Are The Four Horsemen of The Apocalypse Harbingers Of Destruction?

The four horsemen of the apocalypse by Vicente Blasco Ibáñez, allegorically refers to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse mentioned in the bible. In the novel, they are stated by Tchernoff who lives in the same building where Julio resides. Tchernoff elaborates his statement and mentions the beast of the Apocalypse, followed by the four horsemen who precede it.

According to the apocalyptic vision of Christianity, the four horsemen will punish the wrongdoings of the world through a divine apocalypse which will be a harbinger of the Last Judgment. Some historical texts associate the four horsemen to the ancient Roman Empire in which the Book of Revelation was written.

The four horsemen of the Apocalypse are described in Revelation chapter 6 of Bible, verses 1-8. The four horsemen descriptively symbolizes the horrendous events that will take place when the world will come to its end.  Revelation 6:2 mentions the first Horseman of the Apocalypse: “I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.” The first horseman has been referred as the Antichrist who is believed to be an opposing force to the divinity of Christ. It is believed that the antichrist will be given an absolute authority that will be unconquerable and anything that will come in its way will be perished. He is believed to be a false representation of Christ, who will also appear on a White horse.

Talking about the second horseman of the apocalypse, he appears in the Revelation 6:4, “Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make men slay each other. To him was given a large sword.” The second horseman symbolizes the gruesome war that will deliver the deadliest blow at end of the World. The third horseman is described in Revelation 6:5-6, “Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, ‘A quart of wheat for a day's wages, and three quarts of barley for a day's wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!’” The third horseman of the Apocalypse symbolizes the devastating famine that will end up in people shedding each other’s blood to fill their stomach. The famine will be an outcome of the war the second horseman.

The fourth horseman is mentioned in Revelation 6:8, “I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.” The fourth horseman of the Apocalypse is believed to possess the symbolic powers of the previous horsemen. He is as unstoppable as the Antichrist and is the harbinger of bloodshed. He will bring fatal plagues and diseases wipe out half of the humanity.  

The most heart wrenching aspect of the four horsemen of theApocalypse is that they are only a precursor to the judgement day, a day on which the severest of punishment will be inflicted on the humanity.