A study in the book of Revelation.
The pale horse and rider with death following comes on the scene. While war, famine, pestilence, and death by beasts are all forms of death with a small “d,” we now see the personification of all forms of death come forth as a proper noun and not just as a noun. The second horseman took peace from the earth and the effects of his ride contribute to the effectiveness of the fourth horseman. Although the third horseman brought great famine— the greatest experienced up to that timeframe—the famine now becomes even more severe. The listing of alternative forms of death pictures inescapable judgment. Those who escape death by the sword may die of hunger. Those who survive the hunger are likely to perish from disease. In I Corinthians we see that Jesus destroyed death. This death is not the physical death, but it is the death of the soul, and that is why Hell followed. Death and Hell are personified because in this scripture Death and Hell are treated as proper nouns. A pale horse and his rider named Death symbolize a terrible intensification of war, famine, death, plagues, disease, and evil beasts. This judgment will be so terrible that one fourth of the human race will be killed. Sickness is the condition in which the body is weakened or impaired so that they cease to function. According to the World Health Organization Health is a key component in the response to famine. When there is a severe lack of food many people will die of starvation, but between starvation and death there is nearly always disease. When people don’t have enough food to eat, acute malnutrition sets in and weakens the immune system. When a person’s immune system is weak, it becomes more susceptible to diseases that can be fatal. Death and Hell are mentioned three times in Revelation. In Revelation 1:18 we read that Christ holds the keys to death and hell. In 20:13 it says “And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them; and they were judged every man according to their works. In 20:14 it says, “and death and hell were cast into the Lake of Fire, this is the second death.” We know that Death will take the body and Hell will take the soul.
