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)

9484. Verses 10-16 And they are to make an ark of shittim wood; two cubits and a half shall be its length, and a cubit and a half its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height. And you shall overlay it with pure gold, on the inside and on the outside you shall overlay it; and you shall make on it a rim of gold round about. And you shall cast four rings of gold for it, and put them on its four corners; and two rings shall be on one side of it and two rings on the other side of it. And you shall make poles of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold. And you shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, to carry the ark on them. The poles must be in the rings of the ark; they must not be removed from it. And you shall put into the ark the Testimony which I shall give you.

'And they are to make an ark' means the inmost heaven. 'Of shittim wood' means righteousness. 'Two cubits and a half shall be its length' means all so far as good is concerned. 'And a cubit and a half its breadth' means what is complete so far as truth is concerned. 'And a cubit and a half its height' means what is complete so far as degrees are concerned. 'And you shall overlay it with pure gold' means that all those aspects must be founded on good. 'On the inside and on the outside you shall overlay it' means everywhere. 'And you shall make on it a rim of gold round about' means a border of good, serving to defend them from the approach of evils and the harm these can do. 'And you shall cast four rings of gold for it' means Divine Truth joined to Divine Good, which lie in every direction round about. 'And put them on its four corners' means firmness. 'And two rings shall be on one side of it and two rings on the other side of it' means the marriage of truth to good and of good to truth. 'And you shall make poles of shittim wood' means power derived from this. 'And overlay them with gold' means good in all directions. 'And you shall put the poles into the rings' means the power of the Divine sphere. 'On the sides of the ark' means in the outermost parts. 'To carry the ark on them' means thereby bringing heaven into being and keeping it in being. 'The poles must be in the rings of the ark' means that the power must be established by the Divine sphere of goodness and truth. 'They must not be removed from it' means everlastingly and unalterably so. 'And you shall put into the ark the Testimony' means Divine Truth, which is the Lord in heaven. 'Which I shall give you' means its representative.