These are notes on the sermon, Keys to Counter the Four Horsemen, preached by Pastor Joseph Prince on Sunday, 6 March 2022, at The Star Performing Arts Centre, Singapore. We hope these sermon notes will be an encouragement to you!
Be sure to sign up to get updates on the latest sermon notes by Team JP.
God’s word is God-breathed (2 Tim. 3:16). God breathed into His Scriptures the same breath He breathed into us. The Word of God is living; that’s why it is relevant and still speaks to us today! The Lord can give us a specific revelation, a word about our current situation, through the Scriptures.
The Lord cares deeply about the church. While the Lord died for the whole world, He gave Himself for the church (Eph. 5:25)—this shows how dear we are to Him.
The church is where the fullness of the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Holy Spirit dwell.
“to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit,”
— 1 Corinthians 12:9b NKJV
“gifts of healings” — all kinds of healings are found in the church.
“to another the working of miracles . . .”
— 1 Corinthians 12:10 NKJV
“working of miracles” — God can cause miracles to happen to us. These include supernatural cancellation of debts or even miracles in the weather!
These gifts and miracles have never ceased in the church and are even more needful today. Pastor Prince addresses a misconception that the gifts of the Spirit have ceased working.
“. . . but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease . . . But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.”
— 1 Corinthians 13:8, 10 KJV
“When that which is perfect is come” — There is a specific time when the gifts of the Holy Spirit will cease, and that is when the Lord returns for us. That time has not come yet.
Provision for our every need can be found in the body of Christ.
“And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all. Nor was there anyone among them who lacked;”
— Acts 4:33–34a NKJV
“And see to it that you make them according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain.”
— Exodus 25:40 NKJV
The early church received great grace and great power from God and experienced no lack. This is the pattern God has revealed for us to follow. Just like the tabernacle was modeled after the pattern in heaven, the pattern of the early church reveals God’s will for us now.
“The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree,
He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
Those who are planted in the house of the Lord
Shall flourish in the courts of our God.”
— Psalm 92:12–13a NKJV
“planted in the house of the Lord” — The house of the Lord refers to the church. God wants us to be planted in a local church, which is the practical expression of the universal church (we get to experience the benefits of being part of the church in personal and practical ways).
“flourish in the courts” — The courts speak of what is outside the church. When you’re planted in the house of God, you will flourish in the world (e.g. in your job).
“If anyone inquires about Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker concerning you. Or if our brethren are inquired about, they are messengers of the churches, the glory of Christ.”
— 2 Corinthians 8:23 NKJV
“The churches, the glory of Christ” — The local church is the glory of Christ.
The enemy will always try to tarnish the glory of Christ, and he does this by attacking the church. However, every time the local church overcomes these trials, they receive God’s wisdom (having been strengthened through the trial) and shine God’s light as a testimony of His grace! If the enemy has been attacking you and your family, know that it’s because he is after the glory of Christ. Once you realize this, you can position yourself to see Christ glorified and align yourself with what God is doing.
In ancient Israel, the high priest wore a breastplate with twelve gems on it (Exod. 39:8–14). These gemstones represent the twelve tribes of Israel, a symbol of local churches today. Just like the high priest had the names of the tribes of Israel written on his breastplate, Jesus our High Priest bears the names of the local churches on His heart. Let’s live life assured that we are close to the Lord’s heart and precious to Him.
The gemstone breastplate was given to the high priest to help him spiritually discern answers to the people's questions through the “urim” and “thummim” (Exod. 28:30), which mean lights and perfections. In the same way, when we behold the Lord’s heart for us, He gives us light and spiritual wisdom for our every need!
The twelve tribes of Israel were each represented by a specific gemstone on the breastplate. In the same way, God wants us to think of ourselves in a local church—each local church reflecting a unique aspect of Jesus’ glory.
“And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.”
— Matthew 24:6–8 NKJV
“All these are the beginning of birth pains.”
— Matthew 24:8 NIV
“but the end is not yet” — Even though we are beginning to see many signs of the end times (e.g. pestilences, wars, and rumors of war), we are not living in the times of the Tribulation. Though these signs indicate that the end is near, the Lord will first return for His church. While we continue to witness more of these signs, the Lord does not want us to be troubled.
”Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”
And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.”
— Matthew 24:3–5 NKJV
“For many will come in My name . . . and will deceive many” — The first sign of the end times is the presence of false teachings and the appearance of the false Christ. Anything that does not point to Christ (e.g. but instead points to our own effort or ability to save ourselves) is false.
“And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.”
— Matthew 24:6–8 NKJV
“You will hear of wars and rumors of wars” — The second sign of the end times is war. While there will be physical wars, another form of war is strife in our daily lives (e.g. strife in our relationships, quarrels between spouses and children, etc.).
“there will be famines” — The third sign of the end times is famine. This refers to literal famines that we can see happening around the world. In daily life, famine refers to any kind of lack we may see.
“Pestilences, and earthquakes” — With this last sign of the end times, there will be diseases and death.
The Bible talks about four horsemen in the book of Revelation, and these horsemen represent evil spirits that bring different kinds of destruction in the end times. In His Word, God also reveals the answers to counter these problems that we may see in our lives.
Rider on The White Horse: Anti-Christ / False Teachings
“Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, “Come and see.” And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.”
— Revelation 6:1–2 NKJV
“He who sat on it had a bow” — This rider on the white horse had a bow but no arrow. This shows that he had the form but not the substance. The missing arrow represents the Word of God. This means that the rider on the white horse is a false teacher who gives false impressions / lies about the gospel of Jesus Christ.
“a crown was given to him” — The Greek translation for the word “crown” is “corona.” This could imply that the Coronavirus will cause a lot of false teachings to emerge. These teachings which have been causing people a lot of fear are not from God. The word of Christ produces faith (Rom. 10:17), not fear. Accurate teachings from God will not cause you to be fearful.
Rider on The Red Horse: War / Strife
“When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come and see.” Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword.”
— Revelation 6:3–4 NKJV
“take peace from the earth” — The rider on the red horse represents the evil spirit that brings war. In our daily lives, these attacks come in the form of strife, division, and misunderstandings between or among people.
Rider on The Black Horse: Famine / Lack
“When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come and see.” So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand.
And I heard 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 the oil and the wine.”
— Revelation 6:5–6 NKJV
“a pair of scales in his hand” — The pair of scales represent commerce. This spirit brings famine and lack. If you are suffering from lack, it is likely that you are under attack by this spirit. But take heart, because God has answers for you!
Rider on The Pale Green Horse: Disease and Death
“When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come and see.” So I looked, and behold, a pale (‘chlóros’) horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth.”
— Revelation 6:7–8 NKJV
“pale (‘chlóros’) horse” — The Greek translation for the word “pale” is “chlóros,” which refers to a pale green color—the color of death. The rider on the pale green horse is the spirit that brings death.
Even though the signs of the end times are negative, God’s heart behind revealing these details to us is for us to receive wisdom from Him so that we can have spiritual intelligence to handle these problems in our lives. With God’s revelations, we can be alert about what the devil is trying to do in our lives—deceive us with false teachings, bring strife in our relationships, bring us lack, sickness, and death. Not only can we be aware of them, but we can overcome them!
“Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back.
The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature like a calf, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle.”
— Revelation 4:6–7 NKJV
The faces of the lion, calf, man, and flying eagle represent the four faces of Jesus (the different aspects of who He is). These faces correspond to the four gospels which tell us about the Lord’s life, death, and resurrection.
The Lion: Jesus as the King
“From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
— Matthew 4:17 NKJV
“kingdom of heaven” — The Gospel of Matthew portrays Jesus as the King through its expositions on how Jesus brought us the kingdom of heaven. This Gospel also begins with Jesus’ genealogy, starting with “the Son of David,” which shows His pedigree as King.
The lion is symbolic of Jesus’ kingship since it is the king of the beasts.
The Calf: Jesus as a servant
“And immediately, coming up from the water . . .”
— Mark 1:10 NKJV
“Immediately” — We see this word appear many times in the Gospel of Mark. Other words like “straight away” and “suddenly” also appear often, indicating how Jesus was consistently serving tirelessly. In this Gospel, Jesus is portrayed as the ox, which is strong to labor (Ps. 144:14 KJV).
The Man: Jesus as man
“But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins . . .”
— Luke 5:24 NKJV
“the Son of Man” — This phrase appears the most often in the Gospel of Luke, where Jesus is portrayed as fully God yet fully man. Luke 3 records Jesus’ entire lineage going all the way back to Adam, the first man.
The Eagle: Jesus as God
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word became flesh . . .”
— John 1:1, 14 NKJV
“the Word was God. And the Word became flesh” — The Gospel of John portrays Jesus as God. This Gospel does not record any genealogy because Jesus is portrayed directly as God. His deity is represented by the face of the eagle, which flies higher than any bird.
In each of the four faces of Jesus, we find the answers to the attacks from the four horsemen.
“As for the likeness of their faces, each had the face of a man; each of the four had the face of a lion on the right side, each of the four had the face of an ox on the left side, and each of the four had the face of an eagle.”
— Ezekiel 1:10 NKJV
Ezekiel had a vision of heaven where the cherubims (angels) had the four faces of Jesus. The positions of these faces are important. They help us visualize the tabernacle of Moses and how the Israelites camped around it—and this gives us insights into how the four faces of Jesus counter the enemy’s attacks against us.
The tabernacle of Moses
“And in His temple everything says, “Glory!”
— Psalm 29:9b NKJV
In this psalm, the psalmist David was referring to the tabernacle of Moses, not the temple of Solomon. We know this since the temple had not yet been built at this point. There are secrets for us to uncover as we study the tabernacle. Every part of it points to Jesus and His glory!
“Everyone of the children of Israel shall camp by his own standard, beside the emblems of his father’s house; they shall camp some distance from the tabernacle of meeting.”
— Numbers 2:2 NKJV
In Moses’ time, the children of Israel would camp outside the tabernacle, according to the banner that belonged to their tribe. The twelve tribes camped outside the tabernacle in groups of threes, with three tribes on each side of the tabernacle.
From an aerial view, the position of the tribes formed a cross, representing Jesus.
Though each tribe had its own banner, each side of the tabernacle had a leading tribe whose flags were displayed instead.
These four faces represent the faces of Jesus around the tabernacle.
“They shall camp facing the tent of meeting on every side.”
— Numbers 2:2 ESV
"They shall camp facing the tent" — The tribes were all camped facing toward the tabernacle. In the natural, this was not the best position (it made more sense to face outwards where one could see the enemy). But the children of Israel faced inwards toward the Lord. Notice that as they faced inwards, the faces of Jesus were facing outwards—a picture of how the people only needed to focus on Him and He would defend them.
“. . . The glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.”
— Isaiah 58:8 NASB
“looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith . . .”
— Hebrews 12:2 NKJV
Just like the children of Israel faced the tabernacle and trusted the Lord to defend them from their enemies, we are to look unto Jesus and trust Him to be our rear guard!
“When the enemy comes in like a flood,
The Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard against him.”
— Isaiah 59:19b NKJV
We don’t have to look around us at what the enemy is doing. When we look to the Lord, He will take care of whatever comes against us! When we get distracted by what is going on around us, we miss out on what God is doing for us supernaturally.
In one fell swoop, He can cause darkness to dissipate. He can cause sickness to be removed from your body. If the miracle you need is taking time, know that He is preparing a testimony for His glory.
The tabernacle of Moses and the tribes of Israel surrounding it is a picture of our Lord Jesus and the local churches. The Lord wants us to be planted in a local church and focus on Him. As we prioritize Jesus and being in the church, He will take care of all our needs.
“But we . . . beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. . .”
— 2 Corinthians 3:18 NKJV
The more we behold Jesus, the more we become like Him.
The four horsemen as told by the prophet Zechariah
“Then I looked up again and saw four chariots coming from between two bronze mountains. The first chariot was pulled by red horses, the second by black horses, the third by white horses, and the fourth by powerful dappled-gray horses. “And what are these, my lord?” I asked the angel who was talking with me.”
The angel replied, “These are the four spirits of heaven who stand before the Lord of all the earth. They are going out to do his work. The chariot with black horses is going north, the chariot with white horses is going west, and the chariot with dappled-gray horses is going south.”
— Zechariah 6:1–6 NLT
“These are the four spirits of heaven”— This does not mean that God directed these evil spirits. Instead, it means that God allows these things to happen through His sovereignty. This is similar to how Jesus allowed Peter to be “sifted” but also prophesied his victory (Luke 22:31–32). God is sovereign, allowing certain things to happen, but we can rest assured that we have Jesus, our advocate, who is in heaven speaking on our behalf at the Father’s right hand.
“The chariot with black horses is going north, the chariot with white horses is going west, and the chariot with dappled-gray horses is going south.”
— Zechariah 6:6 NLT
The directions in which the four horsemen are attacking us are described here for us to find God’s answers to counter them! During the time of Moses, the Israelites would raise up their banners in wartime. In the same way, the answer to overcoming our battles is to lift Jesus up! Our enemies scatter when we lift Him up (Ps. 68:1).
It’s important for us to be planted in a local church because it is through the local church that we receive specific revelations of Jesus that we need. In the book of Revelation, Jesus appeared before the seven churches in different forms. Different local churches see different aspects of Jesus, and the aspect He shows them is the revelation of Him that they need at that time.
When our enemies come from behind us, all we need to do is lift Jesus up. We do this by singing songs of praise or talking to others about Him. In the Song of Songs, we often see the bride speaking lovely of her husband to others, and that is when her husband appears. This is a picture of how as we simply talk about Jesus to others, He comes on the scene.
It is wonderful to feel His love when we talk about Him. The more you talk about Him, the more you sense His presence with you. There are many aspects of Jesus to study and talk about. His every word, thought, and action is beautiful, and all His glories are for you to enjoy.
We grow by growing in the knowledge of Jesus Christ!
God the Father loves it when we talk about His Son. Notice that all of creation took only one chapter to describe, yet the tabernacle of Moses (filled with symbols of Jesus) took fifteen chapters to describe. Not only that, but the tabernacle and all its furniture are described twice in the Bible. The Father never tires of speaking about His Son.
The more you see Jesus, the more your worship of Him expands. Let’s see Him more and talk about Him more to our spouses and children. He is the answer to living protected and blessed in the end times.
“The chariot with black horses is going north, the chariot with white horses is going west, and the chariot with dappled-gray horses is going south.”
— Zechariah 6:6 NLT
“White horses is going west”— The white horse (false doctrine) is attacking the east side of the tabernacle, which is where the bronze altar and laver is found. The bronze altar is a picture of the cross of Jesus while the laver is a picture of us being washed by the water of the Word (Eph. 5:26). The water of the Word refers to Christ-centered doctrine. The key to countering false doctrines is the word of Christ!
False teachings are teachings that put aside Jesus and His finished work. They might sound intelligent or even inspirational and appear to have solutions for us, but these answers are always presented to us without mentioning the cross. “Anti-Christ” does not only refer to things that go against Christ, but also the things that try to take the place of Christ. Don’t let anyone take the place of Christ!
“black horses is going north” — The black horse (famine/lack) is attacking the south side of the tabernacle, which is where the menorah is found. The menorah is a picture of the Holy Spirit in the Church (Rev. 1:12). The local church is what counters lack in our lives! The more we are involved in the local church (e.g. offering support through our service or finances), the more we will experience the Lord’s abundant blessings.
“I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet,
Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man . . .”
— Revelation 1:10, 12–13 NKJV
John was facing north before he turned around to see the voice that spoke to him. When he turned around (toward south), he saw the Lord in the midst of the seven lampstands. The Lord is always in the midst of the church! Where He is, He fills every lack with His supply.
“dappled-gray horses is going south” — The green horse (disease/death) is attacking the north side of the tabernacle, which is where the table of showbread is found. The table of showbread is a picture of the Lord’s supper. The key to overcoming sickness and disease is the partaking of the holy Communion! This is where supernatural healing springs forth.
The table of the Lord’s supper is more powerful than nuclear weapons. It will cause plagues to recede before you. It will cause diseases in your body to melt away.
Even if you are suffering from diseases now, take heart because the more you partake of the holy Communion and look to Jesus, the more you will find His supernatural healing for you.
“The chariot with black horses is going north, the chariot with white horses is going west, and the chariot with dappled-gray horses is going south.”
— Zechariah 6:1–6 NLT
The red horse (war/strife) is not mentioned here, but we know it is attacking the remaining side of the tabernacle—west. This is where the altar of incense is found. The altar of incense is a picture of prayer. It can be seen as Jesus offering perfect prayers to God. He is always praying for us. We enter into His prayers (pray together with Him, according to His will) when we pray in the Spirit.
As we pray in tongues, the enemy will depart and strife will melt away. The more we try to rely on our own human efforts, the fewer results we will yield. But the more we pray and trust in the Lord, the more we will see our breakthroughs because the prayers of a righteous man avail much (James 5:16)!
“Heavenly Father, I believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God. I believe He died and rose again. And I believe Jesus is my Lord and my Savior from this day forth. Thank You, Father, that all my sins are forgiven. I thank You, Father God, and I stand before You right now as the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. You are my Father and I'm your son and I'm greatly blessed. Thank You, Father. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
“This coming week, the Lord bless you and your families. The Lord cause His face to shine on you and protect you throughout this week. The Lord cause your enemies to flee before you. They may come against you one way but they will flee before you seven ways. The Lord lift up His countenance on you and grant to you and your loved ones His shalom peace and His supernatural favor. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Do you find yourself facing an attack by any of the four horsemen—whether it is false teaching, lack, sickness, or strife?
Be encouraged in knowing that you have Someone who is more than able and equipped to handle those attacks, and He is fighting your battles for you.
Just like the children of Israel in the wilderness turned their backs to their enemies and faced the tabernacle, trusting the Lord to guard and defend them, you can do the same. This week, will you shift your focus away from your troubles and look to the Lord Jesus? He will protect you and fight for you.
If you are seeing the effects of false teaching in your life (e.g. fear, anxiety, stress, self-reliance), look to Jesus by listening to Christ-centered messages that remind you of His finished work and His limitless supply in your life.
If you are facing any kind of lack, scarcity, or deficiency, look to Jesus by planting yourself in a local church and seeing Him revealed to you through the pulpit and the people.
If you are facing a health challenge, look to Jesus by partaking of the holy Communion and remembering all that He accomplished for you at the cross—taking your pains and diseases in His own body and purchasing your righteous standing before God with His own blood.
And if you are struggling with strife or conflict in your relationships or family life, look to Jesus by praying in the Spirit, knowing that you are entering His prayer and He is interceding for you.
As you look to the Lord, He will protect you against every attack and provide for all your needs.
We hope these sermon notes blessed you! If they did, we encourage you to get the sermon and allow the Lord to speak to you personally as you watch or listen to it.
© Copyright JosephPrince.com 2022
These sermon notes were taken by volunteers during the service. They are not a verbatim representation of the sermon.
Sign Up for Latest Sermon Notes Updates
SubscribeTo complete the subscription process, please click on the confirmation link in the email we just sent you.
You're already in our mailing list. Thank You!
