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Eureka

AN EXPOSITION OF THE APOCALYPSE
Sixth Edition, 1915
By Dr. John Thomas (first edition written 1861)

 

 

Chapter 9

Section 4  Subsection 5

The Horses and their Riders


 
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"And thus I saw the horses in the vision; and those sitting upon them." The description which follows exemplifies the "thus." He saw the equestrian millions in vision. What a host to contemplate! He beheld them embattled, and vomiting forth fire and smoke, and deadly missiles. The horses he saw were not real horses, but horses in vision, or symbolical horses and symbolical riders; which in solid array and in action presented certain characteristics illustrative of the historical reality.

I find the following concerning the horse in symbol in Daubuz. He says: "The horse was of old used only for warlike expeditions, and not barely to ride, draw, and drudge, as it is now practised with us. Hence, in that noble description of the horse, in Job. xxxix. 18-25, there is no notice taken of any quality of his but what relates to war. So that the horse is the symbol of war and conquest." When, therefore, the Spirit saith in Zech. x. 3, "Yahweh Tz’vaoth hath visited his flock the House of Judah, and hath made them as his goodly horse in the battle," the meaning is, that he will ride them as their Commander-in-Chief, and make them conquerors over his enemies, glorious and successful.

Thus in Psa. xlv. 5 r’chav, to ride, is rendered in the Septuagint by basileuein, to reign. And in several other places to ride, signifies to have dominion. "Agreeably to this," the Oneirocritics say, "that if any one dreams that he rides upon a generous horse, it denotes that he shall obtain dignity, fame, authority, prosperity, and a good name among the people; in short, all such things which may accrue to a man by good success in martial affairs." And hence, from the horse being an instrument of conquest, and therefore the symbol of the dignity, fame, power, prosperity, and success he causes, when Carthage was founded, and a horse’s head was dug up by the workmen, the soothsayers gave out that the city would be warlike and powerful.

As a horse is warlike, so he is also a swift creature, and is therefore not only the symbol of conquest, but also of the speediness of it (Joel ii. 4; Jer. iv. 13).

The following in Hab. i. 8, concerning the swift, fierce, and invincible career of the Chaldean against Judah, is expressive also of that of the four Euphratean angel-powers, as represented by the equestrian myriads in the sixth trumpet vision: "Their horses are swifter than the leopards, and are more fierce than the evening wolves: and their horsemen shall spread themselves, and their horsemen shall come from far; they shall fly as the eagle hasteth to prey. They shall come all for violence ... they shall scoff at the kings, and the princes shall be a scorn unto them: they shall deride every stronghold; for they shall heap dust, and take it".
 
 

 

 


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