All stories have essential elements, like characters, setting, plot, conflict, and resolution. Some of our favorite stories are so because of a specific scene that seriously moved our emotions. Many times that scene was when the hero arrived and obliterated the enemy (judgment and victory all in one fell swoop), ending the conflict forever.
If the account is based on real-life events (and it moves you to emotion), then it is compelling to contemplate how the real-life characters must have felt in that exhilarating moment. They would most definitely be applauding and cheering on the hero. The onlookers would be joyously hugging and celebrating with one another, all the while pointing to the one who was accomplishing this glorious turn of events.
If the account is given in advance of the actual historical event, like the event in Revelation 19:11-16, the building anticipation will inevitably result in an even greater display of joy upon its fulfillment.
And if the situation, the conflict, is greater than anyone has ever seen or imagined, as it will be in That Day, isn't it safe to assume the relief will be greater?
And, if the hero is the Faithful and True, the Word of God, the KING OF KINGS, the LORD OF LORDS, won't the jubilation and exultation tower over any triumphant victory ever?
And the people will be so breathtakingly proud of their God!!!
In that day, when their God comes, the remnant will declare, "Behold, this is our God for whom we have waited that He might save us. This is the LORD for whom we have waited; Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.'" Isaiah 25:9
PREPARE THE JUBILANCE!!!
By the way, there will be a remnant of believers in the last days. Just a few, not many, will remain faithful to their God. So it is during each period of history; many proclaim their allegiance to God, but most are not true believers. There are only a few (out of the many) who genuinely belong to Him. Those who are indeed His, both Jew and Gentile, will remain steadfast and faithful right up until the end.
And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness, He judges and wages war. Revelation 19:11
Remember the song before the judgment pattern we have seen throughout Revelation? Singing and celebration have been going on since God's judgment on Babylon. They will continue right on through the marriage of the Lamb. And now, Faithful and True (His name) will wage the end-times war His precious followers are waiting for! Interesting!
Before we look at the picture of the white horse and its Rider, Faithful and True, let's look at its frame. John saw "heaven opened." As I sit in my study writing this, I can look upward out my windows and see a clear blue sky. I am looking at heaven and toward God's dwelling place, but I cannot see into the heavenly Zion. Just as in Revelation 4:1, a door opened, and John, not only could see into but was taken through into the heavenly Zion, into the throne room itself. So, too, when heaven opens in Revelation 19:11, there will be an opening. Rather than being an entrance for John into heaven, it will be an exit from heaven for the KING OF KINGS, THE LORD OF LORDS, and His armies to descend to earth.
Now let's look at this glorious picture in the sky that God has painted for us.
John begins with a phrase we have seen him use before. "I see… and behold…” Behold ("idou" in the Greek) is not a calming, soothing, biblical cliche; instead, it is an exclamatory interjection used as an exciting announcement, "Look! Take note! See! Pay attention!" Evidently, John wants his readers to join him in his exhilaration at what he sees! So let's look carefully!
The Greek word for white is "leukos" and comes from the word "luke," which means light. This horse is a brilliant white, a bright, lustrous, gleaming white. John has painted an exceptionally majestic picture with just one word.
I just have to add a cross-reference here, I simply cannot contain myself because I want you to see this spectacular scene! It is no accident that John makes sure we can picture the almost "neon" which horse; the day that Jesus returns in His glory will be a unique day, one in which there will be total darkness. Read the following passage, which describes the exact same event we are looking at in Revelation 19:11-16.
But immediately after the tribulation of those days, THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. Matthew 24:29-30
After reading the above passage, try to envision pitch blackness, the utter and absolute absence of light. Then picture a door opening in that blackness, revealing the glory and brilliance of the white horse and his Rider. Words cannot describe what God has in store for His creation!
This scene is simply out of this world! Or should I say into this world? (Grinning.)
White horses were used by conquering Kings and warring Generals; colts of donkeys, such as Jesus rode into Jerusalem, were used as symbols of peace. This Rider's mission is determined, and He is going to execute it gloriously!
By the way, don't confuse this white horse with the white horse from Revelation 6:2. Both horses are white, and both riders conquer, but the similarity ends there. The two riders cannot even be compared; one is God (we are going to see in just a moment), and one is only a man.
This Rider is called Faithful and True. His name doesn't describe Him as much as His name determines what faithful means and what true means. Faithful and True is His name because that is intrinsically who He is. Whatever He does, thinks, or says is faithful and true. Whatever He does, thinks, or says is just and trustworthy.
And just exactly what is He going to do? He is going to judge and wage war righteously! He will distinguish or decide who will be condemned and determine the equity of their judgment as He engages in warfare against them. This will not be an unjust judgment or an unholy war. He will proceed with His mission and accomplish it with perfect, pure, and innocent righteousness.
In Revelation 3:14, Jesus calls Himself the faithful and true Witness. He has seen the truth of every nation's, and every man's, thoughts, intents, and actions. Now He will faithfully judge and truthfully wage war against them.
His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems, and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God… Revelation 19:12-13
Many of the descriptions of the Rider of the white horse are the same as, or similar to, the descriptive elements John gave in both the vision he saw of Jesus (Revelation 1) and in Jesus' description of Himself in the letters to the churches (Revelation 2-3). Other similar characteristics are revealed throughout the book of Revelation. We have previously seen Faithful and True judging and waging war righteously. (Revelation 15:3; 16:5; 16:7; 19:2) Revelation 19:12-13 is going to use descriptive elements from Revelation, as well.
First, we see His eyes; they are a flame of fire. Where have we seen that phrase before? Both in John's vision of Jesus and in Jesus' letter to the church in Thyatira. Revelation 1:14 and 2:18. I saved dealing with the phrase until we came to this magnificent picture of our great God and King! And even now, I cannot give you a definitive understanding of what it means that His eyes are a flame of fire, even with doing all the cross-references I could find in the Bible, doing word studies, and checking with a plethora of Lexical aids. Sorry, but I can give you a couple of the basics.
The Greek word for flame is "phlox," which means flame or light. It comes from a primary word, which means to flash, flame, or blaze. It can be used to designate flashes of lightning. The words flame and fire in Revelation 19:12 are both singular.
There is no getting around the fact that in the Bible, the context of almost every usage of the word flame is in the context of judgment. Here is an example from Isaiah 66:15. "For behold, the LORD will come in fire and His chariots like the whirlwind, to render His anger with fury, and His rebuke with flames of fire."
Whatever the Rider's eyes looked like to John, it must have been terrifying, as it will be to those He will judge when He comes to earth again. His eyes see it all, nothing has ever been hidden from His view, and they will blaze with fire when He returns to judge and wage war righteously.
The description continues. Many diadems are on the Rider's head. Diadem is actually a Greek word; it refers to royal crowns fitting for His name "KING OF KINGS" in verse 19. The great red dragon (Revelation 12:3) had 7 diadems while the beast coming up from the sea had 10 diadems. The King of kings has many diadems. The Greek word for many is "polus" and means great (giant) in magnitude and quantity! Our King has every crown!!! Remember the verse from Isaiah I gave you earlier? Can't you just hear the delighted remnant exclaiming, “This is our God! This is our King!"
We mustn't wait to acclaim and applaud His worthiness! All glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, belong to our God from before all time, now, and forever! Psalm 47:6 instructs us to "Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises!"
Engraved on our Lord, God, and King is a name. No one knows or understands this name except Himself. Mysterious and magnificent at the same time. God is incomprehensible; He is unsearchable. Because God is God, He is beyond the understanding of man. His ways, character, and acts are higher than creation. Mankind only understands what God chooses to reveal about Himself, His ways, or His purposes. In this case, He does not wish to disclose this dimension of who He is. Psalm 145:3 informs us, "Great is the LORD, and highly to be praised, and His greatness is unsearchable."
It is interesting to remember Revelation 2:17, where we are told that Jesus will give overcomers (true believers) a new name which no one knows but the one who receives it. We'll leave it at that because we are just looking at the mountaintops (as much as possible) and saving the "not so plain" parts of Revelation for later study. (By the way, Isaiah and Revelation tell us there will be quite a few new names given out in that day; Zion, Jerusalem, Israel, overcomers, and Jesus, Himself! But we don't have time for that, either. Sigh…)
Covering the Rider is a robe that is dipped in blood. Now, just reading that, how much of the robe do you think has blood on it? What is the picture in your mind? Many years ago, I used to think of the blood being toward the bottom of the robe as if just the lower corners, perhaps, had been dipped into a bucket of blood. However, I was reading with English eyes rather than Greek eyes. When I dug into the text further, I found that the Greek word for dipped is "bapto" and means to "whelm, or cover wholly with a fluid; to dip or dye." Hmmmm… that caused me to picture it a little differently and, while I was at it, ask a few healthy questions.
Could it be that His entire, or most of His garment, was dyed with blood? What was it showing? And whose blood was it? Where did the blood come from? And why and when and how?
In Isaiah 63:1-6, two questions are asked and promptly answered.
Q: Who is this who comes from Edom, with garments of glowing colors from Bozrah, this One who is majestic in His apparel, marching in the greatness of His strength?
A: It is I who speaks in righteousness, mighty to save.
This One is the Lamb who has come from Edom, present-day southern Jordan. Petra, the extremely possible "wilderness" where God will provide for some of His people during the second half of Daniel's 70th week, the 3 1/2 years of the Great Tribulation is in Edom. When the Lamb returns to earth, He will gather His people from the wilderness and save the tents of Judah first before He moves northeast toward Jerusalem. (Zechariah 12:7)
Notice that His answer also includes the fact that He speaks in righteousness. Do you remember what Revelation 19:11 told us? The Rider on the white horse, Faithful and True, judges and wages war in righteousness. Faithful and True is the One who comes marching in the greatness of His strength. Isaiah 63:1-6 and Revelation 19:11-16 both concern the second coming of Messiah.
Q: Why is Your apparel red, and Your garments like the one who treads in the wine press?
A: I have trodden the wine trough alone, and from the peoples there was no man with Me. I also trod them in My anger and trampled them in My wrath; and their lifeblood is sprinkled on My garments, and I stained all My raiment. For the day of vengeance was in My heart, and My year of redemption has come. I looked, and there was no one to help, and I was astonished and there was no one to uphold; so My own arm brought salvation to Me, and My wrath upheld Me. I trod down the peoples in My anger and made them drunk in My wrath, and I poured out their lifeblood on the earth.
The day of vengeance against the peoples is in His heart, and His year of redemption for His people has come! Behold! This is our God! The remnant has been waiting for Him to come and save them. The salvation of Israel has come!
How did His apparel turn red? Why did His garments look like He has been treading a winepress? Because He trods the peoples in His wrath. Their lifeblood is on His garments, and all His raiment is stained with their blood. Sound anything like Revelation 19:13? If you skip down and read Revelation 19:15, you will see the Rider also treads the winepress of God, the Almighty's fierce wrath. He has struck down the nations; thus, His "robe dipped in blood."
Scripture interprets Scripture. Scripture is the only interpreter of Scripture.
The name of the Rider is called The Word of God. If you've been counting, this is name number three. First, we saw Faithful and True, then a name is written on Him which no one knows except Himself. His third revealed name is The Word of God. Names in biblical times meant much more than they do today. A name was representative of the person; his authority, reputation, character, attributes, nature, purpose, etc.
If some are not convinced that the Rider is Jesus Christ, the Lamb, He can be mistaken no longer. (John 1:1; John 1:14; Hebrews 1:1-3) The Word of God is the manifestation and expression of the thought, will, and desire of God, Himself.
And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty." Revelation 19:14-15
These two verses show us that the Rider's mission is more an execution of judgment than merely a military war. The Lamb is already victorious, and at that time, He will dispense punishment on His already defeated enemies. At that time, He will destroy the kingdoms of the nations.
We are introduced to a new entity; the armies which are in heaven. We are told they are clothed in fine linen, white and clean. Does this sound familiar? It is strikingly similar to the bride of the Lamb from Revelation 19:8. These armies are following the Rider on their own white horses. The references to fine linen in the Bible almost entirely concern the Tabernacle, Temple, God's people, and Lamb's bride. We can safely assume that the bride is following the Rider, her Husband, now. Revelation 17:14 speaks of this same event and tells us those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful. But because the armies are plural, we can also imagine there might be more armies than just the bride. Hosts of mighty angels will be with Him, according to 2 Thessalonians 1:7. Perhaps other groups from heaven? Most definitely! No matter who all the groups might be, we can presume that the bride is right there, accompanying her glorious Husband!
We will be dressed in fine linen, white and clean (remember our righteous acts, through God's power, from Revelation 19:8?). And I love this part, we will be riding white horses! Remember, a white horse is identified with complete victory as well as ruling and reigning over the defeated enemies. How perfectly this picture fits the bride! We are given victory through the blood of the Lamb and will rule and reign with Him!
What a glorious privilege for believers to follow the Lamb and be seen as His! We will be recognized and identified with the Glorified King of kings!!! We are His!!! We belong to Him!!! Oh, I wish I could write words that would fill your heart, mind, and being with the majestic power and presence that will permeate this glorious coming event. His resplendence and excellence cannot even be grasped… not yet. At that time and in that place, we will be exceedingly humbled and extraordinarily honored to be riding with Him!!!
Oh, my Lord and King, how I love you and long to be with you for all of eternity!!! I am so proud of You! I am so proud to be called by Your name. You are my God! You are the Majestic Glory!!! I lay prostrate before you! All glory and honor belong to You forever and ever, way beyond the horizon of eternity future!!!
A delightful sigh... Now, back to the text.
There is a sharp sword that comes from the Word's mouth. He uses it to strike down the nations. Here is another example of a repeated detail from John's vision of Jesus in Revelation 1:16. Jesus describes Himself as having a sharp two-edged sword in His letter to the church in Pergamum. In that same letter, He tells them to repent... or He will make war against them with the sword of His mouth.
The sword is pictured as "coming out" of His mouth. The word "comes" is in the present tense, which shows us an action that is continuous or repeated. This is not showing a picture of the sword in His mouth, but a sword that is coming forth from His mouth. In other words, the sword is coming out from His mouth in the context of time. It's a video, not a still photo!
He is going to strike down the nations, and His weapon of choice is a sharp sword. According to "oxus," the Greek word for sharp, the sword is keen, rapid, sharp, swift, and nimble. According to the Greek word God chose for the word sword, "rhomphaia," the weapon itself is long and broad.
Look at these two cross-references which connect the idea of the Word of God and a sword.
And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians 6:17
For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4:12
Now, look back at our text in Revelation 19. Verse 14 is a parenthetical insert concerning the armies in the middle of John's picture of the Rider on the white horse. If we read it at such (put parentheses around it in your mind) and read verse 13, leave out verse 14, then immediately read verse 15, it reads as follows, "His name is called The Word of God. From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations…”
What two subjects do you see connected in these verses? Yes! The Word of God and the sharp sword! The Word of God used His Word to create; perhaps His Word is the sharp sword that will strike down the nations? Just saying.
Scripture interprets Scripture.
Who are the nations that the Word of God will strike down? They are all the nations of the world. This event shows the second coming of Christ when the Warrior-Messiah will deliver His people and strike down the nations.
Let me remind you of the context. This is the end of the Great Tribulation against the Jews, which has been ongoing for 3 1/2 years. During this time, God has been sending the bowl judgments against the earth and men who have refused to submit to Him (Revelation calls them the earth-dwellers.) They are angry and filled with hate for God and His people. Under the antichrist's direction, all the nations of the world gather on the expansive plain of Meggido. Once they are assembled, they march against Jerusalem to destroy her and God's people. The streets of Jerusalem will be filled with the dead and dying. They absolutely cannot withstand any more of the onslaught; they are at their end.
At the very last moment, The Word of God arrives! The battle isn't really a conventional war. It's an onslaught on Jerusalem and then an immediate victory when the Word of God shows up! Remember what the remnant will say in that hour, "Behold, this is our God for whom we have waited that He might save us! This is the LORD for whom we have waited; Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation!" Isaiah 25:9b
Will the Lord destroy all living people on the earth at that time (apart from the remnant, of course)? No. He will destroy the armies who have intended to destroy His people and His city, Jerusalem. However, there will be survivors left in the countries from where the troops came; non-military, like grandparents, mothers, children, invalids, and men who did not go to war.
Then He will sit on His glorious throne and judge what's left of the nations. Let me show you that judgment from Matthew 25. And by the way, you might find that this familiar passage, when kept in its context (read Matthew 24-25), means something entirely different than how most people use it. The King's brothers are not the unfortunate, the wretched and the miserable from just any ol' time or place; instead, they are the Jews who need help during the great tribulation. Those who are kind to them are the Gentiles who were not taken at the Rapture. Interesting!
But when the Son of Man comes in His glory and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left.
Then the King will say to those on His right, "Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me." Then the righteous will answer Him, "Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?" The King will answer and say to them, "Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me."
Then He will also say to those on His left, "Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me." Then they themselves also will answer, "Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?" Then He will answer them, "Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me." These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. Matthew 25:31-46
The unrighteous (the goats) will be sent into the lake of fire. (The beast and the false prophet will have already moved in. We will see more of the lake of fire later on in Revelation.) The righteous (the sheep) will be subjugated to the Lord's authority, and His ruling scepter will be made of iron.
Read the following three cross-references to get a clearer picture of what the Lord will do with His iron rod. All three refer to the exact time in the future as our present text.
You shall break them with a rod of iron, You shall shatter them like earthenware. Psalm 2:9
AND HE SHALL RULE THEM WITH A ROD OF IRON, AS THE VESSELS OF THE POTTER ARE BROKEN TO PIECES, as I also have received authority from My Father. Revelation 2:27
And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne. Revelation 12:5
The great Ruler-Shepherd will subjugate the nations with His iron rod. And He will tread the winepress of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty! We see the same event in Revelation 14:19. The verse tells us the grapes from the vine of the earth will be ripe. The angel will swing his sickle to the earth, gather the clusters, and throw them into the great winepress of God's wrath. Same event. Same ending for those who refused to bow their knees to God, the Almighty!
God's wrath is fierce, indeed! All the ungodly and all the unrighteous will feel it. All who suppress the truth in unrighteousness will see His anger and regret their stance against the Almighty! They will have no excuse; none at all.
Things will never be the same once our King returns to earth and begins to rule the nations. The media (if there still is one) will have an entirely different perspective about God. They will report about things they had never seen before, including a formidable overthrow of the world no one even suspected was coming!
And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.” Revelation 19:16
We've seen three names established for the Rider on the white horse; Faithful and True, a name is written on Him which no one knows except Himself, and The Word of God. Now, we see a fourth; King of kings and Lord of lords is written both on His robe and on His thigh. One can only guess as to the meaning of this name's placement, although there is no doubt all will see them displayed as He thunders on His white horse through the sky to save His people and judge the nations! It is only one name but is written in two places, His robe and His thigh. So, loosely, we can consider the Rider as possessing five titles in this scene.
He has been called King of kings in other parts of the Bible, and He has been called Lord of lords, but never together. Revelation 19:16 and Revelation 17:14 are the only two places where the two are together. "These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful."
There can be no mistaking the meaning of the name. This Rider is the King of every other king, and He is Lord of every other lord! He conquers everyone and everything in His universe! He is Victor! He is Triumphant! He is Supreme! He is the ultimate Warrior-Messiah!
I must proclaim it again! "Behold, this is our God for whom we have waited that He might save us! This is the LORD for whom we have waited; Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation!" Isaiah 25:9b
The first three scenes in Revelation 19 have been snapshot trailers in which God is "advertising" coming events, by extracting portions and showing them to us. In this most recent scene, the Rider and His white horse, God gives us some fascinating details of what is coming very soon to a theater near all of us!
Stay tuned! More to come!