When we were last together John was watching Jesus begin to open the seals on the scroll. A loud voice said to him...come and see. Under the first seal he saw a white horse...He who sat on it had a bow, and a crown was given to Him, and He went out conquering and to conquer...Rev. 6:2. The question is, "Who is sitting on the white horse and what does white symbolize?"
The modern end-time doctrine says that this rider must be the Anti-Christ impersonating Jesus Christ. Why do they believe this way? They believe that Revelation chapter 6 predicts the end of the world, so the 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse have not arrived as yet. Since the white horse is leading the pack going out conquering and to conquer he must be the Anti-Christ.
This is the problem with attempting to interpret prophecy of scripture, especially if you believe it has not been fulfilled. It is tantamount to guessing, pure and simple. This study will take us to the past to read what historians have recorded, as well as defining the esoteric language which will reveal the message. By doing so, the riddle will be solved for us.
Behind the first seal John sees a white horse. Spiritually, the white horse symbolizes purity, holiness, and victory. The only rider that could fulfill this symbolism is Jesus Christ, whom they are celebrating during John's tour of the throne room of Heaven.
The bow the rider carries denotes war, and He went forth to conquer. Conquer in the original Greek language means: victory. No Anti-Christ will have victory.
Jesus Christ - king of kings - is the rider of the white horse, so a crown was given to Him. We must remember, when Jesus left Heaven to come to the earth He laid down His crown of righteousness to take up the form of a bondservant. The 6th chapter of Revelation reveals Jesus Christ after He finished His work on the earth - victory has already been achieved.
In order to execute His wrath upon Israel for rejecting Him as their Messiah, He once again donned His crown of righteousness, completing the definition of the symbolism behind the first seal. The message is the righteous judgment against Israel - the Wrath of the Lamb - was fulfilled...Rev. 6:16.
Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another, and there was given to him a great sword...Rev. 6:4. John must have been totally exhilarated and inspired when he viewed the contents of the first seal. What a sight to behold, his Savior and Lord wearing the royal crown on His head, and riding a handsome, prancing, white steed.
Hopeful anticipation must have electrified the atmosphere, while John and the heavenly host waited patiently for the contents of the second seal to be revealed. Finally Jesus Christ opened the second seal, where John observes a fiery red horse, chomping at the bit pawing anxiously at the ground. He must have been awed by the magnificence of the fiery red, war horse, yet uneasiness lingered in the pit of his stomach. Why? Because John knew the color red symbolized bloodshed.
Then John noticed that the rider of the fiery red steed was given a great sword - symbol of war. He knew that war always takes peace from the land, so this horse must have caused consternation in his heart.
Historians record that before the fall of Jerusalem in the war of 70 A.D., a phantom sword hung eerily in the sky above the city for one full year - symbolizing war. This strange supernatural omen was a warning to the people to get ready for the coming war and blood shed. Why was war coming to Israel? Israel had rejected Jesus Christ as their sacrificial Lamb for the sins of all mankind, so the sword in the sky gave them time to contemplate the meaning of this very visual sign and repent.
Under the third seal John finds a black horse. What does this horse symbolize for Israel? Stay tuned...
God's sheep question the doctrines of men...sheeple follow without question...
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