Revelation 6:2

John saw a horse, which was a war machine in his day (cf. Job 39:19-25; Psalms 76:5-6; Proverbs 21:31), and its rider (cf. Zechariah 1:7-11; Zechariah 6:2-3; Jeremiah 14:12; Jeremiah 24:10; Jeremiah 42:17). The horse was white symbolizing victory, righteousness, and holiness. White has these connotations in other places in Scripture. The horse gave an appearance of purity, but that does not necessarily mean the rider was righteous.

"When men wage war they always pretend to be fighting for righteousness." [Note: D. T. Niles, As Seeing the Invisible, p. 58.]

The first four seal judgments involve riders riding horses of various colors. This imagery recalls Zechariah 1:8; Zechariah 6:1-8. However the horses and horsemen in Revelation evidently represent something different from those in Zechariah, as comparison of these texts suggests.

The rider carried a bow (cf. Zechariah 9:13-14) symbolizing warfare, but no arrows. The absence of arrows probably indicates a bloodless victory. The rider threatens war (cf. Numbers 24:8; Psalms 45:5; Zechariah 9:14), but it does not occur, probably because he accomplishes victory through peaceful means. Someone, evidently God, gave him an imperial crown (Gr. stephanos) anticipating an authoritative career (cf. Revelation 9:1; Revelation 9:3; Revelation 9:5; Revelation 13:5; Revelation 13:7; Revelation 13:14-15). Conquerors also wore this type of crown. [Note: Swete, p. 86.] The sovereign God is the only one who can give human rulers authority to rule (cf. Romans 13:1).

"All events in the apocalyptic section of the book are initiated from the throne described in chapter 4 . . ., and must be understood in that light. Though indirect, all that transpires under the seals is in implementation of the ’book of doom’ through the agency of the Lamb introduced in chapter 5." [Note: Thomas, Revelation 1-7, p. 423.]

This rider rode out conquering his enemies and bent on future conquests.

There have been many suggestions concerning who or what this rider represents. These include a Roman emperor, the Parthian invasion of the Roman Empire, Messiah, and the Antichrist. Others have taken him to represent the Word of God, a personification of judgment, the victorious course of the gospel, warfare in general, triumphant militarism, or the personification of ungodly movements. In the Olivet Discourse Jesus predicted that a number of individuals will mislead many people (cf. Matthew 24:5; Matthew 24:24; Mark 13:6; Luke 21:8). This has led some interpreters to conclude that a personification of ungodly activity is what the rider represents in this verse. [Note: Ibid., p. 422.] The most probable view is that this is a prophecy of Antichrist who will make a covenant with Israel but only as a pretense for destroying the Jews (cf. Daniel 9:27; 1 Thessalonians 5:3). [Note: See J. Dwight Pentecost, Thy Kingdom Come, p. 250.]

Daniel Wong concluded that the horseman is either Antichrist or a trend or movement of which he is the chief example. [Note: Daniel K. K. Wong, "The First Horseman of Revelation 6," Bibliotheca Sacra 153:610 (April-June 1996):212-26.] Several writers have argued that he is Christ. [Note: E.g., Zane C. Hodges, "The First Horseman of the Apocalypse," Bibliotheca Sacra 119:476 (October 1962):324-34; and Jack MacArthur, Expositional Comentary on Revelation, p. 137.] Newell believed the rider on the four horses in the first through the fourth seal judgments is Jesus Christ. [Note: Newell, pp. 102-6.] He viewed these judgments as an overview of the Lord Jesus’ judgment on the world that he believed the following chapters reveal in more detail.