Before you read: This article is part of a larger series that builds upon itself from the foundation up, with each study building on the last. If something in this article does not make sense to you or if you believe it to be incorrect, please ensure you have read the entire series before passing final judgment. Also, be sure to visit this page’s FAQ And Objections Page
At this point in our studies, we have looked at the overview of world empires in the book of Daniel. We have also covered the seventy-week prophecy of Daniel, and we have come to the point just after the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, the Messiah.
Before we go further by opening the book of Revelation and other prophecies, it is important that we take a look at the prophetic timeline we have already established in order to orient ourselves. We have several anchor points for our prophetic timeline, starting from the time of Daniel.
Current Prophetic Timeline
The anchors we have established are:
-
Beginning of seventy years until Babylon falls — 609 BC
(marking the beginning of Jeremiah’s prophecy of seventy years until Babylon is destroyed) -
Fall of Jerusalem & temple destroyed — 586 BC
(marking the beginning of Daniel’s seventy years until they are restored) -
Babylon falls and Medo-Persia rises as the world empire — 539 BC
(seventy years from 609 BC, exactly fulfilling the prophecy of Jeremiah) -
Decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem and the temple — 457 BC
(marking the beginning of the seventy-week prophecy of Daniel) -
Jerusalem & temple rebuilt under Persian rule — 516 BC
(seventy years from 586 BC, exactly fulfilling the prophecy of Daniel) -
Final four Persian kings reign — 486–330 BC
(fulfilling the prophecy of Daniel) -
Greece rises as the dominant world empire — 331 BC
(fulfilling the prophecy of Daniel) -
Greece divided into four kingdoms — 323–301 BC
(fulfilling the prophecy of Daniel) -
Greek realm becomes the northern and southern kingdoms — 301 BC
(fulfilling the prophecy of Daniel) -
Rome rises as the dominant world empire — 63 BC
(fulfilling the prophecy of Daniel) -
Jesus anointed as Messiah — AD 27
(sixty-nine “weeks,” or 483 years, into the seventy-week prophecy, fulfilling the prophecy of Daniel) -
Jesus killed and raised from the dead — AD 30
(halfway through the seventieth “week,” fulfilling the prophecy of Daniel) -
Rome dissolves and power spreads among the nations — AD 476
(fulfilling the prophecy of Daniel) -
Ten kings arise — Future
-
Another king subdues three — Future
-
Jesus takes dominion over all kingdoms — Future
If you are unsure why these dates are being used, please refer to the earlier studies.
From Daniel to Revelation
The book of Revelation was never meant to stand alone. Without the books of Daniel, Isaiah, Zechariah, and other Old Testament prophetic books, it would be incomplete. I say that because the Bible tells us that no prophecy of Scripture is of private interpretation. Either everything fits together, or it is not from God.
Revelation is dependent on already knowing what has been prophesied before. Certain visions in the book do not have direct explanations in the book itself and rely on the reader’s knowledge of what has already been given in the Old Testament in order to be understood. Therefore, you cannot read Revelation as a stand-alone book.
It parallels Daniel heavily and includes imagery from many other books. In fact, when you get down to the basics, Revelation is simply a retelling of previous prophecy in light of what has already come and what is still prophesied to come.
The First Four Seals
The book of Revelation opens by telling us exactly what it has been given to us for:
Revelation 1:1
1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:
The book is not about past prophecy. It is about what is to come. Therefore, everything in it must be read in that context.
Revelation 1:3
3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.
We are also told that the timing of the events in the book is not limited to the distant future. Some of it was already beginning to unfold in the day of John. Therefore, we need to be aware that this book is forward-looking, starting from John’s own time.
It gives messages to the churches in Asia at that time, which contain important spiritual lessons for us today. However, chapter four is where we begin to look at prophecy as it relates to future events.
Revelation 4:1
1 After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.
Do not be confused by the words “Come up hither,” which many have incorrectly claimed refer to the rapture of the church. The text does not indicate that these words are spoken to anyone other than John at this point. Saying otherwise is not based on what the Scripture actually says, but on what people want to insert into it.
John is being shown a vision of things that are about to take place.
Revelation 5:1
1 And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.
Revelation 5:5-7
5 And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. 6 And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. 7 And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.
There has been much confusion in the church regarding when the seals listed in the book of Revelation are opened. However, when we look closely, we can indeed know when this takes place.
John was told at the beginning of the book that the things he was about to see were “at hand,” even in his own day. But the greatest clue telling us when this begins to take place is found in verse 6. We see a Lamb, identified as the Lion of the tribe of Judah and the Root of David—whom we know to be Jesus.
Notice that it says, “a Lamb as it had been slain.” These words give us the picture of a freshly slain sacrifice—meaning it had happened not long before. We are given this information to identify when these events begin to unfold. They take place shortly after the crucifixion, and shortly before or during the time John writes his book. They are not reserved for the distant future.
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
Revelation 6:1-8
1 And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. 2 And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer. 3 And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. 4 And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword. 5 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. 6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine. 7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. 8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.
This passage is known as the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. We are told exactly what they do. The first goes out to conquer, the second takes peace from the earth, the third brings famine, and the fourth brings death. Take note that the fourth horse is pale, indicating that the method of death likely includes sickness.
This is not the first time these horses appear in the Bible. They first appear in the book of Zechariah.
Zechariah 1:7-11
7 Upon the four and twentieth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Sebat, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the Lord unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying, 8 I saw by night, and behold a man riding upon a red horse, and he stood among the myrtle trees that were in the bottom; and behind him were there red horses, speckled, and white. 9 Then said I, O my lord, what are these? And the angel that talked with me said unto me, I will shew thee what these be. 10 And the man that stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, These are they whom the Lord hath sent to walk to and fro through the earth. 11 And they answered the angel of the Lord that stood among the myrtle trees, and said, We have walked to and fro through the earth, and, behold, all the earth sitteth still, and is at rest.
In Zechariah’s vision, these horses had been walking through the earth and reported that it was still and at rest—in other words, it was at peace.
Before the seals began to be opened, the earth was living in a time of relative peace. This period was known as the Pax Romana, or Roman Peace. It was a time from the late first century BC into the early first century AD when the Mediterranean world experienced relative stability—without constant wars or continual upheaval.
But shortly after Jesus opened the first four seals, all of that would change. Since the time of John, the world has not seen a single day without widespread war, famine, sickness, and death.
It is also important to remember that these horses were given authority to affect one-fourth of the earth, according to Revelation 6:8.
Let’s look at them more closely:
Zechariah 6:2-8
2 In the first chariot were red horses; and in the second chariot black horses; 3 And in the third chariot white horses; and in the fourth chariot grisled and bay horses. 4 Then I answered and said unto the angel that talked with me, What are these, my lord? 5 And the angel answered and said unto me, These are the four spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth. 6 The black horses which are therein go forth into the north country; and the white go forth after them; and the grisled go forth toward the south country. 7 And the bay went forth, and sought to go that they might walk to and fro through the earth: and he said, Get you hence, walk to and fro through the earth. So they walked to and fro through the earth. 8 Then cried he upon me, and spake unto me, saying, Behold, these that go toward the north country have quieted my spirit in the north country.
First, I want you to notice that these are spirits. The white horse does not represent an Antichrist figure—it is a spirit. Therefore, interpretations that claim this is the Antichrist going out to make war are not accurate. This takes place long before the Antichrist, and these horses do not represent people. They are spirits that bring war, famine, sickness, and death.
I also want you to notice where they go. The white and black horses go into the north country, indicating that famine, war, and death by violence would be major themes of life in the north. Indeed, history shows that much of the world’s warfare and famine has occurred in the Northern Hemisphere—especially in lands north of Israel.
The grisled horses (meaning mixed or speckled in color, including reddish tones) go toward the south. Remember, the red horse takes peace from the earth. This is reflected in the persistent conflicts involving lands south of Israel, such as Iran, Iraq, and other Middle Eastern nations.
The bay (pale) horses go throughout the whole earth. In Revelation, these horses bring death through a combination of war, famine, sickness, beasts, and every form of calamity.
Through this, we see the beginning of the “birth pains” mentioned by Jesus in Matthew:
Matthew 24:6-8
6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
It is almost as if Jesus is reading directly from Revelation. His disciples had just asked Him about the temple. When He told them it would be destroyed, it prompted them to ask what would happen next.
He then begins describing the events that would follow the destruction of the temple, which took place in AD 70. He starts with wars, famines, pestilences, and earthquakes—nearly exact parallels to the first four seals. He tells us that these come first and that they are the beginning of sorrows. But they are not the beginning of the end.
We can now add the first four seals of Revelation to our timeline. We know that they were opened shortly after John wrote Revelation, most likely around the time the temple was destroyed in AD 70.
These horsemen have not been idle. They have continued their work and are still in operation. The first four seals have already been opened. However, before the time of tribulation—which many tend to rush into—there are other prophecies that must first come to pass.
In the next study, instead of moving forward into the remaining seals or discussing the tribulation and the Antichrist, we will examine a few events that could occur at any time before then. There are several prophecies in Isaiah listing the “burdens” of various nations. These events shape the world to go into tribulation. Since these are the next events we can expect, we will focus on them in the upcoming study.
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