The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are figures in the Book of Revelation in the New Testament of the Bible, a piece of apocalypse literature written by John of Patmos. They are the first four of seven seals that bring forth the cataclysm of the apocalypse. The four horsemen are:

• The Rider on a White Horse: This horseman is a conqueror with a bow and crown, who rides a white horse. Scholars sometimes interpret the white horse to symbolize Christ or the Antichrist. Some Christians interpret this horseman as a vision of harbingers of the Last Judgment, setting a divine end-time upon the world.

• The Rider on a Red Horse: This horseman is given a great sword and rides a red horse, symbolizing war and bloodshed.

• The Rider on a Black Horse: This horseman carries a balance scale, rides a black horse, and symbolizes famine.

• The Rider on a Pale Horse: This horseman rides a pale horse and is identified as Death. He is followed by Hades, who was given authority over a quarter of the Earth, to kill with sword, famine, and plague, and by means of the beasts of the Earth.

The four horsemen are symbolic images found in Revelation 6. They correspond to four prophetic trends Jesus mentioned in the Olivet Prophecy: religious deception, war, famine, and pestilence. The four horsemen may seem mysterious and terrifying, but the Bible and the events of modern history help us to identify clearly what each horseman pictures.