QUESTION RECEIVED:
"What is the meaning of horses and riders in the Bible?"
MY REPLY:
We know that the harlot rides the beast, right?
Rev.17:3,7
We know that her riding it, means that she uses it and controls it to her advantage, as other uses of this symbol, indicate.
Deut.33:26; <Jude 1:14 Psalm 68:4; Heb.12:1
Jer.6:23; Zech.12:4; Rev.17:7
Jesus chose good symbols for his parables, so it helps if we think about the relationship between a real horse and the one who rides it.... especially if we are going into battle.
If we go into battle on foot, we must contend with the enemy by hand-to-hand combat, one foe at a time. It is a grueling struggle, and the most we can hope for in battle without a horse, is a small and personal, almost insignificant victory as regards the overall war.
Horses become an extension of their rider. Horses afford their rider an advantage that facilitates their speed, power, and movement.
Speed, power, and strategic maneuvering, all exist in spiritual warfare (2Cor.10:3; 6:7; 2Tim.2:3).
But to understand such a spiritual symbol, we need to think spiritually (1Cor.2:13-14; Rom.8:5).
For example, consider a doctrine that promotes a religious organization as being directed by the spirit of God.
That teaching, (like a horse), carries those who are representatives of that organization (which bear the image of divine authority and power) forward, so that they can conquer and gain control over, those whose minds are overcome, by use of that doctrine (horse).
Another example would be the assertion that the leaders of a religious organization, are genuine saints. Scriptures such as those to follow, could be exploited and twisted to their own advantage:
Luke 12:42; Heb.13:17; John13:20; Jer.26:5; Acts 3:23.
By means of such a teaching, such leaders are enabled to gain access into the mind of their followers, and win over their faith and subjection. They 'ride' and steer their teachings, to advance and forward their own position and dominion, over us.
A horse represents a power greater then our individual self if battling alone... which affords us an advantage during spiritual battle.
Jesus rides a WHITE horse. White, stands for righteousness and JUSTICE (Rev.19:11; Matt.12:20).
That is the basis for Christ's advantage over evil, and his ability to successfully battle with evil... like a literal horse would give us an advantage
(Heb.10:12; Matt.28:18; Rev.5:12,9; John1:9,5; 16:33; 1John5:4-5; Rev.17:14; 19:14,8).
An example the Bible gives of horses and riders, is at Rev.6:2-8. There we see 4 different horses and riders, but also, we are given characteristics about both, which helps us.
The horses are white, black, red, and pale green.
If white stands for justice, righteousness, and goodness... BLACK would be sin, injustice, and evil.
Dark and light, are opposites
(Gen.1:4; Ps.18:28; Ecc.2:13; Isa.5:20; Lam.3:2; Luke 11:34,36; John3:19; 8:12)
(Rom.13:12; 1Thess.5:5)
RED is the color of sin and murderous rage (Isa.1:18; Rev.17:3-4,6; 18:24).
PALE GREEN is in my mind, blind, spiritual ignorance.
I'll explain.
Green grass is one of the symbols for the healthy spiritual food coming from God
(Gen.1:30; Ps.100:3; 95:7; 23:1-2; Mark 6:39; Rev.9:4; 8:7)
(Rev.22:16; 2Pet.1:19; 2Sam.23:4; Deut.32:2; 11:15; Mal.4:2).
When grass has lost the light of the sun, it loses its vitality, and turns pale green.
Sunlight, is a symbol for truth coming through Jesus Christ (John1:4; Matt.17:2; 2Pet.1:19; Mal.4:2; Rev.22:16; Isa.60:1-2).
Bible prophecy describes a time when sunlight is lost...
(Joel 2:1-2; Matt.24:29; Rev.9:2-3; Isa.5:30; Amos 5:18)
A pale green horse, is a power of ignorance/lies/confusion, resulting from a loss of light from Christ.
Eph.5:23; Col.2:19; 1Tim.4:1; Luke 11:35; 2Cor.13:5.
That falsehood rides forth... which means it is successfully misleading people, by means of doctrine that aids the 'rider', to conquer those who previously had faith in, and love for, Truth, but lose it (1Tim.4:1; Rev.13:7; 2Cor.11:3-4,12-13,14-15) (2Tim.3:14; Rev.2:25,4)
(2Thess.2:9-10; Rev.13:7,10; Col.2:8; Dan.8:12; Matt.24:4-5,24-25; Rev.13:11,8).
Rev.6:2-8 also adds the riders of each of those horses. The riders help us to understand those who are getting an advantage, by using their 'horses' in spiritual battle.
Jesus battles with the power of 'WHITE'... his righteous justice.
Those who hate Christ's brothers, declare spiritual warfare and seek to kill the faithful (RED)
(John13:34; 1John3:12; Rev.12:17; 20:7-9; Luke 21:20,24; Rev.13:10; 16:13-16; 13:11,15; 11:3,7; John16:2; Mark 8:35; Rom.6:5).
The BLACK horse of sin/evil, enslaves people, by being peddlers of what appears to be the truth... salesmen of a counterfeit gospel... wanting money and souls in exchange for offering an illusion of salvation (2Cor.11:4,13-15; 2Thess.2:1-3; Rev.13:11). Such teachers exchange darkness for light (Luke 11:34-35; Eph.4:18; 2Thess.2:9-10). That religious system/world, disobeys Jesus and God, who offer a reliable hope of eternal life, for free
(Isa.55:1-2; Matt.10:8; 2Cor.2:17; 11:7; Rev.22:17) (John2:16; Rev.6:6; 13:17).
The last PALE green horse has a rider named Death, ...and Hades is following close behind (Rev.6:8).
Death is the last enemy of Jesus Christ (1Cor.15:26).
The power of Death upon which power, Death rides (powerful spiritual horse),
is spiritual ignorance... teachings that mislead people away from the light of life (John1:4) (Eph.4:18; Matt.13:15,13; 2Thess.2:10; 2Tim.4:3)
and enslave them under the power of the dark abyss/Hades (Isa.28:15) (Greek,"Hades"="Sheol" in Hebrew).
Hades is following that rider Death (Rev.6:8), in order to collect, gather up and harvest, all those being spiritually slain, by Death.
Hades is the realm of those in darkness. That is where those who are losing the Light of Life, are being incarcerated.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please share below, your thoughts about this post.