The White Horse; The Red Horse

   Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, “Come and see.” 
   And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer. 6:1-2 

The White Horse

   The first creature was like a lion. 4:7.  It is fitting that it (the creature) should introduce the first horse and its rider, because, as a lion, the king of beasts, the first horse went forth conquering, and to conquer in international conflicts.

   Asimov says that these four horsemen represent the variety of evils that were to descend upon...the Roman empire...to mark the beginning of the dissolution and the coming of the Messianic era.

   We find another white horse in 19:11, and we read that He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. These are traits attributed to Christ in Isaiah 11:4-5. The Signs of the Times magazine erroneously points out that it is Christ who is astride the white horse in chapter six.  Following are some reasons why that theory is not acceptable.

1. If Christ is busy opening the seals, He would not at the same time be going out to make war.

2. The rider in 6:2 had a crown but the rider in chapter 19 is wearing crowns.

3. Throughout the Bible, Christ carries a sword, 1:16, Heb. 4:12, and never a bow like the rider of the horse in 6:2 does.  Although, the use of the bow and arrow is attributed to Jehovah in the Old Testament, Psalm 64:7; Zech. 9:14, nowhere does the Bible speak of Christ as having a bow.

4. Furthermore, the rider in chapter 19 has a name written on his jacket and on his slacks, 19:16, which only He could fully understand. 19:12.  The words written there were, KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. 19:16. This description is not given of the rider on the white horse in chapter six.

5. Why would the rider, on the first horse, be the Son of God (a positive) and the other four beings, be negatives?

Some Bible students say that the white horse represents the Antichrist. Concordia Bible Commentary writes The figure is best understood, therefore, as the Antichrist, both opponent and imitator of Christ. Because he so closely resembles Christ some actually mistake him as the Christ.  This rationale seems plausible.  

The Red Horse 

   When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come and see.” Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword. 6:3-4

  The second creature was like a calf and this creature introduces the rider of the red horse, the one who took peace from the earth.   The significance of this is that peace is often lost slowly, imperceptibly.  After negotiations are finished and the peace treaties are signed; the killing continues.  A harmless calf portrays this picture much more clearly than a leopard or a bear would, for example.

   The rider of the red horse does not kill. He had the power to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another.  If the red horse represents civil war and people killing their own countrymen than we must admit that the red horse is certainly riding hard these days.  

   Have there ever, in the history of the world, been so many private individuals killing their own fellow citizens as there are now?  The crime dramas and the newscasts on television give a sampling of what is really happening on city streets and even out in the countryside.   

   Iraqis bombing their own kin.  Afghans killing their own people in a civil war. The Sudanese destroy their country by attacking their own family members. One can also mention Egypt, Libya, Syria and others in 2011-2017; thousands of the country’s residents were killed by their own rulers.  

   The term, a great sword, certainly must refer to the amount of damage that it has done, it can and will do.  Looking back over time we see events like The Spanish Inquisition; the Communist uprising in the Soviet Union; the Nazis killing their own countryman.

     Murders in the western world used to be very uncommon, but now any major city in North America is not surprised at murderers in their cities.  There have been 272 shooting incidents so far this year in Toronto — a jump of more than 46% over last year, when there were 186 at this time. The Toronto Sun, a report about 2016.

  This happens, in part, because the murderer is given the same rights as the family of the victim of the crime.  In most cases, the punishment is much too lenient and in many cases, the victim's innocent family has no recourse to improve their post-trauma life.  

Whoever sheds man's blood, his blood shall be shed by man; for He made man in the image of God. Gen_9:6  

North America needs to re-introduce the death penalty and we need many more "hanging judges".  Mental instability should not pass as an excuse for murder. "If 'he' has killed once" because 'he' was not thinking straight, it is possible that "'he' will kill again", with the same excuse.   'He' should not be given that chance!