One of the first things to occur in Revelation is the introduction of what have popularly been termed the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. The four horsemen are traditionally identified as war, famine, pestilence and death though conquest is sometimes substituted for pestilence. The four horsemen are never explicitly named in Revelation, but one thing is clear. After war comes famine. Human beings are able to grow more food than ever in a single plot of land, and the number of people that face food shortages and starvation continues to shrink. As the population continues to grow, however, the food supply may not be able to keep up with the sheer number of people on the planet especially as cities and suburbs continue to chew up arable land and useful farmland. Once that fertile land runs out, there is no getting more. The Earth will be further and further strained by both sheer numbers and years of irresponsible use until something has to give, and it will almost certainly be the human population that will be forced to yield to famine.
