January 31 - The First Seal

January 31 – The First Seal

You know, I avoid horror movies. In fact, I ignore that they exist.

Martin Luther didn’t want the Revelation in the canon of the New Testament. Other scholars barely acknowledge its existence. Many of my friends haven’t really read past the first few chapters.

However, it’s time to move forward. The first of the seven seals is about to be opened. There is one person with the authority to do this. He’s the only One I trust to take me through this experience.

The First Seal – Revelation 6:1-2
We really do have to understand what John’s readers knew and understood. Even in my life, traditions and pop culture have changed so radically that people younger than me no longer have the same frame of reference. With that in mind and realizing that very few of us have a strong understanding of the Old Testament, we need to take time to comprehend what is being said.

The Lamb breaks open the first seal and the Living Creature said in a voice like thunder, “Come!” This is the only time John describes the sound – it is a voice of judgment, beginning the time of the end.

The readers of this would recognize these horses from Zechariah 6:1-8. The horses coming from the mountain were red, black, white and dappled. They were sent to patrol the earth, traveling to all corners after standing in the presence of God.

In Revelation, the rider on the white horse is carrying a bow and wore a crown.

There is an incredible amount of OT scripture pointing to this vision. It’s as if God spent all of their history preparing His people for the coming of the Messiah and to be able to recognize the signs of the end. If we don’t understand those signs, it isn’t because He didn’t tell us, it’s because we won’t read His Word!

The bow is a symbol of military might in the OT. In Psalm 46:9, we read that when God makes wars cease, he breaks the bows of the warriors.

In Jeremiah 51:56, Jeremiah describes the final defeat of Babylon. “Her warriors will be captured and their bows will be broken.”

Have you ever heard of ‘the parting shot’? This came from the phrase “A Parthian Shot.” In 62 AD, the Romans fought the Parthians and ended up surrendering. The Parthians rode white horses and no one could compare when it came to bowmanship. This is a final blow which has no response.

John’s readers would have recognized the rider on the white horse carrying the bow as a military leader with strength such as the Parthians had while defeating an invincible Roman army.