Revelation 6: The Fourth Seal

The fourth seal is the repetition of the Church of Thyatira in more detail.

The fourth seal represents papal control (the Papacy governing over Christianity) during the Dark Ages. The lack of God's Word and rain resulted in spiritual hunger, pestilence, and death. Furthermore, the apostate church murdered those who disagreed with its man-made traditions.

Revelation Chapter 6 - Verse 7 to 8

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.

🔹Pale horse

The pale color symbolizes the paleness of death.

🔹Death and hell

The grave is where the dead are buried after death. The Greek word, “hades” corresponds to the Hebrew word, “Sheol” and should always be interpreted as "the grave."

The Old Testament frequently parallelizes the concepts of death and the grave.

Psalm 6:5 - "For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks?"

Psalm 89:48 - "What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death? shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave? Selah."

🔹The sword

Symbols in apocalyptic prophecy can alter. In other words, their meanings vary according to the context in which they appear.

• The sword can symbolize God's Word (Hebrews 4:12, 13; Ephesians 6:17).

• However, the sword can also symbolize the state's or the government’s ability to punish those who violate civil law.

During the fourth horse period, the apostate papal system used the state's or government's sword to harass and murder those who disagreed with its doctrines and practices. As a result, martyrs beneath the fifth seal demanded justice. In 1798, at the end of 1260 years, the state's sword turned on the papacy and wounded it.

In Revelation 13, we will talk more about the papal system.

Revelation 6:8 gives death and the grave the authority to murder with the sword. The term 'was given' links the fourth horseman to the papacy.

🔹Famine and pestilence (death)

Famine occurs symbolically when the Holy Spirit, speaking via God's Word, becomes scarce. During the Dark Ages, there was no rain (Revelation 11:6), which meant there was little bread. The end result was spiritual deprivation. Famine caused starvation, which led to pestilence and, eventually, spiritual death. Isaiah highlighted the symbolic importance of rain, bread, and the Word.

Isaiah 55:10-11 - “10 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:

11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”

Deuteronomy 32:2 - “My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass.”

Hosea 6:3 - “Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.”

🔹The wild beasts

The wild beasts represent the hatred of the wicked for Christ and His people.

Psalm 7:1-2 - 1 O Lord my God, in thee do I put my trust: save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me:

2 Lest he tear my soul like a lion, rending it in pieces, while there is none to deliver.

Matthew 7:15 - "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves."

🔹The period of the church of Thyatira

The fourth horse is at the same time as the fourth church (Thyatira). Elijah's Old Testament story serves as the foundation for Thyatira's church. Jezebel was the prominent figure throughout this time (Revelation 2:20–23).

The four judgments of Leviticus 26 occurred as a result of Israel's disobedience to the LORD's covenant. In the Old Testament, Jezebel exploited the state power of Ahab's sword to spread her apostate religion, which mixed Baal worship with the worship of the LORD (1 Kings 16:30–33).

• Ahab executed the LORD's prophets with the sword (1 Kings 19:10, 14).

• This apostasy resulted in a terrible drought that lasted three and a half years (2 Chronicles 7:13, 14; James 5:17).

• The drought brought about starvation and pestilence (1 Kings 18:1-6), which in turn brought about death and the grave.

🔹This horse brought death and the grave for two reasons.

• First, because the church experienced spiritual famine and pestilence (see Amos 8:11, 12).

• Secondly, the sword claimed the lives of people (Revelation 13:10).

During this period, the man of sin suppressed the Bible and prevented commoners from reading it under pain of death. The simple possession of a Bible constituted a capital offense. As a result, God's word was unavailable. This lack of God's message resulted in spiritual pestilence, leading to death and burial.