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.

First and Second Horsemen

 Revelation 6:1-4

Now I watched when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say with a voice like thunder, “Come!”  And I looked, and behold, a white horse! And its rider had a bow, and a crown was given to him, and he came out conquering, and to conquer.  When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!”   And out came another horse, bright red. Its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that people should slay one another, and he was given a great sword.

Jesus begins to break the seals on the scroll from God’s hand.  There are seven seals, each allowing for a portion of the scroll to be revealed and paint a more complete picture of God’s plan for the end.  Jesus, with full authority and knowledge, sets upon the task of unveiling the plan for wrath that is set to come upon the earth in those days.  With sadness and anguish, these things must take place to eliminate the evil in the world, and those who have denied God will feel the fullness of God’s wrath, not to His joy, but to His pain and requirement for Holiness in His presence.  His desire is that none shall perish (2 Peter 3:9), but by their own hearts’ decision, they have refused His love and grace.

Here we begin the introduction to the four horsemen of the apocalypse.  The first horseman is upon  “the White Horse”.  He carries a bow and is given a crown.  This gives him authority over the earth in the end days as a conqueror, an overcomer.  The bow is significant because, in battle, the archers are sent out first to soften the opposing forces by shooting arrows from a long distance before the artillery advances upon a weakened force.  We cannot draw a conclusion as to this horseman’s identity, but we can see that it is not Jesus, as many might think, because of the “white horse”.  Jesus already had authority in heaven and on earth.  In John’s vision, the entrance of this horseman and white horse is in addition to “the Lamb” opening the seals, so we know that Jesus is not the rider in this context.

The second seal was broken by the Lamb, which then released the second horseman upon a “Red Horse”.  One of the four creatures near God’s throne called forth this horse and John’s vision is brought to life within God’s throne room.  The horseman is given authority to “take peace from the earth” and cause man to slay man.  This authority is given from the Lamb, who was given all authority on heaven and earth.  He is also known as “the prince of peace” (Isaiah 9:6) and ironically puts the plan into motion to remove this peace.

God had once before released wrath upon the earth in Genesis 6, with the flood, because of the corrupt and evil ways of mankind at that time.  Here again we begin to see His plan to once again wipe out the evil in this world.  In Jesus’ own words from Luke 17:26, “As in the days of Noah, so shall it be in the days of the Son of Man”, He prescribed the coming wrath in the end times.  We now see the 2nd horseman on the Red Horse given the authority to carry out these plans.  

We are called to be ready at any moment.  Are you?  Do you have a relationship with Jesus Christ?  Have you accepted Him as your Savior and Lord?  You can look at the news on any given day and see the evil, wickedness, debauchery, and corruption from God’s righteousness and holiness.  We are nearing the end days, and I’m not just saying that.  The proof is all around you, for we are living as unrighteously and wickedly as those of Noah’s day.  My ask of you today is to repent, turn from your sin, and accept Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord.  We will discover in the coming days, much worse wrath that will be poured out upon the earth.  Trusting in Jesus is the only path through these times.

An Unmistakable Entrance

Read It, Learn It, Live It, Share It

“I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war.  His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but He himself.  He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God.” – Revelation 19:11-13

Isaiah 11:4 - but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.

Daniel 10:6 - His body was like chrysolite, his face like lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and his voice like the sound of a multitude.

1 Timothy 6:14-15 - to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ,  which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords

John 1:1 - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

He came as a baby in a manger .  The world could not recognize him as the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords or the Lamb of God.  Many rejected him, and many still do because they can’t wrap their head around the logic of a baby coming to save mankind from our unrighteousness.
Had Jesus come then as He will come in the last days, would anyone have doubted that this is the Son of God?  No, people would have immediately fallen to their knees and begged His mercy and grace be upon them.  God could have forced His hand, and sent His Son to destroy the unrighteous on that day 2000+ years ago.  He chose not to, because His love for you and I is greater than that.  He realized that forcing someone to believe would never result in a lasting relationship.  He realized that mankind must come to love Him and want to be with Him of their own choice.

Do not underestimate His love for you or mankind.  He desires nothing more than to have you with Him in eternity.  But, look around you and tell me where you see God in today’s society.  The world we live in is trying to remove God from the throne and place mankind on it.  This will not be tolerated for long, for God will draw an end to this courtship and the Bridegroom will come for His Bride.  God is going to blow the minds of people one day by revealing Himself and there will be wailing in the streets for the choices we have made in refusing to follow Him.  This won’t be a video game and there is no reset button.  When the skies part and you see the Son of Man riding upon the white horse, you will have waited too long my friend. 

             

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