Then I looked and saw a pale green horse. Its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed close behind. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill by sword, by famine, by plague, and by the beasts of the earth.And behold, a pale horse, and the name of he who sat on it was Death. Hades followed with him. Authority over one fourth of the earth, to kill with the sword, with famine, with death, and by the wild animals of the earth was given to him.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.And I saw, and behold, a pale horse: and he that sat upon him, his name was Death; and Hades followed with him. And there was given unto them authority over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with famine, and with death, and by the wild beasts of the earth.
3 sermons cite this verse
These are the famous four horsemen of the apocalypse. As we saw last time, it all seems to start out in a very hopeful way because the first seal is broken, and one of the four living creatures, whom we know now are angels, cries with a loud voice of thunder, "'Come!' and the white horse comes, and the rider has a bow." And we pointed out no arrows, so this is a peaceful ascendancy, and a crown was given to him. So that first phase of the final judgment will be that worldwide, global, deceptive, utopian peace, one world government. Peace is being depicted here, peace. This is where it all starts. But you can tell from verse 2 that the peace is very fragile because though peace is depicted, peace immediately has to conquer and go on conquering. And the Antichrist, who is essentially the leader over that global world government of peace has to fight to maintain His power. These, Jesus said, are the beginning of the birth pangs in anticipation of final wrath. …
After this, I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth that no wind might blow on earth or sea or against any tree. Then I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea, saying, Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads. And I heard the number of the sealed, 144,000 sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel. 12,000 from the tribe of Judah were sealed. 12,000 from the tribe of Reuben. 12,000 from the tribe of Gad. 12,000 from the tribe of Asher. 12,000 from the tribe of Naphtali. 12,000 from the tribe of Manasseh, 12,000 from the tribe of Simeon, 12,000 from the tribe of Levi, 12,000 from the tribe of Issachar, 12,000 from the tribe of Zebulun, 12,000 from the tribe of Joseph, 12,000 from the tribe of Benjamin were sealed. …
Midst flaming worlds, in these arrayed, With joy shall I lift up my head." In closing, I want to draw one practical inference. What shall it be? Draw it yourselves. Let it be this—There is an hour coming when we must all, in a certain sense, see God. We must see Him as a Judge. It becomes us, then, to think seriously whether we shall stand in the cleft of the Rock when He comes. There is a passage I would mention before closing—"And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him." There was Death on the pale horse—and the original says, "Hades followed with him." You know that the word, Hades, comprises both Heaven and Hell—it means the abode or state of departed spirits. Yes, Death is after me and you. Ah, run! Run! Run! But run as you will, the rider on the pale horse shall overtake you! If you can escape him for 70 years, he will overtake you at last. Death is riding! Here comes his pale horse! I hear his snorting, I feel his hot breath. He comes! He comes! And you must die! …