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Lesson 39 Hope of Israel Ministries BIBLE Correspondence Course 9



of the black horse symbolizes the going forth of death, a certain impostor named Theudas
a FALSE gospel under Satan’s spirit -- a FALSE persuaded a multitude to follow him to the river
gospel going forth with “the balances of deceit” Jordan which he claimed would divide for their
-- a DECEITFUL gospel that has ensnared passage. At the time of Felix (who is mentioned
millions! If the white horse and its rider repre- in the Book of Acts), the country of Judea was
sents the going forth of the TRUE gospel, the filled with impostors who Felix put to death
BLACK HORSE (which is the very opposite of EVERY DAY -- a statement that indicates there
white) must represent the going forth of a were many of them! An Egyptian who
FALSE gospel -- a gospel of darkness and death. “pretended to be a prophet” gathered 30,000
The history of the past twenty centuries fully men, claiming he would show “how, at his
confirms this conclusion. command, the walls of Jerusalem would fall
8. Did the Messiah warn about deceivers down.”
who would come preaching a gospel of deceit? Origen mentions a certain wonder-
Matthew 24:4-5. worker, Dositheus, who claimed he was the
COMMENT: Into the Hellenized envi- Messiah foretold by Moses. Another deceiver in
ronment of first-century Judea came Yeshua the those days was Barchochebas who claimed to
Messiah of Nazareth, preaching the Good News vomit flames. Bar-jesus, mentioned in Acts
of the Kingdom of YEHOVAH God. The main 13:6, was a sorcerer and false prophet. These are
thrust of his message had to do with an examples of the deceivers of whom history says
EARTHLY KINGDOM -- NOT an escape to the there were “a great number,” and of whom the
nether reaches of spiritual Nirvanaland! Instead Messiah had prophesied there would be “many.”
of speaking in vague dialectic and dualistic 11. Another deceiver was SIMON, the
concepts, he taught simple, direct principles of sorcerer, who led people to believe he was the
ETHICS and MORALS. He was continually at great power of YEHOVAH God. Acts 8:9-25.
loggerheads with the religious establishment in COMMENT: According to Irenaeus,
Palestine, took a DIM VIEW of their burden- this Simon claimed to be the Son of YEHOVAH
some, MAN-MADE traditions, and was not God and creator of angels. Justin tells us how he
afraid to CASTIGATE them for their religious went to ROME and was acclaimed as a god by
hypocrisy -- see Matthew 23 and Luke 18:10- his magical powers. This was the REAL “Peter”
14. the Catholics claim was the first pope.
9. Did mark also mention this? Mark 12. The apostle Paul mentions that the
13:5-6. black horse was beginning to ride in his day --
10. What about Luke -- does he mention notice II Thessalonians 2:7.
it too? Luke 21:8. 13. Go, now, to II Thessalonians 2:3-4.
COMMENT: All three accounts warn 14. What does Paul say in II Thessa-
about deceivers with a gospel of deceit, but lonians 2:9-12?
Luke’s account explains WHEN these things COMMENT: This came to pass when
would happen. This was not something that the Roman Empire collapsed and the Roman
would take place hundreds or thousands of years Catholic Church rose to power in its vacuum.
later! Yeshua was warning his disciples about 15. What does Paul say will happen after
something that was about to happen IN THEIR his death? Acts 20:29-30.
TIME! COMMENT: The church historian,
Did “many” deceivers deceive “many” Mosheim, admits that “Christian churches had
people in those days with a message of darkness scarcely been organized when MEN ROSE UP,
and death? Yes! According to the historian who, not being contented with the simplicity and
Josephus, twelve years after the Messiah’s PURITY of that religion which the Apostles




The Black Horse of Revelation 6
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