hi John and doves.
looking deeper at the 3rd horse, i found an old testament verse that may shed some light.
last post i suggested that scales more likely means yoke.
so the one on the black horse carries a yoke.
could this even be a positive message? different to the other horses? removing a yoke? jesus says my yoke is light?
then, most likely the voice of God talks. this is different to all the other horses.
the first part about measures of wheat and barley and a coin is very similar to a passage in 2 kings that refers to the END of a famine with these measures being a celebration of reasonable prices returning.
2 kings
But Elisha said, "Hear the word of the Lord : thus says the Lord , Tomorrow about this time a seah of fine flour shall be sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, at the gate of Samaria." Then the captain on whose hand the king leaned said to the man of God, "If the Lord himself should make windows in heaven, could this thing be?" But he said, "You shall see it with your own eyes, but you shall not eat of it."
2 Kings 7:1-2 ESV
For the Lord had made the army of the Syrians hear the sound of chariots and of horses, the sound of a great army, so that they said to one another, "Behold, the king of Israel has hired against us the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Egypt to come against us." So they fled away in the twilight and abandoned their tents, their horses, and their donkeys, leaving the camp as it was, and fled for their lives.
2 Kings 7:6-7 ESV
This day is a day of good news. ..... Now therefore come; let us go and tell the king's household."
2 Kings 7:9 ESV
Then the people went out and plundered the camp of the Syrians. So a seah of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, according to the word of the Lord .
2 Kings 7:16 ESV
compare the above passage about the END of the famine to revelation.
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 (zygon/2218/yoke/or balance beam)in his hand. And I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures, saying, "A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not (harm/do wickedly) the oil (olive oil/holy spirit) and wine!"
Revelation 6:5-6 ESV
greek words from here
https://biblehub.com/interlinear/revelation/6.htm
x
the black horse is different.
voice calling likely Gods voice.
x
zech 6
The first chariot had red horses, the second black horses, the third white horses, and the fourth chariot dappled horses—all of them strong. Then I answered and said to the angel who talked with me, "What are these, my Lord?" And the angel answered and said to me, "These are going out to the four winds of heaven, after presenting themselves before the Lord of all the earth. The chariot with the black horses goes toward the north country, the white ones go after them, and the dappled ones go toward the south country." When the strong horses came out, they were impatient to go and patrol the earth. And he said, "Go, patrol the earth." So they patrolled the earth. Then he cried to me, "Behold, those who go toward the north country have set my Spirit at rest in the north country."
Zechariah 6:2-8 ESV
so the black horse that goes to the north gives Gods spirit rest?
can the black horse rider be a good angel bringing the yoke of the message of christ? or is the yoke a bad yoke like the yoke of the vaccine passport or the yoke of israel and palestine stuck together?
could the wheat barley phrase when linked to the 1 kings passage hinting at the end of a famine and prices going back to normal mean the end of the famine for Gods word? could this be israel realising that jesus is the messiah?
also this phrase
and do not harm the oil and wine!"
oil elaion olive oil. indwelling of the holy spirit.
wine oinon wine, possibly vine
not cannot
do wrong/ act wickedly/ injure
so this part could read those with the oil of the holy spirit on the vine cannot act wickedly.
or maybe do not do wrong.
maybe if Jesus is returning soon then God is reminding those with the holy spirit to keep away from any wrongdoing.
one website i looked at had a conversion of 1 denarius to 2.9 shekels. so the coins are in the ballpark similar.
maybe the revelation passage about wheat and barley is to point to the 2 kings passage about wheat and barley and to point to where God supernaturally saves israel from their enemies.
so maybe at the 3rd seal black horse, God saves israel from its attackers.
so maybe the 3rd seal black horse is a good event amidst the bad events of the 2nd and 4th seal.
or maybe the yoke is the attempt to join israel and palestine with a 2 state solution but then like 2 kings, God intervenes and sends the enemy away supernaturally.