Transparency is needed to sort things out. Before big change happens, God first reveals what’s really going on.

In the Book of Revelation - the last book of the Word - the apostle John describes a series of apocalyptic visions that he experienced during his exile on the Isle of Patmos, in the Aegean Sea.

In one of these visions, he saw four horsemen, the first riding a white horse, the second a red horse, the third a black, and the fourth - named Death - riding a pale horse. These "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" - oft-pictured - are described in Revelation 6:1-8.

What do these horses, and their riders, represent? What do they have to do with us, today? Watch as Curtis Childs and Jonathan Rose explore the hidden Bible meaning of the Four Horsemen in the Book of Revelation, in this video from the Swedenborg and Life Series, from the Swedenborg Foundation.

Plus, to go straight to the source, follow the links below to the places in "Apocalypse Revealed" where Swedenborg explained the inner meaning of this famous Bible story. A good place to start would be Apocalypse Revealed 298.

(Verweise: Apocalypse Explained 315; Apocalypse Revealed 262-263, 301, 306, 314, 316, 320, 322-323)

8250. As long as sincerity and uprightness existed with people, so also did that kind of speech remain in existence. But as soon as the mind began to think one thing and say another, which happened when a person loved self and not the neighbour, speech consisting of spoken words was used more and more. The face then remained still or else at the same time had expressions on it that were counterfeit. As a result the face's inward form was altered, in that it shrank, hardened, and started to become virtually devoid of life; but its outward form, heated by the fire of self-love, began to appear full of life. But being devoid of life, what lies beneath and inwardly serves as a groundwork is not visible to men's eyes, only to angels' eyes since they see interior things. This is what the faces of people who think one thing and say another are like; for presence, hypocrisy, trickery, and deceit, which constitute prudence at the present day, produce such effects.

[2] But the situation is different in the next life; no one is allowed there to speak in one way and think in another. That lack of agreement is also clearly perceived there in every word, and in every tone of the voice. And when it is perceived the spirit in whom such lack of agreement exists is forcibly removed from association with others and punished. After that he is compelled by various means to speak as he thinks, and to think as he wills, until his mind is single and not divided. This is done in order that, if he is a good spirit, he may will what is good and may be moved by good to think and speak what is true, or, if he is evil, he may will what is evil and may be moved by evil to think and speak what is false. Till then the good spirit cannot be raised to heaven or the evil one cast into hell. This is done to the end that in hell there may be nothing except evil, and that falsity there may be the falsity of evil, and that in heaven there may be nothing except good, and that truth there may be the truth of good.