Revelation Rider Entered the World

By R. D. Fierro

The primary goal of the “Bible in Song” series is all about how we can share the Bible through music. But we also want to illustrate that art and entertainment can be used to glorify our Lord Jesus Christ and that Biblical truth can be set to music in an engaging and entertaining way. The song we’re discussing today, Revelation Rider by Crystal Sea, does exactly that. It’s a power-packed song that turns your mind toward Jesus. There is so much Biblical richness throughout, just about every line in Revelation Rider goes directly back to a scriptural reference.

Let’s take a look at the first couple of lines of Revelation Rider:

“In a Bethlehem stable on a deep winter night entered the world the prophesied light.”

Just in those two little lines there are at least four important Biblical facts. First, we know from scripture that Bethlehem was the birthplace of the Messiah, Jesus. We learn that fact from two of the four gospel accounts: Matthew and Luke. We also know that Bethlehem was prophesied to be the Messiah’s birthplace from the Old Testament book of Micah.

Micah 5:2 says,

“But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will come forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His times of coming forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity.”

The second fact is that Jesus was born in a stable. Luke 2:12 and 16 tell us that after his birth Mary had to put Jesus in a manger because there weren’t any guest rooms available in the inn where they were staying. A third Biblical fact we get from the first two lines on Revelation Rider is that Jesus had been prophesied to be the light of the world. The prophet Isaiah who had lived about 700 years before Jesus had said this:

“Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan—The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.” Isaiah 9:1-2 NIV

And in his gospel, Matthew reported that Jesus fulfilled this prophecy. Matthew 4:13-16 says,

“[Jesus] came and settled in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. This happened so that what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet would be fulfilled…”

Thirdly, Let’s look at the geography that Isaiah and Matthew were referring to. Isaiah had prophesied that the Light Bearer would come from “Galilee of the nations, by way of the sea.” Isaiah also specifically mentioned “the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali” which were two of the original 12 tribes of Israel. We know from history that these two tribes settled in the part of Palestine that today we would call the Mediterranean Coast. By Jesus’s day this region was known as Galilee. It was divided into upper and lower Galilee. Upper Galilee was called Galilee of the Gentiles, because it was occupied chiefly by Gentiles, i.e. non-Jews. Isaiah used the phrase “Galilee of the nations” and Matthew used the phrase “Galilee of the Gentiles.” Both of these phrases mean the same thing. To the Jews the term “gentile” was anyone who wasn’t Jewish and “nations” referred to the nations other than Israel. And so, as Matthew reported Jesus fulfilled this prophecy by beginning his public ministry in Capernaum which is in the exact area described by Isaiah. And there is no doubt that Jesus was the light bearer – or more properly “the light of the world.” In the Gospel of John, chapter 9, verse 5, Jesus said, “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

The fourth fact that is alluded to in those lines is that Jesus was born, as the song says, “on a deep winter’s night.” Jesus was born when the Julian calendar had been adopted within the Roman empire but there isn’t consensus within the scholarly community about the date of Jesus birth. For anyone who is interested in this subject I usually recommend a book by Dr. Harold Hoehner from the Dallas Theological Seminary. He has an excellent book called The Chronological Aspects of the Life of Christ. During his discussion of the date of Christ’s birth Dr. Hoehner says,

“In conclusion, the exact date of the birth of Christ is difficult to know with finality. However, a midwinter date is most likely.” So, that’s why the lyrics for Revelation Rider read, “on a deep winter’s night.”

Christianity is a supernatural faith because it fully embraces the spiritual and supernatural world. But the Christian faith is firmly grounded in time and place. And as such we can have pertinent discussions about how ancient cultures calculated dates and what the details of the Biblical account mean with respect to seasons, travel considerations, and political events. We’ve talked about two of those prophecies – the prophet Micah had prophesied that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, and the prophet Isaiah had prophesied that the Messiah would begin his ministry from a specific part of Palestine near the Mediterranean coast. Both of those prophecies came true in the life of Jesus. And the Bible’s prophetic inventory goes far beyond just those two.

There are hundreds of prophecies in the Bible that we know came true in the life of Christ, in the history of the world, and in the lives of specific individuals. And the Bible’s evidence of supernatural inspiration isn’t just limited to fulfilled prophecy. The Bible displays a remarkable unity even though it was composed by over three dozen human authors who wrote over a span of 1,500 years. Anyone who’s ever worked on a group project knows how difficult it is to complete a single document or product with just 3 or 4 people. But the Bible is seamless from beginning to end. Notwithstanding the many critics who lodge complaints against it when you study the Bible faithfully you find out how truly unified it really is.

For better clarity on our topic, please go find Revelation Rider on their favorite music streaming service or find it on our website. Ponder some of the amazing attributes of Jesus’ life and atoning ministry. We hope that the lessons in this “Bible in Song” series help people see that there are many ways to bring the gospel message to a hurting and dying world. We’d like to encourage all listeners to explore our website and our Facebook page and begin using the positive, Biblical messages they will find in our songs or other material to bring hope to their own lives and encouragement to others.

 Revelation Rider Pt 1. Excerpt from the Episode on Anchored by Truth. Crystal Sea