We looked at the scroll. We know that the scroll holds the future of our world. We know that Jesus is the only one with the power to manage the scroll. Starting today, Jesus is breaking the seals found within the scroll. Over this seven-part series, we are looking at what the different seals represent and how we can be interpreting these seals in our world today. This series will be called “Sealed No Longer.” Again, my goal is to look deeper into what the seals represent and how we can be mindful of how to interpret those events in our world today. The first seal is Revelation 6:1-2:

Revelation 6:1-2

1             As I watched, the Lamb broke the first of the several seals on the scroll. Then I heard one of the four living beings say with a voice like thunder, “Come!”

2             I looked up and saw a white horse standing there. Its rider carried a bow, and a crown was placed on his head. He rode out to win many battles and gain the victory.

The horses will be found in the first four seals. These horses represent God’s judgment of people’s sin and rebellion. They give a foreshadow of what the final judgment will be. This first horse possibly represents humanity’s sinful desire to conquer, which we’ll dive into more in the next three sessions.

However, let’s look at the details and descriptions a little more. The horse is white, often symbolizing purity. We know this through the many depictions of Jesus’ blood washing away our sins and making us white as snow. The rider had a bow and a crown. The bow represented warfare, conflict, and sometimes judgment. It’s associated with strength and power. The crown represents victory and honor.

What I see here is a battle that’s being unleashed. The first rider is out to describe God’s judgment against humanity. The rider comes out as a source of purity, establishing the dominance against evil. The rider is ready to fight against the evil sources of the world that has distorted what it means to be pure in God’s eyes. The purity culture is something humanity has unfortunately taken into their own hands and have tried to use the biblical context at face value and force it into our world today. However, the times have changed. What was considered impure then is, can be pure now. What was considered pure then, can be outdated now. The riders are fighting against humanity’s control to decide purity, knowing that it can be victorious.

God’s word has not changed from John’s time to our time. The struggle we often face is, again, taking it at face value instead of taking the principle that was being taught. We force rules and cultural norms into a culture that no longer abides by those things. However, if we can walk away with the reasoning and understanding of those principles and use the deeper meaning of them to apply in our world today, then we can better connect with the Christians of the past. We can understand why the purity culture existed, especially around sex and relationships, and see how (while times have changed) God has still been the same.

I hope that made some sense. I know it was circular reasoning there towards the end, but the fact remained. Next time, we’re breaking the second seal. Until then, stay blessed!

Associated Scripture

Revelation 6:1             Revelation 5:1, 6

Revelation 6:2             Zechariah 1:8, 6:1-3; Revelation 14:14, 19:11-12