Black Horse Of The Apocalypse III

"take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry"

"Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!”

"And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God." (Luke 12: 16-21)

We have lots or "rich" people today! This judgment is not made by comparing the average person's economic condition with that of billionaires, but with comparing it to those of previous generations. By that standard, even the "poor" of today are rich. Even the poor of today have interior running water with bathrooms, electricity, refrigerators and other appliances, good food to eat from all parts of the world, which things the wealthy of former generations knew nothing about. Even in  "developing countries" (that have suffered the most famine in the twentieth century and onward, such as countries in Africa and Asia), people live better today than ever before.

The world today then is typified in the prosperous fool described by the Lord in the above story. People today are able to enjoy a short work week (unheard of till the 20th century) and have "leisure" time (a thing that only the rich were able to enjoy till modern times), and live in comfortable air conditioned homes, are able to retire early with their "nest eggs" and to say "take it easy." Have fun and enjoy. Simply "eat, drink, and be merry!" 

This calls to mind these words of Ezekiel:

"Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good." (Eze. 16: 49-50)

This is predominantly the state of the world at the time of the coming of the judgments of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse of Christ. Many of these characteristics have been referred to in previous chapters on the white and red horses. But the characteristics now to be considered are her having "fulness of bread" and "abundance of idleness," both descriptive of times of prosperity. Yet, this prosperity was not the result of being blessed for godly living, but in spite of it.

Even "the wicked live, grow old," and are "mighty in power," that is, in wealth. (Job 21: 7) In fact, as we have shown, most of the righteous have been of the poorer classes. Further, what did the Sodomites spend their "free time" doing? They spent their time "fulfilling the lusts of the flesh and of the mind." They certainly did not spend it in good deeds, such as in feeding the poor and needy. In their prosperity they "committed abomination" openly and defiantly before the Lord, which included idolatry and all kinds of sexual immorality and perversion.

Jesus said that the poor would always be existent in this world. (Mark 14: 7) So, we are not looking for a time when all poverty will be eliminated (except after Jesus comes, of course, and we see the new heavens and earth). Rather, we are looking for that time of "peace and safety," and end time prosperity, which will be the state of the world at the time when the red and black horse riders ride into our world. Then, ironically, things will be amazingly reversed.

In the last hundred years, via industrialization and technological advancements, the world has gone "from rags to riches." But, when the red and black horse riders come we will see the world quickly go "from riches to rags." The height of the prosperity will be great but so also will be the depth of the famine and deprivation. It will be a great fall; From the heights of human glory to the lowest level of shame when worldwide civil war and famine abound!

Wrote the prophet Isaiah:

"And in that day did the Lord GOD of hosts call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth: And behold joy and gladness, slaying oxen, and killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine: let us eat and drink; for to morrow we shall die." (Isa. 22: 12-13)

The words highlighted above are cited by the Apostle Paul:

"If, in the manner of men, I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantage is it to me? If the dead do not rise, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!” (I Cor. 15: 32)

This attitude prevailed in Sodom. It prevailed in the world at the time of the great deluge. It has appeared in many heathen states throughout history. It will yet prevail at the time of the end when the black horse rider brings loss of basic foods and things necessary for survival and good health. Behind this attitude is a belief that this life is what is important, any "after life" being merely thought of as a possibility, and therefore such belief leads to Hedonism. As we have seen in this series on the four horsemen, people in the last days will, on a grand scale, be "lovers of pleasures" (II Tim. 3: 4), especially "the pleasures of sin" (Heb. 11: 25). They will be living indulgent lifestyles, "fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind." (Eph. 2: 3)

Moses, however, warned of the dangerous state of material prosperity, writing:

"When you have eaten your fill and have built fine houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks have multiplied, and your silver and gold is multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied, then do not exalt yourself, forgetting the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery." (Deut. 8:12-14)

This is similar to the words of Solomon previously cited about how the temptation of being rich is to forget the Lord and to feel no need of him. Moses warns the people against forgetting God in times of prosperity.

At the time of global prosperity, the world will be feasting, "living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry" (I Peter 4: 3, English Standard Version). And then suddenly and unexpectedly, wham! Here comes bloodshed and famine! It makes one think of the judgment of God upon the murmuring and complaining Israelites. Wrote Moses:

"And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the LORD smote the people with a very great plague." (Num. 11: 33)

"While the flesh was in their teeth"! It may be said too of that generation that will experience the judgment of the black horse rider - "while they feasted and drunk came sudden famine and want"!

It also recalls the time in the Book of Daniel when Belteshazzar "made a feast," the kind that a fat rich king would make, or a Hollywood immoral "fat cat" or rich "playboy" might make, and when he was filled with food and drink, and toasting all the false gods, he saw the handwriting of God upon the wall that announced his and his kingdom's doom. (See Daniel 5) Recall also that Job's sons and daughters, who do not seem to be godly as their father, were "feasting" in the eldest son's house when they were destroyed by agents of the Devil. So too will the handwriting be on the wall at the time of the red and black horse riders. So too the world will be feasting, with their fine foods in their mouths, when God sends forth famine and death.

Destroying The Strong & Fat Ones

"I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord GOD. I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment." (Eze. 34: 15-16)

Who are "the fat" and "the strong" upon whom the Lord promises judgment and destruction? Surely they are "the rich in this world," of whom the Psalmist spoke, saying of them: "Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in riches." (Psa. 73: 12) By their wealth they have power over many people, and more often than not they use that power corruptly to increase their wealth and control over the people.

These "fat cats" have often been seen in high government positions where they use their political power to increase their wealth. The world at the time of the coming of the black horse of famine will suffer an attack by God upon the whole "world of the ungodly" (II Peter 2: 5), but particularly upon "the rich and strong ones." When one looks at the many trials and calamities of the day of wrath and judgment in the Apocalypse he sees how "the rich" are often particularly singled out for judgment. But, as we have seen, the world will be full of rich people, for nearly all countries will enjoy a standard of living higher than that of kings and rich men of ancient times. There will be in the end times, however, the super rich.

The irony in the above words is obvious. God says to those who have been "feeding" themselves with the finest of food and the best of earthly enjoyments (the rich) - "I will feed you with judgment." They will eat the judgments he has prepared for them.

On the above verse we have these good comments from the Commentaries:

"The fat and the strong.—While fatness is in general an emblem of prosperity, it is frequently used in Scripture, as here, for that prosperity which begets hardness of heart and forgetfulness of God. (See Deuteronomy 32:15; Acts 28:27, &c.)" (Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers)

"fat...strong—that is, those rendered wanton by prosperity (De 32:15; Jer 5:28), who use their strength to oppress the weak. Compare Eze 34:20, "the fat cattle" (Isa 10:16). The image is from fat cattle that wax refractory." (JBF Commentary)

In company with the above verse, notice these words of the prophet Jeremiah:

"As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit: therefore they are become great, and waxen rich. They are waxen fat, they shine: yea, they overpass the deeds of the wicked: they judge not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, yet they prosper; and the right of the needy do they not judge." (Jer. 5:27-28)

This picture of the wicked prospering, often by "ill gotten gain," in the above text, is also a picture of the character of the world's citizens at the time of the four horsemen.

Fattened For Slaughter

"Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you. 2 Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. 3 Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. 4 Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. 5 You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter.[a] 6 You have condemned and murdered the innocent one, who was not opposing you." (James 5: 1-6 NIV)

The world at the time of the coming judgment of the four horsemen, particularly of the black horse of famine and want, will be ungodly and will have "fattened" themselves for "the day of slaughter," or as we say today, "fattened for the kill." Wrote Barnes:

"The meaning is, that they appeared to have been fattening themselves, like stall-fed beasts, for the day of slaughter. As cattle are carefully fed, and are fattened with a view to their being slaughtered, so they seemed to have been fattened for the slaughter that was to come on them - the day of vengeance. Thus many now live." (Commentary)

Will the world not be "fattened for slaughter" at the time of the end?

Barnes said further:

"As in a day of slaughter - There has been much variety in the interpretation of this expression...But probably the more correct idea is, that they had fattened themselves as for the day of destruction; that is, as animals are fattened for slaughter. They lived only to eat and drink, and to enjoy life. But, by such a course, they were as certainly preparing for perdition, as cattle were prepared to be killed by being stall-fed." (Ibid)

The prophet Jeremiah in his deprecation against the ungodly prayed the Lord:

"pull them out like sheep for the slaughter, and prepare them for the day of slaughter." (Jer. 12: 3)

On these words Dr. Gill wrote:

"Pull them out like sheep for the slaughter; either out of the fold, or from a fat pasture; so fat sheep are plucked from the rest, in order to be killed: this shows that their riches, affluence, and plenty, served but to ripen them for ruin and destruction, and were like the fattening of sheep for slaughter; which the prophet, by this imprecation, suggests and foretells would be their case, as a righteous judgment upon them; see ( James 5:5) . Prepare them for the day of slaughter; or, "sanctify them"; set them apart for it." (Commentary)