The White Horse of Deception
Follow along in your Bibles again as we stand and hear God launch the end of the world countdown with these words from Revelation 6:1-2 (NKJV):
Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, “Come and see.” 2 And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.
Jesus came and was the Truth. Satan comes as the Anti-truth, the replacement truth, the deceiver.
The First Seal is the Global embracing of the Lie. Last time we saw that each truly born-again person is first and above all else a:
Lover of the Truth
Here is a quick review of this key teaching that is what Christ emphasized more than any other description for us of the future.
Revelation 6:1-2 tells us that God is launching a white horseman to rapidly fill the earth with a false and deceptive peace. In a very short time almost all of the earth will follow this emissary of Satan in human flesh called the Antichrist.
But God is in control as we see that the Lamb, Jesus Christ, who died on the Cross, is the one that opens the seal releasing this global deception.
This white horseman is also a reminder from God, who us that the coming Antichrist initially conquers, not by military warfare but by lies and deceit energized by Satan. God deploys this force for deception, this first seal, and this global pervasive delusion.
Remember in Rev. 6:2 that God grants, allows, and gives to Satan’s plans, the power to deceive the world. God is Almighty and allows nothing that does not fit within His plan as He actively works all things together for good.
The lesson is in that phrase that a “crown” was given. This is God granting authority. Nothing can move without His allowance. God is in control. God rules the affairs of the Universe, nothing escapes His notice.
Turn onward to Rev. 13:5-7. We will notice that this chapter details more about the Antichrist than any other; and again the emphasis is that God gave the beast its power.
Rev. 13:5-7 (NKJV) And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months. 6 Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. 7 It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation.
So the power granted in Rev. 13:7 is part of the crown that we see when God launches the Tribulation in Rev. 6:2. God completely controls the events of the world, and nothing slips by Him. That is why He warns about:
The Hurricane of Apostasy