4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse - Famine

The 4 horsemen of the apocalypse are considered common in this day and age.  They are seen as the harbingers of the end of days.  Sometimes they are represented as evil creatures or demons sent to destroy the earth.  Sometimes they are just seen as mythical creatures that are just symbolic of the end times.  They are even featured in Marvel comics as ‘mutants’.  But, what do they really symbolize?  

This is part 3 discussing the horseman. Check out my earlier posts for the rest of the horsemen.

INTRODUCTION:

The 4 horsemen of the apocalypse are found in Revelation 6.  But before we get to that chapter, we need to start at Revelation 5.  John the Apostle sees a scroll in the hand of God the Father who is sitting on the throne.  This scroll is sealed with seven seals.  Then we see an angel proclaiming, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?” (Revelation 5:2).  There is no one in heaven, on earth, or under the earth who was able to open the scroll or even look at it.  The only one who was able to was Jesus Christ, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David.  This chapter shows us that the 4 horsemen of the apocalypse who will be released in the next chapter are beings sent by God to do His will.  They aren’t symbolic creatures or demonic in nature.  They come from God.  This is how Revelation 6 starts.  It is the beginning of the tribulation leading up to Christ’s Second Coming. 

Revelation 6:5,6 - When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come and see.” So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard 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 the wine.”

What do these verses tell us about the third horseman?

• The rider is nameless, but he rides a black horse

• The rider had a pair of scale in his hand

• Voices are heard once the horseman’s seal is opened

Who is this horseman?

• The horseman is referred to as Famine because of the scales that he holds.  These balances or weighing scales are what would have been used to weigh bread during a famine.  This famine is likely in response to the war that took place during the second horseman’s ride.  

What is the significance of the horse?

• The third horseman is seen to be riding a black horse.  Black horses can symbolize many things such as:

  • Financial oppression

  • Economic hardship

  • Mourning and scarcity

  • Illness associated with famine  

• There are several different black horse breeds, which all hail from Europe

  • Friesian - Netherlands

  • Percheron - France

  • Fell Pony - England

  • Murgese - Italy

  • Merens - France, Spain

  • Kladruber - Czech Republic

  • Dales Pony - England

  • Oldenburger - Germany

• Interestingly enough, all the countries where these black horse breeds originate from all have substantial farms of wheat and barley.  Both of which are what there will be a famine of during the end times.  

What is the significance of the items the horseman holds?

•  Famine holds a pair of scales in his hands.  In today’s culture, these kinds of scales are not common to us.  But they were used to weight items.  

• The scales and balance are also an international symbol for justice.  It is supposed to depict equality of all before the law.  

• Both of these elements are presented with the third horseman.  During times of plenty, bread is usually sold by the loaf without much concern over its exact weight.  But during this time of famine, the scales are used to measure exact amounts of wheat and barley.  Similarly, when a famine hits, everyone suffers.

What does the horseman’s purpose tell us?

• In the verses, Famine is not given an explicit purpose.  Instead, he is the only horseman whose arrival comes with a declaration.  This voice that is heard is similar to how a merchant shouts his prices in the marketplace for all to hear.  In this case, because of Famine, the prices are highly inflated.  

  • The wheat is three times as expensive as the barley.  A quart of wheat, the amount needed for a day, was sold for a denarius.  A denarius is equal to a worker’s daily wage.  In ancient times, a denarius could be 8 to 10 quarts of wheat, not just 1.

• Famine is given an instruction along with that declaration.  He is instructed not to harm the oil and wine.  There are different interpretations of this command.  Some say that God puts this command in place so that Famine’s spread will have an end.  If there is a drought, the roots of wheat and barley will dry up long before the roots for oil and wine.  It is said to be a reminder that the famine isn’t permanent or completely widespread.

• Another interpretation of this command is that oil and wine are considered commodities of the rich.  And though the price of wheat and barley increased exponentially, the prices of oil and wine would remain the same.  This is because the poor or even middle class would only have enough funds to get their basic necessities like wheat and barley, not luxury items like oil and wine.  It is supposed to symbolize class inequality even during times of struggle.

In this post we discussed the third horseman of the apocalypse.  I intended for this to be a single post, but after doing much research, there turned out to be more information than I was expecting.  Tune in for part 4 coming up soon!