The Untold Truth Of The Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypse

Though the Book of Revelation is the most famous occurrence of Horsemen heralding apocalyptic times, it's not the only occurrence, nor is it the first. The minor prophet Zechariah (so-called because of the relative brevity of his book of prophecies, not necessarily because he's less important) twice talks about visions of strange riders on horseback symbolizing the end times. In chapter one, Zechariah sees a man riding a red horse near some myrtle trees followed by red, sorrel (kind of a reddish brown), and white horses. When Zechariah asks the angel revealing this vision to him who the riders are, the angel replies, "They are the ones the Lord has sent to patrol the earth." Their job is to watch the Earth and make sure it's peaceful, with the implication that this will no longer be the case when Judgment Day is imminent.

The second mention of horses in Zechariah comes in chapter six, where the prophet sees a vision of horses pulling chariots. These horses are also divided by color: red, black, white, and dappled, which is, like, pretty close to the version from Revelation. When Zech asks who these riders are, the angel replies, "These are the four spirits of heaven going out after presenting themselves to the Lord of the whole earth." They each head in a different cardinal direction, presaging John's description of the Horsemen riding over the four quarters of the Earth.

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