When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” I looked and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.— Revelation 6:7-8 NIV
Revelation 6:8 Aramaic NT: Peshitta
ܘܚܙܝܬ ܤܘܤܝܐ ܝܘܪܩܐ ܘܫܡܗ ܕܗܘ ܕܝܬܒ ܥܠܘܗܝ ܡܘܬܐ ܘܫܝܘܠ ܢܩܝܦܐ ܠܗ ܘܐܬܝܗܒ ܠܗ ܫܘܠܛܢܐ ܥܠ ܪܘܒܥܗ ܕܐܪܥܐ ܕܢܩܛܠ ܒܚܪܒܐ ܘܒܟܦܢܐ ܘܒܡܘܬܐ ܘܒܚܝܘܬܐ ܕܐܪܥܐ ܀
Translation:
"… And behold a green horse, and his name that sat on him was death, and hell followed after him, and power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth …"
I have to admit that I was petrified these days regarding my discovery of the skulls and the races in my previous blog regarding the Four Horsemen. I was sure I was wrong about the Pale horse. In the Aramaic Bible (first translations), it states that the Pale Horse is the Green Horse. It was shocking to me, a massive mistake in my understanding of what I read…see, this is why I have all kinds of bibles now!
So the error remains close to the surface of my brain, haunting and taunting me. I thought: Why in the world would the Pale Horse actually be green, such an unnatural color? Then last night I was watching Dr. G.- Medical Examiner. She was talking about a young man who died and was decomposing earlier than normally expected. She said: “Decomposition turns the skin a blue-green color.” I found myself sitting upright and at attention! Wikipedia talks about the decomposition process and its stages. Here is a part of it (where the green comes from):
Putrefaction:
Odor, color changes, and bloating of the body during decomposition are the results of putrefaction. The lower part of the abdomen turns green due to bacteria activity in the cecum. Bacteria break down hemoglobin into sulfhemoglobin which causes the green color change. A formation of gases enters the abdomen which forces liquids and feces out of the body. The gases also enter the neck and face, causing swelling of the mouth, lips, and tongue. Due to this swelling and misconfiguration of the face, identification of the body can be difficult. Bacteria also enter the venous system causing blood to hemolyze. This leads to the formation of red streaks along the veins. This color soon changes to green, through a process known as marbelization. It can be seen on the shoulders, chest and shoulder area, and thighs. The skin can develop blisters containing serous fluid. The skin also becomes fragile, leading to skin slippage, making it difficult to move a body. Body hair comes off easily. The color change of the discoloration from green to brown marks the transition of the early stage of putrefaction to the advanced decompositional stages.Also from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Horsemen_of_the_Apocalypse
How absolutely appropriate! The riders’ name is Death and he is in stages of decomposition with his green horse. Now I have to look at decomposition bodies, I have to study them and see the true colors of early decomposition. It is amazing, the work required to create this painting. There is obviously never a dull moment!
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