When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come!”
Revelation 6:7
Four Living Creatures: “Come!”
Note the description of this fourth beast and the other living creatures who have summoned John to the apocalypse of the Book (scroll).
Recalling that the four living creatures worship the LORD day and night and that they reside even closer to the Throne than the thrones of the Elders of Heaven, image how in awe of these you would be as a mere mortal.
- The first living creature was like a lion;
- the second living creature was like an ox;
- the third living creature had a face like a man
- and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle.
And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.
Revelation 4:8 KJV
The Fourth Seal:
Death and Hades
Revelation 6:
8 I looked, and behold, an ashen horse..
Describing ashes, a very symbol of repentance or death — some versions translate the colorless look of the fourth horse as ‘pale.’ Look on the ashen or pale horse as you might view the face of one close to death.
.. and the one who sat on it had the name Death..
Little surprise here as the three riders before had carried a bow, a sword and scales to weigh the scarcity of famine. In fact, after mention of hell, the remainder of the prophesy refers to the judgment given to them all!
and Hades was following with him.
Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, and famine, and plague, and by the wild animals of the earth.
What the Hades?
- How many of us have faced death?
If you have, perhaps then the prospect of heaven or hell became more pressing in your consideration of the Lord God and Jesus Christ.
This apocalypse of Jesus Christ to John seems far from the Good News of the pristine amusement parklike picture of heaven many of us hope for after the inevitable end of our mortal life.
- Do you have a ‘happily ever after’ view of heaven?
- Isn’t Hell just a threat to everyone else but ME?
- (For surely I don’t deserve punishment, because Jesus wants everyone in my church to be with Him.)
- I believe in God and Heaven and Jesus,
- BUT I don’t really think Hades or Hell exists — does it?
- Can’t the evil lives of others just end so we won’t have to put up with THEM anymore?
ᾅδης – Hades
What hidden (and perhaps dreaded) truth is being revealed here in this awful ἀποκάλυψις apocalyptic appearance to John?
The KJV translates Strong’s G86 in the following manner: hell (10x), grave (1x).
Jesus spoke of it in His teachings. The rebuke of the Lord was for those of His own home town, churchgoers (synagogue šabāṯ–keepers) where the māšîaḥ preached to those who denied that He IS the Son of God.
“And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will descend to Hades; or if the miracles had occurred in Sodom which occurred in you, it would have remained to this day.
Matthew 11:23 NASB
Yes, Capernaum was destroyed — and it did not take until the end of all days of the heavens and the earth.
So it will be for most mortals who must face death.
You will face death: you may die in suffering or war of even in peace — but the judgment of all flesh will come at the end of these last days.
- Will it be heaven for you (even as those in Capernaum believed)?
Or Hell, the same Hades of which Christ Jesus cautions Capernaum?
Hell on earth!
NO, it will not be only on earth — but from beneath it and into the depths of the seas the vengeance of Almighty God will finally punish the wicked and sinners.
And let’s not forget that we ALL have sinned!
As it is now we see in Revelation that even the saints suffer; but in the judgment of the end, only the saints of the Lord have Good News.
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.
Revelation 6:8 KJV
Death… and Hell always follows.
After warnings to the seven churches, the Apocalypse began its Revelation of unseen Truth near to the Throne of Heaven.
From there the seals removed by the Lamb have revealed the voice of what is to come — spoken in Heaven.
We have seen the terrible messengers sent to the four corners of the earth in a time that is yet to come. Now note the extent of death on the earth.
If the Vision was for today
And I make not any claim that it is; but look at the numbers:
Source: https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/ [Secure links on talk of Jesus {dot}.com provide additional opportunity to research scripture and other facts beyond those mentioned here and in other posts.]
- Does this mean that after war and famine on the earth — that one fourth of mankind will suffer death?
We have already seen a frightful vision [Revelation 6:6] of the time when a day’s wages of a denarius (comparable to a penny) might only feed one man or small family for just one day — AND that assumes that a man could find work in an economy devastated by war.
See what that could look like in these last days in the year of our Lord, 2021.
A.D. 2021 – counting what counts
We easily get lost in today’s HEADLINE numbers of bad NEWS, but let’s begin with a couple of everyday numbers from which we can weigh what happens on a daily basis AND and give context to the foreboding projections of Revelation.
Current World Population
7,845,681,871 >TODAY
More than 7 BILLION, 800 MILLION
- Deaths this year >7 MILLION
- Deaths today >92,600
Deaths of 25% of Mankind
> 1 BILLION, 961 MILLION
MORE THAN the TOTAL POPULATIONS of Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, Northern America, (including the U.S.) and Oceania.
One fourth of ALL mankind destroyed by God’s wrath!
Now see TODAY’S HEADLINES in light of the apocalypse of THE END.
A closer look at A.D. 2021 population:
- China > 1.4 BILLION — Deaths of 25% > 360.7 MILLION
- India < 1.4 BILLION — Deaths of 25% > 347.1 MILLION
- U.S. < 0.3 BILLION — Deaths of 25% > 83 THOUSAND
- * US> 332,221,081
Compare today’s HEADLINES:
- CORONAVIRUS DEATHS = 2,411,000
- COVID deaths per million of population = 0,000,309.3
- Abortions this year > 5.2 million
- Communicable disease deaths < 1.6 million
- Cancer deaths this year > 1.0 million
Death Toll: 1/4 of the earth!
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.
Revelation 6:8 – apocalypse of the fourth seal
AS OF TODAY …
https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/
more than 7 BILLION, 8 million souls …
MORE THAN 1 BILLION, 961 million lives would end in death!
Math of the fourth seal of Revelation applied to AD 2021
Do you indeed speak righteousness?
(WLC 58:11) יִשְׂמַח צַדִּיק כִּי־חָזָה נָקָם פְּעָמָיו יִרְחַץ בְּדַם הָרָשָֽׁע׃
The righteous shall rejoice when he sees the vengeance;
He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked
So that men will say,
“Surely there is a reward for the righteous;
Surely He is God who judges in the earth.”
excerpt from Psalm 58: NKJV
NEXT: The fifth seal + the saints cry out...
