Fourth Horseman of the Apocalypse: What Say You?




The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, in the order in which they are mentioned in Chapter 6:
1) the white horse ("...he that sat upon him had a bow,
and there was a crown given him,
 and he went forth conquering that he might conquer")
 2) the red horse ("...and to him that sat thereon,
it was given that he should take peace from the earth, , and they should kill one another,
and a great sword was given to him),
3) the black horse ("...and he that sat on him had a pair of scales in his hands")
 4) the pale horse (coincidentally depicted as a  luminescent green horse...
"...and he that sat upon him, his name was Death, and hell followed him.
And power was given to him over the four parts of the earth,
to kill with a sword,
with famine,
and with death,
and with the beasts of the earth.")

  
As one who studies prophecy (both Scriptural and "private"), I couldn't help but wonder when, a few days ago, the image of a green, translucent figure of a horse and its rider showed up on a Euronews broadcast (and supposedly was also shown on MSNBC and CNN).

But what is the cause of this image?

Is it the result of light reflections (causing the image of a horseman - complete with an Egyptian-type head covering, almost like a tall crown, and a horse that doesn't glide, but moves up and down just like a walking horse)?

Is it a holographic hoax?

Or is it a "sign" - the kind we find in the Holy Scriptures?

What say you?

BY THE WAY: After viewing the video, keep scrolling, please!


Also: Comments are welcome, as long as they follow the rules of old-fashioned courtesy!





 
And now...The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, as they are described in The Apocalypse of St. John, Ch. 6: 1-10 (also known as Revelations):


"And I saw that the Lamb had opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures, as it were the voice of thunder, saying: Come, and see. [2] And I saw: and behold a white horse, and he that sat on him had a bow, and there was a crown given him, and he went forth conquering that he might conquer. [3] And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature, saying: Come, and see. [4] And there went out another horse that was red: and to him that sat thereon, it was given that he should take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another, and a great sword was given to him. [5] And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying: Come, and see. And behold a black horse, and he that sat on him had a pair of scales in his hand."

"[6]And I heard as it were a voice in the midst of the four living creatures, saying: Two pounds of wheat for a penny, and thrice two pounds of barley for a penny, and see thou hurt not the wine and the oil. [7] And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature, saying: Come, and see. [8] And behold a pale horse, and he that sat upon him, his name was Death, and hell followed him. And power was given to him over the four parts of the earth, to kill with sword, with famine, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth. [9] And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held. [10] And they cried with a loud voice, saying: How long, O Lord (holy and true) dost thou not judge and revenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?" (Apocalypse 6: 1-10)


The White Horse
In The Book of Destiny, Rev. Herman Bernard Kramer explains that the rider of the white horse is given a crown, "which refers decisively to his character. It calls to mind the words of Christ before Pilate: 'Thou shouldst not have any power against me, unless it were GIVEN thee from above.' (Jn. 19:11) Until Christ surrendered Himself into the Roman power, no one could injure Him. The words 'there was given him a crown' also allude to the beast in (Apocalypse) chapter 13, verses 5 and 7, namely, that he can persecute the Church only as long as it is given him to do so. The inference is that the rider on the white horse is an enemy of the Church."


Rev. Kramer also explains that the phrase, "conquering that he might conquer" is "a Hebrewism meaning a state of affairs or continuous action that would go on for a long time." In this writer's opinion, that continuing state of affairs began with the conclusion of High Middle Ages, the rise of humanism and other heresies, which led to the Protestant Revolt at the beginning of the "Modern Age." (Consider, too, the heresy of "nationalism," for which many, like St. Joan of Arc, were martyred.) This "state of affairs" continued with the French Revolt against the altar of God and the Catholic throne, and ultimately brought forth the heresy of modernism, which is now afflicting the Church "from within," as Pope St. Pius X acknowledged (and warned against) in the keen-sighted and prophetic Pascendi Dominici Gregis.


"The use of a bow for a weapon signifies the infliction of wounds on the Church, but not destruction. The sword [however] is the symbol of complete destruction, as is evident in chapter 19: 20 [of the Apocalypse] where it is decreed for the followers of the beast. Although the bow is far-reaching, it can only single out individuals for death." 


My own impression of Fr. Kramer's words, coupled with my continuing study of history, is that the damage inflicted by the bow indicates: 1) the individual martyrs, especially those since the 15th century and 2) the individuals who would accept heresies (a mortal sin in denying the true Christ and His Church, thus bringing death to the soul).


The Red Horse
Fr. Kramer notes that the red horse is a "symbol of war." Now, men have always been at war. What, then, makes this red horse and its rider so different? It is because the rider will take peace from the earth - the entire planet - and he is given "a great sword" to do so. There have, indeed, been great wars in the past. But only the 20th Century can (sadly) claim two world wars. The world is still not enjoying an "era of peace," as Our Lady promised at Fatima, for three reasons:


1)The collegial consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary is not yet accomplished.
2) The Five First Saturdays of Reparation have not been promulgated by any pope.
3) There is no world-wide devotion to the Immacuate Heart of Mary (which must be placed next to devotion of Our Lord's Sacred Heart).


Those three things were requests by the Virgin Mary, and lest we forget - Fatima is approved by the Church as "worthy of belief." We can't dismiss Fatima with an airy, "Well, we're not obligated to believe in private revelations." If the Virgin did appear at Fatima - and the Church has judged that She did - how can we ignore Her with the most ridiculous of excuses that "we're not obligated to believe in private revelations"?  And since Our Lady of Fatima was not obeyed, World War II came closely upon the heels of World War I. More wars followed. Every day, we hear of insurrections and revolts. And, although we fear it, every day we expect to hear about "the spark" that will ignite World War III.


Hence, this red horse, with its rider, is a harbinger of universal war.


The Black Horse
Again referring to Rev. Kramer, the black horse "fits the personification of famine. Famine with exorbitant prices for food follows in the wake of war. Food is rationed and weighed during a war. St. John hears a voice from the midst of the four living beings announcing the price of food....It is a 'denarion' for a quart of wheat and the same for three quarts of barley...The common coin for a day's wages was a denarion. And the measure given is in Greek...which is about 1 1/2 lbs. of wheat, or 2 lbs., according to some authorities....Wheat was the food of the rich. Ordinarily twelve such measures could be bought for a denarion. Three times as much barley could be bought for the same coin. Barley was mainly the food of the poor. And so the price fixed for barley made it possible for a hardened laborer to support his family in a time of famine."


Now think about this, for just a moment: A man will have to work a whole day, just to earn enough wheat for one loaf of bread, two at the most. Barley, as Rev. Kramer notes, is the food of the poor. Why is that? Because barley is not very palatable all on its own, and the rich (usually self-indulgent) won't want it. Hence, barley will be more affordable than wheat. Now, if one has a family, what will one choose when, for the same amount of money, one can choose to buy one quart of wheat or three quarts of barley? (While the barley will stretch further, making bread out of pure barley, with no wheat or oats mixed in, is a bit tricky. It would probably have to be a pita-like bread. The same applies to wheat, especially if there is no leavening, but only flour, water, and a little oil with which to make flatbread.)


"Not to harm 'the oil and wine' has been interpreted to mean that God does not desire the utter ruin or extermination of any people that can still be converted, but purifies it by suffering," notes the Rev. Kramer. Perhaps we should also take note that oil and wine are necessary for the sacraments of Baptism (blessed oil, aka "chrism," and holy water), Confirmation (blessed oil) and Extreme Unction (again, blessed oil, in conjunction with Viaticum - Holy Eucharist or a drop of the Precious Blood - if the sick person can physically manage to receive Our Lord in Holy Communion) .


Then there is the consecration of bread and wine, through which a priest's words and actions of consecration there occurs the miracle of Transubstantiation. The Apocalypse foretells that the needed wheat (which must be unleavened) will be scarce and therefore expensive, but the wine needed (for the Holy Liturgy?) will not be so. Perhaps in this prophecy, God is telling us to especially look to the Precious Blood of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.


The Pale Horse
For a reason unfathomable to me, Rev. Kramer says that St. John calls the pale rider "A GREEN HORSE." I must be overlooking something very important, but I can find no apocalyptic reference to a "green horse." That said, here is Rev. Kramer's commentary:


"A horse of so strange a color appears that the Seer calls it 'a GREEN HORSE.' The color suggests to the mind a body decaying with pestilence. Death rides the horse. This personification of death presages utter depopulation or DEATH for this 'FOURTH PART'of the earth. He is to use as his means the four great plagues of mankind enumerated in the prophets, the sword, famine, pestilence and beasts of the earth. The last word, 'death,' stands for pestilence, while the name for the figure stands for 'extermination." The other figures of the second and third scourges [i.e., the 2nd and 3rd horsemen] are at his service; and besides that, he has pestilence and the wild beasts to aid him in his sweeping job of destruction."


So, whether or not the "green rider and horse" seen in the Youtube videos are real or a hoax, let's carefully and prayerfully consider all the unfulfilled prophecies found in the Holy Bible, from Daniel to the Apocalypse.


After all, shouldn't we read and know "the signs of the times"?