REV. vi. 2.
THE Apostle John was favoured with very wonderful visions during the time he sojourned in the isle that was called Patmos, and he was commanded by the risen and ascended Son of man, whom he beheld in the midst of “the seven golden candlesticks,” to write in a book the things which he had seen—”the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter.” In the fourth chapter of this book—the Book of Revelation—he tells us that he saw a “door opened in heaven,” and gives a description of Him who sat on the throne, and of the four-and-twenty elders and the beasts or living creatures who surrounded the throne and gave glory and honour and thanks to Him that sat thereon, “who liveth for ever and ever.” He then proceeds to declare, in the fifth chapter, that he saw in “the right hand of him that sat on the throne”—who was evidently God the Father—a book sealed with seven seals, and that no man was found worthy to open this book—the book of God’s counsels and purposes with respect to His kingdom on earth—except the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, the Lamb who had redeemed sinners by His blood out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation. He alone possessed the merit and the power to unfold the mysteries of the kingdom, which would otherwise have remained concealed for ever.
Now, it is our present purpose to call the attention of our readers to the first of these seals which the Lamb opened, and which disclosed a vision of great beauty and attractiveness—full of hope and encouragement to those in all subsequent ages who desire the prosperity and progress of the kingdom of God. True it is that the Apostle saw other and darker visions afterwards, which are indeed having fulfilment in the sad and terrible times in which we live. He saw the red horse of war, the black horse of famine, and the pale horse of death and hell, and these convey solemn and important lessons which we would do well to ponder.
But it may not be unprofitable to study, amid much that is fitted to depress and to discourage, the first and principal vision which the Apostle here beheld—a vision concerning Christ’s going forth upon the white horse of divine truth to the conquest of the nations. It publishes to the ends of the earth the joyous and soul-comforting truth that He shall lead forth judgment unto victory. “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.” Let us observe then, first, the White Horse; secondly, the Rider; and thirdly, the Conquest.
I.—The White Horse.—The figure of “a white horse” appears to us to symbolise the Word of God. It is by the agency of this Word that Jesus Christ, as the Captain of salvation, is carried forward in His subduing and saving work among the nations. He rode upon this horse in the days of His flesh when He preached the word of salvation to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, and He employs the same agent still in the work of advancing His kingdom in the souls of men.
- Let us observe, then, that the Word of God may be compared to a “horse” on various accounts.
(1) The horse is a living creature—an object that possesses life. The word of truth is frequently spoken of in the Scriptures as “the word of life”—a word that “liveth and abideth for ever.” It possesses within itself the vitality of perfect, undying truth, and as attended by the power of the Holy Spirit, it conveys the principle of spiritual life to the souls of those who have been “dead in trespasses and sins,” as well as revives and strengthens that principle where it is already implanted.
(2) The horse, especially in its more refined development, is a beautiful creature. The Word of God is the most beautiful book in the world. Every page, from Genesis to Revelation, is stamped with the beauty of its divine Author. The sun is the most glorious object to be seen in the natural heavens, and according to the Psalmist’s striking comparison in the nineteenth Psalm, as the natural sun is in the heavens above our heads, so is “the law (or word) of the Lord” in the spiritual firmament. The Bible, in thought and expression, is more beautiful than any merely human composition.
(3) The horse is a swiftly-running creature. In like manner, the Lord’s word “runneth very swiftly.” How frequently it has run into the consciences of sinners who were heedless about eternal realities! Many illustrations of this are found in the sacred record—Matthew, Zaccheus, the woman of Samaria, Saul of Tarsus, and others. Before they knew where they were, the word of truth darted with divine light and power into their souls, and they were savingly arrested in their downward career. And such has been the experience of thousands in succeeding generations. In modern times also the Word of God has run very
swiftly in the matter of its circulation among the nations, until now it is to be found in almost every country under heaven.
(4) The horse is a strong creature. It has been always noted for “the greatness of its strength,” and men in all ages have employed it for purposes of both peaceful and warlike toil. The horse is still much in use in the time of war. There are regiments of horse or cavalry, and these are capable, when in action, of bearing down mighty forces of opposition which otherwise could not be easily overcome. Here Christ is seen upon a white horse. He has much opposition to encounter. The vast forces of “the prince of darkness” are arrayed against Him, but He goes forth on the strong and invincible horse of His inspired Word, and effectually beats down His malicious foes before Him.
- Let us next notice that the horse on which Christ is riding is a white one.
(1) Whiteness is an emblem of purity. “The words of the Lord are pure words, as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.” The Bible is the purest book in the world. No doubt, it records many deeds of impurity committed by fallen men, but that circumstance does not, as some presumptuously aver, make it an impure book. Infinite wisdom has decreed to put these things on record for wise, gracious, and holy purposes, as beacon lights of instruction and warning to subsequent generations. God’s Word approves of no iniquity, but condemns every form of it. And moreover, has not this Word proved its purity times without number? It is the instrument of the new birth, and by its means thousands have been “born again” and made new creatures, rescued from lives of sin and degradation, and made living and holy epistles of Jesus Christ. Can you bring a clean thing out of an unclean? No, not at all. The Word of God is the only agent that has produced such wonderful results, and its perfect purity is established beyond dispute.
(2) Whiteness is an emblem of peace. The white flag is the flag of peace. The whiteness of this remarkable horse indicates that it publishes peace wherever it goes. Sin brought dispeace, disorder, enmity into the world. The word of the gospel proclaims that peace with God has been secured by the precious blood of Christ, and that peace among men, of a true and abiding kind, can only be attained by obedience to its precepts. This word of salvation, when applied by the Spirit of truth, conveys the peace it publishes to the hearts and lives of sinful men, and shall do so to the end of time. “Peace I leave with you,” saith Christ, “my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
(3) The whiteness is an emblem of victory. It was the custom in ancient times of kings and generals who triumphed in war to ride into their cities on white horses. Such horses were not used in conflict, because they provided too good a target for the enemy. But here Christ is not afraid to ride upon a white horse when He
goes forth to battle with the powers of darkness. He is sure of the ultimate victory, for “He shall reign till all his enemies are made his footstool.” The whiteness of the horse is the pledge of triumph. May the time be speedily hastened!
II.—Let us now direct more particular attention to the Rider. As has been already shown, we understand the Rider to be none other than the Lord Jesus Christ in His mediatorial capacity as the Captain of salvation. This wonderful Rider is the eternal Son of God, the brightness of the Father’s glory and the express image of His person, possessing all the infinite attributes of Godhead equally with the Father and the Holy Ghost, and yet appearing in our fallen world, clothed with flesh and blood. He entered into personal conflict with wicked men and the prince of darkness, and in the very act of shedding His precious blood upon the accursed tree, overcame principalities and powers, triumphing over them in His cross. He is the Lion as well as the Lamb, and by His Father’s appointment He is now actively engaged in carrying into effect the divine purposes of mercy and of judgment.
- Let us notice, then, that He appears in the prophetic vision with “a bow” in his hand. What is this bow? Well, we take this bow to represent the gospel ministry, or the ordinance of preaching. This is the principal weapon Christ employs in connection with the spiritual advancement of His kingdom or with the general subjugation of sinful men to His authority. Now, we cannot think of a bow without arrows. The arrows are essential companions of the bow, and Christ has two kinds of arrows in the quiver of His truth—arrows of reproof and arrows of comfort. He has been shooting these arrows in all generations among the nations to whom He has come, and when He has put forth His almighty power they have proved effectual to bring the most stubborn and determined rebels to His feet, pleading for mercy, forgiveness, and salvation, and in due time receiving the mercy, forgiveness, and salvation they were constrained to seek.
The wonderful Rider, then, sends forth arrows of reproof when He makes use of the words of His law or His gospel to convince us of sin and condemnation. By these sharp arrows He arrests and lays low the stout-hearted who are far from righteousness, and compels them to recognise their guilt and danger, and to seek deliverance from impending destruction at the hand of Him who in mercy as well as righteousness smites them to the dust. And after these arrows have done their work (to notice His general method), He sends arrows of comfort into their souls, and gives them to taste the sweetness of forgiving mercy and redeeming love, raising them from the very gates of hell to the gates of heaven. Happy souls that are so subdued to the loss and obedience of Jesus Christ!
- Then, a second thing that is told concerning the glorious Rider is that “a crown was given unto him.”
The Lord Jesus, as the Eternal Son, co-equal with the Father,
possessed the crown of absolute dominion from all eternity, but the crown referred to here is given Him as mediator between God and men. He was crowned King of kings and Lord of lords, in this gracious office. All power in heaven and in earth is given unto Him by the Father, that He may exercise the same in the advancement of the kingdom of grace and in the hastening of the kingdom of glory. But such persons, be they great or small, as obstinately and persistently resist His gracious approaches, and refuse to acknowledge Him as Lord of all, He shall break in pieces, as with a rod of iron, for ever and ever.
III.—The Conquest.—“And he went forth conquering and to conquer.
This heavenly Rider, in the days of His humiliation, had comparatively few successes in His gospel campaign. His complaint was, “Who hath believed our report? And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?” “He came unto his own, but his own received him not.” But since He ascended on high, leading captivity captive, and has been crowned King of Zion and King of nations, He has gained great and extensive victories. His first notable conquest was on the memorable day of Pentecost, when about three thousand souls fell under the sharp arrows of His bow. He wounded them and healed them, and made them His willing servants. During these early years of the Apostolic age, He went forth, conquering many in Judea and Samaria, who, when enlightened with the light of life, rejoiced to be the highly favoured subjects of such a glorious Lord and Master. Thence, He proceeded to Syria, Asia Minor, the islands of the sea, Greece and Italy, and in every city and place to which He came, He made conquests—oftentimes numerous and influential. Many sinners, high and low in society, were plucked as brands out of the fire and fashioned as instruments to show forth His praise. His career of conquest continued after the Apostolic age, and he came as far as to Great Britain and Ireland, and made His word felt with saving power. The old Roman Empire fell before His triumphal march, and he was acknowledged as conqueror and king in Satan’s chiefest citadel. In centuries subsequent to this, He allowed the nations of Europe, in just judgment for abused privileges, to lapse into darkness and rebellion, but He went forth again in the mighty power of His gospel, “conquering and to conquer,” during the various stages of the glorious Reformation. In still later times, the people of England, Scotland and Ireland, have seen the goings of this mighty King in the sanctuary. What days of power were witnessed at the end of the eighteenth century, and during the first decades of the nineteenth! The King upon the white horse of the Gospel did valiantly to the praise of His matchless grace! We live in a day of small things in this respect. O that He would go forth again and subdue thousands to His sceptre!
It is remarkable that nothing is here suggested of failure or
defeat. It is all conquest from first to last. This points out to us that Christ will be the eternal victor, either in mercy or in judgment, over the sinful sons of men. Possibly, even in dark times such as ours, He is conquering to a greater extent than we realise. If He is teaching the nations at this moment by the dreadful War that rages the vanity of human culture, the fearful evil of Rationalism, the God-provoking idolatry of Romanism, and the folly of departures from the Holy Scriptures, is He not conquering? We would fain believe also that this glorious and mighty Lord is riding forth, unseen to human eyes, on the white horse of His precious Word, among the armies and navies, arrayed in battle, and is entering victoriously with light and power into consciences and hearts that have been hitherto closed against His truth. May He so grant it, and hasten the blessed time promised in His Word, when all nations shall acknowledge Him, and crown him Lord of all!