The Lord showed the apostle John many wonderful visions while he was on the island of Patmos. One of the most spectacular was the Lord riding on a white horse. This vision illustrates His love, His wisdom, and His power. The sword pictures His truth ready to conquer evil and falsity. His eyes - looking like a flame of fire - picture the Lord's deep love for all people and His desire to protect and lead them to heaven. The white horse upon which He is riding symbolizes a spiritual understanding of truth in the Word. By revealing the spiritual meaning of His Word, the Lord has made His second coming. This revelation gives us a new way to understand the Lord and to "see" Him. By reading His Word, we can see the Lord's wonderful qualities and how He operates in our lives.

Having revealed the inner meaning of the Word, the Lord is also establishing a New Church with all who acknowledge Him, learn truths from His Word, and then do them. All people are invited to be a part of this New Church and to follow the Lord on white horses, as the host of angels did in John's vision. We hope that these projects, family activities, and worship suggestions will help you and your family celebrate the birth of the New Church and appreciate this new revelation.

To learn more about John's vision of the Lord on the white horse and the inner meaning of the Word, see the Quotes from the Word, "The White Horse" by the Rev. Kurt Asplundh, the Family Overview of Projects and Activities, and "The White Horse" by David Simons. Families might enjoy making a Diorama of the Lord Riding a White Horse, assembling the Riding a White Horse Puzzle, making the New Church Day mobile, or baking the White Horse Cake. Projects directly relating to the Word include the Open Word snowflake, the Layers of the Word Book, and the Applying the Word to Life Journal Page.