Jesus rode upon a donkey and will ride upon a horse

Matthew 21: 1 – 9: And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.

Revelation 19: 11: And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.

When Jesus entered Jerusalem at His first coming to offer Himself as the atoning sacrifice for sin, He rode into the city on a donkey. But when Jesus returns to the earth in His corporal body at His third coming, He will ride upon a horse. The Bible contrasts these two animals and their service to the Lord Jesus, for the donkey is a symbol of peace, whereas the horse is a symbol of war.

Although the use of the donkey was widespread in biblical times, riding upon it was also a sign of royalty, and riding upon it for entry into a city was seen as an act of kingship. A man riding upon a donkey is not looking for war, so when Jesus rode upon one at His first coming, He did so not to show Himself as a poor or common man, but to show Himself as the humble Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9: 6), the bringer of Salvation, and to demonstrate His Kingship.

The horse and its eagerness to fearlessly charge into battle with its rider is amply described for us in Job 39: 21 – 25: He paweth in the valley, and rejoiceth in his strength: he goeth on to meet the armed men. He mocketh at fear, and is not affrighted; neither turneth he back from the sword. The quiver rattleth against him, the glittering spear and the shield. He swalloweth the ground with fierceness and rage: neither believeth he that it is the sound of the trumpet. He saith among the trumpets, Ha, ha; and he smelleth the battle afar off, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting. So when Jesus returns to the earth at His third coming, it is not with peaceful intent, for He is seen riding upon a horse, to judge and make war at Armageddon, that He might destroy Gog and his armies (Ezekiel 38 and Ezekiel 39) and the Beast and its armies (Revelation 19).