“Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the LORD, “Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool” (Isaiah 1:18).

Apocalypse and apocalyptic do not necessarily refer to end-time events. Eschatological events are the happenings at the end of time and are studied in the realm of eschatology. 

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“And Jesus began to say to them, “See to it that no one misleads you. “Many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He!’ and will mislead many. “When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be frightened; those things must take place; but that is not yet the end. “For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will also be famines. These things are merely the beginning of birth pangs” (Mark 13:5-8).

John 13-16

Jesus taught the disciples many things in the last hours before His arrest. John chapters 13 to 16 are a final discourse in the Upper Room after the Last Supper.

  • He told them He had to go away to prepare a place for them in heaven Chapter 14, and
  • John 14 & 16 that He would send the comforter, the Holy Spirit.

He concludes that teaching session with these words. “Behold, an hour is coming, and has already come, for you to be scattered, each to his own home, and to leave Me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world” (John 16:32-33).

His prayer in John 17 also acknowledges that as long as His followers are in the world, they will suffer tribulations. “I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world” (John 17:14).

Revelation 5 is a symbolic description of Christ’s return to His Father’s House and the beginning of the various events He told the disciples about. Revelation 6 is the unfolding of the major events and must be viewed in a logical sequence. The scroll, taken by Christ, and its contents, follow the order Jesus described to His disciples. He told them that He would send the comforter and what the comforter would do for them (John 16:8-15). He also told them that they would be scattered as part of that tribulation that would be in the world. Finally, He told them that He had overcome the world. This sequence of events in John 16 would appear to be an outline for understanding the tribulations in Revelation 6-17. The final victory is then seen by the rider in Revelation 19.

Many conclude immediately that the rider on the white horse (Revelation 6:2) is Christ. The evidence they present is that white is the color of purity and since Christ is pure, it must be Him. But consider:

“And then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ’; or, ‘Behold, He is there’; do not believe him; for false Christs and false prophets will arise, and will show signs and wonders, in order to lead astray, if possible, the elect. “But take heed; behold, I have told you everything in advance.” (Mark 13:21-23).

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” (1 John 4:1).

“But what I am doing I will continue to do, so that I may cut off opportunity from those who desire an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the matter about which they are boasting. For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds” (2 Corinthians 11:12-15).

“But these things I have spoken to you, so that when their hour comes, you may remember that I told you of them. These things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you” (John 16:4).

“Then I saw when the Lamb broke one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, “Come.”” (Revelation 6:1).

“I looked, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer” (Revelation 6:2).

“When He broke the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come.”” (Revelation 6:3).

“And another, a red horse, went out; and to him who sat on it, it was granted to take peace from the earth, and that men would slay one another; and a great sword was given to him.” (Revelation 6:4).

  • “Now I lifted up my eyes again and looked, and behold, four chariots were coming forth from between the two mountains; and the mountains were bronze mountains. 2 With the first chariot were red horses, with the second chariot black horses, 3 with the third chariot white horses, and with the fourth chariot strong dappled horses” (Zechariah 6:1-3).
  • “The angel replied to me, “These are the four spirits of heaven, going forth after standing before the Lord of all the earth,” (Zechariah 6:5).
  • “Then He cried out to me and spoke to me saying, “See, those who are going to the land of the north have appeased My wrath in the land of the north.”” (Zechariah 6:8).

“When He broke the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, “Come.” I looked, and behold, a black horse; and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand.” (Revelation 6:5).

“And I heard something like a voice in the center of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not damage the oil and the wine.”” (Revelation 6:6).

“When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come.”” (Revelation 6:7).

“I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name Death; and Hades was following with him. Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth.” (Revelation 6:8).

“When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also” (Revelation 6:9-11).

The Lord and those that are His win!