The Worldwide Church of God published a series of booklets on the "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse." The first booklet in that series was titled The White Horse - False Religion. Now, while this interpretation fit rather nicely into Herbert Armstrong's interpretations of prophecy and history, it did NOT represent what Scripture actually had to say on the subject or with the broader theme of the book of which it was a part (Revelation/Apocalypse)!
First of all, as with any passage of Scripture, it is essential that we get the immediate context of that passage. In this respect, we should note that the "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" is an integral part of the seven seals on the scroll which only Jesus Christ (Lion of Judah, Root of David, Lamb that was slain) was qualified to open (see the fifth chapter of Revelation). Indeed, each of the four horsemen is associated with one of the first four seals. Hence, we can see that these things are meant to be symbolic of what will happen before the second advent of Jesus Christ.
In the sixth chapter of Revelation, we read: "Now I watched when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say with a voice like thunder, 'Come!' And I looked, and behold, a white horse! And its rider had a bow, and a crown was given to him, and he came out conquering, and to conquer. When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, 'Come!' And out came another horse, bright red. Its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that people should slay one another, and he was given a great sword. When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, 'Come!' And I looked, and behold, a black horse! And its rider had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures, saying, 'A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not harm the oil and wine!' When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, 'Come!' And I looked, and behold, a pale horse! And its rider's name was Death, and Hades followed him. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth (verses 1-8, English Standard Version, here and throughout)."
In trying to understand this passage, we must remember some things about the book as a whole: 1) John incorporated symbols familiar to the Old Testament prophets in his book, and he expected his readers to be familiar with them (e.g. the numbers 4, 7, and 12, lampstands, olive trees, horsemen, multi-headed beasts, a dragon, the colors red, white, black, and grey, Babylon, etc.) Hence, in this instance, John would have expected his readers to be aware of the horsemen described in the first chapter of the book of Zechariah in the Hebrew Bible. 2) John revealed that the theme of the book was Christ's intention "to show to his servants the things that must soon take place." (Revelation 1:1) As part of this theme, John continually contrasted Christ's Kingdom with that of this world's governance under man influenced by Satan. And the book makes very clear that Christ expected his followers to remain faithful to his Kingdom - even if that meant suffering persecution and death at the hands of this world's system. 3) Within the book itself (Revelation), another rider on a white horse is clearly contrasted with the one we find in the sixth chapter. This rider appears after God's triumph over this world's system is announced from heaven in the nineteenth chapter of the book.
We read there: "Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords (verses 11-16)." This rider is clearly symbolic of Jesus Christ, and we notice that he has a sword instead of a bow, many crowns atop his head instead of a single one, and that he himself is clothed in white. Notice too, that as we continue with this account in the nineteenth chapter, we are informed that this rider (accompanied by his heavenly army) defeats all of the armies of this world arrayed against him (verses 17-21).
With this context in hand, the imagery of the four horsemen of Revelation 6 comes into sharper focus. Please note that the first rider is seated on a white horse (white is symbolic of righteousness), and that he had a bow (a weapon of war). We are also informed that he was wearing a crown (symbolic of governance), and that he was actively engaged in the conquest of others (extending his power and authority). Of course, this is typical of ALL of the great human empires mentioned in the Bible (Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome). They all sought to expand their power and authority over others - to conquer the world known to them. Moreover, it is interesting to note that this very human motivation to control the nations/peoples surrounding you has so often led to the very conditions which the other three horsemen symbolize (war, famine, and death). In other words, the desire to conquer often leads to fighting, starvation, disease, and numerous casualties.
In Revelation, the imagery of the "Beast" and "Babylon" are used to portray man's system. Throughout the prophetic writings of Scripture (Old and New Testament), this system of men influenced by Satan has been portrayed as having a number of features which distinguish it from God's system. Among the more prominent of these features are: 1) reverence for and allegiance to the State - the State (often personified by its leader) becomes an object of worship, 2) military power and prowess are celebrated and highly valued ("Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?"), 3) people and resources are ruthlessly exploited by the State and its leadership, 4) the glory, aggrandizement, expansion, and enrichment of the State is made the primary objective of everyone. In other words, the State and its leadership take the place of God, and everyone is expected to honor, serve, and support the State and its leadership - it becomes the religion of its citizens!
Hence, although the "White Horse" does NOT symbolize false religion in the sense that the booklet mentioned at the beginning of this post suggested, the need for humans to subdue and control resources and each other can and does often lead to state idolatry. In other words, what the "White Horseman" symbolizes is much more insidious and pervasive than any "apostate" version of Christianity. Indeed, under this human system, religion becomes a tool of the State - it's made to serve and protect the State's interests, NOT God's will.
For those who may be interested in a better understanding of the book of Revelation and its symbolism, I am pleased to recommend two presentations by the Bible Project which cover that book:
This is an interesting topic. Revelation was one of the books HWA manipulated to his own advantage, not only on "church eras", but also the 7 seals.
ReplyDeleteAccording to HWA, Revelation is a closed book of " prophecy ", sealed till the time of the end. This prophecy was contained in the 7 seals, which would make the white horse and seals 2-4 future events. THEN, in order to read himself into the Bible (Matthew 24:14) and make his work relevant for the present, he turns prophecy into history by making the 4 horsemen riding since the days of Christ. The focus now, according to him, is the 5th seal, the Great Tribulation, being the next event to explode upon the world scene. I find this shifty and contradictory!
To me, this shift parallels the current climate change narrative, where every hurricane, flood, and climate disaster is PROOF we are in immediate danger. With HWA, every war, every famine, and false religion was proof we were in the gun lap of the end times and in order to finish the work, it was time for the people to give, give, give.
We all have our own ideas and thoughts about this book. Even the BIBLE PROJECT admits to " many debating views" and its simplistic summary contains its own speculation, "this vision more likely means"??? It's obvious Revelation is the denouement of redemptive history while reflecting the past eternal struggles between the kingdom of God and satanic evil forces. The BIBLE PROJECT admits as much! That makes it obvious to me that that a " climax and conclusion to human history " demands these symbols and visions have an ultimate literal fulfillment. I believe there will be a literal "beast", a literal 2 Witnesses's, a literal Armageddon, a literal fall of Babylon, a literal second coming of Christ, and a literal 1000 year reign. Why not?
Like any book, The Bible has a beginning and an ending. Revelation contains that perfect ending and conclusion to the plan of God and His redemption for mankind and the earth.