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.

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

1195. That 'Mizraim' or Egypt is knowledge has been shown already at verse 6 of this chapter; that 'Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, and Naphtuhim' are just so many forms of ritual that exist merely as items of knowledge is clear from what has just been stated. People who probe into spiritual and celestial things by means of reasonings and who thereby produce a form of worship for themselves are said to possess forms of ritual that exist merely as items of knowledge. Because the forms of ritual belonging to such worship originate in reasonings and in factual knowledge they are called fact-constituted forms of ritual, which have nothing spiritual or celestial within them because they originate in self. Such was the origin of Egyptian idols and so of magic. And such being the origin of those people's ritual forms they utterly rejected the religious practices of the Ancient Church; indeed they were repelled by them and loathed them, as is clear from Genesis 43:32; 46:34; Exodus 8:26. Because those things are meant, they are said to be begotten from Mizraim or Egypt, that is, from facts. And because their facts were diversified, so also were the ritual forms originating in them. These diversities in general were meant by just so many nations. That the Ludim or Lydians mean such things is clear from Jeremiah,

Egypt comes up like the river, and like the rivers the waters are tossed about; and he said, I will go up, I will cover the earth, I will destroy the city and those who dwell in it Go up, O horses, and rage, O chariots, and let the mighty men go forth, Cush and Put, that handle the shield, and the Ludim that handle and bend the bow. Jeremiah 46:8-9.

Here 'the rivers of Egypt' are diverse facts that are false 'Going up and covering the earth' is entering into those things that constitute the Church or faith by means of facts 'Destroying the city' is destroying truths. 'Cush and Put' are cognitions 'The Lydians' are fact-constituted forms of ritual, the subject of the present verse. 'Handling and bending the bow' is engaging in reasoning.