Reading: Revelation 6:1-2

Ok. Here’s where we left off: John has been invited by Jesus in to heaven. When he got there, he saw this crazy throne, with a river by it, and a rainbow around it. And it was flashing with lightning and echoing with peals of thunder. God the Father was seated on this throne, and 24 elders were sitting on thrones around Him. On each side of the throne, are four living creatures. One like an ox, one like a lion, one like a man, and one like an eagle. And the big idea in all of that was: everything is worshipping God. They would say, “Worthy, worthy, worthy” why? “Because You created all things.”

Then, chapter 5. John saw, in the right hand of Him who was seated on the throne, a scroll sealed with seven seals. Which. Here’s how you can think about the scroll: it’s basically the deed to the earth. If you’ve purchased a home, you know, it’s a lot of paperwork—sealed with the signature of a notary. Additionally. Part of that process, is getting a deed. The deed, of course, is the legal description of the property and proves you own the house. Well. God owns the earth. Because He made it. Yet (for reasons only known to Him) He transfers that deed to Jesus.

Which brings us to chapter 6. Where we’re introduced to what’s commonly referred to as: the 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Which. Depending on your age, and upbringing, the 4 horsemen might mean something different to you. Like. If you grew up a wrastlin fan, than you’re thinking of Ric Flair, “Whooo”. And there was Arn Anderson, and Tully Blanchard, and Barry Windham. The Four Horsemen. But. Others of you might be reminded of watching westerns with your dad. Tombstone, in particular quotes Revelation directly. “Behold the pale horse and the rider that sits on him is death.”

Or. If you’re a Notre Dame fan, you might have a different interpretation—because in 1924 they had the 4 horsemen in their backfield. Which. Ironically, 1924 was the last time Notre Dame football was even relevant. But. Over the course of the next few weeks, we’ll talk about each horseman individually.

First, there’s the rider of the white horse. And the rider of the white horse is representative of the antichrist. We’ll discuss him more the further we get in to the book, but what you need to know is: the antichrist imitates Jesus, but isn’t Jesus. So. This dude rides a white horse. In Revelation 19 Jesus comes back on a white horse. However, this fella’s carrying a bow. Jesus carries a sword. This guy is given a crown, but that word is actually wreath. Think early olympics. The little leaf thing made for chump. The crown Jesus wears is made for a champ. It’s a kingly crown. Matter of fact, the word used for a king’s crown is an entirely different word in the Greek. So imitation, but not the real thing. And you have to be careful with imitations. Like cream cheese. Don’t buy the imitation cream cheese and try to pawn that off as the real thing in your cheesecake. I’ll know. Jesus will know.

Furthermore. The antichrist functions (in modern day) like this: “There are many ways to salvation. Believe whatever you want as long as you’re sincere. It’s your truth. The bible isn’t the word of God. You can’t trust it.” See. That’s the deception of the rider of the white horse. And this is important for you to get, because the antichrist isn’t someone we’re waiting on. The Apostle John makes that clear in 1 John 4 and 2 John 1.

In summary, the rider of the white horse is an imitation savior that has no actual power to save. And that’s dangerous because there is a way to believe in Jesus that has nothing to do with Jesus. See Matthew 7. So the question before you is, are you believing in the Jesus He claimed to be?

With Gratitude,

pLJ