The Revelation of Jesus Christ - The Herald

defensive armor, giving boldness and courage to those who use them. We are familiar
with this symbol when it is applied to a Christian. In this Scripture, however, it is not used
with reference to a Christian. The breastplate of a warrior is also a means of striking terror
and astonishment to the enemy. The red, blue, and yellow are designed to denote the
terror of their appearance when marching to war.
The horses are represented as having heads as, or similar to, the heads of lions. A lion
when employed in the Scriptures as a symbol is used variously. The lion has many special
distinguishing qualities, as courage and victory over his antagonist. In the lion also resides
fierceness and rapacity. In this latter sense the lion is used as a symbol of Satan. (1 Pet. 5:8.)
Sometimes it is applied to a wicked rapacious king. It is so used by St. Paul: "I was
delivered out of the mouth of the lion," evidently referring to the wicked emperor, Nero. A
lion in general is the symbol of a king. The Musselmans call Ali, Mohaynmed's son-in-law,
"the lion of God, always victorious." One has said "to have the head of a lion portends
obtaining victory." Christ is called the "Lion of the tribe of Judah" because of His kingly
qualities, etc. The use of it as applied to these symbolic horsemen is evidently that their
appearance was such as to strike terror; they were fierce and rapacious, and always
victorious.
It is said that out of their mouths issued fire, smoke, and sulfur (brimstone). As fire,
smoke, and sulfur are destructive agencies, this would denote that they were to be terrific,
irresistible, and most destructive assailants. These symbolic horses are represented as
having tails like serpents, with heads, with which they injured. In this particular they
resemble the locusts of the fifth trumpet. The only difference being that the different tails
are adapted to the different creatures--the tails of scorpions to the locusts, the tails of
serpents with heads to the horses. The significance, however, is the same. These Turkish
religious warriors drew after them the same poisonous train as the Saracens; that is, they
professed and propagated the same false doctrines, etc. They hurt, not only by their
conquests as warriors, but also by the spread of their false religion; and it was true that
wherever they established their rule, there also they established their false religion. Gibbon
has recorded that the professed Christians were not allowed to exercise their religion
except on conditions of tribute and servitude; but even under these conditions they were
compelled to endure the scorn and ridicule of the victors, and to submit to having their
bishops and priests abused and humiliated, as well as to witness the apostasy of their
brethren, the compulsory circumcision of many thousands of their children, and the
subjection of many more thousands to a debasing and hopeless slavery. The symbols
require and meet their fulfillment in these Euphratean horsemen, in that death or torture
always accompanied them in their conquests.
The description further is that the four angels were unbound who had been prepared for
the hour, and day, and month, and year. One has said, that this statement is usually
regarded as denoting the period during which they were to exercise their office as
slaughterers of the idolatrous. This does not, however, seem to be the import of the
language. It seems rather to teach that they, these armies, were prepared and made ready
to execute the command at any time--any day, hour, month, or year that God would