seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Revelation 6: I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, “Come!” 2 I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.
Here's the commentary.Behold, a white horse: If one were to take their interpretive clues more from cowboy movies than from the Bible, it would be easy to believe the rider on the white horse is Jesus. Jesus does return on a white horse in Revelation 19:11-16; but this is a satanic dictator who imitates Jesus.
He rules (a crown was given); he rules with a bow, not a sword; and he exercises dominion over the earth (went out conquering and to conquer). But the results of his rule, as described in the following verses, show clearly that this is not the reign of Jesus.
“The whole context and character of these seals absolutely forbid our thinking of this rider being the Lord Jesus, as so many affirm. His reign shall not bring war, famine, and strife in its train.” (Jennings)
Here we reach an interpretive crossroads of the Book of Revelation. You can tell much about how a person understands this book and God’s prophetic plan by seeing how they understand this first rider. Those who think Revelation is mostly a book of history believe that this rider is Jesus, the apostles, or the Roman emperors. Those who believe that this is a prophetic passage, yet to be fulfilled, often account this rider to be the antichrist.
He went out conquering and to conquer: Taking this to be the final satanic dictator over men, we see that he will be more terrible than all previous dictators were. He will rule over men as a false messiah, and lead man in organized rebellion against God, in the pattern of Nimrod, his first predecessor. He is the one often called the antichrist.
The idea of a satanic dictator over men goes back all the way to Nimrod, the ruler over Babel in Genesis 10:8-14, where it says he was a mighty hunter before the LORD. This has the sense that he was a mighty hunter of men, and that this was offensive to the face of God.
Come and see: The modern political and social scene is certainly set for the emergence of such a political leader. All that waits is for the Lord to allow it in His timing after He takes His church from this earth.
And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. (2 Thessalonians 2:6-7)
Significantly, the first seal opened brings this dictator to prominence. We understand that the seventieth week of Daniel 9 begins when this dictator will confirm a covenant with [the] many, referring to the Jewish people.
Many wonder if these four horsemen of Revelation 6 are connected with the seventieth week of Daniel and the great tribulation itself, or with the course of history up until that time. This initial emergence of the antichrist, connected with what we know about this leader from Daniel 9 shows that these four horsemen are connected with Daniel’s seventieth week and the great tribulation.
This is all way above my paygrade. I would encourage all to read the verses in the commentaries. Those verses will enhance the study for you. I am too politically minded and I keep seeing a leader standing in front of a church with a bible held upside down. So I can't really speak what's on my mind without causing a big rift in the forum. People know how I feel about men like Paul and that man who held the Bible upside down. So any thoughts I have on the personage of the rider of the "White Horse" would only taint the reading.
One of the things I got from my Mom was a book. It covers the connection of Daniel [think Lion's Den] and the Book of Revelation. I used that book as a study guide the first time I went through this Book in the Bible on these forums years ago. I also attended a Bible Study on Revelation at a church there in Southern Maryland. That study connected Daniel to Revelation.
Daniel was a Jewish man caught up when the Persians invaded Israel. He was led off to Persia as a slave. On top of that, Daniel was castrated. The Persians would not allow the Jews to get their women pregnant. Besides, if they were castrated, they were most likely to do as they were told. Daniel kept his faith in God all the way through. God gave Daniel talents and the big shots liked him, which made others angry. Daniel was thrown in the Lion's Den and survived. Daniel's three friends, Shadrach Meshach and Abednego, were thrown into a furnace and survived without even a burn mark on their clothing. Daniel earned a spot giving advice to the guy in charge.... who turned quite insane.... and was chained to assure the safety of others. It's a really challenging read!
So anyway, that's what the commentary is talking about when the commentary talks about Daniel's Seventy Weeks.
The guy on the White Horse is a Politician.... who wants to run the world.... who thinks he is smarter than anyone anywhere. He's Trouble!
