THE DAY GOD ASK ME: “ARE YOU READY TO GET UP YET?”
Colossians 1:9-10 – For this cause we also, since the day we heard [it], do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; (Read More…)
(2) And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer. King James Version
The white horse and the crowned bowman on its back, embodying the first seal of Revelation 6:1-2, are all about religious communication. Like his fellows, this horseman has nothing benign about him—he goes out “conquering and to conquer.” He is the one who commences—some would say ultimately causes—”the beginning of sorrows” (Matthew 24:8) that results in the death of a quarter of earth’s population (Revelation 6:8)!
Biblically, white is an interesting color. In our day, it is immediately associated with cleanliness and purity, as all advertisers know: Marketing a cleanser that is itself white or comes in predominantly white packaging helps to convince the consumer that the product is effective. However, an ancient Israelite might not see white that way. In Leviticus, white appears as the color of leprosy more than a dozen times (see, for instance, Leviticus 13:3). In Genesis 40:16, white baskets presage the death of Pharaoh’s baker, and in Joel 1:7, it is the color of a land stripped bare by an enemy.
Conversely, at other times it represents the more positive associations we are accustomed to. In Ecclesiastes 9:8, Solomon writes, “Let your garments always be white,” which most commentators feel refers to the joy, purity, and beauty of a righteous, godly individual. The Shulamite describes her Beloved, a type of Christ, as “white” (Song of Songs 5:10), implying His spotless and holy character. Similarly, Daniel sees “the Ancient of Days” clothed in a garment “white as snow” and with hair “like pure wool” (Daniel 7:9), reminiscent of John’s description of the glorified Christ in Revelation 1:13-16.
In the book of Revelation itself, white is predominantly positive in meaning, as most of its appearances describe God, Christ, glorified saints, or associated objects like the Great White Throne. Overall, white suggests purity, righteousness, holiness, glory, victory, and perfection. This preponderance of positive, symbolic meanings for the color white—without considering the mainly negative aspects of the other symbols—has led many interpreters to misidentify this horseman as a positive, even divine, image.
For starters, the white horseman carries a bow, a weapon of war. Strangely, John makes no mention of arrows or a quiver, although we may infer the former, since a bow is nearly worthless without arrows. (Then again, the lack of arrows may suggest war fought, not with blood-letting weapons, but with words or ideas; see Psalm 11:2; 64:2-4; Jeremiah 9:8; Ephesians 6:16.) A bow is a purely offensive weapon, even more so than a sword, and is highly effective from long range (for example, archers killed Uriah the Hittite and kings Ahab of Israel and Josiah of Judah). Thus, the foremost idea behind this biblical symbol is powerful, penetrating, deadly accuracy with an intimation of distance.
A sidelight of the bow’s imagery is the frequency of its use as a symbol of God’s judgment. Job complains, “His archers surround me. He pierces my heart and does not pity; He pours out my gall on the ground. He breaks me with wound upon wound” (Job 16:13-14; see also Lamentations 2:4; 3:12-13; Jeremiah 50:9, 14, 29; 51:3).
The white horseman’s bow, then, represents an effective instrument of God’s judgment on the world for rebellion against Him. Unlike the sword that Christ wields (Revelation 19:15), the bow’s long range hints at God being somewhat removed in His judgment, yet it is just as devastating in its effectiveness at meting out justice. In addition, whereas the sword symbolizes the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17;Hebrews 4:12)—His truth—the bow suggests a counterfeit “truth” or a false gospel. As II Thessalonians 2:11-12 says, “God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”
The rider of the white horse is given a crown to wear, after which he goes “out conquering and to conquer.” These two symbols are related both in their proximity in the verse and in their meanings. First, the word order suggests that being endowed with a crown allows or authorizes the horseman to go to war. Who gives him this crown? Notice Romans 13:1: “For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.” An angel tells Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4:17, “The Most High rules in the kingdom of men, gives it to whomever He will, and sets over it the lowest of men.” God is sovereign over all earthly authority, and it is from Him that this horseman receives his crown and purpose.
Second, crowns generally represent some state of honor or blessing for the wearer. We normally associate crowns with royalty, which in Classical Greek is represented by the word diadema, which has come down to us as “diadem.” The word in Revelation 6:2, however, is stéfanos, a circlet, wreath, or garland, oftentimes made of leaves and twigs but sometimes of precious metals. It was awarded as a prize of victory or triumph, as a symbol of honor or authority, as a badge of civic worth or military valor, or as a sign of nuptial joy or festal gladness. Due to the verse’s heavy martial emphasis, it is likely that the horseman’s crown signifies triumph, authority, or military valor.
Third, this horseman goes “out conquering and to conquer,” a fairly literal rendering of the Greek. To us, this phraseology sounds strange, but it is merely expressing two different tenses of the same verb (nikao, “conquer,” “subdue,” “overcome,” “prevail,” “get the victory”): the present participle and the aorist subjunctive. In other words, John is telling us that the horseman begins and continues to conquer, and he will certainly conquer or will ultimately conquer (see A.T. Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament on this verse). The implication is that his entire purpose is to conquer, to dominate, to subjugate the peoples of the earth.
Overall, the white horse and its rider are vivid representations of a powerful, aggressive, victorious force running unrestrained over mankind. Like a knight in armor or a soldier in full dress uniform, the first horseman appears to the eye as glorious and noble, but its intent is to kill, destroy, and subdue its enemies. Its white façade is deceptive, concealing a deadly, unholy purpose.
These interpretations of the symbols may seem highly speculative and arbitrary until we unlock their mystery with the key supplied by Jesus Christ Himself in the Olivet Prophecy. In a series of four verses, He decodes the meanings of the Four Horsemen. Of the white horseman, He says: “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, I am the Christ, and will deceive many” (Matthew 24:4-5; see Mark 13:5-6; Luke 21:8). The white horse and its rider represent religious deception.
— Richard T. Ritenbaugh
To learn more, see:
The Four Horsemen (Part Two): The White Horse
Related Topics:
False Gospel
False Religion
Four Horsemen
Nikao
Religious Deception
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2 Corinthians 4:4
In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
(9) He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his name. (10) The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.
King James Version
TEMPTATION
(1) Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? (2) And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: (3) But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. (4) And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: (5) For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. King James Version
The word “shrewd” more closely captures Satan’s character than “cunning.”Shrewd means “sharp and clever in a selfish way.” Though “cunning” is not incorrect, “shrewd” has clearer connotation.
To be cunning and shrewd like Satan indicates malevolent brilliance—with the emphasis on malevolent. He is seeking to kill. His cunning is like that of a tiger, silently padding through the jungle with eyes malevolently seeking something to kill and eat.
Consider how clever his tactic was. He subtly made a suggestion rather than an argument to discredit God’s authority, casting doubt about God’s credibility. Satan asked, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?'”
Through the tone and inflection of his voice, Satan implied that there was doubt that God told them the truth. This is shown by the way Eve replied; she corrected him. She knew from the inflection of his voice that he was really asking a question and casting doubt. When she replied, she over-corrected.
Like a good salesman, the serpent got his victim to agree with him, getting the victim to say “Yes, yes, yes,” and then, “I’ll buy it!” Eve was already influenced when she gave her reply because she over-corrected.
Satan successfully magnified God’s strictness in her mind, reminding her that the way is narrow. She began to agree with him, thinking about God in terms the serpent wanted her to think. She began to agree, saying “Yes, yes, yes” to the salesman’s ploys.
Satan immediately minimized the penalty, saying an outright lie, “You shall not die” (3:4). Then to clinch the sale, he offers her a reward: “You shall be like God” (3:5). What a price she paid! Satan offered a reward that must have seemed so big to Adam and Eve that they could not afford to reject it. What he offered was enough to reorient their lives.
They did not catch the complete significance of what he offered, but enough to know it was big. He offered the self to become the dominating focus of life; “Youshall be God.” He completely reoriented their lives by turning their focus away from obedience to God toward obedience to the self. He gave them the right to choose and to set the standards of right and wrong. They bought it hook, line, and sinker.
From that point on, mankind has viewed God as a rival and competitor rather than a friend—Someone with whom to compete and outwit rather than cooperate, for they were now gods too!
— John W. Ritenbaugh
To learn more, see:
Satan (Part 2)
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God bless all!
1 John 1:7
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
(18) For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: (19) By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; (20) Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.
King James Version
This passage in I Peter 3, particularly verses 19-20, is quite difficult to translate from Greek to English. This is so because each of the nine Greek words in verse 19 can be translated in various shades of meaning, making interpretation tricky. We probably do best by translating them in their most basic meanings, thus: “in which also He went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison . . .” (author’s paraphrase).
The “which” (“whom” in NKJV) in verse 19 probably refers back to “Spirit,” its closest antecedent, in verse 18, suggesting that Jesus was no longer in the flesh but by this time had been changed into spirit. This follows the historical chain of events in order from the preceding verse: He suffered, died, was resurrected, and was thus changed to spirit, leading to the next key words, “He went.”
What happened next in the gospel record after His resurrection to spirit? What did Jesus do after arising from the dead? Some might suggest that He revealed Himself to His disciples, which He did, but not by any stretch of meaning could it be described as going and proclaiming to imprisoned spirits! No, John tells us through the words of Jesus Himself to Mary Magdalene what the next momentous occurrence was: “[G]o to My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God'” (John 20:17). When Jesus “went,” He ascended in glory to the right hand of the Father in heaven!
At this point, we will skip to the phrase “spirits in prison.” First, let us note that the Bible does not refer to human beings who have died as being imprisoned in any way, not even those who have rebelled against and rejected God. They may be said to be “destroyed” or “killed” or “cut off” or sent to “Sheol,” which is a pit or grave, but they are never imprisoned. As we saw, humans who die return to the dust of which they are made (see also Genesis 3:19; Ecclesiastes 3:19-20).
However, the Bible speaks in several places about spirit beings – angels or demons – being imprisoned (see II Peter 2:4-5, where Peter again refers to Noah’s time; Jude 6; and Revelation 20:1-3, 7). Rebellious angels, unlike mortal humans, must be imprisoned because angels or demons, being composed of spirit, do not die as humans do. The “angels who sinned,” Peter and Jude say, were cast down to Tartarus (“a place of restraint,” a prison) where they are bound until God judges them. This Tartarus, this “hell” where the demons are restrained, is none other than their “first estate,” their “proper domain,” earth (see Ezekiel 28:17;Revelation 12:7-9)!
Second, Peter’s use of “spirits” is consistent with its use in the gospels (see, for instance, Matthew 8:16; 12:45; Mark 3:11; 5:13; 6:7; Luke 11:26; etc.). In the gospels, “spirits” consistently denotes “evil spirits,” “demons,” “wicked spirits.” It is highly likely that Peter refers to demons in I Peter 3:19.
This is confirmed by the first phrase of verse 20, “who formerly were disobedient” (NKJV) or “who disobeyed long ago” (New International Version, [NIV]). Peter is speaking of a time in deep antiquity, a time before the Flood. Perhaps he does not intend us to think of Satan’s original sin of rebellion against God (Isaiah 14; Ezekiel 28), although it may be included, but specifically of the demons’ corruption of mankind between the Creation and the Flood.
This would explain his time marker in the next phrase, “when God waited patientlyin the days of Noah while the ark was being built” (NIV). In Satan’s sin, only the demons themselves were affected, but when they corrupted mankind, human beings who were potential sons of God were affected. Once men and women began sinning under the influence of Satan and his demon horde, the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ became necessary.
Peter’s point, then, is that, though the wicked spirits seemed to be so successful in corrupting mankind, God patiently waited during Noah’s 120-year ministry to save only eight people by bringing them through the Flood, delivering them through a kind of baptism. The demons had failed to destroy mankind. So also, by having Jesus crucified, the demons thought again they had won, but through the resurrection, Jesus had the victory instead. Baptism is a type of this same victory, as it is a symbolic death of the old, wicked man and of his resurrection to newness of life (see Romans 6:4).
This brings us back to the word in I Peter 3:19 that we skipped: “proclaimed” (or in many Bibles, “preached”). Most objective commentaries will note that this word in the Greek (ekêruxen from kêrússô) means in general “to be a herald,” “to proclaim,” “to announce,” “to publish,” “to preach.” Although it can be used as such, it does not necessarily mean “to preach the gospel to” or “to preachsalvation to.” Because Peter does not specify what Jesus “proclaimed” or “announced,” to assume the preaching of the gospel is not warranted. The only clue we have of what He proclaimed appears in the immediate context: that He was “made alive by the Spirit.”
If this is the case, verse 19 says simply that, after Jesus was resurrected, He ascended to heaven, proclaiming to the imprisoned evil spirits that He lived! The demons, once again, had failed!
Verse 22 backs this interpretation: “who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to him.” This agrees with many scriptures that speak of His exaltation over all things, for instance, Philippians 2:9-10: “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth.” Jesus’ ascension to the throne of God proclaimed His victory over death and over Satan and his demons!
— Richard T. Ritenbaugh
To learn more, see:
Jesus and ‘the Spirits in Prison’
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God bless All
Be A Bearean
Acts 17:11-Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.
KJV reproduced by permission of Cambridge University Press, the Crown’s patentee in the UK.
Thy Word is a Lamp 