Return of the Christ

Revelation 19:11-21

Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war.  His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself.  He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God.  And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses.  From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.  On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.

Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a loud voice he called to all the birds that fly directly overhead, “Come, gather for the great supper of God, to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, both small and great.”  And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against him who was sitting on the horse and against his army.  And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur.  And the rest were slain by the sword that came from the mouth of him who was sitting on the horse, and all the birds were gorged with their flesh.

What a glorious day for those who believe in Jesus Christ, and what a terrible day for those who do not.

John’s vision, as captured in Revelation 19, shows us how Jesus will return after the Great Tribulation, seated upon a white horse.  If you recall the Passover story captured in the scriptures, Jesus was riding into Jerusalem on a donkey (Matthew 21:1-11), as prophesied in Zechariah.  Why is this important?  When Jesus entered Jerusalem, he came as a humble servant king, knowing that it was not the time for the final battle with Satan.  If his entry into Jerusalem had been upon a horse, it would have made a statement of royalty, kingship, and coming war.  Now, here in Revelation, we see Jesus coming back to earth as the groom to fetch His bride, riding upon a white horse of authority, power, and war, as shown in Daniel 7:13-14.  He comes in righteousness to wage war and judge mankind.  

His return is to bring the final battle upon Satan, Antichrist, False Prophet, and their followers, and to establish his rule on earth forever and ever.  The armies of heaven with him, clothed in white of righteousness, and also riding white horses.  This army is those who have given their lives to Him and His righteousness.  This body of faithful witnesses, overcomers, saints, believers, and martyrs will abide with Him through this battle.

Jesus, His eyes aflame, a crown of many diadems, clothed in a white robe dipped in blood, with a name written upon Him that no one knows, but his name is called the Word of God, with a sharp sword coming from His mouth, with a rod of iron, and written on His robe and thigh the words, “King of Kings and Lord of Lords”.  Wow, what an image John portrays for us to imagine.  Literal or figurative is irrelevant.  The reality that this powerful, righteous conqueror and judge will come to battle Satan here on earth.  He alone will posses all power and authority over the earth, and Satan with his armies will stand no chance.  Jesus comes with a sword from His mouth to strike down the nations of Satan.  We know from Ephesians 6:17, that the Word of God is a mighty sword.  As a weapon of destruction in the spiritual world, we can see that this weapon in the hands of Jesus is a mighty weapon, and the only one He needs.

Babylon has fallen; now Satan and his armies gather to battle Christ and His army.  The antichrist (beast), and the false prophet are captured and cast into the lake of fire.  The abyss, Hell for eternity to be burned up by sulfur and endless fire.  Jesus treads the winepress (refer to Rev 14) to rain the fury of wrath from God upon those who still remain.  This figurative winepress to crush those who defied God (grapes), despite the many signs, and chose to follow the antichrist.  They were slain by the sword (the Word) and the birds above will gorge themselves on their flesh.  As we saw in Revelation 14, the blood of this battle will rise to the bridle of a horse for nearly 200 miles.

The world will then be cleansed of evil, except for Satan himself.  We will discover that outcome in Revelation 20 and 21, so stay tuned.  Satan doesn’t go away quietly as some might expect, but he is no match for the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  

The final battle between these armies has a foregone conclusion for those of us who believe in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.  If you do not, you may be reading this as a wonderful science fiction thriller.  I can assure you that the testimony of the saints, the believers for over 2000 years, is evidence of the truth of these scriptures.  If you would like to discuss this in a deeper context, please feel free to reach out to me directly, and I would be happy to have a conversation.  It is the most critical decision you will make in your entire life.  Do not make it flippantly because someone told you it was a children’s story.  Every reader is in my prayers for a deep relationship revelation with the Holy One – Jesus Christ.