The First Horseman of Revelation 6

By Daniel K. K. Wong

[Daniel K. K. Wong is Vice-president and Academic Dean of the Chinese for Christ Theological Seminary, Rosemead, California.]

In the Book of Revelation the word νικάω (“to conquer”) is used on three occasions with reference to someone who is hostile to the saints (6:2; 11:7; 13:7). In Revelation 6:2 the figure is a rider on a white horse. “And I looked, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him; and he went out conquering, and to conquer.” Who is this person? What is the object and nature of his conquering? When will this take place? This article seeks to answer these questions in light of the biblical evidence.

The Setting

The reference to the victorious horseman is found in the beginning of a section that pertains to the events of the future seven-year tribulation period following the rapture (Rev 6–19). The backdrop of this reference is the heavenly scene which introduces God as the Judge, Christ as the Lamb who is worthy to open the scroll and to judge, the heavenly servants associated with God and Christ in judgment, and the songs of adoration to God and Christ because of their worthiness (Rev 4–5). As the songs of adoration cease, the Lamb of God begins to open the scroll.

The Identity of the Rider

At the breaking of the first seal (Rev 6:1–2), one of the living creatures calls forth the first rider. He is riding a white horse, carrying a bow, and is given a crown. His identity, however, has been the subject of much discussion. Corsini is of the opinion that this rider depicts humanity in its perfection.[1] Phillips claims that he represents the blasphemous philosophies of the last days.[2] Robbins thinks of him as “the way of spiritual evil in history.”[3] Medill believes he symbolizes the bloodless victories the king of France gained over the emperor.[4] Pardini takes him to be “a personification of the Lord’s judgment.”[5] Draper sees him as representing Enoch.[6] Boll proposes an astrological influence and connects the first four riders with zodiacal speculations.[7] Perhaps the most widely held views are the following five.

Parthians

Some interpreters feel that the key to the meaning of the first seal is the rider’s bow—an instrument of war in the ancient world for which the Parthians were particularly noted.[8] The Parthians were warlike peoples in Asia southeast of the Caspian Sea in what is today Iran. They were famous for their speed and mobility as horsemen and their skill in using bows and arrows. They had won several significant battles in 53 B.C., 35 B.C., and other times, and defeated the Romans on the Tigris River in A.D. 62. In view of this, it is claimed that the first horseman in Revelation 6:2 must be speaking of the historical Parthians because the descriptions of the rider in that reference match those of the Parthians.

The problem with this view, however, is its failure to take into consideration the end-time nature of the horseman.[9] It also fails to explain why John, writing at the end of the first century (ca. A.D. 97), would think of battles that had already taken place (ca. A.D. 62) as something revealed by the opening of a sealed book.[10] Further, though the bow could be a symbol of the Parthians bent on defeating Rome, the bow in Revelation 6:2 suggests forces opposed to the inhabitants of the earth in general.

Military Conquest

Other interpreters believe that the first rider stands for military conquests in general.[11] According to this explanation, John in Revelation 6 was saying that “any nation that embarks on a career of conquest unleashes bloodshed and famine and destruction,”[12] and that this will be so till the end of time.[13]

This interpretation seems to do justice to the warlike symbolism of the bow and the horse. It also corresponds to the wars and rumors of wars in the parallel accounts of the Olivet Discourse (Matt 24:4–13; Mark 13:7–13). However, it fails to deal with the details of Revelation 6:2 (the white color, the crown, and others). Also, as Thomas points out, the idea of military conquest in general is “not specific enough to realize the specific nature of fulfillment required by this context.”[14]

Christ

The view that the rider is Christ is a popular view, traceable from the time of Irenaeus (ca. A.D. 202),[15] through Albert the Great (ca. A.D. 1200)[16] and many others, to the present time. Catholic and Protestant writers,[17] amillennialists,[18] postmillennialists,[19] as well as even some premillennial dispensationalists[20] hold to this interpretation. Reasons for viewing the rider on the white horse as representing Jesus Christ are as follows.

1. The horse is white. This color, it is argued, is associated with what is holy and heavenly (e.g., 1:14; 2:17; 3:4, 5, 18). In view of this, the rider on the horse, it is argued, is not the Antichrist.[21]

2. The horseman receives a crown. This harmonizes with Revelation 14:14, which refers to Christ’s wearing a crown.[22]

3. The rider goes out conquering. This fits with the fact that wherever in Revelation the word “conquer” occurs it normally refers to Christ or His followers (e.g., 3:21; 17:14; 21:7).[23]

4. The rider on a white horse in 19:11–16 clearly refers to Jesus Christ. If one then permits the Apocalypse to explain its own symbolism, he would have to admit, it is argued, that the rider in 6:2 is the same person.[24]

5. This view fits the imagery of the vision in Zechariah 1:8 and 6:1–8 which refer to horsemen and chariots as divine instruments of judgment on the enemies of God’s people.[25] Further, in Zechariah 1:8–12 one of the riders is the Angel of the Lord. If the first horseman of the Apocalypse is also Christ, an additional connection between the two prophecies becomes apparent.[26]

6. In Psalm 45:3–5 a rider is equipped with a bow and is riding forth prosperously.[27] Since Psalm 45 is messianic and the description of the king there is similar to the rider in Revelation 6:2, the two accounts may be talking about the same person.[28]

Despite these arguments, objections still pose problems for this view.

1. A difficulty with the first argument is that white need not always depict what is holy. As discussed later, a white horse may simply suggest leadership, since ancient military leaders sometimes rode white horses.

2. The second argument is inconclusive because crowns in the Apocalypse are seen in Christ’s realm and also that of His counterfeit (9:7–8; 12:3; 13:1).

3. While it is true that victory normally characterizes Christ (3:21; 5:5; 17:14) and His followers (2:7, 11, etc.), this does not determine the identity of the rider here since νικάω in Revelation is used of the Antichrist as well (11:7; 13:7).

4. That both riders in 6:2 and 19:11–16 are mounted on white horses is far outweighed by many significant differences. (a) The main idea of 6:2 is one of conquest whereas that of 19:11–16 is righteous retribution. (b) The rider in 19:11 has a name, “Faithful and True,” and is followed by the armies of heaven on white horses (v. 14), but the one in 6:2 is anonymous and depicted as riding alone. (c) The rider in 19:11 has a sharp sword issuing from His mouth (v. 15), while the one in 6:2 carries a bow. (d) In 19:12 the rider wears the many diadems (διαδήματα) of supreme majesty, but this one wears a wreath (στέφανος). (e) The horseman in 6:2 is followed in due course by other riders bringing further war, famine, and death (vv. 4, 6, 8), but the horseman in 19:11 is followed by no such riders. His coming to earth will bring an end to the tribulation period and will usher in the millennial kingdom followed by the eternal state (Rev 21–22).

These differences between the two accounts and the fact that the Scriptures nowhere indicate any public appearing of Christ at the beginning of the future tribulation period (cf. Matt 24; Mark 13; Luke 21) argue strongly against the suggestion that the horsemen in Revelation 6 and 19 are the same.

Hodges, a premillennial dispensationalist, recognizing the impossibility of the second advent of Christ at this point in history, proposes an alternate option. He suggests that the horseman in 6:2 is coming to rapture the church. This gathering of the saints to meet Him in the air (1 Cor 15:51–57; 1 Thess 4:13–18) is “the very first of many triumphs which this horseman sets out to achieve.”[29] The remaining victories of Christ (between Rev 6 and 19) are accomplished from heaven.

To substantiate this view, Hodges seeks to harmonize the difference between the two weapons in Revelation 6 and 19. He contends that the bow is used in 6:2 because it is the weapon of long-range warfare, whereas the sword is used in 19:15 because it is a weapon for close combat with the enemy.[30]

For the judgments of the tribulation are such as fall from heaven to earth while the King is absent. But in chapter 19, the King comes personally to earth and now the conflict with the forces of evil is waged at close quarters and, with the sword, the last battle is won.[31]

Such a harmonization seems attractive. But it creates more problems than it solves. The weakness of this solution is its failure to note that the second rider in Revelation 6 carries a sword (vv. 3–4) and that if one treats the first rider as judging from heaven in bodily absence, the rest of the riders in chapter 6 would need to be considered the same way. All four riders belong to the same group and there is no textual clue that they should be treated differently. If the first rider’s reason for using a bow is because he is shooting from heaven, what is the second rider’s reason for using a sword if he too is executing judgment from heaven? Such a weapon seems to be inappropriate for long-distance warfare according to Hodges’ own explanation. But if like the rider in Revelation 19, the second rider with a sword is executing judgment from earth then, again, for the sake of consistency, the first rider would have to be executing judgment from earth also. If that is so, the rider of 6:2 cannot be Christ.

5. Though the form of John’s vision is similar to that of Zechariah, the subject matter and main details differ in at least five ways.

(a) The prophecy of Zechariah 1–8 was given to urge the Jewish remnant to complete the postexilic temple. But the purpose of Revelation 6–18 is to portray what the future tribulation will be like.

(b) The night visions of Zechariah (chaps. 1, 6) reveal God’s anger with the nations “who are at ease” (1:15), and His intention to restore Israel and the temple (1:7–17; 6:1–8), whereas the seals in Revelation 6–8 reveal God’s eschatological wrath which will fall on the whole earth.

(c) The colors of the horses in Zechariah (red, sorrel, white, black, dappled) are not said to have special significance, but in the Apocalypse the horses’ colors seem to correspond to the character of the riders’ activities—conquest (white), bloodshed (red), famine (black), and death (pale, or ashen).

(d) The horsemen in Zechariah are sent out to evaluate the situation on earth, whereas in Revelation their release brings disasters to the earth (cf. 6:1–8).

(e) The riders in Zechariah are clearly divine agencies as indicated by the fact that one of them (the red horse rider), is the Angel of the Lord,[32] but the riders in Revelation 6 are human instruments or “evil powers” (cf. 6:8).[33]

These significant differences in subject matter and details make it improbable to identify the rider on the white horse (Rev 6:2) as Christ.

6. The appeal to Psalm 45 for support for the view that the horseman in Revelation 6:2 is Christ is also inappropriate for two reasons.

First, the themes and overall structures of the two accounts differ. Psalm 45, a song celebrating the king’s marriage, begins with praise to the royal groom for all his splendor, majesty, and righteousness (45:1–9), continues with a report of the counsel given to the bride before she was brought to the king’s palace (45:10–15), and concludes with the eternal remembrance of the king’s name through his progeny (45:16–17). Revelation 6 is much different, portraying judgment and destruction in the tribulation period. It begins with violent conquest (vv. 1–2), continues with bloodshed, famine, death, and martyrdom (vv. 3–11), and concludes with earthly and celestial convulsions (vv. 12–17). These differences between the two accounts make the identification of the first rider with the Messiah unlikely.

Second, it is true that Psalm 45:6–7 is messianic[34] and refers to the promise of an eternal throne for the house of David (2 Sam 7:16), which will be fulfilled in Jesus Christ when He returns to reign forever. This prophecy may also fit with Revelation 19–20, which states that Christ will return victoriously to earth to destroy His enemies, set up His kingdom, and reign as the messianic King for one thousand years (20:6). This consideration, however, does not lend support to the interpretation that the first rider in Revelation 6 is Christ. On the contrary, it argues against it because, as noted previously, the riders of Revelation 6 and 19 are different. True, the idea of the throne and the victorious Christ are present in both Psalm 45 and Revelation 5[35] and the description of the riders is similar in Psalm 45 and Revelation 6. But these facts still do not prove that the first horseman in Revelation 6 is Christ. Why? (a) It is difficult to conceive of Christ coming in response to the call of one of the four living creatures, since He has just received their worship (5:8). (b) The parallelism with the other three horses, which are nondivine instruments of destruction, makes the first rider’s identification with Christ improbable. (c) Christ opens the seal in heaven so that this horseman is allowed to ride forth on earth. This negates the possibility of His also being the rider revealed by breaking that seal.

Gospel of Christ

Proponents of this view agree with those holding the previous view that the first horseman is a divine agency.[36] However, they seem aware of the weaknesses of the view that the rider is Christ,[37] and so they identify the first horseman as the victorious proclamation of the gospel of Christ. At least six arguments are presented in favor of this explanation.

1. One argument for this view is the similarity between the first horseman and the rider of 19:11–16, whose name is “the Word of God” (v. 13).[38] But, as noted earlier, the two riders have nothing in common beyond their riding a white horse. The details differ significantly. This negates the possibility that the horsemen in 6:2 and 19:11 are identical.

2. Another reason for this view is that the description of this rider as a victor is similar in character to the victorious witnesses in Revelation 12. That similarity suggests that the first horseman is doing good, not evil.[39] However, the first rider’s appearance in a series of sinister figures (Rev 6:1–11) reveals that his service is not a beneficent activity of evangelism but a maleficent activity like that of the next three riders. This argument is also weakened because νικάω in Revelation is used not only of Christian witness but also of the Antichrist (Rev 11:7; 13:7).

3. A third reason for this interpretation is the white color of the horse, which in Revelation is the color normally employed to denote purity and righteousness (cf. Rev 1:14; 2:17; 3:18, etc.).[40] But white may be the color of any horse riding forth to victory in war.[41] Also not all that appears white on the surface is pure and righteous (Matt 23:27; Acts 23:3).

4. A fourth support given for this view is that unlike the second to fourth seals, the first has no woe connected with it.[42] Instead, the white horse rider left peace in his wake for the arrival of the next rider (Rev 6:3–4).[43]

However, even Charles[44] recognizes that this rider belongs together with the other three as part of “the beginning of birth pangs” (Matt 24:8; Mark 13:8). The fact that the second horseman is granted to take peace from the earth does not necessarily mean that the first has left peace for his arrival. For Revelation 6:1–4 is not talking about one rider to offer the gospel of peace and the other to take that peace away. Rather it is saying that where military conquest (v. 2) occurs, the norm is that bloodshed is involved and peace is removed (vv. 3–4). The removal of peace (v. 4), then, results from the conquest of the first horseman (vv. 1–2). The task of the second horseman simply overlaps the first and fills out the picture.

5. A fifth argument given for this view is that it fits well with Mark 13:10, which promises the preaching of the gospel to all nations “before the Messianic woes begin.”[45]

But the two passages do not seem analogous. The idea of the gospel is clear in Mark 13:10 whereas in Revelation 6:2 there is no hint of the gospel. Another problem with this argument is that it seems to misunderstand the chronology of Mark 13:10 and to read it into Revelation 6:2.[46]

6. A final argument used to support this view is that the crown the rider receives and the expression “conquering and to conquer” (Rev 6:2) suggest that “the proclamation of the gospel will win its victory.”[47]

The problem with this argument is seen in the word ἐδόθη (“it was given,” 6:2), which describes the giving of the crown to the rider. This same word is used repeatedly by John in the immediate context (vv. 4, 8) as well as elsewhere in Revelation (9:1, 3, 5; 13:5, 7, 14, 15) to describe the divine permission “granted to evil powers to carry out their nefarious work.”[48] Since the first rider is parallel to the next three (6:3–8), it is natural that the permission granted him is for the same purpose.

There is a sense in which the course of the gospel is victorious in the Church Age as the Holy Spirit convicts individuals of their sin and urges them to accept Christ as their Savior. But this conquest began with the earthly ministry of Christ or the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2) and certainly does not have to wait for the opening of the first seal.

The Antichrist

The preferred interpretation is that the first horseman of Revelation 6:2 represents the Antichrist or else a trend or movement of which he would certainly be the chief example.

Appearance of the rider. The coming of the first horseman seems to be future because it is found in a section of Revelation that deals with things yet to come (Rev 4–22). This fits well with the appearance of the Antichrist (2 Thess 2:3–12). Reasons for placing Revelation 6:1–22:8 in the future are as follows:

(a) The Book of Daniel, which has many similarities to the Apocalypse, points to the climax of the present age. And the Apocalypse, reflecting so much that relates to Daniel, refers to the same end-time. The visions in Daniel 2 and 7 move from Babylon to Medo-Persia, to Greece, to early Roman times and on to a latter-day Roman development. The Apocalypse moves naturally from early church times (chaps. 1–3) to a view of heaven (chaps. 4–5) and distant future development (chaps. 6–22). This also correlates naturally with the movement of much in Matthew 24–25 to the far future and with several Old Testament passages such as Jeremiah 30:7 and Daniel 12:1.

(b) The seventh seal introduces the trumpet judgments (Rev 8:1–5), and the seventh trumpet is identified with the future realization of the messianic kingdom (11:15). So it is reasonable to see the other seals in the unified sequence as depicting events closely related to the trumpets.

(c) Details in 6:12–17 are difficult to explain as occurring during the present age, and 6:1–11 is closely related to 6:12–17.

Cross-references of the rider. There is a striking similarity between the progress of Revelation 6 and Christ’s description of the end of the age in Matthew 24. In both accounts the order is as follows: (a) deception by antichrists (Matt 24:4–5, 24; Rev 6:1–2); (b) war (Matt 24:6–7; Rev 6:3–4); (c) famine (Matt 24:7; Rev 6:5–6); (d) death (Matt 24:7–9; Rev 6:7–8); (e) martyrdom (Matt 24:9–10, 16–22; Rev 6:9–11); and (f) cosmological convulsions (Matt 24:29; Rev 6:12–17). This correspondence between these apocalyptic accounts is significant, for it shows that a first occurrence in the end-times is the emergence of false Christs. Though John did not specify the identity of the rider on the horse, the principle of allowing a clear, similar passage to aid in understanding an unclear passage offers the probability that the horseman of Revelation 6:2 is the Antichrist or else represents a trend of which he is a prime example.

Descriptions of the rider. Four descriptions of the rider in 6:2 provide further clues to his identity.

(a) The rider is first depicted as mounting a white horse. As discussed earlier, this symbolism has led some to view him as Christ who will come on a white horse at His Second Advent (Rev 19:11–16). But this identification has already been shown to be improbable. What, then, is a more probable interpretation of the symbolism?

In Scripture, horses are generally mentioned in connection with the concept of strength, warfare, and conquest (Isa 30:16; 31:1; Job 39:19–25; Ps 76:5–6; Prov 21:31; Rev 9:7; 19:11), and horsemen are often associated with an omen of the end.[49] White is the color of light (cf. Matt 17:2), the color of the heavenly world, and the “eschatological color.”[50] In the Apocalypse, however, the color is normally used to portray righteousness.[51] This same idea may also be implied here. Such an understanding may seem strange and even raise the question, How can the idea of righteousness be applied to this rider if he is the Antichrist? The answer is that it can if he is merely an imitation of righteousness, a counterfeit of the true. In fact the concept of a feigned righteousness is most fitting here because Matthew 24:5, to which the first seal seems to be parallel, says, “Many will come in My name, saying ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will mislead many.” In view of this, it is not astonishing that in order to accomplish this deception the Antichrist will imitate the true Messiah of Revelation 19:11–20. This consideration seems to be consistent with the wider context of Revelation, which refers to other satanic imitations of Christ and His conquest, including the crowns of 12:3, as well as the victories of 11:7 and 13:7.

The horse may also be depicted as white because the Antichrist is a great leader, and ancient military leaders sometimes rode white horses in order to stand out conspicuously in rallying their forces.52

(b) The second description of the rider is that he carries a bow. This weapon traditionally has been associated with one who is a warrior.[53] Normally the bow is an emblem of conquest (cf. Zech 9:13–14). This is without doubt the case here, as the remainder of verse 2 indicates.

That the bow in Revelation 6:2 is probably a weapon characterizing the Antichrist is suggested by Ezekiel 39:3. In that significant verse Gog, the apocalyptic final enemy of Israel, holds a bow as he leads his cavalry.[54] When the Lord defeats him, He will strike the Antichrist’s bow from his left hand and dash down his arrows from the right hand. Since the Gog prophecy (Ezek 38–39) is in many points analogous to Revelation (Rev 16:13–16; 20:7–10), and the ruin of Gog (Ezek 39:4, 6, 17–20) is parallel to the defeat of Antichrist at the Second Advent of Christ (Rev 19:17–20), it is not difficult to see in the holder of the bow (6:2) a figure of the Antichrist or else to consider him in the same light with Gog.

(c) The third description of the rider is that he is given a crown. This is suggestive of the rider’s identity because ἐδόθη (“it was given”) in the Apocalypse, as suggested earlier, normally speaks of divine permission given to the Antichrist (13:5, 7, 14, 15), or evil powers (6:4, 8; 9:1, 3, 5) to carry out their wicked mission. Possibly, then, John was using that expression here for the same purpose. The crown (στέφανος) of the rider may denote victory by conquest or the rule that follows conquest (cf. 2 Sam 12:29–30), or both. Related to the rule is the fact that the Antichrist is a king (cf. Dan 7:24), gaining ascendancy over other kings (Rev 17:9–13).

(d) The final description of the rider is that “he went out conquering and that he might conquer” (ἐξῆλθεν νικῶν κάι ἵνα νικήσῃ). These two expressions for conquering portray the career of the rider as one marked by a long series of victories (νικῶν)[55] as well as an ultimate victory (νικήσῃ).[56] This conquest on earth fits the Antichrist well in view of several other passages (Dan 7:7–8, 15–22; 11:36–45; Rev 13:1–10; 17:9–13).

Context of the Scriptures. The Old and New Testaments often speak of the rise of a dictator who will appear after the church has been translated, a man described as “the prince that shall come” (Dan 9:26), “the man of lawlessness” (2 Thess 2:3; cf. Matt 24:15; Mark 13:14), and the “beast coming up out of the sea” (Rev 13:1). This figure will head up the revived Roman Empire and ultimately become the world ruler (cf. Rev 17:9–18).[57] John’s description of the victorious horseman seems to be in harmony with this overall context.

In view of this evidence, it is reasonable to see the victorious horseman of Revelation 6:2 as the Antichrist, or a movement of which he is the prime example.[58]

The Object of the Rider’s Overcoming

The career of the Antichrist is characterized by a long series of victories (νικῶν) and an ultimate victory (νικήσῃ). But nothing specific is said about the object of the rider’s overcoming. The context, however, suggests that the struggle of the rider is against inhabitants of the earth in general (6:3–8). Further, since the fifth seal stresses the cry of the martyred saints, probably the thought of religious persecution belongs also in the first four seals. The context seems to anticipate chapter 13 as well. For the scales which depict purchasing in the marketplace (Rev 6:5–6) harmonize well with 13:17 where tribulation saints, taking their stand for Christ, will not be allowed to purchase or sell because they will not accept the mark of the beast, the Antichrist, at least in the extreme hardship of the second half of the seven years. In view of these facts, it is reasonable to see the struggle of the first rider as also directed against tribulation saints (cf. 11:7; 13:7).

The Nature of the Rider’s Overcoming

The rider’s overcoming is marked by violence. The bow, mentioned without reference to arrows, does not intimate, as many suggest, that the rider is engaged in “peaceful conquest” by diplomacy[59] and without bloodshed. For it is common in the Scriptures for the bow as a symbol of hunting or of warfare to be mentioned alone and still to symbolize violent conquest (e.g., Isa 41:2). This is analogous to frequent references in western America to riders going forth with rifles, without mention of bullets. The bullets—and likewise the arrows—are assumed. The Antichrist’s very rise to power is a violent one, for, as Daniel 7:8 points out, he will conquer three kings as he is on his way from his status as a “little horn” to a horn greater than even the great horn Alexander the Great was in his day. Antichrist will eventually head an eleven-nation federation (cf. Rev 17:9–13). But his victory is only temporary, for Christ will appear and put an end to it (17:14; 19:11–20).

Summary

The identity of the first horseman becomes clear when Revelation 6:2 is properly examined and the Scriptures are correlated. He represents the Antichrist or a trend or movement of which he would certainly be a chief example. The fact that his coming is early in the future tribulation period, the correspondence between the sequence of the signs indicated by the seals and the signs given by Christ in the Olivet Discourse, the resemblance to Gog in the matter of his weapon, as well as other clues in the text and the Scriptures as a whole point to this conclusion. The career of the Antichrist is marked by a long series of victories and an ultimate victory (17:9–13). The object of his overcoming probably includes inhabitants of the earth in general and tribulation saints specifically. The triumphs of the Antichrist will take place in Daniel’s 70th week. They will be characterized by violence, but Christ will return to earth and put an end to them.

Notes

1. Eugenio Corsini, The Apocalypse: The Perennial Revelation of Jesus Christ, Good News Studies 5, trans. and ed. Francis J. Moloney (Wilmington, DE: Michael Galzier, 1983), 140.
2. John Phillips, Exploring Revelation (Chicago: Moody, 1987), 96.
3. Ray F. Robbins, The Revelation of Jesus Christ (Nashville: Broadman, 1975), 103.
4. W. Medill, Key to a Part of the Book of Revelation, 2 vols. (Cleveland: Cowles, Pinkerton, 1855), 1:79.
5. David A. Pardini, “The Lamb Motif in the Revelation” (Th.M. thesis, Dallas Theological Seminary, 1977), 21.
6. Richard D. Draper, Opening the Seven Seals: The Visions of John the Revelator (Salt Lake City: Deseret, 1991), 63.
7. Franz Boll, Aus der Offenbarung Johannis (Leipzig: Teubner, 1914), 78–79.
8. M. Eugene Boring, Revelation, Interpretation (Louisville: Knox, 1989), 122; L. Goppelt, “Heilsoffenbarung und Geschichte nach der Offenbarung des Johannes,” Theologische Literaturzeitung 77 (1952): 513-14; Frederick C. Grant, “The Revelation to John,” in Nelson’s Bible Commentary, ed. F. C. Grant, 7 vols. (New York: Nelson, 1962), 7:388; Hanns Lilje, Das Letzte Buch der Bible (Hamburg: Furche-Verlag, 1955), 125; Bruce M. Metzger, Breaking the Code (Nashville: Abingdon, 1993), 58; and Paul Touilleux, L’Apocalypse et les cultes de Domitien et de Cybele (Paris: Librairie Orientaliste, 1935), 46.
9. Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 1–7: An Exegetical Commentary (Chicago: Moody, 1992), 421.
10. Leon Morris, The Revelation of St. John, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1988), 102.
11. Isbon T. Beckwith, The Apocalypse of John (New York: Macmillan, 1919), 519; Charles Brütsch, Die Offenbarung Jesu Christi, 3 vols; Zürcher Bibelkommentare (Zurich: Zwingli Verlag, 1970), 1:279; R. H. Charles, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Revelation of St. John, International Critical Commentary, 2 vols. (Edinburgh: Clark, 1971), 1:164; Eduard Lohse, Die Offenbarung des Johannes, Das Neue Testament Deutsch (Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1983), 46; Morris, Revelation, 102; Robert H. Mounce, The Book of Revelation, New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), 154; Ulrich B. Müller, Die Offenbarung des Johannes, Ökumenischer Taschenbuchkommentar zum Neuen Testament (Würzberg: Echter-Verlag, 1984), 167; Jürgen Roloff, Die Offenbarung des Johannes, Zürcher Bibelkommentare (Zurich: Theologischer Verlag, 1984), 81; Klemens Stock, Das Letzte Wort hat Gott (Vienna: Tyrolia-Verlag, 1985), 64; Robert W. Wall, Revelation, New International Biblical Commentary (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1991), 110; and Alfred Wikenhauser, Die Offenbarung des Johannes, Regensburger Neues Testament (Regensburg: Friederich Pustet, 1959), 59.
12. Morris, Revelation, 102.
13. Ibid.
14. Thomas, Revelation 1–7 , 421.
15. Irenaeus wrote, “For to this end was the Lord born…of whom also John says in the Apocalypse: ‘He went forth conquering, that he should conquer’“ (Against Heresies 4.21.3, in The Ante-Nicene Fathers, ed. Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson, 13 vols. [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1973], 1:493).
16. D. Alberti Magni, “In Apocalypsim B, Joannis Apostoli,” Opera Omnia, 38 vols. (Paris: Apud Ludovicum Vives, 1899), 38:575–76.
17. Friedrich Bleek, Vorlesungen über die Apokalypse (Berlin: George Reimer, 1862), 210; G. Bornkamm, “Die Komposition der apokalyptischen Visionen in der Offenbarung Johannis,” in Studien zu Antike und Urchristentum (Munich: Chr. Kaiser, 1959), 219; J. S. Considine, “The Rider on the White Horse,” Catholic Biblical Quarterly 6 (1944): 421; Friedrich Düsterdieck, Die Offenbarung Johannis (Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1887), 221; Jacques Ellul, L’Apocalypse, architecture en mouvement (Paris: Desclée, 1975), 147–48; J. M. Ford, Revelation, Anchor Bible (Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1975), 106; Ernst W. Hengstenberg, Die Offenbarung des heiligen Johannes, 2 vols. (Berlin: Ludwig Oehmigke, 1850), 1:251; and Bernhard Weiss, Das Neue Testament, 2 vols. (Leipzig: Hinrichs, 1907), 2:416.
18. Walter A. Elwell, “Revelation,” in Evangelical Commentary on the Bible, ed. W. A. Elwell (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1989), 1209–10; William Hendriksen, More than Conquerors (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1940), 94–96; and Alfred Jenour, Rationale Apocalypticum: A Systematic Exposition of the Apocalypse; with Historical Proofs and Illustrations, 2 vols. (London: Hatchard, 1852), 1:218–20.
19. David Chilton, The Days of Vengeance (Fort Worth, TX: Dominion, 1987), 186–88.
20. Zane C. Hodges, “The First Horseman of the Apocalypse,” Bibliotheca Sacra 119 (October-December 1962): 324-34; Henry M. Morris, The Revelation Record (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale, 1983), 122; and William R. Newell, The Book of Revelation (Chicago: Grace, 1941), 103.
21. Ellul, L’Apocalypse, architecture en mouvement, 147; Hendriksen, Revelation, 94; and John P. Lange, “Revelation,” in Commentary on the Holy Scripture, ed. Philip Schaff, 12 vols. (New York: Charles Scribner, 1874), 12:164, 178.
22. Chilton, The Days of Vengeance 187; Ellul, L’Apocalypse, architecture en mouvement, 147; Hendriksen, More than Conquerors, 94; Hengstenberg, Die Offenbarung des heiligen Johannes, 1:251; and Jenour, Revelation, 220.
23. Chilton, The Days of Vengeance, 187; Ellul, L’Apocalypse, architecture en mouvement, 148; Hendriksen, More than Conquerors, 94; and Hengstenberg, Die Offenbarung des heiligen Johannes, 1:251.
24. Chilton, The Days of Vengeance, 186; Ellul, L’Apocalypse, architecture en mouvement, 148; Hendriksen, More than Conquerors, 94-95; Hengstenberg, Die Offenbarung des heiligen Johannes, 1:251; Hodges, “The First Horseman of the Apocalypse,” 327–28; and Lange, “Revelation,” 164.
25. Hengstenberg, Die Offenbarung des heiligen Johannes, 1:251; and Hodges, “The First Horseman of the Apocalypse,” 325–26.
26. Ford, Revelation, 106; Hendriksen, More than Conquerors, 96; Hengstenberg, Die Offenbarung des heiligen Johannes, 1:251; and Hodges, “The First Horseman of the Apocalypse,” 326.
27. Chilton, The Days of Vengeance, 186; Hendriksen, More than Conquerors, 96; Hodges, “The First Horseman of the Apocalypse,” 326–27.
28. Hendriksen, More than Conquerors, 96; Hodges, “The First Horseman of the Apocalypse,” 327; and Jenour, Revelation, 218.
29. Hodges, “The First Horseman of the Apocalypse,” 330.
30. Ibid., 333; and Lange, “Revelation,” 171.
31. Hodges, “The First Horseman of the Apocalypse,” 333.
32. Charles L. Feinberg, God Remembers (Wheaton, IL: Van Kampen, 1950), 26.
33. G. B. Caird, A Commentary on the Revelation of St. John the Divine, Harper’s New Testament Commentaries (New York: Harper & Row, 1966), 81.
34. Cf. Hebrews 1:8; Hendriksen, More than Conquerors, 96.
35. Hodges, “The First Horseman of the Apocalypse,” 327.
36. Oscar Cullmann, Christus und die Zeit (Zurich: Evangelischer Verlag Zollikon, 1962), 148; J. Du Preez, “Final and Fatal?” Ned Geref Teologiese Tydskrif 24 (1983): 338-39; Lewis Foster, Revelation (Cincinnati: Standard, 1989), 100; Stanislas Giet, L’Apocalypse et l’histoire (Paris: Presses universitaires de France, 1957), 151; Frank B. Holbrook, ed., Symposium on Revelation (Silver Spring, MD: General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, 1992), 180; George E. Ladd, A Commentary on the Revelation of John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1972), 99; R. C. H. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. John’s Revelation (Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1963), 222; John Sweet, Revelation (London: SCM, 1990), 137; and Andreas von Kaisareia, Studien zur Geschichte des griechischen Apokalypse-Textes, Der Apokalypse-Kommentar des Andreas von Kaisareia, ed. Josef Schmid (Munich: Zink, 1955), 60–61.
37. Foster, Revelation, 100; Ladd, Revelation, 97; and Sweet, Revelation, 138.
38. Ibid.
39. Foster, Revelation, 96; and Sweet, Revelation, 138.
40. Foster, Revelation, 96.
41. Cf. note 52.
42. Ladd, Revelation, 98.
43. Foster, Revelation, 96.
44. Charles, Revelation, 1:164.
45. Considine, “The Rider on the White Horse,” 419; Foster, Revelation; and Sweet, Revelation, 137.
46. Because Mark 13:9 and 11 are addressed to the apostles and refer to their preaching to the nations, as recorded in the Book of Acts, Mark 13:10 may also, according to some writers, refer to the apostolic age and not to the tribulation period.
47. Ladd, Revelation, 99.
48. Caird, Revelation, 81.
49. Cf. Lamentations Rabbah, 1. 13, 41, in Midrash Rabbah, ed. H. Freedman and M. Simon (London: Soncino, 1983), 7:121–22; The Song of Songs Rabbah, 8. 9, 3, in Midrash Rabbah, 9:317; Berakoth, 56b, in The Babylonian Talmud, trans. and ed. I. Epstein (London: Soncino, 1984), 112.
50. W. Michaelis, “λευκός,” in Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, 4:248, 250.
51. Revelation 1:14; 2:17; 3:4–5, 18; 4:4; 6:11; 7:9, 13–14; 14:14; 19:11, 14; 20:11 .
52. Cf. Dio Cassius, Roman History 43. 14; Herodotus 7. 40; 9. 63; Homer, The Iliad 10. 436–37; Philostratus 1. 31.
53. See Genesis 48:22; 49:24; 2 Samuel 1:22; 2 Kings 6:22; 2 Chronicles 26:14; Nehemiah 4:13; Psalms 44:6; 64:7; and Isaiah 41:2.
54. Mathias Rissi, “The Rider on the White Horse,” Interpretation 18 (1964): 415.
55. The word νικῶν is a present active participle whose durative force denotes the continuous nature of the victories (Beckwith, Revelation, 519; Lenski, Revelation, 223).
56. The term νικήσῃ is an aorist active subjunctive. The culminative aspect of the victory is what is emphasized in the use of this tense (Beckwith, Revelation, 519; Lenski, Revelation, 233; and A. T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament, 6 vols. [Nashville: Broadman, 1933], 6:34).
57. John F. Walvoord, The Revelation of Jesus Christ (Chicago: Moody, 1966), 127.
58. Other expositors who hold this view include Donald G. Barnhouse, Revelation (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1971), 122–23; E. W. Bullinger, The Apocalypse (London: Bagster, 1972), 252; Martin H. Franzmann, The Revelation to John (St. Louis: Concordia, 1976), 60–61; Herman A. Hoyt, An Exposition of the Book of Revelation (Winona Lake, IN: BMH, 1966), 53; Alan F. Johnson, “Revelation,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, 12 vols. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1981), 12:473; Alva J. McClain, The Greatness of the Kingdom (Chicago: Moody, 1968), 453; and Charles C. Ryrie, Revelation (Chicago: Moody, 1968), 45.
59. Charles L. Feinberg, A Commentary on Revelation (Winona Lake, IN: BMH, 1985), 56; Walter Scott, Exposition of the Revelation of Jesus Christ (Westwood, NJ: Revell, n.d.), 147; J. A. Seiss, The Apocalypse (New York: Cook, 1909), 129; Thomas, Revelation, 423; and Thomas F. Torrance, The Apocalypse Today (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1959), 44.