The Four Horsemen
In my last Blog post I referred to a Poll conducted recently by the Barna Group, a research firm that focuses on matters of religious faith. In this Poll, they asked a selection of American churchgoers if they thought they were living in the “End Times” as prophesied in the Bible.
The Poll found that 54% of Protestants and 77% of Evangelicals answered “Yes” to this question, while 73% of Catholics said “No”. This is hardly surprising, since the Catholic Church actively discourages speculation about End Times. Evangelicals and Protestants are far more open to this idea.
Many Christians question whether it is even possible to know if we are living in the End Times, or whether there is any Scriptural evidence that would indicate that this is the case. Fortunately, for those who are willing to investigate, the Bible offers many clues that could help us to decide.
Are we living in End Times?
According to the gospel of St. Matthew, as Jesus sat upon the mount of Olives, his disciples came to him and asked him to tell them when the end of the world would be, and what would be the sign of his coming. He replied that it would be a time of “wars and rumours of wars”.
He went on to say that it would be a time when “nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.” (Matthew 24: 7)
However, during the two thousand years since Jesus died upon the cross, there has hardly been a time when nations have not been at war with one another, or when pestilence, plague, hunger and want have not afflicted humanity, along with earthquakes and other natural disasters.
So the fact that all of these conditions happen to be present in the world at this time is not in itself compelling evidence that we are living in End Times. But Jesus did not just point to outward phenomena alone, he also talked about a falling away of faith at the time of the end.
“And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold“. (Matthew 24: 10-12)
Again, although many would agree that this is a fair assessment of the current state of the world, others might argue that the above words of Jesus are too vague to be of help in clarifying whether or not we are actually living in the End Times prophesied in the Bible.
However, a far more definitive answer to the question of how people would behave at the time of the Last Days has been offered by the apostle Paul, in his second epistle to Timothy, when he wrote:
“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
“Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
“Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” (2 Timothy 3: 1-5)
While it is difficult to generalise about behaviour in a world with a population of over seven billion people, we should ask ourselves whether there is any correlation between what is going on in the world today, and the types of behaviour outlined by St Paul in the above epistle.
People will be lovers of themselves
Paul is referring here to people who place their own interests ahead of the needs of society at large, particularly in the way they spend their money and prioritise their resources. They will also be people who like to draw attention to themselves, by striving always to be first.
People will be covetous
Covetous people are those who want to acquire as many possessions as possible, believing them to be the mark of success in life. Wherever possible, they look for the latest and best of everything, and are jealous of those who have more than they do.
People will be boastful and proud
Boastful people are those who consider their own talents and achievements to be better than others, and who enjoy pointing out the shortcomings of other people. Proud people are those who are haughty and arrogant, and who reject any form of self-criticism.
Children will disobey their parents
This speaks of a time when children in general will disobey their parents, and resent their attempts to educate them and guide their behaviour. They will lack respect for their elders, and flaunt their rejection of the accepted customs and standards of society.
People will be ungrateful
These are people who believe that whatever hardships they experience in life are the fault of others, rather their own shortcomings. They expect society to provide. They take things for granted, are quick to criticise, and show no gratitude for the many blessings they enjoy in life.
People will be unholy
During the End Times few people will be drawn to living a “holy” life, or one that is devoted to understanding and practising the things that have always been central to a holy way of life. They will be distracted by a host of other things, and turn away from “the straight and narrow path”.
People will lack natural affection
At the time that Paul wrote this epistle, “natural affection” was regarded as the love between a man and a woman. So according to St Paul, the time of the end would be characterised by the widespread practise of homosexuality, and its acceptance within the wider framework of society.
People will be trucebreakers and false accusers
This will be a time when a person’s word will no longer be their bond. They will break their word whenever it suits them. People will hide behind legal jargon, and use the Courts to get what they want. They will also be quick to accuse the innocent whenever they get in their way.
People will despise those who are good
During the End Times, those who devote their lives to a virtuous life, living simply and humbly and devoted to the common good, will be despised by the majority. Humility will be dismissed as weakness, and simplicity as being out of step with the modern world.
People will be lovers of pleasure
At the time of the end, the quest for inner happiness, discipline and denial will be supplanted by the desire for pleasure. Everything that people do will revolve around food, fashion, products, social activities and recreation that bring them instant gratification and superficial pleasure.
Using the above criteria given by St. Paul as a guide, there seems little doubt that we are now living in the End Times. For as Dr. Chuck Missler, noted Christian evangelist reported in a recent article entitled “The Encroaching Darkness“:
“We continue to see corruption everywhere: throughout the highest levels of government, in our entertainments, in our schools, and even in many of our churches.
“Many of those in the corridors of power should be incarcerated for treason—legislators that sign bills they haven’t read; executives who are allowed to ignore the laws; judges who reverse juries, amend laws, and indulge in social engineering; and, leaders who fail to exhibit the most elementary ethical conduct.
“The entertainment industry celebrates every imaginable evil and attacks all the family values which God has established for our welfare. And the educational establishment deliberately dumbs down and corrupts our youth.
“There was a day when you could rely on the fiduciary posture of your advisors, counselors, and professionals. Today that would be naïve and hazardous. Every day the litany of unconstitutional abuses continues unabated. Every day self-destructive polices extend their reach. Every day it grows darker.” (View Source)
What St. Peter had to say
Another indicator of the End Times was given by St. Peter, when he said that it would be a time when people would reject the words of the Bible, and scoff at those who talked about the return of the Christ, as well as such things as the coming judgement and tribulation.
“That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour:
“Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
“For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:
“But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.” (2 Peter 3: 2-7)
We are reminded of Peter’s words whenever critics dismiss talk of End Times by saying that people have been predicting the end ever since the death of Jesus, only to be proved wrong again and again over the centuries. They contend that since nothing bad happened then, no harm will happen now.
However, talk of End Times today is not simply a matter of theoretical debate. The Book of Revelation makes it clear that when the End Times do finally occur, the world will be afflicted by such terrible trials, that even the most hardened sceptics will find them impossible to ignore.
The Book of Revelation
In the first verse of the Fifth Chapter of his Book of Revelation, the apostle John had a vision in which he saw a book “in the right hand of him that sat upon the throne”, which was “sealed with seven seals”. He then went on to describe what would happen as each seal was opened.
“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.
“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.
“And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see.
“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.
“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.
“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.
“And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
“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.” (Revelation 6: 1-8)
The various horses and their riders described by St. John in the passage above have come to be known as the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, because they will appear in the period of time leading up to the return of the Christ. These four horsemen have been interpreted in the following way.
The first rider on the white horse is described as a “Conqueror”. Although this passage is usually believed to refer to conquest in war, when used in a wider sense it could also be interpreted as “Pestilence” or “Plague”, that “conquers” or ravages entire regions of the planet.
The second rider on the red horse is directly linked to war, with the power to cause different countries all around the world to rise up against one another, and to kill each other by means of weapons and munitions, described by St. John as “a great sword”.
The third rider on the black horse has “a pair of balances in his hand”. Because this was the customary way of selling food at that time, this is interpreted as referring to hunger and drought, because the prices quoted by John were so much higher than those commonly paid at the time.
The final rider is described as riding upon a “pale horse”. It is worth noting here that the actual Koine Greek word used by St. John was khloros, which has the same root as the English word “chlorophyll”. So it seems likely that what John was actually referring to here was the colour green.
The name of this rider was “Death”, and he was given the power to destroy a quarter (the fourth part) of the human population on the earth at the time, which at current numbers would be close to two billion people. They would be killed as a result of war, famine, and the “beasts of the earth”.
So in the vision described by St. John in his Book of Revelation, it is evident that at the time of the end, the earth will be assailed by a series of disasters which will lead to widespread destruction, as well as the death of one in every four people alive on the planet at that time.
What evidence exists today?
So in light of the above predictions made by St. John, we need to ask ourselves whether any of these signs of the End Times are evident in the world today. In other words, is there evidence of these four horsemen, bringing with them “Drought, Disease, War and Death”?
As has been mentioned previously, since there has hardly been a time during the last two thousand years when nations have not risen up against one another, leading to the death of literally millions of people, it could well be argued that the existing state of the world is little different from the past.
And as far as disease is concerned, a case could well be made that, as a result of scientific progress over the last few centuries, humanity is better prepared to handle outbreaks of deadly disease (of which the current crisis with Ebola is a suitable example), than it has ever been before.
However, it is a different story when it comes drought. People may argue over whether or not the world has become a more violent place. They may bicker over whether there are more wars today than ever before, or whether disease is a greater threat today than it was in the past.
But there can no longer be any difference of opinion when it comes to drought. Over the last three or four decades it had become evident that the climate of the world is changing.
At first a world-wide debate ensued around the topic of “global warming”, discussing whether or not this was a reality, and if so, whether this was attributable to human activities, particularly carbon emissions and their impact upon the surface temperature of the earth.
Lately however, scientists have begun to focus their attention on the central issue of our time, which is the change in our environment as a result of the phenomenon of “climate change”.
Researchers everywhere are finding out that “climate”, which can be summarised as the combined effects of heat, cold, moisture and dryness, is changing all over the planet, and that more and more extreme weather events are being experienced all over the world.
And nowhere has this been more noticeable, or more threatening to the future survival of humanity, than the changes in rainfall patterns around the globe. Instances of extreme flooding in some areas are matched by cases of extreme drought in others, and for prolonged periods.
The growing spectre of drought
In a world where the annual growth in population is equivalent to the entire population of the country of West Germany (80 million people), any threat to the future production of food is a matter of the gravest concern. Yet the threat of starvation not only exists now, but is growing worse by the year.
According to statistics published recently by UNICEF (United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund), an estimated 8 million people in Ethiopia (out of a population of 60 million), are at immediate risk of starvation, as are over a million people in the neighbouring country of Eritrea.
Elsewhere in Africa, continuing years of poor harvests have led to deteriorating food production in countries like Somalia, Sudan, Uganda and Morocco, which have experienced extremely dry conditions for the better part of a decade. But the problem of drought is not limited to Africa.
In the northern Shanxi province of China, nearly three million people don’t have enough water to drink, and the area has suffered from massive drought, affecting one-third of the province’s wheat crop. According to UNICEF, more than 60% of its soil lacks water.
The same is true of Afghanistan, where large parts of the south have been affected by severe drought, where up to 80% of the livestock have died. While in Iran, the government is looking for international aid to provide water tankers for drought stricken areas.
In India, the government has had to provide relief in regions like Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya and Andhra Pradesh, where about 130 million people have been seriously affected by what local officials have termed the “worst drought in a hundred years”.
In Pakistan hundreds of thousands of people have fled the southern Thar desert region due to the drought that has devastated crops and livestock. The government estimates that nearly three million people. mostly villagers, face possible starvation. (View Source)
Tales of drought, crop failure and starvation in Africa and Asia tend to attract little publicity in the Western Media. However, they now do not need to look far to find evidence of even greater threats that are located very much closer to home.
The Great North American drought, which began in 2012 in the midst of a record-breaking heat-wave followed by consecutive years of low winter snowfall, now affects most of the United States, as well parts of Mexico and central and eastern Canada.
According to Wikipedia, this drought is now on course to be the costliest natural disaster in American history. And nowhere have its effects been more pronounced than in California’s Central Valley, known as the “bread basket of America”. (View Source)
Central Valley, covering an area the size of Scotland, normally produces over 50% of all the fruit, vegetables and nuts consumed in the United States, including 90% of strawberries, olives, celery, broccoli, nectarines, garlic, canned tomatoes, cauliflower and pistachio nuts.
The valley also used to produce 90% of the world’s almonds. But due to the fact that some parts of the valley only got about 20% of its usual rainfall, some 500,000 acres of land have been left fallow, while thousands of withered almond trees have had to be bulldozed. (View Source)
The situation is so bad that the Governor of California has already declared a state of emergency, and called on everyone to cut their water use by 20%. Restaurants now only serve water when specifically asked, and homeowners “paint” their lawns green because they are forbidden to water them.
In the last year, several California cities have received less rain than Death Valley, and state reservoirs have now been reduced to little more than a third of their total capacity. The largest, Lake Shasta, is at 25%, and Lake Oroville, the second largest, is at 28%.
Taken as a whole, these signs are surely evidence that the world is on the threshold of calamity. In fact, recent research published by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences warns that we are now at risk of simultaneous droughts, famines and epidemics, just as St. John foretold. (View Source)
Truly, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are beginning to ride.
