Revelation 6:7-8

 

⁷ When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come^[!” ⁸ I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and the one who sat on it had the name Death, and Hades was following with him. Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, and famine, and plague, and by the wild animals of the earth.

These verses about the approach of the fourth horseman leave little doubt about his purpose. It is an approach of many catastrophic events that together cause a large number of fatalities. Some interpretations of these chapters in Revelation link the four living creatures to the elements known at the time to Roman scientists, which they believed to be earth, water, air and fire. This horseman was heralded by the fourth living creature, an eagle.

I wonder if the eagle could represent air; it brings to mind that the Corona virus that inflicted so much harm and caused so many fatalities is airborne. With such vivid imagery and so many diverse interpretations, though, it's possible to read too much into the verses, which is why I like to read many different sources when trying to understand the chapters of Revelation.

Biblehub.com has some interesting commentary on these verses, giving historical perspective about the history of the Church, in particular the darkness of the middle ages. I like to read through the commentaries on Bible verses compiled at Biblehub because they publish a lot of interpretations by different ministers over time. 

D. A. Cleland, on his "Hold Your Horses" blog, posits that the series of catastrophes talked about in the breaking of the seals are events visited on humanity so that people will turn back to God from sin, and commit to living spiritual lives again.

Whatever the exact meaning, this imagery is terrifying. Clearly in this series of verses God is giving a very serious warning to humanity to cleave to God in the face of all these disasters, and live life spiritually according to His teachings. Once we accept Salvation through Jesus Christ we can know that no matter what befalls the earth, if we have Salvation through Christ we can be assured of redemption and eternal life in Heaven.

 

If you want to accept Salvation from Christ here are some resources:

A Prayer for Salvation from Christ:

Lord Jesus, I confess my sins and ask for your forgiveness. Please come into my heart as my Lord and Savior. Take complete control of my life and help me to walk in Your footsteps daily by the power of the Holy Spirit. Thank you Lord for saving me and for answering my prayer.

A more detailed step by step process:

https://www.wikihow.com/Accept-Jesus-Into-Your-Life