Hope of Israel Ministries (Ecclesia of YEHOVAH):

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

by John D. Keyser

The book of Revelation is of great importance in that it provides spiritual strength and insight for YEHOVAH’s people Israel. It highlights YEHOVAH’s interest in the churches of His people and the close and loving care that Yeshua the Messiah exercises toward them as the Fine Shepherd. Yeshua knows exactly what conditions prevail and what must be done. This is especially manifest in the first three chapters of the book.

Some people view Revelation as being so highly symbolic that it cannot be understood, or they take little care in interpreting it to come up with fantastic and erroneous results. But YEHOVAH God wants His people to understand, and He caused the Bible to be written to be understood and to provide guidance for them. The KEY to understanding Revelation is the same as the key to understanding other parts of the Bible -- YOU MUST USE THE BIBLE TO INTERPRET THE BIBLE! If we search the Scriptures we will find in them the things used as symbolisms in Revelation. By comparing these Scripture texts we can understand what the Revelation symbols mean.

The White Horse -- The True Gospel

"Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, “Come and see.” And I looked and behold, a WHITE HORSE. And he who sat on it had a BOW; and a CROWN was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer" (Revelation 6:1-2).

The identifying symbols in this passage are (1) the COLOR of the horse, white; (2) the BOW; (3) the CROWN; (4) the fact that the rider went forth conquering (gaining victories from the very start) and ultimately “to conquer” (i.e. to finally triumph over all enemies). These marks or symbols are more than enough to show there is but one event or epoch in the history of the world that fits accurately into the scene we are now viewing. And that is the going forth of YEHOVAH’s truth with the power of His holy spirit. There is nothing else in the past, and nothing that has been revealed concerning the future, that can be made to harmonize with this scene -- or with these symbols. The SENDING FORTH of YEHOVAH’S TRUTH perfectly fits the scene and perfectly explains the symbols without any manipulation whatsoever.

The words by which this vision is described suffice to put before us the entire sweep of the gospel from its amazing beginning to its triumphant end. The indisputable fact is that whatever explanation of the vision you may adopt, it is clear that of all the influences that have combined to shape the character of Western Civilization, and have controlled the course of human affairs from the beginning of the age until now, the most potent by far has been, and is today, THE GOSPEL OF YEHOVAH GOD as proclaimed by Yeshua the Messiah and the apostles. In reality, the history of the leading nations of the world is in fact the history of Christianity -- whereas those nations which have been uninfluenced by the gospel are virtually without a history, and without any contributing part in the development of civilization. Their condition has been, at the best, one of age-long stagnation.

The other three influences -- which have operated in the affairs of men throughout this age -- had their rise in the SAME historical events that occasioned the going forth of the gospel. We will look into this shortly. It makes a strong statement for the UNITY of this group of visions.

True Christianity is very far from being a failure, as many would like to think; nor has the energy with which it was launched in the early days of this era dissipated -- it is energized by the spirit of YEHOVAH God. Nor is there any possibility of failure here because the rider of the white horse went forth winning victories everywhere at the beginning, and with the certainty also of a COMPLETE TRIUMPH at the end -- “conquering, and to conquer.”

Chapter 5 of the book of Revelation shows us the risen Messiah ascending the throne room of YEHOVAH God and sitting at His right hand to share in the sovereignty of the universe. It follows that since the very purpose for which he offered himself as a sacrifice was for “the sins of Israel,” then the first exercise of his kingly authority would be the sending forth of YEHOVAH’s message of salvation to the very Israelites which he had died to save.

All of this agrees perfectly with the Messiah’s parting words and instructions to his disciples, by whom that message was to be carried to Israel in dispersion: “Thus,” he told them, “it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and” -- the very next thing it should be noted -- “that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name to all nations [of Israel].” And, furthermore, for this worldwide mission they were shortly to be “endued with POWER FROM ON HIGH” (the holy spirit -- Luke 24:46-49).

The very next thing after the enthronement of Yeshua the Messiah in heaven was the coming down of “power from on high,” in the form of the holy spirit or power of YEHOVAH for the very purpose of energizing the mission of preaching the gospel to those of Israel in the world -- which mission is NOT YET fully accomplished.

The color of the horse -- WHITE -- bears strong testimony to this because, as we have already pointed out, this color is used exclusively throughout the Bible to designate things DIVINE and PURE. There is absolutely NO REASON for assuming we have an exception here -- and an exception so great as to reverse the meaning of the symbol, as many in the Churches of God believe today.

Not only that, but the evidence for this is raised from the level of high probability to that of VIRTUAL CERTAINTY by the fact that when YEHOVAH God issues forth out of heaven to fulfill the words “and to conquer” (Revelation 19:11), He will come riding a WHITE HORSE: “Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, A WHITE HORSE. And He who sat on him...” The words italicized are identical to those of Revelation 6:2. It is simply not conceivable that this identity of language could have had any other purpose than to reveal the IDENTITY of the subject.

Could anything be plainer than the fact that the end of YEHOVAH’s war and victory in Chapter 19:11 corresponds with its beginning here in Chapter 6:2? Those who make the rider of the white horse a symbol of the Antichrist of the last days, or of false religion -- thereby REVERSING the meaning of the symbol which the holy spirit has employed here -- realize of course that the COLOR of the horse completely CONTRADICTS their interpretation. They say (with no proof whatsoever to support it) that the Antichrist appears on a white horse in imitation of YEHOVAH God; but this is not dealing fairly or intelligently with the symbols. These symbols have, in every case, a Divine fitness, ascertainable from the Bible itself, to express pictorially the thing or event they are intended to represent.

The Bow

He that sat on the white horse had a bow. The bow is a familiar weapon of war -- its peculiarity being that it can strike at a distance. It is used figuratively for power to make war, whether in a material or spiritual sense. Thus we find Jacob prophesying about Joseph, saying: “But his bow remained in strength” (Genesis 49:24). The bow is employed figuratively as a weapon used by YEHOVAH God. Job speaks of “the arrows of the Almighty” (6:4), and similar mentions can be found in Deuteronomy 32:23, 42; Lamentations 2:4; Psalms 18:14; 45:4; 77:17 and various other places in the Bible. Then we read of “the arrow of the Lord’s [YEHOVAH’s] deliverance” in 2 Kings 13:17. This is sufficient to show that the BOW is a symbol of that which discharges the messages of YEHOVAH God towards the mark they are intended to reach. In other words, it symbolizes the preaching of the true gospel in general and the individual gospel teacher in particular.

In Habakkuk’s prophecy is a highly figurative passage in which the prophet sees a vision, and in describing it he speaks of YEHOVAH God as riding upon horses and chariots of salvation. In this connection he says: “Your BOW was made quite ready; oaths were sworn over Your arrows....The sun and moon stood still in their habitation; at the light of Your arrows they went, at the shining of Your glittering spear....You went forth for the salvation of Your people, for salvation with Your Anointed. You struck the head from the house of the wicked...” (Habakkuk 3:8-13; cf. Psalm 110:6). From this scripture we can clearly see that the BOW is a SYMBOL OF YEHOVAH GOD’S WORD in the day when He goes forth into all the world for the “salvation” of Israel -- as pictured in Revelation 19:11.

Another passage that sheds clear light upon the symbol of the bow is Psalm 45 -- notice!

"Gird Your sword upon Your thigh, O Mighty One [YEHOVAH], with Your glory and Your majesty. And in Your majesty ride prosperously because of truth, humility, and righteousness; and Your right hand shall teach You awesome things. Your arrows are sharp in the heart of the King’s enemies; the peoples fall under You" (verses 3-5).

In these verses the mention of arrows implies that the royal Warrior had a bow, since in the other scriptures the mention of the bow implies the arrows. Also, in the Septuagint version of the Old Testament, verse 4 of this psalm reads as follows: “And in Thy majesty ride, and bend Thy bow, and prosper and reign, because of truth,” etc.

The Bible -- figuratively speaking -- puts a BOW and ARROWS into the hands of YEHOVAH God and sends Him forth on a white horse -- in the “day of salvation.” However, the Bible DOES NOT say a word of false religion or any Antichrist going forth on a white horse (or any other), or of his carrying a bow. And since we must interpret scripture only by scripture, we have in this case no choice but to be guided by scripture and take this passage as referring to YEHOVAH God in the book of Revelation -- or else abandon the Bible entirely.

The Crown

The meaning of the clause “and a CROWN was given to him” agrees with the view that in this vision we have YEHOVAH’s TRUTH going forth into the world of Israel in the form of the gospel. In the original Greek the word for “crown” in this clause is STEPHA.NOS. In the New Testament two Greek words are used for the English word “crown” -- the other one being DI.ADEMA. According to the following –

"In the N.T. (Gr. Stepha.nos and di.adema are used). The first refers to a garland or chaplet such as was worn by a victorious athlete. This type of crown is employed figuratively by Paul and John as A SYMBOL OF CHRISTIAN TRIUMPH (II Tim. 4:8, Rev. 2:10). The diadem was A SYMBOL OF THE POWER TO RULE." [1]

In the Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics [2] we read the following:

"In the NT the victor’s crown at the games (stepha.nos) is USED SYMBOLICALLY OF THE REWARD OF A FAITHFUL CHRISTIAN COURSE, the incorruptible “stepha.nos” being contrasted with the corruptible (I Cor. 9:25; cf. II Tim. 2:5).

"It is a ‘CROWN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS’ (II Tim. 4:8), the ‘IMMORTAL CROWN OF GLORY,’ the ‘CROWN OF LIFE’ (Ja. 1:12, Rev. 2:10; cf. 3:11). Hence in visions of heaven the crowns are prominent. The elders in Rev. 4:4 wear crowns (STEPHA.NOS) of gold; in the “Ascension of Isaiah” the prophet sees crowns laid up in the highest heaven for the saints; in “Barlaam and Josaphat,” Josaphat sees the people of the heavenly city with crowns in their hands (J.F. Boissonade “Avec. Groeca,” Paris, 1829-31, iv. 360)....Lactantius (”de Mort. Pers.” 16) describes the martyr’s garland of victory as ‘AN UNFADING CROWN LAID UP IN THE KINGDOM OF THE LORD.’"

John Peter Lange [3] has this to say --

“Dusterdieck maintains that ‘stepha.nos’ here [Rev. 6:2] (as I Cor. IX. 25) denotes only the ‘WREATH’ OF A WARRIOR -- not the ‘crown’ of a king. The New Testament clearly shows that the crown (stepha.nos) of the rider in Revelation 6:2 is one of RIGHTEOUSNESS and CHRISTIAN REWARD:

"I Thess. 2:19: For what is our hope, or the CROWN [STEPHA.NOS] in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you? Indeed, you are our glory and joy.

"II Tim. 4:8: Now there is in store for me the CROWN [STEPHA.NOS] of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day -- and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

"James 1:12: Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the CROWN [STEPHA.NOS] of life that God has promised to those who love him.

"Rev. 4:4: Surrounding the throne were 24 other thrones, and seated on them were 24 elders. They were dressed in WHITE and had CROWNS [STEPHA.NOS] of gold on their heads."

Now the other Greek word for “crown” -- DI.ADEMA -- is commented on by Allen C. Myers:

"Also in Revelation Gk. “Diadema” indicates a ROYAL CROWN, worn by the dragon (12:3, unlike the crown worn by the woman with child mentioned at V.1), the beast (13:1), and THE RIDER OF THE WHITE HORSE (19:12) who has MANY diadems because of his authority over ALL KINGS." [4]

The Bible dictionary, Insight On the Scriptures [5], has this to say –

"In the Christian Greek Scriptures, the Greek word DI.A’DE.MA is rendered “diadem” by modern translators. It is always used as a SYMBOL OF KINGLY DIGNITY, whether real or merely claimed. The “great fiery-colored dragon” (Satan the Devil) has a diadem upon each of its seven heads. (Rev. 12:3, 9) A diadem adorns each of the ten horns of the symbolic seven-headed “wild beast” that ascends out of “the sea.” (Rev. 13:1)....Also at Revelation 6:2 and 14:14, Jesus Christ is pictured as wearing a crown (STE’PHA.NOS)."

Here we clearly see the difference between the white horse of Revelation 6:2 and the white horse and rider of Revelation 19:12. The rider of the white horse in Revelation 6:2 wears the ste’pha.nos -- a symbol of Christian triumph and the reward of a faithful Christian course -- while the rider in Revelation 19:12 wears the crown or diadem of Kingly dignity and the power to rule. The first horse (Revelation 6:2) represents the going forth of YEHOVAH’s Truth, proclaimed powerfully by Yeshua himself and then by the apostles and disciples as they took the gospel message to the four corners of the known world; while the last horse (Revelation 19:12) represents YEHOVAH God Himself returning to earth in His Shekinah Glory to once again take up residence in a newly built Temple in Jerusalem.

Conquering and To Conquer

If we are still uncertain regarding the identity of the rider of the white horse in Revelation 6:2, the last words of the passage -- “And he went forth conquering and to conquer” -- should surely make the matter perfectly clear. The entire clause is a most wonderful and descriptive explanation of the Messiah’s career in the New Testament. “He went forth conquering” -- these words bring up before our minds the early triumphs of the gospel of the Kingdom of YEHOVAH God, from the day it was first proclaimed “with the holy spirit sent down from heaven” to the end of the Book of Acts. And all the way from Jerusalem to Rome to Britain.

Then the last three words -- “and to conquer” -- carry our thoughts forward to “the end,” referred to by the apostle Paul in I Corinthians 15 where he unfolds the gospel of the Kingdom of God: “Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when he puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign till he has put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death” (24-26). It is to this last victory over death and the grave that the words “and to conquer” especially refer -- for chapter 20:14 of the Book of Revelation records this final triumph, saying: “Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire.” And then, referring to the same event, the apostle Paul says in I Corinthians 15:54-55: “Then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory.’ O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?”

Therefore the words “conquering, and to conquer” provide strong, conclusive proof that the passage refers to Yeshua the Messiah -- and not to some antichrist. Also, it particularly symbolizes the GOING FORTH OF YEHOVAH’S GOSPEL into the world of Israel -- from the first century through to the return of the Messiah and YEHOVAH God at the end of the age.

The Red Horse -- Jews and Judaism

"When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come and see.” And 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 him a great SWORD" (Revelation 6:3-4).

These words aptly describe the symbols of another mighty spiritual agency or power that has exerted a tremendous influence in shaping the development of Christian evangelism down through the ages. The color of the horse (RED), the words “to take peace from the earth” and “kill one another,” -- and the symbol of “a great sword” -- clearly testify as to the significance of this feature of the vision. What we have here is a symbolic prophecy of WAR. But it would be a great mistake to regard this symbol as meaning only physical wars. It signifies something much broader in scope than that -- namely STRIFE OR VARIANCE OF EVERY SORT. In other words, what is pictured here is something SPIRITUAL as well as material.

The "Fiery Red" Horse

In the New Testament book of Luke the Messiah said to the Pharisees in the crowd gathered around him:

"Woe to you, because you build tombs for the prophets, and it was your ancestors who killed them. So you testify that you approve of what your ancestors did; they killed the prophets, and you build their tombs. Because of this, God in his wisdom said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and others they will persecute.’ Therefore this generation will be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held responsible for it all" (Luke 11:47-51).

The Messiah also said to these specific Judeans:

"...and I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews [Judahites] and are NOT, but are a synagogue of Satan" (Revelation 2:9).

Also, in Revelation 3:9:

"Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say they are Jews and are NOT, but lie -- indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you" (Revelation 3:9).

To make it doubly clear the Messiah blasts these fake Judahites in John 8 and 10 -- notice!

"You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it" (John 8:44).

"But you do not believe, because you are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hand" (John 10:26-28).

Who were these fake "Jews" -- who weren't of the Messiah's sheep and who had no hope of eternal life?

The Origin of the Scribes and Pharisees

These fake "Jews" -- the Pharisees and the scribes of the Messiah's day -- were the Edomites who were descended from Esau, who was renamed Edom. Esau was Jacob's brother, and Jacob was later renamed Israel. He was the father of 12 sons who became the Israelites, or the 12 tribes of Israel.

Esau (to the dismay of his parents) intermarried with the Canaanite tribes (whom the Israelites were forbidden from intermarrying with). Ever since this time his new descendants -- the Edomites or Idumeans -- became enemies of Israel.

The Edomites continually warred with the Israelites. They hated them even during the time of the Messiah. However, shortly before the Messiah's time, a Maccabean Israelite by the name of John Hycanus conquered and then converted the Edomites to Judaism. You would think since they hated the sons of Jacob so much that they would only tolerate their religion as long as they were forced to, yet they ended up flourishing under it.

So much so -- and to such an extent did they influence the Romans to favor them -- that the Romans appointed one of them as governor of Judea, overlooking the choice of many true native Israelites for the position.

They appointed Antipar (an Idumean or Edomite) to the position, and he later appointed his son Herod as King of the Judeans. Herod was roundly condemned by the Messiah, and killed all the first born in an attempt to kill the prophesied Messiah at birth. If this was their level of influence (through lies and corruption) in politics, you can only imagine the influence they eventually gained in the Temple with the priests of Judea (the Pharisees and Saducees).

These same Edomites are the fake Jews who crucified the Messiah in John 19:1-16. Most or maybe even all of the Jews who denied the Messiah were Edomite imposters, and most of those who accepted him were true Judean Israelites of the line of the House of Judah. Those who did believe him became known as Christians and not Judahites any longer and these Edomite Jews, who were particularly strong and numerous in the synagogues, became the Talmudic Rabbi Jews of the Middle Ages, and also the Jews who converted a half Mongoloid people (the Khazars) to Judaism -- a distorted form of the belief in the God of Abraham (YHVH -- YEHOVAH) mixed with all sorts of anti-Christian hatred and ridiculous Dark Ages customs and beliefs.

Along with the Babylonian Kabbalah being taught by their Rabbis they form a formidable anti-Christian group today and secretly control the Christian seminaries promoting the pro-Israeli state to the tune of millions of US dollars in voluntary and involuntary (tax) donations towards their cause.

And the thing is, the Jews understand this! In the 1925 Jewish Encyclopedia they tell us that “edom is modern Jewry”. That is their own writings! “EDOM IS IN MODERN JEWRY.”

“From then on, [Edomites] constituted a part of the Jewish people, Herod being one of their descendants.” [6]

"The [non-Israelite] Edomites became a section of the Jewish people." [7]

"They [the non-Israelite Edomites] were then incorporated with the Jewish nation…." [8]

"…from then on they [the non-Israelite Edomites] constituted a part of the Jewish people, Herod [King of Judea] being one of their descendants." [9]

"…they [the Edomites] were hereafter no other than [non-Israelite] Jews." [10]

The Color Red

To discover the significance of the red horse, we must learn the meaning of the color red from the Scriptures. Red is the color of Esau and his descendants the Edomites. Esau was red when he was born -- see Genesis 25:25. The name "Esau" comes from a root word meaning "to press or to squeeze." The word Edom, which is the name given to the nation which he founded, comes from a root word meaning "red." Also, Edom was the secondary name or byname given to Esau, Jacob’s twin brother. It was applied to him because of his selling his birthright for the red stew (Genesis 25:30-34), and a similar color prevailed in parts of the land he and his descendants later inhabited.

The life of Esau and the experience of Edom is the KEY to understanding the rider on the fiery red horse. Their history is a story of conflict between two families who lived together in the same land. It started with the conflict between Esau and Jacob and continued when Edom obstructed the children of Israel on their journey from Egypt to the Promised Land. This is outlined in Numbers 20.

The conflict between Israel and Edom continued until both nations were conquered by Babylon. The Edomites were further mentioned as a nation defeated and invaded by Saul and later by David. They allied with Nebuchadnezzar in invading Jerusalem. Their brutality towards the people of Jerusalem and their cruel actions in destroying the First Temple gained criticism from the prophets up to the later eras.

They fought with the Judahites many times and became one of the nations conquered by the Maccabees at its peak. Under the leadership of the Maccabees, they were obliged to embrace the Israelite culture. Their men were circumcised, and they were forced to follow the Israelite laws until the time came when they openly mixed themselves with the Judahites and did their practices including paganism. The legendary Herod, who ordered the construction of the Second Temple, was an Edomite.

They continued on down to the time of the Messiah when he roundly condemned the Edomites who controlled the political and religious life of Judea. Then, seemingly, the conflict between these two peoples disappears from the pages of the Bible and escapes the attention of most historians.

The Red Shield

The color red seems to continually come to the surface in the history of the Edomite and Khazar Jews. The Jew Mayer Amschel Bauer was born in Frankfurt-on-the-Main in Germany in 1743. He was the son of Moses Amschel Bauer an itinerant money lender and goldsmith who, tiring of his wanderings in Eastern Europe, decided to settle down in the city where his first son was born. He opened a shop, or counting house, on Judenstrasse (or Jew Street). Over the door leading into the shop he placed a large Red Shield.

A few years after his father's death Mayer Amschel Bauer went to work as a clerk in a bank owned by the Oppenheimers in Hannover. His superior ability was quickly recognized and his advancement within the firm was swift. Shortly thereafter he returned to Frankurt where he was able to purchase the business his father had established in 1750. The big Red Shield was still displayed over the door. Recognizing the true significance of the Red Shield which his father had adopted as his emblem from the Red Flag which was the emblem of the revolutionary minded Jews in Eastern Europe, Mayer Amschel Bauer changed his name to Rothschild, which means "Red Shield" in German.

"A Great Sword"

The spiritual forces released by the rider on the fiery red horse can be discovered by reading the story of Esau and Jacob or Israel and tracing the migration of the tribes of Israel across Europe to the British Isles and beyond in later centuries. We read about the red horse in Zechariah 6:2 but, interestingly, no direction of travel is given this horse and chariot. This indicates that the red horse will travel all over the world. When the horseman is released this kind of conflict will spread wherever the tribes of Jacob or Israel migrate to. The prophet Amos said of Edom:

"Thus says the LORD: For three transgressions of Edom, and for four, I will not revoke its punishment; because he pursued his brother with the sword, and cast off all pity, and his anger tore continually, and he kept his wrath forever" (Amos 1:11).

The rider on the red horse had a large sword with which to take peace from the earth and make men kill each other (Revelation 6:4). Esau was told that he would live by the sword:

"By your sword you shall live, and you shall serve your brother; and it shall come to pass, when you become restless [as in today], that you shall break his yoke from your neck" (Genesis 27:40).

"Then Edom said to him [Moses], 'You shall not pass through my land, lest I come out against you with the sword...So Edom came out against them with many men and with a strong hand" (Numbers 20:18, 20).

This is a good description of what the fiery red color of the red horse represents.

The advance of the rider on the fiery red horse represents the continual conflict and warfare between the descendants of Israel and Esau in nations all over the world. The sword is a symbol of war. These events will take away the peace of those like the descendants of Jacob/Israel who have become complacent in their plenty and put the pleasures of life before faithfulness and obedience to YEHOVAH God (Genesis 27:30-32).

Taking "Peace From the Earth"

The Red Terror charted a macabre course for Russia. For the Jewish Bolsheviks, sweeping repression was justified as a tool that both solidified political power and furthered the aims of socialism. And it taught a pointed lesson to those who might otherwise have resisted the regime. "Intimidation is a powerful weapon of policy," wrote Leon Trotsky, the Jewish leader of the Red Army and Lenin's right-hand operative. "The revolution...kills individuals, and intimidates thousands." Trotsky asked the politburo in 1919 to ensure that Jews were enrolled in the Red army. Trotsky said that Jews were disproportionately represented in the Soviet civil bureaucracy, including the cheka, the forerunner of the KGB.

Communist China

While the Jews were deeply involved in Communist revolutions in Europe -- often in leading positions -- how do we account for the fact that they also played a large role in Communist revolutions in Asia, especially in China? Some historians have discounted this since they believe there were practically no Jewish communities to speak of in China, and that those few who lived there had been totally assimilated and had no interest whatsoever in Chinese culture, history and politics. Let's look a little more closely at the Jewish community in China.

The first wave of Jewish immigrants to modern China was the Sephardic Jews from Iraq and India. Their story is closely related to that of the Sassoon family. Elias David Sassoon, treasurer of Baghdad between 1817 and 1829, moved from Baghdad to Bombay, India in 1832. He later became the leader of the Baghdadi Jewish community in Bombay. As British citizens, the family enjoyed exemption from Chinese laws and soon became dominant players in the trading of cotton and opium. In 1844, Elias Sassoon set up family business operations first in Canton and shortly thereafter, in Shanghai.

Sassoon was among the first Jews to engage in the opium trade in Shanghai, and that trade became the financial basis for Shanghai's Jewish community. The family made a huge fortune by exporting opium produced in India to China in exchange for tea, silk and other commodities, which were then shipped to England. By the 1870s, the Sassoon family was the leading importer of opium into China. Most of opium's stakeholders -- from the growers of the drug to its shippers, supercargoes, and distributors -- were fully aware that, apart from small amounts of opium gathered for genuine medicinal purposes, they were handling an addictive, physically debilitating, and socially destructive recreational narcotic.

It is a fact that both the Rothschild's and the Solomon Brothers were also complicit in this horrendous trade by using their control of England, and its control of India, to move large amounts of opium into China killing tens of thousands and wrecking entire communities to the point that the Chinese fought the Opium Wars to try and throw the Jewish dealers out of the country.

The overworked, largely illiterate Chinese end users employed the drug for immediate relief from arduous labor, and most likely were not fully aware of these social complexities.

The Communist Party of China was created by the Jewish Communist International in a meeting held in Shanghai between Jews from Russia and Jews from the Shanghai Jewish community. In order to advance their interests, Lenin and Trotsky sent the Jew Gregory Voitinsky to Shanghai to make contact with leftist intellectuals such as the Jew Chen Duxiu.

In 1921, Chen Duxiu, Li Dazhao, and other prominent revolutionary leaders founded the Communist Party of China. Duxiu was the dean of Peking University and had participated in the Xinhai Revolution in 1911, which overthrew the Qing Dynasty and established the Republic of China. So how did so many European Jews land up in Shanghai and then later in Hong Kong to aid in the Communist takeover of the country?

Chen Duxiu was first educated at the Yali School in the provincial capital of Changsha, and later at the Rothschild run Yale-in-China University. He was later sent on a Jewish scholarship to Munich University in 1926 where he received his Ph.D. in political economics in 1932 -- and a crash course in Marxism.

In 1937, one Dr. Ho Feng-Shan was planted through Rothschild influence as the First Secretary at the Chinese legation in Vienna, Austria. When Austria was annexed by Germany in 1938, Ho was given the post of Consul-General. According to C. Peter Chen:

"Against orders from Chen Jie, the Chinese ambassador in Berlin, Ho issued visas to Austrian Jews for Shanghai....He issued almost 2,000 visas between Nov 1938 and May 1940, when he was recalled back to China. He retired in 1973 after serving as the ambassador of the Republic of China to Egypt, Mexico, Bolivia, and Colombia. The Chinese government in Taiwan denied his pension after accusing him of misappropriating...funds." [11]

Ho Feng-Shan attended the Yali School in Changsha, and later attended the Yale-in-China University. In 1926 he entered Munich University in Germany, receiving a doctorate in political economics. As Consul-General he was responsible for the influx of many Communist Jews into Shanghai and Hong Kong.

The Tail Now Leads the Head

Coming up through time, Esau's descendants, called Edomites and the Khazars they converted, would also be a people who would identify as "swords for hire," hiring out as military soldiers in other peoples' wars, sometimes against his own brother, and sometimes on the same side as his brother. It didn't matter -- have sword, will fight! In addition, Esau would be subservient to Jacob and his Israelites, until the time came when the Edomites and Khazars would eventually gain a type of dominating control over the Israelites, thereby breaking Jacob's yoke from the neck of Esau's descendants. This dominion, possibly obtained through less than natural means, would not set well with YEHOVAH God however, and we read in the book of Obadiah:

"'But on Mount Zion there shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; the house of Jacob shall possess their [Edom's] possessions. The house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Jacob a flame; but the house of Esau [Edomites, Khazars] shall be stubble; they shall kindle them and devour them, and no survivor shall remain of the house of Esau,' for the LORD has spoken" (12:17-18).

Esau/the Edomites/the Khazars will be living in disguise as "Jews," with secrets that eventually will be rooted out. Since Isaac gave Esau a way to eventually "get even" with Jacob for the birthright, they would hold Jacob's riches in their hands, sitting in exalted places with much power and control over the Israelite nations, where they not only feast upon the fatness of their spoils, but also wear a mask of disguise.

It is a prophetic fact that the Edomites would eventually redeem Esau's birthright and acquire lofty positions on the earth, which would give them control over the world's riches -- such as the banking industry, interest rates, global industrialization, etc., and control the news media of the world. In this manner, Esau/Edom, and his Khazar converts, wield control over his brother Jacob (the Western Christian world, i.e., America, Great Britain and Canada, etc. -- the true Israelites), while Esau sits in exalted positions of great power as "banker" over Jacob's money.

Jacob once tricked Esau by wearing a disguise of goat skins upon his arms to appear "hairy" like his brother, and one day Esau would trick the world, especially his brother Jacob with a false identity in order to redeem his birthright. However, this trick is not accomplished by putting on smooth articles of clothing or furs, or being "red" as stated in Genesis 25:25. It was to be accomplished by posing as someone they were/are not. Esau's descendants would take on the identity of his brother Jacob's descendants -- and trick the entire world with a clever and devious disguise.

The Black Horse -- Catholicism

"When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, 'Come and see.' And 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'” (Revelation 6:5-6).

The image of darkness and black represents evil in the Bible. It is the absence of law, love and goodness -- all the attributes of YEHOVAH God. Without YEHOVAH's truth, people live in hatred, lawlessness and selfishness. The color black lacks brightness and hue. It does not reflect any light, but instead only absorbs light. The Bible tells us that YEHOVAH God is light (Psalm 104, 1 John 1:5).

It's interesting to note that prior to Satan's fall from Heaven, he was an angel of light, and when he fell like lightening from Heaven (Luke 10:18) he became enveloped in darkness -- no longer in YEHOVAH's light. Similarly, Adam was created in light and perfection, in the image of YEHOVAH God, with YEHOVAH's holy spirit to lead and guide him. But when Adam sinned, his light left him and he, too, was enveloped in darkness for turning away from YEHOVAH's truth. Since Adam, all have been born in the "blackness" of sin.

With this in mind, we find that most commentaries regarding the Black Horse clearly show that the authors are groping blindly after the meaning of the symbols. It is commonly assumed that this vision represents famine; and the prices quoted for the wheat and barley are supposed to support this theory -- for it is said that these are “famine prices.” However, this is not a satisfactory explanation. There is nothing in the Bible to indicate that a man, going forth with a pair of scales and crying the sale of wheat and barley at any prices, is a symbol of famine.

Neither has any proof been given that the prices quoted in these verses are “famine prices.” Nor is it easy to see what the command not to hurt the oil and the wine has to do with famine. That command simply does not fit into the picture of famine at all -- see the Biblical symbols of famine in Genesis 41:1-7. The true explanation will fully reveal the Biblical significance of the color of the horse (BLACK), the scales or balances, and the things mentioned by the voice from the midst of the cherubim, i.e. wheat, barley, oil and wine.

Furthermore, it should be noted that to the rider ON THE GREEN HORSE (fourth seal) power is given to kill “with hunger.” This in itself is enough to demonstrate that the black horse rider symbolizes something more and different than famine, otherwise we have a duplication here. That we have something directly in contrast with the gospel itself should be very clear -- for black is the diametric opposite of white. Not only that, but the gospel freely gives the bread of life, while here we find something that sells the prime necessities, both for rich and poor at fixed prices. The Good News of the Kingdom of YEHOVAH God brings blessings for all; but here is something that would “hurt” the oil and the wine if not restrained by divine command.

The Balances of Deceit

To get a clear understanding of this part of the vision, we need to go to the Book of Hosea. Notice!

"Israel is swallowed up: now shall they be among the Gentiles as a vessel wherein is no pleasure" (Hosea 8:8).

"My God will cast them away, because they did not hearken unto Him: and they shall be wanderers among the nations" (Hosea 9:17).

"He [Jacob] is a merchant, the balances of deceit are in his hand: he loveth to oppress [margin, deceive]" (Hosea 12:7).

Here we have a clear prophecy of the characteristics of apostate Israel during the time the gospel was going out to the world. As a nation it was to be “swallowed up” among the Gentiles. As individuals they were to be “wanderers among the nations.” AND THEY WOULD ADDICT THEMSELVES TO THE DECEITFUL MERCHANDISING OF THE GOSPEL!

The passage last quoted above matches the symbol of the black horse rider so perfectly that we cannot doubt that the former is given us to unlock the meaning of the latter. The color BLACK symbolizes that which is hidden (deceit), as white fitly represents that which is truthful and open. And the balances are plainly shown to represent THE MERCHANDISING OF THE GOSPEL, to which our nations of Israel have addicted ourselves!

Here, then, is something great enough in its influence upon all mankind to be compared with the gospel itself, though of OPPOSITE CHARACTER -- a thing that has followed the course of the gospel everywhere, even as the BLACK HORSE is shown following the white horse. It is a force that has powerfully affected the very character of Christian civilization. While the rider of the white horse symbolizes the going forth of the TRUE gospel under the power of YEHOVAH’s spirit, the rider of the black horse symbolizes the going forth of a FALSE gospel under Satan’s spirit -- a false gospel going forth with “the balances of deceit” -- a deceitful gospel that has ensnared millions! If the WHITE HORSE and its rider represents the going forth of the TRUE gospel, the BLACK HORSE (which is the very opposite of white) must represent the going forth of a FALSE gospel -- a gospel of darkness and death.

The Deceitful Doctrine of Simon Magus

Likewise, Jude writes of these deceivers, saying that "CERTAIN MEN have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and DENY the only LORD God and our Lord Jesus Christ" (Jude 4). It seems perfectly clear that Jude is here referring to the licentious doctrines of the Nicolaitans.

“Bread By Weight”

In the English Version of the Old Testament issued by the Jewish Publication Society of America, the word “ephah” in Zechariah 5 is rendered “measure” -- (”This is the measure that goeth forth”), which brings this vision still closer to that of John’s, who heard a voice in the midst of the four cherubim say, “A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny” (Revelation 6:6). Let us now consider the significance of the words uttered by that voice.

In the Bible the term “bread” can figuratively be both good and bad. In Proverbs 4:14-17 we read:

"Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of evil. Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn away from it and pass on. For they do not sleep unless they have done evil; and their sleep is taken away unless they make someone fall. For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence."

In a verse that can apply equally as well to the gospel, we read: “Bread gained by falsehood [deceit] is pleasurable to a man, but afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel” (Proverbs 20:17).

Isaiah 55:2 shows that YEHOVAH’s spiritual provisions are far more important than material things by stating: “Why do you people keep paying out money for what is not bread [false religion], and why is your toil for what results in no satisfaction? Listen intently to me, and eat what is good [true religion], and let your soul find its exquisite delight in fatness itself.”

To eat “bread by weight” and to “drink water by measure” (Ezekiel 4:16) is to be in an evil state. It means that YEHOVAH’s truth has been completely commercialized and corrupted, and is measured out to the people by some great religious authority who feeds them what they think they should have -- with NO REGARD FOR THE TRUTH. The words that characterize the mission of the BLACK horse and rider mention specifically the BREAD of the rich, “wheat,” and the BREAD of the poor, “barley”; therefore declaring in figurative language that the very bread of life (THE TRUE GOSPEL) of every individual was to be under the control of this system, which has clearly come to pass in the actions of the Roman Catholic Church down through the centuries. The amount of truth to be feed the masses was determined by the upper echelons of the church, who corrupted and perverted the gospel message for their own ends. And their “decrees” were more absolute than those of Caesar of old!

One doctrine that leaps out of the pages of Catholic history and is a blatant fulfillment of "bread by weight" is that of indulgences. Writes Ralph Woodrow:

"The sale of relics, church offices, and indulgences became big business within the church of the Middle Ages. Pope Boniface VIII declared a jubilee for the year 1300 and offered liberal indulgences to those who would make a pilgrimage to St. Peter's. An estimated 2,000,000 people came within that year and deposited such treasure before the supposed tomb of St. Peter that two priests with rakes in their hands were kept busy day and night raking up the money. Much of this was used by the pope to enrich his own relatives -- the Gaetani -- who bought numerous castles and splendid estates in Latium." [17]

For those with a mind to see, it is those who are able to place an inflexible price upon the true gospel who are really the masters of the people’s lives or “souls.” We can plainly see, as a result of the above facts, that the system described in Revelation 18, under the symbol of a great commercial and pagan city, is the outcome of the mission of the Black Horse and its rider -- and has reached full development in our day. This complete dominance of “Christian” civilization has come about so quietly, and so gradually, that only a few wide-awake people have realized what was going on.

And their voices, when they attempted to raise a warning, were quickly stifled or drowned out. The ministry of YEHOVAH’s Word has been commercialized by men professing to be Yeshua’s ministers and ambassadors in an evil and hostile world who, in reality, are nothing but mouth-pieces of the world, preaching a “gospel” that is thoroughly conformed to the world. Not only have they made profit from YEHOVAH’s Word, but they have adulterated the bread of life making it both unpalatable and unwholesome. Such a state of affairs has come into existence throughout the “Christian” world -- and has now developed into full maturity.

The Oil and the Wine

The voice that issued forth from the midst of the cherubim, was a voice of not merely prophecy but also of authority. It added this prohibition: “And see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.” Now in the Bible oil is a symbol of YEHOVAH’s holy spirit, and has been the force behind the ride of the white horse of Revelation. Wine, in the Bible, is also one of the gifts included among YEHOVAH’s blessings to His people Israel. An abundant supply of wine, symbolized by the “vine” in the oft-repeated expression “sitting under one’s own vine and fig tree,” denotes prosperity and security under YEHOVAH’s righteous rule -- see I Kings 4:25; II Kings 18:31; Isaiah 36:16; Micah 4:4 and Zechariah 3:10. Wine is also included in the restoration blessings promised by YEHOVAH in Joel 3:18; Amos 9:13-14 and Zechariah 9:17.

What we learn from the ride of the black horse is that the power for harm allowed to the rider was RESTRICTED -- even as YEHOVAH set strict limits to Satan’s power to harm Job. The rider of the black horse was not permitted -- in any part of his career -- to “hurt the oil and the wine.” In other words, the power of YEHOVAH’s spirit in disseminating the true gospel could not be hindered in any way by the ride of the black horse.

Nor, even, could YEHOVAH’s ultimate blessings on those He called to His service be affected by the black horse rider. There should be great comfort in this assurance for those who are truly the people of YEHOVAH. It clearly tells them that even in the days of spiritual dearth -- when the giving forth of the bread of life was to be by measure and by price -- the “oil” of YEHOVAH’s spirit and the “wine” of His joy were not to be injured, and that today His people can always have a heart gladdened by the wine of YEHOVAH, and a face shining with the oil of YEHOVAH.

There is another passage from the Old Testament in which the four symbols -- the wheat and the barley, the wine and the oil -- are mentioned:

"The field is wasted, the land mourneth; for the corn is wasted: the new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth. Be ye ashamed, O ye husbandmen; howl, O ye vinedressers, for the wheat and for the barley; because the harvest of the field is perished. The vine is dried up and the fig tree languisheth;...because joy is withered away from the sons of men" (Joel 1:10-12).

This important prophetic passage further shows how the chief products of the Promised Land are used as the symbols of SPIRITUAL realities. These symbols speak most dramatically of the consoling and healing influences of YEHOVAH’s true gospel; and the words of the voice which the apostle John heard in the midst of the four living creatures lets us know that the rider of the black horse was not to be permitted to “hurt” the restoring and healing ministry of the true gospel.

The Green Horse -- Islam

"When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come and see.” And I looked, and behold, a PALE [GREEN] HORSE. And the 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 the BEASTS OF THE EARTH" (Revelation 6:7-8).

The word here rendered “pale” is chloros, from which the gas known as “chlorine” is named. It is of a green color. The word occurs in only two other places in the Book of Revelation, in both of which it is translated “green” (see 8:7 and 9:4). In Revelation 8:7 the Greek word chloros is applied to the earth's vegetation, and in Revelation 9:4 it refers to green things in the context of vegetation. While at first glance the significance of the color of the horse may not be as clear as in the other three horses, we can get some help from the rest of the verse for the name of the rider is plainly given -- DEATH. Moreover, Death is joined here with HELL, that is, Hades or the grave. The rider is “Death,” and his mission is “to kill”; and Hades -- or the grave -- is pictured as following with him to gather in, as it were, the victims.

Since death has been busy in all parts of this world since the fall of Adam, it is evident that this passage has some other significant meaning. Therefore, “death” must here be the RESULT of some destructive spiritual influence that has been specially active in the gospel era. From what we have learned about the black horse the meaning of the GREEN horse should not be too difficult to ascertain.

It is a fact that Satan has the power of death (Hebrews 2:14); and we learn from the Parable of the Tares that after the sowing of the “good seed” of the gospel (represented by the WHITE horse), the enemy was to come and sow tares (a FALSE gospel) among the wheat. In explaining the parable Yeshua the Messiah said that “the enemy” who sowed the tares “is the Devil” (Matthew 13:24, 25, 38, and 39). This was the FORCE behind the ride of the BLACK horse.

Since the four horses represent respectively the four spiritual agencies that have chiefly influenced and determined the character of “Christian” civilization, and that the first horse and rider represent the gospel of YEHOVAH, then Yeshua’s teaching would lead us to expect something going forth to COUNTERACT the true gospel, something representative of some special form of Satanic activity corresponding to the going forth of “the enemy” into the field (world) after Yeshua and the apostles sowed the good seed therein. This was accomplished by the ride of the GREEN horse.

The going forth into the world of YEHOVAH’s gospel necessitated a complete change of tactics on the part of the “enemy.” Satan’s devices, which had served to keep the nations in the darkness and corruption of rank paganism would serve no longer. Other means must therefore be adopted; and the course of the gospel must be observed and followed with something specially adapted to counteract its influence and nullify its effects. The effect of the gospel is to impart LIFE; but the purpose of Satan is “TO KILL.” Those who obey Yeshua in faith are gathered into the Kingdom of YEHOVAH God where “grace reigns unto eternal life.” In contrast with this, DEATH is accompanied by Hell, or the grave, into which its victims are gathered. The gospel is “the word of TRUTH” so, by way of contrast, the black horse represented the most deceptive form of "the lie" Satan would employ for his ends (II Thessalonians 2:12). So now a completely different form of teaching, some grotesque imitation of the gospel, a religion that completely corrupts and perverts the true gospel of YEHOVAH God was initiated by Satan. What could this other "gospel" be?

With the powerful resurgence of Islam in the world today, many people are puzzled why the Bible apparently makes no mention of a movement that holds sway over one-quarter of the world's population. Would you be surprised to learn that the official color of Islam is green? And is it possible that this relates in any way to the green horse of Revelation 6:8? Could the green horse be a prophetic symbol of Islam?

Islam certainly fits into the pattern of the previous three world movements symbolized by YEHOVAH's true religion: strife and persecution fomented by the false "Jews" that followed in the wake of the true gospel message going to the dispersion of Israel, and the going forth of a corrupt and deceitful gospel impelled by the Roman Catholic Church. Let's look at the entire prophecy about the green horse: "And I looked, and behold, a PALE [GREEN] HORSE. And the 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 the BEASTS OF THE EARTH."

The Color Green

Since the color of the horse can legitimately be translated as green, and since the official color of Islam is green, that aspect of the prophecy certainly fits. In 1878 a magazine [18] published an article in which the author revealed the origin of the banner belonging to Muhammed -- founder of the Muslim religion. "Muhammed's banner was green; and it was written that Muhammed, gazing out upon a vast panorama of fields, declared: 'Nature is green, and green shall be my emblem, for it is everlasting and universal.'"

Muhammed's flag "is of green silk, with a large crescent on the top of the staff, from which is suspended a long plume of horsehair (said to be the tail of the prophet's favorite Arab steed), while the broad folds of the flag exhibit the crescent and quotations from the Koran." Brewer's Dictionary [19] offers this description:

"The Banner of the Prophet (Mahomet): What purports to be the actual standard of Mahomet (Mohammed) is preserved in the Eyab Mosque of Constantinople (now Istanbul). It is called the Sinjaqu 'sh sharif. It is made of four layers of silk, the top-most being green, embroidered with gold. In times of peace it is guarded in the hall of the 'noble vestment' as the dress worn by the prophet is styled. In the same hall are preserved the sacred teeth, the holy beard, the sacred stirrup, the sabre and bow of Mahomet."

The Islamic prophet is said to have worn a green cloak and turban, and his writings are full of references to the color. A passage from the Quran describes paradise as a place where people "will wear green garments of fine silk." One hadith, or teaching, says, "When Allah's Apostle died, he was covered with a Hibra Burd which is a green square garment. As a result, you'll see green used to color the binding of Qurans, the domes of mosques, and, yes, campaign materials.

It is said that if this green banner of Muhammed is ever raised above the Mosque in Istanbul, it is a sign to the entire Muslim world that it is time to go to war against Christians throughout the world. States Littell's 1878 article [18]:

"The raising of the green standard is a call which none may disobey, without sacrificing, as the Koran calls it, all hopes of Paradise.

"It is a summons to an anti-Christian crusade, a challenge of every believer in the Prophet to arms; a war-signal in fact, which, like the fiery cross of Scotland, would flash its dread command through the domain of Islam. In the interests of humanity, however, we may hope that the 'commander of the faithful' will never utter the dreadful word; for then indeed would the whole soul and strength of Christendom turn against the enemy of all civilized laws, human and divine.

"The Prophet himself predicted that one day when his followers should number a hundred millions -- which they do now, with twenty millions more added to it -- his flag should fly against the advancing power of the northern races; and the Koran, or Mohammedan Bible, says that when its silken folds are flung forth 'the earth will shake, the mountains melt into dust, the seas blaze up in fire, and the children's hair grow white with anguish."

Green comes up a lot in Islamic history. It was the color of the flag of the Fatimid Caliphate, the last of the four Arab caliphates. During the crusades, Islamic soldiers wore green to identify themselves. (Likewise, crusaders avoided green in their coats of arms, just to be safe from friendly fire.) Some say the banner under which Muhammed fought in the war on Mecca was green with golden trimming. (The flag is currently locked away in the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, Turkey.) For centuries in Persia, only descendants of Muhammed, known as the Sayyids, were allowed to wear green turbans -- anyone else would be punished for it. Green was also favored by the Ottoman Empire, which after the Tanzimat reforms of the mid-19th century dyed its secular flags red and its religious flags green.

In 2006 a news organization [20] reported that an influential Islamic preacher in Gaza -- Sheik Abu Saqer -- declared that "the day will come when the GREEN FLAG OF MUHAMMED will be raised upon the Vatican and all around the world."

This is in direct conflict with the TRUE ensign, the flag of YEHOVAH God, Yeshua the Messiah! Six times the book of Isaiah calls the Messiah an ensign (a banner or flag). YEHOVAH God "will lift up an ensign to the [Israelite] nations from far, and...they shall come with speed swiftly" (5:26). The Messiah is the TRUE flag of YEHOVAH God, and when they return, his presence will be infinitely more significant than the flag of Muhammed.

Muhammed founded Islam in Mecca, in what is now called Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is 100% Muslim, and lives under Sharia (Muslim) law. In the Saudi flag above, we can see three things: 1) Green background, 2) a sword, and 3) the Arabic inscription "No god but Allah, and Muhammed is his prophet." Make no mistake about it -- Islam has NEVER been a religion of peace. It is a religion of the sword.

The flag of the Muslim extremist group, Hamas, has a green banner, the crossed swords and the Jerusalem mosque. These are the winners of the 2006 elections in the Palestinian Authority, and are warring for the annihilation of the State of Israel. They have completely taken control of the Gaza Strip in defiance of their own government, led by Fatah -- another terrorist group founded by the late Yasser Arafat.

The Hezbollah flag has the name "Allah" in Arabic holding an automatic weapon. Syria sponsors this group. Hezbollah is the terrorist arm of Syria -- wreaking death and destruction in Southern Lebanon and Northern Israel.

The flag of Iran has green for Islam, white for peace(!) and red for (are you ready for this?) -- courage! The symmetrical inscription says, "No god but Allah!" President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran, fueled by his Muslim extremist spiritual adviser Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has repeatedly sworn Iran and Islam to the death and destruction of both Israel and the United States. He publicly pledges to "wipe Israel off the map." In 2001 Khamenei said of Israel, "this cancerous tumor of a state should be removed from the region." And this is the religion of peace? Never was, never will be.

Death

Muslim clerics cynically boast that the West loves life, but that "Islam loves death." This is consistent with John's prophecy. They teach their followers that the most glorious path to paradise is martyrdom -- death by killing others while performing the act of suicide. The rider of the green horse was Death. Islam has become synonymous with death due to its dreaded suicide bombers. Almost daily we hear reports of deadly suicide attacks in Israel, Iraq, Spain or London. Islam teaches that the shedding of ones own blood in martyrdom in the name of Allah is how they are accepted into heaven.

This is in COMPLETE CONTRAST with the redeeming blood of the Messiah that was shed for the remittance of all sins so that through him we of Israel are accepted into the Kingdom of YEHOVAH God. Satan has Muslim terrorists believing that when they commit an act of suicide killing they will be rewarded with paradise when, in fact, they are immediately sent to the grave. If not repented of, "all murderers will have their part in the lake of fire" (Revelation 21:8). When a Muslim sacrifices his life in the name of the FALSE GOD OF ALLAH, he is dying in his sins!

This deadly, soul-destroying lie -- in various forms -- has followed the track of the gospel in every part of the field -- and from the days of Muhammed until now. Wherever the WHITE horse and his rider have gone, the RED and BLACK horses have followed, with the GREEN horse and his rider tagging along in the rear with hell or the grave as his companion. DEATH and the GRAVE were the natural results for those who refused to partake of the heresies of the green horse!

Death is the trademark of the GREEN HORSE -- just as death is the trademark of Islam. Can anyone question the accuracy of the prophecy when Islam today is associated around the world with the nearly 3,000 deaths in the New York's World Trade Center attack of 9-11-2001, and more than 8,000 subsequent Muslim bombings around the world since that time? Where is this so-called "religion of peace"??

A Quarter of the Earth

The spirit of the green horse is described as having power over the fourth part of the earth. How does this square with today's population demographics? Estimates of the followers of Islam by country -- based on U.S. State Department figures -- yield a total of 1.48 billion (Wikipedia Encyclopedia). This would be exactly one-fourth of the world's population. Another source states: "A comprehensive 2009 demographic study of 232 countries and territories reported that 23% of the global population, or 1.57 billion people, are Muslims. Of those, it's estimated over 75–90% are Sunni and 10-20% are Shi'a, with a small minority belonging to other sects. Approximately 50 countries are Muslim-majority, and Arabs account for around 20% of all Muslims worldwide. Between 1900 and 1970 the global Muslim community grew from 200 million to 551 million; between 1970 and 2009 the Muslim population increased more than three times to 1.57 billion."

It can also be taken quite literally! This would be one of the consequences of war, famine, and pestilence. Lands would be depopulated, and wild beasts would be multiplied. Nothing more is necessary to make them formidable than a prevalence of these things; and nothing, in the early stages of society, or in countries ravaged by war, famine, and the pestilence, is more formidable. Homer, at the very beginning of his Iliad, presents us with a representation similar to this. Compare Ezekiel 14:21 "I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the noisome beast, and the pestilence." War brings on scarcity, and scarcity pestilence, through want of wholesome sustenance; and pestilence, by depopulating the country, leaves the few survivors an easier prey to the wild beasts.

Zechariah 6

In Zechariah 6 we find the origin or prototype of the four horses of Revelation -- notice!

"Then I turned and Raised my eyes and looked, and behold four chariots were coming from 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. Then I answered and said to the angel who talked with me, 'What are these, my lord?' And the angel answered and said to me, 'These are four spirits of heaven, who go out from their station before the Lord of all the earth. The one with the black horses is going to the NORTH COUNTRY, the white are going AFTER THEM, and the dappled are going toward the SOUTH COUNTRY.' Then the strong steeds went out, eager to go, that they might walk to and fro throughout the earth...And He called to me, and spoke to me, saying, 'See, those who go toward the north country have given rest to My spirit in the north country." (Zechariah 6:1-8).

In the reference above the fourth horse is called "dappled. "Dappled" is not a color, but a texture (spotted or splotched). The Hebrew word that is translated "dappled" here is not used anywhere else in the Bible. It is an uncertain term that more accurately means "strong or courageous." Therefore, when we combine what we know about the fourth horse from both Zechariah and Revelation, we see a "strong, courageous green" horse. The universally identifiable color of Islam is green. Look at virtually anything that has to do with Islam and you will see GREEN -- and it is definitely STRONG, COURAGEOUS!

It is interesting to note that no direction of travel is given to the red horse and chariot -- which is consistent with what we learned about the red horse of Revelation 6 traveling all over the world! The white and black horses went north, and eventually north-west, which is where true Christianity, followed by the false "Christianity" of Catholicism, went. The passage then says that the fourth horse went into the south country. This, too, is amazingly accurate since over 96.5% of the world's Muslims live in Africa and southern Asia -- and Islam's capital, Mecca, is south of Israel.

Conclusion

The four living creatures, who are associated in a special way with YEHOVAH’s purposes in the new creation, are definitely related to the action of the four horses and their riders. This further confirms the fact that what YEHOVAH has revealed to us here are the symbols of the four major spiritual agencies, whereby the character of this age has been largely determined. The first and greatest in its effect is the TRUE gospel (the WHITE horse) -- through which YEHOVAH God is acting upon the world directly through His Word and spirit.

By the other three the effects of the Messiah’s coming into the world act upon it indirectly. For the strife and variance (the “sword”) which he said he would send throughout the earth (the RED horse), were provoked by the animosity between the descendants of Esau and Jacob, and have always and everywhere followed in its wake. Likewise the powerful influence of the propagation of a commercialized and perverted gospel by Satan’s campaign of venomous lies, murderous heresies, suppression of the Scriptures and stirring up the hatred of governments against the true gospel (the BLACK horse), has led to the great harvest of the GREEN horse of DEATH and the GRAVE.

If you are at all observant you will realize that the color scheme of the horses shows a progression downward, ending in darkness and death. This, of course, is “according to the course of this world” (Ephesians 2:2). But YEHOVAH God’s order reverses this. He finds us in a state of death and darkness, and raises us up to the brilliant light of His Holy Word, bringing us to the time when YEHOVAH “will wipe away every tear” from our eyes, and to the time when “there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying; and there shall be no more pain, for the former thing have passed away” (Revelation 21:4). This is the time when YEHOVAH God the Father Himself will once again dwell with Israel, “and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God” (21:3).

Satan has done a superlative job, for even today the very Churches of God are thoroughly confused over the meaning of the Book of Revelation. Many believe the white horse and its rider represent false religion -- an interpretation that is thoroughly refuted by the Bible. Others believe that with Bin Laden and President Obama we have entered into the time of the red horse, while others believe it represents coming wars that will precede the end of the age. According to some the black horse represents famine or global inflation -- or a connection with the black uniformed SS troops of Nazi Germany!!

The majority believe the green horse represents plague or pestilence -- but the original Greek does not say that! The word translated “plague” in some versions of the Bible is also translated “death” in others. Revelation 6:8 clearly defines the green horse by naming it “Death”! While plague or pestilence can certainly be the outcome of persecution by those promoting false religion, this is NOT the main thrust of the ride of the green horse. Only when you interpret scripture with scripture can the TRUTH regarding the four horsemen of the Apocalypse be revealed.

Footnotes:

[1] Zonervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary, edited by Merill C. Tenney.

[2] James Hastings, Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics.

[3] John Peter Lange, Commentary On the Holy Scriptures.

[4] Allen C. Myers, Eerdman's Bible Dictionary.

[5] Insight On the Scriptures, Vol. 1, p. 554 (under "Crown"). WatchTower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc., Brooklyn, NY 1988.

[6] The Standard Jewish Encyclopedia, 1966. Doubleday & Co. Inc., Garden City, New York, p. 592.

[7] Encyclopaedia Judaica, Vol. 6, "Edom." Encyclopaedia Judaica Co., Jerusalem, Israel, 1971, p. 378.

[8] The Jewish Encyclopedia, Vol. V. Funk and Wagnalls Co., New York & London, 1904, p. 41.

[9] The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia, Doubleday & Co., Garden City, NY 1977, p. 589.

[10] Flavius Josephus, The Antiquities of the Jews, Book XIII, Chapter IX, Verse 1. Dregel Publications, Grand Rapids, MI 1960, p. 279.

[11] According to C. Peter Chen of the World War II Database (ww2db.com/person_bio.php?person_id=483).

[12] Les Gosling, Why a Universal Salvation? A Mystery of God Revealed! p. 3.

[13] Scofield Reference Bible, p. 1322.

[14] Old Fashioned Prophecy Magazine, reprint of 1942 edition, "The Mystery of Antichrist," Blackwood, NJ, p. 29.

[15] Ralph Edward Woodrow, Great Prophecies of the Bible. Riverside, CA. 1989, p. 150.

[16] Eusebius, The History of the Church from Christ to Constantine, translated by G. A. Williamson, Dorset Press, New York, 1984, pp. 86-87.

[17] Ralph Woodrow, Babylon Mystery Religion, Ralph Woodrow Evangelistic Association, Riverside, CA. 1981, p. 65.

[18] Littell's Living Age magazine, "The Green Flag of the Prophet." 1878.

[19] Brewer's Dictionary, 1894.

[20] WorldNetDaily.com, September 2006.

 

Video Link

 

Hope of Israel Ministries -- Preparing the Way for the Return of YEHOVAH God and His Messiah!

Hope of Israel Ministries P.O. Box 853 Azusa, CA 91702, U.S.A. www.hope-of-israel.org

Scan with your Smartphone for more information