What are the four horsemen of the apocalypse? Some people claim that the “four horsemen of the apocalypse” represent Communism (red), Catholicism (white), Islam (pale/green), and Capitalism (black). However, the Bible already defined what each horse means. If the Bible gives a parable or metaphor and then explains it, there should be no speculation because an explanation is already provided. The four horsemen represent exactly what the Bible says they represent, and nothing more.
The four horsemen are found in Zechariah 1:8-11, Zechariah 6:1-8, and Revelation 6:1-8. They are already defined in the Bible, and they are not related to modern religions or economic systems, but they represent specific categories of God’s judgment for the world. In Zechariah 1:10, it says the horsemen are “they whom the Lord hath sent to walk to and fro through the earth.” In Zechariah 6:5, they are collectively defined as “the four spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth.” Meaning God sent them to judge the world, and they do not represent worldly political or religious ideologies. Think about it, why would God send communism or capitalism to judge the world?
Zechariah 1:8 (NLT) In a vision during the night, I saw a man sitting on a red horse that was standing among some myrtle trees in a small valley. Behind him were riders on red, brown, and white horses. 9 I asked the angel who was talking with me, “My lord, what do these horses mean?” “I will show you,” the angel replied. 10 The rider standing among the myrtle trees then explained, “They are the ones the Lord has sent out to patrol the earth.” 11 Then the other riders reported to the angel of the Lord, who was standing among the myrtle trees, “We have been patrolling the earth, and the whole earth is at peace.”
Zechariah 6:1 Then I looked up again and saw four chariots coming from between two bronze mountains. 2 The first chariot was pulled by red horses, the second by black horses, 3 the third by white horses, and the fourth by powerful dappled-gray horses. 4 “And what are these, my lord?” I asked the angel who was talking with me. 5 The angel replied, “These are the four spirits of heaven who stand before the Lord of all the earth. They are going out to do his work. 6 The chariot with black horses is going north, the chariot with white horses is going west, and the chariot with dappled-gray horses is going south.” 7 The powerful horses were eager to set out to patrol the earth. And the Lord said, “Go and patrol the earth!” So they left at once on their patrol. 8 Then the Lord summoned me and said, “Look, those who went north have vented the anger of my Spirit there in the land of the north.”
In Revelation 6:1-8, they are defined individually: The white one is Conquest, the red one is War, the black one is Famine, and the pale/green one is Death (which often uses disease and natural disasters but can use famine and war). The same categories of famine, war, conquest, and death are present in pre-exilic prophecy (Ezekiel 5 and Jeremiah 14, 15, 16, 21), when God warned Israel of His judgment through Babylon. We shouldn’t reinterpret things that already have explanations. Imagine someone taking the parable of the sower in Mark 4:1-9 and re-explaining it with a different meaning, even though Jesus explains the meaning in the same chapter in verses 10-20. There is no need to reinterpret signs that have already been explained.
Revelation 6:1 As I watched, the Lamb broke the first of the seven seals on the scroll. Then I heard one of the four living beings say with a voice like thunder, “Come!” 2 I looked up and saw a white horse standing there. Its rider carried a bow, and a crown was placed on his head. He rode out to win many battles and gain the victory. 3 When the Lamb broke the second seal, I heard the second living being say, “Come!” 4 Then another horse appeared, a red one. Its rider was given a mighty sword and the authority to take peace from the earth. And there was war and slaughter everywhere.
5 When the Lamb broke the third seal, I heard the third living being say, “Come!” I looked up and saw a black horse, and its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. 6 And I heard a voice from among the four living beings say, “A loaf of wheat bread or three loaves of barley will cost a day’s pay. And don’t waste the olive oil and wine.” 7 When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the fourth living being say, “Come!” 8 I looked up and saw a horse whose color was pale green. Its rider was named Death, and his companion was the Grave. These two were given authority over one-fourth of the earth, to kill with the sword and famine and disease and wild animals.
Ezekiel chapter 5 is when God has Ezekiel demonstrate His judgment against Israel using his hair. At the beginning of the chapter, He shaves off a large portion of his hair (head and beard) and cuts it into 3 equal parts. He places them in the small clay model of Israel that he made in the previous chapter. Then he burns one-third of the hair in the city, then cuts up another third around the city, and scatters the last third to the wind. Later, in verses 11-13, God explains the meaning of the signs.
Ezekiel 5:11 “As surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, I will cut you off completely. I will show you no pity at all because you have defiled my Temple with your vile images and detestable sins. 12 A third of your people will die in the city from disease and famine. A third of them will be slaughtered by the enemy outside the city walls. And I will scatter a third to the winds, chasing them with my sword. 13 Then at last my anger will be spent, and I will be satisfied. And when my fury against them has subsided, all Israel will know that I, the Lord, have spoken to them in my jealous anger.
The first portion that was burned represents those who will die from famine and pestilence, the next third are those killed by the sword, and the last third are scattered away from Jerusalem and eventually captured and taken into Exile. Sounds like the four horsemen in Zechariah 1 and 6, and Revelation 6.
Likewise, Jeremiah chapters 14, 15, 16, 21, 24, and 27 (as well as chapters 29, 32, 34, 38, 42, and 44). Jeremiah repeatedly states that the coming judgment will result in Death, War, Famine, and Captivity. He says those specific things in that order in Jeremiah 15:2: “…Thus saith the Lord; Such as are for death, to death; and such as are for the sword, to the sword; and such as are for the famine, to the famine; and such as are for the captivity, to the captivity.”
In Jeremiah 14:11-16, he criticizes the false prophets who claim that there will be no famine and war. God himself makes this same critique of false prophets back in Jer 5:12. In Jer 16:1-2, God warns him not to get married or have children while in Jerusalem because these people and their families will mostly die from war and famine. In Jer 21:1-11, God says he will hand over King Zedekiah, his staff, and everyone in Jerusalem who survived the disease, war, and famine, into Babylonian captivity. In Jer 21:9, it says that everyone who stays in Jerusalem will die from war, famine, or disease, but those who go out and surrender to the Babylonians will live in captivity.
In Jeremiah 24, God uses the analogy of good and bad (or rotten) figs to describe the people of Judah. The good figs are righteous who will be taken into captivity and God will renew their descendants in the future (70 years), and the bad figs are the wicked who will be destroyed by war, disease, and famine (Jer 24:10). In Jeremiah 27 God reiterates what was said in Jeremiah ch. 21, he warns the people of Judah to submit to Babylon because God is using them to judge Judah, but those who don’t submit will be condemned via war, disease, and famine. He says this not only to King Zedekiah of Judah but also to the nations he has allied with, such as Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, and Sidon. I could go on and on, but you get the point.
Some examples of plagues against Israel for their sin can be found in Exodus 32:35 (golden calf), Num 11:33 (complaining about God’s provision), Num 14:36-38 (10 spies and their negative report), Num 15:18-50 (Korah’s rebellion), and Num 25:1-18 (fornication with pagan prostitutes).
Examples of war caused by sin can mostly be found throughout the book of Judges and this is alluded to in Judg. ch. 2. In addition, in the kingdom era of Israel we see the kings after Solomon promoting idolatry and corruption in the land and as a result, the Moabites (2 Kings 3:1-5, 2 Kings 24:1-4) and Edomites (2 Kings 8:20-22, 2 Kings 16:1-6) whom King David had previously subjugated many years before (2 Sam 8:11-14) overthrow the Israelites.
Some examples of famine include the story of Elijah and Elisha. In 1 Kings chapter 17, Elijah condemned the wicked King Ahab and proclaimed that it wouldn’t rain for three years. The drought lifted in 1 Kings ch. 18, but then Israel was attacked by the Arameans in 1 Kings ch. 20 because Ahab continued his sinful behavior. He had a man murdered for his vineyard in the next chapter, 1 Kings ch. 21, and was killed in battle with Aram in 1 Kings ch. 22.
In 2 Kings ch. From 6-7, there was a famine because the King of Israel, Joram (Ahab’s son), continued his father’s wickedness, promoting idol worship and corruption. As a result, a severe famine occurred, as the Arameans besieged Israel and cut off their food supplies (2 Kings 6:24-25). In 2 Kings 7, the prophet Elisha said the whole famine would be turned around in one day, and God did so by scaring off the Assyrians, causing them to leave their supplies behind. Four lepers went into the camp and plundered it first, then told everyone else, and the kingdom was delivered. The famine was so severe that women were eating their children out of desperation (2 Kings 6:24-30), a prophecy fulfilled in the curse of Deuteronomy 28:53-57.
The prophesied conquest of Israel by Assyria (2 Kings ch. 17) and Judah by Babylon (2 Kings 21:10-15, 2 Kings ch. 24-25) was the final act of judgment that led to exile.
In 1 Samuel 24, David was brought into God’s council, just like Abraham (Genesis 18:16-33) and Moses (Exodus 32:7-14 and Numbers 14:1-35), to judge the people. He had a choice between three days of plague (resulting in 75,000 dead), three months of war, or three years of famine. David chose plague because it was quick. Notice that these are three of the four horsemen? Conquest isn’t here because that would mean the end of the kingdom; instead, conquest is reserved for later, long after mercy has been shown. Then the Israelites get exiled from the land (Lev 26:14-46, Deut 28:15-68). The conquest of Israel occurred in 722 BC by the Assyrian Empire, and the conquest of Judah by the Babylonian Empire took place in 586 BC.
These categories don’t occur randomly but are a result of the curse that was promised to come upon Israel if they didn’t keep God’s commands, as stated in Deut 28:15-68, and Solomon reiterates this in 1 Kings 8:33-53. This curse includes defeat in battle, being scattered by one’s enemies, conquest and enslavement, famine, disease, pestilence, widespread terror, and exile from the land. Sound familiar? It should be because it is the same thing that the horsemen represent, and it is the opposite of the blessing in the earlier part of the chapter (Deut 28:1-14). This curse was God’s judgment against them because they broke the covenant by rejecting his rules as his representative son on earth. When they failed, he treated them like the Canaanites whom he drove out for them. This is fair since they are being judged by the same standard by which they were used to execute judgment. These same methods of judgment are the same ones he used against Egypt, Canaan, Assyria, Babylon, and others. God will also apply these judgments to the Anti-Christ regime in the future generation described in the book of Revelation. The imagery in Revelation is not entirely new, and when you examine the Tanakh (Old Testament), you will find the initial definition of everything that is prophesied in the New Testament.