The Third Horseman: Famine

"When He broke the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, 'Come' I looked, and behold, a black horse; and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard something like a voice in the center of the four living creatures saying, 'A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not damage the oil and the wine.'" (Revelation 6:5,6 - New American Standard)

The third horse is black. The horseman carries scales for weighing food. The measure used is about a liter or quart. The denarius is equal to a laborer's daily wage. The prices here are about eight times what would have been normal.

So during this time, food prices will increase eight hundred percent. People will struggle to buy enough food to survive.

The last part of verse six is ironic. Oil and wine were luxury items in New Testament times. It seems that while most food will be much more expensive; the rich will still be able to afford their luxuries.

This famine will be a direct result of the war of the second seal. We have recently seen how volatile the world oil market can be. Any fear of disruption can cause a spike in the cost of oil.
The war of the second seal will be centered in the Middle East. Oil production will be effected. Oil fields will be set on fire. Refineries and storage facilities will be destroyed. Oil tankers may be sunk. World oil prices will sky rocket. There will be rationing and shortages of all petroleum products.

This will result in an economic collapse such as has not occurred since the Great Depression. The entire world will suffer. Many will not be able to purchase enough food to keep themselves and their families alive.