The Lamb opens the third seal. The third ‘living creature’—the face of a man—says: Come! The third horse appears, with his rider, who has a pair of scales in his hand. There is something to be weighed, but it is very scarce, and it is very expensive, because of the market mechanism of supply and demand, a kilogram of wheat for a day’s wages, and three kilograms of barley for a day’s wages.1 This signifies hunger. Hunger always follows in the wake of war, lawlessness and revolution, as well as extortionate prices in the black (!) market. When Jeremiah complains about Jerusalem’s fate, he says that the people look black from hunger and that their skin is withered around their bones.2 Hunger is a terrible thing. It is slow death. The little bits of food do prolong life, but they prolong suffering as well. People become ravenous beasts who steal the bare essentials from each other. Descriptions of camp inmates in concentration and refugee camps attest to this. Indeed, even cannibalism and eating of children occur.3 Hunger, and everything that goes with it, is considered to be a divine judgment in Israel. The sound of the voice is now heard from between the four beasts, from the throne, that this judgment is to be poured out upon the earth. Only the (olive) oil and the vine are to remain untouched. Luxury is to remain. This is what makes ‘Babylon’ tick.4 That’s what ‘Babylon’ is all about. While the masses are starving from hunger, the rich are continuing their godless life of indulgence, luxury and pleasure. God’s judgment will also bring an end to that however.5 The oil and the wine do not just refer to the luxuries of the rich as these were part of the usual menu of ordinary people as well.6 All in all, this shows us a world that loves pleasure more than God7—a world with rich countries, which continue with their luxurious lifestyle while those in the poor countries starve. The time has come that the world is threatened by wars, hunger and death. Nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines in various places.8 A picture of the twenty centuries that are behind us since Jesus’ first coming, but which will only intensify and increase exponentially towards the end.
• ‘Weighing’ is associated with scarcity. When Ezekiel had to represent the siege of Jerusalem in image form he was only allowed to eat and drink a small, carefully weighed and measured amount of food and water.9
• If one considers the possibility of a somewhat later dating of the origin of the Book of Revelation – although a time before the fall of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. is also very plausible – the decree of Emperor Domitian would be a good example of this situation caused by a ‘black horse’. In the year 92 AD Domitian ordered that half of the soil for the cultivation of olive and wine to be converted into wheat farming. This order was never carried out, however. Because the decadent, rich Romans preferred their pleasures and luxuries over the relieving of the needs of the poor people.
Bible References:
1.Matthew 20:2 2.Lamentations 4:8–10, 5:10 3.Lamentations 4:10; Ezekiel 5:10; 2 Kings 6:24–29; Deuteronomy 28:53–57 4.Revelation 18:13 5.Revelation 18 6.Deuteronomy 7:13, 11:14, 28:51; 2 Chronicles 32:28; Nehemiah 5:11; Hosea 2:7–8, 20–21; Joel 2:19; Haggai 1:11 7.2 Timothy 3:4; 2 Peter 2:12–14 8.Matthew 24:7 see also 2 Chronicles 15:3–6 9.Ezekiel 4:9–12 and 16–17
