While we're all likely familiar with the four horsemen of the Apocalypse found in the seals of Revelation, some of you may not have known that there is actually a fifth horseman in the series. While not mentioned directly in the text, if we simply connect some of the recurring patterned language found throughout Revelation, we can identify him.
The connection between these passages, as denoted by the color-coded text, is undeniable. The red text demonstrates God's wrath is being poured out across both passages, while the blue text shows us those on the receiving end of that wrath. The orange text indicates that these shared occurrences take place during the revealing of Heaven, further confirming these texts are referring to the same event.
Not only can we see that Jesus is the fifth horseman among the seven seals, but we have another confirmation that the sixth seal refers to the return of the Lord!
Sixth Seal | Rider on the White Horse in Revelation 19 |
“I watched as he opened the sixth seal... the heavens receded like a scroll being rolled up... Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and everyone else, both slave and free, hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!”” — Revelation 6:12a, 14a, 15-16 | “I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True... He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty... And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and the mighty, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, great and small.”” — Revelation 19:11a, 15b, 17-18 |
The connection between these passages, as denoted by the color-coded text, is undeniable. The red text demonstrates God's wrath is being poured out across both passages, while the blue text shows us those on the receiving end of that wrath. The orange text indicates that these shared occurrences take place during the revealing of Heaven, further confirming these texts are referring to the same event.
Not only can we see that Jesus is the fifth horseman among the seven seals, but we have another confirmation that the sixth seal refers to the return of the Lord!
1st Horseman | 2nd Horseman | 3rd Horseman | 4th Horseman | 5th Horseman |
The rider on this white horse wields a bow, wears a crown, and is bent on conquest. [Rev. 6:1-2] | The rider on this red horse wields a sword, and causes war on earth. [Rev. 6:3-4] | The rider on this black horse wields a pair of scales. [Rev. 6:5-6] | The rider on this sickly pale horse is named "Death," and is trailed by Hades. [Rev. 6:7-8] | The rider on this white horse wields a sword, wears many crowns, and judges with justice. [Rev. 19:11-16] |
