Chapter Sixteen/Four Horsemen at the Gallop! - A Black Horse Plunges Forth

 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 if barley for a denarius; and do no 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. 

Next time: Chapter Sixteen/Four Horsemen at the Gallop! - A Black Horse Plunges Forth - Conclusion

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