Revelation Part 27
Revelation 19:11
In Revelation 19:11-13 the Bible says,
"And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness does he judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called the Word of God."
Jesus will return to the earth one day, and this is a description of His return. When He returns to the earth He will be coming from heaven. Some people ask, "Where is heaven?" It’s up there. You cannot see it now because when you look up to the skies, you are looking with physical eyes, and heaven is a spiritual place. It cannot be seen with physical eyes. But one day heaven will be opened for Jesus to step out on the clouds and return to the earth. He was in heaven before the foundations of the earth was laid, and He came to the earth once before. He was unjustly judged and He was killed by those whom He came to save. When Jesus returns to the earth He will come this time as King of Kings and Lord of Lords and as the supreme judge of the universe.
John saw Jesus and he saw Him on a white horse. The horse is white in order to be symbolic of truth, righteousness and holiness . John said that Jesus was called Faithful and True. In this world it is most difficult to find someone who even comes close to being faithful or true. If someone is faithful, then they can be counted on and depended upon. Jesus is faithful to His promises. That’s why one day He will mount upon a great white horse and He will ride into this world to conquer the enemies of truth and justice. If someone is true, then they are genuine. They are not phony. They are what they appear to be with no pretence or deception. One of the great problems of this world is the amount of people who so lie so easily.
- People will lie in order to gain money from you.
- People will lie in order to get an advantage over you.
- People will lie when they think it’s in their best interest to do so.
Jesus will mount upon a white horse. So we know that there are horses in heaven. This is good news to horse lovers, and if there are horses quite possibly there will be other animals also. After all, God created the animals. It should not be surprising that there would be some in heaven. They certainly are more fit for it than some humans I have met in my lifetime.
Here in Revelation Chapter 19 when Jesus is shown returning to the earth, He is shown riding on a white horse. This is the second white horse spoken of in the Book of Revelation. We remember the white horse that was described in Rev. 6:2, and we remember that the best explanation for the one riding on a white horse in Revelation Chapter 6 was that it was the antichrist, attempting to be a substitute for the Messiah.
The last part of Revelation 19:11 says that when Jesus returns to the earth He will
"judge and make war."
The first thing that Jesus will do when He returns to the earth is to judge and make war. There have been many wars in the history of the human race, too many wars. We live in a dangerous world. War is a fact of life. One reason that there are wars is because there is constant competition between good and evil. If a country is to remain free, it must also remain vigilant and willing to wage war if necessary. That is the premise upon which the leader of our great country the United States, Mr. George W. Bush is at the precipice of committing troops to a conflict with Sadaam Husein. There are wicked rulers in the world just as there have always been who will gladly kill and destroy and conquer the innocent. Some wars are necessary in order to resist and oppose the aggressors. The last war will be fought when Jesus returns to the earth with His army, and He will destroy all the enemies of God and of goodness.
It is important to note that wars against aggression and against evil are authorized in the book of Romans, and that we should understand that the true translation of the original Hebrew in Exodus in the decalouge, the Ten Commandments, where the command reads, "Thou shalt not kill". Is more accurately translated, "Thou shalt not do murder". Fighting in a war to preserve peace, justice, freedom and good against evil is not committing murder.
Jesus will make war, and He will also judge. In Hebrews we read the words,
"It’s appointed unto man once to die, but after this the judgment."
No one will escape the judgment of Christ. Everyone will give an answer to Him, and His judgment will be righteous judgment because He knows all things and His eyes pierce to the very soul. Revelation 19:12 says that,
"His eyes were as a flame of fire."
When Jesus returns to the earth He will be a leader at the head of a great army, He will be a judge, and He will also take the government upon His shoulders. Jesus will rule the world from the throne of David, and it will be the greatest kingdom the world has ever known. That’s why Revelation 19:12 says that,
"on His head were many crowns."
In the Bible many, many names have been given to Jesus. Several of those names are found in this very passage of scripture. The names of Jesus are often descriptive of who He is and what He has done and what He will do for us. Jesus is called Messiah, Lord, Savior, Master, and Teacher. He is called the Good Shepherd, the Son of man, and the Son of God. The prophet Isaiah prophesied about the Christ in Is. 9:6 and said that,
"He would be called, "Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, and the Prince of Peace."
These are just a few of the names that are given to Him. You can study the names of Christ for a long, long time and thereby learn many wonderful things about Him. There are probably many other names that we will learn about Jesus in the eternity to come. One such name is implied in Revelation 19:12 where it says that,
"He had a name written that no man knew, but He himself."
Revelation 19:13 says about Jesus in regards to His return to the earth,
"And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and His name is called the Word of God."
Blood is mentioned in connection with Jesus Christ. John saw Jesus come from heaven, and he saw the blood. Throughout eternity whenever we see Jesus we will remember the blood, His blood, that was shed for the sins of the world. When Jesus came the first time His blood was shed at the hands of the cruel Roman soldiers, but when He comes the second time He will cause the shedding of blood, because He will trample the grapes of wrath alone and the blood will flow to the horses bridles in the valley of Armageddon, for a distance of approximately 200 miles and the armies of the antichrist will be destroyed.
Revelation 19:13 also tells us that the name of Jesus is
"the Word of God."
It’s important to remind the world that Jesus is the Word of God. In the first chapter of the Gospel of John we were also told that Jesus is the Word of God. John 1:1 says about Jesus,
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."
The Bible is the Written Word. Jesus is the Living Word. The Bible declares the divinity of Jesus Christ, and His work as Savior, and His eventual return to set up His kingdom. Stay in the Bible, read it, and study it; and when your understanding is enlightened by the Spirit of God, you will draw closer to Jesus Christ. Ignore the Bible, or give it a small place in your life and you will drift away from Christ.
Jesus is called The Word of God. He is called the Word of God because He is the communication of the truth about the Father. If you know Christ, you know God. If you learn of Jesus, you have learned of the Father. The greatest revelation of the truth about God comes from the teachings of Jesus. There is nothing higher nor more noble nor more spiritual than the things that Jesus taught. If you have met the resurrected Jesus in a spiritual way, then you know God in the greatest way that He can be known in this life. You must come to know Him as your personal Lord and Savior now, or you will know Him later as Judge. It is very important to take note of the word personal. If you were the only person on the earth, Jesus, would still have come and died on the cross in order to redeem you from your sin. Many people reject with witness of others claiming their relationship with God and their approach to religion is personal. Yes it is praise God! That is why we should personally approach folks and share the wonderful news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ with them.
When Jesus returns to judge the earth and to take control of it, He will not return alone. He will bring His believers with Him as a great and mighty army to share in His conquest. Revelation 19:14 says,
"And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean."
This is just another of the many evidences of His marvelous grace to sinners such as you and I who are saved by grace, that He should allow us to participate in His return and to enjoy with Him the victory over the enemy. We were sinners, but He clothed us "in fine linen, white and clean." Jesus has given us the victory over sin and the devil by the shedding of His own precious blood. He has given faith in this life as the means to victory over the world. In I John 5: 4 we read the following words of encouragement,
"This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith."
Finally, Jesus will allow us to be present with Him at His return to enjoy the final victory over the forces of evil. There was a day 2,000 years ago when Jesus stood and looked over a crowd of people and proclaimed to them,
"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth."
Revelation 19:14 is the fulfillment of this promise. Remember Jesus is called Faithful and True. He will fulfill His promises.
Revelation 19:15 tells how and why Jesus accomplishes His great victory when He returns to the earth. It says,
"And out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations: and He shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God."
Jesus will win the victory over the army of evil forces by speaking the Word of God. Remember, God spoke and the worlds were created. He said, "BE" and it was, period. He spoke and said, "Lazarus, come forth," and Lazarus rose from the dead to the dismay of the Pharisees. When Jesus was nailed to the cross, He spoke and said, "It is finished," and thereby He finished the work of dying for the sins of the world. When He returns to the earth, he will speak again and the armies of the antichrist will be destroyed. What will Christ say in that day?
One day we will hear those words, but we can only imagine now what Christ might say. Perhaps He will quote the Ten Commandments to remind the wicked of the reason for their curse. The law is terrible thing for those who remain under its curse. Just as lightning bolts and an earthquake came when the law was first given to Moses on Mount Sinai, a far worse manifestation shall be realized upon those who receive the curse of the law in that last day. If you do not find the mercy of God that is based upon the cross and the blood of Jesus Christ, then you will bear the judgment that is based upon the righteous demands of the law.
When Jesus returns to the earth,
"out of His mouth goeth a sharp two-edged sword."
- God is angry with the wicked.
- He has proven His love to them by giving His only Son as a sacrifice for them.
- He has proven His existence to them.
- He is a merciful God who provided salvation through Christ.
The righteous judgment of God upon sinful man must be carried out. God sees the lying and deception. He sees the adultery and fornication. Every day God sees and knows the rebellion boiling over in the heart of man. The wickedness and the rebellion against God will continue to the great day of His wrath.
That’s what happened in the days of Noah, and remember what Jesus said,
"As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it also be in the days of the Son of Man."
Gen. 6: 5-7 records the reaction that God had during the time of Noah when God saw how great the wickedness had become upon the earth. It says,
"And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth…"
Humans were given a great opportunity to tend the garden of the earth. Every individual must give an answer to what they done with their charge. Many will try to blame others. Children will try to blame parents, many will blame other family members or friends, but in that great and fateful day, the Day of the Lord, we will stand naked and without excuse before a holy and righteous God if we are not clothed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Only the blood of Jesus can wash the filth and grime of sin off of us and make us worthy to wear the robes of white.
Unfortunately the day is coming when man will fail. When that day comes, the Lord will take charge over the earth in a way that He has never done before. That’s why Revelation 19:16 says about Jesus,
"And he had on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING of KINGS, and LORD of LORDS."
As we have already been told several times before in the Book of Revelation, before Jesus takes over as the King of Kings, He will face the armies of the antichrist in the Battle of Armageddon. It is important here to note that we are told about this event several times. This is the law of "multiple enunciation in scripture". When God wants to get our attention about something He repeats Himself. This is to give a warning to those who are on the wrong side so that they may repent before it is too late. He does not want them to miss the importance of their decision. He does not want them to take it lightly and He wants to make sure they get the message. Reject His message at the peril of an eternity in the flames of hell!
Revelation 19:17-19 says,
"And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; that you may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army."
The beast that is spoken of here is the antichrist. The last time that the antichrist will be seen will be at the head of this huge army that comes so foolishly to fight against God. It is not hard to believe that the antichrist will become so open in his opposition against God, because we already know that he is supernaturally empowered by Satan himself. Already today we se how crazed and arrogant the lawless and evil ones are in this world. Yet when you think of even the antichrist having the audacity to challenge Almighty God it is amazing. That any being would think that they could oppose God and have any chance of winning is utter foolishness. No on the surface this sounds ridiculous does it not, but that same type of rebellion against God is what drives the hearts and minds of those who reject the message of the Gospel.
And this has happened over and over again in the hearts and minds of men and women since the beginning of the human race. Rebellion against God was the sin of Lucifer. Rebellion against God is the sin that will send the antichrist to his doom, and rebellion against God is the sin that will send so many people to hell. If only they had surrendered their hearts to the Savior while there was time! Jesus said,
"Except you repent, you shall all likewise perish."
"The fool has said in his heart, There is no God."
Likewise, the foolish person has said, "No" to God and to His message of salvation. If you are wise you will turn to Jesus and say to Him while there is time,
"Not my will, but thine be done."
In Revelation 3: 20 we read that Jesus is standing and knocking at our heart’s door waiting for us to open the door and invite Him to come in. Won’t you invite Jesus into your heart today. The Bible says that today is the day of salvation. We are not promised tomorrow. Do you dare take the chance? Many of you are hearing this message as you drive down the highways right here in the DFW metroplex. Many people die each year on the highway you are driving on. Can you be sure you will make it to your destination? If your eternity is not fixed in Jesus you can change that right now. Simply pray and ask Jesus to come into your heart, was you in His blood and make Him your personal Lord and Savior right now.