"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. And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given to him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer." (Rev. 6: 1-2 kjv)
"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. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God." (19:11-15)
Points To Consider
1. Should presume that the rider on the white horse in Rev. 6:2 is Christ since
a) he is clearly Christ in Rev. 19:11, and thus presumption goes with the rider being the same (in other words, the "burden of proof" is on those who believe that the rider of 6:2 is Antichrist, a counterfeit Christ).
b) Generally the picture of a white horse rider with weapons and a crown of victory signifies a strong and righteous leader, not a wicked ruler.
2. Thus, presumption is clearly in favor of the view that says the rider is the conquering Lord, Jesus Christ the Nazarene. In order for an interpreter to take the Antichrist view, he must give proof for taking such a view, that is, he must give exegetical, logical, or textual reasons for such an interpretation. And, as we have seen thus far, the "proof" that those of that view make, based upon the differences in descriptions of the two texts (6:2 and 19:11), are baseless and meager.
3. If the differences in type of weapons and crowns between the riders in 6:2 and 19:11 give credence to the opinion that the riders are different, then why, by the same reasoning, can it not be affirmed that the likenesses or similarities prove that they are the same person? Don't you see?
Arguments Of The Antichrist Position
1. Weapons are different and ergo, the persons are different
2. Crowns are different and ergo, the persons are different
3. Red horse rider takes away the peace given by the white horse rider
4. Christ cannot logically be the opener of the seal and the white horse rider
5. Christ cannot logically be both the sender of the rider and the rider
Bow Versus Sword
1. Is God or the Messiah pictured in scripture as an archer shooting arrows?
2. Is the Devil pictured in scripture as an archer shooting arrows?
3. Are there any other weapons the God or Messiah uses?
4. What kind of bow is intended in Rev. 6:2?
5. Is there any significance to the fact that there is no mention of arrows?
6. Is the bow an "empty bow"?
7. If empty, why?
8. If not empty, why?
9. If a long range bow, what is the significance of that, if any?
10. What poisonous arrows will Christ or Antichrist shoot during the Tribulation?
11. If the same rider, why a sword in 19: 11?
12. If the same rider, why begin with bow and end with sword?
Stephanos Versus Diadema
1. Does Christ have one or the other or both?
2. Does Antichrist have one or the other or both?
3. If the same rider, why begin with Stephanos and end with Diadema?
4. Why is the Stephanos "given" to the rider Christ?
5. Who gave the Stephanos to Christ?
6. Who gave the Stephanos to Antichrist?
7. Why was it given to Antichrist?
6. What is the significance of the rider already having horse and bow but being crowned later?
7. If the same rider, why begin with a singular crown and end with Diadems?
In the next posting we will begin to answer these questions.
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