The white horse

“I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, ‘Come!’ I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.” Revelation 6:1-2
The first horseman appears with the opening of the first seal. He rides a white horse, but this is absolutely not Jesus Christ! Jesus also comes on a white horse, but in Revelation 19. (Here, He is the one opening the seals, not riding the horse.) Instead, this is a false Christ, commonly called the Antichrist, or, as John refers to him elsewhere in the book of Revelation, the beast. He looks like Jesus, but he is in bad company.
This horseman carries a bow. This is not a bow and arrow, but a bow like a rainbow, representing a covenant. He will make a covenant with Israel for 7 years but will break it halfway through (Dan. 9:27). He is given a crown. This is not the crown of royalty, but the victor’s crown. Again, this is an indication that he is not Jesus Christ.
Lastly, he rides out “as a conqueror bent on conquest”. The goal of the Antichrist, the beast, is world domination. He is inspired by Satan. He will rule over the world through lies and deception, claiming to be Christ while defying God.
Antichrist will not be revealed until the opening of the first seal. This happens after the rapture of the church (2 Thess. 2:7-8). We see the church in heaven in Rev. 4-5, represented by the twenty-four elders. Therefore it is pointless for us now to speculate who it might be, because he will not come to a position of power until after the church is raptured.