3.09.2006

Behold The Green Horse: An Islamic Connection?

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  1. Revelation 6:8 KJV - 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.
  2. Revelation 6:8 NET - So I looked and here came a pale green horse! The name of the one who rode it was Death, and Hades followed right behind. They were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill its population with the sword, famine, and disease, and by the wild animals of the earth.
  3. Revelation 6:8 Phillips - Again I looked, and there appeared a horse sickly green in colour. The name of its rider was death, and the grave followed close behind him. A quarter of the earth was put into their power, to kill with the sword, by famine, by violence, and through the wild beasts of the earth.
The prophet Zechariah describes four chariots coming out of mountains of "brass" (6:1), each chariot having different color horses (red, black, white, and "grisled and bay horses" 6:2-3). The angel present declares they are "the four spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the Lord...." (6:4-5). Much later the four-horsemen of this portion of John's Revelation has stood for various things throughout eschatological history. In the futuristic tradition, the black horse is interpreted, by some, to be capitalism; the white horse has been interpreted to mean Catholicism; the red horse communism and the pale horse death, and so on.

If this paradigm is true or if there are certain events yet future regarding the fulfillment of this passage let's consider the word "pale". The Greek word for "pale" here is chloros which literally refers to, "the color of plants green, pale green, yellowish green...." (1) Most lexicons define chloros as meaning green in some sense. In fact, our English word chlorophyll is a derivative of the Greek chloro and chloros. Chlorophyll is responsible for the green in plant life.

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"Green is the traditional color of Islam, Likewise because of its association with nature. Mohammed is reliably quoted in a hadith as saying that "water, greenery, and a beautiful face" were three universally good things.In the Quran, sura Al-Insan, followrs of Allah in Jannah wear fine green silk." (2)

It is also rumored that the color green was his favorite color and it is quite apparent that green was and is the color of the banners in the battlefield. Most Islamic countries have the color green as the most predominate color in their flags. Many Mosques are frequently decorated with green tiles. The Quran even describes paradise as filled with green. 
For them will be Gardens of Eternity; beneath them rivers will flow; they will be adorned therein with bracelets of gold, and they will wear green garments of fine silk and heavy brocade: They will recline therein on raised thrones. How good the recompense! How beautiful a couch to recline on! (Yusuf Ali, 18:31)
This being the case "pale green" or even "green" horse may be a competent translation. Various translations render this portion of the text accordingly, The ALT: green horse, CEV: pale green, Phillips: horse sickly green in color, HCSB: pale green, LITV: pale green, NAB: pale green and the NET: pale green. The NLT, although using functional equivalence, has a unique translation that captures the multi-faceted meaning or "thought" here. It has "a horse whose color was pale green like a corpse". Some translations by individuals use the phrase "livid horse", e.g. Moffat, Godbey. L means "discolored by bruising". Even the 1534 Tyndale Bible translates it as "behold a green horse".

What could this mean? Many opinions are available to us. But green is also the universally identifiable color of Islam. Considering the rise and prevalence of Islam in our society, it is quite possible that the "pale-green horse", whose rider is death, is the horse to bring death to the "fourth of the earth" also mentioned in Revelation 6:8.

The Muslim community comprises about 1.5 billion followers on all five continents. That is about 1/4th of 6 billion people. Islam is also one of the fastest-growing religions in the world. If Islamic warriors were to converge and pass over the Euphrates river, their numbers could easily total the "two hundred million" prophesied of in Revelations 9:16. If there is any group with enough hatred and appetite to attack and destroy Israel, or any infidel people for that matter, it would be the Islamic people.

NOTES:

1) Friberg, T., Friberg, B., & Miller, N. F. (2000). Vol. 4: [i]Analytical lexicon of the Greek New Testament[/i]. Baker's Greek New Testament library (Page 409). Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Books.

2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green; http://desktoppub.about.com/cs/colorselection/p/green.htm

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I had also considered the pale horse as being Islam, but hadn't studied it out. Really appreciated your synopsis having studied Islam for the last several years. I am putting you on my blogroll. Check me out sometime

Anonymous said...

You will be hated above all others for my manes sake. The green horse makes perfect sense. The National Islamic Front regime in Khartoum is conducting a campaign of genocide aimed at exterminating the Christian, African and non-Arab populations of Sudan in order to establish a uniform Arab-Islamic state. China, is where millions of underground Christians face constant persecution. Christianity is the most persecuted faith on earth right now as it's getting to where even in America we are being persecuted. We can't even pray in public or school for fear of being arrested because we offended gays & atheist yet they are allowed to express their non-religious views & gays kissing in public which "offends us" and have their rights to offend us. Even Arabs are allowed to pray in school but christians are told to be quiet or go to jail. It's insane what's going on and scary at the same time. Even Obama has said America is no longer a christian nation and claims his faith in Islam. What happened to his faith in Jesus that got him the christian vote he needed to get elected? You can't worship Yahweh and the Moon God Allah. Only one is real.

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