The Four Horsemen

The  Four  Horsemen

Martin Cecil  March 23, 1980 am

In the beginning is the Word. In every beginning is the Word. In this beginning is the Word. Here is the radiant aspect of spirit to which spiritual response is invited. Radiation, response: the right working of the Law. Together this morning we have the opportunity of participating in the working of the Law, that the Word may be spoken on earth, providing a beginning in this moment for all people.

The first Word is, “Let there be light.” Here is indication of the radiant aspect of the creative cycle. When the Word is spoken there is light for those who are yielded in response. Here is something that has been known in human experience, an awakening to something new. It may be a new idea, a new vision; it may be classified in the area of religious experience. There are many ways in which human beings respond to the Word spoken on earth, and there is light for them, at least momentarily.

We may be reminded of the white horse in the Book of Revelation, and one that sat upon the white horse going forth conquering and to conquer. When there is such an awakening in human hearts this tends to be the attitude that is taken: to go forth conquering and to conquer. The one who sat upon the white horse was the first of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse. I've noted that some have put forth the idea that the four horsemen in these days are riding again. I don't think they ever stopped. At times it becomes more apparent in the general sense, but these horsemen ride in the individual sense too.

A horse is symbolic of power. The color indicates the nature of that power. The first one is white: Let there be light. When this occurs in human consciousness it is interpreted on the basis of what is already present in human consciousness. There is a desire no doubt to do something: Here is a new vision; it's wonderful. People want to share it with everybody else and it seems as though some action needs to be taken. So the action comes forth based in the human interpretation, whatever that may be, following out the ideas, the doctrines, the beliefs, of men as to what should be done. The world is in the state it is because people have been following out the doctrines of men in every generation, imagining that thereby they knew what should be done.

We see in these four horsemen the inevitable sequence of what occurs in very repetitive human experience. When the starting point is that of awakening, response, to the Word, “Let there be light,” the individual is inclined to say, “Now I see.” However it is really just a new experience, based in the fact that where there was before darkness there is now light. Nothing really is seen at that point, at least not of the truth; and yet there is a sense of newness, of wonder perhaps, a sense of the glory of the experience, and a person doesn't really know what to do with it. He simply reverts into the old human state, never having really come out of it. It was just a starting point. “In the beginning was the Word.” In the beginning is that first word, “Let there be light.” And for those who yield in response there is light. It has always been so, but what then?

If, as has seemed to be inevitable heretofore, human beings continue in the old way, the second horseman rides on the red horse, taking “peace from the earth.” In other words, following out the old human practice of trying to make things work according to the ways of men, conflict ensues, conflict within the person who makes that attempt and conflict externally. It may be said that this is not the way to go, but it is the way human beings do go. If someone has, for instance, a religious conversion, he wants to convert everybody else to what he thinks he sees, and conflict is inevitable. So the red horse comes. The power which was first available for the awakening is now being used wrongly to promote conflict, without perhaps any such intention, but that's the way it works. A cycle has been initiated in the ways of men and it will continue, having been so initiated.

The next horse was black. Black is the absence of white presumably. Darkness is the absence of light. So human ways, no matter how well-intentioned, lead into what may be called materialism: the absence of the experience of the light of the spirit of God. This is rather evident in the larger picture. Materialistic concerns are dominant in these days. I suppose historically speaking one could say that this has emerged out of Christianity, the Christian religion, insofar as the Western world is concerned. The same principles hold good anywhere. There was indeed light back along the way at the point of the initiation of the cycle but it became characterized by the red horse. Red, incidentally, is the color of blood too, isn't it? War and fighting have been characteristic of human experience—not only since the Master was on earth but certainly since, since the point was provided where something else might have happened. But He was rejected, as we recognize, and so the cycle followed out on the basis of the human approach. The Christian church became a political power, with all the enforcing agents of political powers, and red blood ran freely. So it has been.

Religion was in the saddle. For many centuries it reigned supreme, but then something else came into the picture. The white spirit, which was still an element in the color red, began to be excluded. The cycle moved on. The black horse put in an appearance, not even red anymore in the religious sense. The blackness of materialism assumed dominance and commercial factors controlled. The attempt was made to keep a balance in the world, usually through physical force but also through talking—treaties and what not. Things have been coming apart, haven't they, in that balance. In other words it is apparent that in the world sense there is a movement onto another horse, which comes for sure in this particular creative cycle as it has been initiated and accepted by human beings.

The pale horse comes; disaster and death loom. Famine was one of the things, which is at hand. It's quite obvious, isn't it, that human beings are not capable of functioning together to handle the issues that arise. If, for instance, there is a recognition on the part of some that various elements are conspiring to produce famine, there is no basis for collective human action to do what is necessary, seemingly, to stem the tide. There is this hopeless state of internal squabble everywhere, starting with the squabble inside a person and then between two people and then extending out from that.

But we may see this in terms of the individual too, perhaps in terms of our own experience to some extent if we have heretofore insisted upon following out the cycle which springs out of what we have referred to as human nature. There certainly has been the endeavor on the part of many to impose their own concepts of the Emissary truth upon their fellows, not only upon those benighted gentiles who had not awakened to the value of the Emissary ministry but upon each other. And the red horse, complete with horseman, puts in an appearance, taking peace from the earth, increasing turmoil, conflict—major and minor squabbles—all giving evidence of the unwillingness to continue in response to the Word. Now I am not saying that this has been all there was to the picture—we wouldn't be here if it had been—but it certainly has been a factor, hasn't it? If there is continued yielded openness to the Word, then the next word to be spoken is, “Let there be a firmament.” The next word was not, “Let the fire of the light that has put in an appearance consume the heathen!” Let there be a firmament—next step—not the one that human beings are accustomed to taking; they want to follow out their own desires and designs and impositions. They want to leap into the saddle of the red horse.

But there has been another cycle at work. Heretofore it has always been hidden because there was virtually no one who moved in it, so it couldn't be seen. There was nothing to see. But on this occasion there have been some who have been willing to move somewhat in a different cycle. Individually speaking we may be aware of both aspects. The human nature cycle—which, because it was springing out of the activity of the white horse, is often deemed to be the right one—has been followed in some measure to the extent that human nature still was in the saddle. But there was another cycle—more silent perhaps, more gentle, certainly a cycle that would not impose itself on anyone, but nevertheless sensed by all of you, I would suggest, so that you had opportunity to become aware of another way. There is the way of this world, in which way human beings are thoroughly conditioned—brainwashed we might say. Of course that's not considered to be brainwashing; that's considered to be the natural state of affairs. If the spirit comes along and starts to do a little washing, the individual is inclined to say, “I'm being brainwashed.” Well maybe most people need a little washing. Certainly the washing occurs in consciousness, rightly.

In the larger sense we see the four horsemen in the saddle in the world, following out the cycle to their destruction. The pale horse wasn't particularly inspiring, but it is the last one of these first four in the human way, the way of the world. But there is another world, and we have sensed this, and there is a creative aspect, an integrative aspect, to the unfolding cycle, provided that the Word is always in the beginning: in the first beginning, in the second beginning, in the subsequent beginnings, however many there may be. The Word is, “Let there be a firmament”—all-important. Because human nature was still so close at hand for most, this aspect, this other cycle, didn't seem to be so important. Other things were more important. It seemed to be necessary to convince everybody of the rightness of our own views—the red horse.

There is another way, the way of another world. To find that way and to walk in it requires being compelled to do so by the spirit of God. But one cannot be compelled to do so by the spirit of God if one is resistant to the spirit of God, or rejecting the spirit of God, because there will be no imposition. The compulsion must be a natural one, must be received with rejoicing, because this is the only way for one to go. It eventually, in this unfolding cycle, reaches such strength that it becomes absolute and there is no other way to go. It would be a complete betrayal and denial of one's own integrity to go any other way. And it is to this point of fulfilment that we must come, that there may be this absoluteness present on earth. Then the new way of the new world is here. The kingdom has come; not into the experience of all human beings in the world, certainly, but it is present with all human beings in the world. It is present through the flesh of those who have accepted this absolute experience into human consciousness. Then human consciousness is not the way it was before at all. It is a new consciousness insofar as previous human experience is concerned. But this new consciousness is not really new; it is as old as eternity.

So there is an acceptance of this new world, because to the extent that there has been obedience in yielded response to the Word, “Let there be a firmament,” there is a new place, spiritual place, in one's own experience for the new way to be known. Here is the shift in polarity, to which reference has been made before, from the polarity which has sustained human nature, lo these millennia past, to the polarity of spirit which dissolves human nature.

Spiritual things are spiritually discerned. This is a fact which the human intellect doesn't understand, because the human intellect can't prove it. But anyone can prove it provided they do not try to do it with the human intellect. Spiritual things are spiritually discerned by those whose expression is spirit. The intellect wants explanations, information. In its arrogant attitude it has the foolish conceit that if it has sufficient explanation and sufficient information it will then understand. But this is not so. The understanding comes by reason of spirit.

Spiritual things are spiritually discerned, not intellectually comprehended. If the approach is made intellectually explanations will be demanded: “Tell me; explain to me. Give me some more information. I'll think about it, and if my intellect agrees then I'll listen to some more.” There have been those who have been associated with our ministry on this basis. They were waiting in the wings, so to speak, for more information to put in an appearance so that they would be better able to judge as to whether what was being offered was worthy or not. No sign is given, intellectually speaking. The futility of trying to convince an intellect of the truth should be seen clearly enough. The intellect has already set itself up as God in most people. If this great entity approves, all right; if it disapproves, away with it.

This is what happened to the Master when He was on earth, isn't it? While He was able to handle all the things that came to Him from the human intellect—the good one—He certainly didn't convince any intellect. It was not His intent to do it. He didn't make that attempt at all. He merely spoke the truth, that's all, providing what was necessary in spirit for those who would yield to spirit. If they wouldn't, if they still worshipped the idol of the intellect, then inevitably they would reject Him, which they did. In the organized sense of religion He has been rejected on this basis ever since. I am not saying that there are not those individuals within the various religions who do have some spiritual discernment—this may be true—but spiritual discernment, spiritual reality, cannot be organized; it cannot be organized into some suitable church. Spirit comes and goes as it listeth, even as the wind. It may seem to be necessary to have some sort of an organization, as we have in our own program, but this is not the thing. This is rendering unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and we're willing to do that. We should be willing to do it provided it does not interfere with rendering unto God the things that are God's.

We hear and pay attention to the Word, the Word which in essence first says, “Let there be light,” and then, “Let there be a firmament.” We accept these natural aspects of the unfolding spiritual cycle into our own experience in living without trying to make something out of them, without, in other words, interpreting them according to the human nature concepts and ways. In this creative cycle the nature of God increases in experience and human nature decreases, but in human nature we ourselves are quite capable of frustrating what is happening. If we do so we feel frustrated. We may also be willing to let it work in the new way. To the extent of that willingness frustration evaporates. I suppose the extent that anyone feels frustration is clear-cut evidence of the extent of remaining unwillingness. We have these gauges—I think I've spoken of these things before—but seemingly people don't like looking at them. Human nature prefers to be governed by its feelings.

So we share the opportunity to move freely, willingly, in the creative cycle which leads to life rather than to death. You will note that the cycle of the four horsemen came to a conclusion with the fourth. It didn't get very far, in other words, before the halt was called. This has been true from the collective standpoint of mankind. A number of times in the past a halt was called and a new cycle initiated. Thus far human nature has prevailed and it worked out in exactly the same way each time. Individually speaking this has been true for most, hasn't it? A halt is called along the way. Death has seemed to be so inevitable. Well it is in that cycle; the pale horse comes along one way or another—famine, disease, what have you.

So though there are other seals to open, more to be known, all that has gone by the board. But to the extent that there are those who now move in the creative cycle, there is a carrying through beyond the pale horse, a carrying through even for those who heretofore have found themselves faced with a dead end. Even though the halt may be called, because there is a cycle at work which heretofore there has never been, there may be a lingering on, on the part of human beings on earth, in one way or another; not merely from the standpoint of reverting into the caves and surviving for a thousand years or so until something else can begin to put in an appearance, but surviving, yes, on an earth that is in the process of being transformed. We are not here to speculate with respect to these things but to recognize that only as there are those who move in the integrative cycle rather than the disintegrative one is there something which goes beyond the fourth horseman.

So we assume our spiritual position, with one accord spiritually, to let the cycle unfold as it must in the overall sense, and as it will in our own field of accepted responsibility. These two cycles unfold together. It may be said that one is internal and the other external. This is oversimplification, because there are externals to the internal cycle and internals to the external cycle. This cycle which is unfolding may be referred to as evil. It's unfinished business. It is moving from what was to what is to be.

As we have noted before, the building aspect of a house is the evil aspect of the house, the house which along the way should be completed. Then it's good. But it would never be good if evil hadn't preceded it. Evil is part of the creative cycle. Now we have differentiated between two kinds of evil. One kind of evil is that which human beings have brought on earth quite unnecessarily; in other words they have disrupted the creative cycle so that it could not come to the point of good as long as they kept on disrupting it. The other kind of evil is the true evil, which is the natural unfoldment of what transpires in the creative cycle initiated and maintained by God.

The cycle of the four horsemen riding, as we have noted, becoming red, black and pale, is evil in the destructive sense, disintegrative evil; and yet, while it is bad from the human standpoint, from the standpoint of human nature, it is also at the same time part of the evolutionary process by which human nature passes away. So it is true evil in that sense. The other aspect of true evil is that which emerges because there are those who are participating creatively in the cycle rather than simply being impelled to ride the red horse, then the black, then the pale—that's human nature going to its doom, so to speak.

To the extent that we are in fact participating in the cycle of true evil the other cycle is seen also as being true evil. Both aspects are necessary for the fulfilment to be experienced, for the good to be known, the good which is then the point of initiation for the next creative cycle of evil. Things are merely wrong in human experience; they are not wrong from the standpoint of the overall outworking of things. It's all part of that. So while human beings may say, “This is a bad experience,” it is seemingly so for them but looking at it from the larger perspective it's not bad; it's just evil. It's just a part of the creative cycle which is unfolding to allow for the restoration of man.

We are thankful to play our part in this cycle, but we need to have an awareness of the reality of it, first of all because we did yield to the commandment “Let there be light,” and because we have, in whatever measure, also yielded to the commandment “Let there be a firmament,” so that this became more important to us than the old material world. To that extent we are of value on earth, because the true creative cycle is operational within the experience of mankind at last.

© emissaries of divine light