Seiss in "The Apocalypse" wrote these words about the white horse rider of Rev. 6:2:
"Who has not felt a check of awe upon his heart, when contemplating that magnificent description in the book of Job?
“Hast thou given the horse strength? Hast thou clothed his neck with thunder? Canst thou make him afraid as a grasshopper? The glory of his nostrils is terrible. He paweth in the valley, and rejoiceth in his strength. He goeth on to meet the armed men. He mocketh at fear, and is not affrighted; neither turneth he back from the sword. The quiver rattleth against him, the glittering spear and the shield. He swalloweth the ground with fierceness and rage: neither believeth he that it is the sound of the trumpet. He saith among the trumpets, Ha, ha; and he smelleth the battle afar off, the thunder of the captains and the shouting.” (Job 39:19-25.)
Put upon that animal now the rider of the text, crowned with sovereign power, and rushing forth to conquest unceasing; and say whether this is the sort of picture which represents a Gospel preacher, or the slow working of the message of grace among human hearts, the great mass of which, in every age, reject and despise it.
Zechariah says, “I saw by night, and behold a man riding upon a red horse, and he stood among the myrtle trees that were in the bottom; and behind him were red horses, speckled, and white. Then said I, O my lord. what are these? And the angel that talked with me said unto me, I will show thee what these be. And the man that stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, These are they whom the Lord hath sent to walk to and fro through the earth.” (Zechariah 1:8-11.)
Were these the ministers of grace and evangelic overture? Were they not rather the powers of God’s providence and government of the world? Hear further: “And I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came four chariots out from between two mountains; and the mountains were mountains of brass. In the first chariot were red horses; and in the second chariot black horses; and in the third chariot white horses; and in the fourth chariot grizzled and bay horses. Then I answered and said unto the angel that talked with me, What are these, my lord? And the angel answered and said unto me, These are the four Spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth.” (Zechariah 6:8.) And when Elisha prayed that his servant’s eyes might be opened to behold the mighty powers of God, by which he protects his people, and inflicts judgment upon their enemies, what did he see? Let the sacred word itself tell us: “And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha,” and the hosts of Syria were smitten, and hurled back whence they came. (2 Kings 6:15-18.)
Is it difficult then to divine, what horses signify in connection with the Divine government and administrations? Is not the whole idea that of swift and irresistible power? What then are we to see in these horsemen, but earthly images of the swift, invisible, resistless power of God, going forth upon the proud, guilty, and unbelieving world?"
I agree with this fully. However, I do see Christ personally connected with this agency of justice under the white horse.
Note that Seiss (a Dispensationalist) does not believe that the white horse rider is Antichrist. Nor does he see the awful destruction under the red, black, and pale horses as coming from the Antichrist, but rightly as judgments coming upon the wicked world from heaven. He sees nothing counterfeit in the symbolism of purity and righteousness in the white horse rider.
Seiss continued:
"It must be borne in mind, in dealing with these seal openings, that we are dealing with the scenes of the judgment. They relate to “the day of the Lord.” Anticipatory fulfilments have occurred, but the proper breaking of these seals, and whatever is connected with their opening, belongs to the future, and to that momentous period, now at hand, which is to close up the entire order of things now existing. The whole scene presents the action of the judgment throne in heaven, toward those then living upon the earth."
"I have shown that horses, in prophetic vision, are images of God’s swift, invisible, resistless power for the defence of his people, especially in its going forth upon the proud, guilty, and unbelieving world. It was so in the case of those seen by Elisha’s servant, and in the case of those mentioned by Zechariah."
"In these four different horses and horsemen, we are to see four different forms of the coming forth of the judicial power of God upon the inhabitants of the earth, looking to the breaking up of the dominion of wickedness, the punishment and casting out of transgression, and the consummation of that long-pending revolution whose accomplishment is at once the fulfilment of all prophecy and all prayer."
Again, I heartily agree. The first rider inaugurates the coming of wrath, vengeance, and righteous judgment.
Seiss continued:
"We are not to suppose, however, that the action of one ceases entirely, before the other comes into play. They are consecutive in their incoming, in the main stress of them, and in some of their more marked circumstances, but they are all, in a measure, contemporaneous. The action of the first horseman certainly is continuous; for he goes forth in conquest unto conquest, which terminates only in the complete victory in which the opening of the seals ends. His career, therefore, runs on through that of his three successors, and through all the remaining seals. No such intense continuity is expressed with reference to the action of the other horsemen; and the nature of their work is such as not likely to extend itself so far. But there is an inner and natural relationship between the things adumbrated, which renders it quite evident that their several careers overlap each other, and that the doings of the one run side by side with the doings of the other."
This may be true in regard to the four horsemen and the first four seals, but it is not true of the remaining seals, nor of the trumpets associated with the seventh seal. When the events of those seals transpire, the record is clear that the events occur not in an overlapping manner, but in a sequence, so that one series ends before the next begins.
The opening of the scroll is an act of redemption but, as an act of redemption, it also entails the idea of what the Redeemer, acting as a kinsman avenger, will do to murderers and destroyers of family members. Avenging is one of the roles of a "redeemer" (Hebrew 'goel'). He was to avenge the blood of his slain kinsman on the slayer. (Deut. 19:12) "The elders of his city shall send and fetch him thence, and deliver him into the hand of the (Goel) avenger of blood, that he may die."
The Lord Avenger
Notice these verses on the Lord being "avenger," and this as part of his duty as a kinsman redeemer.
"That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified." (I Thess. 4:6)
By "avenger" (εκδικος — ekdikos) is meant one who a "righter" of wrongs, or who "sets things right." An avenger is a vindicator, an executor of justice and righteous vengeance. He brings retribution by arresting and bringing to trial, a just retaliation. Inflicting punishment is the duty of the just avenger, and such is the "kinsman redeemer."
Moses testified:
"Rejoice, O ye nations, with his people: for he will avenge the blood of his servants, and will render vengeance to his adversaries, and will be merciful unto his land, and to his people." (Deuteronomy 32:43)
"Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you." (Isa. 35:4 KJV)
Joel 3 ends with Yahweh saying, “I will avenge their blood, blood I have not avenged.”
"Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her." (Rev. 18:20 KJV)
"For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand." (Rev. 19:2 KJV)
Paul saw the Apocalypse of Christ as a time when Christ acts as the avenging redeemer. He wrote:
"Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power." (II Thess. 1:6-9 kjv)
Notice those words "recompense tribulation." He executes "vengeance" and sees that the enemies of his people "get their reward," or "get what's coming to them." He sees to it that the guilty are "punished." All this occurs as the function of Christ being Redeemer, Lord, and Judge; And, it is all connected with his being "revealed from heaven with his mighty angels," with the time of his Apocalypse and second coming.
Redeemer's Garments of Vengeance
"For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloke." (Isa.59:17 KJV)
Barnes' Notes on the Bible says this about these words of the prophet:
For he put on righteousness - That is, God the Redeemer. The prophet here introduces him as going forth to vindicate his people clad like an ancient warrior. In the declaration that he 'put on righteousness,' the essential idea is, that he was pure and holy. The same image is used by the prophet in another figure in Isaiah 11:5
The statement that he was clad in the garments of vengeance means, that he would go forth to vindicate his people, and to take vengeance on his foes. It would not be for mere defense that he would be thus armed for battle; but he would go forth for aggressive movements, in subduing his enemies and delivering his people (compare Isaiah 63:1-6).
John Gill in his Commentary wrote:
For he put on righteousness as a breastplate,...Here the Lord is represented as a warrior clothed with armour, and as Christ is, and as he will appear in the latter day on the behalf of his people, and against their enemies, who is called faithful and true, and in righteousness will make war, Revelation 19:11, he will proceed according to justice and equity in righting the wrongs and avenging the injuries of his people; and both in saving them, and destroying their enemies, he will secure the honour of his faithfulness and justice, and the credit of his name and character; which will be preserved by his conduct, as the breast and inward parts are by the breastplate:
and an helmet of salvation upon his head; the salvation he will work out for his people will be very conspicuous; it will be seen by all, as the helmet on the head; and he will have the glory of it, on whose head are many crowns, Revelation 19:12. The apostle has borrowed these phrases from hence, and applied them to the Christian armour, Ephesians 6:14,
and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing; or, "he clothed himself with vengeance as a garment" (k); he wrapped himself in it, and resolved to execute it on his and his people's enemies; the time being come to avenge the blood of his servants, by shedding the blood of their adversaries, with which his garments will be stained; and therefore is represented as having on a vesture dipped in blood, Revelation 19:13,
and was clad with zeal as a cloak; with zeal for his own glory, and the interest of his people, and against antichrist, and all antichristian worship and doctrine; and therefore his eyes are said to be as a flame of fire, Revelation 19:12.
When Christ returns and the Apocalypse occurs, Christ will assume the duties of his function as Redeemer, Judge, and Savior. He will be attired as a warrior, as an avenger, clothed in the "garments of vengeance." This is the way Christ is seen in the Apocalypse. The "day of redemption" is connected with "the day of vengeance" and executing justice is an act of redemption. This is seen in verses like Isaiah 63: 4 - "For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come."
No comments:
Post a Comment