Revelation 6: The First Seal

The first seal is the repetition of the Church of Ephesus in more detail.

Revelation Chapter 6 is a continuation of Revelation Chapters 5 and 4.

The seals mark religious events and record the church's history from the beginning of the Christian age until the return of Christ.

Different symbols describe Christ's relationship with the church:

• He is the head, and His body is the church.

• He is the husband, and his church is the bride.

Revelation Chapter 6 - Verse 1 to 2

1 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.

2 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.

🔹The white horse and its rider

Zechariah 10:3-6 says that God's people, Judah, are like a horse that conquers.

• Christ is the one riding the white horse. The horse does not lead the person; the rider leads the horse.

• The followers of Jesus are like the white horse, carrying out the tasks assigned to them by Jesus, the rider.

Jesus, the rider, instructed Christians to spread the gospel. Acts 1:7-8 says that the first church (the horse) took the word to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and all the other places in the world. The church kept succeeding, and in just one generation, God's word spread to every part of the Roman Empire.

🔹The color white

White is a symbol of purity (Psalm 51:7; Psalm 45:3-5; Isaiah 1:18; Daniel 7:9; 12:10), and the apostolic church was pure in what it taught and how it lived.

Light also symbolizes the Word of God (Matthew 17:2 [white as the light]; Psalm 119:105; compare Revelation 12:1 with Revelation 19:8, where the white raiment symbolizes the sun's brilliance). During the white horse period, the church was pure and the light of the world (Matthew 5:16).

🔹The bow

According to 2 Kings 13:17, the bow and arrow represent how God saves his people throughout warfare.

For those who heard Christ's teachings, they were like sharp arrows hitting the mark and transforming their hearts. His words saved a soul with their power.

🔹The crown

The winner of a fight receives the crown.

James 1:12 - “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.”

Christ also endured temptation.

Hebrews 4:15 - “For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”

🔹Conquering and to conquer

The white horse represents the early church the Holy Spirit guided and set out to destroy Satan's kingdom and enlarge Jesus' kingdom (Acts 2:41 and Acts 4:4).

Acts 2:41 - “Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.”

Acts 4:4 - “Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand.”

🔹Conflict with satan

During the Christian Dispersion, the devout church engages in a spiritual war, armed with spiritual weapons and armor, against spiritual enemies on their spiritual territory. Winning over people's hearts is the aim of the war (Ephesians 6:10–18; Romans 13:11–14; 2 Corinthians 10:1-6; 1 Timothy 6:12; 2 Timothy 4:7–8). In it, God's people seek to get the devil's warriors to depart his army and follow Christ's.

Again, in Revelation 19:11, we find a white horse carrying a rider battling Satan and his troops.

Next: Revelation Chapter 6: The Second Seal (The Red Horse) 

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