When he broke the second seal, I heard the second living being say,"Go!" Another horse went out, a red one; and its rider was given the power to take peace away from the earth and make people slaughter each other. He was given a great sword.
When he broke the third seal, I heard the third living being say,"Go!"I looked, and there in front of me was a black horse, and its rider held in his hand a pair of scales. Then I heard what sounded like a voice from among the four living beings say,"Two pounds of wheat for a day's wages! Six pounds of barley for the same price! But don't damage the oil or the wine!"
When he broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living being say,"Go!" I looked, and there in front of me was a pallid, sickly-looking horse. Its rider's name was Death, and Sh'ol followed behind him. They were given authority to kill one-quarter of the world by war, by famine, by plagues and with the wild animals of the earth."
It all sounds pretty ugly. What's it all about? Has it already happened? What are these seals which are mentioned?
War comes about by people or individuals hating each other. It brings about unequal economic distribution and famine. Disease comes in because of this leading to death. So there you have it. Exactly as stated in the above passage (although some of the related events I talk about are in different order in the scriptures above).
Has it already happened? It might be in the process of happening is my best suggestion. These events, however, are most likely related to the scripture passages in Ezekiel 14:12-20. In this passage it talks of judgment in a similar mode.
The seals are the first of three seven part judgments recorded in Revelation. It can be seen that the seals happen on earth. The trumpets which come next are from outer space. The bowls are from Heaven.
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, therefore, represent war, hate, famine and plagues. From this we can see that the world has been going round and round and round since early times with these. In Genesis 4:8 we read: "Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him." Isn't this because in verse 7 the LORD says: "If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”
Likewise, in Genesis 37, Joseph's brothers had a hatred problem with him. Verses 18-20 say: "But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him. “Here comes that dreamer!” they said to each other. “Come now, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams.” This is a seriously dysfunctional family! What can we learn about the end-times through this? Here's that passage in Ezekiel. (Chapter 14:12-20:) (Jerusalem’s Judgment Inescapable.)The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, (1) if a country sins against me by being unfaithful and I stretch out my hand against it to cut off its food supply and send famine upon it and kill its people and their animals, even if these three men—Noah, Daniel and Job—were in it, they could save only themselves by their righteousness, declares the Sovereign Lord. “Or (2) if I send wild beasts (hatred) through that country and they leave it childless and it becomes desolate so that no one can pass through it because of the beasts, as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, even if these three men were in it, they could not save their own sons or daughters. They alone would be saved, but the land would be desolate. “Or (3) if I bring a sword ( note that 'him' in verse 4 of Revelation 6 is given a sword) against that country and say, ‘Let the sword pass throughout the land,’ and I kill its people and their animals, as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, even if these three men were in it, they could not save their own sons or daughters. They alone would be saved. “Or (4) if I send a plague into that land and pour out my wrath on it through bloodshed, killing its people and their animals, as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, even if Noah, Daniel and Job were in it, they could save neither son nor daughter. They would save only themselves by their righteousness." So could it be said, Joseph's brothers were judged for their sins by exile from The Land? By famine they were forced to go to Egypt for food. According to God's decision they stayed in Egypt over 400 years enduring hard labour until they came out under Moses.
They, the Israelites, Jews from the tribe of Judah and the Benjamites already in The Land, and Israelis from the other ten tribes still in the Diaspora, will come back to The Land and too the LORD. (Revelation 18:4-7.) “‘Come out of her, my people,’ so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues; for her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes. Give back to her as she has given; pay her back double for what she has done. Pour her a double portion from her own cup. Give her as much torment and grief as the glory and luxury she gave herself." (The Lawless One and the system he runs.)
(Genesis 45:4-6.) "Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will be no ploughing and reaping." Will not it be year 2 of the Tribulation when Jesus reveals Himself to His people Israel? After a worldwide economic collapse when the dollar is removed from the world currencies forcing all Jews and Israelites to return home. There in The Land He will reveal Himself to them.
As the Lawless One sets up His worship in the Temple. Setting up their despicable satanic worship they will bow down before Israel even, and (Isaiah 60:14:) "The children of your oppressors will come and bow low before you, all who despised you will fall at your feet, calling you the city of ADONAI, Tziyon of the Holy One of Isra'el."