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.

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

275. The four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. This symbolizes a humility and out of humility worship of the Lord on the part of the higher heavens.

There follows now a glorification of the Lord on account of the foregoing, for as we said in no. 263 above, if the Lord had not executed a last judgment and thereby put back into order everything in heaven and on earth, all would have perished.

The glorification of the Lord that follows now comes first from the higher heavens, then from the lower heavens, and finally from the lowest heavens - from the higher heavens in verses 8-10, from the lower heavens in verses 11, 12, and from the lowest heavens in verse 13. And lastly there is a confirmation and worship by the higher heavens in verse 14.

The higher heavens, then, are symbolically meant by the four living creatures and twenty-four elders, for cherubim in the midst of the throne - which the four living creatures are - symbolize the Lord in relation to the Word, while the cherubim around the throne, or the four living creatures, symbolize heaven in relation to the Word. For we are told that "in the midst of the throne, and around the throne," John saw "four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back" (chapter 4, 4:6). That is because the heavens are heavens in consequence of their reception of Divine truth from the Lord through the Word.

The twenty-four elders, too, symbolize angels in the higher heavens, since these elders were the closest ones around the throne (chapter 4, 4:4).

To fall down before the Lamb clearly means humility, and out of humility, worship.