3rd Horseman Of The Apocalypse

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3RD HORSEMAN OF THE APOCALYPSE

Pastor Mike here.

I want to talk about the 3rd horseman of the Apocalypse today.

He’s written about in Revelation chapter 6, verse 5 and 6.

It reads…

5 When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” And I looked, and behold, a black horse! And its rider had a pair of scales in his hand.

6 And I heard what seemed to be 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 wine!”

And so we have the description of the 3rd horseman of the Apocalypse.

FOUR HORSEMEN HAVE BEEN RIDING THE ENTIRETY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT PERIOD

Now, and as I’ve already said it in the 1st and 2nd horsemen of the Apocalypse videos, each of the four horsemen who correspond with the opening of the first four seals in Revelation chapter 6 have been riding, as it were, in judgment and wreaking havoc since the time of Christ’s ascension and will continue to do so up until the time of Christ’s second coming.

THE PROGRESSION OF THE FOUR HORSEMAN AS THEY’RE REVEALED

I’ve also mentioned the progression of the four horseman as they’re revealed.

They work in tandem.

Each is an outflow of what the previous horseman symbolically represents.

In particular, the 3rd horseman is described as riding a black horse. He has a pair of scales in his hand.

And a voice in the midst of the four living creatures says to him, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not harm the oil and wine!”

INTERPRETATION OF THE 3RD HORSEMAN OF THE APOCALYPSE

Historically, the 3rd horseman has stood symbolically to represent famine.

And famine typically is an outflow of War which is an outflow of Tyranny (the first two horsemen).

DR. LOUIS BRIGHTON ON THE 3RD HORSEMAN OF THE APOCALYPSE

In his popular commentary on the Book of Revelation, Dr. Louis Brighton says it this way…

“The opening of the third seal introduces the next horseman. His steed is black, the color of death, which in the ancient world often resulted from famine (cf. Jer 14:1-2; Lam 5:10). He has in his hand a ‘weighing scale’ (Rev 6:5), that is, a pair of scales attached and suspended from a beam or yoke. …Here in [Revelation 6, verse 5-6] the scale is used to measure out foodstuffs by volume, which is then given a monetary value.” (pg 115-116)

Dr. Brighton continues by highlighting the voice that speaks…

“Probably it is the voice of an angel speaking on behalf of God, for what the voice says concerns God’s providential care of the earth’s bounty in the midst of scarcity, which care the angelic voice sounds. The picture given … is one of imbalance and scarcity of foodstuffs in the market. …The announcement that the two grains were set at a certain price suggests that price-control measures were being taken to counter the runaway inflation that comes when vital goods are scarce.” (pg 116)

Dr. Brighton concludes…

“Whatever the details may be, the overall picture presented … is a condition of both scarcity and plenty, that is, an economic imbalance in the supply of food and the daily necessities of life. Despite human attempts to adjust this imbalance economically, the end result, from place to place, will be hunger and even at times starvation.” (pg 116)

WHO THE 3RD HORSEMAN OF THE APOCALYPSE IS

And so we have the 3rd horseman of the Apocalypse.

He’s an outflow of the 2nd horseman, War, and the first horseman, Tyranny.

He symbolizes famine, an economic imbalance in the supply of food and the daily necessities of life with the end result of hunger and starvation.