Day 115

“Then I saw when the Lamb broke one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, “Come!” ² I looked, and behold, a white horse, and the one who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.” Rev 6:1-2 NASB.

A seal is a symbol used extensively in the East on documents to indicate power, authority, and authenticity. This scroll represents God’s providential ministry to the world. The seals are the reaction to the gospel through the ages. We will notice a progressive resistance to God and his message with intensifying trouble in the world.

In November 520BC, 16 years after the return from exile in Babylon, the prophet Zechariah was given a seven-fold vision. The first of which was 4 coloured mounted horses riding throughout the earth. The connection with Revelation 6 is obvious. In fact, Zechariah is one of the most quoted books in the New Testament. 70 quotes and illusions, mostly in the Gospels and Revelation.

Who is this rider on the white horse? The symbols seem to consistently point in the same direction. First of all, the horse is white in colour. Throughout the book of Revelation, the colour white always refers to the things of Christ and His people. The same is true for the “victory crown” (Greek: stephanos) that the rider wears.

While the language of conquering might seem to reflect something negative, it is primarily a spiritual term in Revelation. In fact, up until chapter six, the Greek word for conquering always refers to Christ and his people (“to the one who overcomes I will give…”). The word “conquer” in Revelation refers to overcoming in spiritual matters (Rev 5:5; 12:11).

The rider on the white horse, therefore, represents the gospel of Jesus Christ, beginning with His enthronement in heaven (Rev 5) and continuing until the very end. Passing on that gospel is now the major activity of God’s people on earth.