7 Seals of REVELATION SERIES: First Seal

 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. 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. 

Revelation 6:1, 2

The rider upon this horse went forth--where? His commission was unlimited. The gospel was to all the world.

The first seal is parallel to the first church, Ephesus. 

The white horse represents the conquests of the Apostolic Church and its rider symbolizes Jesus. The whiteness of the horse denotes the purity of faith in that age.

Revelation 19:11, 12: Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself.

In Zechariah 10:3-6, compares God’s people, Judah, to a conquering horse:

"Clad in the armor of Christ’s righteousness, the church is to enter upon her final conflict. ‘Fair as the moon, clear as the sun [Revelation 12:1] and terrible as an army with banners’ [Song of Solomon 6:10], she [the church] is to go forth into all the world conquering and to conquer [Revelation 6:1, 2]." E.G.W.

The white horse stands in contrast to the black horse of darkness. When the church loses its purity of doctrine and lifestyle it becomes a black horse. 

*2 Kings 13:17 (... And he opened it. Then Elisha said, Shoot. And he shot. And he said, The arrow of the LORD'S deliverance,...) underlines that the bow and arrow represent God’s deliverance in battle.

*The word for crown here is stephanos. With few exceptions, the stephanos is the crown that is given to one who has gained the victory after a struggle.

James 1:12: Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

*Conquering and to conquer - The literal translation of the phrase is “overcoming in order that he might overcome.” 

We must link this phrase with the messages to the seven churches where at the end of each message we find the dictum: “to him that overcomes.”

During the Christian Dispensation, the faithful church fights a spiritual war against spiritual enemies in the enemy’s spiritual territory with a spiritual armor and spiritual weapons. The purpose of the war is to conquer human hearts (Ephesians 6:10-18; Romans 13:11-14; 2 Corinthians 10:1-6; 1 Timothy 6:12; 2 Timothy 4:7, 8).

Christ's work is not all done at once. We are ready to think, when the gospel goes forth, it should carry all the world before it, but it often meets with opposition, and moves slowly; however, Christ will do His own work effectually, in His own time and way.

 It involves God’s people attempting to convince the devil’s soldiers to desert his army and join Christ’s army.

Drawn/taken from the book Daniel & Revelation by Uriah Smith---Study Guide by Stephen Bohr---Sermon by Walter Veith---Commentaries from Matthew Henry/Adam Clark---Revelation Made Clear