⚠️ Horses Loosed
On Wednesday 24th April 2024 there was an unusual national news story in the UK about several Household Cavalry horses being spooked by a noise and bolting through the streets of central London. According to the British Army, "of the seven horses which were spooked, five tried to bolt and four broke loose." These four 'equine escapees' caused chaos as they collided with vehicles including a double-decker bus and a taxi. Four people were injured.
Of the four horses that broke loose, two were the stars of the show, being captured on camera and broadcast to the nation as they galloped free, the wind rushing through their manes. Peculiarly, one of them appeared to be covered in blood. As soon as I watched these events on the news, I just knew within myself that it was significant. It seemed like I wasn't the only one either, as eyebrows were raising across the country and people started posting on their social media to remark on this 'omen'. The strangeness of the incident was impossible to ignore, and obvious comparisons could be drawn to the horses of John's apocalypse.
I've noticed that God actually speaks in signs quite frequently, if you look for them. What I think makes an event particularly significant is its uniqueness or how extraordinary it is. If something stands out and makes you think "What the…", then it might be the Holy Spirit drawing attention to something. It's true that some of us can get carried away🙋🏻♂️making mountains out of molehills or obsessing over insignificant things, but I tend to find that if something is strange enough to make headline news, and if it hasn’t been manufactured, then it might be worth taking a look. God does speak in signs:
“And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God…I will show wonders in heaven above and signs in the earth beneath: blood and fire and vapor of smoke.”
I believe the horses were a sign given by God for the people of the United Kingdom. The purpose was to warn us of things to come, so that we can prepare by praying for wisdom and guidance. It took place in central London, our capital city. Let's consider what happened in April:
Four Horses were Loosed.
Of the two captured on camera while still running loose:
One was White (but really a Grey horse), and also Red because of blood.
One was Black.
As I'm sure most readers will be aware, these are the colours of the horses that appear in the Book of Revelation, when the seven seals are loosed. (Also, blood is one of the signs that God uses on earth during the last days.) Here are the four horses as they appear in Revelation:
📖Revelation 6: I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals…behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer. And when he had opened the second seal…there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword. And when he had opened the third seal…lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine. And when he had opened the fourth seal…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.
Someone might say, "Ah, but there were no riders in London, so it can’t be a sign." Well, technicalities are not important because signs are meant to be simple. Besides, we know that the horses did have riders and were later returned to them. The fact that riders weren't present is why we can actually say that the horses were "loosed", and this is exactly the keyword used time and time again in the news articles. Incidentally, it is the same word used in the Bible with regard to the Seven Seals:
📖Revelation 5: And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? … And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.
The glaring question is, then, what does the sign actually mean? Well, I would say it means something like this: the UK is about to experience situations like those when the first four seals are being loosed in Revelation. It’s not to say necessarily that THE seals are finding their prophetic fulfillment, or that these things will be loosed upon the entire world, I don’t know about that. But I think that troubles will come upon the United Kingdom according to this pattern established in Revelation. We know from chapter six that the first horse represents Conquest/Subjugation; the second horse symbolizes War/Violence; and the third signifies Hunger/Inflation/Scarcity. The fourth horse is Death through various means.
In case we still weren't convinced that those horses were a sign of the times…bizarrely, an almost identical situation occured a few months later on Monday 1st July 2024. The BBC reported:
📰 "Military horses have broken free and run loose through central London for the second time since April. Three horses from the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment "became loose from their riders" while six were exercising on Monday morning, according to the Ministry of Defence (MoD). No soldiers were injured. The latest incident happened when the lead horse, which was being led rather than ridden, became loose after being spooked by a London bus. Two riders were then unseated from their horses, who also became loose."
Either I'm having déjà vu or God is trying to get our attention. Why repeat the sign? Well, when Pharaoh dreamed about the famine in Jacob's time, he had two dreams in succession, and Joseph interpreted this to mean that the famine would shortly come to pass. Can we apply that same principle here? If the Sign has been duplicated, is the interpretation that the 'seals' are very shortly about to be loosed? If so, the troubles that have been since 2020 could pale in comparison to what might come. We have to watch for signs like this so that we are prepared and don't get caught up in the mess.
Notice that the horses belong to the British Army, which gives us another association with war. As a side-note, I found something interesting in the Army's statement that was released on their social media page. They mentioned that the original five horses that bolted were called Vida, Quaker, Trojan, Tennyson and Vanquish. Well, Vanquish is basically the same thing that the rider of the white horse is doing when he goes forth to conquer. Also Vida means life and is the opposite of Death. Trojan could allude to War because of the Trojan War…ok, I might be getting carried away.
⚠️I believe the takeaway from these two signs is quite simple: Horse that are White/Red/Black/Ashen have been loosed in the capital, signifying the respective seal judgments shortly coming upon the United Kingdom.
Our nation has already entered into difficult circumstances, but I believe they are in their infancy and exist only as a prelude to greater woes. While it is true that Christians are blessed and we do not have to fear disaster or destitution, the Holy Spirit is saying that judgment is coming upon England because of iniquity. For believers it is true that, “God did not appoint us to wrath”, however the world is still subject to such judgments, and we can get swept away with them if we are not vigilant. Jesus said “Watch and Pray” for a reason.
I personally believe that the blessings and protections we have in Christ are not automatic, but rather, we apply them through faith, and they exist within the context of a relationship with God. Every relationship needs to be worked on. We do this through prayer and communion with the Holy Spirit. We salvage a few minutes of the day for quiet time and reflection. We schedule a Bible study into our busy week. We season our lives with a sprinkling of fellowship and we open our mouths for a moment of praise. As we bat away life’s onslaught of tasks, chores and challenges, we make a sacrifice somewhere and set aside some time for God. He appreciates and honours that time, and we are always blessed because of it.
“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”
When signs such as these appear, it is like an alarm call. We are being prodded. God is poking us, saying, “Wake up and take note. Be prudent and prepare.” But HOW do we prepare if further hardships are coming upon the nation? Well, we need wisdom from above. We need strategies from heaven so that our businesses don’t fail; we need the sagacity to manage our finances wisely. Should we grow our own food, should we start stocking up? Is it time to relocate? We won’t know unless we bring these things to the feet of Jesus in prayer. I ask God for wisdom every day, based on the promise in the epistle of James. Free wisdom? Hello?? Who doesn’t want free wisdom? It is up for grabs whenever you need it. Just ask God for it and he will give liberally.
Look at how the world went mad during COVID when people started panic-buying. Most of us weren’t prepared for it. Be honest, how many of you were rushing out to buy toilet paper? People actually lost their minds and started brawling in supermarkets over a pack of toilet rolls. It didn’t even make sense! It‘s not like it was a diarrhoea epidemic.
If the sign of the horses appeared AFTER the insanity of COVID, then what will another crisis look like? If something like an economic depression hit us, or if a food scarcity became a reality like it was in Joseph’s day, would we be prepared for it? Can you imagine how savage the ‘civilized world’ would become if things got any worse than 2020?
Welp, I think I have laboured the point enough now. To conclude: if we aren't already spending time in prayer, fellowship, contemplation, Bible study, or praise and worship…now might be a good time to get back on it. Because if bloody apocalyptic horses of terror rampaging through London aren't enough to wake people up, then I really don’t know what is.
⏰ Wakey-wakey, rise and shine!
⛯ Mark-Alexander
