auldsoul: 1) Jesus was the rider of the white horse. The account of the four horsemen does not demonstrate who it was that gave this horseman a crown. The description the JWs give of acts that would correspond to a war king carrying out a conquest to completion is simply silly. Winning court cases? Saving some people who were correctly accused of seditious acts against their government? Building Kingdom Halls and branches? Judging sheep and goats? Your "War King" hasn't been waging a war over the past 100 years.
This was a key speculation, because it compelled you to tie together two portions of Scripture that are not tied together and come up with incorrect and unsubstantiable assumptions. We both know you didn't come up with these, but you seem determined to keep up that pretense so I will let you.
Revelation 19 confirms who the rider of the white horse is. If you can show us a scripture that proves that someone else might be riding on a white horse then by all means please show us. Since you brought it up and so you want claim that I didn't answer you let me go into great detail for you.
Revelation 6:2 tells us, "And I saw, and, look! a white horse; and the one seated upon it had a bow; and a crown was given him, and he went forth conquering and to complete his conquest." Questions that need to be answered are: Who is the rider? Why does he have a bow and is given a crown? When does the ride begin and for what purpose?
Many say it is Satan upon the white horse. However, is there any scriptural support for this? I have found none. But here is what we do find in the Bible about one riding on a white horse. At Revelation 19:11-13, “And I saw the heaven opened, and, look! a white horse. And the one seated upon it is called Faithful and True, and he judges and carries on war in righteousness. 12 His eyes are a fiery flame, and upon his head are many diadems. He has a name written that no one knows but he himself, 13 and he is arrayed with an outer garment sprinkled with blood, and the name he is called is The Word of God.”
It is quite apparent from the description that this is none other than Jesus Christ. He is the rider of this white horse. If we allow the Bible to interpret itself we can only conclude that the rider of the white horse in Revelation 6 must also be Jesus Christ and no one else. Is there any Biblical proof that shows otherwise?
Obviously the rider being given a crown means that he is receiving authority or kingship. But what is his purpose when beginning this ride in Revelation chapter 6? Here is what seems to be a parallel scripture with similar wording: Psalm 110:1
“The utterance of Jehovah to my Lord is: “Sit at my right hand Until I place your enemies as a stool for your feet.” 2 The rod of your strength Jehovah will send out of Zion, saying “Go subduing in the midst of your enemies.”
Notice the phrases: 'subduing in the midst of your enemies' and 'conquering and to complete his conquest'. The wording seems to be very similar. Jesus is riding to conquer and to subdue. Also notice that he comes forth from Zion, the place where the kings of Jehovah ruled from in Judah. Apparently Revelation 6 and Psalm 110 are describing the same event, the beginning of his ride on the white horse as king.
Notice the result of his subduing in the midst of his enemies in verse 3 of Psalm 110: "Your people will offer themselves willingly on the day of your military force. In the splendors of holiness, from the womb of the dawn, You have your company of young men just like dewdrops." Jesus is collecting his people together and many are offering themselves willingly to become part of that great ‘military force’ of praisers of Jehovah. That is the first accomplishments of his subduing in the midst of his enemies and conquering and to complete his conquest. Of course as the ride continues he will execute his judgments upon mankind with the long sword.
Isaiah chapter 41 offers further proof of this. It concerns God collecting his people, Abraham's seed. Notice the similar wording as Psalm 110: Isa. 41:1 “Attend to me in silence, YOU islands; and let national groups themselves regain power. Let them approach. At that time let them speak. Let us come up close together for the judgment itself.”2 “Who has roused up [someone] from the sunrise? [Who] proceeded in righteousness to call him to His feet, to give before him the nations, and to make [him] go subduing even kings?"
Jesus and Jehovah are spoken of as the kings from the sunrise. (Rev 16:12) Again the word subding is used. Jesus subdues the kings of this world as they are powerless to stop the gathering of his people. He also subdues those who will be kings in the Kingdom of God.
Isa 41:8,9 goes on to describe the gathering of God's people. “But you, O Israel, are my servant, you, O Jacob, whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend; 9 you, whom I have taken hold of from the extremities of the earth, and you, whom I have called even from the remote parts of it. And so I said to you, ‘You are my servant; I have chosen you, and I have not rejected you."
From these scriptures we can only conclude that Jesus begins his ride by gathering his chosen ones together. That is how his conquering and subduing in the midst of his enemies begins.
Why is Jesus spoken of as having a bow rather than a sword in the early part of his ride? In the latter part of his ride at the destruction of his enemies at Rev 19:15 we find: "And out of his mouth there protrudes a sharp long sword, that he may strike the nations with it," So we can conclude that the sword is for destroying. But what of the bow?
The bow is a long-range weapon. It indicates that his enemies are still far off. He does not here in Revelation 6 have his sword for up close combat to destroy the wicked. So Jesus ride begins not with the destruction of the wicked but instead with the gathering his people.
But his having a bow would also imply that he would have a quiver to hold his arrows. Notice the comparison made at Isaiah 49:1 "Listen to me, O YOU islands, and pay attention, YOU national groups far away. Jehovah himself has called me even from the belly. From the inward parts of my mother he has made mention of my name. 2 And he proceeded to make my mouth like a sharp sword. In the shadow of his hand he has hidden me. And he gradually made me a polished arrow. He concealed me in his own quiver. 3 And he went on to say to me: “You are my servant, O Israel, you the one in whom I shall show my beauty.”
Do you see that Israel, God's people, is likened to a polished arrow? And Jesus is concealing that arrow in his quiver. How well the scripture above applies to Jehovah's Witnesses in modern times also! Jesus has collected his people together and has polished them by ridding them of Babylonish and Pagan teachings.
And notice Psalms 127:3-5 comparing arrows to sons.
"Look! Sons are an inheritance from Jehovah; The fruitage of the belly is a reward. 4 Like arrows in the hand of a mighty man, So are the sons of youth. 5 Happy is the able-bodied man that has filled his quiver with them. They will not be ashamed, For they will speak with enemies in the gate."
You will note a number of applicable points.
1. Sons are like arrows in the hand of a mighty man.
2. Happy is the one that has a quiver that is full of those sons.
3. And they will speak with enemies in the gate.
Jehovah and Jesus are for a fact mighty. The quiver gets full of His sons, His people. And those statements can certainly apply to God's sons as they speak to 'enemies in the gate'. They are a reply for God to his enemy Satan that there are ones who will be faithful to Him. As Prov. 27:11 says "Be wise, my son, and make my heart rejoice, that I may make a reply to him that is taunting me."
And finally we can add Psalm 45 as further proof. Speaking about the anointed King it says: 4 "And in your splendor go on to success; Ride in the cause of truth and humility [and] righteousness, And your right hand will instruct you in fear-inspiring things. 5 Your arrows are sharp—under you peoples keep falling— In the heart of the enemies of the king. 6 God is your throne to time indefinite, even forever; The scepter of your kingship is a scepter of uprightness."
The arrows can go straight to the heart of the enemies causing people to fall under the feet of Jesus the King and of course the subduing of his enemies enables Christ to gather his people and complete his conquest,
What can we conclude? Jesus’ ride on the white horse began way back when he began to collect his ‘polished arrow’ or servants together.
