The rider on the White Horse, Seal 1

Most traditional end times teaching conclude that the rider on the white horse represents the Antichrist. But have you ever stopped to ask why this conclusion is made? Can we evidence this from scripture? In this short teaching we will defend this teaching, and also look at other interpretations to see if they hold any water. The opening of the first seal will be a key event, so its not one we want to misunderstand!

Script Of Video

The White Horse. Seal 1

The rider on the white horse is released when the first seal is opened by the Lamb.

It is essential to understand what this white horse represents, as this event opens the door for the remaining seal, trumpet and bowl judgements.

Mis-interpreting the first seal has led many to think that it has already happened. On the other hand, many accept that it is a future event, but the details may be hidden from people’s eyes, if they have not understood the first seal correctly.

The following is all the Bible says about the opening of the first seal.

Chapter 6 verse 1: Then I watched as the lamb broke the first of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, “Come!”. And there before my eyes was a white horse, and its rider held a bow. He was given a crown, and he rode forth, conquering and to conquer.

Let’s look at the various interpretations of the white horse, and settle on the most likely of these.

Our Lord Jesus. Pre-trib adherents may teach that the rider on the white horse is our Messiah Jesus. They may teach that he rides out to receive the church in the pre-trib rapture.

There are many problems with this interpretation.

Firstly the pre-trib rapture is not directly evidenced in scripture, but only by inference.

If this is the pre-trib rapture, why is Jesus holding a bow?

The bow represents war. If Jesus is riding out to receive his church in the air and return to heaven, what is the purpose of the bow?

Similarly, it says that the rider went forth conquering and to conquer. If this represents Jesus riding out to receive his raptured church in the air, who is he supposed to conquer?

Jesus is crowned with many crowns. He is already a king. He told Pilate “my kingdom is not of this world”. Why would Jesus be given a crown at this point?

We don’t see any other record in the Bible where an angel instructs The Father or the Son to take an action. Yet here we see the living creature shout “Come!”.

And then the white horse goes forth.

Furthermore, the opening of the seals are judgement events. The other three riders bring calamity, therefore it makes no sense that the opening of the first seal signifies the rapture, and not a judgement event.

The bible says the Lamb who is Jesus, is the one releasing the seals. So Jesus is in charge of these events, and it makes no sense to release himself and to give himself a crown. How would he then be in heaven to release the 2nd seal.

Finally, there is no scriptural evidence that the lamb departs heaven on the white horse, receives his church, returns, and resumes his mission to open the remaining seals.

COVID. This is a new interpretation popular among historicists that has been circulated since 2020. Historicists seek to identify major current events, and link them to the narrative of the book of Revelation. This teaching explains that the crown represents the corona virus.

The bow shoots arrows, which represent the hyperdermic needle used to give the vaccine. And the white horse represents the colour of a doctors coat. Again there are issues with this.

If the seal judgements start at the beginning of the tribulation period, then in 2024, we are already past the midway point of the seven year period, so we should have already seen the building of the third Jewish temple, and we should already have witnessed the antichrist stop the offerings and set up the abomination that causes desolation.

Finally, for most people, COVID was not a conquering event. It was dangerous to the elderly and vulnerable, but ultimately it was contained.

The Antichrist. If the rider on the white horse is not Jesus, who else could it be? Jesus will ride out of Heaven on a white horse in Revelation chapter 19, to return to earth. You can see why the antichrist could also be represented by a white horse, as his mission is to deceive.

The rider held a boe, and went forth conquering and to conquer. The antichrist is described in Daniel as a man who wages war.

The rider of the white horse is given a crown. This agrees with Revelation chapter 13 verse 7. The beast was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation.

The opening of the first seal is not likely to represent the birth of the antichrist. However it could represent his coming to power as a leader. Or it could represent his transition from peace covenant maker to invading covenant breaker. Let’s look at the detail of these last two options.

If the opening of the first seal represents the antichrist coming to power, making a covenant with Israel, and appearing to solve the middle east crisis, then it would place the first seal event at the beginning of Daniel’s seven year period.

He will have to wait three and a half years to show his true colours, invade Israel and desecrate the temple. In this case the seal, trumpet and bowl judgements will take seven years to play out.

If the opening of the first seal represents the antichrist breaking his covenant with Israel, then this would place the first seal event at the halfway point of Daniel’s seven year period, in which case all the seal, trumpet and bowl judgements will take only three and a half years to play out.

In this scenario, the leader who becomes the antichrist will already be in power and will have already brokered a peace deal with Israel. Then temple sacrifices will follow.

The rider on the white horse will signify his transition into the invader of Israel, and persecutor of Jews and Christians.

This would also explain why Revelation 13 says that the beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies, and to exercise his authority for forty two months, which is three and a half years, not seven years.

The implication of this scripture is that the blasphemies and the power to conquer God’s people is only given to him in the second half of Daniel’s seven year period. In the first half, he deceives the world, and Israel, by apparently enhancing peace to the Middle East.

During this first half, he would not yet appear to be the antichrist, and therefore many will not recognize him as such, therefore when he transitions to the blaspheming monster who breaks covenant with Israel and starts persecuting Jews and Christians, it will catch many off guard.

This transition would maximize his ability to deceive. If in the first three and a half years he does not behave in any way that would cause people to recognize him, he will manage to bed himself into the international scene as a good guy, possibly solving the Middle East crisis.

To conclude, we hope that this is enough evidence to show that the rider on the white horse is the Antichrist. We should also be aware that the first seal could signify the beginning of the 7 year period, or the midway point, where the covenant making leader turns into covenant breaker.

Finally we should beware of being dogmatic when considering who the antichrist might be. If the devil can appear as an angel of light, it is not impossible that the Antichrist will first appear as the answer to the Middle East crisis.