So who (or what) might be the rider on the white horse from Revelation chapter six? Does this following verse actually mean anything...."This calls for wisdom; let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666."....(Revelation 13:18 ESV)....or is it just another one of those verses that we think is too difficult to even think about?
We can be confident of this....the teaching of what is known as...the pre-trib-rapture....is not correct....and that is important because if you are living under that assumption then you will quite naturally not be too concerned with the rider on the white horse or the number of the beast or preparation for what is ahead or self-examination.
What is all this about seven heads and ten horns? And what were all these prophecy teachers talking about way back when concerning a revived Roman empire?
Here is what you will be told....you will be reminded of all the times in the past two-thousand years when some man said that Jesus was coming back right then....or the end of the world was going to be right then....and then disaster followed. You will have been scolded for having the audacity to even attempt to peek into God's Word on the coming of the Son of Man....and told to just sit down and eat your gruel. It's as if to these men Satan was not real....and that even if he was he would never be smart enough to promote all of these cults from the past....and even the present.
There are good systematic theologians out there....and there are not so good systematic theologians out there....always have been. There are good prophecy teachers out there....and there are not so good prophecy teachers out there....and there are some terrible pretenders to be prophecy teachers out there. So why don't we all just give up? We don't give up studying God's Word on the Second Coming for the same reason that we do not give up on finding biblical truth in systematic theology! We have patience and trust in God! And that is what we have to do concerning the return of the Son of Man.
In that first century....before followers of Jesus had a bound....large print....pick your favorite translation.... paperback or hardcover Bible to carry with them....God provided ways and means for their guidance and protection. He will do the same in the confusion of these last days....the last of the last days if you will. With great delusion and deception literally everywhere....and the Antichrist walking around right now planning his rise to power....and that rider on the white horse either right now galloping to cheers....or about to spur the side of the white horse....with all these things crashing in around us....those who trust in Christ alone are secure! Those who actually believe the warnings in God's Word will not fall away nor fall for the delusion!
There is a winnowing coming if not already in full swing. The fog will slowly if not suddenly dissipate enough for us to see who else among us fell to the threshing floor....not carried off as chaff in the wind. We can praise God that even in times like this....He is the sure rock beneath our feet....and the light for our path....the captain of this ship....and the wind for our sails....the wings to cover us....the bread of life....the living water....our Savior and our Lord....and along with His mighty angels....our Coming King!
PROBABLY OUR MOST OFTEN QUOTED BIBLE VERSE......SORT OF
I hear it all the time. I'll begin talking about Bible prophecy....to a Christian....and that will be fine.....but if I extend my welcome....they will....almost to a man or woman....put up their guard....and quote Matthew 24:36....more likely shorten and summarize it....probably their favorite or most often used Bible verse...."no one knows the day or the hour." Whereupon I will be patient....and follow with the very next verse...."For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man." I'll give them a few seconds to let that sink in and then quote two verses later....this Jesus speaking.in the Olivet Discourse...."Therefore stay awake....for....(or because....as the NIV puts it)....you do not know what day your Lord is coming." If I continue....then they will put their dukes up. So I usually let it go at that. Not knowing the exact day or hour is an encouragement and a command to stay awake and study God's Word....not an excuse to avoid the signs all through God's Word of the coming of the Son of Man.
Kids Say The Darndest Things....Art Linkletter titled a book with that saying. He had an afternoon television show back in the 50s and 60s....and the last segment was always with him interviewing young kids. In Matthew chapter 18....Jesus was talking about faith...."Calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them....and said....'Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven'." (Matt 18:2,3) Back to Art Linkletter....he once asked a question of this young boy....maybe six years old at the oldest. He asked the boy what he wanted to be....and the boy said...."a pilot"....Art thought about that and then asked him....'What if you were the pilot of a plane and all four engines stopped? What would you say....the boy was very serious.....with his head down....he said...."Our Father....who art in heaven...."
Folks....here is the hard truth that Christians do not want to face....even pastors. We simply do not want Jesus to return right now. The....'maybe in twenty years"....thing works real well for us....for we get to kind of fake it without having to change anything. I offer this opinion after decades of conversations. We've got places to go and things to see....goals to meet....and kids to raise....college....who knows....maybe a child will even be a pro golfer...where he can thank Jesus for winning the U. S. Open....or a congressman....or a doctor or lawyer or famous singer! All we have to do is ignore all the evidence around us and pick a church where the pastor feels the same way. But here is the fly in the ointment....as clueless as we as to the very specific warnings in God's Word that judgment is not only coming but is here....we are as clueless on the world situation! AI alone should cause us to fall to our knees....that surely has something to do with the Second Coming....and add Europe and Israel and Putin and China and Trump....and Elon Musk....where did we lose our minds....and earthquakes and asteroids and weather going crazy....and all this make America great again stuff should by all rights be seen as pure nonsense. But alas it is not....not yet anyway.
