Revelation 6:2 Commentary and Bible Study

This is a vision and these are symbols. As everything in this book, the colours have symbolic meaning and are not intended to be understood literally. In the Book of the minor prophet Zechariah, these horses of different colours are mentioned in two different chapters. Every illustration that is used in the Book of Revelation is drawn from somewhere in the Old Testament. They are not plucked out of thin air. People say, ‘This Book of Revelation is confusing, wild. It’s nothing but symbols and figures and extraordinary pictures in a vision. Anybody could interpret those any way they wished.’ But they don’t realise that nearly all of them come from the Old Testament, and their meaning will be apparent to us if we are familiar with God’s word. Now the great question is: what does the white horse and its rider speak of? There are various answers often given, even by sincere exegetes of the Scripture. One common answer is that all these four horsemen, the four horsemen of the Apocalypse, are all figures of God’s justice and judgement unleashed upon man. With that in mind the interpreter will look at the first horse, and say, ‘This is surely a representation of war.’ But that doesn’t add up, because this is a rider on a white horse. They tell us that white horses were never selected as warhorses. They were for the prince directing his force or for the commander-in-chief who wouldn’t be on the frontline. The white horse is far too conspicuous to go into battle, and yet he is going forth conquering and to conquer. There is one interpretation that says this white horse and its rider represent a long and unusual period of world peace. For Dispensationalists this lies in front of their tribulation, and the peace is broken by the tribulation. They say that the white horse represents antichrist and unbelief, trying to appear like Christ as a Messiah to the world, and going forth conquering and to conquer. They are inclined to view that all this as happening at end of history.But the correct interpretation is arrived at by considering the context. In Revelation 5 John weeps not simply because he would be ignorant of the contents of the scroll. He is so distressed because the plan of redemption written in the scroll will not be put in effect: to save people out of the world. If the scroll cannot be opened, then no one will be saved. What dries away his tears is to know that one has been found who will implement this scroll. As the scroll is opened, we therefore expect to read about the wonderful works of he who opened it. The scroll must include a revelation about the progress of the gospel throughout the world. To think that this rider represents antichrist and that none of these horses have anything to do with redemption would be to leave out the most important feature of all. After the four horsemen of the Apocalypse in Revelation 6, Revelation 7 goes back to the church, and the hundred and forty-four thousand, and the sealing of the people of God. This is the church which is sealed for its protection before the destroying angel can do his work. Where has this church come from if the first horseman does not represent the conquests of the gospel? Revelation 6 describes those great principles which are operating in the world during the entire gospel age. The second, third and fourth horsemen are certainly associated with judgment. So who is the rider on the white horse? There is only one conqueror in the Book of Revelation, and this alone should be enough to identify the rider. It is the Lord Jesus Christ who goes out into the world with the gospel, preached initially by his apostles and subsequently by his church. This interpretation is confirmed to us because the same rider on a white horse, appears again in Revelation chapter 19:11, where it is said ‘And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.’ He is described in terms of the vision of Christ in chapter 1, and ‘his name is called The Word of God … KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS’ (Revelation 19:13,16).The arrows shot from his bow are the arrows of conviction that enter our hearts when God finds us as unregenerate, rebellious sinners against him, and we come under conviction. ‘And a crown was given unto him.’ This is the athlete’s wreath, a wreath that he has earned. It is a crown nevertheless. As Matthew Henry said, ‘You cannot have Christ as Saviour unless you also have him as King to rule you.’ He actually began that work sixty years earlier, after his ascension and resurrection on the day of Pentecost, but it continues throughout the age. Christ is conquering souls; he is bringing in his elect; he is saving men and women. We know of course that this is no normal conquest. It is a conquest that works by love. It describes the tender appeals of Christ to our hearts of his dying love on Calvary’s cross, till our hearts melt and we turn to him.