The St. John's Bible- The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
Revelation 6:1-8:13
Donald Jackson
 Scribe: Donald Jackson
Vellum, ink, paint, gold, holographic foil

"In Revelation, the apocalyptic events 
soon to take place on earth are written on a scroll
 secured with seven seals. 
A slain lamb opens each seal introducing
 a new stage of God's judgment on earth.
The first four seals release
 the horsemen of the Apocalypse,
 figures which have been portrayed in Christian art
 throughout the centuries. 
The white horse, although difficult
 to specify represents war. 
The red horse complemented by a rider
 and a huge sword, stands for death,
 which results in war. 
The black horse, with the scale in the rider's hand
 to measure food rations, is famine,
 a byproduct of war. 
The green horse signifies death and disease
 the result of famine. 
Suffering and death cannot be separated from life,
 but they do not have the last word
 as the entire book shows.
In this illumination, Donald Jackson
 has turned the Technicolor spectrum
 up to full volume.
 The slain lamb breaks the seals 
releasing the havoc of the four horsemen.
The horses are visually fused with representations
 of present day cavalry-tanks. 
Oil rigs loom in the background 
symbolizing the power of greed
 and the destructive exploitation 
which occurs when love of the earth
 and its people is set aside for short term gain. 
Of the seven seals represented, 
four have already been broken 
and predatory insects plague the scene.
 A sense of weight within the chaos 
suggests an imminent slide down 
from Heaven toward earth."

Lord, on some days the ravage 
of the earth makes us feel 
like the destruction beckon has begun. 
Bring us solace that you never leave us, 
no matter what is happening around us.
Amen.