The book of Revelations, written by John the Theologian on the basis of his visions, describes events in the distant future, which he calls the Apocalypse, the end of times. The harbingers of the end of the world will be the four horsemen, who will be sent by the Holy Lamb (Jesus) to Earth to cause colossal damage to humanity.
Rider on a white horse
The first of the riders must appear after the Lamb has removed the first of the seven seals, in his hands is a bow, and on his head is a crown. The book of Revelation says that this rider looks "victorious" and "will come to conquer." Interpreters interpret these words in different ways, some are sure that the appearance of the rider and the white color of his horse symbolize truth and the victory of truth over falsehood, others believe that, on the contrary, he symbolizes the coming to earth of the Father of Lies - Antichrist, Satan. However, people will take his words and appearance as truth and worship him, so he will win and bring a lot of grief to the apostates.
The first horseman of the Apocalypse is also called the "Plague", which is also very symbolic from the point of view of theology. This can be interpreted as some kind of false doctrine, which is comparable in scale to the plague pandemic.
Rider on a red horse
When the Lamb removes the second seal, the second horseman of the apocalypse will set foot on the ground, he will sit on a red horse with a large sword in his hands. This rider is destined to "take the world from the earth" so that people would kill each other. The second horseman traditionally symbolizes war, so large-scale and destructive that it should affect all corners of the world.
A red horse represents spilled blood, and since he was preceded by the appearance of the first horseman, this, according to researchers, should mean that a war will begin and a lot of blood will be shed soon after his arrival. Most likely, this means the coming to earth of the Antichrist and, probably, he will untie it.
Black horse rider
The third horseman of the Apocalypse will appear after the War. John in his vision heard a voice that said: "A chinix of wheat for a denarius and three chinix of barley for a denarius." These words speak of a global crop failure and subsequent famine, when grain prices will be unimaginably high. At the same time, the rider was told not to spoil the oil and wine, which means that vineyards and olive trees will be less affected by drought. The black color is traditionally considered black, with this term the concepts of total or global are identified.
For example, the bubonic plague that broke out in the Middle Ages was called the "Black Death" because it wiped out a third of the population of Europe.
Some interpreters are inclined to believe that the second horseman symbolizes world hunger, while others believe that here John the Theologian speaks in an allegorical form about the rich and the poor, those who buy a hinix of wheat for a denarius and those who consume oil and wine, i.e. those who go to church and observe the sacraments of the sacrament and chrismation. Those. the rider will harm only the rich and the depraved and will not touch believing Christians.
The rider on the pale horse
The fourth horseman John the Theologian calls "Death", he will have to have power over the fourth part of humanity, destroyed by war and hunger. The pale color of a horse personifies the skin color of a deceased person or a person in death throes. It is not known from Revelation whether the fourth horseman has any object in his hands. In a 16th century engraving by Albrecht Durer, the last horseman carries a trident in his hands, but in other paintings, drawings and illustrations he is depicted with a scythe in his hands.
The last words, dedicated to the fourth horseman, tell that "hell follows after him." This may mean that the fourth horseman will be the last, and after him a nightmare will begin that will seem like hell to his contemporaries, because after the horsemen of the Apocalypse, angels begin to trumpet, announcing colossal cataclysms that have never happened on Earth.
