A Black Horse Plunges Forth

Jesus now opens the third seal! John, what do you observe? " And when he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say: 'Come!' (Revelation 6:5a) Happily, this third cherub "has a face like a man's, depicting the quality of love. Principled love will abound in God's new world, even as that fine quality permeates all of Jehovah's organization today. (Revelation 4:7; 1 John 4:16) We can be sure that the Rider of the white horse, who "must rule as king until God has put all enemies under his feet," will lovingly remove the calamitous situation that is next brought to John's scrutiny. -1Corinthians 15:25.

What does John see, then, as the third summons to "Come!" is answered? "And I saw, and, look! a black horse; and the one seated upon it had a pair of scales in his hand." (Revelation 6:5b) Stark famine! That is the dire message of this prophetic scene. It points forward to situations early in the Lord's day when food must be rationed out by scales. Since 1914 famine has been a continuing worldwide problem. Modern warfare brings famine in its wake, for resources normally used in feeding the hungry are often diverted to supplying war weapons. Farm workers are conscripted, and battle-scarred fields and scorched-earth policies curtail food production. How true this was during the first world war, when millions suffered from hunger and died! Moreover, the rider of the black horse of hunger did not relent with the end of the war. During the 1930's, five million perished in just one famine in the Ukraine. The second world war was brought in its wake more food shortages and famines. As the black horse continued its gallop, the World Food Council reported in mid-1987 that 512 million humans were starving and that 40,000 children die of hunger-related causes every day.

John has more to tell us: "And I heard a voice as if in the midst of the four living creatures say" 'A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the olive oil and the wine.' " (Revelation 6:6) All four cherubs are united in expressing a need to watch food supplies carefully - just as the people had to "eat bread by weight and in anxious care" prior to Jerusalem's destruction in 607 B.C.E. (Ezekiel 4:16) In John's time, a quart of wheat was reckoned to be the daily ration for a soldier. How much would such a ration cost? One denarius-a whole day's wage! (Matthew 20:2) What if a man had a family? Well, he could buy three quarts of unpolished barley instead. Even that would feed only a small family. And barley was not viewed as a quality food such as wheat.

What is implied by the statement, "Do not harm the olive oil and the wine"? Some have viewed it as meaning that while many would be short of food and even starving, the luxuries of the rich would not be harmed. But in the Middle East, oil and wine are not really luxuries. In Bible times, bread, oil and wine were viewed as staples. (Compare Genesis 14:18; Psalm 104:14, 15) Water was not always good, so wine was widely used for drinking and sometimes for medicinal purposes. (1 Timothy 5:23) With regard to oil, in Elijah's day the widow of Zerephath, poor as she was, still had some oil left with which to cook her remaining flour. (1 Kings 17:12) Therefore, the command "do not harm the olive oil and the wine" appears to be advice not to use up these basic commodities too quickly bu to be sparing in their use. Otherwise, they will be 'harmed,' that is, they will run out before the famine ends.

How happy we can be that the Rider of the white horse will soon rein in that galloping black horse! For it is written concerning His loving provision for the new world: "In his days the righteous one will sprout, and the abundance of peace until the moon is no more. . . There will come to be plenty of grain on the earth; on the top of the mountain there will be an overflow." -Psalm 72:7, 16; see also Isaiah 25:6-8.

Next time: The Pale Horse And Its Rider