SEAL FOUR - THE PALE HORSE

The scene is the same, the Roman Empire in decay and downfall; the White Emperors with their crowns of victory have passed away, as have the Red Emperors of military might and despotism and the Black Emperors of financial extortion. Now it is death itself, the grim reaper which for a time holds sway over the dominion of the Caesars. The historian Gibbon says of this period:-

"The ruined Empire seemed to approach the last and fatal moment of its dissolution."

During these years, 248-292 A.D., death stalked the Roman Empire by violence, famine and pestilence. At one point it is estimated that 5,000 people were dying each day in Rome from the plague and the territories of the Empire, the Roman earth of prophecy, became so depopulated that it is estimated that a quarter of the entire population the 'fourth-part' of the prophecy died. Gibbon actually says that it was as many as half of the inhabitants whilst Niebuhr makes a more conservative estimate of about one third. Some however including Jerome translate this phrase as being:-

"The four parts of the earth."

This would indeed find confirmation in the historical division of the Roman Empire into four sections in the time of Diocletian. This in no way detracts from the fact that the entire Empire was being ravaged from one end to the other by the forces of Death and Hell. Before passing on to the next Seal, this would be an appropriate point to explain the word

"HELL"

Under no circumstances should Hell be confused with the Lake of Fire and Judgement. The two are not synonymous terms, nor can they he used interchangeably. In fact later in the Book of Revelation we read that:-

"Death and Hell were cast into the Lake of Fire. This is the Second Death." - (REVELATION 20:14)

The word translated Hell comes from four different words used in the original languages in which the Scriptures were written.

In the Old Testament the word 'SHEOL' which was rendered thirty-one times as 'HELL' by the translators; thirty-one times as 'THE GRAVE': and three times as 'THE PIT'.

In the New Testament three different words have all been translated as 'HELL'.

1) GEHENNA - This referred to the rubbish dump in the Valley of Hinnom, outside the walls of Jerusalem, where the bodies of despised criminals and animal carcases were burned in a fire which never went out.

2) TARTAROS - Which is mentioned only once in II PETER 2:4, as being the place where the rebellious angels are held in restraint until the Day of Judgement.

3) HADES - This is the nearest equivalent of the Old Testament word Sheol. It is used less than a dozen times in the New Testament, never in the sense of eternal fire and torment, but always in the context of the GRAVE. An excellent example of this is to be found in the Book of Acts, which states concerning the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus:

"Thou wilt not leave my soul in Hell neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption." - (ACTS 2:27)

There can be no doubt that the Lord Jesus went to the grave for three days and three nights, tasting death for every man, rather than to a prison house of fiery torment.

In fact when our Authorised King James Version was being translated, it was still common everyday language in England to refer to the planting of potatoes in the ground, as putting them in hell or 'helling' them, meaning to bury them beneath the ground.

Thus whilst in no way denying the Judgement of the Wicked, we can now see that the expression in Revelation 6:8 would be much more accurately rendered as "Death and the Grave". This in no way detracts from the sense and context of the passage concerning the plagues, famine, death, destruction and widespread depopulation which came upon the Roman Empire during this period of history.