of which the discussion would be irrelevant to the main purpose of the Book of Revelation, that is, to reveal the coming Christ in glory. Therefore, we now enter upon a discussion of the first four seals, which contain the vision of the four horsemen.

Before we begin the discussion of the significance of each of these four horsemen, it will not be superfluous to give a word of general introduction both in regard to the general character of the seven seals and the proper mode of their interpretation.

As to, the first question, there seems to be a rather general impression that all of the seven seals can be classified in the category of judgment- acts of Christ over a sinful and antagonistic world in the special and narrow sense of the word. Now it is very well possible to consider all that Christ performs in the world in this dispensation as being acts of judgment in a general sense of the word, either for good or for evil, namely, in as far as He is the King of glory Who works for the establishment and final perfection of His kingdom, and as such appears always as the great opponent of Satan and his dominion. But if we take the word "judgment" in its specific and narrower sense, namely, as a calamity sent by Jesus Christ for the purpose of chastising the world, or by way of recompense for wrong committed, it will soon become evident that the most general idea of all the seals cannot be expressed by that one term. To begin with, it is rather difficult to discover the idea of judgment in the sense designated in the first horse and its rider, going forth conquering and to conquer, and symbolizing, - as a superficial consideration of the text will assure us, - the victorious progress of the cause of the kingdom of God in this dispensation. The same conclusion must be reached in regard to the fifth seal. As it is opened, the souls under the altar appeal to the Judge of heaven and earth for vengeance because their blood has been shed by the enemies of the kingdom of God on earth. Also in this case it is difficult to detect any act of judgment whatsoever. The martyred saints are simply told to be patient yet a little while; and white robes are given them as a symbol of their anticipatory glory and righteousness.

And therefore we must arrive at a more general, comprehensive conception of the nature of these seven seals, and consider them rather as symbolizing the history of this present dispensation from its main aspects, the chief currents of events as they all flow toward the one great goal of all history, the perfection of the glorious kingdom of God in Christ Jesus. The history of this dispensation has only one possible purpose and consummation: the coming of the glorious kingdom of God. All the events of history, all the factors and agencies which combine to make history must be conducive to that one great purpose. And any event in the world's history possesses its own peculiar significance for the coming of the kingdom in glory. Taking into consideration, therefore, that the one important theme of the Book of Revelation is the coming King and the completion of the kingdom, and that the book of the seven seals must be taken as symbolic of the living and powerful decree of the Almighty, the ultimate purpose of which is the glory of God's name through the coming of God's kingdom, we are safe in drawing the conclusion that these seven seals are intended to reveal to us the main aspects and larger currents of the history of this dispensation as they cooperate to bring the kingdom of Christ to its perfect consummation.

In regard to the second question raised, pertaining to the proper mode of interpretation, we would remark that we cannot agree with those interpreters who explain these seals in the temporal, historical sense, as if we must consider them as revealing the successive events of history in their exact chronological order, each seal extending over a rather definitely designated period of history, till finally the climax of this dispensation is reached in the kingdom of God. Concerning this mode of interpretation we would make the practical observation, in the first place, that it not infrequently has been conducive to the wildest speculations with respect to the exact date of the coming of Christ for final judgment. Naturally, if the different seals are indicative of seven successive periods of the history of the church and of the world, and if, moreover, it is possible to identify these periods in actual history with any approach to definiteness, we must surely be able to ascertain rather reliably exactly how far we have advanced in our day on the road to the second advent and make at least some calculation as to the length of the way still before us. This, however, is an impossibility if we may believe that the Word of Jesus in relation to the exact day and hour of His coming is true today as well as at the time when it was spoken. Besides, such an interpretation is based on an altogether too mechanical view of history and is not at all in harmony with reality. It is, for instance, not true that the first four seals, --call them, if you please, the victorious progress of the kingdom, war, famine, and pestilence, --find their corresponding realization in definitely marked periods of history. On the contrary, history much rather presents such an aspect as to make a surmise from the outset that these four riders are simultaneously upon earth, although with this exception, that now the one, now the other, appears emphatically on the foreground. And therefore, this mode of interpretation cannot be accepted as the proper one.

On the other hand, we must also dissent from those who would refer the realization of the prophecy contained in all the seven seals entirely to the future, preferably to a period immediately preceding the coming of our Lord. Among these we may especially note that class of interpreters which would place all the seals in the period of the great tribulation. The church has already been taken up into heaven; the rapture has taken place, when these seals shall be realized. Against this view may rightly be urged that in that case the book loses its value and purpose. For it undoubtedly means to be a source of instruction and consolation for the church of Christ in general, which she scarcely needs if all these things shall be realized after she has been taken up into glory. Against this may be urged, in the second place, that heretofore the book has not spoken of a rapture of the church whatsoever. The slender ground which is supposed to be found in Chapter 4, verse 1, where the seer is called "up hither," is altogether too feeble to support this theory. And, finally, against this may also be urged the fact that history plainly reveals that the things symbolized in the seals to a certain extent actually do come to pass and are realized day by day.

Hence, we must rather combine the two theories mentioned into one, and maintain that although the realization of the seals undoubtedly must be looked upon as to a certain extent still future, and although there is a certain succession noticeable in the fulfillment of their prophecy in actual history, so that new elements enter in occasionally which have not been witnessed in the past, and, besides, there is an increase in clearness and vividness of their realization, nevertheless to a large extent the seals,especially the first six,-are being realized simultaneously, so that, as we have remarked, the four horsemen are making their drive through the earth all at the same time, and that throughout the period spanned by this dispensation many of these things have come to pass in days gone by, are being realized in the present day, repeat themselves in the history of the world from time to time with increasing vehemence and clearness, till all the different streams and currents of history shall converge in the final goal, the completed kingdom of our God.

The First Four Seals

Turning our attention now to the first four seals, we may remark, in the first place, that they belong together and form a group of seals distinct from the rest. First of all, they are plainly distinguished by their allegorical figures, the horses and their riders, which occur in connection with all the first four seals, and with them only. In the second place, they are distinct by the fact that in the issuing forth of each one of them one of the four living creatures which surround the throne of the Almighty sounds the command, or invitation, "Come!" This is evidently the correct rendering. The KJV has it that in each case one of the living creatures bids, "Come and see." And the impression might be that every time it is John who is addressed, rather than the horse and its rider. However, this is not the case. John is already in the spirit in heaven, and does not need the invitation to come and see. And if such an invitation should have been necessary at the rushing forth of the first horse, it certainly would have been superfluous to repeat it with the other three horses. Besides, it may be supposed that John is wide awake, stirred to the depths of his soul, profoundly interested in the vision he receives, and therefore does not need the invitation, "Conic and see." Not to him, but to the horseman that is about to rush forward on his impetuous drive through the earth, comes the simple command, "Come!" And if now we remember that in these four living creatures we have the symbols of the fulness of all earthly creation, we understand immediately that the suggestion is given in this four-fold command that all the world is deeply interested in the work of these four horses with their riders. However this may be, certain it is that also in this repeated bid we have an indication that the first four seals evidently belong together, and form a distinct group.

In regard to the symbolism implied in these seals, in general we have our attention called, in the first place, to the figure of the horses and their riders.

Even in our day the horse is an animal employed in battle. But especially in Scripture does the horse occur pre-eminently as an animal of war. Already from Psalm 33:17 this becomes evident, where we read: "An horse is a vain thing for safety, neither shall he deliver any by his great strength." Here the horse is evidently referred to in connection with the battle. And then it is also plain that he is pictured in Scripture, even by implication in the text quoted, as symbolic of undaunted courage and vehement, irrepressible onslaught in battle. Beautiful is, from this point of view, the description we have of the horse in Job 39:19-25: "Hast thou given the horse strength? hast thou clothed his neck with thunder? Canst thou make him afraid as a grasshopper? the glory of his nostrils is terrible. He paweth in the valley, and rejoiceth in his strength; lie goeth on to meet the armed men. He mocketh at fear, and is not affrighted; neither turneth he back from the sword. The quiver rattleth against him, the glittering spear and the shield. He swalloweth the ground with fierceness and rage: neither believeth he that it is the sound of the trumpet. He saith among the trumpets, Ha, ha; and he smelleth the battle afar off, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting." This is surely a most beautiful and masterful picture of the horse from a literary point of view. But for our purpose it is sufficient to observe that the Word of God knows the horse as the animal for battle par excellence,the picture of strength and undaunted courage, of irrepressible onslaught and vehement eagerness for the battle. Hence, when we see these horses go forth into the earth, we may be assured that there is to be war and battle, and that the power of these seals cannot be checked or successfully opposed.

However, they do not symbolize wild and undirected forces. On the contrary, these horses all have a rider who directs the horse according to his will. This shows in general that the powers and forces symbolized by these horses can do nothing more than they are supposed to do. They are forces directed and limited by intelligent will to a definite goal. Already the fact that they proceed from the book with its seven seals and that they therefore are liberated to do their work at the bidding of the Lamb inspires us with confidence that they cannot run at random, that they are not blind powers or independent forces. But especially the fact that each of these horses has a rider, directing them intelligently, is symbolic of the fact that they cannot run wild, that the forces symbolized by the horses are well controlled and directed to their proper destination. We must not ask the irrelevant question as to whom the rider represents on every horse, for the simple reason that he does not symbolize any particular person definitely. Horse and rider belong together. They constitute one whole. They represent one idea. And that idea is an irrepressibly strong and vehement force, ready for battle, completely controlled by intelligent will. Or, if you please, it reveals to us that history in this dispensation is completely under the control of the Lamb that standeth as though it hath been slain, to Whom all power is given in heaven and on earth, and that events on this earth are definitely and intelligently directed by His Spirit, sent forth into all the earth.

The Four Horses Individually Considered

Our next observation in regard to the symbolism of these four seals concerns the color of each horse, and in harmony with their respective colors the other details of description.

The color of the first horse is white, which is symbolic of victory. Repeatedly this color appears as such in Scripture. Those who are faithful and overcome shall ultimately appear in white robes. In Chapter 19:11 ff., where we have a final description of the battle of Armageddon, the Lord Jesus appears as the victor, seated upon a white horse, in all the glory of His power and victory. Thus it was also customary in the Roman army that the victors should return riding on white horses. Hence, it may be deemed rather evident that the white horse is symbol of a victorious power. In harmony with this color of the horse are the other features pictured in the text. First of all, we are told that the rider has a bow, which is symbolic of righteous and victorious warfare. In Psalm 45:5 we read of the king who is typical of Christ: "Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the king's enemies; whereby the people fall under thee." In the second place, the rider receives a crown: not the royal diadem in this case, but the garland, the wreath of victory. And finally, this idea of victory is definitely expressed in the last clause, that the rider goes forth "conquering and to conquer," which by its peculiar repetition assures us of the certainty of the victory this rider will win. Therefore, we have in the first seal the picture of an armed warrior, going forth to battle, whose victory is assured him beforehand.

The color of the second horse is red, or, as the original indicates, a color glowing like fire. It is the color of wrath and anger, of heated passion and violent emotion, such as causes a man's blood to rush to his countenance, of lust and gain, of envy and revenge, of blood and war. The man that cometh from Bozrah, with sprinkled garments, who has trodden the winepress of Jehovah's anger alone, is red in his apparel. And when the Lord is described in all the holy zeal of His heated anger, He is pictured in Scripture as a consuming fire. This horse bears the color of a glowing fire, of heated passion and revenge and bloodshed and war, of which it is also symbolic. Again, the other details mentioned of this second horse and its rider serve to corroborate and enforce this idea. For, in the first place, we read that he receives a great sword, symbolic of war and death and destruction. And, in the second place, the definite information is given us that this horse receives the power to take peace from the earth. In general, therefore, the second horse and his rider are the picture of heated passion and wrath going forth to do its work in the earth.

The third horse is black. Occurring in the Word of God, this color is the symbol of scarcity and famine. In referring to a drought in the land of Judah in his own time, the prophet Jeremiah writes: "Judah mourneth, and the gates thereof languish; they are black unto the ground; and the cry of Jerusalem is gone up," (Jeremiah 14:2). And in his Lamentations (5: 10) we hear the same prophet complain: "Our skin was black like an oven because of the terrible famine." Black, then, is the color of scarcity and want, of drought and famine. The rest of the description of this horse is again in harmony with this idea of the black color, although at the same time we should not fail to notice that by it the idea of famine is somewhat modified and mitigated. The rider is pictured as one who holds a balance and who does some careful weighing. And as he weighs, the voice is heard.. "A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny." A measure of wheat (about one and one-half pints of our measure) constitutes the equivalent of one man's subsistence for one day.

And the same is true of three measures of barley. If in connection with this we also bear in mind that a penny, or shilling, constituted just about a day's wages of the common laborer, we come to the conclusion that this third rider represents scarcity and dearth, rather than downright famine. The relation between the wages of the common people and the cost of the necessities of life is such that the latter devour the former every day. But this is not all. The voice continues, and says, "The oil and the wine hurt riot." Oil and wine are symbols of plenty and luxury, of merriment and feasting. These may not be hurt, but must continue to exist. And hence, the complete portraiture of this third horse and its rider presents a remarkable contrast: a contrast between poverty and riches, between a bare subsistence and luxurious living.

The fourth and last horse is of a pale green, such as is the color of death. Here we cannot be left in doubt as to the meaning of this fourth horseman. The horse represents the color of a corpse, of death itself. And in harmony with the color of the animal is the name of its rider, which is Death, while Hades, the abode of the dead, follows him, ready to receive the victims killed by this terrible horseman. The definite commission which this fourth horseman receives is to kill. and destroy one fourth part of the earth's inhabitants with the sword, with pestilence, with the wild beasts of the earth, and with death in general. If four is generally the number representing the completeness of the world, one-fourth represents such a fraction as is in harmony with the present existence in the world throughout this present dispensation. The symbolism of the last horse and its rider makes us think of death in all its various forms.

After the general significance of the symbolism presented by these four horses and their riders has been ascertained, it cannot be difficult to grasp the meaning of each one of them and to discover what they represent in the history of this dispensation.

The victorious warrior on the white horse evidently stands for the triumphant progress of the cause of Christ's kingdom in this dispensation. As we have said before, we must not attempt to personify and interpret the details of the picture. We must not maintain that the rider is in this case Christ.. for then we would have to apply the same method to each of the four riders, which is impossible. Horse and rider represent just one idea; and together they picture the victory of the cross in the world of sin. The world lies in darkness, is the dominion of the prince of darkness, stands inimical over against the kingdom of Christ which is to come. And therefore, if that world is to be transformed into a kingdom of God, it is not sufficient that the evil-doers be destroyed, but spiritual victories must be won. The power of the new kingdom must go forth into this inimical world and make subjects for the kingdom of heaven. For this purpose Christ sends forth His Spirit and Word to regenerate and call and bring to a conscious faith, to cause men to fall down before the great King and worship Him instead of the Evil One. And it is this combined effort of the Spirit and Word and all that is connected with their work which is portrayed under the symbolism of the white horse and its rider.

That victorious warrior, going forth conquering and to conquer, shoots his sharp arrows into the hearts of the enemies, and thus brings them into subjection to the Lord of lords and King of kings. Up to the present day this rider has pursued in the main a very definite course. He did not ride at random and roam in every direction, all over the earth; but clearly he had his course prescribed and definitely mapped out. Starting from Jerusalem, he drove to Antioch and through the various cities of Asia Minor. From thence he crossed over into Europe, first scoring his victories in Macedonia and Greece, then boldly striking for the very heart of the mighty Roman Empire, in order from there on to sweep over the mountains and plains of Europe, and finally cross over into the western hemisphere when the time was ripe. Surely, today he also rides in other parts of the world, and the inhabitants of Asia and Africa must bow before his power. But there is a distinct difference between his work in Europe and America and that among the nations of the Far East and the south. In the former countries his victories were so pronounced that outwardly entire peoples have been christianized, while in the latter the result of his drive is noticeable only in the conversion of individuals. And thus the ultimate result of the drive of the first warrior is that the tremendous contrast is called into existence between the so-called Christian world and the world of heathendom, Israel and Gog and Magog.

The second horse and its rider together are the symbol of war. It is because of the drive of this horse on the earth that the slumbering passions of men and nations are aroused and called into action, so that nation rises against nation all through history. We must not fail to notice that also in the case of this second horse and its rider it is Christ Who opens the seal, and He sends forth the horse and its rider. Also in this case the horse does not run at random, but is directed by its rider. It assures us that in the deepest sense of the word also the wars of the world are sent forth and controlled by Jesus Christ, the Lamb that holds the book with its seven seals, through the Spirit Who goes forth into all the earth. Well controlled the red horse goes forth. Is it necessary to call your attention to its presence and impetuous drive all through the ages of history? Nation rises against nation in every period of history. It is Rome against Greece, the powerful hordes from the dark north against the declining Roman Empire, the various nations of Europe warring among one another or against the New World. Does it need special proof to show that wars have increased rather than decreased in power and vehemence, as well as in number, as time went on and civilization developed, and that exactly because of the presence and drive of this red horse the ideal of universal peace in a sinful world is a mere dream? Riding upon the glowing passions of lust and greed, of power and conquest, of hatred and revenge and jealousy, this second horse and its rider go forth to slay individuals and conquer nations. Fiercer and redder than ever, it is driving over the world today. But remembering that also this horse is sent forth and controlled by the Lamb, we may rest assured that it must perform its own part for the bringing of the kingdom of God to its completion.

The third horseman has the sphere of social life assigned to him and maintains the tremendous contrast between scarcity and plenty. Of this contrast, always existing, the third rider is especially the symbol. I do not pretend to say that the special famines are for that reason excluded, especially not as they often follow in the wake of war. In our own day the black horse stalks about threateningly, especially in war-ridden countries, where a measure of wheat can be sold for a penny no more. But although this is true, we would be mistaken if we would discern this third rider only in special periods of war and famine. He is always among us, and continually he does his work. The symbolism of the picture does not indicate what may be called downright famine, but much rather a striking contrast. On the one hand, it points to a living by the day; on the other hand, to luxury and abundance. This horse it is that causes all our social problems, because through its work the contrast is maintained between rich and poor, between plenty and scarcity, between wealth and miserable poverty. Always the masses live by the day. Always their wages are sufficient to provide a bare subsistence. Always the oil and the wine remain untouched, and the few live in wealth and splendor and royal ease, in distinction from the masses. Very emphatically this condition appears in Europe and in other countries; but also in our own country it is developing with alarming rapidity. A very small percentage of our population possesses and controls more than seventy-five per cent of all the wealth of the country, while the masses may divide the remaining twenty-five per cent of the nation's gold among themselves. Always the black horse and its rider maintain this contrast in the social world, a contrast that in turn is the cause of many events in history. It is the cause of feasting and riotous living, on the one hand; of the dissatisfaction, misery, protest, rebellion, revolution, and bloodshed, on the other. But in all these things the children of the kingdom see the black horse and its rider, sent forth by the Lamb that holds the book, performing its own part for the bringing of the kingdom of glory.

Finally, the fourth horse and its terrible rider present the picture of death in all its various forms and manifestations. A horrible picture indeed this horse calls before our imagination. A horse of a pale green, ghastly color, ridden by Death in person, swinging with powerful fist his awful sword, followed by Hades, ready to swallow up the victims that may fall in the path of this merciless monster. It is death in all its forms as he enters your home to slay your dear ones by death, as he steals through the streets of our cities in order violently to kill by dagger and pistol, as he stalks over the battlefield to reap his greatest harvest. Not merely, therefore, as you see his work on special occasions, but as he may be watched day by day in all parts of the world, he is presented to us in our text. For it is especially mentioned that this horse also kills by death. Surely, also by the sword, by pestilence, by the wild beasts of the earth, and by all kinds of accidents this rider performs his awful work. By homicide and suicide, in wars and revolutions, in pestilence and epidemic, by storm and flood and fire, by the beasts of the field, but also by the infinitesimally small wild beasts we are wont to call germs, this rider mows away millions and millions in a short period. But for the rest, he simply kills by death in all its regular appearance. For in all he kills just one-fourth of the inhabitants of the earth: just as many as is in harmony with the history of the world and as will maintain the equilibrium among the peoples of the earth, according to the divine plan. In short, the sum-total of all death-cases in the world, according to regular statistics, is the effect of the drive of this pale horse and its rider.

We come, then, to the conclusion that these horses and their riders symbolically proclaim that all the different phases of human life in particular and of the nations of the earth in the broadest sense are under the absolute control of Jesus Christ, the Lamb that was slain. He it is Who controls the progress of His kingdom as symbolized in the white horse. He it is Who holds the reins of history when nations rise against nations. He it is Who fixes price lists and wages, and maintains the social contrast between poverty and riches. He it is, finally, Who sends death into all the world in order to mow down His victims, the proper persons at the proper time. To Him is given all power in heaven and on earth, and He executes the will of Him Who sitteth upon the throne.