by Summer Lee
I paused and looked up. She nodded her approval as she watched me closely. She said, “Judah was the focus of attention in much of the Old Testament, because Jesus Christ would come from the tribe of Judah. This was something only God knew for certain. But the prophets had been given plenty of clues.”
“So, that was even about Jesus, wasn’t it?”
She nodded. “Judah had to be purified.”
“I see,” I said and then continued reading: “God elected Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to be patriarchs of the Israeli people. After being slaves for 400 years in Egypt, God chose Moses to bring the people out of bondage and into the desert for boot camp. Joshua took them into the Promised Land, forty years later. They became two nations after Saul, David and Solomon reigned. Northern Israel worshiped handmade gods, so God let the Assyrians remove them from the land. God then focused on Judah. They, too, sinned. After purging his people from sin in Babylon, God let Judah return to their land. Centuries went by as Persia and Greece controlled the area. And then, it was under Roman control. Even though Rome ruled, the Jews stayed there until after Christ was born.”
“That sounds good,” she said.
I smiled and said, “Jesus had to be born in Bethlehem and grow up in Nazareth.”
“How do you know?”
“The Bible says so.” I laughed. “I’ve learned that in my past studies.”
“I will accept that.”
“So, you think I’m doing okay?” I asked.
“Yes, Martha. I do.” She clasped my hands in hers. “Will you excuse me for a time? I need to get some writing in myself.”
“Of course.”
***
It was days before I saw Walker again.
When he finally returned, I told him, “I’ve been reading Daniel. I learned about the Day of the Lord. According to Daniel 9:26, the time of Jacob’s trouble begins when the Antichrist confirms a seven-year treaty with Israel. It will be the last week of Daniel’s seventy weeks. He called it The Day of the Lord.” I looked up. “It will be a week of years, not a week of days.”
“Right. You’ve done well. But your assignment is about the horses in Revelation, so complete that before you begin something else,” said Walker, as he unconsciously tapped the table with his fingers, as he had done before.
“I know I am learning a lot very fast.”
As if he was ignoring me, he said, “One way or another, it all ties together.”
I studied his face. “Were you the angel in the book of Zechariah?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Just curious.”
“Do you really need to know?” he asked.
“Not really. But sometimes, you look like an angel and sometimes, you look like a man. If I understand correctly,” I said, getting excited, “he could be you.”
He just smiled. “Is that so important, Martha, that you solve things not related to your assignment?”
“Not really.” I tightened my lips.
“The vision was given when the seventy years of exile had ended for Judah.” He sighed, showing a lot of emotion. “The Jews lived in Judah until 70 A.D., and then they were scattered to foreign lands.”
“That was sad.”
Walker shook his head. “They were such a stubborn lot. Not accepting their Messiah has brought them through much trouble.”
“It is true, is it not, that after the Israelis in the north were run out of their land, they were never in control of their own land again until 1948?”
“That is true.”
“And Jerusalem did not belong to the Jews again, after being taken captive to Babylon, until 1967.”
“That is also true.” He stroked his beard. “That is your proof that the end is near. Jesus said that the generation born when Israel became a nation again would not pass away until all about them would be fulfilled.”
“That is a little frightening.” I frowned. “It could at happen any time now!”
“Don’t be afraid.”
“So, who will be in control during the seven-year tribulation at the end of this age?”
“Do your research,” said the angel and walked over to the window, sat on the ledge, turned and stared at me. He seemed to be looking through me.
“I’ve tried. The best I can tell,” I said, “the European Union will control Israel.” I sighed. “Right?”
“And what about the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse? Where do you have them fitting into the picture?”
“I’m thinking that about a gate opening for them to let them out of heaven.” I thought for a minute. “This is easy to picture for someone who has gone to a rodeo where a horse stands behind the gate, waiting impatiently for it to open. When the gate flies open, the horse races out into the ring.”
Walker agreed. “This is especially true of high-spirited horses. The horses in Zechariah are similar to the ones in Revelation.”
I said, “Or they may even be the same ones.”
“The horses in Revelation have an assignment to accomplish.” He reminded me. “The time is near. People must be told.”
“I realize that. I sense the horses are determined to accomplish their mission soon. I’m convinced that the first seal represents governments in the West. So, what is next?”
“The next seal that will be opened will show suffering.”
“It appears that the horses in the Old Testament were on their disciplinary mission while King Nebuchadnezzar was holding Judah in captivity in Babylon. In Zechariah 1:8, the horsemen have just completed a mission. It was at a time when the seventy years of captivity had come to an end. The remnant had gone back to Jerusalem. The assignment for the horses had just ended, and all was well,” I said.
“Once again, there was a period of peace in Judah.” Walker’s face seemed to glow as he spoke.
“Once again?” I questioned.
“As they had been peaceful under David,” said Walker.
“Interesting.”
“Listen,” said Walker. “The prophet Zechariah had said, ‘During the night I had a vision, and there before me was a man mounted on a red horse. He was standing among the myrtle trees in a ravine. Behind him were red, brown and white horses.
“When the angel of the Lord heard that the city of Jerusalem was at peace, he prayed, ‘Oh Lord Almighty, for seventy years now you have been angry with Jerusalem and the towns of Judah. How long will it be until you again show mercy to them?’”
“I believe that you know the answer, because you were that angel,” I said.
“Martha,” he said firmly. “Does it really matter so much who the angel was?”
“Not really.” I frowned. “Explain what that is about. I need to know if it is connected to Revelation. I need to know where to start.”
“Perhaps you could consider the myrtle trees.”
“Give me a minute to look it up.” I excused myself while I opened my laptop. I read that myrtle trees were bright red, disease-resistant, crepe trees that bloomed from spring to fall. I looked up and told Walker about it.
His response was, “Hold that thought for a while, so you can see the spiritual aspects.”
“All right.” Up to that moment, I had focused on the horse’s colors and missions of the men on Heaven’s Horses. Now, I wondered why the prophet had a night vision of a red horse standing among the myrtle trees in a small valley, with a man on his back.
“Both horse and tree were red,” I said. “The shed blood of Jesus was red.” I put my finger to my chin and closed my eyes. After thinking a while, I spoke: “I do need to see what students of the Bible think.”
“Do that,” he said. “They may not agree with each other. Holy Writ covers so much in such few words.”
“I’ll check.” I opened my documents folder to where I was writing about the seals being opened. I read it aloud to him to get his opinion.
“That is good. Take your time on this one,” he said, placing his hand on my shoulder. Stepping up on the ledge of the
windowsill, he said, “I am leaving now, so you can concentrate on your research. You must study and you must write. I seem to be a distraction.”
I was disappointed that he was leaving. “When will you return?”
“Tomorrow.” He then flew away. He had disappeared again. My guess was that I would not see him for a period of time. But I could have been wrong. Angels didn’t lie.
I wrote, “I need to know when the horses will arrive on earth, but I prefer to keep this inquiry simple. Before guessing where these horses are coming from and just when in the future they are going to appear, I will continue to look back into the Old Testament as to when other horses were mentioned in the Bible. I found them in the first and sixth chapters of Zechariah. Since they are similar in both Zechariah and Revelation, we will refer to the book written by Zechariah as well as the one by John.”
On my laptop, I searched for the horse under the myrtle tree. The commentary I found stated that the man was the Son of God who would come into the world to die for sin. The myrtle trees were symbols of Jerusalem. The trees grow freely there, and were representational of the process the Lord working in the hearts of the Jews. They would bloom before the Lord forever.
I wrote: “The Four Horsemen in Revelation are important to the Great Tribulation. In Zechariah, the four spirits of heaven stand before the Lord of all the earth. They had been in the presence of the Lord and then went out to do the Lord’s work. For this reason, they warrant our attention as well.
“I think they could easily be the same horses. They will have a similar assignment at the end of time as they had when the Jews were taken into exile in Babylon.
“The Book of Zechariah is the apocalypse of the Old Testament, just as Revelation is the apocalypse of the New Testament. They both show how things wind down toward an end of a dispensation. They both have prophecies about the Messiah, Jesus the Son of God. They possibly introduced the ‘times of the gentiles,’ and will be there when the ‘times of the gentiles’ will be fulfilled.”
I thought for a minute and then wrote:
“Horses appear twice in Zechariah. One set is relaxing after finding the world at peace. The others are restless to get going patrolling the earth again. Revelation is different. They know their mission, and move out when instructed to do so.”
I closed my eyes at this time and listened for them. I could hear them racing onto the world scene.
Galloping, galloping, galloping.
Chapter Seventeen
“The Apostle John was the last disciple alive,” said the angel while we were sipping coffee in my garden the next morning. “The others had all been martyred by the time Revelation was written. However, as an old man, John stayed faithful to the Lord. As we said earlier, he had students that he taught, because they had to be leaders after he was gone.”
“Students?”
“John wrote to his pupils. ‘Dear children, the last hour is here. You have heard that the Antichrist is coming, and already such antichrists have appeared.’”
“Where did he write that?”
“It’s in a letter in I John 2:18. Remember, Polycarp was a pupil.”
“Oh, yes.”
“This gives us a picture of how it has been for the last 2,000 years. One could say there have been many antichrists. But they are small potatoes compared to the Beast that is coming at the end of this age,” said Walker.
“I believe that he is from the European Union, so that is what I write.”
“With the second seal broken, John heard the second living creature call out to a rider empowered to take the peace from the earth,” said Walker. “Men slaughtered one another; because he was given a huge sword.”
“A sword. That is a symbol of war.”
Whenever I was with Walker, I kept my Bible with me. That was my sword. I opened my Bible and read, “When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, ‘Come!’ Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make men slay each other. To him was given a large sword.’ That is in Revelation 6.”
“The horsemen will be outside the visual awareness of humans,” Walker said.
“All right.” I was puzzled. “If the riders in Revelation compare to the ones in Zechariah, then this would be the attitude of those ruling in the east. Am I right?”
“It does appear that way.”
“I’ve checked on how China has advanced in history. At this time, China does not seem to match the actions of the red horse.”
“What do you think?” Walker asked.
“First, peace is offered by a powerful leader from the west, but war breaks out instead.”
“That is because no human can do what only God can do.”
“I can see that.” I thought of the Muslim nations. “That is how it is in the Middle East right now.”
“It is not only there that men hate each other.”
That made sense to me.
“The black horse brings death. The last one will be a greenish-gray with black splotches, as if made so by bruising.” Walker continued, “The name of the rider on that horse will be Death and Hades. It will represent the realm of the dead.”
“So, a lot of people will die.”
“Yes,” he said. “Death and Hades follow the green horse closely, as they wait for the unbelievers.””
“People will die and go to hell?”
“Yes,” said Walker. “But first, there will be a frightening tribulation.”
“The horses bring it on.”
“And the wild animals.” He looked at me. “Did you learn anything about the lion and the tiger?”
“Yes. I think the tiger represents both Singapore and Finland.”
He smiled. “As well as North Korea and South Korea. You must tell people to watch out for Kim Jong-un, North Korea’s young leader.”
“I did hear that he plans to nuke South Korea.”
“Thermonuclear war is imminent. It will begin between North Korea and South Korea.”
“The Bible says the horseman will be given authority and power over a fourth part of the Earth to kill with the sword and with famine and with plague, pestilence, disease and with wild beasts.” I felt desperate to know answers. “That can’t mean nuclear war.”
“The description has to fit the times,” he said. “There was a similar incident in II Kings 6:25 where a siege lasted so long that food was overpriced to the public. Evil men terrorized them there as well.”
“How soon will we feel this coming one?” I felt stunned. I could not help but wonder about the killings and plagues in the world today. “Is it possible that the tribulation has already begun?” I asked.
“It is the beginning of sorrows,” he said. “The Lord will show you.”
“The Bible speaks about the elect. Who are they? Are they the redeemed of Israel? Or are they the church?”
“Both. It will be clear to you when it is time.” Walker sat down. “God separates to himself those whom are chosen.”
“Will unsaved Jews accept the Lord in the tribulation?”
“Some will. But they will die for their faith.”
“I don’t understand why it has to be that way.” I felt extreme panic.
“It all depends on people’s attitude toward God’s son.” Walker saw my fear was genuine and comforted me. “They must believe in Jesus in order to live with him.”
“I do.”
“I know.”
“I’ll tell you what I think,” I said. “Even if the rapture has already taken place before the horses ride forth, some people may wake up in shock and accept the fact that Jesus is the promised Messiah, especially if they have contact with the chosen 144,000 Israelis. So, they could be included in those being put to death in the tribulation.”
“True.”
“Although I have a hard time thinking about that,” I said. “I know I must complete my assignment and please God.”
“And
you will.”
“I know God doesn’t condemn me,” I said. “The Bible says, ‘God justifies us, who is it that condemns us?”
“Jesus did not come to condemn, but to save people.”
“I know God is good,” I agreed.
Walker nodded and listened. “He is.”
“Jesus died and was raised to life again. He is at this time at the right hand of God the Father, interceding for us.” I felt the presence of God within my heart and knew I was speaking the truth.
“You are so right,” he said. “Those are powerful words about the force Jesus has in the world today.”
“The Apostle Paul declared that if God is for us, no one can stand against us. God did not spare his own Son, but asked him to die for us. Besides giving us Jesus, he said he would give us all things.” I sighed. “Right?”
“Yes. You are wise,” the angel said. “However, the lack of freedom will cause people to slay each other,” said the angel.
I sighed. So much killing! “They are afraid,” I said.
“You are right. They will do it out of fear.”
“I’ve been studying as you told me to do. Now, I am frightened that I can’t fulfill my mission.”
“If you are to have joy, you need to believe that God will take care of his chosen ones. Look up Romans 8:28 to 30 and read it.”
“Aloud?”
“Sure. Why not?”
I did as I was told. I read, “The Apostle Paul wrote, ‘In all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified,’ Romans 8:28-30.”
Walker said nothing. He just glowed with joy.
I said, “The cross of Jesus and the cross alone breaks the sin cycle.”
The angel nodded. “The coming tribulation is not to punish believers, but non-believers. John the apostle heard about it from a voice of heaven that told him, “Every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, says, ‘To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!’”
