Days

With the specter of global hunger appearing around the world, let’s turn to the Fourth Seal described in Revelation 6:7-8–where hunger is specifically mentioned.  Here is that passage:

Revelation 6:7-8:  When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come and see.” So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth.

Given this, the question to ask is this:  Is it possible that we are sitting somewhere within the Third and Fourth Seals of Revelation 6?

We will take a look at the key descriptions.

The Pale Horse

The pale horse is depicted with a color that denotes death, a corpse, decaying flesh, or perhaps just sickness.  Terms like ‘sickly pale’, or ‘deathly pale’, may apply as you try and envision the ashen or pallid color of the Fourth Horse.  Typically, this horse is interpreted as depicting a color that embodies death.  But the sickly color as the primary symbolism can also lead to the conclusion that this might also represent pestilence (pandemic), as in this analysis (Ritenbaugh).

Death & Hades

The release of the pale horse results in death with the destination of those dying listed as Hades—which is called Sheol in the Old Testament and today is more commonly referred to as Hell.  Hades is long described as the “abode of departed spirits” (Richardson J. ).  One analysis of this linkage between death and Hades is that it is just meant to symbolize that people will die and then go into the grave –which is represented by the use of the word ‘Hades.’ Another analysis of the use of Hades questions whether this indicates that those who are dying are actually non-Christians, since Jesus’ death on the cross results in believers going to heaven and not entering Hades (Discover Revelation).

A Fourth of the Earth

There are currently over 8 billion people in the world as of 2022.  China remains the most populous country at 1.452 billion with India a close second at 1.413 billion.  The U.S. is third with over 335 million.  The population of North America is over 374 million while South America is over 439 million.  If we look for a fourth of the world based on population, we would need a region with over 2 billion people.  As of 2022, the combined numbers for North and South America are approximately 813 million.  The population of Europe is listed as over 748 million and Russia is over 146 million.  In terms of areas, Africa is listed at over 1.4 billion people while Asia is listed at over 4.7 billion, which is number one in population among world regions.

Given population and both historical and current trends regarding famine and wars, it is possible that the region for the pale horse could be Asia alone, but perhaps is more likely to be a swath of land crossing Africa, the Middle East and parts of Asia.

The Beasts of the Earth

Mosquitos kill the most people worldwide each year, given the spread of diseases like Malaria, Yellow Fever, and West Nile Virus.  The WHO attributed 627,000 deaths to Malaria in 2020 with approximately 241 million cases reported. But if we take the description of beasts of the earth as predatory wild animals then we would find the highest concentration of dangerous animals to be found across Africa and Asia.  The dangerous animals in Africa includes lions, hippos, elephants, crocodiles, etc, but snakes actually lead the list.  For Asia the list of dangerous animals includes the Komodo dragon, scorpions, rhinos, sharks, elephants, crocodiles, lions, snakes, etc.  In India snakes are again the leading cause of death from animals, with about 50,000 people dying each year.  The Bengal Tiger is listed as only responsible for 80 deaths per year.  Rabid dogs account for about 59,000 deaths per year according to the CDC and the WHO lists 95% of these cases to be in Africa and Asia.

If we look for areas where we might envision lives lost to wild animals, we might again consider the likeliest locations to be across Africa and Asia.  Regional conflicts certainly increase human/animal interaction as refugees flee locations experiencing war – one example is the Mozambique civil war that occurred from the late 1970s until 1992.  This resulted in refugees attempting to reach South Africa by crossing through Kruger National Park which put thousands of people at risk on a daily basis of attacks from lions, rhinos, elephants, etc, –this resulted in loss of life (although actual numbers are unclear).

Another scenario to keep in mind is the notorious case of the man-eating killer lions of Tsavo which preyed on construction workers in 1898.  These two lions appeared to turn rogue and began targeting humans specifically, to the point that they would drag workers out of tents.  They were stated to have killed 135 people before finally being shot by hunter John Henry Patterson (refer to the movie ‘The Ghost and the Darkness’).  We know that the Bible talks about demons inhabiting animals – specifically a heard of pigs (refer to Matthew 8:28-32); which might lead us to speculate that perhaps as part of the Fourth Seal spirits are granted more freedom to take over predators.

Another consideration is human pressure on habitats and the resulting response by animals.  In 2019 lion attacks on livestock prompted villagers in southern Cameroon to relocate, with one rancher claiming 53 cows were killed within two weeks.  This was attributed to lions roaming from preserves, but may also be indicative of livestock and human presence growing too intrusive in the wild places of the earth.

In another interesting development, in 2022 a headline appeared regarding Japan that actually stated “Japan’s wildlife turns on the human population” (Ryall).

Sword, Hunger, and Death

How do we get to the conditions described in the fourth seal in which we see death from the sword, hunger as well as the beasts of the earth?  We need to turn back to the third seal and the rider on the black horse:

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.”

Scales indicate measuring or rationing and are symbolic of shortages and lack.  Typically, the color black would indicate mourning.  The denarius represented a day’s wages, so this is saying that you would work all day just to be able to buy enough wheat for one person.  Barley was the cheaper of the two and used to supplement wheat to feed more people (a family for example).  The statement regarding oil and wine implies that these would be unaffected, and perhaps now become luxury items since it would be all the average person could do just to afford a daily ration of bread.  Perhaps this also speaks to the gulf that will exist between the rich and poor, as the wealthy will be little affected.  Analysis of the third seal are varied, and you can see different interpretations here, here, and here.

The opening of the third seal invokes images of inflation with the poor the hardest hit.  But it is also common to see the rider on the black horse associated with famine, as this also leads to the high cost of food stated so clearly in this passage.  But the shortages and striving by the average person just to afford food leads us to the next rider – and he is the only rider given a name—and that name is death.

What seems clear from the third and fourth riders is that food prices skyrocket and death occurs that is attributed to hunger.  And death attributable to hunger is then linked with famine.  In addition, the fourth seal attributes death as occurring from the sword as well.  Is the reference to the sword a response of provinces/states/tribes/nations regarding the lack of food, such that they reach the point of taking up the sword to get it?   Or is it simply a reflection of ongoing regional conflicts/wars that couple with famine to greatly increase the loss of life? And then what are the actions of animals during conflicts, famine and starvation?  The fourth seal states that we will see an increase in human death due to predatory animals as part of this scenario—which seems plausible given that we have already seen instances in Africa where fleeing refugees fell prey to lions.

The third and fourth seals seem to fit with the current world situation, in which drought, locusts, the Covid-19 pandemic, supply chain interruption, economic troubles, and the war in Ukraine, have all intersected to lay the groundwork for a potentially catastrophic loss of life.  We know that the third seal indicates the high cost of food which can be attributable to famine and inflation—and we see inflation running rampant in the world, famine spreading, and the WHO/WFP trying to raise the alarm about rising global hunger.  When the fourth seal opens, we see a pale, sickly colored horse ridden by death, with souls within a region comprising a fourth of the earth sent to the grave.  As noted, some commentators feel the color of the horse implies pandemic in association with death from hunger, the sword and animals.   Perhaps this could be indicative of Covid-19…or maybe something even worse will appear.

In the Bible, God has shown that loss of life from famine, pestilence and wild animals is not confined to the Book of Revelation.  As part of the judgements against Israel in the Old Testament, we see these passages:

Leviticus 26.14-29: ‘But if you do not obey Me, and do not observe all these commandments…I also will do this to you…your land shall not yield its produce, nor shall the trees of the land yield their fruit…I will also send wild beasts among you, which shall rob you of your children, destroy your livestock, and make you few in number… I will bring the sword against you…I will send pestilence among you…You shall eat the flesh of your sons, and you shall eat the flesh of your daughters”

Ezekiel 5:15-17: ‘So it shall be a reproach, a taunt, a lesson, and an astonishment to the nations that are all around you, when I execute judgments among you in anger and in fury and in furious rebukes. I, the Lord, have spoken. When I send against them the terrible arrows of famine which shall be for destruction, which I will send to destroy you, I will increase the famine upon you and cut off your supply of bread. So I will send against you famine and wild beasts, and they will bereave you. Pestilence and blood shall pass through you, and I will bring the sword against you. I, the Lord, have spoken.’”

Ezekiel 33:27: “Say thus to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “As I live, surely those who are in the ruins shall fall by the sword, and the one who is in the open field I will give to the beasts to be devoured, and those who are in the strongholds and caves shall die of the pestilence. 

But we also know that history is filled with examples of droughts, plagues and famine.  Consider these:

• The Holodomor famine caused by Joseph Stalin killed millions of Ukrainians from 1932 to 1933.
• The Great Leap Forward famine in China from 1959-61 resulted in 15 to 55 million dead.
• The ‘Black Death’ in Europe from 1346-1353 killed 75 to 200 million people.
• The Spanish Flu Pandemic of 1918 resulted in deaths from 17 to 50 million.
• The ‘Dust Bowl’ drought of the 1930s in the American west displaced tens of thousands of people.
• The Chinese drought and famine of 1876-1879 killed 9.5 to 13 million people.