“And I saw, and, look! a white horse; and the one seated upon it had a bow; and a crown was given him, and he went forth conquering and to complete his conquest.” (Revelation 6:2)

4. Who is the Rider of the white horse? Explain.

⁴ Who is the Rider of this horse? He has a bow, an offensive weapon of war, but he is also given a crown. The only righteous ones seen wearing crowns during the Lord’s day are Jesus and the class represented by the 24 elders. (Daniel 7:13, 14, 27; Luke 1:31-33; Revelation 4:4, 10; 14:14)a It is unlikely that a member of the group of 24 elders would be pictured as receiving a crown on his own merit. Hence, this lone horseman must be Jesus Christ and no other. John sees him in heaven at the historic moment in 1914 when Jehovah declares, “I, even I, have installed my king,” and tells him that this is for the purpose “that I may give nations as your inheritance.” (Psalm 2:6-8)b Thus, in opening the first seal Jesus reveals how he himself, as the newly crowned King, sallies forth to war at God’s appointed time.