"The Third Seal of Revelation" by Tricia Tillin
Part Two: The Black Horse
And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.
The four horsemen of Revelation ride horses of a particular colour.
- White
- Blood Red
- Black
- Deathly Pale (livid)
The black horse of the third seal carries a spirit who is given permission to disrupt the economic structure of the world, but in a limited fashion.
The meaning of the scales, and the links to various cultic or commercial groups on earth can be found in my more detailed article. But here I want to consider if that seal is being opened.
In the past year (2008) and in the year leading up to it, we have all been hearing about the "credit crunch", bank and mortgage collapses, stock market disruption, a stagnant housing market, and steeply rising prices. There is fear of a recession. What is going on?
Suddenly, without any real reason apart from human manipulation, fuel prices have shot up causing a knock-on effect on food production and sale, and at the same time there are massive shortages of basic commodities. Food is short, and so expensive that some families are now using credit cards to pay their bills and complete their weekly shopping.
Mortgages are becoming, in the UK at least, too expensive for ordinary people, and out of the question for first-time buyers. Taxes rise faster than salaries, and the government, local councils, tradesmen and companies seem to spend all their time finding ever more inventive ways of taking the money out of our pockets.
Recession seems inevitable, despite what they tell us. Furthermore, it seems as if there are powers that are pushing us that way - why? Who in their right minds would tinker with the world economy and food production to such an extent, leaving whole nations crying out for necessities?
Specific and Limited Disruption
Notice the words above "A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine." What does this mean in terms of our present-day economy?
This verse tells us the extent and also the limit of the third seal events.
Who is To Blame?
I want to emphasise one fact: that each judgement (as we see it) that befalls earth is really the fault of mankind! We only have ourselves to blame! For one thing, we (mankind that is) have squandered earth's resources, acted out of greed rather than need, and forgotten that all we have is the creation and gift of GOD.
God complains about his own people in a similar situation in the Old Testament - read the entire chapter 16 of the book of Ezekiel. He'd taken a people out of slavery and brought them to greatness, but they lost sight of their Benefactor! So God was going to remove their blessings to remind them who was really in charge.
Ezek 16:10-16
"I clothed you in embroidered cloth and gave you sandals of badger skin; I clothed you with fine linen and covered you with silk. I adorned you with ornaments, put bracelets on your wrists, and a chain on your neck. And I put a jewel in your nose, earrings in your ears, and a beautiful crown on your head. Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your clothing was of fine linen, silk, and embroidered cloth. You ate pastry of fine flour, honey, and oil. You were exceedingly beautiful, and succeeded to royalty. Your fame went out among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect through My splendor which I had bestowed on you," says the Lord GOD. "But you trusted in your own beauty, played the harlot because of your fame, and poured out your harlotry on everyone passing by who would have it."
He'd already warned them what would happen in those circumstances, when the Law was given to the Israelites.
In Deuteronomy 28 it was laid out and agreed by all that if they honoured and recognised God Almighty as Lord and forsook other gods, then they would be blessed financially, they would prosper, be fertile, healthy and victorious in every circumstance. They would also be elevated to greatness and rulership amongst the nations! All this was dependent upon their love and service of God.
If however they forgot the Source of their blessings, turned to self-importance and idolatry, they'd be cursed instead of blessed.
And if you read what would befall them it is strangely familiar to what is happening to our country and this world as a whole. Have we forgotten God? Have we despised his blessings and turned to worship ourselves and other things? I think so.
Deut 28:17-18
"Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. "Cursed shall be the fruit of your body and the produce of your land, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks..."
Deut 28:47-49
"Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joy and gladness of heart, for the abundance of everything, therefore you shall serve your enemies, whom the LORD will send against you, in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, and in need of everything; and He will put a yoke of iron on your neck until He has destroyed you."
So I say again that we only have ourselves to blame. Let nobody think of God as happy to send judgements and hardship upon us for no reason. On the contrary, he is so loving and merciful that he provided a way OUT of trouble for anyone willing to take it, that is, by accepting his offer of forgiveness and renewal through his son, Jesus Christ. If mankind refuses to be humbled, though, the inevitable testing of every heart that has been predicted for centuries will arrive sooner than we care to think.
