IS THE THIRD HORSE OF THE APOCALYPSE RUNNING?

10-4-2001by Judy Curmi

THE FIRST HORSE: (The First Seal)

Rev. 6:1-2   Then I saw as the Lamb broke open one of the seven seals, and as if in a voice of thunder I heard one of the four living creatures call out, Come! And I looked, and saw there a white horse whose rider carried a bow. And a crown was given to him, and he rode forth conquering and to conquer. [AMP]

The end times drama, as written in the book of The Revelation of John, begins with the breaking of the seven seals by the only One who is found worthy to do so. He is the Lamb of God, slain for man's iniquity and salvation from before the foundation of the world. (Rev. 13:8)

If, when it is opened, the mystery of the first seal is not understood, then who will be alert and watching for the progressive fulfillment of the six seals which follow it? Prophet Bob Jones was given revelation of the first seal in 1975. [http://www.bobjones.org/] It is from this original information that the puzzling mystery of the end time seals of the book of The Revelation begin to fall into place.

In St. John's time white horses were very rare. They were given as gifts to princes, kings and rulers and these were the only ones to ride upon a white horse.

The rider of the first horse is armed only with a bow as a weapon. In this day and age one does not usually think of a bow and arrows as being that powerful, yet the rider is also wearing a crown, which signifies authority and dominion. The word conquer, in the original Hebrew (nika) can be translated as subdue, conquer, overcome, prevail, or get the victory. In other words, this bow and its arrows are extremely powerful. There is no chance the rider of the white horse will fail. Instead he will prevail and have mighty success in his mission. A sword is not needed to overcome due to the great POWER of the bow and its arrows.

As opposed to a weapon like a bomb or a cannon, the bow inflicts its injuries upon individuals one by one, one single victim at a time. Wounds from a bow and arrow

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can be fatal. If not fatal, an "arrow" may still cause severe or irreversible damage to the body.

When we think of the bow today we often think of Cupid with his bow and piercing arrow that effect the "heart" or the emotions. Cupid's arrows are "mind altering" or "mind changing". Individuals falling under the emotional "spell" of Cupid's arrows often do not recover.

The horse of the first seal of The Revelation is a white horse. Bob Jones feels the white horse represents the spirit of sorcery.  The Greek name for drugs is pharmakia, pharmakus or pharmak from which we get the modern word pharmacist. It can also be translated as medication (pharmacy), magic, sorcery, witchcraft, a drug (spellgiving potion), a druggist or poisoner, a magician or sorcerer.

This horse began running some time in the 1960's with the advent of the full blown drug culture and all it's accruements such as music, witchcraft, "white witchcraft", magical and New Age religion and interest in magic, astrology, psychic phenomena, etc. The "arrows" go to the heart of the emotions to "hook" the user.

Drugs themselves have decimated countless lives, families and people's physical bodies, one individual at a time, resulting in untold hardship and deaths all over the earth. In fact, a whole cult of death and fascination with death and the occult has evolved around drugs and then spilled over into the rest of society in such areas as music, music videos, movies, "spirituality" and the like.  Demonic faces leer out of such things as posters, albums, CD covers, and TV programs. None of this is by accident.

As the first horse of the apocalypses is WHITE, so most of the major illegal mind and emotion bending drugs are also WHITE.

*Heroine, which forms a white or brown powder or black tar, in its pure form, is WHITE.

*Among cocaine's top slang words are coke, snow and white lady. Cocaine hydrochloride is a WHITE crystalline powder.

*Morphine, the derivative of opium from which heroine is derived, is a WHITE crystalline powder.

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*Ecstasy, a mood-altering drug, comes as a white tablet. In its pure form it is a WHITE crystalline powder.

*LSD in its purest form is a WHITE odorless powder.

*Methamphetamine hydrochloride is a CLEAR chunky crystal.

*One of the slang names for heroine is HORSE. This should be a MAJOR tip off for those who are truly paying attention to how God speaks through His Word and His creation to His children.

Not only has the bow of the first horseman shot out sorceries, magic (the occult), drugs and the cult of death, but the billions of illegal dollars paid into the trade and trafficking of drugs had funneled untold sums into the hands of drug lords, drug dealers and rogue governments around the globe. These criminals, big or small, are opposed to the purposes of God. Their modus operandi is violence, fear, terror and intimidation.

Rev. 9:20-21 specifically addresses the end time issue of people and their love of their sorceries (pharmakia).

Rev. 9:20-21   But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone and wood, which can neither see nor walk. And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts. (NKJ)

THE SECOND HORSE: (The Second Seal)

Rev. 6: 3-4   And when He broke the second seal, I heard the second living creature call out, Come! And another horse came out, flaming red. And its rider was empowered to take peace from the earth, so that men slaughtered one another; and he was given a huge sword. [AMP]

Red or reddish brown horses were numerous in the Near East during St. John's time. They were the horse of choice for armies and military campaigns, hence the association with wars and bloodshed.

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This horse is particularly easy to discern, once you become aware that the first horse has been unleashed and you should be looking and watching for something in the earth beyond the norm or the "normal".

The word peace in the original Hebrew [irn] can be translated as peace, quietness, or rest. A lack thereof could mean war between countries, but could also result from internal strife, civil war, riots, political massacres, mass liquidations, kidnappings, assassinations, dictatorial rule, terrorism or anything else which causes a lack of peace or quietness within the boundaries of a nation.

Since the beginning of the twentieth century, more people have been killed in wars and by political murders than in all the rest of history combined. Since the mid 1960's the total number of wars, strife, massacres and resulting deaths have been a massive unending stream. Blood has been poured out almost everywhere on earth. The "unrest" or lack of peace and rest is ongoing. One never knows where the next "hot spot" will explode.

Among (but not limited to) the long list of slaughters since the mid 1960's have been Viet Nam, Chile, Argentina, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, the Congo, Cambodia, Sudan, Uganda, Ethiopia, Somalia, East Timor, Afghanistan, Gulf War, Bosnia, Croatia, and Chechnya.

There is no particular reason that the first and second horse could not have begun running almost simultaneously. In fact, depending on the date you choose to use for the explosion of the drug culture, it appears that the second seal was broken and the second or red horse was unleashed almost immediately following the first one.

THE THIRD HORSE (The Third Seal)

Rev. 6:5   When He broke open the third seal, I heard the third living creature call out, Come and look! And I saw and behold, a black horse, and in his hand the rider had a pair of scales (a balance.) [AMP]

Black horses were considered to be a bad omen, symbolic of death, famine and destruction. When a soldier was killed in battle, his horse was saddled in black and led in the burial procession following the bier.

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Scales represent judgement or being weighed in the balance. There is an Old Testament precedent for the balance, which gives us absolutely crucial information for the end times scales of the Book of Revelation. It is found in the book of Daniel. This is the ONLY place in the Bible where the use of a balance is specifically described in relation to the judgement of a nation or a kingdom outside of Rev. 6:5.

The Babylonian king, King Belshazzar had taken the holy vessels from the temple in Jerusalem and used them for a drunken royal party in Babylon itself. This is the description of the judgement of the pair of scales.

Dan. 5:22-28, 31   And you his son, O Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, though you knew all these things;

    But have lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before you, and you and your princes, your wives and your concubines, have drunk wine out of them; and you have praised the gods of gold

and silver, of brass, iron, wood and stone, which neither see nor hear nor know; and the God in whose hands is your breath and all your ways, you have not glorified nor honored.

    Then the palm of the hand was sent from his presence; and this writing was written.

    And this is the writing that was written: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.

    This is the interpretation of the words: MENE, God has numbered your kingdom and brought it to an end.

    TEKEL, You are weighed in the balances and found wanting.

    PERES, Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.

..31 In that night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was slain.

There is another highly relevant Biblical reference to those who "lift themselves up." In this example, found in Ezekiel Cpt. 28, there are multiple layers of meaning. The one who lifts himself up is Satan. He is also called the king of Tyre. Tyre was the home of the Phoenicians. The Phoenicians were the richest people in the world at the time, due to their success and skill in international trade and merchandising.

The judgement of Eze. 28 was for lifting self up against or above God and for worshipping MAMMON. The passage specifically mentions MAMMON in terms of trade, riches, merchandising and trafficking.

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Eze. 28:1-19   The word of the Lord came to me saying, Son of man, say to the king of Tyre, Thus says the Lord God; Because your heart is lifted up and you have said I am a god, I sit in the seat of God, in the heart of the seas; and yet you are a man, and not God, thought you think of your heart as though it were the heart of God; Perhaps you are wiser than Daniel, or you have seen hidden things by your wisdom;

    With your understanding you have become powerful, and have gotten silver and gold into your treasuries; By your great wisdom and by your trade you have increased your riches, and your heart is lifted up because of your riches;

    Therefore thus says the Lord God; Because you think of your heart as though it were the heart of God; behold, therefore I will bring strangers upon you, the mightiest of the nations, and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom, and they shall defile your glory.  They shall bring you down to ruins, and you shall die the death of those who are slain in the midst of the seas.

    Perhaps you will still say before those who slay you, I am God. Yet you are but a man, and no God, in the hands of those who slay you. You shall die by the hands of uncircumcised strangers; for I have spoken it, says the Lord God.

    Moreover the word of the Lord came to me saying, Son of man, take up a lamentation over the king of Tyre, and say to him, thus says the Lord God; You were the seal of wisdom and the crown of beauty.

    You have been in Eden, the garden of God; you were decked with every precious stone, the sardis, the topaz and the emerald, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire and pearls; and you have filled your treasuries with gold and your chests with precious stones; you had all these things from the day you were created.

    You were with the anointed cherub that shelters; and I have set you on the holy mountain of God; and you were safe in the midst of the stones of fire. You were perfect in your ways, from the day you were created until iniquity was found in you.

    By the multitude of your merchandise you have filled your land with iniquity and you have sinned; therefore I will cast you from the mountain of God; and I will destroy you, O sheltering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Since your heart was lifted up because of your beauty, now your wisdom and your beauty are

corrupted; I will cast you to the ground before kings, that you may be a spectacle before them.

    By the multitude of your frauds, by the iniquity of your traffic, you have defiled your sanctuary; therefore I will bring a fire from the midst of you, and it shall devour you, and I will reduce you to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all those

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who see you.

    All those who know you among the people shall be astonished at you; you shall be brought to destruction, and you shall never be anymore.

The Hebrew word for astonished [shâmên] can mean to stun, grow numb, devastate or stupefy.

As both the king of Tyre and King Belshazzar were weighed and judged in the balance for their idolatry and worship of MAMMON ("the gods of gold, and silver, of brass, iron, wood and stone, which can neither see nor hear nor know" Dan. 6:23), so the end time Babylon of Revelation, (the great harlot who sits upon many waters Rev. 17:1b), is also judged for her adultery (idolatry) and her worship of MAMMON.

Rev. 17:1-2   Then came one of the seven angels which had the seven bowls and talked with me, saying, Come, I will show you the condemnation of the great harlot who sits upon many waters, with whom the kings of the earth have committed adultery, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her adultery.

Rev. 18: 3   Because all the nations have drunk of the wine of her wrath and the kings of the earth have committed adultery with her and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the power of her trade.

Rev. 18:9   And the kings of the earth who committed adultery and lived deliciously with her will weep and mourn and wail over her when they see the smoke of her burning.

Rev. 18:11   And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buys their merchandise any more.

Rev. 18:19   They threw dust on their heads and cried out, weeping and wailing, and saying, "Alas, alas, that great city, in which all who had ships on the sea became rich by her wealth! For in one hour she is made desolate.'

The harlot's "adultery" is because she says she worships the Most High God and belongs to God, but she worships MAMMON, instead,  -- money, material

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possessions and the many kinds of "things," "experiences" and power they can buy. Jesus warned in no uncertain terms that you can not give your allegiance to both God and mammon.

Luke 16:13-14   No servant can serve two masters; for he will either hate the one and like the other; or he will honor one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon (wealth). When the Pharisees heard all these things, because they loved money, they ridiculed him.

What are the "waters" upon which the end times harlot "sits"? Rev. 17:15 "Then he said to me, the waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues." In other words, her influence is massive, worldwide.

The harlot also sits on seven hills. Rev. 17:9  "Here is understanding for him who has wisdom: The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits."

For generations commentators have assumed and interpreted the seven hills to mean the Seven Hills of Rome, but the harlot is judged for her adultery and idolatry, her worship of MAMMON, her merchandising and her trade. (Rev. 18) She is called Babylon the Great (Rev. 17:5) She has "dominion over the kings of the earth." (Rev. 17:18)

Hills and mountains in the Bible are often used to describe nations or kingdoms. The seven "mountains" which rule the world of finance, merchandising and trade today are the G7 nations, NOT Rome.

"Since 1975, the leaders of the major industrial nations have been meeting annually to deal with the major economic and political issues facing their countries and the international community as a whole. The G7 members are Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United StatesThe G7/G8 Summit has consistently dealt with economic management, international trade, and relations with developing countries."  BBC News on line Oct. 12, 1998

God's judgement for "the king of Tyre" with Tyre's worship of trade, riches, merchandising and trafficking was burning by fire and reduction to ashes.

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Eze. 28:6-8   Therefore thus says the Lord God: Because you think of your heart as

thought it were the heart of god; behold, therefore I will bring strangers upon you, the mightiest of nations, and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom, and they shall defile your glory. They shall bring you down to ruin, and you shall die the death of those who are slain in the midst of the sea.

Eze. 28:18 By the multitude of your frauds, by the iniquity of your traffic, you have defiled your sanctuary; therefore I will bring forth a fire from the midst of you, and it shall devour you, and I will reduce you to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all those who see you.

The end time judgment for "BABYLON THE GREAT, MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH " (Rev. 17 5b]) is precisely the SAME JUDGEMENT for the worship of mammon as that of Tyre in the Old Testament.

Rev.18:17-18   And every shipmaster and all the travelers in ships and sailors and all those who labor at sea stood afar off, and cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like to this great city?

Rev. 18: 8-9   Therefore, her plagues shall come in one day, death and mourning and famine, and she shall be burned with fire; for mighty is the Lord God who judges her. And the kings of the earth who committed adultery and lived deliciously with her will weep and mourn and wail over her when they see the smoke of her burning.

Rev. 18: 18   And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying What city is like to this great city!

The original Babylon's judgement in the balance was by the Medes and the Persians.

Dan. 5:26b-28   MENE. God has numbered your kingdom and brought it to an end. TEKEL, You are weighed in the balances and found wanting. PEREZ, Your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians.

Who were the Medes and the Persians? The heart of their empire is today, modern Iraq and Iran. The capitol(s) of empire during the time of Darius I, whom God used to judge Babylon (Dan. 5) were Susa and Persepolis, both in modern day Iran.

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Darius' empire at one time encompassed the whole of the Middle East including portions of Egypt and Sudan, all of Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, the whole of the Arabian Peninsula, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India to the Indus River.

On Feb. 1, 1979 Ayatollah Khomeini seized power in Iran. It was from this radical root that modern day radical Islam has flowered, flowed and spread worldwide. Khomeini was an expert on Shari'a (Islamic law) and virulently anti-western. His revolution turned Iran into an Islamic Republic whose supreme law was and is the Koran (Quran). In 1979 he was elected TIME's Man of the year: the one who "has done the most to change the news, for better or for worse."

It is my contention that this seal was broken and the third or black horse was loosed on September 11, 2001 with the attacks on the World Trade Center. The world in general and America, in particular have taken a much too narrow view of what happened, thus blinding people to the crucial role of this event in the fulfillment of Bible prophecy.

Both the Old Testament Babylon and Tyre were judged for being "high and lifted up".  The twin towers of the World Trade Center were among the highest man

made structures in the world, towering over everything surrounding them. Moreover, they were among the tallest structures man has ever built. In the Old Testament altars or shrines to idols were always set in the "high places" as a statement of satanic control and worship.

+   Tyre was judged for its idolatry and the worship of trade and merchandising, instead of God. The two towers were not called the USA Trade Center (or USA anything). Instead they were called THE WORLD TRADE CENTER, in other words, "the center for WORLD trade." Their business was business, trade, merchandising, banking, brokerage firms and the like. The occupants were not just from the USA, but innumerable countries throughout the world, a "multitude" of peoples, nations and tongues.

+   The judgement against Tyre was by fire and ashes. The destruction of the World Trade Center was by fire and the buildings were reduced to rubble and ashes.

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+   In Tyre the fire came from within. Eze. 28:18:a   By the multitude of your frauds, by the iniquity of your traffic, you have defiled your sanctuary; therefore I will bring forth a fire from the midst of you. On Sept. 11, all of the planes used in the attacks were filled to capacity with jet fuel from flights originating within the borders of the contiguous USA.

+   In the scales or balance of Daniel 6, the judgement would come from the hands of the Medes and the Persians. In the World Trade Center attacks, the source was precisely the same.

The original base of modern fanatic Islam came from Iran. The "fires of hatred" have been fanned by Sadaam Huessin of Iraq, a key player and close personal supporter of Osama Ben Laudin, who operated out of Afghanistan.  The majority of the perpetrators came from countries originally in the Media/Persian Empire such as Egypt, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia.

THE WEIGHING IN THE BALANCE OF THE THIRD SEAL WAS NOT JUST FOR THE USA, BUT FOR THE WHOLE OF WORLD TRADE AND ITS WORSHIP OF MAMMON: MONEY, TRADE, TRAFFICING, MERCHANDISING AND THE ADULTRY, WHOREDOMS, AND INIQUITY THIS WORSHIP HAS GENERATED.

+   The third seal is against the world economic system, but it is also against a "city". There is no other city in the late twentieth century that has so powerfully dominated world trade, financial and capital markets as New York City.

+   Finally, the timing or date of the September attack provides another critical piece in the puzzle. Because of the early division in the church between the Jewish and gentile believers in Yeshua (Jesus), much understanding of the ancient Jewish traditions and scriptural interpretation was lost. [See Michael L. Brown: Our Hands Are Stained With Blood.] This loss of continuity and understanding has become a stumbling block in trying to decipher the book of Revelation as well as many other prophesies and scriptures. It is a breach that needs to be healed.

The day of the deadly attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 was during the Jewish month of Teshuvah. Teshuvah is the month preceding the High Holy Days, the holiest days of the Jewish calendar year. The month of Teshuvah is a thirty day period when the people of God are supposed to search their hearts daily and REPENT of every

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ungodly thing that needs to be repented of, so that the people may RETURN to God with their whole hearts. The attack came during this specific period when God calls HIS people to REPENT. REPENTANCE DID NOT OCCUR. Instead there were mourning, condolences, flag waving and cries of "God Bless America."

In addition, Sept. 11 was also eight days before the beginning of the Feast of Trumpets. In the Jewish tradition, the number eight signifies the passing away of the old and the beginning of the new. The Feast or Festival beginning on the eighth day following Sept. 11 was Rosh HaShana  The Feast of Trumpets, the Days of Awe or the Awesome days. The eighth day following September 11  the day of new beginnings  is also known by the following additional names:

1.Rosh HaShana (Head of the Year, Birthday of the World)

2.Yom Heruah (The Day of the Awakening Blast, The Feast of Trumpets)

3.Yom Hadin (The Day of Judgement)

4.The Time of Jacob's (Ya'akov) Trouble or the birth pangs of the Messiah

"Every month in the Jewish calendar has its sign in the Zodiac (in Hebrew, Mazel.) The sign of the Zodiac for Tishri is SCALES. This is symbolic of The Day of Judgement." (pg. 106).*

The first day of the month of Tishri, 2001 began with Rosh HaShana, precisely eight days after the attacks took place. What was the sound of "The Trumpet" or "The Awakening Blast" sounded on the eighth day following 9-11-2001?

Joel 2:1-6    Blow the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain; let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; for the day of the Lord is come; and a day of darkness and gloom is near, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, like the morning spread upon the mountains; it shall come upon a great and strong people; there has not been ever the like from of old, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations.

    A fire devours before them; and behind them a flame burns; the land is as the Garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; and nothing shall escape them.  The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and like horsemen so they run;

    Like the sound of chariots that rumble on the tops of mountains, like the noise of a flame of fire that devours the stubble, like a mighty people arrayed for war.

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Before their presence the people shall tremble; all faces shall be dismayed and confounded.

Joel 2:11-14   The Lord has shouted before his army; for his host is very great; mighty is the work executed by his word; for the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; who can endure it?

    Therefore now, says the Lord, return to me with all your heart, and with fasting and with weeping and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments, and turn to the Lord your God; for he is gracious and merciful, patient and of great kindness, and he averts disaster.

Zeph. 1:14-18 + 2:1-3   The great day of the Lord is near, it is very near, and hastens fast; even the voice of the day of the Lord; yea, it is bitter, harsh and severe.

    That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of confusion and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness.

A day of the trumpet and shouting against the fenced cities and against the high towers.

    And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the Lord; and their blood shall be poured out like dust, and their flesh like dung.

    Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord's wrath; but the whole land shall be consumed in the fire of his indignation; for he shall make a speedy destruction against all the inhabitants of the earth.

    (2:1-3)   Gather yourselves, bind yourselves together, O people without discipline; before you become like the chaff which is driven away, before the fierce anger of the Lord comes upon you, before the day of the Lord's anger reaches you.

    Seek the Lord, all you meek of the earth, execute justice; seek righteousness and meekness; perhaps you may find refuge in the day of the Lord's anger.

Matt. 24:21-22   For then there will be great suffering such as has never happened from the beginning of the world until now, and never will be again. And if those days were not shortened, no flesh would live; but for the sake of the chosen ones those days will be shortened.

Sept. 11 was no random or accidental date. The Most High God has spoken loudly and clearly in accordance with His Word and the festivals He established. 1 Cor.

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14:8   For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who will prepare himself for the battle?

As the first and second horses of the apocalypses are still running, the prophecies of Rev. 17 and 18 have just begun to unfold. Thus the judgements against latter day Babylon can be expected to continue to unfold, until all is fulfilled.

Rev.18:11   And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buys their merchandise any more.

Rev.18:8   Therefore, her plagues shall come in one day, death and mourning and famine, and she will be burned with fire; for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.

Rev.18:18-19   And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like to this great city! And they threw dust on their heads and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Woe, woe, that great city, where all who had ships on the sea were made rich by reason of her preciousness! For in one hour she is destroyed.

Note also that the scales warning or judgement is not just against a city, but that it is the worship of MAMMON and world trade that are being judged. Satan is the king of mammon. It is not possible to be a servant of both God and mammon. (Luke 16:13-14) Nor is New York City an anomaly. It is a microcosm of the thinking of the whole of the USA. The US has committed spiritual adultery of the worst sort, claiming to love and serve God, but worshipping trade, riches, and merchandising instead. She "sits as a queen" "living deliciously" (Rev. 18:7) and has enticed "the kings of the earth" to join with her in her worship. (Rev. 17:2)

As noted, the apocalyptic attacks of 9-11-2001 did not bring repentance, so eight days later the passing away of the old and beginning of the new: Yom Hadin, The Day of Judgement, was ushered in or commenced. Expect the whole of the USA, (not just New York City) to be put on the balance and judged with the same manner of judgement as Yom Hadin unfolds. (Rev. 17-18) Nor will the rest of the world be exempt from The Day of Judgement. (Isa. 24:1-23)

Isa. 24:1-7   Behold, the Lord shall destroy the earth and lay it waste and turn it upside down and scatter its inhabitants.

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    And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the servant, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the creditor, so with the debtor.

    The land shall be utterly destroyed and utterly spoiled; for the Lord has spoken this word. The earth howls and sits in mourning, the world wails and sits in mourning, the haughty people of the earth lament. The earth is also defiled** like its inhabitants, because they have transgressed the law, changed the ordinance, and nullified the everlasting covenant.

    Therefore the earth shall sit in mourning, and all its inhabitants shall be condemned; therefore all the inhabitants of the earth shall be destroyed, and a few men shall be left.

Finally, with the breaking of the third seal, the way is now open for the fourth seal to be broken and the fourth horse to be released.

INTERIM BETWEEN THIRD AND FOURTH HORSE

Rev.6:6   And I heard what seemed to be a voice from the midst of the four living

creatures, saying, A quart of wheat for a denarius [a whole day's wages], and

three quarts of barley for a denarius; but do not harm the oil and the wine. [AMP]

A. "A quart of wheat for a denarius [a whole day's wages]. And three quarts of barley for a denarius."

A quart of wheat is approximately two pounds worth or four cups. Three quarts of barley are approximately six pounds or twelve cups. There are two possible primary causes for such a devastating explosion in the price of food: 1. Hyperinflation and/or 2. A radical reduction in the food supply. Historically, Germany experienced such hyperinflation following World War I. At that time a single loaf of bread cost the equivalent of a wheelbarrow of money.

There is no way of telling precisely what effects will ripple financially around the globe from the World Trade Center attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. There is no way of knowing at what point the world financial system might collapse. The best that can be said at present is that generally the world monetary system is extremely weak and shaky. Depression or a financial meltdown (not just a recession) could be near at hand.

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It is harder to imagine a radical reduction in world food supply, but many possibilities present themselves. Weather conditions have been bazaar in many

countries.  In the world right now, in a number of regions, either drought or widespread food shortages (or both) are occurring. Among areas gripped in drought are portions of the USA, Central America, North Korea, Sudan, Afghanistan, portions of Iraq, Pakistan, NW India, Ceylon, NE China and a number of countries in Africa.

Widespread floods, hurricanes and typhoons, fires, insect plagues and plant diseases are other possibilities, which could cause crops to fail. Destruction of crops or irrigation systems, fertilizer production plants, transportation and distribution systems or other manufacturing and storage facilities, all of these are also possibilities, as could financial collapse resulting in farmers having no money available to farm.

Before Sept. 11, 2001 who ever would have thought that someone might think to blow up dams or granaries, poison water supplies or infect whole herds of farm

animals with contagious or fatal diseases? Now, all of these things are seen as possible. As an example of what could happen, a severe foot and mouth disease

outbreak in the United Kingdom in 2001 caused the government to consider destroying ALL of Britain's sheep. Then of course, there is also Mad Cow Disease. No one knows where it has spread in the world.

Whatever the case, through natural means, unnatural means, war, terrorist attack or economic collapse, it would appear that the price of whatever food is available could soon to go right through the roof. It already IS through the roof in many impoverished countries, unavailable or too costly for the populations to afford.

B. Rev. 6:6b   But do not harm the oil and the wine. (AMP)

While the situation in the natural world is going to become very bad and all that man has counted on to sustain him will be unraveling at an alarming rate, something very amazing is going to happen. The bride of the Messiah is going to arise in majesty and splendor.

Isa.60:1-3   Arise; shine; for your light is come, and the glory of the Lord shall be upon you. Behold, darkness will cover the earth, and thick darkness the nations;

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but the Lord shall shine upon you, and his glory shall be seen upon you. And the Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your shining.

During the breaking of the seals, there is something that is absolutely not to be shaken, harmed or touched: the oil and the wine. The oil is symbolic of the anointing.

Ps. 133:1-3   Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment poured on the head, that ran down on the beard, even the beard of Aaron [the first high priest], that came down

upon the collar and skirts of his garments [consecrating the whole body]. It is like the dew of [lofty] Mount Hermon and the dew that comes on the hills of Zion; for there the Lord has commanded the blessing, even life forevermore [upon the high

and the lowly]. [AMP]

The wine speaks of the infilling of the Holy Spirit.

Eph. 5:18   Do not get drunk of wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead be filled

with the Spirit. (NIV)

When Jesus walked the earth He promised that his chosen would do even greater works than He did.

John 14:12   Truly, truly I say to you, He who believes in me shall do the works which I do; and even greater than these things he shall do, because I am going to my Father.

The oil and wine must be poured out in full measure for this prophecy to be brought to its fullness. It is during this time frame (after the breaking of the third seal) that this outpouring will occur.

The anointing oil was set aside for the prophet, priest and king. The precious oil or ointment that ran down upon the collar and skirts of Aaron, the first high priest, consecrated his whole body. He was totally set apart for the Lord's service. It is about to happen again, only on a much larger scale.

It is also in being filled and completely saturated with the wine of the Holy Spirit that the "greater works" will occur. Among the manifestations will be prophesying,

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physical healings, miracles, raising the dead and speaking with great power and authority, so that chains of all sorts drop off people in captivity and bondage to the devil. These and much more than we can even contemplate will occur when this outpouring happens, and it will, SOON.

Christ's true body will function as the selfless unity which Jesus prayer for in John 17:11: Hereafter I am not in the world, but these are in the world; and I am coming to thee. O holy Father, protect them in thy name, which thou hast given me, that they may be one, even as we are.

The result will be that many in the world will come to know and believe that Jesus is who He said He was and that He was truly sent by the Father. (John 17:15-23). Many, even kings, will come to the brightness of this shining and they will be saved.

The anointing breaks the yoke. (Isa. 11:27) It is because of this breaking off or away that God's people be willing to follow wherever He leads and do great exploits during Yom Hadin, the day of His power and wrath.

Ps. 110:1-7   The Lord (God) says to my Lord (the Messiah), Sit at my right hand, until I make Your adversaries Your footstool. The Lord will send forth from Zion the scepter of Your strength. Rule, then in the midst of Your foes.

    Your people will offer themselves willingly in the day of Your power, in the beauty of holiness and in holy array out of the womb of the morning; to You [will spring forth] Your young men, who are as the dew.

    The Lord has sworn and will not revoke or change it; You are a priest forever, after the manner and order of Melchizedek.

     The Lord at your right hand will shatter kings in the day of His indignation. He will execute judgement [in overwhelming punishment] upon the nations; He will fill the valleys with the dead bodies. He will crush the [chief] heads over lands many and far extended. He will drink of the brook by the way; therefore he will lift up His head [triumphantly.] [AMP]

Mal. 4:1-3   For behold the days are coming when my anger shall burn as an oven; and all the wicked and all who do iniquity shall be stubble; and the day that comes shall burn them up, says the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.

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    But for you who revere my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing upon his lips; and you shall go forth and leap for joy like the calves of the herd. And you shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, says the Lord of hosts.

It is the pouring out of the oil and wine (which are not to be harmed) which will bring the body into unity, and provide the willingness to go forth as mighty witnesses. Power will be given to overcome in a mighty way. It will be the true end times battle of the light against the darkness.

THE FOURTH HORSE (The Fourth Seal)

Rev. 6:7-8   When the Lamb broke open the fourth seal, I heard the fourth living creature call out, Come! So I looked, and behold, an ashy pale horse [black and blue as if made so by bruising], and its rider's name was Death, and Hades (the realm of the dead) followed him closely. And they were given authority and power over a forth part of the earth to kill with the sword and with famine and with plague (pestilence, disease) and with wild beasts of the earth. [AMP]

The fourth horse was pale and sickly, signifying illness or sickness, famished or weak from lack of food, in want or not being healthy and well. Famine, plague, pestilence, murder, wars and death are all released when the fourth seal is broken. Many of these are "judgements" man will commit or bring upon himself by his own wickedness and rebellion against God.

Many deadly plagues and pestilences associated with animals are here now. Others could be released by men at any time as biological agents.  Among these are:

+ Hanta virus  carried by rats, squirrels and other rodents

+ West Nile virus  spread by birds

+ salmonella and e-coli  food borne

+ rabies  many potential animal carriers

+ assorted deadly flu's  carried especially by swine or poultry

+ anthrax  originally from sheep

+ ebola  from green monkeys (?)

+ bubonic plague  fleas from rats

+ small pox  originally from cows

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+ Crimean Congo hemorrhage fever  a virus carried by sheep, cattle and other mammals

+ mad cow disease  originally appeared as scabies among sheep; now affecting many species of farm and wild animals including deer, elk and squirrels [See Mad Cow USA. Sheldon Rampton & John Stauber: Common Courage Press; Monroe, ME.]

As to killing by wild animals themselves, when people flee cities to the countryside, they are more susceptible to killing by wild animals, vermin and deadly snakes. In II Kings 17:25 one of the killers, as people fled during war was lions. As paraphrased, the following story was reported in BBC Online Nov. 30, 2001.

Asia's Vultures Face Growing Threat

Two vulture species in India, the white backed and long billed are facing possible extinction. Their numbers have dropped by approximately 90% in the last ten years. The cause of the decline is unknown, but is suspected to be a contagious deadly virus.

The problem has started spreading to Eurasian griffons located in Pakistan and Nepal. Reports of the disease are now coming from as far away as Saudi Arabia. The Gyps genus (vultures) is also found in Southern Europe and throughout Africa.

The vultures are the primary carrion eaters in India. Without the vultures, in one southern India dump alone, the number of feral dogs has jumped from 70-100 to over 1,200. The dogs can carry rabies. They are also a great threat to both domesticated and wild animals and people.  There are already reports of these dogs killing Indian children.

There are concerns that death of vultures in Africa could result in huge outbreaks of hyenas and jackals, animals that also run in packs and are vicious killers.

THE FIFTH SEAL

Rev. 6:9-11   When the Lamb broke open the fifth seal, I saw at the foot of the altar the souls of those whose lives had been sacrificed for [adhering to] the Word of God and for the testimony they had borne. They cried out in a loud voice, O

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[Sovereign Lord], holy and true, how long now before You will sit in judgement and avenge our blood upon those who dwell on the earth?

    Then they were each given a long and flowing and festive white robe and told to rest and wait patiently a little while longer, until the number should be complete of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed as they themselves had been. [AMP]

A further passage talks about the servants under the altar in heaven who had been beheaded. (Rev. 20:4)  This could speak of all the martyrs who have been slain down through the centuries for their testimony of Jesus. It also speaks of tribulation for Christians in the end times as the spirit of lawlessness increases and the anti-christ arises to power to make war with the saints.

Beheading is part of the Shari'a law of Islam and Christians have been beheaded recently in Sudan, Indonesia and the Philippines, among other countries. Rumors of "guillotines hidden away by governments" also abound.

Whatever the case, as the "Time of Jacob's Trouble"  or the "Birth pangs of the Messiah" intensify, things will become increasingly intense and chaotic, with only spasmodic or intermittent phases of "back to normal." It is not a time to look to man for solutions or even to count on the things of man to continue.

It is a time to "look up" and be found under the shelter of the Almighty's wings. (Ps. 91) There will be no safety in the things of man, because God is in the process of birthing and establishing HIS Kingdom. That which is not of Him will be destroyed or blown away as the chaff on the wind.

*****

*From The Seven Festivals of the Messiah. Edward Chumney. Destiny Pub. 1994; Shippensburg, PA.

**Defiled: [chânêph]  to soil, espec. in a moral sense: - corrupt. Defile, x greatly, pollute, profane

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