Fourth Seal: Death of 1/4 of People of Earth

8 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. (Rev. 6:8)

Pale horse: is literally pale green or ashen which speaks of the color of death and decay (corpse). The faces of the peoples of the earth will show the terror they experience. One-fourth of the earth will be given over to Death. In other words, they will die unnatural deaths.

A fourth of the earth: The resistance to the mark will cause a series of events with a military backlash that will result in one-fourth of the earth being killed by war, famine and disease.

The name of him was Death: the spirit of death is pictured as being in hot pursuit of the unsuspecting victims on the earth. Death is what happens to the physical body which goes to the grave. Hades is place that the departed spirit of an unbeliever goes after they die physically.

Hades (Hell) followed with him: the ranks or hordes from Hades will run behind Death. The demonic ranks of Hades will run hard behind the spirit of Death to imprison every unbeliever who dies. They will be eager to accost them. The spirit of Death will run fast on his horse, yet the hordes of Hades will keep pace. Hades will chase Death. No one ever escapes.

Hades is a Greek term that is used only in the NT. It is the place of the dead that inflicts temporal imprisonment for some disobedient angels (demons) and for unredeemed human spirits.

Hades includes the chamber of torment for the unredeemed. Tartarus is a chamber to imprison certain demons (2 Peter 2:4).

God speaks directly to Jewish leaders in Jerusalem during the Tribulation telling them that their covenant with the Antichrist was a covenant with death and Sheol (translated Hades in the NT).

In the fourth seal, the Antichrist’s true nature is seen under the name Death with Hades. He will seek to kill all who oppose him. Yet, all who agree with him will be killed (Rev. 19:19-21).

Power was given to them over a fourth of the earth: the word “them” speaks of all four seal judgments combined together. The first three seal judgments weaken the nations. Then the fourth horseman will bring the deathblow to multitudes of fragile people in the nations.

These are the same four judgments God called, “My four severe judgments”. However, all four afflictions will occur simultaneously during the seal judgments.

1. Sword: death by human violence will reach unprecedented levels.

2. Famine: will increase from the time of the third seal until Jesus returns.

3. Death: is literally “pestilence” or “disease”. It will increase beyond any time in history.

4. Wild beasts: when men die wild beasts multiply rapidly and roam freely ( Num. 21:6; Deut. 32:24; Josh. 24:12; 2 Kings 2:24; 17:25; Isa. 30:6; Jer. 5:6; Ezek. 14:21; 33:27). In New Orleans, alligators attacked people waiting for days on their roof tops and rats bit people hiding under bridges. Many diseases are spread by wild animals. Wild beasts will be demonized at an unprecedented rate because of so many demons on earth (Rev. 12:9).