The Green Horseman and World War III – Part 1

A World on Edge: Israel, Hamas, and the Rise of Islamic Extremism

For years, Iran has surrounded Israel with terrorist proxies, including Hezbollah, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the Houthis, while expanding its precision missile capabilities. On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched a brutal surprise attack, killing over 1,200 people and abducting 239 hostages. Israel swiftly retaliated, declaring war on Hamas and vowing to dismantle the militant group. As the conflict rages, global attention has shifted to the broader struggle, not only with Iran but also amid rising pro-Palestinian protests worldwide. This war marks a critical moment in Israel’s fight for security against escalating threats in the region and beyond.

By Dave Robbins

For several years I have been watching Iran surround Israel with its terrorist proxies of Hezbollah up in Lebanon, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad down in Gaza and the Houthis further South in Yemen. There are others.

Along with this, Iran has expanded its precision guided missile project throughout the Middle East to build, “ … a ring of fire” around the State of Israel.

Occasionally, rockets are fired into Israel from these terrorist organizations. I remember flying into Israel on one of our Endtime tours when there were incoming rockets toward Tel Aviv. No touring Independence Hall that day — we headed straight to Jerusalem. It’s just a way of life in Israel. However, nothing could prepare us for what occurred on our fall trip to the Holy Land in 2023.

According to the American Jewish Committee:

“At 6:30 a.m. on October 7, Hamas, the Iran-backed terror group controlling Gaza, launched an unprovoked and vicious surprise attack on over 20 communities in Israel. Using rockets, paragliders, boats, motorcycles, other vehicles and whatever other means they could, terrorists infiltrated the Jewish state and murdered around 1,210 innocent people, including 30 Americans, injured over 5,400, and (abducted) 239 hostages into Gaza.”

Israel’s military immediately retaliated by bombarding the Gaza strip and within hours the Israeli government formally declared war on Hamas with a stated goal of eliminating the militant group and seizing full control of the Palestinian territory. As this magazine goes to press, Israel is still at war with Hamas.

This struggle between Israel, not just Hamas in Gaza or regionally with Iran, but globally with the pro-Palestinian protests has suddenly riveted the world’s attention on the rise of Islam.

Viewed through a biblical prophetic perspective, this has resulted in many questions:

1. Is Islam mentioned in the prophecies of the Bible?
2. Will this conflict start WWIII?
3. With hundreds of thousands protesting against Israel and increased Islamic support around the globe, will Islam rule the world?
4. Will Iran realize its global vision and eradicate Israel and Zionism from the Middle East?

The Bible provides the answers to a couple of these questions while we can only speculate on the others. Let me explain.

No Secrets With God

God prophesied about Islam 600 years before Islam ever existed. It is a familiar prophecy. It is the prophecy about the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

Although there have been books written and movies made about these Four Horsemen, many people do not understand the prophecy concerning them.

The Four Horsemen

The Book of Revelation has a skeletal structure of three groups of seven. It has Seven Seals, Seven Trumpets and Seven Vials. The Four Horsemen are the first four Seals of the Seven Seals. We find the prophecy in Revelation 6:1-8 which says the following:

“And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer. And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword. And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine. And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with the sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.”

Let’s examine Revelation 6:1-2, “And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.”

In verse 1, Jesus Christ the Lamb of God is opening the Seals. John said the Lamb opened “one of the seals” — the First Seal — “ … and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts … ” (according to Ezekiel, these beasts were cherubim). John continues: “ … one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. And I saw, and behold a white horse … ” Each horse is a different color and the colors are very important.

Revelation 6:1-8 reveals four horses — a white horse, a red horse, a black horse and a pale horse. To what are these colored horses referring? Many of the major prophecies in the Bible are given to us two, three, four and even five times. When you read other accounts of the same prophecy, they will provide better clarity. It is like putting a puzzle together then seeing the big picture once the puzzle is completed. Another account of this prophecy about the four horses referred to in Revelation 6:1-8 is found in the Old Testament in Zechariah 6:1-8.

Zechariah saw the same-colored horses but he saw them pulling chariots. Additionally, instead of pale horses, Zechariah saw grisled and bay horses. Zechariah 6:4-5 tells us what these horses symbolize.

“Then I answered and said unto the angel that talked with me, What are these, my lord? And the angel answered and said unto me, These are the four spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the LORD of all the earth.”

What do These Horses Symbolize?

These four colored horsemen symbolize four spirits which, as you will see, are the four main political and religious ideologies of mankind today.

In chapter three of our new book “Understanding the Endtime,” we provide conclusive proof for the identity of all four spirits. However, in this article, I am only going to give a brief explanation for the red, white and black horses because my main focus is on the pale or green horse/spirit. Each of these colored horses represent the major belief systems of our world.

The Red Horse

What spirit would represent the red horse? There is an international spirit that influences what people believe, how they live and what they do. The red spirit — red China, red Russia, red Romania — is communism.

Communism is commonly associated with the color red and communism has widespread influence over what people believe, value, love and fight for.

History has repeatedly shown that socialism leads to totalitarian regimes, economic collapse and death. Again, this is the red spirit — the spirit and power of socialism/communism.

The Black Horse

What ideology does the black horse or black spirit represent?

Revelation 6:5-6 reveals instead of having a sword, the rider of the black horse has a pair of balances. Balances represent trade and commerce. The counterpart to communism is capitalism. Capitalism has been in contest with communism ever since the Cold War. Trade and commerce are what make capitalism work — it is free enterprise that motivates the spirit of capitalism.

Revelation 6:6 says, “ … A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.” In a capitalistic society, everything revolves around the economy. People in a capitalist country vote for leadership based on the effect the outcome will have on their pocketbooks.

Not only is red the official color of socialism in journalistic circles and in political circles, black is the official color of capitalism.

The White Horse

If red represents communism and black represents capitalism, what does the white horse represent? In his book titled “Communism, Democracy and Catholic Power,” political scientist Paul Blanshard contended that it was these three powers, these three belief systems, that controlled what nations and individuals do. He said, “Almost every conflict between nations in modern history has been produced by conflicts among these three powers: communism, democracy and Catholicism.” Is it possible that Catholicism could be the white power from Revelation 6?

Irvin Baxter addresses the white spirit:

It is the tradition in the Catholic Church for the pope to dress in white. He is dressed in white almost every time you see him. The pope’s helicopter is white. The bulletproof vehicle, the popemobile, built for Pope John Paul II after the 1981 assassination attempt on his life is white. The jet airplane supplied by Al Italia Airlines for the pope to use in his travels around the world is white. It seems the color white has an obvious association with Catholicism.

So, if the pope had a horse, what color would it be? White!

It seems obvious the three geopolitical powers referred to in the writings of Paul Blanshard and others, correlate with three of the colored horses from Zechariah 6 and Revelation 6. These three geopolitical powers have been major belief systems in our world — the white horse is Catholicism, the red horse is communism and the black horse is capitalism. If these are accurate correlations, these Seals have been opened for a long time.

There are some who believe these Seals will be opened only during the Final Seven Years. However, if these three horses represent these powers, then that belief cannot be accurate. Catholicism became an official religion around 300 A.D. Karl Marx wrote his Communist Manifesto in the 1850s. And in recent times, capitalism has also become a powerful force.

The Seals of Revelation tell a long story that ends at the Battle of Armageddon when the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ. The Seven Trumpets tell a shorter story which also ends at the Battle of Armageddon. Then, the Vials tell an even shorter story which ends at the Battle of Armageddon as well.

Now we have one horse to go — the pale horse. It’s easy to see communism, capitalism and Catholicism because all the clues fit. However, there is something unique about the last spirit that requires a little detective work to understand.

The Pale or Green Horse

Now that we know these prophecies from Revelation and Zechariah were referring to belief systems, it will be easy to see how the pale horse correlates to Islam. This power has suddenly riveted the world’s attention. It threatens to take over all of Europe — experts predict it could happen by 2030 or 2040. We now feel its pressure over America.

Revelation 6:7-8 says the following:

“And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.”

Irvin Baxter provides the true identity of the pale horse:

The word pale in this scripture is translated to its original Greek word as “chloros.” The word “chlorophyll” originates from this word “chloros.” It means green. This word is used in the New Testament three other times besides its use in Revelation 6 — a total of four times. Mark 6:39 says, “And he commanded them to make all sit down by companies upon the,” (chloros) “green grass.” Revelation 8:7 says, “The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all,” (chloros) “green grass was burnt up.” Then Revelation 9:4 says, “And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any,” (chloros) ”green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.” All these words from the Greek as chloros were translated as green. But then Revelation 6:8 says, “And I looked, and behold a, “(chloros)” pale horse … ” The Greek word chloros is translated as pale in this passage. Thayer’s definition of chloros is green, yellowish pale.

The New Revised Standard version of Revelation 6:8 says,

“I looked and there was a pale green horse! Its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed with him; they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, famine, and pestilence, and by the wild animals, “(or bestial men)” of the earth.”

Therefore, based on this information, it is appropriate to conclude the color pale referred to in the King James Version of Revelation 6:8 is referring to green.

Is there a green spirit alive in our world today? If Catholicism is white, communism is red and capitalism is black, whose official color is green?

A political article written by Mr. Daniel Pipes entitled, “Militant Islam Reaches America” was published in an encyclopedia and said, “The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 prompted loose talk about Islam replacing Marxism-Leninism (or communism) as the West’s necessary enemy. In symbolic terms, it was said that green (Islam’s color) had replaced red (communism’s color) in the West’s Rogues’ Gallery.”

Mr. Daniel Pipes goes on to say, “All of a sudden, the fear that we’ve had for Marxism, the red power for years, is now being replaced by the fear of the green power, Islam.”

Many of the flags of the Islamic countries are predominately green. There is even a strong Islamic presence in Israel and in Jerusalem. An Islamic shop right outside the Temple Mount has trim painted green. The fountain on the Temple Mount where the Muslim worshippers wash their hands, face and feet before going into worship has its wrought iron railing painted green. During a Hamas parade, the Islamic participants wore suicide belts and waved green colored flags. A door entrance and a gate entrance to the Temple Mount are both painted green, representing Islam. Green is the official color of Islam.

Ramadan is a special month each year when Muslims fast. They don’t eat from sunup to sundown for 30 days. They eat after sundown but fast during the day. In the year 2007, in honor of Ramadan, the Empire State Building decided to light its top portion with green. Their official statement concerning this was they did it in respect for Islam. So, there is another prominent belief system in our world today — its actual term is Islamism.

Revelation 6:8 further explains that the rider of this green horse was death. One of the most prominent means by which Islamists have spread their terror has been through suicide bombers. Over the course of the last couple decades, our world has experienced more suicide bombings than we are able to count. Several years ago, a Denmark cartoonist created quite a furor when he created a caricature of Muhammad with a turban around his head with a lit fuse coming out signifying suicide bombing was a trademark of Islam. Muslims were offended because they don’t believe in any likeness of Muhammad. In response to this offense, though they claim to be a peaceful religion, they burned down churches and killed 15 to 20 people. There are published pictures of lady suicide bombers, with bombs strapped around their waists and their faces veiled except for their eyes. It is certainly obvious the religion of Islam is a culture of death.

Islam glorifies death. They teach their children from the time they are two years of age that the highest calling in their life is to become a martyr for Allah — a martyr for Islam. In return for martyrdom, youths are promised immediate access to paradise and the attention of 72 dark-eyed, beautiful virgins. One of the mothers of one suicide bomber who blew up some Jews and then killed himself says:

“He would always dream of shahada (martyrdom). It was his first and last goal in life. I told him: ‘Dear, we all want to be shahids.’ He said: ‘In this entire world, I can’t think of anyone to marry. I don’t think of any girls of this world to marry. I want to marry the dark-eyed (virgins of paradise).’ I said: ‘If these are his thoughts, I wish him shahada. Praise to Allah, I hold my head high. The honor is mine, I have a son who is a shahid (martyr).’ And not only is my son a shahid, but all the shahids are my children, praise Allah. The honor is mine; the pride is mine.”

This perspective is not an exception in the Islamic faith. In videos produced for their families before carrying out their missions, they say, “I hope you’re proud of me. I am so excited to be a martyr for Allah.” After viewing the videos, mothers and fathers of these suicide bombers are known to dance and celebrate with pride. Muslims are taught the only way they can be sure of their salvation is to become a martyr for Allah. Yasser Arafat was quoted to have said, “I hope someday to be a martyr for Allah.” Islam is a culture of death. The martyr of the green horse is named death.

This belief system that praises suicide in the name of Allah is in direct opposition to what the Bible teaches. The Bible teaches those who commit murder will have their part in the Lake of Fire. Notice what follows: Revelation 6:8 says the rider of the green horse is death. It says Hell follows, not paradise.

Revelation 6:8 further explains this green horse spirit will have power over the fourth part of the Earth. According to the Population Reference Bureau, “By 2030, the world’s total Muslim population is expected to increase by 35 percent over its 2010 level, to 2.2 billion people. In total, Muslims will make up about 26 percent of the world’s population … ” That’s right at one-fourth.

Power was given over the fourth part of the Earth to kill with the sword. Islam’s favored form of killing is beheading. Here is a quote from the Islamic perspective:

“The Americans and their president and the British and those that follow them and the Zionists, the spoiled offspring of the entity, Allah is the greatest! If Allah permits us, oh nation of Muhammad, even the stone will say, oh Muslim, a Jew is hiding behind me, come and cut off his head. And we shall cut off his head! By Allah, we shall cut it off! Oh Jews! God is great! God is great!”

Power was given to the green spirit to kill with the sword and with hunger. Ninety-six percent of Muslims are from Africa and from south Asia, the most poverty-stricken, hunger-afflicted parts of the world.

Zechariah 6:6 states, “ … and the grisled, “(the fourth spirit)” go forth toward the south country.”

The prophecy of the green horse occurs in the Fourth Seal. The Fifth Seal is the Great Tribulation. The green horse era, the era of the resurrection of Islam is supposed to occur right before the Great Tribulation.

Four Seals have opened and the spirit of Islam is rising globally. These prophesied events are revealing we are quickly approaching the time of the Great Tribulation right now.

This is part 1 of a 2-part series. To read The Green Horseman and World War III Part 2, click here.