The White Horse, 1907 (1900 – 1908)

The White Horse represents the holiness movement that preceded the outpouring of the Holy Spirit around the turn of the century (1900).  It was the strength and catalyst behind the Pentecostal movement of the 1900’s.

As early as the late 1600’s Pietism began in Europe stressing the need for personal devotion and morality.  It was believed that there was no more profound expression of ones faith.  This combined with the Wesleyan doctrine of evangelism cause the holiness movement to circumvent the globe by 1900.  It was the holiness movement was the strength behind the outpouring of God’s Spirit that followed.  It caused people to seek God as never before for His strength and power over sin in their lives.

The rider, or Conqueror held in his hand a bow.  There is no description as to the type of bow he held.  I believe that the description of the bow is found in the following scripture:

I believe the bow in the hand of the conqueror is a rainbow [as described in Genesis].   God said that He gave the bow to mankind as a token (i.e. symbol or sign) of His covenant.  The conqueror went forth to conqueror with the covenant of God.  As long as the church continued to be propelled by the strength of holiness it was unstoppable.

The first seal was opened somewhere between 1900 and 1908. 

For at least 50 years before 1900 there existed random accounts of people experiencing an experience similar to that of the original Pentecost on AD33.  The promise of a deeper experience caused many to privately explore the book of Acts.  However, this was usually condemned as heresy and therefore public teach of the subject was strongly discouraged.  This opposition succeeded in creating a damn of Living Water of God Holy Spirit, a damn that would eventually break.

On December 31, 1900 – the advent of the 20^th century – a few bible poor students at Bethel Bible College started praying at or around midnight in an old house just outside of Topeka, Kansas.  Suddenly the Spirit of God fell and a young woman, Agnes Ozman, began to speak in tongues.  Within a few days half the student body experienced the same phenomena.

The sprinkles of the latter rain were beginning to fall and for the next few years other reports of this phenomina began to shake the established church of that time.  Then in February 1906, a Holiness church in need of a pastor decided look at a man who Terry and Julia Hutchins recommended.  His name was William Seymour.  Soon after coming he began to talk about “speaking in tongues,” which he argued was the proof that the Holy Spirit had come into a person.  This news was not received well and consequently the church did not accept William Seymour.

William Seymour then began to hold meetings in the home of Richard and Ruth Asberry.  Many people who once attended the First and Second Baptist church began to come as well as some from nearby Holiness churches.   These meetings were interracial and involved everyone.  Women as well as “non-ministers (lay people)” ministered and exercised spiritual gifts.

In April 9 1906 Edward Lee, who provided housing for Seymour, and Jennie Evans Moore began to speak in tongues with many others soon followed.  As news spread William Seymour and his group rented an abandoned warehouse on Azusa Street.  Previously it had been used as a delivery stable.  Soon visions and prophecy began to come forth about impending disaster just before a major earthquake hit California. 

The first seal represents the re-establishing of the covenant of God in the early 1900 that was birthed from the holiness movement of the preceding century.  The event was the re-establishing of God’s covenant through the work at Azusa Street.  The movement that led (or made possible and strengthened the movement) to this event was the Holiness movement, and the movement that “went forth” was the Pentecostal movement of the 1900’s.

The Red Horse October 1929,

About the space of a half hour (God’s time) after the outpouring of God’s Spirit at Azusa Street the Great depression began in the United States.  The affects of the depression were felt around the world with the economies of Europe also suffering.  The Great Depression may have been the single greatest reason for Hitler coming into power, the murdering of millions of Jews, and the 35 to 50 million who died during the greatest war to ever strike the face of this planet.

The following article describes how that the Great Depression of the United States beginning in 1929 was the single most important event that eventual brought about World War II.

“…Hitler held rallies in the mid 1920s and these did not win him many votes. There was something else that made voters turn to Hitler- the Great Depression. Before the Great Depression, most people were happy with the way things were- Stresemann introduced the Rentenmark after the hyperinflation and Germany got back onto her feet. Nothing Hitler said could have gained him votes and by most was regarded as a 'bore in a bar'.  

In his speeches, Hitler provided scapegoats such as the Jews, communists and the Treaty of Versailles. It was true that Jews held positions of influence beyond their numbers and when jobs were in demand, anti-Semitism rocketed. After the Great depression, the unemployed and businessmen were looking for scapegoats and Hitler provided these. However, before the Great Depression, as election results show (in 1924 the Nazis had only 2% of the vote and in 1928 3%), Hitler's speeches had no major effect on German voters.
 
In my opinion, the Great Depression was the most important reason why Hitler rose to power in 1933. On Tuesday 29 October 1929 the American Stock exchange, Wall Street, crashed, causing the world to be plunged into an economic depression. Germany was hit badly as America recalled the loans to Germany negotiated under the Dawes Plan (1924). In 1932, there were six million unemployed in Germany. The chancellor, Bruning, seemed to be doing nothing to help the crisis and followed a policy of deflation. It was realized that the Weimar constitution was not working and one strong man was needed to lead Germany out of the crisis. The unemployed were desperate for work and would do almost anything to get it. A German worker describes why he joined the Nazis in the 1930s: 'I was unemployed for many years. I'd have made a pact with the devil to get work. Hitler came along and got me work, so I followed him'. As unemployment rose, so did the Nazi's popularity. The more popular the Nazis became, the more chance Hindenburg would consider Hitler becoming chancellor.

 

The Depression acted as a 'catalyst' which made the unemployed and businessmen remember the Treaty of Versailles. In March 1933, the Nazi party won 288 seats in the Reichstag, becoming the biggest party. However, just because the Nazis were the largest party did not mean that Hitler's appointment was inevitable. Many chancellors before Hitler had not even been leaders of parties, for example Franz von Papen.” History Essays and Notes, by Matthew Pinkney.

We all know the result of Hitler gaining power in Germany.  His coming to power combined with his grave hate of the Jewish people and other non-Aryan races lead to the greatest destruction of humanity.  It is estimated that in less that a decade between 35 and 50 million people died (civilian and soldiers) as a result of World War II.  To get an understanding of the magnitude of the battles consider that 7,000 US soldiers were killed and another 18,000 were wounded just to capture a small desolate island called Iwo Jima. Following this 12,000 US soldiers were killed and another 35,000 were wounded capturing another island called Okinawa.  On Okinawa it is believed that 100,000 Japanese were also killed.  Other than Gettysburg, few other battles out side of World War II were as deadly.

The historical event depicted by the second seal was the Great Depression.  The movement [depicted by the Red Horse] that led to the historical event was the blood (i.e. Red Horse) shed during the First World War and the Treaty of Versailles that followed that placed many restrictions on Germany and forced it into a costly post war debt.  Public displeasure of this treaty is what Hitler and the Nazi party used to rise to power.  But just as the Piety movement in the centuries before 1900 was necessary to bring about the Pentecostal movement of the 1900’s, the displeasure of the Treaty of Versailles was not enough to bring Hitler to power.  It needed the Catalyst of the Great Depression that brought about great poverty in Europe.  Nazism and the Second World War was the movement that went forth as a result of the First World War (Red Horse) and the Great Depression (the Rider).  Together they “went forth” take “peace from the earth.”

Now move forward about the space of a half hour in God’s time.

The Black Horse April 1951,

Many people look at this scripture and see a time of famine.  But is that really what this describes.  A pair of balances does not represent famine. 

Many people are quite familiar with the blindfolded statue that stands in front of the U.S. Supreme Court.  It holds in it’s hand a pair of balances.  We all know that the statue represents justice, but what does the scales represent?  The scales represent equality.  The voice that says, “A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny...” is not talking about famine but equality.  Wheat is worth more than barley.  It’s talking of a time of inequality.  

The Pale Horse October 1973,