by Summer Lee
“Okay. I’ll do it,” I said, feeling uneasy. “I have read about similar horses on earth. The riders are the key.”
He leaned forward and looked me in the eye. “The Apostle John had the vision of heaven when he was a very old man—ninety years old. He actually saw that God the Father lived in a light on his throne. He saw him holding a scroll in his hand. John wrote down what he saw and heard. The question was asked, ‘Who is worthy to open the scroll?’”
“So, it is inferred that qualifications had to be met and no one was qualified,” I said.
“That is what John thought,” he answered. “The apostle began to cry. A heavenly being told John not to cry, because the Lion of Judah was worthy to open the seals on the scroll.”
“That must have been exciting for him since Jesus Christ was known as the Lion of Judah,” I said.
“That is not what happened, though. A lion did not step up to open the scroll. The represented animal that moved forward and took the scroll from the Heavenly Father was not a lion, but a lamb.”
“A lamb?”
“A pure innocent lamb, like the Jews sacrificed in their temple,” said Walker. “The Apostle John said that the one who was worthy looked like a lamb that had been slain.”
I frowned. “Yet, it obviously represented Jesus, didn’t it?”
“That is because Jesus Christ is both symbolized as a lion and a lamb in the Bible. The decision for him to be slain was made before the foundation of the earth. Knowing this helps humans understand how great Jesus is. Jesus was and is God the Son: the pure Lamb of God,”
“He was slain on the cross by those who hated him,” I said. “I sincerely believe that. Truly, he died upon the cross for a reason. I am one of those reasons.”
“True. To prove his reason, he arose on the third day. He then ascended into heaven to live forevermore with his Father and the redeemed ones.” Walker’s voice echoed across the room now.
I felt the blessings of God in the room. “Tell me more.”
“Everything in the Book of Revelation comes in sets of seven. That helps you know that the book reveals the kingdom of God.”
I thanked him.
That would help me understand what I was studying. I spent that evening looking up the different ways in which God blessed his people during the end times. Following the sets of seven helped me to find a pattern. I fell asleep on top of the covers that night.
***
The next day came and I discovered I was alone. My dream during the night had been confusing. In the dream, I was in darkness, being attacked from every side by evil entities who were trying to scare me out of ding my mission. After praying for God to give me strength, I organized my thoughts into the computer to see what personality characteristics God had that surprised me.
More time went by.
I was about to give up on seeing the angel or Amanda, so I took a drive to the beach and walked along the shoreline. Someone was coming, riding on the waves. It was Walker. There, he came galloping across the water on a horse—a white horse.
“Finally,” I said. “Where have you been?”
“Humans!” He shook his head. “Do you really need to know that?”
“I guess not. I was just…curious.”
“Of course you are,” he said.
“What is the horse all about?” I asked.
He just grinned and climbed down. The horse ran out across the ocean and up into the clouds. It returned to the land of spirits.
“I was just getting ready to leave. Do you want to ride along with me?”
“Sure.” As if there was nothing strange going on, Walker asked, “How are you coming along with your assignment?”
I shook my head to clear my brain. “I study a lot lately. And I write.”
“Have you learned anything new about the horses?”
“I know that they will ride out soon.”
“Why do they come onto the end times’ scene?” he asked, as we walked back toward my car. “Do you understand that?”
“Not sure,” I said, as we both climbed into my car. Starting the motor, I drove out of the parking lot. “There is one thing. I believe the mental picture for the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse must be taken from Zechariah.”
“Good idea,” he said.
“The horses in the first and sixth chapters of Zechariah are the key to the future. There is a hidden meaning regarding the horses. First, we see that they are at rest. Next, there are four chariots pulled by different colored horses. The Bible says that these are the four spirits of heaven going out from standing in the presence of the Lord of the whole world.” I licked my dry lips. “The four horses cover each direction of the compass.”
“You are right. They go east, west, north and south. They affect the whole earth,” he said as we drove toward my home. “Humanity will not be here that much longer.”
I fearfully agreed. “That is what the Bible says. I read that some think it is Jesus on this particular white horse. But I don’t think it is Christ.” I pulled in my driveway. “What do you say?”
“Better yet, what do you say?”
“I say it is not Jesus, because the rider in Revelation 19:11 is the Lord. He had a sword in John’s vision; this one had a bow. Some say the bow is more likely to be that of the Parthians who were the only mounted archers in the ancient world. He was given a crown, so he represents a national leader.” I looked at Walker. “Christ had many crowns in Revelation 19:12.”
He smiled as if he were pleased with me.
I unlocked my front door and went inside. Walker was right beside me. I got us each a bottle of water. We sat at the kitchen table to talk. “I want to know more about the tribulation. Does it begin before or after the call to the horses? Tell me what you can about the horsemen, so I can get that behind me.”
“The text says that Zechariah looked up and there they were. There before him were four chariots coming out from between two mountains—mountains of bronze.” He picked up one of my Bibles to read.
I added, “The first chariot had red horses, the second black, the third white, and the fourth dappled—all of them powerful.”
He opened the Bible to the passage and placed it on the table. “Zechariah asked the angel who was speaking to him what was going on.’”
I grimaced. “So, like me, the prophet did not understand either.”
“No. He had to search it out, just like you do.”
I groaned.
“Want a snack?” I asked Walker.
“Yes, thank you.” He smiled at me.
“Sit down. I am going to open a can of soup.”
While I fixed the snack, he read: “The angel told Zechariah, ‘These are the four spirits of heaven, going out from standing in the presence of the Lord of the whole world. The one with the black horses is going toward the north country, the one with the white horses toward the west, and the one with the dappled horses toward the south.’”
I dipped up the soup, poured us each a glass of apple juice and set out a box of crackers. I said, “That would leave the red ones going east.”
“Exactly.” He looked serious. “Zechariah says that the powerful horses went out, straining to go throughout the earth and they were told, ‘Go throughout the earth!’ So they went, ‘throughout the earth.’” He narrowed his eyes. “It says, ‘Go out through the earth’ three times.”
“Thanks for telling me.”
“That is important.”
“So, the whole earth is to be covered with the message of the horsemen.” I looked up and smiled. “Doesn’t sound difficult.”
“It is not difficult. Those who obey God understand his ways.” He smiled. “The horses were on a mission. God gave them the power.”
I nodded “They obeyed God.”
“That is true. You need to read about Prophet Irenaeus.” He said nothing for a couple of minutes—then, “Martha.”
I recognized the tone to be serious. Walker was leaving, going back
to heaven. “Yes.”
“I must go now and leave you to search out the meaning of John’s vision from a human angle.”
“Thank you for all that you are doing for us.”
“Write a web log that can be sent around the earth on the Internet. And hurry!” With that, he walked toward the living room and disappeared before getting to the door.
I opened my Bible to Revelation and read that the four colored horses were released every time a seal was opened. I tried to think logically. If I had bought a piece of property, I would expect to see the pluses and minuses on the title deed. That was what Jesus would see when the day came for him to take ownership of the earth.
Horses going four different directions throughout the earth would take retribution. That was how it would be when the tribulation started. They would go North, South, East and West. It would be payback for ignoring the cross. The time for people doing their own thing would end.
Listen. Do you hear the horses? They are . . .
Galloping, galloping, galloping.
Chapter Thirteen
By the next day, Amanda still had not returned. I began to miss her with an ache. She had become a lovely friend and mentor. I wondered what she was doing in Jerusalem.
I drove to the city library and looked up Irenaeus, one of the most influential bishops of the second-century Church. Walker had told me about him before and now, I needed to know more about him. He was a key figure for my report.
Having read the Book of Revelation and Matthew 24, I was ready to move forward. I had my notepad with me to take notes on what I was reading. I read that Irenaeus told how the Apostle John taught on the subject of prophecy. He said that the faith at that time was “one and the same” throughout the known world. Everyone believed the same as the Apostle John—they memorized the teaching of John. This meant that every born-again person believed the same about their Bible and their Lord. That was because no one went to a great length to discourse regarding it. No one thought about adding anything to it, or removing anything from it. They trusted the preacher and had faith in his words.
All quality teaching came from John, and pointed to the same end results, because it followed the same formula. They taught faith in Christ alone, and that humans who don’t want to believe in Jesus would be lost.
Trials came. Conflict directed at Christians was allowed by God to test them and sift out false disciples.
Irenaeus taught on the seals in Revelation. He said that it was a judgment on godless men. He believed the fifth seal stressed the cry of martyred Christians, which began in his day.
Bible scholar, L.T. Johnson, said that the destruction of Jerusalem was a case in point after the white horse conquered, and judgment fell on the unbelief of Israel. He said that the testing of believers was the separating of the chaff from the wheat. He used verses in Luke 21 for comparison. It was impressive that his tutor was a man named Polycarp, a well-known disciple of John.
Both Irenaeus and Johnson saw proof of prophecy being an immediate fulfillment in order to expect an end time one. Suddenly, I realized that was how prophecy worked. Something happened in the past that would be a picture in the future.
I wondered why so many serious Bible students disagreed about the Four Horsemen. Maybe it was so that people like me would continue to search it out. I chose to trust Irenaeus the most.
I wished that the angel was with me, but he was not. I was on my own. Praying, I asked God to give me strength to do His will.
I read that some religions had what was called the preterits viewpoint of prophecy, arguing that these events were related to the first century only. This school of thought put the rider on the white horse as a symbol of the Parthian Empire who was known for its mounted warriors and their skill with bow and arrow. Some scholars pointed to Vologases, a Parthian shah, as the rider on the white horse, with the bow in his hand as representing plagues at that time.
After taking notes on Irenaeus, my hand cramped up. I shook out my hand. Up to this point, I had been taking notes by hand. My hand ached. I needed to process the information anyhow, so, I took time off to go out to dinner. I was alone, so I read over my material in the restaurant.
It looked like the United States was involved. Leaning back in my chair, I thought about the coming conflict. That superpower represented by the coming power would gain the victory. It would be like the U.S. did in World II, but they would want absolute control. Right now, it appeared that the upcoming leading power would be the United Nations.
Feeling pleased with what I was reading, I was ready to add the information into the computer and save it for my article. After dinner, I returned home and plugged my laptop into the kitchen electrical outlet. I entered my notes. Prophecy was being fulfilled.
Europe was concerned about the U.S. continuing to be a superpower, even now. The Conference on Transatlantic Imbalance was organized by the Scientific and Technological Committee of the North Atlantic Assembly and the Foreign Policy Research Institute. They once met at Queen Elizabeth’s palatial property in Deauville, France. The basic purpose and intent of the conference at Deauville was to end U.S. Technological and industrial progress. Two books were written as the result of the meeting: “Technocratic Era” and “The Chasm Ahead.” The strength of the United States seemed to be the problem. The conclusion was that a world should have only one president for the whole earth—working with a one-world government.
This tied in with Bible prophecy. According to the Bible, an evil man would be the last leader. The world that we knew would end in chaos, however, God had a plan for a great leader for the earth. He will be Jesus.
Many religions continued to teach lies. Without the Word of God, no one would know truth.
I looked out the window where the leaves were blowing around in the yard to see if maybe Walker was nearby. Where is that angel when I need him? The wish had power.
Suddenly, Walker, my faithful angel, was standing by me. He was dressed like other humans in tan pants and a shirt, and did not look conspicuous.
“Did you read the piece ‘Against Heresies’ by Irenaeus?” he asked.
“Yes, I did.”
“Good. What did you think?”
“I haven’t quite finished it, but it seems to be quite possible.”
“Surely, you will put something in your next newspaper article about it?”
“Yes, I certainly will. Thanks for the tip,” I said. “I already wrote that Irenaeus sat at the feet of one of the most revered martyrs of the second-century Church, a man named Polycarp, a well-known disciple.”
He grinned. “Good.”
“Polycarp was bishop of the local church at Smyrna. He was a disciple of the Apostle John, who had been taught by Jesus himself. Polycarp was not the sort of person who would distort the truth.”
“That’s good.”
“He taught the pure doctrine, which he had learned from John. One of his disciples was Irenaeus.” I looked at Walker for approval.
“What do you personally think of Irenaeus?” he asked.
“I liked him. Also, Polycarp. They were both intelligent.” I realized that I was twisting my hair, so I dropped my hands into my lap. “I think Polycarp was burned at the stake for his unwavering belief in Jesus Christ.”
“More than that,” said the angel. “He was anointed.”
“Anointed?” I asked.
“Yes, Martha.”
“Explain.”
“He lived in the presence of God.”
I frowned. “That does not seem possible.”
“Well, it is.” Walker then told me that Irenaeus watched over the entire Church in every country. “He felt responsible for the preaching of the faith to the church body, even though it was scattered throughout the known world. He knew truth and made sure the beliefs of saints were alike all over. He thought of the church as being believers who were occupying one house. During his time, he carefully preserved the unity.”
“Wow,” I interrupted.
“They were certainly united.”
“Yes,” he said. “They had strong faith based only on the Word of God. The church believed Biblical doctrine as if she had but one soul, and one and the same heart.”
“Christians aren’t like that today.”
“No.” Walker shook his head. “No. They are not, but rather, speak with many voices. The early Church spoke as if she possessed one mouth.”
I frowned. “How can that be?”
“It was the Holy Spirit.” Walker spoke firmly. “They all were filled with the Holy Spirit. The church proclaimed, taught, and handed down doctrines with perfect harmony.”
“So, the Holy Spirit gave them the words they spoke?”
“Yes,” he said. “For, although the languages of the world were dissimilar, yet the importance of the Gospel and prophecy was one and the same. It went down for a period of time with purity.”
“Is that what they meant by the saying, ‘As the sun was a creature of God, Christians were the same throughout the whole world.’”
“Martha, look up the Morgenthau Group,” he said. “It will help you understand the New World Order.”
“Oh brother,” I said, laughing. “Who are they?” I paused. “Seriously, I’ll look that up before going to bed.”
“Remember to take notes on everything important.”
“I will.”
“Put it in your blog tomorrow.”
“I know brilliant men have also been able to see int the future, even if they are not believers. God is no respecter of persons.”
“Yes. There is only one sun, but it shines on all.” He stood to leave. “They had keen, sensitive minds.”
“Some sensitive to the Holy Spirit.”
“Exactly.”
“Amazing.” I stood as well. “I’ll stay here and write a while longer.”
“Glad to see that.” He gestured with his hand. “Irenaeus knew the truth about the End Time world ruler. He also knew what it meant to be a Christian in his day.” Walker placed his hands flat on the table. “‘Against Heresies,’ is a five-volume commentary showing what believers thought around 185 A.D. All the information you need is in, ‘Against Heresies, Book one, Chapter Twenty.’”