SUMMARY
The four “winds” or “spirits” of heaven descend to earth on chariots, each with different colored horses.
ANALYSIS
The four horsemen of chapter 1, each on a horse of a different color, reappear riding chariots in chapter 6. They are reminiscent of the “four living creatures” in EzekielA prophet during the Babylonian exile who saw visions of God's throne-chariot, new life to dry bones, and a new Temple. More 1:5-12 (see also Ezekiel 14:21). The four creatures and the four horsemen appear together in Revelation 4:6b-8; 6:1-8, where each of the four living creatures summons one of the “four horsemen of the apocalypseAt its root, being derived from a Greek word meaning "unveiling," apocalypse refers to a revelation of a divine or previously unseen reality. Some ancient Jewish and Christian literature used the term to describe destruction or cataclysm. Paul describes his encounter with Jesus Christ as... More,” as we know them from numerous depictions in art and literature. As in Zechariah, the horses have different colors, but whereas in Zechariah their role is to “patrol” the four corners of the earth, the horsemen in Revelation bring judgment–capture, slaughter, economic hardship, and death.
