And I saw when the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four creatures saying with a voice like thunder, "Come!" And I saw, and behold, a white horse, and the one sitting on it had a bow. A victory crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and in order that he might conquer. Rev. 6:1, 2.
The author of the book of Revelation carefully structured it, although many aspects of that structure elude most twenty-first-century readers. The first half of the book focuses on the general realities of the whole Christian age. One finds references to the cross, the preaching of the gospel, and the kinds of events that go on all the way from Jesus' day to the end of the world. The second half of the book, on the other hand, focuses almost exclusively on the final events of earth's history.
When you see parallels between the first and the second halves of the book, therefore, the first part of the parallel tends to focus on the general realities of the whole age, while the second part looks back on the Christian age from the perspective of the end-time. For example, the first section of the book praises God for creation (Rev. 4:11) and for redemption (Rev. 5:9, 10, 12, 13)--events already in the past at the time of the writing of Revelation. Revelation 19:1-6, on the other hand, lavishes the same language of praise on God's deliverance of His people at the end of history.
In a similar fashion white horses appear in only two places in Revelation. The white horse of Revelation 6 parallels the white horse of Revelation 19. Both riders wear crowns, but John uses different Greek words for the respective crowns. The rider of our passage wears a stephanos crown, a crown of victory. The ancients used the term for the "Olympic gold medal," the token of victory received by Olympic athletes when they won a race. The rider in chapter 19, on the other hand, wears the diadem, the royal crown of rulership. The first half of Revelation repeatedly refers to Jesus and His people as overcomers, like Olympic athletes. The one who overcomes like Jesus will receive the crown of victory. In Revelation 19 Jesus puts an end to all opposition on the earth, and He can now wear the crown of royalty and sovereignty.
I will never forget the Olympics of 1980. The greatest moment for me and for most Americans was the victory of the American hockey team over the Soviet Union's. The high feelings elicited by the cold war raised the excitement of the game to unimaginable proportions. On top of this was the fact that the Russian team consisted of thinly veiled professionals, while the Americans sent college boys into the fray. Athletics fans will never forget the "miracle on ice."
Thank You, Lord, for the reminder that every thought and every decision I make today is at least as important as a gold medal Olympic hockey game. What I do today matters greatly in the ultimate scheme of things. May Your victory become mine.
The author of the book of Revelation carefully structured it, although many aspects of that structure elude most twenty-first-century readers. The first half of the book focuses on the general realities of the whole Christian age. One finds references to the cross, the preaching of the gospel, and the kinds of events that go on all the way from Jesus' day to the end of the world. The second half of the book, on the other hand, focuses almost exclusively on the final events of earth's history.
When you see parallels between the first and the second halves of the book, therefore, the first part of the parallel tends to focus on the general realities of the whole age, while the second part looks back on the Christian age from the perspective of the end-time. For example, the first section of the book praises God for creation (Rev. 4:11) and for redemption (Rev. 5:9, 10, 12, 13)--events already in the past at the time of the writing of Revelation. Revelation 19:1-6, on the other hand, lavishes the same language of praise on God's deliverance of His people at the end of history.
In a similar fashion white horses appear in only two places in Revelation. The white horse of Revelation 6 parallels the white horse of Revelation 19. Both riders wear crowns, but John uses different Greek words for the respective crowns. The rider of our passage wears a stephanos crown, a crown of victory. The ancients used the term for the "Olympic gold medal," the token of victory received by Olympic athletes when they won a race. The rider in chapter 19, on the other hand, wears the diadem, the royal crown of rulership. The first half of Revelation repeatedly refers to Jesus and His people as overcomers, like Olympic athletes. The one who overcomes like Jesus will receive the crown of victory. In Revelation 19 Jesus puts an end to all opposition on the earth, and He can now wear the crown of royalty and sovereignty.
I will never forget the Olympics of 1980. The greatest moment for me and for most Americans was the victory of the American hockey team over the Soviet Union's. The high feelings elicited by the cold war raised the excitement of the game to unimaginable proportions. On top of this was the fact that the Russian team consisted of thinly veiled professionals, while the Americans sent college boys into the fray. Athletics fans will never forget the "miracle on ice."
Thank You, Lord, for the reminder that every thought and every decision I make today is at least as important as a gold medal Olympic hockey game. What I do today matters greatly in the ultimate scheme of things. May Your victory become mine.
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