by Summer Lee
“You may have a point.” Amanda said, “Christ died in our place. His followers conquer by living and dying for him, while Satan’s evil powers teach people to kill.”
“True.” I felt excited. I then went online and typed in: World Order. “Let’s see what else we can find online.”
Opening a new site, I found information about what was going on in the countries in the Western World right now. The result of my probe took me to the Club of Rome, which was founded in 1968 for the purpose of dealing with international political issues.
I read aloud, “The Club of Rome is a global think tank that deals with a variety of worldwide events. According to the club’s publications and website, the common enemy of humanity is man himself.”
“They forgot about the devil,” said Amanda, sneering.
“That’s the truth.” I continued to read, “The Club is a committee composed of 300 subversive international high powered men.”
I now realized that they were men who thought God was powerless. The men acted like God could not care for the earth. They were convinced that the future of humankind was in their hands. They were guessing how to control population growth. They were making plans to take complete control of the future of the world, as if they were gods.
“What about Israel?” asked Walker.
“I read an article by Jan van der Hoeven, Director of the International Christian Zionist Center,” I said. “The article stated that the humanistic and secular mindset of the West is a problem. The major part of Israel’s population will find it difficult to accept the leadership of America.’ They only feel safe protecting themselves.”
“We are considered weak,” Amanda said. “The problem in Israel is not so much a secular political one, but a religious one!’”
“You are on the right track now, but keep it simple,” Walker said, and then he prepared to leave. “I have other subjects that I must see today.”
He clasped our hands, forming a circle, and pronounced a blessing on us.
“Farewell,” said Amanda.
“Just don’t forget me,” I said as I watched him go.
Walker was gone.
Amanda was soon busy working in the garden on the picnic table, writing on her laptop.
“Do you want to go inside?” I asked.
“No. I think I’ll stay out here.”
“I’m going in. Come in when you like,” I said. Standing, I went inside.
“Well, if you are going inside, there is no reason for me to stay out here.” She followed me into the family room. “I have something to run by you anyhow—a message from God that I want to publish.”
“Should I sit down?” I felt honored.
“Yes. Please.”
I sat down and she took her notes out of her case. “My assignment from God is to encourage repentance. Or you could say, ‘Tell them to turn toward God.’”
“Sounds intriguing.”
“I was to choose an Old Testament character to be an example for modern subjects.” She paused. “I chose Hezekiah.”
“I don’t know about him. So I’ll listen closely.”
“Hezekiah was a king in Judah in the Old Testament. He was very wealthy and highly honored. He built special treasury buildings for his silver, gold, precious stones, spices, for his shields and other valuable items. He also constructed many storehouses for his grain, new wine, and olive oil; and he made many stalls for his cattle; and pens for his flocks of sheep and goats. He built many towns and acquired vast flocks and herds, for God had given him great wealth. He blocked up springs and brought water through a tunnel to the City of David.”
Amanda glanced up and smiled. “So, Jerusalem had water. He succeeded in everything he did.”
Amanda stood and sat down by me. She continued, “That was when ambassadors arrived from Babylon. They asked Hezekiah about the land of Judah. He was so proud of what he had that he told all, bragging. So, God withdrew his presence from Hezekiah in order to test him and to see what was really in his heart.”
“Did he pass the test?”
“No,” said Amanda, looking me right in the eye. “He failed the test. Just like the European Union has failed its test.”
“What?”
“The EU doesn’t give God credit for blessings.”
“Okay. Hezekiah’s kingdom is a forerunner to the European Union,” I interrupted her. “You are saying that the man on the white horse represents the European Union.”
“That is the word I got regarding the white horse.”
She continued, “Hezekiah was an energetic king who worked hard at repairing all the broken sections of the wall around the city of David and manufactured large numbers of weapons and shields. He appointed military officers over the people and assembled them in the square at the city gate.”
She looked me in the eye. “Hezekiah was strong and courageous, and was not afraid of Assyria or his mighty army. God was far greater than mere men. It is the same today. We have the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles for us.”
“That is impressive.”
“After Hezekiah had faithfully carried out work on the city, the King of Assyria invaded Judah, giving orders for his army to break through their walls. When Hezekiah consulted with his advisers, they organized a plan to stop the flow of spring water to fields by cutting off the brook that ran through the land. That way, the king of Assyria could not go to Jerusalem and find they had plenty of water.”
“Smart idea.”
“Well, the king of Assyria thought he could overthrow Judah anyhow. But they underestimated the power of God to protect his land and his people.”
When she paused, I said, “That is interesting.”
“It gets better, but we’ll save it for another time.” Amanda yawned and sat down. She looked drained.
“My project is similar, but I chose Zechariah as my example.”
She yawned again. “I am suddenly tired.”
I was fatigued as well and needed sleep. “Why don’t we get some rest?” I said, pulling an afghan over me.
“Good idea.”
I closed my eyes and soon fell asleep in the living room. Awakening in the middle of the night, I looked for Amanda. I found her in the guest bedroom, sound asleep. It was a cold night, so I placed an extra cover over her.
Fearfully, I went to my room and to bed. I dreamed of a coming tribulation—of Four Horsemen coming on the backs of four powerful horses.
Galloping, galloping, galloping.
Chapter Ten
The next morning, I was up before Amanda.
I made myself a cup of coffee and wrapped myself in a blanket. Snuggled in my recliner, I ran several thoughts through my head. Jesus gave birth to the Christian church. The gates of hell could not stand against the power of the Church. Jesus had said so. Destroying Jerusalem in 70 A.D. could not get rid of the Christian church any more than it could get rid of the Jews. The church body was strong in the early days.
The church body lasted through the years, in spite of the fact that leaders could not agree on the message. It was human nature to want to work for eternal life. But God wouldn’t share His glory with anyone. We were saved by faith alone—faith in the shed blood of Jesus.
The Church was not united today. All the denominations and offshoots of Christianity were now thinking differently. Very few leaders agreed with each other. Only parts of the original Church were strong. Some were quite weak. Purification was needed. The power rested by faith in the cross of Christ alone. But people rejected the faith.
Could that have been why the horses were coming soon, preparing the world for the Great Tribulation?
As I sat there bundled in my cover, I prayed inside my heart. How could I warn the people form whom I cared about the future disaster? How should I tell the saints to prepare for the end times? Prayer was the place to start.
I talked to God as I always did, my thoughts floating everywhere. I know a Rapture is coming and I believe all
believers will be caught away before the horses come on the scene.
Yet my message would be to tell people to prepare for hard times.
Lord, you know our hearts. You know our fears and struggles. My mind went back to two thousand years earlier. There was a day when lightning flashed, and the thunder crashed in the heavens, and the world grew dark. It was the day our sins were paid for on the cross, when the man who had been beaten to a pulp cried, “It is finished.”
Father, Jesus won the battle for us. We died when he died. But then, he arose from the grave, and your Word says that we rose when he rose. Because he ascended into heaven, we can, too. Your Word says that we will be caught away to live with you forever. God, your son, said so—he promised. He is Jesus our Lord.
This was a hope I had to offer anyone who was willing to believe. I was on assignment now to teach how the horses interacted with world-powers when Christ started His work, and the final world-power under which He will finish it; one typical of the other. Haley’s handbook stated it would be Rome.
Haley’s idea made sense to me, and I liked that line of thinking best. I needed to make a decision and put the white horse to rest. They were not the grand finale.
Perhaps the horses had always had a job. If there were horses assigned to patrolling the earth when the earth began, then they would be on hand anytime trouble would come. Things were so bad now. It would be time for them to do a cleansing ride again. Would anyone listen when they came to earth again? Destruction would come when the seals on the scroll were opened. Those were the duties of the heavenly horsemen in the spirit world.
The European Union wanted a great leader to lead the West. The Russians in the North wanted prosperity. East was obviously China. There was a widespread reluctance to face up to the real problem in the Middle East. Muslims were strong in the South now.
Comparing the horses in Revelation with the horses in Zechariah seemed like the right thing to do. The Old Testament prophet had said that the spirit was at rest in the land of the north. That was after Israel returned to their homeland during his time. I believed that was Persia, which was now called Iran, and Russia, both of which were north of Israel. I was convinced. People were so blind as they walked through malls talking on their cell phones.
It was still morning.
Amanda was still my house-guest, and I expected her to awaken soon. After showering, I dressed to go out. I went to a local bakery and picked up some sweet rolls for breakfast. I returned home and warmed them for Amanda and me.
We had devotions after breakfast and talked about Noah. It was not just a cute boat with animals walking up the plank. People had died, because they ignored God. People were banqueting and partying.”
Amanda spoke up. “That is America now, you know. We’re always eating or drinking, even if it is just a super-sized cola.”
“You’re right. Weddings are crazy now. They are so expensive,” I added. The Bible says, ‘Keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.’”
I looked at Amanda. “Is that the rapture or when Jerusalem is attacked?”
“I believe it is in reference to the Jews.”
I acknowledged that I could accept that. “But understand this,” I read. “If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore, you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”
“That fascinates me,” said Amanda.
I agreed and read, “But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
I looked up and said. “Would you like to pray before we get started with our work for the day?”
“Yes.” Amanda turned her head upward, closed her eyes and began praising the Lord, thanking him for being so good to us. Then it was quiet, but she kept the same position. I realized that she was going to prophesy. She said:
“Day after day, my lord, I stand on the watchtower; I tell you what I have heard from the Lord Almighty, from the God of Israel. Every night I stay at my post. I see my people are crushed on the threshing floor. I see a team of horses; a man comes toward us in a chariot. He speaks. I respond. He gives back the answer: ‘The end is near. Babylon has fallen, has fallen! All the images of its gods lie shattered on the ground!’”
Amanda then dropped her head. “That is a word from the Lord. It means that the world systems are going down soon.”
“Is that what Babylon represents? The world systems?”
“Yes, it is so.”
After that, she went to the guest room to shower and dress for the day. “I’ll need about thirty minutes,” she said.
“Certainly. Take your time.”
I picked up my laptop and went outside to the rose garden. Sitting in the shade, I opened the article I was writing. I needed to get it to the newspaper office before dark. I read over what I’d written so far, and added this to it: “The horses’ appearances are fascinating to me and must be important to the Lord. The ones in the Old Testament are the same colors as the ones in the New Testament.”
I thought back to all that Walker had told me. I wished he would come and tell me more, but he wanted me to search it out on my own. I was curious to see what kind of colorful horses were on earth now. Maybe I could understand spiritual horses better if I knew more about earthly horses. I found information on my computer about a few colored horses. It would help.
I read about modern horses. I would use them as a comparison to the Bible horses. With a bottle of water next to me, I prepared to write again. I wrote, “American Paint horses are solid colored and have distinct physical characteristics. These include unusual colorful coats and can be considered a color breed of their own. On the other hand, Appaloosas are usually spotted. Chestnut horses are beautiful, but black is favored for Friedan horses. The same is true of Norwegian and Arabian horses.”
Pausing to sip some water, I continued writing, “Fancy colors, such as roans, grays and Sabina are considered pedigrees. All colors are accepted for show, as long as the animal can be proved pure-blooded. One thing for certain, if such gorgeous horses on earth have to be purebreds, the ones in heaven are more so. They will have the most beautiful coats. Many colors are specifically bred to keep their color. So, there is something unique about horses that draw one’s attention to qualify as show horses.”
I spent hours reading and writing. Amanda was doing something on her laptop, but I did not ask what it was. Evening came and I was tired. I went to the living room and turned on the TV so I could unwind.
I thought about my piece. One thing for sure, the Biblical horses were show horses in heaven. When the time would come for Jesus to take possession of the earth that he bought with his own blood, he would send those horses to stir the pot of evil one last time.
Reading was opening my eyes to avenues I had never considered before.
The white horse in Revelation 6:2 was like the white horse in Zechariah 6:6, so this horse was probably the white horse going to west of Israel. It represented one fourth of the earth. Today, that would be the European Union. I thought most scholars agreed this to be the situation.
If America was in the Bible, I’d say the United States was the one going forth to conquer. But the white horse represented Europe or the old Roman Empire.
I heard the voice of God in my heart. The time is soon. The Lord is coming.
Jesus said that the day and hour is unknown, so we should not let anybody deceive us. We were supposed to live our lives as if Jesus could come for us any day, but we were told to occupy until he comes, which meant many of us would live out o
ur days on earth before the Lord returned. We would fulfill our callings on earth.
It was time to publish my first newspaper article. I wrote:
“My name is Martha. I am your neighbor, and I care about you. That is why I tell you of the trouble that is coming in the near future on earth, starting in Jerusalem. There is always trouble around that great city. For example, recently before the start of the Rosh Hashanah holiday, hundreds of Muslims, who went to the Holy Mount to pray, turned and started throwing stones at praying Jews, visiting tourists, and police who were trying to maintain control. They just don’t like each other.
“I study Bible prophecy and present-day news together. What I see is that more and more prophecies are constantly being fulfilled. This is a sign that Jesus will come back to earth soon, just as he promised.
“I have a divine assignment to examine the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. I am then to report to you what I learn. I’ve discovered a saint by the name of Irenaeus, who was Bishop of Lugdunum in Gaul during the second century. It was part of the Roman Empire at that time. Regarding the events which shall occur in the end times, the prophet says, ‘The Antichrist is shown to be possessed by Satan.’” I believe that.
“In Matthew 24, we are told that in the end times there will be wars, famines, earthquakes, persecution, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken. So, you can see why I must share my research with you.
“God has chosen horses to show the splendor of war in heaven and on earth. The horses in Revelation are spirited hot bloods with speed and endurance. They are called the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. To understand them, we must look at two books of the Bible, Zechariah and Revelation.