In the heart of Jewish scripture, the Tanach pulses with themes of life, renewal, and divine healing. From the Tree of Life in Genesis to the protective Cherubim in Exodus, themes of life and renewal appear throughout. In addition, the wisdom extolled in Proverbs reinforces these messages. Our sacred texts affirm existence as a gift from Hashem.

Yet, Christianity often reframes these narratives, twisting symbols of vitality into harbingers of doom and death. A striking example lies in the four horses of Zechariah—vehicles of blessing and emotional restoration. This is contrasted against the destructive horsemen in Revelation.

Insights from Zechariah’s Horses and Revelation’s Horsemen

In this post, we’ll unpack how Christianity, the Tanach, Zechariah, horses, and the Revelation horsemen are deeply interconnected. This is a fascinating theological debate. Drawing from Rabbi Efraim Palvanov’s insightful lecture on the Year of the Horse, this post explores how Christianity appropriates Tanach stories to point toward Jesus. Ultimately, Christianity converts a book of life into one of death.

To Messianics and Christians: How would you feel if someone took your book of life and made it a cult of death?

The Tanach’s Core Message: Life and Renewal

The Tanach begins with life itself. In Genesis 2 and 3, the Tree of Life (Etz HaChaim) symbolizes eternal sustenance and divine connection. It represents Hashem’s desire for humanity to thrive, not perish. After the expulsion from Eden, the narrative doesn’t end in despair but evolves toward redemption.

This theme resurfaces in Exodus, where the Cherubim appear without their flaming swords from Genesis. Placed atop the Ark of the Covenant (Exodus 25:18-22), they guard the holy space as symbols of divine presence and protection. Unlike later interpretations that arm them with judgment, here they embody accessibility to Hashem’s mercy. They represent life unbarred.

Solomon reinforces this in Proverbs 3:18: “She [Wisdom] is a tree of life to those who take hold of her.” Wisdom, or Torah, becomes the path to grasping life’s essence. Our sages teach that holding fast to these teachings brings healing and balance, not condemnation. The Tanach isn’t a prelude to apocalypse; it’s a guide to living fully under Hashem’s spirit.

Zechariah’s Horses: Agents of Blessing and Healing

In Zechariah 6, the prophet sees four chariots with horses—red, black, white, and speckled (or dappled)—emerging from between bronze mountains. These are no ordinary steeds. Instead, they represent the four winds or spirits of heaven, sent by Hashem to patrol the earth (Zechariah 6:5-7).

Jewish commentary, from sources like Rashi and the Radak, views these horses as positive forces. They correspond to ancient understandings of the four humors—blood (red), black bile (black), phlegm (white), and yellow bile (speckled). These are all essential for emotional and physical balance. As Rabbi Palvanov explains in his video, our sages teach that these horses spread Hashem’s spirit to heal the world emotionally. The black horses head north to quiet God’s spirit in Babylon/Persia, symbolizing the resolution of oppression. The white follow, the speckled south, and the red seek to roam. All restore equilibrium.

Whedon’s Commentary notes the colors distinguish without deep symbolism, emphasizing divine agents executing judgment for redemption, not destruction. Unlike fearsome warriors, these horses bring tikun (rectification), aligning with Tanach’s life-affirming prophecies. They tie into messianic hopes: after healing, the temple is rebuilt, and peace reigns (Zechariah 6:12-13).

Revelation’s Horsemen: Symbols of Doom and Death

Contrast this with Christianity’s Book of Revelation 6, where four horsemen emerge as the seals are broken. The horses are white (conquest), red (war), black (famine), and pale (death). These riders unleash chaos—sword, scarcity, plague. They kill a quarter of the earth.

Christian interpretations, from GotQuestions.org to David Jeremiah, often see the white rider as the Antichrist mimicking Jesus (who rides white in Revelation 19). The red brings bloodshed, black economic ruin, and pale Hades itself. As Don Carson preaches, these are God’s judgments. Yet, they are framed as apocalyptic terror leading to eternal damnation for non-believers.

Matthew Henry and others link them to Roman persecutions or end-times tribulations, always emphasizing destruction. Unlike Zechariah’s healing patrol, Revelation’s horsemen herald a “cult of death.” In this narrative, life’s symbols invert to justify suffering as a prelude to Christian salvation.

Rabbi Palvanov’s Insights: Christianity’s Alterations Exposed

In “Trump, Iran & the Year of the Horse,” Rabbi Palvanov masterfully critiques Christianity’s approach to the Tanach. He notes Revelation “plagiarizes” Zechariah and Ezekiel, fusing horses with judgments (sword, famine, beasts, plague) but inverting positivity. Zechariah’s horses heal via humors; Revelation’s destroy.

Palvanov highlights “apocalypse” means “unveiling” (removing klipa, the husk covering light), not doom—a Jewish concept twisted into negativity. Christianity covers Tanach’s life messages with death, associating apocalypse with destruction for the wicked. Meanwhile, Tanach sees judgment as redemptive. He ties this to broader distortions: Tanach’s horses defeat oppressors (like Pharaoh’s in Exodus), symbolizing life over tyranny. However, Christianity shifts focus to Jesus as endpoint.

Building the Case: Christian Appropriation of Tanach Stories

Christianity’s New Testament claims nearly every Tanach story “points to Jesus,” but this isn’t Hashem’s word—it’s an reinterpretation. Take the Tree of Life: Tanach sees it as eternal wisdom. In contrast, Christians link it to the cross, a tool of death, as “tree” in Acts 5:30.

Cherubim without swords in Exodus become armed guardians in Christian art, echoing Revelation’s judgmental angels. Proverbs’ “tree of life” morphs into Jesus as the “vine” (John 15), redirecting Jewish wisdom toward a messianic figure.

Major stories follow suit: Isaiah’s suffering servant (Israel in Jewish view) becomes Jesus. Jonah’s three days in the fish foreshadow resurrection. Even Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac prefigures the crucifixion. These aren’t fulfillments; they’re appropriations, stripping Tanach’s communal, life-oriented messages to center a single figure and eternal judgment.

As Palvanov argues, this turns Tanach—a book of life, redemption, and healing—into a precursor for death cults. In this vision, salvation demands accepting Jesus or facing the apocalypse.

The Switch: How Christianity Inverted the Four Horses

The horses’ transformation exemplifies this. Zechariah’s red, black, white, speckled horses bring Hashem’s spirit for global healing—north, west, south, east. They restore humoral balance for emotional tikun. Sages like Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai link them to messianic signs: Persian oppression ends, and Mashiach comes.

Revelation switches: white conquers falsely (Antichrist), red slaughters, black starves, pale kills. Colors retain, but meanings flip—from blessing to curse. Jewish sources (Beth Melekh) note Zechariah’s horses judge the pagans to restore Israel. However, Revelation’s punishment is for all who resist “Him” (Jesus).

This inversion isn’t a coincidence; it’s deliberate. Christianity adapts Tanach to fit a narrative of sin, death, and exclusive salvation through Jesus. This narrative ignores Judaism’s emphasis on life through Torah.

A Call to Reflection

The Tanach invites us to grasp life’s tree, heal through divine spirits, and live in balance. Christianity’s lens darkens this, making death the gateway to life. To Messianics and Christians: Imagine your scriptures reframed as ours have been—vitality sapped, turned to doom. Return to Tanach’s pure light; let it speak of life unfiltered.

Hazan Gavriel ben David