Several months ago, I introduced a lesson on my Facebook page about the four horsemen of the apocalypse. As I explained then, I identify the white horse with Catholicism, the red horse with communism, the black horse with capitalism, and the green horse with Islam. I see these as four major spiritual influences shaping our world today.

Today, I want to concentrate on the green horse—the chloros horse—and explain why I connect its destructive influence with radical Islam.

Putting the Movements in Historical Perspective

These movements developed at different times. Catholicism has roots in first-century Christianity, with the Roman church and papacy developing over subsequent centuries. It has no single uncontested founding date. Islam emerged in the seventh century, with Muhammad’s first reported revelations traditionally dated to AD 610 and his migration to Medina to 622.

Capitalism developed gradually, with its modern European beginnings commonly placed around the sixteenth century. Modern Marxist communism took shape in the nineteenth century, with Marx and Engels publishing The Communist Manifesto in 1848.

All arose after Zechariah’s lifetime. All eventually exercised influence far beyond their places of origin. That historical reach is part of what draws my attention when I read these prophetic visions.

Start With Zechariah

Zechariah received his night visions around 519 BC, during the period of rebuilding after the Babylonian exile. In chapter 6, he sees four chariots drawn by different-colored horses. When he asks what they represent, the angel answers:

“And the angel answered and said unto me, These are the four spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth.”

—Zechariah 6:5, KJV

Verse 7 continues:

“And the bay went forth, and sought to go that they might walk to and fro through the earth: and he said, Get you hence, walk to and fro through the earth. So they walked to and fro through the earth.”

Notice the spiritual dimension and the earthly reach. These spirits go forth from standing before God and move throughout the earth.

Zechariah does not explicitly call them “end-time spirits,” but this vision belongs to a book rich in prophecy reaching toward the culmination of God’s purposes. Zechariah 12 describes the nations gathering against Jerusalem and Israel looking upon the One they pierced. Chapter 14 describes the day of the Lord, His feet standing upon the Mount of Olives, and His kingship over all the earth.

That larger prophetic setting gives us good reason to examine chapter 6 alongside Revelation. I understand the spirits moving throughout the earth as having significance beyond Zechariah’s generation, with their influence visible in the end times.

Now Look at Revelation

John describes the fourth horse this way:

“And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.”

—Revelation 6:8, KJV

The Greek word translated “pale” is chloros, which can mean green or pale green. In this passage, it carries the sickly coloring appropriate to a horse whose rider is Death. That is why I refer to it as the green horse, while recognizing that “pale” is a legitimate translation.

Zechariah’s vision has chariots drawn by horses; Revelation has individual mounted riders. Their order and colors are not identical. Nevertheless, the shared imagery provides a reason to study them together.

What Other Teachers Emphasize

Common explanations identify the fourth horse with death and pestilence. GotQuestions describes widespread death through warfare, disease, famine, and wild animals. The New American Bible’s notes identify the rider as Death and explicitly connect Revelation’s imagery with Zechariah.

Those explanations have a biblical foundation: Revelation names the rider Death. Ezekiel 14:21 also lists sword, famine, noisome beasts, and pestilence as instruments of divine judgment.

My question goes further: How might that destructive spiritual influence express itself through movements operating throughout the world?

Calling the horse a symbol of death describes its consequences. I also want to examine the ideology and conduct through which destruction spreads. That is where I connect the green horse with radical Islam, a connection also taught by Endtime Ministries.

Look at the Destructive Influence

Start with Iran’s ruling regime. Article 12 of Iran’s constitution establishes Twelver Ja’fari Shia Islam as the official religion. Its government combines religious authority with state power, and its support for armed movements reaches beyond Iran’s borders.

The U.S. State Department’s report covering terrorism in 2023 described Iran as the leading state sponsor of terrorism. It identified support for Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis, and other groups. That assessment concerns the regime’s documented conduct.

The evidence continues into 2026. On February 19, the European Union formally placed Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on its terrorist list, imposing asset freezes and prohibiting EU operators from providing it with funds or economic resources.

On October 17, 2026, The Wall Street Journal reported that Iran was providing the Houthis with targeting assistance, intelligence, training, and tactical guidance for attacks against Saudi Arabia.

Here we see an Iranian-backed movement attacking another Muslim-majority country. The violence reaches people throughout the region. Religious differences within Islam do not prevent these networks from carrying destruction across borders.

Europe Is Confronting the Threat

We do not have to rely on rumors about who started a riot to establish the seriousness of jihadist terrorism in Europe.

In September 2026, the Associated Press reported Europol’s figures for the preceding year: jihadist groups accounted for 24 of the 45 completed, failed, or foiled terrorist attacks recorded across the European Union, and for more than 70 percent of terrorism-related arrests.

Those figures cover EU member states, rather than all of Europe or the United Kingdom. They nevertheless document a substantial security threat.

Concrete Examples Across Europe in 2026

Here are specific cases behind those statistics, reported through October 20, 2026. These involve jihadist activity or alleged Iranian-linked operations; they are distinct from general street protests and immigration disputes.

• United Kingdom — Manchester: On October 2, police announced terrorism charges against two Iranian nationals over an alleged plot targeting the Jewish community. Police said the allegations included obtaining bomb components and scouting targets, with possible contact with a third party in Iran. Separately, Britain announced an inquiry on October 12 into the October 2025 Heaton Park synagogue attack, during which two Jewish men died. The attacker had told police he was acting for Islamic State. [17–18]
• Italy — Reggio Emilia and Bologna: On May 25, ANSA reported the arrest of a 22-year-old accused of enlistment for terrorist purposes. Investigators said he had expressed an intention to attack people with a knife and allegedly accepted an offer of training and financing from a suspected Islamic State supporter. [19]
• France — Paris: On October 8, Le Monde reported that FBI findings linked a foiled March bombing outside Bank of America’s Paris office to pro-Iran groups. Investigators suspected a man connected to Kataib Hezbollah of coordinating the operation. Six suspects had been indicted in the French investigation. [20]
• Spain — Barcelona and Tarragona: On October 20, El País reported two arrests announced by Spanish National Police in an FBI-supported investigation. The suspects were accused of terrorist indoctrination and training associated with Islamic State ideology. Police described extensive jihadist material and inquiries concerning possible travel to participate in violent jihad. [21]

These are concrete examples of extremist recruitment, alleged attack preparation, and suspected cross-border operations. Arrests and charges are not convictions. Taken together, the cases show why I take the reach of radical Islamist movements and Iranian-linked networks seriously—and why I connect their destructive influence with the green horse.

Worldwide, the Global Terrorism Index 2026 identified Islamic State, Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, and al-Shabaab as the four deadliest terrorist organizations in 2025.

These are Islamist militant movements operating in different regions. Islamic State maintains an international network of affiliates. JNIM operates across the Sahel. The Pakistani Taliban’s activities are shaped by developments across the Afghanistan–Pakistan border.

This is the destructive influence I am addressing: terrorism, religious coercion, and violence extending beyond individual leaders and national boundaries.

Governments have a responsibility to confront that threat through effective security screening, lawful border enforcement, investigation, prosecution, and resistance to extremist recruitment.

Consider “The Fourth Part”

Revelation 6:8 describes authority “over the fourth part of the earth.”

Pew Research Center’s study published in 2025 estimated that Muslims represented 25.6 percent of the world’s population in 2020—approximately one quarter.

That numerical parallel catches my attention.

It also needs to be stated accurately. Revelation describes authority over a portion of the earth. Pew measures religious affiliation. The verse does not explicitly identify that portion as the population of a particular religion, and the Muslim population figure is not a count of radicals or supporters of terrorism.

I draw the connection from the broader pattern: the color symbolism, worldwide religious reach, and documented destructive activity of militant organizations.

Those are the elements of my argument. They are distinct pieces of evidence and reasoning, rather than interchangeable measurements.

Why This Matters Today

I believe we are living in the end times. Reading Zechariah alongside Revelation, I see spiritual influence reaching across nations. Looking at our world, I see jihadist networks and a regime sponsoring armed movements beyond its borders.

That is why I connect the destructive influence of radical Islam with the green horse.

I do not need an unverified video, a rumor about a neighborhood, or an unsupported claim about the religion of every rioter to make that argument. The documented record of terrorist organizations and their sponsors is serious enough.

The deeper struggle is spiritual:

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

—Ephesians 6:12, KJV

Our response should include discernment, truthful reporting, accountability for violence, and confidence in Jesus Christ.

“Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.”

—1 Thessalonians 5:21, KJV

Documentation and Sources

Biblical quotations are from the King James Version. Principal passages: Zechariah 6:1–8; 12:2–10; 14:1–9; Revelation 6:1–8; Ezekiel 14:21; Ephesians 6:12; and 1 Thessalonians 5:21.

1. Historical setting of Zechariah’s visions. The NET Bible’s note on Zechariah 1:7 dates the introduction to the night visions to February 519 BC.

Zechariah 1:7–9 and accompanying notes

2. Zechariah’s broader prophetic setting. Chapters 12 and 14 describe Jerusalem, the One who was pierced, the day of the Lord, the Mount of Olives, and the Lord’s worldwide kingship.

Zechariah 12, KJV

Zechariah 14, KJV

3. Catholic origins and development. Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Roman Catholicism,” discusses continuity with early Christianity and the development of church authority.

Roman Catholicism

4. Early Islamic chronology. PBS’s Muhammad timeline identifies 610 as the traditional date of Muhammad’s first revelation and 622 as the migration to Medina.

Life of Muhammad: Timeline

5. Development of capitalism. Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Capitalism,” places the beginnings of the modern economic system in the sixteenth century.

Capitalism

6. Modern Marxist communism. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, “Communism,” discusses Marx and Engels and the publication of The Communist Manifesto in 1848.

Communism

7. Greek wording of Revelation 6:8. Strong’s Greek entry 5515 explains chloros as green or pale, including the yellowish or pale coloring of the fourth horse.

Strong’s Greek 5515

8. Other teachings about the fourth horse. GotQuestions emphasizes death and pestilence; the New American Bible’s notes identify Death and acknowledge the imagery’s connection with Zechariah.

GotQuestions: Death and Hades on the pale horse

New American Bible: Revelation 6 and notes

9. The green-horse identification taught by Endtime Ministries. Included as documentation of this theological teaching, rather than independent verification of its demographic or geopolitical claims.

Endtime Ministries: Islam Discovered in the Bible

10. Iran’s constitutional religious identity. Article 12 establishes Twelver Ja’fari Shia Islam as the official religion.

Constitution of Iran

11. Iran’s sponsorship of terrorism. The U.S. State Department’s Country Reports on Terrorism 2023 describes Iran as the leading state sponsor of terrorism and documents support for armed organizations.

Country Reports on Terrorism 2023

12. European Union designation of the IRGC. Council of the European Union, February 19, 2026.

EU designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps

13. Iranian assistance to the Houthis. The Wall Street Journal, October 17, 2026.

Iran Is Giving Houthis Targeting and Intelligence for Attacks on Saudi Arabia

14. Jihadist terrorism in the European Union. Associated Press, September 8, 2026, reporting Europol’s figures for 2025.

EU warns of evolving terrorism threats

15. The deadliest terrorist organizations. Institute for Economics & Peace, Global Terrorism Index 2026, reporting on 2025.

Global Terrorism Index 2026

16. Muslim share of the global population. Pew Research Center, June 9, 2025, estimating religious populations in 2020.

How the Global Religious Landscape Changed From 2010 to 2020

17. Manchester terrorism charges. Metropolitan Police, October 2, 2026, describing the alleged plot and charges; the allegations remain subject to court proceedings.

Two men charged with suspected terror plot targeting Jewish Community in Manchester

18. Inquiry into the 2025 synagogue attack. Reuters, October 12, 2026. The inquiry announcement occurred in 2026; the attack occurred in October 2025.

UK launches public inquiry into killing of two Jewish men in synagogue attack

19. Italian Islamic State-related arrest. ANSA, May 25, 2026, reporting allegations concerning terrorist enlistment, a proposed knife attack, and contact with a suspected Islamic State supporter.

22-year-old arrested for preparing an attack for the Islamic State

20. Foiled Paris bombing and suspected pro-Iran connections. Le Monde, October 8, 2026, reporting FBI findings shared with French investigators.

Pro-Iran groups behind foiled attack on Bank of America in Paris, FBI finds

21. Spanish arrests linked to suspected jihadist radicalization. El País, October 20, 2026, reporting a Spanish National Police announcement. Spanish-language source.

Detenidos en Cataluña dos presuntos yihadistas radicalizados en los postulados del Dáesh

Author’s Note

The identification of the horsemen with contemporary religious, political, and economic movements is my theological understanding. The sources above document language, history, institutions, demographics, and terrorist activity; they do not independently establish a prophetic fulfillment.

Revelation’s “fourth part of the earth” and Islam’s approximately one-quarter share of humanity are the comparison I draw, rather than equivalent measurements supplied by Scripture. My discussion of violence concerns radical organizations, their actions, and their sponsors; religious affiliation alone does not establish involvement in extremism.

Current-event reporting cited in this article extends through October 20, 2026. Statistical reference years are identified separately.