The typical interpretation of the white horse is that it represents the Antichrist, but it does not!
I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures saying, with voice like thunder, “Come and see.” 2 And I looked, and there before me was a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow. And a crown was given to him, and he went forth conquering that he might overcome. (Revelation 6:1-2)
The NKJV says, “a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.” There are three different interpretations of this rider.
The Zondervan NIV Bible Commentary puts forth the dominant evangelical view today, that it is the Antichrist. The commentator admits that the symbolism of the white horse is always “associated with righteousness and Christ,” but rejects it because the other three horses clearly represent war and judgments. He goes on to say:
The references in 19:11-16 to the rider on the white horse as “Faithful and True” and as one who judges and makes war with justice stands in contrast to the rider in 6:2, who is not faithful or true and who wages war for unjust conquest. Moreover, the Lamb opens the seals and would not be one of the riders, nor would it be proper to have an angelic being call forth Christ. Again, a “bow” would most naturally be connected with the enemy of God’s people (Ezk 39:3). . . . The evidence, however, seems to favor . . . the Antichrist and his forces that seek to conquer . . . (Vol. 2, p. 1160-1161)
The Wycliffe Bible Commentary by Moody Press, also says it cannot be Christ because of the other three horses, and quotes another commentator saying:
Can there be any doubt that this is the vision of antiChrist? It so resembles the real Christ that it deceives people, even many a reader of this passage! (Thomas F. Torrance, The Apocalypse Today, p. 44)
The above opinions use enormous quantities of faulty reasoning. There is no justification for associating the 1st Seal with the Antichrist just because of the other three Seals. The Bible contains many passages with references to many different things all mixed together. This is why we are told to rightly divide the Scriptures. The context of the surrounding verses is very important, but all the horses do not ride out of the 1st Seal; they are clearly separated by being placed into four separate Seals.
By not properly separating the events, the commentators are ignoring the symbolism of the 1st Seal, the white horse. The book of Revelation is a symbolic book, to discount the symbolism in favor of anything else is departing from any chance of understanding the passage. And at no point does it say that the rider on the white horse is not faithful or true, or that he wages “unjust conquest,” NOWHERE!
Many commentators believe that the Antichrist comes on a white horse because he comes with deception and claims to be Christ. READ THIS CAREFULLY. The WORD of God NEVER attempts to deceive us in any way. Satan may portray himself as an angel of light, but the Bible calls him a serpent, a red dragon, and the father of lies. THE SCRIPTURES DO NOT PORTRAY SATAN AS AN ANGEL OF LIGHT, AND THEY DO NOT PORTRAY THE ANTICHRIST RIDING A WHITE HORSE! THE FIRST SEAL IS NOT DESIGNED TO DECEIVE US!
After reading the above information, one person sent me an email with a Scripture reference that says Satan portrays himself as an angel of light. Yes, indeed he does, outside of the Bible! Satan can appear as a righteous angel, but the Bible does not portray Satan as a righteous angel!
It violates every rule of Scriptural interpretation and good sense to suggest that the Bible presents information designed to trick us, or that the Bible does not mean “white” when it says “white.” White is, and always will be, a symbol of purity and righteousness throughout the Bible, and in most cultures in history. Jesus said of the righteous:
“They shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy.” (Rev. 3:4)
But the commentators are right when they say the rider on the white horse is not Christ, because the rider is the Holy Spirit! The International Bible Commentary, edited by F.F. Bruce, says:
One long-established interpretation understands this of the victorious progress of the gospel, the rider on the white horse being Christ, as in 19:11. (p. 1607)
The first thing to happen after Christ ascended into heaven, was that God sent the Holy Spirit. Peter said, “Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured out this which you now see and hear.” (Acts 2:33).
The Greek for “conquer” in 6:2 is nikao (3528 Strong’s number) and means “to overcome” (VED). Strong’s says, “to subdue . . . conquer, overcome, prevail, get the victory.” It is the same word used in Rev. 5:5 for the triumph of Christ.
The literal translation of 6:2 reads, “and he went out overcoming, and that he might overcome” (LIT). The BBE translation says, “he went out with power to overcome.” Christ has sent the Holy Spirit, in order that we might overcome. All Christians will either overcome Satan and the world, or be overcome by them; which is a far cry from “unjust conquest”!
The four living creatures, cherubim, represent the unfolding plan of God for his people, as in Ezekiel. Therefore, it is no surprise that “one of the four living creatures” calls forth this horse, because the four horses of the 1st four Seals represent stages in God’s plan for Christians and Jews, and the world.
In the next Seal, the second living creature says “Come!” then the third, then the fourth. Therefore, it is the first living creature that calls the white horse. The first living creature is “like a lion.” In Rev. 5 Jesus is called “the Lion of the tribe of Judah.” The connection is unmistakable.
What’s more, the crown the rider wears is not that of an earthly kingdom. The Greek is stephanos (4735) and denotes “the victor’s crown, the symbol of triumph in the games … a token of public honor for distinguished service” (VED). It is the same word used for the crown of thorns that Jesus wore. This crown is for the victory of Christ described in Rev. 5. The same Greek word appears in Rev. 2:10, where Jesus said, “Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.” The ten kings of the 10-horned beast in Rev. 13 do not wear victors’ crowns but diadems, which are earthly crowns.
Therefore, the rider on the white horse is the Holy Spirit who empowers us to overcome. Also, nothing is said in the 1st Seal about taking peace from the Earth; nothing is said about men slaying each other; nothing is said about war. It is not in the text! The rider does not engage in physical battles, but spiritual battles.
