1st seal – the white horse and rider

Revelation 6:1-2. The bow is symbolic of evil intentions. The horse’s rider is the first of four riders who each mark the beginning of a sequence of awful times.

The man, or the group the man represents, has a bow, which is an instrument of war, and he is setting out as a conqueror bent on conquest. Also, he is wearing a crown. The Greek word used here for a crown is Stephanos, which means a victor’s crown, as against the Greek word diadem, which was a royal crown.

Notice who God gets to open this seal: the Lamb of God. Jesus is not the rider of this white horse because this white horse is in bad company. Jesus does ride a white horse later in the book of Revelation.

White horses were used by victorious Roman Generals in parades called Triumphs. They were an emblem of triumph and power by Rome over a foreign enemy.

Background Reading:

The Vision of the First Seal Opened – the white horse

6: Then I saw the lamb open the first of the seven seals. I heard one of the four living creatures say with a voice like thunder, “Go!” 2 Then I looked, and there was a white horse! Its rider had a bow, and a victor’s crown had been given to him. He went out as a conqueror to conquer.
Revelation 6:1-2


Other slides in this module: