The Sound Of Revelation's Approaching Hoofbeats

Those of us eagerly awaiting Jesus' appearing did not expect to see so many signs of the coming kingdom of the antichrist before going home to be with our Savior. We never anticipated seeing so much vile wickedness and demonic deception before the Rapture.

For that matter, I assumed that the Lord would severely judge America long before now.

"With such failed expectations," one might ask, "why do I believe Jesus will soon appear to take us home? Why do I remain convinced that we live in the season of His return for His church?"

It's because the world is so very close to the fulfillment of Revelation 6:1-8, and Scripture assures us that we will be with Jesus in heaven before these riders begin their deadly trek across planet earth. 

Can you guess who wrote the following?

"I have heard the distant sound of hoofbeats. I have seen the evil riders on the horizons of our lives. I am still an evangelist whose one goal is to proclaim new life in Christ, but there is serious trouble ahead for our world, for all of us who live in it, and in the four horsemen of the Apocalypse there is both a warning and wisdom for those troubled days ahead."

If these things were true back in 1983 when Billy Graham penned these words, how much more so today? How near must we be to Jesus' appearing?

What sounds do we here today that point to the nearness of the Lord opening the seal judgments of Revelation 6?

THE CLAMOR OF THE NEW WORLD ORDER ON OUR DOORSTEP

Revelation 6:1-2 tells us about the first seal, the first rider:

Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, "Come and see." And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.

Many, including me, believe these verses refer to the antichrist bringing the world together under his rule. The absence of an arrow in the bow points to that absence of force, although he will gather an impressive arsenal of weapons during his campaign.

2 Thessalonians 2:1-8 assures us that the Rapture will happen before this "man of lawlessness" makes his presence known on the world scene. However, we already see the formation this coming New World Order through the UN and the World Economic Forum (WEF). Without firing a shot, they have gained the allegiance of most world leaders for their Marxist plans to enslave the people of the world.

The globalists no longer hide their intentions. President Biden recently asserted his allegiance the New World Order. Klaus Schwab, the head of the WEF, recently asked the 2,600 delegates to his annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, to work aggressively to bring about the communistic, totalitarian agenda advocated by him as well as those in attendance.

He opened the meeting by saying that "the future is not just happening; the future is built by us, by a powerful community, as you here in this room."

In other words, the globalists believe they have the means to reshape the world according to their agenda via the influence they have gained over the global leaders of our day. Can you hear the sound of the first horse getting ready to ride?

THE SABER RATTLING OF NUCLEAR WAR

  

The second rider is that of war as John describes in Revelation 6:4-5:

When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, "Come and see." Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword.

I'm old enough to remember the Cuban Missile Crisis in the early 1960's. I did not fully understand what was happening at the time, but I sensed the fear. At school, we had drills in which we would hide under our desks (as if that would help in a nuclear conflict).

I believe the threat today is at least equal to that time if not far greater, but the mainstream media is diverting our attention away from the current and present danger to matters such as pride month and the January 6 hearings.

Those who are truly awake today clearly see these looming threats to world peace:

Russia repeatedly warns the west, and the U.S. of a nuclear attack if they keep supporting Ukraine. However, the Biden administration seems to be doing all it can to provoke Putin into just such an attack by increasing the flow of weapons to Ukraine.

Iran is on the brink of developing its first nuclear weapon with many believing that Israel will attack Iran before that happens.

China appears intent on attacking Taiwan and is threatening all-out war against anyone who interferes. President Biden says he will defend Taiwan, which would mean a war with China.

North Korea has stepped up its testing of missiles during the past year and a half demonstrating that it can hit North America with a nuclear bomb.

When we put these threats together with the words of Revelation 6:8 that tell us war will play a part in killing a fourth of the world's population, it seems likely that perhaps one or more of these threats will happen.

Do these dangers not beg the question regarding the nearness of Rapture? Could the saber rattling of Russia, China, and North Korea be the sound of the second horse getting ready to ride?

THE VOICES PREDICTING ECONOMIC DEVASTATION BY THE END OF 2022

The words of Revelation 6:5-6 point to economic devastation:

When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, "Come and see." So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, "A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine."

If you think that the world is not on the brink of the conditions described in these verses, you are not paying attention. We are frightfully close!

In the U.S., the reported inflation rate for May was 8.6%, which is the highest in forty years. For most people, however, the cost of living is accelerating much, much faster than that. President Biden recently assured us that this high rate of inflation in the U.S. will continue for the foreseeable future.

The voices warning of devastating world food shortages by the end of 2022 are far too many to ignore. 

Goya Foods CEO Bob Unanue recently told Fox News that the world is on the brink of a food crisis. "We are on the precipice of a global food crisis," he told Maria Bartiromo.

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon recently warned about a coming "economic hurricane." He also added this:

"It's a hurricane. Right now, it's kind of sunny, things are doing fine, everyone thinks the Fed can handle this . . . . That hurricane is right out there, down the road, coming our way. We just don't know if it's a minor one or Superstorm Sandy or Andrew or something like that. You better brace yourself."

Rockefeller Foundation president Rajiv Shah described what is soon to unfold as a "massive, immediate food crisis that will strike the entire world, leaving no country untouched."

I have lost count of the many food processing plants that have gone up in flames during the past twelve months. 

Why are so many shepherds of our day ignoring the numerous warnings regarding the food catastrophe that's rapidly approaching? Do they not hear the sound of approaching hoofbeats?

THE UNHEEDED WARNINGS OF A GLOBAL HOLOCAUST

The result of all these approaching horrors will be a death count higher than anything the world has seen since the Genesis 6 flood. Revelation 6:7-8 describes what the world will experience when Jesus opens the fourth seal:

When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, "Come and see." So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth.

Right now, one-fourth of the world's population would be almost two billion people, and that's just at the beginning of tribulation woes. 

A nuclear conflict could possibly kill hundreds of millions and this threat looms as distinct possibility in the near future. 

It's also easy to see how the coming food crises could kill a vast number of people. Africa would likely suffer the most at first, but as the contrived food crisis expands, western nations will soon see the death toll skyrocket. 

Those pushing the U.S. Green New Deal and the UN's Agenda 2030 warn that we will feel pain as the world transitions away from fossil fuels. This most certainly will include mass starvation as green energy will not suffice to meet the needs of the world's population. It cannot even come close.

As the number of worldwide abortions approaches 1.7 billion since 1980, it's possible that the death toll during the seal judgments of Revelation 6 will equal the number of abortions in the modern era. When one adds the number of abortions before 1980 and subtracts those missing because of the Rapture, the number of seal judgment deaths may be remarkably close to the abortion toll.

GOD IS SOVEREIGN

While it may seem that human actors cause the devastation of the first four seals, we must remember that God is Sovereign over all the affairs of mankind. It's the Lord who opens the seals and allows the destruction that follows.

Numerous Old Testament prophets warned of these coming judgments under the heading of "the Day of the Lord." The book of Revelation adds details to what God has warned about down through the centuries. There will be a time when God's patience ends and the words of Psalm 75:8 come to pass.

THE TRUMPET SOUND IS EVER SO CLOSE

While there are many other signs telling us that Jesus' appearing is ever so close, I always come back to the four riders of Revelation 6 whenever I start to wonder if it will happen anytime soon. It's only God's amazing patience that has kept the horsemen of Revelation 6 in their stalls during the four decades since Billy Graham wrote Approaching Hoofbeats. 

How much longer will the Lord wait before He catches us up in the air and later opens the seals?

Will the Rapture happen in my lifetime? I cannot say; but given the nearness of the coming time of tribulation, I certainly believe it's a valid and reasonable hope even as I approach seventy years of age.

Even though my hearing has diminished some with age, I hear the sounds of approaching hoofbeats on the pavement. But what I anticipate next is the sound of the trumpet and my departure from earth to the place that Jesus is preparing for me and for all those who know Him as their Savior.

My book, The Triumph of the Redeemed-An eternal Perspective that Calms Our Fears in Perilous Times, is now available on Amazon. This is a must read for the perilous times in which we live!