Revelation 6:1-2
Introduction: The First Seal: rider upon the white horse
IN the last chapter the book sealed with seven seals was taken by the Lamb out of the hand of Him who sat upon the throne; the present subject is occupied with the opening of six of the seals.
Before we go any farther into this discussion of the four horses and their riders of Revelation 6th chapter, we must first understand the significance of what is meant by horses as it relates to the revelation of Jesus Christ. There are many animals mentioned in the Word of God, have various spiritual significance to which, depending on the matter treated. In this case, in regards to the four horsemen given the four colors of their horses, the spiritual understanding from wisdom is treated of.
Historically, horses were used in battle. A rider with a strong, trained horse in the art of war is more likely to convey his rider to victory. This is true spiritually in regards to the understanding of the Word of God. A church, locally or universally will either experience victory over the enemy but only in proportion to their understanding and exercise in the Word of God. Whether the rider’s horse is white, red, black or pale, spiritual vitality is noted as to victory or death of an individual or the church.
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.”
Although the Revelation as a whole does not describe the successive states of the church, but discloses its final state at the time of the end, yet there are particular parts of the book that give a glimpse of the successive stages of its decline. The present chapter is one of these. Yet even here the vision is only incidentally historical, from being coincident with the disclosure of the states of those who had belonged to the church in the successive periods of its existence. In this respect the opening of the first four seals describes the state of the church, as to its understanding of the Word, from its first and best state, when truth was in its purity and power, to its last and worst state, when truth had lost its life of love. In regard to the opening of the seals of the book, as part of the preparation for the judgment which was to follow, the Lord opens the seals in revealing the states of men, and the state of the church as composed of those who make profession of the religion which the Word contains.
When the first seal was opened, John heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. The noise of thunder which followed the opening of this seal implies the responsive action of the inmost heaven. Thunder, which affects the ear, is Divine Truth as it affects the will. Divine Truth in its power is also meant by the voice of the beast, which sounded like thunder. Of the four beasts which invited angels and men to Come and see, the first was a lion, the emblem of truth in its power. The opening of the first seal has a peculiar importance, not merely from the view which it disclosed, but for its being the beginning of the wonders which resulted from the unsealing of the book. It broke the silence which had rested upon the closed volume; and the thunder-sound of the first voice, which proclaimed its being opened, rolled through the whole heaven, and descended even to the church on earth, impressing the universal mind with the idea of some great work impending, while the invitation to Come and see called all who had ears to hear to turn their minds attentively to the revelation about to be made. This revelation comes in the symbol which follows.
Vs 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.”
We may here remark that the opening of the seals discloses, not what the Word of God contains, but what it reveals respecting the states of the church, and of those who had belonged to it, or who were to be judged according to what is written in the book. The first four seals disclose four horses of different colors, with riders of different characters; and they decrease in excellence, from the white horse, whose rider is a Conqueror, to the pale horse, whose rider is Death. If we regard these as representing four classes of persons on whom the judgment was to be effected, the series represents them all, from the best to the worst. And as these represent all who have belonged to the church, from its beginning to its end, they represent also the successive states of the church. To see the nature of these states, we must know the meaning of the symbols. What is the Scripture meaning of the horse? Animals, we have seen, are employed in Scripture as emblems of even the Divine attributes. How much more may they be employed as emblems of human qualities and powers? The horse, the noblest of all animals, represents the noblest of mans powers…his understanding, as noted above.
It is well known that the word discourse is derived from one that means to run to and fro, so that an act of the mind is expressed by a word that means a corresponding act of the body. It is on this ground that the horse, which carries us with rapidity and power, is an emblem of the understanding; and was so regarded in ancient times by profane as well as by the sacred writers. The winged horse of Greek mythology was evidently an emblem of the understanding of truth, or intelligence. Sprung from the blood of the slain Medusa, employed by Bellerophon to aid him in killing the chimaera, opening with a stroke of his hoof the fountain of the muses in Mount Helicon, and finally ascending to take his place among the stars,…can we fail to see in him an emblem of heaven-derived intelligence? Nor were these myths the pure inventions of a heathen nation, but the molded traditions of an ancient church, being in their origin, if not in their nature, sacred. As the horse symbolizes the understanding, the horses which came out of the book when the seals were opened symbolize the understanding of the Word at different periods of the church, and as it is in different minds.
It is generally acknowledged that the early apostolic period was the church’s best and purest age, from which time it declined, by losing or perverting the true sense of Scripture. This decline and the nature of it may be read in the appearances presented on the opening of the seals. When the first seal was opened, there appeared a white horse. The whiteness of the first horse describes the purity of the truth as it was understood in the first age of the church. This meaning of a white horse is very obvious from the appearance recorded in chapter nineteen, where, after all the tribulations of the church and the re-opening of heaven, the Word in its purity appears anew, represented by the Son of Man riding upon a white horse, the armies of heaven following Him upon white horses, and clothed in fine linen clean and white.
On the white horse was one who had a bow. The rider on the white horse is one who understands the truth and loves it; and the bow which He had in His hand is the emblem of doctrine. Truths are meant by arrows; and doctrine is to truth what the bow is to the arrow, it sends it to its mark, and gives it the force which makes it pierce the heart of the Kings enemies. Doctrine is a most important instrument in relation to the truths of the Word. The Word cannot be rightly understood without doctrine. The truth is not delivered in Scripture as a system, and much of it consists of apparent truth, or truth expressed according to the state of intelligence at the time of its revelation. The letter of the Word consists partly of genuine and partly of apparent truths. (genuine vs apparent truths must be explained later) True doctrine is necessary to enable us to distinguish between these two forms of truth, and to draw our systems and creeds from the genuine truths of the Word, and explain its apparent by its genuine truths. As no one can rightly understand the Word without doctrine, no one without doctrine can rightly employ the truths of the Word either to build up a true faith or oppose a false one. One who cannot see the distinction between genuine and apparent truth cannot clearly see the difference between truth and error; since error for the most part consists of apparent truths adopted and confirmed as genuine truths. How can a church that does not itself know Gods truth combat successfully against the errors and evils of the world? And still more important; how, in such circumstances, the members of the church combat successfully against error in their own understandings and evil in their own hearts? And if one cannot discern and overthrow the errors find evils of his own mind, how can he become spiritually minded? The Christian Church, so long se its understanding of the Scripture was clear and its doctrine sound, was like the rider on the white horse; it went forth conquering and to conquer. This early church, pure of heresies and evils of life turned the world upside down in the beginning. (See Acts 17:6)
The church, feeble and small as it was in its beginning, overcame the errors and the evils of the world, and spread the truth into all the kingdoms of the earth, subduing all things under it. This holy early church, pure of heresies and evils of life turned the world upside down in the beginning. (See Acts 17:6) Then also did the lives of the members of the church adorn the doctrines of the Gospel; winning admiration even from the sternest of their enemies. To the church in this state is undoubtedly to be given the crown, not only of martyrdom for the truth, but of that still better martyrdom, self-immolation, in which the Christian lays down the life of his self-hood, in the cause of his own individual salvation, by the conquest of himself. This is the victory that wins the crown of everlasting life, the crown of wisdom and felicity. But this crown can only be secured by continuing the Christian warfare to the end of life; the militant Christian must go forth conquering and to conquer.
During this life, it is not enough that we conquer; for after every conquest there is still some evil to overcome: our enemies are lively, and they are strong. The crown here given to Him that had the bow was not therefore simply the reward of victory. It was given Him when He went forth; and His victories were to be won with this insignia of conflict on His brow, as kings wore their crowns in battle. The crown of wisdom is bestowed on the Christian for his faithfulness; and when he has overcome, it is to him a crown of victory.
Coming Soon: The Second Seal: War
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