“And I saw, and, look! a white horse, and the one seated upon it had a bow, and a crown was given him, and he went forth conquering and to complete his conquest.

The initial horseman is shown to be seated on a “white horse” and as having a bow and a crown, expressions that would indicate he is both a warrior and a king. That this is a reference to the Lord Jesus is shown by a comparison with Revelation 19:12, 13. There the “Word of God,” Jesus, is shown astride a white war mount and as having “upon his head . . . many diadems.” Also, terminology similar to that found in Revelation chapter 6 about the white horse’s rider is found in Psalm 45; this psalm is applied to Jesus Christ in Hebrews 1:8, 9.

How does knowing this help us to know when he rides? Well, to say, as the Revelation does, that this one on the white horse goes “forth conquering and to complete his conquest” indicates that he, as an active king, would remove his enemies. Who was the first of these to whom he turned his attention? Revelation chapter 12 speaks of the time when Jesus “Christ comes to his rightful rule!” (Rev. 12:10, New English Bible) A war takes place in heaven, and Satan the Devil, the foremost enemy of all who love righteousness, is thrown down to the vicinity of the earth. With that act, Christ ‘goes forth conquering.’

These events, however, took place in heaven, invisibly. After the Devil is thrown out of heaven, the account tells us that there would be “woe for the earth . . . because the Devil has come down to you, having great anger.”​—Rev. 12:7-12.

The descriptions of the other horsemen who ride at the same time that Jesus does serve to prove that Christ as King is riding to victory.