Black Horseman: Famine, Scales, and Injustice

Gary Whittaker

The Black Horseman – Scales, Scarcity, and Economic Judgment

When the third seal is opened, the rider that emerges doesn’t bring blood or fire—but something more subtle and crushing: economic imbalance. The Black Horseman carries scales and speaks of prices that make survival impossible for many.

This is a prophecy of injustice, not just hunger.

Revelation 6:5–6 – The Black Horse Appears

“When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, ‘Come!’ And I looked, and behold, a black horse! And its rider had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard... a voice... saying, ‘A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; but do not harm the oil and the wine!’”
— Revelation 6:5–6 (ESV)

Breaking Down the Symbols

The Color Black

  • Black in Scripture often signals mourning, death, and sorrow

  • It’s also the color of scarcity and despair

  • Unlike the Red Horseman, this isn’t about violence—it’s about slow suffering

The Scales

  • The rider carries a pair of scales, used for measuring grain

  • This echoes imagery from Leviticus and Ezekiel, where famine is shown by food being weighed and rationed

  • It reflects economic control, pricing survival as a luxury

The Prices

  • A denarius = one full day’s wage

  • One quart of wheat is barely enough to feed one person

  • So: a person must work all day just to survive

  • No provision for family, savings, or security

This isn’t just famine—it’s economic oppression.

The Oil and Wine Clause

“Do not harm the oil and the wine.”

Two views here:

1. Protection of Luxury Goods

  • Oil and wine were considered non-essentials

  • This may show how the wealthy remain untouched

  • A world where the poor starve while the rich feast

2. Mercy Amid Judgment

  • Some interpret this as a limit on the suffering

  • God restrains total collapse, preserving certain resources

  • A brief window for repentance or spiritual awakening

Interpretations of the Black Horseman

1. Literal Famine

  • Seen as a global food shortage during end times

  • Fits Jesus’ words in Matthew 24:7: “There will be famines…”

2. Economic Collapse and Injustice

  • Represents systems that exploit the poor

  • The poor must work just to survive, while luxuries are protected

  • Modern parallels: inflation, wage suppression, resource hoarding

3. Prophetic Exposure of Corrupt Systems

  • The Black Horseman isn’t just a curse—it’s a revelation

  • He exposes how rulers, corporations, and empires profit from scarcity

  • He forces people to see the injustice, even if they don’t stop it

Why This Rider Still Matters

He reminds us:

  • Judgment doesn’t always come with fire

  • Sometimes it comes with receipts and price tags

  • A world where a day’s work can’t buy bread is already under judgment

The Black Horseman shows us what happens when human greed replaces God’s justice.

🔍 Explore the Full Series: Decoding the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

This article is part of a complete 7-part series examining the symbols, scriptures, and deeper meaning behind the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and their origins.

📖 Read all parts of the series:

  1. Four Horsemen: Symbols, Colors, and Meaning

  2. The White Horseman – Christ or Antichrist?

  3. The Red Horseman – War and Division

  4. The Black Horseman – Famine and Injustice

  5. The Pale Horseman – Death and Hades

  6. Who Wrote Revelation and Why It Matters

  7. Other Apocalyptic Riders and Beasts in Prophecy

💡 Related Series:
If you're exploring what true Christianity looks like beyond modern politics and false teachings, read the companion series:
👉 Trump Evangelicals vs. Biblical Christianity

 

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