A study in the book of Revelation.
We now see the rider of the black horse. Today, as in the past, black is used to symbolize mourning in almost every culture in the world. It is also used to symbolize famine, death, and judgment by many authors. Biblically, it has been used as a symbol of mourning. To a Hebrew, the black horse of the third seal would picture the illness and dearth of a famine, specifically the dirt and squalor of those who had nothing. This horse represents an economic condition that is about to be unleashed on the earth. God cautioned the nation of Israel about this in Deuteronomy 28. Think about the fact that this black horse depicting famine comes after the white horse of religious deception and the red horse of war. This makes perfectly good sense to me because war typically brings about devastation of natural resources due to the chemicals contained in bombs and nuclear weapons. The earth literally dies after devastation. The rider of the black horse was carrying a set of scales. Proverbs 16:11 says “A just weight and balance are the LORD’S: all the weights of the bag are his work.” Based on the scripture, we know that the scales this rider is carrying are not honest. When we read about dishonesty in the Bible it speaks about people who use the scales to cheat others and as a result, their gain is illegal. When these merchants tamper with the scales they are able to actually have only ¾ of a pound of wheat on a scale that measures a pound. There are also the scales of justice. In the Book of Daniel 5:27 God wrote on Belshazzar’s wall TEKEL, which was interpreted “Thou re weighed in the balances or scales, and art found wanting.” God wants us to have the ability to always do what is right and just.
