Horsemen of the Apocalypse (theology)

The Horsemen of the Apocalypse are arguably one of the most famous Biblical villains other then Satan himself, though they are not necessarily entirely fuelled by malice - acting as divine harbingers of the End Times. These four beings embody four apocalyptic forces that are said to be granted authority over the world until the Day of Judgement when God himself shall manifest and create a new world free from all sin.

The Horsemen of the Apocalypse, alongside the Antichrist and the Beast, were popular figures in doomsday writings and continue to fascinate many - though they are seen more as symbolic figures in modern belief than literal beings.

Conquest
Riding upon a white horse was the Horseman of Conquest - this Horseman is one of confusion amongst theologians as some believe he is representative of divine conquest (and thus a force of good) while others think of him as a representative of unlawful conquest (and thus a force of evil).

Regardless of his morality the Horseman of Conquest is said to arrive and sweep across the world, unleashing civil war and internal strife (which separates him from War, who embodies more open warfare).

War
Riding upon a red horse was the fearsome Horseman of War, who caused open warfare across the land of man - unlike Conquest, the Horseman of War specialises in waging war between nations and people rather than internal strife: the color of the horse coupled with the rider's sword symbolises the great bloodshed that must ultimately befall the world and to some he also symbolises divine wrath and spiritual warfare, making him even more formidable than he already appears.

Famine
Riding on a black horse was the dreaded Horseman of Famine rides onward, denying the world life-sustaining food and bringing starvation, but being ordered by divine law to not harm oil or wine (this has been seen by some as a symbolism for the Christian faith, suggesting the order was to not harm those of true faith). In his hands are a pair of weighing-scales, which were commonly used to weigh bread during times of famine in antiquity.

Death
Riding upon a pale horse was the most famous of all the horsemen and the only one to be specifically named in scripture, Death, being given authority to kill men and animal alike the fearsome spirit was accompanied by Hades itself and was said to sweep across the land: bringing an end to life by sword, famine and other woes.

Unlike the other three Horsemen, Death has also been specifically mentioned in texts surrounding the Day of Judgement where God himself takes both Hades and Death, alongside Satan and all his followers and places them in the Lake Of Fire for all of eternity. Also unlike the other three fellow horsemen, the Horseman of Death carries a scythe which is commonly the well-known weapon of the Grim Reaper that is the personification of Death itself.