Tuesday, June 16, 2015

The Four Horsemen - The Rider On The White Horse

Go online and click on your favorite search engine. Type in "Four Horsemen of Revelation" and then click on images. In quite a few images that you find of the four horsemen spoken of in the book of Revelation, you'll find that the rider of the white horse is holding a bow and is pulling the string taut as he prepares to fire an arrow. The majority of the images of this rider also depict him as wearing a golden crown. There's a problem with these images... they're not accurate interpretations of the word of God.

Rider with arrow at the ready.
The book of Revelation states that the rider of the white horse has a bow, but it makes no mention of any arrow. Here, read it for yourself, "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." Rev 6:2.  

Why do most pictures of this rider on the white horse show him ready to fire an arrow? I can only speculate, but you have to admit that a rider ready to let fly his deadly arrow makes for a dramatic scene, right? We also have to consider that artists often take liberties when it comes to creating artwork that pertains to scripture. Many artists may be relying on their own worldly understanding of who or what the four horsemen really are, relying on stories they've heard or images they've seen, perpetuating the false picture of arrows and golden crowns. No matter what the reason, the image does not line up with biblical truth.

Rider wearing a laurel crown.
What kind of crown is the rider of the white horse wearing?  "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." Rev 6:2. There are two words for "crown" in the bible.  One is a "diadem," which is a kingly crown.  The other is a "stephanos," which is a victor's crown. In the case of the rider on the white horse, the latter is used in this scripture.  He's not wearing a gold kingly crown, he's wearing a victor's crown, like a crown of laurel leaves.

We are then told that, "he went forth conquering and to conquer."  That can be a little confusing, since he's not really wielding a formidable weapon, right? I'll explain that in a moment.


Let's paint this picture correctly now, shall we?  

"And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow;" The rider on the white horse symbolically has a weapon in his hand, but it is of no threat to anyone because a bow, without arrows, is really no weapon at all. This symbolizes that he will arrive on the scene as a man with a powerful but non-threatening personality. His choice of weapon will not be of military means, but of a personality that exudes confidence and authority, offering sound diplomatic solutions to the world's ills (especially the problems that have dominated the Middle East since the birth of Israel).

"...and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering and to conquer." The laurel crown that the rider is described as wearing is a symbol of the authority that he will have during this critical time in earth's history.  It is an authority that has not been earned by him, but, as the scripture states, an authority that is given to him. Who gives man authority, whether it's you, me or the Antichrist? You know the answer... God. God allows Satan to begin ramping up his end-time plan with the introduction of this rider on the white horse. 

So, what does he conquer? He conquers the minds and hearts of mankind. To the world, he will be seen as a "savior." He attempts to bring the world together in a one world system of government, religion and economics. You are probably telling yourself, "Surely everyone will see through this man." Your assumption would be incorrect. I say that because scripture also states, "And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness." 2 Thess 2:11-12.

Next time you see a picture of the rider on the white horse, check out the weapon he's holding and the crown he's wearing.  You'll find, like I did, that most of the artistic interpretations of this portion of scripture depict a rider with one or both of these errors contained in their artwork.


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6 comments:

  1. A bow without arrow doesn't hurt at all. But it has a few arrows. In fact, we see only arrows, and a few years ago, they physically killed about a few hundred people. And he went forth conquering and to conquer. Get ready my friend! Haven't you seen these winds of murders, hate, phobia and separation!

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    1. Thank you for taking the time to read and respond to this article and for sharing your thoughts. If you read the article again, you'll see that the rider on the white horse symbolized the peaceful culmination of power of one man, and he won't do it by murder, hate, phobia and separation. He'll do it through peaceful measures. Yes, he's most likely to prey on the hate and phobia that people have toward one another, but the symbolism of the horseman with a victor's crown and armed with a bow but no arrows shows that he won't advance his cause (at least during the first three and a half years) through any violent act. He will, in fact, be seen as the savior of the world, and people will praise him.

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  2. This is the best short form discussion of the man on the white horse that I have ever seen. I am so tired of people thinking the king opening the seals is also riding the white horse of the Tribulation. Antichrist rides a white horse in order to counterfeit the coming true Messiah who also rides a white horse. The Laodicean church that is left behind will exalt this rider and claim that he is Messiah.

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    1. Hey Steve! Thanks for taking the time to read this article and for responding in such a positive way. Yes, people have their own view on who the rider on the white horse is, and what the symbolism means, which is why I wrote this to begin with. Even artists with their own view often depict the rider contrary to scripture. I'm blessed to see that there are brothers and sisters out there who are actually reading this portion of scripture through the lense and leading of the Holy Spirit.

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  3. This is the best short form discussion of the man on the white horse that I have ever seen. I am so tired of people thinking the king opening the seals is also riding the white horse of the Tribulation. Antichrist rides a white horse in order to counterfeit the coming true Messiah who also rides a white horse. The Laodicean church that is left behind will exalt this rider and claim that he is Messiah.

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    1. Thanks for taking the time to read my blog. I hope you'll share it. Yes, there are so many people who don't understand who the rider on the white horse is, and they tend to misinterpret other prophesies as well. Doesn't matter, though, because when he shows up, we'll already be outta here (if you believe in a Pre-Tribulation Rapture).

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