- The Mysterious Seals

The sixth chapter begins abruptly with the opening of the mysterious seals having to do with the title deed to this earth. John tells us he watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. At once, one of the living creatures said in a voice like thunder, “Come!” This is the long -awaited signal to the four horsemen that the hour has come for them to gallop forth on their missions of judgment. When Jesus was on earth 2,000 years ago, He told His hearers that the “day of the Lord” was coming. He said no one except the Father in heaven knew the day or the hour. It is our understanding that God’s patience and His time of grace will endure until the world’s cup of iniquity overflows. According to the Scriptures, patience —the ability to wait—is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. The human, natural part of us does not like to wait for anything. But the great God Almighty, who has all of eternity to accomplish His purposes, can afford to wait. In our creature impatience we are prone to cry out, “O God, how long? How long?” And God replies, in effect, “Why are you in such a hurry? We have an eternity stretching before us. Why get excited and irritated?”

Apparently the four symbolic steeds have been prepared and waiting for this summons. In equestrian language, they were” champing at the bit.” But they had to wait for events on earth and in heaven to run their course before they could go into action. During that long wait, generations of Christian believers have lived with the expectation of the Lord’s return to earth. Not all of them were patient. Not all of them had the ability to wait. Some began to say, “He will not return!”

Now, John continues with the narration of what he saw:

I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.

Some have asked, “Could this rider on the white horse be Christ Jesus?” The answer is a definite “No.” Within this context, he could not possibly be Christ Jesus, for it is Christ Jesus—the Lamb—who has broken the seal that frees the horseman to go forth. Inasmuch as all four of these horsemen are connected with judgment, we must identify the rider of the white horse as one who will prove to be a deceiver of mankind and a curse. Most scholars, indeed, look upon him as the antichrist.