Rev
6:1: And I saw when the Lamb
opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of
the four beasts saying, come and see.
So to catch
you up to where we are in the study (since I didn’t document Revelation 4 and
5), let me run through a quick summary of the verse above…
The Lamb is
of course Jesus, the only one worthy to open the scroll of Him who sits on the
throne in Heaven. Jesus takes the scroll and breaks one of the seven seals on
the scroll. One of the four beasts (or
creatures – lion, ox, human, eagle) – actually it is the first of the four, the
lion, calls out in a booming voice.
Let us now take
a closer look at the wording of verse 1, before be dive into some of the
debatable aspects.
Rev 6: 1 And
I saw when the Lamb opened one (mia – adjective – only one) of the seals, and I heard, as it were
the noise (phone – voice – Rev 4:5) of thunder (bronte – akin to bremo root word which
means ‘to roar’), one (heis – numeral – The first – (Lion)) of the four beasts saying, Come and see (NIV just says “Come”).
Only one of
the seals is broken, and it is not specified that this is the “First” seal or
anything particular – it is the first one broken, but the word to describe it
was just “one of”. This is in contrast
to “one of the four beast…” this word ‘one’ means ‘the first’. We can assume it is the lion, but we don’t
really know why or the significance of that.
It is interesting to note, this is the only horse that is introduced
with the “voice of thunder”. Next it is
important that the interpretations of the ‘beast’ are actually ‘creature’ (zoon). This is different than the references to
beasts in other parts of Revelation (such as ‘thērion’
in Rev 11:7 which
is “wild animal”). Finally there is
debate on the last sentence on whether the interpretation should be “come” or “come
and see”.
If the words
“and see” are omitted, then the phrasing is something like this. “Come! I
looked and a white…” This interpretation
is the basis that many feel that the words were not spoken to John (to come and
see), but that the words were spoken to the white horse and rider to come
forth. Depending on which version you
follow, this may have a impact on the interpretation of how you may determine
who the riders are. The King James
Version (KJV) uses, “Come and see. And I
saw…” The New International Version (NIV)
uses “Come. I looked…” If it is only
“come”, and this is summoning of the white horse and rider, then that seems to
almost immediately eliminate the possibility that the rider is the Christ. Why would Christ open the seal, then one of
the four beast command Him to come? All of these things can (and have been)
debated to endless means (and scholars much more educated than I am have
already done this – and many are still split on the decision). So, here we have a translation conundrum at
the onset of the some of the most difficult to translate portions of the Bible. For me, to solve this in my own mind, I’m
going with “Come and see. And I saw…”
This seems to fit the preceding chapters more closely where the dialog was
between John and a heavenly being. While
this may not be the most convincing argument for that theory, I don’t feel it
changes my direction or changes the meaning of the following passages by
choosing either interpretation, therefore I choose that John was summoned to
come and see what was to unfold.
Next is the
debate as to what followed; did John read (or have read to him) the scroll
(writing on both sides, Chapter 5), did he see a pictorial version of the white
horse and rider on the scroll itself, did he see a vision of the white horse
and rider.
First, I do
not see any indication that anything was read to him, or that he read
anything. He clearly states “I saw” on
the first 5 seals and seals six and seven are described in a way that do not
support just the reading of the scroll (despite the writing on both sides
–which by the way, only Christ would be able to read or look in Chapter 5:3). So it is with some certainty that it was not read.
Next, there
is strong cases to be made that the items described were pictorial representations
on the scroll itself (mainly the manner and worth of having a scroll to begin
with – meaning, why a scroll if it contained nothing that would be used, only
as a start point for the events). Albert
Barnes (Barnes Notes) adheres to this logic (which I do enjoy his logical
breakdown of the text, conclusions, and supporting narratives). However, I disagree. I refer back to Chapter 5:3, “And no man in
heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book,
neither look thereon.” And verse 4, “And I wept much, because no man was found
worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereupon.” So it is clear that in Chapter 5, no man is
going to look into the book, so how could John now suddenly be reading it or
seeing the pictures contained in it. (I know, I know. God can do whatever he wants and if he wanted
John to be able to read the book he can allow it. But he would have said so. And he didn’t.) John continues to refer to the things he sees
as visions (which he clearly stated he was receiving earlier). So I do not believe he is merely looking into
the book or the scroll at pictures.
That leaves
the final theory, that these were visions and the opening of the scrolls was a
symbolic or metaphoric way of announcing these events that were unfolding in
John’s vision. This one makes the most
sense to me, and flows smoothly with what has transpired up to this point. John is brought up to see the wonder of
heaven, where he describes what he saw (the throne, lights, and worship of
God). He describes the scroll as being
unable to be opened, John weeps and then is informed that the Lamb can open the
scroll. Jesus appears and takes the
scroll and opens the first seal, and then John sees the white horse and rider
appear on the scene.
Rev 6:2:
And I saw, and behold a
white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him:
and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.
First let’s
look at some key elements to the wording.
Rev 6:2 And I saw ( NIV says “I looked”), and behold a white horse: and he
that sat on him had a bow (toxon – only occurrence in the NT –
same word as “bow in the sky” for the covenant after the flood); and a crown
(stephanos - victors crown, different than Rev 19 – also
used 18 times in NT – all references were when someone other than Christ –
except when it was a crown of thorns – this is not the King of Kings crown) was given unto
him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer (nikao
– to overcome -overcome 24, conquer 2, prevail 1, get the victory 1). (NIV –
“rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest”)
We start
this verse with the same problem we ended verse one. Here, the difference in the phrasing is “I
looked” and “I saw”. Again, you can
chase this down many paths as to whether John was told to “Come and see, and I
saw” or whether the beast commanded “Come. And John (I) looked.” I don’t think either one will have much
bearing on the direction you go with your study; so again, I’m sticking with “Come
and see. And I saw…”
I’m skipping
to the last few lines now (as we’ll cover the individual emblems in a moment)
to where the crown was “given” and “he went forth conquering and to conquer”. It is interesting to note that this “victor’s
crown” was given before the rider went out conquering – not for a conquest he
had already completed.
For the rest
of the symbolic meanings, the interpreter has to place themselves in time and
place of the writer to gather the most plausible meanings for the symbols at
their root.
Horse: War, conquest, strength. (Accelerated mode of
message delivery transportation). (Job 39:19-25)
White:
generally means purity, prosperity, or innocence. Hebrew used white to signify triumph or
victory. The significance of a white horse is that those were
typically not used in battle (too key of target). They were rode in marriage parades, by
conquerors on the day of triumph. White
horses were also deemed by the poets of the time to be fleeter and quicker than
other horses.
Bow: War and hunting.
The sword was the more common emblem of war, and bow the more common
emblem of hunting. Interesting to note
that the Greek god, Apollo’s most notable symbol was the bow and arrow. (Rev
9:11). It is interesting to note that
there is no mention of “arrows” at all in this verse. Some scholars overlook that fact completely,
taking for granted the bow came with arrows.
Others make special note that the arrows were omitted, symbolizing that
the rider was going to conquest without force, a “deceitful conquest”.
Crown: This type of crown was the kind
normally given to a victor – emblematic of victory or conquest. The notation “it was given unto him”. This could indicate that he had not earned
the crown – by either the victory had not occurred yet, or that he could not
earn the victory without the “giver”. We
are not told who is the one that gives the crown. However, we may infer later. See the notes above about the crown and its
particular use in the text.
It is
important now to take a quick look at the Rev 19. The rider and white horse in Rev 19 is
clearly Jesus. Rev 19 is the culmination
of judgment, whereas Rev 6 is the beginning of judgment. Reference to Jesus on a white horse in Rev 19
does not explicitly infer that it is Jesus on the white horse in Rev 6. It more aptly lends itself to the revelation
that the true victor has emerged, as opposed to the “false” victor in Rev 6. Also note that in Rev 19 the word for crown
is different and references many crowns
and this is the only reference to a crown with this word.
Some
interpretations of the White Horse and Rider that you may find in your search
on the internet or various commentaries. 1) Jesus 2) the Gospel 3)
Righteousness 4) Pestilence 5) Conquering – Both Good and Evil 6) The
antichrist.
Having taken
all the above mentioned information into account, it is with that information
that I make the following summation.
After Jesus
takes the scroll (as only he can) he begins to open up the seals, one by
one. With each opening of a seal, a
different aspect of what is to come is revealed to John. The first four seals start to reveal the
tribulations that are to be judged upon the earth. The first seal is opened and John sees the
white horse (symbol of strength and victory).
The rider is carrying a bow, which lends to war and hunting, but the
rider bears no arrows which could indicate that the victory and conquest will
be accomplished without force (deceit).
The rider is wearing a crown that has been given unto him, not one that
he has earned of his own accord. This
rider is then to go forward into his conquest (or reign on the earth) (Rev 17:8
– go into perdition – begin destroying).
The rider of the white horse is the antichrist a false and deceitful
Christ (the true Christ is the rider of Rev 19). It is important to note that the Greek
definition for “anti” can mean “instead of” – which is exactly what the
antichrist is going to try and be for the world during the tribulation. He is going to come “instead of” the real
Christ and therefore fool many with his false signs and miracles.
The next
thing to discuss whether these riders represent the past, present, or the
future of events. Albert Barnes (Barnes
Notes) makes a compelling case that the descriptions of the four horses fit the
Roman empire very well. The White Horse
is the reign up to Commodus, and so on.
I cannot even begin to dispute those claims, nor would I even attempt
to. What I can offer is this. If you
visit Part2 of this series, I address my theory the answer to the above
question is YES, all of the above. God’s
authorship is so designed that the truths of revelation can fit many events –
it offers the most opportunity for the text to reach into the heart and soul of
a person. Having said that, I truly
believe these events as described are definitely prophecy for the end times,
and the reign of the antichrist begins with the white horse.
So there you
have the white horse – the antichrist. I’m
now caught up – and Sunday’s lesson will be on Revelation 6:3-4 (the red
horse). I hope to have that article published
much quicker than I had this one. Later
and thanks for reading…
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