by Summer Lee
“I will, Martha. Stay with your task.”
“Of course,” I said. And then, she was gone.
The angel, Walker, was also gone all of that time and I was sorry. I needed his wisdom, but I wrote anyway: “There have been different interpretations regarding the horses, especially the white horse that were mentioned in the apocalypse. I have learned that there are more white horses mentioned in the Bible than other colors. In this piece, we will connect the old with the new. I have wondered about the sameness between horses in the Book of Zechariah and the Book of Revelation—I will compare the horses with the two prophecies and tell you the differences.
“The similarities between Zechariah’s horses and John’s horses has to do with their brilliant colors and their missions. Delving deeper into the missions, I see the red horse as being one vicious for God. People who rejected Christ will get their punishment.”
I had something else on my heart. After turning it over in my mind, I then wrote, “I have concluded that Christ is not on the white horse in Revelation 6; I do not believe Christ is the rider, because he is the one opening the seals. He is the Lamb of God. He is the Lion of Judah. So, I don’t see him being a rider of one of the first four horses. He rides in victory at the end of the tribulation. His appearance in glory will be the grand finale, like a good fireworks show.”
I read it over and decided to keep it in my report. I continued to write: “The rider on the red horse must be an angel representing a nation on earth, as well. Zechariah gives a clue. His red horse goes east. Christians suffer terribly in North Korea, even now. No one in the West knows what is going on in the head of Kim Jong-un. Can North Koreans produce rockets that can reach the western coast of the United States?”
I paused to think and then continued writing,
“One thing for certain, there will be a terrific war coming. It will be a worldwide war, centered in the Middle East. I plan to show the connection between the seals in Revelation and the little horn of Daniel 7. The man of sin, the beast, the ruler of the restored Roman Empire of Revelation 13, and the abomination of desolation mentioned in Matthew will all come to a head of pure evil.”
I did some research about horses. I wanted to know what made them unique. I learned that horses slept either standing up or lying down. Female horses, called mares, carried their young for approximately 11 months, and a young horse, called a foal, could stand and run shortly following birth. They reached full adult development by age five, and had an average lifespan of between 25 and 30 years. Was any of this information of value? I scratched my head, wondering if I was going off on a tangent, and then I realized and wrote, “Horses may be used in battle again. Since they can sleep standing up, they can be ready to go into battle in an instant. Related to a horse’s need to flee, their natural fight-or-flight instincts give a horseman the ability to go forward quickly without filling a gas tank.”
“Your job is to study to know where governments of the world are heading,” said a voice in my head.
I turned and looked behind me. There stood Walker, my angel commander. “How is that coming along?”
“My research showed something interesting,” I said. “There was a Chinese Civil War, during World War II, in which the United States aided the Nationalists with massive economic loans but no military support. The People’s Republic of China was established in October 1949. After numerous setbacks in Manchuria, Communists were able to seize the region. They focused on the war south of the Great Wall and the balance of power shifted for a negotiated settlement.”
“That’s right,” said Walker. “Stalin actually tried to restrain Mao on several occasions while he gauged American responses to developments in China.”
“He slaughtered two million people. The coming persecution will be worse. It is certain to happen. It is in the Bible.”
“American and British support for negotiations was lacking in World War II, and Stalin gave Mao the go-ahead to cross the river.”
The doorbell rang and I went to the door.
I was surprised to see the prophetess standing there. I still wondered if she was an angel. “Come in. Come in.” I clasped her hands. “I have missed you, Amanda. How are you?”
“Doing well.”
“Come join me in the living room.” Once seated, I asked, “Have you written your article about repentance?”
“Yes, I have.” She smiled. “How are you doing with your study of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse?” she asked, her face rapt with God’s love and with purpose.
“The color red corresponds to a mission of bloodshed. That is what I see about the red horse.” I sighed. “I wanted to read the entire Book of Revelation. I am sad to see that the sixth trumpet in Revelation 9:15 reveals one third of mankind being killed by plagues.”
“It is a serious book.”
Oh, these angels. They wanted me to understand. They wanted me to be a messenger. They wanted me to do the heavy lifting. I perceived this to my very soul. I also perceived their love.”
“The sword mentioned is said to be the Roman short sword, which was a sacrificial knife,” I said, desperately trying to get up to speed on all that I must know in order to be the messenger to the world.
“Did you see that the rider on the red horse was given power to make men slay each other?” she asked. “The phrase given indicates God’s permissive approval.” She stood and moved closer to where I was sitting. “Some Bible students say that the slaughter is of believers and not warfare in general, and persecution follows the first horse like Christ in the Gospels. ‘Jesus came not to send peace, but a sword.’ What do you think?”
“We were talking about the Mark of the Beast. There are many who will not take the mark. They will be killed.”
“So, this is a man that is so wicked that he is called a beast.”
“I don’t know. I’ve spent more time studying Zechariah,” I said. “He was one of two prophets that returned to Jerusalem when the second temple was built. Seventy years earlier, God allowed Babylon to take the citizens of Judah into captivity. The Temple of Solomon was destroyed and robbed. I see a connection between Judah going back to the land after seventy years in captivity and Israel returning to the land today. I know there is a connection between those days and the return to a nation in 1948.”
“You know that both times that Judah had to leave the land was because God’s chosen people had sinned and not repented. Jeremiah had prophesied that they would be out of the land for seventy years if they did not repent. The people ignored him and into captivity they went.”
“Interesting,” I said. “Daniel prayed for them at the end of the seventy years that they could go back to Jerusalem. Cyrus, King of Persia, told the Jews they could go home. And they were to rebuild the temple. An interesting thing is that Cyrus was mentioned by name by the prophet Isaiah, years earlier.”
“A descendant of King David, Governor Zerubbabel, was a religious leader at the time they returned. He served the people, along with Joshua the High Priest. These two were important leaders of the people of Judah after they returned to the Promised Land,” said the prophetess.
“Interesting,” I said. “I know that Haggai and Zechariah were the prophets that represented God to the people. I know that God gave Zechariah eight visions to encourage his people. He told the people to be fair and kind to each other; to speak truth and not swear falsely. He said that God had driven them from their land for being disobedient.”
“Obedience to God is practical. What I like is that,” said the prophetess, “God told the prophet that he determined to do good to Jerusalem and Judah. They should not be afraid. One of my messages is to tell people who trust God not to be afraid. ‘For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.’”
“Will you pray with me before I close out this day?” I asked.
“Certainly.”
We bowed our heads. She prayed and I prayed. We then waited before the Lord. A
s usual, Amanda had this word from the Lord:
My body is wracked with pain,
pangs seize me, like those of
a woman in labor;
I am staggered by what I hear,
I am bewildered by what I see.
My heart falters,
fear makes me tremble;
the twilight I longed for
has become a horror to me.
They set the tables,
they spread the rugs,
they eat, they drink!
Officers oil the shields!
I did not understand her prophecies, but they reminded me of things I had read in Isaiah. Whether she was an angel or a prophetess, I knew she was a woman of God.
I sensed that God was unhappy with the way humans treated his chosen children, the Israelites of the Bible, whom we now called Israelis. Couldn’t others see that God blessed Israel with physical land and He blessed the church with spiritual blessings?
We are also God’s family.
I said, “In my blog, I want to zero in on visions of horses that the prophet Zechariah had and compare them to John’s vision of the final horses,” I said. “Those were obviously visions of horses from heaven, just like in we read about in the Book of Revelation.” I looked at her for validation or perhaps, for more information.
She said cryptically, “We can ask God to open our spiritual eyes to see the horses, even as we hear them.”
They will be:
Galloping, galloping, galloping.
Chapter Twenty
I spent the night in deep prayer, barely sleeping and finally, I got up and went outside to watch the sun rise.
I was sitting on a swing in the rose garden when I became aware that I was not alone. I turned and saw my angel. “Hi, Walker. How long have you been here?”
“Just moments.”
“Thanks for coming back,” I said.
“Do you have any questions?”
“I want to know more about the seals,” I said. “They are the key to everything, and yet, I need to know more about them.”
“Be more specific.”
“I don’t know how it all fits into the Great Tribulation. The document is so solemn; Jesus is so serious; the curse brought to earth by the horses is so…final.”
The angel said, “The fact that the seven seals are opened by Christ himself indicates his sovereignty over the future. Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. He is sovereign from the beginning to the end of history, and everything in between. He knows you quite well, and sees each time you sin.”
“Yet, he loves us?”
“He truly does.”
“And forgives.”
“Because of Jesus.”
All my life has been associated with Jesus, I thought.
“Tell me this. Why me?” I questioned. “I am not a scholar. Why have I been chosen to carry a message?”
“Because you know the Lord personally, you have His strength and humility, you have no reason to fear.”
“I am learning a lot about God. The Bible says, ‘Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?’” I glanced up and said, “I believe that.”
“That is because there is power in the Word of God. Those words are so powerful.” Walker paused and thought about it for a moment. “God is love.”
“I only know that God is good to me,” I said. “But one thing I wonder about. How does it compare with his wrath for the godless?”
“Do you understand that Jesus took the wrath of God on his body for all who believe? It is unbelievers that go through the tribulation, because they don’t believe.” The angel spoke with determination. “So, you must now share what you’ve learned about the black horse.”
“I know.” I stood and walked over by him. “The black horses in Zechariah rode north. Russia is in the far north of Israel. The relationship between Russia and the Jews has not been good—not ever. That is why Russian Jews are going back to Israel in droves. Yet, some of the educated Jews have been invited back to Russia, and they are accepting the invitation.”
“You are doing well in your studies and analysis.”
“It is a little confusing for a layperson like me.” I sucked some air. “Taking a second look at this Scripture, one would have to conclude that this describes hard times. Poor people would eat barley, rather than wheat. The rich would be the only ones who could afford wheat, which are also affected by the hard times here.”
“And what is happening with wheat, with corn and other grains?” he hinted.
I snapped my fingers. “They are being altered, their…genetics. Our very food is being changed, with animal DNA and chemicals being crossed into growing plants that we eat.” I paused. “And the result is that the organic, original foods are out of reach…the cost, I mean…for the average person.”
“Yes, you do see.” Walker said, “You will learn something of the conditions of those being converted at that time. It is a picture of poverty. Barley was a more common food for Christians in the past.”
“Again, I wonder if we should store the pure foods, ones that God gave us, like barley,” I said. “Famine can lead to political instability, which is a cause of war. Even if I’m caught away during a famine, the food in my personal stores could help someone.”
Walker nodded. “You are compassionate to want to help. Storing food can be a blessing someday.”
I smiled and thanked him, but it was time to be serious. “If the black horse goes north, Russians will need to store food ahead of time. I should tell them.”
He said, “In John’s vision, that rider was holding a pair of scales. This tells you that food will be carefully measured out.”
“Black could indicate dried-up vegetation or even burned vegetation or sun-damaged flesh. Lamentations says, ‘Our skin is hot as an oven, feverish from hunger,’” I said. “Is that possible?”
“Well,” he said. “The black horse indicates famine or extreme shortage of food, because a quart of wheat is enough food for one person, not the entire family, but barley is available for more people. Scales are used to weigh food and other things. Scales can represent the possibility of injustice since the rider only affects those who are poor.”
“The portions would be so small,” I said. “There is now much starvation in the world.” I got choked up. “Every day, the United Nations says that 21,000 people die of hunger or hunger-related causes.” I paused. “And war causes famines, too. It is all connected, Walker! All of it! Everything that happens, every day, is about the fulfillment of prophecy in the Bible. Not just one thing, but everything.”
Walker nodded and said, “God told Ezekiel that food would be scarce in Jerusalem in the last days. He wrote, ‘It will be weighed out with great care and eaten fearfully. The water will be portioned out drop by drop, and the people will drink it in dismay. Food and water will be so scarce that the people will look at one another in terror, and they will waste away under their punishment.’”
“I want to include that in my blog.” It was all coming together in my head, how we were all connected as human beings to God, and how every event and second of the day was connected to the world heading straight for the end time.
“Do so,” he said. “Tell people to be prepared. It is time.”
I wanted to weep again, for what we had come to, but I stopped myself. “While I was studying the commentaries, I read a statement by Bible scholar, John Walvoord. He stated that famine is the aftermath of war. This is the situation with the Third World today,” I said. “The rich take the luxurious food for themselves, leaving hardly enough basic food for the famine-struck areas. The people will need to band together.”
“It is hard to do that when we speak so many languages,” Walker said. “Remember the Tower of Babel in the Bible?”
“Yes, even today, it is a conundrum to break the barrier of languages. I can
write my blogs, but no one in a foreign labor camp will read them. And no one who does not have electricity will see them. And no one who has never seen a newspaper will see them. Only a small number of people will understand and spread the message that I write.”
“But you must do your mission, Martha.”
“I know, but I shall do more than my mission.”
“What do you plan on doing?” Walker asked.
“I plan on connecting with people of all cultures, the best that I can.”
“How?” he asked.
I thought back to when the angel first came to me. We had formed an amazing bond. The hard part was that Walker already knew about future events. His goal was to set me up to learn them for myself.
At gut level, I knew that something was off. I had missed an important point. “What about Babylon? Where does it fit in? I feel its importance. Tell me what you know,” I asked Walker.
“Babylon is condemned for her excessive luxury in Revelation 18:3, where the merchants traded oil, wine and wheat with Babylon. Barley is not mentioned because it is poor man’s food and not a luxury item. Famine is one of the conditions during the end times. There will be famine and earthquakes in many parts of the world, but it will only be the beginning of the horrors. That is found in Matthew 24:7.”
“I wonder about the religion of the Jews,” I said. “The Jews have had problems throughout the centuries because they only eat kosher. There was a time when they could not remain a member of a trader’s guild because to do so would have involved eating food sacrificed to idols and getting involved in sexual immorality.”
“You are right,” he said. “Both of these moral issues made it difficult to earn a living and to find food for the Jews. Then and now.”
“Lack of relationship with God will cause trials in the coming tribulation. It is clear that if a person takes the mark that he is identifying with the beast. If a person takes the mark, they will be lost. Believers could die of starvation just for that reason. Those who do not have the Mark of the Beast will not be able to buy or sell.”