BEHOLD A WHITE HORSE

BEHOLD A WHITE HORSE
Rev 6:1 And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.
Rev 6:2 And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.

Genghis Khan 1227 A.D., Alexander the Great 323 B.C., Tamerlane 1405 A.D., Cyrus the Great 530 B.C., Attila the Hun 453 A.D., Adolf Hitler 1945 A.D., Napoleon 1814 A.D., Julius Caesar 44 B.C.

Occasionally in world history, some bold leader appears and is able to galvanize a group of people to go on a rampage.

They seem to be unstoppable, whole opposing armies throw down their weapons and run; cities open up their gates and welcome them as conquerors; leaders of other countries send forth envoys and ask for terms of surrender before a shot is fired. So what is the Deal?

I believe these world leaders are being motivated and spurred on by the Rider on the white horse. From the very beginning, Satan has been attempting to bring the whole world under his authority and control. We see that even when one of these conquerors does seem to be unstoppable, God always eventually steps in and prevents them from gaining power over the “whole earth”.

Gen 10:9 He was a mighty hunter before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD.
Gen 10:10 And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.
We also see that soon after the flood of Noah’s time, a world leader named “Nimrod” appears on the scene and attempts to form an empire that is opposed to God’s plans.

Gen 11:4 And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.
Gen 11:5 And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.
Gen 11:6 And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.
Gen 11:7 Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.
Gen 11:8 So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.

In the near future, a man is going to appear, who will also attempt to bring the whole world under his own control and authority and according to the Bible, he will oppose God and will appear to be successful for three and one-half (3 ½) years…until God (Jesus Christ) comes down!

I believe the whole bible is simply an allegory to show us the “best way” to deal with a similar situation until the time arrives for Jesus to come down and deliver us. In the time of Jeremiah the Prophet, another “world leader” named “Nebuchadnezzar” appeared on the scene. Jeremiah basically told the people of Jerusalem DO NOT FIGHT NEBUCHADNEZZAR!

Jer 27:8 And it shall come to pass, that the nation and kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation will I punish, saith the LORD, with the sword, and with the famine, and with the pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand.

I believe Nebuchadnezzar is a “type” of the antichrist. You may ask, “Are you saying that God will be supporting the antichrist?” NOTHING can happen unless God permits it! God permitted the sword, famine, and pestilence to come upon Judah because the people of Judah would not HEARKEN to Him and His prophets.

Jer 29:18 And I will persecute them with the sword, with the famine, and with the pestilence, and will deliver them to be removed to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a curse, and an astonishment, and an hissing, and a reproach, among all the nations whither I have driven them:
Jer 29:19 Because they have not hearkened to my words, saith the LORD, which I sent unto them by my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them; but ye would not hear, saith the LORD.

We see the same three terrible specters follow after Nebuchanezzar that follow the rider on the white horse…THE SWORD (rider on the red horse); FAMINE (rider on the black horse); and PESTILENCE (rider on the pale horse). Therefore, we should pay attention as to WHY God allowed them to be unleashed upon Judah. The nation of Judah would not HEARKEN to the word of the LORD!

How do we HEARKEN to the word of the LORD today?

1. READ THE BIBLE. If God said something was right or wrong six (6,000) thousand years ago; or four (4,000) thousand years ago; or two (2,000) years ago; it is still right and wrong today!

Mal 3:5 And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts.
Mal 3:6 For I am the LORD, I CHANGE NOT; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

1. LISTEN TO GOD’S STILL SMALL VOICE. God still talks to people, the problem is that most people still will not listen. Another problem is that demons also talk to people, and people are all too willing to hearken to demonic influence; especially when they are drunk or high.

1Ki 19:12 And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a STILL SMALL VOICE.
1Ki 19:13 And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?

How can we tell the difference between God’s voice and the voice of devils?

GOD LOVES US AND WANTS TO SAVE US; THE DEVIL HATES US AND WANTS TO DESTROY US!

1. HEARKEN TO PEOPLE WHO LOVE YOU.
   There are people in your life who love you; whether you realize it or not. Think hard about it. Is there someone you turn to when you get in trouble? Is there someone in your life who is not trying to take advantage of you or make merchandise out of you? Often time we confuse attention with love…just because people spend time with you does NOT mean they love you.

The world of today is of course just as obstinate and dull of hearing as ancient Judah was during the time of Jeremiah the Prophet and during the time of Jesus.

Mat 13:15 For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

I suspect the world will also make all of the same mistakes when dealing with the antichrist as Judah made when dealing with Nebuchadnezzar. The whole world is racing towards judgment and an eternity in hell. God is pulling out all the stops and trying to get the people of the world to HEARKEN to Him before it is too late. During the time of Nebuchadnezzar, there was one group that God commended and I want to focus on them.

Jer 35:1 The word which came unto Jeremiah from the LORD in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, saying,
Jer 35:2 Go unto the house of the Rechabites, and speak unto them, and bring them into the house of the LORD, into one of the chambers, and give them wine to drink.
Jer 35:5 And I set before the sons of the house of the Rechabites pots full of wine, and cups, and I said unto them, Drink ye wine.
Jer 35:6 But they said, We will drink no wine: for Jonadab the son of Rechab our father commanded us, saying, Ye shall drink no wine, neither ye, nor your sons for ever:
Jer 35:7 Neither shall ye build house, nor sow seed, nor plant vineyard, nor have any: but all your days ye shall dwell in tents; that ye may live many days in the land where ye be strangers.
Jer 35:8 Thus have we obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab our father in all that he hath charged us, to drink no wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, nor our daughters;

God tells Jeremiah, a well-known prophet of God, to tell the Rechabites to drink wine. The Rechabites were nomadic distant relatives of the children of Israel. They were descendants of Midian, a son of Abraham by his second wife Keturah. The Rechabites tell the prophet Jeremiah that their father told them not to drink wine or to live in a house; therefore, they declined Jeremiah’s offer of wine. God commends the Rechabites for obeying their father and contrasts them with the nation of Israel, who will not listen to Him.

Jer 35:17 Therefore thus saith the LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring upon Judah and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the evil that I have pronounced against them: because I have spoken unto them, but they have not heard; and I have called unto them, but they have not answered.
Jer 35:18 And Jeremiah said unto the house of the Rechabites, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Because ye have obeyed the commandment of Jonadab your father, and kept all his precepts, and done according unto all that he hath commanded you:
Jer 35:19 Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not want a man to STAND BEFORE ME for ever.

Wow! That is quite a promise. Some descendant of Rechab will constantly STAND BEFORE GOD FOREVER! The term “STAND BEFORE ME” appears to mean that a descendant of Jonadab the Rechabite will have an “intimate” relationship with God forever. I cannot think of any greater honor, or gift, that we could ever possibly receive from God.

I believe Jonadab was specifically instructing his descendants concerning surviving in these last days in which we are living. He told them two things: A) Stay nomadic, OR do not live in a house; and B) Do not drink wine; OR do not stay in one place longer than three years (long enough to harvest a crop of grapes).

This is still excellent advice for surviving the great tribulation and the Rider on the White Horse. DO NOT GET SO COMFORTABLE OR ATTACHED TO A PLACE THAT YOU CANNOT LEAVE IT AT A MOMENTS NOTICE!

Isa 26:20 Come, my people, enter your chambers, and shut your doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until the fury has passed by.
Isa 26:21 For behold, the LORD is coming out from his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity, and the earth will disclose the blood shed on it, and will no more cover its slain.